Territorial Bloggings
A Cogent Mélange of Lutheran & Pop-Culture Punditry
Once again…
Mormons <> Christians
I could say that I hate sounding like a broken record, but in this instance, I don’t. Mormons aren’t Christians, and Mormonism isn’t just another Christian denomination; rather, it’s a pernicious cult.
I was reminded of this basic statement when I read today’s entry in Ken Jennings’ (he of Jeopardy fame) blog, where he describes a recent anti-religious, pseudo-pro-intellectual challenge thrown down by some poker-loving yahoo. (Btw, let me state that I find Jennings to be both interesting & a great writer — his blog is quite entertaining, in a benevolently snarky kind of way. And I do likes me some snarkiness! 
) Jennings is a Mormon, and that obviously informs his description of the challenge, as well as his reaction to becoming a named part of the challenge (via the comments on the poker-yahoo’s blog…).
As far as the actual intellectual merits of the challenge/argument, I won’t waste any more time & effort on that, beyond stating that it’s a bunch of crap. It’s based on the uninformed (and History-ignorant) false dichotomy between faith and reason proffered by so many modernists/postmodernists.
No, what I’m more interested in for the purposes of this post, can be best described by this brief quote from Jennings’ blog entry:
Latter-day Saints don’t believe heaven will be some all-Mormon church social. According to Mormon belief, all the great philosophers and religious teachers were inspired by God, and good-hearted people of all faiths, or no faith at all, will be saved. (emphasis carried over from original post…
This is not a Christian confession!
It doesn’t matter than many self-professed “Christians” would wholeheartedly agree with Jennings’ statement. They would, however, be equally as wrong. For, as Jesus clearly stated in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
That is a clear statement of exclusivity. Any attempt to twist into one of diversity is both dishonest and a violation of the First Commandment (Exodus 20:3).
Don’t be fooled.
-ghp
4 Comments so far ...
Just to clarify, so nobody gets the wrong idea about my blog entry: Mormons would fully agree with your interpretation of John 14:6. There’s some unique wiggle room in LDS theology on this point, since Mormons believe that good people who didn’t accept Christ in this life will get another chance after they die. Sort of similar to Catholic or Jewish beliefs in a “Purgatory,” expect where it’s different.
Your gonzo “pernicious cult” language doesn’t really make you sound like the kind of person who’s interested in that kind of nuance, and of course you’re free to malign Mormons for whatever reasons you like. But this particular attack isn’t all that well-motivated, since it’s not really one of the defining differences between Mormonism and creedal Christianity. (And there are certainly plenty of those to choose from.)
Comment on December 15, 2006 09:06 pmKen,
First, (as I indulge some of my geeky fanboy tendencies) thanks for taking the time to visit my blog & read the entry that linked to your blog. It’s a bit of an oddly-disconcerting ego boost to know that someone I’ve watched on TV actually stopped by…
Second, I freely admit that I engaged in a bit of hyperbole in my choice of language; however, I don’t think that it automatically means that I’m not interested in being “nuanced”. I’m all for being nuanced - when it’s appropriate, that is.
LDS theology, and it’s significant alterations to, and departures from, Christianity are not mere “nuance”. Neither is the fact that the only way to the Father, and thus to eternal salvation, is through Christ and Christ alone. Good intentions, good works, being nice, etc. don’t get the job done — only the propitiatory act of Christ on the cross did that.
Thanks again for stopping by, Ken - I hope it won’t be the last time you do so.
-ghp
Comment on December 16, 2006 04:29 pm“Neither is the fact that the only way to the Father, and thus to eternal salvation, is through Christ and Christ alone,” is a sentence with which every Latter-day Saint would agree. Again, there are enough substantive differences between Mormon belief and creedal Christianity that neither religion should have to over-inflate the semantic ones for rhetorical effect.
A good rapprochement between Mormons and Evangelicals on issues like these is How Wide the Divide? by Craig L. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson.
Comment on December 17, 2006 04:46 pmGlen,
One thing I’ve learned in my 2 1/2 years of keeping a blog is that, NO MATTER WHAT, the person you write about will eventually visit your blog and make a comment. That’s a great thing about the internet; I think it is a powerful societal equalizer.
Comment on December 20, 2006 11:49 pm