Which Church is the TRUE Church of God - Catholics or Mormons?

Question

Clearly, when Jesus Christ was on the Earth He taught only ONE faith and established ONE church. What He preached during his earthly ministry was HIS Gospel, devoting His life to accomplish the will of His Father.

It's very obvious that Jesus wouldn't teach to join just ANY church...He would want His brothers and sisters to join HIS Church. But which one is it?

The only Churches that currently have any leg to stand on are the Catholics and the Mormons, primarily because they both claim to be established by the Divine inspiration of God. Both claim to hold the Holy Priesthood Authority, or the right to act in the authority of God, a gift that the Lord gives unto His children but ONLY if they're worthy to receive it. Of course, this Priesthood is only carried by men, or the Sons Of God, in order to use to bless their family members and friends. The gift wouldn't do any good if the worthy male commits sin because then the Spirit of God will have left that individual.

Additional Details

Some of you who have responded question my rationality behind why Christ taught ONLY one faith...let me refer you to this scripture...Christ makes it PERFECTLY clear:
Ephesians 4:4-5
4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

The second question I've received most is what makes me think Christ established a Church. Once again, let me refer you to this scripture that makes it very simple:
Matthew 16:28: And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

So clearly, there is only ONE true Church. Christ built up His Church during His earthly ministry but once Christ and all of the Apostles died, man began to argue over what Christ TRULY taught and they began to establish their own churches and distort the Lord's teachings. Therefore, there HAD to be a restoration of the Gospel. Refer to Acts 3:19-21 to see.

A "false religion" is a Church that DOESN'T teach its members to follow and abide by the teachings of Christ. A "false religion" is also a Church that doesn't FOLLOW-UP on its members to make sure that they are doing so.

The Scriptures are a navigational guide that Heavenly Father provides to His children if they feel they are getting lost along the way.

Of course man can influence man. A mother and father can tell their child what is right and wrong, but there are always going to be friends of that child who try and pull them astray or influence them otherwise.

That's exactly how it is with religion. Christ taught ONE FAITH, ONE CHURCH, ONE BAPTISM. Once He died, people influenced one another of what THEY felt was truly right.

There are a gazillion different translations of the Bible now and a Church at every street corner preaching a different message. Do you truly think in your hearts that this is what Christ wanted? Why don't you pray about it and ask Him yourself?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Jesus Christ founded only one Church and that happens to be the Catholic Church. It is only this Church which can prove a direct line of succession from St. Peter to the present pope.
The Catholic Church will last till the end of the age
Matthew 16,18-20 - "And so I tell you Peter; you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my Church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."
Matthew 28,20 - "And teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."
Infallible authority from God to teach with certitude.
John 14,25 - I have told you this while I am still with you. The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you."
John 16,13 - When, however, the Spirit comes who reveals the truth about God, he will LEAD YOU INTO ALL TRUTH."
The Church of the Living God
Timothy 3,15 - "But if I delay, this letter will let you know how we should conduct ourselves in God's household, which is the Church of the living God, THE PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF TRUTH."
Holy tradition and continuity
Hebrews 13,7
"Remember your former leaders, who spoke God's message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith."
Have a blessed and peaceful day

Answer 2

Where do you think it tells you that it's clear that Jesus wanted us to join one church and that being His church. Most all of us belong to His church. What do you think is His church? Jesus wanted us to believe in His Father. As long as we learn and teach from His Bible, we belong to His church. There are many who do this with very small differences in belief. The Catholics are furthest out of the mold even though they are a very old church. They place a very large emphasis on Mary, Mother of Jesus. The Protestants don't do this because it's not Biblical. Mankind is so very good at adding in to what they think God would have wanted instead of what He said. We need to be very careful about that. My church doesn't even have any images of Jesus or other things because we were told not to do that. Again, the Catholics have their Crucifix. I'm a Southern Baptist.

Answer 3

I was born and raised in the Catholic Church. And I also converted to the LDS church for a few years so I've experienced both.

I have since converted back to Catholicism. I simply feel more comfortable there and feel the spirit there profoundly.

Neither is absolutely true. I would say that the Catholic Church is MORE true than any other religion on earth.

I must warn you that if you chose to join the LDS church, be careful! Be sure to study the religion outside of what the missionaries teach you. They are imfamous for teaching you only about Protestant-friendly doctrines of their church, and then waiting until you are a "full-fledged" member to teach you of their controversial doctrines.


And to rebute what many other people have posted... The Catholic church hasn't added to Christian doctrine, Martin Luther and all the other "reformers" have TAKEN AWAY from the beauty of pure religion. They have perverted Christianity into the fanaticism that we see today in the US.

You are right to know that Protestantism is the farthest from true Christianity.

Answer 4

neither

Answer 5

Let's follow another line of thinking. Jesus was God made flesh, according to scripture. Jesus made this statement: "heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word will never pass away". Therefore, since Jesus was God made man, and all of scripture is given by inspiration of God, we need to take all the bible as God's true word.

Neither Mormons nor Catholics adhere to the bible. They have other traditions and beliefs (Catholics) that are not only unbiblical, they completely contradict scripture. Mormons have another gospel, and they have a false prophet, Joseph Smith.

Any "church" claiming to be true needs to do one thing, to follow the bible and the biblical Jesus Christ. The two "religions" you list above, do not.

Answer 6

I must agree with (romns_1_1...). He seems to have the Truth nailed on the head. GOD gave us the BIBLE to measure exactly what we are supposed to be doing in worship and in life. HIS Standard is the only standard for living in this world. Time and people will change but HIS WORD is not to change. We were told NOT to add to or take from HIS WORD. IT is interesting to me that the LDS and Catholic members seem to think that everything needs to change to make our FATHER happy. HE sent CHRIST to spread HIS WORD so that all may be saved. That WORD will not change. The Church of CHRIST that I attend follows HIS WORD exactly as it is written and has not attempted to change what we are doing to make any person more important than CHRIST. HIS WAY is the WAY that we are to be following not man's way. Have a great day!
Eds

Answer 7

Mormon beliefs are totally inconsistent with those of Catholicism.

Jesus founded one church, and he also promised that the gates of hell would never prevail against it. He also promised to stay with it until the end of the age.

Jesus never mentioned Joseph Smith, or any of the strange doctrines he claims to have discovered.

Furthermore, God does not support the teachings of false prophets, and all of the LDS prophets have been proven to be false.

Stick with the original Catholic and universal church. The men who govern it are far from perfect, but it contains all of the original truths which were handed down to it by Christ and the apostles, as well as the real and substantial presence of Jesus Christ..

You can't do any better than that.

Answer 8

Don't listen to the losers who say neither...

It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (as you call us, Mormons). The real priesthood is split into two groups, the Aaronic Priesthood, held by all worthy church member men age 12 and up, and the Melchizedek Priesthood, given to worthy Aaronic Priesthood holding men sometime after their 18th birthday and before their mission at 19. You are right, the priesthood doesn't do good for an unworthy member. We use the priesthood for the benefit of all who are in need of blessings from it and have the faith that it will help them.

Answer 9

I've only experienced Catholicism 1x. And I respect the Catholics, but know the LDS, otherwise known as Mormons to be true. We have the whole gospel while everyone else only has a piece of the pie.

Source(s):

Being Mormon

Answer 10

Just because you don't know of any other churches which fit those criteria, it doesn't mean there aren't any. I'll give you a hint: all throughout the Bible it points out that the word of God is nowhere near as popular as the seductions of Satan. Stop looking for the biggest churches and look instead at the best.

Answer 11

Neither one is the True religion.

What is false religion?

Why does religion seem to be at the root of so many problems?
The fault lies, not with all religion, but with “false” religion.

False Religion...MEDDLES IN WAR AND POLITICS: How many religions can you think of whose members engage in war?

False Religion...SPREADS FALSE DOCTRINE: Most religions teach that the soul or spirit is some invisible part of a human that survives the death of the physical body. However, the Bible teaches a different doctrine. “The soul that is sinning, it itself will die.” Ezekiel 18:4 Jesus taught that the dead will be resurrected, an unnecessary action if humans had an immortal soul. Does your religion teach that the soul does not die?

