Are Mormons Christian?
While I know this has little to do with my writing, I felt the urge to share this document my mother sent to me with everyone who's reading this. Those who know me know I am Mormon. Recently a close friend of mine has been enlightening me about some beliefs he's uncovered that I was unaware of. I've greatly enjoyed our discussions, and it is a sign of his friendship that he has discussed his views with me; After all, he wouldn't have mentioned anything if he didn't care.
The article is here: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dq5d6qp_1gcxtq5
My feelings on the matter are thus: I believe anyone who claims the LDS church is not a Christian Religion is conveniently overlooking not just the points listed in the article, but something more basic. Christ said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matt. 11:28–30] Christ isn't discriminating here, and neither should we. I personally don't care what the 'Christian consensus' is, or what 'Christian Orthodoxy' claims. I am a Mormon and I believe in Christ. He is my Savior, and through him I am saved. I don't believe Christ would object to anyone who believes that calling themselves 'Christian'. If Christ wouldn't discriminate, neither will I. I welcome anyone to call themselves a Christian, so long as their belief is true, and they have accepted Christ as their Savior and redeemer. To discriminate beyond that is, to me, offensive, and against Christ's teachings.
The only other thing I wish to do is to point people to Mathew, Chapter 7. In particular, these two sections stand out to me:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." [Matt. 7:1-5]
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." [Matt. 7:16-18]
These are my yardsticks, my rulers. Christ is my Savior, and through him my sins are washed clean. I am not alone in this; all Latter Day Saints join me in this assertion. My beliefs have been measured and weighed, and I've found they wanteth not.
That being said, I welcome any and every one to please keep my on my toes, keep challenging my faith. Not only do I enjoy it, but how else can I learn what I subscribe to? However, I will say that everyone who wishes to do so should make sure they've read The Articles of Faith, which are a distillation of the important core beliefs I cling to.
2 comments:
I am happy that you use this guide, my son. Just wanted to point out to you that there is a Joseph Smith Translation addition to this scripture passage which causes it to read thus: Matt. 7:1-2 "Now these are the words which Jesus taught his disciples that they should say unto the people. Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment". We all have to make judgments in this life. They just need to be based on truth and discernment. With our finite minds and mortal limitations, we can never know the whole story when we are attempting to understand someone or their motives; God does. He will reveal their true fruits if we ask.
One of my favorite passages in the Book of Mormon is Moroni Chapter 7, wherein Moroni's father, Mormon instructed his people about how to judge righteously and what is required of a true follower of Christ. Here are some of my favorite verses from that chapter:
3 Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.
4 And now my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.
5 For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also.
6 For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.
7 For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.
8 For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.
9 And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.
10 Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.
11 For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.
12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is bevil cometh of the devil; for the evil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.
14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.
42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.
45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."
Before becoming a Mormon,I investigated many other religious sects and denominations. My experience with the L.D.S. church has reaped much "good fruit" for me and my family and brought us closer to Christ than any other church ever has. It is extremely offensive to be cast out by the other Christian denominations and classified as a cult. I suppose some of our doctrine about being the true church of Christ once again restored upon the earth and the only one with priesthood authority is quite offensive to them, but at least we do not say we are the only Christians! Sigh. Thus it has always been. When Jesus was upon this earth he was mocked by the religious leaders of his day and called a child of Satan. The fact that our church gets so much negative attention when all that we preach is in complete alighnment with Christ's teachings and all that we do is good and beneficial to our neighbors, tells me that we must be rocking Satan's boat if he is so set on discrediting us.
It is sad that so many who profess to be followers of Christ throw "rotten fruit" at us. In the past, they incited mobs of lawless men to rape our women, murder us and steal our property. These days they exclude us from the Christian society, show up at our religious functions to rail and hand out anti-Mormon literature. They call out mean-spirited things and even curse at newly wedded brides, calling them "Mormon whores" as they leave our sacred temples. They tell their parishoners not to vote for certain people, based soley on the fact that they are Mormons.... May we never, never follow their bad examples!
-Mom
Good words.
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