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Welcome to Light On A Hill ministries! This outreach has a primary focus of being a resource for those investigating, or who are members of, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly known as 'the Mormons'). We seek to accurately declare the Biblical gospel of Jesus Christ in truth and to answer the question, "Is there really a significant and important difference between the Mormon faith and what the Bible teaches?" We also desire to assist in arming our Christian brothers and sisters with the sword of truth (Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12; Rev 1:16 KJV NASB) so that they, motivated by love (1 Cor 13:1; Eph 4:15 KJV NASB), may co-labor with us in reaching out to those in the LDS Church.
We feel that it
is important to recognize that this is not a question of one's own 'religion' or 'perspective', but rather of ultimate truth, the importance of which
was clearly taught and emphasized by the Lord when He said that it is the truth
that will set us free (John 8:31-2 See also
2 Cor 13:8; Gal 5:7; Eph 1:13, 4:24, 5:9 KJV NASB). This question was also faced at a
personal level for us at Light
On A Hill, and as such, we will attempt to provide a clear, accurate, comprehensive and faithful answer.
Below are important issues you may want to investigate while proceeding with your studies:
If you are ready, let's get started with you growing in your knowledge of the Holy Bible:
Light On A Hill Ministries©
Est. October, 2001
Page last updated on Aug 03, 2005.
Contact our Webmaster
This website, which is intended to reach out to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, Mormons, Latter Day Saints) with the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that they may see if their faith - sometimes referred to as 'Mormonism' - is the same as that of the Biblical Gospel. Joseph Smith said that he was bringing new revelation from God concerning the Church of Jesus Christ and returning the keys of the priesthood to the earth, a claim which Brigham Young also upheld. He taught that God was restoring the 'fullness of the gospel', which was lost back at the time of Constantine in the fourth (4th) century, to the earth through him and that he was indeed a prophet.
Joseph also taught many other things concerning the cross of Jesus Christ, justification, redemption, salvation, scriptures, the law, works, righteousness, grace, faith, love, truth, (the) spirit, the Holy Spirit, marriage, polygamy, baptism, baptisms for the dead, ordinances, temples, priesthood, church, wisdom, food, and many other things. They were hunted down, 'martyred', forced to travel as pioneers in wagons across the United States all the way to Salt Lake City. They also formed militias under the supervision and direction of church leadership up to and including the apostles and the prophet that were involved with many controversial incidents throughout Brigham Young's tenure as prophet. All of these things bring up two important questions:
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Were Joseph Smith's teachings consistent with what God had already revealed, or did the Mormons go through all that suffering and hardship in vain?
- Even if there are differences between the Bible and the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is that difference important enough to warrant a website dedicated to exploring this question?
Light On A Hill Ministries, a San Diego, California-based Christian ministry, is devoted to apologetics, which comes from a Greek word meaning 'defending the faith' (i.e. the gospel of Christ). We do feel that the answer to the first question is that the Mormons did labor in vain throughout their history because there is such a significant divide between Biblical Christianity and LDS doctrine. In fact, as you will see (Lord willing) through your careful study of God's Word, the divide between the two is actually more like a chasm - in many counts, the Mormon doctrine is even opposite from that which the Bible teaches. Ultimately, we believe, as we hope to show, that the Bible declares the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be in such opposition to the gospel of grace as revealed by the Lord and His disciples that they are condemned.
This is not about bashing another religion or people, but rather about TRUTH. Jesus and His apostles made it clear that truth was absolutely essential, and both taught that the teaching of truth is the product of Godly love and the embracing of truth is a sign of spiritual rebirth (Nicodemus in John 3). If one does not know the truth, then one does not know God and is not able to truly love. This is why we feel it so necessary to 'defend the faith' that was 'once for all revealed' to the saints of God. It is a matter of spiritual life and death. May the Lord bless your search for the truth!