How Christianity compares
Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, restored, its members believe, through the prophet Joseph Smith.
Latter-day Saints love Jesus as their Savior and use the Bible, but they add the Book of Mormon and other scriptures and believe in living prophets. They understand God, Jesus, and salvation very differently from historic Christianity, often using the same words with different meanings.
- Began
- 1830 in New York, founded by Joseph Smith (1805–1844); headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, since 1847
- Followers
- About 17.9 million members (church report, end of 2025); more than half live outside the United States and Canada
- Scriptures
- The Bible (the King James Version in English), the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, plus the teaching of living prophets
- Main groups
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (by far the largest), the Community of Christ, and smaller groups
Where it began and how it spread
The story
Joseph Smith taught that in 1820, as a boy in upstate New York, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. He said an angel named Moroni later led him to golden plates, which he translated as the Book of Mormon, published in 1830.
The young church moved to Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, facing violent opposition. After Smith was killed by a mob in 1844, Brigham Young led most members west to Utah. Today the church has temples and missionaries around the world.
What they believe
God
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings, united in purpose. Latter-day Saints teach that the Father has a glorified body of flesh and bone.
Jesus
The Son of God and Savior of the world, whose Atonement in Gethsemane and on the cross makes salvation possible.
Before and after life
All people lived as spirit children of God before birth. Nearly everyone will be resurrected and receive a place in one of three 'degrees of glory'.
The church
After the apostles died, they teach, the true church fell away, and it was restored through Joseph Smith, with priesthood authority and living prophets.
The way
Faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, temple covenants, and enduring to the end. The faithful may receive exaltation: eternal life with God as families, and growing to become like him.
Practice
Weekly worship, tithing, missionary service, temple ordinances, and the Word of Wisdom (no alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea).
Side by side
| Latter-day Saints | Christianity | |
|---|---|---|
| God | Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct beings; the Father has a glorified physical body. | One God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the eternal, holy, loving Creator. |
| Jesus | The Son of God and Savior; in premortal life, the spirit brother of all people. | God the Son, who became fully human, died for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and is Lord and the only Savior. |
| The problem | The Fall brought sin and death; people need the Atonement and restored ordinances. | Sin, our rebellion against a holy God, separates us from him and corrupts everything. |
| The answer | Christ's Atonement, together with faith, repentance, baptism, temple covenants, and enduring to the end. | Grace: forgiveness and new life as a free gift, received by faith in Jesus's death and resurrection, not earned. |
| Scripture | The Bible plus the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price; continuing revelation. | The Old and New Testaments (66 books), the inspired Word of God. |
| After death | The spirit world, resurrection, and judgment into three degrees of glory; exaltation for the faithful. | Judgment, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life with God for all who are in Christ, in a new heaven and new earth. |
Common ground
- Love for Jesus as Savior
- The Bible
- Strong families, clean living, and service
- A missionary heart
Talking with a friend
- Define your terms. Words like God, grace, salvation, and gospel often mean different things in the two faiths.
- If missionaries come to your door, welcome them and have a real conversation.
- Focus on the nature of God and on grace, reading Ephesians 2:8–9 together.
- Be warm; many Latter-day Saints have heard harsh criticism, but few have heard the gospel of grace explained kindly.
Key differences
The Bible teaches that there is only one God, eternally God, besides whom there is no other (Isaiah 43:10–11; 44:6), and that God is spirit (John 4:24). Some Latter-day Saint teachings describe God the Father as an exalted man.
Historic Christianity confesses one God in three persons (the Trinity), not three separate beings.
Christians believe salvation is entirely a gift of grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), not something completed by ordinances and covenants.
Christians hold that the gospel was never lost (Matthew 16:18; Jude 3) and that Scripture is complete, so no new scriptures are needed (Galatians 1:8).
Read in the Bible
- Isaiah 43:10–11 Besides me there is no savior
- John 1:1–3 The Word was God
- John 4:24 God is spirit
- Romans 3:23–24 Justified by his grace as a gift
- Galatians 1:8 No other gospel
- Ephesians 2:8–9 Not a result of works