OK, Is A Mormon Christian?

Question

I just asked if a Catholic is Christian and got answers all over the place . . . . yes, no, maybe, it depends. But one guy "explained" to me that, while Catholics might be Christian, Mormons(LDS) definitely are not. Something to do with their not being Christian if they follow the rules of their faith, he said.

Well, I know a few Mormons. They believe in and worship Jesus Christ. And yet they are not Christians?

I think this is a big problem for modern Christianity. Many of the people who call themselves Christians can't seem to agree about who is a Christian and who isn't. This makes it very difficult to take them seriously about anything else, when they can't even agree on whether that other guy's a Christian or not.

Answer 1

It's the whole "My Jesus is different than your Jesus" thing the Christians have going against the Mormons....
They think since Mormons believe that Christ is the SON of God and not God the Father, we don't believe in the "same" Jesus. Although we believe Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary, that he suffered and died for our sins, that He arose the 3rd day conquering death and that He is the only way back to our Heavenly Father. Most Christians I have come across say "Mormons don't beleive in the Jesus of the bible", yet we DO. Maybe not in the same sense that they do...so what would be different in me claiming to be a "Christian" and saying THEY are not because they do not believe in Christ the same way I do? That's basically what they do to the Mormons....
This is one of my favorite hymns written by Bruce R McKonkie, an LDS apostle, entitled "I Believe in Christ"

I believe in Christ; he is my King! With all my heart to him I'll sing;
I'll raise my voice in praise and joy, In grand amens my tongue employ.
I believe in Christ; he is God's Son. On earth to dwell his soul did come.
He healed the sick; the dead he raised. Good works were his; his name be praised.

I believe in Christ; oh, blessed name! As Mary's Son he came to reign
'Mid mortal men, his earthly kin, To save them from the woes of sin.
I believe in Christ, who marked the path, Who did gain all his Father hath,
Who said to men: "Come, follow me, That ye, my friends, with God may be."

I believe in Christ--my Lord, my God! My feet he plants on gospel sod.
I'll worship him with all my might; He is the source of truth and light.
I believe in Christ; he ransoms me. From Satan's grasp he sets me free.
And I shall live with joy and love In his eternal courts above.

I believe in Christ, he stands supreme! From him I'll gain my fondest dream;
And while I strive through grief and pain, His voice is heard: "Ye shall obtain."
I believe in Christ; so come what may, With him I'll stand in that great day
When on this earth he comes again To rule among the sons of men


I think that is a wonderful explanation of how we as LDS members feel about Christ...are we Christian? I know we are no matter what others say.

Answer 2

Well, it's like this. People can come to really know Christ no matter what denomination they start in because there's generally enough truth about the basic plan of salvation on most general denominations and most Bible translations unless they are so far off the mark it's unreal. Even then, there may be few excuses come Judgment day since most hymnals have enough pure gospel message in them to convict souls of sin and lead them to salvation in Christ and often even contradict the false doctrines being taught in the midst which is a big mystery to me! Also, I know a man who was saved at a Van Halen concert while they were singing "Running With The Devil" and now he serves Jesus! You can get saved anywhere, anytime the Holy Ghost convicts your spirit. A serial rapist/murderer was saved through Margie Mayfield's witness (Focus on the Family) while driving down the road with her hostage when the Spirit told him it was his last chance to pray. He pulled over and threw his hands into the air, said a prayer and was saved!
I do not believe that denominations which are in doctrinal error and promote doctrines against the real nature and Chief Priest office of Christ and His sacrifice on the cross will keep any of their members who truly become saved as they will move on to deeper truths in the Bible as they pray and study and seek other fellowships. I've seen this happen many times and heard their miraculous testimonies. The Holy Bible, King James Version, and the spiritual fruits they are bearing is one way of knowing if someone is truly a Christian. It may be more difficult to figure some baby Christians out. Anyone who wants the truth can find it because Jesus said the spirit would lead us into all truth and that if we ask for a fish, we won't get a stone. Just keep asking, seeking and knocking and the door will be opened. If you try to get to heaven any other way than the door which is Jesus Christ, the same is a theif and a robber.
The reason there are so many denominations today is because man has gotten in the way and satan has caused confusion (God isn't the author of that). Many people believe lies and will be damned because they have itching ears. It's more important for you to find a genuine salvation experience with Christ for yourself before you decide which body of believers has real love and teaches sound doctrines. God will lead you to a fellowship assembly if you first find Him on your knees.
See my question on "Do you know the true Jesus of the Bible?" for how to discern anti-Christ spirits simply with scriptural references and check out the link for the full article as well which I borrowed. It answers your question completely.

