Mormons Christians? Romney: Oh yeah. Pastor Jeffress: Nope, cult. Joel Osteen: I guess so, not purest? Mormon history: A different universe than the Bible.

I have been observing all the folks recently claiming that MA governor Mitt Romney has the Republican presidential nomination all wrapped up.  But there is this elephant in the room that Texas pastor Robert Jeffress had the temerity to actually mention.  That is, Romney is a Mormon and the underlying differences between Bible Christianity and the Mormon church are manifold and massive.  If the Mormons wish to say they are just another religion like Islam, Buddhism, Shinto, Hinduism - or whatever - then so be it.  But in the last 25 years the MC has engaged in an aggressive image-scrubbing which has been quite a thing to behold, trying to establish the MC as "Christian".  So, if the MC wishes to be considered as Christian, then Christians are quite right to designate the Mormon Church as a cult.
And Christian pastors by and large (big-time guy Joel Osteen notwithstanding) agree with Pastoir Jeffress.  According to a poll recently released by LifeWay Research, a majority of pastors surveyed agree with the Southern Baptist pastor. LifeWay Research director Scott McConnell says 75 percent disagree with the statement: "I personally consider Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) to be Christians."  See:

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=1457432

So what's up?  Here is analysis recently sent by a friend:

= = = = = = = = = = =

Mormonism Christian? Absolutely not.

Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, is clearly a "false prophet" by Bible definition which says if a prophet misses in one thing, he is not a prophet of God. Among numerous bizarre and clearly disproven BOM claims is that of North American natives of Jewish descent. Y-Chromosome genetic tests and other genetic techniques comparing NA natives and world Jewry show Joseph Smith's dreamed up Book of Mormon is just that - dreamed up. Despite the blustering and tears of the "conservative" Mormon political commentator Glen Beck, try this:

http://www.godandscience.org/cults/dna.html

But why not Christian? Just a few:


(a) (Mormon founder) Joseph Smth's involvement with occult practice in New England got him booted from church,


(b) (Mormon founder) Joseph Smith had too many (waaaay too many) wives, plus adulterous relations with others. Brigham Young was an apple that did not fall far from Joseph Smith's tree.


(c) Smith and followers were chased out of Missouri because too many were cattle thieves and worse. After the death of Joseph Smith in Illinois (read the details in Richard Abanes book to see if this guy really was a "martyr"), a Mormon exodus from Illinois soon followed for much the same reason as their exit from Missouri. The Mormon Trail the Mormon church tries to dramatize as a path of flight from persecution was in fact a flight from prosecution,


(d) Mormonism claims God is evolving but Bible says God is unchanging,


(e) Mormonism claims Jesus is spirit brother of Satan, while Bible is clear:  Jesus is Son of God and creator while Satan is a created being,


Summary of (d) and (e): Mormon god is not the Bible God, Mormon Jesus is not the Bible Jesus.

(f) Mormonism says we are becoming gods, while the Bible says the ultimate sin of Satan was desiring to be "like the most high." Really, this one is the most serious of all because it sets this most central of Mormon teachings at the center of Satan’s rebellion. .

(g) Bible says the blood of Jesus is sufficient to pay for all sin, including murder. So I and other Christians would affirm Texas axe murderer Karla Faye Tucker and Milwaukee serial murderer (plus homosexual abuser and cannibal) Jeffrey Dahmer would both be saved due to in-prison conversions before their deaths. Christians acknowledge that the physical death of the murderer is clearly and unquestionably required by scripture, but also affirm that (spiritual) salvation may be obtained even by the condemned murderer – but only by the blood of Jesus and by nothing else. On the other hand, Mormons claim that a blood crime (murder) requires the blood of the murderer be shed for salvation. Remember why Utah murderer Gary Gilmore requested execution by firing squad about 30-35 years ago? He followed Mormon teaching that his own blood shed was required for spiritual salvation along with the blood of Jesus. This is a few galaxies away from Christianity.


(h) The “eternal” doctrine of polygamy lasted until it was convenient to change it for political purposes. For example, President Brigham Young on July 18, 1855 (Journal of Discourses) said, “If any of you will deny the plurality of wives and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned.” But around 1891 this teaching was conveniently set aside so Utah could be accepted into the Union.

(i) About the “negro”, Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Mormon Church, in 1843 said, “Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species …” (January 2, 1843. HC, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976/1980, vol. 5, 217-218.) Blacks prior to 1978, according to Mormon doctrine, could not attain “godhood” or hold any church office. But in 1978 the Mormon doctrine regarding blacks conveniently changed to become more acceptable to mainstream America and to set the stage for the church’s push to change its image from clearly outspoken opponent of Christianity to begin to appear simply as one more Christian group.

(j) Are you aware of the Mormon Oath of Vengeance against the United States? This oath was required for the followers of Brigham Young. It was sent in 1850 to the U.S. Congress by none other than William Smith, brother of Joseph, after Brigham Young had ascended to the presidency of the church. It was printed by the Government Printing Office in 1905 as part of testimony received in considering if Utah Senator Reed Smoot should be fit to continue to serve. Perhaps the millions of Christians, decried by some as anti-Mormon bigots, may be merely well-informed. Here it is:


“You do solemnly swear in the presence of Almighty God … that you will avenge the blood of Joseph Smith upon this nation, and so teach your children; that you will; from this day henceforth and forever, begin and carry out hostilities against this nation, and keep the same a profound secret now and forever, so help you God.”


..... and on and on it goes. And you wonder why I will not vote for Romney or any other Mormon. There it is. Not bigotry, merely following my duty to be part of an informed electorate.

.....

And I (D.U.) am aware that there is more to be said.  All the above and more can be found in many books documenting the history and teachings of the MC.  From No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1945), by Fawn McKay Brodie, to One nation under gods: A history of the Mormon Church (New York, London: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2002) by Richard Abanes.  Abanes' unsanitized account of the Mountain Meadow Massacre (you can find sanitized accounts by the MC using any search engine) is a jaw-dropper. 

Enough for now.

Respectfully submitted,

D.U.

P.S. And about evolution, the usual topic of this blog: Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, in reponse to Texas Governor Rick Perry's statements in support of divine creation, tweeted:  "To be clear, I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming.  Call me crazy."
Find the discussion on the ABC News post: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/08/jon-huntsman-comes-out-swinging/
Well, of course Huntsman can say that.  If you are a Mormon believing God has evolved from man-like to God and man is evolving as well in the same way, why not say you believe in evolution? He can if he wants to - it is still a free country for a while.  It's just not Biblical.