Why do Mormons call themselves Christians if they defend adultery?

Question

I'm not a Christian but I know that it makes Christians angry when Mormons call themselves Christians. My mother is a Christian and she says that you can't be a Christian unless you follow the teachings of Jesus the Christ and follow the Ten Commandments (or to Mormons the Ten Suggestions).

Christians believe that you should only have sex within marriage to create children while Mormons believe that you can have sex with several women. Brigham Young carried on the foundation of Mormonism after the death of Joseph Smith. Even though it was against the law to commit bigamy Mr. Young defiled the laws of the land and the laws of God by committing adultery. Mormons often try to excuse his sinful behavior by saying that at least he took care of all his women. So some good behavior makes up for a lot of sinful behavior.

Now that is why Christians don't like Mormons pretending to be Protestant Christians.

Baskshi,

And when did Solomon live? Hmm...not in the 1800's. Sorry but that is not a good argument to support polygamy!

Answer 1

Just because they call themselves Christians doesn't make them Christians. They believe all kinds of strange things that go against the teachings of Jesus.

Rather than argue with them we should pray that they find their way back to Christ and repent for their sins.

Arguing with them will just give them a false sense of being right and will help them spread their confusion to innocent people. But I agree that it is wrong for them to call themselves Christians and defend horrible people like Young and Jeffs.

Answer 2

OK, here are a few facts you fail to take into consideration.
1) B. Young died before polygamy became illegal in the US. So he did not break any laws. God has never seemed to have an issue with polygamy but man as. The LDS church does believe in obeying the law so once polygamy was illegal the practice was stopped (only a few practice polygamy not all of the Mormons back then did).
2) We do not defend adultery. In fact if you commit adultery and are LDS you are excommunicated.
3) we do believe in following the 10 commandments. BTW how are you doing on those? Because you are giving false statements here).
4) Protestants are not the only Christians. Catholics are, Mormons are and we do not align ourselves with being Protestants.
5) sex is for marriage, not just to have children but to keep a couple close to each other. Children are a wonderful blessing from sex. Have you saved yourself for marriage? Do you plan to if not why? Does this make you less of a Christian or just imperfect as all men are. Jesus was the only perfect man, but he was not really a man, he was the Son of God.

Answer 3

Dude! You definitely have not read your Bible.

First, Mormons--specifically Fundamentalist Mormons--are okay with having sex with multiple women ONLY IF YOU ARE MARRIED TO THEM!

Second, other than some of Paul's teaching about how only weak Christians should be marrying anyway, there is very little about a specific number of wives in the New Testament while the Old Testament states that polygyny is an acceptable practice, even saying it's your duty if your brother dies childless!

So why are some of you anti-Mormon Christians taking a secular bias and claiming it's out of the Bible?

Answer 4

That would have been a good argument uhh like 150 years ago. We dropped that a very long time ago. Anyways- there wasn't any sex out of marriage. Mormons married multiple wifes. Everyone in the Bible (God's word) did it- Moses did it- the guy who wrote the ten commandments.

Answer 5

Mormons are Christian because they believe in Christ just like Christians do. To mormons it's not "the Ten suggestions" it's the "Ten Commandments", there's the agency to follow them but there is consquences when you decide not to.
Bigamy was practised only in the early stages of the mormon church. It was to help especially the widowed women with support and to care for them. It's not an excuse it is the truth. As President of the church at that time it was an important role to help out and it was not sinful behaviour. Bigamy in the mormon church did not last very long at all. Even though it was practised to help and care for the widowed women other people looked at it in a different perspective as to sinning. Bigamy is NOT practised these days within the mormon church. We believe in marrying only one person and creating children with that one person.
So basically bigamy was not sinful behaviour, it was practised to care and help for those in need! Eventually it stopped because people seemed to have problems with it. This very day, mormons are marrying their ONE and only husband or wife to share an eternal family.

Sorry but no matter how hard anyone tries to say that mormons arent Christians, we will always be Christians! Maybe not one of your Christians but still a Christian because we believe in Christ!

