Mormonism isn't Christianity, and no rebrand or watered down teaching changes that
- CofComCat
- Aug 4
- 7 min read
The purpose of Coffee, Commerce & Catechesis is simple. We have challenging conversations, offer practical advice and share inspiring stories with and for Catholics who are trying to navigate modern secular culture grounded in the perennial teachings of Jesus Christ and His one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. We cover a range of topics and do so as laymen who are relatively well-formed but always in need of more formation in the Catholic faith. We're not theologians, philosophers or experts in apologetics. Nonetheless, it is impossible to do what we do without engaging in apologetics to some extent, and indeed we're seemingly called to do so ("apologetics" comes from the Greek "apologia" (ἀπολογία) which literally means "speaking in defense" or "verbal defense") by Saint Peter himself in the First Epistle of Peter (3:13-17):
"Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil." (emphasis added)
In our oversensitive, politically correct, confirmation-biased echo chamber modern culture, asserting the truth of Christianity and the Catholic Church is rather unpopular. Nonetheless, we're called to it. We'll strive to do so with gentleness, especially as we engage with claims counter to the truth of Christianity and the Catholic Church, and we'll seek forgiveness when we fail.
Having said all that, let's talk about Mormonism!
For generations, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints proudly called themselves Mormons.
A few years ago, this stopped. Officially. The Latter-Day Saints ("LDS") hierarchy determined that the term "Mormon" needs to vanish. It might even be satanic, apparently.
This despite "Mormon" having been the literal crux of multiple multi-million dollar marketing campaigns by the LDS in the prior decade. The 2011 "I'm a Mormon" advertising campaign for example saw LDS leadership double-down on "Mormon" by inundating New York's Times Square with ads and plastering the internet with profiles of tens of thousands of Mormons.
Then, in 2018, what is effectively a rebranding, rewording and massaging of its image commenced. No more "Mormon." In fact, no more shorthand "LDS" either.
Why?
Probably at least three reasons.
First, to emphasize the LDS claim to be a "church of Jesus Christ."
Second, to gain acceptance as being equivalent to mainstream Christianity (especially American Protestantism, given Mormonism is a uniquely American religion).
And third, to shake Mormonism's public image problem. People still, largely, perceive it as a cult with Christian trappings or inspirations.
How did this whole rebrand start?
At the time, LDS President Russell M. Nelson stated in a speech (watch it here):
"It's not a rebranding, or a whim, or cosmetic…. I did this because the Lord impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He decreed for His Church.... It is the command of the Lord. Joseph Smith did not name the Church restored through him; neither did Mormons. It was the Savior Himself who said, "For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.'""
Since Mormons view and revere the LDS President as a living prophet, his announcement carries "divine weight." And thus they technically can't call it a rebrand. But anyone who understands marketing (and I do) knows a rebrand when they see it.
Four year later, prominent Mormon writer and scholar Jana Riess wrote an article in which she explained:
"During the last four years, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has introduced a host of changes that have made the church a little more mainstream, a little less weird.... Missionaries can talk to their families once a week instead of just twice a year. Male missionaries can even, in some circumstances — gasp! — wear something other than a white shirt and tie, and female missionaries don't always have to wear a skirt or dress. And of course, we don't talk about becoming gods of our own planets someday, or any of the more esoteric theological teachings of our past. Leaders nowadays rarely exhort us about imminent cataclysms — we don't speculate openly about how we're living in the end times, talk about the latest Antichrist who's arisen in geopolitics or require members to store two years' worth of food in preparation for the apocalypse."
So "Mormon" may be gone and the emphasis on distinctly LDS doctrines may be minimized or even watered down, but LDS theology remains.
And, thus, so too remains the fact that Mormons aren't Christians.
Why should actual Christians care?
