The roots Mormonism shares with Rome (part 3)

Finishing up our look at how Mormonism and Roman Catholicism are, basically, theological cousins. Maybe not first cousins, more like third cousins twice removed. But they both spring from the same tree, and they both have the same father (small-'f').

They both teach that the blood of Christ is not the only way to pay for our sins

--Catholicism teaches that the person must pay for some sins themselves in Purgatory.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), paragraphs 1030-1031--1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. 1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent...we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come."

--Mormonism teaches forgiveness beyond the grave

Gospel Principles (GP), 1997 ed., chapter 45, p. 292-293--"In the spirit prison are the spirits of those who have not yet received the gospel of Jesus Christ. These spirits have agency and may be enticed by both good and evil. If they accept the gospel and the ordinances performed for them in the temples, they may prepare themselves to leave the spirit prison and dwell in paradise. Also in the spirit prison are those who rejected the gospel after it was preached to them on earth or in the spirit prison...After suffering in full for their sins, they will be allowed to inherit the lowest degree of glory, which is the telestial kingdom."

--Early Mormon leaders also taught the doctrine of "Blood Atonement", which means that a person can commit a sin that can only be forgiven by them shedding their own blood. (PSSTT--Remember last week, we saw that in the Mormon church and the Roman Catholic church there are things that aren't "official doctrine" even though they are taught over and over and over again? This is one of them!)

Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Volume 3 Page 247 (1856)--"Suppose you found your brother in bed with your wife, and put a javelin through both of them, you would be justified, and they would atone for their sins and be received into the kingdom of God."

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Volume 1 Page 133--"But man may commit certain grievous sins...that will place him beyond the reach of the atoning blood of Christ. If then he would be saved he must make sacrifice of his own life to atone—so far as in his power lies—for that sin, for the blood of Christ alone under certain circumstances will not avail."

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, Pages 92-93, 1966 edition--"But under certain circumstances there are some serious sins for which the cleansing of Christ does not [pay for], and the law of God is that men then have their own blood shed to atone for their sins."

You can read more words of Mormon leaders on "Blood Atonement" here.

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They both teach that one must honor their leader

--Catholicism teaches that one must honor the Pope.

CCC, paragraph 882, 889--"For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered...the People of God, under the guidance of the Church's living magisterium, unfailingly adheres to this faith."

Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam, 468, [quoted in Apostolic Digest, by Michael Malone, Book 4, Chapter 4]--"If, therefore, the Greeks or others say that they are not committed to Peter and to his successors, they necessarily say that they are not of the sheep of Christ, since the Lord says that there is only one fold and one shepherd (Jn.10:16). Whoever, therefore, resists this authority, resists the command of God Himself."

Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ July 18, 1870 Chapter 3--"[I]f anyone says that the Roman pontiff has merely an office of supervision and guidance, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole church...or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate both over all and each of the churches and over all and each of the pastors and faithful let him he anathema."

Pope Leo XIII, Acts of Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum, Rome, Vatican Press, 1896--"[T]hose who refuse to asso­ciate in communion with the Chair of Peter belong to Antichrist, not to Christ. He who would separate himself from the Roman Pontiff has no further bond with Christ."

Fifth Lateran Council, session 11, On the abrogation of the Pragmatic Sanction, December 19, 1516--"[S]ubjection to the Roman pontiff is necessary for salvation for all Christ's faithful..."

Pope Pius XI Papal Teachings – The Church, Mystici Corporis, St Paul Editions 1962 para 1040-1041--"To be Christian, one must be Roman, governed by Christ's Vicar on earth. The Church does not rest on Christ alone, but also on Peter. That Christ and His Vicar constitute only one single Head is solemn teaching. Therefore, those who think they can ac­cept Christ as the Head of the Church without ad­hering faithfully to His Vicar on earth are in dan­gerous error."

To read more about the Roman Catholic teaching that if one does not honor the Pope they are Anathema, see here.

--Mormonism teaches that one must honor Joseph Smith in the same way they honor Christ.

Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses (7:289)--"From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are--I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent."

1988 Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide, p.142--"If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him [Joseph Smith]; if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him [Joseph Smith]."

