Mormonism w/out Jesus?

[MJE]

Can the Mormon faith exist w/out Jesus? Would there be a big hole if he/his name was erased from their literature? Is Jesus the Christ an absolute essential in Mormonism?

 

[TheosisM]

Can the Mormon faith exist w/out Jesus? Would there be a big hole if he/his name was erased from their literature? Is Jesus the Christ an absolute essential in Mormonism?

Yes, Jesus Christ is important to Mormonism. Without Him, there is no point to it. While I believe that it has many heretical positions, and that they have an irregular understanding of Jesus Christ, He is important to their faith, and without Him, Mormonism wouldn’t make any sense or have any point.

There would be a big hole in their name, the Church of _____ _____ of Latter-day Saints.

 

[benidict]

i would say yes. because the crowning achievment in the book of mormon is Jesus Christ coming to the americas after his ressurection. so yes He is essential to their faith. do not agree with them doctrinally, but i do have a soft spot for them. i believe they are truly seeking God and His kingdom, and that he will reveal himself to them at the proper time. also remember they do alot of good. and on certain social issues we are on the same page. such as being opposed to abortion and homosexual marriage. and working with the poor and disadvantaged.

 

[Catholic20064]

Can the Mormon faith exist w/out Jesus? Would there be a big hole if he/his name was erased from their literature? Is Jesus the Christ an absolute essential in Mormonism?

No – Jesus is absolutely necessary to the Mormon religion since Mormons believe in the atonement and resurrection of Jesus as necessary for our salvation. Mormons don’t believe we can be saved without Jesus.

 

[Jerusha]

i would say yes. because the crowning achievment in the book of mormon is Jesus Christ coming to the americas after his ressurection. so yes He is essential to their faith.

However, even the most faithful LDS have difficulty swallowing that part of the story. It is just downright bizarre, and part of what that Jesus preaches is not what the NT Jesus preached.

However, if one puts a different timeline on the BoM, in Catholic theology, Jesus’ presence in N. America in pre-Columbian times actually happened.

And, yes, some LDS are thoroughly warped, and belong to the sub-Church of Joseph Smith of Latter-Day saints.

 

[Anna_Scott]

The Jesus of Mormonism is not the Jesus of Christianity. However, it would probably be difficult to remove their “Jesus” from Mormonism. They need to use the name of “Jesus” to claim they are Christians.

Mormon Apostle, Orson Pratt, in his book titled, The Seer, at page 158:

"…The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and Wife;

hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father. Inasmuch as God was the first HUSBAND TO HER (Mary), it may be that He only gave her to be the wife of Joseph while in this mortal state, and that He intended after the resurrection to again take her as one of his own wives to raise up immortal spirits in eternity…"

**Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt, in his book titled, The Seer, page 172: **

“…the great Messiah who was the founder of the Christian religion was a Polygamist.the Messiah chose to take upon himself his seed; and by marrying many honorable wives himself, show to all future generations that he approved the plurality of Wives under Christian dispensation… The son followed the example of his Father, and became the great Bridegroom to whom kings’ daughters and many of the honorable Wives were to be married. We have also proved that both God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ inherit their wives in eternity as well as in time…”

LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley, June 4, 1998:

“The traditional Christ of who they speak in not the Christ of whom I speak. For the
Christ of whom I speak had been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. He together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages.” (Church News, June, 20 1998, p. 7.)

**LDS Church’s 147th General Conference, General Authority Bernard P. Brockbank:

“…It is true that many of the Christian churches worship A DIFFERENT JESUS CHRIST than is worshiped by the Mormons…” ("The Ensign," May 1977, p. 26.) **

 

[Catholic20064]

The Jesus of Mormonism is not the Jesus of Christianity. However, it would probably be difficult to remove their “Jesus” from Mormonism. They need to use the name of “Jesus” to claim they are Christians.

Mormon Apostle, Orson Pratt, in his book titled, The Seer, at page 158:

Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt, in his book titled, The Seer, page 172:

LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley, June 4, 1998:

LDS Church’s 147th General Conference, General Authority Bernard P. Brockbank:

Please tell me what any of this has to do with the original posting. The question is could Mormonism exist without Jesus. The only answer is that Mormonism depends upon Jesus for its reason to exist. You could probably have Islam without Jesus. You could never have Mormonism without Jesus. That is why I am more likely to call Mormonism a non-orthodox Christian sect than I am to call them non-Christian. Without Jesus Mormonism would cease to exist. Mormon baptism is invalid because they are unorthodox in regards to the Trinity, but I don’t think it would be fair to call them non-Christian.

 

[Anna_Scott]

Please tell me what any of this has to do with the original posting. The question is could Mormonism exist without Jesus. The only answer is that Mormonism depends upon Jesus for its reason to exist. You could probably have Islam without Jesus. You could never have Mormonism without Jesus. That is why I am more likely to call Mormonism a non-orthodox Christian sect than I am to call them non-Christian. Without Jesus Mormonism would cease to exist. Mormon baptism is invalid because they are unorthodox in regards to the Trinity, but I don’t think it would be fair to call them non-Christian.

Without knowing the identity of the Mormon Jesus; how can we answer whether or not Mormonism can exist without Jesus?

As I said in my previous post, “It would probably be difficult to remove their “Jesus” from Mormonism. They need to use the name of “Jesus” to claim they are Christians.” How could one claim to be Christian without Jesus? The answer would be, “one could not.”

So, I would agree that Mormonism could not exist without Jesus, however they define him.

Anna

 

[CHRISTINE77]

Without knowing the identity of the Mormon Jesus; how can we answer whether or not Mormonism can exist without Jesus?

As I said in my previous post, “It would probably be difficult to remove their “Jesus” from Mormonism. They need to use the name of “Jesus” to claim they are Christians.” How could one claim to be Christian without Jesus? The answer would be, “one could not.”

So, I would agree that Mormonism could not exist without Jesus, however they define him.

Anna

more importantly, could Mormonism exist without the Book of Mormon?

 

[Catholic20064]

more importantly, could Mormonism exist without the Book of Mormon?

Probably not.

 

[zerinus]

Probably not.

Definitely not!

 

[PaulDupre]

more importantly, could Mormonism exist without the Book of Mormon?

No. That’s why they are trying so desperately to re-interpret the BoM in a way that they hope will be able to withstand the onslaught of scientific evidence against it. The problem is, the more violence they do to the text, the more they go against Joseph Smith’s teachings on the Book of Mormon, he weaker their truth claims get. In the next 5 years, belief in the historicity of the Book of Mormon will no longer be a test of LDS faithfulness.

 

[Catholic20064]

No. That’s why they are trying so desperately to re-interpret the BoM in a way that they hope will be able to withstand the onslaught of scientific evidence against it. The problem is, the more violence they do to the text, the more they go against Joseph Smith’s teachings on the Book of Mormon, he weaker their truth claims get. In the next 5 years, belief in the historicity of the Book of Mormon will no longer be a test of LDS faithfulness.

I hope you are wrong. If the Book of Mormon had not been a test of LDS faithfulness I don’t know if I would ever have been led to the Catholic Church. I might have just stayed actively Mormon. It is possible there are many Mormons who would be more likely to remain Mormon if they didn’t have to accept the historicity of the Book of Mormon. I toyed with joining the Community of Christ because they didn’t require it and I wanted to maintain some connection to Mormonism. Then they became too liberal on things like gay marriage. I’m glad I was in a way forced to leave Mormonism to become orthodox Christian Catholic.