WITNESSING TO MORMONS

adapted from the Christian Apologetics Notebook, by Matthew J. Slick, M. Div.

Witnessing to a Mormon is like trying to climb Jell-O: it's hard to get a foothold. But, if you know what Mormonism teaches then you are already well on your way. Following are basic approaches that should aid you in witnessing to a Mormon. Though none of these approaches are fool proof they will provide you with the basic framework you need to be able to witness to a Mormon. It will be up to you to use what you have learned, develop more skill in witnessing, and perfect your method as you go. Remember, the best way to learn to witness is to witness.

There are two important things to know before you begin evangelizing Mormons. First, you need to understand their definitions to the same biblical words that you use: Trinity, Jesus, Salvation, Heaven, etc. Second, you must be able to show them that they believe in a wrong Jesus. This is important because only the true Jesus gives eternal life (John 10:28), reveals the Father (Matt. 11:27), and sends the Holy Spirit (John 15:26). Once you understand what it is that they are saying, you will be much more able to witness. For the second part, it would be a very good idea to become familiar with An Easy and Powerful Way of Witnessing to the Cults. This method is vitally important because it shows the Mormon why the Jesus that he believes in is the wrong one. You see, faith is only has good as the object in which it is placed. The Mormons have a false Jesus and, therefore, a useless faith. Besides, some of the approaches needed to witness well to them are based upon this easy and powerful method.

To witness means you must teach. To teach means you must understand. To understand means you must know not only what you believe, but also what they believe.

Terminology

When a Mormon says he believes in the Trinity he does not mean the historical orthodox Trinity of one God who exists in three persons. To a Mormon, the Trinity is an office held by three separate gods: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Remember, the correct doctrine of the Trinity is that there is only one God who has existed for eternity. This one God exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are not three separate gods, but only one God.

When a Mormon says he believes in God he does not mean in the one true God, the creator of all things, the One who has always existed from all time. He means he believes in a god who used to be a man on another planet, who followed the laws and ordinances of that god on that planet and became exalted to godhood. And, to top it all off, he has a wife who is a goddess.

If you are in a witnessing situation with a Mormon you might be using the same words, but you won't be speaking the same language. So, it is a very good idea to study Terminology Differences of the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses where the definitions of Mormon terms are explained.

They Have a Testimony

Mormons will bear their testimony to you and tell you that they know the Mormon church is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.

There are two basic approaches you can take.

Ask them where their testimony is.

"In my heart." They'll say.

You say, "Did you know that the Bible says not to trust your heart because it is deceitful?"

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9).

Second, you can ask them how they get their testimony. They will say by the Holy Spirit. Ask, "Who bears witness of the truth?"

They will say that the Holy Spirit does.

Correct him gently by showing him that the Holy Spirit bears witness of Jesus (John 15:26) and that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit (John 15:26).

Once you've shown them that the Holy Spirit is sent from Jesus ask them if a false Jesus will send the true Spirit of God. The answer, of course, is no.

The point is that only the Jesus of the Bible will send the Holy Spirit. If they don't have the right Jesus they can't have the true Holy Spirit, and their testimony is invalid.

Once you've established that they need the true Jesus, you can then show them who He is using the dialogue in the next part of this chapter.

Praying About the Book of Mormon

Mormons believe that if you read the Book of Mormon and then pray and ask God whether or not it is true, you will receive a testimony from the Holy Spirit verifying its truth. If it is true, then Joseph Smith is true and so is Mormonism. Many Mormons claim to have this testimony.

First of all, God never says to pray about truth. He says to search the Scriptures to find truth (Acts 17:11; 2 Tim. 3:16). So, what the Mormon is doing is unbiblical.

Second, it doesn't matter what you feel. If what you feel contradicts the Bible, then what you feel is wrong.

Third, ask them if they ever had to pray about the Bible to see if it is true. Of course they haven't. So why are they supposed to pray about the B. O. M.?

Their answer will be that the B. O. M. says to pray about it.

Still, the Bible says to study God's word for truth, not pray about it.

A common verse that Mormons use to support their belief that you can pray about the B. O. M. is found in James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." They say that because since they believe they're sincere, God will answer them.

First of all, the problem with sincerity is that it becomes works righteousness because the person is saying "Because of my sincerity, God will listen to me." In other words, because of what's in the person God will look favorably upon him. God does not look into a person and find something good because there is in good in anyone (Rom. 3:10-12; Eph. 2:3).

Second, this verse is about wisdom, not about praying to see if the Book of Mormon is true.

In James 1:1 it says, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings." So, the book of James was written to those who were believers and already had the truth. That is why James calls them "brothers" in verse 2.

