Are Mormons Christian?

C.S. Lewis's famous "trilemma" confronts those who affirm the moral teachings of Christianity while distancing themselves from Christ's more difficult declarations about His deity, man's sinfulness, and the narrowness of the path to salvation. Jesus' famous "Golden Rule," is enthusiastically embraced in postmodern society while his other teachings are widely rejected. Accustomed to defining their own reality, postmodernists pick and choose from Jesus' teachings as if He offered them some kind of spiritual smorgasbord. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is selected as a delicacy, while "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me" is rejected as distasteful.

The tension between benign Christian morality and the exclusivity of the claims of Christ recently came into play when Baptist Preacher Robert Jeffress - by way of expressing his support for Rick Perry's presidential candidacy - asserted that Mitt Romney is not a Christian and that Mormonism is a cult. In an interview with Anderson Cooper, Jeffress clarified his point, explaining that from a theological perspective, Mormonism is considered a cult because it is outside the historical tradition of Christianity, it recognizes a human being (Joseph Smith) and not God as it's founder, and it regards extra-Biblical texts (The Book of Mormon; The Pearl of Great Price) as being on equal footing with Holy Scripture.

For his part, Cooper seemed offended that Jeffress would presume to judge the claims of another when it comes to religious identity. If someone says they are a "Christian," then who is to say otherwise? If the Mormon Church says it is Christian, then that is their truth and no one has a right to refute it.

This gets back to Lewis's "trilemma," and the dissonance that occurs when society affirms Christ's moral teachings, but rejects his other claims. As Lewis points out, Christ did not leave this way open to us. He made very specific assertions about His nature and that of humanity which we either believe or not. Therefore, we cannot all call ourselves "Christian" unless we empty the word of its meaning.

The Nicene Creed is one of the oldest and most widely accepted distillations of what Christians believe:

Therefore, when an individual or group holds itself out as "Christian," it is a fair exercise to evaluate how their beliefs align with this historic affirmation. That's true whether Anderson Cooper likes it or not. Does Mormonism fit within the historic definition of Christianity or not? Do Mitt Romney's beliefs conform to what Christians over the centuries have affirmed or not? Does the word "Christian" have objective, propositional meaning or not? If it does, then isn't it fair to test the claims of those who call themselves "Christian" against those beliefs that have historically been associated with that religion?

Of course, we live in a free society and people can identify themselves however they choose, but merely saying something doesn't make it so. I can say I'm the Queen of England if it makes me feel good about myself, but this self-delusion won't carry any weight with those guarding the gates of Buckingham Palace.

Pastor Jeffress real sin in the eyes of Anderson Cooper may be that the Reverend deigned to mix religion with politics in an apparent attempt to create a political advantage. If that was the case, then Mr. Cooper's indignation may have been justified. Article VI of the United States Constitution provides that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." And long before our Constitution came into being, none other than Martin Luther declared, "I would rather be governed by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian."

That said, the question remains, "Are Mormons Christian?" Since Mormons assert that they are, isn't this a fair subject of public debate? Since religious truth claims have eternal consequences, isn't it in the public interest to examine the merits of those claims? The election of a Mormon president will likely do more than any other single event to mainstream Mormonism into American life, with all of the consequences attendant thereto. That being the case, why should the claims of that religion be any more immune from scrutiny than those of any other religion?

America will be a poorer country when we reach the point where discussions about religion and our eternal destiny can no longer be part of the public dialogue.

Mormonism is not Christian but it also is NOT a cult. This is a misuse of the term.

I have found the following helpful in answering this question:

DEFINITIONS OF A CULT

The Christian definition of a cult is a religious group that denies one or more of the fundamentals of Biblical truth. Or, in more simple terms, a cult is a group that teaches something that will cause a person to not be saved if they believe it. For example, teaching that Jesus was not God, or that salvation is not by faith alone – these two things are prime examples of a cult.

The two most obvious example of cults are the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons believe many things that are in agreement with and/or similar to what the Bible teaches. However, they also believe numerous doctrines that are in clear contradiction to the Bible and the Biblical Gospel of salvation.
From a Christian perspective, a cult is a group of people who follow one man or the group's spiritual teachings and practices that, when compared with orthodox Christian doctrine always contradict them, as well as exalt the group's own unique religious perspective as the only way to truly serve God.
From a purely Biblical perspective, 2 Corinthians 11:4 gives us the clearest and most concise description of how cults may be discerned. False teachings, the apostle Paul warned here, will introduce three major errors to the unsuspecting in the name of Christianity:
1. First they will preach their own determination of who Jesus Christ is, denying his Biblically revealed identity as God the Son and exchanging it with another. They'll point to "another Jesus."
2. Second, cult teachers will proclaim a "gospel message" that is ultimately is a message of works-centered salvation, in sharpest contrast to the Good News of saving grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). They'll preach "another gospel."
3. Third, the revealed spiritual nature of the work of the cult claims to be, but actually is not, inspired by God the Spirit. Instead, a chilling reference is made to spiritual entities who lend tremendous spiritual power to their natural human puppets to preach deceptive gospels. They'll be empowered by "another spirit." This is the work of demonic agents in allegiance with Satan, the opposer of God throughout history.

