Are Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses Christian - I argue "Yes" (Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints)

[kbjd2011]

I grew up in Arizona where in most areas 7-14% of the population are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as “Mormons.” I don’t know if I was simply sheltered from this particular accusation, but I honestly never heard anyone accuse Mormons of not being Christian until I left the state. My wife recently looked into enrolling my daughter into a preschool that is held in a major protestant religion’s church. They only asked that all the children that attended be Christian, a requirement that we apparently did not meet in their eyes. This experience has really troubled me since I found out that this is a commonly accepted viewpoint. This prompted me to do a Google search on the subject to see what I could find… There are many sites that argue that Mormons are not Christian, the number one organic search result was:
(link deleted since it is not allowed.)
All the sites that argue that Mormons are not Christian use the same central argument that Mormon are not Christian because we don’t believe in certain things that are clearly described in the bible. I find this argument flawed when the World Christian Denomination database includes over 9,000 individual religions that use over 50 accepted English versions of the bible with inconsistent doctrine. In this realm of Christian religions are religions that preach that homosexuality is a sin and also religions that preach that it is an accepted practice in the eyes of God. There is a considerable split in the number of religions that believe in the Trinity versus three separate entities. Some preach that baptism by immersion is required while others indicate that sprinkling is sufficient. Some argue that we are predestined to complete our life in a certain way, ergo there is no sin, while others preach that we will be held accountable at a day of judgment. Some argue that only faith is required to obtain salvation while others argue that actions speak louder than words.
My intention is not to argue which of these views are correct or to attack any religion, only to point out that accepted Christian religions rarely agree with each other on the most basic of points (including the ones selected to argue that Mormons are not Christian), so why is it that Mormon’s unique views on certain doctrines cause us not to be considered Christian. In my research, I found that the Jehovah Witness religion was not considered to be a Christian religion for a similar reasons. I have known many Jehovah Witnesses very well and I can tell you that while I do not agree with some of their doctrines, they are most definitely a Christian religion. They believe in Christ and seek to follow his teachings. So why would mainstream Christianity single out Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons as not being Christian? These are the only two major religions which use extensive missionary work to share their message and it seems that some religions may resort to this argument to retain their membership base.
So what do I believe? I believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins. That thru him, we can be forgiven of our sins and be found clean. I believe that accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior is essential to my salvation. He led a perfect life, paid the price of sin, and suffered a horrible death so that me, a sinner, can return to live with him. I try to study His word and apply his teachings to my life. If I’m not Christian, then what am I?
I do not accuse others of not being Christian simply because I don’t agree with some of their doctrines and I plead for the religious community to grant that same right to both the Mormon and Jehovah Witness religions. I encourage those of you who feel the same way to post how you feel online so that Google’s organic results can provide ample equal representation to both sides. In summary, I find that the answer to this question is better answered with two questions:
Q) Are Mormons Christian?
A) Most definitely, YES!!!
Q) When categorizing the Mormon religion would it be placed in the same category of mainstream protestant religions?
A) No, some of the viewpoints unique to the Mormon faith would warrant a separate sub-category, but within the category of Christianity.

[Mestemia]

A Christian is anyone whose belief system has Jesus Christ in its hierarchy who claims the title/label 'Christian.'

[darkendless]

Its the same thing with a different book. They can claim to be whatever they want to be but essentially its just dividing the faithful once again.

[Charity]

If someone doesn't have the same belief, thoughts or ideas as myself, I still haven't been able to convince myself that I have the right to make the assessment and judgment on the intent of someone's elses heart or their walk with God...... Each one has to work out their own salvation it's a personal relationship between them and God..........

[Apex]

There aren't very many on people on this site who will argue otherwise. You have to go to forums with a lot of hardcore mainstream-Christians to find people who will argue this topic.

[imbobbbb]

well the lds are certainly christian in my book,and i dont understand the logic behind those that argue otherwise.same for the jw's.

[Leoben Conoy]

I was raised for... about 12 years as a member of the LDS church. I'd say Mormons classify as Christians although many Mormons I know don't like to call themselves Christians, they prefer Mormon or Latter-day Saint to distinguish themselves from Christians who don't accept the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants. Mormons believe in Jesus, they believe in the Judaeo-Christian God, they believe in the Bible. It doesn't matter if they think the Bible is flawed in some parts due to it being imperfect, or if the Mormons believe in other books (few major sects of Christianity have the same exact books in their Bible; Apocryphal books etc), etc.

[Dunemeister]

Being "Christian" isn't a matter of deciding whether a person is right in the eyes of God. Nor is it a question of them honoring Jesus or the bible in some way. It's a matter of deciding whether they belong to a certain tradition or not. Both Mormons and JWs eschew the historic Christian tradition(s) and try to supplant it with a different revelation. Both groups call this a "restoration" despite the fact that their teachings are actually novel American developments (or throwbacks to ancient heresies). Both groups pay lip service to participation in the Christian tradition, but rather than actually draw from it, their main purpose seems to be to replace it (even going so far as to commission new translations of the bible because extant ones don't support their claims). So I'd say that they're not Christian. Again, calling them non-Christian says exactly nothing about their status before God, for many pagans may well condemn many so-called Christians on the Day of Judgment.

[Leoben Conoy]

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

Being "Christian" isn't a matter of deciding whether a person is right in the eyes of God. Nor is it a question of them honoring Jesus or the bible in some way. It's a matter of deciding whether they belong to a certain tradition or not. Both Mormons and JWs eschew the historic Christian tradition(s) and try to supplant it with a different revelation. Both groups call this a "restoration" despite the fact that their teachings are actually novel American developments (or throwbacks to ancient heresies). Both groups pay lip service to participation in the Christian tradition, but rather than actually draw from it, their main purpose seems to be to replace it (even going so far as to commission new translations of the bible because extant ones don't support their claims). So I'd say that they're not Christian. Again, calling them non-Christian says exactly nothing about their status before God, for many pagans may well condemn many so-called Christians on the Day of Judgment.

The problem with your logic, though, is that you call them not Christian because they conflict with your tradition of Christianity. Therefore, you can easily be called non Christian from the people who disagree with your particular sect of Christianity, whatever it may be. They're certainly different from all other Christian groups. I said in my previous post I was raised Mormon, so I'm going to say, respectfully, I probably know more about the church than you. The first book of the New Testament was written circa 60 AD, which was well after the date Jesus was supposed to have died, by about a whole generation. The other books took decades and in some cases, centuries to write. I don't believe Mormonism is true; that's why I left, but I do think it would be a rational suggestion that it's no more unbelievable that a New York state citizen named Joseph Smith was told by God how to create his sect than it is for you to believe that a group of nameless men from the first century AD and on were influenced by God to write what they wrote.

[ChristineES]

My definition of a Christian would be anyone who follows the commands of Jesus. That would include Mormons. And it would include JWs as well, (although I know that JWs don't call themselves Christians).