Are Mormons Christian?

There has been a lot of chatter in the news lately about whether Mormons are Christian or not.  With two Mormons vying for the Republican presidential nomination, and some speculative comments from their opponents, the media has been peppered with opinions about whether or not these alternative-scripture-toting religionists really deserve the coveted title of "Christians."  A simple definition of a "Christian" would obviously be a person who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ and adheres to his teachings.  As evidenced by the many different Christian denominations existing today, there are many different opinions about what Christ and his apostles meant when they taught the gospel in what has become canonized scripture, specifically the Holy Bible.  Yet all these churches are still considered "Christian."  I don't see the logic in singling out one religion and saying because they have a specific interpretation of Christ's teachings that is in some ways unique from all others that they are not "Christian."  Mormons, or Latter-day Saints, believe in the Bible, they believe that Christ is the only way by which man can be saved, that he is the center of the gospel, and he is the center of their worship.  Sunday meetings are focused on the study of his life and his teachings, and during the week, members of the church strive to live according to those teachings.  It really baffles me that anyone could say Mormons are not Christian based on scruples over scriptural interpretation.

I am a Mormon, and I have a very personal relationship with my savior, Jesus Christ.  I know he is the only man who ever lived a perfect life, and that through his suffering, death, and resurrection, he opened the door for me and any who will follow him to return to the presence of God.  I love to study his life, and I love to read the teachings of his apostles.  For the past year, I have been making a careful study of the New Testament.  I have read it many times before.  I know that book is scripture, and I love it.  I feel like I understand what God expects of me, that I know what the purpose of life is, and what we are to do to be saved.  I have many friends of other Christian faiths, who practice different traditions and have a different understanding of the gospel, but I would never dream of saying they are not Christian.  It hurts me when I hear someone say that I am not, that I don't know Jesus.

Let me make a comparison to help illustrate: say I have a friend named John.  I know John is an athletic type, and I was thinking he might really enjoy going to a baseball game, so I plan to invite him to a game I've got a few tickets for.  You, on the other hand, have heard John say in some passing conversation that baseball bores him to tears, so you know he would probably not enjoy going to the game.  We're both friends with John, but have gotten to know him in different situations, and have had different conversations with him.  Would you or I ever accuse the other of not really being John's friend, just because we have different ideas about his personality?  Or would one of us say that the John you are friends with is a different John?  One of us may be wrong about John's personality, but maybe we are both right.  Maybe John doesn't like baseball, but he may still enjoy going to a game to enjoy the company.  If we really wanted to know the truth about John, it would be rather ineffective to argue about which of us knows him better, or is actually his friend.  What we ought to do is simply go ask him to settle the dispute and stop worrying about what we think we know.  It's not a perfect comparison, of course, but it touches on what I feel when people say that I and all the members of my church are not Christian.  They are saying that this man whom I love and worship and depend upon for my salvation is no friend of mine, that I don't know him, that I don't serve him.  If studying the teachings of Christ and striving to live them to the best of our understanding is not being Christian, then I don't know what is.