Mormons ARE Christians

My junior year in high school, a teacher stopped me as I was walking out of class, and asked me to stay back a few minutes. Little did I know he would interrogate my beliefs and religion. It didn't take long for people to learn I was a Mormon. I didn't drink. I didn't have sex. I didn't do drugs. He started by saying that I belonged to the "cool" crowd, so surely I did those things. He quickly made way to the most popular debate people seem to have regarding the Mormon religion {which seriously blows my mind} ....he said I belonged to a cult, and I was not a Christian.

Surprise, surprise that someone would try bashing my religion. And surprise, surprise that they'd start there. Perry's recent political move wasn't the first I had heard of these criticisms, and I know it will not be the last.

I responded with a question, "Do you know what church I belong to?"

He said, "Yes. The Mormon church."

I said, "Well, "Mormon" is a nickname we've been given. But I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Why would we have Jesus Christ in the title of our church if we are not Christian?"

That usually ends the debate. There's really no arguing it when people realize the actual title of our church. And if that doesn't end it, I'll take it one step further. Why would any non-Christian religion proclaim to be Christian? Doesn't that defeat the purpose? I don't hear my Jewish friends claiming to be Christians. That's because they are not.  We are fortunate to live in a country where we can choose to worship how we please. We can choose our religion. If someone is ashamed of their religion, then they find another one. Religion can help us understand where someone comes from, but it's not a nationality, and it's not an ethnicity. It's a set of beliefs we cling to because we choose to. Perhaps someone is ashamed of their nationality or ethnicity, and they proclaim to be something they are not. But unlike that, we choose to set ourselves where we want to religiously.

I've had friends tell me their church leaders bash my religion during their church. That's always blown my mind. Come to our church, and we're not talking about other religions. We're talking about how the gospel has been restored to this Earth. We're talking about how Jesus is the Savior of the world. We're talking about how Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us, and it's a plan of happiness. We're talking about how we are all children of God. We're reading the scriptures. We're singing hymns. That's what we're doing.

I am a lot of things. I'm a college graduate. I'm a photographer. I'm a former ad woman. I'm a Zumba instructor. I'm a runner. I'm a musician. I'm a Texan. And the three roles that are the most important to me...I'm a wife. I'm a mother. I'm a Mormon. With that said, I'm a Christian. I believe that Jesus is the Christ. He is my Savior, he is my Redeemer.

For my friends out there that have questions, I'd love to answer them.