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Despite this misconception, Mornings and Christianity have major differences in their historical backgrounds, key writings, functions of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, beliefs about salvation and what happens after death, among other differences. Therefore, Mornings is a religion on its own and Is not a branch of Christianity because of the multitude of disparities between them. One key difference between evangelical Christianity and Mornings Is the establishment of these religions.
Joseph Smith, the founder of Mornings, was born in Vermont on December 23, 1805. In 1820, Smith attended a massive revival in his hometown, an event which caused him to question his church affiliation. During the same year, Smith claimed that two Personages, God and Jesus, came to him and told him to Join none of the churches because they were all corrupt (Rhodes). On September 22, 1823, Joseph Smith declared that an angel, Moronic, told him that, “… There was a book deposited, written on gold plates, giving an account of the former Inhabitants of this continent… And] that the fullness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to ancient inhabitants”(Smith, The Pearl of Great Price). In 1827, Moronic finally allowed Smith to uncover the plates in a nearby hill. The writings on the plates were written in “Reformed Egyptian”, which Smith had to translate into English with the help of a magical seer stone. After translating the plates, Smith titled the English version, the Book of Mormon. On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith established the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints In Fayette, New York (Rhodes).
In 1843, Smith was bombarded about his view on polygamy. A newspaper condemned the Mormon practice of plural marriages. Angered by the accusations, Smith tried to destroy the printing press that produced the condemning newspaper and was arrested on June 27, 1844. While imprisoned, several men came into the Jail and killed Joseph Smith (“Joseph Smith”). Smith’s followers remained faithful, and In 2009, there were over 13. 8 million members of the Mormon Church. The Church’s numbers continue to Increase dally (Burner).
In contrast, “The history of Christianity goes back into Jewish ancestry and revolves around the 300 prophecies in the Old Testament which reveals the upcoming of a Jewish Messiah who would be a Savior of humanity(Winner). The birth of Jesus Christ by a virgin in Bethlehem 2000 years ago fulfilled these prophecies. Later in the fife of Jesus Christ, his teachings began to establish Christianity. Jesus talked about be the Son of God and communicated the message of John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”(The Holy Bible). Proving to many that he was indeed the Son of God, Christ performed many miracles and showed his perfection. As his message started to expand, Judas, one of Jesus’ own disciples, went against Jesus and charged him with sedition and blasphemy. Soon after, Christ was crucified on a Friday. The following Sunday, the mother of Christ, Mary, went to the tomb of her son and found that his body had disappeared.
An angel came to Mary and told her that her son had risen from the grave. After Jesus came back to earth, there were many accounts of him, “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God”(The Holy Bible). The history and the facts of Christ are very important to the Christian faith. If Christ had never en resurrected from the dead, then the whole Christian religion would be false (“History of Christianity’). Corinthians 15:14 explains, “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain”(The Holy Bible). The resurrection of Christ is extremely important to Christians, because the resurrection proves what they believe, giving purpose to their lives. “About 32 percent of people in the world, or 2. 1 billion individuals, describe themselves as Christians. Some Christians believe that only those who are ‘born again’ can claim to be Christians, which is why the number tends to fluctuate”(King).
Another difference between the OLDS Church and the Christian Church revolves around how the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are defined. They believe that, “God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man… He became God;an exalted being;through obedience to the same eternal Gospel truths that we are given opportunity today to obey'(Hunter 104). Doug Adams, a Bible teacher at Barren Christian High School, stated that, “The Father in the OLDS church is not eternal, spirit, nor immutable. The OLDS church also teaches that the Father lived on another planet called Kola. The Father had parents and even grandparents”(Adams).
Moreover, Latter Day Saint apostle, Bruce Mnemonic, says that God also has a body like a man, made out of flesh and bones (Mnemonic). In addition, Morons also do not believe in the Trinity, but believe that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are three individual beings. A president of the OLDS church, Gordon B. Hinkle, affirms that the Morons believe that the trinity does not exist, but all three gods work together to achieve the same purpose. Additionally, Joseph Smith taught that there is more than one God, saying, “l will preach on the plurality of Gods”(Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 370).
Joseph Smith thought and taught to his church body that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were three individual Gods. Likewise, The OLDS Church believes that Jesus Christ is a child produced by the Father and Mother in heaven. Adams mentioned that, “The OLDS teachings of the Son, [Jesus], is that [Jesus] was not conceived by the Holy Spirit, that he and Lucifer are spirit brothers (as we all are), that he was married, and that his blood does not completely atone for our sins”(Adams), as the Journal of Discourses also mentions in Vole. P. 247 (Young). Lastly, the Mormon Church believes that if ND Covenants). In contrast to the Mormon belief, the Christian Church believes that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are equally and forever one God, which is the Trinity. The Bible clearly shows that Christians believe in the Trinity in verses James 2:19, Isaiah 48:16, John 15:26, and several more. Thus, the Christians believe that Jesus is the one and only Son of God. Jesus claimed to be God and claimed that he and God were equal.
