According to their websites, this is why they are Christian

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Are Mormons Christians? From www.mormon.org
Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995-2008), said:
“We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more and more widely recognized. Once upon a time people everywhere said we are not Christians. They have come to recognize that we are, and that we have a very vital and dynamic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. We, of course, accept Jesus Christ as our Leader, our King, our Savior…the dominant figure in the history of the world, the only perfect Man who ever walked the earth, the living Son of the living God. He is our Savior and our Redeemer through whose atoning sacrifice has come the opportunity of eternal life. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pray and worship in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the center of our faith and the head of our Church. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and witnesses of His divinity, His life, and His Atonement.”

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians? From www.jw.org
Yes. We are Christians for the following reasons:
We try to follow closely the teachings and behavior of Jesus Christ.—1 Peter 2:21.
We believe that Jesus is the key to salvation, that “there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”—Acts 4:12.
When people become Jehovah’s Witnesses, they are baptized in the name of Jesus.—Matthew 28:18, 19.
We offer our prayers in Jesus’ name.—John 15:16.
We believe that Jesus is the Head, or the one appointed to have authority, over every man.—1 Corinthians 11:3.
However, in a number of ways, we are different from other religious groups that are called Christian. For example, we believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, not part of a Trinity. (Mark 12:29) We do not believe that the soul is immortal, that there is any basis in Scripture for saying that God tortures people in an everlasting hell, or that those who take the lead in religious activities should have titles that elevate them above others.—Ecclesiastes 9:5; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 23:8-10.
 
And here are two tracts from Catholic Answers alluding to the fact that these two groups are not Christian:

Mormonism:
catholic.com/quickquestions/what-does-the-catholic-church-say-about-the-practices-and-beliefs-of-mormonism

Jehovah’s Witnesses:
catholic.com/tracts/the-god-of-the-jehovahs-witnesses

Here’s a nifty comparison chart of Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholicism, and Christianity by a certain Evangelical group (implying that neither the JWs and Mormons, nor the Catholics are true Christians):
carm.org/comparison-grid

So, which sectarian source should I believe?
 
My $0.02 worth here, nothing more…

For whatever reason Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox accept each other’s sacraments to varying degrees and expend much energy determining what can be deemed acceptable from whom. For example, Catholics seem to accept marriages of Eastern Orthodox even without having obtained a dispensation from the diocesan bishop as valid (canonlawmadeeasy.com/2013/10/10/why-catholic-permitted-to-marry-in-an-orthodox-ceremony/), but won’t accept as valid marriages (without diocesan bishop dispensation) those performed in other denominations. However, Catholics will accepts baptisms from those same denomination. It seems to me that this results (for good or bad) in much hyper-scrutiny of other faiths and making sure that each sacrament in each denomination is dogmatically correct/valid/licit. Hence, the need to determine to what degree one is Christian and that leads to the inevitable disagreements in this forum about who’s a Christian and by how much.

FWIW, the LDS church believes that it and it alone possesses Priesthood authority to act in the name of God and therefore had no need to formally determine what parts of other faiths are legitimately Christian.
 
Brandon_Cal said:
So, which sectarian source should I believe?
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I always had the impression that a key element of “Christianity” is a belief in the Trinity. Mormons and JW’s (and Jews and Muslims) don’t subscribe to the Christian idea of the Trinity, even if they have an interpretation of Jesus and his role, so they aren’t Christian religions; but Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists, etc, all believe in One God in Three Divine Persons, and that Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, etc, so they all fall under the Christian umbrella, even if they have other differences.
 
