Is Mormonism Christian?
Unmasking the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints
Dr. Tal Davis
Email:
josephtaldavis@ gmail.com
MarketFaith Ministries
www.marketfaith.org
LDS World Church Statistics
 Total Membership
(2012) 14,782,473
 Converts Baptized
(2012) 272,330
LDS World Church Statistics
Congregations: (2012) 29,014
LDS World Church Statistics
Full-time Missionaries (2012): 58,990
Missions: 347
LDS World Church Statistics
Temples
(2012): 141
Church Statistics (2012)
United States:
Members: 6,321,416
Congregations: 13,742
Temples: 68
Missions: 103
History of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints
Joseph Smith, Jr.
Born December 23, 1805
Grew Up In Palmyra, NY
Joseph sought
wisdom as to
which church to
join
Joseph Smith’s “First Vision”Fall 1820
Claims Heavenly
Father and Jesus
appeared to him
 1823Sept. 21- Joseph’s
“Second Vision” of
Angel Moroni
1823- Sept 23- Joseph
shown Golden Plates at
Hill Cumorah
1827- Sept. 22- Smith
obtained plates & began
translation of The Book of
Mormon
June 1829- Book of
Mormon translation
completed
March 1830-First
edition published in
Palmyra NY
1830- April 6- “Church of Christ” restored
with six members in Fayette NY
1831- Mormons migrated to Kirtland,
Ohio & Independence, Missouri
1838- “Mormon War” in Missouri
1840- Mormons move to Nauvoo, Illinois

June 27- Joseph Smith
assassinated in Carthage, Ill.
1846-47Brigham Young
leads westward
trek to Utah
Founded
settlement in Salt
Lake City, Utah
 Sept. 1890- Pres. Wilford
Woodruff proclaimed
“Manifesto” suspending
Plural Marriage
 1978- Pres. Spencer W.
Kimball announced
revelation allowing black
males to receive LDS
priesthoods
Understanding Mormon
Authority and Scripture
The Four Standard Works
• King James Bible
“As far as it is translated correctly”
The Book Of Mormon
Claims to be “Another
Testament of Jesus
Christ”
Smith claimed to
translate from golden
plates in “Reformed
Egyptian”
Book of Mormon Timeline
600BC – AD400
Jesus Appears in the New World
Two Additional Mormon
Scriptures
• The Doctrine
and Covenants
• The Pearl of
Great Price
President Thomas S. Monson
Living Prophet, Seer, and
Revelator.
Beliefs of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Beliefs About God
An exalted man of flesh and
bone
Has a physical body
Has a wife (or wives)
Heavenly Father did not
create world from nothing
but organized earth out of
pre-existent matter
There Are Countless Other Gods
In The Universe
Our Heavenly Father Has A
Father, Grandfather, etc.
LDS Beliefs about God
Men may become
gods
Men are “Gods in
embryo”
Women May Become
wives Of Gods
Beliefs about the Holy Ghost
“The Holy Ghost has not
a body of flesh and
bones, but is a
personage of Spirit.
Were it not so, the Holy
Ghost could not dwell in
us.” [Doctrine and
Covenants 130:22]
LDS Beliefs about Jesus
“Jehovah” in the
Pre-mortal Estate
The “Firstborn Son
of God”
“Only-begotten” in
the flesh
The Mormon Plan of Salvation
Unconditional or “General” Redemption
Jesus “Atoned” for
Adam’s “Necessary Fall”
in Garden of Gethsemane
and on the cross
Jesus raised from the
dead to restore
immortality lost in the fall
for all humanity
The Mormon Plan of Salvation
Conditional or “Individual” Redemption
Steps to Exaltation
1. Faith
2. Repentance
3. Baptism By
Immersion in
the LDS Church
by Aaronic
Priesthood
4. Laying On Of
Hands by a Member
of the Melchizedek
Priesthood in Order
to Receive the Holy
Ghost
5. Ordination as a
Aaronic Priest
and Melchizedek
Priest
(Men only)
6. Receiving the
Temple
Endowments
(Men & Women)
7. Celestial (Temple)
Marriage for Time
and Eternity
8. Temple Works
(Baptism and
ordinances
for the dead)
9. Observing the
“Word of Wisdom”
10. Sustain The Prophet
11. Tithing
12. Weekly Sacrament Meetings
13. Obedience
Life After Death
•Paradise for baptized Mormons
•Spirit Prison for all others where
missionaries preach Mormon gospel
Three Kingdoms Of
Glory
1. Celestial Kingdom
(Worthy Mormons)
2. Terrestrial Kingdom
(Honorable people)
3. Telestial Kingdom
(The ungodly, wicked,
and filthy)
Basic Principles for Witnessing to
Mormons
1. Have a clear
understanding of
authentic Christian
beliefs
2. Understand Mormon
beliefs
3. Define all terms
clearly
4. Give a clear
testimony of your
faith in Christ
5. Focus on salvation by
grace through faith in
Christ alone
6. Warn the Mormon about
trusting in feelings
7. Read all Bible verses in
context
8. Focus on basic doctrines
9. Share the plan of
salvation
10. Pray and trust the Holy
Spirit