Since Mitt Romney has secured the Republican nomination for president, there has been lots of talk recently on whether an evangelical Christian should vote for a Mormon. Allow me to give one pastor's opinion.
First off, it must be understood that Mormonism is not a part of Christianity. The Mormon definitions of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Heaven, Hell, salvation, redemption and other major theological elements are drastically different than those of historic, orthodox Christianity. No matter how hard the Mormon church tries to convince people that they are a part of Christianity, they are not. For example, any religion who had one of their leaders (fifth Mormon president Lorenzo Snow) say: "As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be" (i.e.: God was once a man who progressed to godhood, and we, too can a become a god) is definitely outside of biblical Christianity.
Subscription Required
An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.
Login
Online services
-
1
E-edition$9.75 for 30 days$28.50 for 91 days$52.50 for 182 days$99.00 for 365 days
If you do not have a current subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel but want to read the e-edition of the newspaper, please chhose this option.
-
2
Lodinews.com Subscription$9.75 for 30 days$28.50 for 91 days$52.50 for 182 days$99.00 for 365 days
If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view more than 20 articles per month, please choose this option.
Current print subscribers
-
1
Businesses with Print SubscriptionsNo additional cost.
If you are a business with a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, please choose this option for FREE online access. You will need to know your account number to finalize accessing this service. If you do not know your account number, please contact us at 209-333-1400.
-
2
Current Print SubscribersNo additional cost.
If you are a current print subscriber to the Lodi News-Sentinel (and are not subscribed as a business), please choose this option for FREE online access. You will need to know your account number to finalize accessing this service. If you do not know your account number, please contact us at 209-333-1400.
You must login to view the full content on this page.
Thank you for reading 20 free articles on our site. You can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 20 free articles, or you can purchase a subscription at this time and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information. If you need help, please contact our office at 209-369-2761. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.
Login
Online services
-
1
E-edition$9.75 for 30 days$28.50 for 91 days$52.50 for 182 days$99.00 for 365 days
If you do not have a current subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel but want to read the e-edition of the newspaper, please chhose this option.
-
2
Lodinews.com Subscription$9.75 for 30 days$28.50 for 91 days$52.50 for 182 days$99.00 for 365 days
If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view more than 20 articles per month, please choose this option.
Current print subscribers
-
1
Businesses with Print SubscriptionsNo additional cost.
If you are a business with a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, please choose this option for FREE online access. You will need to know your account number to finalize accessing this service. If you do not know your account number, please contact us at 209-333-1400.
-
2
Current Print SubscribersNo additional cost.
If you are a current print subscriber to the Lodi News-Sentinel (and are not subscribed as a business), please choose this option for FREE online access. You will need to know your account number to finalize accessing this service. If you do not know your account number, please contact us at 209-333-1400.
Robert Jacobs posted at 6:59 am on Wed, Jul 25, 2012.
Amen...
Chandra Foster posted at 10:02 pm on Tue, Jul 17, 2012.
I am grateful for this Pastor's Opinion on voting, and the nature of the President in the United States. I look forward to prayerfully participating in the upcoming election.
That being said, I have to respectfully disagree on his opinions of Mormon Doctrine. First and foremost, Mormons, or rather members of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, are in fact Christian. Although Latter-day Saints are not Catholic or Protestant, because the Church does not embrace the creeds that developed in the third and fourth centuries that are now central to many other Christian churches (such as the Nicene Creed and Chaldean Formation. Rather, it is a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ as originally established by the Savior in the New Testament of the Bible on a “foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20; see also Ephesians 4:11-14).
Latter-day Saints believe God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save all mankind from their sins (see John 3:16). God is a loving Heavenly Father who knows His children individually, hears and answers their prayers, and feels compassion toward them. Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate beings but along with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) are one in will, purpose and love.
Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer. He is central to the lives of Church members. They accept His grace and mercy; they seek to follow His example by being baptized (see Matthew 3:13-17), praying in His holy name (see Matthew 6:9-13), partaking of the sacrament (communion) (see Luke 22:19-20), doing good to others (see Acts 10:38) and bearing witness of Him through both word and deed (see James 2:26).
To address the comment based off of Presidents Snow' couplet about Mormons believing they can become Gods, the following is a quote taken from the Official Website from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a response to the question " Do Latter-day Saints believe they can become gods"?
" Latter-day Saints believe that God wants us to become like Him. But this teaching is often misrepresented by those who caricature the faith. The Latter-day Saint belief is no different than the biblical teaching, which states, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17). Through following Christ's teachings, Latter-day Saints believe all people can become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4)."
I hope that cleared up any misconceptions about our Faith.
Chandra Foster
A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)