Hello, all.

[fr0d0]

Well non trinitarian Christians don't believe that Jesus = God.

Instead, they believe he's a prophet, etc.. To trinitarian Christians this is the same as not being a Christian at all. The source material can be the same (as catfish seems to have), or the same source with added material, such as JW's & Mormons.

[Bad Writer]

Mormons believe Jesus was a prophet AND a god. They consider Christ to be Jehovah of the OT, and then God's name is Elohim. The Holy Ghost doesn't get a fancy name though.

Also, I think Elohim is the Hebrew plural for "gods". Something along those lines anyway.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Hi Peter, good to have you aboard

[Chas]

Welcome, Peter.

Mormon theology and history are unutterably silly, so I won't be cutting you any slack here.

[PeterPriesthood]

Hello Peter and welcome to AF! ^_^

Wow, a LDSer
*poke, poke*
Yup, he's real alright!

Though I find mormonism absurd, I still think the more the merrier and the more versatile the better.

Glad to be aboard. Now, for that question:

...I had a slight disagreement with a friend, in my opinion anyone who follows Jesus is a christian (no matter the branch), but in his opinion mormons cannot be considered christians. What is your stance on this?

Jesus Christ is the central figure in our Heavenly Father's plan of Salvation. I think calling us anything other than Christian is doing us a disservice. Does your friend also consider Catholics, 7th Day Adventists, and JWs to not be Christians? I'm sorry if this offends, but your friend is acting like a bigot.

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Well non trinitarian Christians don't believe that Jesus = God.

Instead, they believe he's a prophet, etc.. To trinitarian Christians this is the same as not being a Christian at all. The source material can be the same (as catfish seems to have), or the same source with added material, such as JW's & Mormons.

Mormons believe Jesus was a prophet AND a god. They consider Christ to be Jehovah of the OT, and then God's name is Elohim. The Holy Ghost doesn't get a fancy name though.

Also, I think Elohim is the Hebrew plural for "gods". Something along those lines anyway.

I'm glad to see that misinformation about the Mormons isn't in short supply here! Let's see if I can set a few things straight. fr0d0 is correct that we believe Jesus was a prophet in his own right. When he walked the earth he was the head of the Church at that time. But, he was also our Lord and Savior. He was also our God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He and the Father and the Holy Ghost are one in purpose, and he is an important part of the Godhead, or Trinity, if you will. (I can't really call it a Trinity because our definition doesn't match the one accepted by most Christians). BWS is right that Jesus is the same personage that led the Israelites out of Egypt, and is the same that made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and His father is also our father, that same Father that is in Heaven, the one He prayed to while in the Garden in Gethsemane. His name is no mystery: it is Elohim.

Yeah...I guess it's funny that the Holy Ghost doesn't get a cooler title than that. No one has seen him or knows much about him. We also believe that the Holy Ghost will be the last person to walk the earth in a body, and that he will be so righteous that he will need no death, similar to how Elijah the Prophet was carried up to heaven.

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Mormon theology and history are unutterably silly, so I won't be cutting you any slack here.

I don't expect you to! Thank you for the warm welcome, all of you. This place is pretty fun so far, and I feel like I'm learning a lot. Min even warmed up to me with his "Hank" video, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Kayenneh]

Jesus Christ is the central figure in our Heavenly Father's plan of Salvation. I think calling us anything other than Christian is doing us a disservice. Does your friend also consider Catholics, 7th Day Adventists, and JWs to not be Christians? I'm sorry if this offends, but your friend is acting like a bigot.

*Points at my signature*
I do not get offended easily
And he's brought up Catholic (a non-religious Christian atm), from Arizona, so you kind of hit your head on the nail there

[Napoléon]

Oh, and I understand that swearing is second nature to you

Oh tar us all with the same brush why don't you.

Some of us speak the Queen's English ya get me.

[CleanShavenJesus]

Pascal's wager always assumes that the particular variant of "god" in question is the one which they believe in.

Whatever will you do if you get up there and its Valhalla? Odin is going to want to know why you didn't die with a weapon in your hand.

And Odin gets pissed if you give the wrong answer.

I'll worship Odin if it means being able to drink more actual mead. That stuff is awesome.

[Cyberman]

Oh yeah! Someone last year, I think, posted an amazing mead recipe around here. Guess what got me through xmas..?

[Whateverist]

Well non trinitarian Christians don't believe that Jesus = God.

Instead, they believe he's a prophet, etc.. To trinitarian Christians this is the same as not being a Christian at all. The source material can be the same (as catfish seems to have), or the same source with added material, such as JW's & Mormons.

I've always wondered what the essential, bare bones minimum requirements would be for calling oneself a Christian. I'm starting to think there isn't perfect agreement on this among all those who claim to be a Christian.

I assume that someone who finds value in the philosophy of the character of the biblical Jesus but considers all references to heaven and God to be metaphorical, would not technically be considered a Christian by most people who call themselves Christian. I wonder what you would say about such 'Christians', PP and Fr0d0.