Are Mormons Christians?

[Anonymous]

I'm an atheist, so no dog in this fight like PP, although I do have a Christian background.

I think it's complicated. If you ask them, they will say they are Christinas. They will tell you that they accept Jesus Christ as their savior, they believe in and study the New Testament...but they also believe God the Father was once a man who achieved divinity and we can too becomes gods like God did. That is way too far out of the realm of Christian orthodoxy, I think. Christians believe that God is God alone and there never was, is, nor will be another God. Even the Muslims and Jews get that right, and they reject the Christian label. And also, I think the Trinity is a non-negotiable for the Christianity label, and Mormons deny the trinity.

I would say Mormonism is more peripheral (to not say "fringe") to Christianity as opposed to more centrally Christian religions/faiths such as Lutheranism, Catholicism, etc.

[Anonymous]

No, they are a religion of their own, more like a cult


Like JW, they do not read the same book
Their doctrine differs too much from Catholic, Orthodox and protestant churches
Ecumenical movement has rejected them and vica versa

Basically you are a Christian if you can accept a person in another denomination as being your fellow believer

Much like how an orthodox jew would consider a conservative jew to also be a jew


So there you have it. Messianic Jews are not recognized as Jews by any Jewish movement

Mormons are not recognized as Christmas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, they are a religion of their own, more like a cult

This would be a matter of opinion/perspective, right? Because that could be said about all religions. Are Mormons not deserving of the same respect as Lutherans or other religions, including non-Abrahamic ones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was Mormon for most of my life. Mormons think of themselves as Christians, but they disagree with the Nicene Creed, so their beliefs would have made them “anathema” to the leaders of christianity in in the first century.

It depends on how you define “Christian.”

Here is the original text of the the Nicene Creed from AD 325:
The (Original) Nicene Creed of 325
We believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages.
Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made,
of one essence with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became man.
And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate,
and suffered, and was buried.
And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit.
But as for those who say, There was when He was not, and, before being born He was not, and that He came into existence out of nothing, or who assert that the Son of God is from a different hypostasis or substance, or is created, or is subject to alteration or change – these the Catholic Church anathematizes.

There are several things here Mormons disavow. First, the idea of the Trinity that God the Father and God the Son and the Holy Spirit are the same. Mormons definitely teach that each of those are separate entities. They also don’t technically believe that God is “almighty” (or “omnipotent” as it is also translated), because they believe that there is a fundamental law that preexists God. That good is good and evil is evil and that God is powerful because He is so fully aligned with good as to be able to master the universe that is based on this goodness. The idea that God is omnipotent implies that good is whatever he says it is. There is no fundamental good that he cannot alter merely by willing it to be so.

All That said, you can tell that at the time of it’s writing, there were competing ideas about Christ and his origins and the nature of God, because they specifically disavow the idea that anything existed before Christ/God. So a Mormon would say that the idea of the Trinity was not a fundamental doctrine taught by Christ, but was a doctrine of men, added later and perpetuated by those seeking unjust authority.

As for the idea that Mormons only read “their own scriptures” and not the Bible, that is laughable. Mormons study scriptures on a four-year rotation, with one year being the Old Testament, then the New Testament, then the Book of Mormon, then concluding with the Doctrine and Covenants (which is essentially the writings of Joseph Smith and the early history of the church prior to his death). In high school, Mormon teens attend an additional scripture class 5 days a week during the school year and each year they study one of the 4 books above. Then in college they are encouraged to attend additional “Institute” classes that cover the same material (and not just at BYU). I had read the KJV cover to cover before I reached adulthood, and continued to study it in particular and alongside Mormon-specific texts throughout my time in the LDS Church. Compared to some of my friends of charismatic faiths growing up in the “Bible” Belt, I was a downright biblical scholar!

What made you get out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, they are a religion of their own, more like a cult

This would be a matter of opinion/perspective, right? Because that could be said about all religions. Are Mormons not deserving of the same respect as Lutherans or other religions, including non-Abrahamic ones?

so same for scientologists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mormons believe in a heaven that women cannot enter unless their husband invites them. That should be enough to warn you away.

wow, seriously? eww

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, they are a religion of their own, more like a cult

This would be a matter of opinion/perspective, right? Because that could be said about all religions. Are Mormons not deserving of the same respect as Lutherans or other religions, including non-Abrahamic ones?

so same for scientologists?

