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Since you seem like a rational sort of person, WestCobb, what would you personally say a person must believe in order to be a Christian? If I told you Mormons believe every single solitary word the Bible says about Jesus Christ, would you be surprised? In formulating your answer, make sure your criteria would not eliminate any of Jesus Christ's Apostles or His earliest disciples.
I don't think there should be a litmus test of beliefs for Christainity. As you and others have pointed out, Christains are a diverse group. I think it's fair to seperate Mormons from other Christain sects, however, because they share a unique history and a set of beliefs that are different than any other church. I find some Mormon beliefs to be strange, but I don't think that qualifies them as a cult. From a theological perspective, I think a Mormon can acheive salvation in the same manner as a Baptist or a Catholic. I have faith in a Jesus who recognizes those who sincerely believe in him.
More importantly (to me at least) is whether or not the Mormon Church is a cult from a sociological perspective. Cults are harmful to their members and their communities. I think that Mormonism is definitely not a cult. Mormons behave like other mainline religious people. I don't think they brainwash their members, surpress any important truths, engage in any scary conspiratorial practices, etc.
lol...Southern Baptists do not operate as a cult. It is a very autonomous religion actually. Some of the members might give the religion itself a bad name (like Dallas's Pastor Jeffress) but it is not cult like. Of course I also don't consider Mormonism a cult.
Dixie, I wasn't trying to say that Southern Baptists were cultists. I know they're not. I was trying to say that if you call Mormons cultists, you should call Southern Baptists cultists too because they operate similarly.
That's fine with me. We don't consider ourselves to be part of "the historic, orthodox Christian faith" either. We would describe ourselves as "restorationist Christianity." Our Church was founded on the following premise: We believe that as part of His ministry, Jesus Christ established His Church. We believe that following His death and the deaths of His Apostles, men changed that Church (both the doctrines and the organizational structure). We believe that it -- the ancient Church -- has been re-established today by revelation to a latter-day prophet appointed by God, and is known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The bottom line, though, is that we worship Jesus Christ every bit as much as any other Christians do, and look to Him as the source of our redemption and salvation. Muslims don't. Jews don't. Baha'is don't.
Which according to everything I have ever been taught make Mormon's Christians.
They believe in Christ, and anyone who believes in Christ is a Christian in my book, hence the word Christian.
And all Jesus based faiths would say that you not only have to "believe in Christ," (which is actually a very vague thing) but you have to believe in certain teachings about Christ to be considered one of the group. For orthodox christians it's the trinity and his death on the cross. For mormons it's the belief that he came to America after his death to preach to the native americans.
Of course, mormons are wonderful people, but their teachings are not accepted by any other christian based group. Protestants and Catholics have much more in common with each other than either group does with Mormons.
I think Mormons only say they're Christians because it makes them sound les weird to the public. Kind of like how Scientology uses a Cross and calls their Sunday classes " Sunday sermons".
I think Mormons only say they're Christians because it makes them sound les weird to the public. Kind of like how Scientology uses a Cross and calls their Sunday classes " Sunday sermons".
I don't think it's fair to compare Mormonism with Scientology. If you look at the way the two organizations behave, one is a cult and the other is not.
Dixie, I wasn't trying to say that Southern Baptists were cultists. I know they're not. I was trying to say that if you call Mormons cultists, you should call Southern Baptists cultists too because they operate similarly.
I see, I am not sure how similar they are though. Southern Baptists operate each church and congregation pretty much however they see fit. There is no overseeing bishop or elders from the association that makes sure everything is on par. That is what I meant about autonomous. They do all have two ordinances...The Lord's Supper (communion) and Believer's Baptism...neither is recognized as necessary for salvation though. There are some other defining guidelines but it's up to each church how they see fit to use them.
I am not sure about the Mormon religion, but I think it might be more uniform.
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