Christians vs Mormons

[DJ Twiztid Ninja]

So i get these mormons at my house every month or so....Are they the same? If not what is the difference

[Ms Spork]

LDS (Mormon) members consider themselves to be Christians. They follow the teachings of Christ, and believe that he suffered for mankind, ect.

[Kitsune_of_the_Stars]

Mormons are a form of Christian, but they believe in a bunch of extra stuff other forms of Christianity don't, which is why some people don't consider them Christian.

Like they have three forms of heaven after the judgement and there's no hell, just spirit prison/school.

[RyaZombie]

My boyfriend's family is somewhat mormon. All I gotta say is that mormon's are waaay weirder than christians. And I'm saying that after having gone through sunday school.

[fdsfsfdfshhghjfrtrtwqwe]

ah one time i was at a football game and i asked one guy how he got there and he said he rode a bike

hahaha...

it's funny bc he's mormon

lol mormons always on bicycles.

[Inscriven]

Ms Spork

I know some people don't consider them to be Christians, but I'm not sure why

Belief in the holy trinity is core to Christian dogma. Baptism must be done with the trinitarian formula to be considered valid. Since Mormons do neither of these, they are not considered Christian nor are their baptisms considered valid.

Aside from that their own religious traditions, use of non-biblical texts as canon, there really isn't much "Christian" about them besides the Jesus connection.

[freelance lover]

Ms Spork

LDS (Mormon) members consider themselves to be Christians. They follow the teachings of Christ, and believe that he suffered for mankind, ect.

I know some people don't consider them to be Christians, but I'm not sure why

This is the same sentiment I have. To me, if you believe in God and Jesus, you are a Christian. Now, I do think quite a bit of their theology is problematic, but so is the theology of many other denominations. And even when I've asked no one has been able to give me a straight answer of why they're not Christian.

My best friend since I was about five is Mormon and I would go to church with her sometimes. It was all very similar to the Methodist church I also attended.

[freelance lover]

Inscriven

Ms Spork

I know some people don't consider them to be Christians, but I'm not sure why

Belief in the holy trinity is core to Christian dogma. Baptism must be done with the trinitarian formula to be considered valid. Since Mormons do neither of these, they are not considered Christian nor are their baptisms considered valid.

Aside from that their own religious traditions, use of non-biblical texts as canon, there really isn't much "Christian" about them besides the Jesus connection.

Do Mormons not acknowledge a Holy Spirit? That seems odd to me since they do use the same Biblical text other Christians do, in addition to the Book of Mormon. And there is belief in God and Jesus. I just remember attending Mormon Sunday school with a friend when I was really young and having to be taught to how to look up a chapter and verse, and it all seemed similar to the Methodist church I went to. Of course, this was a long time ago.

Also, what do you mean by trinitarian baptism? Just baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

I do agree the use of non-biblical text is... eh but there is disagreement from denomination to denomination of what is canon. I mean, Catholics have the apocrypha, which is memory serves has some more recent text in it (though obviously not as modern as the BoM). There are also plenty of non canonical texts Christians will read, such as the Book of Thomas (though maybe churches don't preach on them).

I'm just really curious. No one has ever been able to explain to me in detail why they aren't Christian. None of my own research has showed me any clear answers either.

[thewaitingtree]

Actually there are Mormons (LDS) and then there are Jehovah's Witness. They are not the same! And .... neither of them are "Christian"....

They're gonna flame me for that. but i stand firm.

Here's the reason: Mormons and JWs do not hold the same views of Jesus as orthodox Christianity does. For a religion to be "Christian" it must espose that the person of Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man at the same time, that he is God, and one with God - and in 3 persons (Father Son Holy Spirit) and not any child of God. Orthodoxy holds Jesus was not created, but always existed with God because he is God). And Jesus is necessary as both God and man in the same body to be the offering for sins.

I forget the exact phrasing both sects use - but it comes down to Jesus being a prophet and good man/teacher, but does not look to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

[thewaitingtree]

freelance lover

Inscriven

Ms Spork

I know some people don't consider them to be Christians, but I'm not sure why

Belief in the holy trinity is core to Christian dogma. Baptism must be done with the trinitarian formula to be considered valid. Since Mormons do neither of these, they are not considered Christian nor are their baptisms considered valid.

Aside from that their own religious traditions, use of non-biblical texts as canon, there really isn't much "Christian" about them besides the Jesus connection.

Do Mormons not acknowledge a Holy Spirit? That seems odd to me since they do use the same Biblical text other Christians do, in addition to the Book of Mormon. And there is belief in God and Jesus. I just remember attending Mormon Sunday school with a friend when I was really young and having to be taught to how to look up a chapter and verse, and it all seemed similar to the Methodist church I went to. Of course, this was a long time ago.

Also, what do you mean by trinitarian baptism? Just baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

I do agree the use of non-biblical text is... eh but there is disagreement from denomination to denomination of what is canon. I mean, Catholics have the apocrypha, which is memory serves has some more recent text in it (though obviously not as modern as the BoM). There are also plenty of non canonical texts Christians will read, such as the Book of Thomas (though maybe churches don't preach on them).

I'm just really curious. No one has ever been able to explain to me in detail why they aren't Christian. None of my own research has showed me any clear answers either.

It's because of who Mormons believe Jesus to be.

Furthermore - there are higher levels of Mormon teaching that others do not receive. If you are initiated into the Temple, you hear more things that are not so much talked about in normal LDS churches.

They essentially believe that every man is a god, and that when he dies - if he was a good person and had lots of children - he gets his own planet somewhere to fill with his children.

