Why do people think that Mormons aren't Christian?

Answer 1

The book of Mormon is not part of the Bible...

Rev 22:18 ¶ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:


Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.

Answer 2

Religion, Christianity, Catholicism, as with most other religions are commonly misunderstood as their own religious sects. Most religions are domination's of Christ, the way that the doctrine of each is preached is the worship and the devotion is the religion, therefor many people that don't follow any sort of spiritual guidance, and there are many, believe that Mormons are an occult that wear hooded robes and chant satanic verses in dark corridors all day long because they are not enlightened in the ways of the Chuch. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Some of the original teachings of Joseph Smith don't mesh with most people's traditionalconceptions of Christian belief. It is my understanding that Smith taught that God was once a mere mortal, and 'ascended' to divinity, and that even now He is begetting 'spiritual children' with his 'wife'. Additionally, I understand that it is non-Trinitarian in character (which most traditional Christians would balk at).

However, I suppose it is ultimately up to the Morman religion itself to decide whether or not they are Christian. If they define themselves as believers in Christ, then who am I (or anyone else, for that matter) to argue?

[I apologize if I have mis-characterized Mormon beliefs. I do not claim be be an authority on that religion. However, even If I did have misconceptions,that helps contribute to answering the question... People's msiconceptions of the religion are why they think it is not Christian. Or something like that. I think I'm rambling now... Good night. :)]

Answer 4

The same reason they think Catholics aren't Christian. I find it especially amusing when some of the various Protestant offshoots look at Catholicism and say, "You're not 'real' Christians." This when their entire religion is an offshoot of the Catholic church. I think it has to do with a lot of ignorance...there's a huge lack of knowledge regarding even those religions that are most common in the US -- then when we have this rise in interest or contact with another religion, such as Islam, it's little wonder why people say such ignorant things.

It's not really any different for Mormons. People are not educated on the matter.

(Incidentally, I'm an Atheist and often find myself better schooled on various religions that the most pious members of any specific religion)

Answer 5

Mormons believe that when they die, they will be a god of their own world; so basically, they believe that God was a mormon while He was alive, and then we are His world. Christians are monotheistic (which means we believe that there is only one God, and there has always been only one God in all existence of everything that ever was). Mormons believe that there are many gods (polytheistic). That is a huge difference between Christians and Mormons, and since Christians are partly defined by their belief that there is only one God, they do not see Mormonism as a kind of Christianity.

Answer 6

Because other Christians believe that you can go through Jesus to God, and nothing else is needed, but Mormons added more to the Bible (John Smith), and so they are quite different.

Answer 7

Just ask them who Jesus is. Theywill not tell you that He rose from the dead, they dont believe that he is God. They also follow a book of Mormon and Joseph Smith teaching....that's not Christianity. Has to be centered around Christ for it to be Christianity

Answer 8

Well, I do not understand the Mormon church fully, but I can tell you as a Christian, that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is Himself God. We believe that He was born as our Saviour to save us all from the penalties of our sin and that if we accept Him into our hearts and ask His forgiveness of our sin, then He will guide us in our lives and we will live with Him forever in Heaven.

When Mormon missionaries came and talked with me one day while outside mowing the lawn, I told them I was a Christian. They continued to try to tell me about the "additional" testament of Jesus Christ. I referred them to the book of Revelation which says in Revelation 22:18-20, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." I asked them why if they believe in the entire Bible, why do they believe that another testament of Jesus Christ was necessary, considering what these verses said.

Additionally, I asked them why if they are Christians, like they were telling me they were, then why were they trying to convert a fellow Christian to Christianity. To do so would imply that one of us was not really a Christian. These men, who I really do have to admire for the passion in which they commit to their mission, could not argue with that reasoning. They had nothing to say to that, and kept trying to change the subject.

I can't say why I don't think they are Christians. It's not for ME to decide if they are Christians or not. All I know is that my own definition is one who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is Himself God. I have heard that Mormons do not believe that Jesus is Himself God, but rather a son only. That is but one reason why many people believe the way they do about Mormons.

Still, I will say that if most of us Christians devoted ourselves to missions and telling others about our beliefs in such a loving and kind way the way that Mormons do, we would not be encountering hostility to the degree that I have seen on these forums. We could learn a lot, as Christians, by the examples set by Mormons.

Answer 9

Because in true Christianity, the price of salvation is DONE by the work of Jesus on the cross. We believe that we know we have salvation. What we do for the church/any other Christian organizations is because we're thankful to God and/or feel called to do HIS work. We're not trying to earn our Salvation. That is a FREE GIFT from Jesus, and all you need to do is ask HIM for it.

In Mormonism and other religions, the goal is to "do enough work to be worthy of Heaven, Nirvana, whatever." You never know for sure if you're good enough to "get in."

A pastor (the one who married us, actually) once explained it this way:

Other religions: DO (they're "working their way to heaven)

Christianity: DONE. (Jesus' perfect sacrifice on the cross)

Answer 10

I'm sure some people think this. I don't think most people care one way or another. Surely anyone who has taken the time to think about it, would know better. Besides, what difference does the ignorance of such people make?