Brent Hunsaker - Why Pastor Robert Jeffress is wrong to say Mormons are not Christians

@ Kimmie Dawn That is more then OK for church leaders to not comment, the Church does not comment on political affairs, church history issues, doctrinal concerns etc.. They don't need to comment on this issue but they do need to explain to active members and non-members what they mean when they tell people at general conference that they are Christian because it is extremely deceptive when people believing in Christianity are being told by Mormons that they are christian (who have always fought against Christianity that they are now christian). It is important to just tell people the truth and that will clear up the confusion, how could telling the truth be a bad thing? I know you may think people are just being mean to Mormons and we just need to love each other and understand our differences but you must get an understanding of the Mormon belief of christian primitivism (Google it), the church is the restored pure form of Christianity so when you talk about the word christian we are not talking about the same thing, faith or belief. Joseph Smith was told in the grove of trees "all their creeds (Christianity included) were an abomination in his (Gods) sight; that those professors were all corrupt;" JSH 1:19 (http://lds.org/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng) So because of this the restoration of the correct form of Christianity (Mormonism ONLY true form of being a christian) was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. Can you not see how this would be confusing to a christian within Christianity? Can you not see the deception?

I agree with the statement given by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints leaders, which said: "We really don’t want to comment on a statement made at a political event, but those who want to understand the centrality of Christ to our faith can learn more about us and what we believe by going to mormon.org." I am a Christian Mormon, I understand what that means and I wish people could be more open minded and accepting of other people's beliefs. We do believe in the Book of Mormon and the Bible both and that they compliment each other and they both testify of Jesus Christ.

George Q Cannon explains it better then I could ever do: "After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth. They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon. The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organizations, have one common origin. They all belong to Babylon." - Apostle George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, p. 324

@lpnpeds60 If you read the previous comments below you will find out that you are both right and wrong when you say Mormon's are not christian.. Mormons agree they are not christian when it comes to believing in Christianity but they are christian when it comes to believing in Mormonism.. To understand this you must understand christian primitivism, they are the restored pure form of Christianity so when you talk about the word christian we are not talking about the same thing, faith or belief. Joseph Smith was told in the grove of trees "all their creeds (Christianity included) were an abomination in his (Gods) sight; that those professors were all corrupt;" JSH 1:19 (http://lds.org/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng) So because of this the restoration of the correct form of Christianity (Mormonism) was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith.

I don't know about Mormons being a cult but I don't believe they are Christians -Jesus Christ is Our Lord Savior. Furthermore I DO NOT like Mitt Romney I think he is rude and ignorant sob, if he gets he as President he NOT my President. Also I do not think his wife is First Lady material. Now Jon Huntsman would make a perfect President of the United States and his wife would make a beautiful First Lady.

@ Josh T. Thank you for acknowledging truth in your response and informing readers of this article that what Pastor Jeffress said was correct, Mormons are not Christian in the way of believing in Christianity. Mormons are apart of "christian primitivism" which is the restoration of the pure form of christian worship or Mormonism.. So, in reality Mormons should be telling Christians they are not Christian because their beliefs are corrupt and an abomination in the sight of God. Obviously this would not be the approach taken but it is the truth about Mormon belief and theology. If leaders of the church would explain this to the general public and the media then the confusion would stop because we are not talking about the same thing, Mormons are not Christian as a Christian believes in Christianity as you have agreed with me on. It does no good for a Mormon to debate with a Christian on this subject because Mormons are not clear on what exactly they mean when they say "I am absolutely christian" christian within Christianity or within a restored form of Christianity that can only be accessed through Mormonism (christian primitivism)? I think both the non-member and member are confused by this as well, you being an exception.

Brent...thanks for your thoughtful response to Pastor Jeffress....it's hard to overcome ignorance and bigotry, but you made a sincere attempt with your response. Bill Freeze/Provo

Well, I think I will retire from this blog. The world is passing us by. It has been worthwhile to learn what others think that I believe. Nothing like having words put into my mouth. I have said enough, perhaps too much. I wish you all good luck and God's blessings to attend you. Have a good one James. I sincerely mean that.

So, like I said before, we are all on the same team, and if we aren't then we should be, because their are actual evils in this world that we need to stand up against like drugs, pornography, the many things that attack and dissolve families, etc. If someone chooses to fight, as you have suggested, against the LDS church, they will find that it is a one-way fight, because we aren't fighting back. This is apparent by the church's actions and comments, such as their simple comment to Jeffress' derogatory remark about them: "We really don’t want to comment on a statement made at a political event, but those who want to understand the centrality of Christ to our faith can learn more about us and what we believe by going to mormon.org." Now with hindsight, this probably would have been the best approach on this forum as well. Looking at the posts, and even my own, we have all tended to drift away from the actual topic of the blog and the issue it was meant to address. To address the latter end of your last post. I think we have made some progress in understanding each other. As my lengthy posts before explained, our definitions of Christian and Christianity differ. I consider myself christian in the sense that I believe in Jesus Christ. I agree that I am not christian according to your definition, that of being a member of any church falling under the huge blanketing term "Christianity" which includes denominations such as Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Lutherans, and many more (not necessarily in that respective order, I was just throwing some out there). According to your def. of Christianity, you are absolutely right, I am not that definition of a Christian. I don't want to be considered a christian in that regard, because I don't belong to any of those churches. You were right how you said it, I should say, and I do say, that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

@James M- I don't know what the world knows about God. If I wanted to know though, then I would ask them rather than assume I know what they know. I have full confidence that the world knows many things about God, their creator. I do apologize for my assumptions that you had not read the actual manuscripts. I was wrong to do so. You are right that I do not have a set for myself, but they are easily accessible online. Once again, I am sorry. It was wrong of me to do so. I will admit that it is apparent that you have seen, read, and probably even studied much of LDS literature. Your efforts and desire to become more educated and more informed on LDS doctrine and beliefs is highly commendable and I want to thank you for doing so. If you haven't already, and if your time and desire will it, I invite you to read the whole Book of Mormon. Just a thought. I won't be offended if you don't, or if you have read it cover to cover and didn't like it or agree with it. Now about this struggle that you have mentioned between Mormons and all of Christianity. I am unaware of any war or struggle between us. If we were supposed to be fighting against you I am doing a very poor job at it because nobody informed me that I was supposed to. I go to church and do my best to pay attention, but I think I would have remembered someone saying over the pulpit that we need to fight against all other Christian religions, prove them wrong, rub their noses in it, whatever. Nobody in our Church has ever said anything even close to that. I imagine, since you are a pretty informed guy, that you have heard or read what our church leaders have said in General Conferences and you know that what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is seeking is unify, cooperation, and respect with all other faiths, christian and non-christian alike, to better this world and to aid those in need.