Third, wisdom is the proper use of knowledge, not the acquisition of knowledge. You acquire true spiritual knowledge from the Bible, not your heart. You don't pray about the B. O. M., you pray about the truth you've learned from the Bible and ask God to teach you more, and how to apply properly what He's already shown you.

What is the Gospel?

The following approach is direct and hard hitting. Sometimes it is necessary to be blunt in order to get their attention. Ask a Mormon "What is the gospel?".

He will say something like, "The gospel is the laws and the ordinances of the Mormon church."

Ask again what it is and listen closely for any hint of the free forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. You usually hear an answer dealing with works, obedience, doing something, etc.

After the person has answered explain that according to the Bible, the gospel is what saves us, what cleanses us of our sins, and enables us to stand in the presence of God the Father. Explain that Bible specifically defines the gospel and that the gospel is what makes you a Christian and then ask again, "What is the gospel?"

After you've heard a works-righteousness-type answer, turn in your Bible to 1 Cor 15:1-4 and read: "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

Explain that the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus...for sins!

Then turn to 2 Cor. 4:3-4 and read again. "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Say something like, "You clearly did not understand the gospel message of Jesus the Savior and the Bible clearly shows you why. It is because you're mind has been blinded.

The Apostasy

Mormonism maintains that the true gospel message was lost from the earth shortly after the apostles died.

The Mormon Apostle Orson Prat said, "Jesus...established his kingdom on earth...the kingdoms of this world made war against the kingdom of God, established eighteen centuries ago, and they prevailed against it, and the kingdom ceased to exist." (Journal of Discourses. Vol. 13, page 125).

But Jesus said, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18, KJV).

As you can see, Mormonism contradicts what Jesus said.

Authority and the Mormon Priesthoods

Since Mormonism claims to be the restoration of the gospel, it also claims to have the authority to perform priestly duties and, therefore, properly represent God here on earth.

All offices of the Mormon church grow out of the priesthoods.

• Melchizedek - This is the greater priesthood. It consists of several offices:
• Elder, seventy, high priest, patriarch or evangelist, and apostle.
• Aaronic - a part of the greater Melchizedek priesthood.
• Deacon, teacher, priest, and bishop.
• Levitical - called the lesser priesthood. Performs the administration of the ordinances.

Quite simply, the Bible contradicts what Mormons believe concerning the priesthood.

Jesus is the only high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 3:1; 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:11,15,17,21,24,26; 8:1; 9:11).

"Where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 6:20).

"And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life" (Heb. 7:15-16).

The Melchizedek Priesthood is unchangeable and untransferable.

"but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood" (Heb. 7:24).

Many Gods

One of the truly dividing lines between Christianity and Mormonism is their doctrine of the plurality of Gods.

Mormonism teaches that there are many gods. (Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, page 163; Teachings pages 348-349).

In there desire for legitimacy they will even quote 1 Cor. 8:5 to say that the Bible also teaches many gods. 1 Cor. 8:5 says, "For even if there are so_called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords')."

They will say, "see even the Bible says there are many gods."

You can say, "It says there are many that are called gods. It doesn't say they really are gods. It is saying that they only called gods. The Scriptures recognize that there are false gods (Gal. 4:8).

Besides, the Bible flatly denies the existence of any other gods.

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "...Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me" (Isaiah 43:10).

"This is what the LORD says __ ...I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God...Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one" (Isaiah 44:6,8).

"I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God" (Isaiah 45:5).

Errors in the Book of Mormon

Saved by grace after all you can do? (2 Nephi 25:23)

How could Moroni "read" Heb. 13:7 and James 1:17 when the N.T. never reached America? (Mormon 9:9).

Helaman 12:25-26, written 6 B.C. says, "we read," quoting 2 Thess. 1:9 and John 5:29, 90 years too early.

Jesus, a son of God (Alma 36:1).

Mosiah 21:28 says King Mosiah had a gift from God, but original B. of M. manuscript reads "King Benjamin".

Jacob 7:27 has French word "adieu" used by people speaking "Reformed Egyptian" around 500 B.C. But the French language did not exist until about A.D. 700.

2 Nephi 3:11-16 Predicts the coming of Joseph Smith from the loins of Joseph, son of Lehi. yet, Lehi's descendants were wiped out (Mormon 6:11, 8:2-3), while Joseph Smith's ancestors came from England.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:1-2; Matt. 2:1). In the Book of Mormon (Alma 7:9,10) it says it was Jerusalem.