False Religion...TOLERATES IMMORAL SEX: Church groups ordain gay and lesbian members of the clergy. What, though, does the Bible teach? It plainly states: “Do YOU not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men.” 1 Cor. 6:9,10 Do you know of religions that condone immoral sex?

How to identify true religion.

True Religion...PRACTICES LOVE: True worshippers are “no part of the world,” are not divided by race or culture, and display “love among themselves.” Rather than killing one another, they are willing to die for one another.

True Religion...TRUSTS GOD'S WORD: Instead of teaching “tradition” and “commands of men as doctrines,” true religion bases its doctrine on God's Word, the Bible

True Religion...STRENGTHENS FAMILIES AND UPHOLDS HIGH MORAL STANDARDS: True religion trains husbands to “love their wives as their own bodies,” helps wives to develop “deep respect for their husbands,” and teaches children to “be obedient to their parents.”

True Religion is available, search for it.

Source(s):

Reasoning

Answer 12

Boy oh boy, are you wayyyyy off base, sir. Do you even read your Bible? Have we come so far in time that so many don't even remember recent history, the spiritual heritage given to us by our forefathers? A true member of Jesus' Church wouldn't even talk denominations.....let alone give creedence to any form of man's religious efforts or works like those of the established catholic faith, or the skewed wanderings and faslehoods found in the Book of Mormon...... The CHURCH pleads "See Christ, follow Him, love Him, believe in Him, serve Him, obey Him, do what He does, adide in Him !!!

1) Jesus said I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. NO one comes to the Father but by Me. Pretty crystal clear TRUTH there, no? He didn't preahc, he was the sermon, he did the miracles, he forgave sins, and He died and rose again to life. He is the cornerstone of the church, and we are like heirs throgh Christ.

2) Mormons are a cult - check it out.....they are not "subscribers" to the 3-in-1 God of the Bible. They are under God's judgement today because of their adding to the Word of Gob through their "additional" Bible.

3) If you believe or even understand the Bible, you know Satan is the father of lies and an angel of light intenton destroying God's creation. He is bent on destruction anything God loves and the work Jesus is doing through His body, the believers and followers of Jesus. They are also called sheep in the Bible, and the nonbelievers are goats. Which on are you? Who's YOUR sheppard? Those who call Jesus Lord and follow Him and ABIDE in HIM, not any physical church building or denomination, will pass from death to life.

4) You are NOT a defended of the faith/a believer/born again/saved individual if you even have to ask that question in this forum.

5) God the Father tore the vale in the jewish temple when HE GOD died on that cross for the sins of all who would believe on Him.

6) Another good point - no one is worthy to receive this holy priesthood authority...it is given to all who are followers of Yeshua/Jesus/The Messiah/THe Holy One. The Catholics have claimed that whilch was never given to an organization. The pope concept is sooooo wrong in light of scripture, in fact that position could very likely be entry point of the Anti-Christ spoken of in Revelation. Jesus is the only true High Priest. The moment you are born again, you are given the rights and responsibilities of being the the family of God. This Sons of God concept has cultic overtones and the Mormons have usurped and redefined that role (the sons of God, little "s") as Jesus defined it. Check the fruit of the individual. THAT will tell you if they are a biding in Christ and members of the true "Church" or "body" of Christ. The real proof is....are they doing what Jesus did?

7) As Moses lifted up the brass serpent in the wilderness so that those bitten by poisonous asps (snakes) might live, only those who chose to do this "foolish" act LIVED! Jesus IS the one to whom ALL the prophets testify, the only holy and perfect sinless sacrfice for all sins, past, present, and future !! that's the GOod News, the Gospel !! The ones who believe this are the true believers and the true church, brothers and sisters.

