Mormons are Christians.
You would do better to ask what is the difference between Mormons and Baptists or Mormons and Catholics or some other denomination. Remember all the denominations professing to be Christian such as Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, etc do not all believe the same things, so it is not correct to try to suggest they are all the same, when they are not.
Many differences. However the most obvious is the fact that Mormonism is a man made polytheistic religion, while Christianity is a divinely founded monotheistic religion (though its Protestant denominations are man made). Mormonism does include Jesus Christ in their bizarre theology, but what they teach about Him is completely incompatible with the core beliefs of Christianity. Therefore they are not Christian. There is more to being Christian than merely teaching "something" about Jesus Christ. Muslims do that, and they are certainly not Christian.
Mormons are Christians. We believe in Christ, we talk of Christ, we preach of Christ, we rejoice in Christ...we look to Christ for a remission of our sins. Christ is the central figure of our religion and the focus of our faith. (No, it's not Joseph Smith. We love Joseph Smith but we don't worship him. I promise!)
We are taught to be charitable. We are taught to help those who stand in need of help and give comfort to those who mourn. We are taught to clothe the naked and feed the hungry. We are taught to be nice, to forgive, to speak kind words, to do good deeds.
We believe in God the Eternal Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. We believe that they are 3 distinct and separate beings.
We believe that Jesus Christ suffered and died for our sins. And on the third day, he was resurrected. And we believe that Resurrection is a gift that all will receive.
And while the former LDS who are going to answer this question might have some points of truth, the best answers to any religious question come from the religion itself. Seldom are disgruntled people able to be objective in their views.
If by "Christian" you are referring to the Born - Again Christians, I can't speak for them.
the LDS church, known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, (Mormons) Preach about Christ. the Doctrine that Jesus is The Christ is one of the Central Doctines of the LDS Faith. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a Single Denomination of Christianity.
Each Denomination Such as the LDS, the Catholics, the Baptists, Etc are Christian because they Preach of Christ.
Christian means Anyone who Believes in Jesus Christ. it is an umbrella term. Christianity means all Denominations that preach of Jesus Christ.
Idiots use the Term Christian to refer to people only of their faith.
A Better Question would be what is the Difference between
the LDS and the Baptists?
the LDS and the Catholics?
If you want to Know about the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ask a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
If you want to know about the Catholics ask a Catholic.
if you want to know about the Baptists ask a Baptist.
if you want to know about Mormonism ask a Mormon.
So ask me or Fotomama if you want an unbiased answer.
Do some Homework before you ask your next Stupid Question.
I see no issue with someone objectively stating their opinions if they are based on a rational analysis of the issues. One can carefully study the doctrines and theologies of the Mormon beliefs (see sources below), and can then form their own conclusions. I have carefully studied Mormonism, met with many Mormons here in Arizona, am friends with Mormons, and have read all of materials held sacred by Mormons for over ten years.
In the final analysis, I have found the non-Christian religions, such as Mormonism, to be philosophically indefensible, being internally incoherent or undermining human reason and experience.
If you are confident enough in your own beliefs, then you will have no problem with reading some other analysis of your faith, such as the items shown below.
Is Mormonism Christian?:
http://www.carm.org/lds/lds_christian.htm
Doctrinal Writings of Mormon Leaders:
http://www.carm.org/lds/lds_doctrines.htm
More details for those wanting to go deeper:
http://www.mormoninformation.com/
http://www.carm.org/mormon.htm
http://www.mormonchallenge.com/ref_compare.htm
http://www.mrm.org/
The nature of God
Christianity - one God
LDS (Mormon) church - many gods
Christianity - God is Spirit
LDS Church - God has a physical body
Christianity - God is eternal
LDS Church - God was created
The nature of Jesus Christ
Christianity - eternal God
LDS church - first of many sons
The nature of mankind
Christianity - no human preexistence
LDS Church - humans preexisted as spirit beings
Christianity - humans cannot become gods
LDS Church - humans can become gods
The nature of the creation
Christianity - God created from nothing
LDS Church - God organizes existing
Even the Muslims believe in Jesus. This does not validate the Mormon belief that they are Christians.
