It has often puzzled me that so many do not accept Mormons as Christian.
If Christian means a professed belief in Christ…then yes!
Mormons are Christian!1
If Christian denotes followers of Christ…yes! Mormons are
Christian!2
If Christian implies a belief in the Bible…yes! Mormons are
Christian!3
If Christian belief relies on Christ as the only name who can save us…yes!
Mormons are Christian!4
If the evidence of a Christian life
means being kind and decent…yes!
Mormons are Christian!5
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), declare unequivocally, that Yes! We are Christian! Our faith is centered on Jesus Christ and on
his teachings. He is our exemplar, our
Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer, and our King.
We follow him in belief and practice.Our guiding principles were taught to us by the Prophet Joseph Smith: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”6
One
dictionary defines a Christian as “one who professes belief in
Jesus as the Christ or follows the religion based on [the life and teachings of
Jesus],” and “one who lives according to the teachings of
Jesus.”7
Church Apostle Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin explains, “Thus two characteristics identify Christians: (1) they profess belief in a Savior, and (2) they act in harmony with the Savior’s teachings. Faithful members of the Church, called Saints or Latter-day Saints, qualify clearly in both characteristics. In our belief and our action, we demonstrate that ‘Jesus Christ himself [is] the chief corner stone’ of our faith.”8
“We rejoice in our sure knowledge that “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 9 With obedient hearts and eyes of faith, “we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.”” 10, 11
Many who do not
believe Mormons to be Christian either do not know us or misunderstand us. Others feel that certain points of our
doctrine exclude Mormons from their definition of Christians.
Church
Apostle Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stated, “By and large any controversy in this
matter has swirled around two doctrinal issues—our view of the Godhead and our
belief in the principle of continuing revelation leading to an open scriptural
canon.”12
So we will
focus on these two points. First, we believe that the Godhead consists of not one God, but three
separate beings, which differs from other Christian views of the Trinity. Our first Article of Faith states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and
in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” We believe these three to
be members of the Godhead, distinct beings, unified in purpose. Elder Holland stated, “They are one in
every significant and eternal aspect imaginable except believing
Them to be three persons combined in one substance, a Trinitarian notion never
set forth in the scriptures because it is not true.”
“Indeed no less a source than the stalwart Harper’s Bible Dictionary records that “the formal doctrine of the Trinity as it was defined by the great church councils of the fourth and fifth centuries is not to be found in the [New Testament].”13
“So any criticism that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not hold the contemporary Christian view of God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is not a comment about our commitment to Christ but rather a recognition (accurate, I might add) that our view of the Godhead breaks with post–New Testament Christian history and returns to the doctrine taught by Jesus Himself.… “We declare it is self-evident from the scriptures that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are separate persons, three divine beings.” 12
Many wonder
where this doctrine is found in the Bible. We can name “illustrations [such] as
the Savior’s great Intercessory Prayer…, His baptism at the hands of
John, the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the martyrdom of
Stephen.”12 I’ll admit, in some biblical verses this doctrine gets a bit
fuzzy, but thanks to modern revelation, we have a clearer understanding of the
Godhead. Which leads into our next point…
We believe that God continues to
reveal his word to man.
Revelations did not end with prophets of biblical times. If God is “unchangeable”14, why would he give revelation to one
dispensation, but not ours? We believe in a modern-day prophet, the Book of
Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and modern-day scripture in The Doctrine and
Covenants. The Lord said, “My works are without end, and … my words … never
cease.”15
The purpose
of continuing revelation is not to lessen the importance of the Bible, but to
clarify the doctrines, help us in our understanding, and lead us closer to
Christ.
Holland said, “One of the great purposes of continuing revelation through living prophets is to declare to the world through additional witnesses that the Bible is true. ‘This is written,’ an ancient prophet said, speaking of the Book of Mormon, ‘for the intent that ye may believe that,’ speaking of the Bible. 16 In one of the earliest revelations received by Joseph Smith, the Lord said, ‘Behold, I do not bring [the Book of Mormon forth] to destroy [the Bible] but to build it up.’” 17, 18
Our ninth
Article of Faith states, “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He
does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and
important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” 19
Mormons are
Christian. We follow Christ. It is
stated in our very name, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A Book of
Mormon scripture says “And how be it my church save it be called in my name?
For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be
called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called
in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my
gospel.”20
Especially in
this Christmas season, our wish is for others to know that it is Christ whom we
love, revere, and follow. We hope to
come together under this one name “Christian” and stand shoulder to shoulder.
We “wish to work together with other Christians—and people of all faiths—to
recognize and remedy many of the moral and family issues faced by society.”21
References:
1.
Article of Faith 1:1, “We believe in God, the Eternal
Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”
2.
Article
of Faith 1:4, “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the
Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third,
Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the
gift of the Holy Ghost.”
3.
Article
of Faith 1:8 “We believe the Bible to be the word of God…”
4.
Article
of Faith 1:3 “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may
be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”
5.
Article
of Faith 1:13 “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous,
and in doing good to all men…”
6.
Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 49.
7.
See American
Heritage Dictionary (1992), s.v. “Christian”; emphasis added.
8.
Eph. 2:20.
9.
Acts 4:12.
10. Hel. 3:28.
13. Paul F. Achtemeier, ed. (1985), 1099;
emphasis added.
14. Malachi 3:6; see also James 1:17
15. Moses 1:4
16. Mormon 7:9
19. Article of Faith 1:9
20. 3 Nephi 27:8
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