>>Ankerberg: I want to ask this question — came
up in a Pew study, a Pew poll, if you want,
where the question was asked: Is the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the
Mormons, just another Christian denomination?
According to the Pew Foundation, just a few
days ago: of the general population about
half, 51% think the Mormon religion is a Christian
religion, 32% say it’s not.
Here’s an interesting thing about evangelical
Protestants: nearly half, 47% think Mormonism
is not a Christian religion.
One third say they think that the Mormon religion
is a Christian religion.
Sandra, how would you answer that question?
What did the prophet, Joseph Smith say about
Christianity.
>>Tanner: Well, when Joseph Smith was a teenage
boy, he was attending different revival meetings
and these revival meetings were put on by
the Baptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists,
and they are specifically named in his own
story of his life.
And he decided he needed to be a member of
some church, so he claimed to go out in the
woods to pray — which church should he join?
And then supposedly God and Jesus appeared
to him.
And he asked them which church.
And so this is the answer he got.
He says, (this is right in their books of
scripture, official) “I was answered that
I must 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.
And that those professors were all corrupt.”
And that’s right in their Pearl of Great
Price, one of their books of scripture.
And so we have the Mormons making this specific
claim.
All these other Protestant churches were an
abomination before God.
Not just a little wrong — they were an abomination
before God and he was to join none of them.
God was about to do a great work and Joseph
Smith was going to start the true church.
So, in Mormonism they are going door-to-door
to tell you your church is not true.
Now, they aren’t going to directly say that
— it’s a very carefully worded presentation,
but bottom line is, none of your churches
are right before God.
None of your ministers have the authority
to act in God’s name, only the Mormon priesthood
is recognized by God.
Your baptism doesn’t count, your pastor’s
ordination doesn’t count, only Mormons.
>>Ankerberg: Yeah.
They’ve got the fullness of the gospel,
which means they’ve got the only true gospel.
>>Tanner: Right.
The only true priesthood authority before
God — to act in his name.
