Are Mormons Christians?

The question "Are Mormons Christians?" is a question that is seemingly endless in the media. 

Right now there has been some extra talk in the news due to comments made by Robert Jeffress: 
"Texas evangelical leader Robert Jeffress, the Baptist megachurch pastor who introduced Rick Perry at the Values Voter Summit, said Friday afternoon he does not believe Mitt Romney is a Christian.  Jeffress described Romney's Mormon faith as a 'cult,' ... [When]asked by POLITICO if he believed Romney is a Christian, Jeffress answered: 'No.' "
(http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65445.html)

I was listening to someone on talk radio today in reference to this statement, and they also ignorantly stated that Jeffress is right, that Mormons aren't Christians. 

Let's talk about this.

First of all, let's visit our good friends Webster and Wikipedia. That way we can get an official term, and a term that comes from our fellow Internet users. 
Their definitions of a Christian are:
Webster says:
1a : one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ Wikipedia says:
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. "Christian" derives from the Koine Greek word Christ, a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term Messiah.[1]  Central to the Christian faith is love or Agape. Christians also believe Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, the Son of God, and the savior of mankind from their sins.[2] Most Christians believe in the doctrine of the Trinity ("tri-unity"), a description of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which retains the monotheistic belief of Christianity's Abrahamic heritage through an ineffable confluence. This includes the vast majority of the churches in Christianity. The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like."[3] It is also used as a label to identify people who associate with the cultural aspects of Christianity, irrespective of personal religious beliefs or practices.[4]

Does this give you a good understanding of what a Christian is? 

How would you define a "Christian"?

Secondly, let's see what the Mormons, or rather the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (as that is the real name of the religion) believe in relation to Jesus Christ.

"Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. He is our Redeemer. The Holy Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ's mother was Mary, His father on earth was Joseph, that He was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, and labored with Joseph as a carpenter. When he turned 30, He began a three-year ministry of teaching, blessing, and healing the people of the Holy Land. He also organized His Church and gave His apostles "power and authority" (Luke 9:1) to assist in His work.
"But what do we mean when we say He is the Savior of the world? The Redeemer? Each of these titles point to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. Jesus suffered and was crucified for the sins of the world, giving each of God’s children the gift of repentance and forgiveness. Only by His mercy and grace can anyone be saved. His subsequent resurrection prepared the way for every person to overcome physical death as well. These events are called the Atonement. In short, Jesus Christ saves us from sin and death. For that, he is very literally our Savior and Redeemer. In the future Jesus Christ will return to reign on earth in peace for a thousand years. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He will be our Lord forever."

Now remove any biases or previous prejudices that you may have surrounding this church. 

Does the information given from Webster and Wikipedia coincide with the beliefs of the Mormons? Yes.

I firmly state that Mormons are Christians. 

The title of the church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, states that they believe in Christ, and that it is His church.  The "of Latter-day Saints" portion states that they are members of Christ's church in the latter or last days.

The members of this church are given the nickname of Mormons because of the Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.  "It is Holy Scripture, with form and content similar to that of the Bible. Both books contain God's guidance as revealed to prophets as well as religious histories of different civilizations." (http://mormon.org/book-of-mormon/)

Part of being a Christian, means being Christ-like, or trying to be like the Savior Jesus Christ.  And that means being kind and respectful of others and their beliefs. 

Before we jump to conclusions, or negatively place someone in a category, we should do some valid research.  Go to the source of this Christian belief, find out for yourself what Mormons really believe.  Go to http://www.mormon.org/.  You will get the facts from the members of this church, not someone else's interpretation of what they believe. 

If you really want to find out for yourself what this church is all about, take a challenge and read The Book of Mormon (or re-read it for that matter).  Get it free here.

Again, I firmly state that Mormons are Christian. 

I am a Mormon.  And I am a Christian.

I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the only Begotten of the Father.  I know he came to this earth, lived a perfect life, taught and followed God's commandments.  He taught how to love and serve each other.  He was the ultimate example of how we should live our lives.  Before Jesus was crucified, he knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, and prayed to the Father on our behalf.  He suffered the pain of our sins, for us.  All of us.  Jesus Christ did this so that we could be made clean and return to live in with our Heavenly Father.

I know that Jesus is the Christ.  I strive to live my life as he lived his.  And that makes me a Christian.

I Can't Walk

On Saturday, October 1st, I ran the St. George Marathon.  It was my 4th time running that marathon, my 4th marathon this year and my 8th marathon overall. 

I rocked the marathon - my time, my pace etc....until mile 16.  And with about 10 miles left to go, I hit my wall.  I couldn't get over it.  So I didn't finish in as good of time and I had hoped.

But I finished.

I think my legs stopped working because they decided that 104.8+ miles was plenty for the year.  I've been tallying all the miles I've run this year and it is well over 400 - if you count all the training and race miles.

And today, two days after the race, my legs still don't want to function.

I'd be walking down the hall at work and my leg would give out on me and I'd nearly come crashing down.  The slight slope in the parking lot to my car was grueling.  And then the stairs up to my condo.  Death.

Not to mention my ankles are swollen.  You'd think I was 8 months pregnant, not that I'd just run a marathon! 

I think I will definitely be taking a break from racing for the remainder of the year. 

But in the meantime I will enjoy my 5 medals and my award from coming in third place for my division in the Utah Grand Slam. 

Poor feet.

Go me.