Opposition to Mormonism
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Opposition to Mormonism refers to criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement, especially by those of the largest and most prominent sect, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church"). In their early years, Mormons encountered frequent conflict, which forced them to move westward, eventually settling in Utah. Even after establishing a community in Utah, opposition to plural marriage and other beliefs prompted the Utah War.
Mainstream Christians oppose Mormonism because its doctrines, particularly concerning Jesus, are considerably different. Knowledge of certain aspects of Mormonism—primarily temple ceremonies—is secret. Mormonism also attracts criticism with its bold claims (such as that it is the only form of religion endorsed by God).
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Historic opposition
Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Mormonism, taught widely that all of the Christian teachers of the day were in error and had departed from the true Christian faith. He was vigorously pursued by detractors since the time he recounted his First Vision. He was ultimately assassinated by a mob in 1844.
Conflict between Mormons and their critics or opponents has frequently been vehement and violent. On October 27, 1838 Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs signed an executive order (known as the "Extermination Order") instructing the general of the state militia that, "The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary, for the public peace-their outrages are beyond all description. If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so, to any extent you may consider necessary." This executive order was eventually rescinded by Governor Christopher S. Bond on June 25, 1976, over 137 years later.
Most of Smith's followers later fled Nauvoo, Illinois in 1846 due to increasingly violent conflict and persecution. They eventually settled what was then part of Mexico (now Utah) to organize a separate "country", the State of Deseret. Conflict with non-Mormons was also a factor in groups of Mormons leaving England to join other Mormons in the United States
In Utah, the Mormon practice of polygamy or plural marriage was openly practiced for the first time, having been introduced by Smith and practiced secretly some decades earlier. Quickly declared illegal, plural marriage generated significant criticism throughout the United States. Rather than abandon a practice they regarded as sacred, many polygamists chose to live "underground," as they called it, often separated from their families, for fear of being arrested or assaulted.
Doctrinal opposition
In mainstream Christianity, a strong disagreement with the theology, beliefs and practices of the Mormon church is common, see Mormonism and Christianity.
In many ways, this tension is unsurprising: Mormon founders argued that mainstream Christianity is significantly different from what Jesus and the Apostles intended. Mormons teach that the biblically prophesied Great Apostasy has happened and that the mainstream Christian churches no longer follow the complete teachings of Jesus.
Most mainstream Christian churches teach that Mormonism is a form of pseudo-Christianity, which has departed from the teachings given in the Bible and now espouses beliefs fundamentally different. Mormonism is sometimes called a cult. Also fueling tension, Mormon missionaries proselytize indiscriminately, including to mainstream Christians, seeking to invite all people to convert to Mormonism.
Doctrinal opposition to Mormonism has a long history, and can be broken down into several categories:
- Correct disagreements on doctrine
- Incorrect differences on doctrine
- Doctrinal Misrepresentations
The people who make and counter these claims in detail are frequently referred to as apologists.
Some of the common techniques used in anti-mormon writings include:
Fabricated References
The Book of Mormon is divided into books, chapters, and verses, and references to passages are similar in nature to biblical references. Many anti-mormon articles will use page numbers, which makes it harder to check the source, since page numbers vary by editions. However, in many cases, the references are totally fabricated, and the supposed passages do not exist. In other cases, a valid reference is given, but when you consult the text, there is nothing found that substantiates the point being made.
Use of Secondary Sources
A number of anti-mormon documents were published during the LDS church's early years. Many of these contained unsubstantiated claims that often contradict each other as well as contradicting accepted facts. Many modern-day anti-mormon articles cite these secondary sources without attempting to validate their accuracy. This is followed by later scholars quoting the previous works as if they were widely accepted, when their accuracy is often questionable. The result is a large body of anti-mormon literature that is based upon itself, with little verifiable details.
Sensationalized exaggeration
Some critics take several points of Mormon doctrine, and then exaggerate and/or extend the doctrine, stating their conclusions using phrasing that is not found in Mormonism, and claiming that "most Mormons" believe this extreme case. In many cases, the "conclusion" they arrive at isn't believed by any Mormons, let alone most Mormons. One variant of this approach is to use modified statements that are similar to, but don't accurately describe Mormon doctrine. Another variant is to use speculative positions that some Mormons believe, but about which the Mormon Church has not issued any formal position.
