A Christian campus minister recently asked me to limit the information the Mormons were permitted to put in our brochure rack. I asked why he wanted me to do this, especially since other religious groups had more information on the rack than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He responded that he didn’t have a problem with the other groups but didn’t want anyone to think that the Mormons were really Christians like they claim to be.
Unfortunately, I was not surprised by this. Over the years I have heard from many “Christians” who do not believe Mormons to be true Christians.
So, I ask why this opinion is often expressed because isn’t Christianity full of groups that do not agree? Isn’t this why there are so many denominations? Even within denominations there are splits over which direction the church should go. Look among the many Christian denominations and traditions and you will find different interpretations of what Christianity means, what version of the Bible is the most accurate, who can be ordained, and so on. But, including the Mormons as another Christian group is so hard for some to do.
When I pressed a few on why there is a reluctance to accept Mormons as Christians they tell me because the Book of Mormon is not another testament and Joseph Smith never received gold tablets from angels, if he had then why can’t we find them today? As if the tablets containing the Ten Commandments were available to us, and the Holy Grail were on display at the Smithsonian, and all things relating to Jesus were accessible.
This sounds terribly familiar to me. A testament (the Old Testament) is followed by another testament (the New Testament) and then a third testament (Book of Mormon). When Jesus walked the earth there were those who doubted him and made reference to the Old Testament warning of anyone, in the future, who would claim to be a prophet. Now I often hear from many Christians that overlook this and, instead, behave towards Mormons the same way many initially treated Christians.
Isn’t being a Christian defined as someone who believes in Jesus and His teachings? Shouldn’t each individual be able to decide for him/herself what Christianity means to him/her? Apparently there are a lot of Christians that want to define Christianity for others - as long as others don’t define it for them.