Is Mormonism...

[Türkisblau]

This was an excellent discussion had at the end of the upper-level Mormonism course I took this past semester - basically, knowing what we now know, how would we characterize Mormonism in the broader scope of Christianity?

My thinking was that it has become a new branch of Christianity due to it's emphasis on the figure of Jesus and his increasingly central role in the Church, however it has diverted from traditional Christian beliefs regarding the trinity and added in a whole new host of ideas. Despite their unique Temple-rites and bizarre beliefs, it is too far to call it an entirely new religion because of how close I perceive them to be with Jesus (Mormonism is just as alien maybe even less alien than I perceive Orthodox Christianity.) So why not a big umbrella? Have to admit that not siding with toxic evangelicals is a big part of why I differ with them on the LDS Church.

Others had good arguments, such as their new scriptures (BoM, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) and a "founding Prophet" being very similar to how Christianity and Islam distinguished themselves as new religious movements, putting particular emphasis on how much Mormons' value the idea of a Temple. I believe this falls apart when you see how much Mormons attempt to show a closeness with Jesus Christ and the larger Christian movement. If they want to be perceived as Christian, then why not?

I don't believe anyone spoke in favor of the Protestant angle.

Anyways, what are your thoughts on the subject? And please no "morman cult durrr" nonsense.

[Mr. Smith]

Well, if it really makes you feel better then by all means refer to us as the new guys.

But with the Tabernacles in Modern form, the Priesthood as practiced by Shem (son of Noah) and Aaron, twelve Apostles just like Jesus, seventy just like Moses, that's a bit of a stretch too.

I'll leave the rest to Zioneer, since he tends to be far better about the details.

[Mopsus]

If Mormonism had continued to grow in the hermetic direction that the late Joseph Smith was leading it towards, there would have been a significant chance that Mormonism would have ended up as different from mainstream Christianity as mainstream Christianity is from Judaism... but with the reformation that began in the late nineteenth century, it's more like a form of Christian primitivism (and if it keeps moving in that direction, it might become a branch of American Protestantism yet).

[Zioneer]

Thanks for pre-emptively saying "no calling the LDS Church a cult", it actually really helps to stop that before its said.

Anyway, I would say we're a new form of Christianity. We're not similar to most forms of Protestant, though we were sorta close at the very beginning. We have an extra three books of scripture, we have prophets and apostles, we have a rather "top-down" structure, and we don't have very many lasting connections to the Protestant Churches.

However, we're still Christian. We literally call ourselves the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints", we included Jesus as the main figure of our new books of scripture, we talk about him all the time and specifically aspire to be like him (in a more literal sense than most churches). I mean, Jesus has all that the Father hath, and he wants us to have all that the Father hath as well, right? So we really, really want to be like Jesus.

What we aren't is Trinitarian Christian. We don't believe in the Trinity (we have a sorta compromise theological concept called the Godhead, where God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are united and "one" in purpose, but three distinct beings), we believe we can become like God the Father (though it isn't guaranteed like some people portray it), and of course we have Lucifer and his followers being spiritual siblings with us.

We call ourselves Christian, we stick Christ in more places than the Middle East, and we literally have his name in our church's name, so yes, I would call us Christian but not Protestant or Catholic. We're something else, a primitivist or millenarian Christian church.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

We call ourselves Christian, we stick Christ in more places than the Middle East, and we literally have his name in our church's name, so yes, I would call us Christian but not Protestant or Catholic. We're something else, a primitivist or millenarian Christian church.

The usual term is Restorationist, tho the various Restorationist churches have little in common beyond a belief that they embody the restoration of the true church which was facilitated by their early leaders being gifted with abilities the mainline churches felt had been dormant since the apostolic age and that other churches are in error, even other Restorationist churches founded by other leaders.

[DC Al Fine]

I don't believe anyone spoke in favor of the Protestant angle.

That's because its ridiculous on its face. Groups much more similar than Mormonism and mainstream Protestantism are considered separate movements. If issues of justification and authority are enough to make me 'not-Catholic' then much more basic issues about the nature of the Godhead are sufficient to make your typical Mormon 'not-Protestant'

The only people arguing otherwise that I have heard of were Catholic chauvinists who latched onto the protesting/anti-establishment meme without considering the theological particulars.

[Zioneer]

We call ourselves Christian, we stick Christ in more places than the Middle East, and we literally have his name in our church's name, so yes, I would call us Christian but not Protestant or Catholic. We're something else, a primitivist or millenarian Christian church.

The usual term is Restorationist, tho the various Restorationist churches have little in common beyond a belief that they embody the restoration of the true church which was facilitated by their early leaders being gifted with abilities the mainline churches felt had been dormant since the apostolic age and that other churches are in error, even other Restorationist churches founded by other leaders.

Ah, then that's the right term. Thanks!

The interesting thing is that there are Mormon splinter churches who believe they restored the authority of the LDS Church. So a restoration of a restoration.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I would consider Mormons to be their own branch of Christianity, separate from Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox denominations.  While many would argue that they're not Christians due to their heterodox concepts, they definitely profess to be Christians and believe in Jesus, so as far as I'm concerned that's enough for me to accept them as part of the body of Christ.  Whether they are true Christians is ultimately between God and them.

Interestingly enough, their belief in Joseph Smith as a prophet is similar to the SDA concept of Ellen White as a prophet, and their emphasis on a Temple is similar to the SDA concept of a "heavenly sanctuary."

[RaphaelDLG]

Are Unitarians Christians?  (I would say so).

Are Unitarians Protestants?

Seems like a parallel question despite the big differences between Mormons and Unitarians

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Are Unitarians Christians?  (I would say so).

Are Unitarians Protestants?

Seems like a parallel question despite the big differences between Mormons and Unitarians

Actually, there's less difference than you might think, at least in their formative stages. Classical Christian Unitarianism doesn't deny the existence of a trinity, just that the three personas are co-equal and co-eternal. However, Transcendentalism in the latter half of the 19th century reshaped Unitarianism to the point that while individual Unitarians can be Christian, Unitarianism as a whole is not. Universalism reached a similar end point to Unitarianism, which is why the largest Unitarian and Universalist associations merged a half-century ago, tho the path taken was different.

[Lechasseur]

I'd say it's a new branch of Christianity