Another Jesus

[dberrie2000]

What they usually mean by this "other Jesus" comment is that the LDS doctrine of Jesus is very different from that of Protestants and Catholics.

While I agree with this statement--there is one clarification that I believe needs to be made, when this statement is directed toward the LDS.

The Jesus of the LDS may be different from the Protestants and the Catholics--but very much the same as the Biblical Jesus.

IOW--What the Biblical NT record teaches--the LDS usually have matching doctrines.

[Guest Thisisonlyatest]

Testing, 1 and 2 and 3

[bytebear]

I have often said, Mormons are not "traditional" Christians, but they are "Biblical" Christians. I firmly believe that an honest reading of the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) will point more to Mormon's "odd" beliefs than it will toward Christian "traditional" beliefs. One very strong aspect of my testimony is how well Mormon theology (that is completely foreign to mainstream Christianity) matches with the Bible.

[Madriglace]

Not a different Jesus ... same Jesus more information ... isn't personal revelation and revelation for the church wonderful?

[prisonchaplain]

Ironically, the "another Jesus" attack overlaps with so many doctrines that relate rather indirectly to Jesus. Is Jesus the brother of Satan? (doctrine of Satan?) Is Jesus the 2nd person of the Trinity (the doctrine of the Godhead)? Grace & works inevitably gets thrown in...so this line of criticism is usually much broader than the doctrine of Jesus. Also, discussing the doctrine of Jesus is almost impossible, without referencing several other doctrines.

The other day my daughter (7-years old) asked me if a particular person in the news was a Christian. The fellow happened to be LDS. Ah, what to say to a 7-year old? No! No? Maybe? Yes, but...? So I said, "Well, they have a lot of different beliefs than we do." Likewise, her friend who, in her mind, believes in Jehovah instead of God. I tell her we do believe in the same Father, but they don't believe Jesus is God and we do. How much further can you explain to a seven year old?

It is a tough line we walk, respecting the faith of others, while holding our own up as truth. I believe one of your articles of faith addresses this matter quite strongly.

[jayanna]

Funnily enough in my home town, which is a very small one, there was a billboard that almost made me drive right off the road. It is a billboard belonging to the local Methodist church. It had a big picture of Jesus on it. It was an LDS picture of Jesus that is found in our meetinghouses, etc. I remarked on it to someone and they thought I had lost my mind. I showed them the articles of faith pass along card I had that had the same picture on it, the exact same colors and everything. Not the same Jesus? Well, evidently the Methodist church thinks so!

Here is a quote from Mormon.org on frequently asked questions:

Are Mormons Christians?

Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995-2008), said:

“We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more and more widely recognized. Once upon a time people everywhere said we are not Christians. They have come to recognize that we are, and that we have a very vital and dynamic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. We, of course, accept Jesus Christ as our Leader, our King, our Savior...the dominant figure in the history of the world, the only perfect Man who ever walked the earth, the living Son of the living God. He is our Savior and our Redeemer through whose atoning sacrifice has come the opportunity of eternal life. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pray and worship in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the center of our faith and the head of our Church. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and witnesses of His divinity, His life, and His Atonement.”

His name is on our church buildings, on everything the church distributes, including missionaries....If it speaks of Him it is of Him...The Church of Jesus Christ

[Blackmarch]

To the op.. It ranges the whole spectrum, anything from a few differences in whats believed about him, to being a completely seperate person individual thingy where the only association is that the LDS claim that hes in the bible..

[FunkyTown]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

If someone walked up to an LDS member and said "Yeah. I'm Christian. I love how Jesus dresses in blue spandex with a red cape and flies around Metropolis all day saving Lois Lane.", then they would most likely not be termed Christian.

Once we get that out of the way and realize that there is a real Jesus and our perception of who Jesus is, we have to ask: At what point is our salvation in jeopardy for our beliefs?

Do those who insist Jesus was white/black/asian/whatever ethnicity you feel he wasn't worship a different Jesus? What about people who think Jesus was actually born on December 25th? Do they worship a different Jesus?

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. I pray that I am guided to truth, and I think I am. I'll try to correct people's misconceptions, but beyond that I'll trust in the Savior to be our advocate.

Edited January 3, 2012 by FunkyTown

[Shelly200]

I think the problem stems more fully from FunkyTown's argument. When non-LDS say the LDS worship a "different Jesus" they don't say this because they are going off of Dec. 25th birthday or ethnicity. They are noting the very real, very extreme differences in doctrine on who Jesus was and who He is in relation to God. It is very true that non-LDS do not view Christ as: a progressed man, created by the Father, a separate Being than the Father/H.S., our spirit brother, etc. To the LDS, this makes up the idea of who Christ is; to the non-LDS all of these traits are foreign and do *not* describe the Jesus that they worship. So, to them, the LDS worship a "different" Jesus in the sense that they believe the LDS have gotten a lot of things about Jesus wrong, so wrong that He is almost a different person.

Now, there can be arguments and discussions about who Jesus really is. But from the context of a non-LDS member looking at the doctrines of the LDS church concerning Jesus... many non-LDS cannot reconcile those doctrines with the "true" Jesus. Most non-LDS realize that the LDS church follows the Christ mentioned in the Bible, the historical, provable Jesus; but they believe that the LDS church has gotten so many doctrines concerning Him confused that they no longer follow who Jesus *really* was.

What I'm trying to say, though I don't know how well I'm going about it, is that when the non-LDS say that LDS worship a "different Jesus" they don't mean that the LDS don't follow the Jesus of the Bible, but that they have misconstrued do many aspects of His character so as to render Him almost a different person altogether.

Like Madriglace stated: the LDS believe to follow the same Jesus with more information... but if a person does not believe in this extra information, and this information is so radically different than the information he does have, then he very well might think that the LDS information is so far off as to make a whole new "version" of Jesus so to speak.

I'm not wanting to argue here over who Jesus is, but simply try to explain how a non-LDS person might come to a conclusion that would make them say that the LDS follow a different Jesus.

[Traveler]

It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that LDS define Jesus differently than most "Christian" religions.

That is not what concerns me. If we look at the core values of LDS with those of even our most harsh "Christian" critics; we find that in the arena of life competing against the forces we all recognize as evil - we should be best allies not bitter rivals.

In general the lack of understanding of what it means to be a "Good Samaritan" in really defines a poor Christian. The only way to defeat a friend and ally is to make a deal with the devil - a lesson never considered in politics. My point is that if someone has to be proven wrong before you can consider what is right - then most likely you are wrong.

For example every argument that I have seen that criticizes the Book of Mormon - in essence disproves the Bible if subjected to the same scrutiny. Islamic apologists love anti-LDS literature - not for use against the LDS but against the Christians that purport it.

The Traveler