"Romney is NOT a Christian, he's a Mormon" says VVS speaker!

[fisharmor]

So then they have sinned because of Adam?

And they didn't believe in Christ?

....THEN what happens

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
This does not say "Those who are not baptized will be condemned".
It's Scriptural grey area.

[eduardo89]

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
This does not say "Those who are not baptized will be condemned".
It's Scriptural grey area.

Exactly, that's what the Catholic Church believes. We want to believe in God's mercy and His desire for all men to be saved. We don't know for sure what happens to the unbaptized, but we have faith that He will help them be saved.

Again, I'll post this for dannno:

As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them," allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism.

Baptism is necessary for those who know about it:

Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament

[dannno]

If Christ is a god, and they worship him, the existence of potentially billions of other gods puts them more in the Hindu camp than close to anything resembling Christianity.

Uh, no, Mormons don't believe we are subject to multiple Gods, there is only one.

The universe, however, is a very large place.

Mormonism apparently teaches that Jesus and Satan are brothers.

They teach that we are all spirit children of God, so we are all brothers and sisters. Jesus just happened to be the first born, and Lucifer happened to be the second born.

Lucifer wanted to force everyone to be good so that everybody could go to Heaven (like Communism).

Jesus wanted to let everyone have free will and choose whether they would come back to him (like Liberty).

God agreed that Jesus had the best plan for salvation and there was a war fought in the spirit world. Lucifer and those who fought for him were cast into hell.

Hey, Mormons are free to refer to themselves as Christian. And Christians are just as free to say they aren't.
The Orthodox are among the most theologically shutting-you-out bunch out there... and if they're going to cuddle up with protestants and Catholics over this issue and shut out Mormons.... well that says something.

To me it says they fear them and don't want to lose power.

[Aratus]

our gentleman mitt is to mormonism whut wise barack is to congregationalism
andrew johnson is to masonic founding father deism or JFK is to catholicism???

[fisharmor]

our gentleman mitt is to mormonism whut wise barack is to congregationalism
andrew johnson is to masonic founding father deism or JFK is to catholicism???

Hey, I actually give Mitt credit for not withdrawing his membership in his church to run for president, like Blechmann did.

[CaptainAmerica]

Bull$#@!, Mormons view Jesus as the Lord and Savior.

.......mormons are polytheistic.get a grip on reality yo,you're wrong.

[Aratus]

technically the greeks ancient and many auld romans were into polytheism, goddesses and gods.
trinity is a difficult concept. isaac newton WENT to trinity. mormons are mormons. monotheism.

[Aratus]

i wuz handing out rep!
gotta remind one + all
our own ZZ is eating
his popcorn as lil ole
ms. michele bachmann
is making her last stand.

[CaptainAmerica]

technically the greeks ancient and many auld romans were into polytheism, goddesses and gods.
trinity is a difficult concept. isaac newton WENT to trinity. mormons are mormons. monotheism.

the trinity is not polytheistic.

[Aratus]

most modern christians ARE monotheistic. trust me!
many ancient pagans were polytheistic. indeed!!!
our gentleman mitt is in accord with we moderns.

[Aratus]

the trinity is not polytheistic.

agreed. one can be a deist and into monotheism.
many old pagans found christianity to be confusing.

[PierzStyx]

Holy Trinity
Mormons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct beings who are "one in purpose"
Christians: Father, Son and Holy Spirit are of the "same substance"; three persons in one being

Original Sin
Mormons: Doesn't exist
Christians: Exists

Scripture
Mormons: For Latter-day Saints the canon remains open.
Christians: the Old and New Testament is the inexhaustible source of Christian belief. The Canon is closed.

Those three are substantial differences.

Also, while honoring the Virgin Mary, Latter-day Saints have no equivalent of the doctrines of the immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, and bodily assumption of Mary.

Baptists don't believe in half these things. Are they Christians? Yes they are. You just defined a specific TYPE of Christian, i.e. a Catholic, not all Christians.

