Are christians Mormon???

[_Sanctorian]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865678800/Are-Christians-Mormon.html

Doctrines such as spiritual gifts, a social view of the Godhead, deification, post-mortal evangelization, divine embodiment and continuing revelation are just a few of the teachings once thought anathema that are now championed by an ever-expanding coterie of Christian thinkers.

[_Jersey Girl]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865678800/Are-Christians-Mormon.html

Doctrines such as spiritual gifts, a social view of the Godhead, deification, post-mortal evangelization, divine embodiment and continuing revelation are just a few of the teachings once thought anathema that are now championed by an ever-expanding coterie of Christian thinkers.

Doctrines such as spiritual gifts (yes)

a social view of the Godhead (?)

deification (If they're using the term deification to mean immortality, yes. If you're using the term deification in the true sense that man becomes an actual deity, no.)

post-mortal evangelization (no)

divine embodiment (?)

continuing revelation (Not in the sense that LDS believe it is so)

Can you tell me what is meant by the terminology that I questioned?

[_Johannes]

I can hazard a few guesses, Jersey Girl.

a social view of the Godhead (?)

I think this means a view of the Trinity which emphasies the distinctness of and the relationships between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I can see how a Mormon might assume that the emphasis in mainstream Christianity is on the unity of the Godhead, but really, the relations between the persons of the Trinity are standard fare. They called it the "economic" view of the Trinity when I was a student. Dunno what they call it now.

deification (If they're using the term deification to mean immortality, yes. If you're using the term deification in the true sense that man becomes an actual deity, no.)

I think this is an attempt to appropriate the idea of theosis. It's associated with the Eastern churches, but the idea is patristic and it's become a little better known in mainline Protestantism in recent times (I've preached about it myself).

divine embodiment (?)

I assume this means that God has a body. I don't know what this is getting at. The only development that I'm aware of that is vaguely in this area is the mainstreaming of the idea of divine immanence in the natural world generally. I have never met a mainstream Christian who believes that God has arms and legs.

[_Johannes]

post-mortal evangelization (no)

On this point, I've come across conservative Christians who try to square the circle of believing that explicit faith in Jesus Christ is required for salvation with the fact that most people aren't given an adequate presentation of the Christian message by saying that, if a person leads a blameless life, s/he will be given the chance to explicitly accept Christ at the point of death.

I think this is nonsense, but it's an idea that is out there. I've heard it from both Protestants and Roman Catholics.

[_huckelberry]

post-mortal evangelization (no)

On this point, I've come across conservative Christians who try to square the circle of believing that explicit faith in Jesus Christ is required for salvation with the fact that most people aren't given an adequate presentation of the Christian message by saying that, if a person leads a blameless life, s/he will be given the chance to explicitly accept Christ at the point of death.

I think this is nonsense, but it's an idea that is out there. I've heard it from both Protestants and Roman Catholics.

Johannes , I think you have provided a levelheaded and helpful response to the article. I found it a bit too annoying to respond well to.

Clearly the idea of having a better and more attractive understanding of Christianity is important to Mormons. At least for myself when I was a believing Mormon it was important that we had better ideas about how salvation related to people outside of the cultural circle of Christianity. I found it difficult to imagine how people could live with the narrow ideas of salvation I understood nonMormans to have. They sounded monstrous. Was I to imagine human beings sat in church and believed the vast majority of humanity was pouring helter skelter into the fires of hell?

Pursuing the response you mentioned I am puzzled how someone could live a blameless life. I am also puzzled how they could explicitly accept Jesus in a moment unless they already had in some fundamental way. How would they know what they were accepting?

You said you do not believe that particular response leaving the question hanging. Which is a preferable solution, Mormonism, Islam, or atheism? Something else?

[_huckelberry]

an afterthought,
Ideas which as a Mormon I thought I was being provided better understanding of.

That life was full of goodness that was uncorrupted by the fall.

That we were able by our effort to do good things and make life better. We were asked by God to do this. We were asked to do this with God.

Life has good opportunities.

Sexuality was a good part of life if treated with proper respect.

That there was hope for people outside of Christianity that salvation can come to them for the happiness and hope of the whole human family.

[_Johannes]

Pursuing the response you mentioned I am puzzled how someone could live a blameless life. I am also puzzled how they could explicitly accept Jesus in a moment unless they already had in some fundamental way. How would they know what they were accepting?

You said you do not believe that particular response leaving the question hanging. Which is a preferable solution, Mormonism, Islam, or atheism? Something else?

Well, I tend to avoid speculating on this sort of question, but the idea of being evangelised after death is one that I have come across in mainstream Christian circles, and to be fair I've come across it among some very clever and erudite people. Where it differs from Mormon ideas is that it's not connected with baptism or temple work for the dead. Without that connection, the comparison has no real substnace.

[_RockSlider]

God the Father, physical body
Holy Ghost - Joseph Smith used to be
Jesus Christ (and GTF and HG) role titles

Come on Jersey Girl you know you believe all that!

[_Jersey Girl]

divine embodiment (?)

I assume this means that God has a body. I don't know what this is getting at. The only development that I'm aware of that is vaguely in this area is the mainstreaming of the idea of divine immanence in the natural world generally. I have never met a mainstream Christian who believes that God has arms and legs.

You haven't? You haven't met a mainstream Christian who believes that Jesus entered human history with arms and legs?

[_huckelberry]

assume this means that God has a body. I don't know what this is getting at. The only development that I'm aware of that is vaguely in this area is the mainstreaming of the idea of divine immanence in the natural world generally. I have never met a mainstream Christian who believes that God has arms and legs.

(speaking of divine embodiment)
You haven't? You haven't met a mainstream Christian who believes that Jesus entered human history with arms and legs?

Jersey Girl,
In relation to the article I think your irony marks the absurd aspect of the article right in the bullseye.