A list of common queries from Latter-day Saints

What is your motivation for this website & videos?

Our sole motivation in providing these materials and information is to be a support and an encouragement to those Mormons who are seeking to know Jesus Christ. We have absolutely nothing against the Mormon people; in fact, its out of concern for them that we do this. Our objections to Mormonism go only so far as its teachings and doctrines obscure the biblical truth of Jesus Christ, and how we can have eternal life through Him. We believe that truth matters, and eternal truths matter eternally. That said, we invite anyone to correct us if they encounter something in our materials that is unfactual or untrue.

How do you know which church is true?

There is no such thing as a "one true church"--at least as far as earthly organizations go. We know that many Mormons are taught that all the denominations that call themselves "Christian" are fighting with one another for the title of "one true church." This is an insidious myth that has been propagated far and wide within Mormonism. And it's just not true.

Authentic Christianity is not defined by any earthly organization. It's not Baptists or Methodists or Presbyterians or Catholics or whatever. Authentic Christianity is defined by nothing other than a true relationship with Jesus Christ, as He has revealed himself in the Bible. Period. So the real "true church" is essentially the collection of all people, imperfect sinners every one, who by faith have a life-changing relationship with Jesus, and are drawn to His Word. Regardless of denominational affiliation--or lack thereof. So the Church is not what saves...hardly! Rather, it is what Jesus came to save! That's a big difference.

So what are the doctrines of what you call "authentic" Christianity?

Biblical Christians (that means people that consider the Bible to be God's only inspired written word, and the final authority on doctrine, faith and practice) hold to a short list of essential doctrines, as do biblically-based churches. They are generally considered the core principles of the biblical Gospel. They are often called the doctrines of salvation--those doctrines which spell out the nature of God, the nature of humanity, and how God rescues people from their sinful, fallen state. These doctrines are spelled out clearly throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

1. There is one and only one God, who exists as a Trinity (a word which literally means three-in-one), made up of the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). Each "person" of the Trinity is eternal, having always existed, and each is wholly God. This is how God has revealed Himself throughout the Bible, even though the "mechanics" of it will always be a mystery to our finite minds.

2. Humanity was created on earth by God to reflect His glory and point to many of His attributes and characteristics; however, people rebelled, and sin entered the world, contaminating the perfect creation, and each person in creation. Humanity's relationship with God was broken...because God's holiness does not permit sin and corruption to be in His presence.

3. Jesus Christ (who is fully God) chose to step across that barrier, and entered the world by becoming a human being, in order to restore the broken relationship between God and humanity. To do this, he became a sacrifice to pay the penalty for all the world's sin, by dying on a cross (a form of execution during Roman times), and then rose from the dead three days later, overcoming death, and becoming the way to eternal life (that is, spending eternity with Him).

4. "Salvation" as described in the Bible is both salvation from God's rightful punishment of sin, and salvation to eternal life; it is entirely by grace alone, and not works or any sort of merit, and comes through placing one's faith in Jesus Christ, and in what He did on the cross. Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation will spend eternity with Him after physical death (Heaven). Those who reject the salvation that Jesus offers are eternally separated from Him after physical death (Hell).

What's the deal with the Trinity, and why does it matter?

The Trinity is nothing more and nothing less than the reconciliation of four undeniable biblical statements: That there is only one God; that the Father is God; that Jesus is God; and that the Holy Spirit is God. So while the word "Trinity" does not occur in the Bible, the doctrine is found throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

The nature and deity of Jesus is usually at the center of any debate about the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is important, because Jesus claimed to be the final sacrifice for sin. If he were anything less than God, then his sacrifice would have been of little value, since only God Himself can satisfy God's perfect requirements.

One of the common "snags" Mormons encounter when trying to understand the Trinity stems from the belief that God the Father has a body of flesh and blood. But if you understand that God is a spirit, and is eternal and all-powerful, then His way of "doing things" and His way of manifesting Himself is not limited by a physical body or anything else. Besides, it stands to reason that an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing God will do things in a way that exceed our ability to fully understand. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Trinity is somewhat of a mystery.

For a more in-depth look at the Trinity, we recommend this article.

So what version of the Bible do you use?

This touches on another common myth that is propagated among many Mormons, and that is the idea that different churches use different Bibles, and that they all have their own versions, translations, or interpretations of the Bible.

One of the Mormon articles of faith states that the Bible is only true "insofar as it is translated correctly." And on its face, that would be a true statement. But behind that is the accusation that the Bible has not been translated correctly, and that all the various English versions of the Bible are re-hashes of the King James version. Mormons hold the King James as the most accurate translation of the Bible, but believe it is still flawed.

The problem is, this accusation is not built on historical fact. Scholars have at their disposal today an extremely accurate version of the Bible, as it was originally written, in the original languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. The mathematical science of textual criticism has determined that the accuracy of the New Testament far exceeds that of any other ancient work we have at our disposal today--a near 99% accuracy in relation to the text as it was originally written. Likewise, the Old Testament is somewhere on the order of 95 - 98% accuracy. (And all areas of uncertainty that do exist are known and well-documented, and do not contain any material that affects core biblical doctrine.) Therefore, it is inaccurate to say that the Bible cannot be trusted in terms of its historical transmission. Click here for an excellent article with an overview of why we can trust the New Testament.

