Mormonism And Christianity

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Mormonism and Christianity: Historical Statements on Traditional Christian Creeds and Churches The most prominent historical statements, source texts, and official quotes regarding this position span several categories.

  1. The Founding Statement: “All Their Creeds Were an Abomination” The Source: Joseph Smith—History 1:19 (Canonized scripture found in the Pearl of Great Price). The Context: Joseph Smith’s account of his 1820 “First Vision.” He asked God which Christian denomination he should join. The Quote: “I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt…”

  2. The Great Apostasy and “The Church of the Devil” Early leaders believed that shortly after the deaths of the original Apostles, the true Church of Christ was completely taken from the earth (the Great Apostasy). They used harsh language to describe the traditional Christian churches that filled the void. Scriptural Source: 1 Nephi 14:10 (The Book of Mormon). “Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church…”

Apostle Orson Pratt (1854): Writing in the official church periodical The Seer, Pratt was blunt about Catholic and Protestant churches. “The whole of Christendom… have no more authority to preach, baptize, or administer any other ordinance of the gospel, than the idolatrous Hindoos have… The so-called Christian world is nothing less than the spiritual Babylon.”

Prophet Brigham Young (1860): In the Journal of Discourses (Volume 8, page 199), Brigham Young denounced the teachings of traditional Christian pastors. “With a perfectly fool-proof view of the case, the Christian world is as deeply in error as any people that ever lived on the earth… Their doctrines are a mess of nonsense.”

  1. “The Only True and Living Church” Because they believed traditional Christianity was invalid, early leaders asserted absolute exclusivity. The Source: Doctrine and Covenants 1:30 (Canonized revelation given through Joseph Smith in 1831). The Quote: Explaining that the newly established church was the only organization with priesthood authority, it was declared to be: “…the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth…”

Prophet John Taylor (1879): In the Journal of Discourses (Volume 20), the church’s third president rejected the idea that traditional Christians could lead anyone to salvation. “We talk about Christianity, but what is Christianity? It is a perfect pack of nonsense… it is a humbug… completely devoid of the power of God.”

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