Are members of the 'Community of Christ' Christians?

  • Thread starter Thread starter thephilosopher6
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
It’s definitely an interesting question. I mean the Community of Christ definitely breaks from the views of the largest of the Latter Day Saint Churches (the LDS Church most of us are familiar with). Their view of the Trinity in particular seems to mesh with the Catholic and Protestant view of it based on what I’ve read. And many other traits of their church mesh with both Catholic and Protestant views (or what we generally consider as Christian) such as rejection of “celestial marriage”, rejection of Adam as God, rejection of Baptism of the Dead, etc… The one big knock against them is that they do accept the Book of Mormon as scripture. However on that alone I don’t think they’d be disqualified as being Christians. Just Christians with a slightly different theology and scripture.
 
:bible1:
“Beloved, believe
NOT
every spirit,
but try the spirits
whether they are of
God:
because many false prophets
are gone out into the world.”
-John 4:1

:compcoff: Mormon Heresy

**1. Teaches that there are many gods, and that humans can become gods and goddesses in the Heavenly kingdom: “History of the Church” 6 p. 306; “Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball,” pp. 28, 51-53.
**
2. Teaches that God the Father was a man like us who progressed to become a God and presently has a body of flesh and bone. “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!”—“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, pp. 345-47.

3. Teaches that Jesus is our elder brother who progressed to godhood, after being procreated in spirit by the Father and a heavenly mother, and conceived physically by the Father and an earthly mother. “The Restoration of Major Doctrines Through Joseph Smith.” in, “The Ensign,” Jan 1989, pp. 28-29. They hold that Jesus and Lucifer are brothers—“Mormon Doctrine,” pp. 192, 546-47, 589-90.

**4. **The Holy Spirit is a spirit in the form of a man and only his influence is present everywhere.—“Doctrines of Salvation” I. pp. 38, 49-50 by Joseph Fielding Smith.

5. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate Gods—“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” p. 370.

**6. **The Bible is corrupt, missing many “plain and precious parts” and does not contain the fullness of the Gospel—“Doctrines of Salvation” III. pp. 190, 191.

Provided Courtesy of:
Eternal Word Television Network
5817 Old Leeds RoadIrondale, AL 35210​

:bible1:
“I wonder that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel. Which is not another, only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema.” - Galatians 1:6-9​

PRAYER TO
**SAINT MICHAEL
THE ARCHANGEL **

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May GOD rebuke him,
we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of
GOD,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

. . . all for Jesus​
+
. . . Precious Blood Of Jesus
. . . in all Its Ancient Power
. . . cover all who have been in contact
with this CAF thread+:signofcross:​
 
Jesus_123 said:
:bible1:
“Beloved, believe
NOT
every spirit,
but try the spirits
whether they are of
God:
because many false prophets
are gone out into the world.”
John 4:1

:compcoff: Mormon Heresy

**1. Teaches that there are many gods, and that humans can become gods and goddesses in the Heavenly kingdom: “History of the Church” 6 p. 306; “Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball,” pp. 28, 51-53.
**
2. Teaches that God the Father was a man like us who progressed to become a God and presently has a body of flesh and bone. “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!”—“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, pp. 345-47.

3. Teaches that Jesus is our elder brother who progressed to godhood, after being procreated in spirit by the Father and a heavenly mother, and conceived physically by the Father and an earthly mother. “The Restoration of Major Doctrines Through Joseph Smith.” in, “The Ensign,” Jan 1989, pp. 28-29. They hold that Jesus and Lucifer are brothers—“Mormon Doctrine,” pp. 192, 546-47, 589-90.

**4. **The Holy Spirit is a spirit in the form of a man and only his influence is present everywhere.—“Doctrines of Salvation” I. pp. 38, 49-50 by Joseph Fielding Smith.

5. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate Gods—“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” p. 370.

**6. **The Bible is corrupt, missing many “plain and precious parts” and does not contain the fullness of the Gospel—“Doctrines of Salvation” III. pp. 190, 191.

Provided Courtesy of:
Eternal Word Television Network
5817 Old Leeds RoadIrondale, AL 35210​

:bible1:
"I wonder that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel. Which is not another, only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema. - Galatians 1:6-9​

PRAYER TO
**SAINT MICHAEL
THE ARCHANGEL **

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May GOD rebuke him,
we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of
GOD,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

. . . all for Jesus​
+
. . . Precious Blood Of Jesus
. . . in all Its Ancient Power
. . . cover all who have been in contact
with this CAF thread+:signofcross:​
Click to expand...
True that is an response to the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. However that is not the church we’re discussing here. Rather we’re discussing the Community of Christ.
 
Joseph Smith said Heavenly father told him all the creeds were an abomination to him. Presumably this includes Nicaea/Constantinople. If they accept this account to Joseph Smith their version of the trinity might not necessarily be Orthodox.
 
To source what IgnatianPhilo said, this is evidence from www.lds.org (source):
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
Click to expand...
 
