How Biblically Literate are Mormons as a Whole?

[Moksha]

Interestingly, it seems as if the writer of 2 Nephi 25 thought that "Jesus Christ" was a name, and not a name+title, or name+office.

19 For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

This might have been the Jesus Christ who was born in Jerusalem rather than the Jesus born in Bethlehem.

Earth One and Earth Two have different histories.

[PseudoPaul]

Interestingly, it seems as if the writer of 2 Nephi 25 thought that "Jesus Christ" was a name, and not a name+title, or name+office.

This might have been the Jesus Christ who was born in Jerusalem rather than the Jesus born in Bethlehem.

Earth One and Earth Two have different histories.

Of course historically speaking Jesus was not born in Jerusalem or Bethlehem, but in Nazareth.

[PseudoPaul]

It seems as though this would have been the ONE time in the Ministry of Jesus that it was truly a Christian faith...before it morphed into something else.

It only seems that way because you've been taught this your whole life as a Mormon.

I recall "they were first called Christians (sarcastically) at Antioch"

PseudoPaul, when does the word "Christ" enter the picture?

Did the word "Christ" exist during Jesus' ministry?

Well Christ is the Greek version of the Hebrew term messiah or mashiach. The concept exists in the Hebrew Bible, but it starts out as a term for the king of Israel - the anointed one, referring to anointing with oil the king would receive. It later started taking on apocalyptic significance, which is how the term is used in Jesus' time. In Jesus' day it didn't just mean king, the connotation was it was the chosen one by God to overthrow the Romans. That's why there is this emphasis on the messianic secret in Mark - Jesus doesn't go around publicly calling himself the messiah, as that would carry a death penalty under Roman occupation.

Jesus was indeed killed by the Romans, which meant he was technically a false messiah, like many others before him. But, his followers couldn't seem to let it go like the followers of other executed messiahs, and so the term messiah became spiritualized in Christianity. Instead of defeating Roman occupiers Jesus defeated sin and death.

Another term for early proto-Christians seems to have been followers of The Way. You get some of that in the Didache, which talks about the two different ways, the way of life and the way of death. It's a more Jewish oriented document, offering us a glimpse at early Jewish Christianity. In fact the Didache includes a sacrament prayer, which instead of focusing on Jesus' flesh and blood, instead has the bread and wine symbolizing Jesus' messianic mission and the gathering of Israel.

https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/didache.html

The sacrament we've inherited from Paul (representing his body and blood) is quite different and more pagan than Jewish.

[MG 2.0]

This is the core of LDS belief.

Regards,
MG

Wasn't polygamy for Joseph Smith once considered their Principal belief?

It was a commandment but not core belief as the belief in Jesus Christ was/is. Nothing has changed except that polygamy is no longer a commandment. Jesus remains central/core to LDS belief.

Regards,
MG

[Moksha]

Wasn't polygamy for Joseph Smith once considered their Principal belief?

It was a commandment but not core belief as the belief in Jesus Christ was/is. Nothing has changed except that polygamy is no longer a commandment. Jesus remains central/core to LDS belief.

Regards,
MG

Seems like polygamy was referred to as "The Principal" and was touted as being the sole means to achieve exaltation in the highest tier of the Celestial Kingdom.

Wasn't Jesus just an afterthought for Mormons? For instance, Apostle Bruce R. McConkie publicly dressed down Dr. Eugene England for being a Jesus booster. Jesus didn't jive well with Mormon doctrine at that time.