preview

Similarities Between Christianity And Mormonism

Better Essays

The Church of the Latter-Day Saints of Jesus Christ is viewed by many as nothing more than a different form of evangelical Christianity. After all, LDS theology seems to appear to share many similarities with that of Christianity at first glance. Both speak of Jesus Christ as savior of the world, both talk about repentance and forgiveness, both believe in some sort of afterlife where the righteous are rewarded and the unrighteous condemned, both advocate for a strong commitment to good morals, and both include a Father God, Son, and Holy Spirit. These similarities, however, are only apparent on the surface. Just because both religious groups attend a Sunday morning service each week, pray to Jesus, read the Bible, and maybe even call themselves Christians, does not mean they are simply different expressions of the same religion. A closer look at the doctrines of both the LDS church and Christianity will establish that, at the heart of it, the religion popularly known as Mormonism is quite distinct from Christianity.
One area of doctrinal difference between Mormonism and Christianity is regarding the question of the eternality of the universe. This essay will consider the traditional Christian doctrine of creatio ex nihilo and compare it with the teachings of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith to see that there is no hope of reconciling these diverging viewpoints, pointing out areas of concern with respect to the LDS position. Furthermore, by considering what the natural

Get Access