Thoughts on Christianity

     As I've said in the past, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You might know members by the nickname Mormons.  Because of that nickname or because we believe in other scriptures along with the Bible, or because we don't use some of the same symbolism as other churches, some people say we aren't Christian.  We are as Christian as any other denomination and by that I mean we try to follow Christ's example as we understand it to be.  Some of us are better at that than others.
     I have read about, heard about & seen some truly Christian people and they were not all members of the church I attend.  Take Mother Theresa for instance, she was a beautiful example of Christian service and love, and she was a Catholic nun.  My sister was really sick one day when some Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on her door.  When my sister answered and the women saw how sick she was, they wanted to help her.  They even offered to go to the local store & buy her some groceries (which my sister graciously declined).  They didn't care that she was not a member of their church.  They saw someone in need and wanted to help her out.
     My sister has more experiences with people of different faiths than I do because for many years she was a newspaper reporter.  She has worked in a few different communities for weekly newspapers.  In one of her first communities she had a Baptist congregation praying for her.  In her last job as a reporter, she knew a Catholic priest who would bless her every time she saw him.  She adored him and wasn't bothered at all by the fact that he was Catholic and she was Mormon.
     What brought on this musing on who is Christian?  I read a recent post on Facebook.  It was a quote from the pope about how the cross teaches us a different definition of success.  Someone I know shared it and was appalled at the way the pope worded some of what he said.  I truly believe that this friend misunderstood what the pope was saying.  We aren't Catholic and some of our knowledge regarding the nature of God & Jesus Christ is vastly different than Catholic beliefs, hence the reason many people see us as non-Christian.  Still, even with those differences, I don't believe the pope was saying what my friend thought he was saying.  However, that wasn't what really got to me and prompted me to write this post.  One of the commenters on the post called the pope a joke and said he was not a Christian.  Excuse me!  Who are we to say who is or isn't Christian?  We, who are often denounced as non-Christians, should be the last ones to call anyone, especially the leader of another church, not Christian.  Heavenly Father looks on our hearts.  We don't know each others' hearts.  Yes, our words and actions show what is in our hearts but sometimes those can be misunderstood by others.  It is up to us to follow our own beliefs and try to be like Christ as we understand Him.  It goes against my beliefs to belittle another because their understanding is different.
     I will be the first to tell you that I can be judgemental but I am trying to be more Christlike especially as my circle of friends has grown to include more people outside my own faith.  I try to share my beliefs but I don't judge my friends & acquaintances by my beliefs.  It wouldn't be fair.  As I have grown and matured, I have learned that good people are to be found in all walks of life and we should not assume that we have the monopoly on true Christians.