 

AN EASY AND POWERFUL WAY OF WITNESSING TO THE CULTS

adapted from the Christian Apologetics Notebook, by Matthew J. Slick, M. Div.

The following method of witnessing to cultists that is non-offensive and powerful. It focuses on Jesus, the gospel, and uses Scripture. This is important for three reasons: first, Jesus draws all men to Himself (John 12:32); second, the Gospel is powerful for salvation (Rom. 1:16); and third, God's Word accomplishes what God wants it to (Isaiah 55:11).

If someone puts his faith in the Jesus of Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, or any other cult, then his faith is useless. The validity of faith does not rest in itself, but in its object. The greatest faith in someone false is the same as no faith at all. That is the case with the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Each group believes in a Jesus, but not in the Jesus of the Bible, and because they each have a false Jesus (1 Cor. 11:4), they each preach a false gospel (Gal. 1:8-9). They may be sincere, but they are sincerely wrong -- dead wrong.

The official theologies of the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses do not permit prayer to nor the worship of Jesus. They also deny that He can be called their God. But the Bible permits, even encourages, these things for the true believer. The true Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, is prayed to, worshiped, and called God. And, this is where we must begin.

If you can prove a cultist wrong in a minor point of theology, he is still a cultist. But, if you show him that the Jesus he believes in is not the same one found in the Bible, then you have undermined his entire theology.

In brief, you should introduce the cultist to the real Jesus: the one of the Bible who is prayed to (Acts 7:59), worshiped (Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; 28:9), and called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8). The hope is that once the cultist sees that he is without the Jesus of the Bible, he will realize he doesn't have the true God. Then, hopefully, he will accept Christ and leave his cult. If not, at least the seeds of truth will have been planted and he will have been exposed to the true Jesus.

The "approach" is simple.

1. Establish a common ground: the need to know the Father.
2. Establish that the only way to the Father is through Jesus: the Jesus of the Bible.
3. Show the need for having the correct Jesus, the one of historical (and Biblical) Christianity.
4. Establish that the Jesus of the Bible is prayed to, worshiped, and called God.
5. Ask the cultist if he prays to, worships, and calls Jesus God.
6. Ask the cultist why he is right and you are wrong if you do what the scriptures teach and he doesn't.

Remember, a false Jesus cannot save. Sincerity and false messiahs do not bridge the gap of sin between God and man, only the Jesus of the Bible does that.

Here is a sample dialogue between a Christian and a cultist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(You are not attacking his doctrine, you are appealing to his desires which, on the surface, are identical to yours: to serve and love God. You can catch more bees with honey than with a hammer.)

