Corrupt as Hell?

John Taylor

Nineteen years before becoming the third president and “prophet” of the LDS church, John Taylor groused, “We talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect pack of nonsense . . . Myself and hundreds of the Elders around me have seen its pomp, parade, and glory; and what is it? It is a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol; it is as corrupt as hell; and the devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century” (Journal of Discourses 6:167).

But is Christianity, especially that of the 19th century, really a “perfect pack of nonsense”? Is it “as corrupt as hell”? If Christianity is the devil’s engine, it should be noticeably different from Bible doctrine. After all, the Bible is God’s word, not Satan’s.

So let’s look at five doctrinal essentials that Christians embrace (and believed during the 19th century). Let’s see how they align with biblical tenets. If these doctrines square with scripture, they’re from God. But if they contradict the Bible, they’re are indeed “corrupt as hell.”

1. there’s only one god

If what Mormonism calls “Christianity” were the devil’s work, it would preach ample false doctrine about God. But true Christianity follows the Bible when discussing deity. Cults and false teachers claim there are multiple gods, and that the God of the Bible is merely one of them. However, scripture maintains there always has been—and will always be—one true God (Isaiah 44:8; 45:21; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2:5).

2. god has always been god

One doctrine that puts a smirk on Satan’s face is that God has not been God from all eternity, but rather, that he became one of the many gods in existence. Joseph Smith, founding president of the Mormon church, taught this openly (Journal of Discourses 6:3). So did Mormonism’s second president, Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses 11:269). But the Bible is unmistakable: God has always been God, and he will forever be God (Isaiah 46:10; Psalm 90:2; 93:3; 103:17; Isaiah 63:16 NKJV).

3. Jesus is the only lord and savior

True Christians teach that Jesus saves believers from their sins (Matthew 1:21; John 1:29; Acts 4:12). We also testify that the biblical Jesus is “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). David said of the Lord, “You alone are God” (Psalm 86:10; also see Isaiah 46:9). We agree with Paul, who wrote, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). To see how Christians view Christ’s Lordship, read Revelation 19. As Peter and Paul attest, “He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36; Romans 10:12).

4. christ rose from the dead

God saves people who confess Jesus as Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). This rock-solid doctrine is far from the “perfect pack of nonsense” John Taylor described. Christians know that Jesus guarantees resurrection for all mankind (Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:22), and that “those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” will receive God’s gift of perfect righteousness through faith (Romans 4:24, 25).

5. god saves only by grace, never by Human works

One of Satan’s most deceptive doctrines is that eternal life results from human effort. If any alleged Christian doctrine were “corrupt as hell,” this would be it. After all, if we gain eternal life through “obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” (see the LDS church’s Third Article of Faith), we didn’t need Christ to die, “the just for the unjust,” to reconcile us to God (1 Peter 3:18).

Explaining our positional righteousness before God through faith, Paul wrote, “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works” (Romans 4:4–6; also see 11:6; 6:14, 15; Galatians 3:6–9).

We could probe many other biblical doctrines Christians believe and that Mormons reject. These include pivotal teachings on the nature of man, the forgiveness of sins, the definition of heaven and hell, the eternal Godhood of Jesus Christ, and the continuation of Christ’s church since the Ascension. This examination would verify that Mormonism, not biblical Christianity, is “a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol; it is as corrupt as hell; and the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the [Mormonism that began in] the nineteenth century.”

Comments or questions? Write loren@gco4lds.org.

Loren Franck is president and executive director of Global Christian Outreach, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) Christian ministry that defends and proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the earth.

For in-depth information about how Christianity outshines Mormonism, visit www.gco4lds.org.