Mormonism: Difference between revisions
Move organisation bits out of "Doctrine" heading, tidy up
Haggishunter (talk | contribs) (Clean up, add links) |
Haggishunter (talk | contribs) (Move organisation bits out of "Doctrine" heading, tidy up) |
||
Line 103:
Members of the Church believe in active revelation from God to man, and that all human beings can receive guidance from God if they pray for it with faith. Individuals can receive revelation for themselves and for anyone they have stewardship over so, for example, parents can receive revelation to benefit their children, a teacher for his/her class, and a bishop for his congregation.
A ''prophet'' receives revelation for the whole world. Members of the Church believe that a living prophet's words are as valuable as scripture - although, as Joseph Smith commented, "a prophet [is] a prophet only when he [is] acting as such."
=== Global leadership ===▼
Members of the church believe that Jesus Christ stands as the Head of the church, leading it via the prophet, who is also the President of the church. The President is assisted by a number of "counsellors", usually two, forming a unit referred to as the "first presidency". As of 2023, the current prophet is named Russel M. Nelson. Further detail about the current Presidency of the church can be found [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/first-presidency?lang=eng here.]▼
The church also has 12 apostles and a number of "seventies", named after the seventy ministers appointed by Jesus in Luke chapter ten. More than one ''quorum of 70'' exists, so the total number is more than 70. Their specific roles vary, but in general, the seventies look after stakes and missions (see below) under the direction of the apostles, who in turn are directed by the first presidency.▼
All of the above roles are full-time, requiring the individuals to give up their careers (although some are retired by the time they are called), and normally last until death.▼
=== Local Organization ===▼
The Church geographically organizes its membership across the world into "wards" and "stakes". In areas with less members, the resulting smaller groups are called "branches" and "districts", respectively. A ward is what other denominations frequently refer to as a "congregation"; each ward covers a certain area, and members living in that area are assigned to a specific building to meet in on Sundays. A ward is presided over by a bishop ("branch president" in branches), who calls counsellors to aid him in his duties, which include the spiritual and temporal welfare of both members and non-members of the Church. The ward contains various smaller organisations for different demographic groups, all of which are overseen by the bishop. ▼
A "stake" is composed of several wards, and is led by a stake president and two counsellors. The bishops within the stake report to the stake president, and the stake president reports to the 70s. None of these leaders receive compensation for the work they do; they hold regular jobs outside of their "callings", which typically last for a few years.▼
=== Missionary Work ===
The Church sends out missionaries in teams of two or three to share the church's message with others. These missionaries are volunteers and receive no financial compensation
The world is divided geographically into "missions," which are each led by an individual Mission President. Each missionary is assigned to a specific mission and is usually expected to stay within the mission boundaries for the duration of his/her mission
Missionaries teach the doctrines of the church, focussing on faith, repentance, baptism and revelation, and invite people to pray to know the truth of their message, and then to be baptised into the church. They also work with existing members to support the wider work of the church.
Line 139 ⟶ 127:
According to this doctrine, it is bad to consume alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea; and it is good to eat a balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, and grains. Meat is acceptable but should not be over-used. This fits with the wider doctrine that bodies are gifts from God and should be looked after, and the church also encourages people to get proper sleep and exercise.
== Organisation ==
Positions in the church are filled by assignment: a group of leaders pray about who's best for the role, then privately ask whoever they choose if he/she is willing to take on the "calling". If so, all affected members are invited to vote to "sustain" or "oppose" the call.
▲Members of the church believe that Jesus Christ
▲The church also has 12 apostles and a number of "seventies", named after the seventy ministers appointed by Jesus in [[The Bible/Source/Luke]] chapter ten.
▲All of
▲The
▲A
Small or remote congregations can form "branches", which are essentially cut-down wards, each led by a "branch president" (who you could think of as a bishop lite). Depending on the location, a branch may be part of a stake or may be in a ''district'' within a mission.
None of the local leaders receive compensation for the work they do; they hold regular jobs outside of their "callings", which typically last for a few years. They are almost always chosen from within the congregation they serve.
== Ancient History ==
Line 199 ⟶ 207:
=== Settling Utah ===
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
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 travellers 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.
| |||