Accidental Detour into the Strange World of Mormonism

Celestial beings in galaxies far, far away. Heavenly parents in the spirit world, who have traveled from planet Kolob to planet Earth. From Jesus Christ to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. From Missouri to Mesopotamia and back again. From Nephi to Moroni to Joseph Smith. Urim and Thummim and Liahona. Hidden Scriptures written in Egyptian hieroglyphics on metal sheets. Scriptures which tell of gods who are actually men, and men who will become gods.

I have spent the last few days reading about these things and so much more, and have found it all more alluring than an epic science fiction novel. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) seems to have no end of tantalizing tall tales.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney — a Republican, the former governor of Massachusetts, and a Mormon — gave a speech on Thursday in which he addressed some people’s concerns about the possibility of a Mormon in the White House.

Many evangelical Christians categorize the LDS as a heretical cult group, and are skittish about casting a ballot for one of its members. Other evangelical Christians are drawn to Romney, arguing that because of his faith, he shares important values with conservative evangelicals, including opposing abortion and same-sex marriages.

“I believe in my Mormon faith and endeavor to live by it,” Romney said in his speech. Attempting to connect with evangelicals, Romney also said, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind.” But he refused to elaborate on details of his religion, saying he is not a spokesman for his church.

So I decided to do my own research into Mormon doctrine. Like many Christians, I already have some knowledge of LDS teachings. Thirty years ago, when I was in my 20s and a campus minister at Oklahoma State University, a Mormon missionary came to my door. I agreed to meet with him, and after a couple of meetings, he passed me off to one of the leaders of the Mormon church in Stillwater. That Mormon leader and I had weekly one-on-one meetings for several months, at which he attempted to open my eyes to the LDS light, and I attempted to show him the error of his ways. I bought a Book of Mormon and read quite a bit of it. After six months, we both agreed that neither of us had budged an inch, so we shook hands and parted company.

One amusing memory I have from that time was the startled response I got from my board of directors when I — in my first full-time ministry and too naive to know better — turned in for reimbursement my receipt for the Book of Mormon I had bought. I have not given Mormonism much time or attention since.

But Romney’s presidential candidacy has moved Mormonism into the national spotlight. I have not yet formed an opinion of what I think about a Mormon in the White House. But I am concerned that Romney’s public profile may give new credibility to the Mormon heresy. So I decided this week to brush up on my knowledge of Mormonism and post a summary on this blog of some key LDS doctrines.

I did not intend to spend too much time or delve too deeply into Mormon teaching. I just wanted to post an overview of some doctrines that differ from evangelical Christianity. But the more I keep reading, the more my mind boggles at the bizarre hodge-podge of fictions and fantasies and falsehoods that the Mormon church has concocted. I have always enjoyed science fiction, and in its own wierd way, Mormon teachings read like great science fiction. I have had difficulty putting it down.

I’m not the only one to make the connection between Mormonism and science fiction. Glen A. Larson, who is a Mormon, is the creator-producer of the 1978 TV show Battlestar Galactica, and a consulting producer of the modern version of the series. Larson based much of the Battlestar mythology on Mormon doctrine. In 1979, the Associated Latter-day Media Artists (ALMA) honored Larson for his work, according to the LDS website.

I don’t know how many of these Mormon doctrines I once knew and have long since forgotten, and how much of it I am learning for the first time. Thirty years ago, there was no Internet. I struggled then to plow through the Book of Mormon. Now I have access to the LDS church’s own official website, with thousands of pages of information, complete with an A-Z index and a search engine. Every term and phrase I plug in sends me down another bizarre but fascinating trail.

I have copied scores of statements that reveal, in their own words, what Mormons believe about God, Man, Christ, Creation, Salvation, the Church, the Bible, America — and yes, life on other planets. Believe me, despite Romney’s attempt to present himself as a kissing cousin of evangelical Christians, what the Mormons believe about all of these topics is fundamentally and radically different than what evangelical Christianity believes and teaches.

If you want to know what Mitt Romney and his fellow Mormons believe, but you don’t feel like watching an episode of Battlestar Galactica, keep visiting this blog. I am organizing excerpts according to the topics listed above, and I will be posting them during the next several days. Stay tuned.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *