I ran across this post tonight concerning the “Are Mormons Christians?” debate. If this is legitimate, then maybe we can finally get on to some real theological discussion.
You see, I believe that Evangelical Christians say that Mormons aren’t Christian to avoid further debate. When someone says Mormons aren’t Christian, the first response from Mormons is to prove them wrong. The debate goes nowhere because the evangelicals claim the right to decide who is a Christian and who is not. Or when the Mormon lays out all the evidence for Mormons being Christian, the evangelicals will say “but you believe in a different Jesus.” At that point the debate ends for one of two reasons. Either the Mormon acknowledges that we technically don’t believe in the Jesus of the Creeds, or they realize that it is futile to argue with someone who changes the rules of debate midstream.
Why would evangelical Christians pass up the chance to debate with Mormons over theology? Don’t they engage them all the time? Yes, they do. But, not with anything new. No critic of the Church has come up with any new criticism for a hundred years (figuratively). They have run out of things to say that haven’t already been debunked. So in the official circles, the word is just that Mormons aren’t Christians and leave it at that. Those who continue to argue other points are just behind schedule, uninformed, or new to the scene.
I mean really, there is little difference between saying Mormons aren’t Christian, which has the effect of shutting down debate, and Al Gore saying “the debate is over” regarding global warming. In both cases, one side is afraid to acknowledge that the other side might have a valid argument. If we can get beyond the question of whether or not Mormons are Christians, then maybe we can move forward with all those debates again.
4 Comments
Trenton,
Please know that I appreciate your picking up my article and I mean what I say in a friendly manner. Limitations of the written language ya know.
You say: “If this is legitimate.” The documentation within the article show that beyond question. I planted a mission church in heavily Mormon Rock Springs, WY back in 1994.
This afforded me the opportunity to discuss, learn and debate Mormon doctrine with many Mormon Missionaries (once four at a time in my home) and longtime Mormons. I know very well what Mormon theology is.
The first thing one has to do is to carefully define terms with them. By the way, I’m not an “evangelical.” I love to debate these issues and the central one is the Person of Jesus Christ. If one has the wrong Christ one cannot possibly be Christian.
So when you say: “They have run out of things to say that haven’t already been debunked”, you are in error because the LDS Church has not debunked the difference concerning the Person of Jesus Christ. Instead the eternal God Himself in human flesh (see-John 8:24) in Mormonism we have the spirit brother born first to “Elohim,” whom they refer to as “Heavenly Father,” who is actually the older brother to Lucifer (the Devil) who was the second born “spirit child.”
Now, of course the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) are free to believe whatever they wish to. However, as you can see right in my article they cannot call their religoin Christianity because the “Jesus Christ” of Mormonism is absolutely NOT the Jesus Christ of the historic orthodox Christian Church.
I pray this helps.
Thanks for your comment, Pastor. You know, of course, that I must respectfully disagree.
The mention of a “different Jesus” in the New Testament was intended to convey the idea of an impostor, a counterfeit, i.e. someone who was not the Son of God, who did not die on the cross at Golgotha, who was not resurrected, and who was not divine. And there have been many.
The Church, at the time that passage was written, was looking forward to Christ’s return and many were led astray by such “different Jesuses.” Thus, it was written as a warning against following mortal men who pretended to be a new incarnation of Jesus Christ.
We LDS believe only in the Jesus of the New Testament, who was Jehovah before his ministry on Earth, who was and is the Only Begotten Son of the Father, who died on the cross at Golgotha, and was resurrected the third day. Questions of “substance” are meaningless trivialities.
Regardless of whether or not all the rest of Christendom agrees, we are Christians and we will proudly stand and say that in the face of all enemies, mortal or otherwise. I, like most members of the Church, have made a covenant to take upon myself the name of Christ, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments. That he blesses me with the companionship of His Spirit is irrefutable proof of his acceptance of that covenant.
Faith cannot be exercised in something that is not true. You say we believe in a false Christ. Yet, there is faith in the LDS Church: faith to repentance; faith to healing; to speaking in tongues; to discernment of spirits; to prophecy; to revelation; and to salvation. Such things would not happen if the focus of our faith were artificial.
We have long ago debunked the claim that we are not Christians. It is you (collectively) who have rejected our hand of fellowship freely offered. We are on the same side, Pastor. We should not be arguing over this.
Trenton,
You say: “We are on the same side, Pastor.” No, I’m afraid we’re not: “18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join. 19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the gpower thereof.â€
http://scriptures.lds.org/js_h/1
I’m afraid I’m one of those “corrupt professors” of Christian creeds that are “an abomination” according to what “Jesus” said to your founding prophet Joseph Smith. And then you say: ” We should not be arguing over this”: I shall certainly respect your wishes.
Pastor Silva,
You don’t really count yourself among the corrupt professors to whom the Lord referred in 1820, do you? I hope not. Those corrupt professors are the very ones of whom Thomas Jefferson wrote,
In all sincerity, I’m certain that doesn’t apply to you. You are, after all, only teaching what you’ve heard, right?
Well, as you wish. I shall not push you into further debate. Godspeed to you.