Examples include:
- "Mormonism teaches that Lucifer is the brother of Jesus." This is a sensationalized, factual restatement of teachings of Mormonism.
- "Mormonism teaches that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had sexual intercourse with God." This is a sensationalized extrapolation of statements such as: (1) Mormons believe that Jesus is the literal Son of God; (2) God the Father has a physical body; and (3) Brigham Young stated that Jesus was conceived in the same way as other people.
Bait and Switch
A common technique used by deceptive critics is similar to the "bait and switch" technique of promising one thing and producing something different. An example of this is the claim that Mormons believe that a prophet named Amulek claimed to be infallible. They will then quote a portion of Alma 11:21: "I shall say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord."
By telling the reader (or listener) what they will see, they have predisposed the reader to interpret the passage in a way that conforms to the initial claim.
In reality, the situation covered by this passage is similar to that in Numbers 23, where Balak asked Balaam to curse the Israelites, to which Balaam replied that he could only say what the LORD told him to say.
In Alma 11, a false preacher (Zeezrom) is trying to get Amulek to contradict himself. Zeezrom asks Amulek to answer some questions, to which Amulek replies: "Yea, if it be according to the Spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord." (Alma 11:23).
Secret Teachings
One of the most difficult techniques to counter is the belief that there are "secret teachings" that "normal" Mormons aren't told. According to this claim, at some point up the church hierarchy, leaders hold radically different beliefs to those that are taught to people further down in the hierarchy. According to this theory, the wholesome "public teachings" are used to get people to join the Mormon church. This argument is often used in conjuction with a previous allegation that is shown to be incorrect. Supposedly, the claim is believed by the higher leaders, but not known by the general membership.
Using this technique, authors can make spectacular claims about what Mormons "really believe". When a member says they don't believe that, the response is generally that they aren't high enough in the church to know what the leaders "really believe". It is never explained at what point these "secret teachings" are revealed to leaders as they ascend the hierarchy, and no cases exposing this practice are provided.
Since the Mormon Church doesn't have paid local leaders, and since the local units have considerable autonomy, many Mormons have trouble understanding how others can believe this theory. Nevertheless, this is a popular method of deflecting any criticism of their original claims.
Ceremonies held in LDS temples are seen by the devout as sacred, and are not discussed publicly. This has led to many lurid and unfounded claims, which Mormons are reluctant to rebut, however innacurate they might be.
Former Members
Literature by former Mormons who actively criticize the church often present the author's experience as typical of most members who leave the faith. For example, if a person grew up in the Mormon church, "going through the motions" of regular church attendence while secretly harboring doubts, they might assume that many other Mormons felt the same way. Many mormons may express doubt but be unable to express their emotions outside of the LDS enculturation they have grown up in or accepted. Many members are closet doubters and can see the LDS experience as strengthening to their own life experience but not based on fact. The go along to get along approach is very commonly expressed on the [exmormon bulletin board. (http://www.exmormon.org/boards/w-agora/index.php?site=exmobb&bn=exmobb_recovery)]
This board is a comfort to many and provides an outlet to share common experiences, ask questions, and offer criticism of the LDS church. It is not however a forum to debate the truthfulness of the LDS church. It offers instead an excellent resource to question the LDS church and meet like minded individuals. It has been in operation for a long amount of time and has become a central resource for many who leave the LDS faith.
Particularly an individual grew up in Utah or some other community with a large Mormon population, their regular church attendence might have been a product of peer pressure or familial expectation, more than of personal conviction. When such people move to an area where Mormons are less prevalent, their church attendance decreases significantly or ceases altogether. This cause of inactivity can sometimes be sudden, as the questioning Mormon examines his or her surroundings in the context of mainstream culture, without the influence of a support structure centered on sustaining the LDS way of life.
