You know, I really don't know how to respond to this. I guess I'd probably have to say that I was probably taught something similar about your denomination, but at the same time, I was not taught that errors in doctrine disqualify a person from calling himself a Christian.
Depends on the doctrine. I've long forgotten the reason why Mormonism is considered heretical by Evangelicalism. I pulled this off of OrthodoxWiki. Is this accurate about your beliefs?
"A major pillar of Mormon belief is their concept of
deification, which they refer to as the "Doctrine of Eternal Progression." In opposition to the Trinitarian dogmas of the
First and
Second Ecumenical Councils, Mormons believe that
God the Father, whom they refer to as "Elohim"
[4] or "Heavenly Father," was originally a flesh-and-blood human being, who was spiritually "begotten" by another "god" (and his "godess" wife) and then physically born on another planet (not Earth). "Elohim" lived a normal human life, and by embracing his world's version of Mormonism, he "progressed" to become the "god" he is today.
[5]
Having attained to "godhood," this "Elohim" and his wife were enabled to create and populate their own universe--namely, ours--with spiritual offspring who, by coming to earth and taking on human flesh, embracing and fully living the Mormon religion, and "enduring to the end," could themselves acquire "godhood," where they in turn could begin this process anew. It should be noted that this LDS doctrine of "pre-existence" of spirits, by which we all are alleged to have existed "spiritually" in heaven prior to our birth on this earth, was specifically condemned by the
Fifth Ecumenical Council."
For a casual observer, this may seem similar to the Church's teaching of
theosis, but this is most emphatically
not so:
First, there is a definite distinction in the Church between God and mankind, between the Creator and His Creation. God is eternal, and existed for eternity prior to (and entirely separate from) His creation (which, unlike its Creator, is
not eternal), until the incarnation of the pre-eternal Word of God, the Second Person of the
Most Holy Trinity, as Our Lord
Jesus Christ. This was a unique union between God and His creation, which never existed before. Mormonism, on the other hand, teaches that only matter and intelligence are truly eternal (not God), and that
all of their "gods" essentially "evolved" in the same fashion, from physical matter.
Second, the Orthodox Church clearly teaches that the Most Holy Trinity has
always existed precisely as one God: "the Trinity, One in Essence, and Undivided." Mormonism, on the other hand, teaches that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in "purpose" only, and most emphatically
not one in essence or hypostasis (as the Orthodox Church teaches). They are three "gods," say the Mormons, and not "one" in anything except a common purpose and mindset. Furthermore, say they, there are potentially billions of "gods" beyond the three they acknowledge as belonging to this world. All of this is diametrically opposed to Orthodox Christian teaching.
Third, Theosis is a unification between God and mankind, not the creation of an entirely separate deity (or dieties).Mormonism's designation by Orthodoxy as being "
heretical"--instead of "
heterodox," as is the case with the Roman Catholic and most major Protestant faiths--stems primarily from their spurious doctrines on the Holy Trinity and the nature of God, together with various other specious beliefs.
Mormons have a very difficult time understanding why Orthodox and other Christians deny that they are Christian. The simplest answer to this question is that the Mormon god is simply
not God--at least not the God worshipped by Orthodox Christians (and other Trinitarians). This does not mean that the Mormons are necessarily immoral or wicked people, simply that they worship a god completely dissimilar from the Christian Trinity. "
