Why do people think Mormon's aren't Christian's?

Question

Just wondering cuz I always hear people say that Mormon's aren't Christian but some cult or something. Did you know that Mormon's are LDS? Same and the one. And they are Christian (their church is called the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints). I looked into it.

I like what Jon H (?) says. If someone believes in Jesus Christ then that makes them a Christian, whether they're different from others or not. And I know that their beliefs are not that different from other's beliefs, just people tend to believe everything they hear no matter how ignorant it may be.

Answer 1

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I believe that God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to make the ultimate sacrifice to atone for my personal sins as well as the sins of the whole world. I believe that it is only through Christ that I can be saved and enter into the presence of Heavenly Father for eternity. I try to follow Christ's commandments and example every day, although I fall short. I look to him for forgiveness.

I'm not sure how others define "Christian." And to me, it doesn't matter. I consider myself Christian, and God knows my heart.

Answer 2

People, well not just people bascially "christians" and other religous believers say that "mormons" a type of belief aren't christians because they aren't to be exact Christianity is a relationship with God, our Lord Jesus Christ Lord and Saviour Mormons believe yes there is a God but their doctrines are different what they believe isnt on the exact same scale so to speak eg. you cannot call a Christian a Catholic because there is a differnce what they believe is differnt im a Christian and i believe in only the bible, and its teaching, the word of God and Jesus himself i dont follow the so called "woshiping of mary the mother of Jesus" because the Bible doesnt not go like that. And just beacuse a church is called the Church of Jesus Christ the latter day saints doesnt mean that they have the title "Christians" becuase Christians means "Follower of Jesus" they are just a type of christianity not the actually thing, its differnt and i hope i answered you question.. maybe if i didnt you should ask advice from another person's point of view like a mormon perhaps and ask them what they believe and see if it is differnt from christianity or not

Answer 3

Oftentimes people go by others' words. Sometimes they disagree with doctrine. You could say that we aren't Christian in the sense that most of mainstream Christianity is. But we ARE Christian in the sense that we follow Christ and strive to be like Him. You'll likely be able to find more answers to this question at: www.fairlds.org

If there isn't a section for it (I'm pretty sure there is), venture on into the messageboards. There are many wonderful people there (LDS, non-LDS, and everything inbetween). I hope this helps :-).

PS: I've been reading many of the comments and I'm seeing much misunderstanding here. Remember that the very best way to learn about a Mormon is to ask a Mormon (or at least someone who's been involved with the church first-hand). The site I gave you is the most honest place I've seen to learn about all sides of the arguments posed (the message board especially)... I've been a member all of my life, and it's helped me immensely. Thanks again.

Answer 4

Mormons are not Christians. Latter Day Saints are not Christians.

Christians have the Bible. Mormons have some book written by some guy from New York.

Christians believe Jesus Christ is God. Mormons dont believe this. Also Mormons believe we will all become a god some day and each have our own little world to control.

Christians believe in the Trinity where God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are all one in the same. Mormons believe that they are not all God but three different gods. According to this and the fact that we all become gods, Mormons are polytheistic. Christians are monotheistic.

Christians are saved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Mormons are "saved" through the LDS church.

Cris C got it right.



If you truly are interested in finding out information in reguards to the Mormon religion or any other religion (or if you want to compare them to Christianity) I suggest you buy the book "So What's the Difference?" by Fritz Ridenour.

Answer 5

I don't know, but I am glad that you have looked into it for yourself. I am LDS myself and have heard many difference things against my religion. We believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior. We believe in the Bible, but we also believe in the Book of Mormon as being another testament of Jesus Christ. Thank you for looking into things before making your judgements. People like you with an open mind make the world a better place. If you want to learn anything else about our religion, feel free to visit lds.org or mormon.org for more information.

Answer 6

A lot of the Mormon beliefs are incredibly different than what most Christian denominations believe in. Mormons have a completely different form of religious scripture along with the Bible, mostyly focusing on the prophecies of a guy called Joseph Smith made in the mid to late 19th century.

They believe that good Mormons don't necessarily rise and go to heaven, but rise and become Gods of thier own planets, and that God was once just a good Mormon on another planet, etc.

Answer 7

There are a lot of Christian cults (Mormon's as well). They are called cults because they separated from original Christian beliefs. So, maybe Mormon's have some Christian origins but they don't follow to the original Christian religion.

Answer 8

Because the basic tenet is contrary to true Christianity. Men DO NOT become gods if they live a good enough life.

They may be LDS Church of Jesus Christ...but its a name. They don't follow the teachings of Christianity. They believe God the Father was at one time a man. He "progressed" to godhood.
God has a physical body and has a wife, the Heavenly Mother. There is NO TRINITY. As Islam believes of Christianity, Mormons actually do believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are indeed three separate Gods.