[dannno]

.......mormons are polytheistic.get a grip on reality yo,you're wrong.

lol, that is so bull$#@!. I grew up in the religion, that is absolute trash talk with no validity.

[PierzStyx]

Not at all. Mormons believe Jesus to be the divine Son of God, born of a virgin (Mary), who sacrificed Himself to redeem us from our sins by suffering for them, dying on the cross, and Resurrecting three days later, and who is the only source of salvation. Muslims believe none of those things. Mormons are Christian.

[eduardo89]

Baptists don't believe in half these things. Are they Christians? Yes they are. You just defined a specific TYPE of Christian, i.e. a Catholic, not all Christians.

Baptists believe in the Holy Trinity, the original sin, and that the Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

[dannno]

Not at all. Mormons believe Jesus to be the divine Son of God, born of a virgin (Mary), who sacrificed Himself to redeem us from our sins by suffering for them, dying on the cross, and Resurrecting three days later, and who is the only source of salvation. Muslims believe none of those things. Mormons are Christian.

That's really what it comes down to, the other religions have leaders and teachers who are just nit-picking because they are jealous that they are losing so many followers to them.

I'm not saying the people here are jealous or are losing money or power, but somebody taught them that these little nit-picking details that really amount to semantics for the most part, rather than any real difference in the belief system.

[GeorgiaAvenger]

Does it matter what we think? It's pretty clear that the Republican religious right thinks Mormon are evil cultists.

I happen to believe they are cultists with good morals.

[PierzStyx]

When unravelling such things, though I am not myself Orthodox, I tend to look to what they have to say, given that their theology has remained consistent for the longest stretch of time.

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Mormonism



If Christ is a god, and they worship him, the existence of potentially billions of other gods puts them more in the Hindu camp than close to anything resembling Christianity.




Mormonism apparently teaches that Jesus and Satan are brothers.



Hey, Mormons are free to refer to themselves as Christian. And Christians are just as free to say they aren't.
The Orthodox are among the most theologically shutting-you-out bunch out there... and if they're going to cuddle up with protestants and Catholics over this issue and shut out Mormons.... well that says something.

Your second quote is inaccurate. God the Father called His spiritual children together (us) and told us about life, how we'd sin, and how Jesus would redeem us from our sins if we chose to follow Him. Then Lucifer stood up and said that God was wrong and proposed a different plan in which he would guarantee everyone would return to Heaven because he would take away their ability to do evil. God rejected him and so Lucifer waged war on Heaven to try and force the issue. This was the War In Heaven, which he was cast out for waging. There was never a time that Jesus was not to be our Savior as it was God's plan.

Here is another thing likely to make you denounce Mormonism, but not only were Christ and Lucifer both children of God, but so am I and so are you. Every person is a spiritual child of God. Its why God identifies Himself as the "Father of spirits" in Hebrews, and other places. This is a wonderful doctrine as it explains not just who we are but who we are to become. Other Christians denounce Mormons for believing they can become "gods" but I think it is incredible. God is our Father. He loves us and wants us to have all the joy, light, happiness, and peace that we can have. He, like every great parent, wants us to have the best life possible. And so He makes it possible for us to become the kind of being that He is, the only kind of being that IS capable of eternal joy, eternal light, eternal happiness, eternal love, eternal peace, and eternal life. He invites us into a relationship with Him that fills us so much with who He is that it changes us into who He is. As Paul says in Romans we are heirs of God and joint-heirs of Christ to all that Christ has from the Father, or as Revelation says we sit down on the throne of Christ and inherit the kingdom given to Him by the Father. What an incredible truth, that we become like our Father. It does not demote God that He invites us into that with Him, His power does not decrease, his glory is not lessened by it. He has all things in infinite and eternal amounts and He gives that to all His children who follow Him so that they all may have it together. I love that truth, I cherish it. God is truly a God of mercy and a God of love. We cannot do it ourselves, it is only by and through the Atonement of Christ that it is done. But the fact that it is true that we are, even as Christ says, gods, the Sons of God, makes me shout with joy and proclaim hallelujah! It is true and of God and I thank Him for it!

