Latter-day Saint Doctrine and Catholic Teaching in Contrast
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Chart I
Priesthood Offices vs. Holy Orders
LDS Priesthood Offices
Catholic Holy Orders
Aaronic Priesthood (ages 11+)
— No equivalent; Aaronic order fulfilled in Christ —
Deacon
Passes the sacrament; age 11–12
Deacon (Ordained Minister)
Proclaims the Gospel, assists at the altar, baptizes, witnesses marriages; permanent or transitional
Teacher
Home teaching; prepares sacrament; age 14+
— No parallel office —
Teaching authority belongs to the ordained and to catechists under episcopal mandate
Priest
Blesses the sacrament, baptizes; age 16+
Priest (Presbyter)
Offers the Eucharistic sacrifice in persona Christi; absolves sins; anoints the sick; ordained through apostolic succession
Melchizedek Priesthood (age 18+)
Fullness of the Sacrament of Orders
Elder
Confirms, gives blessings, serves mission; most common adult male office
Priest / Pastor
Shepherd of a parish; full sacramental ministry except ordination and (normally) Confirmation
High Priest
Presides over stakes and wards; administrative leadership
Bishop (Episcopos)
Fullness of priesthood; ordains priests and deacons; governs a diocese; successor of the Apostles
Seventy
General or area authority; assists the Twelve; missionary oversight
Archbishop / Metropolitan
Bishop who leads a province of dioceses; coordinates regional governance
Apostle (Quorum of the Twelve)
Highest governing body under the First Presidency; "special witnesses of Christ"
Cardinal
Senior advisors to the Pope; elect the successor of Peter; govern major sees and curial offices
Prophet / President of the Church
Living prophet, seer, and revelator; presides over all; receives new revelation for the Church
Pope (Bishop of Rome)
Successor of St. Peter; supreme pastor and teacher; exercises infallible teaching authority under defined conditions; Vicar of Christ
The LDS priesthood was "restored" in 1829. The Catholic priesthood has been conferred in unbroken succession from the Apostles — documented, historical, and continuous for two thousand years.
Chart II
Temple Ordinances vs. Catholic Sacraments
LDS Ordinances
Catholic Sacraments
Ordinances of Initiation
Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism by Immersion
Age 8+; by one holding Aaronic Priesthood; remission of sins and entry into the Church
Baptism
Infants or converts; removes original sin; infuses sanctifying grace; imprints indelible character; incorporation into Christ and His Church
Confirmation / Gift of the Holy Ghost
By Melchizedek Priesthood holder; bestows the "constant companionship" of the Spirit
Confirmation
Bishop or delegated priest; strengthens baptismal grace; imprints permanent character; full outpouring of the Holy Spirit with His sevenfold gifts
The true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ; the sacrifice of Calvary re-presented; source and summit of the Christian life; available daily
Ordinances of Healing & Blessing
Sacraments of Healing
Blessing of the Sick
Anointing with oil by Melchizedek Priesthood holders; healing and comfort
Anointing of the Sick
Administered by a priest; confers grace, forgiveness, and sometimes physical healing; preparation for passing to eternal life
Repentance (through Bishop's interview)
Confession to bishop for serious sins; bishop may impose disciplinary action; no sacramental absolution
Confession (Reconciliation)
Sacramental absolution by a priest acting in persona Christi; sins truly forgiven by Christ's authority; seal of confession absolute and inviolable
Ordinances of Vocation & Covenant
Sacraments of Vocation
Temple Sealing (Marriage)
Performed in the temple; binds husband and wife "for time and all eternity"; requires temple recommend
Holy Matrimony
Sacrament conferring grace on the spouses; indissoluble bond reflecting Christ's union with the Church; open to all baptized Catholics in a state of grace
Ordination to the Priesthood
Conferred on virtually all worthy males age 11+; two tiers (Aaronic, Melchizedek); no apostolic succession required
Holy Orders
Sacramental ordination of deacons, priests, and bishops; imprints indelible character; requires apostolic succession; confers power to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice
Temple-Only Ordinances
Catholic Parallels
Initiatory (Washing & Anointing)
Symbolic washing and anointing; prerequisite for endowment; performed in the temple
Baptismal Rites & Chrismation
Anointing with sacred chrism at Baptism and Confirmation; no separate "initiatory" required
The Endowment
Dramatic presentation of creation, fall, and covenant-making; sacred clothing; signs and tokens; passing through the veil
— No parallel —
The Mass itself is the supreme act of worship; no additional esoteric ritual required. Christ tore the veil (Matt 27:51); access to God is through the Eucharist, not through signs and tokens
Baptism for the Dead
Vicarious baptism performed by proxy in the temple on behalf of deceased persons
Prayers for the Dead / Purgatory
The faithful departed are aided by Masses, prayers, and indulgences offered on their behalf; the Communion of Saints unites the living and the dead
The seven Catholic sacraments convey grace ex opere operato — by the power of Christ working through them. LDS ordinances are covenantal commitments made by the individual. One is God acting; the other is man promising.
