No.
Part Two. Religion versus Relationship
(Comparison of Mormonism and Christianity)
When I boil Mormonism down to its barest from. It is a religion of process. The plan of salvation outlined by Mormon Theology is an eternal process which the God of Mormonism inherited from His God and some day faithful LDS Members will inherit from the God of Mormonism and then they can use that same eternal process on the worlds they create.
In this world the process looks like this–Faith, Baptism, Repentance, Holy Ghost, …(Sacred Temple Ordinances)… The plan of salvation (Mormon’s call it the gospel) can best be described as a staircase to heaven. If you climb each step you make it to celestial glory. But since man is not perfect, but always striving for perfection, no one can actually climb all the way up but the truly faithful and obedient will get really, really close and then the Jesus of Mormonism will provided the balance due. The Jesus of Mormonism provides for a limited atonement by his suffering in the garden, on the cross, and his death. An atonement that is an earned wage–not a free gift.
Mormonism is self-centered. It is a process of self to achieve Godhood. The work of achievement is up the individual. The Jesus of Mormonism came to show how to be perfect. Mormons are to seek that same perfection by following the same process that Jesus did. Then they will be perfect also. Arguments may come from Mormons that they are all about Family. Not really, Family is just another vehicle to propell self up the staircase. In the end, It is Individual. It is self-centered.
Christianity is not religion. Christianity is not a process. True Christianity is relationship. The leader of Christianity, Jesus, when he walked on the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea taught the commandments, both are relational. Love the Lord your God with all your might, and second Love your neighbor as yourself. The relationship with God is pre-eminent in Christianity. Christianity is God-centered. Relationship that can only be restored by individual belief (faith, trust) in Jesus. The relationship with God was broken because of rebellion by man. Rebellion is sin. Jesus alone is sufficient to restore that relationship by his death for all sin. The work of salvation is all ready completed. No further work is needed.
By faith in Jesus the believer is spiritually born, beginning his/her relationship with God. Each believer begins their journey from far and wide locations there is no blue print to perfection. [Yet the Bible is the handbook for the daily journey.]* Jesus is the Light and true believers often called sheep hear their masters voice and walk toward Him. He is the way and the Destination of Christianity.
Final Thoughts
I climbed some of those stairs on my way to the celestial glory by my strength and my power. The process (Mormon plan of Salvation) is a tired and lonely climb. So Mormonism is Me-ianity.
Then I saw the Light (Jesus) and trusted in Him got off that stairway to my glory and started seeking the glory of God. God guides me one step at a time down the path. Each step is a step of faith onward toward the light of Christ’s glory. So Christianity is Christ-ianity.
*added to clarify that the bible contains God’s complete revealed word on both the relationship between God and man and between fellow men.
February 27, 2009 at 2:15 am |
It should be pointed out that views of salvation as a process are almost as common among other Protestants as they are among Mormons. So are views of it as a relationship with God.
Do you feel that Mormons who view their salvation as rungs on a ladder are viewing it in a way that is doctrinally correct with their own scriptures?
February 27, 2009 at 5:58 am |
Seth,
I understand that there is a diversity within Christianity and even among protestant churches about what the definition of how Salvation is accomplished. The point of Mormonism being a process and it being beyond the realm of Traditional Christianity is that the end Goal of the process of Mormonism is its true believers become equal to God or Gods themselves. I would not include this polytheistic idea as Christian, but more pagan.
LDS believe in a precept by precept concept for salvation that celestial glory is only obtained if all precepts are known and kept these include temple covenants. Their plan of salvation is progressive begins with faith continues through baptism and ends with temple covenants. I was LDS from my birth until about age 20. I did not attend any LDS temple ceremonies so I do not know what they include, and according to what I know of them, they are considered sacred and provide necessary knowledge and precepts for salvation which can only be obtained by temple ordinances. So yes it is correct using Mormon Doctrine and their own scriptures to think of salvation this way. Line upon line, precept upon precept is a common theme within their scripture, in fact even their scripture is progressive in nature, they believe the bible came first, then the Book of Mormon builds upon those early precepts and afterward their other books of scripture build up them both. So yes their scripture teaches them of progressive salvation, even by its nature.
February 27, 2009 at 7:16 pm |
Excellent post!
I agree — Christianity is *not* a religion — in it’s pureset and truest form it is a fellowship a relationship between us and God… and truly we seek to bring glory to Him.
As a former mormon, I thank God each and every day I have been set free from the bondage into the arms of Jesus!
Gloria