Are Mormons Christian?

Yes — and the question itself reveals a misunderstanding of what the word “Christian” means.

The Name Says It All

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is named after Jesus Christ. This was not accidental. The Savior himself commanded that the Church bear His name:

3 Nephi 27:8

“And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church.”

The Church was formally named “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” by revelation in 1838 (D&C 115:4). The informal nickname “Mormon” comes from the Book of Mormon and was never the Church’s official name. When the full name is used, Christ’s central place is unmistakable.

What Makes Someone Christian?

The word “Christian” means a follower of Jesus Christ — one who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and who endeavors to follow His teachings. By that definition, Latter-day Saints are emphatically Christian:

LDS Beliefs About Jesus Christ

Savior and Redeemer — Christ’s atonement is the only means of salvation for all mankind

Literal Resurrection — Christ rose from the dead with a glorified, immortal body of flesh and bone

Divine Sonship — Jesus is the literal, firstborn Son of God the Father, not a metaphor or created being

Only Way to Salvation — “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)

Personal Relationship — members seek a personal, ongoing relationship with the living Christ through prayer, ordinances, and discipleship

Every Latter-day Saint ordinance — baptism, confirmation, the sacrament (communion), temple covenants — is performed in the name of Jesus Christ. Every prayer concludes “in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” The Savior is the foundation of Latter-day Saint worship.

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

The subtitle of the Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” The book testifies of Christ from its first page to its last. No book in the world is more saturated with testimony of the divine Sonship, atonement, and resurrection of Jesus Christ:

2 Nephi 25:26

“We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

The resurrected Christ personally visited the Americas after His resurrection and established His Church among the people there (3 Nephi 11–26). He taught the same gospel He had taught in Judea, instituted the same ordinances, called the same apostolic offices. The Book of Mormon’s entire purpose is declared in Moroni 10:4 — to know “by the power of the Holy Ghost” that “these things are true.” The “these things” are the claims about Jesus Christ.

Why Some Say “No” — The Creed Argument

The common objection comes from 4th-century church councils. At the Council of Nicaea (AD 325) and the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451), church leaders attempted to define the nature of God and Christ in philosophical terms borrowed from Greek thought. These councils produced the Nicene Creed, which describes the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as “one substance” (homoousios) — three persons sharing a single divine essence.

Latter-day Saints do not accept this post-biblical formulation. The Church teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct, separate beings who are perfectly united in purpose, will, and testimony — but not in physical substance. This is not a denial of Christ. It is a claim that the creedal formulation diverged from what the scriptures actually teach.

Consider the biblical record. At Christ’s baptism, the Father’s voice came from heaven while the Holy Ghost descended as a dove and Jesus stood in the river Jordan (Matthew 3:16–17). Three distinct beings, present simultaneously. Or Stephen’s martyrdom:

Acts 7:55–56

“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”

Two separate beings — one standing at the right hand of the other. Christ also prayed to the Father as a distinct being: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). He sent the Holy Ghost, who would come after He departed (John 16:7). The unity of the Godhead is a unity of purpose and will — the same unity Christ prayed His disciples might share with them (John 17:20–23).

John 17:3

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

What the Prophets Have Taught

Presidents of the Church have repeatedly and emphatically declared the Christian identity of Latter-day Saints. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:

Joseph Smith — Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 121

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley stated: “We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more widely recognized. Times are changing. We are not a weird people… We believe in Christ and we look to Him as our Savior and Redeemer.”

President Russell M. Nelson has asked members to use the Church’s full name precisely because the nickname “Mormon Church” inadvertently obscures Christ’s central place. He has taught that the most important title he holds is that of disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Testimony of Latter-day Saints

In Fast and Testimony meetings each month, millions of Latter-day Saints in thousands of congregations worldwide stand and declare their witness of Jesus Christ. This is not a theological abstraction. It is the central conviction of their lives. Latter-day Saints differ from many other Christian denominations in important ways — additional scripture, restored priesthood authority, a clearer understanding of the Godhead, continuing revelation through living prophets. But different does not mean non-Christian.

The question is not whether Latter-day Saints fit a particular creedal definition formulated in the 4th and 5th centuries. The question is whether they believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, follow His teachings, take His name upon them, and stake their eternal lives on His atonement and resurrection. They do, unreservedly.