Are Mormons Christian?

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“We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more and more widely recognized. Once upon a time people everywhere said we are not Christians. They have come to recognize that we are, and that we have a very vital and dynamic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. We, of course, accept Jesus Christ as our Leader, our King, our Savior...the dominant figure in the history of the world, the only perfect Man who ever walked the earth, the living Son of the living God. He is our Savior and our Redeemer through whose atoning sacrifice has come the opportunity of eternal life. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pray and worship in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the center of our faith and the head of our Church. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and witnesses of His divinity, His life, and His Atonement.”

–Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1995-2008)


ARE MORMONS CHRISTIAN?
The short answer is “No.”  Yet Mormons seem to think they are, and spend a lot of time an energy trying to convince everyone of the same.  Yet Christians seem apprehensive.  If you check out the Mormon website, Jesus and the Bible are definitely on there.  But is that really enough to be considered “Christian”?
LDS Salt Lake City Temple
THREE BELIEFS THAT DON’T MATCH UP
While there are a plethora of beliefs that clearly contradict Christianity, I’ve chosen to look at these three:

Belief in many gods.  Mormonism is in fact a polytheistic religion.  Mormons view the Trinity as three separate gods with a mutual pact, not as one God in three persons.  Joseph Smith himself explicitly stated his belief in many gods.  There is actually no limit to how many gods there are, as each god rules over their own planet; our god is just one of many.  This is a direct contradiction to the Bible, which teaches there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6).

Baptism for the dead.  Mormons view baptism as an essential part of the salvation process; one cannot be saved without being baptized.  This belief leads to baptism for the dead, which means a Mormon can be baptized for an already deceased person in order to save them.  This contradicts the Bible as only faith in Christ saves someone, not works (Romans 3:28; 5:1; 11:6; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9).  The Bible also teaches that we only have this life to make a decision to follow Christ (Hebrews 9:27).

Process of Godhood.  Mormons believe that God the Father, also known as Elohim, grew up as a man on another planet, and became a god through perfect obedience.  If we comply to Mormon teachings, we can also become gods and rule planets after our death.  This contradicts the Bible in several ways, chief of which being that salvation comes through faith in Jesus, not abiding to rules (Romans 3:28; 5:1; 11:6; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9), and that God has existed eternally (Psalm 90:2; Revelation 1:8).

Other random beliefs include Jesus, Satan, and Joseph Smith being brothers, and God wanting Adam and Eve to sin so they could have children.


WHAT ABOUT JESUS?
LDS Church Logo
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”
–Jesus (Matthew 7:21)

Mormonism is officially known as: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”  However, you don’t get points for throwing Jesus’ name around.  Just because The LDS Church claims to believe in the Bible doesn’t actually make them Christian.  There are core tenants of Christianity that Mormon doctrine either ignores or outright contradicts. 


CONCLUSIONS
Mormonism is not Christian because it denies that there is only one God.  It denies the gospel that faith in Christ alone is what saves us, but adds works and ordinances as additional prerequisites for salvation.  It denies that God is eternal, and asserts that we can become like him and rule planets as gods ourselves.

 The purpose of this blog post isn’t to attack or belittle anyone who holds to these beliefs.  Rather, it is to show that Mormon beliefs are radically different than Christian beliefs.

Hopefully this encourages you to think for yourself, and to make educated decisions when it comes to God, Christianity, and finding truth.  If more people were challenged to think critically about faith, movements such as Mormonism would not exist.
*For more info on the question, "Are Mormons Christian?":
http://carm.org/is-mormonism-christian

 **For a more detailed account of actual Mormon beliefs, check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3BqLZ8UoZk



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