Arguments Against Mormonism

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon church, was founded by Joseph Smith in the first half of the 19th century, proclaiming itself to be a Christian movement aiming to restore the true church that Jesus Christ had originally established. It currently claims over 15,000,000 total members. There are also over 70,000 Mormon missionaries working in its well known proselytization program. The Mormon church has long been a subject of controversy due to its beliefs and practices, which many find to be unconventional to say the least. Within the Christian community, there is considerable debate surrounding whether or not Mormonism is a true Christian denomination. The Mormon church has long insisted on

Its primary audience is Mormons, along with mainstream Christians. On this topic, the first source’s stance is that Mormons are indeed Christian. The article addresses both Mormons and Christians, and is of the position that Mormons are indeed Christian. It is an article on the official Mormon website, so its audience comprises mostly of Mormons. It primarily utilizes logos, or logical appeals, in its arguments by pointing out logical fallacies in the opposing side’s argument. For example, it gives a counterargument to the idea that Mormons can be Christian because they don’t solely rely on the Bible for doctrine by pointing out that other Christian churches rely on tradition and post-New Testament creeds in addition to the Bible for doctrine. The article also utilizes ethos, or appeals to credible authority, when it states that scholars agree that early Christians’ view of God changed a good deal over time. There doesn’t seem to be much sign of pathos, or emotional appeals, in the article. The overall language of the article is informative, which is helpful to its goal. As far as kairos, or appeals to opportunity, goes, it doesn’t seem to be latching onto any particular

Its stance on this topic is that Mormons are not, in fact, Christian. The article addresses primarily Christians, but also Mormons to a lesser extent, and is of the position that Mormons are not, in fact, Christian. It is an article in a Christian website, so its audience comprises mostly of Christians. The article uses some logos when it makes the claim that a Jesus Christ that differs from how He is presented in the New Testament is simply not the Christian Jesus. It primarily utilizes ethos by citing information from the book The Mormon Jesus: A Biography by John G. Turner. For example, it references history surrounding Mormon doctrine that doesn’t have much, if any, scriptural basis, such as the belief that Jesus Christ took multiple wives and fathered children with them. For pathos, it brings to light details of Joseph Smith’s life, such as when, angered by Joseph’s additional marriages, his first wife Emma Smith had an affair with one of Joseph’s friends. In response to this, Joseph told Emma that Jesus gave Joseph a revelation stating that she must only sleep with Joseph, or face destruction. The overall language of the article is more persuasive than in the first article. As far as kairos goes, this article latches onto the fact that Richard Mouw had proclaimed on First Things that Mormonism had been moving closer to Christian