Mormonism: Difference between revisions

'''Mormons''' are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians. They share some beliefs with most mainstream Christian denominations, with many major key differences. The ''Latter Day Saint movement'' may perhaps be viewed as Christianity's very own [[Expanded Universe]] material. This Expanded Universe material includes the Book of Mormon (containing about a dozen other books, which, oddly, teach nonenumber of thecanonical distinctiveworks attributes ofalongside the Mormon religion)Bible, themost Doctrine and Covenants, containing 132 sections of varying length, from several sentences to several pages and two "Official Declarations;" The Pearl of Great Price, containingfamously the Book of Abraham, the Book of Moses,Mormon (these last two are where the LDS Church got the germ of the polytheistic or monolatristic ideas that would later most distance it from mainstream Christianity), Joseph Smith-Matthew and Joseph Smith-History. These are called the "Standard Works", and, along with the King James Version of the Bible, comprise the (current) Mormon scriptures, which are "open" - meaning they can be expanded, contractedoddly, orteaches re-arranged at any time by unanimous agreementnone of the church'sdistinctive Presidency and presiding council, which would then be submitted to the membership for sustaining vote. Eminent Protestant Christian scripture scholar Bruce Metzger (headattributes of the translation committee for the RSV and NRSV Bibles, and long-standing editor of the New Oxford Annotated Bible until his death in 2005) defined the difference between an "open canon" (canon, from the Greek, meaning "measuring stick", in this means a list of authoritative books for aMormon religion) and a closed canon (common to all mainstream Christianity, even if the contents are disagreed upon) thus: "An open canon is a list of authoritative books: a closed canon is an authoritative list of books."

WhileThe movement was started by Joseph Smith, Jr, who described having several visions leading to the establishment of [http://www.ldschurchofjesuschrist.org The Church of (Jesus) Christ (of Latter-day Saints)] in 1830. While this church, commonly referred to as the "LDS Church" (colloquially as "Mormonism", even amongst some Latter-dayof Saintsits members) is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are often erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to [[Christianity Is Catholic]]: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (known for polygamy, a practice condemned by the LDS Church). The Community of Christ split from Mormonism over a succession dispute after Joseph Smith, Jr's death: although it is considered part of the Latter-day saint movement, it does not consider itself to be Mormon, and belief in the of-questionable-historicity Book of Mormon is not a requirement. [[That Other Wiki]] has an [[wikipedia:Category:Latter Day Saint denominations|extensive list]]. However, around 90% of Latter-day Saints are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. (LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) Most of this article is focused on the first group listed - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The godhead consists of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, however, conceived of in a vastly different way to the Trinity of Nicene Christianity.

** Actually, thisThis is a subject of argument, even among Mormons, because the man/god concept falls under Talmudic-like leadership opinion rather than official doctrine. Many point out that being like man doesn't preclude being a God. After all, Jesus was God both before and during his Incarnation, so the same is true of God the Father. Which leads to the alternate interpretation that God while God gained a mortal body (which then was transfigured into an immortal body).

* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost (e.g. three separate gods: LDS do not worship Jesus Christ, but only God the Father). He was sent to earth to pay for our sins and, teach a new covenant (replacing the Law of Moses), and provide a perfect example for us to follow. He is the advocate of humanity, and the mediator between us and the Father (thus all Mormons end their prayers, "In the name of Jesus Christ"). His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane was Him taking upon Himself theeveryone's sins of everyone, something even he could barely endure. His crucifixion and resurrection was so that all meneveryone could have their bodies restored. Note, however, that inIn order to return to Heavenly Father's presence (called "Eternal Life" by the LDS), one must beaccept clean.His Thesacrifice onlyby way to do this is to bebeing baptized, and repentrepenting and dodoing the best that one can do. Like us, He started as a spirit with the rest of us, and gained a body here on earth., Thoughand was baptized. unlikeUnlike us, Jesus was God from the beginning (due to His perfect unity in purpose with the Father). After heand was resurrected,Jehovah heof hasthe aOld perfect body like God. His life isTestament, whatcreating the membersworld areunder encouragedHis to emulate. ThatFather's not to say they go out raising the dead and other miracles, but they do try to help those who need it, as well as being kind and caringdirection. In fact, in order to fulfill all righteousness,After he had to get baptized. Jesus Christ formed His church while He was on earthresurrected, andhe chosehas twelvea Apostlesperfect tobody be the leaders of His Church. He gave them the Priesthood, or the authority oflike God, in order to baptize and perform other essential ordinances. Occasionally referred to as 'the firstborn son', 'the eldest brother', and 'the inheritor son' in more detailed theological discussions.

