Jesus Christ/Accusations that Latter-day Saints aren't Christians

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Criticism

Critics claim that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not "Christian."

A related claim is that the Church has only recently begun to portray itself as "Christian" in order to gain adherents.

Source(s) of the Criticism

• There is no rightful claim by historic Mormon doctrine to the name Christian, because they deny almost every one of the major fundamental doctrines of Christendom." - Norman Giesler, founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary, cited in Elise Soukup, "The Mormon Odyssey," Newsweek, (17 October 2005)[1].

Response

LDS aren't Christians?

At its base, this claim is an excellent example of the No true Scotsman fallacy.

The claimed bases for the charge that the LDS are not Christians include:

• LDS do not accept creedal Trinitarianism as set out by the Nicene Creed. This means that they conceive of Jesus and Satan as being spiritual ' siblings' in terms of their origin.
• Because of different understandings about God, some Christian critics accuse the LDS of worshipping a different Jesus
• LDS have doctrines which differ from traditional Christianity
  • premortal existence
  • vicarious work for the dead
  • eternal marriage and families
  • three degrees of glory
• LDS use additional scripture with the Bible
• LDS do not accept creatio ex nihilo
• LDS heed the teachings of Joseph Smith and other modern prophets
• LDS reject such doctrines as predestination to salvation or damnation

Saints claims to be Christian only recently?

This claim is absurd. The critics depend on their audience not knowing much about LDS history for this claim. Enemies and members of the Church have long known that Church members consider themselves "Christian" (italics added in all cases):

1839

This sect took its rise, A. D. 1830, in the county of Ontario, and State of New York. In April of that year, the society was organized as a Christian Church.^[2]

1853

Now, we ARE believers in the Bible, and in consequence of our unshaken faith in its precepts, doctrine, and prophecy, may be, attributed "the strangeness of our course," and the unwarrantable conduct of many towards this people. Come, my brother Presbyterian; come, my brother professors of every persuasion of long standing and popular distinction in the world, who are dubbed with the word "ORTHODOX;" come, we are all good Christians; I find no fault with you—why should you find fault with me?^[3]

Conclusion

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

Endnotes

1. [note] Francis G. Bishop, Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints (Blum and Son, Salem, Massachusetts 1839): 2.
2. [note] Brigham Young, "{{{title}}}," Journal of Discourses, reported by G.D. Watt and J.V. Long, (8 July 1863), Vol. 10 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1865), 230–231.off-site wiki

Further reading

FAIR wiki articles

• Logical fallacies
  • Ad hominem
  • Appeal to authority
  • Appeal to belief
  • Appeal to the majority
  • Appeal to tradition
  • Argument from repetition
  • Argument ad numerum
  • Bandwagon fallacy
  • Begging the question
  • False analogy
  • False premise
  • Ideology over reality
  • No true Scotsman
  • Poisoning the well
  • Straw man

FAIR web site

• FAIR Topical Guide:

External links

• Links to external web pages

Printed material

• Printed resources whose text is not available online