What Is The Main Difference Between Mormon And Christianity
Christians believe in the Holy Bible. For Christians, Jesus is believed to have been born to the Virgin Mary, Â whereas Mormons believe that Jesus had a natural birth. The Mormons believe in a heavenly father, who has a physical body. On the other hand, Christians believe in a Trinitarian God, who has no physical body.
The Book Of Mormon Is The Second Sacred Text Of Mormons
Next to the bible, the LDS church believes in the Book of Mormon. Mormon prophets who lived from 600 BC to AD 400 wrote the book. As we touched on above, the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the ancient book by what he called a revelation from God.
It has since been translated into more than 80 languages and more than 150 million copies have been printed. According to the book, Christ established his church in the Old World, or ancient America. People lived in unity for nearly 200 years after Jesus. Later, people abandoned Christs teachings and a war of extermination occurred.
The book refers to Jesus almost 4,000 times. The LDS church calls it another testament of Jesus Christ.
Mormon No More: Faithful Reflect On Churchs Move To Scrap A Moniker
For the Latter-day Saints faithful, a shift away from a longtime name has meant lighthearted screw-ups, logistical complications and reflections on identity.
A statue of the angel Moroni sits atop the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have said that adherents should no longer call themselves Mormons or even use the shorthand L.D.S.Credit…Rick Bowmer/Associated Press
Supported by
-
Send any friend a story
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
Give this article
After finally getting her twin babies to fall asleep in Rexburg, Idaho, Kristine Anderson described herself as a stereotypical, Mormon stay-at-home mom.
Then she sighed loudly, annoyed that a lifetime habit had slipped out.
Ugh, she said. I just said the word Mormon again. I apologize.
Last August, leaders of her faith announced a game-changing divine revelation. Russell M. Nelson, the churchs president, said that God had impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church. Church members should no longer call themselves Mormons, or even use the shorthand L.D.S., the church announced.
The word Mormon has been with the church from the beginning. It comes from the Book of Mormon, the churchs signature text , which adherents believe was recorded on gold plates by the prophet Mormon and his son, Moroni.
Read Also: Long Island Iced Tea Pitcher Recipe
Activity Rates And Disaffiliation
The LDS Church does not release official statistics on church activity, but it is likely that only approximately 40 percent of its recorded membership in the United States and 30 percent worldwide regularly attend weekly Sunday worship services. A statistical analysis of the 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Survey assessed that “about one-third of those with a Latter-day Saint background” outright “left the Church”, identifying as disaffiliated. Activity rates vary with age, and disengagement occurs most frequently between age 16 and 25. Young single adults are more likely to become inactive than their married counterparts, and overall, women tend to be more active than men.
Church humanitarian aid includes organizing food security, clean water, mobility, and healthcare initiatives, operating thrift stores, maintaining a service project website, and directly funding or partnering with other organizations. The value of all donations from the church in 2021 was $906 million.
Lds Church Wants Everyone To Stop Calling It The Lds Church And Drop The Word Mormons But Some Members Doubt It Will Happen
President Russell M. Nelson announces the church will no longer have home teachers or visiting teachers during the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference on April 1, 2018.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really, truly, absolutely wants to be known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Not the LDS Church. Not the Mormon church.
It made that clear Thursday even though the last attempt to eradicate those nicknames for the Utah-based faith flopped.
The new push came from God to President Russell M. Nelson, the church said in a news release Thursday.
The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church, Nelson is quoted as saying, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The faiths headquarters in Salt Lake City and Latter-day Saints across the globe have much work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with his will, the 93-year-old Nelson said in the statement. In recent weeks, various church leaders and departments have initiated the necessary steps to do so.
Thursdays statement released on mormonnewsroom.org referred readers to the updated Newsroom style guide, which calls on news organizations to follow these instructions:
Use the full name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on first reference.
Refer to the Church, the Church of Jesus Christ or the restored Church of Jesus Christ in shortened or subsequent references.
Read Also: Is Green Tea Good For Immune System
There Are A Few Different Sects Of The Mormon Church
A common misconception is that all Mormons are part of the LDS church. The LDS church is the main group with its roots with Joseph Smith. Another group of Mormons that are not affiliated with the official LDS church is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This sect came to media attention with the conviction of church leader Warren Jeffs. The FLDS do practice polygamy, which was suspended by the LDS church in 1890.
Another different offshoot of Mormonism is the Apostolic United Brethren, which has members in many states. This group came about when their leader, Joseph W. Musser, split with other Mormon fundamentalists. This group practices polygamy as well.
Another Arizona sect, called Centennial Park group, came from conflict over leadership in the 1980s leadership of the FLDS church. The Centennial Park group, unlike other sects of the FLDS church, advocates spreading the groups message. While they do practice polygamy, they are against underage girls being forced to marry.
