Why Mormonism Isn’t Just Another Type of Christianity

A lot of people assume that Mormonism is just another Christian denomination—like Baptist, Methodist, or Presbyterian—just with some extra stuff added in. But when you really look into what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints actually teaches, you realize it’s not just a quirky cousin to Christianity. It’s teaching a different God, a different Jesus, and a completely different gospel. And that’s not just a small issue—it’s huge.

Now, I don’t say this to be harsh or unkind. But we’ve got to deal in truth. According to the Bible, any religious system that redefines the essentials—who God is, how we’re saved, what the gospel is—that’s what we’d call a theological cult. And when we compare Mormon doctrine to what the Bible actually teaches, it checks all the boxes.

For example, Mormons teach that God the Father was once a man who lived on another world and became a god. Seriously. You’ve probably heard it before: “As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.” That’s not just some random Mormon opinion—that’s core LDS doctrine. But the Bible is crystal clear: God is eternal. He’s always been God. Isaiah 43:10 (NLT) says, “There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.” Case closed.

Then there’s the issue of Jesus. In Mormonism, Jesus isn’t God from eternity—He’s a created spirit child of Heavenly Father and a heavenly mother. Oh, and Lucifer is His literal brother. You can find that in official LDS manuals. But the Bible says Jesus is eternal, uncreated, and is God. John 1:1–3 says, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” There’s no getting around that.

Let’s talk salvation. LDS doctrine teaches that you’re saved by grace—after all you can do (2 Nephi 25:23). So it’s grace, but with a catch. You’ve got to do your part—go to the temple, obey LDS prophets, keep commandments, and so on. But biblical Christianity says the opposite: that we’re saved by grace alone through faith alone. Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” If you have to earn it, it’s not grace.

Another big red flag is that Mormons believe in modern prophets and additional scriptures—like the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. Basically, they say the Bible’s not enough, and that truth keeps getting revealed through modern leaders. That’s dangerous. Proverbs 30:6 says, “Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.” God’s Word doesn’t need a sequel.

And let’s not forget: Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, claimed that all churches were wrong, all creeds were false, and he alone had the restored truth. That’s exactly what every cult leader throughout history has claimed. But Jesus promised that His Church would never be overcome (Matthew 16:18). There was no need for a restoration—just a need for faith in what He already accomplished.

So what does all this mean? It means that Mormonism teaches a completely different gospel. It redefines who God is, who Jesus is, how salvation works, and where we get our truth. Galatians 1:8 warns, “Let God’s curse fall on anyone... who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.”

This isn’t about winning arguments or attacking people. It’s about caring enough to say the truth plainly. Jesus is not the spirit brother of Lucifer. God the Father was never a man who became a god. We are not saved by temple work or celestial marriage. The true gospel is simple: Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, died for our sins and rose again. Trust in Him alone, not in church membership or good works.

Bottom line: Mormonism might sound Christian on the surface, but it leads people away from the Jesus of the Bible. And that's not just misleading—it's deadly serious. The real Jesus doesn’t need a restored gospel. His gospel was delivered “once for all time to God’s holy people” (Jude 1:3, NLT). That’s the one we trust. That’s the one we preach. That’s the one that saves.

Sources:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gospel Principles. Intellectual Reserve, 1997.

Smith, Joseph. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Deseret Book, 1976.

The Book of Mormon. Trans. Joseph Smith, 1830.

Doctrine and Covenants. LDS Church, 1835.

The Pearl of Great Price. LDS Church, 1851.

Martin, Walter. The Kingdom of the Cults. Bethany House, 2003.

Geisler, Norman L., and Ron Rhodes. When Cultists Ask. Baker Books, 1997.

MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. Biblical Doctrine. Crossway, 2017.

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation, 2015.

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