Greetings!
Here is the final copy of my paper. Please know a few things before reading it. 1.) This is an academic paper, which is to include no personal opinion, rather a presentation of information. 2.) This is not a personal stance or statement of belief and lastely, 3.) This was written in a matter of two days, so give me some grace when reading it. :-) I have only included the content and have omitted my cover page, works cited and appendix. If you desire to see these things, just pm me.
I am open to feedback, but the paper has already been submitted, so I can not change anything for the purposes of my grade/professor.
“And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:30-33, ESV).
Introduction
There has never been anyone as controversial as this man, Jesus, in all of human history. Some call him teacher or rabbi; others see him as a great role model. He has been called a prophet, while others consider him the savior from their sins. Some call him Messiah, while others say he did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies (Skarsaune, 2008). Wars have been fought in his name while others have advocated his message is peace. For the last two thousand years, Jesus from Nazareth has been the central figure of the Christian faith and continues to be the figurehead of the world’s largest religion. This man who was born to a virgin in humble origins spent only three years of his life teaching. Those three years catapulted him into a gruesome execution and the beginning of a new world religion. Even today, this controversial man has different significance to many who follow his teaching and call themselves Christian. This paper will explore the significance Jesus from Nazareth has to two major Christian denominations that have had a major influence in American culture: Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The understanding and profession of who Jesus is by each Christian group will be examined by first comparing the group’s doctrine of Jesus to what the Christian Bible says of him. To ensure the validity of what is considered Christian doctrine, the use of Christian scripture will be supported by the Nicene Creed. This creed, written during the fourth century at the Council of Nicea, was an attempt at maintaining correct theology for all professing Christians. Today, it is accepted by nearly all major Christian denominations including Catholicism, Greek Orthodox and most Protestants and is considered orthodox Christian teaching. The similarities and differences will become evident through the evaluation of self-proclaimed doctrine and the doctrine of the Christian Bible and the Nicene Creed.
Mormonism
One could argue that the most controversial religious movement in the United States has been that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This religious movement, which started during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century, has grown to become one of the nation’s largest Christian denominations in the United States today (Dazey, 2008). While praying in a grove of trees, seeking understanding of which Christian denomination was the right one, founder Joseph Smith claims to have been witness to a vision of God the Father and God the Son proclaiming that none of the denominations were correct (Hansen, 2005). It is the revelation that Smith later received on gold tablets that became the foundation for the new Christian denomination that had the true understanding of truth.
What significance does Jesus have to this religious group? He is, after all, part of their name! According to Robert Millet (2005), Jesus is the center of the entire denomination. He states that Joseph Smith had this to say of Jesus: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” It would seem that every doctrine of the Mormon denomination hinges on the man, Jesus.
Mormon doctrine teaches that Jesus has three different phases of existence – premortal, mortal and post-mortal. Each phase paints an understanding of how Mormons perceive the characteristics of Jesus from Nazareth. He is perceived in the premortal phase as being the firstborn spirit child of God, thus implying there are other spirit children of God (Millet, 2005). He is also said to be the one who has revealed prophecy to the earth since the fall of Adam. Mormon doctrine teaches the mortal phase is the model that the Mormon Church has to follow. This is the period Mormons should strive to imitate in order to acquire divine nature (Millet, 2005). Joseph Smith’s Doctrines and Covenants teaches that Jesus attained his divinity during his mortal phase, rather than being God incarnate. Smith teaches that follower can also attain divinity by following Jesus’ example. "Then they shall be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them" (D&C132:20). In his 2005 article, Millet states that Jesus inherited his mortality from his mortal mother, Mary while he inherited immortality from God the Father. He continues by stating that this unique nature, being divine and human, enabled him to, “assume the burdens and effects of the sins of all mankind and, in doing so, to engage suffering and anguish beyond what a mere mortal could endure … [and] he was able to submit to physical death, to willingly lay down his life and then take up his body again in the resurrection” (p. 725). It is the post-mortal phase where Jesus has raised himself from the dead and is preparing his millennial reign on earth.
\tA major divergence in the understanding of Jesus in the Mormon tradition from orthodox Christianity is that of the trinity (McDermott, 2008). While Mormon doctrine teaches that Jesus was not always existent, as part of the trinity, they teach the divinity of his mortal and post-mortal phases. Rather than consider Jesus as part of a trinity, Mormons prefer to describe the Christian understanding of the trinity as a Godhead (Porter, 2008). Some would consider this separation of the trinity to be a polytheistic position. Rather than three gods in one or three distinct dimensions of one God, Mormon doctrine teachers three distinct gods. McDermott (2008) suggests that the true doctrine of the Godhead in Mormonism is not polytheistic, rather henotheistic. This is simply where there is a supreme god who reigns over lesser, subordinate gods.
