Mormonism and Catholicism

Having studied both Mormonism and Catholicism over the years, I couldn’t help but notice such strikingly similar attributes. What is the relevance of Catholicism to Mormonism in this day age you might ask? Because I believe that Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is facing the exact same criticism that John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, faced when he ran for President.

You see, when JFK was running for President, many felt that as a Catholic, he would bow to the authority of the Pope, even if it was not in the interest of the United States to do so. But as we now know, the American people got past that and ended up electing Kennedy to office.

So what common ties would Catholicism and Mormonism have, you might ask?

First, both religions have a large hierarchy on Earth. Catholicism has priests, bishops, cardinals, all the way up to the Pope. Mormonism has elders, stake presidents, the Quorum of the Twelve, all the way up to the President. I might be leaving out some in the chains of command, but you’ll have to forgive me. Regardless, I think you see the basic point.

Second, in line with the first point, both have one main leader who is infallible on matters of faith and morals. When the Pope is speaking “ex cathedra” on matters of faith and morals, he is infallible. In the same vein, the Mormons teach that their President will never lead them astray.

Third, both limit the authority of the Bible. Catholics believe that you need the Catholic Church to tell you how to interpret the Bible, which is probably why they used to lock Bibles up hundreds of years ago. Mormons only trust the Bible “insofar as it is accurately translated.” Basically, they believe that much of the King James Bible (their only “viable” translation) is still corrupt and only Joseph Smith could see through the errors in it.

As a result of that, we’re led to the fourth similarity which is that both religions add to the Bible. The Catholics include apocryphal and deuterocanonical literature such as the Maccabbean books, Judith, Tobit, and others in their Bibles. Most Protestants don’t regard these books as canonical, meaning that they have no place in the canon of legitimate scriptures. The Mormons add the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants to their required reading list.

Fifth, both religions believe that the destiny of the soul after death can be influenced by the actions of people living on Earth. For instance, the Catholics believe (or at least did at one time) that you could pray for someone else’s soul to leave Purgatory and enter Heaven after death. The Mormons believe in baptism for the dead, a doctrine that allows living individuals to be baptized in the place of deceased individuals. This is also known as “proxy baptism.”

Sixth, corresponding to baptism, both Catholics and Mormons believe that it is essential for salvation. Of course, Catholics “baptize” infants with sprinkling, while Mormons believe in adult immersion. Nonetheless, they both subscribe to it as a necessary part of their faith.

Seventh, both are plagued by scandalous and embarassing histories. The Catholic church really has a great deal, but they’ve been around much longer than the LDS. For instance, indulgences were sold to families who wanted to bail their loved ones out of purgatory. Throughout history, those who were branded as “heretics” went through tortorous inquisitions. The LDS (Mormon) Church is best known for its previous stances on polygamy and for the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Eighth, both religions are known for changing their positions on doctrine. The Catholic Church just recently distanced itself from the long-held doctrine of “limbo,” which is one of the many stances that the Roman Catholic Church has “flip-flopped” on. As for Mormons, until 1978, African-Americans were not allowed to serve in the priesthood of the LDS church. Of course, a major doctrine that the LDS changed their position on was the allowance of polygamy. The LDS has also been known to make certain changes to the Book of Mormon over the years.

Many really slam Mormons for their “wacky” beliefs like protective underwear, but is it really all that different from being able to purchase salvation?

My point in this post is not to offend Mormons or Catholics. Instead, I’m trying to show how every religion has its own peculiarities. Obviously these two religions have their major differences. But I think the case can be made that in many ways, they are the same. Both are centered around a faith in Jesus Christ. Both uphold strong moral standards. Even as an outsider from these religions, I believe that they both can be admired in many ways.

So I say to you who would not vote for Mitt Romney on the basis of his religion: would you vote for a Catholic instead? If not, we’d better throw Sam Brownback and Rudy Giuliani off your list. Would you vote for a pre-millenialist Protestant? I guess that would affect President Bush and President Eisenhower.

Mitt Romney makes an excellent point when it comes to this subject. He says that most Americans have some kind of faith, and they want to elect someone who has faith. But they aren’t electing a leader in their church. They’re not electing someone on the basis of what church they are a member of. They want someone who shares their values, not necessarily their religious beliefs.

Note: I know there are ways I could delve deeper into the similarities of the LDS Church and the Roman Catholic Church, but I didn’t feel it was necessary at this point. In the future, I may revise this post and add more. Thanks for reading.