The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum The Bible

We are probably going to have different opinions on this, but our points of agreement would certainly outnumber our disagreements.

Mormons call themselves Christians, something that JW's will not do, which is why I can't place them in the same basket. Of course, in defining what it is to be a Christian, we can ultimately fall back on the Creeds, the first significant winnowing fan separating orthodox from heretic. The Creeds defined the Trinity, the eternal nature of God, the virgin birth, the crucifixion, resurrection and bodily ascension, and so on. In saying that Christ is a creature instead of the eternal God, the LDS church has taken a radical departure from the doctrinal essentials of Christianity, and as such, I can't blame any Christian who doesn't want to include them under our banner. The most generous thing I can say of the LDS is that they can be subsumed into a more aggrandized definition of Christianity in that they attempt to follow Jesus as best they understand him.

But one thing I cannot do is make the leap between saying they are not Christian and saying they cannot be saved and one thing I can definitively say is taught by the Catholic Church is that the only one who knows who will go to heaven is God himself. The LDS church is besotted with error in many ways, but if we take upon ourselves the task of deciding how much error can keep those who strive to follow Christ from the salvation Christ offers, then where do we draw that line, and by what authority? We can claim that the Mormons follow a different Jesus and preach a different gospel, and there is ample scriptural evidence for this, but to then suggest that this alone puts out of their reach the very salvation they are seeking is to trek into uncharted territory, that is the impeccable judgement of God. Jesus told the Pharisees that tax collecters and harlots would enter the kingdom of heaven before them; an indicator that an unpenitant heart is the sure harbinger of damnation, not error in belief.

Perhaps it is my fervent prayer and desire that the deceptions of the LDS church will not consign to perdition those sincere followers who all their lives have hoped for heaven and eternity with Christ as I do. My own parents came out of the RLDS, having discerned the error and set free by the truth, and that is my prayer for all Mormons; that the veil of darkness might be lifted. And for my part, I will do all I can to expose the falsehoods of the LDS in hopes that somebody can become free of it. But that failing, I still hope to be in heaven with them.

Edit: As far as official Catholic teaching goes, we accept all converts from non Catholic Christian denominations without requiring rebaptism, believing the Protestant baptism meets all the requirements for legitimacy. That is not extended to LDS converts who must undergo a correct baptism. Let that fact speak for itself.