by Hailey Holland
As of August 16, 2018, we as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will no longer be using the nickname “Mormon” or “LDS.”
But, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Christians?
Yes! “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Nephi 25:26)
The first Article of Faith reads “We believe in God the Eternal Father and in His son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost”. This means that we believe that the Godhead is made up of three individual members who work together in perfect Unity. They work together as one mind and one purpose. This also means that we believe in Christ. This gives us the most accurate understanding of who He is and what He did for all mankind. If you are interested, watch this address by Elder Holland.
Some Differences between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Christians include:
THE GODHEAD
We believe that the Godhead is made up of three separate beings.
We have written revelation in Doctrine and Covenants section 130:22 : “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”
The First Vision also teaches us that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate beings. When the first prophet of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, prayed in a grove of trees to know which church he should join he saw TWO personages standing above him in the light and one said to the other, “This is my beloved Son, hear him”. Through this, we not only know that the Godhead is three individual beings, but that we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are in fact Christians.
LITTLE CHILDREN ARE SINLESS
We also believe that children under the age of eight are not accountable for their sins: “Little children are alive in Christ” (Mormon 8:2). If children are alive in Christ, then they are sinless. They are not accountable for their sins. This also means that if a child dies before reaching the age of eight, they are guaranteed to be with our Father in Heaven in the celestial kingdom.
THE STICK OF JOSEPH
Another thing we believe that is different from many Christian churches is that the Bible is not the only Holy Scripture. The Old Testament (Ezekiel 37:15-20) reads: “Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.” Not only do we believe in the Bible (or the stick of Judah), but we also believe in The Book of Mormon (or the Stick of Joseph).
If you want to know more, you can visit the official church website.