Introduction

Demography

Recent Developments

Mormon Religious Texts

Mormon Church Organization

Mormon Church Practices

Off Shoots From the LDS Church

Introduction:

The The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is also known as the "LDS Church" or the "Mormons". Mormons believe themselves to be a restoration of the original church of the Apostles as it existed in the 1st Century CE. They believe that late in that century, massive heresies developed within the Christian movement that caused it to permanently deviate from Jesus' teachings. Many Gentiles (non-Mormons for the Mormons) consider the LDS church to be a unique conservative denomination within Protestant Christianity, who have supplemented traditional Christianity with beliefs concerning an ancient American civilization and additional revelations from God. Some Christian Fundamentalist authors feel that differences between Mormonism and traditional Christianity are so great that the LDS church should be considered a non-Christian cult. All agree that it is one of the largest and most successful religious groups ever founded in North America; they do have many practices and beliefs that isolate them from traditional Christianity. Back to Top

Demography:

As of 1999, they have about 11 million members world-wide, with a slight majority living outside the U.S. They have over 20,000 churches and 100 temples spread across 150 countries. 32 temples were opened in the U.S. during 2000. Additional temples are in various stages of planning or construction. Their main power concentration is in the US state of Utah, where it is often estimated that about 70% of the adults are Mormon. Mormons had traditionally separated themselves from other Christian groups -- particularly since 1846, when Brigham Young led most of the church on a long and difficult 1,300 mile (2100 km) trip to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. They had emphasized the uniqueness of their faith. However in the mid 1980's a movement intensified within the LDS church to emphasize their points of similarity between themselves and traditional Christianity. They have joined with non-Mormon groups to actively fight drug abuse, abortion access, equal rights for women, and equal rights for gays and lesbians. In recent years, their extensive television ads have emphasized their "pro-family" beliefs which are indistinguishable from Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Christian groups. Back To Top

Recent Developments:

2000-MAY: Rejection of the LDS church by other Christian groups intensified. The United Methodist Church approved a resolution which stated that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "does not fit within the bounds of the historic, apostolic tradition of Christian faith." It said that Mormonism has "some radically differing doctrine on such matters of belief as the nature and being of God; the nature, origin, and purpose of Jesus Christ; and the nature and way of salvation." This action follows similar resolutions previously passed by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Southern Baptist Convention. 2000-NOV: US News & World Report stated that Mormonism is the fastest growing faith group in American history. If present trends continue, there could be 265 million LDS members worldwide by the year 2080. Back To Top

Mormon Religious Texts:

The Mormons recognize four source texts as divinely inspired and authoritative scripture. These are called the "Standard Works": 1. The King James translation of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. 2. The Book of Mormon, as translated from the original golden plates and published in 1830. 3. Doctrine and Covenants is composed of: A group of 138 revelations from God. 135 were recorded by Joseph Smith, one was added by each of: John Taylor, Brigham Young, and Joseph F. Smith. Two "official declarations" which are more recent revelations. One was added in 1890 concerning polygamy; one was added in 1978 concerning the role of black persons in the Church. 4.The Pearl of Great Price, which is composed of: two lost books of the Bible: a. the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham b. A translation of the Gospel of Matthew c. Joseph Smith history d. The Mormon 13 Articles of Faith. However, the church recognizes that errors have crept into the copying of the Bible in ancient times, and that additional errors have been caused by faulty translation of the Bible into English from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek . In cases of conflict between the Bible and the remaining inspired texts, the latter are judged to be authoritative. In addition, the following books are considered to contain material of great historical and spiritual significance, but are not canonized as scripture: 1 History of the Church: 7 volumes mostly written at the time of Joseph Smith. They document the early history of the church. 2. Journal of Discourses: 26 volumes from past General Authorities, who were close associates of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. 3. Lectures on Faith: 7 lectures prepared by Joseph Smith and delivered in the 'School of the Prophets.' They discuss theology, the nature of God and the principles of faith. 4. The Inspired Translation of the Bible: a revision of the King James Version of the Bible by Joseph Smith. Other writings, such as conference reports, collected writings of modern prophets Like most Christian denominations, the LDS does not consider the Apocrypha to be important religious texts. Back To Top

Mormon Church Organization:

The church has an hierarchical organization: The "family" level is composed of a husband, wife and children; the husband is the head of the family; the wife is the primary care giver; both share authority over the children. next are the "wards" which correspond to churches in Roman Catholicism, and are each headed by a male bishop (equivalent of a pastor or priest). Within the Ward there are: The Aaronic Priesthood. This is attained by most Mormon males; women are excluded. This order is composed of deacons who pass the Sacrament, teachers who prepare the sacrament and priests who administer the blessing of the Sacrament. They must adhere to certain ordanances directed by the Melchezidic Priesthood and Bishop and through the Authorities of the Church. The Melchezidic Priesthood. This is a second order of priesthood, attained by some members of the Aaronic Priesthood. The Relief Society (all of whom are females). Groups for children. next are the "stakes" which correspond to Catholic dioceses, and are each headed by a male president, and consists of several wards. A Stake President presides. next are Area Authorities then there are the 1st and 2nd Quorum of Seventies, called General Authorities. They are responsible for Missions, Temples and church programs etc. and the Quorum of the Twelve, the Apostles. and finally, the First Presidency which consists of the President (Prophet) and two counselors. Gordon B Hinckley is the current Prophet. Women have, so far, not been included in this chain of command. They control the Relief Society, which is a hierarchical organization - a mirror of the Priesthood governing body, from the ward right to the General level. Other auxiliary organizations, such as the Primary, Sunday School or Young Women also have the same structure and offices. Men may teach in each of these groups, except for the Young Women and the Relief Society; women can teach anywhere except in the priesthood and the Young Men organization. New members are often nominated to vacant positions. The membership confirms their selection at ward meetings, stake conferences, or general conferences without public debate. Back To Top

Mormon Practices:

Their practices are similar to those of other conservative Protestant Christian groups. Church teachings on marriage, church attendance, tithing, and their opposition to most abortions, divorce, pre-marital sex, equal rights for women, etc. differ little. Exceptions are: Devout Mormons follow the "Word of Wisdom" and do not smoke. They avoid coffee, black teas, any harmful drugs (particularly street drugs or abused prescription drugs) and alcohol. Some also avoid caffeinated sodas. The ordinances at the approximately 68 Mormon temples worldwide are not open to the general public. Members require a personal "temple recommend" from their bishop before attending. A temporary temple recommend can be obtained after a few months' membership. This allows the person to do baptisms for the dead. A permanent temple recommend requires that an individual be a member for one year, and be found "worthy." i.e. has paid a tithe in support of the church, followed the "Word of Wisdom", followed the commandments and remained "morally clean." Most conservative Christian groups strongly support the spanking of children; they follow the many Biblical passages in the book of Proverbs which they believe require parents to discipline their children through the use of physical force and pain. However, the LDS church has consistently discouraged this approach to child rearing. President Hinckley: "called physical abuse of children unnecessary, unjustified and indefensible." He said: "I have never accepted the principle of 'spare the rod and spoil the child.' I am persuaded that violent fathers produce violent sons. Children don't need beating. They need love and encouragement." 4 The church sponsors a massive missionary movement involving about 54,000 young missionaries at any one time (typically a ratio of 4 male elders to each female sister). They dedicate two years of their life in seeking converts. Missionaries live under very strict restrictions devoid of entertainment and contact sports. In the past, they could indicate a preference for their country of service. Now, they go wherever they are called. They finance their own way. Mormons rarely date outside their faith. This can be a hurdle for non-Mormons living in Utah, where 70% of the population is Mormon. There are a number of annual days of celebration that are related to the LDS church: JAN-13: The city of Parowan celebrates its birthday on this date. This was the first Mormon pioneer settlement in Southwestern Utah. JUL-24: Pioneer Day is generally celebrated to recall the first entry of Mormons into Salt Lake Valley in 1847, after a long trek westward to escape religious persecution. Other dates that are sometimes recalled are: APR-6: The date in 1830 CE when the LDS church was founded in New York state MAY-15: The date in 1829 CE when Joseph Smith was visited by John the Baptist, who restored the Aaronic priesthood. Back To Top

Off-shoots from the LDS church:

Joseph Smith taught a theology of restorationism: that the true Christian church died out in the early 2nd Century CE, and was restored by Joseph Smith with the subsequent establishment of the LDS Church. Restorationism currently consists of almost 100 denominations, many centered in Utah and Missouri. Many consist of a single congregation and a few hundred or fewer members. Some broke away from the LDS church over matters of theology. Many regard their own group, however small, to be the only legitimate Christian church. These groups include: Aaronic Order: unknown membership; 6 centers; 20 ministers Apolstolic United Brethren: about 7,000 members. They disagree with the LDS' decision to allow ordination of Afro-Americans and allowing women to assume leadership positions. Church of Christ (Fetting/Bronson): about 2000 members Church of Christ (Temple Lot): about 2400 members The Church of Christ "With The Elijah Message," established anew in 1929 12,500 members worldwide Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite): about 2700 members The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: about 11 million members The Community of Christ: about 250,000 members. This denomination was formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- the "RLDS Church". It was formed in 1860 by remnants of the original church who did not make the trek to Utah. They reject certain beliefs and practices of the LDS church, including marriage sealing for eternity; they allow both men and women into the priesthood; their services are open to the public. They have about 250,000 members. United Order Effort: a polygamy practicing group, excommunicated by the main LDS church, of perhaps 10,000 members Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It split from the Reorganized Church in 1991 because of the latter's liberal theology. It is centered in Independence, Missouri, and had an estimated membership of 2,500 in mid-1996. They publish a periodical "The Restoration Advocate" six times a year.   Back To Top