Are Mormons considered Christians?

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Two questions:
  1. Are Mormans Christian?
  2. Do they consider themselves Christian?
 
IGotQuestions said:
Two questions:
  1. Are Mormans Christian?
  2. Do they consider themselves Christian?
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Yes, of course they call themselves Christians. Look at their name. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

What other people who are not LDS say about them is moot.
 
  1. Yes, they consider their Church to be the only true Church, restored to Earth by Joseph Smith after the original Christian Church went apostate after the Apostles’ deaths.
  2. The Catholic Church does not consider Mormon baptisms to be valid Christian baptisms.
There is much material on Mormonism on this Catholic Answers website.
 
it all depends upon your definition of the word Christian.

as Mormons define the word, they are definitely Christians.

how others define the word may result in people saying they are definitely not Christians.
 
IGotQuestions said:
Two questions:
  1. Are Mormans Christian?
  2. Do they consider themselves Christian?
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  1. Depends on who you’re asking. Mormons would say yes, and other Latter Day Saints and Restorationists would likely say yes as would anyone who defines “Christian” as having a faith in or based on Christ. But most Trinitarian and mainstream Christian groups including the Catholic Church would almost all probably say no. And as such most mainstream, mainline, evangelical and Catholic Christians don’t accept Mormon baptism as valid for one thing.
  2. Yes they do. They’ve even gone out of their way in more recent years to emphasize the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints aspect of themselves. However if you read into their doctrine it’s very different from any other church that calls itself Christian.
 
PaulfromIowa said:
  1. Yes, they consider their Church to be the only true Church, restored to Earth by Joseph Smith after the original Christian Church went apostate after the Apostles’ deaths.
  2. The Catholic Church does not consider Mormon baptisms to be valid Christian baptisms.
There is much material on Mormonism on this Catholic Answers website.
Click to expand...
👍
 
Just to throw it out there, the Church does not consider LDS baptism valid because baptism has a Trinitarian formula, and we have different understandings of the Trinity.

The Catholic Church isn’t making a semantic argument in that policy - nobody said they were, I just felt that should be pointed out.
 
Im surprised a Mormon member hasn’t posted yet. The reason many people don’t consider Mormons Christians is because they do not believe Jesus to be God and they do not believe in the Trinity. The last Mormon missionary I spoke to described their belief as 3 personages (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) with one purpose.
 
Their doctrines are considered a Christian heresy. But as to what is in the individual Mormon’s heart? Only God can judge them. I have seen Mormons who display agape love better than most “real” Christians. I don’t like getting into debates over whether an individual is a Christian or not. I’ve done that before, and I feel bad about it. I was judging, and who am I to judge? We are all sinners, trying to get through this life.
 
boomerang said:
Their doctrines are considered a Christian heresy. But as to what is in the individual Mormon’s heart? Only God can judge them. I have seen Mormons who display agape love better than most “real” Christians. I don’t like getting into debates over whether an individual is a Christian or not. I’ve done that before, and I feel bad about it. I was judging, and who am I to judge? We are all sinners, trying to get through this life.
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There is Christian behavior or morals which many LDS do well but then there is Christian theology which the LDS do not have. I may be wrong but I believe the OP is asking about theology.
 
I’d agree with everyone else here.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has some pretty odd doctrines that wouldn’t fit into OUR definition of “Christian.” According to them, they are Christian. As for us, we say that Mormon baptisms are entirely invalid since baptism must be done using the Trinitarian formula. In which Mormon baptisms do not.
 
ComplineSanFran said:
Yes, of course they call themselves Christians. Look at their name. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

What other people who are not LDS say about them is moot.
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Why is it “moot?”

Would it be “moot” to hear, say, what Jesus or the Apostles would say about whether Mormons are Christian?

What does it mean to be “Christian,” according to you?

Merely making a claim to be “Christian” reduces every other voice to silence? Doesn’t that simply empty the word “Christian” of all possible meaning?

