Is mormonism Christian?

[StLawrenceFan]

**Of course not. **

**But why not? **

Here is one good explanation, with others to follow…
Quoted from here:

"Is Mormonism Christian?

The question above actually can be phrased in several ways:

‘Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination?’ NO. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including: 1) the deity of Christ, 2) salvation by grace, and 3) the bodily resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible. The evidence for these statements is documented in section 3 below.
‘Are Mormons Christians?’ LIKELY NOT, if they believe the major doctrines of their church.
‘Can a Mormon be a Christian?’. POSSIBLY. Only God knows what each person believes (and why) regarding His Son, Jesus Christ. But as a person stays in the Mormon church, absorbs and accepts Mormon teaching, doctrine and ‘latter-day revelation’, the chances of answering the question in the affirmative approach zero. The key question Mormons must answer is ‘WHO is the Jesus they believe in’?
In the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul warns of “another Jesus whom we have not preached… a different spirit which you have not received… a different gospel which you have not accepted” (2 Cor. 11:4).

In the New Testament book of Galatians, Paul again warns: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal. 1:8)"…

 

[Nominefili]

The only people who think Mormons are Christians are the Mormons.

Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, and others may bicker with Rome, but even Rome will differentiate between the aforementioned denominations and the Mormon ‘church,’ despite the fact that we are all outside of the Roman communion.

 

[StLawrenceFan]

The only people who think Mormons are Christians are the Mormons…

**Very true. **

 

[Contarini]

The only people who think Mormons are Christians are the Mormons.

That’s not true. I’ve met quite a few Christians who thought that Mormons are Christians.

It depends on what we mean by “Christians.” Clearly they are Christian in some sense. But they are not members of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Edwin

 

[Nominefili]

That’s not true. I’ve met quite a few Christians who thought that Mormons are Christians.

It depends on what we mean by “Christians.” Clearly they are Christian in some sense. But they are not members of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Edwin

1. No they aren’t Christian in any sense.
2. I’m not a member of your Church either.

 

[Contarini]

1. No they aren’t Christian in any sense.

That’s obviously false. One reasonable definition of the word “Christian” is “one for whom the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus plays a central religious function.” Another is “a member of a religious tradition that derives historically, directly or indirectly, from the work of Jesus.” (Bear in mind that some Christians have even called Islam a Christian heresy.) Another would be “someone who claims to be a Christian.” I’m sure I could come up with other senses in which Mormonism is Christian. None of these is the sense that most matters theologically.

1. I’m not a member of your Church either.

If you were baptized in water in the name of the Trinity, then you certainly are.

My Church is not Anglicanism. Anglicanism does not claim to be the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Sorry if that messes up your universe.

Edwin

 

[rtconstant]

Somewhere I heard the phrase pseudo-Christian when applied to non-Trinitarian sects. I don’t know if that is technically correct or it was just something someone came up with. Obviously the lack of a proper baptism, and non-Apostolic understanding off the divine is a problem.

I personally don’t see them as Christian in the traditional sense, but I don’t like the fact that its hard to discuss this issues without it sounding like you’re insulting the other groups.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

what is the definition of CHRISTIAN?

To me it would be a person or group of people who believe in Jesus Christ.

Since when does Christian mean Trinitarian?

 

[StLawrenceFan]

That’s obviously false. One reasonable definition of the word “Christian” is “one for whom the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus plays a central religious function.”

Ed, sadly you are missing the fact that mormons believe in a completely different Jesus from the Bible.

They do not follow basic Christian Doctrine.

So, instead of identifying a definition that only in part defines who a “Christian” is. Please focus on the facts.

There is one God
God was never first a man, who then grew into a God
Man cannot become God-like; Man cannot become God
Jesus (God) was born of miraculous virgin birth to Mary

Feel free to read any other facts such as (Quoted from Here)…

"Historically, only until recently have Mormons wanted to be called Christians, preferring not to be included with Christian denominations, which Joseph Smith said were, “all wrong … all their creeds were an admonition in his sight, and that those professors (Christians) were all corrupt” (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, 2:18-19).

Mormons have preferred to be called “saints”; however, in the recent years the LDS church has spent millions in an intense “PR” campaign aimed at moving the church into the mainstream of Christianity. The political and economic benefits of Mormons being included in the mainstream of Christianity are obvious. Further, for Mormons to be accepted as traditional Christians would greatly aid in proselytizing the members of Christian denominations into the LDS church. This is why the LDS church is trying so hard to present itself as Christian and is trying to overcome the stigma of being a cult.

