Comments on: What’s in a Name, or, Are Fundamentalist Mormons Christian?

By: mahonri

mahonri — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:08:14 +0000

6 – The second largest Mormon Fundamentalist group is the Apostolic United Brethren with about 6500 members.
They are followed by Centennial Park with about 1500 members, the David County Co=op / Kingston group with about 1200 members, and the Blackmore group with about 500 members. There are at least around 200 Mormon Fundamentalists who do not belong to any group.

7 – I can only speak for the group I am associated with (AUB) which would definitely excommunicate anyone found to be involved with an under-aged intimate relationship.

Personally I think the practice of under-aged arranged marriages – does contravene the Christian principles of free choice and morality.

By: matt b

matt b — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:36:58 +0000

I think Chris Smith’s caveat is interesting, because I often find that Mormons meet accusations of non-Christianity from evangelicals with an insistence that theology matters less than following Christ in one’s daily acts; ie, the ethical norms that Chris refers to.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:41:42 +0000

Thanks everyone for voting and for your comments.

re Warren Jeffs … that is why I included the qualifying choice #3 in the polls.

Christopher Smith, your last sentence gets at something I’m interested in, namely, is it the actual presence of unorthodox theology that disqualifies one from being Christian, or simply its prevalance in the community’s discourse? To use your example, does holding to a belief in Adam-God disqualify one as a Christian, or does the degree of emphasis placed on that belief in official church discourse disqualify one?

Mahonri, thanks especially for weighing in and presenting a Fundamentalist point of view. Does the practice of underage and/or arranged marriage disqualify one from the Christian community? Does it disqualify one from the larger Mormon community?

All of this is to question how individuals and communities protect their various ascribed identities. If I accept someone (or some group) as “Mormon”, must I also accept them as “Christian” based on my belief that Mormons are Christian?

By: Clark

Clark — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:04:03 +0000

Majority in terms of sects or in terms of population? What are the rough population break downs of the major groups?

By: mahonri

mahonri — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 02:09:05 +0000

I can’t speak for all Fundamentalist groups, but at our Sacrament meetings it’s rare for the speakers not to speak of having faith in Christ, the atonement, or the Saviors example in some area.

Warren Jeffs is not representative of or admired by most Fundamentalist Mormons, the majority of whom do not condone underaged or arranged marriages.

By: Clark

Clark — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:20:35 +0000

The problem is ultimately that the term is an equivocal one with several senses.

By: Christopher Smith

Christopher Smith — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:00:22 +0000

I voted yes to both questions because fundamentalist groups do fit a baseline definition of Christianity, and if I were writing an academic history of Mormon fundamentalism I would classify them as a sectarian Mormon/Christian movement. Speaking casually in private conversation from the perspective of faith, however, I might want to nuance that a bit. I find it difficult to stomach the idea that a man like Warren Jeffs, who seems so far removed from the ethical norms established by Jesus, could be called a Christian. It seems to me that other things, like his own aggrandizement and the controversial teachings of Brigham Young, stand more at the center of his faith and action than do the ethical norms of Jesus.

By: Doc

Doc — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:10:53 +0000

Clearly words that would seem to indicate beliefs held in common are not very well used when trying to differentiate your own group. The claim of “mormon” could have a very restorationist claim to authority within, if one takes it to mean “the church of Jesus Christ restored to the earth in the Latter Days.” Personally, I can understand teh difference between Mormon and the Latter, but I understand the point of view of those who conflate the two.

By: Clark

Clark — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:26:14 +0000

Wow. As of the time of this writing we’re scoring 100% Yes.

Which despite the small sample size (me) is as it should be. I can’t think of a reason that would exclude fundamentalists that would include us.