Will the Real Christians Please Stand Up?
So far, examples of non-religious theists have been given. This segment will focus more on dialoguing with religious theists. In this category are two very interesting groups who identify as Christians but aren’t actually Christians: the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.[1]
Because they don’t subscribe to basic dogmas of the Christian faith (i.e. the Trinity, the nature of God, the divinity of Jesus Christ, etc.), Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses can’t be considered Christians in the full sense of the term. Though they strive to follow Jesus Christ, their religions are drastically different from historical Christianity. These two groups actually consider themselves “restorationists,” who believe that Christianity was completely corrupted and lost and therefore had to be re-established. The problem is, the historical evidence for their cases just doesn’t add up. Anyway, let us first look at Mormonism.
Mormons
The Mormons have a reputation for being pleasant people. They’ll knock on doors with a “clean-cut” look and smiles on their faces. They’ll very politely ask questions that tug at your heartstrings. They may even offer to do chores. Many folks have been dazzled and distracted by the tact of Mormons and have become attracted to their false doctrines as a result.
There is, however, a very important question to be asked: what does heaven look like for Mormonism? In short, the answer is “eternal progression.”
While it may not be difficult to get Mormons to talk to someone (they absolutely want to talk!), it can be a somewhat lengthy process to get them to reveal what they really believe, especially when it comes to elaborating on “eternal progression.”
What is “eternal progression?” Here’s a summarized snippet from the middle of an actual conversation with a Mormon:
Example Dialogue: Mormons
Mike (M): Catholics don’t seem that different from Mormons.
Carlos (C): There are many similarities, but there are also many fundamental differences. For example, can you explain what “eternal progression” is?
M: Basically, it’s our ability as human beings to be able to evolve into gods ourselves. We believe that God the Father was originally human as well and evolved to be God, which we call the “exaltation.” He and our Heavenly Mother gave us life. After passing my earthly tests and growing in holiness in heaven, my hope is for the same for me and my family—to become gods and continue the godly work of creation.[2]
C: As you probably know, that is very different from what Catholics believe. May I give you one good reason for why I believe in the Catholic view of God and heaven?
M: I don’t have a lot of time at the moment. What’re the major differences?
C: Alright, I’ll try and summarize it as best I can, and at the end, if you’re open to it, I’d like to pick it up again next week.
M: We’ll see what my schedule looks like.
C: Okay, sounds good. I’ll check back with you to see when you’ll be free. I believe in the Catholic view of heaven because it will be the eternal worship of God, who is not a created being but existed before all of creation and brought it into creation from nothing. For us, heaven is complete unity and life with God. God is not someone to whom we could be equal to at any point in our lives. Otherwise, He could not be God.
If God at one time was not yet God, then He is not absolutely perfect, not truly eternal. Then I would not be able to have hope in the eternal rest of seeing the face of the infinitely good, infinitely wise, infinitely powerful God who doesn’t just love, but IS love. In that respect, if I were to embrace the Mormon view of God, it would be like going back to the days, religiously speaking, of the greek gods dwelling on Mount Olympus, except I would expect to get to be one someday.
Believing anything contrary would have me assume that my end state in heaven would not be worshipping God alone but also receiving worship. Catholics believe in only One God to whom worship is given. Since you don’t have a lot of time today, when you are free again, can we continue to discuss the differences in our belief regarding the nature of God?
M: Yeah. That’s fine.
C: In the meantime, would you be open to taking some reading material. It may help prepare you to understand my viewpoint before our next conversation.
M: Okay, but only if you’re open to receiving some reading material from me.
C: Of course. I’d love to understand you better! [Both exchange reading material]
Concluding Thoughts: Mormons
When dialoguing with Mormons, the focus must be kept on their view of heaven while expressing difficulty in accepting their logic. It is even more imperative that solace and joy are emphasized in knowing that our God isn’t one of many but the One, True God. Many Mormons are very experienced in explaining their faith. Changing their mind at that very moment is not likely, but the evangelist can give them something to think and pray about, and to follow up on later.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
The other group of people the evangelist might encounter are the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Though they also actively go door-to-door like the Mormons, they are not the same. There are two very interesting observations about the Jehovah’s Witnesses: 1) their history of believing in several “end times” predictions, and 2) their focus on what they think is wrong in other religions rather than explaining the truth of their own. Asking a lot of questions can be a useful tool to get them off-script.
The following dialogue builds off of a real conversation with Jehovah’s Witnesses:
Example Dialogue: Jehovah’s Witnesses
Carlos (C): We’ve spent a lot of time discussing our disagreements, but I don’t really know what you believe. Can you explain what you believe about the “end times?” A few of my friends were Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they told me that the end of the world has been predicted several times already, and each time they’ve had to change the date.
Susan (S): What are you trying to get at?
C: I just want to understand what you believe in.
S: It’s true that there were some predictions that didn’t come to pass. But why do you care?
C: Because it seems like the end times are really important to your faith. I’m trying to understand how a faith could hold something to be so true only to find out that it’s not. I’m attempting to reconcile it with how I view the Catholic faith.
S: What do you mean?
C: Looking at our conversation, would it be fair to say that you don’t believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ?
S: No, we don’t.
C: May I offer you one good reason for why I believe that Jesus Christ is God?[3]
S: Only if you keep it short. I can’t imagine that you’re going to say anything that we haven’t heard before.
C: One of the greatest reasons why I believe that Jesus Christ is God is because of the solidity of truth. Whatever the Catholic Church teaches as true in matters of faith and morals hasn’t changed since Jesus Christ first founded His Church. It only makes sense to me that I should be able to trust that what is necessary for my salvation does not change and is free from error. If the authorities in your Church could be so gravely wrong regarding the end times that they’ve redefined it on at least six occasions since its inception in the late 1800s, couldn’t they also be wrong about a great many other things? For Catholics, we believe that the Truth will set you free, and that the Truth isn’t something but rather Someone, namely Jesus Christ. As Catholics, we can trust in the Truth handed down to us from Jesus Christ, to the Apostles, and to all of us throughout the ages.
S: The Church, as you call it, was apostate almost immediately. The things you say are probably the same things the apostates said back then.
C: No, there’s no real evidence of such an apostasy.[4] You’ve already admitted to error in the teachings and understandings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Isn’t it possible that they could be mistaken with regard to other things?
S: I see what you’re trying to do.
C: I’m not trying to do anything other than understand you more, which is why I’m asking questions. Would you like to continue the conversation?
S: No, not at this time.
C: I’ll always open my door to you all. Please take my contact information and let me know when you’d like to sit and talk again. May I also offer you some reading material regarding the Catholic Church?
S: I’ll take your number, but no thank you to the reading material. We’ll leave ours with you though [C hands out contact information, and the two parties part ways].
Concluding Thoughts: Jehovah’s Witnesses
The above scenario indicates that not every encounter will be pleasant, and, to be honest, most encounters won’t be. There is no need to place blame if things don’t go as desired. Many turned away from Jesus Christ Himself (John 6:66) when He was the one doing the evangelizing!
[1] Telling them that they’re not Christian will get you nowhere quick, fast, and in a hurry. Also, whereas other non-Christian believers can’t often relate very well to the Bible, these two groups come across as Protestants because of their Protestant roots, and therefore rely on their own interpretations of Sacred Scripture.
[2] <https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/becoming-like-god?lang=eng>
[3] Alternatively, this is also a perfect opportunity to employ the Lord, Liar, Lunatic, or Legend argument.
[4] See Rod Bennett, The Apostasy That Wasn’t: The Extraordinary Story of the Unbreakable Early Church (San Francisco: Catholic Answers Press, 2015).