Christian:	Well, let me ask you another question. Will a false Jesus reveal the true God?
Cultist:	No. I suppose not.
Christian:	That's right. The real issue then, isn't that we are going to church or are nice people. It's whether or not we know the true Jesus so that He can reveal to us the true God. Right?
Cultist:	Right?
Christian:	The question is, how do we find the true Jesus? The only way I can think of is if we go to the Bible. That is where the true Jesus is, right?
Cultist:	Right. But you could also pray and ask God to reveal Him to you.
Christian:	I see what you mean. But how could you pray to God if the only way to get to Him is through Jesus, and you don't have the right Jesus? Wouldn't prayer, then be useless?
Cultist:	Not if you're sincere.
Christian:	But then you are saying that if you are sincere, you don't need Jesus. Do you see the problem with that? Sincerity doesn't make access to God possible. Only Jesus does that. Remember, Jesus said that no one comes to the Father, except by Him (John 14:6).
Cultist:	But doesn't James 1:5 say if you lack wisdom to ask of God and He will give it to you? So couldn't you ask God for wisdom about what is true?
Christian:	James was written to those who were already believers; they already had the true Jesus and, therefore, the true Father. Also, wisdom is the proper use of knowledge. It isn't the gaining of knowledge, nor is it gaining access to God. Do you see that you still have to have the true Jesus. Because if you were to pray to God for wisdom, and you served a false Jesus, then who is going to answer your prayers? It wouldn't be God would it?
Cultist:	I see your point.
Christian:	Good. Now let me ask you a couple of questions to get things started. If you were to say, "Father receive my spirit," who would you be praying to?
Cultist:	I would be praying to the Father.
Christian:	Right. If you were to say, "Jesus receive my spirit," who would you be praying to?
Cultist:	I wouldn't pray to Jesus. I would only pray to the Father. That is what He said to do in Matt. 6. He said to pray, "Our Father who art in heaven..."
Christian:	Yes, that's true. But if you believe it do you do it? Do you pray that way all the time?
Cultist:	Of course I do.
Christian:	No, what I mean is. Do you pray that prayer. If you believe that is what you are to pray, then you could only pray that particular prayer. You would have to repeat it every time you prayed. But that isn't what Jesus intended. It was a model prayer. It is what we are to follow. May we continue? You'll see what I'm getting at in a moment.
Cultist:	Sure. Go ahead.
Christian:	Just for the sake of argument, if you were to say, "Jesus receive my spirit," who would you be praying to?
Cultist:	I would be praying to Jesus.
Christian:	Right. Now, in Acts 7:55-60, Stephen, while full of the Holy Spirit, prayed to Jesus. It says, "And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'" (See also, Acts 9:14; Rom. 10:13.) Stephen prayed to Jesus, not just through Him. If it is acceptable for him then it should be all right for you. The Jesus of the Bible is prayed to. I pray to Jesus. Do you? If yes, good. If not, why not? (If you are talking to a Mormon, you may want to mention that in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 19:18, Jesus is prayed to -- not just through!)
Cultist:	Jesus said to pray to the Father. So, I do.
Christian:	Yes, I agree. I do too. But I also pray to Jesus as Stephen did. If the church is only to pray to the Father, then why did Stephen, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, address Jesus in His prayer? Was he wrong?
Cultist:	I don't have an answer.
Christian:	Also, what does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord?
Cultist:	I don't know. What does it mean?
Christian:	It means to pray to God. For example, in Psalm 116:4 it says, "Then I called on the name of the LORD: 'O LORD, save me!'" In 1 Cor. 1:1-2 the church calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus. That is, they prayed to Jesus. Now, if Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, could pray to Jesus, and the church in 1 Cor. 1:1-2 could too, then shouldn't you be able to do the same thing?
Cultist:	Well, I'm not sure. I've never really considered this before.
Christian:	Glad to see you're honest. Let's continue. Jesus was also worshiped. The verses for these are: "And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, 'You are certainly God's son!'" (Matt. 14:33). "And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him" (Matt. 28:9). (See also Matt. 2:2,11; John 9:35_39; Heb. 1:6.) Do you do what His disciples did? Do you worship Jesus?

 (Mormon theology does not allow worship of Jesus. However, some Mormons do anyway -- they just don't know that their church has, and still does, teach against doing so. If the person says he worships Jesus, ask him how he can do that without praying to Him. If, on the other hand, the Mormon has said he does pray to Jesus and that he does worship Jesus, then encourage him to continue and remind him that it is Jesus who has the authority (Matt. 28:18) to forgive sins (Luke 5:20-24; 7:48-49); He judges (John 5:22,27); He gives eternal life (John 10:28; 5:40), etc. The whole point is to try to get him to ask the true Jesus to forgive him of his sins and reveal the Father to him.)

(All Jehovah's Witnesses say no to worshipping Jesus. They have their own Bible where they have mistranslated the word 'worship', wherever it refers to Jesus, to the words 'do obeisance' which means to show respect or honor to someone. Because of this, using the verse about worship will not carry much weight. In that case, you will want to substitute this...)

Christian:	Do you honor Him equally with the Father as Jesus said to do in John 5:23?
Cultist:	Not equally. The Father is greater than Jesus.
Christian:	The Father was greater in position. Remember, Jesus was made for a little while lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9). It was in this humbled state that He said the Father was greater than He. He didn't say different or better, only greater. You must understand that Jesus was fully man as well as fully God and as a man was in a lesser position. Still though, Scripture requires that you honor Him equally with the Father as Jesus said. If you don't, then why not?
Cultist:	I don't have an answer.
Christian:	All right. There is just one more issue to address. Do you call Jesus your Lord and your God?
Cultist:	No, I don't.
Christian:	After Jesus' resurrection He showed Himself to many people. One of them was Thomas. John 20:28 says, "Thomas answered and said to Him [Jesus], 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen Me, have you believed?'" In addition, God calls Jesus God in Hebrews 1:8, "But of the Son He [the Father] says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever..." The Father calls Jesus God. Thomas called Him his Lord and God. Do you call Jesus your Lord and your God?
Cultist:	No. I don't call Jesus my Lord and God.

 (Jehovah's Witnesses will say that Thomas was swearing. Ask them why Jesus didn't rebuke Thomas for swearing? Besides, in the Greek, Thomas literally said, "The Lord of me and the God of me.)

(With a Mormon, you can again mention the reference in the Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 19:18 where Jesus is also called Lord and God.)