Literatue authored by former members often claims that Mormons don't have a close personal relationship with Jesus, something that most active Mormons would strongly refute. This logicial fallacy is this technique is attempting to generalize from the specific. It is particularly a problem when such generalization is based on the experiences of a single person. This view is usually shared by converts to evangelical christianity who have left the LDS church and is not exclusive to former mormons but former Catholics, Jehovah Witnesses, etc who have converted to Evangelical Christianity.
This response to personal experiences becomes moot when considering that others have valid concerns and their experience in the LDS church is just as valid as supposedly faithful members. The appeal to authority in this case is to those who are not faithful, trying to prove the case that those who are no longer LDS are not valid in their objections. Quite the opposite, those with outside perspectives are able to see a bigger picture and are able to share insights that those who have never held the faith are unable to elaborate.
It can be considered very condescending and frustrating to former members to be told their opinion is no longer valid. Based on circular reasoning, the ideas that those who do not share a belief cannot express valid opinions because they do not share the belief any longer.
Actual Doctrinal Differences
There are actual, mutually acknowledged differences between Mormon doctrine and that of orthodox Christianity. These include:
- Mormons believe that both Heavenly Father and Jesus have tangible bodies of (purified) flesh and bones, whereas orthodox Christians believe that only Jesus has such a body.
- Mormons believe that Jesus, Satan, and all mankind were present with Heavenly Father before the world was created. Satan rebelled, but Jesus (and all those who were to be born on earth) sided with Heavenly Father. Orthodox Christians believe that Jesus and the Father are uncreated; that Satan, the demons, angels, and people are wholly created by God.
Alleged Doctrinal Differences
Some doctrines are attributed to Mormonism by its opponents and depicted as contrary to mainstream Christianity, but are not acknowledged by Mormons. These include:
- God has a physical body, and was born and raised on a planet roughly the size of the star Kolob.
- God fathers souls by his wife (a/the goddess). These souls wait in heaven to be incarnated. The firstborn of these souls was Jesus, but Satan and the souls of all humanity were born the same way.
Some of the doctrines attributed to Mormonism by its opponents and depicted as contrary to scientific fact are:
- The Native Americans (aka American Indians) are actually Jewish. Their ancestors colonized the Americas by crossing the oceans by some manner of sea-going vessel. The Book of Mormon account describes a ship; the exact dimensions are not given, nor is the path taken.
- Earth is not the only habited planet in the universe. There are too many habited planets to count.
- Earth will one day recieve its paradesiacal glory and Jesus shall reign personally upon the earth and eventually Earth will give off light as the sun does.
- As Adam and Eve were ejected from the garden of Eden, Earth was removed from the glory of God. This is known as "The Fall" or "Apostacy."
Apologetics
Apologists are those who directly answer the questions of critics of any belief. Mormon apologists would answer the above by explaining the actual doctrine taught by the LDS Church, as this is where most of the opposition is directed. These items correspond in order to the questions raised above.
- God has a physical body. We do not know anything about God before He was God, but the pattern which has been defined for us on this Earth gives implications. According to the Book of Abraham, the star nearest to where God dwells is the star Kolob.
- Again, the pattern defined for us on this Earth implies that God also has a wife. The words used in LDS scriptures are that "intelligences were organized". The first of these was Jesus. Lucifer was a leader, hence he is called a "son of the morning". When Lucifer was cast out of Heaven for rebellion, he became known as Satan.
- Again, by implication, there are others who have attained the status of god, but we have not been told anything about them or their creations. According to the Book of Moses, God created many worlds with inhabitants, but it wasn't said that all created worlds have inhabitants. There is no support for this in Mormon doctrines, only speculation.
- The Book of Mormon relates that three separate groups were directed by God to leave the Eastern Hemisphere and come to the Americas. After about 1000 years of records in the Americas, one of the remaining factions is destroyed by the other about the year 400, who not only destroyed the people, but homes, cities and other cultural evidences of the inhabitants. Mormons do not know how many members of the remaining faction were left to mix with whatever other peoples may have migrated to the Americas, but because of promises made to them by God, they are the "principal" inhabitants of the Americas.