Answer 3

First off, a few years ago, the President of the LDS church said at a General conference that the God of the Mormon church is not the God of the Bible. In Deuteronomy, we have a command from God not to listen to people who would have us go worship another God.
So we have a dramatic division between the historical Christian church and the Mormons on the nature of God. Add to that salvation and the other cardinal doctrines of the church and that is why the Mormons are not Christian.

There is an agreement in the historical Christian church (of which the Catholic church is a part) on what the cardinal doctrines of the faith are:
nature of God
salvation by Grade
Christ is the one who paid the sacrifice for us to enter God's kingdom.
we don't enter on our own merits.

Answer 4

well i guess that depends on what is true. just like a person can say they are a christian but not go to church or do anything for God at all. are they a true christian. the Bible says there will be those who say they are but yet fall short. the thing with mormons is that they discredit the Bible and use there own book. they believe they will become a God one day. and they have to learn a secret handshake and name and all this other stuff. if you show them something that goes against what they believe like there is only one God and no other. and that God even said there is none before him and there will be none after him. and that he knows of no other God. the mormons will say that is mistranslated. i dont discredit them as being a christian but anyone can say they are christian. i just follow the Word of God that God said was his word and that is the Bible and nothing else. i tell everyone who Jesus is and i am not ashamed. i lift my hands and praise him and read my Bible daily and pray daily. i live my life the best i can. still sin but i try not to. useally that is i might say a cuss word if i hurt my hand or something. like i said there are many who say they are christian and i am not to judge who is and who is not. cause there are some who go to church once in a while and say yeah i am a christian but they are out drinking and partying and what not.

if a mormon says he is christian then i am not to say he is not. only God knows the truth.

Answer 5

The definiton of Christianity is that if you believe that Jesus is the son of God and that he ascended to heaven after he was crucified then you are a Christian. Catholics believe this and they as other Christian religions have adopted the Nicean creed which proclaims one god, all-knowing, and all omnipotent. Catholics are Christians just as Mormons are. Mormons believe in Jesus and that he is our savior, though, there is some things I disagree with them but I see them as Christians. Some Christians like to be mean and denied others the right of being called Christians becuase we differ in the ways of worshipping. But in my point of view, everybody that believes Jesus is the son of God and that he is our savior is a Christian.

Answer 6

Yes we are. The definition of a Christian is one who believes there is a God who had a son who died for the remission of our sins. We believe in that whole-heartedly!
Many folks believe the Mormon faith to differ because we do not believe in the Trinity. We believe in God, his Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost - but we do not believe they are all the same person. We believe they are completely seperate but one in purpose. If God and Jesus were the same person, why would Jesus have prayed to his Father in Heaven to remove the cup from him in the garden of G?
To learn more, visit the church's official website at:

www.lds.org

Have a great day!

Answer 7

Mormons (lds) are not Christian. they worship a different Jesus Christ!! Just becasue someone calls themselves Christian doesn't make it so. Galatians 1:6-9 is clear that they are accursed and not Christian if they follow their church doctrine.

