A short answer to a complicated question
The topic of whether or not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are “Christian” is a disputed topic and can be the source of great conflict between otherwise kind and loving people. It is why I do not recommend a Christian start any conversation with, “You’re not a Christian.” If so, be ready for a fight!
Yet this is a topic that comes up and it cannot be ignored. To be clear, we (Bible-believing Christians) love our LDS family members, friends and neighbors despite our differences in belief. Living in Utah since 2010, I have all three of these relationships in my life. And we get along because we understand our basic differences, even though we each may try to convince the other about what is true.
At the same time, I cannot be dishonest. If someone in their 40s sincerely asks me, “Do you think I will become an astronaut some day?” it would not be kind to respond, “Sure, of course you can. Follow your heart. Just put your mind to it. You can do all things through Christ!”
Unless this person is someone who has the appropriate secondary education and is already working at NASA, the most likely scenario is that a future in space is a pipe dream, as much so as the weekend basketball player who will never make his goal to be hired as a player in the NBA. Neither should be called an astronaut or an NBA player, as much as those designations might please them.
This is the truth, as difficult as the news might be taken. (Yes, tact is important–and we should be gentle and respectful as the apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 3:16.) In the same way, a distinction needs to be made between those who follow the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and those who reject the teachings of this religion’s leaders.
The universal law of non-contradiction states that something cannot be A and non-A at the same time. If it’s A, then it is not non-A. And if it is B, it is non-A and not A.
Historically, the word “Christian” has a very clear and definite meaning. This word cannot describe someone who believes Muhammad is the true prophet of God, the greatest of all prophets. It cannot refer to someone who seeks enlightenment, with the ultimate goal being Nirvana. Nor can this be talking about a person who worships a pantheon of gods.
Thus, the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu–each of whom has deep reverence for Jesus in their partiuclar religions–are “non A” and cannot rightly be classified as Christian. Generally, I have found that all three adherents readily agree to my point. It’s obvious that I am not being mean in saying so.
As I said, the word Christian has a meaning, understood for centuries that this is someone who holds to the fundamental teachings of the historic church and who believes that God is one (Trinity), that Jesus is the only way to God, and that there is either heaven or hell after this life based on one’s faith in the truth. There can be no compromise (1 John 4:1).
I should not be considered a “Latter-day Saint”–after all, I have not been baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I reject Joseph Smith as a true prophet, and I don’t accept unique LDS teachings such as preexistence, temple marriage, and the Word of Wisdom.
In the same way, Mormonism is not the same as Christianity. If so, then words really don’t matter. To blur the lines is confusing and is not fair to anyone.
For more on this topic, see chapter 1 of our book Answering Mormons Questions (Kregel, 2013) or one of the following more detailed articles: