CHIP THOMPSON Using Surveys to Reveal Truth to Mormons
Summary
Starting a conversation with a stranger is difficult. Starting a conversation on spiritual issues is even harder. But what if there were a tool that could be used to guide such a conversation and get to the heart of the issue? Surveys can be effective in breaking the ice with a Latter-day Saint and creating a meaningful conversation.
Introduction
Using surveys is a nonconfrontational evangelistic approach that can initiate dialogue with Mormon people in virtually any public setting. Based in Ephraim, Utah, Tri-Grace Ministries (TGM) has been hosting Christian mission teams for the past quarter of a century. Because this tactic works so well with those who have no practical experience sharing their faith with Mormons, it has become one of our primary strategies.
One of the advantages of the polling approach is that the initial conversation is completely scripted, which allows for an inexperienced Christian believer to confidently approach Latter-day Saints of all ages and engage them one-on-one. Once the ice is broken and the Mormon is engaged, it becomes much easier for the Christian to lead the conversation toward sharing the gospel. TGM has created several public surveys on a variety of topics that can be used with Latter-day Saints, even though none of them mention Mormonism by name. (Note: Each survey can be accessed online as a free PDF and printed by going to trigrace.org/resources/surveys.html.) This chapter will be best understood if you can read it alongside the surveys.
In this chapter, we will discuss three TGM surveys: The Jesus Survey, the Bible Survey, and the Social Questionnaire on Relative Truth. These will serve as examples of how the polling approach can be a powerful witnessing tool.
The Jesus Survey
Although LDS Church leaders claim to believe in Jesus, they really don’t believe Jesus. What do I mean by that? In Mormonism, Jesus is like the church mascot, making this religion appear Christian, though in reality He is not very important in the day-to-day life of the average Mormon. Before proceeding further in this chapter, it would be a good idea for you to take this survey for yourself. It consists of six straightforward true/false and multiple choice questions and will only take three to four minutes.
Evangelical Christians usually get at least four of the six questions correct, but Mormons will usually miss at least four. Before continuing with this chapter, go to the second page of the survey and review the correct answers as taught by Jesus. This survey exposes how Mormons follow the teachings of Joseph Smith rather than Jesus Christ. Many Mormons truly believe that the doctrines of their church were taught by Jesus. Because their church discredits the Bible and discourages them from reading it, most Mormons are shocked when they discover how their heartfelt religious beliefs don’t line up with Jesus Christ’s teachings in the Bible. Let’s consider each topic in the Jesus Survey.
Question #1: Topic—the Forgiveness of Sins
Mormonism—Mormon scripture is clear about what is required for forgiveness. Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) 1:32 says, “Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven.” D&C 76:52 says, “That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins.” For those who repent and return to their sins, D&C 82:7 warns, “And now, verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, will not lay any sin to your charge; go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.”
Compare how Jesus forgave sinners in His real-life interactions with people by reviewing the answers given on the second page of the survey. Mormon theology directly conflicts with the immediate and unconditional forgiveness offered by Jesus.
Question #2: Topic—the Pre-Mortal Existence or Preexistence
Mormonism—According to an LDS Church manual:
God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our Heavenly Father. All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God. “Man, as a Spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335). Every person who was ever born on earth is our spirit brother or sister.1
The Mormon doctrine of the pre-mortal existence of all human beings has many theological problems. In this survey, the focus is on the places in the Bible where Jesus claims He was the only person who had preexisted with the Father in heaven. It is important for Christians to understand what Jesus taught on this topic because preexistence is one of the primary doctrines of Mormonism’s worldview. Jesus denied the idea of the preexistence in John chapters 5 through 8 as well as 17, which can be seen on the second page of the survey. In total conflict with LDS theology, Jesus states that only He preexisted with the Father in heaven.
Question #3: Topic—Temple Marriage or Eternal Celestial Marriage
Mormonism—According to Seventy F. Burton Howard:
The prophets have uniformly taught that the consummate and culminating element of God’s great plan for the blessings of his children is eternal marriage… President Howard W. Hunter described celestial marriage as “The Crowning Gospel Ordinance.”2
Eternal marriage is one of the foundational teachings of Mormonism and, again, Jesus totally contradicts this idea in Matthew 22:23-33. An interesting twist is that the Book of Mormon—claimed by Joseph Smith to be “the most correct book of any book on earth”3—never once mentions temple marriage!
Question #4: Topic—LDS Priesthood Authority
Mormonism—The church manual Gospel Principles states,
The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood He created and governs the heavens and the earth. By this power the universe is kept in perfect order. Through this power He accomplishes His work and glory, which is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Our Heavenly Father delegates His priesthood power to worthy male members of the Church. The priesthood enables them to act in God’s name for the salvation of the human family. Through it they can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern God’s kingdom on earth.4
The beliefs about the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods are, by far, the most emphasized gospel doctrines in the LDS Church. Jesus, however, must not have considered the topic of priesthood authority to be important because He never discussed either the Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthoods with His disciples.
Question #5: Topic—the Great and Total Apostasy of the Christian Church
Mormonism—Latter-day Saints are taught that Joseph Smith met with God the Father and Jesus Christ when he was 14 years old. According to Joseph Smith—History 1:19 in the LDS scripture Pearl of Great Price, when Smith asked which of all the Christian churches were right and which he should join, he was told to “join none of them, for they were all wrong; and…all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: ‘they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’ ”
In light of Jesus’s prophecies concerning His church (see these biblical passages on page 2 of the Jesus survey), the Mormon doctrine of the “Great and Total Apostasy” of the failed Christian church would mean that Jesus was a false prophet.
Question #6: Topic—Hell and Eternal Punishment
Mormonism—Most Mormons despise the Christian view of hell with a passion. They don’t like to picture a place of fiery judgment where any of God’s sons and daughters are destined for eternal torment. In LDS theology, everyone except the “sons of perdition” will have the opportunity after death to repent and eventually be saved. (This is why temple work for those who are already dead plays such an important role in Mormon temples around the world.) Except for a select few apostate Mormons who become “sons of perdition,” Mormonism teaches that all humans are destined to one of three kingdoms of eternal glory.
However, Jesus spoke more about eternal punishment in hell than glory in heaven. It is ironic that Mormonism minimizes the doctrine of hell because the Book of Mormon warns how the Devil will deceive people into believing that there is no such thing as an eternal hell. Second Nephi 28:21-22 says,
Others will he [the devil] pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
Even though the Jesus Survey never mentions Mormonism and only discusses the actual teachings of Jesus, this concept of hell is a huge challenge to Mormons because their heartfelt beliefs clearly conflict with what Jesus taught. Many may be shocked by the number of questions they miss, so it’s important to offer the survey and its answers so the person is able to study the issues at a later time. If possible, exchange contact information for future interaction.
The Bible Survey
One of the greatest hurdles in evangelizing Latter-day Saints is dealing with their internal distrust of the Bible. This religion has planted seeds of doubt in subtle ways that cause Mormons to question the trustworthiness of God’s written Word. The eighth Article of Faith found in the Pearl of Great Price states, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God so far as it is translated correctly.” First Nephi 13:24-27 in the Book of Mormon describes a “great and abominable church” that corrupted the Bible and removed many “plain and most precious” truths of the gospel. If Satan can convince people that the Bible is not trustworthy, where will they ever find truth?
Like the Jesus Survey, the Bible Survey is easy to use because it is nonconfrontational; it is simply a tool to provide historical information that gives reasons to trust the Bible. As Mormons take the survey, they might even say, “You are going to give me the answers at the end of the survey, aren’t you? I have no idea what the correct answers are.”
Print the survey and take it for yourself before proceeding any further. After taking it, review the correct answers. As others take the survey, allow opportunities for discussion or to ask any questions they might have.
