How do I talk to mormons about Jesus?

Question

I have friends who are LDS and it's hard to talk to them about salvation and Jesus since they believe they are already saved. Can someone help me out? Maybe someone who was converted from LDS?
Thanks guys.

Answer 1

Read the book the Godmakers.
You have to present them with the false prophecies of Joseph Smith and what the Old Testament has to say about false prophets.

Answer 2

The term "being saved" has a different connotation to the Mormon. When a person is baptized into the Church by the true authority of the priesthood they become saved in that sense, but that doesn't mean they are forever saved. Based on their faith and the works they do here on earth will determine their salvation and exaltation.

The LDS faith view Jesus Christ as the earth's Creator, Savior, and Redeemer. The Mormons view Him as their Elder Brother and God simultaneously and go through Him to reach the Father.

You shouldn't have any problem discussing Jesus Christ with any Mormon because their religion hinges on the divinity of the Son of God and the Atonement He made for mankind.

Answer 3

Um, Mormons don't believe they are already "saved" that's the Christians...we don't believe anyone can know for 100% sure of their salvation unless Christ himself tells you and that's only happend like 2 or 3 times...
We believe in salvation as a future event...we believe there are certain things one must do to gain salvation, i.e. baptism, repentance, temple endowment, eternal marriage...

Answer 4

I was baptized several years ago into the LDS faith, but I have never believed that this act alone makes me "saved". Salvation is a very private thing between each individual and God. He is the only one who has the authority to decide who can return to live with Him and who cannot.

Acts 10:34 - "God is no respecter of persons". Mormons believe that God loves ALL of His children and mourns when they choose not to follow Him, or take advantage of the atonement that Christ has provided for the whole world. Mormons do not believe that they will be the sole recipients of God's kingdom....quite the opposite actually. There are millions and millions of good people who live and have lived on this earth who will have the opportunity to inherit all that God has to offer to His children who have obeyed Him to the best of their ability.

Mormons do believe that salvation comes only through the atonement of Jesus Christ...even when we have done all we can do to live Christ-like lives...

Several scriptures from the BOM that illustrate this...
Mosiah 2:24 - "he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you;and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?"

Mosiah 5:8 - "And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives."

Now, I have been on both sides of the discussion when it comes to Mormon beliefs... Here is my advice, from my experiences...

- For the most part, LDS people enjoy talking about religion and they are passionate about their beliefs. When you start a discussion, do it with an attitude of love for your friends and a desire to share ideas as fellow Christians.

- Be willing to listen as much as you want to be listened to.

- Use the scriptures in your discussions. You might be surprised how much Mormons use and love the Bible. The Bible and the Book of Mormon are used hand-in-hand. The one testifies the truthfulness of the other. Both books testify that Christ is really who we believe Him to be.

- Do your own research and come to your own conclusions about Mormons. I had to do this... Before I became LDS, I learned as much as I could about the religion. I quickly found that there are many claims and opinions about Mormonism that are simply not true or the truth has been twisted to make the religion look bad. I had to find out what is true and what is not.

- Civilly agree to disagree. Does God want his children arguing over different interpretations of scriptures and doctrine, or would He rather have us love each other for our similarities. When it comes down to it, aren't all good Christians after the same goal?... to return home....to get back to our God?

Answer 5

I have been LDS my whole life and never taught that we are saved. No one is saved by virtue of the fact that you are a certian religion. We do believed that you can live with God after death if you live a christlike life on earth, but I know that my ex-husband has a lot of explaining to do to God for his life here on earth and why he blew it when he knew better.

we all have to be good and do good in order to live with god when we die. The only exception is children under the age of accountability, or 8 years old. If you want to really understand I will give you a great website to visit. you should talk to your LDS friends. I know they are waiting to talk to you as well. I have friends that are always asking me questions about my religion and I hope that I give them the kind of answer they need without seeming too preachy.

The opinions expressed here are just that, opinions. I will never dog on the catholics or the JW's or any other religion just because I believe differently, so please respect the religion, even if you disagree with the doctrine. It is not necessary to try to prove the Book of Mormon false, or Joseph Smith a false prophet. I could prove Muhammed a false prophet if I wanted to, but I choose to devote my time to the upbringing of my children and bring them full circle to live with God again.

We have such a sweet message of salvation and eternal happiness and we don't espouse violence of any kind, so why do you choose to waste your time "praying" for our souls?

Pray for happiness and how you can sustain another at this time of year.Help your less fortunate neighbors, friends, go down and donate time at a homeless shelter, anything to give back. Go to an LDS Service some Sunday and you may be surprised to learn that we are ordinary, normal, everyday folks the same as anyone else.

