They consider themselves Christian, but I don’t know of a single mainline Christian faith that agrees with them. What you’ll find if you go to the various faiths websites looking for the reasons they don’t you’ll find something to the effect that because the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints reject most of the central Christian doctrines that all Christian churches agree with they can’t be Christian. For example the LDS Church rejects the idea of the Trinity and there beliefs on the nature of God and Jesus are very different than other Christian faiths.. There are many other issues. The LDS Church (I’m not an LDS member) thinks that the other Christian faiths had Greek thought/legends overlaying the true faith and thus distorting and creating a need to restore the true faith. You can read a bit about it here: http://mormonbeliefs.org/mormon_beliefs/mormon-beliefs-the-great-apostasy-and-the-restoration and http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1988.htm/ensign%20october%201988.htm/whither%20the%20early%20church.htm?fn=document-frame.htm&f=templates&2.0 which lay out the points where they think the rest of the Christian faiths got it wrong. If you read those two articles (many other available but stay away from Wikipedia since it covers a lot of other issues dealing with other faiths) you’ll see where the issues lay and why the Christian Churches from the Eastern Orthodox and Catholics all Protestant denominations don’t consider them Christian, because of their rejection of central Christian doctrines. Pretty much all Christian faiths accept the Nicene Creed as essential beliefs of Christianity.
The LDS Church feels there is the true faith called to reform all the rest of us. That’s why they believe they are Christian. Our differences are theological and hit the core of each others beliefs and I don’t see any way that the two sides can ever come to an agreement and have the rest of Christianity accept them as members of the Christian faith community.
Does that make them bad or evil people of course not. Does it mean they are ineligible to be President of the United States, No. The Mormons that I know are great people with conservative family and financial values that do a lot of charitable works. Their moral beliefs aren’t any different than the more conservative Christian faiths and far more in line with the Conservatives than are say the Methodists or Episcopal or the Lutheran leadership (members in those denominations tend to be more conservative than their leadership). I have no problem in voting for a member of the LDS Church for any office because they are a member of that church. I would have a problem in voting for one if he had a record like Harry Reed. My problem with Mitt Romney is not that he’s a Mormon rather that he’s a progressive Republican. If my choice is Mitt or Barack I’ll take Mitt any day.
One issue that does concern me is the control that the LDS church asserts over its membership. In order to be able to enter the Temples and perform various rites you have to be a member in good standing as determined by your Bishop and the Church leadership. If you get out of line with them and don’t do as you’re told they can remove your “membership in good standing” and you’re cut off from the Temples and can be shunned and excommunicated. I don’t know how this applies to politicians in elective offices and since they come in all flavors from liberal and annoying like Harry Reed to very conservative and lots of places in the middle like Sen. Hatch they must not get to involved in the decisions of LDS members who are in Congress. They have a much higher level of discipline of the membership than does any mainline church. I can’t imagine an LDS member of Congress taking and advocating a position in opposition to fundamental beliefs of their church and remaining a member in Good Standing like say the Catholic Church does with Nancy Pelosi and her abortion advocacy, fundraising and voting record. A Mormon politician doing that would find his Good Standing Card pulled pretty darn quickly for publicly dissing the church.
Self identified??
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Temple Recommend Questions
1 Do you have faith in and a testimony of God the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost? 2 Do you have a testimony of the Atonement of Christ and of His role as Savior and Redeemer? 3 Do you have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel in these the latter days? 4 Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church? 5 Do you live the law of chastity? 6 Is there anything in your conduct relating to members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church? 7 Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? 8 Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel? 9 Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen? 10 Are you a full-tithe payer? 11 Do you keep the Word of Wisdom? 12 Do you have financial or other obligations to a former spouse or children? If yes, are you current in meeting those obligations? 13 If you have previously received your temple endowment: Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple? Do you wear the garment both night and day as instructed in the endowment and in accordance with the covenant you made in the temple? 14 Have there been any sins or misdeeds in your life that should have been resolved with priesthood authorities but have not been? 15 Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord's house and participate in temple ordinances? |