Because Mormons actively evangelize and seek apostates. (I respect the dedication Mormons have for evangelistic efforts. If we Catholics had even a fraction of the zeal for evangelism that the Mormons do...!) If you haven't had a team of Mormons show up at your door, then (if your experience is anything like mine) you've probably had Mormons randomly connecting with you on social media (always under the guise of "being Christians") as part of their evangelistic endeavors. An actual Christian ought to know how to engage with them, especially when they masquerade as Christians.
So why aren't Mormons Christians?
Many reasons. One big one: Mormons don't have valid baptisms. And, as the Catholic Church has always taught, since a person becomes a Christian through the sacrament of Baptism and the other sacraments of initiation (Confirmation and receiving the Eucharist), you simply can't become a Christian if you don't have a Baptism. Baptism is the gateway to the other sacraments and is the means by which individuals are freed from sin, reborn as children of God, incorporated into the Church and formally become Christians.
In 2001, the Catholic Church made this clear. That year, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (now the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) declared that Mormon baptisms are not valid even though at first glance they seem to make use of the correct Trinitarian formula. Why? The Mormon conception of God is radically different from the Christian one.
Fr. Luis Ladaria, in an article for L'Osservatore Romano in 2001, summarized the problem:
"[T]he Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are not the three persons in which subsists the one Godhead, but three gods who form one divinity. One is different from the other, even though they exist in perfect harmony…. God the Father is an exalted man, native of another planet, who has acquired his divine status through a death similar to that of human beings, the necessary way to divinization…. God the Father has relatives and this is explained by the doctrine of infinite regression of the gods who initially were mortal…. God the Father has a wife, the Heavenly Mother, with whom he shares the responsibility of creation. They procreate sons in the spiritual world. Their firstborn is Jesus Christ, equal to all men, who has acquired his divinity in a pre-mortal existence. Even the Holy Spirit is the son of heavenly parents. The Son and the Holy Spirit were procreated after the beginning of the creation of the world known to us…. Four gods are directly responsible for the universe, three of whom have established a covenant and thus form the divinity.... As is easily seen, to the similarity of titles there does not correspond in any way a doctrinal content which can lead to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. The words Father, Son and Holy Spirit, have for the Mormons a meaning totally different from the Christian meaning. The differences are so great that one cannot even consider that this doctrine is a heresy which emerged out of a false understanding of the Christian doctrine. The teaching of the Mormons has a completely different matrix."
Mormons basically make of God something essentially creaturely and finite.
Even Arianism (a long ago condemned heresy) doesn't do that.
Below is what Mormons believe (or are supposed to, anyway):
God the Father is an exalted man from another planet who achieved divine status through a process similar to human death;
God the Father has a wife, the Heavenly Mother, and they procreate sons in the spiritual world, with Jesus Christ being their firstborn;
The Holy Spirit is also a son of heavenly parents;
Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers, both being spirit children of God the Father;
Humans existed as spirits before being born on this planet and that spirits are uncreated but inherently flawed.
To each his own.
Whatever you think of Mormon beliefs, if you're even remotely familiar with Christianity you can see how the above renders Mormonism definitively not Christian.
In many respects, Mormons are more like Muslims than they are like Christians. Both Mormonism and Islam were founded by two self-proclaimed prophets (Joseph Smith in the case of Mormonism, Muhammad in the case of Islam) who built entirely novel religions using a combination of lost prophecies, demonic manipulations, and outrageous perks like divine approval for polygamy. See more on this here.
None of this is a judgment on Mormons.
We Catholics often find ourselves aligned with Mormons on moral issues, and working together for the common good of all humanity. Many Mormons are exemplary members of our modern societies, living morally upstanding lives and not pandering to the poisonous progressivism perverting our universities, governments, and media.
But we can say the same about a lot of Muslims and atheists too.
And, like we must do for Muslims and atheists, we must love and pray for our Mormon neighbors. And share with them the goodness, truth and beauty of Christianity. Because, as we've seen, no rebranding or watering down of its teachings makes Mormonism Christian. Mormons need to encounter Christ and His one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church.
God bless,
Travis