* The '''Holy Ghost''', or the '''Comforter''', is the middlemain manmessenger between God and man, and can act as a guiding influence. He has not gained a physical body, mainly because in order to dwell within someone, a physical body would significantly impede His purpose. However, ifIf someone sins or doesn't heed His advice, it drives Him away, leaving that person to act without His influence.

The debate over Mormons being Christians stems mostly from this non-Trinitarian and non-monotheistic perspective of the godhead (which is variously viewed as polytheist, monolatrist [meaning "one worship"], or, in the words of apostle Orson Pratt, "plurality of gods"). For Mormons, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are separate and distinct Beings working together with a common purpose. The rough analogy would be a modern republic: separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches which collectively form one government. Mainline trinitarian Christianity considers the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit to be of one single essence and nature: one absolute monarch who functions in all roles. As a result, Mormons do not ascribesubscribe to the trinitarian Nicene Creed, which all mainstream Christians (Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox) consider to be the hallmark of orthodoxy (<ref>from the Greek for "right belief"); thus the characterization of Mormons as outside the fold of Christianity, as the rest of Christendom considers those groups which are not Nicene non-Christian</ref>. Thus, in the eyes of most of Christianity, Mormons are a new religion, just as Christianity is a new religion and not just a "splinter sect of Judaism"; in the eyes of many Mormons, they are Christian, and, it was the Council of Nicea that got things wrong; in the eyes of outsiders, no one cares, the internecine struggle is either funny or ridiculous, and they're all counted together as long as they say something about Jesus (along with Moonies, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, and all sorts of crazy groups).

The Plan of Salvation also contributes to the idea that Mormons aren't Christian, because it's significantly different from the traditional heaven/hell afterlife of most denominations. It's a bit complicated at first, so taking a look at [https://web.archive.org/web/20130515001830/http://www.ldsces.org/inst_Manuals/nt-trm/images/salv-1.gif this diagram] might be useful.

* The Spirit World! Consisting of:

** Paradise is, where generally good people go to await final judgment. It is there that they will learn the complete gospel and accept the ordinances that will prepare them for eternal life.

** GenerallySpirit badPrison, peoplewhere gothe tonot-so-good Spiritand Prisonthose who haven't accepted the gospel go to await final judgment. They are taught the gospel by people who are in Paradise, and are given a chance to accept the plan of salvation and the ordinances that go along with it.

* The church teaches that all people, not just the righteous, will be resurrected, meaning their body and spirit will once again be united. Despite the limitations of mortality, a body is considered a good thing that will be missed when we die, as it provides the spirit with abilities it would not otherwise have.

** There's also Outer Darkness, where you go only go if you deny the Holy Ghost, meaning you reject and deny Christ despite having perfect knowledge of his divinity. SatanLucifer and those who rebelled with him will also reside here. Those who reside here, known as Sons of Perdition, do not receive a bodily resurrection.

The Mormons also believe that in order to go to the Celestial Kingdom, one must have undergone several "ordinances", such as baptism and temple marriage (though the laterlatter is only required to obtain the highest degree). Children under 8 are immediately considered pure of any sin, as 8 is the "age of accountability" when they become responsible for their actions -- this is why the Mormons baptize people at the age of 8 or older, depending on when they are introduced to the church. Because God understands that not everyone has a chance to be baptized during their lifetime, there is an ordinance called Baptism For The Dead, where righteous members are baptized as proxies for those who have died. Other necessary ordinances can also be performed for the dead by proxy members. Then those people can decide whether they accept it or not. Therefore, they still have a chance to enter the Celestial Kingdom. (Also, see below section on Temples).

