By Eric Johnson
Is the Latter-day Saint willing to gamble with their eternal life that they are right?
When dealing with staunch believers in Mormonism, including Mormon missionaries, I have presented a number of different apologetic arguments in a hope to find a chink in their theological armor and penetrate their innermost beings.
As it is known by many fellow believers who have attempted to share their faith with Mormons, it can be very frustrating to use the "Sword of the Spirit," the term given by Paul in reference to the Word of God, and merely end up with what seems to be a dull piece of steel.
However, my goal when sharing the true Christian faith to any unbeliever, whether Mormon or not, is to make at least one good point that will make it hard for this person to get to sleep that night. One strategy that I use is derived from an apologetic tactic called "Pascal's Wager," which assumes that logical reasoning by itself cannot decide for or against the existence of God.
Since reason cannot decide for sure about truth, and since the question is of such importance that it must be decided somehow, then a person must "wager" for something that cannot be proved. And so the question goes: "Where are you going to place your bet?"
At the end of a conversation with a Mormon--especially when I feel that this may be my only opportunity to speak to this person--I have often used the following proposal before the Mormon shuts off any logical openness and begins to bear a testimony.
The strategy involves two parts:
A. Tell the Mormon: "Before we end our conversation, I would like to show you three possibilities in a comparison between our two faiths."
1. First, it is possible that the Mormon and the Christian, while sincere, are wrong about Truth. Therefore, both Mormonism and Christianity would be false religions.
2. Second, it is possible that the Mormon is right about Truth and the Christian is wrong. If this is true, then Mormonism as brought forth by Joseph Smith is God's restored gospel. Therefore, the Christian would belong to an apostate faith.
3. Third, it is possible that the Christian is right about Truth and the Mormon is wrong. If this is true, then the historic Christian faith is the only true Gospel. Therefore, the Mormon would belong to an apostate faith.
Despite LDS books such as Stephen E. Robinson's Are Mormons Christian? and other "ecumenical" books which attempt to make Mormonism and Christianity appear to be the same, no fourth possibility ("Both are right") exists because Mormonism and Christianity are in complete opposition to one another.
Some explanation may be needed regarding this last point. It should be noted that there are a number of major doctrines which separate the two faiths. These include: the nature of God (One God or many?), Jesus (God or "a" god?), scripture (The Bible or more?), authority (Where does it come from?), and salvation (Grace or works?). To say both faiths are right is impossible because one belief system invalidates the other.
This point can be made most clear in the idea of salvation. There are two types of salvation in Mormon doctrine: General and Individual. General salvation refers to the resurrection of all souls, both evil and good, which is said to have been made possible when Jesus sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, thus paying for the consequences for all mankind's sins (Mormon Doctrine, pg. 669).
Individual salvation, on the other hand, is reaching the top level of Mormonism's three-leveled heaven. This is known as the celestial kingdom. Within the celestial kingdom, there are three additional levels. True salvation occurs only at the very top of this celestial kingdom (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 116, 117, 669, 670).
According to Mormon teaching, true salvation in Mormonism can only be received by worthy Mormons via the LDS Church. On the other hand, historic Christianity teaches that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no person can enter God's presence except through a true faith in Christ (John 14:6; Acts 16:31). An inadequate belief in God leads to eternal death (hell). Therefore, the two faiths cannot be made synonymous.
B. Once these principles have been shown to be mutually exclusive--and I have never had trouble getting a Mormon to agree with the above set-up--the "Wager" should be explained. Tell the Mormon: "Now that we have established that there are three choices, let's discuss the implications of each possibility."
1. If the first possibility is correct, then both the Mormon and the Christian are wrong. Perhaps the Hindu, Muslim, or Jehovah's Witness is correct, or maybe the other side of death is nonexistence. If this were true, both parties should explore all avenues since they are in need of Truth.
2. If the second possibility is correct, then the Mormon is right and the Christian is wrong. With individual salvation in mind as explained above, the Mormon would therefore have a chance to make it to the top level of the celestial kingdom if, as 2 Nephi 25:23 states, he is able to do all that he can do.
Interestingly enough, if the Mormon is right, the Christian's eternal destiny appears to be pretty secure. Since I appear to be a good person with good morals and a sincere heart, several Mormons have told me that I probably will make it to the second level of heaven known as the terrestrial kingdom.
Former Mormon Apostle Bruce McConkie would agree since he said, "Honorable men of the earth who are blinded by the craftiness of men and who therefore do not accept and live the gospel law" will achieve this level (Mormon Doctrine, pg. 784).
While this level is not as desirable as the Celestial Kingdom, the presence of the Son is evident there (D&C 76:77). One returned missionary even told me that I would shoot myself in the head to get there sooner if I had the chance to peek into this glory for merely five seconds.
3. This brings us to the third choice. However, unlike the previous possibility, no good is in store for the person who loses this bet if this possibility is true. If the Christian is right and the Mormon is wrong, it is the difference between heaven and hell. According to the Bible, heaven is the place where believers will abide with God for all eternity in His presence. Only true believers in Christ will be allowed entrance (Hebrews 12:23; John 3:16-21; Rev. 2:11; 20:6).
It should be pointed out how real hell is for unbelievers (Matt. 8:12, 25:41-46). It is eternal separation from God in a painful and final state (Rev. 14:10-11; 2 Thess. 1:9). It is, in actuality, a second death (Rev. 21:8). Those who will belong to this state include every person who did not have a true belief in God (John 3:18). And, despite the faulty interpretation many Mormons have concerning baptism for the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:29, biblical Christianity leaves no room for obtaining salvation after rejecting it in this life.
In other words, if Mormonism is true and Christianity is false, the Christian doesn't have much to lose. True, he or she may not be eligible for exaltation, but then again, it must be admitted that most of the millions of lMormons now living also will NOT be eligible for this state.
This is true because a majority of Mormons do not even possess valid temple recommends--a certain celestial kingdom requirement--let alone "do all they can do." Despite the umpteen requirements it takes to be a Mormon, being a good person appears to "do the job" to make it to the second level. But, not all is lost for all of those who are destined for the terrestrial kingdom; indeed, this populace will be allowed to abide in the glory of Jesus and comfortably exist in an eternal state.
However, if Christianity is true and Mormonism is false, the Mormon has everything to lose. Hell is a real place and every person who does not believe in the true God will go there.
As might be expected, the above presentation appears to shock most Mormons. In effect, too many Mormons risk losing an eternal existence with God simply because they have blindly based their eternal destinies upon the reputation of Joseph Smith. Too few Mormons have done adequate research into the possibility that they might be wrong.
While this tactic cannot--or should not--coerce belief or be proof that Christianity is true, it can be an incentive for the Mormon to take another look at the essentials of his or her faith and compare it to the historic Christian faith. To do any less would not make a safe bet.