Revelation 1 states, “l am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, gaits the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty'(The Holy Bible). Moreover, the Christian religion also believes that the Holy Spirit is equal with the Son and the Father, but is also fully God (“Holy Ghost”). Isaiah 45:5 describes Christians believe that only one God exists. This verse says, “l am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God”(The Holy Bible). Clearly, Christians believe that there is only one God and that there will never be more than one God.
They believe that God is the creator of the universe and that there is and will be no one like Him. In addition, the Christians believe that humans can never become as perfect as God or become a god. Moreover, Christians believe that God is Spirit and does not have flesh and bones. Unlike the Morons, Christians believe that God always was God and will be God forever. Christians do not believe that God was once a man, who had a righteous life and became the ruler of the whole universe (“Is Mornings Christian? “).
Another difference between the two Churches can be found in how salvation is obtained. Salvation is defined in the OLDS Church as, “that which man merits through his own acts through life and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel”(Smith, Doctrines of Salvation). Similarly, the works that Morons do in their lives fulfill the necessary actions to earn salvation. They believe that the works and actions one performs can save them, as the Book of Mormon mentions, “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do”(Smith, The Book of Mormon 99).
Moreover, those who achieve this obedience and devotion in their lives, by Mormon doctrine, can actually become gods themselves. Brigham Young, one of the presidents of the OLDS Church for 29 years, said that, “We are created… To become Gods like unto our Father in heaven”(Young 3:93). Joseph Smith also believed that one can reach perfection like God. OLDS doctrine states that because humans were born as Spirit children from God, they each have the opportunity to become like God themselves. Furthermore, Morons believe that people have to be baptized to be forgiven of their sins and to be saved.
In addition, the OLDS doctrine states that there are three levels Heaven, the: “Celestial [Kingdom], Mormon men and women who have fully repented of sins, and only if married in the Mormon Temple, the Terrestrial [Kingdom], moral people and Morons who have not followed the gospel teachings completely, and the Tattletales Kingdom], everyone else, servants of higher beings, saved from hell”(“Understanding the differences… “). In addition, Morons believe in Outer Darkness, where people will go if they disregard the Mormon Doctrine when they hear it.
The Morons do think that one can go up the ranks of their heavens if they are good. All in all, the Mormon idea of salvation is very different than that of the Christian Church. Christians believe that once someone believes that Christ is God and he came to save the world of sin, salvation occurs. Also, the Christian Church does not believe that acceleration to follow Jesus Christ forever. Titus 3:5 states, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy'(The Holy Bible). In fact, Christians believe that only the gospel of Christ saves.
Unlike Morons, Christians believe that good works and actions stem from their desire to serve God, but these works do not lead to salvation. In Biblical doctrine, the purpose of good works is to show God’s love to the world, not to ensure a path to salvation. In addition, Christians believe that there is only one perfect God and no one can achieve the same level as Him. Lastly, there is only one Heaven and one Hell. In contrast to the Morons, Christians believe that if sent to Hell one cannot rise to Heaven if they are good.
Therefore, those who accept Christ as their savior and live for Him will go to Heaven; those who do not will go to Hell. Another area where the Morons and Christians differ is in their prophecies. In Deuteron 18:20-22, Jesus warns about false prophecy saying: “But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die… When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken.
The prophet has spoken it presumptuously… “(The Holy Bible). The Biblical Old Testament written thousands of years before Christ, contains many prophecies about Jesus and not one of them has failed. For example, Isaiah 7:14, written in 758 BC states, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel”(The Holy Bible). Emmanuel means God with us. This prophecy as been fulfilled, when Christ was born from a virgin. So far about three hundred prophecies had been fulfilled by Jesus (Over 360… ).
In comparison, Joseph Smith made several prophecies also; the only difference is that 52 of those prophecies failed. For example, in 1835, Joseph Smith prophesied that Jesus would come back in 56 years. By 1891, Jesus still had not come back (Slick). As stated in the Bible, that the Morons also read, if one prophecy fails, the so-called prophet is false and should die. Although Joseph Smith made false prophecies, the Morons today still follow the coaching of this prophet. I wanted to research if Mornings was truly a branch of Christianity because I have heard opposing views.
