This topic provides a brief summary of what Mormons believe and how they live, to help non-Mormons understand how our neighbors think and what matters to them.

Living as a religious minority in Utah, we need to understand how our neighbors think and what matters to them. This topic provides a brief summary of what Mormons believe and how they live.

Mormon Beliefs

We can only give a very brief overview in this topic. To learn more, see the series What Mormons Believe on pursueGOD.org. But here is a short summary of what the LDS Church teaches:

• God was once a man who became god, like many others. God once lived on an earth like ours. As such, he had a god before him to whom he answered. He is now an exalted man with a physical body of flesh and bones. There are potentially many other beings like him, but God is the only one of these gods that Mormons have a relationship with. (See “The Trinity: God Is One“)
• The Bible is corrupted, so more scripture and revelation are needed- it alone cannot be trusted because it has been tampered with through the ages. God has given other scriptural books to go along with the Bible, such as the Book of Mormon. God continues to speak today through modern prophets who lead the LDS Church.
• Humans are literal children of God, the same kind of being as him. Humans are eternal, uncreated beings who were given their current form by God. As such, we each have divine potential. We may commit sins, but we’re not sinful by nature.
• Everyone goes to some level of heaven. Even the worst sinners go to the lowest of the three levels. The highest level of heaven is reserved for worthy Mormons who obey all the required laws and rituals. Everyone gets a second chance after death to pursue that goal. (See “The Mormon View of Atonement“)
• Righteous people can become gods. As exalted beings, they can create and populate their own worlds. This happens in the highest level of heaven, and only in eternal family relationships.

Mormons believe that these teachings represent original Christianity. The church Jesus founded was lost through a great apostasy after he died. This one true church and its teachings were restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith.

All this may seem strange to us, but it makes sense to Latter-day Saints. (See “How Christians Should Engage Latter-day Saints“.) Yet be aware that an individual Mormon may not believe all of this doctrine or may believe it in unique ways. Mormons also believe many things that are not part of official LDS doctrine. We call this “folk Mormonism.” You won’t know what they believe until they tell you.

Is Mormonism a Cult?

This is a fair question in light of Mormon beliefs. To answer it, consider three common definitions of a “cult.”  First, a cult is a group that is outside the mainstream. In Utah, traditional Christians are outside the mainstream. Second, a cult is a sinister religious group that controls and exploits people, like the groups associated with Jim Jones and David Koresh. This is not really an accurate description of Mormonism. Third, a cult is a group that deviates doctrinally from the biblical norm. In this sense, Mormonism can be called a “cult.”
But the word “cult” is extremely unhelpful in Utah. First, it is limiting. It only deals with ideas or doctrine, not culture and identity. Second, it raises a lot of misunderstandings. Third, people find it offensive. The word has a very negative connotation, so it makes people defensive and they stop listening. If we want to actually make an impact, it’s far more helpful to think of Mormonism as a culture, rather than a cult.

Mormonism Is a Culture

Culture is a way to talk about the particular ways of thinking, speaking and living that are shared by people with a common past and identity. Every one of us is shaped by our culture or subculture. Latter-day Saints think of themselves as a distinct people. They have shared customs, values, lifestyle and identity. They have a unique vocabulary and folklore. They share distinctive rituals and practices. They have unique art, architecture, and music.
As a culture, Mormonism creates a sense of personal identity. Being Mormon is not just what people believe, but who they are. As with any culture, Mormonism defines life for its people. Mormons always know what to do and what is expected because of the norms of their culture.

Traits of Mormon Culture

Of course, no two Mormons are alike. But they do share general cultural traits like these:

• Mormons understand truth through experience. They will encourage their youth to pray about the Book of Mormon, expecting a spiritual experience to verify its truth. This “testimony” experience is very powerful. LDS also often “feel the Spirit” as confirmation of truth or of personal decisions.
• Mormonism is driven by activity, not theology. The LDS Church has no real statement of faith. Membership is more about loyalty than beliefs. It matters more to do the right things than to believe all the right things.
• Mormonism promotes personal achievement. This is rooted in the foundational principle of progression toward godhood. Thus, Mormons usually have a strong work ethic and a drive toward advancement. They are more educated than the norm and embrace self-reliant living. Advancement in church life is important, as is perfecting personal worthiness.
• Mormons tend to be socially and politically conservative. They are more likely to be Republican. They are less likely to engage in sexual activity before or outside of marriage. They are more likely to be married and stay married. In marriage, they tend to practice male authority and traditional marriage roles.
• Mormons are very family oriented. They have larger-than-average families and believe in strong family ties.
• Mormons practice unique dietary restrictions which prohibit the use of tobacco, alcohol and coffee.
• Mormons are fiercely loyal to their church and its leaders. They can be very defensive if they feel the church or its prophets have been attacked or denigrated.