My 4th great grandfather is Wilford Woodruff. This is more than a religion, it is a way of life. It truly is the only comforting influence in my screwy life. In the summer I faltered and fell for a guy that was so anti-mormon it wasn't even funny. Why did I fall for him? It was my test to see how strong I was and what I could endure if the opportunity came up. I almost failed the test. I was willing to give up everything I beleived in for a man who had no respect for me or my religion. What an eye opening experience for me. I know now that I will never stray and this is the religion that is right for me. Pray and find a religion that is right for you.

Would you ask a mechanic to come fix your pipes in your house or your doctor to change the engine in your car?

You can ask whomever you choose about the Mormon religion, but if you ask the wrong person you will get the wrong information
Go to the source and maybe you will get some information you can use.

I urge you to visit the website and gain a greater understanding of what we believe and why we believe what we do. If you do so with a sincere desire the spirit will speak to you and you will have the light of Christ teach you what you need to know.

Answer 6

Jesus, if he exists, is bigger than you or your Mormon friends.
Half of my family are Mormon and they all believe they are right and everyone else is wrong.
Save your breath and talk sports....you can save your friendship that way, besides, you both believe in Jesus and Jesus believes in you so when the end comes your LDS friends will go to their planet in the sky and you will go to your heaven and you can call each other to say hello and chat about who has the better heaven!

Answer 7

I don't know who you have been talking to but we do not believe that we have already been saved. Talking to ex-Mormons will only confuse you more because they lack understanding of the doctrines. Salvation and exaltation are complicated topics that take many years to understand. Basically, there are two levels of "being saved". The first is the physical salvation which is nothing more than being resurrected. Jesus gave that to everybody when he overcame the grave and became the firstfruits of them that slept. After His resurrection, many others were also raised from the dead and thus all of us were granted the gift of resurrection. The second is spiritual salvation or what we call exaltation that takes a lifetime to accomplish. That is because Christ's atonement is available to all who acknowledge Him, repent of their sins, follow Him faithfully throughout their lives and become as near to Him as we can. We work our our salvation by enduring to the end. We have to become as He is, to have a contrite spirit and broken heart, in other words humble and penitent, and retain that faithfulness throughout our lives. Jesus is the Savior of the world. He is our Lord and God. He is the head of our Church. We take our instructions from Him, via the Holy Ghost, whose job it is to testify of God and Christ. We have the Holy Ghost as our comforter and revelator of all truths the Jesus desires to bestow upon us.
You can talk to us about Jesus any time you wish to in an ordinary way. We are forever indebted to Jesus for His sacrifice on our behalf. We know that it is by Him and only Him that we are saved, after all that we can do. Don't be surprised by this slight phrase. Paul and James taught the same thing. Faith and works go together, they cannot be separated from each other. You cannot have one without the other.
I know that Jesus is alive, that He is the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that He and His Father, God the Eternal Father, both appeared to the boy Joseph Smith to begin the restoration of all things spoken of by Paul and Peter. There was a falling away followed by the restoration. This Church is that restoration and it will fill the whole earth. It is up to us to live faithfully in order to partake of the blessings the Lord has in store for us.
Please study and pray about the things you study.
Sincerely,

Answer 8

Well, I did the reverse. I converted from being Protestant to LDS. Try boiling your conversation down to the simplest of terms. I think you would find you are both discussing the same thing. Being "saved" is really a catch word among some Protestants. I think you will find prior to baptism, accepting Christ as your Savior and developing a personal relationship with Him is an essential step--which is what Protestants mean by being "saved."

Some believe there is one unique moment of salvation. In reality, there is an awakening and a continuing growth in a relationship with Christ.

One of the oddest moments in my life was when a Protestant friend decided to help me become "saved." As we both worked through what was being said in buzz phrases she came to the shocking awakening that we believed the save thing although we used different terms.

Answer 9

I'm LDS
LDS members believe that all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel see articles of faith no 3
They do no believe we are already saved because to be saved you need to endure to the end and only he that does this will be saved in the end
NO unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God.
see our basic beliefs in www.mormon.org

Answer 10

You don't. You let them be. Haven't you ever read Locke's Letter Concerning Toleration? No force should be used to convert, as each person is in charge of their own soul. How do you know you're right and LDS is wrong? How do you know we aren't governed by a huge spaghetti monster? You just don't know. That's why I stay away from any religion. They are all social constructions. Believe what you want, but don't force it on others.

Answer 11

lol, maybe now you know what its like for people to talk to YOU about how it REALLY is.

seriously though... why not let it go? mormons are christians. catholics are christians. get over it. what makes you so absolutely sure your the one who's right?

whatever you answer to that is likely almost the exact thing they would say.

think about that for a little bit.


>>"Ask them why the book of Mormon is neccessary? They believe that it was neccessary to complement the Bible, and the Bible is in error in portions. I then show them Isaiah 40:8, and Psalm 12:6,7 and ask them, respectfully: "If God is all powerful, can't he fulfill this promise to protect his own words?""<<

now read those verses and I ask you why the NT is neccesary.
"oh but the new testament is God's Word" no, its not. its man's.