PROVO — For a faith that believes in Jesus Christ, Mormons once stood out among Christians for not using the term "grace" much. When they did, they emphasized works over grace, but the explanations often were muddled. In fact, a Protestant hymn seemed to describe many LDS well: "Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me."
Newsweek captured that confusion in 1980 with a story that said members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints didn't believe in grace and downplayed the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
"Unlike orthodox Christians, Mormons believe that men are born free of sin and earn their way to godhood by the proper exercise of free will, rather than through the grace of Jesus Christ," the article stated. "Thus Jesus' suffering and death in the Mormon view were brotherly acts of compassion, but they do not atone for the sins of others."
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