Are Mormons Christians?

Wow! That’s a thought-provoking question! The truth is that I, along with many Christian scholars, do not believe that Mormons are Christians and here’s why:

First, Mormons do not follow or believe that Jesus is God. We believe that Jesus is both man and God (John 1:1, 14) and that He is God’s only son (John 3:16). The Mormons believe that Jesus was created by the father (a separate being) and is a spirit brother to Lucifer (the devil).

Next, we believe there is only one God. He exists as three distinct personalities; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit but He is still ONE God. The Mormons believe there are many gods and that humans, by doing good works, can eventually become a god.

Finally, and most importantly, the Mormons believe you have to earn your salvation through good works or good deeds and by meeting church requirements. We believe that it is by grace that we’ve been saved, through faith. We don’t have to do anything to earn God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:22-24). It is a gift given to us by God.

So, based on those three reasons, we believe that Mormons are not Christians.

Who was the snake in the garden with Adam and Eve?

That is an awesome question!!! Although the Book of Genesis never actually refers to the snake, or serpent, as Satan, we can determine who this serpent was (or rather who was controlling and speaking through this serpent) from other passages of the Bible.

In Ezekiel 28:13, it indicates that Satan was in the Garden of Eden. The only other people that were in the garden were God, Adam and Eve. The snake spoke to Eve and we know that no other animals spoke to Adam or Eve. So, someone was speaking through the snake. And since the Bible shows that there were only four people in the garden, it stands to reason that Satan had possessed the snake.

Next, we can see from Revelation 12:9, 12:15 and 20:2 that the serpent is called “the devil and Satan” not once, but three times! When we combine those passages with what the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:3, the identification of the serpent in the Garden of Eden with Satan is unmistakable.

Also, in Genesis 3:14-15 we see God cursing the snake. And in that passage it says that God will put “enmity” (which is hatred and warfare) between the seeds (future generations) of the snake and the woman. This makes no sense if the snake were simply a physical animal.

Finally, although the snake wasn’t actually the devil, the devil was working through the snake and had assumed the snake’s identity. Remember, this is very close to the time of creation or the beginning of time. And it says in 1 John 3:8, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Here it shows that Satan was around near the beginning of time, which further supports that he was in the Garden of Eden.

Additional Scripture Citations:

“You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald … Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.” Ezekiel 28:13

“The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Revelation 12:9

“Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.” Revelation 12:15

“He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:2

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3

Can Satan create? If so, did he make dinosaurs and were they evil so they could not go on the ark?

One of the problems with Satan is that a lot of what we think we know about him is popular mythology – meaning that we get our ideas from stories and history and traditions that are not in the Bible. That Satan is a mean dude in a red suit with a pitchfork is a good example of a description of Satan that is not in the Bible. Another idea – a surprising one - is that Satan is in hell. The Bible states that he roams earth looking for someone to destroy (Job 1:6-7; 1 Peter 5:8). The point I am making is that we want to use only the Bible to understand Satan.

One of the clearest statements about Satan is Revelation 12:9, which states that “this great dragon – the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world – was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.” There are a lot of other passages in the New Testament that also describe Satan as humanity’s deceiver, adversary and challenger. 1 Peter 5:8 makes it clear that Satan wants to destroy us and Matthew 4:1-11 is a great example which shows that not even Jesus was free of his challenges.

To answer your question directly as it refers to dinosaurs, Satan is not the Creator, God is. God is the Creator of everything, of all matter and energy and space and time and life, and everything in creation that God called first “good” and later “very good.” This includes dinosaurs! God created dinosaurs and they were good.

The reason they did not make it onto the ark was probably because they were already extinct, not because they were evil.

How did Jesus get in the desert to be tempted? In other words, what did Jesus have to do to go there?

Those are awesome questions! Well, we know one thing for sure…He didn’t drive there! I’m teasing, of course. But, the reality of the situation is that Jesus walked there. And, more importantly, He had some help.

If you read the very first line of the Book of Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 1, it says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”

So, just by this verse alone, we learn two things: 1, God (the Spirit) led Jesus into the desert and 2, he allowed Jesus to be tempted. This was all part of God’s “Unstoppable Plan.” Part of this was God’s plan in preparing Jesus for His ministry on Earth. Jesus was walking in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights and fasting at the same time!

So, what did Jesus have to do to go there? He had to trust God and be an obedient servant. He knew God would take care of Him if he was spiritually obedient and following God’s commands. That’s how he was able to go 40 days without eating! That’s amazing…I can’t even go 3 hours without a snack!

