what is the difference between Mormenism and other forms of Christianity?

Answer 1

Here is a brief outline of the differences

I. The Uniqueness of God

Mormon –
•"The doctrine of a plurality of Gods is prominent in the Bible. The heads of the Gods appointed our God for us...you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves...the same as all Gods have done before you" (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.370-372, 346).
•"And they said, 'Let there be light'...And the Gods pronounced the dry land...And the Gods organized the earth...And the Gods planted a garden in Eden" (Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 4:3,10,25; 5:8).
•"as the Prophet [Joseph Smith] also taught, 'there is a God above the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Mormon Doctrine, p.322, 1966).

Bible –
•“Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.” (Deut. 4:35)
•“Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)
•“Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” (Isaiah 43:10)
•“For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself.” (Hebrews 6:13)

Note: In Genesis Chapter 1, God does refer to himself in the plural, which is consistent with the doctrine of the Trinity.

II. The Humanity of God

Mormon –
•"As man is, God once was: as God is, man may be" (Lorenzo Snow, Millennial Star, vol.54).
•"I will prove that the world is wrong, by showing what God is...God himself was once as we are now and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret...I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see" (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.345);
•"God is not omnipresent...cannot be physically present in more than one place at a time"; "If God possesses a form, that form is of necessity of definite proportions, and therefore of limited extension and space. It is impossible for Him to occupy at one time more than one space of such limits" (Talmage, A Study of the Articles of Faith, p.43,48).

Bible –
•“…for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee” (Hosea 11:9)
•“God is not man, that he should lie” (Numbers 23:19)
•“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2)
•“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house I have built?” (1 Kings 8:27)

III. The Virgin Birth

Mormon –
•"When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost" (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol.1, p.50).
•"Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 547, 1979)

Bible –
•“When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 1:18)
•“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1: 34-35)

IV. Deity of the Son

Mormon –
•"Three separate personages - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - comprise the Godhead…As each of these persons is a God, it is evident from this standpoint alone, that a plurality of Gods exists. To us…these three are the only Gods we worship" (Mormon Doctrine, p.576-7).
•"Jesus became a God and reached His great state of understanding through consistent effort and continuous obedience to all the Gospel truths and universal laws" (Milton Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, p.51).
•"Sin is upon every earth that ever was created ... Consequently every earth has its redeemer, and every earth has its tempter" (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 14, p.71).
•"Jesus Christ is not the Father of the spirits who have taken or yet shall take bodies upon this earth, for He is one of them. He is The Son, as they are sons and daughters of Elohim." (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol.4, Appendix 4).

Bible –
•“For in him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)
•“I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone ye not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (John 10:30-33)
•“And Thomas answered and said unto him [Jesus], My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)
•“And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.” (John 12:45)
•“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given amoung me, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
•“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7)
•“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)

V. Source of Salvation

Mormon –
•"For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all that we can do" (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23)
•"We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel" (Pearl of Great Price: Articles of Faith)
•"...redemption from personal sins can only be obtained through obedience to the requirement of the Gospel, and a life of good works" (James Talmage, A Study of the Articles of Faith)
•"To enter the celestial and obtain exaltation, it is necessary that the whole law be kept...Do you desire to enter the celestial Kingdom and receive eternal life? Then be willing to keep all of the commandments" (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, p.206)
•"There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Mormon Doctrine, p.670)
•"No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith" (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p.289)

Bible –
•“I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians 2:21)
•“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost: which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)
•“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)
•“Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” (Galatians 3: 21-25)
•“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)
•“To him [Jesus] give all the prophets witness, that though his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43)
•“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation.” (John 5:24)
•“For by grace are ye saved though faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
•“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
•“Then they said unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:28-29)

VI. Dying without Christ

Mormon –
•"And the chosen messengers went forth to declare...Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets. These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins...and all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves...and so it was made known among the dead" (Doctrine and Covenants 138:31-35)
•"The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead...Those saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at peril of their own salvation" (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.356, 196)

Bible –
•“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27)

VII. Original Sin

Mormon –
•"Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy" (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:25).
•"And in that day Adam blessed God...saying...for because of my transgression my eyes are opened and in this life I shall have joy" (Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 5:10-11).
•"The fall of Adam came as a blessing in disguise...nor do I accuse Adam of a sin...it is not always a sin to transgress a law...we can hardly look upon anything resulting in such benefits as being a sin" (Doctrines of Salvation 1:114-115)

Bible –
•“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
•“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth for sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15)