Christian:	My question to you is this. If I have the wrong Jesus, and therefore I serve the wrong God, then why do I pray to Jesus, worship Him, and call Him my Lord and God as the Scriptures teach? But, if you have the true Jesus, why is it you don't do those things?
Cultist:	(Silence!)
Christian:	It seems clear that if you want your sins forgiven then you need to go to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you. Remember, the true Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, is prayed to, worshiped, and called God. That is the same Jesus I serve. Which one do you serve?

This brief approach is powerful because it brings the cultist face-to-face with the Jesus of the Bible. Though the cultist won't respond by dropping to his knees, at least you will have exposed him or her to the real Jesus. Also, remember that the Word of God will accomplish what God wishes it to: "So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire" (Isaiah 55:11).

 

TERMINOLOGY OF MORMONS AND JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

Words are the tools of evangelism. With cults, definitions are the tools you need to sharpen. It is vitally important, especially with Mormons, to know the meanings of the words they use. A Mormon can say he believes in the Trinity and salvation by grace but what he means is that he believes in the godhead, which is an office held by three separate gods, and that resurrection is a free gift to everyone. With J.W.'s, for example, the Holy Spirit is not a person but a force like radar. So, if you don't know their definitions you'll only be talking in circles.

Know their definitions and you will be a much more effective witness for Christ.

•  LDS = Latter-day Saints or Mormons.
• JW = Jehovah's Witnesses.

BIBLE

LDS - The Bible is correct only as far as it is correctly translated. It is basically trustworthy. It is the only one of the four standard works (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) that is not considered infallible.

JW - The Bible is the inerrant word of God. (Be careful. Though the J.W. organization believes in the inspired Word of God it has changed the Bible to support its own theological bias.)

Bible - the Bible is the inspired inerrant word of God (2 Timothy 3:16).

SALVATION

LDS - Simple bodily resurrection. It does not simply mean forgiveness of sins. Jesus died for universal resurrection.

JW - Earned by good works in cooperation with Jesus' sacrifice.

Bible - Forgiveness of sins with the result of a present new life and in the future eternal life with God (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 6:23; Rom. 10:9-10).

HEAVEN

LDS - Divided into three Kingdoms: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial. The Celestial is for perfect Mormons, the Terrestrial is for moral people and lukewarm LDS, and the Telestial Kingdom is for everyone else.

JW - The place that God dwells. Christians do not go to heaven except for 144,000 elite J.W.'s.

Bible - The dwelling place of God (1 Kings 8:30). Christians go to heaven.

KINGDOM OF GOD

LDS - Celestial heaven.

JW - God's "theocratic" rule on earth, his "system of things."

Bible - All the believers of Christ (Matt. 13:41-43).

HOLY GHOST

LDS - "A spirit man. He can only be at one place at one time... " (Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, p. 359.) The Holy Ghost is contrasted with the Holy Spirit which is the influence of the Godhead that fills the immensity of space which enables God to know what is going on.

JW - God's active force. He is not alive, but a force like radar.

Bible - Third person of the Godhead. Same as Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4).

ETERNAL LIFE

LDS - Exaltation (exaltation to a Mormon means obtaining Godhood) in the Celestial Kingdom.

JW - Eternal life on paradise earth - for J.W.'s only.

Bible - Forgiveness of sins and life eternal with God (John 17:3; Rom. 6:23).

GODHEAD

LDS - An office held by three separate Gods: the Father who is a god; Jesus who is a god; and the Holy Ghost who is a god.

JW - Consists of only one person: the Father.

Bible - God Himself, not an office. Three persons in one God. A Trinity: The Father; the Son; and the Holy Spirit.

JESUS

LDS - Spirit brother of Satan. A god in the Godhead. He is Jehovah of the O.T. compared to Elohim being the Father. He was the first spirit child to be born to the Father and Mother gods.

JW - Jesus is not God, but Michael the Archangel who became a man and then stopped being a man and became an angel again.

Bible - Jesus is God, second person of the Trinity (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9).

ATONEMENT

LDS - The sacrifice of Christ that made resurrection possible along with the possibility of our earning forgiveness of sins.

JW - The atonement makes possible our earning salvation.

Bible - The substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. He died for our sins (1 Pet. 2:24; 1 John 2:2).

PRE-EXISTENCE

LDS - We existed in heaven with God our (literal) Father before we became human.

JW - No pre-existence.

Bible - We did not exist before we came to earth (1 Cor. 15:46).

GOSPEL

LDS - The laws and the ordinances of the Mormon church.

JW - The teachings of Jesus, the kingdom and kingdom work (it is general and vague).

Bible - The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

As you can see, some definitions are quite different. Some are very similar. The better you know them the better able you will be prepared to "give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Pet. 3:15).