WhilePriesthood Jesusis Christdefined was onas "the earth,power Heof gaveGod Hisgiven disciplesto authoritymankind", toand performincludes miraclesthe andauthority to perform saving ordinances, (rituals) such as baptism, to those who would receive them. Therefore,Without not all people are authorized to baptize (or else theproper authority would be superfluous), and without this authority, savingsuch ordinances have noare validityinvalid. The Churchchurch maintains that thethis authority for these things, called the Priesthood, was lostgiven after the Apostles ofby Jesus Christ wereto slainancient prophets, and theagain savingin ordinancesperson suchto asHis baptism,apostles asand wellother asfollowers manyduring "plainHis andministry. preciousThis truths,"authority werewas radicallylost changed inwhen the followingapostles centuriesdied (includingand the formationchurch offell theaway Nicene Creed). Becauseduring the PriesthoodGreat wasApostacy. removed,It ittherefore had to be broughtrestored backto again,allow whichthe processmodern beganchurch withto Josephfunction Smith, Jr. See(see "Restoration" below).

First off, temples are a holy place, considered the actual House of the Lord, and the things done there are sacred. To avoid such ordinances being abused, what actually goes on there isn't talked about casually by members. However, they do do Baptisms for the Dead, where they baptize a dead person by having a living person stand in their place. That is one purpose of finding your ancestors.

Also performed in temples is ''Celestial Marriage'', where someone can be married for time and all eternity to(not theirjust spouse. This lasts beyonduntil death and into eternity. In order for someone) to betheir married for time and all eternity, they must be temple worthyspouse. This ordinance can also be done by proxy for the dead.

Another temple-related item is the wearing of the ''garment'', orsometimes called "Mormon underwear" as it is commonly known. Much like a priest's collar or cardinal's vestments, the garment is an article of sacred clothing (almost exclusively simple white cotton/polyfabric) worn (in this case under regular clothing) to remind practicing members of the covenants they have made. It is sometimes believed to provide spiritual and/or physical protection, much in the same way that other Christians might view a cross/crucifix or pocket bible. Another purpose is to maintain modesty; the general rule is that if one's outfit would expose the garment, it's too skimpy.

The family is one of the major focal points of the Church, and all gospel study is supposed to be "family-led and church-supported". Sunday meetings at the church provide adapted teaching for each member of the family based on age and gender, ranging from the nursery and the primary school for children, young men's and young women's groups, and adult men's and women's groups. Specific wards are created for the young single adults in the church (between ages 18 and 35) in order to meet others of their own age group and find prospective partners for marriage. In 1995, the leaders of the Church released the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", an official declaration of the church regarding several of the church's doctrines and beliefs regarding the family; some included are that the family unit was created by God for the benefit of His children on earth; that marriage is sacred and is to be shared between only a man and a woman; sex outside of marriage is sin; and that abusers of spouse or of children will one day account to God for their acts. A copy of the full document can be found [http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,00.html here.]

Members of the Church are instructed to build up their lives, and then to help others to do the same. Self-reliance, or the principle of becoming self-sufficient in the world and able to help others, is a recurring principle within the Church. Rarely willWhile bishops givecan freeprovide hand-outspeople towith individual church members or individual non-members; they insteadtemporary help thosein withoutthe workform toof findfood theor jobmoney, they needtry into orderavoid topeople supportbecoming themselves.dependent LDSon Employmenthand-outs Services,and anfocus officialon branchhelping ofthem thefind Church,suitable helps peoplework to preparesupport forthemselves. theThe interviewchurch process, formruns a resume,[https://www.byu.edu university] and findan theemployment jobservice, thatand bestencourages suits their capabilities. Members of the Church are instructedmembers to "get all the education [they] can"<ref>church president Gordon Hinckley, 1989</ref> in order to provide for themselves and their families. LDS Cannery servicesMembers are available for peopleencouraged to bottleproduce and can upstore food they can buy for atheir reducedown price,use inwhere orderthey to store up food for future calamitiescan.

