Thread: Is a Mormon a Christian?

Originally Posted by Medusa

american


i understand you but mormons cant be compared to catholism or lutherans .

i think all those that you post here accept the trinity whereas mormons dont accept it which is the basic belief of christianity and they have a different prophet and a book.now i can say thay are not christian.in fact mormonism can be regarded as a different religion more than a sect ,a religion having its roots in christianity.

For the first few centuries after Christ's time, no Christian believed in the “Trinity” in the manner that most now do.

And most believed in living prophets. Most of the men who wrote the various books that went into what eventual became the New Testament were regarded as prophets.

Were there no Christians until after the Bible was compiled, all the known prophets were dead, and the various political organizations had purged “Arianism” from the church by force and murder?

Originally Posted by Simon W. Moon

iirc, you just need to believe in one of the nicene creed

Nicene Creed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nicene Creed wasn't written until 325 AD. Before it was written, there were many people who considered themselves to be Christians, who believed things contrary to what is written in that creed. Were they not really Christians?

Sorry, I don't mean to sound like an idiot here. It's a little confusing to me because it sounds similar when I read it. The Mormon one doesn't really define God as well as the Creed.

Nicene Creed "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 only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;....And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets.

Mormon Article of faith 1 "We ^abelieve in ^bGod, the Eternal Father, and in His ^cSon, Jesus Christ, and in the ^dHoly Ghost."

I think where I lack understanding is that whyis the Trinity thing such a debate? It's all one being or three separate makesyou have different branches of the same religion.

Maybe I won't understand because I am not Christian. Maybe it just has to be a faith thing?

Originally Posted by Bob Blaylock

The Nicene Creed wasn't written until 325 AD. Before it was written, there were many people who considered themselves to be Christians, who believed things contrary to what is written in that creed. Were they not really Christians?

I may be wrong, but my suspicion is that they had a different criteria at that point in history.

My understanding, rusty as it is, is that the Trinity is one of the central mysteries--being both one and three at the same time in some ineffable sense.

Originally Posted by godwarrior

I have seen a couple of threads about Mitt Romney, but rather than the politics. Let's get to the Religious facts.

I stated a Mormon is a Christian because they state Christ died for their sins and he is their salvation. One of my Catholic friends flipped out on me and said no way are they Christian.

The argument being that they don't believe in the same flavor of Christianity, so they can't be Christian because it's not his Christ. I stated that sounds like splitting hairs to me.
I don't disagree that the Mormon version of Christianity is way out there compared to traditional factors. The question to me remains why is a Mormon not a Christian?
1. They don't believe in the Holy trinity it's God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost as separate individuals - This is again just simple disagreement on the same belief.
2. Adding a book like the Mormons and they have several. If this is the justification than how can a Catholic be Christian because they have extra books in their own version on the bible not accepted by many other Christians.
3. This one is perhaps a valid discussion. Mormons think that God was once human and they have the opportunity to become a God themselves. Is that enough and why?
4. The best question is why people are so worried about accepting Mormons as Christians. Why would this matter to other Christians or non-Christian groups?

They claim to be Christian, I see no reason to doubt it.

Originally Posted by Simon W. Moon

Originally Posted by Bob Blaylock

The Nicene Creed wasn't written until 325 AD. Before it was written, there were many people who considered themselves to be Christians, who believed things contrary to what is written in that creed. Were they not really Christians?

I may be wrong, but my suspicion is that they had a different criteria at that point in history.

Why would the criteria be different.

before that point, a “Christian” was a following of Christ and his teachings. Why does anyone think that “Christian” now refers to one who believes in pagan-inspired creeds written for purely political purposes by people fraudulently claiming to represent Christianity? Shouldn't a “Christian” still be a follower of Christ, rather than of these heathen creeds?

Originally Posted by Medusa

american


i understand you but mormons cant be compared to catholism or lutherans .

i think all those that you post here accept the trinity whereas mormons dont accept it which is the basic belief of christianity and they have a different prophet and a book.now i can say thay are not christian.in fact mormonism can be regarded as a different religion more than a sect ,a religion having its roots in christianity.

No, I disagree. Frankly I don't claim to understand the "trinity", and I don't think Jesus ever stated precisely what it is. Neither do I believe it is the primary focus of Christianity. Christianity is faith through Christ, faith through his works and faith through his Word. If you believe the path to salvation is to be like Christ and accept his sacrifice as the ultimate sacrifice for all times, then you are a Christian. I think many things that people accept as the tenets of Christianity, are nothing more than the traditions of men. Jesus came to teach what the real faith is, and to sweep aside the nonsense of the Pharisees (traditional church). The faith was being lost through man-made religion. We have the same problem with today's church.

Mark 7:[1] Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
[2] And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
[3] For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
[4] And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
[5] Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
[6] He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
[7] Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctines the commandments of men.
[8] For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
[9] And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
[10] For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
[11] But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
[12] And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
[13] Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Religion is a very simple thing, as expreseds by James.

James 1:2.[27] Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

We have a word for the Arianists and the Gnostics and the others. That word is heretic. Because they taught a different Gospel than that of the Church.

From Galations 1: 7-8

...Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!...

Paul had quite the temper, when he started his ministry. He mellowed as the years passed.

Originally Posted by Medusa

no he isnt ,if he were christian ,we wouldnt call him mormon ,we would call him christian and he wouldnt claim to be mormon he were a real christian ,this case has the validity for all sects of other religions.a radical islamist sunni is not muslim...

mormon is the name that "other" christians used and it stuck.....
and it isn't up to "other" christians to make such decisions....