Answer 2

Hi Houston, Would you accept an answer from an EX-JW? The JW'S do not accept the deity of Jesus (Yeshua Messiah) They think the Holy Spirit is just a force and do not accept the deity of the Holy Spirit. They believe that Jesus did not resurrect physically, and that only 144K will make it to heaven. The rest will be here on a paradise Earth. They do not believe in a physical hell even though Jesus spoke of it more than 70 times in scripture. They pretty much believe that all celebrations are pagan somehow yet they still follow some Pagan rituals like wearing wedding rings. You asked if they are a cult...well I believe that they are. I was part of this cult so I'd know. The JW'S are told not to converse with apostates but do it all the time here. And why do you think the Christians here are bias??? The JW'S are just about as bias a group as they come. Seeing I was one of them, I should know. The JW'S openly condemn any Christian outside the WTBTS org. A sure sign of a cult. They falsley claim that they are the "only true religion" yet all of their prophsies have failed completely... another sure sign of a cult. They are listed as one of the top psudo Christian cults, and are witten about in the book "Kingdom of the Cults" If you want unbias reading maybe you should buy and read that book. As far as I'm concerned they are a faint shadow of what Christianity should be, and a whole lot of what it shouldn't be. They think the Christ is just an angel which isn't scriptural at all. They celebrated Christmas all the way up till 1925 when the second president Judge Joe Rutherford made it policy to stop celebrating it, along with many other celebrations. Judge Joe even did away with the cross and got the whole church to state that Jesus was put to death on a stake instead of the cross. You can research this yourself so you know the truth and stop claiming that we Christians are some how bias when we are just stating the truth here.. So many down thumbs for telling the truth... another sure sign of a cult. Cults hate it when ex members expose them. Keep watching they'll attempt to give so many down thumbs to my answer that it will drop away from view. They do this to hide the truth about them. It's a conditioned response taught to them in each Watch Tower study guide.

Answer 3

Mormanism was founded by Joseph Smith who said that he had a devine revelation by the an Angel. The Morman religion is not considered to be a "Christian Demomination" because it claims that Jesus was a brother of Satan who argued before God the Father for the priviledge to save the world. Mormonism states that we all can be as God and that salvation can be attained through good works. Traditional Christianity states that there is one God in Three Persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three have always existed and have always been one in the same God. Jesus was not just a son (created offspring). of God like the Mormons state about Satan

Answer 4

I know that Mormons believe Jesus and Satan were brothers, which is totally off from what the Bible says. Jesus is the ONLY son of God and Satan also known as Lucifer when he was an angel, thought he was better than God and God cast him out of heaven along with some othe angels that were Lucifers followers which are now demons.
Mormons don't drink alchohol or any thing with caffine. Which really isn't good for you any way. And they believe in having lots of children and that you can be your own god, which is not true, there is only ONE GOD!
They have their own bible written by a so called prophen John Smith which in my personal belief is a quack.

Answer 5

I think many Christians, myself included, might be tempted to answer this question, based party on personal knowledge, some facts, hearsay, rumors and misstatements. So if you really want to know the Mormon side, you should listen to a Mormon's version...but be aware that no matter who answers, bias will certainly play a roll. Good hunting.

Answer 6

Briefly stated, they believe in additional Scriptures (The Book of Mormon) as revealed to their prophet Joseph Smith, a continuing line of prophets to this very day whose words are added to yet another book (The Pearl of Wisdom, I believe it's called), and although they believe in Jesus and accept his gift of atonement, they don't see him as their Saviour quite like Christians do. They will say he is the son of God, but not the only one. For example, he's the son of God, but so is Satan (Lucifer) and they simply went different ways.

Furthermore, they believe that we are all capable of being as great at Jesus (i.e. almost godlike status) and ruling in our own universe, so to speak. Instead of the Heaven and Hell belief of Christianity, they believe in three Kingdoms: The Celestial Kingdom (for those who accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ and now live in God's presence), the Terrestrial Kingdom (for those who refused to accept the gospel of Jesus but still lived honorable lives), and the Telestial Kingdom (or the place where all bad people go). This is *very* different from Christianity, as Christianity offers no alternative for not believing in Jesus Christ. There is no in-between land that's not quite as good as the best place but no Hell either...

Essentially speaking, Mormons believe that you have to accept Jesus Christ's gospel and then also practice good works to be accepted into their highest kingdom. If you fail to do this but are still a good person, you still get a nice afterlife. Only those really despicable people go someplace bad.

Answer 7

Mormenism is to christianity as christianity is to judaism.

Answer 8

Additional scriptures and the President of the LDS Church is a prophet, allegedly.

Answer 9

Mormonism is NOT a form of Christianity! Mormonism is a cult! A Christian will be saved and go to heaven because of what Jesus did. Mormonism claims to follow Jesus, but if you look deeply into their theology, Jesus is A prophet, not THE prophet. Mormonism also has many other practices which very much go against what the bible has to say. ie., There are different levels of heavan and a woman can only get to the higher levels if her husband calls her. The mormons were (And purportedly still are) baptising the Jews who died in prison camps in WWII. In Mormonism, a person does not need to believe on earth, they can still start to believe after death and get to heaven...but of course not the highest level of heaven.

