Mormonism: CULT Or Christianity

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RESEARCH PAPER “MORMONISM: CULT OR CHRISTIANITY?” A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. KHALDOUN SWEIS IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE APOL 500 LUO LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BY LEE B YARBROUGH (ID# L5943213) OCTOBER 11, 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 MORMON WORLDVIEW---------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 WHY MORMONISM IS A FALSE THEISTIC SYSTEM--------------------------------------------4 1. Lack of Internal Logical Consistency 2. Unsubstantiated Scientific and Historical Claims CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW------------------------------------------------------------------------------6…show more content…
Technically, discussions of worldviews will fall into 1 of 6 categories – theism, deism, pantheism, naturalism, and polytheism – but in the real world, peoples belief are not always that easily categorized. Mormons claim to be monotheistic (theism), but are essentially polytheistic, as the teaching of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, stated: "I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a spirit; and these three constitute three distinct personages and three distinct gods". Additional data supporting the position that Mormons truly are polytheists is their belief and worship in both God the Father (Doctrine and Covenants 18:40) and Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 11:17; 2 Nephi 25:29), as well as their view of God the Father and Jesus as two separate gods. One of the more interesting aspects of Mormonism is its reliance and use of the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon. While many reason the Book of Mormon is their criterion for the Mormon worldview and practice of the church, the reality is that there is not a single unique doctrine of Mormonism imparted within its pages. Their church government (President/Prophet, priesthoods, seventies, etc.), baptism for the dead, the "word of wisdom" or any other defining doctrines is totally void in the Book of Mormon. To find these philosophies one must refer to The Doctrine and Covenants, not the Book of Mormon. According to the Mormons, The Doctrine and Covenants is the record of heavenly revelations provided to Joseph Smith during his efforts as leader of the Mormon Church. But when one compares the Book of Mormon with the Doctrine and Covenants there is a problem of internal logical consistency. While both maintain divine inspiration, they do not synchronize. The
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