\tThere are various differences between the testimony of Jesus as portrayed in the Christian Bible and the Book of Mormon that we do not have time to explore. To compare the understanding of whom Jesus is to Mormons to the understanding of the Nicene Creed and the New Testament, one would see a lot of similarities yet a lot of important differences. Porter (2008) has this to say about the way they perceive Jesus of Nazareth: “The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms that it is a Christian faith denomination, a body of believers who worship Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who witness that salvation is possible only by his atoning blood and grace” (p. 38). Regardless of differences and similarities, one can not deny the influence Mormonism has had in the history of the United States and will continue to have as it attracts new converts daily.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
\tAn even younger movement within Christianity that originated in the United States is that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The movement began when founder, Charles Taze Russell, became enchanted with the teachings of the Adventists who claimed Jesus had returned in 1874 (Weddle, 2005). Russell started a monthly journal where he published his understanding of the Bible in what was called Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence. This eventually developed an organized congregation that gathered to learn scripture from Russell. The small congregation became the Zion Watch Tower and Tract Society which today operates as the Watchtower Society. As of 2002, Jehovah’s Witnesses reportedly had a membership of six million active followers in 234 countries in the world (Weddle, 2005).
\tThe name, Jehovah’s Witnesses, was adopted as the official name of the organization in 1931 and is fairly self-explanatory. Jehovah is what they consider the true name of God in scripture, and they are witnesses to this Jehovah. Today, adherents to this denomination receive teaching concerning doctrine and theology from the Watchtower Society. All published material comes directly from this society that is based out of Brooklyn, New York (Weddle, 2005). So, what is it that the Watchtower Society teaches concerning the life of Jesus from Nazareth?
\tFrom the 2005 Watchtower publication of What does the Bible Really Teach? it is said, “…knowing the truth about Jehovah God and about Jesus Christ can lead to everlasting life on a paradise earth (John 14:6)” (p. 37). Throughout the booklet, it is said that Jesus is the Messiah that had been prophesied about in the Old Testament. During an interview with two lifelong Witnesses, Emily and Seth Gagnon, I asked them if someone were to ask if they were Christians how they would respond. They said this, “We would say that we are Christians, but our first response would be to say, ‘We are Jehovah’s Witnesses’.” If Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus is the Messiah, like all other Christian denominations, what then are the differences in understanding of who Jesus is that separate Jehovah’s Witnesses and the rest of Christendom? Why do they consider themselves separate from the rest of Christendom?
\tMuch like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Watchtower Society teaches that Jesus was created by Jehovah therefore he is not a god because he has a beginning. Jehovah God on the other hand knows no beginning or end, therefore this is what makes him the one true God. The difference then between the Mormon understandings of Jesus’ creation is that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe Jesus of Nazareth to be divine. While Jesus attained divinity in the Mormon tradition, Jesus, while being the Messiah, is not divine according to Watchtower doctrine. The Nicene Creed, as accepted by most orthodox Christians, says that Jesus is, “begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made”. This is a major point of separation from orthodox Christian teaching. A result of Jesus being only human, not divine, is the abandonment of the concept of the trinity. As Emily and Seth Gagnon pointed out during our interview, the word ‘trinity’ does not appear anywhere in the Bible.
\tThe Gagnons explained the importance of Jesus to Jehovah’s Witnesses is his perfection. They described it this way: When Adam sin, humans became imperfect (thus implying his perfection prior to ‘the fall’). The offspring of Adam are all imperfect as a result of his sin. Because Jesus existed with God for millions and billions of years, he had acquired the likeness of Jehovah. When Jesus came to earth, he lived a perfect life regardless of temptation or suffering. Since he lived a perfect life and was yet executed (not crucified), the imbalance of Adam’s sin has become balanced. Because of Jesus, humans can attain perfection and live in paradise free from imperfection. The life of Jesus is essentially the example that Witnesses have to follow. This, more or less, makes Jesus a role model of moral excellence. This notion is supported by the book What does the Bible Really Teach? that was given to me by the Gagnon family. The book describes Jesus as: teacher, compassionate, humble, treated others with dignity, sensitive, able to perform miracles, empathetic, able to resist temptations, able to maintain self-control and lastly, faithful to the point of death.
\tNot only did Jesus restore harmony to a corrupt system, but he serves a purpose for the future. Witnesses believe that Jesus is waiting in Heaven and will be used to restore God’s kingdom on Earth (Gagnon). He will reign as the supreme King over God’s kingdom. Much like other Christian perspectives of the millennium, Jesus will return to usher in Jehovah’s kingdom, but only God the Father knows the day and time.
Conclusion
\tWhile Jesus plays a significant role in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to Jehovah’s Witnesses who are a part of the Watchtower Society, it is evident that the understanding of who Jesus is departs from the orthodox Christian understanding of who he is. Mormons say he is a son of God who acquired divinity and because of this, they are able to attain divinity as well. Jehovah Witnesses profess him as the Messiah who was sent to restore harmony to the unbalanced system, the result of sin.
\tThe relative nature of Jesus’ divine nature is a source of much controversy. It does not stop here. People will continue to claim to possess the true knowledge of who Jesus from Nazareth was. This discussion will continue the controversy for ages to come. The truth will be revealed, I suppose, when he returns to establish God’s kingdom for the millennial age.
\tJesus said this of his second coming: “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24: 4-12, ESV).
