Christians befriended Mormons, & think they're "Christian" & don't discuss the errors
Q: I had a disturbing (for me) conversation with a good friend today, a Christian of many years.
I have 3 minutes to live, how can I be saved?
The topic turned to Mormons (Latter Day Saints). She is a teacher & has many Mormon students, and a mutual friend of hers once hosted a Mormon in her home when she needed it. I also have another friend who is in a quilting group with Mormon ladies who are "dear friends" of hers.
All of these friends say they have had deep spiritual conversations with their Mormon friends and are convinced they are Christians, as they believe Christ is their Savior and Lord, and show it in the way they live and speak.
I personally have an issue with this, as their religion has many fallacies, including what their religion believes about Christ.
My friends say they feel they can’t, and won’t, judge them. What do you think?
A: Its a cop out. They dont want to lose friendships and are in danger of being ashamed of Christ and His true message. How can a Christian not correct error, even in NT John's followers were corrected, snd many turned to follow Jesus. Likewise Apollos was corrected in his error, further, all over NT there's a focus on teaching the truth, the Word in truth, refuting error, heresies and doctrines of Demons. An emphasis on holding to the true Gospel and exposing the false teachers and teachings of wolves is very clearky taught, as us making Disciples of all men. Of course these friends may not know this because either they are embarrased as ashamed workmen as they dont know the Bible, nor the basic essential truths of Scripture, or are lazy to learn, otherwise as ones called to the Great Commission they'd be engaging them to evangelize and reveal the errors and share the true Gospel with them. If they care more for their friendships than Christ and standing on revealed Truth and the message they claim to have embraced/surrendered to/follow then there's concern they're not saved. I would ask them if they're ashamed of the Lord and true Gospel, as to why they haven't learned from their Pastor and getting equipped from their church about Mormonism, to engage them with the intention of helping lead them to salvation.
*If you are at the same church as her, have a conversation with her. Also ask when was the last time she read the Bible, how often does she read it [daily?]. Does she understand the Essentials? Has she any idea how to spot red flags of false teaching and doctrine? Is she aware Scripture calls us to expose false teaching and share the Gospel? Ask how she goes about sharing the Gospel? Critique her method and lead her to understand how to present it snd/or direct her to evangelism course at church. Or tell the pastor some godly mature men in the church need to teach that class as many have no idea and are embracing Mormons in convos as if theyre holding to the same Christian faith, as us. I would call her and the church leadership to disciple the congregation in what makes someone Christian and who is not; doing a study course or Sunday am sermon series on cults and false religions that masqurade as Christian. And allow for Q& A at the end of the sermon [maybe over potluck meal in fellowship hall] so everyone could ask questions related to each group, week by week, so who they can get tips and helps to know how to talk and interact with those in their influence, and knowing and expecting forms of persecution and rejection for loving them enough to engage them.
Also while these women you know need discipleship, they might also need [lovingly] some church discipline for failing to reach them for Christ, after being educated about it. In that her apathy to their eternal danger, in fear of losing worldly friends, at the fear of being lonely, can contribute to their damnation. At minimum it would show her to be unfaithful to God and derelict in her call to the Gospel commission, by not proclaiming the truth and lovingly pleading with them, reasoning with them, to embrace to the truth. Would Christ whom the claims to love be happy with her fear & dereliction? We surrendered our lives to Christ, and have a job to do. Make her aware if these truths, and her grieving of God (and the indwelling Holy Spirit) of her not doing her job. Love speaks truth. Jesus saved her but is she not caring about others hellbound? Why is she ignoring their danger and the peril they're headed to? Counsel & call her to be faithful to her God & Savior. Encourage her to get busy being about the work she was called to. Remind her we're not here for our comfort. We're in a spiritual battle, and are to be equipped to fulfill that job as soldiers of the Cross.
Today people falsely throw the saying "Judge Not" around due as if you cant critique or examine something to see if it's erroneous. Those who say it just dont want their sins exposed or anyone to rightly call them to repentance over their sins. Its also used deceptively to shut someone down, relatedly. Or dont want confrontation either due to not knowing the answers, or out of fear of man (or both). Scripture says we're to fear God not men, and possibly their church is derelict in teaching sbout cults, false religions and has no evangelism training at all there.
It is not “judging them” to discuss who Jesus is, or speak on biblical truth, or examine like the Bereans to see if somethings biblically accurate. We are not to judge people’s souls, but we ARE to judge fruit and doctrine.
These are helpful resources for you on mormonism.
If you/a believer understand that cult well enough and have looked at it compared to Christianity, (and the books &, resources Protestants and ex mormons [who are now Christian] have written about it), you'll be able to engage those in that cult. I wouldnt have mormon friends as it's a unequally yoked union and can lead other naive people or new believers to think mormonism is a Christian denomination (since you fellowship with them). If you have Christian friends who befriend Mormons... the mormons friendship purpose is to lure them into the cult. Thry need to be aware of that. They have no problem playing a long game.
