Quote from Washington Post

[BarbaraGordon]

The Washington Post today featured several perspectives on the current status of Mormonism within the American religious community.

Here is a quote from the guest commentary:

...I believe Latter-day Saints desire to be regarded as part of mainstream Christianity not for status or for doctrinal validation, but to foster neighborliness and cooperation, to join in common causes to improve the condition of the world, to halt contention, to help the poor and needy, shore up the erosion of morals in society, eradicate the exploitation of people, fight dishonesty, stamp out pornography, and support traditional marriage and family values.
However, in truth, the ultimate goal of the LDS Church is not to change perceptions about its nature, but to bring men and women to a fullness of the doctrine and person of Christ, who changes their nature.

These words were written by a BYU prof and LDS member.

I was curious if any of you had any thoughts.

From your posts (taken collectively), I had gotten the impression that members would rather not be confused with mainstream Christianity and would instead rather maintain and celebrate the distinctions. But this guy feels that members do want to be regarded as part of the Christian mainstream (whatever that may mean). Comments?