The Doctrine of God in Mormonism : a Christian Moral Apologetic Critique

Abstract

This research uses the DEUS Challenge's mnemonic to present four-pronged apologetic engagement with Mormonism. Each of the letters in the acrostic provides a question that serves as one of the four avenues of dialogue with Mormons. The "D" is for the Deity Question and asks: Are the Christian and Mormon Gods the same? The response: The Mormon God is not the Christian God. Evidence is presented for the answer based on a discussion of the doctrine of God. The "E" is for the Ethics Question and asks: What is the Mormon account of morality? The response: Mormon morality derives from moral standards outside God. The evidence for this response focuses on moral realism. The "U" is for the Uprightness Question and asks: Does Mormon morality conduce to a moral argument for the Mormon God's existence? The response: Mormon morality does not conduce to a moral argument for the Mormon God's existence. The evidence at this point investigates moral apologetics. The "S" is for the Subjectivity Question and asks: Is the "burning in the bosom" reliable evidence for Mormon claims? The response: Mormon affective claims contradict rational claims for Mormon doctrine. The evidence considers passional reason. Additionally, each of the four questions includes a practical application of the gist of the relative arguments, presented in the form of an imagined dialogue between a Mormon missionary and a Christian.