what is the difference between a baptist and a mormon?

Question

I was just wondering because i am a bapist and i was thinking about changing to a mormon church!!!:)

Answer 1

Dear Angelica,
I’m sure no expert on the differences between Baptists and Mormons, but I did change from Methodist, and have been an enthusiastic member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since shortly after my Sophomore year in college. Here are some differences I delight in.
First, we do not have a professional clergy. The leader of our congregation, for example, supports his family as a fisherman. All the work of running our congregation is done by the members themselves, without pay. After you’ve been a member long enough to be comfortable doing so, that leader might ask you to say a prayer or deliver a talk during our Sunday worship, called the Sacrament meeting.
That lay leadership means that every worthy adult male is ordained to the priesthood. Thus, when my children were old enough to commit themselves to Christ, they usually selected me to perform their baptism, and to lay hands on them and confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
Since there’s no one paid to do the work, most members pitch in and help keep the church going. You might be “called” by the Bishop (the leader of the local congregation) to teach a Sunday School class, lead a group of young women, feed the sick or help out the unfortunate. There’s an old joke that goes, “I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?” That wouldn’t apply to members of our faith. If you’re the “Christmas and Easter” kind of Christian, you’d want to change your habits when you join our church.
Now, about our doctrine. The posts from non-Mormons here amply illustrate an important truth:
The position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is so strong, its enemies must stoop to deception, disassembly and distortion to have much to say against it!
The internet is a great source of misinformation, isn’t it? With full understanding of that, let me add just a few lines. We agree with most Christians on the important things about Jesus. You probably already know these important things:
Jesus Christ created the worlds, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, established His church, taught His gospel, suffered for our sins, died that we might live, was resurrected on the third day, ascended to heaven and will return to reign as God and King.
To that, we add some new truths.
The restoration of all things predicted by Peter in Acts has come to pass, and it is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That restoration teaches the same pure, sweet gospel Jesus himself taught while on earth, without the errors that have crept in through the ages.
The angel seen by John the Revelator has brought the gospel back, to be taught to those on the earth. Scripture in addition to the Holy Bible has been given to man, including the Book of Mormon, another testimony of Jesus Christ.
The teachings of the prophet Amos have been vindicated, wherein he taught that God will do nothing unless he does it through His prophets. Prophets again walk the earth, including one named Gordon B. Hinckley of Salt Lake City, Utah. By inspiration, he leads the Lord’s restored church today.
These comforting ideals have inspired over 12 Million people to attach themselves to my faith. I myself seriously investigated them during and after my sophomore year in college. It was the best thing I ever did, and I encourage honest men and women everywhere to do likewise.

Answer 2

Those things that ntcplanters's mentions, are essentially the same things that Mormons believe. They believe in individual accountability, the priesthood, baptism by immersion, the Bible, etc. There are a few key differences though, such as the Godhead (Mormons believe there are three seperate beings whereas the Baptists believe Jesus and God are the same). I have studied hundreds of religions and the only place to get accurate and truthful representations of those faiths is from the horses mouth. Don't expect to learn anything about the Mormon faith from non-Mormons or former Mormons unless you also realize it will contain a negative bias. This is a decision you must make on your own, with the help of God. God has answered my prayers on numerous occassions and I know he will not misguide you. No matter what, we should be respectful of all religions and if you see negativity or hatred coming from someone I would not heed their advice. Good luck.

Answer 3

I am a Mormon and we DO NOT believe in being married to more than one wife. Never ask a person that's not a Mormon questions about the Mormon church because they won't know the truth, and will tell you things they've "heard" that usually aren't true. Go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org to learn more and then you can learn the differences between a Baptist and a Mormon. Have you asked the missionaries this question? They could help you understand this better too. If you want to talk more, email me! Someone suggested watching the movie Godmakers...don't watch it, it's a terrible movie full of lies about the Mormon church.

Answer 4

Before I was baptised into the LDS (Mormon) church, I was Methodist, and I've heard that Methodists and Baptists have very similar doctrine. So I will put my two cents in.
Methodist beliefs:
Communion is given every month using grape juice and an unleaven cracker.
Mormon:
Sacrament is given every Sunday using water and bread

Methodist:
The power to act in the name of God was given to "the Church", meaning all Christians, when Peter died.
Mormon:
The power to act in the name of God was restored when the Priesthood was restored. Without the Priesthood, there is no actual authority to act in the name of God.

Methodist: The Bible is the only word of God.
Momon: The Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. God did not just speak to the Jews in the Middle East, He speaks to all His children. As such we have a record of one family who recorded their experiences, as well as a record they found. We also have a record of experiences of God speaking to people in modern times.

Methodist: Infant baptism by sprinkling
Mormon: Baptism by immersion, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

These are just a few differences between Methodists and Mormons. I know you were looking more of Baptists and Mormons, but like I said I've heard Methodists and Baptists have very similar doctrine.
For more about our faith try the links below, and/or call the missionaries. They'll be glad to answer any questions you may have.