At some point, you can say, “I not only believe the Bible has never been changed, but I can prove it to you.” Often Mormons will respond, “How can you prove something like that?” ATGM witnessing tool called “The Plain and Precious Truths Visual” provides a simple explanation to show how the Bible has never been changed in any significant way. It may seem simplistic at first, but by explaining two historical facts about the Bible, it is possible to show how the Bible is a reliable and trustworthy guide.5 This chart, as well as a video tutorial to show how to use the visual with Mormons, can be found under the Resources tab on our website.
All of this will be new information for most Mormons, so it is important to give them both the printed questions and answers to take home so they can study on their own. This may give them a reason to read the Bible and think about what Jesus Christ taught. Conclude your discussion with a challenge to read the Gospel of John with a fresh set of eyes because what is recorded in the Bible has never been changed. Again, if it’s possible to exchange contact information, the conversation can continue later.
The Questionnaire on Relative Truth
This questionnaire is a tool to initiate conversation with Mormons and even atheists so the ice can be broken and deeper religious dialogue can occur. The approach is used to draw people into conversation. It works well with Mormons because twenty-first-century Mormons have been inundated with morally relativistic ideas. Mormons will often insist, “We are Christians just like you!” They may also say, “We believe the exact same things as all other Christians. After all, the name of Jesus Christ is in the name of our church.” If your LDS friends have responded this way, you have experienced Mormon relativism.
This phenomenon does not align with the foundational First Vision account of Joseph Smith. As mentioned earlier, Smith claimed that the Christian denominations “were all wrong” and “all their creeds were an abomination” in God’s sight; in addition, God said that the Christian pastors “were all corrupt.” In light of this inconsistency, this questionnaire does not directly challenge Mormon theology; instead, it opens a door for the Christian to discuss the subject of relativism. The Christian will need to be prepared to provide follow-up questions. Following are a few examples of answers given by Mormons and how these can be used as a springboard for deeper dialogue.
Question #3. Are personal feelings a good way to determine what truth is?
Yes No
Why?
One LDS person wrote, “Because I believe that you can feel if something is right.”
Possible questions in response:
• Can you explain the difference between a right feeling and a wrong feeling?
• If you feel like something is right, do you think that always makes it true?
• What if we feel differently about the same topic? Do you think both of our feelings would be true?
• If we disagree but we both feel strongly about our feelings, how do you think we might discover which of us is right?
Question #6. How do your personal feelings affect what you believe about truth?
One Mormon answered, “Intuition—if I feel that it is true, I believe it to be the truth.”
Possible questions in response:
• What do you mean by intuition?
• Do you believe your intuition is always dependable?
• Have your feelings ever let you down?
• Was there ever a time when you thought something was true and later found out it wasn’t? (I only ask because I know I have had that kind of experience in my life.)
• If you discovered that your intuition was wrong, how might you find the truth?
Question #7. How does truth affect your life?
A Mormon answered, “Truth is a guide for what you feel is right or wrong.”
Possible questions in response:
• Would you say that a truth claim is only true if you feel like it is right?
• Could something be true even if you don’t feel good about it?
• If we had a disagreement about what is right and what is wrong, how might we find the truth?
Question #8. In your opinion, what is the truth about the afterlife?
Another Mormon replied, “We will have a chance to decide how close to God we want to be.”
Possible questions to ask:
• What do you think God would do if a really bad person wanted to live in heaven right next door to Him?
• What do you think a person needs to do to make it to the highest kingdom where God dwells? (That’s where I want to go.)
Conclusion
We have had great success using the polling approach to enter into nonconfrontational dialogue with LDS people. It helps break the ice by requiring Mormons to think about things they don’t normally consider. We suggest you try it for yourself and see if this might be something that works for you!
Daniel (Chip) Thompson (Ephraim, Utah) and his wife Jamie moved their family from Phoenix, Arizona, to Ephraim, Utah, in 1991 to start the Ephraim Church of the Bible. They later founded Tri-Grace Ministries and began a Christian club at Snow College as well as the coffeehouse the Solid Rock Café. Chip authored Witness to Mormons in Love: The Mormon Scrapbook (Ephraim, UT: Gospel4U Publications, 2014).