Hi TM4,
I am very used to my faith being not being considered Christian. Personally I’m not offended by the charge — however I do think it is important for accuracy’s sake to refute it.
I know that I, and my fellow Latter-day Saints believe in Jesus of Nazareth as the Savior and Redeemer of mankind, the only means by which we can be cleansed of sin and raised from the dead to dwell eternally in the presence of the Father and the Son.
I’m well aware of the arguments that we believe in “another Christ”. The Christ we worship and rely on is the One whose life and teachings are found in the pages of the New Testament — and who we believe also ministered to other of his sheep in the Americas as recorded in the Book of Mormon. We believe this same Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and called him to be the instrument through whom the fullness of the Gospel was restored to the earth in these latter days.
Some people seem to think that if you believe that there are other recordings of the doings and sayings of Jesus outside books of the Bible you can’t be a true Christian. I guess I’ll let people define a Christian as they see fit, but to me a Christian is a believer in Jesus Christ, and by that definition Mormons most certainly qualify.
Best regards,
Normandy
You nailed it on the head. You have false teachings, false prophets, and false "scriptures". Your doings and sayigs of Jesus are lies.
I guess I'll consider such statements as indicative of ignorance about the Christian faith - not that I ever thought otherwise in your case.
(#1): I guess I’ll let people define a Christian as they see fit...
Are you likewise comfortable with, say, a fundamentalist Mormon who advocates polygamy and let's say, also arranged "marriages" for 13 or 14 yo...to be able to define themselves as "Mormon?" [To clarify here: I'm not asking you if you are comfortable with either polygamy, or young teens being forced into sexual relationships...I'm asking if you're comfortable that such people can self-define as "Mormon"]
(#2) ...to me a Christian is a believer in Jesus Christ, and by that definition Mormons most certainly qualify.
Do you label the following gurus and groups as "believers in Jesus Christ?"
* Transcendental Meditation?
* Unification Church?
* Christian Science?
* Jehovah's Witnesses?
* The "Jesus" of the Marharishi of TM is a Jesus who never suffered.
* The "Jesus" of Guru Maharaj Ji supposedly merged with Krishna, Ram and Buddha.
* The only difference between the Moonie "jesus" and the rest of us, says, Sun Myung Moon, is that Jesus had no original sin nature.
* The "Jesus" of Christian Science think of themselves as "Christian," yet they don't believe Jesus is God.
* The "Jesus" of the Jehovah's Witnesses is not Almighty and is "a god," but not "THE" God; nor did He bodily resurrect.
* The "Jesus" of many gnostics would in no way incarnate a human body -- because that to them would be too "corrupt" of a thing to do.
* The "Jesus" of Brigham Young is one redeemer-savior among who knows how many? "He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. On every earth. How many earths are there?...Consequently every earth has its redeemer..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 14, p. 71, 1870) [IOW...'tis not a whole lot "unique" in this Mormon jesus compared to who knows how many other "saviors" on other planets]
* The "Jesus" of Mormonism is a pre-existent spirit-creature; a son of a God-man whose next-in-line brother is "Lucifer/Satan" -- a "Jesus" who had to work out his own salvation; and whose blood didn't cover all of our personal sins (thereby rendering him as an incomplete, inadequate "savior").
How can all these "Jesuses" be the same One all of the above groups confess and profess? Are you telling us that you profess/confess to a Jesus who...
...suffers as well as a TM "Jesus" who doesn't?
...resurrects bodily & a JW "Jesus" who doesn't?
...transcends us in every way & a Moonie "Jesus" who only transcends us sin-wise?
...is united with the Father & the Spirit vs. a Hindu offshoot/New Age "Jesus" who merges as part of a divine flame or divine ocean?
...is THE fully-God, fully-man incarnate son of God vs. a less-than-human embodied gnostic "Jesus"?
...is THE Savior vs. a Mormon "Jesus" who competes with ALL kinds of "saviors" on other planets (per Brigham) & ALL kinds of "saviors" on THIS planet (per Lds "prophet" John Taylor's description of Baptism of the dead "saviors")??
...is THE Creator vs. a Mormon "Jesus," a mere spirit-creature?
...is THE Savior vs. a Mormon "Jesus" who is touted by Lds leaders as a "saved being?"
...created Lucifer (Col. 1:16-17) vs. a Mormon "Jesus" who "lucked out" on being ahead of Lucifer spirit-birth assembly line, only because of spirit-birth order???
...died BOTH for our sin nature AND ALL of our personal sins vs. a Mormon "Jesus" who didn't?
By your definitions, we'd have to define JWs, Christian Science, Moonies, New Age adherents, & all the rest as "Christians," too!
And to add some irony, here the Mormons actually have such a sense of boundary identity, they don't like it when fundamentalist LDS are identified as "Mormons!" But with so many Christians saying all these groups embrace the same "Christ," why by obvious extension...they regard all these groups as "Christians," too (even if we all know not all are Christians in them).
This is the 'Gumby' Jesus you profess faith in? (I guess we see how "broad" your confession & profession really is, Norm)
(Oh, & 'good luck' with helping others sort out who is the real Jesus is then by embracing such a dualistic Jesus as highlighted by the one-world religionists!)