By: Justin Angelos | May 23, 2023
Many people may falsely assume Mormonism, Islam, and Christianity believe in the same God.
But, when you look deeper, these three religious faiths do not believe in the same God. It is very important to clearly define words like God, salvation, sin, and who Jesus Christ is because all three of these faiths claim to believe in some version of Jesus Christ.
What Do Mormons Believe?
For starters, people of the LDS faith are very nice people, they love to help their community, and they strongly believe in charity and helping people. They also have a strong desire for God, and they have a strong belief in the family unit. On the surface, they might even seem like just another Christian denomination. What makes their religion different from Orthodox Christianity is their theology. There is no ontological distinction between mankind and the god of Mormonism, and they do not believe in creation ex nihilo (creation out of nothing). God was once a man who earned his way to godhood status. They believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings.
There is an infinite regress of gods within Mormonism, as they teach that a member of the LDS Church can earn their way to become a god of their own planet by keeping themselves worthy through keeping the ordinances that are practiced in the LDS temples and getting married in the LDS temple.[1]
A Christian Response to Mormonism
There is an ontological distinction between man and God, as Christians believe God to be the greatest conceivable being in existence since God is a necessary being. Everything has an explanation for its existence, in the necessity of its own nature or by some eternal cause. For example, there is no possible world where the number 2 does not exist. I can erase every written form of the number 2 and the number 2 would still exist. Since it is possible that God can exist in every possible world, God is metaphysically necessary, God does not depend on anything else for His existence. God is uncreated and exists out of the necessity of His own nature.[2]
The Mormon version of god is a contingent being, as they believe he has a body of flesh and bone. Their god is not metaphysically necessary. He does not have to exist, much like a house or a car, and these things can cease to exist. Christians believe that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing (Gen 1:1). The beginning of the universe is confirmed by modern science, verifying the theological claim of Genesis 1:1.[3] Isaiah 45:5 states, “I AM the Lord God, and there is no other god beside me.” Christians believe there is only one God whose nature is triune.
What Do Muslims Believe?
Muslims believe that god is unipersonal and not triune; they believe that Jesus was not the unique Son of God who died on a Cross and rose three days later. This is the most important Christian Doctrine, that Jesus was fully divine and fully human, and He willingly died on a Cross for the sins of the world and rose three days later. He offers eternal life to all to believe in His Name. Muslims strongly reject this since according to Islam Jesus was just a prophet who performed miracles.
A Christian Response to Islam
For Christians, God is a God of Love and loved and died for sinners (1 Jn 4:8; Rom 6:23). This is not true of Allah, as Allah only loves those who love him (2:98). Islam also rejects the cross and resurrection. They say, “Allah made someone appear to look like Jesus” and that person was crucified in Jesus’ place (4:157-158). Even though the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is one of the most well-attested facts about ancient history, Islam still rejects the cross, in addition to that, it is strongly supported by historians that belief in the resurrection started within a few short years after the Cross.[4]
In Summary
Mormons believe in a god who was once a man who became a god. Muslims believe that god is unipersonal and Jesus is not the unique Son of God. Christians believe that God is triune, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three faiths cannot worship the same God since they all have very different theological teachings about the nature of God.
About the Author
Seattle native Justin Angelos brings a passion for evangelism and discipleship along with theology and apologetics. He has studied at Biola University and Liberty University. Justin focuses on providing help for those who suffer from emotional and anxiety issues. He currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Notes:
[1] “God Was Once a Man Like Us: Finessing an off-Putting Mormon Doctrine,” Institute for Religious Research.
[2] Tristan Haze, “Metaphysical Necessity,” Philpapers.org.
[3] Roger Penrose, Roger Penrose: Collected Works.
[4] G. Lüdemann and A. Özen, What Really Happened to Jesus: A Historical Approach to the Resurrection.
