Having over thirty percent of the world’s populating following one religion does not come easy.
With an astounding two-point four billion people in the world following Christianity, the religion has its own set of sub-divisions that has been existing since time immemorial.
Mormon and Catholic are arguably found under the wing of Christianity, with several sets of conflicts to each of their names.
Key Takeaways
- Mormons belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, while Catholics are members of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Mormons believe in additional scriptures, such as the Book of Mormon, while Catholics rely on the Bible as their sole sacred text.
- The Mormon Church has a lay clergy, while the Catholic Church has a hierarchical structure with ordained priests, bishops, and the Pope.
Mormon vs Catholic
Mormons believe in God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. They also believe in the Book of Mormon, which they believe to be an additional testament of Jesus Christ. Catholics believe in the Holy Trinity (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and the divinity of Jesus Christ. They follow the teachings of the Bible and the traditions of the Catholic Church.
Mormons is a term used in reference to the followers of Mormonism, which is a religious and cultural group. Mormonism was brought to life by Joseph Smith.
Founded in the 1820s in New York, Mormonism is the fourth largest religious group present in the United States. A relatively newer culture, Mormonism is refused to be considered under Christianity.
Catholicism holds the golden title of being the oldest Church that was founded by Lord Christ himself. This is the purest form of the Christian religion with over one billion Christians baptized worldwide.
Catholicism is taken forward and preserved by the Pope, Bishops, and Patriarchs. The Roman Catholic Church is attributed majorly to the building of civilization. It is one of the oldest found forms of religion.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Mormon | Catholic |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Mormon originates from New York. | The catholic religion hails from the Holy Land, Judea. |
| Founded By | Mormons follow Joseph Smith and his thoughts, and principles. | The Catholics resolutely learn and practice the teachings of Jesus Christ. |
| Teachings | The Old and New Testaments, Doctrine & Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, and most importantly, The Book of Mormon. | Catholics include the sayings of the Old and New Testaments. |
| Priesthood | Any worthy Mormon can play his part as a priest. | Celibate males with Holy Orders alone are eligible to be Catholic priests. |
| Presided By | The Church is presided or held over by a seer, prophet, and revelator. | The successor of the apostle Peter is widely called the Pope. |
What is Mormon?
Originating from the Latter Day Saint Movement, Mormonism emerged as a significant cultural and religious group, marking its presence across the globe.
Mormons refer to the followers of Joseph Smith, the term is used to denote The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Mormonism is the fourth largest religious denomination found in the United States, making it difficult to brush aside.
Mormons contain members who can be religious in a dependent or independent fashion, secular, and belong to any other divisions. Mormonism is not acknowledged as a branch under Christianity, despite the similarity of their practices.
Mormonism is criticized for its acceptance of polygamy, despite its preachings towards holding family values. The teachings held and hailed among Mormons are mostly derived from the Old and New Testaments.
Despite their self-identification as Christians, several do not consider Mormons as a part of the father religion. This is a long-standing issue. The Book of Morman is a major influence on the functioning of Mormons.
Mormonism emerged during the 1820s, spreading its roots wide and fast. Doctrine & Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price are some other important books.
One of the major Mormon beliefs is that the Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father are entities of three different kinds but are “one in the mission”.
The LDS Church claims that Joseph Smith had a vision of the angel Moroni who is then said to have guided Smith to the ancient prophets containing holy teachings, which is translated into The Book of Mormon.
What is Catholic?
Christianity is perhaps the most popular, followed, and practiced religion to exist in the world.
With one-third of the global population following the teachings of Jesus Christ, who is said to have lived in the first century AD in the Holy Land of Judea, located in the Roman Empire.
The theology followed by the Catholic Church is derived from the new and old Testament.
The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest to exist and is widely preached. The core Catholic beliefs can be found in the Nicene Creed.
Most Catholics and Protestants refuse to consider other subsidiary divisions of Christianity as pure religion, sparking several debates and conflicts.
Catholic Churches fall under the command of the Pope, Bishops, and Patriarchs. One of the fundamental beliefs of Catholics about the Holy Trinity is that the three individuals, namely, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are made of a singular substance.
Catholics stoutly believe that God is Trinitarian and therefore, does not own or possess a physical body.
They further preach about the existence of a single God, pure in spirit, the world’s designer who is powerful, good, holy, and worthy of mankind’s worship and love.
Used as a reference to the Roman Catholic Church, the religion claims that Christ proclaims the church to be built on the rock that is assumed to be the apostle Peter.
Catholicism remains to be the biggest branch of Christianity.
Main Differences Between Mormon and Catholic
- Mormon refers to the followers of Mormonism, founded in the 1820s, whereas Catholic refers to the followers of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Mormonism follows the teachings of Joseph Smith. Catholics preach the words of Lord Christ.
- Mormonism believes that The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate entities. Catholics believe that the three are individuals with the same substance.
- Mormons believe in the physical body presence of the Almighty, while Catholics perceive the Holy Spirit to be formless.
- Mormons allow for any worthy member to practice priesthood, while Catholics only accept celibate males with the blessings of the Holy Order to practice the same.
- https://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/ehrafe/citation.do?method=citation&forward=browseCulturesFullContext&col=collection(%27/eHRAF/ethnography/NorthAmer/NT24%27)&docId=nt24-001&tocOffsetId=tocPubInfoP
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=PBIoAH4ko3kC&oi=fnd&pg=PP15&dq=catholics&ots=LtNGIaJRBj&sig=9_9hry7TixpmmdW5Hi-PMCuVmn0
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
Interesting that the commonalities are addressed as well as the differences
The teaching differences between the two are outlined well
The level of detail in this post is really impressive, everything is well explained
Mormonism’s non-recognition under Christianity is peculiar and interesting
I am surprised that this post takes such a comprehensive look at the differences between Mormonism and Catholicism.
This article serves as an excellent reference to understand the core differences between Mormonism and Catholicism