Much more could be said about the Mormon culture. To learn more, we recommend the book Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor by Ross Anderson.

In the next topic, we will explore how Mormons interact with non-Mormons. How can you expect to be treated by your LDS neighbors?

This is part of the Living in Utah series.

In this topic, we will explore how Mormons typically relate to non-Mormons in order to understand the attitudes and experiences one can expect to face as a religious minority in Utah.

Not All Mormons Are the Same

In this series, we focus on traits that generally describe the Mormon people. But every Latter-day Saint is unique. Each one will have different personal beliefs, within the overall framework of Mormonism. Each will have a different level of identification with Mormonism or of loyalty to the LDS Church. Not all are equally assimilated into Mormon culture. People from different regions or generations may experience Mormonism differently. Converts to Mormonism often have a different outlook and experience compared to people born into it. So not all Mormons will relate to non-Mormons in exactly the same ways.

The LDS Church Wants to Convert You

The most significant way that Mormons relate to non-Mormons is that Mormonism is a missionary-minded faith. This is the major point of contention between Latter-day Saints and Christians. Mormons confidently and aggressively seek to win converts from Christian churches.

The LDS Church’s stated purpose is “to preach the gospel to the world.” To do this, they deploy over 50,000 missionaries in 350 regions worldwide. Serving a two-year proselytizing mission is an important rite of passage for LDS young adults. Missionaries seek to lead potential converts through a series of lessons designed to secure a commitment to Mormon baptism. The LDS Church baptizes over 300,000 new converts each year, making them members of the church. The missionaries rely heavily on members to refer their friends for these lessons. The lessons don’t tell the whole truth about Mormon doctrine. They minimize concepts that might be hard for investigators to accept in order to remove barriers that might prevent growth.

Mormons Are Very Sensitive About Their Public Image

Latter-day Saints are usually very conscious of what outsiders think of their church. They want to show Mormonism in only the best possible light. They want to be seen as mainstream and culturally acceptable. This carefully-crafted public image paves the way for more conversions.

Being Non-Mormon in Utah Can Be a Challenge

Beyond the attempts at conversion, other factors make it hard to be a non-Mormon within the heart of Mormon culture.

• Mormons can be insular. Mormonism creates a tightly-knit community. As a result, they can be insular and are not usually tuned in to how this comes across to neighbors or co-workers. Wrapped up in their LDS world, they can be unaware of the lives and experiences of outsiders living among them.
• Non-Mormons can experience isolation. You may be welcomed warmly to your new neighborhood by LDS neighbors until they discover you are not a prospect for conversion. Sometimes outsiders are resented. Often, they are patronized or simply ignored. For example, children can be ostracized by other neighborhood children. The public schools often run under the assumption that everyone is LDS. Of course, these attitudes vary greatly by community or neighborhood. And it can be heightened if Mormons find their Christian neighbors to be distant and unfriendly themselves.
• Others are identified in terms of Mormonism. In Utah, you are either a Mormon, a non-Mormon, an anti-Mormon, or an ex-Mormon. In other words, you will be forced into categories defined by Mormon identity and experience rather than your own.

Our Response

In response to our experience as outsiders, Christians have three options. We can attack Mormonism, as many have. But Mormonism is fueled by a persecution complex. When opposed, the Mormon people resist and grow stronger.

We can agree with Mormonism. But that’s not an option if we are committed to biblical truth.

We can do what Jesus would do. This is what we’re going to explore in our final topic – how would Jesus relate to Mormons? We have a clue in the Bible in John chapter 4.

This is part of the Living in Utah series.

