Hi Colofornian,
If someone believes that eternal salvation is only available through Jesus Christ I would consider them a Christian.
That doesn’t mean that there is doctrinal agreement between every Christian , but I think as a general description it is accurate.
Regarding the term Mormon. Usually when people use the term “Mormon”, they refer to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — a specific denomination.
There are, as you know, a number of groups that have broken off from from the main branch of the LDS Church over the years and I think for clarity’s sake it is important to distinguish between the specific groups when discussing them.
Regards,
Normandy
Normandy, that's why I brought this up...consistency considerations...
I can say the same thing applied to Christians...here's your words in italics below...I've changed a few them simply to 'Christian' to see if you allow for us to maintain the same boundaries you want to exercise for 'Mormon':
"Regarding the term Christian. Usually when people use the term 'Christian,' they refer to members of the worldwide historic Christian church as emerging in history through the Catholic and Orthodox churches and the "daughter" of Catholicism, Protestantism -- three-in-one specific branches (like our 3-in-1 God) as opposed to heretical sects.
There are, as you know, a number of groups that have broken off from from the main branches of the Christian church over the years and I think for clarity’s sake it is important to distinguish between the specific groups when discussing them.
Therefore...
...Why are Mormons afforded "clarity's sake" distinctions...
...But the three historic branches of the Christian church are not?
Apparently, you vie for this...
...Extreme fuzziness when it comes to "Christian"...
...But extreme "clarity" when it comes to "Mormon."
Normandy, I consider you as someone who strives for integrity...and in constrast to that, I see here a departure in favor of "two-faced" standards.
If you were talking to who?
The only people who are talking to you here aren't so naive.
The terms "Mormon" and "Mormonite" were first used in the 1830s as pejoratives to describe those who followed Joseph Smith and believed in the divine origin of the Book of Mormon.
The term was soon adopted by Mormons themselves, however, and has lost its generally pejorative status. The term "Mormon" is most often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). However, the term is also adopted by other adherents of Mormonism, including adherents of Mormon fundamentalism. The term "Mormon" is generally disfavored by other denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, such as the Community of Christ, which have distinct histories from that of the LDS Church since Smith's death in 1844.
The term is particularly embraced by adherents of Mormon fundamentalism, who continue to believe in and practice plural marriage, a practice that the LDS Church officially abandoned in 1890. Seeking to distance itself from polygamy and Mormon fundamentalism, the LDS Church has taken the position that the term Mormon should only apply to the LDS Church and its members, and not other adherents who have adopted the term. The church cites the AP Stylebook, which states, "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other Latter Day Saints churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith’s death." Despite the LDS Church's position, the term Mormon is widely used by journalists and non-journalists to refer to adherents of Mormon fundamentalism.<link>
The official name of the Salt Lake City, Utah-based church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the term "Mormon Church" has long been attached to the church as a nickname, it is an unauthorized title, and its use is not encouraged by the church, although the use of "Mormon" in other contexts is not generally considered offensive and is commonly used by the church's members. LDS Church leaders have encouraged members to use the church's full name to emphasize the church's focus on Jesus Christ. <link>
In the United States, the LDS Church has applied for a trademark on "Mormon" as applied to religious services; however, the United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected the application, stating that the term "Mormon" was too generic, and is popularly understood as referring to a particular kind of church, similar to "Presbyterian" or "Methodist", rather than a service mark. <link>
LDS may want all kinds of self-serving redefinitions of words like Mormon or Christian, but the rest of the world (99.999%) can easily see (if they even care) the truth (something deliberately twisted and avoided by Mormon apologists everywhere).