If Christian means (see below), then woudn't Mormons be clasified as Christian? If not, why?

Question

1. of, pertaining to, or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings.
2. of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
-The Mormon faith claims to follow the teachings of Christ, just like every other "christian" church. Doesn't that make them Christian?-

patrone07 - And your point is?

epaphras - So you are saying that NO chruch is Christian as none are truly "Christ like?"

ladywood1 - Umm....Kolob is beleived to be the closest planet to heaven. They do not beleive Christ is a Prince from this planet, so you are wrong. Their beliefs may sound crazy, but they beleive they are based on Jesus, just like all the others. So doesn't that qualify them as Christains?

Rachel R - They beleive you can be LIKE Jesus. They believe Jesus was unique and no one will repeat what he did. Therefore, they are Christian.

oldguy63 - What part of that do they not believe? Check your references. Based upon what you just stated, you believe they are Christian because they believe exactly what you said they didn't. Sorry Charlie.

L-dog =) - Mormons do no believe that Jesus was merely a teacher. They believe he was a son of God. No one believed there are/were quakers on the moon. Other than your miss conceptions, nothing you said contradicted "your" definition of Chritian. Therefore, they fit your definition and are Christian. Thanks for the help.

dragonfly - Just to review; Mormon's Godhood will always be infirior to God's, the Bible does have many translations, making it a bit suspect to falts, all scripture is equal to the Mormon, they believe in one heaven with "many mansions" (John 14:2), women have never been "equal" in God's eyes (1 Cor 14:34-35), Christianity has never been constant and has always changed (See Old Testament Vs. New Testament). So, you see, you now have no leg to stand on. Mormons are Christians by your definition.

Peace W - The only thing I will say about your comment is that God waited thousands of years to give us the New Testament. Why would he wait 1600+ years to give us new scripture? That is how he works. He is wiser than us all.

Sairey G - None of these are "out of sight." They are just construde and perverted by misleading language, such as how you have just put it. Most, if not all, are familiar with all you have said. You have just said it in a seemingly discusting way and therefore it sounds horrible. Most anything "christian" can be construde in such a matter. I suggest you really study it (purposes, real/true meanings and back grounds), and then get back to me.

Answer 1

Yes, Mormons are "Christian", believing that Jesus Christ is their Savior. Catholics are also "Christian", acknowledging that Jesus died for the sins of humanity, and is the son of God.

I think where the confusion comes in is that many Christian religions of today (such as Protestant, Baptist, Presbyterian, etc) originated from the Protestant church brake-off years ago from the Catholic church because their founders and followers did not believe in a church hierarchy (Pope, bishops, etc) and did not believe in intercessory prayer (praying to God via another entity, such as a Saint). They also consider the bible to be the one and only word of God, whereas the Catholics have rules and guidelines set down by Vatican (Pope), and the Mormons have the Book of Mormon, which they accept as holy scripture, although it is based on separate prophecy from the Bible.

Many Protestant-based religions consider themselves to be "Christian", and Catholics and Mormons a separate branch, since they are bible "purists"; although by definition, all three types of religions are Christian. I think it is a case of the word "Christian" being used by the masses in a specific way, versus using it for its original definition.

I wanted to add- all the religions which acknowledge Christ's teachings, whether we are talking about Protestant-based, Mormon, Catholic, etc, follow a doctorine of FORGIVENESS, Goodwill toward fellow man, and honoring the gift of LIFE. It is too bad that there is still animosity within Christianity today, what with the horrible and blasphemous "doctrines" that some other religions follow.

Answer 2

Your description does not describe Christianity. It describes a philosophy based upon Jesus teachings rather than a belief system.

Christians develop a personal relationship with God and have accepted Jesus gift of salvation. Becoming a Christian involves more than a baptism and acceptance of principles. To be a Christian you have to accept the gift of salvation in your head and your heart.

Mormons believe that they can acheive Godhood. Christians believe that they will never be God's equal.

Mormons believe in multiple levels of heaven. Christians believe in one heaven and one earth.

Mormon beliefs have changed to fit society over the years. They originally believed that women and non-aryans were inferior, but this changed in with the civil rights and women's liberation movements. Caffine was once banned by the Mormon religion, but this changed when members of the Mormon Church bought a majority share in the Pepsi corporation.

