Elder Ballard responds to evangelical criticism

SALT LAKE CITY — When it comes to the big theological questions about God, Mormons and evangelical Christians will have to agree to disagree, a Mormon church authority said Wednesday. "They're locked into the Nicene Creed . . . We're locked into the restoration and the experiences of Joseph Smith," said Elder M. Russell Ballard, a senior leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "And that will undoubtedly be an issue until God himself comes." In the meantime, Mormons will keep talking about their faith, hoping to bridge the gap by sharing their beliefs, he said. A member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Mormonism's second-highest leadership body, Ballard was responding to an Associated Press story about the theological split between Mormons and Christian conservatives that has followed church member Mitt Romney's Republican presidential campaign. In keeping with the church's position on political neutrality, Ballard did not discuss Romney specifically or comment on his campaign. Some evangelicals dismiss Mormonism as a cult, citing as proof the faith's beliefs about the nature of God, the Trinity and dismissing its central text, the Book of Mormon, as invalid. Ballard said Mormons view themselves as Christians with acknowledged differences. For Mormons, God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are three distinct individuals united in purpose, not three in one body as Christians believe. "We're not Catholic and we're not Protestant, but we are the New Testament Church that's been restored because we believe it was lost after the times of Christ and his apostles and was required to be restored through a prophet," he said. "Think in terms of Abraham and Moses . . . Joseph Smith to us is just the Moses of our day." Smith founded the church in 1830. It has grown from six members to nearly 13 million worldwide. Despite the criticism of evangelicals, Mormons embrace all faiths regardless of beliefs, but want to share the answers to some religious questions laid out by Smith in the Book of Mormon. Ballard also shied away from the "one, true church" label often associated with the church. "We have additional light and knowledge but everybody has their agency and freedom to listen and believe or not believe," he said. Evangelical concerns that the Mormon belief in continuing revelation could somehow threaten the country by influencing public policies are overblown, Ballard said. Revelation, he said, is most often experienced as a simple answer to a prayer. For all their differences, Mormons have a lot in common with other churches, Ballard said. He said he'd like to see all faiths work together to preserve shared values and grow in mutual understanding.