Answer 6

Mormons aren't Protestant Christians, nor do we pretend to be. We are a sect of Christianity because we believe in Christ and accept him as the Savior. There is a branch-off group that still practices polygamy, but they are not mainstream LDS people and the two groups shouldn't be associated with one another.

Answer 7

The few members of the church that performed polygamy only did so because they were commanded to by God (just as prophets in the old testament were). You may think that we still are active in this, but you are mistaken. A member would be ex-communicated by the general authorites if they were caught doing this. PLEASE get your facts straight before asking questions. After all we are called "The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints" does that mean nothing to anyone?

Answer 8

Why are you harping on about what someone did ages ago? Okay, maybe he was wrong back then but if Mormons have a different view & don't condone polygamy/bigamy today then that's what you should be focussed on surely. Plus, I don't see how you can say they're not Christian.

Answer 9

Not all mormons believe that way. You are talking about a very distinct religious sect that is no longer affiliated with the mormon church Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints.

Answer 10

I'm a Roman Catholic, but I live in Salt Lake City, alias "The Mormon Vatican." So let's sort out all the ways you and/or your mother are so off-base you should send yourselves to the showers.

"I know that it makes Christians angry when Mormons call themselves Christians." Some yes, some no.

"My mother is a Christian and she says that you can't be a Christian unless you follow the teachings of Jesus the Christ and follow the Ten Commandments (or to Mormons the Ten Suggestions)." This is your MOTHER making the snide dig? Sounds more like a middle-schooler. But if she can find anywhere that Mormon doctrine opposes the 10 Commandments (as opposed to individuals breaking them), I'll be intensely surprised. Read on for why your adultery charges do NOT qualify.

"Christians believe that you should only have sex within marriage to create children while Mormons believe that you can have sex with several women." Yes, but only so long as "you" (the male) are properly married to all of those several! Please consider just one case: Jacob in Genesis, who married Rachel AND Leah, sisters. Which of his dozen sons were bastards, please?

And if you insist (as I do) that under the New Law, marriage is between one man and one woman, the Mormons will tell you that GOD made no such change from the Old Testament, as explained in his revelations to Joseph Smith. How you gonna prove otherwise, kid? And in particular, what makes you think that any Mormon believed otherwise, rather than believing that polygamy (properly, polygyny) was not only permitted but actually mandated--as they said they believed?

"Brigham Young carried on the foundation of Mormonism after the death of Joseph Smith. Even though it was against the law to commit bigamy Mr. Young defiled the laws of the land and the laws of God by committing adultery." And of course the laws of the land are always in agreement with the laws of God?

IF you think so, please consider just one case study: The Reformation period and after in England. Can you tell me that all the executed Christians, Catholic and Protestant, should have obeyed whatever was the law of the land at the time--never mind that they'd been different before and would be different again (particularly if you come down to the 20th c.)? As an atheist, you may certainly think it would have been expedient. But if you or your mother has ANY respect for anyone else's sincere beliefs . . .

"Mormons often try to excuse his sinful behavior by saying that at least he took care of all his women." Huh? Simply not true! They don't consider Young's behavior (in that respect) sinful, and therefore don't NEED to excuse it. Where does your mother get her alleged facts?

"So some good behavior makes up for a lot of sinful behavior." I'll leave that to God. But the case of the Good Thief--the one that Jesus SAID would be with Him that day in Paradise--shows that it's happened at least once. (Check out St. Dismas.)

"Now that is why Christians don't like Mormons pretending to be Protestant Christians." There ARE reasons other than your invalid adultery argument why they shouldn't like Mormon's doing that, IF it's done. Starting with the nature of God, and probably not needing to go beyond--tho many have.

Moreover, there are certainly too many Mormons who declare that they are "Christians, just like you." This is partly ignorance, and partly PR.

Nevertheless, if you ask any informed Mormon if s/he's a Protestant, you'll always be told No. Protestants are just as much in apostasy from their True Church as we Catholics are, which is why it had to be RESTORED!

Answer 11

Adultery is, among other things, having sex with those you are not married to. Brigham Young and other early Mormon polygamists, as well as Abraham and David, had sex with women they were married to.