In Christianity, women and men are equal (though they have different roles in marriage and in the church) and God doesn't care what the color of your skin is. This is how Christianity always was (though some have wrongfully claimed otherwise).

Mormons have 4 Holy books, 2 of which have priority over the Bible. They believe that the Bible has been distorted through the years.

Christians only Holy book is the Bible and they believe that it was literaly inspired by God.

Edit
Biblical Accuracy: There are older (by several centuries) manuscripts for the Bible than any other book and no one questions the accuracy of Homer. New direct translation versions of the Bible are translated from the oldest manuscripts available.

Christianity did not exist prior to Jesus and the law did not change between the Old and New Testaments. Jesus even made a point of saying so. He said that he had not come to change the law but to fulfill it. Sacrifices (which were symbolic of Jesus future sacrifice) were no longer necessary after Jesus death because the true sacrifice had been made.

Mormons beleve in three layers of heaven and the "many mansions" was Jesus way of saying that there is room for everyone in heaven.

I Corinthians is Paul's letter to the Corinthian Church which at the time met in a Jewish Synagogue. The rules of Synagogue's were that women sit seperate from the men. Thus, out of respect for the customs of the owners of their meeting place, women sat in the back. The problem came in when women would shout at their husbands to repeat what could not be heard in the back. Paul meant that it was disgraceful for the women to disrupt the service.

Christians do not believe that they will be Gods on any level when they get to heaven. They will still be humans, just in new bodies.

Answer 3

No, that is not a correct definition of Christian. Dictionary, I'm guessing? Here's an (not very thorough) adequate definition of Christian:
A person who believes that God the Father is the creator of the world, who made all things, sustains all things, and who sent his Son, Jesus, to save us from our sin. A Christian must also believe that this Jesus was God and man, that he lived the only perfect life, that he died on a Roman cross to save us, that he was resurrected on the third day after his death, and that he ascended into Heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God the Father. A Christian must also believe in the third part of the Trinity; the Holy Spirit, who guides us daily, who inspired the authors of the Bible, and you dwells in our hearts and minds. A Christian must believe that the whole Bible is without fault or failing; that the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit. A Christian must believe that the church (meaning people, not building) will one day be reunited with Christ and will live eternally in Paradise.

Mormons believe that God was once a man, that man can become a god, that Jesus was merely a teacher, and that 6' tall 1,000 year old Quakers live on the moon (or that's what Joseph Smith said anyway). My parents were married in a Mormon temple. They both attended BYU. 90% of my cousins/aunts/uncles are still Mormon. My parents and I are engaged in a current study of Mormonism. I know what it teaches fairly well.

G.B.

Answer 4

Mormons claim Jesus was created by God.
The Bible says Jesus was (is) God.

To deny Christ as God means you are not a Christian and are not following His teachings. Anyone can follow the beliefs of Christ, that doesn't make them Christians.

The definitions you wrote are those of a dictionary which make general claims about the Christian faith. Use the Bible for an accurate description.

BTW, my statements are based on two elders of the LDS church who visited my home. We visited for and hour and I learned much from them. Mostly that the words they use are the same as Christians. However the meaning of the words are not the same. It is a works based religion. It is by grace alone, through faith alone that one is saved, not by works.

Answer 5

They are an apostate abomination. They use the book of Mormon more then they use the bible, and the book of Mormon is an apostate creation of its' founder Joseph Smith. In the book of Mormons' sub-title it claims to be 'another" gospel of Jesus Christ, which the Apostle Paul essentially said that you couldn't have. Let's look at this from another standpoint. Why would G-d have waited 1800+ years to disseminate the book of Mormon if the church was to rely upon it for guidance. Think of it, over 18 centuries elapsed and then we get the book of mormon! No way. Not if you really know G-d.

The mormons, like the Jehovah's Witnessed are a cult. Frankly, even the Roman Catholic church is a cult, because you have to have the bible + the sacraments in order to gain salvation, which goes contrary to the very teachings of the bible (especially the book of Romans). This is called works, and that is what the Mormons do also, they believe their works (as do the JW's) will earn their salvation, which again is contraindicated by the bible.

