No, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are not Christians.
Many Mormons are under the impression that they are the true Christians who have joined the true church of Jesus Christ as restored by Joseph Smith after a great apostasy.
This, however, couldn’t be further from the truth. Mormons are actually members of a heretical non-Christian cult and are destined for eternity in Outer Darkness if they do not repent.
Major Problems with Mormonism
In this section I will outline some of the biggest problems with Mormonism and the things that keep them outside of the true, saving faith of Jesus Christ. Please note this section will deal with salvific issues that Mormons face – I.E. the things that prevent them from entering Heaven (the Celestial Kingdom in Mormonese), and will ultimately resign them to eternal damnation (outer darkness).
The Mormon Jesus
The biggest problem with Mormonism is the problem with their Jesus. Mormons will tell you that they worship the same Jesus that other Christians do. But that isn’t true. These are the issues with the Mormon view of Jesus Christ.
Unitarianism
Mormons are Unitarian heretics who deny the Trinity. They believe that Jesus is a completely separate being with a separate substance from the Father. They also believe that the Holy Ghost is a third being.
They believe that both the Son and the Spirit are literal children of Heavenly Father (what they call The Father).
Because they believe in an ontologically different Jesus, they must – literally and necessarily – be worshipping a different Jesus than other Christians. This is generally hard for unitarians to understand because they say they believe the Bible and use the same name we do for Jesus – so why isn’t it the same?
Well let’s say that when I talk about Velma from Scooby-Doo, I’m referencing this nerdy brunette from the 70s:
But when you talk about Velma, you’re talking about the Indian Velma from Mindy Kaling’s HBO series:
We are obviously talking about two different characters. They look different, act different, are in different settings. They just share names. One could argue that the newer Velma is just an imposter TV show wearing a Scooby-Doo skin suit to try and trade off of the good name that series earned.
It’s like that. The Mormon Jesus, as they define Him, may have the same name and claim the same setting and attributes of Jesus, but it’s simply a poor copy attempting to trade on Jesus’ good name.
Arianism
The Mormons are also Arian heretics. That is, they believe Jesus is just a man. In fact, they’re Super-Arians because they believe that Heavenly Father is also just a man who lived super duper good and was transformed into a god by his father.
Mormons maintain that God Himself is not a distinct being from man, but that men can become gods themselves. This applies to each person of the Godhead – who have already achieved deification – as well as to each and every individual on earth.
This is another way in which Mormons are worshipping an entirely different being than Christians, just with the same name.
A False Plan of Salvation
The Mormon Plan of Salvation, as they call it, is heavily dependent on your own works. Mormons believe that Jesus came to be an example to us, not to live vicariously for us. They also believe that He died so that we could be given a chance at Heaven, and He rose from the dead so that we could be resurrected.
In Mormonism, there is no conquering of death. There is no eternal remission of sin. There is no subjugation of the devil and this world. There is only Jesus offering you a chance.
I had a missionary put it to me this way: You really need a new job. Jesus knows a guy at the company and puts in a good word to get you an interview. But now that you have the interview it is up to you to interview well enough to get the job. And once you get the job it’s up to you to work hard enough to be promoted.
and how exactly do you work hard enough?
In addition to the 10 commandments, Mormons add an addition ~600 other commands that must be kept in order to achieve perfection and reach the Celestial Kingdom.
The breaking of these commands is sin, and each sin pulls you away from perfection. Mormons often quote Matthew 5:48, saying that Christ commands us, “Be Ye Perfect” here and now in this life. Those who are not perfect cannot attain all that Heavenly Father has for them.
It is no wonder Utah’s suicide rate is 50% higher than the national average.
Minor Problems with Mormonism
This section will focus on other oddities of Mormonism that don’t make much sense. These things aren’t necessarily salvific issues, but I’m sure that some of them can become that way.
Universal Salvation
Mormons believe that everyone will be saved. They have three levels of Heaven: The telestial, terrestrial, and celestial. Every single person will end up in one of the three levels of heaven.
You are sealed to your family, but it’s pointless.
Speaking of Heaven: Mormonism believes that you have to be sealed to your family if you want to spend eternity with them. Except you being sealed to your spouse doesn’t guarantee anything because they might not make it as far up in Heaven as you, and only those in the Celestial Kingdom get to spend forever with their families.
Women have no future in heaven
Women in Mormon heaven exist only to be bred by their husbands to create spirit children. Also, if you are a woman, and you’re sealed to your husband, and you both make it to the celestial kingdom, and you both become gods, you might not be his only bride.
Also, it is up to the husband to call you up to that level, so he may leave you behind.
And even if you are his only bride, and he does call you up, and you both do get a planet, your only role in that planet will be producing his offspring. He gets to be the one who is actually god.
Other Issues
There are tons of other issues, such as literary and historical problems with Mormon holy books, the character of Joseph Smith, other beliefs and values of the church.
There are too many to list here, so I advise you go read something like the CES Letter or check out resources like Truth In Love Ministries.
Here is the first of a four part episode I did with Rev. Mark Parsons of Truth in Love Ministries on the LDS faith:
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