One thing that has surprised me since joining the LDS church
is that some people don’t see Mormons as being Christians at all. I don’t know
how they get to this conclusion, but it’s actually quite a common misunderstanding.
Mormons ARE Christians. We teach from the Old Testament and
the New Testament as well as the Book Of Mormon. We believe in Christ being the
Redeemer and Saviour of us all, and that through his atonement we can repent
and be forgiven of our sins. I have even heard someone suggest that Mormons don’t
believe in Jesus Christ, but yet surely the name of the church “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints”
might give it away, but obviously that’s not quite glaring enough! ;-)
The LDS church is a faith of Christianity, just like
Protestants, Catholics, Methodists etc, are all separate faiths, but ultimately
under the banner of Christianity.
We believe in the Book Of Mormon as another testament of
Jesus Christ, and it foretells of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. The
Book Of Mormon tells of a family who left Jerusalem around 600BC. The father of
the family, Lehi (lee-hye), had been
warned that Jerusalem would be destroyed and so he left with his family. Of
course, Jerusalem was indeed destroyed, and was sieged several times in its
turbulent history, but it was attacked and destroyed just after Lehi and his
family left (2 Kings 24:10-16). They were guided by the Lord to what we now
know is the American continent. They made landfall somewhere around the Columbia/Ecuador/Peru
area, and along with another family they had brought with them, proceeded to
settle in the land.
As the population grew, two distinct groups emerged. Lehi’s
sons Nephi (nee-fye) and Sam were
always very faithful to the Lord, and would teach the gospel to their families
and those around them. However, the other sons Laman (lay-man) and Lemuel (lem-yu-ul)
were always quick to criticise and berate their more faithful brothers. The two
groups ended up separating and living in different parts of the land, calling
themselves Nephites and Lamanites.
The Book of Mormon describes their history as they build
civilisations, and how the iniquities and sins of man can cause suffering and
chaos, whilst faith, repentance and humility brings blessings from the Lord.
The two factions war frequently, and other factions split off as parts of the population
become larger and more greedy, proud, and vain.
We believe in the Bible the same as other Christian faiths,
but we also have another book, which we believe to be true, and as such it is
treated with the same respect and reverence as Catholics treat the Old
Testament.
So, what’s the difference between Mormons and Christians?
Mormons are Christians, but with an extra book.