Chart III
Plan of Salvation vs. Catholic Eschatology
LDS Plan of Salvation
Catholic Eschatology
Pre-Mortal Existence
Before Earthly Life
Pre-mortal Spirit World
All humans existed as spirit children of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother before birth; chose to follow Christ's plan
— No pre-mortal existence —
Each human soul is created by God at conception; the soul does not pre-exist the body (Lateran Council V, 1513)
Mortal Life
Mortal Life
A Test and Probation
Mortality is a time to gain a physical body, be tested, and prove worthiness through obedience to LDS ordinances and covenants
Pilgrimage Toward God
Life is a journey of faith, sustained by grace and the sacraments; we grow in holiness through cooperation with God's grace, not by earning merit through a checklist of ordinances
After Death
After Death
Spirit World (Paradise / Prison)
Righteous go to spirit paradise; others to spirit prison where they may accept the gospel through missionary work by the dead
Particular Judgment
Immediately after death, each soul faces judgment: heaven (directly or through purgatory) or hell. There is no post-mortem conversion or second chance
— No purgatory —
The concept is rejected; "spirit prison" serves a partially similar role but includes the possibility of accepting LDS ordinances after death
Purgatory
A state of purification for those who die in God's grace but with remaining imperfections; aided by the prayers and Masses of the living
Final State (Three Kingdoms)
Final State (Two Destinies)
Celestial Kingdom
Those who received all LDS ordinances and lived faithfully; become gods and create spirit children; eternal marriage
Heaven (Beatific Vision)
The soul sees God face to face; perfect, eternal communion with the Trinity; not becoming a god but sharing in God's own life by grace — true theosis (2 Peter 1:4)
Terrestrial Kingdom
Honorable people who rejected the LDS gospel in life; lesser glory; visited by Christ but not the Father
— No "middle kingdom" —
Scripture presents two roads, not three: "Enter by the narrow gate" (Matt 7:13–14). There is no graduated glory — only union with God or separation from Him
Telestial Kingdom
The wicked who rejected Christ; still a kingdom of glory, superior to earthly life; visited by the Holy Spirit
Hell
Eternal separation from God; freely chosen by the soul's final rejection of grace; not a "kingdom of glory" but the definitive loss of God — the supreme tragedy of existence
Outer Darkness
Reserved only for Satan, his angels, and "sons of perdition" who deny the Holy Ghost with full knowledge; virtually no one goes here
— Encompassed within Hell —
There is no separate "outer darkness." Hell is hell. The Church warns that it is a real and permanent possibility for any soul that definitively rejects God
Exaltation / Becoming Gods
The faithful become gods, create worlds, produce spirit children, and continue the eternal cycle
Theosis / Divinization
Participation in the divine nature by grace (2 Peter 1:4). Creatures do not become new gods or creators. The distinction between Creator and creature is eternal and absolute
The LDS plan softens the stakes — almost everyone receives a "kingdom of glory." Catholic eschatology preserves the biblical drama: two roads, one choice, eternal consequences. Heaven is not becoming a god. It is seeing God as He is (1 John 3:2).