It was evident he unknowingly held on to some strong prejudices against non-Mormons. I used to be the same way, so I am not pointing the finger of blame. I even use a term for this: "a monopoly on goodness." (Sorry I can't remember who coined this phrase).
We were having a discussion about some YouTube videos of the Adam's Road band members who also left Mormonism into a relationship with Jesus. This man was absolutely appalled! He said some degrading things about these young men. He also laid some accusations out about others he knew personally that left the Mormon church. He said of the people he knew personally that they were adulterers, extortionists, liars and so forth. Those accusations may or may not have been true, I have no idea. He then proceeded to point out how he and other faithful Mormons show good fruit. They attend their meetings, pay tithing, attend the temple, and so forth.
I also had a young zealous Mormon missionary knock at my door who also exhibited this belief that Mormon's had a monopoly on goodness. He mistakenly assumed that regular Christians did not have near the good fruit of Mormons and then tried to illustrate his point with examples. He then looked at me and point blank asked, "Where are your good fruits? Can you show me?" He asked in a tone assuming I could not. If only he had new eyes to see.
How interesting that if you measure your worthiness by your moral performance; your obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, it is only logical that every one else's worthiness is measured the same way. Unfortunately, living with this frame of mind tends for a person to be in a position of denial, despair or boasting as it relates to their worthiness. Here is the great illusion: you can be worthy/righteous according to your obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. I'll elaborate on why this is an illusion in a future post and I intend on linking it here.
You may ask, then how else can a person be worthy/righteous if not by their obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel? Good question. What do you suppose Paul meant when he said, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16)? It is such a foreign concept to grasp that you are not right before God by your obedience to the law. To the lost, this concept is unfathomable, in fact it is down right foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). Let me say this; there is another way to be worthy/righteous... it is the narrow way (Matthew 7:14). How so? Which way is that? Jesus explains it with a parable He gave to those who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else.
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. ~Luke 18:9-14
