Do you think of Mormons as Christians?

Mormons are a weird offshoot of Christianity and they've bolted a crazy new apparatus onto the main body of the church, but they retain enough of the basic features that it's hard for me to say they aren't Christians.

they redid the upholstery and added a few new wings

Was raised protestant, semi-evangelical and was told that Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses both weren't true Christians. At 16, I was dumb enough to express this opinion at a Mormon friend's house where I'd been invited for dinner—not to be argumentative, but because I had no filter between my brain and my mouth.

I don't really think about it anymore. Technically any followers of Christ are Christians, so who am I to say otherwise.

mormons r cool

I think just about every Mormon I currently know is lapsed, but they are cool.

christian scientologists

Nope. "Christian" is reserved for all those indistinguishable forms of Protestantism-- Anglicans, Presbyterians, United, Lutheran, etc. Mormons are... distinct. I love Mormons and the way they never curse

i don't know why you wouldn't say anyone who believes Christ is our lord and savior isn't a Christian. there's a lot of different subgroups in there, some more different from the rest than others, but it seems like splitting hairs to put them outside that category.

I don't see why not. They view themselves as the continuation/restoration of Christ's church.

The Q isn't "are Mormons Christians" but "do you think of them as Christians" and the answer is no, I think of them as hiking teetotal basketball-loving smile-bots living in the mountains and standing up at service to give testimony

And not allowing black ppl in

of course they are, who cares which of the splitters is right, except the splitters, of course

they allow black people in, now

My cursory knowledge of Mormon history remembers pro-abolitionism, and black people ordained as Mormon ministers during Smith's life, but who knows with those guys? If we're gonna talk about where the Mormons fucked up it starts and ends with women's rights

matthew 7:3-5

Yes. As an outsider to the whole thing, I don't split hairs over Papist vs Mormon vs etc. - if you believe in Jesus, you're in the club.

oh crabbits. saw this last night and thought of you.

and here we are, a perfect place for me to paste this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVxqS0Y-DtA

Surprise, surprise, a guest cameo appearance by a trampoline.

Yeah black ppl allowed in since 1978, sorry for my outdated prejudices Mormons

i'd never thought about this but i guess in some way i draw a mental distinction between "proper" Christians and Mormons, but on the other hand i'd say JWs were Christians so i don't know. Mormons seem nicer than JWs on the whole when they're trying to get me to join their gang

i don't know why you wouldn't say anyone who believes Christ is our lord and savior isn't a Christian. there's a lot of different subgroups in there, some more different from the rest than others, but it seems like splitting hairs to put them outside that category.

― some dude, Monday, September 1, 2014 12:18 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i agree with this

i think there's some kind of difference between "arguing the toss about the significance and meaning of the life of Jesus and the scriptures" and "making up a whole sequel so you're definitively right about everything" somehow

Esp. considering how aggressively (first through violence, then through economics) the Mormons distinguished themselves from non-Mormon Christians

http://www.aeroartinc.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/c/r/crusades-main.jpg

not sarcastic: I don't really have the tools, knowledge to get deep in this discussion, sorry for the snark jpg.

no, good charging, very fierce, inspirational

I don't, nor jws. barely rly extend it to prods tbph.

that's the spirit

begrudgery innit

are there any self-described christian ska bands that are chiefly composed of mormons?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-F6eUppXK3Q/S-IkQgKaDhI/AAAAAAAAAAw/Zc5zCwsp5dc/S1600-R/black.jpg

What the hell is a heck?

I just found out that my mixed race parents married in a Canadian Mormon Church in the early 60s, or at least some branch thereof.
My brother just found the announcement that was printed in the London Ontario paper when they announced the wedding.

Upstate New York in the 19th century sounds like quite the place.. The story about Joseph Smith and the urim and thummin aka mystic divination rocks is wild.

