Are Mormons Christian?

By Robert Rosskopf

Ironically, the word Christian was first used as an insult, much like the word Mormon. Ignacius of Antioch, the third bishop of Antioch, was the earliest writer who commonly used the term Christian.
He asked his co-believers to pray for him that he might not only be called a Christian, but be found to be one. He got his wish and was fed to the lions. During his life, he taught that a Christian "gives his time to God", and he asked his readers to be "imitators of God". He taught that in order to be a Christian that a man must submit himself to the authority of a bishop, who presides "in the place of God." In his letters, he refers to the secret teachings, but never explains what they are. In
another place he warns us against so-called Christians who "have no care, none for the widow, none for the orphan, none for the distressed, none for the afflicted, none for the prisoner, or for him released from prison, none for the hungry or thirsty."

Pliney the Elder gave the first real definition of a Christian, from the viewpoint of a non-believer. He told Emperor Trajan that Christians bind themselves by oath to "abstain from theft, robbery, and adultery, to commit no breach of trust, and not to deny a deposit when called upon to restore it."

The Shepard of Hermas, who lived in the early second century, said that Christianity was "above all, a series of precepts that must be followed."

All of these descriptions mark a Mormon as a true Christian. Mormons make a covenant to keep the commandments of God when they are baptized. The welfare system of the Church to Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is second to none and takes care of the widows, orphans and distressed members of the church. The Bishop acts by the authority of God and the members constantly seek god-like perfection. Mormons also have a secret teaching, which is only taught inside their Holy Temples. Interestingly, the Mormons are one of the only churches to bind themselves by oath or have secret teachings. A strong case could be made that the Mormons, at least according to the descriptions given by the first Christian writers, are the only true Christians in the world today. Curiously, none of these writers defined Christianity in terms of some dogma or creed.

Many churches would set the standard of a Christian as those who believe in the creed of the Trinity. This definition has no basis in tradition. Indeed the word "Trinity" wasn't coined until hundreds of years after Christ setup his church, and the concept was hotly contested. No one intimated that only those who believed in it were Christian. Basing Christianity on this seemingly arbitrary dogma has the unwelcome effect of excluding Christ himself, his apostles, and many of the church fathers, who had no concept of a Trinity.

Some say that Mormons are not Christian, because they believe in the Book of Mormon. This sounds odd to a Mormon, because Mormon himself was a self-proclaimed Christian. This objection goes back to a creed penned by Martin Luther. Known as Sola Scriptura, it suggested that only the scriptures, meaning the modern biblical canon, be accepted as a source of truth. It is a creed adopted by virtually all Protestant religions, despite the fact that it itself doesn't come from the Bible, and was unknown by the early disciples, who had never seen a bible.

Christians were first called Christians at Antioch, according to Peter. The church at Antioch believed in living prophets (Acts 13:1). They believed in being called of God, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and in setting people apart for ministry by the laying on of hands (Acts 13:2-3). Mormons are one of the few churches that believe in modern prophets, and in being called of God and set apart by the laying on of hands.

Christian is derived from the Greek Christus, and is usually defined as someone who believes that Jesus was the Christ, or Jewish messiah, and also that he was the Son of God. The Muslims believe that Jesus was the messiah, but they do not believe that he was the Son of God, so they are never referred to as Christians. Mormons are unequivocal in their belief that Jesus was the Son of God, and the promised messiah.

Another definition of the word Christian, is one who has received the anointing, as messiah literally means anointed one. Both Catholics and Mormons have an anointing as one of their sacraments, but it would be alien to most other Christian sects.

I submit that Mormons are not only called Christians, but actually are Christians.