Mormons as (non)Christians. Jews as (non)Jewish. A Question of Identity...

[AkalAish]

Shalom, dear friends!

I have a sincere question for you regarding the ambiguous (albeit radically important) concept of identity. Across the span of my adult life I have both read and heard from those who adhere to your faith that it bothers members of the LDS Church when they are called anything but Christians.

The degree of the bother seems to fall somewhere along a spectrum from "it does not really bother me in the slightest, I know what I believe and that is all that matters," to "I am Sheol-bent and determined to prove to the greater world that we are most definitely Christians."

Where do you find yourself on this spectrum, and more importantly, why?

This is a question of the importance of identity. What is gained or lost in your mind and heart and soul when the world defines you in a certain fashion that may or may not be what you believe to be true?

I ask with a genuine curiosity; this is not meant as a criticism of how you may be feeling.

This same question comes up for Jews as well. For the Orthodox, anyone other than Orthodox are generally looked down upon as "lesser" at best, and "not Jewish at all" at worst.

I will give you an example.

When 11 people had their lives taken by a shooter at Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh in October of 2018, the then Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau found himself facing some criticism when he seemingly callously referred to the house of worship as "a place with a profound Jewish flavor," failing to recognize it or its members as, in fact, Jewish.

For many, this was outrageous. Of course, those of us who are Jewish find ourselves in a unique place of being Jewish by faith, by blood, and by national ties. How could this rabbi say that anyone who did not buy into his particular brand of Judaism was not Jewish at all?

It is an interesting quandary and begs a larger discussion on identity. Does it matter what he thinks?

Does it matter that there are those in the world who see LDS individuals as something "other" than Christians?

I am not saying that it does or does not, although I do have an opinion. I am curious to hear your thoughts. Who defines your identity? To whom do you give your ear and your heart?

Thank you in advance to those of you who sloshed your way through the muck of this rambling post. May the Holy One give you the strength to stay awake as you reply, friends. I look forward to what you have to say.

[marc]

Personally speaking, I don't care what other people call me. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I just happen to be a life-long baptized member of the church. This is where I will continue to fellowship with those in my ward/neighborhood until something drastic happens like I die, I move somewhere else, whatever.

[AkalAish]

Personally speaking, I don't care what other people call me. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I just happen to be a life-long baptized member of the church. This is where I will continue to fellowship with those in my ward/neighborhood until something drastic happens like I die, I move somewhere else, whatever.

Thank you for stopping by. May I ask, have you ever struggled with part 2? I guess what I am asking is A) have you always been a disciple of Jesus Christ and B) would you say that it has been easy to belong to the LDS Church with regards to how other Christians view you and your faith?

Please forgive if that is too personal.

[marc]

Personally speaking, I don't care what other people call me. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I just happen to be a life-long baptized member of the church. This is where I will continue to fellowship with those in my ward/neighborhood until something drastic happens like I die, I move somewhere else, whatever.

Thank you for stopping by. May I ask, have you ever struggled with part 2? I guess what I am asking is A) have you always been a disciple of Jesus Christ and B) would you say that it has been easy to belong to the LDS Church with regards to how other Christians view you and your faith?

Please forgive if that is too personal.

I am happy to answer. I have always considered myself a disciple. I remember when I was very small getting up to bear my testimony in church and declaring that I would one day become a missionary. I remember my mother telling me that she could barely see the top of my head over the pulpit. Growing up, I was mocked and ridiculed by school mates, neighborhood kids, etc because I was different and that resulted in very low self esteem which I struggled to break free from during my time as a young missionary in Germany. I did manage to break out of my shell and become a more bold missionary. By this I don't mean arrogant, but I do mean unabashed in my testimony. Once in a while my insecurities shined through, but I always persisted in overcoming them. Today, there are some Christians who might consider me less than Christian because of my membership, but they have very little with which to back it up especially when I start talking scriptures. I am 53 years old now and I know the scriptures better than most people I know. I don't say this as a point of pride or egotism, but I put in the time to get to know them so that I can speak with said boldness. I was also blessed early in life with the power of knowledge of scriptures which has been a blessing to me considering how forgetful and absent minded I can be in my every day life.

[AkalAish]

Personally speaking, I don't care what other people call me. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I just happen to be a life-long baptized member of the church. This is where I will continue to fellowship with those in my ward/neighborhood until something drastic happens like I die, I move somewhere else, whatever.

Thank you for stopping by. May I ask, have you ever struggled with part 2? I guess what I am asking is A) have you always been a disciple of Jesus Christ and B) would you say that it has been easy to belong to the LDS Church with regards to how other Christians view you and your faith?

Please forgive if that is too personal.

I am happy to answer. I have always considered myself a disciple. I remember when I was very small getting up to bear my testimony in church and declaring that I would one day become a missionary. I remember my mother telling me that she could barely see the top of my head over the pulpit. Growing up, I was mocked and ridiculed by school mates, neighborhood kids, etc because I was different and that resulted in very low self esteem which I struggled to break free from during my time as a young missionary in Germany. I did manage to break out of my shell and become a more bold missionary. By this I don't mean arrogant, but I do mean unabashed in my testimony. Once in a while my insecurities shined through, but I always persisted in overcoming them. Today, there are some Christians who might consider me less than Christian because of my membership, but they have very little with which to back it up especially when I start talking scriptures. I am 53 years old now and I know the scriptures better than most people I know. I don't say this as a point of pride or egotism, but I put in the time to get to know them so that I can speak with said boldness. I was also blessed early in life with the power of knowledge of scriptures which has been a blessing to me considering how forgetful and absent minded I can be in my every day life.

I believe what I am hearing, then, is that your identity is anchored to the word of G-d and what it says about you.

Thank you for being willing to share that snapshot into your life. I am better for it.

[Niemand]

I identify as Christian over and above Mormon. I have no problem with the word Mormon like Russell M. Nelson does.

Although we are called polytheist, we are also henotheists which makes us in practice monotheist.

[Maroriginal1]

I think the core debate as to the identity of the LDS as Christian’s is that historically being “Christian” derives you from the core tenants of churches that corrupted and eventually broke off into reformed remnants. As a member I believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior as do other Christian’s from various denominations believe. So logically I am Christian. But the core tenants of LDS belief is that an apostasy happened after the time of Christ and this original gospel was restored. As such I think most in our church have an ideological separation that contributes to that identity. To be a follower and desciple of Him is to accept a form of Christianity that is rejected by all other Christian’s. So on a macro level, we lump in. On a micro level “Christian” is too limited a term for me. I think Isaiah’s description of engraving Him into the palms of our hands is far better visually. To live my religion is to not only believe, but it’s engraved into every fiber of my being and action.