Are Mormons Christians?
By Alan on Mar 23 in Blog tagged Are Mormons Christians, Baptized of John, Book of Mormon, born to Mary, chief cornerstone, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, every child, Gordon B. Hinckley, Jesus Christ, Jesus died, Jesus was resurrected, Mormons, of latter-day Saints, our Deliverer, perfect life, Redeemer, savior, son of God, son of our Heavenly Father, the Bible, The Church of Jesus Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of cChrist, we rejoice oin Christ, we talk of Christ | Comments Off
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A statement in The Book of Mormon sums up our assertion that Mormons are most certainly devoted Christians:
“We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ” (2 Nephi 25: 26).
We seek to emulate Christ. We love the Bible, which testifies of Jesus Christ, and we love The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. With all people of other faiths who love and worship Jesus Christ, we declare with them that we too are Christians.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of the Church, said:
We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more and more widely recognized…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.
Mormons believe that Jesus is the actual Son of God, our Deliverer, Redeemer and Savior.
Mormons believe that Jesus was born to Mary, His mortal mother, and that He was the Only Begotten Son of our Heavenly Father.
Mormons believe that Jesus was baptized of John and later told Nicodemus that the only way to enter the kingdom of God was to do likewise.
Mormons believe that Jesus lived a perfect life—the only individual to do so–and that He invited us to come unto Him and follow His example and His teachings.
Mormons believe that Jesus Christ organized a church while He lived on the earth. Mormons believe that the name of that His church was The Church of Jesus Christ, and Mormons believe that the organization of that church was as perfect as He was. Mormons believe that the foundation of the ancient Church of Jesus Christ was “apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2: 20). Thus, Mormons believe that the perfect foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ continues to be “apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.”
Mormons believe that in a supreme act of love, Jesus Christ suffered and died for each of us. Mormons believe that because Jesus sacrificed His life and atoned for us, if we follow Him in the way that He prescribed, we can receive forgiveness of our sins, achieve reconciliation with our Heavenly Father, and qualify to live one day with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Mormons believe that Jesus died and rose from the grave on the third day and thus overcame death by His literal, bodily resurrection. Mormons believe that because of Jesus’ resurrection, He has the power to resurrect every child of Heavenly Father in a marvelous, universal resurrection.
What is anti-Christian about these beliefs?
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Mormons love Jesus Christ as the central figure in their lives.
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Mormons worship and adore Him. Mormons pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ.
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Mormons weekly partake of the sacrament by which they covenant to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, to always remember Jesus Christ, and to keep the commandments of Jesus Christ.
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Mormons take Jesus Christ as their example for living a happy and fulfilled life.
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Mormons seek to bring people to Jesus Christ so He can heal and bless them.
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Mormons have made sacred covenants to devote their lives to Jesus Christ and to emulate and serve Him.
Jesus gave His followers a test by which they could discern who was His true disciple and who was not. “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Good trees bring forth good fruit and evil trees bring forth evil fruit. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7: 16-20). Therefore, an investigator needs only to observe the lives of Mormons to see which type of fruit they bring forth. For example,
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Has the investigator ever read The Book of Mormon to realize that nearly every page speaks of Jesus Christ?
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Had the investigator ever attended one of our worship services or listened to the sermons that invariably center on Jesus Christ?
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Is the investigator aware of the Church’s vast humanitarian efforts:Has the investigator listened to the Tabernacle Choir which consistently testifies of and worships Jesus Christ?
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the thousands of yellow-Tee-shirted “Helping Hands” volunteers
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the massive education fund to help students in third world countries
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the enormous storehouses filled with food and staples for the poor
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Deseret Industries which gives clothing, furniture and other items to the poor
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the Church’s women’s organizations that extends millions of hours in compassionate service to those in need
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or the myriad local and Church-wide projects to assist the sick, under-privileged and otherwise needy?
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Has the investigator ever listened to Latter-day Saints’ conversations with each other? Invariably, they default to their love of the Savior and His goodness in their lives.
Yes, Mormons are Christians—some of the most Christian people in the world.