Brandon_Cal said:
And here are two tracts from Catholic Answers alluding to the fact that these two groups are not Christian:

Mormonism:
catholic.com/quickquestions/what-does-the-catholic-church-say-about-the-practices-and-beliefs-of-mormonism

Jehovah’s Witnesses:
catholic.com/tracts/the-god-of-the-jehovahs-witnesses

Here’s a nifty comparison chart of Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholicism, and Christianity by a certain Evangelical group (implying that neither the JWs and Mormons, nor the Catholics are true Christians):
carm.org/comparison-grid

So, which sectarian source should I believe?
Click to expand...
Catholic, of course. 😃
 
gazelam said:
For example, Catholics seem to accept marriages of Eastern Orthodox even without having obtained a dispensation from the diocesan bishop as valid (canonlawmadeeasy.com/2013/10/…odox-ceremony/
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The Catholic Church presumes all marriages that don’t involve a Catholic party to be valid unless there is proof otherwise.

IF people are coming from another faith, and there are previous marriages, then it would be checked to see if an annulment(s) would be necessary.

For example, if a couple comes to the Church, and the husband had been married previously, and that previous spouse was deceased, then he would be free to marry again. IF the previous spouse is still living, he would be free to marry the second spouse, and no annulment would be necessary. IF the first spouse is still living, then it would be reviewed for the possibility of requiring an annulment, or defect of form determination.
 
gazelam said:
For example, Catholics seem to accept marriages of Eastern Orthodox even without having obtained a dispensation from the diocesan bishop as valid (canonlawmadeeasy.com/2013/10/…odox-ceremony/
Click to expand...
The Catholic Church presumes all marriages that don’t involve a Catholic party to be valid unless there is proof otherwise.

IF people are coming from another faith, and there are previous marriages, then it would be checked to see if an annulment(s) would be necessary.

For example, if a couple comes to the Church, and the husband had been married previously, and that previous spouse was deceased, then he would be free to marry again. IF the previous spouse is still living, he would be free to marry the second spouse, and no annulment would be necessary. IF the first spouse is still living, then it would be reviewed for the possibility of requiring an annulment, or defect of form determination.

For some reason, it would not let me edit my previous post.
 
gazelam said:
For example, Catholics seem to accept marriages of Eastern Orthodox even without having obtained a dispensation from the diocesan bishop as valid (canonlawmadeeasy.com/2013/10/…odox-ceremony/
Click to expand...
The Catholic Church presumes all marriages that don’t involve a Catholic party to be valid unless there is proof otherwise.

IF people are coming from another faith, and there are previous marriages, then it would be checked to see if an annulment(s) would be necessary.

For example, if a couple comes to the Church, and the husband had been married previously, and that previous spouse was deceased, then he would be free to marry again. IF the previous spouse is still living, he would be free to marry the second spouse, and no annulment would be necessary. IF the first spouse is still living, then it would be reviewed for the possibility of requiring an annulment, or defect of form determination.
 
Neither self definitions in the original post claim that Jesus IS God, so I would say no.
 
gazelam said:
My $0.02 worth here, nothing more…

For whatever reason Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox accept each other’s sacraments to varying degrees and expend much energy determining what can be deemed acceptable from whom. For example, Catholics seem to accept marriages of Eastern Orthodox even without having obtained a dispensation from the diocesan bishop as valid (canonlawmadeeasy.com/2013/10/10/why-catholic-permitted-to-marry-in-an-orthodox-ceremony/), but won’t accept as valid marriages (without diocesan bishop dispensation) those performed in other denominations. However, Catholics will accepts baptisms from those same denomination. It seems to me that this results (for good or bad) in much hyper-scrutiny of other faiths and making sure that each sacrament in each denomination is dogmatically correct/valid/licit. Hence, the need to determine to what degree one is Christian and that leads to the inevitable disagreements in this forum about who’s a Christian and by how much.

