What They Say vs. What We Actually Believe

133 organizations exist to fight the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is what they claim we believe — and what we actually teach.

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Many evangelical churches run formal programs to “witness to Mormons” with prepared talking points. Organizations like Mormon Research Ministry (MRM), the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM), and dozens of others publish curricula training church members what to say. Ed Decker’s The God Makers film was condemned by the National Council of Christians and Jews as unfairly portraying the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The tone here is not to attack — but to correct the record so truth-seekers can make informed decisions. What follows are the ten most common claims made against the Church, paired with what we actually believe and teach.

What they claim

“Mormons Aren’t Christians”

Mormons worship a different Jesus, aren’t real Christians, and reject the Trinity.

What we actually believe

“We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost” (Article of Faith 1). The very name of the Church contains Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon declares “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ” (2 Nephi 25:26). The Latter-day Saint understanding of three distinct beings predates the Nicene Creed (325 AD) and better matches Acts 7:56 — Stephen seeing the Father and Son separately.

Article of Faith 12 Nephi 25:26Acts 7:55–56

What they claim

“Mormons Don’t Believe in Grace”

Mormons believe they earn salvation through works alone.

What we actually believe

“It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). The Atonement of Jesus Christ is absolutely essential. The Latter-day Saint position mirrors James 2:17 — “faith without works is dead.” Jesus himself said “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Grace and obedience work together, exactly as the New Testament teaches.

2 Nephi 25:23James 2:17John 14:15Ephesians 2:8–9

What they claim

“Mormons Believe God Was Once a Man / Want Their Own Planet”

Mormons are polytheists who believe they’ll get their own planet.

What we actually believe

Early leaders speculated about God’s nature, but little has been officially revealed. The concept of humans becoming like God (theosis) was taught by early Church Fathers: Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Athanasius (“God became man so that man might become God”). This doctrine remains central to Eastern Orthodox Christianity today. The “own planet” language is a crude caricature, not a Church teaching.

Romans 8:17Psalm 82:6John 10:34

Honest engagement

Theosis is a well-documented early Christian teaching. The caricature version strips away the reverence and theological depth of the actual belief.

What they claim

“Mormons Don’t Believe the Bible”

Mormons reject the Bible and added to it.

What we actually believe

Article of Faith 8: “We believe the Bible to be the word of God.” Latter-day Saints use the King James Version as a primary scripture. The Book of Mormon is an additional witness, not a replacement — fulfilling Ezekiel 37:15–17 (two sticks becoming one). Revelation 22:18 refers to the Book of Revelation specifically, not the entire Bible. Deuteronomy 4:2 has identical language, yet no one claims everything after Deuteronomy is illegitimate.

Article of Faith 8Ezekiel 37:15–17Revelation 22:18Deuteronomy 4:2

What they claim

“Joseph Smith Was a Con Man”

He was a treasure hunter and fraud.

What we actually believe

Joseph Smith participated in treasure seeking — a widespread frontier practice of his era. The critical question: what did he gain? Poverty, persecution, imprisonment, the death of children, and ultimately martyrdom at age 38. He could have abandoned his claims at any point. He never recanted. Con men do not voluntarily die for their con.

Joseph Smith—History 1:25D&C 135:3

Honest engagement

The treasure-seeking history is real. But it is also irrelevant to the truth claims unless one can explain what he gained by fabricating everything — and why he died rather than recant.

What they claim

“Mormons Practice Polygamy”

Mormons currently practice polygamy.

What we actually believe

Polygamy was discontinued in 1890 by revelation. Anyone practicing it today is excommunicated. The FLDS and other fundamentalist groups are entirely separate organizations. Biblical context: Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon all practiced polygamy and are honored in scripture.

Official Declaration 1Genesis 16:32 Samuel 12:8Jacob 2:27–30

Honest engagement

Early Latter-day Saint polygamy happened. But conflating it with the modern Church is like blaming modern Lutherans for Martin Luther’s writings about Jewish people. Organizations change — that is what continuing revelation enables.

What they claim

“Mormon Temples Have Secret Rituals”

Temples have secret Masonic/occult ceremonies; members wear “magic underwear.”

What we actually believe

Temples are houses of the Lord for baptisms for the dead (1 Corinthians 15:29), the endowment (learning gospel laws and making covenants), and sealings (eternal marriage). Temple garments are religious undergarments — comparable to Jewish kippot, Catholic scapulars, or Sikh turbans. As Apostle David A. Bednar said: “Not secret; sacred.”

1 Corinthians 15:29Isaiah 2:2–3Revelation 7:13–15

Honest engagement

Temples are not open to the general public — but neither is the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament. Sacred spaces have always had restricted access in biblical religion.

What they claim

“The LDS Church Is a Cult”

The Church uses mind control and members can’t think independently.

What we actually believe

Leadership is a council structure, not a single charismatic leader. Members are encouraged to get education and engage with the world. Members are free to leave at any time. LDS doctrine explicitly teaches personal agency and individual spiritual confirmation. The Church operates openly in 195+ countries. Social scientists do not classify it as a cult. By the critics’ definition, early Christianity was also a “cult.”

2 Nephi 2:27D&C 93:36Moroni 10:3–5

Honest engagement

The word “cult” is applied to any new religious movement that mainstream culture finds unfamiliar. Early Christians were called a cult by Rome. The label says more about the accuser than the accused.

What they claim

“The Church Hoards Money”

$100 billion+ in reserves while demanding tithing.

What we actually believe

The Church spent $1.58 billion on humanitarian aid in 2025 across 196 countries — up 60% since 2021. Members contributed 7.4 million volunteer hours in 2025. Tithing is voluntary. The SEC fine was for a disclosure violation, not fraud. The Church maintains reserves following the biblical principle of preparation (Joseph storing grain in Egypt, the parable of the ten virgins).

Genesis 41:35–36Matthew 25:1–13Malachi 3:10

Honest engagement

The reserves are real and the disclosure violation happened. But saving for the future while simultaneously running one of the world’s largest private humanitarian operations is not hoarding — it is stewardship.

What they claim

“The Church Is Racist”

The priesthood restriction proves institutional racism.

What we actually believe

Under Joseph Smith, Black men were ordained to the priesthood (Elijah Abel, 1836). The restriction from 1852–1978 is acknowledged. The 2013 Gospel Topics Essay states the restriction had roots “more in the racism of the era than in the will of God.” The Church disavows past racial theories. The 1978 revelation extended the priesthood to all worthy men. Multiple Black General Authorities serve today.

Official Declaration 22 Nephi 26:33Acts 10:34–35

Honest engagement

The restriction happened, and the Church has owned it. Continuing revelation corrected it — which is exactly what a living church does. The honest question is whether an institution that acknowledges and fixes its errors is more trustworthy, or less, than one that pretends it was always right.

How Anti-Mormon Literature Works

Cherry-picking quotes from 19th-century leaders out of context
Presenting personal speculation as official doctrine
Conflating fundamentalist splinter groups (FLDS) with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Applying 21st-century standards to 19th-century events

“Critics ‘pick up isolated words and sentences and put them together to suit themselves, sending forth a garbled version to prejudice people.’”
— Brigham Young

“Every piece of anti-Mormon literature raises questions. None of them answer the foundational one: If this isn’t Christ’s restored church — then where is it?”

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