Are Mormons Christians?
Latter-day Saints believe in Jesus Christ, pray in his name, take the sacrament in remembrance of him, and try to follow him every day. The Church bears his name. To say they are not Christians is unkind and simply wrong: anyone who sincerely loves, worships and follows Christ should be free to call themselves a Christian.
— Gospel Topics Essays, 'Are "Mormons" Christian?' (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Many Latter-day Saints sincerely love Jesus and live admirable lives, and that should be honored. But the question is not about sincerity or morals. It is whether Latter-day Saint teaching about God and Christ is the same as the faith the apostles handed down. On central points, such as whether there is one eternal God, whether God was once a man, and whether the Son is eternally God, it differs, and the Church itself says it rejects the historic creeds. So the honest answer is that Latter-day Saints follow a different account of Jesus than historic Christianity confesses.
What Scripture says
13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.
Jesus himself asks 'Who do you say that I am?' The identity of Jesus, not only devotion to him, is the central question.
3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it very easily.
Paul warns that one can preach 'another Jesus' using the same name.
4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.
The Shema: the LORD is one. Christianity is rooted in Israel's monotheism.
5I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,
God says there is no other, and besides him there is no God.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
The Word was God and was with God in the beginning; everything was made through him.
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.
The whole fullness of deity dwells bodily in Christ.
24God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
Jesus teaches that God is spirit.
15But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.
Every answer is to be given with gentleness and respect.
The case
Start with respect
A word about names: the Church asks to be called by its full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and its members prefer "Latter-day Saints" to "Mormons." This entry uses those terms.
Most Christians who have Latter-day Saint neighbors know them as kind, family-centered, generous people who speak warmly of Jesus. Nothing here questions their sincerity or character. Calling someone "not Christian" can sound like a personal insult, so it is important to be clear about what the question means. It is a question about doctrine: is the God and the Christ taught by the Church the same as the God and the Christ confessed by the apostles and the historic church?
What "Christian" has meant
From the first centuries, Christians have been identified not only by devotion to Jesus but by confession of who he is. Paul warned that someone could preach "another Jesus" (2 Corinthians 11:4) while using the same name. The early church summarized the apostolic faith in creeds, and the Nicene Creed (AD 325/381) became the shared confession of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches. It confesses one God; the Son as eternally begotten of the Father, "true God from true God"; and the Holy Spirit as Lord and giver of life.
The Church does not hide its disagreement here. Its essay "Are 'Mormons' Christian?" says that Latter-day Saints do not accept the creeds of post–New Testament Christianity, and it describes their merger with Greek philosophy as a grave error. The question, then, is not whether Latter-day Saints disagree with historic Christianity on the doctrine of God. Both sides agree they do. The question is whether that disagreement is central.
Where the differences lie
| Question | Historic Christianity | Latter-day Saint teaching |
|---|---|---|
| How many Gods exist? | One God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5) | Father, Son and Holy Ghost are three separate beings, one in purpose; exalted humans may become gods |
| Was God always God? | Yes, eternally (Psalm 90:2) | Joseph Smith taught God was once a man who progressed |
| Does the Father have a body? | No; God is spirit (John 4:24) | Yes, of flesh and bones (D&C 130:22) |
| Who is the Son? | Eternally God, uncreated, sharing the one divine nature | The firstborn spirit child of Heavenly Father, divine and the Savior |
| Where is authority found? | Scripture and the apostolic faith | Restored priesthood and modern prophets, with additional scripture |
These are not side issues like church government or worship style. They concern the identity of God himself, which the Bible treats as the first and most basic truth (Exodus 20:2-3; Mark 12:29).
Why the doctrine of God is central
Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15). Christian faith is trust in a particular person. If Jesus is the eternal God made flesh, through whom all things were made (John 1:1-3; Colossians 2:9), then he is Creator, not a being who progressed within a larger universe of gods. And if there is only one God, then worship, salvation and our final hope are all oriented toward him alone.
This is why most Christian traditions, while respecting Latter-day Saints, conclude that their teaching represents a different faith rather than a branch of historic Christianity. Some scholars, such as the Catholic theologian Stephen Webb, have argued for more openness. The fairest summary is that Latter-day Saints are devoted followers of Jesus as they understand him, but their understanding differs from historic Christian faith at its center.