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190--"[There is] no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth...no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., p.134; quoted in “Joseph Smith: Restorer of Truth,” Ensign, Dec 2003, 17--“The day will come – and it is not far distance, either – when the name of the Prophet Joseph Smith will be coupled with the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…”

James E. Faust, “Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, Jan 1996, p. 2--"A person will never be truly on the road to conversion until he has at least a beginning witness that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ. Further, members of this Church must accept, and its missionaries must teach, some absolutes. These absolutes are: (1) That Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and the Redeemer of all mankind through his atonement; (2) That through Joseph Smith, a prophet of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in its fulness."

A. Theodore Tuttle, Joseph Smith re-established fullness of true gospel, Church, Church News, March 17, 2001, p.14--"Every man who has lived since the days of Joseph Smith is subject to accepting him as a prophet of God in order to enter into our Heavenly father’s presence."

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They both teach that their leader (Pope, Prophet/President) is still giving new, authoritative revelations today.

--The Catholic Pope speaks ex cathedra

CCC, paragraph 891--"The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals...'The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium', above all in an Ecumenical Council. When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed," and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith." This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself."

Vatican I, Session 4, chapter 4, paragraph 9--"Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian religion, for the glory of God our Savior, for the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the salvation of the Christian people, with the approval of the sacred council, we teach and define that it is a divinely revealed dogma that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks "ex cathedra," i.e., when exercising his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians he defines, by his supreme apostolic authority, a doctrine of faith or morals which must be held by the universal Church, enjoys, through the divine assistance, that infallibility promised to him in blessed Peter...So then, should anyone have the temerity to reject this definition of ours: let him be anathema."

--Mormonism teaches strict adherence to the word of the Prophet/President

Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) 132:54--"And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law."

Elaine Cannon, If We Want to Go Up, We Have to Get On, Ensign, Nov 1978, p.107--"Personal opinions may vary. Eternal principles never do. When the prophet speaks, sisters, the debate is over."

Elder Eldon Tanner references this quote in an later article (N. Eldon Tanner, 'The Debate Is Over', Ensign, Aug 1979, p.2)--Recently, at the Churchwide fireside meeting held for the women of the Church, Young Women President Elaine Cannon made the following statement: "When the Prophet speaks, sisters, the debate is over." I was impressed by that simple statement, which carries such deep spiritual meaning for all of us. Wherever I go, my message to the people is: Follow the prophet."

President Henry D. Moyle, “Beware of Temptation,” as quoted in Teachings of the Living Prophets, Religion 333 Student Manual, p. 19--“The older I get and the closer the contact I have with the President of the church, the more I realize that the greatest of all scriptures which we have in the world today is current scripture. What the mouthpiece of god says to His children is scripture. It is intended for all the children of god upon the earth. It is His word and His will and His law made manifest through His ordained and anointed servant to the world. What the President says is scripture, and I love it more than all other. It applies to me today specifically, and to you all.”

Teachings of the Living Prophets: Religion 333 Student Manual, p. 20--"Occasionally misinformed members of the Church will maintain that, although they accept the standard works as divinely inspired, they are reluctant to give equal credence to pronouncements of the living prophet. Such individuals are pursuing an inconsistent course and 'err, not knowing the scriptures' (Matthew 22:29), for the scriptures themselves plainly testify of the fact that we must give heed to the living prophets (see D&C 1:14, 38; 21:1, 4-5)."

For more quotes concerning the need to follow the living "Prophet" see here.

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So, in conclusion, we see that--
Catholics believe that indulgences can be made for the dead. Mormons believe that one can be baptized for the dead.
Catholics believe that the Pope and the Magisterium hold the "Keys of the Kingdom" and speak for God. Mormons believe their Prophet/President holds the "Keys of the Priesthood" and speaks for God.
Catholics believe that the Bible alone is not sufficiently authoritative--you need the Bible AND Tradition AND the Catechism to know the truth. Mormons believe that the Bible alone is not sufficiently authoritative--you need the Bible (so far as it is correctly translated) AND the Book of Mormon AND the Doctrine and Covenants AND the Pearl of Great Price AND the words of the living "Prophet" to know the truth.
Catholics believe we are saved by grace AND "good works". Mormons believe we are saved by grace "after all that we can do."
Catholics believe their church alone is the continuation of the church founded by Christ. Mormons believe that their church alone has restored the church founded by Christ.
Catholics believe wrongly about Mary (that she was born sinless, that we must believe rightly about her to be saved). Mormons believe wrongly about Mary (that she was impregnated by God the Father).
Catholics and Mormons both believe that some sins cannot be paid for by the blood of Christ, but may be (or may need to be) paid for by the person themselves (or by someone else on their behalf) after they die.
Catholics believe that if one does not honor the Pope properly, they are not saved. Mormons believe that if one does not honor Joseph Smith (as well as the living "Prophet") properly, they may not be saved.
Catholics believe that one must dogmatically accept the teachings of the Pope. Mormons believe that one must dogmatically accept the teachings of the living "Prophet."

