“We worship the same Jesus!” “’Jesus Christ’ is literally in our name!” “There is only one Jesus!”
These and other arguments have been made by Mormons to argue that they should be called Christians, which I will address these throughout this article, but I do want to look at the last one in this short list above first, since it is biblically evidenced.[2] 2 Corinthians 11:4 says,
“For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.”[3]
Here, Paul is telling the Corinthians that when another Jesus is preached to them, they erroneously accept it. In other words, there is more than one Jesus, which I address in much greater detail here, and mention in the same article that even Jesus acknowledges that there will be other “Jesus’s” who come after Him (See Matthew 24:5), so I won’t go into a large discussion at this point, but I simply want to point out the idea that there is more than one Jesus is not nearly as absurd as Mormons make it sound.
In Defense of Charlie Kirk
With that aside, some Mormons (also some Christians who believe that Mormons are Christians) will point to what Charlie Kirk said right before he was murdered, arguing that Charlie was condoning the Mormon religion and some Mormons use this as proof that Christians and Mormons worship the same Jesus. This is not even close, and it is easy to understand why it is not. The following image captures accurately what he said, but let’s look at this in greater detail…
A more full quote goes like this, "I love Mormons. I think it's time for you Mormons, you gotta get your mojo back. No more of this LGBT stuff. We need the strong Mormon church back in this country… I love how Mormons send missionaries around the world, I love how polite you are. Half my team is Mormon… I’m an Evangelical Christian. We are going to have fun with this, but I’m not one of those guys that hates on Mormons."[4]
First, it is notable how careful Charlie is with his words. Not once does he equate himself to Mormonism. In fact, he states categorically near the end of this discussion that he is an Evangelical Christian. He is so careful with his words in that he does not assimilate Mormons with Christians (or vice versa), and even further, by stating categorically that he is an evangelical Christian, he is pointing out the clear difference between the two.
Second, let me point out before we go deeper here that I wrote a book against the false doctrines of Mormonism. (Click Here). The reason I say this is because perhaps it will help people understand that I am not being soft or bending when it comes to such things, because I do not think Jesus was at all soft when it comes to doctrine (See this link). I do not think that I am being inconsistent in what I will say below, simply because we can clearly see where Charlie Kirk is coming from.
More than One Category
So, what did Charlie mean by saying those things about Mormons? It is clear from context that he was simply recognizing the strong moral and family values that the Mormon community has. He said in context, “No more of this LGBT stuff.” He was focused on the family values of Mormonism in this country as opposed to the destructive agenda of family values in the LGBT agenda. He was not condoning Mormonism as a belief system, but was looking at this from a purely political perspective. Because Charlie so tactfully drew the line between Mormons and Christians, and because he clearly knew the difference, he was able to freely condone Mormon culture from a political perspective.
The affirmation that Kirk believed Mormons are Christians from the evidence provided does not logically follow. While Kirk made the remarks at the event concerning Mormons he was clearly focused on the moral standing of Mormons and their emphasis on family values as opposed to the anti-family LGBTQ agenda.
Even militant atheist, Richard Dawkins calls himself a "Cultural Christian" (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COHgEFUFWyg). This further proves that there are different categories in discussion. In this light, should we disagree with Dawkins that there is a high value in a culture that is Christian? Certainly not. We should indeed desire Christian culture. True Christian culture is safer, better, more loving, and creates a more historically proven prosperous society as opposed to cultures without moral standing[5] (atheism) or even lesser moral standings such as Islam.
One category to consider is salvation, the other category is culture. How is it any different for Kirk to focus on the good family values of Mormons (as opposed to the destructive LGBT), but still not call himself one or theologically endorse Mormonism? Charlie Kirk is just as easily referring to the culture of Mormonism, and safely so, because it is in a completely different category than the salvific beliefs of Mormonism. In other words, the political beliefs of Mormonism can be good, emphasizing family values and such, but the beliefs about salvation are not. These are two totally different categories. This means that to call Charlie Kirk a blasphemer or a false teacher is a categorical error. It also means that Kirk is not saying that Mormon doctrines save people from their sin. Because he categorically states that he is a Christian in context, he is saying that Christianity is true, and Mormonism is false. There is more than one category in play here, which is why the argument fails that Kirk is condoning Mormonism.
