Our Mormon Friends and the 'Kingdom of the Cults' Approach

Joseph Smith

Last Sunday evening I was watching the John Ankerberg television show. The topic was the Mormon faith. And I was sad to see that the show followed what I like to call the 'Kingdom of the Cults' approach to dealing with our Mormon friends.

The Kingdom of the Cults is an old Evangelical book which explores four Christian/Christ-inspired churches that the authors deem to have gone so far doctrinally astray that, in the opinion of the authors, they are now outside Christianity. These 'cults' are Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Christian Science followers. (The more up-to-date book adds many more.)

The book tended to throw out every reason possible that the Evangelical would reject these churches--- their doctrines, their alleged former doctrines, supposed scandals involving their founders and early leadership, and so on.

The problem I had with the approach is that I doubt very much that any person in one of these 'cults' picked up the book, they would read it and not become enlightened, but angry or sad that the picture given of their faith was so far outside their current experience of it.

Also, the Evangelical reading the book might get the idea that the only thing a real Christian might have to say to a member of these four churches is a list of the reasons why their church is wrong. I don't think people ever leave a church with bad doctrines because some one argues them out of it. They leave when they find something better and more correct, and they won't see that better and more correct something if the people attached to it don't show Christian love.

My experience with the Ankerberg show was more interesting since early on that same day, I had watched some Mormon programming on the BYU channel, both a program about the Old Testament and one about Mormon history. I have also had experience with the LDS faith much earlier in my life. During the years when I was a neopagan, I briefly explored the LDS faith, among others. I honestly believe that the LDS church that LDS believers are experiencing does not have much in common with the bizarre culty version of it the Ankerberg show was describing.

Interestingly, the one doctrine given that defined the Mormon church as not Christian was their failure to believe in the doctrine that is sometimes called 'Sola Scriptura'--- the Bible alone. The Catholic church also does not believe that doctrine, which emerged during the Protestant Reformation.

Although I believe that correct doctrine is very important, the fact is that the followers of Jesus Christ today don't happen to agree on what correct doctrine is. So when I see someone who is following Jesus Christ and doing good works in His name, I will not withhold Christian fellowship from them or pick doctrinal quarrels with them. I feel like the first step in any sort of evangelism or outreach is showing Christian love, anyway.

The LDS church is bound to be a hot topic among Christians and others--- however you define Christians and others--- until Election Day. What do you think the end results of that discussion will be?