You know, one of my favorite parts of that whole story is the last verse, verse 11, that reads, “Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.” That shows that, even though Jesus was God, He was also man and needed, for lack of a better term, “first aid.” It shows Jesus’ humanity.

Aren’t you thankful that Jesus experienced these things and taught us from experience how to resist temptation, how to live, and, most importantly, how to love? I know I am.

Why does God let the devil's angel try to trick us?

Um, tough question ... and the Bible doesn’t clearly say. You might be wondering why the Bible doesn’t go into detail on such good questions. But remember, the Bible is a book about God’s relationship with us, not a fun facts book on Satan!

We can take some pretty educated guesses why God allows the devil to tempt and even hurt us, though.

There is a wonderful passage in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome that may help us to understand why God allows some trickery, pain, and suffering to exist in our lives. Grab your Bible and check out Romans 5:1-5. It’s pretty cool!

How could Jesus be tempted?

That is an awesome question! If you read the very first line of the Book of Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 1, it says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”

So, just by this verse alone, we learn two things: 1, God (the Spirit) was involved in this plan and 2, he allowed Jesus to be tempted. You see, it is not a sin to be tempted. The sin is giving in to that temptation.

You wanna know what’s really cool? Jesus is God. And, Jesus is man. I’m telling you this because, if Jesus had wanted, he could have made Satan disappear with a thought or the blink of an eye. But, instead (and this is the part I love), He responded to Satan as a human to set the example for the rest of us humans. He showed us through His actions how to resist temptation!

Jesus set the example for us. He accessed God’s strength. He used the passages from the Bible to give Him the strength He needed to resist Satan’s temptations. He did that to show us that if we can access God’s strength through prayer or knowing God’s Word and trusting in God’s Word that we can also resist temptation. Because, guess what? We can’t do it alone. And Jesus was showing that He couldn’t do it alone as a man.

Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13? It said, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But, when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” That is a promise from God to you. God knows we can’t do it alone. Jesus knew it and that’s why He showed us how to resist temptation by turning to God and by turning away from Satan and to keep walking away from him.

So, how could be Jesus be tempted? Because God allowed it to show us how we can resist the devil. The key is that Jesus did not give in to the temptation and He turned away from it.

What does Satan look like? If you have a picture, please add it.

I’ll bet you’re wondering if he looks evil or if he’s red with horns and a tail. Well, let’s look at who Satan is…or was… His name was Lucifer and he was God’s Annointed Cherub (or angel) and he was set apart for God’s divine purpose. He was described as a being “of perfect beauty.” He was covered in every precious stone and had pendants and jewels of gold. He was an expression of God’s own beauty and power. But, when he sinned and his nature changed, his physical appearance could have changed too. We really don’t know what he looks like now.

Did God make bad things or did the devil?

This is a complicated question - good one! Genesis chapter 1 tells us that God created the heavens, the earth and everything in it, and everything God created “was good” (See Genesis Chapter 1 verses 10,12,18,21, 25 & 31).

If everything God created was good then why are there bad things? Well, here's what happeened ... somewhere between the time of creaion and the time of Adam and Eve one of God’s most special angels, Lucifer, decided he wanted to be like God and began to disobey God (sin). As a result God threw Lucifer (who is the devil/Satan) out of heaven. Since that time Satan has been working against God anyway possible; by deceiving, destroying, betraying and disturbing all that he can in his fight against God (Isaiah 12:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-17). It is originally through Satan that sin entered the world, and then Satan deceived Eve and Adam. From that point on the world that God created - that “was good” - was disturbed (Genesis 3). Ultimately, it is because of Satan and sin that there are bad things.

Is non-Christian music written by the devil?

You asked, “In 2nd grade my teacher said that any music that isn’t Christian is written by the devil. Is that true?”

Now the Bible does not talk specifically about non-Christian music, but it does give us a few guidelines.

Philippians 4:8 is a great example – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”

Questions to ask yourself when listening to non-Christian music: Are the lyrics of the song true? Does it have pure message? Is it praiseworthy? God wants us to be wise with what we put in our mind. If any song promotes and encourages some sinful actions (like swearing or violence), then I would encourage you to not listen to it. I think we have to use wisdom and caution when listening to music. Right now I am thinking of great symphony masterpieces that had no lyrics, just beautiful, powerful music. Is that evil? Is that a sin? Did the devil write that? No! I am going to disagree with your second grade teacher. The sad thing is that many of music’s great masterpieces were condemned by religious people when they were first introduced.

Your heart is between you and God. Be wise! Your question is very good, and – honestly – the answer is not easy. The Bible doesn’t specifically speak about it, so we should be guided by what the Bible does say, like in Philippians 4:8. I hope this answer helps you.