8) As God gave up His only Son for us, His most prized "possession," WHEN YOU REALIZE THE AWESOME WORK HE DID FOR YOU AND ALL MANKIND, THEN AND ONLY THEN will you have your eyes opened to the truth, that by placing your faith/trust in that same Jesus - HE will save you from eternal punishment (cuz we ALL live forever, with satat in Hell or with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit in heaven) based on what we do with WHAT YOU KNOW KNOW TO BE TRUE.

Yah, shuuure, I can hear ya now, everyone has an opinion, but only God's Word (that is Jesus in the BIBLE and the Holy Spirit's inspiration or revelation of TRUTH in the BIBLE are worth the time to read and understand spiritual matters. Open it up are start readin today. Try John's words. Easy to digest, hard to resist, dripping with the love story of why Jesus came. TO SET ALL WHO WOULD BELIEVE IN HIM FREE FROM SIN AND ETERNAL DEATH/SEPARATION FROM HIM.

Source(s):

www.DuluthBible.org / Where I worship the Holy One.

Answer 13

Obviously I believe the LDS (Mormon) church is the true church or I would not be a member. i want to share with you a few reasons why I am a member and things I love about the church:
Organization: You could go into any LDS church on any given Sunday from L.A. to Africa and be taught the exact same doctrine. Our doctrine does not change because the Lord does not change. Commandments may shift (like polygamy) for a specific reason, but the doctrine does not ever change. I firmly believe we are being taught the exact same as Also, I love that our prophet is over the whole church under the direction of Jesus Christ himself. I love that the prophet sees every penny that is spent on every church house, temple, ward budget, missionary fund, all of it. Nothing goes unnoticed, he said that himself.
Doctrine: I am a child of my Heavenly Parents. Jesus Christ is my elder Brother, who loves me and wants me to return to live with Him. He died for me, if there were no other sinner on this earth besides me, I know He would have sacrificed for ME alone because I know He loves me that much. I love that I can be with my family forever, that God has a plan for us to be eternally married to our spouse. I love my husband and want to be with him for longer than just this earth life and I know that the Lord has made it possible! I love that God knows me, knows my weaknesses and offers help to me whenever, where ever I might need it, I love that I can go to him in prayer at any time and I know he will provide me with what I need, physically, spiriutally, and mentally.

Now, is it hard sometimes to live the gospel? Yes. I am not perfect, that is why we have church every week and partake of the sacrament. I am grateful for evey gift given to me from my Heavenly Father and hope that I can live worthily to receive the blessings he has in store for me.

Answer 14

Neither.
Mormonism is nearly a cult, so enough said there.
Catholocism focuses too much on Mary, rather than Jesus, our intermediary - the ONLY one we must go through to get to God the Father.
I say this because Jesus himself said 'no one comes to the Father except through ME. And I can tell you that when He said that He didn't mean, Saint so-and-so, Father you-know-who, and THEN me. No. He just said me.
Ugh. I get really fired up about this issue, so if you'd like to discuss this more privately, feel free to email me at hypedonsugar23@yahoo. Basically it's my spam mail account so anyone out there looking to spaz on my inbox, not happening.

Answer 15

Churches, Synagogues, Mosques are places of worship on earth. Before Jesus came "down from heaven" (John 3:13) as the Messiah or Prophet, civilizations before had their own gods or none at all. Jesus the Son of God was crucified and then risen, he is the Sufferng Servant who gives "his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 29:28). The time will come for him to judge the living and the dead. While sin may take the Spirit of God from an individual. Salvation will be granted to all meaning from the first to the last man, are there not many rooms in the house of God.

Answer 16

The Amish, they don't try to convert you, they just want to do what they believe in doing in their own little secluded area. The best of all Christians.Better than those annoying bastards on TV, especially that Pat Robinson old hag.

Answer 17

Neither is the answer.
The Body of Jesus Christ is God's Church.
Its in the volume of the Book.><>

Answer 18

I don't think either one....catholics worship Mary....they consider her the mother of GOD!??!! What? No, she was the mother of Jesus, (God in the form of MAN) but she was a vessel only....she did not create God....among other things that they do, say, and believe.

Mormons....well they think they get their own planet to just name one thing!

