Critical of the mormonism

The Mormonisme was the object of criticism since its formation. This article aims at presenting principal criticisms with respect to the Mormonisme and of the movements which of it result.

Criticisms relate to the beliefs or behaviors within the Mormonisme, last like present, and are focused mainly on theological aspects (doctrines in dissension with the traditional Christianisme), scientists (historicity of the Livre of Mormon) and ethics (role of the woman, charges of racism and homophobie).

Theological criticisms

The nature of the divinity

The principal stone of discord between the Mormonisme and traditional Christianity relates to the design of the divinity.

the Mormons reject the traditional Christian doctrines of the Trinité (consistent God in only one divine substance appearing in three people). For the Mormons, God the Father, his Son Jesus-Christ and the Holy Spirit are distinct divine characters (although they are linked by their objectives, love and perfection).
the Mormons consider that God the Father has an immortal physical body. The Christian position is generally that it is about a simple spirit.
the worthy man can be exalté and become a god, and God himself was a man who progressed to the divinity. This idea was summarized by Lorenzo Snow in these terms: what the man is, God was it. What God is, the man can become to it .

This last concept has as a logical conclusion that it can exist several gods, which pushes certain detractors of the Mormonisme to show it to be a religion polytheist. The Mormons defend themselves some by specifying that they adore one God (even if there can be the different one).

The revelation continues

The majority of the Christians consider the gun Writings as closed, which makes Bible the only crowned work of the Christians (although there can be dissensions on the number of books which the Bible must contain). Many Protestants in addition regard the Bible as the only infallible authority (doctrines of the Sola will scriptura).

The Mormons consider on the contrary that God continued to appear, through additional canonical works as the Livre of Mormon, the Doctrine and Alliances and the Perle of Grand Prix, but also through the revelations given to the contemporary prophets directing the Church.

According to criticisms, this design enters in conflict with the Bible where it is specified that nothing must be added to this book (Apocalypse 22:18,19), which means that the revelation of God to the men ended with the Bible and that Livre of Mormon is an illegitimate attempt to supplement it. The Mormons consider that the warning statement of the Jean apostle relates to only the Apocalypse. In the Old Testament one indeed finds commands of the same kind prohibiting to remove or add to the words which were written (see Deutéronome 4:2; 12: 32), and the Bible was however supplemented thereafter.

Deliver of Mormon

Scientific criticisms

Deliver of Mormon

Ethical criticisms

Role of the woman

The Église of Jesus-Christ of the Saints of the Last Days considers that the man and the woman have different roles. Any worthy man can hold the priesthood and belong to the clergy. It is not the case of the woman who has the role distinctive but nonexclusive to put at the world and to raise children.

The woman can however have responsibilities in the Church in fields as the mutual aid, teaching, art and the culture. She can also reach leading positions in the organization of the women of the Church (the Société of Help) or in the teaching of the young children (the Primaire). These organizations remain nevertheless under the supervision of the leaders of the priesthood.

In some Movements resulting from the mormonism, the role of the woman can vary access to the priesthood (Communauté of Christ) with polygamy (Fundamentalist Église of Jesus-Christ of the Saints of the Last Days).

Racism

The Église of Jesus-Christ of the Saints of the Last Days a long time refused to order black people with the priesthood (1844-1978), which caused many criticisms vis-a-vis a provision considered to be racist, until its abrogation.

This practice did not have course at the beginning of the mormonism (1830-1844) and appeared after the death of the founder. Established by Brigham Young, this provision prohibited any ordination with the priesthood of people having a share of blood " noir". Several of its declarations as some of its successors are judged nowadays like racists. However, of many Christian denominations racist prejudices at the 19th century conveyed.

The maintenance of this directive at the 20th century caused criticisms more and more, particularly with the end of the racial segregation in the United States. In 1978, the practice was abolished. Since, there is no more restriction " raciale" as for the access to the priesthood.

Homophobie

As of the beginning, the Mormonisme stressed the importance of the hétérosexuelle relation and the marriage since this one is a requirement to reach the exaltation. However, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrines and Alliances do not comprise any specific judgment of the Homosexualité and the Church seems little to be concerned with question before 1959.

As from 1959, the Église of Jesus-Christ of the Saints of the Last Days multiplies the declarations condemning the Homosexualité. Thus in the Sixties, Spencer W. Kimball, 12th president of the Church, regards it as an odious “disease” and a “sin”. The apostle Boyd K. Packer, in a speech in 1976, republished in booklet and widely diffused in the Church as from 1978, condemns homosexuality severely. Several of these declarations are judged homophobes by some critical. Thus, Assertion, association having for goal to come to assistance of the homosexual members or former members of the Church, show this one to have installed a climate of hatred having pushed many homosexual Mormon young people to commit suicide, and take again the name and the history of some of them on a page being used as memorial.

More recently, in 1995, the apostle Dallin H. Oaks condemns violence against the homosexual ones. However, the Homosexualité severely remains condemned: the same year, the apostle James E. Faust teaches that the devil encourages the bad use of the crowned functions of procreation, of which the Homosexualité. In 2004, Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th president of the Church, precise: “We are not anti-gay. We are pro-family. Let us say the things thus. And we love these people and try to work with them to help them. We know that they have a problem. We want to help them to solve this problem”.

In July 2007, the Church put on line a booklet entitled God loves His children intended to render comprehensible its position on this question. This document, which had been preceded by three others (1974, 1983,1992), explains why “the Church is unaware of the origin of the Homosexualité” and “admits that all the gays cannot change their sexual orientation”; in addition, it does not recommend the marriage to the gay people. A defender of the cause of the saints of the last homosexual days estimates that the revision of this document presents “positive developments”, even if it thinks that the negative points remain majoraitaires.

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