Ok…here’s my problem, Javi…I know that many Christians define 'Christian" in a way that does not include beliefs we hold. In fact, many Christians define ‘Christian’ in a way that includes only beliefs* they * hold, thus excluding all others from the fellowship.
My objection to the claim that
LDS leaders claimed that we ‘worship a different Jesus’ from the Christian one isn’t about denying that our beliefs about Him are different in ways, great or small, from those of other Christians. Of course they are. We do, after all, claim that Christianity wandered into apostate land and the correct beliefs needed restoration. Of COURSE they would be different to greater or lesser degree. Where they are, it’s because we think everybody else is wrong.
My objection is to the notion that any Latter-day Saint leader would say that their (our) beliefs are
different from Christian beliefs.
I challenged the guilty misquoters to show a quote from any LDS leader actually saying those words, that we are not Christian, or that our beliefs differ from Christianity, thus divorcing us from it. That’s it…it’s not about what about our critics think, here. It’s about what we think of ourselves. We don’t think we are Traditional Christians. We don’t think we are mainline, orthodox, Orthodox, Trinitarian or many of the other adjectives appended to the word to describe the sort of beliefs that particular Christian group thinks is required to
be Christian.
But we believe we are Christian, and none of our leaders has ever said that we were not, without making the adjectives the important part, as I just have.
One of the first steps that Catholics (and other critics) can take to ease that perceived "ongoing struggle’ (to get this back on topic) is, if they can’t stomach the idea of our being Christians, at least to do us the courtesy of believing that WE believe it. I’m used to having quotes taken out of context. I finally fell off my patience wagon when people started making them up.
As far as I know, B’hai’s don’t claim to be Christian, either. Again, Javi, this isn’t about whether you think we are Christians. It’s about people who misquote, and who make up quotes by, our leaders in an attempt to make it a ‘given’ that WE don’t think we are.
We aren’t traditional Christians. I don’t know many (if any) who claim to be. Again, it’s not about what you think of our Christianity, or about what Catholicism thinks or claims. It’s about people making claims about what OUR leaders have said, literally putting quotes around words that make it look as if our leaders have claimed that we are not Christian.
Yes, I understand that you don’t think I am a Christian. I don’t think you get, even yet, my objection.
It’s not about what others think we are. It’s about the fact that some are inventing quotes…outright lying, not to put to fine a point on it…from LDS leaders, claiming that they have actually said that they 'worship a different Jesus from the ****Christian ****one."
First, it’s poisoning the well.
It’s begging the question.
it’s lying.
(shrug)
??