Do Mormons Worship The Same Jesus As Christians?
I recently entered into a conversation on a blog regarding whether Mormons worship the same Jesus as Christians. I was surprised to discover a few Evangelicals who expressed the belief they do. Being a former Mormon I must say I wholeheartedly disagree. To those Christians who hold this position, I would like to give you something to consider… The First Vision. Let me explain.
Joseph Smith claimed Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father appeared to him in 1820 and ushered in the restoration of the true church of Jesus Christ – now known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When considering this First Vision claim there are only two positions one can take.
- It happened
- It did not happen
If one believes the First Vision did in fact happen (Number 1) there are only two possibilities to consider.
A. One of the beings who appeared to Joseph Smith was in fact Jesus Christ
B. Neither of the beings who appeared to Joseph Smith were Jesus Christ
Think about the implications of these two positions for a second. If “A” is true and Jesus Christ did appear to Joseph then The Mormon Church is what it claims to be… the true Church of Jesus Christ. For it was started by Jesus Christ Himself calling Joseph Smith as His prophet during the First Vision encounter. To those of you who believe Mormons worship the same Jesus as us – are you prepared to accept this and join the Mormon Church? However, if “B” is true, then who was the being who appeared to Joseph Smith if it was not Jesus Christ? Think about this for a second… this is the being who started The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is the being who appeared to Joseph Smith and called him as his prophet. This is the being Mormons worship. If it was not Jesus Christ, who was it? One thing we can say for sure… if it was not Jesus Christ then we can rest assured Mormons do not worship the same Jesus Christ we worship.
To those who hold the belief the First Vision did not happen (number 2 above) there are still problems to consider when holding the belief Mormons worship the same Jesus as Christians. For then you have to believe the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, perpetuated a lie of an indescribable magnitude and in the process used this lie to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, Joseph Smith knowingly made up all of the visions and used these false visions to preach and lead others to the REAL Jesus Christ. In addition, you must believe that he knowingly deceived others into believing THEY EXPERIENCED VISIONS. For some of his visions were experienced in the presence of and by others. All of this deceit while still preaching the REAL Jesus Christ. While one can hold this position, to me it strains credulity.
Personally, I believe the evidence points to the fact Joseph Smith did have a first vision (number 1 above) but the being in this vision was not Jesus Christ (B above). I believe Joseph’s well documented involvement in the occult opened some undesirable doors and the being who appeared to him was an evil spirit sent to lead the hearts of men astray (1 John 4:1). IMO, the Jesus of Mormonism is not the Jesus Christ of The Bible. My prayer is for all Mormons to let go of the legalistic bonds of false religion and turn to the True Jesus Christ of The Bible. In Him there is safety, in Him there is peace!
God Bless!
Darrell
Written for the John Ankerberg Show by Darrell Boan, ©2009.
How about this? Joseph Smith was visited by the true and living Christ. However, Joe, like so many modern day believers had a background steeped in iniquity. To the degree that he recalled, or remembered his meeting with Christ accurately, I give him kudos. To the shades of gray, I give him a zero. I think the Mormons have used their inauspicious beginning as an unfortunate “launch point”. However, not everyone is a saint or a Joseph or a Daniel. Some are like “David” and have “clay” feet. So, give people the benefit of your experience which is probably more complicated than you care to share and let free-willed people make their choices. We never know, we never know, we just don’t. A lot of their theology is dark but some sheds light. So go figure!!!
I strongly feel you could hammer this home, a bit more. I’m on page 20, and only after two weeks. I feel you could include so much more information that clearly opposes the Mormon disgrace. I’ve met with a couple of Mormon crusaders and they are very diligent to deceive more recruits. Not Me! Revelation clearly states to not add or take away from This Holy Bible. And they have. So, I’m on fire to show their disgraceful wrongdoing to the entire world.