I recently saw a bumpersticker advertising www.exmormon.com. I checked it out, and a couple of clicks later ended up on your web sight. After reading several articles and letters, I have come to the conclusion that the basic differences between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and "mainstream" Christianity are minimal.

The way I see it, all this talk comes down to one essential theme: the grace of Christ. Correct me if you think my idea is wrong, but mainstream Christians believe that because of Christ's death and resurrection, all who have accepted him into their hearts will, in fact, receive salvation. Works, according to mainstreamers, are simply an outward expression of their salvation, but are not essential to salvation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, however, believes that the grace of Christ saves, but that works are essential to receive that grace.

Let's say I am a member of the aformentioned church, and have accepted Christ into my heart, and do know that his grace is how I will be saved, then why quibble over the works I do--over and above--the grace I fully accept, even if these works, according to mainstream Christians, do me no good?

I would just like your opinion.

Thanks,

Aaron

-------------------------------------------- Aaron,

Evidently, you did not read the site very carefully.

First off, there are other, even more important differences than how we look at Grace. Although we are poles apart even on that.

But Eternal Progression and plurality of gods are what mainstreamers really see as the most foundational problem with Mormonism. The Lorenzo Snow couplet, for example, expresses that basic problem. "As man now is, God once was; As God now is, Man may become." Huge difference.

And, Aaron, if the differences are, as you say, minimal, then there was no need for the Latter-day Restoration. Read the introduction to your own authorized History of the Church. B. H. Roberts took one hundred pages to say that if the differences between existing Christianity and the Restoration are not huge then there was no reason whatsoever for the Restoration of occur. And, if the differences are minimal, you'd better tell the God of the Pearl of Great Price who supposedly said, all other churches are wrong, their creeds abominable, and those who profess those creeds corrupt.

Give me the honest Latter-day Saints of yesterday who fought for the establishment of what they believed to be the Restoration of Christianity in the face of a corrupt Christianity. Better that than the lilly-livered hand wringing coming down from the Church Office Building today: "Can't we all just get along? Sniff, sniff."

Jim