Are Mormons Christian?

First and foremost, this is a highly sensitive and debated topic between Christians and Latter-day Saints. There can be a lot of emotion, misrepresenting, attacking and more when discussing this topic. What we want to do with this post is to lovingly give our thoughts so that people on both sides can understand more why many Evangelical Christians do not believe a practicing Latter-day Saint is their brother/sister in Christ. With that, we believe the best first step is to define what people mean when they are using the word 'Christian'.

what does the LDS church have to say?

Similar to the discussion around Jesus, the Latter-day Saint Church pushes heavily that they are undeniably Christian. with so much built into a term, it matters how we use it. There are many groups such as protestants, Roman Catholics, Latter-day Saints, and more that use this term, but we would hardly ever say these groups teach 'essentially the same thing'.

Like our last post about the nature of Jesus, many LDS Church members will appeal to the common agreements between themselves and Evangelicals to point to the fact that they fall under this 'Christian' umbrella. As stated in the LDS Church's Gospel Topic essay, "Are 'Mormons' Christian?", the article states:

"Whatever the doctrinal differences that exist between the Latter-day Saints and members of other Christian religions, the roles Latter-day Saints ascribe to members of the Godhead largely correspond with the views of others in the Christian world. Latter-day Saints believe that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and all-loving, and they pray to Him in the name of Jesus Christ."

Are "Mormons" Christian?, Gospel Topic Essays; lds.org

When most thoughtful Evangelical Christians use the word 'Christian', they are using it synonymously with being 'born again'. hence why many Christians will refer to themselves just as a 'born-again believer'. What it means to be born again in this context is that one has been saved from hell through faith in Jesus, thus now being born again into God's family by the Spirit. This is called regeneration.

Where the water gets muddy is with a second definition of 'Christian' which many simply mean to be 'a disciple of Jesus'. If Christian simply means 'disciple of Jesus' then the LDS Church is very adamant to claim that they are being disciples by following Jesus' teachings (loving their neighbor, charity, etc).

To clear up our discussion, we will be using Christian by the first definition (born again). to keep this post concise we will address the 3 responses the LDS Church gives to those who claim they are not Christian in their Gospel Topic essay. i.e. this post will be "Are Mormons Born Again?"

first response:

In this essay, the LDS Church claims the 3 most often used facts that Christians will use to disqualify them as Christian (or born again). The first one is:

"Latter-day Saints do not accept the creeds, confessions, and formulations of post–New Testament Christianity"

In their brief rebuttal of this reason, the defense the LDS Church gives to why they don't affirm these creeds and formulations is because of the loss of apostolic authority and the merging of Greek philosophy into New Testament theology.

After the first century apostles died, the LDS Church believes that true faith in God and the authority of the priesthood was lost in the 2nd century A.D. This section ends with the author stating that although the LDS Church denies the creeds formed past the New Testament, they rely on God for everyday religious activity.

For more on the 'Great Apostasy', click here for our article on the subject. For this article, we will just discuss why we believe this article is missing the point of contention. We agree with this essay that just saying "Yes, I agree," to a creed or confession does not make someone a Christian.

Firstly, what makes someone born again is by believing in Jesus' payment for your sins through his death and that he gives you eternal life through his resurrection. Jesus freely gives redemption and righteousness through faith. When this happens, the Holy Spirit seals the believer until it's their time to go to heaven (Ephesians1:13). Whether a creed states this or not and whether one adheres to that creed is irrelevant. Where the LDS Church differs is that it teaches one must earn their eternal life through faith and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Things like baptism by water, forsaking all sin, temple endowments, etc. are needed to have eternal life. The LDS Church also believes that faith is not required to enter 'heaven'; everyone will go to some level of heaven regardless of their belief, unless you're an apostate of the LDS Church.

Side note: In this essay, the LDS Church says that the true authority and faith has departed from the church in the second century A.D. (100-200), yet also uses early church fathers from this period and later in an attempt to claim that these fathers taught the LDS idea of the Father having a tangible body and more, even though the idea of the LDS Godhead was one of the things lost in the Great Apostasy.

second response:

The second claim the essay responds to is:

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not descend through the historical line of traditional Christianity. That is, Latter-day Saints are not Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant."

