I have
presented five of the many reasons that could be given as to why I feel
Latter-day Saints are Christians. I have focused on ways in which Latter-day
Saints honor, respect, and reverence Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I have
tried to show how these beliefs and practices are consistent with New Testament
Christianity. Of course, I am not arguing that if a person is not a member of a
church called after Jesus Christ, or if they don’t make formal covenants in
Christ name, or if they don’t follow prophets who testify of Christ they are
not a Christian. I realize there are plenty of Christians who do none of those
things. Rather I am arguing that people who do those things are Christians. Many Christians are no
doubt members of churches that are not explicitly named after Christ, or not
even members of a church at all. Many Christians do not make formal covenants
of any kind, don’t believe in prophets today, or new scripture. Many Christians
may not agree with the precise content of the LDS covenant, or the method by
which it is made, or the details of LDS unique scripture. But none of that is
my point. To effectively illustrate my point, consider the following questions:
- What kind of Church would call itself after Jesus Christ? Christian or non-Christian? What kind of people would be a part of said Church? Christian or non-Christian?
- What kind of people would make scared covenants in the name of Jesus Christ? Christian or non-Christian? What kind of people would perform their most sacred acts in the name of Jesus Christ as means of making said covenants? Christian or non-Christian?
- What kind of scripture testifies of Christ? Christian or non-Christian? What kind of people would accept volumes of new scripture that explicitly testify of Christ? Christian or non-Christian? What kind of people would accept heavily “Christianized” stories about Old Testament patriarchs? and accounts of Christian prophets in ancient America, Christian or non-Christian?
- What kind of prophets and apostles would repeatedly testify of Christ and his atonement? Christian or non-Christian? What kind of people follow such prophets, Christian or non-Christian?
- What kind of people believe and teach that it is only through Christ that we can gain salvation? Christian or non-Christian?
The only
non-qualified answer to each of the questions above is “Christian.” It would
take a great deal of special pleading to give any other answer. Hence the
implications of my five reasons: these are things characteristic of a Christian
people, not non-Christians.
Some
critics have argued that Mormon beliefs and practices regarding Jesus Christ
are more like other world religions such as Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Baha’i,
and Buddhism. Richard Abanes, for example, argues that LDS beliefs about Jesus place “Mormonism in a
non-Christian light along with every other religious belief system that
acknowledges ‘Jesus Christ’ in a decidedly different way than Christians (e.g.
Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, etc.).”[1]
The question is, then:
Does any
branch of Islam include the name of Jesus Christ in its official title? Is
there any Jewish sect making covenants to follow Christ, and taking upon
themselves His name? Does Hindu scripture overwhelmingly and explicitly testify
of Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer? Are major leaders of the Baha’i faith
bearing strong testimony of salvation through Jesus Christ? Do Buddhist believe
that salvation comes only in and through Jesus Christ? Can a definite,
unqualified “yes” be given for any of these five questions among any other
non-Christian group? I doubt it. These are distinctly Christian beliefs and
practices, all of which are prominently featured in Mormonism.
Mormons
call their Church after Jesus Christ, they covenant to follow Him, and take His
name upon themselves. Their scriptures are dripping with testimony of Jesus
Christ, and their modern day prophets and apostles have added their witness of
Christ as well. They look to Jesus Christ as the one and only way of salvation.
How, then, do LDS beliefs about Christ place them in a “non-Christian light”
along the lines of Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism? Where, exactly, does LDS Christology
coincide with Buddhism, or Hinduism? Just what is it that Mormons and Muslims
have in common with their views of Jesus? What beliefs about Christ do the
Baha’i have in common with Latter-day Saints? I am no expert on world
religions, but I do not think that any other religious system more closely
parallels the LDS beliefs regarding Jesus of Nazareth than that of mainstream,
orthodox Christianity.
Final Conclusion
I have tried to show how illogical
it is to insist that a group who believes and practices the way Mormons do is
not Christian. Just how successful I have been in this endeavor is for you –
the individual reader – to determine. These are the things that I feel the
critics must find a way to explain before they can be even close to convincing
in their case against Mormons as Christians. They must engage these details of
our faith and account for them; explain how a group that calls itself after
Christ, covenants in his name, has unique scripture to testify of him, prophets
who testify of him, and believe in him as the only means of salvation can
properly be classified as “non-Christian.” They simply cannot causally dismiss
these obviously Christian beliefs – which are at the heart of LDS worship – in
favor of defining Mormons by the secondary views which Latter-day Saints hold
that some might consider as “less orthodox.” Until the critics can come to
grips with these decidedly Christian beliefs that are so prominent in the LDS
Church, their claims that Mormons are not Christians simply ought not to be
taken seriously.
[1] Richard Abanes, One
Nation Under Gods – A History of the Mormon Church (New York City, NY: Four
Walls Eight Windows, 2003), pg. 391
Nice work, Neal.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the real controversy over accepting Momons as Christians is like the controversy in college football over "BCS" and "non-BCS" teams.
By designation, 120 teams are Football Bowl Subdivision teams. But when it comes to designing a system that decides the national champion, a select group took it upon themselves to qualify which teams should be part of that system.
Whether you are christian or not is up to you, not some other group of people. If you choose to be christian, then you need to make sure your beliefs and methods or worship support that.
Mormons have done that. The rest of the Christian society should embrace them, not try and ostricize them.
Christian religions are like automobiles. There are so many different makes and models, but the nuiances between them are not so great that you can't tell any reasonable person that the Chevy Bolt is not a car, but a Dodge Charger is.
I have another perspective on this issue in my analysis of a part of Jacob 5.
ReplyDeletehttp://scriptoriumblogorium.blogspot.com/2011/12/jacob-5-grafting-back-in-mother-tree.html