So, as you can see, as much as the early Mormon leaders decried the Romish church, they have more in common with Rome than they do with (small-'o') orthodox Christianity. And hopefully you can see, now, how deeply the roots of Mormonism and Catholicism are intertwined. After all, they grow from the same family tree.

The roots Mormonism shares with Rome (part 2)

While I and my brothers over at DefCon stand in opposition to what the Romish church teaches, I find it rather ironic that the early leaders in the LDS church were even more venomous in their attacks on the Vatican than Rome could ever accuse Luther or Spurgeon of being. That said, Salt Lake City shares more with Rome than Brigham or Joey Junior would ever want to admit. Here is part 2 in the series laying Mormonism alongside Romanism and comparing the two.

Besides what they have written in their official declarations, Mormonism and Papism share one other thing in common--they both know how to play the "It's not official doctrine" card. What I mean is this: whether it's the Catholic Pope or the Mormon Prophet/President, the authoritative voice of the respective religion (and the teaching arm thereof) will teach something over and over and over and over again, year after year after year, decade after decade after decade, century after century--but they will never publish it in any of their "Scriptures" (the Romish Catechism; the Mormon BOM/PGP/D&C). Therefore, since it is not "officially canonized", whenever we bring this teaching to the attention of a Catholic/Mormon, they can reach into their wallet and pull out their trusty "They may have said that, but it was never an official teaching of the church" card, stick out their tongue, and say--



So, let's look at some more of the parallels between Mormonism and Catholicism.

They both teach that salvation is a result of the combined effort of God's grace and our own vile, human works.

--The Roman Catholic Church teaches "grace plus works/merit":

Council of Trent, Sixth Session, Canons Concerning Justification, Canons 11-12--"If anyone says that men are justified either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ or by the sole remission of sins, excluding grace and charity which is poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit and inheres in them, or also that the grace which justifies us is only the favour of God, LET HIM BE ANATHEMA. If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, LET HIM BE ANATHEMA."

Council of Trent, Sixth Session, Canons Concerning Justification, Canon 24--"If anyone says that the justice received is not preserved and also not increased before God through good works, but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of its increase, LET HIM BE ANATHEMA."

Council of Trent, Sixth Session, Canons Concerning Justification, Canon 32--"If anyone says that the good works of the one justified are in such manner the gifts of God that they are not also the good merits of him justified; or that the one justified by the good works that he performs by the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ...does not truly merit an increase of grace, and eternal life, provided that one dies in the state of grace, the attainment of this eternal life, as well as an increase in glory, LET HIM BE ANATHEMA."

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), paragraph 2027--"No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods."

--Mormonism teaches the we are saved by grace "after all the we can do":

Book of Mormon, 2nd Nephi 25:23-24--"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled."

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They teach that they are either the continuation (Roman Catholicism) or the restoration (Mormonism) of what the apostles taught.

--Catholicism teaches they alone possess the "Apostolic Succession"

CCC paragraph 817--"The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it...This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him."

The Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism--"For it is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God."

----Mormonism teaches that they possess the "restored" gospel that was lost after the age of the apostles.

From the Mormon pamphlet entitled "The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," p. 8 (I received a copy of this pamphlet from a couple of young Mormon ladies who knocked on my door)--"Following the death of Jesus Christ, wicked people persecuted and killed many Church members, and other Church members drifted from the principles taught by Jesus Christ and His Apostles. The Apostles were killed and the priesthood authority—including the keys to direct and receive revelation for the Church—was taken from the earth. Because the Church was no longer led by priesthood authority and revelation, error crept into Church teachings. Good people and much truth remained, but the gospel as established by Jesus Christ was lost, resulting in a period called the Great Apostasy.

