Mago

Mormons: We’re Christian Me: No. You’re not. Mormons: We are highly offended by that! How dare you say we aren’t Christian when we believe in Jesus. Me: You use the name Jesus but reject core Christian beliefs about Jesus. You reject core Christian beliefs about a bunch of essential things. You tend to use the same vocabulary as us but with different definitions. Mormons: Of course we reject your core beliefs. They are an abomination! This is why Joseph Smith said God told him did all your creeds are in abomination and that he couldn’t join any Christian group in the United States. It’s because you guys don’t know the truth about God and Joseph Smith had to restore the true gospel, fix the teachings you have from your corrupt Bible, and give us a host of new Scriptures. Me: See, this is why I say you aren’t Christians. It’s not personal. It’s the foundation of Mormonism that you reject core Christian teachings about Jesus, salvation, God, the Bible, exaltation, and more. Joseph Smith made this clear. Brigham young said all Christians were apostates and it was only more recently you guys were told by your leaders to co-opt the name Christian. But it’s like a man trying to say he’s a woman. No, he’s not. That’s silly. He can be offended but it’s not rational and it’s actually harmful to pretend he’s a woman just to appease him. Mormons: Mike, we believe in the Bible, Jesus, God the Father, salvation by faith, and all the stuff you believe. We just have a few more things you don’t know about yet. We have your beliefs and extra, because we are like complete Christians. Me: You believe the Bible is corrupt in whatever ways it may challenge your theology. You believe Jesus wasn’t always God and that he’s the brother of Satan. You believe God wasn’t always God and that he became a God in the same way that you can become a God if you are considered worthy of it when you die. You believe in grace plus works which invalidates grace (Romans 11:6) and triggers Galatians 1’s anathema, saying that “we are saved by grace after all that we can DO.” You may not have realized it but your religion teaches you the same words as Christians but defines them in ways that actually reject our core beliefs. Mormons: You don’t understand us. We believe what we believe and it’s Christian. Me: I know some more modern Mormons will say they actually don’t hold to some of those things I mentioned but I have to treat Mormonism based on its Scriptures, apostles, and prophets, not its online apologists. Based on those things, it’s not Christian. Mormon (version 1): Your ignorance and attitude are offensive and harmful. We are Christians. Mormon (version 2): We are the true Christians and you are apostate. You and most Christians throughout history were not real Christians. Joseph Smith restored true Christianity after it fell away shortly after Jesus rose. Me: Jesus, the real Jesus, paid the full price for your sins on the cross. You can be saved and forgiven and live eternally with God, the one and only God, by trusting in Christ’s works and not your own. Joseph was a modern false prophet. Run from him to Jesus.