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Every major area of Catholic and LDS comparative theology — the questions that matter most, examined with rigor and charity.

The case for the Catholic Church is not built on a single argument but on a convergence of evidence across many domains. Explore each topic below to see how Scripture, the Church Fathers, history, and logical coherence point in the same direction.

The Holy Eucharist & Real Presence

Did Christ mean His words at the Last Supper literally? The unanimous voice of the early Church answers clearly — and the LDS tradition has no comparable sacramental theology to offer.

Key Questions

  • What did John 6 mean to the first Christians?
  • How did the Fathers understand "This is My Body"?
  • Why did early Christians die rather than offer pagan sacrifice?

Apostolic Succession & Ecclesial Authority

Christ promised His Church would never fail. Apostolic succession is not a medieval invention — it is the very mechanism the earliest Christians identified as the mark of the true Church.

Key Questions

  • What does Matthew 16:18 actually establish?
  • How did Ignatius, Irenaeus, and Clement understand authority?
  • Can a "Great Apostasy" be reconciled with Christ's promises?

The Nature of God & the Trinity

The LDS King Follett Discourse teaches that God was once a man who progressed to exaltation. This is not a refinement of Christianity — it is a fundamental departure from every strand of historic Christian theology.

Key Questions

  • Is God eternal and immutable, or a progressed being?
  • What did "I AM WHO I AM" mean to Israel and the Fathers?
  • How does the Trinity differ from LDS tritheism?

Salvation, Grace & Exaltation

The LDS doctrine of exaltation — becoming gods — is the central soteriological claim of the tradition. How does it compare to the Catholic understanding of grace, divinization, and the gift of eternal life?

Key Questions

  • What is the Catholic doctrine of divinization (theosis)?
  • Does D&C 132 represent a biblical vision of salvation?
  • How does grace differ from LDS "working toward" exaltation?
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Scripture, Canon & Sola Scriptura

Both Protestantism and Mormonism, in different ways, claim the Bible as their foundation — yet both reject the authority of the Church that defined its canon. Who gave us the Bible, and by what authority? The historical answer presents a profound challenge to both traditions.

Key Questions

  • How was the biblical canon determined, and by whom?
  • Does "Sola Scriptura" appear anywhere in Scripture itself?
  • How does LDS "open canon" compare to the Catholic understanding of Tradition?
  • What do the Dead Sea Scrolls and manuscript evidence tell us about biblical reliability?

LDS History & Truth Claims

A prophetic tradition rises or falls on the reliability of its historical claims. Joseph Smith's plural marriages, the First Vision accounts, and the archaeological silence surrounding the Book of Mormon all deserve honest examination.

Key Questions

  • Why do four First Vision accounts differ significantly?
  • What does archaeology say about Book of Mormon geography?
  • What does the LDS Church's own Gospel Topics essays concede?
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The Great Apostasy

LDS theology requires a total apostasy of Christ's Church, making a restoration necessary. But the historical and biblical record presents a continuous, identifiable community of faith stretching from Pentecost to today.

Key Questions

  • Did Christ promise His Church would survive until His return?
  • Where is the "gap" in the patristic record?
  • Can restoration theology survive Matthew 16:18?

Covenant Theology & Salvation History

Catholic progressive revelation sees God's covenants building cumulatively toward their fulfillment in Christ. LDS primordial dispensationalism inverts this — placing the fullest revelation at the beginning, not the end.

Key Questions

  • How do the Old and New Covenants relate to one another?
  • What is "typology" and why does it matter for LDS claims?
  • Does the Book of Mormon present a coherent salvation history?
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