Why it matters
The goal of this conversation is not to win a label. It is to know the true God. Christians should speak with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16), share what they love about Jesus, and invite Latter-day Saint friends to read the Gospels together and ask: Who does this Jesus say he is? The answer, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30), opens the door to knowing the eternal God who came near to save.
Word study
greek · “deity, the state of being God” · Colossians 2:9
Used only here in the New Testament. It refers not to godlike qualities but to the very nature of being God. Paul says the full measure of deity dwells in Christ in bodily form. Historic Christianity reads this as the eternal Son, fully God, taking on human nature, not as an exalted being sharing in a divine status that others may also attain.
“But what about…?”
Isn't the Trinity just a later creed that isn't in the Bible?
The word is later, but the teaching is drawn from the New Testament: one God (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Father who is God, the Son who is God (John 1:1; John 20:28), and the Spirit who is God (Acts 5:3-4), with baptism into the one name of all three (Matthew 28:19). The creeds summarized these texts. Latter-day Saints accept the three persons but understand them as three separate beings united in purpose, which is a real difference.
Doesn't the Book of Mormon teach that Jesus is God?
It does speak of Christ in exalted terms, and some passages use language close to traditional Christianity. Many distinctive Latter-day Saint teachings about God, such as the Father having a body (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22) and the plurality of gods, came through Joseph Smith's later revelations and sermons. It is helpful to ask a friend which sources shape their view of God.
Are you saying my Latter-day Saint friend can't be saved?
That judgment belongs to God alone, who knows hearts. This answer is about what the Church teaches, not about any individual. A person may trust the biblical Christ more fully than their church's theology would suggest. The kindest thing is to share the gospel clearly and let Scripture do its work.
Why does it matter what we call each other?
Words matter because they carry meaning. Latter-day Saint leaders have themselves emphasized that their understanding of Christ differs from the 'traditional' Christ of the creeds (Gordon B. Hinckley, Church News, June 20, 1998). Acknowledging the difference honestly respects both communities.
Where Christians differ
Go deeper
- articleThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- book · 1991Are Mormons Christians?Stephen E. Robinson
- book · 2007Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical DebateRobert L. Millet & Gerald R. McDermott
- book · 2012Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to EvangelicalsRichard J. Mouw
- book · 1997How Wide the Divide? A Mormon and an Evangelical in ConversationCraig L. Blomberg & Stephen E. Robinson
- book · 2013Mormon Christianity: What Other Christians Can Learn from the Latter-day SaintsStephen H. Webb
Sources (6)
- Gospel Topics Essays, 'Are "Mormons" Christian?': 'Latter-day Saints do not accept the creeds, confessions, and formulations of post-New Testament Christianity'; God the Father described as an embodied being
- Doctrine and Covenants 130:22: the Father has a body of flesh and bones
- Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse (April 7, 1844): God was once a man
- Gordon B. Hinckley, reported in Church News, June 20, 1998: the 'traditional Christ' of others is not the Christ of whom he speaks
- Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, response on the validity of baptism conferred by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (June 5, 2001)
- Nicene Creed (AD 325, expanded AD 381)
Related questions
Can humans become gods through eternal progression?
Scripture does hold out a glorious destiny: believers will be adopted as God's children, share in his life, and be made like Christ in holiness. But the Bible draws a permanent line between the Creator and his creatures. God says that no god was formed before him and none will be after him, that he is God from everlasting and is not a man. Christians will share God's glory by grace forever, but they will never become additional gods. There is one God, and we will worship him forever.
Was there a Great Apostasy that required the gospel to be restored?
Jesus promised that the gates of Hades would not prevail against his church and that he would be with his people to the end of the age. The New Testament warns of false teachers and a falling away, but never of a total loss of truth and authority. The writings of the earliest Christians after the apostles show the same gospel continuing: Jesus as Lord and God, his atoning death and resurrection, and baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus himself holds an unending priesthood, so it could not be lost.
Is the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ?
Christians agree that God can speak, and the question is not whether he may give revelation but whether this book is from him. Scripture tells us how to test any new message: does it agree with what God has already revealed? The apostles taught that the faith was delivered once for all and that God's final word is his Son. The Book of Mormon is tied to a wider restoration that teaches a different God and a different way of salvation, so it cannot be a further testament to the same gospel.
This entry is a draft and has not yet been theologically reviewed.