Jesus gives us a clear model in the way he engaged Samaritans—a group that, in his day, occupied a strikingly similar position to today’s Latter-day Saints. He didn’t avoid them, argue them into the ground, or write them off. He crossed cultural lines, initiated honest conversation, and offered something life-changing. If Jesus were walking through a Utah neighborhood today, his approach would look a lot like John 4.

He Would Reject a Hostile Posture

Luke 9 gives us a revealing snapshot. Jesus and his disciples are traveling through Samaria when a village refuses to welcome them. James and John—indignant on Jesus’s behalf—ask for permission to call fire down from heaven. Jesus turns and rebukes them.

Luke 9:54-55 (NIV) When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

That rebuke carries weight. James and John weren’t wrong about Samaritan theology—Samaritans did worship on a different mountain, claimed a different priesthood, and followed a corrupted version of the Torah. But Jesus rebuked them anyway, because being theologically correct doesn’t mean you’re reflecting the heart of Christ toward people who disagree with you.

Christians who live alongside Latter-day Saints face the same temptation. The theological differences between historic Christianity and Mormonism are real and significant—they involve the nature of God, the identity of Jesus, and the basis of salvation. But those differences don’t license contempt or dismissiveness. Jesus rejected that posture in Samaria, and he would reject it today.

He Would Cross Cultural Lines on Purpose

What makes the John 4 account so striking is what Jesus does deliberately. He travels through Samaria—territory most Jews avoided—sits at a public well in the heat of the day, and strikes up a conversation with a Samaritan woman. He even asks her for a drink, making himself the vulnerable one in the exchange.

John 4:9-10 (NIV) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Notice what Jesus doesn’t do here. He doesn’t open with a theological correction or a checklist of Samaritan errors. He opens by being present, by expressing a genuine need, and then by making an offer: living water. Something better than anything the well could give. The woman was probably stunned that a Jewish rabbi spoke to her at all—but Jesus had already decided the relationship was worth the inconvenience.

Building real relationships with people who believe differently requires that same kind of intentionality. It means showing up, being a neighbor, extending hospitality, and sharing your faith naturally as trust builds over time. It doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen from a distance.

He Would Steer toward What Really Matters

The conversation at the well eventually moves to theology. The woman brings up the longstanding worship debate—Mount Gerizim versus Jerusalem. Jesus is direct: salvation is from the Jews. He doesn’t soften the theological reality. But notice where he steers the conversation. He doesn’t push her toward a set of correct propositions. He points her to a person.

John 4:25-26 (NIV) The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

“I am he.” That’s the declaration. Not a theological argument—a personal claim. And she runs back to her village with one question burning in her: could this be the Messiah? That’s what an encounter with Jesus produces, not just an encounter with correct doctrine.

The core disagreements between historic Christianity and the LDS faith aren’t primarily about church history or the Book of Mormon—they’re about who Jesus is and where salvation actually comes from. Understanding those distinctions matters. But keeping Jesus himself at the center of the conversation is what actually moves people. If you’d like to learn more about putting your faith in Jesus, check out How can I become a Christian?

He Would See a Harvest, Not a Lost Cause

After the woman leaves, Jesus tells his disciples the fields are ripe for harvest—and he’s looking at Samaritans coming out of the village to meet him. He sees spiritual potential where his disciples see obstacles. It’s a striking reframe for anyone who looks at a heavily LDS community and assumes it’s unreachable.

People who are deeply religious—who care about God, family, scripture, and eternity—aren’t unreachable. They’re often asking the same questions Christians are. They’re just drinking from a different well. And Jesus’s posture toward the Samaritan woman suggests his posture toward Latter-day Saints might be more hopeful than we expect.

Practically, that means staying rooted in a local church and small group, serving neighbors without an agenda, and keeping the focus on what you’re for rather than what you’re against. It means avoiding the trap of making Mormonism your obsession when Jesus should be your message. And it means extending genuine hospitality—not as a strategy, but as the natural overflow of knowing someone who crossed every barrier to reach you. If you want a deeper look at how Christians and LDS communities compare, this article is worth your time.

The Takeaway

Jesus’s model for relating to Mormons isn’t theological neutrality—he had clear convictions and didn’t hide them. But his approach is marked by presence, honesty, and an offer of grace. Following his example means crossing the lines your culture tells you not to cross, leading with the gift of the gospel rather than a list of corrections, and pointing people to Jesus himself as the only one who can give them living water.