Does the definition of Christian include Mormons?

That's strictly speaking not true. From what I'm led to believe by my former partner, Mormons believe that as God is our father in "heaven" and we go there when we die unless we're really bad then we will eventually become "like" God. Which is not the same as equal to God.

 

From all this "well we believe X, and Mormons believe Y" arguments, you'd think that Catholics and Protestants all believed the same thing. Those are the same two religions who repeatedly massacred each other over doctrinal differences, right? Veneration of Mary, role of saints, literal versus symbolic transubstantiation, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years'_War

Wow. So two different sects can have different doctrines yet still fall within the umbrella term "Christianity." Imagine that.

 

Yes, that is what I was taught aswell.

 

This is becoming a snorefest, mainly due to the fact that certain people's one and only tactic in debate is to restate what they have already said in a more condescending manner.
Aikimac- this nonsense about only being able to criticise a religion unless you're doing so by their rules is not 'fundamental'. It's your own private belief which you have elevated to the status of a universal creed.
I'm afraid they are christians, and no amount of pretending that an ecumenical council has the power to alter the mind of god will make it otherwise. I can think of plenty of reasons to object to mormonism, but not being christian enough isn't one of them.

 

I agree with all this, but there has to be a line beyond which a belief system constitutes a separate religion.

At some point, Christianity crossed that line and became separate from Judaism. It reinterpreted what God is and what salvation is and introduced new scriptures not originating in Jewish tradition.

I believe Mormonism has done the same thing, and is therefore more properly classified as a separate religion from Christianity. It clearly has roots in Christianity, but it has reinterpreted what God is and what salvation is and has introduced new scriptures not originating in Christian tradition.

That doesn't mean Mormons are wrong. It doesn't mean Mormons are evil. It doesn't mean Mormonism is an inferior or inauthentic religion. It just means that we can only expand the meaning of a word so much before it ceases to have meaning at all.

 

Christianity is considered a different religion from Judaism because Jews refuse to acknowledge Jesus is the Messiah. Which is sort of "fundamental" to any form of Christianity. They've all but abandoned most Jewish rituals, superstitions and rules on how to live their lives. Even the Sabbath is a different day of the week.

In contrast to Judaism, Christianity goes well beyond a reinterpretation of our ideas of God and the after life. However from my point of view at least, Mormonism very closely resembles Catholicism and Christianity in general. The hierarchy of their church is quite similar to the hierarchy in the Catholic church. And crucially they believe Jesus Christ is our salvation and the way to God.

At the end of the day if the central theme of your religion is that Jesus Christ is our salvation, that he was crucified to save our souls, rose from the dead 3 days later and ascended to heaven. Then I'd say it's a fair bet you're a follower of Jesus Christ and are thus a Christian.

Mormons believe all of that in common with other Christian groups. Jews don't. Hence the reason why they are Christians are no longer considered Jewish.

 

And what everyone else is saying is that from a perspective of all the religions in the world, from Islam to Judaism to Shinto to Buddhism to Hinduism to Zoroastrianism to Native American faiths, the core thing that is totally unique to Christianity is salvation through Jesus Christ. Or, for that matter, the divinity of Jesus Christ

But Catholics and Protestants don't agree on what salvation is. It's the age-old battle between faith-and-good-works and faith-alone. If you need to agree on exactly what salvation is in order to all be Christian, then Catholics and Protestants can't both be Christians.

But not all Christians agree on which scriptures to recognize. Unless you're going to tell me that Gnostic Christianity wasn't Christianity either. So it's not like there's one set of books that everyone who is a Christian agrees upon.

Also, the Book of Mormon supplements the King James Bible in the LDS church; it doesn't replace it.