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However, I think a more important question is why should Mormons be put into a position to have to defend themselves.

Perhaps you may want to convey this same question to LDS missionaries as 60,000+ visit Christian homes telling Christians, with a smile, mind you, that they're "apostates." (Why do all Christians have to defend themselves against this charge?) I recommend to all that they be very hospitable to such LDS missionaries.

When they visit, ask them to open up their "Scriptures" & read Joseph Smith's first vision outloud, especially verses 18-21. Then ask if your particular church body qualifies as a sect that is "wrong," 100% full of "corrupt professors" with 100% creeds that are an "abomination to the Lord."

My point is if Christians have to daily defend themselves at their porches & front doors from these charges, then a much, much smaller contingent of Lds can deal with a few hundred or thousand electronic exchanges. (Let's keep things in proper perspective)

>> Perhaps you may want to convey this same question to LDS missionaries as 60,000+ visit Christian homes telling Christians, with a smile, mind you, that they’re “apostates.” (Why do all Christians have to defend themselves against this charge?) I recommend to all that they be very hospitable to such LDS missionaries.

Not sure where you live, maybe the Mormon missionaries are quite agressive there.

The (few) times I have encountered them, I have given them a drink of water if they wanted one, politely but firmly explained that I was a Christian and did not see eye to eye with their doctrine, and sent them on their way. I have never felt defensive or “like I had to defend myself”.

Frankly, my faith is such that a Mormon will not shake it.

I will say this: I admire Mormons’ courage to go forth and evangelize. Christians have gotten too lax about being always “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” — never mind going “forth into all the world and preach the gospel to every living creature”.

Mankind does not have the answers within itself. Mankind KNOWS this, too — don’t kid yourself. Within every atheist, every agnostic, every earth-worshipper, is a giant sucking vacuum begging to be filled.

What ought we as Christians to do? Go out and compete with the Mormons and FILL THE VACUUM? Or bash mormons? Which is more productive for God, do you think?

Just my 2c

In the first place, you are fabricating a lot of things. Mormon missionaries don't go around calling people apostates. In your post you even admit that you have to force them to read something to bring that out. And to top it off, you force things into the statement that aren't there.

Secondly, there isn't a Christian Church now or in the past that hasn't called some other church apostate. If you don't know that, you don't read much church history. In fact, if you are not Catholic, you are “apostate.” There is no reason to get so out of joint about that.

Thirdly, I am rather certain I can post some creeds that you will disagree with, since they are all over the map.
One of the worst things historically about the “creeds” is the attitude in which they were presented. In Joseph Smith's day one could be driven out of the church if you did not agree in detail with the creeds of a particular church. Read the history of Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams. Wars were fought over creeds. I call this exclusionary attitude a corruption in itself. And those who push the creeds in that way (the professors), I have no reservation in calling them corrupt. That is not the Spirit of Christ. It was the same spirit that drove the Mormons from their homes in New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois.