From time to time, I see someone posting (usually incorrect) information on Mormons and one complaint is that Mormons won’t pray to Jesus directly, which “proves” they are not Christian. Let’s take that complaint in several parts in order to answer the question.
First, it is important to know that Mormon is only a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is okay to use it as a name for the people, but not for the church itself. When Mormons
shorten their name, they use the term LDS (Latter-day Saints.) They are sort of picky about not wanting people to call them the Mormon Church because in the Book of Mormon, which Mormons use with the Bible, Jesus says that if you call a church by the name of a person, it is that person’s church. So, a church called, “The Church of John” would be John’s church. If you want it to be Jesus’ church, it must be named after Him. This is why the Mormons call their church “The Church of Jesus Christ.” Latter-day Saints is used to differentiate the modern church with the ancient New Testament church. You’ll remember that in the Bible, Jesus’ followers did not call themselves Christian. That was a term first used by outsiders and later adopted by the followers for themselves. Instead, they called themselves Saints.
It should be clear then that Mormons consider themselves Christians—not Nicene Christians, but a restoration of the New Testament Christianity. They reject voted upon doctrines that emerged after the apostles were no longer leading the church.
Mormons pray—a lot, actually. They pray to God, not Jesus Christ, but in the name of Jesus Christ. When they start a prayer, they begin by saying, “Dear Heavenly Father” or something similar. At the end of the prayer, they say, “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Although some Christians are offended by this, it is actually exactly what Jesus Christ Himself taught us to do in the New Testament of the Bible. Let’s take a look at three verses in the book of John and one in James:
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14.
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15:16.
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23-24.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5).
All these verses tell us to pray to God, not Jesus Christ. They instruct us to ask in Jesus’ name. This is how Mormons pray because it is how Jesus told us to pray. In fact, He prayed this way Himself, although of course, He didn’t pray in His name, since He was offering the prayer. At the end of this article, you can watch a video of Jesus offering the Great Intercessory Prayer, with the text taken from the King James translation of the Bible.
Often, people try to define Christianity by narrow terms that are not Biblical. The Bible does not define what constitutes a Christian, since the term really wasn’t in use at the time by Jesus’ followers. Jesus did not answer questions about how to be a Christian, but He did answer them on how to obtain eternal life. He never answered these questions with a list of doctrine—nowhere, for instance, does He say you must believe in the trinity (since the word and definition are not in the Bible)—but He does give a list of commandments to keep. We must be very careful, when trying to pass judgment on who is and is not a Christian that we make sure there is Biblical backing for our decision and that the Bible gives us the right to make that judgment. Mormons believe in allowing people to self-identify. If someone tells a Mormon he is a Christian, Mormons will accept that, because only God and Jesus Christ are entitled to determine the accuracy of that self-identification.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
I am getting so tired of being told that I am not a Christian, I have gotten to the point of just ignoring the question or comment. Living here in Utah for the last year has especially opened my eyes to the hatred of the church by so called “Christian” churches. It literally makes me sick to hear other denominations belittle,dismiss, try to disprove the beliefs of not only the LDS Church but other churches as well because they do not believe what they do. It makes me want to just live my life in isolation and worship God, pray to Him thru Jesus, believe in Christ and His Atonement , believe in the love that he has for me and his desire for me to return to him; to shut the world out, if I could live in the Temple each day I would welcome it. Just tired of hatred. That is not Christian.
Dale,
Thanks for visiting the site and for your heartfelt response and surprise at other “Christians” depicting us as something ‘other than.’ It comes from insufficient understanding and sometimes intentioned distortions, but with it all, we live and witness of the Savior. We need to love back when we are unloved, so it is as much a test for us as it is for others. Living in the world and yet thinking apart from it, is not easy but through His grace, we’re enabled–to clarify and to correct perceptions of deity. Many are confused by their own leaders who are misinformed, or who believe that if we don’t ascribe to the Trinity in the very same way–that is, if we proclaim, as we do that Jesus and the Father and the Holy Ghost are separate Beings in the Godhead–that we are not Christians. Elder Holland said it well, “We are not creedal Christians.” We don’t vote on what is doctrine. Joseph saw whom he saw and testified unto death of his vision of the Lord and the Father as distinct. That was knowledge to him, too. He was raised with a different theology, but was taught experientially, the truth, and died a martyr to that knowledge. God bless you as you find strength to speak out for the truth. Remember, too, that honest seekers will see through the lies in many cases. I came into the Church after reading anti-information that I found in a Baptist Church. The negative assertions were superfluous and what they reported to be the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ, I knew to be true from my own personal study of the Bible. Thanks for your dedication. The temple can be and is a fabulous refuge from the storm, but again, we go out into the heat, and see the temperatures sometimes rising. This, too, will purify us as a people, if we respond aright. God bless you in your journey.
While I don’t appreciate how hard other churches sometimes work to make it seem like members of the LDS church are not Christian, I do appreciate and can learn from those of other faiths who set a good example of being vocal in their love for and dependence on Jesus Christ. When done reverently, their declarations of Christ are a good reminder to me of how much I need His enabling grace every day.
Thanks, Lecia. Appreciate your visit and comment.
More and more I am convinced that the argument over whether or not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) are Christian or not, is primarily a question of semantics more than anything else. Let’s consider for a moment the growing popularity of non-denominational Christianity. The term “non-denominational” has a negative connotation and is rarely used anymore when members of these congregations are asked about their faith. Instead, they simply say I am Christian or I go to a Christian church. In this context, it is easy to understand why they may be confused or even offended when an LDS person states, I am Christian or I go to a Christian church, since their core beliefs can differ greatly. In this light, an LDS person might do better to say, “I worship Jesus Christ as well, but I do so with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.” This way, both people retain their individual and unique identities without getting hung up over wording.
