"Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination?"

[Katzpur]

By creed in this instance I mean your belief system in general, not a specific dogmatic formulation.

Thanks for the clarification.

That's what I'm saying, so you should not get upset that on a doctrinal level I'm hostile to Mormonism. It doesn't mean I dislike you on a personal level.

I'm not upset that you don't approve of LDS doctrine, but that is not what question posed by the OP asked. If it had asked, "Is the Catholic Church a Christian denomination?" I'd have said, "Yes." I might have gone on to say that I believe many Catholic doctrines are in error, but that wouldn't change the fact that I believe Catholicism to be Christian. I actually have heard many Protestants (Evangelicals primarily) claim that Catholicism is no more Christian than Mormonism. And it all gets down the interpretation of certain doctrines. And none of it has to do with Jesus Christ or anything He personally taught!

Too vague.

Too vague for you, but I am absolutely convinced that my beliefs would qualify me as a Christian in my Savior's eyes. And that's all that really matters.

To me, the name Christian carries concrete doctrinal commitments which Mormonism rejects. Protestants for the most part have at least held to most of those commitments (albeit in often heretical forms) thus I can at least seem them holding a misguided notion of the Christian faith.

That's an interesting comment. Aside from the doctrine of the Trinity, Mormonism has far more in common with Catholicism than it does with Protestantism. You'd probably be surprised at the similarities if you really got down to doing a little bit of research.

Mormonism claims a new prophet, has its own unique scriptures and is doctrinally incompatible with any other line of mainstream Christian thought.

So what if we have a Prophet; you have a Pope. I don't recall Jesus ever saying that a Pope was to lead His Church. So what if we have our own unique scriptures. You have the Apocrypha, which Protestants believe is as false as the Book of Mormon. You also have many doctrines which are based upon Holy Tradition and not the scriptures. I'm sure you know what Protestants have to say about that!

And if you believe that your religion is correct anyway then you shouldn't even care if you're considered Christian or not to begin with.

The ONLY reason I care is that when people say we're not Christians, that tells the world that we do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only means by which we may attain salvation. That's lumping us in with all non-Christian religions and it's misrepresenting our devotion to and love for Jesus Christ.

Yes but when theologies say utterly opposed things it gets to the point when the word Christian becomes bereft of all meaning. The notion that you can believe almost anything so long as you have some notion of Jesus as divine as still be a "Christian" is something I will not accept. No matter how many Mormons and atheists insist otherwise. To think so is a form of a heresy known as indifferentism.

Whatever. As Mother Teresa, one of my all-time favorite Catholics, once said, "For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway." The word "Christian" is never once actually defined in the Bible. The closest you'll come to a definition was when Jesus Christ himself said that people would be able to recognize His followers by the love they showed one another.

Thank you, at least, for a reasonably civil dialogue. That's more than I can usually expect from people who tell me I'm not a Christian.

 

[metis]

Personally, I consider any person who claims to be a Christian, is a Christian.

I tend to agree, and I have a problem when some people claim that it is only their approach that is the true faith.

 

[Politesse]

Came across the following and am curious as to what you think of the Mormon faith in relation to Christianity..

" 'Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination?' NO. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including: 1) the deity of Christ, 2) salvation by grace, and 3) the bodily resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible."
source
​

Personally, I consider any person who claims to be a Christian, is a Christian.

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Of course Everyone is welcome in the Dominion of God. If someone tells you otherwise on the basis of their personal objections, I think they have forgotten who holds the keys. I would note, though, that many Mormons would themselves rather object to being called a "denomination".

 

[Skwim]

I tend to agree, and I have a problem when some people claim that it is only their approach that is the true faith.

Yeah. It's hubris like that that incites discontent and animosity.
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[David T]

Here's what strikes me as weird. Point #1 is false. Mormons absolutely accept the deity of Christ. Point #2 is false. Mormons believe that we are saved by grace. Point #3 is false. Mormons believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ. Some people are such idiots.​

I think it's the same thing as Quakers faced in the 1800's except a bit more problematic. Where Quakers were seen as wierd, they split into beanites and evangelical Quakers. Mormonism has an extra book that's held as a metaphysics book. Where as more general Christianity has theology instead of an extra set of scriptures. When people asked me what it was like working in salt lake I said as soon as I crossed the border there were Mormon pine trees vs Christian pine trees I couldn't read the road signs they were in Mormon and I saw a temple of green with a mermaid along side of the road. I walked in and I could smell the incense and I was sure it was totally Mormon. I asked "what is this magical place of mormonism" they said it's called starbucks!!! Omg it's identical to the ones in Seattle except Mormon. Based on that yes Mormons are mostly scandinavian!!!

