Part 1 — Understandings of God and Jesus Christ
Read "The Presbyterian Example" in Sacramental Faithfulness.
Are you surprised to learn that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — as well as the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, and others — says that the LDS is not a Christian church and that people coming from it are to be baptized? Why or why not?
Read Key Theological Issues: 1. Scriptural and Doctrinal Authorities in Sacramental Faithfulness.
The canon of a religious group is the body of writings that it accepts as sacred scripture. The LDS Church considers the Old and New Testaments to be canonical. However, other documents are also accepted as sacred scripture. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is understood to be divinely inspired and equal to the Bible in authority. This book purports to be the historical record of a race of people who lived in America prior to the coming of Columbus. They were descendants of the sixth-century Jews who had been forced from their Palestinian homeland. After his Resurrection, Jesus Christ visited and revealed himself to them. This story was lost for many centuries until, in the 1820's, young Joseph Smith in upstate New York was miraculously allowed to see and translate the golden plates upon which this account was recorded. Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of revelations from God given to Smith and leaders who were his successors. The Pearl of Great Price is composed of selected revelations, translations, and writings from Smith.
Read an account (easily found in any history of religion in the United States) of the appearance of the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith, the translation of the golden plates, and the subsequent events that were the beginning of the LDS Church.
Examine a copy of The Book of Mormon, noticing its content and style.
Read Key Theological Issues: 2. The Nature of God in Sacramental Faithfulness.
Understanding of the being and nature of God is foundational to any religion. The LDS faith conceives of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but clearly views these three as separate entities — united in purpose, but not in being. God the Father has a physical male body, is married to a female, and actively procreates spirit children who come to earth and receive physical bodies. God was once a human man living on the earth — not as Jesus Christ, but as God the Father. Now he is exalted into heaven and married to an exalted woman. Emphasis is upon the similarity of God and human beings; God is simply further along in the process through which all people are to advance.
God communicates with human beings through the President of the Church, who is a prophet and speaks for God. Christ is pictured as ordaining his disciples, and LDS leadership claims authority as the only authentic successors of that ordination. Divine revelation is ongoing. For example, in 1978 the President received a revelation that black men were to be permitted to join the priesthood, which had previously been open only to white males. (Virtually all LDS men are priests, either of the order of Melchizedek or the order of Aaron. Women are not permitted to be priests.)
What is appealing about the LDS view of God? What are some of the dangers of such an understanding? How does it differ from the traditional Christian understanding?
What are some of the effects of the emphasis upon God as being married and as continually procreating offspring? What are the implications for the lives of human beings?
Read Key Theological Issues: 3. The Nature, Origin, and Work of Jesus Christ in Sacramental Faithfulness.
Although the LDS Church makes continual references to Jesus Christ, the church has a unique understanding of his identity. Jehovah (one of the Old Testament names for God) was the first spirit child of God. Later, Jehovah was born into the world in a physical body as Jesus. Although remission of sins is said to come through Jesus, there is little interest in either his death or his Resurrection. Evidence of this may be noted in the striking absence of the cross in LDS iconography. Temples and meeting houses have many paintings of Jesus, but few, if any, crosses.
Make two columns in which you list:
- The understanding of Christ's nature, origin, and work in historic Christian belief
- The understanding of Christ's nature, origin, and work in LDS theology.
What similarities do you see? What differences? What is significant about these points of difference?