A common accusation made by Mormons against Christians who challenge the claims of the LDS Church, is to accuse them of being unchristian. To many Latter-day Saints, any critical inquiry of their faith is seen as an act of hateful bigotry.

The fact is, any effort to demonstrate that Mormon doctrine is unbiblical is not an attack, but merely a case of defending the Christian faith. You see, it was Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, who made the first assault by claiming that all of Christianity was an abomination in God's sight. To say the Mormon Church has never made an attempt to discredit the Christian faith and what it stands for is utterly false.

Mormonism's attack on Christianity began before the LDS Church was officially organized. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, claimed that when he was but a young boy there as an "unusual excitement on the subject of religion" in the area where he lived. He stated that the churches involved were the Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches. Because the young Smith was not sure as to which church he should join, he decided to go to some nearby woods (known today by Mormons as the "sacred grove") and pray about the matter. Little did anyone realize that one of the most vicious assaults on biblical Christianity would be launched when this teen-age boy would return out of those woods.

Smith claimed that while he was praying in the grove he had been visited by both God the Father and Jesus Christ. When he asked these personages which church he should join, he claimed he was told to 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" (Joseph Smith History 1:19).

The first offensive was thus made. This feeling would later spread among all the Mormon church authorities and be instilled into as many church members as would accept it.

2nd LDS President Brigham Young - "when the light came to me I saw that all the so-called Christian world was grovelling in darkness" (Journal of Discourses 5:73).

"The Christian world, so-called, are heathens as to the knowledge of the salvation of God" (Journal of Discourses 8:171).

"With a regard to true theology, a more ignorant people never lived than the present so-called Christian world" (Journal of Discourses 8:199).

"Brother Taylor has just said that the religions of the day were hatched in hell. The eggs were laid in hell, hatched on its borders, and kicked on to the earth" (Journal of Discourses 6:176).

The "Brother Taylor" Young refers to is John Taylor, who after Brigham's death in 1877, became the third president of the LDS Church. Here are some of his feelings toward Christianity:

"We talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect pack of nonsense…the devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century" (Journal of Discourses 6:167).

"What! Are Christians ignorant? Yes, as ignorant of the things of God as the brute beast." (Journal of Discourses 6:25).

"What does the Christian world know about God? Nothing….Why so far as the things of God are concerned, they are the veriest of fools; they know neither God nor the things of God" (Journal of Discourses 13:225).

LDS Apostle Orson Pratt - "…all other churches are entirely destitute of all authority from God; and any person who receives Baptism or the Lord's supper from their hands highly offend God, for he looks upon them as the most corrupt of all people" (The Seer, pg. 255).

First Counselor (to Brigham Young) Heber C. Kimball - "Christians - those poor, miserable priests Brother Brigham was speaking about - some of them are the biggest whoremasters there are on the earth…." (Journal of Discourses 5:89).

Today the Mormon Church has toned down its animosity and has been making great strides to befriend "Bible Christians." This, however, should not portray the thought that the Mormon Church has changed its theological views. It has never denied that it alone represents true Christianity as the following quotes demonstrate:

Joseph Smith - When asked, "Will all be damned but Mormon?" he replied, "Yes, and a great portion of them unless they repent and work righteousness" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 119).

John Taylor - "And who is there that acknowledges [God's] hand?… You may wander east, west, north, and south, and you cannot find it in any church or government on the earth, except the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Journal of Discourses 6:24).

Orson Pratt - "The only persons among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who have authority from Jesus Christ to administer any gospel ordinance are those called and authorized among the Latter-day Saints" (The Seer, pg. 255).

12th President Spencer W. Kimball - "Latter-day Saints are true Christians…We are the true followers of Jesus Christ; and we hope the world will finally come to the conclusion that we are Christians, if there are any in the world" (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball. Pg. 434).

LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie - "Mormonism is Christianity; Christianity is Mormonism… Mormons are true Christians; their worship is the pure, unadulterated Christianity authored by Christ and accepted by Peter, James, and John and all the ancients" (Mormon Doctrine, pg. 513).

While some Latter-day Saints may wish to distance themselves from the previous quotes, they cannot do so entirely for this concept is still taught in their sacred scriptures. 1 Nephi 14:10 in the Book of Mormon states:

"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, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth."

Bruce McConkie described the "church of the devil" when he wrote, "What is the church of the devil in our day, and what is the seat of her power?…It is all the systems, both Christian and non-Christian, that perverted the pure and perfect gospel….It is communism, it is Islam; it is Buddhism; it is modern Christianity in all its parts. It is Germany under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, and Italy under Mussolini" (Millennial Messiah, pg. 54-55). What is truly amazing is the fact that some Mormons cannot understand why Christians are offended by being listed in such a "hall of shame!"

The Doctrine and Covenants (1:30) leaves no doubt about the Mormon teaching of exclusivity when it says the LDS Church is, "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased…."

Since Joseph Smith began having "revelations" which contradicted the Bible it was obvious that its authenticity would have to be discredited. While the Mormon Church officially uses the King James Version it is the only book accepted with qualification. Article Eight of the Articles of Faith reads, "We believe the Bible as far as translated correctly…." What this really means is when the Bible contradicts Mormon books or leaders, the Bible is placed under suspicion, not the Mormon teaching.

Joseph Smith - "Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 327).

The Book of Mormon - "Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible" (2 Nephi 29:6).

LDS Apostle Orson Hyde - "The Bible is not a sufficient guide; it is only the history of the people who lived 1800 years ago" (Journal of Discourses 2.75).

Orson Pratt - "The Bible has been robbed of its plainness; many sacred books having been lost, others rejected by the Romish Church, and what few we have left, were copied and recopied so many times, that it is admitted that almost every verse has been corrupted and mutilated to that degree that scarcely any two of them read alike" (The Seer, pg. 213).

LDS Apostle Mark E. Peterson - "Many insertions were made, some of them 'slanted' for selfish purposes, while at times deliberate falsifications and fabrications were perpetrated" (As Far as it is Translated Correctly, pg. 4).

The stage was set and the accusations sent forth, yet many Mormons insist that anyone who says anything against their doctrines and/or history is guilty of contention. The facts are such that a Christian is perfectly within the limits of the Scripture when he or she points out imperfections in Mormon teaching.

Verse three in the Book of Jude admonishes believers to "earnestly contend for the faith." As Christians, we are commanded to defend our faith against accusations such as those previously noted.

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [Gr. expose] them" Ephesians 5:11

Reprinted by permission from: Mormonism Research Ministry, Dept. T, P.O. Box 20705, El Cajon, CA 92021-0955 (http://www.mrm.org)