Jesus is the son of God, come to this planet to tell (not to save) others about God - who is God of another planet.

A woman's "salvation" is through her husband and through bearing of many children, because she is the mother of her afterlife planet.

I'm sorry if this makes you angry with me. It's what I have been told and read. Neither of us are temple initiates, so we can't know for sure...

[Ms Spork]

freelance lover

Inscriven

Ms Spork

I know some people don't consider them to be Christians, but I'm not sure why

Belief in the holy trinity is core to Christian dogma. Baptism must be done with the trinitarian formula to be considered valid. Since Mormons do neither of these, they are not considered Christian nor are their baptisms considered valid.

Aside from that their own religious traditions, use of non-biblical texts as canon, there really isn't much "Christian" about them besides the Jesus connection.

Do Mormons not acknowledge a Holy Spirit? That seems odd to me since they do use the same Biblical text other Christians do, in addition to the Book of Mormon. And there is belief in God and Jesus. I just remember attending Mormon Sunday school with a friend when I was really young and having to be taught to how to look up a chapter and verse, and it all seemed similar to the Methodist church I went to. Of course, this was a long time ago.

Also, what do you mean by trinitarian baptism? Just baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

I do agree the use of non-biblical text is... eh but there is disagreement from denomination to denomination of what is canon. I mean, Catholics have the apocrypha, which is memory serves has some more recent text in it (though obviously not as modern as the BoM). There are also plenty of non canonical texts Christians will read, such as the Book of Thomas (though maybe churches don't preach on them).

I'm just really curious. No one has ever been able to explain to me in detail why they aren't Christian. None of my own research has showed me any clear answers either.

Mormons do believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. However, the way they interpret the godhead is different from the orthodox Christian Trinity.

From lds.org:

GARY J. COLEMAN
Of the First Quorum of the Seventy

The knowledge of God and His physical separateness from His Son and the Holy Ghost was lost after the death of Christ and His Apostles. Confusion and false doctrines about the Godhead were fashioned out of the Nicene Creed and Constantinople councils, where men declared that instead of three separate beings, the Godhead was three persons in one God, or the Trinity.

However, when I was introduced to the glorious truths of the First Vision experienced by the Prophet Joseph Smith, it was a stunning awakening for me to finally understand the truth about the nature of God the Eternal Father and His Only Begotten Son... This heavenly vision restored the wondrous yet plain and precious knowledge of God and His Son to the earth again, dispelling at once the teachings I had learned about the Trinity.

In other words, belief in the Trinity is that God is one essence/being, consisting of three seperate persons.
Mormons believe In God. They believe Jesus is his son. And they believe the Holy Spirit carries God's and Jesus's message. They believe they all act in the name of god, but are not one in essence/being.

[VaniIla Coke]

i thought they believed in more than one god tbh.
I don't think they are similar.

[Angry Centripetal Force]

There's differences between them but the bottom line is they're both bullshit.

[Ms Spork]

Inscriven

Ms Spork

I know some people don't consider them to be Christians, but I'm not sure why

Belief in the holy trinity is core to Christian dogma. Baptism must be done with the trinitarian formula to be considered valid. Since Mormons do neither of these, they are not considered Christian nor are their baptisms considered valid.

Aside from that their own religious traditions, use of non-biblical texts as canon, there really isn't much "Christian" about them besides the Jesus connection.

So, its a matter of how you define Christianity. Some churches consider nontrinitarian churches to be Christian, while others do not. How do you determine which doctrines and interpretations a church has to follow in order to be considered Christian?
I simply follow the dictionary definition of one who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Mormons do use the Trinitarian formula " in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." for baptisms. Other churches might consider the baptism invalid because of the different interpretation, and their own disbelief in Mormon Christianity, but the phrase is used, as commanded in the scriptures.

[Inscriven]

Ms Spork

How do you determine which doctrines and interpretations a church has to follow in order to be considered Christian?
I simply follow the dictionary definition of one who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I use the dictionary definition too when I don't feel like being detailed about it. I'm not Christian so the net end their politics and beliefs are similar to me anyways.

But as for what is considered Christian, the Nicene creed has been used for centuries as the cornerstone for the definition of Christian faith. The Catholic church affirms it weekly as well as the vast majority of Protestant faiths in some form for another.

Quote:

Mormons do use the Trinitarian formula " in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." for baptisms. Other churches might consider the baptism invalid because of the different interpretation, and their own disbelief in Mormon Christianity, but the phrase is used, as commanded in the scriptures.

Except Mormons do not believe in the trinity, and through that alone invalidates it. They have the Godhead concept but that is not the same. The Godhead recognizes three seperate beings and especially as the holy spirit as a seperate entity while the Trinity as those three beings are wholly and completely one, with the holy spirit "preceding from the father and the son and it is not a seperate entity in its own.

Different interpretations it is but it's hard to sell "Hey we're Chirstian too" when the very nature of God is different from what Christians accept as the nature of God. And interpretation is everything, Schisms in the universal Church happened because of it. Catholics are not allowed to take communion at any other church because most protestants do not believe in Transubstantiation of the bread and wine. You get the real presence of Christ and the bread and the wine at mass and to take something that is "Symbolic" in another church is blasphemous.

In Buddhism we have the concept of "Right Understanding", a precept that a proper understanding of the teachings is a requirement and a help to help relieve suffering. Intent may be pure and good, but if you don't know what's the story you're kinda stumbling around. Lacking the understanding of the nature of God in Protestant/Catholic terms will be a dividing line between the LDS and them.