A recurring question. . .

Removing the Mormons from the list of DOD recognized Christian groups is not without its controversy -- except to those who are Christian.  In fact, this is one of the small things in which a wider swatch of Christians actually agree upon -- Mormons are not Christian.  The Latter Day Saints are many things and some of them even decent and good but they are not Christian.  Latter-day Saints claim to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and perhaps even the only path to salvation, but not the unique Son of God. They claim to believe that He is divine and that we should follow all His teachings but He is not, in their estimation, uniquely divine.  In nearly every denomination, a Mormon who becomes Christian is a convert.  Mormons cannot agree to the creedal affirmations of orthodox Christianity or confess the Christology of Chalcedon.  Because they will not confess the orthodox Christian faith, they cannot be called Christian. Period.  DOD does not define this but they did have the guts to admit what some among us cannot or will not.  To state this not only safeguards Christianity but it is good for Mormons -- even if they don't see it.

Only a fool would suggest that Mormons were not good neighbors and good citizens, indeed, good on nearly every level of that judgment.  But the word Christian does not mean good.  It means those who confess a particular faith, informed by the Scriptures, confessed by creed, and held against any detraction or dilution of those words.  The Athanasian Creed captures it well.  Whoever would... and then presents the Trinitarian confession of God which the Scriptures teach along with the confession of Christ, true man and true God and not in the sense of what any other man was or ever will be.  Calling Jesus Lord or Savior is not the same as confessing the creedal affirmation of the Son of God incarnate for us and our salvation.  In 2001 Rome declared baptism conferred by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be invalid.  Lutherans do not accept LDS baptism either.  It is not discriminatory against Mormons but the preservation of the faith against any and all confessions of any less than the one, eternal truth.  It is not being kind or charitable or Christlike to give a benefit of a doubt to such a group that claims to be Christian.  

While we do not know the heart and I presume that the vast majority of those now in the LDS were, if not raised Mormon, then raised some sort of Christian.  That may be a false presumption on my part but I think it is fair.  To act as if Mormon and Christian were the same is to do them a disservice even as it is the faithful and orthodox Christians who do confess the Triune God and Jesus the LORD.  Giving these lapsed Christians or those so poorly catechized into the Christian faith that they cannot see that Mormons are not Christian the benefit of the doubt is to fail to love them as Christ loves them and died and rose for them.  Not for Mormons only but for all who fail to confess the Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ the true and unique Son of God in flesh do we maintain this boundary line.  Sadly, the DOD may be more ready than many churches to admit the obvious.