The Q isn't "are Mormons Christians" but "do you think of them as Christians" and the answer is no, I think of them as hiking teetotal basketball-loving smile-bots living in the mountains and standing up at service to give testimony

― faghetti (fgti), Monday, September 1, 2014 7:28 PM (2 hours ago)

yeah IDK I grew up Mormon (hey hey have you heard)
they very much think of themselves as Christian
they're quite defensive about it
during my childhood they changed the graphic design on their logo to really hammer home the Jesus Christ part of the official name no one calls them
http://www.aftermormonism.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/lds.gif
l, r – "I'm going through changes" – Ozzy

you would think all that indoctrination would keep me from being surprised when people think Mormons are not xtians, but it still surprises me every time
when I first moved to NM, people would always start out conversations with, "so, are you Catholic, or are you Christian?"
like – those are the only options?
and – isn't the first in the same category as the second?

yes it is

right?
it was weird

i was only introduced to the notion that protestant christians might not consider catholics christians in college. a muslim friend of mine grew up in evangelical stronghold wheaton, illinois and had some stories. it left a mark. i realize wars have been fought over this stuff, but having been raised Muslim i found it hard to take the apostasy of Catholics/Mormons/whatever Christian group seriously. believing in the divinity of Christ is p distinctive.

I like that first font a lot more. Can we pool religious logos?

poll sorry

I was dumb enough to express this opinion at a Mormon friend's house where I'd been invited for dinner

― Everyone's a closet ned. (Johnny Fever), Monday, 1 September 2014 19:36 (3 hours ago)

how do mormons react to being told they are not christians

turn the other cheek?

i am not sure i knew what Mormons were till high school and even then i didn't have a solid grasp, but when I learned about them i remembered TV commercials i had seen that were sponsored by the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. that was enough for me to categorize them as christians. from this heathen's perspective, if jesus is in the name of your religious organization, you're christian.

sing this song?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzGS_gooSxE

xp

the notion that mormons might not be christians isnt something that is particularly well known here
during the 2012 presidential election season it was noted extensively that the evangelical constituency of the republican party do not regard mormons as kindred

I think anybody who thinks that Jesus H. Christ is the lord and savior of humanity is a Christian, even if that personal also believes in magic hats and glasses, or numerous lesser deities disguised as saints, or that Wonderbread and grape juice can transmorgify into flesh and blood, or that the world will end when a giant hand closes a book in the sky.

I have Mormon relatives on my dad's side so they were just like my Baptist or Presbyterian relatives except my got in trouble if they drank caffeine.

i was only introduced to the notion that protestant christians might not consider catholics christians in college.

I first heard of this in the early '00s when a fundamentalist coworker of mine casually mentioned something about all Catholics going to hell because they weren't Christian, the way I might casually mention that the weather is supposed to cool down by the end of the week.

evangelicals are definitely the american christians that are most intense about policing the boundaries of christianity

xp

She also invited me to church for Easter and when I declined, she shrugged and said, "Well, I'd hate to look down from heaven to see you burning in hell, so I tried." Then she went back to work.

and the most earnest about telling young muslims they're going to hell, according to my friend. i grew up in super-Catholic Buffalo and nobody ever confronted me about my doom.

lol xp

I love how non-agonized people sound when they say that kind of thing.
xp

lol otm

i sometimes think about going to a Unitarian meeting, they seem like people i'd vibe with, but i don't really want to tourist other people's faith so i dunno

My impression is that they're a Northeast thing?

My impression is that they're "always within a mile of a college campus" thing.

I can immediately think of where the Unitarian congregations meet in both my hometown and college town, and that's definitely true for the latter but not for the former. Definitely near a historically edgier neighborhood, though.

Both in the midwest, naturally

i sometimes think about going to a Unitarian meeting, they seem like people i'd vibe with, but i don't really want to tourist other people's faith so i dunno

Oh god no they'd fucking love it, seriously.

Talked about this elsewhere but I went to a Unitarian church here in Chicago for a little while. They were so earnest and sincere. It was really sweet, actually.