You do understand that in LDS theology, every god (including Jesus and the Father) were once human who essentially made themselves into gods? You do understand that any Mormon believer can become a god and populate planets somewhere in the universe?

You do understand that the basic Trinitarian doctrines (three Persons in one God) of Christianity from its very beginning are denied by the Mormon church?
 
boomerang said:
Their doctrines are considered a Christian heresy.
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Anyone who believes something other than the Doctrine and Dogma of the Church Christ established, the Catholic Church, believes heresy. All protestants believe heresy.
 
Peter_Plato said:
Why is it “moot?”

Would it be “moot” to hear, say, what Jesus or the Apostles would say about whether Mormons are Christian?

What does it mean to be “Christian,” according to you?

Merely making a claim to be “Christian” reduces every other voice to silence? Doesn’t that simply empty the word “Christian” of all possible meaning?

You do understand that in LDS theology, every god (including Jesus and the Father) were once human who essentially made themselves into gods? You do understand that any Mormon believer can become a god and populate planets somewhere in the universe?

You do understand that the basic Trinitarian doctrines (three Persons in one God) of Christianity from its very beginning are denied by the Mormon church?
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It’s a moot point because speaking on behalf of another person or tradition is offering an opinion/interpretation. Self definition, IMHO, trumps interpretation of the ‘other.’ The most we can say as non-LDS is that they don’t fall into the categories that we have determined.

And yes, I do know LDS theology, and I know well that it isn’t mainstream Christian theology. However, they have declared that they are a Christian body, and we know that over time, they have grown in their doctrine and discipline. Non-Mormons can disagree and that is fine, but in the end, it’s their place to define who they are.
 
ComplineSanFran said:
It’s a moot point because speaking on behalf of another person or tradition is offering an opinion/interpretation. Self definition, IMHO, trumps interpretation of the ‘other.’ The most we can say as non-LDS is that they don’t fall into the categories that we have determined.

And yes, I do know LDS theology, and I know well that it isn’t mainstream Christian theology. However, they have declared that they are a Christian body, and we know that over time, they have grown in their doctrine and discipline. Non-Mormons can disagree and that is fine, but in the end, it’s their place to define who they are.
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I suppose it is also “their place” to appropriate the names and beliefs of established bodies and make claims about the correctness of those beliefs?

How is this different from identity theft?

You have no problem taking a name that others have long (1800 years) called and identified themselves by and appropriating it by claiming the name and identity, with equal or greater merit, belongs to you?

You would have no problem with me taking your name, identifying as you and doing all kinds of things in your name?
 
ComplineSanFran said:
Non-Mormons can disagree and that is fine, but in the end, it’s their place to define who they are.
Click to expand...
ComplineSanFran said:
It’s a moot point because speaking on behalf of another person or tradition is offering an opinion/interpretation. Self definition, IMHO, trumps interpretation of the ‘other.’ The most we can say as non-LDS is that they don’t fall into the categories that we have determined.
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The irony here is that the word “Christian” wasn’t used by the early followers of Christ but by Romans and possibly Jews to identify the followers of “the Way.” It wasn’t used by followers of Christ in “their place to define who” they were, it was used “the other” about them.
 
Peter_Plato said:
I suppose it is also “their place” to appropriate the names and beliefs of established bodies and make claims about the correctness of those beliefs?

How is this different from identity theft?

You have no problem taking a name that others have long (1800 years) called and identified themselves by and appropriating it by claiming the name and identity, with equal or greater merit, belongs to you?

You would have no problem with me taking your name, identifying as you and doing all kinds of things in your name?
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It’s done all the time. Every branch of Christianity that developed, for instance, in the Great Awakenings, did so. It isn’t theft; it is how our tradition creates branches.

And as far as usurping a history (my words, not yours), I would imagine Jews have a few things to say about that insofar as Christianity took over not only history but Sacred Texts.
We did a bit of re-working there, don’t you think?
 
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