[dannno]

Your second quote is inaccurate. God the Father called His spiritual children together (us) and told us about life, how we'd sin, and how Jesus would redeem us from our sins if we chose to follow Him. Then Lucifer stood up and said that God was wrong and proposed a different plan in which he would guarantee everyone would return to Heaven because he would take away their ability to do evil. God rejected him and so Lucifer waged war on Heaven to try and force the issue. This was the War In Heaven, which he was cast out for waging. There was never a time that Jesus was not to be our Savior as it was God's plan.

Here is another thing likely to make you denounce Mormonism, but not only were Christ and Lucifer both children of God, but so am I and so are you. Every person is a spiritual child of God. Its why God identifies Himself as the "Father of spirits" in Hebrews, and other places. This is a wonderful doctrine as it explains not just who we are but who we are to become. Other Christians denounce Mormons for believing they can become "gods" but I think it is incredible. God is our Father. He loves us and wants us to have all the joy, light, happiness, and peace that we can have. He, like every great parent, wants us to have the best life possible. And so He makes it possible for us to become the kind of being that He is, the only kind of being that IS capable of eternal joy, eternal light, eternal happiness, eternal love, eternal peace, and eternal life. He invites us into a relationship with Him that fills us so much with who He is that it changes us into who He is. As Paul says in Romans we are heirs of God and joint-heirs of Christ to all that Christ has from the Father, or as Revelation says we sit down on the throne of Christ and inherit the kingdom given to Him by the Father. What an incredible truth, that we become like our Father. It does not demote God that He invites us into that with Him, His power does not decrease, his glory is not lessened by it. He has all things in infinite and eternal amounts and He gives that to all His children who follow Him so that they all may have it together. I love that truth, I cherish it. God is truly a God of mercy and a God of love. We cannot do it ourselves, it is only by and through the Atonement of Christ that it is done. But the fact that it is true that we are, even as Christ says, gods, the Sons of God, makes me shout with joy and proclaim hallelujah! It is true and of God and I thank Him for it!

Hah, your pre-existence story was worded way better than mine, I'm pretty rusty.

[GeorgiaAvenger]

http://carm.org/teachings-of-mormonism

This outlines what Mormons believe, but do not use as an approach to convert people. These are some major differences.