In short, a cult will energetically claim to follow the Bible and be the only group to be found anywhere who really are interpreting it correctly (hence the rationale for some countercult workers calling some groups "Bible based"). Ultimately, once examined, a questionable group's doctrines will always deny orthodox Biblical truth in some manner.

CATEGORIES OF CULTS

Eastern Mystical: groups related to Hinduism, Buddhism and other pantheistic Eastern religions; examples in this category are Hare Krishnas and Self-Realization Fellowship.
Aberrant Christian: groups that claim to be Bible-based but which deviate in practice or belief, such as Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, The Way International, the Boston Church of Christ and the Shepherding Movement.
Psychospiritual or Self-Improvement: groups offering seminars or workshops providing self-improvement or personal transformation (a growing cultic trend), includes Transcendental Meditation, Lifespring and The Forum (formerly est).
Eclectic/Syncretistic: a combination of several religious traditions, includes the Unification Church ("Moonies") and the Church Universal and Triumphant.
Psychic/Occult/Astral: these groups offer "secret wisdom" and "lost truths;" examples include UFO cults and Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment.
Extremist/Political/Social Movements: groups cultic in the psychological or social sense including the Black Muslims, Aryan Nation, White Aryan Resistance and the Ku Klux Klan.

TEN COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF ABERRANT CHRISTIAN CULTS

Note: Any of the below is indicative of cults. The more attributes that apply, the more serious the problem.

A Founder who typically:
1. Is charismatic (at least in the eyes of cult members)
2. Has little or no formal or theological education
3. Has poor character (e.g. dishonest, sexually licentious)
4. Has noticeable personality disorders
5. Is revered by cult members
6. Claims special authority (e.g. prophet, apostle, divine messenger, etc.)
Divine Revelation claimed by the founder (or by cult leadership) which is:
1. Non-verifiable
2. Easily discredited (by science, archaeology, internal inconsistency, etc.)
3. Usually changes and/or evolves over time
4. Often similar (or identical) to earlier documented heresies, especially: Aryanism, Gnosticism and paganism
5. Intolerant – members cannot challenge (or even question) cult doctrine or decisions made by cult leadership
Overriding Authority (i.e. "correcting", amending or even replacing the Bible) attributed to the special divine revelation
Non-Biblical Doctrine derived from the overriding authority, most commonly:
1. Denial of the authority and completeness of Scripture
2. Denial of the deity of Christ
3. Denial of the Holy Trinity
4. Salvation by works
Sin resulting from the non-Biblical doctrine, such as:
1. Poor treatment of women, disparagement of minorities and/or other forms of bigotry
2. Sexual immorality
3. Falsehood and deception
4. Theft
Secrecy particularly relating to:
1. Group finances
2. Membership (and frequently leadership) rosters
3. Doctrine – which may be only partially revealed (even to cult members) or may be revealed in a piecemeal fashion
4. Rites, rituals and/or initiations
5. Signs, signals or other means of identification and/or recognition
Seclusion, Isolation and/or Separation from society by:
1. Living in isolation (or at least in separate housing quarters)
2. Dressing differently, sometimes in special uniforms or costumes
3. Special group manners and/or mores
4. Unusual dietary requirements, or required abstinence from certain foods or other products (e.g. television, telephones, newspapers, etc.)
Control of Persons and/or Property such as:
1. Forfeiture of individual identity
2. Denial of an individual's decision-making
3. Imposed poverty often through forfeiture of possessions (sometimes waived for cult leadership)
4. Mandatory tithing
5. Assigned duties and responsibilities
6. Communal raising of children; shared parenting; forced attendance at cult schools
7. Group sex, sharing of partners, and/or other forms of promiscuity
8. Celibacy (sometimes waived for cult leadership)
9. Involvement with psychogenic or hallucinogenic drugs
Strict Discipline through:
1. Rigid enforcement of (often numerous and arcane) cult rules
2. Guaranteed blessings and/or punishment in the afterlife
3. Harsh punishment (often both physical and/or psychological) for disobedience
4. Various ranks or levels of membership (e.g. priesthood), often with increasing benefits
"Group Think" by members frequently shown by:
1. Blind obedience and/or unquestioning loyalty – members cannot (or will not) question or challenge cult doctrine or decisions made by cult leadership
2. Inability to reason with cult members without their prior "deprogramming"
3. Feelings of persecution
4. Mass hysteria
5. Personal or third party destruction (e.g. suicide, murder, etc.)

OTHER SATANIC PRACTICES

Note: Sometimes, it helps to offer a contrast. As noted above, cults are organized "groups" of persons. The below are not formally structured, therefore are cannot be classified as a true cult – but are similar in that they are evil, anti-Christian and have fanatic adherents.

Persecution of Christians and/or Christian beliefs (especially by Hollywood, the courts and Main Stream Media)
Promotion of false doctrine
1. Relativism (e.g. denial of absolute truth, "personal belief systems")
2. Abhorrent sexual behavior (e.g. homosexual "rights", sexual "liberation")
Promotion of false religions such as:
1. Darwinism -- attributing mythical or magical properties to animals or inanimate objects (i.e. animism)
2. Islam (e.g. advocating special rights for Muslims, overlooking Islamic deficiencies)
Destruction of life (e.g. abortion, euthanasia)

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