 

[David T]

Yeah. It's hubris like that that incites discontent and animosity.
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And dishonesty but yes to the above.

 

[Katzpur]

Based on that yes Mormons are mostly scandinavian!!!

Loved your post! But I bet it would surprise you to know that there are more Mormons outside of the US and Canada today than there are within the US and Canada. And Spanish is on its way to being the native language spoken by more Mormons worldwide than English.

 

[Katzpur]

Of course I would note, though, that many Mormons would themselves rather object to being called a "denomination".

I know that is true of Jehovah's Witnesses as they consider themselves to be the only Christians in the world. Everybody else is part of "Christendom," which is almost a four-letter word to them. I don't personally know any Mormons (and I know literally thousands) who object to their religion being referred to as a denomination of Christianity.

 

[Katzpur]

I tend to agree, and I have a problem when some people claim that it is only their approach that is the true faith.

I don't have a problem with that, but the fact that I don't probably requires some clarification. Catholics believe theirs is "the true faith." Orthodox Christians (as in Eastern Orthodoxy) believe theirs is "the true faith." Jehovah's Witnesses believe theirs is and Mormons believe theirs is. Now I'm not going to pretend to be able to speak with any degree of accuracy concerning what the Catholics, Orthodox and Jehovah's Witnesses believe concerning people outside of their denominations, but even though Mormonism claims to be "the true faith," it doesn't teach that if you are not a Mormon, you will not be "saved," or that you'll end up in some kind of eternal torment. We are essentially universalists in terms of what we believe regarding the salvation of people outside of Mormonism. Basically, we believe all will ultimately be saved, regardless of the religion they practiced here on earth.

Interestingly, most Protestants don't claim to be "the true faith." That actually bugs me. Why would you want to be part of a church that wasn't "the true faith"? Why would you settle for something you believed to only be 50% true or 75% true? To me, the perfect outlook is to believe that you are a part of "the true faith," but that being a part of "the true faith" is not essential for your salvation. I think God is a lot more concerned with how we treat one another than He is with how well we would score on some kind of an ACT entrance exam for admittance to Heaven.

 

[Katzpur]

By the way, if the question posed by the OP had been, "Is the Mormon Church part of traditional Christianity?" I would say 'No.' Most of us (at least those among us who have ever given the matter any thought) would agree that we are distinct from "traditional Christianity." Just as Protestantism could be described as "Reformationist Christianity," Mormonism could be described as "Restorationist Christianity."

 

[shmogie]

Came across the following and am curious as to what you think of the Mormon faith in relation to Christianity..

" 'Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination?' NO. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including: 1) the deity of Christ, 2) salvation by grace, and 3) the bodily resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible."
source
​

Personally, I consider any person who claims to be a Christian, is a Christian.

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No, Mormons aren't Christian by the established standard of Christianity. A person can call himself a fence post, do you accept him as one ?

 

[shmogie]

I don't have a problem with that, but the fact that I don't probably requires some clarification. Catholics believe theirs is "the true faith." Orthodox Christians (as in Eastern Orthodoxy) believe theirs is "the true faith." Jehovah's Witnesses believe theirs is and Mormons believe theirs is. Now I'm not going to pretend to be able to speak with any degree of accuracy concerning what the Catholics, Orthodox and Jehovah's Witnesses believe concerning people outside of their denominations, but even though Mormonism claims to be "the true faith," it doesn't teach that if you are not a Mormon, you will not be "saved," or that you'll end up in some kind of eternal torment. We are essentially universalists in terms of what we believe regarding the salvation of people outside of Mormonism. Basically, we believe all will ultimately be saved, regardless of the religion they practiced here on earth.

Interestingly, most Protestants don't claim to be "the true faith." That actually bugs me. Why would you want to be part of a church that wasn't "the true faith"? Why would you settle for something you believed to only be 50% true or 75% true? To me, the perfect outlook is to believe that you are a part of "the true faith," but that being a part of "the true faith" is not essential for your salvation. I think God is a lot more concerned with how we treat one another than He is with how well we would score on some kind of an ACT entrance exam for admittance to Heaven.

What constitutes "the true Faith" ? It is very simple. God is concerned about an individuals relationship to he and others. Christ ant the Apostles gave very clear instruction on this. None are difficult to understand. The foundation is the substitutionary nature of Christ's life. and death imputed to us as our life and death, accepted by faith and faith alone. Denominations major in minors, it is human interference created for a whole host of reasons. Some have gone infinitely too far with strange and alien doctrine. Some have heard the whispers of the enemy and have embraced it. Nevertheless, we all stand in the judgement as an individual, not as an ambassador for a denomination. The same standard applies to all, Do you believe Jesus Christ died for you, lived for you, and suffered for you, and how have you applied that in your life ?

