Mormons and Catholics

So far I have failed to keep new post counts evenly divided as promised between Catholics and Mormons. My staunch Catholic co-founder, Brad Haas has been very busy since this blog launched with finals and hasn’t settled in for summer yet. Not to mention having to suffer through the emotional turmoil of breaking up with a long time LDS girlfriend shortly after Easter. He has been most helpful in getting this site recognition from his own well established blog, Defensor Veritatis, which is Latin for “Defender of Truth.” So please treat his site as a companion to this one, until we can to coax more Catholic personalities to post.

I hope Mormons will feel an increased desire to engage Catholic thought from this venture. So I welcome the LDS Bloggernacle participants who may be coming from John’s Times and Seasons links. The content here can only improve from here on out, so please be patient and check back once in awhile.

Some of Brad’s essays have already drawn the attention of some prominent LDS bloggers. For example, comparing LDS exhaltation to the thought of 2nd to 4th century Fathers and how Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Catholics understand them. Even though there are differences, largely stemming from some of the more speculative aspects of Joseph Smith’s last few sermons, I would hope Catholics publicize their current stance more emphatically. At the very it least it would get those who see red with the mere mention of the word “gods” would have to at least have to explore the underlying concepts before criticizing.

See:

“What’s Wrong With God-Making?”

This thread contains comments from FARMS contributor (and now Catholic) David Waltz. I think that is notable, given that there has only been a handful of non-LDS Christians accepted for publication at the Mecca of LDS apologetics — Paul Owen, Margaret Barker, Jan Shipps, Carl Mosser, Massimo Introvigne, and Jordan Vajda (now LDS). An LDS friend and mentor I met in the Catholic Answers Forums, Tom Nossor also helped create a good discussion. David Waltz is carefully revising a book that I expect will set a benchmark on deification studies. Brad’s essay inspired blog responses from both sides.

Got Divinity? by Mike Aquilina a Catholic blogger with interests in early Christian studies

Clearing up Confusion on Deification by Clark Gobble
Those who have been following Brad’s blog for awhile will already be familiar with these posts. So this is primarily the benefit of LDS newcomers. Another recent post worth consideration is Brad’s consideration of whether Mormons are Christians. Catholics have a lot of theology riding on defining a proper Christian. So they have an in house definition that has to exclude those considered invalidly baptized. Mormons, on the other hand, appeal to the way we –through sacred convenants– self-identify as Christians and to rather full proof arguments that excluding Mormons for belief X also excludes consensus Christian group Y that also held belief X. I think Brad breaks new ground in his conclusion:

I strongly urge readers never to waste their time trying to convince an LDS that he is not Christian. Nor is it a fruitful question to discuss with a member of any faith regarding any other faith. And for the love of all that is holy, don’t ever tell an LDS that he is a member of a non-Christian cult. Regardless of whether such assertions are right or wrong, the subject of who can be called “Christian” is not a fruitful subject of debate with members of any other communion. Therefore, my answer to the question “Are Mormons Christian?” is not “yes” or “no,” because the question is not as simple as that. My answer is, “They believe in Christ, but they believe some very different things about Him than most Christians do.”

So, I can understand that Brad and most Catholics can’t conscientiously honor Mormons with the title of Christian. And I think Brad understands Mormons can’t conscientiously stop calling ourselves Christians. So at present it is best to declare a truce. Brad is working to find “ways to call the Mormon people home to the one Body of Christ,” so I know he isn’t using the term as a stratagem to discredit Mormonism like the counter-cult ministries do. Regrettably, some uninformed traditional Christians don’t know the story behind the decision not to accept Mormons as Christians and make erroneous assumptions, e.g. “Mormons don’t believe Jesus died on the cross.” However, Brad does a good job at correcting those obvious errors when they come up. I try to do the same for Catholicism.