Cosmology And Plan Of Salvation
The Mormon cosmology and plan of salvation include the doctrines of a pre-mortal life, an earthly mortal existence, three degrees of heaven, and exaltation.
According to these doctrines, every human spirit is a spiritual child of a Heavenly Father, and each has the potential to continue to learn, grow, and progress in the eternities, eventually achieving eternal life, which is to become one with God in the same way that Jesus Christ is one with the Father, thus allowing the children of God to become divine beings that is, gods themselves. This view on the doctrine of theosis is also referred to as becoming a “joint-heir with Christ”. The process by which this is accomplished is called exaltation, a doctrine which includes the reunification of the mortal family after the resurrection and the ability to have spirit children in the afterlife and inherit a portion of God’s kingdom. To obtain this state of godhood, the church teaches that one must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of his or her sins, strive to keep the commandments faithfully, and participate in a sequence of ceremonial covenants called ordinances, which include baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, the endowment, and celestial marriage.
Read Also: Can Arizona Green Tea Help Lose Weight
Are Mormon Marriages Different Is Divorce Allowed
Mormon marriages are different from most marriages because they are considered eternal. If a husband and wife are sealed together in the temple, they can be together on into the celestial kingdom. However, the church does have a process for annulment and sees divorce as an unfortunately necessary evil. In Mormon President Gordon Hinckley’s words: “There is now and again a legitimate cause for divorce. I am not one to say that it is never justified. But I say without hesitation that this plague among us, which seems to be growing everywhere, is not of God, but rather is the work of the adversary of righteousness and peace and truth.”
Just as a civil marriage does not automatically translate into a temple sealing for a Mormon couple, a civil divorce does not unseal them. If a divorcing couple wishes to become unsealed, they must receive a cancellation of sealing, which requires approval from high-ranking church officials. A Mormon woman must receive a cancellation of sealing prior to remarrying if she wishes her next marriage to be sealed in the temple. However, because men are permitted to be sealed to more than one woman, they do not have to cancel a previous sealing in order to remarry in the temple.
Hierarchy In Mormonism Vs Traditional Christianity
In Mormonism the hierarchy of authority begins with Jesus Christ himself and continues to the Presidency of the Church. The President of the Church is the highest ecclesiastical authority on the Earth and is often referred to as “the Prophet.” He, along with his counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, are believed to have direct communication with Jesus Christ and are often referred to as “special witnesses” of Christ because of this close relationship with Him. The Prophet is assisted by two counselors, who together with him form the “First Presidency” of the Church. The Presidency, along with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which have equal authority, unitedly lead the church. These leaders are considered to be prophets, seers, and revelators. No decision is made for the Church as a whole without absolute unanimity on the part of these 15 men.
In Christianity, with Jesus Christ as Son of God, the hierarchy consists of priests, ministers, pastors and bishops.
Don’t Miss: Tgin Green Tea Super Moist Leave In Conditioner
What Is The Difference Between The Catholic Religion And The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter
This is one of the many questions we get asked as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! So, what is the answer? Here below we will cover a few of the main differences and similarities. If you have any more questions or insights, please contact us!
1. First of all, we are both Christians! Both churches believe in Christ as their saving Redeemer! However, Latter-Day Saints believe that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings, one in purpose. The Catholic church believes in the Trinity, which are these three beings, but only as one person. They believe that Jesus Christ has all power as well but is a spirit and does not have a physical body.
2. Baptism
Members of our faith can be baptized at age 8 and older. We perform baptisms only by full immersion in the water by a male figure in the church, who is a worthy holder of the Priesthood, the power and authority of God. Members of the Catholic church can be baptized at any age by way of sprinkling, pouring, or full immersion in the water, done by the Priest.
3. Scriptures
4. Personal Revelation and Church leaders
5. The Sacrament
While reading, you probably noticed that there are lots of similarities! Although many religions have significant differences, we shouldnt let these differences keep us from being united. We are all brothers and sisters, children of our loving Heavenly Father. Thank you so much for reading and dont forget, GOD LOVES YOU!!
Myth : Mormons Can’t Drink Caffeinated Beverages
Faithful Mormons do their best to live by a set of health and lifestyle rules known as the Word of Wisdom. The original Word of Wisdom was a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1833 after he prayed about the use of tobacco among church members. The answer Smith received was that men and women should not only avoid tobacco, but also alcohol and “hot drinks,” which were interpreted as coffee and tea. Meat was also to be eaten “sparingly,” only in times of winter and famine, and then always with thanksgiving.
In the original revelation, the Word of Wisdom was less a rule than a “principle with promise” the promise being physical health, wisdom and knowledge to those who follow its guidelines.
“For much of the first decades of the church, the Word of Wisdom was considered good advice, something that good saints might do who wanted the promises in the revelation,” says Bowman. “But there are instances of members not following it, in part because it wasn’t seen as a formal commandment or injunction. The first wagon train that left for Salt Lake City carried coffee with it.”
