Is the LDS Mormon church like the church in the Bible?

Question

The New Testament church had NO PROPHET LEADING! NO TITHE! NO ONE SEEKING TO HOLD THE PREISTHOOD! NO TEMPLE! NO ETERNAL MARRIAGE! NO BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD! NO TEMPLE CEREMONIES!

So.. You tell me!!

Answer 1

Peter was the leader authorized to receive revelation as he did on dietary laws, circumcision, and associating with Gentiles. One who receives revelation on behalf of the entire church is a Prophet. So do you disregard Peter's changes?

You are correct. The early church did not collect tithes. They lived the law of consecration. They gave everything they had to the church, and shared everything in common. Mormons, just as the Bible teaches, actually commit to live this law. Because living this higher law proved to have many practical difficulties, we are permited to follow the lesser law and only tithe. So do you live the law of consecration?

No one sought the priesthood, but Paul instructed Timothy on appointing elders and bishops. The first business of the apostles was to call someone to replace Judas. Then more specifically, if you will actually read the Bible, Acts 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. Of course the blessing of being in the first resurrection is obtain the Priesthood and reign with God and Christ. Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.


What did the apostle do in the book of Acts? Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple. Appearently it was important enough for them to meet there EVERY DAY.

1 Corinthians 11:11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

If Jesus taught the doctrine of the redemption of the dead, would you deny it? John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. Since all must be baptized, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

Unitl you understand these other principles found in the Bible, it would too much to explain the temple ordinances.

Answer 2

How do you know this? Because it's not mentioned?

How do you know that these things were not taken out of the Bible, because it would have messed up the church as it was when the scripture was canonized?

I believe that Peter was the first prophet of the church then. Christ ordained him, and ordained the rest of His disciples as apostles, prophets, seers, revleators, etc., and gave them the priesthood.

There was a temple, just not as we know it today.

I also believe there was eternal marriage. The SADUCEES tested Christ. They did not believe in the resurrection. They asked him, who's wife would she be? OBVIOUSLY, in order for them to even ASK with a straight face means that it must have been something not out of the ordinary. And Jesus said, there would be no marrying, or giving in marriage, but said nothing about true marriage, if it's done HERE and NOW, and not after the final recurrecion.

The Corinthians did baptism for the dead.

Just because everyhing isn't spelled out in the Bible doe snot mean it didn't happen

Answer 3

The Mormon church is nothing like the Biblical early church. The early church embraced both a Jewish heritage and a Jewish Messiah. The early church was powerful and took over the world in just 70 years.

No one in the first few centuries had ever seen a church building, a steeple, a stained glass window, a pulpit or pew, a hymnal or church bulletin. They certainly never saw a Mormon temple decorated with inverted pentagrams and other occult symbols with secret occult rituals involving Lucifer's priesthood powers going on inside. No one wore a coat and tie, and there was no written liturgy to follow. The early church lacked all those things, yet had a power far beyond anything the church today can comprehend.

The early church operated on two levels: the house church and the congregation. Even if the church gew to 20 or 30,000 members, it's primary unit was still the house church. From time to time the house churches would also congregate in a larger group. This often took place outdoors or in a rented auditorium. In Jerusalem, they met in the temple courts.

The Mormon church is founded on 19th century occultism and Freemasonry which is sin according to the Word of God. The Mormon church is anti-Semitic and against all Christian creeds and doctrines. The Mormon organization is not and will not ever replace God's people Israel.

If you want to know more about how the early church worshipped, see if you can find the book called "The Messianic Church Arising!" Restoring the Church to Our Covenant Roots by Dr. Robert D. Heidler.

Answer 4

Each and every one of the things you mention are indeed identifiable in the Church in the Bible. That is where LDS doctrine originates, ie the Biblical church. All one has to do is read the bible to find them.

The bible is full of prophets. Ever hear of father Adam, Moses, Abraham, Noah among others. Christ organized his Church upon the earth and Christ himself was the prophet. Later, Peter was set apart as the leader of the Church and prophet, Peter receiving many revelations including the one where the gospel no longer was limited to the Jews, but became open to the Gentiles as well.

The Priesthood is discussed throughout the Bible, including in Hebrew where Paul describes that the priesthood is given to men who are "called of God, as was Aaron," Hebrews 5:4

The Bible also is filled with examples of temple rites and ordinances. The Israelites carried the "tabernacle" (a temple) with them for 40 years in the wilderness and conducted temple rites there. In Jesus' day there was the temple of Solomon.

The Apostle Paul preached the "baptism for the dead" doctrine. It can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:29.

To say that LDS doctrine is not consistent with the Bible demonstrates a lack of understanding of the Bible.

Answer 5

The New Testament Church did not need a Prophet, because Christ was here leading HIS church. After his death that duty fell to the prophets, who went into hiding or were killed for their beliefs, then there were no prophets on the Earth until God restored His gospel through Joseph Smith.

Temples- There are mentions of the temple in the New Testament- What is Solomon's temple- is that not a temple?

Baptism for the Dead-
1 Corinthians 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

Temple ceremonies were probably as sacred then as they are now, so of course the ceremonies would not have been recorded.

Did I miss anything? Well I think you need to read your bible and then try again.

