Question for Catholics/Trinitarians

[Sixpence]

Well, I stand corrected. I had never heard of Mormans or Muslims claiming the title of Christian before. I think that the definition they are using is deliberately deceptive. (I’m refering to the Morman site, not Muslims.) I agree that the best definition from a theological sense is those that share a common Baptism.

Call up 888-537-6600 and talk to some Mormon missionaries. You might want to call a few times and at different times of day so you can talk to different people, buy they’ll answer basic questions about who they claim to be. They’ll probably start by telling you it’s the Church of Jesus Christ, and you’ll need some specific questions prepared to get beyond that. (What they’re prepared to talk about tends to be pretty limited). If pressed further, though, you’ll probably find that Christians outside the True Church (the LDS church, of course) are apostates in a sense of the word that is so soft it’s not worth using, and to them, Christianity could be either Trinitarian or not. But in its truest and original sense, it’s not.

A slight language barrier makes it kind of difficult to talk to a couple of them, and there’s a few who don’t know what they’re talking about. There’s a couple of young ladies who know what they’re doing, though, so make sure you get the full range of what’s there. Be ready for them to ask for your contact information, though, and exit as gracefully as you can.

I think that you’ll find that they claim to be Christians without exception, at least when you ask in plain terms like “Do you consider yourself/Mormons/LDS in general to be a Christian/Christians/Christianity?”

 

[mercytruth]

Thanks for the replies. Its clear that believing Jesus(PBUH) to be god is compulsory part of Christianity.
To answer the questions of Gary and Fabius:
Yes, in islam every muslim is commanded to believe in Prophet Jesus, Prophet Muhammad PBUH and all prophets beside them.
Believing in the miracle birth of Jesus pbuh and that he is the messiah are also fundamental aspects of our faith.

1. Verily, those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers and wish to make distinction between Allah and His Messengers saying, "We believe in some but reject others,’’ and wish to adopt a way in between.) (151. They are in truth disbelievers.

The reason why i asked this question is because at work there is this african christian we talk a lot about religion. I asked him weither they worship Jesus son of Mary, he answered: No we worship God only. Jesus is his son, but not divine.

These are the words of Jesus as he was praying to His Father, "And this is eternal life, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Respectfully, I hope you will come to know the teachings of Jesus Christ, as must all of us if we desire to have eternal life. One of his teachings is, “As Musa lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”

 

[rinnie]

My question is:

How do you guys view christian sects like the Ebionites and others who didnt accept Jesus(peace be upon him) as diety but more as great messenger/prophet?

Are they infidels heading towards punishment or saved?

We cannot even tell you if we are headed for punishment or being saved, How could we talk for others.

Only God can judge, and the only thing I can promise is this, God is fair, salvation is from Jesus Christ, and may he have mercy on us all.

 

[seeker57]

The definition of Christian is a bit more fluid than some may think.

There is a covenented group of those who believe they are Christians in our faith, in fact at our general assembly last week, they held a communion service.

But, they don’t believe in the trinity.

Some UU Christians believe Jesus was divinely inspired, or something akin to that.

I would hazard the majority of Unitarian Universalists accept Jesus as a wise man or teacher, and possibly a prophet, but not divine.

Since universalism is inherent in our faith, the question of salvation is a moot point.

European Unitarians often consider themselves to be Christian, but also eschew the trinity. In their view of the divine, God is more akin to what trinitarian Christians refer to as the Holy Spirit which resides in each of us, rather than some white-bearded man on a throne.

While the majority of those who are trinitarian Christians might disagree with the above, these beliefs have been around for 2,000 years in one form or another.

Peace,

Seeker

 

[AbuAbdullah]

We cannot even tell you if we are headed for punishment or being saved, How could we talk for others.

Only God can judge, and the only thing I can promise is this, God is fair, salvation is from Jesus Christ, and may he have mercy on us all.

I agree with that.

 

[RileyG]

I know a mormon who also self-identifies as Christian. I also know Jehovah Witnesses who self-identify as Christian. Am i going to judge them? Absolutely not. However, according to my beliefs, in order for one to be a Christian one must believe Christ is the messiah, son of the living God, and the most holy trinity. JW’s/Mormons do not.

 

[AbuAbdullah]

I know a mormon who also self-identifies as Christian. I also know Jehovah Witnesses who self-identify as Christian. Am i going to judge them? Absolutely not. However, according to my beliefs, in order for one to be a Christian one must believe Christ is the messiah, son of the living God, and the most holy trinity. JW’s/Mormons do not.

The irony is every sect claims to be the real christians.
Same problem amongst muslims.

So let God judge between His creatures.

 

[RileyG]

The irony is every sect claims to be the real christians.
Same problem amongst muslims.

So let God judge between His creatures.

I agree only God can judge us, but I hope I didn’t sound like I was judging someone else. I do n’t agree with JW’s/Mormons beliefs, but I also can’t judge their relationship with God.

 

[rinnie]

I agree with that.

This is much we disagree on unfortunately but important things we do indeed agree on

One of the most important things I believe that we indeed agree on is there is only One God. And that the One God is Love.

And I believe we both feel that we should respect one another because we all come from that one God. And in my opinion thats a good place to start.

We are all trying to get to the same place. And that is to meet God face to face and live with him forever in his eternal peace.