Facts On ---- The Mormon Church -- Chapter Six

#6 The Facts On the Mormon Church
 

6. Does the Mormon Church give biblical words an entirely false meaning?

   In order to illustrate that Mormon teachings are not biblical, we have provided a selected list of key biblical/Christian word and the false definitions the Mormon Church gives to them. This redefinition of words underscores the problem we face when discussing religious issues with Mormons. Unless Christians pursue the meaning of such words, and unless Mormons are frank in giving them their true Mormon definition, Christians and the public in general will continue to focus over the religious status of Mormonism.
   In any discussion with a Mormon, the following redefinitions of terms must be kept in mind. Although Mormons themselves may not be aware of some of the definitions cited below. They represents true Mormon teachings as proven by an evaluation of standard Mormon theological works.
 

Christianity: sectarianism; a false and demandable apostate religion.
 

God: "Elohim" one of innumerable self-progressing bodily deities; formerly a man, a finite creature in early Mormon theology, Adam (of the Garden of Eden) was considered by many Mormons as the true earthly deity.
 

Jesus Christ: a self progressing deity ("Jehovah" of the Old Testament) and the first spirit child of "Elohim" and his wife.
 

Holy Ghost: a man with a spiritual body of matter.
 

Trinity: tritheistic; coordinated under general Mormon polytheism; thus the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are separate deities.
 

The Gospel: Mormon salvation by works leading to exaltation or godhood.
 

Born-again: water baptism into Mormonism
 

Immorality: salvation by grace (the universal resurrection of all men).
 

Atonement: the provision God has supplied for people to earn their own salvation "by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel" (Articles of Faith, 3).
 

The Fall: a spiritual step upward; a blessing permitting the production of physical bodies for preexistent spirits to inhabit and thus have the possibility of attaining their own "exaltation" or godhood.
 

True salvation/eternal life/redemption: exaltation to godhood in the highest part of the celestial kingdom based upon individual good works and personal merit; exaltation incorporates ruling a new world and sexual procreation in order to produce spirit children who will eventually be embodied and inhabit that world, each then having the opportunity to be exalted or deified.
 

Death: generally a step upward; death represents the possibility of a form of salvation (if not exaltation) for those who have never heard of Mormonism.
 

Heaven: three "kingdoms of glory" comprising various spiritual gradations.
 

Hell: generally purgatorial; possibly eternal for a very few (primarily apostate Mormons).
 

Virgin birth: the birth of Christ through a physical sex act between God the Father (the Mormon earth god "Elohim") and Mary (hence, not a virgin birth).
 

Man: a preexistent spirit with the potential to earn godhood by obedience to Mormon dictates.
 

Creation: the reorganization of eternal matter.
 

The Scriptures: the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, and the Bible "as far as it is translated correctly" (Articles of Faith, 8).
 

The Bible: an erring and often unreliable inspired record, properly interpreted only by Mormons and only in light of Mormon theology.
 

   For 2,000 years the Christian church has expressed general agreement on the meanings of these terms. Yet the Mormon definitions and descriptions of them are anything but Christian. Why has the Mormon Church supplied false definitions to common Christian terms? Because it has not relied upon the Bible alone to formulate its views. It has depended upon revelations from the spirit world, and these revelations have forced a redefinition of terms. Once these revelations had become the Church's standard scriptures, the doctrinal teachings of the Mormon Church were predetermined.
   This is why Mormonism cannot be considered Christian-its new revelations deny the true meaning of biblical terms and offer non-Christian teachings in their place. In our next section, we will contrast specific Mormon and Christian doctrines so readers can easily see the fundamental irreconcilability of Mormonism with Christianity.

Taken from The Facts On The Mormon Church, by John Ankerberg and John Weldon, published by Harvest House Publishers.