Are Mormons Christian?

[Desdichado]

I'll bite if you tell me what exactly this has to do with Mormonism.

In short: No. I don't think everybody has a Damascus Road experience parse, but one is not saved without the illumination of the Holy Spirit. It may not be what we would call a "spiritual" or even a deeply emotional experience.

This is slightly off-topic, but do people think everyone has a Damascus experience? I think if everyone has a Damascus experience (a divine experience), they will surely believe. But, I don't think everyone gets this type of experience. People say if you seek Christ, you will find, but many don't. Meanwhile, Paul wasn't seeking at all (he didn't want anything to do with Christianity), but he had a Damascus experience.

Do all born-again Christians have a Damascus experience?

 

[AndyMaleh]

I tested a Mormon’s spirit once when I got caught in a tough situation and he failed the test. That gave me a clue as to the legitimacy of Mormonism as a whole as that man was supposed to be a very good Mormon, but let me down anyways. I’ve run similar tests on proper Christians and they didn’t let me down. Jews have let me down. Muslims have let me down. Pretty much everyone let me down except true Christians.

Another telltale sign against Mormons for me is their enormous exclusivity. It feels very contrary to the nature of Christ. Also, it comes across as haughty, which is contrary to the meek nature of Christianity.

Last but not least, shittim brought up the issue with the extra cannon. I agree I don’t have a good feeling about the extra cannon either.

In any case, I’ve been to Salt Lake City, Utah for work on several occasions (mainly the Novell conference and to speak at the MountainWest RubyConf). I went to Brighton, Utah for snowboarding after my work engagements. That might have been my favorite snowboarding spot ever. The powder snow there was something else.

Anyways, welcome brother and Godspeed.

 

[shittim]

Perhaps a part of the "we're the one true church" thinking.
Thank you for sharing
I had a couple "missionaries" stop by and I was able to share with them, one was apparently in training and was approachable, I shared about the ecclesia being the body of believers and not an organization and we experienced Holy Spirit presence as I shared with them, giving me the opportunity to teach them further about relationship with Jesus and not an outward form of godliness we more commonly see today.
Often He guides us to minister as in Isaiah 28, "line upon line, precept upon precept", to do His ministry.
blessings

 

[echoChrist]

I believe they go by the Book of Mormon as their supreme authority which is there translation of what Bible says now I don’t know all there beliefs but a lot of people are being deceived by false doctrines. To my understanding Mormons believe they can reach a status coequal with God that’s just not true that was lucifers problem he wanted to be equal with god and worshiped. Just on that belief alone I wouldn’t accept Mormonism. My suggestion is get a King James Bible try and stay away from these new translation ones they get farther away from original text and just study the word and listen to different pastors see where they agree and disagree and pray to the Lord to guide you and give you spirit of truth and his wisdom. Now it’s going to be a challenge satan is hardest at work in polluting the gospel but Jesus Christ will guide you to the truth. Don’t trust anyone fact check everything yourself including everything I just told you. I pray this helps you.

 

[shittim]

Supposedly one of the lost tribes came to this continent and the book of mormon tells of this. I have shared about receiving Holy Spirit as the New Testament describes and have been to by a mormon, "that isn't how it is imparted, it is imparted in the temple" or something like that. I don't know what they impart, it doesn't look to be consistent with the Bible.
The good news as I see it is that you can share with a mormon but the JW's I have known won't listen or even let you pray with them. I believe many are escaping Mormonism at this last of the last days.

 

[Ahwatukee]

Supposedly one of the lost tribes came to this continent and the book of mormon tells of this. I have shared about receiving Holy Spirit as the New Testament describes and have been to by a mormon, "that isn't how it is imparted, it is imparted in the temple" or something like that. I don't know what they impart, it doesn't look to be consistent with the Bible.
The good news as I see it is that you can share with a mormon but the JW's I have known won't listen or even let you pray with them. I believe many are escaping Mormonism at this last of the last days.

Both Mormon's an JW's have the same issue, which is that they don't believe that Jesus is God in a human body, but believe that He is a created being. For Mormon's Jesus is the spirit bother to Lucifer and to JW's he is Michael the archangel incarnate. Because of this whenever I speak with them, I don't bother debating scripture with them, but point out that they believe in another Jesus.