Answer 5

The President of the Church, Gordon B. Hinkley, has said, bring what you have and let us add to it. The LDS church has revelation that clarifies what other churches have debated for centuries. Baptists and Methodists can't agree on a basic oridinance like baptism. We can broke the tie.

Other scriptures never quite get to the point of God's purpose and man's purpose. The Book of Mormon clarifies this. "This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." "Adam fell that man might be. Man is that he might have joy."

Someone said Mormons belief they can be gods. They ignore what Jesus said in the New Testament. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; (John 10:34)

The biggest difference is in action, not words. We have no paid clergy working for what the New Testament calls "filthy lucre." We all participate. When everyone lifts together, any thing is possible.

The heavens are open, not closed. All that God has for us will be revealed.

Answer 6

Baptists are a Protestant sect. They use the Old Testament and the New Testament as their only holy books. The power within the church tends to be held locally. Baptist Churches have a loose connection with one another and don't have the kind of hierarchy or consistency seen in more organized religions. People at different baptists churches can have some very different beliefs. One common thread is their reliance on the Bible.

The Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon) have a much more structured church. In addition to the old and new testaments, they have a third book -- the Book of Mormon. They call themselves Christian -- but their beliefs are very different. For example, they do not believe in the trinity. They believe that e Father, The Holy Spirit and Jesus are three separate beings (all Gods) who work together for a single purpose. They also believe in multiple witnesses to Christ. That is, they believe that Jesus appeared several times in the world's history and in different forms. For example, there is at least one Indian god whom they believe is Jesus (American Indian). They also believe that when we die we become a god and get our own planet.

Answer 7

If you are a Baptist considering becoming a Mormon, you are making one of the biggest mistakes of your life! The difference between the two is night and day!

Baptists believe the following:

01. Believers Baptism by Immersion Only
02. Autonomy of the Local Church and Authority of Scripture
03. Priesthood of the Believer
04. Two Ordinances - The Lord's Supper and Baptism
05. Individual Soul Liberty
06. Separation of Church and State
07. Two Offices - Pastor and Deacon

Baptist beliefs are not limited to a denomination, but are a system of beliefs; we believe that our beliefs come directly from Jesus Christ and His disciples, being passed down from generation to generation of faithful believers.

Mormons are a cult started by a man who wrote a book that is held on par with the Word of God, which is heretical! A cult is any group that hold to teaching contrary to the Word of God, and the beliefs of the Mormons definitely relect this. They believe in works salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9); polygamy (Genesis 2:21-25); the brotherhood of Jesus Christ and Satan (John 1:1; 10:30), and many other heresies.

Ask yourself these questions?

1. Am I a believer in Jesus Christ? Have I accepted Him as my personal Savior? If not, then please accept Him today! Read John 3:16, Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, and 10:13; He died for you to be with Him in Heaven!

2. If you are a believer, do you want to know the truth? Any church who holds to the preaching of God's Word, and His Word only will teach you the truth. You will not find this at the Mormon church.

3. If you are a believer, you will not grow in the Lord unless you are with the people of God. Being taught lies will make you doubt your own salvation and you will do eventually be brought to the point where you will not be in the will of God and will be doing nothing for Him! We must stay in a good Bible preaching church to stay on the right path with the Lord!

Answer 8

There are some differences in every religion and every religion has good. We as LDS just believe that our faith and beliefs are the most complete. We believe the true and complete gospel was restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith by the power of Almighty God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
What matters most is what you believe and what you know is right. I suggest that you pray to your Heavenly Father and ask him if what you are thinking of doing is right. I have been a member my whole life but have questioned my beliefs before. I can tell you, that for me, I know the gospel is true and what I believe is true. The gospel makes SO much sense and is such a comfort. There are so many blessings in store for us in this life and in the eternities! I suggest you also talk to the LDS missionaries, they can help answer your questions.
And contrary to what others say, you will not be "leaving" Christianity, we believe in Christ, he is our Savior and King. We know he died for us, was resurrected and is the only way back to our Heavenly Father. Anyone who says we believe different does not understand our doctrine or just wants to spread lies.
good luck!

Answer 9

LOOK AT THE BOOKS THAT THEY TEACH FROM ONE MADE 1000S OF YEARS AGO THERE A COUPLE 100 THERE IS ANOTHER TESTAMENT WHY NOT BELIEVE IN THE ORIGINAL I HAVE TALKED TO MORMONS THERE WAY IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN THE BAPTIST BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE FEELING IN YOUR SPIRIT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE STUDY ACTS CHAPTER 2 AFTER THE HOLY GHOST COMES YE SHALL HAVE POWER IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF RELIGION WHICH IS BETTER THAN WHICH IT IS A QUESTION OF WHICH ONE TEACHES THAT JESUS IS LORD HOPE YOU MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION

Answer 10

First of all, I would only recommend listening to answers from LDS like me, because others have incorrect views:

We aren't polygamists! (See Article of Faith 12, polygamy is illegal in case you didn't notice)

We are Christians (hence the name - the CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS)

Otherwise, just read Pinkadot and tonyamail's answer -they are very thorough. You can also go to mormon.org and lds.org