Here is a cutout from: http://www.gotquestions.org/Mormons.html

The Mormon religion was founded less than two hundred years ago by a man named Joseph Smith. He claimed to have received a personal visit from God the Father and Jesus Christ and told that all churches and their creeds were an abomination. Joseph set out to impose a brand-new religion that claims to be the “only true church on earth.” The problem with Mormonism is that it contradicts, modifies, and expands on the Bible. Christians have no reason to believe that the Bible is not true and adequate. To truly believe in and trust God means to believe in His Word. And all Scripture is inspired by God, which means it comes from Him (1 Timothy 3:16).



Mormons believe that there are in fact four sources of divinely inspired words, instead of just one. 1) The Bible “as far as it is translated correctly.” Which verses are incorrectly translated are not always made clear 2) The Book of Mormon was “translated” by Smith and published in 1830. Smith claimed it is the “most correct book” on earth, and that a person could get closer to God by following its precepts, “than by any other book.” 3) The Doctrine and Covenants is considered scripture by Mormons, containing a collection of modern revelations regarding the “Church of Jesus Christ as it has been restored.” 4) The Pearl of the Great Price is considered by Mormons to “clarify” doctrines and teachings that were lost from the Bible and adds its own information about the earth's creation.



Mormons believe these things about God: that He has not always been the Supreme Being of the universe, but attained that status through righteous living and persistent effort. They believe God the Father has a “body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.” Though abandoned by modern Mormon leaders, Brigham Young taught that Adam actually was God and the father of Jesus Christ. Christians know this about God: there is only One true God (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 43:10, 44:6-8), that He always has and always will exist (Deuteronomy 33:27, Psalm 90:2, 1 Timothy 1:17), and that He was not created, but is the Creator (Genesis chapter1, Psalm 24:1, Isaiah 37:16). He is perfect and no one else is equal to Him (Psalm 86:8, Isaiah 40:25). God the Father is not a man, nor was He ever (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Hosea 11:9). He is Spirit (John 4:24), and Spirit is not made of flesh and bone (Luke 24:39).



Mormons believe that there are different levels or kingdoms in the afterlife: The Celestial Kingdom, the Terrestrial Kingdom, the Telestial Kingdom and outer darkness. Where mankind will end up depends on what they believe and do in this mortal life. The Bible tells us that after death, we go to Heaven or Hell based on whether we had faith in Jesus or not. To be absent from our bodies as believers means we are with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). Unbelievers are sent to Hell, or the place of the dead (Luke 16:22-23). When Jesus comes for the second time, we will receive new bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). There will be a New Heaven and New Earth for believers (Revelation 21:1), and unbelievers will be thrown into an everlasting lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). There is no second chance for redemption after death (Hebrews 9:27).



Mormon leaders have taught that Jesus’ incarnation was the result of a physical relationship between God the Father and Mary. They believe Jesus is a God, but that any human can also become a god. Christians historically have taught that God is Triune and that He exists eternally as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). No one can achieve the status of God, only He is holy (1 Samuel 2:2). We can only be made holy in God's sight through faith in Him (1 Corinthians 1:2). Jesus is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16) and is the only one ever to have lived a sinless, blameless life, who now has the highest place of honor in Heaven (Hebrews 7:26). Jesus and God are one in essence, Jesus being the only One existing before physical birth (John 1:1-8, 8:56). Jesus gave Himself to us as a sacrifice, and God raised Him from the dead, and one day everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:6-11). Jesus tells us it is impossible to get to Heaven by our own works, only with faith in Him is it possible (Matthew 19:26). And many will not choose Him. “You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way” (Matthew 7:13). We all deserve eternal punishment for our sins, but God's infinite love and grace has allowed us a way out. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).



Clearly there is only one way to receive salvation; to know God and His Son, Jesus (John 17:3). It is not done by works, but by faith (Romans 1:17, 3:28). When we have this faith, we will automatically be obedient to God's laws and become baptized out of love for Him, but not because it is a requirement for salvation. We can receive this gift no matter who we are or what we have done (Romans 3:22). “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Although Mormons are usually friendly, loving, and kind people - they are involved in a false religion that distorts the nature of God, the Person of Jesus Christ, and the means of salvation.

Answer 10

well idk that but i know the difference between reformed and methodist if u wanna know that methodists believe that God chooses everyone to go to heavn and u have to choose him but if u don't choose him u go to hell and in reformed u have to get a "calling" from God even if u choose him he has to choose u well thats a ll i no

Answer 11

I think Bruce has it answered and a half!