But, honestly; I think God must be disappointed in religion as a whole. I think it's about a personal relationship with God and His only son. I think 'we' have made a mess of things; maybe all religion has a little of something 'right'....but we've just gotten so far away from the truth and it's now a "I'm right, and you're wrong" thing?

Who knows?

Answer 19

The group that is Following Closely in His Footsteps ... Those are the ones who are God's Chosen people. They follow Bible principles, teach Bible history , prophecy, and virtue. They abstain from the bad things that God hates, and embrace God & their fellow believer in principled love ... Yet not only them. They also work very hard demostrating principled love to ALL of mankind, in offering them help to understand the Bible & come to know God for themselves, if they want to. They not only Use God's chosen name, but also teach about his Wisdom &Loving Attributes ... Holding out the future hope of the Bible to look forward to ... for everyone choosing to Follow Christ's lead.

They reject false claims of those who claim to represent him yet show by their own activity & attitudes that such claims could not be so.

They love what God loves, & hate what he hates.
They avoid hatred, & violence, as Christ taught.
Who do you know of that Actually 'Fits that bill'?

True Teachings--Where Can You Find Them? The Bible.
http://watchtower.org/e/20050715/article…

How Can You Find the True Religion?
(compare these Scriptures)
http://watchtower.org/library/rq/article…

Should You Belong to a Church?
- Which Religion Should One Choose?
http://watchtower.org/e/20040601/article…

The End of False Religion Is Near!
- What Is False Religion?
http://watchtower.org/e/kn37/article_01.…

Answer 20

Neither. Doesn't the true church teach the truth? How can Catholics be the true church with all the false beliefs they brought into Christianity, like the trinity, purgatory, burning hell, and pagan holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween? The Mormons believe that the Father and Son are physical beings, not spirit. They believe that a husband and wife are bound to each other even after death.

Sincerity of one's beliefs is not enough to be pleasing to God. At Ro. 10:2, Paul said: "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God but not according to accurate knowledge."

Answer 21

Jesus didn't teach to join a church at all. God doesn't want "churches". God wants people. God wants love. So every person is able to have a connection with God if they want. Every believer is part of His church. A group of people who love and believe in God and Jesus Christ could be a "church". It's not a specific "religion". That's religion and it is man-made.

Answer 22

Jesus Christ lived and died as a jew - he had no church so to say. we who believe in him are chritstians (i.e followeres of Christ) otherwise, to use the term "true church" i wouldn't advise(becasue no one but those who are truly close to God know the "truth") but i do belive that the FIRST christian church is the catholic church.

Answer 23

GOD IS IN THE RAIN!

Answer 24

I'm sorry but the LDS church is not a Christian church. The members might be but the church is not. In my opinion there is no "only true church". The Mormons say they have it, the Jehovah Witnesses say they have it and the Catholics say the same. The truth is, it's none of them. Any church that preaches God's word from the Bible, is he's church. Any church that teaches you to draw closer to Jesus Christ, is his church. Any church that wants you to have a relationship with Jesus, is his church. If you go to church on Sunday and all you learn about is some prophet and not Jesus, it's not his church

Answer 25

To find the answer, put both to the test based on scriptural teaching. You'll find neither is the true church. One believes in praying to the dead and the other believes in baptizing the dead. They are both a religion of the dead. Read the Bible and find the truth about Jesus and his teaching.

Answer 26

The only true church is your own heart. Have you ever studied the roots of the bible? Do you know that jesus was a siddha yoga guru? do you know most of his teachings were based on vedanta philosophy? See www.stephen-knapp.com/articles_to_read.

Source(s):

experience

Answer 27

As I question the existence of God...there can be no church that is the church of God. Additionally, it's just this thinking that results in the bloodshed that faith has begotten humanity since the beginnings of religion. PEACE!

Answer 28

Catholics.

Answer 29

the true church of god is the church of the invisible pink unicorns

Source(s):

:p
lol

Answer 30

How do you know that, supposing there is a "TRUE" Church of God, that it is now non-existent because it became lost in history?

Answer 31

The Catholic Church.