#golllllly don't let me go on rants

[a-wondrous-thing]

Ayyye so what IS the relationship between Cristians and Mormons? I thought they were completely different religions? (I’m not religious at all so I’m clueless on the topic)

hey-o friend-o, thanks for asking (i’m really glad people actually care about this stuff)!

So, first thing, while “Mormons” is a commonly used term for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the full name of the church is preferred by members/the church, and I’ll go ahead and use the acronym LDS for the rest of this.

(disclaimer: not a professional on the topic. i’m not even a religious studies major)

sO here’s the hot non-tea or coffee beverage

as a general rule (get to that in a sec), Christians are people who believe in Christ and His teachings. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant churches are considered Christian, as well as many other subsets, offshoots, and such. If they believe in Christ, they’re generally considered Christian. There are many types of religion in the world - Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Judaism and Jainism (plus some others), as well as Christianity. Christianity is separate from Judaism and Islam (which are separate from each other as well), despite sharing certain ties to Biblical events.

Following this, the LDS church (which has...the name...Church of Jesus Christ right in the title...) is Christian.

But there’s this thing called gatekeeping that’s a bit of a ... fun topic. 

Basically, certain churches make their own definition of what a Christian church consists of and say “Hey, you’re not Christian because we said X.”

Meanwhile....LDS members are here like...we believe in the Bible. And Christ. And His teachings... and yet other Christian churches gatekeep and say “nope. you don’t fit this specific criteria that we say you have to fit to be Christian”

And we (members) just kinda go...sure Jan. And keep living our Christian lives.

(I really don’t mean this to be contentious in any way, i’m just simplifying it down to what i see as the basic argument, and remember, not an expert)

There are lots of reasons other churches say the LDS church and its teachings aren’t Christian, here’s some:

we don’t accept the changes of post New Testament Christianity

we aren’t connected to a Roman Catholic/Eastern Orthodox/Protestant base

we have an expanded canon and believe in continuous revelation

First, we follow the teachings of like...the actual original Church that Christ established when He was serving his mortal ministry. But other churches follow the stuff that came about after He left His church in the hands of His apostles and people started to change the truths (doctrine) He and His apostles taught. So... yeah, that’s another whole topic, but basically the Greeks took Christianity and said this is how it is and that’s how you get most of modern Christianity. 

The LDS church was established in 1830, and is independent of any other churches, (though there are a lot of similarities in belief, o course), and we believe that the Priesthood authority, (which was previously taken from the earth) was restored to Joseph Smith, a modern day prophet. We’re not an offshoot of any other church’s line of Priesthood Authority.

And with that last one... yeah! We believe that there is a prophet on the earth today (President Russel M. Nelson), and that he receives revelation from God for the church. We also believe that everyone can receive personal revelation from God. We have canon outside of the Bible - The Book of Mormon being one, as well as the Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. 

(If anyone wants to hear about the Book of Mormon or any other books, lemmie know cuz that’s also a really good topic and dear to my heart)

So, I guess form your own opinions, but I, as well as the church, affirm that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian church, built on the teachings, ministry, life of, and belief in Jesus Christ. 

I love the gospel, and love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I believe in the Book of Mormon, as well as the Bible (as far as it is translated correctly), and I can testify of its truthfulness. 

Thank you for asking this question, if anyone has others about my beliefs/ the church’s beliefs, feel free to ask! I also love learning about religion of all kinds, feel free to share as well, if you feel so inclined!

Also, I researched this topic, so here’s the link to a less condensed, more accurately stated article from the actual church

Are Mormons Christian?

I’d also recommend visiting Mormon.org for other information on the church!