- According to the Book of Moses, God created many worlds with inhabitants, but it wasn't said that all created worlds have inhabitants. God is the God of these worlds.
- There is nothing in Mormon doctrine that claims that the light of our sun comes from Kolob.
- Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden of Eden. There is nothing resembling the rest of this claim in Mormon doctrine.
Modern day opposition
A small number of people are active in opposing Mormon beliefs and campaigning against the Mormon church. Many are ex-Mormons themselves, particularly plural wives, who have become active in opposing the polygamist practices of certain Mormon sects. Some anti-Mormons direct their criticism toward Mormon church leaders, past and present.
More hostility tends to be directed toward church leaders of the 19th century than towards more recent leaders.
General Conference and Temple Open House Protests
There is a small number of anti-Mormons who demonstrate an open hostility toward any and all Latter-day Saints. It is common to find them among the protesters at major Mormon events. These individuals are representative of a minority and are seen with contempt by most former Mormons. Their activities are counterproductive and do not lend credibility to their cause nor to other more progressive approaches to the LDS church. Virtually all members of the LDS faith view these individuals as disrespectful to their beliefs.
Themes of protestors
Common slogans and themes of these protests involve the sacred "garment" worn by temple going Mormons. The temple outfit is also displayed in public, which LDS faithful consider extremely disrespectful . Slogans on signs and pamphlets emphasize the less mainstream ideas of the LDS faith including but not limited to deification, polygamy, Mormon Polytheism, and other less commonly known (and understood) concepts. These themes are emphasized by most who oppose the church but it is the technique these individuals use that most Mormons and former Mormons find disagreeable.
Organized opposition to Mormonism
There are several organizations which oppose the Mormon church. Their activities vary. In most cases the primary activity is informational – they seek to provide what they regard as a true picture of the Mormon church. Some are independent while others are connected with parent churches, and not all are Christian. Examples of such organizations are:Utah Lighthouse Ministry (founded by Jerald and Sandra Tanner), Mormon Research Ministries, Mormons in Transition and Utah Partnerships for Christ.
Some anti-Mormons have become well-known for their activities. A few of them are:
Seminars to counter Mormon teachings
LDS missionaries routinely present their message to believing Christians, encouraging them to convert to Mormonism. To many, this is viewed as an attack on mainstream Christian beliefs. Partly in response to this, many organizations who disagree with Mormon teachings hold seminars at mainstream Christian churches to highlight differences between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity, and to offer the mainstream Christian viewpoint on these differences.
Anti-Mormon Protests
Every six months, Latter-day Saints gather in Salt Lake City for "General Conference." In addition to the church members who come to hear their leaders speak, anti-Mormon protesters also attend. They also appear when new Mormon temples are opened to the public before they are dedicated. Below is a link to a description of one of these protests, from a Mormon point of view.
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/antis/200304.html
The following link, from the same website, leads to a photo essay of a recent anti-Mormon protest.
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/antis/200310gc.html
Intra-Utah Anti Mormonism
A large portion of Utah residents are often described as Anti-Mormon due to political opposition of many popular conservative political agendas. This is vastly different from the Anti-Mormon beliefs of some fundamentalist and evangelical Christians who oppose Mormon Theology. Many Utah media outlets such as The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City Weekly, and the University of Utah's Daily Utah Chronicle are often described as Anti-Mormon even though many of the contributers are Mormon themselves. Many of these charges surfaced when Mark Hofmann sold forged documents to the LDS Church and when Salt Lake City sold one block of Main Street to the church, with what many felt was too little public input.
External links
- Brief historiography of anti-Mormonism (http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/general/Publications_EOM.htm)
- Utah Lighthouse Ministry (http://www.utlm.org)
- Mormon Research Ministries (http://www.mrm.org/)
- Mormons in Transition (http://www.irr.org/mit/Default.html)
- Mormonism Exposed (1842) (http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/acampbell/tme/TME10.HTM)
- The Mormon Church and Freemasonry (http://www.freemason.org/cfo/may_june_2001/mormon.htm) - California Freemason online