In this section, the LDS Church emphasizes that although the LDS Church is not part of the same traditions, they are still Christian. It seems to claim while many other denominations have some truth, the LDS Church is the one with the full truth. It even says this about converts from Christian denominations:

"These converts did not, and do not, perceive themselves as leaving the Christian fold; they are simply grateful to learn about and become part of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, which they believe offers the fulness of the Lord’s gospel, a more complete and rich Christian church—spiritually, organizationally, and doctrinally."

This section ends with the charge:

"One who sincerely loves, worships, and follows Christ should be free to claim his or her understanding of the doctrine according to the dictates of his or her conscience without being branded as non-Christian."

What the LDS Church seems to miss here is that just because their church doesn't follow a specific traditional or authoritative line doesn't make them not Christian. What's interesting is that they lump 3 groups together that would be hardly pressed to call each other brothers/sisters in Christ, only emphasizing that it's where we differ that matters.

No matter where your church came from, if a member of any said church believes that by faith in Jesus to save you from yours sins by his death on the cross and bring you to heaven and eternal life through the power of his resurrection, you are born again (or Christian). If one follows the LDS Church's teachings to the letter, one does not get that faith-based saving message. Things are added and God is changed.

Furthermore, the article gives a charge to not label others as non-Christian just because of their doctrine, yet it seems Joseph Smith recorded some harsh words given by Jesus in the First Vision about Evangelicals who are claiming Christ:

"...all their creeds were an abomination in [Jesus'] sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of me sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”"

Joseph Smith's First Vision (1999); lds.org

Side note: the article once again claims that LDS doctrines are "consistent with early Christianity", yet also hold to a Great Apostasy in the 2nd century. What early Christianity are they referring to? If they mean the bible and the New Testament, see our other content for why we believe this is not the case.

THIRD RESPONSE:

The 3rd and final claim the LDS Church addresses is this:

"Latter-day Saints do not believe scripture consists of the Holy Bible alone but have an expanded canon of scripture that includes the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price."

Interestingly enough the LDS Church makes the same argument many Roman Catholics make against sola scriptura, the doctrine of scripture being the sole authority for the faith and practice of believers. This is what the essay has to say:

"But to claim that the Bible is the sole and final word of God—more specifically, the final written word of God—is to claim more for the Bible than it claims for itself. Nowhere does the Bible proclaim that all revelations from God would be gathered into a single volume to be forever closed and that no further scriptural revelation could be received."

and later reads:

No branch of Christianity limits itself entirely to the biblical text in making doctrinal decisions and in applying biblical principles... Protestants, particularly evangelicals, turn to linguists and scripture scholars for their answers, as well as to post–New Testament church councils and creeds.

This is why the LDS Church claims apostles and a living prophet are needed to guide the church as well as why there is room for more scripture, which would be their Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price.

For this last response, we want to first agree with the article when it states God never told us, nor commanded us, that we would or that we should put all the books of Scripture into the same bindings of a singular book; nor does thinking there are more books or less books inherently make one not a Christian. Also, the article is not understanding the role of scholars and creeds. Christians can use scholars and creeds to better understand Scripture but ultimately what should decide what one believes is what is found in Scripture.

In regards to LDS theology, what keeps them from being Christian (or born again) is the works added to acquire eternal life, as well as turning God from one god into three. While we want to emphasize the importance of Scripture, the Old and New Testament being God's breathed word, it is not the LDS Church's open canon that doesn't make them Christian, but rather what is being added.

With texts like the Book of Mormon claiming:

"...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

2 Nephi 25:23

and the Doctrine and Covenants claiming:

"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's;"

Doctrine and Covenants 130:22

The issue of being Christian comes from the teachings of these texts. If one truly follows these texts, they can't hope to ever become born again because of the works based message given to achieve eternal life as well as the false god and Jesus who ascended to their godhood.

While we believe those who adhere to LDS Church doctrine are not Christian, this does not mean one cannot become born again. Through faith in the God-man Jesus, who is the Ancient of Days, YHWH Himself, and his payment for sins on the cross and that his resurrection has the power to give you eternal life, you too can be born again. One cannot work to heaven, but only through believing in what Jesus did, can one ever make it there.