FollowingMembers of the injunctionChurch ofare Jesus Christasked to love and serve others, thewhether Churchby activelyhelping providesa volunteerneighbour workor injoining disasterlarger-strickenscale areasprojects ofsuch theas world.rebuilding Membersafter ofnatural thedisasters, Church are invitedand to offer what they can for humanitarian projects, such as clothing and canned food for the less fortunate. Members of theThe Church areprovides askedsupplies tosuch participateas inclothing serviceand projectsfood, rangingand fromvolunteer ones so individual as helping someone move into a new housework, toin largerdisaster-scalestricken rebuildingareas projectsof afterthe natural disastersworld.

Latter-day Saints follow a set of instructions on health and eating, found in section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants. It is commonly referred toknown as "The Word of Wisdom". According to this doctrine, it is badreferring to consumeits alcohol,origins tobacco,as coffee,a orset tea;of andguidelines itrather is good to eatthan a balancedstrict diet,requirement which- includesalthough fruitsnowadays and vegetables, grains, fish and poultry, and meat (but not too much meat). Physical fitness is also very important. All of these thingsmembers are importantexpected to maintainat our bodies andleast keep them pure and healthy, as our bodies are "temples" and giftsthe frommain Godprohibitions.

Often mistakenly called the preexistence, prePre-mortal life was when wethe human race lived with God as His spiritual sons and daughters. Here, God introduced the Plan of Salvation, andincluding ordainedthe His spirit childrenopportunity to importantbe rolestested in a mortal life on Earth. Lucifer proposedsaid he had a secondbetter planidea whichthat would have ensuredensure that all the children of God would return to Him, but at the cost of alltheir free will by making Lucifer omnipotent. Free will, or agency, is more or less the entire point of existencethe plan. When God rejected Lucifer's plan,suggestion there was a "council" or ''"war" in heaven''," during which one-third of God's children chose to follow Lucifer. They were cast out of heaven as a result. The remaining two-thirds accepted God's plan, and Jesus Christ was chosen as the Savior who would make repentance possible. The Earth was then created to serve as mankind's home during mortal life. PleaseLucifer noteand thathis thefollowers LDSwere Churchallowed doesto notreside believeon thatthe Earth, isstill theas onlydisembodied planetspirits, bearingand lifetempt --those Godwho hasare createdborn "worldshere withoutas number," and manypart of thesetheir aretest. also inhabited by His children.

Adam and Eve were put in the garden of Eden after the creation of the Earth as described in Genesis. Adam and EveThey were commanded to not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were simultaneously given a commandment to multiply and replenishtold thethat Earthif throughthey having children -- this was impossible whiledid, they remainedwould innocentdie. WhenSure Adamenough, andwhen Evethey sinnedbroke bythat eating the fruitcommandment, they became imperfectmortal, and couldeventually nodied. longerThey bewere inalso thesent presenceout of God,the but they were able to learn and progress and to have children who could learn and progress as wellgarden, inaway the hope that they (we) would become perfect enough that God could bring them (us)from the restpresence of the way to become like HimGod.

In 1820, Josephat Smith,the Jr.age was aof 14-year-old, boyJoseph whoSmith, like many in the United States at the time,Jr. was caught up in the Second Great Awakening, a time of great religious fervor and evangelism in the US. His family was greatly interested in religion, and different members ended up joiningjoined different sects. After reading the Bible (and James 1:5 in particular) he decided to pray for direction inabout which sect to join. He went into a grove of trees, knelt, and prayed. He then saw a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, who instructed him not to join any church, but that the "fullness of the gospel" would be made known to him. This is known as the First Vision, and its end result would be the establishment of a new religion, nowclaiming calledto Mormonismbe a ''restoration'' of Christ's original church.