In my life, I have salvation by faith and by my works you will see that I have that faith. Not works first then faith second, wherein you trust yourself for salvation.

Answer 6

I know this does not say why they are NOT but CONFIRMS that they are Christian.

Latter-day Saints, unlike many other Christian traditions, do not accept the definitions of God as created by the Greek philosophers. Our beliefs about the Godhead "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]." (The Holy Bible, Ephesians 2:20)
Using the apostolic and prophetic teachings as our base, Latter-day Saints believe in the Jesus who was the preexistent Word of the Father; that was the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; that was the God of Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob; that was the Only Begotten Son of God who was born to the virgin Mary in the town of Bethlehem; that was baptized by John; that healed the sick and raised the dead, that walked on water, multiplied loaves and fishes, and performed many other miracles; that set a perfect example for mankind to emulate and that all men and women are commanded to follow his teachings and example in all things.
We believe that Jesus suffered in the garden and on the cross, until he finally died as a willing sacrifice for mankind in order to bring about an infinite atonement through the shedding of his blood. After his death, we believe that he was physically resurrected and that he ascended into the heavens, from which he will come at the end of this world to establish his kingdom upon the earth and eventually to judge both the living and the dead. We believe Jesus is and was the Holy Messiah, the Savior and Redeemer of the world and all those who will follow him. Finally, we believe in the Jesus who is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.

Now that we have established the identity of the Jesus Christ in whom Latter-day Saints believe, may I ask who is the Jesus in whom you believe?

A dictionary defines a Christian as "one who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus," and "one who lives according to the teachings of Jesus." Thus two characteristics identify Christians: First, they profess belief in the Savior, and second, they act in harmony with the Savior's teachings. Faithful members of the Church called Saints or Latter-day Saints, qualify clearly in both characteristics. In our belief and our action, we demonstrate that "Jesus Christ Himself (is) the chief corner stone" of our faith.

Answer 7

No, the dictionary does not have the right to interprt words for Christians. The Bible is the only correct interpreter of spiritual words. In your definition they are Christian, but the question is will they end up in heaven as God's children, and the answer is no. According to the Bible salvation requires the undersanding the Christ is God, and God's eternal sacrifice and atonement for sins. Mormons do not believe that and so do not have salvation and are not Biblical chrisians.

Answer 8

No, Mormons are not considered Christian by most other Christians.
In no particular order:

Baptism for the Dead
The three levels of heaven - your destination depending largely on how mormon you are
Polygamy in the next world - if they deny it, you might like to ask why a man can be sealed to another woman for eternity after his first wife dies, but a woman can't
Polygamy in this world - the "revelation" by Joseph Smith which was the basis for this practice in the 19thC still forms part of Mormon scripture while the Mormon authorities merely say that they're not doing that right now.
The outright fraud practised by Joseph Smith in the translation of both the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham. The translation of the latter is particularly egregious in that he pretended to translate by divine revelation Egyptian heiroglyphics which later knowledge revealed to be an extremely common funerary text dating many hundreds of years from Abraham's time.
The Doctrine that God was once Adam - preached by Brigham Young for 25yrs but smuggled out of sight by later authorities.
The doctrine that God had physical sex with Mary.
The doctrine of the pre-existence - that your place in this life is determined by how valiant you were in the "pre-existence) until the 1970s they taught that black people were less valiant in the pre-existence so it served them right that they were discriminated against.
The demand that you must prove you have given 10% of your income before you can get married in a temple.
The idea that women are to spend eternity producing Spirit Babies to populate the worlds their husbands will be ruling over if they're mormon enough.

A lot of these have been hidden out of sight recently in the drive to mainstream mormonism - won't work

Answer 9

If you dig deep into the Mormon faith, Mormons actually believe Jesus was a prince from the planet Colab, NOT the Son of God as Christians believe. They also believe if you do enough good deeds you will be given your own planet once you die. Christians believe they will go to Heaven.
Hope that helps!

Answer 10

christian actually means christ like. Mormons add to Jesus. They insist on adherance to laws and make the church more important than God. They also engage in activities that intimidate people into bending to the will of the church. Some "christians" do that. But christianity is defined by Jesus. Not by anything else.