Then they had this dramatic internal rebellion against the minister because she talked about God and Jesus too much (lolllll Unitarians) and it got weird plus I stopped wanting to get up so early so I quit going.

"I'm here to talk to you....about God."
'AGAIN?'
"And our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
'Can't we explore some of the ancillary characters for once?'

"Listen lady, stick to 'Spirit of Life' and we'll all get along just fine."

I tried attending a Unitarian church once a while back during a period when I was really lonely and looking for some community in my life. First sunday went okay. Second sunday the sermon was about tithing. Third sunday it was themed around the football and I just peaced.

i only went to church when there was free food eventually

and even then Swayzed out when the youth group leader began insisting a fucking baked potato was a *meal*

I mean, a baked potato will fill you up pretty good.

in my house they were sides. I mean I won't shit on a baked potato or nothin cos I fuckin love em but they're an "and" for me

Neither here nor there, but I was talking to someone recently who spent her freshman year of college at a midwestern liberal arts school that has some reformed church linkage (and iirc, a link to an ilxor) and she told me that her roommates sat her down and tried an intervention because her family was Catholic and they thought she was going to hell.

once she was at liberal arts school her card was well marked anyways I'd say

that kind of thinking is rampant. our youth group leader loudly pronounced one night that she didn't want any of us to be Catholics, only to have one of the attendees blow up because he was Catholic (not a member of the church, but an occasional visitor).

besides Hell is gonna be rad

hell is other potatoes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_potatoes

^^^one of the best parts of my childhood years in Utah

I don't have any experience with Mormon communities outside the Big U. I wonder about the differences.

Oh wait I went to Colorado City once, but those folks are pretty far outside of mainstream Mormonism. It was fucking scary.

there's a unitarian church in cambridge, the vicar or whatever he is is very "I play the drums in a local combo" (he may actually play the drums in a local combo)

When it's not too hot to turn the oven on we have baked potatoes for dinner once every couple of weeks but we're atheists so it follows.

It took a lot of explanation to convince him that no, the mainstream Mormon church has not endorsed polygamy and has in fact condemned it since before 1900.

Guessing, but I reckon you'd find a lot of australians would think this of mormons too tbh.

plus I stopped wanting to get up so early so I quit going

Why I Am Not A Christian

(well, nearly everything else as well, but that is how my apostasy began)

yes, they are christian. in a way that will likely prevent me from ever identifying as christian.

sorta feel like christianity was a barely necessary condition for their foundation, imo. convenient foundation.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Neither here nor there, but I was talking to someone recently who spent her freshman year of college at a midwestern liberal arts school that has some reformed church linkage (and iirc, a link to an ilxor) and she told me that her roommates sat her down and tried an intervention because her family was Catholic and they thought she was going to hell.

― mh, Tuesday, 2 September 2014 23:43 (1 week ago) Permalink

lol

had a really funny & uncomfortable convo about the mormons two years ago. they say in business never talk about politics or religion. my group had a visit from our director, who was from india. we took him out for lunch, and all he wanted to know about was what was mitt romney about and what is this mormonism he has. so two lapsed lutherans an ex catholic and a practicing something-or-other (none fans of romney either) tried to explain this stuff to him with some fairness. eh, they mostly live out west, they have their own extra book of the bible, believe jesus came to north america at some pt, used to be okay w/ polygamy but they quit that a long time ago, great at sales etc.

the punchline is our director was from goa, and was portuguese catholic. we were mostly surprised he'd never heard of mormonism before until romney started making the US political news.

anyway, my answer is yes, but a little different, like

Always think of these little dudes though.

http://www.marmotpress.org/images/sittingMarmotL.jpg

Looks like he's chillin' in the light of Christ if you ask me.

I was wondering if you were going to find that comment!

