Jesus Christ/Accusations that Latter-day Saints aren't Christians

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Criticism

Critics claim that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not "Christian."

There is no rightful claim by historic Mormon doctrine to the name Christian, because they deny almost every one of the major fundamental doctrines of Christendom." - Norman Giesler, founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary, cited in Elise Soukup, "The Mormon Odyssey," Newsweek, (17 October 2005)[1].

At its base, this claim is an excellent example of the No true Scotsman fallacy.

The claimed bases for the charge that the LDS are not Christians include:

LDS do not accept creedal Trinitarianism as set out by the Nicene Creed. This means that they conceive of Jesus and Satan as being spiritual ' siblings' in terms of their origin.
Because of different understandings about God, some Christian critics accuse the LDS of worshipping a different Jesus
LDS have doctrines which differ from traditional Christianity
- premortal existence
- vicarious work for the dead
- eternal marriage and families
- three degrees of glory
LDS use additional scripture with the Bible
LDS do not accept creatio ex nihilo
LDS heed the teachings of Joseph Smith and other modern prophets
LDS reject such doctrines as predestination to salvation or damnation

A summary of the argument against the criticism.