[Blowtorch]

Mormons understand Jesus differently than traditional Christians. That doesn't make them not Christian. Just take a look at all the evangelical denominations and tell me the all understand Christ the same way. They don't, and as an inhomogeneous group themselves they therefore do not have authority to pass judgment on the matter.

[svcw]

lds believe Jesus of the Bible is a created being.
lds believe that God is God because of progression.
lds believe you can become god of your own planet.
Tell me what traditional Christian group teaches that?

[Quality_Not_Quantity]

Mormons understand Jesus differently than traditional Christians. That doesn't make them not Christian. Just take a look at all the evangelical denominations and tell me the all understand Christ the same way. They don't, and as an inhomogeneous group themselves they therefore do not have authority to pass judgment on the matter.

There is a distinction to be made between the minor differences that exist among various Christian denominations and the major differences that Mormonism holds relative to any of those minor variations.

One can't reject the divinity of Jesus and claim that they're just another Christian denomination. And I have enough personal experience with LDS folks to see how some of the other 'variations' in their belief system shine through in their daily lives and how they interact with the world around them. All of it ain't pretty, no matter how much you admire their well-dressed, polite families.

[ejonesie22]

Nice try, and we know why you must attempt it, but sorry you are incorrect.

Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions all follow the same truine God and understand Christ in the same fundamental manner. There is a reason we share the same creeds and other doctrines. We quibble over procedural issues and such but not over who Christ is, how he came to be, the value of his sacrifice and what he means to mankind.

Anyone who can read the Bible and the doctrines of the LDS with reason and honesty knows that the christ of the Mormons is a fabrication, a hollow and slanderous impostor of the most import man to ever walk this Earth.

Even Mormon leadership has clearly stated that the LDS follow a different christ.

[Godzilla]

That doesn't make them not Christian. Just take a look at all the evangelical denominations and tell me the all understand Christ the same way. They don't, and as an inhomogeneous group themselves they therefore do not have authority to pass judgment on the matter.

I beg to differ with that observation blow. Evangelical denominations accept the Trinitarian doctrine expressed in the article - mormonism does not. Evangelical denominations accept the God-man descriptions from the article - mormonism does not. Evangelical denomination accept that Jesus' sacrifice provides the FULL means of salvation - mormons only recognize a 'universal resurrection' with works required to progress past that. So I don't know where you get your definitions of evangelical denominations from, but it is erroneous.

[Colofornian]

Mormons understand Jesus differently than traditional Christians. That doesn't make them not Christian. Just take a look at all the evangelical denominations and tell me the all understand Christ the same way. They don't, and as an inhomogeneous group themselves they therefore do not have authority to pass judgment on the matter.

Well, however "inhomogenous" you want to portray Christian denominations to be, it's quite a bit less than you think on both core biblical teachings as well as simply taking what the Bible says at face value in allowing God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to describe Himself.

And, actually, on this point, the Mormon church's PR dept. should be 100% ashamed for misportraying us. What do I mean? Well, let me provide a relevant example to this discussion: Lds.org put out a news release Nov. 21, 2006...Here's a brief excerpt:

However, Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, evangelicals and a host of other faiths believe in Jesus and claim the Bible as their own, yet all consider themselves separate and distinct faiths. (Source: http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/use-of-the-word-mormon-in-news-reports)

Uh...no we don't ("consider [our]selves separate and distinct faiths" -- at least, not most Christians and at least not among the Protestant groups...and even then, an overwhelming number of Protestants see their Catholic brothers and sisters as embracing the same faith).

And if you're going to use the line, "Just take a look at all the evangelical denominations and tell me the all understand Christ the same way. They don't..." as to be somehow comparable to the Grand Canyon differences of the Mormon christ to the Jesus Christ of the Bible, you've greatly fallen short on this argument. (I mean under that definition, even a married Mormon couple wouldn't necessarily have the same "Mormon" view of Christ...and at some point with this line of thinking, Christ becomes extremely up for grabs for "any ole view of Him will do in corresponding to reality")