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In defense of our Christianity: A thread
There is now, and has been since its beginning, a debate that rages about whether or not The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormonism) is Christian. I feel the need to interject on why we are.
There is now, and has been since its beginning, a debate that rages about whether or not The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormonism) is Christian. I feel the need to interject on why we are.
I think it's important to begin with defining what Christianity is. What does it really mean to be 'Christian?' It's important to realize that doesn't mean the same thing to everyone, so let me tell you what a Latter-day Saint means when we say it.
What we, and I think many others mean, is that we look to Christ as our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer, our King, and yes - our God. He is the only advocate we have with the Father, and He is the ONLY means by which ANY man or woman who has ever walked the earth can be saved.
We do not believe there is ANY pathway to return to our Heavenly Father except through through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I want to illustrate to you that this is our doctrine not just based on what I say, but by showing you what our scriptures say.
I also do not want to misrepresent my faith as being the same as other Christian churches. We have similarities, and I think it's great to glory with other Christians in the similarities we do share. But, we also have some radical differences, and I want to discuss those as well.
Two questions follow from that, and I suppose its up to the reader to ultimately decide what the answer is:
1. Are the differences in in our church enough to say that we're not Christian?
2. Do we have legitimate, scripturally supportable grounds to believe the way we do?
1. Are the differences in in our church enough to say that we're not Christian?
2. Do we have legitimate, scripturally supportable grounds to believe the way we do?
I want to address the second question first. What must a Christian believe to claim that title?
Must they believe the Bible? Yes! The Bible is a collection of prophetic writing that testifies of Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is revelation from God to man. 2Pet 1:19-21
Must they believe the Bible? Yes! The Bible is a collection of prophetic writing that testifies of Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is revelation from God to man. 2Pet 1:19-21
As Latter-day Saints we believe the Bible. Despite what some people may claim, we view it as authoritative, inspired, and true. We are careful in wanting translations that preserve the original meaning, and not ones that project a modern meaning onto it. The Bible is God's word.
We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. Does this belief disqualify us from Christianity? Before answering, please consider what the Book of Mormon teaches about Christ.
Can a house stand if it is divided against itself? If the Book of Mormon is inspired by the devil, would it testify on nearly every page that Christ is Lord, Savior and Redeemer and the only source we can look to for redemption? YOU must judge.
As Christians we believe the Bible, because we recognize it is God's inspired word. Next we come to a juncture of faith though. To be a Christian, must we believe that the Catholic church is God's true church on the earth today?
I can't honestly tell you how a Catholic would answer that, and I'm not sure every Catholic would answer the same way. I think most would insist that salvation if found inside the Catholic church, and that it holds an uninterrupted chain of apostolic authority.
If you don't believe that, some Catholics may still grant that you're a Christian (again, I really don't know how they would answer this). But, neither you, nor they would claim you could be Catholic.
If you don't today believe that the Catholic bishops and the Papacy hold God's authority to guide His church, when do you believe they lost that authority? Why can you claim to be a Christian and not believe in the Catholic supremacy of doctrine and priesthood?
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it's because you believe that your acceptance of Christ today is not dependent on believing the Pope and bishops of today speak for God.
And in that we would agree. (No disrespect is meant to anyone who is Catholic in that, we can still respect one another with our differences in our beliefs). If you're not Catholic you believe you can still accept Christ and reject the authority of the Catholic church.
At what point in history is that rejection justified?
Must a person accept the creeds of the bishops of the 3rd and 4th century to be a Christian?
If so, why?
Must a person accept the creeds of the bishops of the 3rd and 4th century to be a Christian?
If so, why?
Are the creeds scripture?
No. They do not claim to be scripture. The authors of the creeds of the Roman church did not claim prophetic or apostolic authority to add to the Christian canon. They set forth in a series of documents that emerged from councils of men...
No. They do not claim to be scripture. The authors of the creeds of the Roman church did not claim prophetic or apostolic authority to add to the Christian canon. They set forth in a series of documents that emerged from councils of men...
...a set of statements that would frame how scripture is to be read and interpreted. You are free to believe these creeds correctly interpret scripture, BUT, must anyone believe them to be a disciple of Christ?
If so, how can a Christian reject the Roman bishopric of today, but insist on absolute belief in the writings of the bishops then? What is the cutoff date? At what point can a person reject Catholic authority and still be a Christian?
Any what gives someone authority to set that date?
You see, most of the objections to what beliefs of ours are called unbiblical, are in reality un-creedal. Often I am asked how we can believe X, Y or Z about God when scripture says A, B or C. When I cite scripture from the Bible to explain why I believe what I do...
...I'm told that I'm misreading scripture because (name a creed) says that scripture must be interpreted to mean this or that.
Nearly anytime I cite scripture to defend my position, Christians fall back on the later Roman creeds to explain why my understanding is wrong.
Nearly anytime I cite scripture to defend my position, Christians fall back on the later Roman creeds to explain why my understanding is wrong.
Now, let me be clear - my purpose in writing this is not to refute tho Roman Church creeds. If you believe these creeds I still believe you have every right to say you're a Christian. Please "worship how, where or what you may."
But please, and I really mean this sincerely, explain why you can be a Christian while rejecting the bishops of the 16th century and I cannot because I reject the Roman Church and its bishops of the 3rd and 4th century.
In saying this, my purpose isn't to incite contention. I'm always happy to explore and defend my beliefs, and I'm not claiming they should be exempt from scrutiny. But to Latter-day Saints, the fiction that is so often told about us that we do not have the same love or reverence/
for Christ is deeply offensive because it isn't true. We may not agree on many points of doctrine. We don't have to. But, anyone who wants to fairly and honestly tell what we believe should be complete in representing what we believe.
We have differences with Catholic and Protestant doctrine, but we don't claim to be Catholic or Protestant. We do claim to be Christian, and for our doctrine we look to Christ, and those who are authorized to speak on His behalf.
I’ll be linking to additional threads about our beliefs here. Please read on to learn more about our beliefs, so that you can judge for yourself.
The nature of God and destiny of Man: A Thread https://twitter.com/ptspentax/status/1338291542025326592