Three years later, Smith was visited by an angel named Moroni, who told him of golden plates hidden in a hill near the Smith family's farm. Moroni directed Smith to the plates' location, but warned him not to take them justuntil yet.he Moroni told Smith to return to the spot once a year for the next four years to receivewas instructionready. TheIn fourth year (1827) Smith was allowed to take the plates, and was orderedinstructed to translate the writing thereinon them into English. This was the source material for the Book of Mormon, which was published in 1829.

When the church first started and even well into the 20th century, the members were not well liked, to put it lightly. It was common for mobs to force church members from their communities, threateningwith toor killwithout them[[Tar ifand theyFeathers]], did not leave. Some even harassedand the churchthreats membersand violence specificallysometimes toreached killdeadly themlevels. One of the most tragic massacres took place at [[W:Haun's Mill massacre|Haun's Mill]], plentywhere ofat informationleast about14 whichadults canand probably3 bechildren foundwere onkilled, [[Thesome Otherafter Wiki]]surrendering. In 1844, a mob of around 150 killed Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in Carthage, Illinois, where they had beenwere jailed forawaiting accusationstrial ofover actions taken against an anti-Mormon polygamynewspaper. This sort of persecution is what drove the Mormons to settle in Utah where no one would bother them.

For starters, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints no longer practices polygamy. In fact, being married to more than one living wife is grounds for excommunication (being kicked out, with all saving ordinances rendered null and void). The only "Mormons" who do practice it are a splinter group called the FLDS, who have a history of [[wikipedia:FLDS#Legal trouble and leadership struggles|legal trouble]] involving forced marriages and abuse. The [[wikipedia:Warren Jeffs|previous leader]] is currently serving 10 years for being an accomplice to the rape of a minor, and no successor has been officially confirmed. Naturally, the FLDS is strongly denounced by the LDS church.

The main body of the Church resettled in Illinois, in and around a small town named Commerce. Eventually, the town grew to become one of the largest cities in Illinois at the time and was renamed "Nauvoo" (<ref>''nah-VOO)'', from a Hebrew word meaning "beautiful".</ref>. Joseph Smith would becomebecame mayor and a militia leader sanctioned by the state government, but bloc-voting and rumors of polygamy caused violence to flare up once more. As mayor, Smith was arrestedinvolved forin the decision to destroyingdestroy the press of an anti-Mormon newspaper, on the basis that it was inflaming local prejudice. HeThe destruction was widely seen as an illegal act that itself increased tensions, and Smith was arrested and taken to nearby Carthage Jail. Soon, itthe jail was assaulted by a mob, and Smith was shot and killed, along with his brother Hyrum.

This precipitated a succession crisis, for there was no clear line of succession. The largest group chose to follow Brigham Young, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve. He was soon made President of the Church, and he decided, after a failed appeal for protection from the federal government, that the best course of action was to leave the United States entirely and head west, deep into Mexican territory. By 1846, the bulk of the LDS had left Nauvoo, leaving behind a newly completed temple that had taken five years to build. It would be burned down by arsonists in November of that year.