Typical Arguments for Mormonism Being Christian and Why they Fall Short
Next, we find a similar situation with a recent post by Senator Mike Lee. In his post, he lists out numerous similarities that he believes that Mormonism has with Christianity. Perhaps the typical inclination of a Christian apologist will be to go through all of the bullet points he lists out one by one, but there is a much easier procedure.
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The procedure is to simply take a step back. The idea is that you want to see the whole picture. Instead of addressing all of the bullet points one by one, we should begin at the foundation. The foundational issue is that Senator Lee is discussing a fundamentally different Jesus from the beginning. The Mormon Jesus is a created being, but the Biblical Jesus is not.
Senator Lee makes a typical Mormon argument by showing that the Jesus they worship is the same Jesus Christians worship by giving examples of their Jesus’s life experiences. The problem is that this sounds like what Christians believe, but it is fundamentally different. When Senator Lee says that Jesus is the creator and God of the OT, he means that God, AKA “Heavenly Father,” used Jesus as an agent to create, but Heavenly Father is the ultimate creator. In the Pearl of Great Price, Moses 2:1 says, “and it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I reveal unto you concerning this heaven, and this earth; write the words which I speak, I am the Beginning and the End, the Almighty God; By mine only Begotten I created these things; yea, in the beginning, I created the heaven and the earth upon which thou standeth.”[6]
So Heavenly Father is the ultimate “creator” in Mormonism, but what does this ultimately mean? Mormonism does not teach that the universe began ex nihilo, that is, out of nothing. Many Mormons mean when they say that Jesus existed for eternity past that the arranged particles that made Jesus what he was, have existed forever, and Heavenly Father rearranged these particles to make Jesus. This is how some Mormons mean that Jesus is begotten. But, the problem is, before Jesus was arranged, he did not exist as a person. Therefore, the Mormon Jesus’s personhood only existed after he had a body. Therefore, he is a created being. They cannot get away from this according to their scriptures. Doctrine and Covenants 131:7 reads, “There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes.” Again, in the Pearl of Great Price in the book of Abraham 3:24 we find, “And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell.”
The “God” in Mormonism then is simply a particle rearranger, and not actually a creator. The LEGOS already existed for eternity past, and Heavenly Father is simply putting them together. In any event, the reason these arguments fall short is because of a fundamental difference. The created Jesus, though he has similar experiences as the Jesus who lives forever is not the same.
(I discuss this post from Senator Mike Lee in greater detail in the following audio interview https://penjams.com/applesandoranges/)
Why is there a Push for Mormons to Be Recognized as Christians?
When confronted with the idea about believing in the traditional Christ, Gordon Hinckley said, “No, I don’t. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak.’”[7] The reason that Mormons now want to appear Christian in people’s eyes is arguably because they want to appear less harmful to baby Christians and the like in order to win them as converts. Again, they will give examples that they believe Jesus walked on the water, healed the sick and rose from the dead, but this does not mean that we both worship the same Jesus.
If the two Jesus’s in scope are fundamentally different, yet have the similar experiences, then they are still different. It is like saying that a pile of boards and hardware vs a complete wooden ship is the same thing. Wood was cut and iron was forged in both situations, but the two are nothing alike.
1. If the Mormon Jesus is fundamentally different than the biblical Jesus, then we do not worship the same Jesus.
2. The Mormon Jesus is fundamentally different than the biblical Jesus.
3. Therefore, we do not worship the same Jesus.
Just because “Jesus Christ” is in their name does not mean we are discussing the same object. The Mormon Jesus is fundamentally different based on His nature of existence. The Mormon Jesus is ultimately a created being because the particles that were used to arrange him were without personhood. Second, the work of the Mormon Jesus does not do the same thing as the biblical Jesus. Jesus helps a person become saved in Mormonism, but he doesn’t save the whole person. The Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 25:23-24 it reads, “for we know that it is by grace we are saved, after all we can do. And notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.” In other words, a Mormon earns justification by obeying the commandments and for the justification that you cannot earn (because you fall short), Jesus picks up the slack.
Not only is the being of Jesus fundamentally different, but also His work is fundamentally different. We do not worship the same Jesus, and Mormonism is not a Christian denomination.
© Nace Howell, 2025
[1] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/the-correct-name-of-the-church?lang=eng
[2] The Holy Bible is part of the holy scriptures in Mormonism. See also KJV 2 Corinthians 11:4.
[3] 2 Cor. 11:4, Emphasis added.
[6] Emphasis added.
[7] LDS Church News, week ending June 20, 1998, 7.
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