Mormonism and Nicene Christianity

They have also adopted additional scriptures that they believe to have been divinely revealed to Joseph Smith,[3][4][5] including the Book of Mormon,[3][4][5] the Doctrine and Covenants,[3] and the Pearl of Great Price.

[3][4][11] Mormons believe that God, through Smith and his successors, restored various doctrines and practices that were lost from the original Christianity taught by Jesus Christ.

[12] For example, Smith, as a result of his "First Vision", primarily rejected the Nicene doctrine of the Trinity and instead taught that God the Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct "personages".

[32] The faith's earliest theology, as reflected in the Book of Mormon and contemporaneous writings by Joseph Smith, was an unsophisticated version of Trinitarianism or Monarchianism.

[47] He followed non-Protestant Christians in rejecting the doctrine of justification by faith alone[48] and moved toward universalism by introducing a hierarchy of three glorious heavens, in which even the wicked had a place.

He taught that humans could progress to an exalted state in which they became coequal with a God who was material, plural, and himself a glorified man existing within time.

Near the turn of the 20th century there was a movement to codify LDS theology with official statements of Church leaders — which served to quash speculative ideas that persisted as sub rosa concepts among some Mormons.

[93][94][95] Mormons believe they must not only have faith and repent but also be baptized (by immersion and by an authorised priesthood holder within the Church) and bring forth good works.

[96] Mormons consider their weekly Eucharist (the Sacrament) as a means of renewing their baptismal covenant and being repeatedly cleansed from sin.

[50] Although the Book of Mormon rejected the doctrine of universal reconciliation, Smith taught that damnation was a temporary state (for all but the Sons of Perdition) from which the wicked would ultimately escape after they had paid for their sins, to be resurrected into one of the two lesser kingdoms of glory.

The line of succession was restored through Joseph Smith when biblical prophets and apostles appeared to him and ordained him through the laying on of hands with lost priesthood authority.

Some claim that in the late-20th century, a conservative movement within the LDS Church (called "Mormon neo-orthodoxy" on the analogy of an earlier Protestant neo-orthodoxy)[104] emphasized the Book of Mormon over later revelations[105] and embraced original sin, an absolute, eternal, and unchanging God, a pessimistic assessment of human nature, and a doctrine of salvation by grace rather than by works.

Theologian Richard Mouw asserts that Mormons have downplayed some of its more "heretical" doctrines in order to obtain more effective dialogue with other Christians.

Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary, an evangelical school in Pasadena, California, stated in an opinion piece for CNN, "[t]hose of us who have made the effort to engage Mormons in friendly and sustained give-and-take conversations have come to see them as good citizens whose life of faith often exhibits qualities that are worthy of the Christian label, even as we continue to engage in friendly arguments with them about crucial theological issues.

"[124] Joe Scarborough has drawn analogies between the Pharisees in the New Testament and prominent evangelical religious leader Robert Jeffress calling Mormonism a cult.

Doctrines such as the beliefs about the existence of prophets in early American civilizations, which are unique to Mormon theology and not found in the teachings of other Christian churches are also causes of disagreement.

[131] The Catholic Bishop of Salt Lake City, George Hugh Niederauer, stated that this ruling "should not be understood as either judging or measuring a spiritual relationship between Jesus Christ and the LDS Church".

This conclusion is supported by the fact that the LDS Church itself, while calling itself Christian, explicitly professes a distinction and separateness from the ecumenical community and is intentional about clarifying significant differences in doctrine.

Like their Mormon counterparts, those from the evangelical Christian religions assert that these proselytizing efforts arise out of love and genuine concern for others and not a desire to cause contention.

[citation needed] However, in an October 2010 poll conducted by LifeWay Research, three out of four American Protestant pastors did not believe that Mormons were Christians.

The new lessons, named "A Uniform System for Teaching Families", de-emphasized the Great Apostasy, which previously held a prominent position just after the story of the First Vision.

[148] Riess and Tickle assert that, starting in the late twentieth century, Mormons have focused their attention on Jesus Christ more than at any other time since the inception of their faith.

Riess and Tickle argue that these critics are failing to grasp that this recent emphasis on Jesus Christ is part of a genuine theological evolution that concurrently involves a renewed interest in the Book of Mormon.

"[149][page needed] Patricia Limerick suggests that future historians may conclude that, in the last four decades of the 20th, the general authorities of the LDS Church "undertook to standardize Mormon thought and practice".

The freewheeling General Conference addresses of earlier years, elaborating unique LDS doctrines, were gradually replaced with a basic Christian message downplaying denominational differences.

[152] Richard Abanes asserts that President Gordon B. Hinckley "on numerous occasions demonstrated his willingness to seriously downplay any issues that might be construed as controversial".

[155] When speaking about other faiths, church magazines are often complimentary and focus on providing factual information rather than on sensationalizing or otherwise seeking to undermine the creeds and practices of others.

In recent years, the LDS Church has opened its broadcasting facilities (Bonneville International) to other Christian groups, and has participated in the VISN Religious Interfaith Cable Television Network.

"[162] Mormons proselytize to all people, including members of other Christian churches, holding to the belief that God told Joseph Smith "that those professors [of religion] were all corrupt; that: 'they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.

For example, Wilford Woodruff, an early president of the church and a contemporary of Joseph Smith taught: When you go into a neighborhood to preach the Gospel, never attempt to tear down a man's house, so to speak, before you build him a better one; never, in fact, attack any one's religion, wherever you go.