Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: firth@sei.cmu.edu (Robert Firth) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Mormonism and Christianity Message-ID: Date: 30 Aug 90 04:35:00 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University (Software Engineering Institute), Pgh, PA Lines: 156 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Is Mormonism a branch of Christianity? One way to approach this question is to set out basic Christian doctrine, lay alongside it Mormon doctrine, and compare the two. That's what I propose to do here, but the task is not an easy one. First, what is basic Christian doctrine? We have argued in this group about many Christian topics, and do not agree on much of it: the Assumption, whether the Mass is a sacrifice, whether Scripture is infallible, and lots more. That tells me I cannot start with the catechism of one group. Moreover, I can't start with scripture either, since that leaves me vulnerable to the claim that our scriptures have been hopelessly corrupted by successive translations (I may think that claim bogus, but others don't). The one remaining piece of solid ground, around which I think most Christian sects would gather, is the Apostles' Creed, most of which most of us believe most of the time. Secondly, what is Mormon doctrine? That's tougher. Mormonism, you see, is a mystery religion, and like all such it has an exoteric doctrine and one or more levels of esoteric doctrine; these do not always agree - indeed are designed not always to agree. In addition, the doctrine underwent a major change after 1844, when the teachings of Joseph Smith were superseded by those of Brigham Young. The doctrines of the former make up the core of the exoteric, or public teaching, and are preserved almost intact by the Reorganized Church. The secret doctrines are largely the work of the latter. With some trepidation, I propose to take as the essential doctrine the teaching that underpins the Temple ceremonies, since that is considered most important by the Mormons themselves. Finally, this comparison deliberately takes the Apostles' Creed as the standard, and compares Mormon doctrine to it. The reader is advised that the result is not a complete, accurate or fair presentation of Mormonism, any more that a similar exercise using Hindu doctrine would be a fair portrayal of Hinduism. It seeks only to answer the question, can Mormonism reasonably be considered a branch of Christianity, and in my opinion answers it in the negative. -------- 1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, No. The being who was the father of Jesus, to whom Mormons pay reverence, is finite, bounded in space and time, and one of many such beings. There are speculations about higher gods, singular or plural, just as there were in pagan Antiquity, but by any reasonable criterion this is polytheism. Moreover, this god evolved from a manlike being, and men can evolve into godlike beings of equal stature with the Father. 2. Maker of heaven and earth: No. the universe is pre-existent, and gods evolve within it. Each god creates his own earth, but even here the gods who created this earth (named Jehovah and Michael) did not do so ex nihilo, but rather formed it from chaotic matter, just as did Marduk in the Babylonian creation epic. 3. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, No. Jesus is not the only son; in particular Lucifer is his brother. Neither is he Lord; we (if we are good Mormons) shall evolve into beings independent of him and higher than he. 4. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, No. This one they are very reticent about, but the secret doctrine is that Jesus' incarnation followed the same pattern as that of Herakles or Siegmund: God the Father took on physical form, came down to earth, and impregnated Mary by an act of physical copulation. 5. Born of the Virgin Mary, No. See above. 6. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Yes. 7. Was crucified, dead, and buried, Yes. 8. He descended into hell; Not quite - but a lot of Christians have trouble with this one, so I'll pass. 9. The third day he rose again from the dead, No. There was no physical resurrection; Jesus appeared to his disciples, and later to the inhabitants of the New World, in a spiritual body. The same body, in fact, that he departed to become incarnate. 10. He ascended into heaven, No. There is no one heaven; there are several spiritual planes of existence, divided into regious under the sway of different gods. 11. And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; Yes, if we omit the word 'Almighty', 12. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. No. There is no last judgement: we continue to evolve even after death, on various spiritual planes. Moreover, the dead can make progress through the actions of their incarnate descendents. 13. I believe in the Holy Ghost; No. For public consumption, the Holy Ghost is described as a spirit personage; the inner doctrine is that it is a metaphor for a certain kind of spiritual power. 14. The holy Catholick Church; No, obviously. 15. The Communion of Saints; No. Of all aspects of Mormon doctrine, this is the strangest, and to this writer the most distasteful. Much Mormon ritual is concerned with the organization of beings, living and dead, into power relationships. Thus, women are sealed to men, dead ancestors to living descendents, and children to parents. In all cases, this renders the one sealed eternally subservient to the sealer. There is neither community nor equality: each strives to evolve into the god of his own world, at the apex of an hierarchy of beings bound to obedience. 16. The Forgiveness of sins; No. The Mormon doctrine is that sins must be atoned for by the blood of the sinner. 17. The Resurrection of the body, No. There is no physical resurrection: the dead resume the spiritual bodies they had before birth. 18. And the life everlasting. Yes. -------- Robert Firth