**The answer to the question, “Are Mormons Christians,” is simple. They are not Christians for several reasons, and their unbiblical doctrines show them to be a “Christian” cult. **

The name Christian was first used, as Acts 11:26 records, to identify the disciples of Jesus Christ. The word “Christian” is the Greek word “christianos,” and it means an adherent of Jesus Christ. It literally means “Christ ones” (Acts 11:26, 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16). The correct definition of the word is one who is a follower of the Jesus Christ of the Bible. For almost two thousand years it has never had a reference to anyone other that the historical Jesus Christ of the New Testament.

Why Mormons Are Not Christian.

First: Mormons do not follow or believe in the historic Jesus Christ of the Bible, but rather in a difference Jesus. This is why most Biblical Christians emphatically insist that Mormons are not Christians. Let me explain.

The god of the Mormons is not the God of the Bible. To the Mormons, Jesus is the firstborn son of an exalted “man” who became the god of this world. The man-god of Mormonism was made the god of this world because of his good works on another planet somewhere out in the universe. He “earned” godhood, and was thus appointed by a counsel of gods in the heavens to his high position as the god of planet Earth. The Mormon god of this world was a man, like all men, who became a god. This is what the celestial marriage and the temple vows are all about. LDS men, by doing their temple work, are striving for exaltation by which they, too, shall one day become gods. Their wives will be the mother goddesses of “their” world and with their husband will produce the population of their world. This is the Mormon doctrine of “eternal progression.”

Note the following quote from the Mormon Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, page 123, made by the LDS Apostle Orson Hyde:

“Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, a mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point were He is.”

Lorenzo Snow, late President of the Mormon church, made this statement in the second verse of his famous poem entitled, “Man’s Destiny”:

“As Abra’m, Isaac, Jacob, too, babes, then men–to gods they grew. As man now is, our God once was; As now God is, so man may be,-- Which doth unfold man’s destiny. . .”

The God of the Bible is not an exalted man. The God of the Bible is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. The Bible says He is the only God and there are no other Gods. He had no beginning or end and he is a spirit being and never was a man.

Note the clear teaching of the Bible as to who the real God is:

Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

Psalms 102:26-27, “They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.”

Isaiah 43:10-11, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”

Isaiah 44:6, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

Isaiah 44:8, “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”

 

[Contarini]

Ed, sadly you are missing the fact that mormons believe in a completely different Jesus from the Bible.

That’s plainly false. For one thing, Mormons accept the divine authority of the Bible. You’re methods here are exactly those of fundamentalist anti-Catholics who claim that *Catholics *worship a different Jesus and venerate a different Mary than the “Biblical” one.

There are plenty of reasons to call Mormons heretics, without adopting this kind of irrational fundamentalist rhetoric.

They do not follow basic Christian Doctrine.

I agree.

So, instead of identifying a definition that only in part defines who a “Christian” is. Please focus on the facts.

That’s exactly what I was doing. You said that Mormons are not Christians *in any sense. *That’s an indefensible claim.

**

There is one God
God was never first a man, who then grew into a God
Man cannot become God-like; Man cannot become God

**There you are being unorthodox. Divinization is a traditional Christian teaching, although given the orthodox view of God it looks very different than the heretical Mormon version.

** Jesus (God) was born of miraculous virgin birth to Mary**

Mormons don’t deny this as far as I know.

I find it interesting that you try to support your position by using a fundamentalist Baptist source. That confirms my impression that your methods here are fundamentalist rather than Catholic. Given what fundamentalist Baptists think about Catholics, don’t you have a problem with using their definitions of orthodoxy? (I don’t mean that fundamentalists can’t get anything right, but rather that there is a direct connection between what they say about Mormons and what they say about Catholics.)

First: Mormons do not follow or believe in the historic Jesus Christ of the Bible, but rather in a difference Jesus. This is why most Biblical Christians

He means fundamentalists.

emphatically insist that Mormons are not Christians. Let me explain.

The god of the Mormons is not the God of the Bible. To the Mormons, Jesus is the firstborn son of an exalted “man” who became the god of this world.

Mormons believe lots of heretical things about the Jesus of the Bible. But they do profess faith in the Jesus (and in the God) of the Bible. To confuse “making heretical claims about Jesus” with “not believing in Jesus at all” is to adopt one of the basic fundamentalist errors.

Again, we agree that Mormons are heretics, and that they are not Christian in the full and proper sense. I don’t know why you can’t be satisfied with that. Why strain language in unreasonable ways just to satisfy your detestation of heresy?

Edwin

 

[Contarini]

what is the definition of CHRISTIAN?

To me it would be a person or group of people who believe in Jesus Christ.

Since when does Christian mean Trinitarian?

The argument would be that the true Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity, so if you don’t believe in the Trinity you don’t believe in Jesus Christ but in a heretical parody of the true Jesus.

Edwin

 

[ThurifAcolyte]

what is the definition of CHRISTIAN?

To me it would be a person or group of people who believe in Jesus Christ.

Since when does Christian mean Trinitarian?