 

[David T]

Loved your post! But I bet it would surprise you to know that there are more Mormons outside of the US and Canada today than there are within the US and Canada. And Spanish is on its way to being the native language spoken by more Mormons worldwide than English.

And Spanish was until recently in this country was on it's way to being spoken more than english!!! Lol. Btw I never pick on the faith,mostly, and yes Mormons are Christians because well sorry but Mormons are very very normal. That's the biggest problem with religion it's filled with normal folks being taught by normal folks. So sad!°° lol.

 

[Politesse]

No, Mormons aren't Christian by the established standard of Christianity. A person can call himself a fence post, do you accept him as one ?

If someone tells me he's a fencepost enthusiast, I've no reason to disbelieve him just because I prefer wooden posts and he's more of a metal-and-bailing-wire type of guy.

 

[InChrist]

Speaking from my own personal experience as a former Mormon, now a Christian, I am of the perspective that Mormonism is not a Christian denomination. Mormonism is a man-made religion in my view, as are all religions. Even "Christian denominations" at times can fall into this category of being a "religion" when the focus moves to the leader, organization, rituals, ordinances, or rules rather than biblical gospel which about a living relationship with Jesus Christ and trusting Him alone and His saving grace for all that is needed for salvation and eternal life. Many who were at one time committed Mormons have come to realize that Jesus is Enough...

"Through the power of God’s Word and by the grace of God, all four of us have been unshackled from religious bonds, rescued out of Mormonism, and brought into a personal and saving relationship with Jesus. By the transforming power of the Gospel, we who once were blind, lost, and dead are now new creations in the Lord Jesus Christ; the old has passed away, and the new has come."

Adam's Road Ministry | "I am not ashamed of the Gospel"

 

[Watchmen]

Well, there's nothing like calling someone dishonest to get a civil dialogue going. I'm sorry you see me as dishonest, but that's your problem, not mine. We Mormons do not accept the Nicene Creed as inspired of God or as an accurate description of the nature of God, if that's what you're getting at. But here, from The Book of Mormon (which is as authoritative statement as you're going to find anywhere on our beliefs), are two statements which clearly state our understanding of the relationship between God the Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

2 Nephi 31:21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end.

Mormon 7:7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.

Would you care to provide me with an example or two. I can't very well be expected to even try to refute such a vague claim.

P.S. I just noticed, Musing Bassist, that you are Roman Catholic. Wow, that's really disappointing to hear. I guess I'll have to take back the compliments I've recently paid to Catholics. You're not very typical of the ones I've run into in the past.

I think the very scriptures you posted are examples of what he's talking about of using the same terminology but with different meaning.

 

[Skwim]

No, Mormons aren't Christian by the established standard of Christianity. A person can call himself a fence post, do you accept him as one ?

Nope, but just what is this "established standard of Christianity"? And who established it?

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[9-10ths_Penguin]

It is more than a little dishonest to claim that you accept the divinity of Christ without the qualification that you believe it in polytheistic sense.

It's no more dishonest than when Trinitarian Christians do this.

 

[SuzyQ]

Came across the following and am curious as to what you think of the Mormon faith in relation to Christianity..

" 'Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination?' NO. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including: 1) the deity of Christ, 2) salvation by grace, and 3) the bodily resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible."
source
​

Personally, I consider any person who claims to be a Christian, is a Christian.

.

Mormonism was created so that Xristians would know how the Jews feel. Xristians say Mormonism is a cult based on faulty translations and man-made religion. Jews say Xristianity is an idolitros cult based on faulty translations (septuagent-which was destroyed way back, isn't really septuagent but copy of ancient copies and inacurate and has many mistakes) and this is a man-made religion.

 

[DragonHawk1959]

Came across the following and am curious as to what you think of the Mormon faith in relation to Christianity..

" 'Is the Mormon church a Christian denomination?' NO. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies some of the essential doctrines of Christianity, including: 1) the deity of Christ, 2) salvation by grace, and 3) the bodily resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Mormon doctrine contradicts the Christian teaching of monotheism and undermines the authority and reliability of the Bible."
source
​

Personally, I consider any person who claims to be a Christian, is a Christian.

.

If belief in the bodily resurrection is essential to being Christian, then the first Christians - weren't. They believed that the resurrection was of the spirit.
And the vast majority of modern Christians are not Christian if you must believe that the bible is the inerrant word of God. They believe that those who died believing in Jesus are in heaven. But this is not biblical:
"There are none in heaven save he who from heaven came." The resurrection unto heaven will come at the end of time when all are judged and sorted as sheep or goats. The sheep will see heaven. The goats - eternal damnation.