Educate those non Mormon friends as best you can and leave it with God. If they have interest to examine the difference between mormon and Christianity you could send them here:
*These are the basic truths taught in Scripture on what makes someone a Christian. If they differ anywhere then they're not Christian but idolators in a cult or false religion masqurading as Christian, even if its one of their own making and they dont subscribe to organized religion.
What Mormons Believe, expos'e video
Among other things, convos with them boil down to who is Jesus. If Jesus is God incarnate then the LDS is a cult. The problem is not doctrine, though, because someone might have occasion to sit with an LDS and reason through the scriptures with them. The problem is they then take that conversation back to their elders who have the last word on the matter. The elder will bring them back to the book of Mormon and LDS doctrine without your/our rebuttal.
This is why the best apologetic is a holy life well lived (thats shining forth the true Christ) and the best evangelism involves praying to God for THE Word that will speak to the other person's soul. Plant biblical truth seeds where you can. God has said His Word won't return void, so if they're one who is questioning Mormonism, what you say many be used by God to lead them to Truth. Just do so with gentleness, patience and respect them as a fellow image bearer of God, not by respecting their beliefs.
What they teach is Satanic and not Christianity at all. The words they use are similar, but they don’t mean the same things, and that's where they subtly decieve. Their definitions are radically different.
And Their temple rituals (the whole “it’s not secret, it’s sacred” garbage) are based on Freemasonry. Joseph Smith was an illiterate conman and a bigamist.
It's a cult. Period. It is not Christian. It teaches another Jesus and another Gospel from another spirit, exactly what the Apostle Paul warned about in 2 Corinthians 11:3, 4 and then later went on to say in verses 13-15 that anyone who teaches such are ministers for Satan who transform themselves into angels of light just like he does. It is also important to remember that in Galatians 1:6-8, Paul warned again about other gospels and those who advance them, even if they purport to come from angels (such as Mormonism's Moroni). He said they were anathema (i.e., consigned to the lowest part of Hell). Jesus also had quite a few harsh words for the Pharisees of His day, even calling them Satan's spawn, a nest of vipers and whitewashed graves full of dead men's bones, who make thrir converts twice the sons of Hell that they thrmselves are.
We are also commanded to defend the faith, particularly in these last days of deception and we need to be busy warning about the tares that are trying to disguise themselves as wheat because they are the blind leading the blind straight to Hell. Which is preferable and Biblical: Winking an eye while people are deceived and on their way to Hell, or speaking truth to salvation? Anyone who says that we should not be judging (i.e., using our God-given discernment, defending our faith, and calling out deception) has no idea what they are talking about. Nor do they know what the Bible says on the matter. The Apostle John, too, warned about the antichrist spirit that would energize the last days apostasy and we had best take those warnings to heart. The apostasy is the reason why Jesus said that the path and the gate to eternal life are narrow while the path and the gate leading to Hell are crowded.
Your friend is “being” converted,.. even if she doesn’t realize this.
It’s very pernicious tactics. It’s a cult.
Mormons are working extra hard now to talk to people because they are trying to become more “Christian”
Mormon have really “progressed” and chznged their teachings over the past 15 years cuz many werent believing the nonsense they taught and lost members, and couldnt pick off weak people eho had dome belief in God or irregularly went to church. They target the ones who dont know much and dont return to homes of those who do. They are having a hard time now to get naive folk at the door to believe what old mormonism taught for long time, even if they started to do "studies" or go to their temple. Cuz the internet exists and can educate them if they look into it.
They also used to absolutely say they weren’t Christian’s but now they do. Its bern a new rebranded ploy to get new members since 2016. They also weren’t allowed to use the cross symbol but now they do and have even changed it on google maps. If you just enter in churches they all had a little cross, the LDS church had the Angel Moroni and that has recently been changed to a cross too.
Questions a former Mormon suggests asking them:
If you claim you are a Christian why can’t you come to my church?
If Jesus had a complete, perfect sacrifice how can you do baptisms for the dead?
If a woman can never find a husband to get sealed and make it to the celestial kingdom, does Jesus love her less? Is her salvation based on the work of marriage or what Jesus did?
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As noted earlier the link at top will go through their varied other errors, but we need to start here.... with these "essential beliefs" taught to us by God through the Bible. As, if they fail on agreeing with all or any of these, they're of a false religion. This test reveals whether they're Christian or fail (revealing themselves as false). One is only Christian if they believe these Essentials. [Know them well. Memorize related verses].
So, simply....we dont need to touch or run around pointing out all the other varied unbiblical things of that religion. Start with the Essentials of biblical Christianity. If they fail there, that's it. Thus our discussions with them should center around these. By it we can then focus on [sharing] the Gospel revealed in Scripture, of which we are to believe and not depart (nor distort).
Further research than the above helps, both Carm.org and to Mormon Research Ministry mrm.org discuss the errors of LDS quite extensively.
God bless
*There's additional resources here to get equipped for evangelism and a specific section on mormons near the bottom.