Hatikvah said:
To source what IgnatianPhilo said, this is evidence from www.lds.org (source):
Click to expand...
Question is, is that what the Community of Christ believes today? I can find nothin supporting that they believe in a different Trinity than regular Christians. They seem to have abandoned much of the beliefs the LDS church holds to.
 
Padres1969 said:
Question is, is that what the Community of Christ believes today? I can find nothin supporting that they believe in a different Trinity than regular Christians. They seem to have abandoned much of the beliefs the LDS church holds to.
Click to expand...
I can’t find anything of that either… maybe the early Mormons interpreted “creeds” differently? Perhaps it refers to Sacred Tradition or something like that? Again, Mormons don’t venerate the Saints or Mary.
 
I would say “yes” but with qualifiers. I mean, a lot of folks don’t consider SDA Christians (I would say they’re wrong). Maybe CoC has the Trinity right, but they have so much that is wrong. But having some wrong theology does not disqualify someone from the title of Christian
 
adamhovey1988 said:
I would say “yes” but with qualifiers. I mean, a lot of folks don’t consider SDA Christians (I would say they’re wrong). Maybe CoC has the Trinity right, but they have so much that is wrong. But having some wrong theology does not disqualify someone from the title of Christian
Click to expand...
That is actually a really good comparison because they’re extremely similar in the sense that the Seventh-Day Adventists had their own “prophet” who taught a lot of heterodox doctrine, but remains orthodox on the essential points. In terms of the Community of Christ, I’d give them the benefit of the doubt that they express the same Trinity as the rest of Christendom. That is, until they give a reason for me to disbelieve them.

The Book of Mormon itself, though I don’t consider it to be scripture, from what I remember does not challenge any Christian doctrines. I wonder - can it be considered apocryphal?

I still wouldn’t recommend anyone join either the Seventh-Day Adventists or the Community of Christ.
 
FabiusMaximus said:
The Book of Mormon itself, though I don’t consider it to be scripture, from what I remember does not challenge any Christian doctrines. I wonder - can it be considered apocryphal?
Click to expand...
I think that it can be partially apocryphal. The Book of Mormon just seems to affirm much of what Old Testament eschatology tells us. Most of prophecy is either fulfilled, or both fulfilled and pending (such as preaching the LDS gospel to all the world). This page is helpful, and the Book of Mormon plays a part in eschatology at least: (Source)

The Book of Mormon challenges some doctrines. The most major one is the idea of original sin. This was a good source for some contradictions between the two, though many are trivial.
 
I have visited CoC headquarters and Temple, and their college in Iowa. I have attended their church services in three states. I have spoken at length with CoC leaders and laity, both when they were RLDS and now as CoC. I have exchanged letters with many others. I am confident that they have given up all the “distinctives” of Mormonism, and have adopted traditional Christian beliefs. They do not believe in separate heavens. They believe there is one Supreme Creator God. They believe in angels. They do not believe the Book of Mormon is scripture or inspired, but is more a novel. If it had not been written, a similar book probably would have been. (Actually, there were a number of early American scriptural innovations, such as the Shakers’ Holy Roll, and the Oahspe. Their organization and Priesthood is their own - so, too, are the organization and priesthoods (some allow women) in all the many sects that have branched off from the original 1830 “Church of Christ” founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. (Its other names came later.)

I unreservedly accept members of the Community of Christ as fellow Christians.
 
jane_doe said:
Sigh. No it’s not. The LDS and CoC are two very different churches with very different beliefs.
Click to expand...
Don’t LDS consider themselves Christian? That’s what I go by rather than another religion defining them.

For my own religion, if Messianic Jews consider themselves Jewish, that’s what counts in my view. There are Orthodox Jews who don’t consider Conservative or Reform Jews as practicing Judaism. I try to ignore the views of the former when it comes to defining what Judaism is for every Jew.
 
meltzerboy said:
Don’t LDS consider themselves Christian? That’s what I go by rather than another religion defining them.

For my own religion, if Messianic Jews consider themselves Jewish, that’s what counts in my view. There are Orthodox Jews who don’t consider Conservative or Reform Jews as practicing Judaism. I try to ignore the views of the former when it comes to defining what Judaism is for every Jew.
Click to expand...
Mormons are not Christians and are not consider Christians by the vast majority of Christians. This includes Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants. Mormons beliefs differ widely from orthodox Christians beliefs.

Mormons, for example, are henothesitic. They believe in the existence of other gods and also falsely claim the Trinity to be three different gods united in one purpose. In fact, Mormons believe that God the Father has a physical body because they believe he too was once a mortal who was somehow raised to godhood. They believe he lives on or near a planet named ‘Kolob’ and that he has a wife who they refer to as the “Heavenly Mother.” This is blasphemy. There is only one God, who exist as three persons. He is eternal, never having been created. He created the universe and all that is in it. There are no other gods but God (Isaiah 45:5). Christianity is strictly monotheistic, while Mormonism is not.

Mormons also believe in the pre-existence of the soul, something which is contrary to Christianity. Mormons believe we are the literal children of God. Christianity, on the other hand, professes that the soul is created by God near the moment of conception. We are not the literal children of God but are spiritual children.