There was a time when ALL so-called Christians were Catholic.

think you'd struggle to get this by anyone of orthodox bent. I'm fascinated by all the debates about christian lineages, schisms, offshoots etc. & love seeing the different family trees&timelines different groups put out as corrective propaganda. dogmatism is obv boring but the more subtle ways that the more liminal groups relate to wider/older communities&traditions is often v interesting, e.g. rastafarianism & the ethiopian orthodox church, haile selassie sending over a bishop to try to explain things, bob marley getting baptized &c.

Well, yeah. Those guys.

how can you take your clergy seriously if they don't wear hats?

http://powerpointparadise.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/OrthodoxGodfatherPatriarch_kirills_folding_cross.gif

There was a time when ALL so-called Christians were Catholic.

this is like the most roman catholic thing to say, ever

ok it took me like 5 loops to see what happened there, looool.

That gif is amazing.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

"Even the Church of Satan, claiming thousands of members worldwide, is quick to distance itself from the Satanic Temple, despite agreement on atheism, individualism and affinity for pentagrams.

“We see nothing of value in the actions of this handful of individuals,” High Priest Magus Peter Gilmore of the Church of Satan said in an e-mail.

He also said the Church of Satan only applies the term “Satanist” to itself; the others are called “devil worshipers or demonolators, not Satanists,” Gilmore said in the e-mail."

xpost onion thread http://www.freep.com/article/20140915/NEWS05/309150017/-Tea-party-Satanist-bristles-over-Detroit-temple-s-left-leaning-ways

prob mentioned this once or twice but I went to a Lutheran school for a few years (which turned out to be run by the farthest right of the Lutheran synods, mom just put me there because my cousins went there and she thought all Lutherans were like ELCA Lutherans) and during the section of religion class about cults we probably did a week about Mormonism and its evils

of course my snarky lil irreligious brain immediately started being fond of them as a result, whatever the screws said I thought the opposite, \m/

this was the same school where I so bravely argued against their ludicrous creation science textbooks, leading to schoolyard bullying over my belief in evolution

i was raised fundie christian and yeah i was told that mormons were blasphemous hellbound weirdos again and again. ii was pretty surprised when mitt romney won the republican nomination because i was sure that the christian right would never in a million years align behind a mormon, esp after all of the talk in GWB's heyday that directly named the republican party as the party that Jesus himself is rooting for and talks to personally. i think it only happened because the field was THAT weak. james dobson and co just kind of backed away slowly and waited for 2016.

also on norm macdonald's podcast larry king said that he is married to a devout mormon, even though he does not personally believe in the afterlife or god, and that they don't talk about religion. which was pretty unusual imo /ime.

didn't think intermarriage was a "thing" as far as Mormons who are in full standing with the church goes but what do I know

Mormons seem paradoxical like that. Obviously, they're all about spreading the word and knocking on doors and sealing marriages and keeping outsiders at arm's length. BUT, they've never seem too haughty about it. Like maybe they realize they'll look more attractive if they don't turn their nose up at non-LDS members drinking a coffee like the Baptists do if you happen to pull out a longneck at a tailgate?

I couldn't stand Romney. He may have been one of the most red-faced, short-tempered egomaniacs to run on his party's ticket in 35 years. BUT while he was getting pissy about corporations not being people or getting called two-faced on abortion, he had this amazing "Well okey-dokey!" attitude toward voters he'd meet who'd spew about his religion being an amoral cult set up by a false prophet. "Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, it's what makes America so strong amirite?"

Look up what the Mormons call "soaking" if you really want to dig how they try to get around staying sacred.

I've heard it called 'docking' but I think the non-mormon usage has eclipsed the mormon usage

Also Mormon bubbling

Hey, what happens on the trampoline is what happens on the trampoline.

http://i.imgur.com/gOqJJU8.png

Could the GOP have found anyone who looked more like Patrick Bateman? Good Lord.

It's like being made to play with kids you don't like: 'But Daaad, they're not even trinitarians!#