Atonement
"Jesus paid for all our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane," (Laurel Rohlfing, “Sharing Time: The Atonement,” Friend, Mar. 1989, p. 39.).
"We accept Christ's atonement by repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and obeying all of the commandments," (Gospel Principles, Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979, p. 68.).
Baptism
Baptism for the dead, (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. II, p. 141). This is a practice of baptizing each other in place of non-Mormons who are now dead. Their belief is that in the afterlife, the "newly baptized" person will be able to enter into a higher level of Mormon heaven.
Bible
"We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. . ." (8th Article of Faith of the Mormon Church).
"Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God," (1 Nephi 13:28).
Book of Mormon
The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, (History of the Church, 4:461).
Devil, the
The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 192).
Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163).
A plan of salvation was needed for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 8).
God
God used to be a man on another planet, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 345; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333).
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s..." (D&C 130:22).
God is in the form of a man, (Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 3).
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!!! . . . We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil, so that you may see," (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345).
God the Father had a Father, (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 476; Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 19; Milton Hunter, First Council of the Seventy, Gospel through the Ages, p. 104-105).
God resides near a star called Kolob, (Pearl of Great Price, p. 34-35; Mormon Doctrine, p. 428).
God had sexual relations with Mary to make the body of Jesus, (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, 1857, p. 218; vol. 8, p. 115). - This one is disputed among many Mormons and not always 'officially' taught and believed. Nevertheless, Young, the 2nd prophet of the Mormon church taught it.
"Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones." (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
God, becoming a god
After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god, (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345-347, 354.)
"Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them," (D&C 132:20).
God, many gods
There are many gods, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163).
"And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light: and there was light," (Book of Abraham 4:3).
God, mother goddess
There is a mother god, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443).
God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 516).
God, Trinity
The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35).
Gospel, the
The true gospel was lost from the earth. Mormonism is its restoration, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 182-185.)
Consists of laws and ordinances: "As these sins are the result of individual acts it is just that forgiveness for them should be conditioned on individual compliance with prescribed requirements -- 'obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel,'" (Articles of Faith, p. 79)
Heaven
There are three levels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 348).
Holy Ghost, the
The Holy Ghost is a male personage, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, (Le Grand Richards, Salt Lake City, 1956, p. 118; Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 179).
Jesus
The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).
Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163; Gospel Through the Ages, p. 15).
Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions), (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247).
"Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones," (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 115).
"Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers," (Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce McConkie, p. 547).
"Christ Not Begotten of Holy Ghost ...Christ was begotten of God. He was not born without the aid of Man, and that Man was God!" (Doctrines of Salvation, by Joseph Fielding Smith, 1954, 1:18).
"Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh..." (First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, "God the Father," compiled by Gordon Allred, p. 150).
Joseph Smith
If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation [the context is the full gospel including exaltation to Godhood] outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670).
Pre-existence
We were first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth, (Journal of Discourse, vol. 4, p. 218).
The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).
The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 192).
Prophets
We need prophets today, the same as in the Old Testament, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 444-445).
Salvation
"One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation," (Miracle of Forgiveness, Spencer W. Kimball, p. 206).
A plan of salvation was needed for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 8).
Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions), (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247).
Good works are necessary for salvation (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 92).
There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 188).
"The first effect [of the atonement] is to secure to all mankind alike, exemption from the penalty of the fall, thus providing a plan of General Salvation. The second effect is to open a way for Individual Salvation whereby mankind may secure remission of personal sins (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 78-79).
"As these sins are the result of individual acts it is just that forgiveness for them should be conditioned on individual compliance with prescribed requirements -- 'obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel,'" (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 79).
"This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts," (LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 697).
"We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do," (2 Nephi 25:23).
Trinity, the
The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35.).
"Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God. I say that is a strange God [anyhow]--three in one and one in three. . .It is curious organization… All are crammed into one God according to sectarianism (Christian faith). It would make the biggest God in all the world. He would be a wonderfully big God--he would be a giant or a monster," (Joseph Smith, Teachings, p. 372).

Christians? I think not.

But lets be clear, they do have a high moral code.

[PierzStyx]

Baptists believe in the Holy Trinity, the original sin, and that the Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

Not from my experience growing up as a Baptist. Well they believe in the trinity. But they do not believe in original sin. Its actually what the original Baptists were founded on the "believer's baptism" they called it. That only those old enough to understand should be baptized. They rejected original sin and infant baptism.

That said, I was referencing the beliefs in immaculate conception (that Mary's birth was without sin), the perpetual virginity (that Mary was a virgin throughout all her life), or The Assumption (that Mary was taken into Heaven bodily without dying). Those are all specifically Catholic beliefs. That is three of six beliefs btw thus "half".

[realtonygoodwin]

Mormons consider themselves to be Christians.
However, they see Christ as the Son of God, but they don't acknowledge the deity of Christ and do not worship Christ.

[realtonygoodwin]

Not from my experience growing up as a Baptist. Well they believe in the trinity. But they do not believe in original sin. Its actually what the original Baptists were founded on the "believer's baptism" they called it. That only those old enough to understand should be baptized. They rejected original sin and infant baptism.

That said, I was referencing the beliefs in immaculate conception (that Mary's birth was without sin), the perpetual virginity (that Mary was a virgin throughout all her life), or The Assumption (that Mary was taken into Heaven bodily without dying). Those are all specifically Catholic beliefs. That is three of six beliefs btw thus "half".