Worthy Men may one day become gods themselves. Jesus was created as a "Spirit Child" from a sexual union of the Father and Heavenly Mother.

They are also saved by works. This man-made religion (Joseph Smith 1830) is a blasphemous cult. Don't be fooled by a name.

There is only one God.

P.S. I hate to make an arguement and I certainly know I'm not writing this for the points....but.... to say, "If you believe in Jesus that makes you a Christian" is absurd. Muslims believe in Jesus but don't follow him. Satan and the demons "Believe" in Jesus but fear him. To be a Christian you must believe in Jesus Christ, embrace his divinty and the Holy Trinity and follow him.

Oh yes....the information I gave on LDS is not from what I heard...documentation from research. Do your own..please.

Answer 9

Mormons do not worship Jesus Christ as God, they do not pray to Him, they do not have a personal relationship with Him, therefore Mormons are not Christians.

The Deity of Jesus Christ is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity, yet the Mormons deny this truth.

Jesus Christ is not acknowledged as the eternal Son of God in the Mormon church. The Mormon Jesus was a preexisting spirit who was exalted, just as Mormon followers hope to be exalted someday.

God is a Trinity (I Jn. 5:7), and the second Member of that Trinity is the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:1 says that "the Word was God," and John 1:14 tells us that "the Word was made flesh." Jesus Christ is the Word incarnate, and John 1:1 tells us that the Word was God; so Jesus Christ is God.

Jesus allowed Thomas to address Him as "My Lord and my God" in John 20:28. In Isaiah 9:6, He is called "The mighty God" and "The everlasting Father," and we read in Micah 5:2 that Jesus is "from everlasting."

Our Lord allowed people to worship him in John 10:38 and in Matthew 14:33, and since He is "God with us" (Mat. 1:23) He also has power to forgive sins (Mk. 2:5). Jesus Christ is clearly Deity, yet this doctrine is denied by the Mormons.

Answer 10

The problem lies in the definition of 'Christian'. Which ultimately depends on one's understanding of two things: who Jesus is, and what He has done for us(1).

If a Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox person is speaking, the definition will be as follows: Jesus is God come to earth in the flesh - so, He is part of the larger picture of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Who are all one God. And Jesus came to earth to redeem us and basically be the way to eternal life for those who believe in Him. Any good works which happen after that are considered the result and not the cause of salvation.

A Mormon, on the other hand, believes that Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three different divine beings. And they believe that 'as Jesus once was, so we are now; and as His is now, so we will be' - eventually, if we are found worthy.

What this means practically speaking is that Mormons believe that every man who dies in a worthy condition will become a god and have (create?) his own planet, and will spend his days together with his wives(2) populating its heavens with spiritual children, who will receive bodies as the inhabitants of that planet give them bodies by engaging in physical reproductive activity.

Mormons also believe that Jesus came to earth to give us two things: 1) the opportunity of physical resurrection, and 2) the opportunity to go to heaven, which we take part in by believing, *and also* by doing all the commandments and ordinances of the gospel.

These two faiths differ enough that they definitely cannot be considered the same. So the question of which one is Christian boils down to which one is right.

And here we get into the basis of faith: in principle both believe in the Bible. The Protestant view will take only the Bible as its basis, the Catholic and Orthodox view will add in their respective church traditions (sort of 'official interpretations'); while the Mormon view will take the Bible *as it is properly translated* (but no more than that), but the criterion of 'proper translation' will in fact be outside the Bible. It will be the Book of Mormon, plus other scriptures such as Doctrine and Covenants, as well as the Pearl of Great Price, and other writings.

And the way a Mormon concludes that these writings are Scripture is something called the 'burning in the bosom'. When someone is investigating Mormonism, they are encouraged to pray that God will show them *that* the Book of Mormon is true.

The Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, on the other hand, will encourage the seeker to read the Bible and see *whether* these things are true (as the Bible itself commends to us as an example)(3). None of these would ever ask someone to pray to be shown *that* it is true.

So, as you can see, there is a very important difference here. They can't both be right. And I think you will agree that it is very important to find out which one is right, because our true knowledge of God and being in a right relationship with Him depends on it.

And now for some personal testimony: I have felt a 'burning in the bosom' while reading different things - for example, the Qur'an, Science and Health, the Book of Mormon... Each one 'feels different', but nonetheless, there is a sort of burning in the bosom.

When I read the Bible, particularly the New Testament, I don't have a burning, but rather a cool something like a stream flowing within me. This reminds me of the verse: [Jesus said], 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.'(4)

So, yes, I have a 'personal testimony' that the Bible is different from all the other books, but I have also read the Bible and the Qur'an in their entirety several times over, and at least parts of the others, and have used my mind to understand their teachings, the underlying assumptions of each one, where they are the same, where they differ.

I pray God will use these words to help you sort out the various issues for yourself. May He bless you!