Are Mormons Christians?

I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church). I studied and practiced that faith for nearly forty years. I'm not active in that church anymore. In fact, I don't believe in the doctrines of the church anymore, though I did for most of my life.

I was thinking about the claim that some people make that Mormons aren't Christians, and I thought I might tackle that today. Because of my background, I have some knowledge on the subject. And because I no longer believe in the church's teachings, I hope I may be seen as unbiased.

Background

For as long as I can remember, I have heard people claim that Mormons are not Christians. As far as I can tell, the logic typically goes like this: Mormon doctrines and teachings are in direct opposition to the Bible, the Nicene creed, or something similar. Mormons therefore worship a Jesus who is not the Jesus of the Bible. Therefore, Mormons are not Christians.

An alternative argument says that Mormons worship something or someone other than Jesus. Some claim that Mormonism was founded by the devil, so Mormons worship the devil. Others say that Mormons worship Joseph Smith (the church's founder) and/or their current leaders. Any worship other than the worship of Jesus disqualifies them from being Christians.

These are two parallel chains of logic. Let's look at each one a little more closely.

Teachings in Opposition to the Bible, the Nicene creed, etc.

Some of the doctrines and teachings I have heard people use as justification for saying Mormons aren't Christians include the following:

1. Mormons deny salvation by grace alone
• Mormons tend to emphasize works more than many Protestant Christians
• Note that this accusation could be made against the Catholic church too
2. Mormons deny the inerrancy of the Bible
• If they deny the Bible is the perfect word of God, they are not true Christians
3. Mormons teach that they can become gods
• This denies the supremacy of God, Jesus Christ, etc
• There is nothing in the Bible that corroborates this teaching
• There are various other doctrinal differences that people may use to justify their claim, but this is one of the most powerful and compelling

Mormons Worship the Devil, Joseph Smith, etc.

Some of the attacks on Mormons in the last 40 years or so claim that the miraculous events associated with the early Mormon church were facilitated by the power of the devil. Thus, the Mormons follow and/or worship the devil.

The Mormon Church often emphasizes the priesthood authority held by its leaders. Hymns such as "Praise to the Man", a stirring song written in praise of Joseph Smith, seem to support the idea that Mormons worship their founder. If you watch General Conference, you can see that same reverence and respect directed toward the current leader of the Church, whoever he may be at the time. The respect that Mormons have for their leader(s) has often been taken as a sign that Mormons worship those men.

My Take on These Claims

The doctrinal differences can be disturbing for those who don't share the Mormon view on them. We could talk about each of them, but instead of trying to explain the Mormon teachings, I think I'll just point out the danger of the logic that says that a doctrinal difference justifies me in stripping someone else of their claim to be a Christian.

The Nicene creed is an important marker in the development of Christian theology, but is it the standard by which we should measure the Christianity of any person or group? The Bible is a more reasonable standard, but the different doctrines of various denominations (some of which openly conflict with one another) have all been founded on the Bible. These differences, all with biblical justification, have led Christians to persecute and kill each other at different times in history. So using the Bible as the standard by which we judge the Christianity of any movement is a bit dangerous. The Bible is broad enough that different people can find different meanings in the same passages. For every doctrine mentioned above, and many others taught by the Mormon church, I can find Biblical passages that could be construed as supporting it. You can disagree with the interpretation, but it's reasonable for someone who believes the principle to read the support of that principle in those passages. Yes, even the teaching that humans, as God's children, can grow up to be like Him, can be justified by the Bible. See Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34-36. Again, you can disagree with the interpretation, but if you read those with an open mind, I think you'll see my point.

As far as Mormons worshiping something or someone other than Christ, that is certainly possible. Just as possible as it is for any professing Christian to have someone or something in their life that takes precedence over the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Do Mormons worship the devil? Not as far as I can tell. It could be that some people have done so at different times in history. Who knows? But as an organization, the church is anything but satanic. Do Mormons worship their leaders? This is far more likely. There have been times in the church's history when the mission of Joseph Smith and the authority of a living prophet have been emphasized as a way to differentiate the church from other Christian churches. True Christianity may have waxed and waned in the church as a result of this and other doctrinal and cultural trends. But a study of the teachings and people in the church from the founding of the church in 1830 tells me that the major undercurrent of the entire religious movement is, and always has been, faith in Jesus Christ and His redemptive sacrifice. That seems like sufficient justification for claiming the title of Christian.

Christianity in Mormonism

Mormons pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ. They take the sacrament weekly in remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. They believe in the Bible, though they have concerns about mis-translations, pedigree of manuscripts, etc. They also believe in other scripture, most notably the Book of Mormon, whose subtitle is "Another Testament of Jesus Christ". They are called Mormons because of the name of this book, but the official name of the church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", which has been the church's name since 1838. Note how many times I mentioned the name of Jesus Christ in these few, simple statements about the Mormon church's faith and practices.

As a practicing Mormon, the Christianity of the faith was central to my spiritual practice. Though I do not believe in the foundations of the faith anymore, I believe that adherence to the faith has the potential to improve peoples' lives and connect them with God.

The Mormon church isn't flawless. It has its warts like any other organization. But Jesus Christ is central to the church's teachings, and I think it's extremely disrespectful to suggest that the Mormon church is not a legitimate Christian church.

Respect for All Religions

All religions have good in them. All have the potential to improve peoples' lives. While religion can have a dark side, in general, I think it is a force for good in the world. It is the arrogance in religion that makes it unhealthy. The kind of arrogance that makes us confident enough in our understanding of truth to strip someone else's religion of its claim to a faith that is central to its doctrine.

The Mormon Church is a Christian church. And it does a lot of good for its people and, by extension, the world. Let's have respect for other peoples' faith, and allow them the freedom, both politically and morally, to worship as they think best. This kind of acceptance and tolerance will do them, and us, a lot of good.