[Vort]

Originally Posted by ErikJohnson

So what do LDS say about the specific doctrines of the Protestant Reformation? Were the doctrines themselves inspired, or were they merely the vehicle God chose to bring about societal change and political reforms and to set the stage for a “restoration” via Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery?

I speak only for myself, not for the Church as a whole. I'll give you my ideas.

For those needing some background to answer the question, a summary of the Reformers basic theological beliefs can be found in the “Five Solas” (and once again Wikipedia comes through with a succinct and balanced entry).

"[O]nce again Wikipedia comes through with a succinct and balanced entry," huh? In my experience, Wikipedia ranges from idiosyncratic to laughably biased, only occasionally "succinct" and rarely "balanced". But, whatever.

Before answering your specific questions, let me give an overall impression I have. Most non-LDS Christians have a naïve view of scripture and doctrine, in that they take ancient teachings in a modern light without giving much (if any) thought to the conditions of the people originally receiving that revelation.

Example 1: The ancient Hebrews received the record of Noah and the "great flood". As far as I know, the ancient Hebrews did not have an understanding of the Earth as a gigantic ball on the surface of which we live, so the idea that "the whole earth" would be covered with water would not have meant the same thing to them as to us. Furthermore, I am told that the Hebrew term for "earth" is also the Hebrew term for "ground" and "land", so that the scriptures could have well been translated "all the ground was covered with water" or "the whole land was covered with water". These have much different meanings than the modern idea of a "global flood". Yet many Christians, including Latter-day Saints, persist in imagining that the modern interpretation of these ancient words is the only correct one.

Example 2: Paul taught among Jews who believed that they were justified because of their rites of worship, and among Gentiles who grew up believing that their sacrifice to this or that god gained them favor in his/her eyes. Paul had to teach such people as clearly as he possibly could that their meager little acts of sacrifice and service could never and would never earn them salvation -- that salvation came as a gift from God, free to all who truly asked for it, and not as a payment for services rendered in mortality. Yet many modern Christians twist Paul's teachings to mean that merely saying, "I believe you, Jesus! Be my Savior!" is sufficient to gain God's grace and "be saved". I have heard such "Christians" say things like, "I was saved on December 4, 1993. I could kill you where you stand, and I would STILL BE SAVED! PRAISE BE TO JESUS!" Of course, this bears no real resemblance to Biblical doctrine, but so they have interpreted it.

In the same light, if you consider traditional Catholic Christian teachings vs. the teachings of the Reformers, I think you can see the reason God's anointed servants in the latter days recognized their inspiration.

Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")

Catholic theology held that tradition established God's will just as much as revealed scripture. For a thousand years, Catholics had actually been instructed by their priests not to read scripture at all, because the interpretation of scripture was held in reserve to holy men, and not to the vulgar populace as a whole. The Reformers rejected both these principles, maintaining that God's revealed word was the source of truth, not merely tradition, and that the revealed truth was available to all who sought for it. This core idea is obviously compatible with LDS theology, however much else we have had revealed to us in addition.

Sola fide ("by faith alone")

Catholic theology held that those who had not earned a place in heaven by their performance of sacraments and good works on earth could not yet enter heaven, but would be purged of their sins first by suffering. Prayers and votives and such could be of help in aiding the dead in overcoming their purgatory and achieving heaven. Pagans and others who did not receive the Catholic sacraments were, of course, lost for all eternity in a hell too painful for adequate description. The Reformers, like Paul of old, maintained that acts of worship per se didn't save people; rather, it was their belief in and faith in God that gave them a place at the table. Obviously, there was wide variation in the specific doctrines that the various Reformers believed and taught, but the basic idea that sacraments and prayers alone didn't push you into heaven was very compatible with LDS doctrine.

Sola gratia ("by grace alone")

My argument would be similar to that given above for sola fide.

Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")

This one is obvious. Mormons don't pray to Mary or Saint Peter or whoever. There is no intermediate between us and Christ; rather, Christ mediates between us and God. This is the most obvious of the LDS-compatible doctrines of the "five solas".

Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

We honor and revere good men and women of all ages, but we give glory only to the Father. We have no "Saints" in the Catholic sense, so in this the LDS position is also pretty evidently similar to the Reformers' ideas, at least moreso than with Catholicism.