They are definitely not hard to identify. We can spot them in our neighborhoods and on our doorsteps with their pleasant smiles and politeness. These well-groomed, sharply dressed attaches from Salt Lake City are obvious. We know Mormons when we see them.
But do we truly know them when we see them?
PUBLIC OPINION of BEING NORMAL
You have probably seen the “I am Mormon” public relations campaign in your community. There are pictures of smiling, pretty, gritty and diverse faces on buses and billboards (I half expect to see a picture of apple pie in one of these slots). They want us to know they are just like everyone else. They are mainstream Americans.
This morning the NY Times featured the ad blitz and gave some background for it:
Top Mormon leaders had hired two big-name advertising agencies in 2009, Ogilvy & Mather and Hall & Partners, to find out what Americans think of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Using focus groups and surveys, they found that Americans who had any opinion at all used adjectives that were downright negative: “secretive,” “cultish,” “sexist,” “controlling,” “pushy,” “anti-gay.”
I find it somewhat ironic that the Mormons seem to be taking a page out of the playbook of the gay rights lobbyist. Gay rights lobbyists combate “homo-phobia” by attempting to make themselves mainstream. Mormon leaders are attacking “Mormo-phobia” the same way. If they can make their faces normal and everyday then they can assert themselves in the public square. Acceptance earns you the right to speak and be heard (read influence).
It is interesting that in this same issue of the NY Times we have an editorial written by Ted Widmer, a librarian and former speech writer for President Clinton. In the editorial, Lincoln and the Mormons, Widmer, with a passing reference to the secret Mormon underpants, highlights the strange practices of the early Mormons while showing the tenuous relationship between Brigham Young and President Abraham Lincoln. The Mormon’s strange religious beliefs gave rise to their isolation. They intentionally alienated themselves. Lincoln needed real estate and soldiers. Mormons wanted the freedom to live by themselves and be different. One could hardly believe an ad-campaign like we have now back in 1861.
Mormons know this is a very opportune moment for them. With two Republican presidential candidates (Mitt Romney, the putative front-runner, and Jon M. Huntsman Jr., both former Republican governors) as members of the Mormon Church they know they are primed for a season of unparalleled face-time. If they are able to sway public opinion and catapult someone like Mitt Romney into the Oval Office then these couple of million dollars spent on the ad campaign will be well worth it.
PUBLIC OPINION of BEING NOMINAL
The effort to show that the Mormon people are like everyone else is only half of the agenda. On the other side is the issue of being doctrinally mainstream. In other words, Mormons know that they have to overcome the perception that they are outside the bounds of historic Christianity.
The biggest stigma, said those involved in the campaign, is the belief that Mormons are not Christians.
The perception that they are a cult, that they are not Christian, is significant for Americans. Even though the country is growing less and less “Christian” there is still something of an nominal hat-tip to it. It’s like Mormons would like to sneak into the house while everyone’s eyes are closed in prayer before the meal and then when they open their eyes we all say, “Hey, I didn’t know you were here.” To which they would say, with a wry smile, “Oh yeah, we are here. Always been.”
The truth is they have not “always been here” at the table of Christianity. The Mormon doctrine on the essential matters of doctrine are at odds with historic Christianity. What makes this difficult to parse out is the fact that many Mormons utlize the same words (sin, grace, faith, church, Jesus, salvation) while meaning something completely different. For the increasingly biblically illiterate Americans (and sadly evangelicals) the differences are tough to catch.
In a very helpful post entitled Mormonism 101 Kevin DeYoung explains some of the key differences. Some of which are their view of history, revelation, man, God, Christ, atonement, and salvation. (This pretty much sums it up, don’t you think?)
In closing DeYoung writes:
I encourage you to study Mormonism for yourself if you have more questions. I think you’ll find that though the language sounds similar at times, the beliefs are quite distinctive. Mormons do not understand history, God, man, salvation, heaven, hell, the cross, Jesus, or the Trinity as the canonical Scriptures teach, nor do they agree with the doctrine taught by the holy, catholic, apostolic church over two millennia.
CONCLUSION
Let’s be honest: Mormonism is growing. And as they do they do seem more and more mainstream. In this sense, they do fit in.
But let’s also be honest with regard to beliefs: they are not Christians. There is a substantial difference between being mainstream socially and being mainstream theologically. They believe far differently about the essential matters that characterize Christianity. They are oustide the tent of orthodoxy. Here they do not fit in.
I am fine with the fact that Mormons are not plotting to secede and that they are involved in the political process. I am fine with the fact that they ‘look’ normal. However, when it comes to looking or being Christians, then I have to call a foul. The chasm between Christianity and Mormonism is far greater than what a couple of million dollar ad campaign or a Mormon president can bridge. We are on two different theological planets (pun intended).
Here are some resources for more study on Mormonism:
A Different Jesus?: The Christ of the Latter-Day Saints
Mormonism Explained: What Latter-day Saints Teach and Practice
Is the Mormon My Brother?: Discerning the Differences Between Mormonism and Evangelical Christianity
