If Mormons didn't have the Book of Mormon...?

Question

If the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormon) didnt ever have the 'Book of Mormon' would you think of them as "Christian"?
I mean if they ONLY had the bible, what would you think of them?
Do you think they would be accepted? Or still shunned by 'mainstream christianity'?
If a 'Christian' follows(ie actively follow!) the teachings of Christ, then there are very few true Christians.
Mormons & Jehovas' Witnesses are both active in their following of their religions teachings. People who 'just believe in their heart' are just 'inactive Christians' - am I not correct?
To be saved you cant just 'talk the talk', but you need to 'walk the walk' too, right?
So what do you think? How many of you believe to actually act on your faith?
A few questions here, I am curious as to the answers.

No need to talk about polygamy or cults. You people would call the Babysitters Club a cult given the chance!
Many people think the LDS (Mormon) church is wonderful and amazing 'except' for the book of Mormon thing. (although they have never read it) so if they didnt have it, what would you think?

fireball - I asked not to put silly lies, look it up, they believe Jesus is Christ the Lord the Son of God. Christ is MUCH more than a Prophet, he is the prophised Savior and Redeemer of the world. That is what they teach and believe. No lies please.

Just to add a detail, the BoMormon doesnt talk about temples, or Jesus and Satan being brothers, its just a record of ancient americans and their visit from Christ, and the teachings of Christ from the New Testiment.

Sugar_n_spice - the the stuff about child mollesters on the news was not the Mormon church, it was another religion.
^_^

Answer 1

First the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is told in both Isaiah and Revelations. It is therefore divinely linked to the Bible. With only the Old Testament, indeed with only Psalms I could know of Christ. Having the New Testment gives me a better understanding. The Gospel writers themselves admitted to providing only a sampling of the words Jesus spoke. So I will seek Him out in the words of other people and other prophets. The Book of Mormon not only supports the Bible it supports the teachings of Native people. Ask the Hopi if they arrived here by boat across the ocean or via the Bering Straight. Ask if they seek the return of their lost white brother. By the witness of these two testimonies is the truth established.

Would LDS doctrines stand based soley on the Bible? Yes indeed they would.

Consider that Jesus merely cited the Old 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;" The crowd wanted to stone Him on the spot. So why is it this prinicpal is ignored by "Christians"?

The pre-existance is an important part of LDS doctrine. It is referenced by Jeremiah, Job and Paul. Why is this never mentioned in a Billy Graham sermon?

The role of Prophets was long established as Fathers way to communicate to his people. Why do some say there were no prophets after John the Baptist when the Book of Acts refers to many other Prophets and even names one? Why does Paul say the offices of the Church include Apostles and Prophets?

The priesthood was lost during the Apostacy. After centuries men like Luther and Calvin rediscovered elements lost to the Church from the scriptures. They and others attempted to add to understanding. They were grafting on to a branch of a branch of a tree that did not have authority.

There are no LDS doctrines that do not have a foundation in the Bible, but churches have always come up with new "theologies" based on the same scriptures. So we end up with infant baptism and "sprinkling". The only way to determine what is correct is to have another source and a living prophet.

Answer 2

What determines right and wrong is not how widely a religious belief is accepted by men, but by what the Bible says. There are times when preaching the word of God will be “out of season” (unpopular), and many will seek teachers after their own desires (2 Timothy 4:1-4).

It would be a step in the right direction for the Mormons to set aside their “later day revelations”. The Bible clearly says, “the faith… was once delivered unto all saints.” (Jude 3) This leaves no room for new revelations.

Also Galatians 1:6-9 says that no other “Gospel” should be preached than what Paul and the other apostles delivered. The book of Mormon is another message. It is an addition to the Bible, and it teaches things that are different than the Bible. If it does not add anything new to the Bible, then we don’t need it because we have the Bible. If it does add to the Bible, then it is condemned. Those who teach such are “accursed”.

There are many things the Mormons teach that has no Biblical source of authority. Since this is the case, if they got rid of their other books, then they have no authority for the things practiced. Hopefully this would result in a return to the Bible as their only source of religious teaching and they would return to the truth.

To be fair, the Mormons are not the only ones that add to God’s word. Many denominations have creed books, books of discipline, catechisms, rulings of councils, and other sources of authority for the things they believe and practice. Jesus, on the other hand, said He has “all authority” and the apostles should teach the things He had commanded. (Matthew 28:18-20) If we follow the authority (commands, instructions) of men, then we are taking part of the authority that belongs to Christ and giving it to someone else. If we are “teaching as doctrine the commandments of men”, then our worship is “vain” or useless. (Matthew 15:9)

To be completely furnished for every good work, we should use the scriptures (the Bible) for our doctrine, for reproof, to correct error, and to instruct in righteousness! (2 Timothy 3:16-17) The Bible is all we need. (2 Peter 1:3) In fact, anything more is too much and anything less is not enough!

