FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Question: Do Mormons meet the definition of the word "Christian"?
Revision as of 22:21, 21 June 2016 by RogerNicholson (talk | contribs) (Created page with "{{FME-Source |title=Question: Do Mormons meet the definition of the word "Christian"? |category= }} <onlyinclude> ==Question: Do Mormons meet the definition of the word "Chris...")
- REDIRECTTemplate:Test3
Question: Do Mormons meet the definition of the word "Christian"?
The attempt to define "Christian" in such a way as to exclude Latter-day Saints is really the recent work of a minority group within Protestantism
The assertion that Latter-day Saints are not Christian has at its base the idea that the Latter-day Saints don't meet the definition of the word "Christian." But the meanings of words are determined by usage and acceptance. If a definition is widespread (used by many people), persistent (used over a long period of time), and established (accepted by individuals and organizations that are respected and assumed to be knowledgeable) then we can confidently state that the definition is correct and accurate.
The attempt to define "Christian" in such a way as to exclude Latter-day Saints (and many other groups that are generally considered to be some kind of Christian denomination or religion) is really the recent work of a minority group within Protestantism. The nearly-universal and nearly-2000-year-old usage of the word "Christian" has clearly included unorthodox groups that disagree, sometimes sharply, with the teachings and practices of those who claim to be able to define Latter-day Saints out of the Christian fold.
The following are some organizations and resources that classify The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Christian
The following are some organizations and resources that classify The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Christian. The range of sources from encyclopedias to media outlets to government organizations supports the fact that the definition of "Christian" includes Latter-day Saints.
- Yahoo Directory: "Christian Denominations and Sects" off-site
- adherents.com: "Largest Branches of Christianity in the U.S." off-site
- beliefnet: "Faiths and Practices" index off-site
- MSN Encarta encyclopedia: "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" off-site
- RSN (Religion New Service): Religion Backgrounders off-site
- PBS (Public Broadcasting Service): "The Church: A Brief History" off-site
- LaborLawTalk dictionary off-site
- Encyclopedia Britannia Online off-site
- BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) off-site
- World Council of Churches (WCC): Churches off-site
- National Council of Churches (NCC): National Council of Churches’ 2005 "Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches." off-site
- United States Department of State: International Religious Freedom Report 2004 (Tonga) off-site
Notes