Baptist's don't reject original sin..., original sin is merely humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man.

[dannno]

Mormons consider themselves to be Christians.
However, they see Christ as the Son of God, but they don't acknowledge the deity of Christ and do not worship Christ.

[dannno]

Baptist's don't reject original sin..., original sin is merely humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man.

There is a difference between being in a state of sin and taking on Adam's original sin as your own.

[eduardo89]

Not from my experience growing up as a Baptist. Well they believe in the trinity. But they do not believe in original sin. Its actually what the original Baptists were founded on the "believer's baptism" they called it. That only those old enough to understand should be baptized. They rejected original sin and infant baptism.

That said, I was referencing the beliefs in immaculate conception (that Mary's birth was without sin), the perpetual virginity (that Mary was a virgin throughout all her life), or The Assumption (that Mary was taken into Heaven bodily without dying). Those are all specifically Catholic beliefs. That is three of six beliefs btw thus "half".

The ones about the Virgin Mary I didn't include in the "master list" precisely because they are Catholic/Anglican views.

The other 3, which are very important and are central tenets of all Christian beliefs are the main ones. Mormons do not believe in any of them. Baptists do believe in the original sin, even though they do advocate for adult baptism. They see it differently than Catholics/Anglicans/Orthodox, but recognize it nonetheless.

There is a difference between being in a state of sin and taking on Adam's original sin as your own.

Baptists believe that Original sin is the term for being born a sinner. Remember, man was created in the image and likeness of God. Man was a free moral agent, freely able to choose God or turn away from him. By eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he did the one thing he was asked not to do. Breaking God's one commandment to him was sin. At that point Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden and cut off from the tree of life. From that moment on, the spirit of man was damaged. It is as if man is now born with a moral handicap. He is lame in the most important part of his being- his spirit. The act of sex between a husband and wife is not a sin. In fact, the Apostle Paul said that to withhold sex from your mate is a sin. Original sin does not come to a child because of the sex of their parents but is a sinful nature in man himself that is in everyone since the fall. There is a rebellious nature in most children. They just like to do whatever you tell them not to do. This natural rebellion stems from man's original sin. Instead of being morally free, man has a decided tendency toward sin - urged on toward evil by what is called "the world, the flesh, and the devil." Original sin is a tendency to do evil, not an act of evil itself.

[realtonygoodwin]

Doing things "in His name" is not the same as worship. I acknowledge that the LDS believe they follow Christ. But there is a difference between being God the Son, and The Son of God.

Matthew 7:22-23

On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

[tribute_13]

Oh my freaking god people.

Christians encompass both catholicism and all protestant faiths. Mormonism is a protestant faith. It's like saying Ron Paul is a libertarian, not a conservative. Grow the hell up. All thumbs are fingers but not all fingers are thumbs. Use your heads people.

[realtonygoodwin]

Oh my freaking god people.

Christians encompass both catholicism and all protestant faiths. Mormonism is a protestant faith. It's like saying Ron Paul is a libertarian, not a conservative. Grow the hell up. All thumbs are fingers but not all fingers are thumbs. Use your heads people.

A. Mormons would be the first to tell you they are not Protestant.
B. I guess it boils down to how you define "Christian."

[GeorgiaAvenger]

Oh my freaking god people.

Christians encompass both catholicism and all protestant faiths. Mormonism is a protestant faith. It's like saying Ron Paul is a libertarian, not a conservative. Grow the hell up. All thumbs are fingers but not all fingers are thumbs. Use your heads people.

Don't criticize if you don't have the facts.

The three main Christian branches are Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. There are many others as well.

Mormonism is a restorationism religion with its own prophets and teachings. Christianity is a branch off from Judaism, yet we don't call Christians Jews.

I would compare it to Islam. It takes from a religion and then builds up its own set of beliefs.