The most well-known emigrant groups from this period are the Willy[[w: Willie and Martin handcart companies|Willie and Martin handcart]] (a tiny wagon pulled by hand) companies. Due to insufficientpoor communication and a shortage of handcarts being prepared, they had to either leave late in the season or stay for winter in a strange place (most were British immigrants) with little money. Despite appointed church guide Levi Savage's warning that "The bones of the elderly and the infirm will litter the trail," most of the immigrantsemigrants insistedset onoff attemptingfor toSalt makeLake, ithoping to Saltmake Lakeit before winter. TheThey firsthad obstaclesome wasox thatwagons theyfor packedsupport, toobut muchsome flourof andthe thusoxen leftwere lost ''en route'' when a lotherd of itbison oncaused a stampede, reducing the trail.amount Thenof food they hitcould ancarry. earlyAfter Octobertwo snowmonths storm,on stoppingthe themtrail inthey theirwere tracksstopped inby aearly blizzardOctober withsnow insufficientand foodtook andwhat shelter. Theythey tookcould refugefind at Martin's Cove,. whereBy theythe waitedtime forthe rescue.worst Brighamweather Younghit, heardhelp aboutwas already on the plightway: rightBrigham asYoung he washeard about totheir holdplight the traditionalnight before the twice-yearly General Conference of the Church. He told the Saints that the two handcart companies needed help immediately, and effectively canceled the conference, deeming it [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|more important for them to live the principles of their religion than to talk about them.]] AWagon rescueteams waswere hastily organizedprepared and setsent out, laterreaching thatthe day,immigrants two weeks later and saving themany lives. ofEven manyso, somewhere over two hundred of the handcart980 companies'immigrants membersdied on the trail.

Under Young's direction, various settlements were built over a wide area extending from present-day Alberta to Sonora. The Church followed a policy of "building Zion," sending missionaries worldwide and then encouraging converts to emigrate to Deseret, as the region was called. Within a year of arriving, Deseret found itself a part of the United States as a result of Mexico's defeat in the Mexican-American War. Young immediately petitioned to have Deseret added to the Union as a state, but Congress, wary of Deseret's enormous size (which included the majority of the Mormon settlements and stretchingstretched to the Pacific Coast and, including the then-insignificant town of Los Angeles) chose to create the Territory of Utah instead. Young became the first Territorial Governor.

This time period in Utah is controversial, owing to Young's often tense relationship with the federal government and disputes over the amount of influence he wielded over the population as both political and spiritual leader. Poor communication and disgruntled federal officials who found it difficult to work with unresponsive LDS citizens caused the brief but highly-publicized Utah War in 1857-58, when an entire Army division was sent to remove Young as governor because President James Buchanan had been led to believe that Utah was in open rebellion. Sensationalist media reports, pumped by allegations of heathen polygamy, predicted a bloodbath when the division reached Salt Lake City. It was in this climate that a band of LDS militiamen waylaid a pioneer wagon train from Arkansas as it was passing through southern Utah. In an event known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, they killed most of the travelerstravellers and sent their children to be raised with local families. The militia leader would later be executed by the territorial government after being excommunicated by the Church.

Eventually, a non-LDS governor was installed in Young's place, as Young continued to lead the Church. During this time, the building of settlements went on, including the construction of more temples (including the iconic [httphttps://wwwchurchofjesuschristtemples.ldschurchtemples.comorg/saltlakesalt-lake-temple/ Salt Lake Temple]). They also continued the practice of polygamy until after the deaths of Young and his successor, John Taylor, despite the passage of several Acts of Congress that explicitly outlawed it, and even tookother steps to curtail LDS power in the territory. Wilford Woodruff became prophet in 1887. Faced with the arrests of dozens of practitioners of polygamy and the probable seizure of all Church property by the federal government, he issued the 1890 Manifesto, which declared that polygamy would no longer be allowed. In response, several fundamentalist groups broke away from the LDS Church and fled to isolated areas in the US, Canada, and Mexico in order to continue practicing polygamy.

The LDS Church also ran an extensive social-support network and effectively ran much of the economy in Utah from essentially the beginning until the 1950s or so. This tradition is derived from a system used in early Mormon communities, called the United Order, which an objective analysis could not fail to call a form of Christian socialism. Indeed, in the early 20th century, leftists and Mormons often found common ground on several issues, particularly on matters concerning the working poor. However, a desire not to be associated with the Left during the [[Red Scare]] led the Church to change its tune, hence the current association of Utah Mormonism with the political Right in general and the Republican Party in particular.

=== MormonOutside MediaUtah ===

[[Category:Mormonism{{PAGENAME}}]]