FWIW, the LDS church believes that it and it alone possesses Priesthood authority to act in the name of God and therefore had no need to formally determine what parts of other faiths are legitimately Christian.
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The Catholic Church DOES accept marriages preformed in other houses of worship as valid but not sacramental. As for baptism their are Christian denominations, such as Pentecostals, who the CC does not accept as valid baptisms because they are not done I the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
 
jas84173 said:
Are Mormons Christians? From www.mormon.org
Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995-2008), said:
“We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more and more widely recognized. Once upon a time people everywhere said we are not Christians. They have come to recognize that we are, and that we have a very vital and dynamic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. We, of course, accept Jesus Christ as our Leader, our King, our Savior…the dominant figure in the history of the world, the only perfect Man who ever walked the earth, the living Son of the living God. He is our Savior and our Redeemer through whose atoning sacrifice has come the opportunity of eternal life. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pray and worship in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the center of our faith and the head of our Church. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and witnesses of His divinity, His life, and His Atonement.”
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I prefer not to claim I am a Christian, so I’m not really care who is or isn’t Christian.
Code: 
Similar to Christianity there are many different Mormon sects with the LDS sect being the largest.  The following is from there website explaining to the media that the members of these other sects are not Mormon.
When referring to people or organizations that practice polygamy, the terms “Mormons,” “Mormon fundamentalist,” “Mormon dissidents,” etc. are incorrect. The Associated Press Stylebook notes: “The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other … churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith’s death.”
mormonnewsroom.org/style-guide
 
The essential of Mormonism is that all fell into error and the faith lost…until Joseph Smith came about in America…

There is a valid movement within Mormonism to standardized Christianity…but because of the foundation and all the claims used to prove Mormonism is correct…is beyond me…

The Catholic Church draws on Sacred Scripture, Tradition…from the apostles in how faith is lived out…and Natural Law. Instead, Joseph Smith is the interpreter of true religion…and

The other irony is how the Apostles, witnesses to Our Lord, were incapable after Pentecost to found the Church and its successors…but the Mormon Quorum 1800 plus years later are fully capable of establishing a solid church that will continue in the truth…even though its beliefs, I was told, have changed 3000 times…and alot of white washing going on with newer converts that cover up alot of controversy, etc.
 
jas84173 said:
Are Mormons Christians? From www.mormon.org
Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995-2008), said:
“We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more and more widely recognized. Once upon a time people everywhere said we are not Christians. They have come to recognize that we are, and that we have a very vital and dynamic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. We, of course, accept Jesus Christ as our Leader, our King, our Savior…the dominant figure in the history of the world, the only perfect Man who ever walked the earth, the living Son of the living God. He is our Savior and our Redeemer through whose atoning sacrifice has come the opportunity of eternal life. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pray and worship in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the center of our faith and the head of our Church. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and witnesses of His divinity, His life, and His Atonement.”
Click to expand...
Be aware, this is sophistry. Every single theological word or phrase in that statement that sounds familiar to Christians, has a drastically altered meaning for Mormons. Starting with the word “God”.
 
Thanks, Rebecca…this is the bottom line…why would Christ not found His Church properly with His apostles…and successors…but 1800 years out of the event…far away from the Holy Land…Joseph Smith got it.

This shows that Christ was not truly divine as we believe.

And they are not really defining the Roman Church now as the big reason for the great apostasy…that part good…but…then there is likewise a profound lack of academic study by Mormons on church history.

They are now accessing the Vatican Libary and hope they are not using it to find new people from the past to baptize…or to find events that support Joseph Smith as right…as the Deseret News did in May 2008…a miraculous event…the Early Church Fathers proving Joseph Smith right on immorality based on ‘theosis’. Wrong.