Answer 3

I don't have a problem with people whose religion differs from mine. And, although the LDS beliefs are decidedly different from my own, if others wish to follow them, that's their business. Whether or not they adhere to the Book of Mormon is also their business. I do consider the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to be a Christian church, but just not a mainstream one. Which is all right. Not everything in the world has to be mainstream.

Answer 4

I think they would find something else to point to to say Mormons aren't Christians, e.g., the Trinity, baptism for the dead, becoming gods, etc. That being said, I think you could put any religion who professes to be "Christian" under the microscope and point out how they are not in line with this or that Christian belief. But, who's to say what is true "Christianity"? Religion is faith based and therefore you aren't going to find clear evidence supporting many ideas. There is no point tearing down someone for what they believe or have faith in. Judgment lies with The Master.

Answer 5

yes of course they would still say crap because anything that is not "normal" is wrong. MELISSA F just to let you know there were Mormon's long ago that was/is Jesus's church. They were not called Mormon's. The church was destroyed and then it became the church of Jesus Christ of later day saints. When Jesus was here was there not temples was there not a prophet and was there not the 12 apostles our church is the only true church because it is organized the way Jesus maid it when he was here.

Answer 6

The only observation that a non-Mormon might make regarding this question is simply to acknowledge that Mormons themselves claim to be nontrinitarian Christians; that is, they believe that Jesus the Son is a distinct person from God the Father. However, Mormons do not believe that the "God" of the so-called "New Testament" is the same "God" of the so-called "Old Testament"; Mormonism teaches that the pre-human Jesus is the "God" or "Jehovah" of the so-called "Old Testament".

This is obviously a fundamentally different theology than the other great nontrinitarian Christian religion, Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses believe the bible to teach that there are several references to Jesus in the so-called "Old Testament" which indicate that he is distinct from the "God" or "Jehovah" of the so-called "Old Testament". It is not enough to simply assert that a doctrine is true, and so Jehovah's Witnesses reason from the Scriptures on the matter...


It seems rather obvious that the apostle Luke at Acts 4:25-27 quotes from Psalms 2:1,2. Although these passages are part of the Christian and Hebrew Scriptures respectively, BOTH passages make it plain that there is an "anointed one" who is distinct from God. The Psalm plains calls that God by the name "Jehovah" (explicitly using the Tetragrammaton) and Acts plainly calls the anointed one by the name "Jesus".

(Psalm 2:1,2) [David wrote] Why have the nations been in tumult and the national groups themselves kept muttering an empty thing? 2 The kings of earth take their stand And high officials themselves have massed together as one against Jehovah and against his anointed one

(Acts 4:24-27) [Peter, John, and fellow Christians] with one accord raised their voices to God and said: “Sovereign Lord, you are the One who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them, 25 and who through holy spirit said by the mouth of our forefather David, your servant, ‘Why did nations become tumultuous and peoples meditate upon empty things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers massed together as one against Jehovah and against his anointed one.’ 27 Even so, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with men of nations and with peoples of Israel were in actuality gathered together in this city against your holy servant Jesus


Similarly, the apostle Paul at 1 Cor 2:16 and Rom 11:33,34 paraphrases Isaiah 40:13. Note that Isaiah explicitly uses the name "Jehovah" (the Hebrew Tetragrammaton), and 1 Corinthians plainly CONTRASTS the mind of Jehovah with the mind of Christ Jesus.

(1 Corinthians 2:16) For “who has come to know the mind of Jehovah, that he may instruct him?” But we do have the mind of Christ.

(Romans 11:33-34) O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and past tracing out his ways are! 34 For “who has come to know Jehovah’s mind, or who has become his counselor?”

(Isaiah 40:13) Who has taken the proportions of the spirit of Jehovah, and who as his man of counsel can make him know anything?

Answer 7

Well, if they did not have the book of Mormon, then what would be their theology? Would Jesus and Satan still be blood brothers with the same father and mother? Would Satan still be the head of the Mormon temple? Could I still become God? The book of Mormon is not their only heresy. I would still consider them a pseudo-Christian cult.

Answer 8

Christians believe in Jesus Christ as the son of GOD.


Pure and simple. Yep there are a TON of people out there who follow other things, or say they believe in Jesus.

But Jehovas wit. main belief is that Jesus was a great guy not God.

That is the difference, we as people who believe in Jesus Christ follow what he says not anything added or changed or new. Just straight from his words.....

Dont get caught up in the little things..

Answer 9

Nope, because they would still have their so called prophets running the church. As the LDS say "once the prophet has spoken, the thinking has been done". They would still have the prophet to put above the Bible and Jesus.

Answer 10

I can get into a big religeous schpele but I have to lool at one fact. God has been around since the beginning of time. Mormons only started a couple hundred years ago. So they belive no one pre- mormon era is in heaven? wouldn't God have established mormons since the begining? makes you think.