In an attempt to support their belief, the JW's rewrote John 1:1 to say "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was [a] god." However, this does not do away with all of the other places where Jesus is referred to as God. For one Isaiah 7:14 says "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel." The name Immanuel means 'God with us.' Nor does it do away with when Thomas said to Jesus "My Lord and My God!"

I'm sorry to say that both of these groups have just fallen for more of Satan's deceptions.

 

[UCA4J]

the mormon's, jw's and the like, are really misguided.
some of them have spoken to me.
oh their reactions ha ha ha.

 

[calibob]

My entire family besides maybe me practice Mormonism (LDS: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints). But they also consider themselves to be Christian. But there are a lot of discrepancies in their belief that don't seem to align with Jesus's teachings.

I basically wrote this to get biblically sound doctrine from anyone that knows about this group. Either for it or against it (trying not to be biased). But I personally dont believe that it is true Christianity. I left this "religion" when I was 18 years old.

What is your stance on this?

Kingdom of the Cults
By
Walter Martin ThD.

CHAPTER 6
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormons)
Historical Perspective ​

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is distinctive among all the religious cults and sects active in the United States in that it has by far the most fascinating history, and one worthy of consideration by all students of religions originating on the American continent. The Latter-day Saints, as they are commonly called, are divided into two major groups, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, and The Reorganised Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with headquarters in Independence, Missouri. Today, over 167 years after the movement’s founding, the Mormons own considerable stock in the agricultural and industrial wealth of America and circle the earth in missionary activities, energetically rivalling evangelical Christianity. The former group, which is the main concern of this chapter, claims a membership in excess of nine million (Ensign Magazine, May 1995, 22). The Reorganised Church has just over 240,000 members world-wide and has won acceptance in some quarters as a "sect of fundamentalism." The Reorganised Church, which rejects the name "Mormon," is briefly reviewed in this chapter, but there can be little doubt that it is composed of a zealous group of dedicated people. They irritate the Utah Mormon Church consistently by pointing out that court decisions have established their claim that they are the true church and Utah the schismatic. From its founding, the Mormon Church has been characterised by thriftiness, zeal, and an admirable missionary spirit, as even before the advent of World War II, it had more than 2,000 missionaries active on all the mission fields of the world. Since the close of World War II, however, and in keeping with the acceleration of cult propaganda everywhere, ...

http://hygradaran.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/8/6/11869782/kingdom_of_cults.pdf

​

 

[Magenta]

Another telltale sign against Mormons for me is their enormous exclusivity. It feels very contrary to the
nature of Christ. Also, it comes across as haughty, which is contrary to the meek nature of Christianity.

You consider yourself meek?

 

[Magenta]

Mormons also believe God was once a man (not as in Jesus) and that people themselves can become a God and have their own universe or galaxy or whatever to rule over. They also believe God had physical relations with Mary in order for her to conceive Jesus. According to them, God lives on the planet Kolob. Mormons believe that one's salvation is based on such good works as baptism (they even have baptisms for dead people), good deeds, missionary work, and following Mormon teachings. In The Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, justification by faith in Jesus Christ is called a "pernicious doctrine" twice and he states that it has been "an influence for evil." (pp. 107, 480). Bruce McConkie once stated at Brigham Young University that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is "improper and perilous" (Church News, March 20, 1982, p. 5). Some of that is from source.

 

[Nehemiah6]

But I personally dont believe that it is true Christianity.

You are correct, and you did the right thing. There are some serious differences between Bible Christianity and Mormonism. This is not a criticism of those who are caught up in this religion (some of which are very fine people), but of the teachings of this church.

While one could examine many of their teachings, the most important are the doctrine of Christ and the Gospel. If they are not according to Scripture, then you have a very serious problem.

 

[theLastEndWatcher]

I would flat out say no. Because they equate Joseph Smith with Jesus and say you have to have Joseph Smith's approval to enter Heaven. Basically from an authority level they replaced Jesus with Joseph Smith, and it's all about their Temple Rites, and not about salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.
As a former Mormon that's just ONE thing I point out.
That and their missionaries want you reading the Book of Mormon and praying if that's true, and were always telling me to read the Book of Mormon and not worry about the Bible.
That's disregarding the supposed Masonic symbols and such (I didn't get that far. I had a break down in my first year before I made it to the Temple, which was their goal for me. I felt like something was wrong, and that I was somehow unworthy because I didn't fit it).

