Are Mormons Christians? Biblical vs. Creedal Christianity, Explained
Short answer: Yes — Mormons are Christians by the original meaning of the word. Mormons, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, worship Jesus Christ as the divine Son of God and the only Savior of the world. They are not creedal Christians, because they reject the Nicene Creed’s definition of God as one substance in three persons. The whole debate comes down to that one distinction: biblical Christian versus creedal Christian.
Are Mormons Christians? It is one of the most-searched questions about the faith, and it trends again every few months — usually when someone posts a religious-affiliation form or a “list of Christian churches” that files The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints separately from the rest. Here is the part almost no one says out loud: the disagreement is not really about whether Mormons follow Jesus Christ. It is about which definition of the word Christian you are using — and there are two.
- Follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
- Worship Him as the divine Son of God
- Scripture that testifies of Christ – “Another Testament of Jesus Christ
- Pray, baptize, and take the sacrament in His name
- Believe He is Jehovah of the Old Testament
- Affirm the Nicene Creed (God of one substance)
- Accept the post-biblical creeds
- Define the Father and the Son as one being
- Reject continuing revelation
Do Mormons believe in Jesus Christ?
Yes. Mormons believe Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God and the only source of salvation. That is the first definition of Christian, and the oldest one: the word was coined to describe the followers of Jesus — the “anointed one,” the Messiah. By that test, the question answers itself.
It is the name on the door: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormons are baptized in His name, take the sacrament in His name, and pray in His name. Their second volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon, is subtitled “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”, and its stated purpose, printed on the title page since 1830, is to convince all people that Jesus is the Christ. A Book of Mormon prophet summed up the faith’s center of gravity in one line: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ” (2 Nephi 25:26). On the Church’s own terms, the testimony of the Apostles and prophets that Jesus died, was buried, rose the third day, and ascended is the fundamental principle of the religion — everything else, Joseph Smith said, is only an appendage to it.
Do Mormons believe in the Trinity?
Here is the second definition — the one doing the real work whenever Mormons get left off a “Christian” list. Under it, Christian means a person who affirms the doctrine of God worked out by the church councils of the fourth and fifth centuries — above all the Nicene Creed of A.D. 325, which defines the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons of one indivisible substance.
Mormons believe in God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost — but not in the creedal version of the Trinity. The Church teaches that the three are distinct persons, united in purpose rather than one substance (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22; 3 Nephi 11:27). The Church’s official statement, “Are Latter-day Saints Christian?”, says it plainly: the label “Christian” is often tied to creedal claims which the Church does not adopt. Rejecting those post-biblical creeds is, by the Church’s own description, one of its distinguishing features. So by the creedal definition, Mormons are not creedal Christians — and they have never claimed to be.
Why don’t some churches consider Mormons Christian?
Because those churches are using the second definition — and notice where it draws the boundary. It draws it at a council that met in A.D. 325, nearly three centuries after Jesus and the Apostles.
That timing is the heart of the matter. If “Christian” requires assent to the one-substance formula of Nicaea, then the line of orthodoxy runs through a fourth-century creed, not through the first-century ministry it claims to describe. Jesus, who prayed to His Father — most fully in John 17, addressing the Father as a distinct person — and the Apostles who heard Him do it, lived and died long before that formula existed. The point is not that the early disciples would flunk a doctrine test. It is that any definition of Christian narrow enough to exclude a Christ-worshipping church is worth examining for what it actually measures: devotion to Jesus, or agreement with a later council. This is why Mormons describe themselves as biblical Christians, not creedal Christians — inside the Christ-following definition, outside the Nicene one.
The real differences — which Mormons don’t hide
A credible answer has to be honest: the gap is real, and it matters to creedal Christians. Mormons differ from creedal Christianity in three main ways.
Mormons believe the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct persons united in purpose, not one being in three persons. The Church even teaches that God the Father has a glorified body and a feeling heart — that He weeps (Moses 7:28–33) — language the creeds wrote out when they defined God as without body, parts, or passions.
Mormons accept the Bible as the word of God, alongside the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. For traditions built on sola scriptura — the Bible alone — that is a defining break.
Mormons hold that authority and certain teachings were lost after the Apostles died and were restored through Joseph Smith — which is why the Church identifies as a restoration of the New Testament church, neither Catholic nor Protestant.
The Church states all of this openly. Its position is not that there are no differences; it is that these differences do not disqualify Mormons as Christians but ground their faith in Jesus Christ.
The case on the other side
For many creedal Christians, the creeds are not an optional add-on — they are the property line of the faith. In that view, the Trinity is simply the biblical doctrine of God stated correctly, and a church that rejects “one substance” and adds scripture beyond the Bible is describing a different God, however sincere its devotion to Jesus. From inside that framework, leaving Mormons off the list is not an insult; it is a boundary marker doing its job. Understanding the Mormon position does not require pretending that objection is empty — only seeing that it, too, rests on the second definition.
So — are Mormons Christians?
By the original, Christ-centered meaning of the word: yes, unambiguously. Mormons worship Jesus Christ as the divine Son of God and the only source of salvation, and they build their entire religious life around Him.
By the creedal, Nicene meaning: no — and they have never claimed otherwise. Mormons are biblical Christians, not creedal Christians.
The real disagreement is far narrower than the headline suggests. It is not a fight about whether to follow Jesus; it is a disagreement about a fourth-century definition of God’s nature. So the next time The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shows up on a form under its own heading, you will know what you are looking at: not a verdict on faith in Christ, but a definition quietly doing the work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Mormons Christians?
Yes, by the original meaning of the word. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ as the divine Son of God and only Savior, and the Church identifies itself as devoutly Christian. The disagreement arises only under a second definition that requires accepting the post-biblical creeds; Latter-day Saints are biblical Christians, not creedal Christians.
Why aren’t Mormons considered Christian by some churches?
Because those churches define “Christian” as affirming the Nicene Creed of A.D. 325, which teaches that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one substance. Latter-day Saints teach instead that they are three distinct persons united in purpose, so they do not meet that creedal definition even though they worship Jesus Christ.
What is the difference between a biblical Christian and a creedal Christian?
A biblical (Christ-following) Christian is defined by faith in and devotion to Jesus Christ. A creedal Christian is defined by acceptance of the doctrines of the fourth- and fifth-century councils, especially the one-substance Trinity of the Nicene Creed. Latter-day Saints fit the first definition but not the second.
Do Mormons believe in Jesus Christ?
Yes. Latter-day Saints believe Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God and the Savior of the world, and that salvation comes only through faith in Him. They are baptized, take the sacrament, and pray in His name, and the Book of Mormon is subtitled Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
Do Mormons believe in the Trinity?
Latter-day Saints believe in God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, and that they are one in purpose. They do not accept the creedal definition that the three are one substance; they teach that they are three distinct persons (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22).
Why was the Church left off a list of Christian churches?
Usually because the list classifies churches by creedal tradition (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant), and the Church belongs to none of those — it identifies as a restoration of the New Testament church, neither Catholic nor Protestant. Being listed separately reflects that historical category, not a judgment about whether members follow Jesus Christ.
Do Mormons believe Jesus and Satan are brothers?
Only in the narrow sense that Latter-day Saints believe all spirits are children of God the Father, which makes Lucifer a spirit son of Heavenly Father. It does not mean they are equals. Apostle David A. Bednar teaches that there was one plan — the Father’s — and that Lucifer rebelled against it rather than offering a rival plan. The Church’s official statement describes Satan as a fallen angel, diametrically opposite from Christ in every attribute, while Christ alone is the Only Begotten Son, the Savior and Redeemer of mankind.