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Okay, before asking this question I want to establish the audience that I am about to address: people who consider themselves Christians and don't associate themselves with Mormons.

So here is the question:

What are the main points of Mormon teaching that a majority of those who consider themselves Christians, and not associate themselves with Mormons, consider contradictory to the Bible?

Please, refrain from mentioning here those points that did not originate from the Bible, but can't be either supported or disproved by the Bible - my question is not about that kind of points.

Flimzy
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brilliant
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    The problem with this question is that the wording is divisive: it is dividing Mormons from the Bible. You can see in our [faq] that we accept Mormons (and all other self-declaring Christians) as Christians. Any line of questioning that is attempting to divide Mormons from Christianity is considered "Not Constructive". If you can think of a way to ask this question more respectfully of the Mormon belief system, I can see opening this question again. (Caleb's edit would have allowed this to stay open, for example.) – Richard Oct 04 '11 at 12:43
  • @brilliant: I already made an effort to save this question by rewording it in a more polite and possibly constructive way, why did you revert? – Caleb Oct 04 '11 at 12:46
  • @Caleb - Hi, Caleb! I reverted it because your suggested title changed the whole point of my question - I was not about knowing what points of Mormons' teaching are not originated from the Bible. What I was about was what points of their teaching contradict to the Bible. – brilliant Oct 04 '11 at 13:10
  • @Richard - But I was not rude in my question, was I? I didn't put any label on Mormons, did I? The problem was Caleb, while he did a great job of making my question sound more polite, have completely changed the meaning of my question. The thing is, I didn't really need to know Mormons' points that were not originated from the Bible - I was after those points of Mormonism that contradict to the Bible. – brilliant Oct 04 '11 at 13:17
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    @brilliant I think that your main problem here is that you are presuming that those contractions do exist by the wording of your question. Someone who was LDS would not be able to answer your question as worded, since it is making the assumption that they are wrong. Something more like 'Are there Mormon teachings that some have argued contradicts the OT/NT' may not be closed. – aceinthehole Oct 04 '11 at 13:33
  • Please don't ask duplicate questions, edit this one and then get community support to re-open it when it's ship-shape. I copied your edits from the duplicate to this one. – Caleb Oct 04 '11 at 14:30
  • I think you missed the point of my edit. I understood your question and DID ask the same thing, but in a way that would encourage positive toned answers rather than negative and controversial ones. – Caleb Oct 04 '11 at 14:33
  • Caleb - How do I get community support to re-open it? – brilliant Oct 04 '11 at 14:53

2 Answers2

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I think a simple chart answers this best, so you can look at http://contenderministries.org/mormonism/comparison.php

Here are a couple of Mormon beliefs and their reference. I believe D&C is Doctrines and Covenant, not certain what book Mormon Doctrine is, but this could give at least a small sample of teachings the run smack against what mainstream Christianity teaches.

God the Father has a wife, through whom he procreates spirit children. "Implicit in the Christian verity that all men are the spirit children of an Eternal Father is the usually unspoken truth that they are also the offspring of an Eternal Mother. An exalted and glorified Man of Holiness (Moses 6:57) could not be a Father unless a Woman of like glory, perfection, and holiness was associated with him as a Mother" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 516)

Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be" (D&C 93:29)

"If there had been no atonement, temporal death would have remained forever, and there never would have remained forever, and there never would have been a resurrection. The body would have remained forever in the grave" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p.63)

"Redemption from death, through the sufferings of Christ, is for all men, both the righteous and the wicked" (Ibid., p. 65)

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James Black
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  • OK, I'm a bit curious. How do the last two points--that the Resurrection comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and would be impossible without it, and that the Resurrection applies to everyone (1 Corinthians 15:22)--differ from mainstream Christianity? – Mason Wheeler Oct 04 '11 at 13:16
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    Also, just FYI, Mormon Doctrine is an encyclopedia-format book by a former LDS leader. It's considered useful but, despite the name, is not an official, authoritative source of LDS doctrine. – Mason Wheeler Oct 04 '11 at 13:19
  • @MasonWheeler - That could be why I don't have a copy, but I just have three LDS books, D&S is one. – James Black Oct 04 '11 at 13:23
  • @MasonWheeler - The problem is the belief that ALL people, regardless of beliefs, will become immortal, due to the atonement. For example if you look at Romans 2:6-8 some will be rewarded with immortality, but not all. – James Black Oct 04 '11 at 13:29
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There are hordes of essays and other resources on this subject available on the internet and elsewhere. The following comparison of beliefs, specifically about Jesus, comes from an organisation called the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry:

    • Mormonism: Jesus is created (Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce McConkie, p. 192, 589).
    • Bible / conventional Christianity: Jesus is not created (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17).
    • Mormonism: Jesus is the brother of the devil (Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, p. 192, 589).
    • Bible / conventional Christianity: Jesus is not the brother of the devil. The devil is a fallen created angel. Jesus created all things (Col. 1:16-17). Therefore, Jesus is not the brother of the devil.
    • Mormonism: Jesus is one of three gods (Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, p. 319).
    • Bible/conventional Christianity: Jesus is prayed to (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 1:1-2 with Zech. 13:9).
    • Mormonism: Jesus did not pay for all sins (Doctrines of Salvation by Joseph F. Smith, vol. 1, p. 135).
    • Bible/conventional Christianity: Jesus did pay for all sins (1 John 2:2; 1 Pet. 2:24).
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