In some ways, Mormons have always considered themselves Christian. Joseph Smith, the religion’s founder, made Jesus Christ the center of their faith. He asserted that the fundamental principles of their religion are the testimony of the apostles and prophets concerning Jesus Christ – His death, resurrection, and ascension.
However, their beliefs about the church have a particular twist. They believe that after the time of the early apostles, a period of apostasy occurred and the church strayed far from the teachings of Christ. That apostasy lasted until the time of Joseph Smith when God gave him a special revelation that was able to restore the original Christian church.
However, while they considered themselves the true church, they really didn’t want to be associated with the existing Christian church because they believed it was corrupted. As a result, they went through a time when they didn’t want to be classified as Christian.
However, on August 16, 2018, Russell M. Nelson, the current prophet and president of the Mormon Church, issued a statement titled “The Correct Name of the Church.” With that, he initiated a global effort to encourage members, the media, and the public to use the full name of the Church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – rather than shortened versions like "Mormon Church" or "LDS Church." With that, he encouraged church members to avoid the term "Mormon." His purpose for issuing this directive was to clarify and emphasize that Jesus Christ is at the center of their faith, and that they consider themselves followers of Christ. This was not to be taken as a change in doctrine, but a re-emphasis and clarification of their identity as Christians for the general public.
Obviously, because of the significant doctrinal differences in Mormonism and historic Christianity, Christians have not recognized Mormons as Christian. This fit the sentiment of Mormon’s, as well, until more recent times when they began to recognize that being identified as Christian could be an advantage. So now they want to be considered a Christian denomination.
Perhaps you read where recently the Pentagon streamlined the classification of religions to bring the number of recognized faiths down to 31 from over 200. Their stated purpose for this was to make it easier for chaplains to understand the religious makeup of their units. In doing that, they dropped Mormonism from the list of groups categorized as Christian. (You can read about this at https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/pete-hegseth-classification-military/2026/06/07/id/1258828/)
Well, this didn’t really sit well with the Mormons, and since that change occurred they have been pushing hard to get themselves reclassified as Christian. But are Mormons actually Christian? The fact is, they are not. They hold a number of beliefs that are explicitly contrary to Christian beliefs. For instance:
- They don’t believe in the Trinity. They believe God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct "personages" united in purpose, with God the Father being an embodied being.
- The authority sources for their beliefs are found in four books they consider divine – the Bible (KJV only), the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price.
- They believe the Mormon church is a restoration of original Christianity. Other Christian churches do not represent the truth.
- They have an entirely unique view of Jesus. They believe he preexisted as a spirit child of God and his wife, and was later sent to inhabit a body on earth. His purpose on earth was to accomplish the Atonement based on Mormon theology.
- And there are numerous other differences.
Because of significant changes in American society, massive numbers of people have turned away from Christianity, and now there are a very large number of people who don’t really know how to distinguish between Christianity and Mormonism. Because Christianity is more well known and has a more favorable reputation, Mormons, in recent times, have determined that it is more advantageous to them to be known as a Christian denomination rather than an entirely separate religion.
Thus, there is a desire among many Latter-day Saints to be recognized as part of the broader Christian community. To help accomplish this, they now want to be considered one Christian denomination among others – though neither Catholic nor Protestant."
It is easy for people who consider themselves Christian but don’t know the basics of their faith to hear false teachings and fall for them – especially those that can appear to be true based purely on a name. For that reason, it is critical for Christians to get up to speed on the essentials of their faith. It is not only the key to not being fooled, but also the key to being able to share the truth with those who don’t know Christ.
Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.
You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.
To set up an appointment to speak to a Literary Agent:
Email: Alfredo Baguio
Call: (702) 605-4354
0 comments