Basically, Mormons believe that Jesus earned god-hood status by dying on the cross, that while He walked the earth, He was not God, which negates everything that Jesus said about Himself. Let's remember that the Scribes and Pharisees wanted Him put to death for blasphemy.
Mormons believe that Jesus visited the Americas and that when Christ returns, He will establish His kingdom in the United States. They believe He visited the Americas because a tribe from Israel migrated there after the diaspora of the Jews in 500 BC [which is not able to be verified by archaeological evidence].
Jesus' mission to the world was cent red in Israel, His disciples were to take the gospel to the ends of the earth "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
If we follow the logic that Jesus went to the Americas, then He should have also gone to every place in the known world where there were Israelites or people with an Israelite heritage.
The Mormons also believe that following the death of the apostles, the church fell into apostasy and was in that state until Joseph Smith came along. They believe that the Bible cannot be understood by people without proper interpretation, and that they also need a book called the "Book of Mormon" which is accepted by them as scripture.
This "Book of Mormon" is supposedly a record of the people who lived in the Americas who had an Israelite heritage, but it has been debunked. Joseph Smith said he found it buried under a tree, a twelve gold page book which was shown to him by a god-man Moroni who had written the books. Only Smith was allowed to translate the book, written in a form of hieroglyphs which don't exist, and he translated this by sticking his head in a bag with two stones inside, and through this process, he translated the plates.
Interestingly, Joseph Smith found a papyrus which he told his followers was the "Book of Abraham" which he apparently translated as well. Unfortunately, this papyrus was a common Egyptian "Book of the Dead", so one would have to question his translation skills.
Mormons believe that when you're married on earth, you're married in heaven, which is a part of the sealing process in the temple. However Jesus says "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven" Mark 12:25. This is why Mormon encourage their members to remarry Mormons if their spouse leaves the church, because they will not be married in heaven.
So, the church has not fallen into apostasy, because the falling away has not happened yet.There was no need for Joseph Smith to be called as a prophet, because the revelation of the gospel has not changed since Jesus returned to heaven. The Mormons believe that God was once a man who lived on another planet and became a god through good works. They also believe that there are many gods, which makes them polytheistic, not monotheistic.
Find out for yourself as well. Just remember that the Mormons will not be up front with you about some of their stranger beliefs because they need you to believe that they are Christians....all the other stuff follows once you in.
"In recent years, Mormon leaders, including the church's modern-day "Prophet," Gordon B. Hinckley, have sought to align the LDS' public teachings and practices with those of politically correct, global ecumenicism. But it is only until recently that Mormons wanted to be called "Christians," preferring not to be included with Christian denominations, which Joseph Smith Jr. said were, "all wrong ... all their creeds were an abomination in His sight, and that those professors (Christians) were all corrupt" (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, 2:18-19); Mormons have preferred to be called "saints." However, in the recent years, the LDS church has spent millions of dollars in an intense "PR" campaign aimed at moving the Mormon church into the mainstream of Christianity. The political and economic benefits of Mormons being included in the mainstream of Christianity are obvious. Further, for Mormons to be accepted as traditional Christians would greatly aid in proselytizing the members of Christian denominations into the LDS church. This is why the LDS church is trying so hard to present itself as Christian and is trying to overcome the stigma of being a cult (9/16/96, FBIS, "Are Mormons Christians," by Cooper P. Abrams III). Moreover, Mormons let it be known in early-2001 that they no longer wanted to be referred to as "the Mormon Church," "the Latter-day Saints Church," or by "LDS Church." If the name must be shortened, "the Church of Jesus Christ," or "the Church" is acceptable, they said (3/19/01, USN&WR)."
Christian faith looks to Jesus Christ as Savior and Messenger of God's will. Christian faith embraces Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God and part of the Trinity that is forever God (not a mere creation of God). Christians believe the Holy Bible to be the faithful and complete written record of God's revelation of Jesus Christ and salvation. Mormonism looks to Joseph Smith as the primary messenger of their religion. They believe that the Book of Mormon is needed as a sacred text because they think the Bible is incomplete and in error. Mormons do not believe Jesus is truly God, nor do they believe in the Trinity as one eternal God. They believe that Adam (as in Adam and Eve) has gone on to become God, and that God was once a man.
What's the difference between Mormonism and Christianity?
