Are those Christians who become "better people" really just like the pharisee who prayed near the publican?

The moralist is not justified by his adherence to being more moral than the next guy. Morals are morals. Some are moralistic. Sin is sin. All have sinned, and continue to sin until death. Apples and oranges. Some smash them into murky juice, thoroughly unable to see the difference. Thoroughly unable to discern that it is sin that keeps one out of heaven, not morals. The LDS does this.