I agree with your definition, and I can say that Mormons, individuals, are Christians, in the sense that they believe in and worship Jesus Christ, or at least their understanding of Him (since we do differ on various issues related to Christ).

However, I believe the Catholic Church sees as “Christian” those that confess the traditional Trinity, hence why LDS baptisms are not accepted. Also, if you take a look at the Athanasian Creed, the “catholic faith” is defined as one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, and of course goes on to define the traditional Trinity. This can be seen as related to the Catholic stance on accepting baptisms (I am not saying it originated in this Creed, however it certainly is related to it).

 

[StLawrenceFan]

That’s plainly false. For one thing, Mormons accept the divine authority of the Bible.

—As long as it’s properly translated. They give far more credence to Joe and to Joe’s BoM than the Bible, which makes them a cult.

You’re methods here are exactly those of fundamentalist anti-Catholics who claim that *Catholics *worship a different Jesus and venerate a different Mary than the “Biblical” one.

–There are a lot of confused or uneducated folks out there. They need to research the One True Church.

Mormons don’t deny this as far as I know.

–Of course they do. They believe God impregnated Mary through the usual means.

Again, we agree that Mormons are heretics, and that they are not Christian in the full and proper sense. I don’t know why you can’t be satisfied with that. Why strain language in unreasonable ways just to satisfy your detestation of heresy?

–Because I call it as it is. They believe in a fully distorted version of Jesus based on the claims of a con man named Joe Smith. Mormons do not believe in, nor follow basic Christian Doctrine. They are not “Christian” in the slightest. See? I much rather prefer the straight-up truth than to sugar coat.

 

[StLawrenceFan]

To refresh people’s memories:

[**mormons believe: (quoted from here) ** (http://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm)
“Here is a summary of important facts about the Mormon church, its doctrine, and its history that the missionaries will probably not tell you. We are not suggesting that they are intentionally deceiving you --most of the young Mormons serving missions for the church are not well educated in the history of the church or in modern critical studies of the church. They probably do not know the all the facts themselves. They have been trained, however, to give investigators “milk before meat,” that is, to postpone revealing anything at all that might make an investigator hesitant, even if it is true. But you should be aware of these facts before you commit yourself.”

• God was once a man like us.
• God has a tangible body of flesh and bone.
• God lives on a planet near the star Kolob.
• God (“Heavenly Father”) has at least one wife, our “Mother in Heaven,” but she is so holy that we are not to discuss her nor pray to her.
• Jesus was married.
• We can become like God and rule over our own universe.
• There are many gods, ruling over their own worlds.
• Jesus and Satan (“Lucifer”) are brothers, and they are our brothers - we are all spirit children of Heavenly Father
• Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father by having sex with Mary, who was temporarily his wife.
• We should not pray to Jesus, nor try to feel a personal relationship with him.
• The “Lord” (“Jehovah”) in the Old Testament is the being named Jesus in the New Testament, but different from “God the Father” (“Elohim”).
• In the highest degree of the celestial kingdom some men will have more than one wife.
• Before coming to this earth we lived as spirits in a “pre-existence”, during which we were tested; our position in this life (whether born to Mormons or savages, or in America or Africa) is our reward or punishment for our obedience in that life.
• Dark skin is a curse from God, the result of our sin, or the sin of our ancestors. If sufficiently righteous, a dark-skinned person will become light-skinned.
• The Garden of Eden was in Missouri. All humanity before the Great Flood lived in the western hemisphere. The Ark transported Noah and the other survivors to the eastern hemisphere.
• Not only will human beings be resurrected to eternal life, but also all animals - everything that has ever lived on earth - will be resurrected and dwell in heaven.
• Christ will not return to earth in any year that has seen a rainbow.
• Mormons should avoid traveling on water, since Satan rules the waters.
• The sun receives its light from the star Kolob.
• If a Gentile becomes Mormon, the Holy Ghost actually purges his Gentile blood and replaces it with Israelite blood.
• A righteous Mormon will actually see the face of God in the Mormon temple.
• You can identify a false angel by the color of his hair, or by offering to shake his hand.

 

[Joe_5859]

I personally don’t see them as Christian in the traditional sense, but I don’t like the fact that its hard to discuss this issues without it sounding like you’re insulting the other groups.

That’s the rub for me as well. I don’t see that it is conducive for us to point the finger at Mormons and say “You’re not really Christian, even though you say you are.” I wouldn’t list them as just another denomination alongside Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans, etc., but neither would I go out of my way to say “You’re not Christian.” I think Edwin brings up some great points in that regard.

I would rather take the time to explain why the Mormon concept of Jesus is inaccurate rather than simply say they’re not Christian. I have no problem acquiescing to their request to be considered “Christian” if it means they’ll take seriously what I say rather than dismiss me out of hand.