Assuming you are the PP, answer the question, because it is in response to your post. Then, if you want to ask me my position, I'll be happy to share it in return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, they are a religion of their own, more like a cult

This would be a matter of opinion/perspective, right? Because that could be said about all religions. Are Mormons not deserving of the same respect as Lutherans or other religions, including non-Abrahamic ones?

so same for scientologists?

Assuming you are the PP, answer the question, because it is in response to your post. Then, if you want to ask me my position, I'll be happy to share it in return.

ok, no I think they Mormons history, how it was founded, makes them seem a bit dubious to me in relation to Lutheranism (presumably founded by Martin Luther).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, they are a religion of their own, more like a cult

This would be a matter of opinion/perspective, right? Because that could be said about all religions. Are Mormons not deserving of the same respect as Lutherans or other religions, including non-Abrahamic ones?

so same for scientologists?

Assuming you are the PP, answer the question, because it is in response to your post. Then, if you want to ask me my position, I'll be happy to share it in return.

ok, no I think they Mormons history, how it was founded, makes them seem a bit dubious to me in relation to Lutheranism (presumably founded by Martin Luther).

So it is a matter of personal position then? That each of us can decide which beliefs are worthy of respect, and which are not?

If that's your position, great, we agree completely.

And now to answer your question, as I promised, WRT scientology: I do think the "history, how it was founded, makes them seem a bit dubious to me". And I also think that about Mormons. I also think that about Lutherans, Catholics, Muslims, Pagans, Shinto, Rastafarianism, etc etc. All faiths which have a supernatural foundation, "seem a bit dubious to me".

But if it is demanded that we show respect to certain religious beliefs, shouldn't we show respect them all? Shouldn't we not call any of them "cults"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, they are a religion of their own, more like a cult

This would be a matter of opinion/perspective, right? Because that could be said about all religions. Are Mormons not deserving of the same respect as Lutherans or other religions, including non-Abrahamic ones?

so same for scientologists?

Assuming you are the PP, answer the question, because it is in response to your post. Then, if you want to ask me my position, I'll be happy to share it in return.

ok, no I think they Mormons history, how it was founded, makes them seem a bit dubious to me in relation to Lutheranism (presumably founded by Martin Luther).

So it is a matter of personal position then? That each of us can decide which beliefs are worthy of respect, and which are not?

If that's your position, great, we agree completely.

And now to answer your question, as I promised, WRT scientology: I do think the "history, how it was founded, makes them seem a bit dubious to me". And I also think that about Mormons. I also think that about Lutherans, Catholics, Muslims, Pagans, Shinto, Rastafarianism, etc etc. All faiths which have a supernatural foundation, "seem a bit dubious to me".

But if it is demanded that we show respect to certain religious beliefs, shouldn't we show respect them all? Shouldn't we not call any of them "cults"?

yeah, I guess so

[Anonymous]

dp - i think the question of which religion is legit and which ones are not is somewhat dumb. i think every religion in history was considered (and started) as a cult when they started. when i was a little boy, we used to call "mormons" and "moonies" cults. nowdays they are more accepted (and, therefore, more legit?) like mainstream christians. is scientiology a cult? i personally think they are crazies but who knows right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, they are a religion of their own, more like a cult

This would be a matter of opinion/perspective, right? Because that could be said about all religions. Are Mormons not deserving of the same respect as Lutherans or other religions, including non-Abrahamic ones?

Yes, they are a cult
If you about 60 years of age, then you are fine
For others, they exploit your time, money, group pressure for compulsory 2 year indoctrination mission where your contact with your family is limited, controlled.
They pressure you to limit exposure to information they do not like
Are obsessed with controlling your sexuality

[Anonymous]

I'm agnostic, and I think all religions are cults, but in terms of personal integrity and behavior the Mormons I have known have been some of the nicest, most honest, hardest-working people I've come across. I've worked in organizations where, at the end of the day, people of one religion definitely displayed favoritism towards others of the same religion (I guess because of a shared belief they are "God's chosen"), and that's not been the case with Mormons.

So if they want to call themselves Christians, that's fine by me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They say they are, but most other denominations would consider them heretics at best based on their beliefs

+1

No, they’re not Christians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm agnostic, and I think all religions are cults, but in terms of personal integrity and behavior the Mormons I have known have been some of the nicest, most honest, hardest-working people I've come across. I've worked in organizations where, at the end of the day, people of one religion definitely displayed favoritism towards others of the same religion (I guess because of a shared belief they are "God's chosen"), and that's not been the case with Mormons.

So if they want to call themselves Christians, that's fine by me.

Lol. You need to meet more Mormons.