The above explanation would resolve 90% of the confusion around this topic, but then there are also those that understand this topic well and are simply being antagonistic or wish to teach the other a lesson about Christ, meaning that the Jesus they believe in is not the same as the one represented by the other. For these people I would say, they’re absolutely right. There are many differences between the Jesus worshiped by LDS people and the one understood by the rest of Christianity. One of which was described in the article above, about how Jesus is addressed and his role identified through prayer. Another example has to do with disembodied and omnipresent role of Jesus within the Holy Trinity. This concept is very confusing to an LDS person.
While there are some core doctrinal differences, members of the LDS faith study and worship the same Jesus spoken of in the New Testament. His importance to them cannot be overstated and they recognize him as the only way to receive salvation and eternal life. He is at the center of all of their worship, whether it be in their meeting houses or within their temples. They have a deep love for him that is deepened as they strive to live according to his word and follow his example.
I really enjoyed your article!
I myself am a non-Mormon Christian, and am really seeking to get to the heart of doctrinal differences.
While I can’t quite reconcile the LDS belief that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all separate beings with verses like 1 John 5:7-8 (For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one), this article helped me to better understand the intent behind not praying to Jesus. Thanks so much!
I came here wanting to get better understanding of LDS take on praying to Jesus. Would you say it is wrong to pray to him? Also I saw where you mention you dont believe in the trinity. What is wrong with using a word to descrbe what the early church believed. Also how is the LDS church view on Jesus different than that of the evangelical church, Orthodox, or Catholic church.
We pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. I don’t think it’s wrong to pray to Jesus if that is what you’ve been taught. But God is the giver of all gifts. Jesus is the one who made intercession on our behalf, so in calling on His name, we are reminding ourselves of all that He did for us. And without Jesus we would have no hope of being back with God again one day.
As for your Trinity question, it’s not that we don’t believe in the Trinity. We just have a different word for them and a different understanding of them. We call the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost the Godhead. They are three separate beings, who have separate roles but all work together for one goal- our Salvation. God the Father has a body of flesh and bone, and is the father of our spirit. Jesus Christ is our older brother, and the one who paid for our sins so that we could be washed clean and enter the Father’s presence again. He also has a resurrected and perfect immortal body. And the Holy Ghost made a huge sacrifice for us also. He chose not to have a body just yet, so that He could let each man and woman on earth feel God’s presence. Because of Him we can pray and hear/feel answers. Does that answer your question?
Finally, your question about Jesus and our view of Him. I’m afraid I’m not familiar with how all churches see Him. Some see Him as one who punishes us for doing wrong, or a recorder of bad deeds. But we see Jesus as our older brother. We see Him as a loving teacher who wanted to show us the way to live. He is the Son of God, the only begotten in the flesh. He sees what we do, and like God, wants us to succeed through our trials. He took upon himself all our sins and illnesses so that He could know how best to help us when we need Him. He knows, quite literally, everything we feel. He is not an angry or vengeful being, but one of love and mercy and light. I often see Catholic art with the Savior languishing on the cross. But the Jesus I know is a living God. He is not dead, but very much alive and involved in our lives. Through the Holy Ghost we can feel the Spirit of God. He testifies of all truth. And He testifies of Jesus and His mission on Earth. His Spirit is the one you feel any time you talk about God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Thus they are three beings working together as one, to help us each succeed.
Am I answering your questions? Please let me know.
We do, however, sing to the Savior Jesus Christ in the form of prayer. The Lord also said that “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.”
In humility, our Savior,
Grant thy Spirit here, we pray,
As we bless the bread and water
In thy name this holy day.
Let me not forget, O Savior,
Thou didst bleed and die for me
When thy heart was stilled and broken
On the cross at Calvary.
Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving;
Teach us tolerance and love.
Let our prayers find access to thee
In thy holy courts above.
Then, when we have proven worthy
Of thy sacrifice divine,
Lord, let us regain thy presence;
Let thy glory round us shine.
I can’t get past that Jesus himself claimed to be God. He was crucified because he claimed to be God so I can’t get past the point where God The Father And Jesus are not One.
Jesus Christ and God the Father are united in purpose. They are working for the salvation of our souls. And Jesus had reached godhood before coming here to earth. So yes, he was a god and a member of the Godhead. He was united in purpose with God the Father in his efforts to make salvation possible. Jewish tradition may be different. But I always thought Jesus was crucified because he upset the Pharisees and threatened the balance in Jewish society.
Agreeing with
Patty Sampson 100%
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Patty, Jesus was crucified because it was God’s plan for our salvation all along. Hence all the OT prophecy about the savior. Please read the book of John. Why do you think Jesus went up on the mount before his crucifixion and prayed that “if there were any other way” to let it be? This was God’s plan to pay for our sins so we can enter heaven.
Kate, I’m a little confused by your comment — Patty never says Christ’s Crucifixion wasn’t part of Heavenly Father’s plan. She explains why Latter-day Saints pray to God the Father in the name of Christ, rather than praying to Christ directly. She even cites John in this article. Sorry for any confusion this article may have caused you, but we agree — Heavenly Father’s plan was for us to return to live with Him through the suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection of His Son.