Mormons cannot grasp our faith either. I mean, they misinterpret our beliefs…like CCC460 ignoring the build up to this doctrine as well as the footnotes.
 
superwimp said:
When referring to people or organizations that practice polygamy, the terms “Mormons,” “Mormon fundamentalist,” “Mormon dissidents,” etc. are incorrect. The Associated Press Stylebook notes: “The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other … churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith’s death.”
mormonnewsroom.org/style-guide
Click to expand...
“We’re just as Christian as a Catholic or a Baptist! Oh, but those Fundy Pligs over there that have temples, endowments, posthumous work for the dead, a priesthood, garments, venerate Joseph Smith as a prophet, read the Book of Mormon, believe in eternal marriage, etc.? They aren’t True Mormons”

What a wonderful double standard. 😛
 
Brandon_Cal said:
“We’re just as Christian as a Catholic or a Baptist! Oh, but those Fundy Pligs over there that have temples, endowments, posthumous work for the dead, a priesthood, garments, venerate Joseph Smith as a prophet, read the Book of Mormon, believe in eternal marriage, etc.? They aren’t True Mormons”

What a wonderful double standard. 😛
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This.

I have been saying this for a decade or more, long before I stopped believing uniquely mormon doctrines.
 
gazelam said:
My $0.02 worth here, nothing more…

For whatever reason Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox accept each other’s sacraments to varying degrees and expend much energy determining what can be deemed acceptable from whom. For example, Catholics seem to accept marriages of Eastern Orthodox even without having obtained a dispensation from the diocesan bishop as valid (canonlawmadeeasy.com/2013/10/10/why-catholic-permitted-to-marry-in-an-orthodox-ceremony/), but won’t accept as valid marriages (without diocesan bishop dispensation) those performed in other denominations. However, Catholics will accepts baptisms from those same denomination. It seems to me that this results (for good or bad) in much hyper-scrutiny of other faiths and making sure that each sacrament in each denomination is dogmatically correct/valid/licit. Hence, the need to determine to what degree one is Christian and that leads to the inevitable disagreements in this forum about who’s a Christian and by how much.

FWIW, the LDS church believes that it and it alone possesses Priesthood authority to act in the name of God and therefore had no need to formally determine what parts of other faiths are legitimately Christian.
Click to expand...
There are actually centuries-old reasons for this. The Church since the 200’s has accepted Trinitarian baptism from schismatic as valid. The Orthodox have always had a recognized valid priesthood, episcopate, and apostolic succession since the Schism. Thus, they have always had valid sacraments, including marriage. Protestants almost immediately did away with apostolic succession, believing the common priesthood a replacement for the ordained priesthood, and so sacraments became ineffectual within their communities. Baptism, which can be performed by any person, was the only sacrament to remain valid for those who used the Trinitarian formula.

So there’s the brief answer. It’s always been this way.
 
Sufficient answer.

The Universal Christian Church – He Ekklesia Katholika – is the name given the Church by Martyr St. Ignatius of Antioch in 107 AD…

There are 5 apostolic patriarchs: Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, Rome, and Constantinople.

There were Jewish Christians already meeting in homes in Rome headed by presbyters when co-founders of the Church of Rome, SS Peter and Paul arrived. They were immediately acknowledged by all the members, and the sign of their co-founding was their joint martyrdom in Rome, between 64 -67 AD under Emperor Nero.

Even though members met in individual homes, they all saw themselves as members of the Church of Rome.

The Schism came about mainly through mistranslation. The Eastern Church has different language, history, culture, and politics. I have been told now several times that it is the lower ranks who refuse to reconcile with the Latin Church, but the higher up’s know it all came about primarily through mistranslation of communication between the 2 churches.

The Protestant Reformers went to the Orthodox 500 years later, the Schism occurring around 1000 AD, to join them and the Orthodox refused.

Those beliefs now coming out of America in the 1800’s, as well as the 1890’s emergence of Evangelical Protestants, have for the most part, lost practically all of their Christian roots of apostolic doctrine and tradition given us. So it is very hard for them to understand tradition.

But sophistry is another issue…using the same words but different meanings…

The Lord provided everything to the apostles, and the Church began at Pentecost.
 
Are they? No. Any religion that would say God/Christ failed in keeping His church together has another thing coming. These people would rather believe in what a con man or woman says about God rather than follow what Christ said and left for us. Christ is not a liar or failure.
 
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