Mormons also baptize the dead using a proxy (usually a descendant of that person) in the place of that person. This is contrary to Christianity. Christianity teaches that ones ultimate fate is sealed when one dies. One either goes to heaven (sometimes having to pass through purgatory first) or hell.

Mormons also believe the Bible to be partially corrupted, a similar claim Muslims make, although Mormons don’t think it is as sever. However, this is still contrary to Christianity which teaches the Bible is the inspired word of God that reveals the truth of God to all mankind.

There are many others things which separates Mormonism from Christianity. Mormons may claim to be Christians, but they could not be farther from Christianity. Just because one follows and believes in Jesus does makes a person a Christian. If that were true, then we ought to say Muslims or Rastafarians are Christians.

To note: Christians typically accept Messianic Jews as Christians who still follow Jewish customs and the law of Moses.
 
thephilosopher6 said:
Mormons are not Christians and are not consider Christians by the vast majority of Christians. This includes Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants. Mormons beliefs differ widely from orthodox Christians beliefs.

Mormons, for example, are henothesitic. They believe in the existence of other gods and also falsely claim the Trinity to be three different gods united in one purpose. In fact, Mormons believe that God the Father has a physical body because they believe he too was once a mortal who was somehow raised to godhood. They believe he lives on or near a planet named ‘Kolob’ and that he has a wife who they refer to as the “Heavenly Mother.” This is blasphemy. There is only one God, who exist as three persons. He is eternal, never having been created. He created the universe and all that is in it. There are no other gods but God (Isaiah 45:5). Christianity is strictly monotheistic, while Mormonism is not.

Mormons also believe in the pre-existence of the soul, something which is contrary to Christianity. Mormons believe we are the literal children of God. Christianity, on the other hand, professes that the soul is created by God near the moment of conception. We are not the literal children of God but are spiritual children.

Mormons also baptize the dead using a proxy (usually a descendant of that person) in the place of that person. This is contrary to Christianity. Christianity teaches that ones ultimate fate is sealed when one dies. One either goes to heaven (sometimes having to pass through purgatory first) or hell.

Mormons also believe the Bible to be partially corrupted, a similar claim Muslims make, although Mormons don’t think it is as sever. However, this is still contrary to Christianity which teaches the Bible is the inspired word of God that reveals the truth of God to all mankind.

There are many others things which separates Mormonism from Christianity. Mormons may claim to be Christians, but they could not be farther from Christianity. Just because one follows and believes in Jesus does makes a person a Christian. If that were true, then we ought to say Muslims or Rastafarians are Christians.

To note: Christians typically accept Messianic Jews as Christians who still follow Jewish customs and the law of Moses.
Click to expand...
Your posting about the wrong church.
 
jane_doe said:
Your posting about the wrong church.
Click to expand...
thephilosopher6 said:
I’m referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Click to expand...
jane_doe said:
Which is not the church this thread is about
Click to expand...
thephilosopher6 said:
Yes, but meltzerboy asked

“Don’t LDS consider themselves Christian?”

Then I explained to him how LDS cannot be Christians.
Click to expand...
And in whose post #32 are listed distinctive Mormon beliefs which both traditional Christians and the Community of Christ do not hold, thus assisting in answer the question, "Are member of the ‘Community of Christ’ Christians? - in the affirmative.
 
thephilosopher6 said:
Mormons are not Christians and are not consider Christians by the vast majority of Christians. This includes Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants. Mormons beliefs differ widely from orthodox Christians beliefs.

Mormons, for example, are henothesitic. They believe in the existence of other gods and also falsely claim the Trinity to be three different gods united in one purpose. In fact, Mormons believe that God the Father has a physical body because they believe he too was once a mortal who was somehow raised to godhood. They believe he lives on or near a planet named ‘Kolob’ and that he has a wife who they refer to as the “Heavenly Mother.” This is blasphemy. There is only one God, who exist as three persons. He is eternal, never having been created. He created the universe and all that is in it. There are no other gods but God (Isaiah 45:5). Christianity is strictly monotheistic, while Mormonism is not.

Mormons also believe in the pre-existence of the soul, something which is contrary to Christianity. Mormons believe we are the literal children of God. Christianity, on the other hand, professes that the soul is created by God near the moment of conception. We are not the literal children of God but are spiritual children.

Mormons also baptize the dead using a proxy (usually a descendant of that person) in the place of that person. This is contrary to Christianity. Christianity teaches that ones ultimate fate is sealed when one dies. One either goes to heaven (sometimes having to pass through purgatory first) or hell.

Mormons also believe the Bible to be partially corrupted, a similar claim Muslims make, although Mormons don’t think it is as sever. However, this is still contrary to Christianity which teaches the Bible is the inspired word of God that reveals the truth of God to all mankind.

There are many others things which separates Mormonism from Christianity. Mormons may claim to be Christians, but they could not be farther from Christianity. Just because one follows and believes in Jesus does makes a person a Christian. If that were true, then we ought to say Muslims or Rastafarians are Christians.

To note: Christians typically accept Messianic Jews as Christians who still follow Jewish customs and the law of Moses.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top