Don't get me wrong, if I had a spouse (or didn't have one, I wouldn't mind being given one in the Celestial Kingdom) I wouldn't mind spending eternity with them too, (after all why should I have to choose between my wife and Jesus? why would He want that for us?)

But I just. I dunno. Something about it reeked as counterfeit.

 

[Blik]

Christians believe in the Lord, and the Lord is fully explained in the Psalms. Some people believe in a Lord someone has created with their fleshly minds.

Mormons go by plates that they can't produce that they say were buried in land someone plowed. It is land that Indians lived on, ones who had learned to produce sheets of metal. To believe in the Mormons, we must be sure these sheets if metal that don't exist, has existed and that they say certain things. That is a pretty extreme set of possibilities to have to believe in order to have eternal life. It wipes out 6,000 years of truth in scripture.

The man who asks us to believe these things he is saying was not a man with a good reputation, but a failed farmer, failed husband, and failed at providing for his family.

 

[calibob]

I had an Uncle wo was an LDS Bishop. I have another friend who studied apologetics and witnessed to Islamic's There is quite a similarity between Smiths phony conversion and Mohamed's. There are many parallels between their 2 doctrines as well. I apologize but I'm not going to pursue learning both of their false doctrines. Or try teaching a primer on the subject of Demonology. Let's just say neither seems to me productive enough use of my time, for me, to bother with. I'd most likely wind up frustrated by heretics discounting the existence of demons.

Some of you know enough about both each of the three topics I believe, to get together and start a new thread linking all three of them together. I truly believe that there is a Demonic connection. I wish Decon hadn't gotten banned. He's one of the people that was in the first comparison.

 

[ewq1938]

Seems it is only between God and a person whether they are a Christian or not. It is always a bad idea when others decide who is a Christian or not.

 

[Ahwatukee]

Seems it is only between God and a person whether they are a Christian or not. It is always a bad idea when others decide who is a Christian or not.

Hello ewq1938!

As believers we have to be able to discern between what is the truth of God's word vs, what is false. Being family oriented and a nice person or performing works, is not going to get anyone into eternal life.

Mormon's, along with JW's, believe that Jesus was a created being, that He is not God. This is what John meant when he said, "whoever does not believe that Christ has come in the flesh has the spirit of an antichrist. Jesus coming in the flesh means that He existed before as God prior to appearing in the flesh. Isaiah says that He will be called Immanuel, which means God with us.

Therefore, people do no wrong in making a judgment regarding those who believe that Jesus is only a created being. Paul said that there are gospels many and Lord's many i.e. not the true gospel and the true Lord and those previously mentioned are just a few of them.

 

[ewq1938]

Hello ewq1938!

As believers we have to be able to discern between what is the truth of God's word vs, what is false. Being family oriented and a nice person or performing works, is not going to get anyone into eternal life.

Only God can decide that not us. Let those without sin cast the first stone and if someone does grab a stone let them throw it at themselves.

 

[Lanolin]

its a totally weird religion, Im sure there are some believers in it that are trapped in it because all their families are mormon.

Maybe just pray for them.

its kinda like the catholics too or any denomination for that matter. Even baptists can be super weird.

 

[Ahwatukee]

Only God can decide that not us. Let those without sin cast the first stone and if someone does grab a stone let them throw it at themselves.

NO! Believers are to discern between what is the truth and what is a lie. We are told to contend for the truth in scripture. In order to do that, we must know the word of God. If a group is claiming that Jesus is only a created being, then we know from God's word that this is false. Because they believe that Jesus is a created being, then they are believing in the true Lord. Our salvation is in the true Christ. Any other so-called Christ is false.

By the way, the reference to 'grabbing a stone and letting them be the first to through it' has to do with our condemning people for their sins, when we have our own sins. This has nothing to do with discerning between the truth of God's word and the false teachings in the world.

 

[ewq1938]

Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

NO! Believers are to discern between what is the truth and what is a lie. We are told to contend for the truth in scripture. In order to do that, we must know the word of God. If a group is claiming that Jesus is only a created being, then we know from God's word that this is false. Because they believe that Jesus is a created being, then they are believing in the true Lord. Our salvation is in the true Christ. Any other so-called Christ is false.

By the way, the reference to 'grabbing a stone and letting them be the first to through it' has to do with our condemning people for their sins, when we have our own sins. This has nothing to do with discerning between the truth of God's word and the false teachings in the world.