Are Mormons Christian?
6/16/202621 min
For Christians and non-Christians alike, Mormons remain a bit of an enigma – especially in the UK. In the US however there are almost 7 million and they punch above their weight in terms of political influence; notable members of congress include former senator, and one-time presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.
This influence meant that a row erupted in the past fortnight when the Pentagon released its updated list of religious affiliations and listed the Church of Latter-Day Saints independently from other Christian denominations, implying members were not Christian. This move was quickly denounced, with Mike Lee – a Mormon and Republican Senator – leading the charge, calling the move ‘outrageous’, the Pentagon subsequently backtracked. Yet, many other Christian denominations have long felt that Mormons are not Christians as they have their own supplemental scripture and hold different views over the Trinity and the afterlife.
Mark Tooley, a methodist and friend of Holy Smoke, joins Damian Thompson to discuss the row. Are Mormons Christian? Who gets to decide whether a person is Christian or not? And can the government and state ever have a role in this debate?
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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First 90 secondsDamian Thompson· Host0:00
Subscribe to The Spectator and get 12 weeks of Britain's most incisive politics coverage, unrivaled books and arts reviews, and so much more, all for just 12 pounds. Not only that, but we'll also send you a 20 pounds Amazon gift card absolutely free. Go to www.spectator.com/voucher to claim this offer now. [piano music playing] Welcome to Holy Smoke, The Spectator's religion podcast. I'm Damian Thompson. At the beginning of June, the US Department of Defense updated its list of recognized religious affiliations for military personnel and chaplains, slashed it from over 200 codes to 31, and a huge row broke out because among the 21 Christian denominations explicitly listed as Christian were Catholic, Baptists, Lutherans, Pentecostals, even Jehovah's Witnesses. But Mormons, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were included as a separate category, not labeled as Christians. There was an immediate backlash, especially from Utah's Republican lawmakers who are Latter-day Saints themselves, like Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis. They said it was offensive, divisive, and inappropriate for the government to adjudicate theological disputes. And