Are Mormons Christian?

I guess it would kind of be like if someone told me I wasn't a mother.

"But I am a mother," I would insist.

"No.  You're not."

"But it is who I am.  It's one of the key parts of my life."

"Nope."

"I am a mother!"

"No.  This is how I define motherhood, and honey, that's not you."

It seems ridiculous and unlikely that I'd have that kind of conversation.  But if someone truly believed that I wasn't a mother, if whole groups of people truly believed that I wasn't a mother,  it would offend me and hurt my feelings.

I could ignore them (and would have to), but it would still sting a little.

And that's how I feel when I hear people claim that Mormons aren't Christian.  It hurts my feelings.  It leaves me feeling misunderstood and frustrated and really sad.

But there it is.

Recently I was a participant in a discussion on a Facebook page for Apologia, a company that sells homeschool curriculum.  They have a course that teaches that Mormonism is a false religion and outlines how we aren't Christian.  I joined the chorus of people who disagreed and defended Mormonism.

It sort of fell on deaf ears though and that is discouraging.

There are lots of different kinds of mothers.

There are mothers that have a job outside the home and there are mothers that don't.  There are mothers who daydream about having a career and there are mothers who daydream about staying home with their children full time.  They are all mothers.

There are mothers that homeschool and mothers that volunteer in their children's schools and there are mothers that volunteer in soup kitchens.  There are mothers who are so swamped with the duties of motherhood they wish they had time to volunteer.  They are all mothers.

There are mothers that pack their kids' lunches and there are mothers that write a check for school lunch.  There are mothers whose children get free lunch.  They are all mothers.

There are mothers that give their kids chores to do and there are mothers that do most of the work themselves.  There are mothers that spank their children and there are mothers that give time-outs and there are mothers that plead with and bribe their children.  They are all mothers.

I should be too busy myself trying to be a good mother to have time to judge other mothers.  I would never say someone was not a mother because they were a different sort of mother than I.  If you love your children and are doing your best for them, you are a mother.

There are Christians who go to church every Sunday and there are Christians who watch sports on TV every Sunday and there are Christians who have not been inside a church building for years and years.  They are all Christians.

There are Christians who read the scriptures and pray every day and there are Christians who do not.  There are Christians who give money to their churches and to formal charities and there are Christians who give money to a homeless person on the street.  They are all Christians.

There are Christians who believe that the Bible is it and there can never be anything added to scripture and there are Christians who believe a prophet is on the earth, continuing to give revelation and instruction from God.  They are all Christians.

There are Christians with questions.  There are Christians who are not sure what they believe and what is true.  There are Christians who are so excited about what they believe that they want desperately to share it with everyone because they want others to have the peace and happiness they have.  They are all Christians.

I should be too busy myself trying to follow Christ to judge other Christians.  I would never say someone was not a Christian because they were a different sort of Christian than I.  If you believe Jesus Christ is your Savior and are doing your best to follow Him, you are a Christian.

This video sums up how I feel and what I believe much more eloquently than I could.