Figure 1.--The portrait here shows an unidentified polygamous Mormon family, we assume in Utah. The man looks to have four wives. The portrait is undated. We think it may have been taken about 1880.

The Mormons is the coloquial name for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Like other Christian drenominations, they believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World. Mormons attest to the validity of the traditional Christian Bible (the King James version is often preferred), but add the modern-day revelation of Joseph Smith. He claimed that Jesus appeared to him with the purpose of restoring His Church and gospel to its originsl purity. Some of the theological differences between Mormons and the traditional churches date back to issues debsted by the early Church berfore the Council of Nicacea (325 AD) and the closing of the Canon. Mormons were once primasrily found in Utah, but are now more widely spread and the fourth largest religious denomination in the United States. A reader writes, "I think it is a mistake to include Mormons among the list of Christian denominations. Mormons do not make the divinity of Christ a part of their worship or belief, and I know of no Christian theologian whether Protestant, Anglican, or Roman Catholic, who would regard Mormans as Christian. They are a sect that has been influenced by Christianity, of course, but, strictly speaking, aren't Christians. Mormans might dispute this statement, but they would be part of a small minority on this point." HBC thinks there is more diversity on this issue than our reader suggests. A Google search will bring up a lively debate. We think that our reader is probably correct among Christian theologians, but I also think that theologians generally come from the more traditional sector of the Christian community. There are many Christians today who generally reject or dismiss the metaphysical aspect of Christianity. And this feeling is wide spread in liberal churches. It certainly is in Europe. Would we not call those people Christian? The Mormons while they have significant theological differences with traditional Christianity do believe in a creator God as a real supernatural being which is more than many Christians today believe. Also some of their theology is similar to ideas widespread in the early Church before the Council of Nicaea. While we don't have any strong feelings on this issue, our general inclination for HBC is to include as Christian, all those denominations which identify themselves as Christian. That is we leave up to each individual group to decide if they are Christian or not.

Terminology

The Mormons is the coloquial name for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Theology

Like other Christian drenominations, they believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the World. Mormons attest to the validity of the traditional Christian Bible (the King James version is often preferred), but add the modern-day revelation of Joseph Smith. He claimed that Jesus appeared to him with the purpose of restoring His Church and gospel to its originsl purity. Some of the theological differences between Mormons and the traditional churches date back to issues debated by the early Church berfore the Council of Nicacea (325 AD) and the closiung of the Canon. A Mormon reader has provided nore details on the church's teheology, "I believe the the reason "mainstream" Christian theologianss are reluctant to allow Mormons as Christians is the Mormons' rejection of thethe theological doctrine that Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Ghost, although three distinct persons, are nevertheless one single being. So it's not so much the Nicene creed [325 AD] they reject (although, like the Orthodox Catholics they would change the phrase "being of one substance with the Father" (the "homoousion" vs. "homoiousion" debate), but rather the Athanasian creed (believed to have been written between 450 and 670 AD): 'we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one...' The Mormon reject the 'consubstantiality' of the Father Son and Holy Ghost, believing instead that that when Jesus prayed to his Father that his disciples should "be one, as we are," [John 17:11] this indicated the kind of "oneness" Jesus and His Father shared. The first of the Mormons' "articles of faith" states: "We believe in God the Eternal Father and in His son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost."

Location

Mormons originated in the Northeasdt, but because of persecution moved West. As a result they were once primasrily found in Utah, but are now more widely spread and the fourth largest religious denomination in the United States.

Christianity

A reader writes, "I think it is a mistake to include Mormons among the list of Christian denominations. Mormons do not make the divinity of Christ a part of their worship or belief, and I know of no Christian theologian whether Protestant, Anglican, or Roman Catholic, who would regard Mormans as Christian. They are a sect that has been influenced by Christianity, of course, but, strictly speaking, aren't Christians. Mormans might dispute this statement, but they would be part of a small minority on this point." HBC thinks there is more diversity on this issue than our readeer suggests. A Google search will bring up a lively debate on this issue. We think that our reader is probably correct among Christian theologians, but I also think that theologians generally come from the more traditional sector of the Christian community. There are many Christians today who generally reject or dismiss the metaphysical aspect of Christianity. And this feeling is wide spread in liberal churches. It certainly is in Europe. Would we not call those people Christian? The Mormons while they have significant theological differences with traditional Christianity do believe in a creator God as a real supernatural being which is more than many Christians today believe. Also some of their theology is similar to ideas widespread in the early Church before the Council of Nicaea. While we don't have any strong feelings on this issue, our general inclination for HBC is to include as Christian, all those denominations which identify themselves as Christian. That is we leave up to each individual group to decide if they are Christian or not.

Created: 6:15 PM 5/23/2011
Last updated: 12:23 AM 6/4/2011