The Attitude

Shawn McCraney critiques the general attitude of pride prevalent among active Latter-day Saints, attributing it to core beliefs such as the pre-existence of spirits, Jesus as our Elder Brother, and the inherent divinity of humans by birth. He invites individuals, regardless of their beliefs, to explore deeper understanding through resources like his book and events such as the War Camp retreat, encouraging personal growth and fellowship.

Shawn's teaching contrasts LDS beliefs with biblical Christian teachings by emphasizing that Christians regard God as the ultimate creator of all things, whereas Mormons submit to ideas of pre-existing materials and spiritual ancestry, which Shawn suggests leads to pride rather than humility. Additionally, Shawn critiques LDS culture as prioritizing church performance, leadership roles, and a connection to church figures over a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, implying that this emphasis fosters a sense of elitism and worldly success.

The teaching asserts that the core objective of the LDS Church is to prepare its members to become Gods, which influences an internal hierarchy that values those embodying perceived traits of future Godhood, often leading to spiritual pride masked as humility. This contrasts with a biblical perspective where true followers of Jesus are depicted as humble and unworthy, highlighting a fundamental difference in attitudes between the two belief systems.

Jesus chose humble individuals such as fishermen and tax collectors as His apostles to emphasize the importance of humility, faith, and salvation over worldly status, power, and wealth. This teaching contrasts with the idea of seeking god-like status and material success, highlighting that Christian virtues focus on spiritual richness, meekness, and contrition as outlined in scriptures like Revelation, James, and the Sermon on the Mount.