As for the English translations of the Bible, ALL reputable translations have been taken directly from a scholarly study and faithful rendering of the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic texts. And if there is any doubt, there are many resources available today to explore the original text and its meaning. The King James Version was done in this fashion in the 17th Century, and therefore it remains a valid, (though archaic) English translation of the Bible. The newer translations, such as the New American Standard Version (NASB), the New King James Version (NKJV), and the New International Version (NIV) are all derived from the same process, and therefore, are all equally valid translations. They are not simply paraphrases of the King James as some believe.

We generally recommend that Mormons seeking to better understand the Bible get ahold of one of the modern translations, not only because they are just as reliable, but also because they are simply much more natural to read. As the English language evolves, it becomes important to have modern translations so that there are no misunderstandings. We don't recommend one translation over another; usually this is just a matter of personal preference.

The fact is, Bible interpretation is not a mystery. The Bible was written to be understood. In several places it even declares that God's word will outlast Heaven and Earth, so if God is really God, is He not capable of holding His word together? The only way to really "mis-interpret" the Bible is to pick and choose some things, and reject others. But if taken as a whole, if studied as a whole, it demonstrates a remarkable, miraculous unity...which you would expect from something claiming to be God's Word!

Mormons have the priesthood. Where does your authority come from?

Actually, Christians do have a priesthood authority, in Jesus Christ, who is the only high priest (according to the book of Hebrews). Therefore, all believers in Jesus become part of the "priesthood of believers," (see 1 Peter 2) and that is not something that is given by a ritual, or membership in any organization; it is something that is received simply by faith in Jesus, and is open to all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, or "station in life."

Now granted, there are many church organizations within Christianity that have a certain authority structure. An organizational structure does has its place when it comes to certain administrative functions. But the moment any church authority claims to hold the keys of salvation, or to serve as a mediator between God and man, it has completely overstepped its bounds, and it is a pretender and usurper, because it is trying to take the place and office of Jesus. Jesus himself is the only mediator, and it is through Him that we all, as individuals, are able to approach God and be in relationship with Him.

We recognize that this is a difficult concept for many Latter-day Saints to understand, because so much of the LDS Church structure centers around the absolute authority of those who are supposedly appointed by God. To not have this kind of authority or chain of command might seem haphazard and chaotic. How can you get along without it?

Well, the answer lies in a biblical understanding of who God is. He is either God is all-powerful or He isn't. He is either able to lead and guide and take charge of His people, or He isn't. He either is needy of some kind of earthly, man-centered structure to accomplish His purposes, or he isn't. The biblical understanding of God is that He needs nothing, and can do all things. He can coordinate all things and all people. So he becomes our direct line of authority. Can God use an earthly, man-made structure? Of course, He can do as he pleases. But to presume that somehow an earthly structure is necessary for salvation is to bring God down to man's level...and that's blasphemy.

Mormons have a living prophet, and believe in continuing revelation. Why you reject those ideas?

Actually, we do have a living prophet--in Jesus Christ, who continues to lead, guide, interact, teach, and yes, even reveal things to His followers, in this day and age. But He does not add to or change the doctrines and truths that he has already revealed to us. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) Biblical Christianity rejects any revelation that contradicts what has been revealed already. And it also begs the question--what else do we need that we don't have already?

The doctrines of salvation, for example, are every bit as relevant and complete today as they were two thousand years ago. The entire purpose of the Bible was to provide a record of God's interaction with humanity and to outline His plan of salvation, which it has completely and perfectly done. Therefore, it's not so much a matter of rejecting further doctrine, as it is a matter of not needing any further doctrine. Jesus Himself is the revelation, and so to say that more doctrine is needed is to suggest that Jesus isn't enough, or that he didn't do the job right the first time.

Why do you not accept the Book of Mormon as a valid witness of Jesus Christ?

The plain and simple answer to this question is because it is not historically accurate. It may contain some pleasant things, and many of the values and ethics it contains are in line with the Bible. However, it lacks any kind of historical grounding. The Bible has a great wealth of evidence to support its historical accuracy. It contains references to people, places, cities, and events, that are known from other sources to have existed (and in many cases, places that still exist). It has a rich manuscript tradition. There are many, many reasons to trust the Bible's historical claims. The Book of Mormon has none of this, despite valiant attempts to make pieces of evidence fit. If you wish to learn more about these issues, we invite you to watch a documentary entitled The Bible vs. The Book of Mormon, available online, in its entirety, at this link.

What about faith? Doesn't that count for anything?

Absolutely! But here it is also important to understand what "faith" is, because faith as defined by Mormonism is often quite different from faith as it is defined by the Bible.

Faith in Mormonism is essentially belief and trust that are the result of (or manifested by) feelings and emotions. Biblical faith, on the other hand, is belief and trust that are the result of knowledge. Biblical faith may ask us to trust beyond that which we can perceive with our senses and intellect, but it does NOT ask us to go contrary to what is true. Faith must be based on truth, not on feelings. Feelings are notoriously subjective and unreliable. Truth, on the other hand, exists apart from how we might feel about it. And it is in truth of God's word, that we are called to anchor our faith. And one reason we can legitimately place our faith in God's Word is because it establishes itself as true, not by our feelings or wishful thinking, but by facts and evidence.