"In bearing testimony of Jesus Christ, President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints 'do not believe in the traditional Christ.' 'No, I don't. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. He together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages.'" (LDS Church News Week ending June 20, 1998, p.7 )

Answer 8

Christianity is not so much a religion as it is a LIFESTYLE. If people are religious through whatever denomination they choose but don't walk an upright life... then they aren't Christians. This particular word comes from men & women who actually followed Christ, they hear what He had to say, they lived by the Word, etc. After the death of Christ, the diciples went throughout the world baptizing in the name of Christ and expressing such characterisitcs that Jesus set before them as an example. Now>>> if people are not doing such things... they are not worthy to be called a Christian. For example, I used to be a Christian but now I'm not. This doesn't mean that I no longer believe in God, Jesus, or the Holy Ghost b/c I feel I believe in Him now more than ever. I don't feel I've lost my salvation but I know I'm not a Christian b/c I don't live the lifestyle. Living this lifestyle is not easy.

Answer 9

You're right. It is a big mess. Everybody calling everybody else names, and damning each other to hell.

All that said, a Christian once baptized in any of the various denominations, or the Catholic Church, is officially a member of God's family, by virtue of that baptism.

This applies to all the denominations EXCEPT Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.

These two groups do not understand Jesus in the same personal context as does "mainline" Christianity.

Mormons believe that Jesus is Satan's brother (he's not) and that there are lots of other Jesus' (and other gods) scattered throughout the universe (there's not) and that every good Mormon man will get to be the god of his own planet some day (?).

Jehovah's Witnesses claim Jesus is none other than Michael the Archangel, and not God at all.

In both cases, these groups make use of the name of Jesus, but they apply that holy name to someone else ... certainly not the Jesus who is the only begotten son of the most high God, co-eternal and co-equal with both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

And that's where the problem is.

Answer 10

Are “Mormons” Christians? The English word has a clear meaning, available to anyone who can open a dictionary. A Christian is one who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ and that the Bible is scripture.

Since they meet the definition, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are clearly Christians.

To those who assert otherwise, I say this:

Simple honesty requires that you explain you’re using the word “Christian” in a way foreign to English-speaking people. Perhaps you could say, “When I say Christian, I mean those who agree with my theology. This myopic viewpoint allows me to demonize others, brand them as cultists and as (gasp) non-Christians.”

For all of us here, I might suggest a different approach, based on the teaching of the One we all desire to serve. Jesus taught there were two ways to tell if you were among his disciples – among “Christians”:

First, they would have love for one another.

Second, you could tell them by their fruits.

Since just after my sophomore year in college, I have enjoyed the wondrous love, and admired the gospel “fruits” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Answer 11

To believe in the existence of Jesus does not make one "Christian". Following the footsteps of Jesus is what makes one "Christian". I believe that any teaching that contradicts the teaching of Jesus is non-Christian. Example...when His disciples asked amongst themselves where Jesus was going that they weren't able to follow Him, He answered them saying He was going to His Father, IN HEAVEN. The foundation of the Mormon religion teaches that Jesus came here, to the land we all know so well now as America, rather than heaven. That's a contadiction. Non-Christian. Another thing. The Mormons, like many other religions, pick and choose which "laws" to follow, and which not to follow. Example...according to the Mormons, the law is done away with, yet hold strong to the laws of polygamy. Hm. Wonder why? The part of the bible that states that if we keep one law, we must keep the whole law, and yet, I don't see any Mormons, or any other religion, keeping the whole law. Just the ones they like. Therefore, the Mormons, though they claim the name, are NOT Christian. Another example...as far as the laws of polygamy go.....one cannot marry a woman, and marry another from his wife's immediate family. This is common amongst Mormons. Again...non-Christian. Catholic, non-Christian. Baptist, non-Christian. Presbyterian, non-Christian. Protestant, non-Christian. Seventh Day Adventist, non-Christian. With all these "Christian" churches around, one would think there'd be more soup kitchens around. Or maybe yet, less homeless people!