In the early 20th century, as polygamy ended, Bowman says that the Word of Wisdom took on a new significance as a way of maintaining social boundaries between the Latter-day Saints and outsiders. Eventually, adherence to the Word of Wisdom’s injunctions against alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea became a prerequisite for full activity in the Church.
You May Like: How Much Is Tea At The Ritz London
How Did The Church Begin
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith in New York State in 1830. This era is often referred to as the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant religious revival, in which preachers including Smith called for the restoration of Christianity, which they saw as corrupt.
According to Smiths account, he was visited in the 1820s by an angel called Moroni, who revealed to him the location of a new revelation from God, called the Book of Mormon. It was discovered by Smith in the form of gold plates or tablets, buried near his family farm in New York State.
The Book of Mormon includes stories about the ancient peoples of the North American continent, who had travelled there from Israel, as recorded by the prophet Mormon and his son, the angel Moroni. It claims that Jesus visited the Americas after his resurrection. Smith said it was written in a new language which he alone could translate, and as he gradually converted the texts into English they revealed the structure of a new religious movement which he then established.
Gradually Smith gathered a group of followers, often by converting people who were already interested in restorationist versions of Christianity, and tried to settle the nascent church in several towns.
In 1844 Smith and his brother Hyrum were charged with riot and treason and were shot dead by a mob while being held in an Illinois jail awaiting trial.
Myth : It’s Called The ‘mormon Church’
Since the church was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, the official name has always been The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Bowman says that from the start, detractors and critics began calling the controversial new sect “Mormons” or “Mormonites,” an insult directed at the “Book of Mormon,” an ancient book of scripture translated and published by Smith.
But what started as a derogatory slur was soon embraced by church leaders like Brigham Young, who said that church members should be proud to be called Mormons.
“There’s a long history of Christian denominations being tagged with a name by outsiders and then eventually adopting it,” says Bowman, including Methodists who were criticized as “overly Methodical” in their piety and Baptists who were ridiculed for their belief in full immersion.
In recent decades, though, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has distanced itself from terms like “Mormon,””Mormon Church,””LDS Church” and other nicknames, because it says they detract from Jesus Christ as the true center of Mormon belief.
Read Also: Can You Order Boba Tea Online
Salvation Beliefs Between Mormons And Christians
Christianity
Evangelical Christians believe that salvation is the free gift of God that a person is justified by faith alone, based on Christs substitutionary atonement on the cross . Further, the Bible teaches that all people are sinful and unable to save themselves , and therefore it is only by Gods intervening grace that any can be brought back into a right relationship with God.
Mormonism
Mormons hold to a very complex and distinct system of views on salvation. On one level, Mormons believe in the universal salvation of all people through the work of Jesus Christ. This is often referred to as universal or general salvation in Mormon literature.
On the individual level, Mormons believe that salvation is acquired through gospel obedience. That is, through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, and then successfully completing mortal probation by living a righteous life. Together, this enables them to progress in their eternal progression.
The Holy Spirit
Christianity
Christians hold that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity, and as such He has a personality and has existed eternally. He is, and always has been God.
Mormonism
The Atonement
Christianity
Christians hold that the atonement was Gods gracious work in Christ, who stood in the place for sinful man and absorbed the just penalty for sin . Christs work on the cross satisfied Gods justice and allowed man to be reconciled to God.
Mormonism
Myth : Mormons Wear ‘magic Underwear’
This one is only half mythical. Mormons who have gone to an LDS temple do wear special undergarments, but they aren’t magical.
Large and ornate LDS Temples are different from the smaller, plainer chapels where Mormons hold their Sunday services. At 168 Temples around the world, worthy church members over 18 years old can receive essential ordinances for salvation. When someone goes to the temple for the first time, they receive the temple “garment,” which is a pair of special underwear top and bottom with religious significance.
For Mormons, the garment is supposed to act as a daily reminder of important covenants made in the temple. It’s not supposed to have any magic powers, even though Bowman says Mormon folklore is full of such stories. The hotel magnate Bill Marriott, a member of the church, once told “60 Minutes“that his sacred undergarments had saved his life in a freak boating accident.
“The boat was on fire. I was on fire. I was burned. My pants were burned right off me. I was not burned above my knee. Where the garment was, I was not burned,” said Marriott. “My undergarments were not singed.”
Bowman gets why non-Mormons think it’s weird to wear special underwear, but in the context of world religions, Mormons aren’t odd at all.
“Most religious traditions require some sort of special clothing,” says Bowman. “Yarmulkes in Judaism, headscarves in Islam, some Hindus have a spot on their forehead, Turbans for Sikhs. Mormons are more typical than not.”
Don’t Miss: Where Can I Find Loose Leaf Tea