Hmmm. Interesting. I’ve always known the Pentecostals were opposed to the LDS Church but never realized just how shallow their understanding of true LDS beliefs really are.
Let’s see.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fully agrees with ALL the Catholic, Eastern Christian, and 98% of Protestants that:
• Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God and Savior of Mankind
• The Holy Bible is the Word of God and is authoritative over us
• The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are “One God”
• God became man in the person of Jesus Christ
• Christ’s followers are saved by his Grace
• Christ was sinless throughout his life and substituted himself for us
• Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant between God and man
• Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, died on the cross, and rose from the dead
• Jesus Christ is the Redeemer, Messiah, Intercessor, Lamb of God, Creator, Son of Man, First and the Last, Rock, Foundation, the I AM, and our Judge
• Christ experienced a single mortality and has an immortal body
• Jesus Christ is the only source of Salvation and the greatest name possible
• We take upon ourselves the name of Christ, obey and worship him, and pray to the Father in his name
These statements are taken at face value with no elaborations.
Sure, Mormonism has unique differentials which sets it apart from the other three branches of Christianity. These differences are unique and have no counterpart in any other Christian faith. However, NONE of these unique characteristics negate the core belief of all Christians, which Mormonism wholeheartedly affirms:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross to save us from sin and death. All who accept him as their Savior and strive to follow him shall receive salvation.
Catholicism has unique beliefs that are not shared by Protestants (Bishop of Rome has Monarchical Supremacy over all by Apostolic Succession, Papal Infallibility, Purgatory, Sinlessness of Mary, and Canonization of the Saints). Protestants have Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, and Priesthood of all believers). Eastern Christians have the Equality of Patriachates. Mormonism has a corporeal God, functionally omnipresent God, threeness of the Godhead, beginningless reality, resolution of the problem of evil, heavenly family, eternal marriage/family, temple ordinances, the Latter-day Scriptures, continuous revelation, modern prophets and apostles, baptism for the dead, Paradise/Hell (Spirit World), three tiered heavens + Outer Darkness.
The question is, does a faith’s unique differentials INVALIDATE its core beliefs if they are not diametric to each other? IOW, does the Mormon belief in a Corporeal deity invalidate its central belief that Christ is the Son of God and our Savior? If the Catholic belief in Papal Infallibility doesn’t invalidate it being a Christian religion because it teaches Christ is the Savior of the World; neither will Mormonism’s unique differentials.
All we ask is for others to treat us honestly, instead of the constant lying and misrepresentation of our faith.
Is that too much to ask?
I know, it is interesting, here is a catholic link that you can look at on the same subject of non-Christians.
http://www.catholic.com/library/noncatholic_groups.asp
You give a pretty good description, overall. Except you leave out a few things, such as the belief of Mormons that Christ then, after resurrection, did not ascend to Heaven, but rather that he sailed across the seas and became a messiah to the Aztec peoples. Or the belief that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were Prophets of God. Beliefs that are viewed as heretical (and thus damned) by all the other denominations.
Pretty big differences considering all the religious wars, even here in America, over those “minor” differences or even lesser ones.Mormons WERE persecuted in America in the 1800’s and many died on both sides as a result.