This apostasy led to the formation of many churches with conflicting teachings. Without the full gospel or the priesthood authority, people relied on human wisdom to interpret the scriptures and the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. False ideas were taught as truth, and much of the knowledge of the true character and nature of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost was lost. The doctrines of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost became distorted or forgotten. Each generation inherited a state of apostasy, as people were influenced by what previous generations passed on, including changes to Christ’s gospel. Some inspired people, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, recognized that practices and doctrines had been changed or lost and tried to reform the churches to which they belonged. Without the priesthood authority, however, Christ’s gospel could not be returned to its original form.

After centuries of spiritual darkness, a restoration of truth was needed. Under the direction of our Heavenly Father, the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored on the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. God has promised it will never be taken from His children again."

“The Message of the Restoration,” Ensign, November 2003, p. 73--"But again persecution, denial of divine identity, and rejection of Christ’s gospel and His authorized priesthood servants characterized the post-Resurrection era. And religious history shows us evidence of how rapidly the priesthood authority was superseded by the secular authority; how the divine doctrine was traded for shifting, distorted human philosophies; how the ordinances of salvation were altered or purchased for money; how revelation was replaced by a veil of obscurity leading into the ages of spiritual darkness.

However, there came a time during this great Apostasy, which had been prophesied before, when the religious quest surfaced again—the “Why is it so?” Men of great faith emerged to try to reform false doctrines and false spiritual authority. Their honest and sincere efforts only resulted in the creation of more churches carrying their names and their protest and adding more confusion and more divisions. In reality, two major elements were missing in the reform: revelation and authority, the Lord’s only way to communicate divine truth to mankind.

As we continue to move rapidly along this time line of religious history, we find a date and a name. The date is 1820; the name is Joseph Smith. Pondering about the total religious confusion and church division of his time, this young man asked himself, “If any one of [these churches] be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?” (Joseph Smith--History 1:10). Why such confusion? The prophetic model was to ask of God. Religious history suddenly repeated itself according to God’s scenario of how to answer mankind’s whys. Once again a vision came as an answer, this time a vision of the Father and the Son. Once again a divine testimony of the Father was given: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith--History 1:17). Once again direct revelation answered Joseph Smith’s question: “Which of all the [churches] was right … and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong” (Joseph Smith--History 1:18–19). Once again apostasy was declared from the source of truth—by Jesus Christ Himself. And once again it had to be followed by a restoration, and indeed it was.

In the following years, by revelation, Joseph Smith received full divine doctrinal knowledge and the authority and the keys of the priesthood. Finally in 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ, with all the doctrines of salvation and the ordinances thereof, was restored. Joseph Smith qualified to be called the prophet of the Restoration in modern times."

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They both have wrong ideas about Mary.

--Catholicism teaches that our salvation depends on how we think of Mary.

CCC paragraph 969--"This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation...Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."

CCC, paragraph 971--"The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship." The Church rightly honors "the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs...This very special devotion...differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration." The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel," express this devotion to the Virgin Mary."

--Catholicism teaches that Mary was born sinless.

CCC, paragraphs 491, 493--"Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, 'full of grace' through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: 'The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin'...The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God "the All-Holy" (Panagia), and celebrate her as "free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature." By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long."

--Mormonism teaches that Mary was impregnated by God the Father Himself (This is another one of those "It has been taught for over a hundred years but it 'isn't official doctrine'" issues).

Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 7--"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the most literal sense. The body in which He performed His mission in the flesh was sired by that same Holy Being we worship as God, our Eternal Father. Jesus was not the son of Joseph nor was He begotten by the Holy Ghost. He is the son of the Eternal Father!"

Joseph F. Smith, Box Elder Stake Conference Dec. 20, 1914 as quoted in Brigham City Box Elder News, 28 Jan. 1915, pp. 1-2--"We must come down to the simple fact that God Almighty was the Father of His Son Jesus Christ. Mary, the virgin girl, who had never known mortal man, was his mother. God by her begot his Son Jesus Christ, and he was born into the world with power and intelligence like that of His Father. . . . Now, my little friends, I will repeat again in words as simple as I can, and you talk to your parents about it, that God, the Eternal Father, is literally the father of Jesus Christ."

You can read more quotes from Mormon leaders over the last 150 or so years here. And here. And here as well.

Join us for the thrilling conclusion next week!!