Answer 6

No, and apparently, neither can you. Your statements concerning our beliefs aren't quite accurate, my friend. Mormons don't believe in hell; We do, just not in the burn-forever version of hell. Hell, for us, is the state of complete unhappiness that comes from a life spent in disobedience to God. Though there isn't any actual physical fire, doesn't that seem like hell to you? Mormons don't believe that Jesus is God; This isn't Biblical, so the fact that we don't believe God and Christ are somehow one being isn't contradictory to the Bible. The concept of the Trinity didn't pop up until hundreds of years after Christ's death and was a theory presented by a council of men. Mormoms don't believe that marriage ends with death; Also not Biblical. Where does the Bible say that relationships end with this life? Mormons believe that they can marry the dead people; Huh? That would be kind of gross, wouldn't it? Zombie weddings. Yuck. Seriously, though, this isn't a contradiction in the Bible, because once again, the Bible does not say relationships have to end with death. And isn't it wonderful to know that you can be with your husband or wife forever? Mormons believe they can baptize the dead people; Sweetie, you really need to actually read the Bible, just once. This IS in there. Check out 1 Corinthians 15:29. There aren't any contradictions. The ones you've come up with aren't, and I can't list what doesn't exist.

Answer 7

Peter was the prophet. (He received revelation from God to direct the Church.)

What verse prohibits tithing? The Bible actually supports the concept of tithing.

What evidence do you have that the earliest apostles didn't hold the priesthood?

Chirst actually gave great reverence to the Jewish temple. It seems strange that modern non-Mormon Christians don't have the same respect for temples and temple ordinances.

Regarding baptism for the dead, let me say a little bit more. Mormons believe the Bible, which states that baptism by one with the proper authority is an essential step in the path to salvation (John 3:5). So important is baptism that even Jesus Christ, who was perfect, chose to be baptized to set an example for all of us. If baptism is essential for salvation, however, what happens to the many people who never even heard of Jesus Christ? What of all the people who never had the opportunity to be baptized by someone with authority? God would not be a just God if He barred these innocents from entering into the "kingdom of heaven."

While His body lay in the tomb, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ visited the "spirits in prison," those who had not had the opportunity to accept Him in life (1 Peter 3:18-20, 1 Peter 4:6). Many of these spirits accepted Christ's gospel, but, as spirits, they had no way of being baptized "in the flesh." Despite their new-found sincere belief in Jesus Christ, they could not comply with His baptismal requirement.

Paul mentions briefly an ancient Christian practice that resolves this dilemma. In 1 Corinthians 15:29, he talks about baptism for the dead. In this sacred ordinance, a living person is baptized vicariously for one who has died, usually a relative. With the baptismal requirement fulfilled, the person who has died is free to choose to follow Christ or not. Regardless of his or her choice, baptism will not be a barrier to salvation; only personal choice will determine future spiritual progression.

Why did God set up such a seemingly complex system? The benefits of vicarious baptism for the dead go far beyond enabling the spiritual progression of the deceased. God instituted this system because He wanted the living to feel a connection with their ancestors, their heritage. He wanted the entire human family to be tied together as one. He wanted His children to understand, if only in a minuscule way, what it is like to work for the salvation of another soul. Baptism for the dead truly is a beautiful ordinance.

Krister Stendahl, the Dean of Divinity Emeritus at Harvard University who later became the Lutheran Bishop of Stockholm, confirms that baptism for the dead was a practice of the early Christian church. He said, "Now with the Mormons we have it again as a practice...I could think of myself as taking part in such an act…extending the blessings that have come to me in and through Jesus Christ. That's generous. That's beautiful. And should not be ridiculed or spoken badly of."

If you or anyone else would like to learn more about Mormons from a reliable source, visit allaboutmormons . com .

Answer 8

I beg to differ. You had Christ heading the church, 12 apostles - priesthood, ordinances [baptism], Christ went to the temple on numerous occassions, 'why baptize for the dead if the dead rise not at all' implies that they were in fact doing baptisms, but were no longer believing in a literal resurrection --
LDS church today - Christ at the head of the church - prophet to receive His word, 12 apostles, priesthood to administer ordinances - including those in the temple which seal a family for eternity...
Differing understanding of same scripture --

The question that you should ask is "Does the Mormon church teach truth". If they don't then whatever...

.......but, if they do teach the truth, as they claim to be, then it means several exciting things.

1. God has a prophet on the earth that he speaks to and is chosen to lead Christ's church on earth.
2. Truth can be accessed and learned.
3. That the Book of Mormon, like the Bible, teaches Gods truth and can help clarify the murky teachings of the Bible.
4. You can be baptized by someone who has the authority to do so.
5. You can receive the gift of the holy ghost as a constant companion.
6. You can learn the true gospel of happiness.
7. You can learn what is required to enter Gods presence again.
8. You can learn what must be done to live with your spouse as husband and wife forever.

The pure and simple gospel of Jesus Christ was restored by a prophet who was called of God. Check out the full story for yourself and find out why we're so excited about it.

Answer 9

Chirst was the prophet the head of the church, Tithing is something dating back as far back as the old testiment. Priesthood ordinances were preformed by Christ and Apostles like baptism by immersion, Temples were where Christ flipped the tables because they were making a mockery of the what temples are for. Baptism for the dead were spoken of by paul in 2nd corintians.ect ect.

Answer 10

In the New Testament, Christ led the church, he held the Priesthood.