 

[jakasaki]

To refresh people’s memories:

[**mormons believe: (quoted from here) ** (http://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm)
“Here is a summary of important facts about the Mormon church, its doctrine, and its history that the missionaries will probably not tell you. We are not suggesting that they are intentionally deceiving you --most of the young Mormons serving missions for the church are not well educated in the history of the church or in modern critical studies of the church. They probably do not know the all the facts themselves. They have been trained, however, to give investigators “milk before meat,” that is, to postpone revealing anything at all that might make an investigator hesitant, even if it is true. But you should be aware of these facts before you commit yourself.”

• God was once a man like us.
• God has a tangible body of flesh and bone.
• God lives on a planet near the star Kolob.
• God (“Heavenly Father”) has at least one wife, our “Mother in Heaven,” but she is so holy that we are not to discuss her nor pray to her.
• Jesus was married.
• We can become like God and rule over our own universe.
• There are many gods, ruling over their own worlds.
• Jesus and Satan (“Lucifer”) are brothers, and they are our brothers - we are all spirit children of Heavenly Father
• Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father by having sex with Mary, who was temporarily his wife.
• We should not pray to Jesus, nor try to feel a personal relationship with him.
• The “Lord” (“Jehovah”) in the Old Testament is the being named Jesus in the New Testament, but different from “God the Father” (“Elohim”).
• In the highest degree of the celestial kingdom some men will have more than one wife.
• Before coming to this earth we lived as spirits in a “pre-existence”, during which we were tested; our position in this life (whether born to Mormons or savages, or in America or Africa) is our reward or punishment for our obedience in that life.
• Dark skin is a curse from God, the result of our sin, or the sin of our ancestors. If sufficiently righteous, a dark-skinned person will become light-skinned.
• The Garden of Eden was in Missouri. All humanity before the Great Flood lived in the western hemisphere. The Ark transported Noah and the other survivors to the eastern hemisphere.
• Not only will human beings be resurrected to eternal life, but also all animals - everything that has ever lived on earth - will be resurrected and dwell in heaven.
• Christ will not return to earth in any year that has seen a rainbow.
• Mormons should avoid traveling on water, since Satan rules the waters.
• The sun receives its light from the star Kolob.
• If a Gentile becomes Mormon, the Holy Ghost actually purges his Gentile blood and replaces it with Israelite blood.
• A righteous Mormon will actually see the face of God in the Mormon temple.
• You can identify a false angel by the color of his hair, or by offering to shake his hand.

and double…

 

[Publisher]

The only people who think Mormons are Christians are the Mormons.

Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, and others may bicker with Rome, but even Rome will differentiate between the aforementioned denominations and the Mormon ‘church,’ despite the fact that we are all outside of the Roman communion.

Not true. Mormons are Christians…just not “orthodox” as defined by Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists and Rome.

 

[gearhead]

"Is Mormonism Christian?

The question above actually can be phrased in several ways:

‘Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination?’ NO. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including: 1) the deity of Christ, 2) salvation by grace, and 3) the bodily resurrection of Christ.

Who gets to say that these are the “essential doctrines of Christianity”?

Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible.

Mormons have a different understanding of monotheism than Catholics, just as Catholics have a different understanding of monotheism than Jews.

The only people who think Mormons are Christians are the Mormons.

There are plenty of other people who think Mormons are Christians. This atheist, for instance.

 

[ThurifAcolyte]

That’s the rub for me as well. I don’t see that it is conducive for us to point the finger at Mormons and say “You’re not really Christian, even though you say you are.” I wouldn’t list them as just another denomination alongside Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans, etc., but neither would I go out of my way to say “You’re not Christian.” I think Edwin brings up some great points in that regard.

I would rather take the time to explain why the Mormon concept of Jesus is inaccurate rather than simply say they’re not Christian. I have no problem acquiescing to their request to be considered “Christian” if it means they’ll take seriously what I say rather than dismiss me out of hand.

I agree with this. And I see no reason to deny individuals their claim to be called Christian, especially when certain evangelicals say that we aren’t Christians for not believing in Jesus Christ according to them (which usually revolves around the Eucharist). But as you said, that doesn’t mean that I see it in the same category as Anglicans, Orthodox, Lutherans, Methodists, etc, for obvious reasons.

 

[Joe_5859]

You’re methods here are exactly those of fundamentalist anti-Catholics who claim that *Catholics *worship a different Jesus and venerate a different Mary than the “Biblical” one.

I keep coming back to this idea the more I think about this. There are plenty of fundamentalist anti-Catholics who also insist that Catholics are not really Christian, even though we say we are. When I run into people like that, I tend to run for the door because I know that nothing I say will make any difference to them. I pretty much tune them out. How could I blame a Mormon for tuning me out if I do the same to them?