There is no right or wrong answer but here are a few
things to keep in mind.
First, remember that Mormon missionaries have been
spending a lot of time preparing to talk to you. They are usually very well prepared and they have a game-plan. If
you are not equally prepared it is very easy to become overwhelmed.
When I first allowed the Missionaries into my home
I knew there were problems with Mormonism because I had heard many Christian leaders that I respected say so. But the bottom
line is I had no idea what those problem areas were! And the truth is, everything those missionaries said that day
sounded good! I told them I was a Christian. They said that was great because they were too. I told them I was not going to
become a Mormon. That's fine, they said, we'd just like to share the plan of our heavenly father with you.
The bottom line was they took control of the conversation
and gave me their entire first lesson. They answered any objection I raised and then asked if they could return. I am not
one to turn people away so I said, "sure". If you would have asked them right after that first meeting, I'm sure they would
have felt they were right on track to convert me to Mormonism in just a few more meetings!
The fact is, they do it all the time. And they're
good at it. That's how the Mormon church grows. Many of the new converts in the U.S. were already professing Christians.
That's when I decided I really needed to study Mormonism. So I
did. I took a crash course and when they returned in a couple weeks, things went very differently. I had researched some of
the major problems with Mormonism and I presented some of those problems to them.
Don't get me wrong, these were very nice guys. I know
they are sincere in what they believe. I realize they have made tremendous sacrifices in order to follow the call of their
church and share Mormonism with others. I admire them for that. Nearly all of the Mormons I've ever met are very nice people.
But this is not about how Mormons behave or how dedicated they are. The fact is, the Mormon church makes some very specific
truth claims. And those claims are either correct or not correct. My study of those Mormon truth claims and the history
surrounding the founding of the Mormon church has been more than enough to prove to me beyond any doubt that Mormonism is
built on a lie. A very intricate and enticing lie, but a lie nonetheless.
When I confronted the missionaries with historical
evidence from their own sources that they themselves had never heard about (like the problems with the Book
of Abraham) it took them by surprise. They ended up doing what good Latter-day Saints are instructed to do whenever they
are faced with a difficult or faith-challenging situation... they began reciting their testimony which goes something like:
"I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and I know that the Book of Mormon is true..." as if somehow repeating a statement
of faith as though it were fact makes it so.
We eventually had another meeting but by then I had
gained even more information on Mormonism and it became obvious to them that I was a lost cause.
What became very clear to me was the difference
a little knowledge made. The first time the missionaries came I was simply ignorant about Joseph Smith and Mormonism. Sure,
I knew how to talk about Jesus and about the Bible and about Christianity. But that had very little effect because
they claimed to already believe in Jesus and the Bible and they claimed to be Christians!
This is a key point that a lot of Christians miss.
It's extremely difficult to effectively share the gospel with people who think they already know it and accept it and, in
fact, know more about it than you do and have additional revelation that you don't have access to!
That's why it's important for Christians who want
to be able to give reasons "for the hope that we have" to study some of the claims of Mormonism before attempting to
witness to them. Mormonism is somewhat unique in that it's followers claim to be Christian and yet ultimately reject the Jesus
of mainline Christianity.
When I began to study the claims of Mormonism it quickly
became obvious that those claims are false. There are hundreds if not thousands of well documented problems. Failed prophecies.
Inconsistent revelation. Prophets ascribing things to God that go against Biblical teaching. The list goes on and on. In my
personal search I began to focus on 5 major areas that I wanted to present to the missionaries and see how they responded. The
bottom line was, they couldn't effectively respond.
If you are currently interacting
with Mormon missionaries or if you simply want to prepare yourself, consider learning more about those 5 major problem areas
of Mormonism by ordering Mormonism's Greatest Problems. It's a good place to start. You'll hear a brief history of the Mormon church as well as information from experts like
Sandra Tanner and Bill McKeever.