I have heard both sides of this issue and decided to find the answer by myself. Morons say they are a branch of Christianity, but the Christians that I have talked to disagree. Specifically, I used both Mormon doctrine, as well as Christian doctrine and compared both beliefs, spending hours researching these two religions in depth. First of all, I analyzed the history of both Mornings and Christianity. Through this research, even though I was not able to write everything in this essay, I found interesting and different details about both religions.
From that point, I studied about salvation, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and where one goes after death, finding a significant number of differences between the religions on each detail. If Mornings is indeed a branch of Christianity, why are there so many differences between the religions? If Mornings is a branch of Christianity, I would expect to see many more similarities between their doctrines. I am not trying to cause arguments or build walls between these religions. I simply wanted to research the different religions of the world. People have their own beliefs and I will respect every single one.
Is Mornings a branch of Christianity? Through my research, I have found it not to be. While Mornings was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ, who conducted miracles and was proven to be the Son of God, about two thousand years ago. As one can see, the differences in how each religion was founded are obvious. Christianity was merely established when Jesus Christ spread God’s word throughout the world, proving he was the Son of God by his death and resurrection. In addition, the only source of truth for the Christians is the Bible.
Mornings was established with a new book, the Book of Mormon and with other doctrinal books, The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. Also, Mornings and Christianity believe in different qualities of the Father (God), the Son Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Christians and Morons also have different definitions of salvation. Although Morons state that they believe the Bible, they have supported false prophets. Because of the many differences between these religions, I have concluded that Mornings is not a branch of Christianity. Works Cited Adams, Doug. “Email Interview. 18 May 2010. Burner, Rachel. “Mormon World Population. ” About. Com. Web. 14 May 2010.. “History of Christianity-Fact Based Faith. ” Elaboration’s. Org. 2002-2010. Web. 14 May 2010.. The Holy Bible New International Version. Colorado Springs: International Bible Society, 1973, 1978, 1984. Print. “Holy Ghost. ” Christianizes. Net. Web. 16 May 2010. . Hunter, Milton R. The Gospel through the Ages. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1958. P. 104. Print. “Is Mornings Christian? ” Blueberries. Net. Mar. 1999. Web. 16 May 2010.. “Joseph Smith. ” Www. Asparagus. Schooling. O. UK. 26 July 2002. Web. 14 May 2010.. King, Tamil. Www. Answering. Co. UK. 18 Par. 2010. Web. 14 May 2010.. Mnemonic, Bruce R. Mormon Doctrine. Salt Lake City: Backtrack, 1958. Print. “Over 360 Prophecies Foretold Sensuousness as the Jewish Messiah (Mishmash Ben David). ” Blooper. Com. Web. 17 May 2010.. “Religion. ” Dictionary. Com. Web. 14 May 2010.. Rhodes, Ron, and Marina Boding. Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Morons. Eugene, Or. : Harvest House, 1995. Print. Slick, Matthew J. “Joseph Smith’s False Prophecies. ” Carr. Org. 1995 – 2010. Web. 22 May 2010..
Smith, Joseph. “2 Nephew 25:23. ” The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Salt Lake City, Utah, U. S. A. : Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981. P. 99. Print. Smith, Joseph 1805-1844, and Arson 1811-1881. Pratt. The Doctrine and Covenants, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; Containing the Revelations,. Salt Lake City, Desert Sunday School Union: Applauded, 1904. Print. Smith, Joseph Fielding. “1:134. ” Of Great Price;. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1957. Print. Smith, Joseph, and Joseph Fielding Smith.
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976. P. 370. Print. “Understanding the Differences Between Christianity and Mornings. ” Crossbridgecommunitychurch. Com. Web. 17 May 2010.. Winner, Sara, and Salaam Yakima. “History of Christianity. ” Www. Minus. Deed. 2001, 2009. Web. 14 May 2010.. Young, Brigham. Journal of Discourses. Vole. 3. Salt Lake City: Brigham Young university, 1956. P. 247. Print. How long have you been studying Mornings? Since I took a class on cults in 1997 at Viola University. What do you teach and where do you teach?
I teach at Barren Christian High School and teach sophomore Bible that includes a semester on Doctrine, a quarter on evangelism and cults, and a quarter on Christian vying. What did you major in college and what college did you go to? My Major was Christian Education with a minor in Biblical Studies at Viola I am now working on my Masters in Biblical Studies at The Master’s College What is the difference between the OLDS Father compared to the Christian Father? The father in the OLDS church is not eternal, spirit, nor immutable. The OLDS church teaches that the father lived on another planet called Kola.