Christ does define who is Christian, and it does include trinitarian theology, which is entirely Biblical. Also the belief in multiple physical Gods, the on again/off again belief that men may become Gods, belief in exaltation instead of salvation, and on and on.
In other words, there are only the minor differences of the Natur of God, Sin, Salvation and the After Life.
And the Mormon faith includes many extra-Biblical beliefs.
And the Ward Churchill example was deliberate and dead on. There are inherent truths to the DNA, just as there are inherent truths to the Christian faith. And when those truths are rejected, one is not Christian.
And it’s so ironic that you accuse me of slurs against Mormons, but it is you tossing out slurs of being oblivious.
My objection is to being southern. I’m a yankee, and proud of it. And I’ll take my Bible, and leave Joseph Smith’s revelations to Mormons.
Oh? Which Book is the Nicean Creed in? And what makes it superior to the biblical interpretations of the Monophysites and Arians? The only reason there are only "minor differences" concerning the Nature of God is because, between Rome and the early Mohammadans, the heterodox believers were exterminated. Arianism was alive and well for 200 years after Nicea, past the time of St. Augustine, and no one argued that they were not Christians, just that they were heretics. Monophysitism still exists in Ethiopia among the Copts. Half of Europe was depopulated because the Protestants and the Catholics were exterminating each other for being anti-Christs, so which side was correct then about whom was Christian and who was not?
Look, if you want to declare Mormon beliefs to be heretical to the more commonplace trinitarian beliefs, go right ahead. I'd agree. But, when men start taking onto themselves the prerogatives of Christ, I'm going to object to the hubris.
When someone declares that they believe in Christ as their Savior, and tries their best to follow His teachings as they are given to understand them, then as far as I am concerned, they are a Christian. I may think them woefully mistaken in their dogma, and try to convince them to change to mine, but I am not going to pretend to know the Mind of God better than God and take upon myself an authority He has reserved.
And if you cannot understand why Mormons feel slurred when you question their faith in Christ as their Savior, think how you would feel if someone questioned yours. As to calling you oblivious to your effect, I was giving you the benefit of the doubt. The alternative is that you were being intentionally offensive to 12 million people, many of whom help form the backbone of American conservativism. It does not behoove the mainstream Christians to go out of their way to try to offend a major political ally, regardless of how righteous it makes them feel. Kinda like Huck did.