“Are Mormons Christian?” by Stephen E. Robinson is an outstanding MP3 download.  This remarkable book’s objective is not to declare or defend Mormonism, but to examine the techniques used to exclude Mormons from being regarded as Christians.

Exclusions by:
1. Definition:  Definitions are drawn up with the purpose of excluding. The stacking of the deck amounts to saying, “Mormons are not Christian because they don’t believe as we do.”

2. Misrepresentation: Intentional citing of doctrines or practices that simply are not adhered to by Mormons. This device also is used to find obscure ideas that never rose to the status of Church doctrine.

3. Name calling: “Cult” is the favorite term designed to infer “non-Christian”, though the term does not fit.

4. Historical: Mormons are excluded from being Christian, because they have not gone through all the history of Christianity. To be fair, this exclusion must therefore fall upon Christ, Paul, and all others not experiencing the whole history.

5. Canon: Catholic Bibles have twelve more books than other Christians, yet they are not excluded.

6. Doctrine: Saints Clement, Ireneaus, Augustine, Simon the New Theologian as late as the 11th century taught the deification of man. Martin Luther endorsed plural marriage for Henry VIII, approved of and attended the plural marriage of a German prince. Yet Catholics and Lutherans are not excluded from being Christian. Double standards?

Conclusions:  The exclusions are consciously being used for the sole purpose of excluding, even at the expense of fairness. Considerations of a belief in Christ as a standard for being a Christian is carefully avoided.

This book, “Are Mormons Christian?” by Stephen Robinson is very interesting and informative, and I would highly recommend it.

K. Stevenson,
Salt Lake City, Utah; Gospel Doctrine Teacher