Church Of Jesus Of Latter Day Saints

What Do Followers Believe

The church follows 13 articles of faith, the first of which states that members believe in God the Father, his son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. However, the church is non-Trinitarian: they are understood as three separate beings.

Salvation or individual exaltation requires repentance of ones own sins , baptism through immersion, confirmation and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, through the laying on of hands.

Members believe in three realms of existence: the premortal, mortal, and postmortal world. Souls move from the premortal, through mortal existence, into the spirit world, then to a resurrected state. Hence they live with God before and after their time on earth life is an intermediate stage of trial and improvement. The postmortal world is comprised of three kingdoms of glory: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial.

Exaltation, or eternal life, is salvation in the Celestial Kingdom. This is a doctrine of human theosis humans can become as God, if they choose to fulfil Gods plan.

Gods plan is seen as working through the family unit. Human beings, in marriage, partner with God to provide a mortal experience for Gods children. This is why members tend to have larger-than-average families.

The spirit world is believed to have a physical existence: families live together for ever there, so long as their relationships were sealed in the temple .

Tongan Translation Of The Lds Scriptures

The lack of printed texts in the Tongan language made it difficult for foreign missionaries to learn the language. Because there were no official church materials available in the Tongan language, the Tongan Mission had to print its own materials for distribution to members and potential converts. The missionaries worked on the translation of church materials into Tongan, after learning the language from communicating with locals. In 1935, local LDS Church leader Samuela Fakatou and several other community members were called to serve as mission translators. Due to foreign church leaders’ unfamiliarity with the language and the lack of printed references, the Book of Mormon had not yet been translated to the Tongan language. Subsequently, during his 1938 visit, George Albert Smith approved the request of Tongan mission president Emile C. Dunn to translate the book. The work was assigned to Ermel J. Morton, who completed his first draft of the translation by April 1939. Morton’s draft was revised by several local church leaders, and then taken to the First Presidency of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City.:457

In 1956, Morton completed translated drafts of the other standard sacred works used by the church, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. It took three years to proofread these translations, and they were finally published in 1959.:480

The Passport Act Of 1922

During World War I, many missionaries were declined visas to enter Tonga. David O. McKay was quarantined on an island near Tonga for 11 days in 1921 while serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church’s presiding body of leaders. These difficulties were caused by anti-Mormon efforts that resulted in the passing of a law in 1922 that prohibited LDS Church members from entering Tonga. The Passport Act of 1922 was enacted primarily because of power struggles that occurred between the Tongan people, Queen Salote and her husband Tungi. As most Mormons foreign to Tonga were American, they were perceived as possible tools of international leverage in these struggles.:151 The Queen and Tungi also had connections to the other major churches in Tonga at the time, which were opposed to the Mormon presence.:151

After the passing of the law, the Tongan government wrote to the Hawaiian government, the British consul on Hawaii and Hawaiian steamship officials of the ban, that people assisting Mormons in entering Tonga were to be charged $450. Despite Mormon missionaries having to travel through Hawaii to Tonga, the Hawaiian government refused to enforce the ban by denying passport to Mormons applicants, because passport decisions were made by the U. S. Department of State. Hawaii could only warn travelers of the ban. Steamships said they could not enforce the ban either because passports of its passengers did not indicate religion.

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Allegations Of Covering Up Sex Abuse

On December 28, 2020, seven lawsuits were filed against the LDS Church for allegedly covering up decades of sexual abuse among its Boy Scouts of America troops in Arizona. On September 15, 2021, it was agreed that the BSA, which the church ended affiliation with in 2020, would receive an estimated $250 million in settlements from the church. The church had been the BSA’s largest single sponsor.

Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the “LDS Church” or the “Mormon Church,” is the largest and most well-known denomination within the Latter Day Saint’s movement. Founded in the United States by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830, the Latter-day Saints regard Christ as the head of their church and count themselves as Christians, but do not consider themselves part of the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant traditions.

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Fundamentalist Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter

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The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a cult of the fundamentalist Mormon denominations whose members practice polygamy. The fundamentalist Mormon movement emerged in the early 20th century, when its founding members were excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , largely because of their refusal to abandon the practice of plural marriage after it was renounced in the “Second Manifesto” . The FLDS Church as a distinct group traces its origins to the 1950s in the Short Creek community , where the group is still based.

Read A Brief Summary Of This Topic

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , also called Mormonism, church that traces its origins to a religion founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in 1830. The term Mormon, often used to refer to members of this church, comes from the Book of Mormon, which was published by Smith in 1830 use of the term is discouraged by the church. Now an international movement, the church is characterized by a unique understanding of the Godhead, emphasis on family life, belief in continuing revelation, desire for order, respect for authority, and missionary work. Its members obey strict prohibitions on alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea and promote education and a vigorous work ethic.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and had more than 16 million members by the early 21st century. A significant portion of the churchs members live in the United States and the rest in Latin America, Canada, Europe, Africa, the Philippines, and parts of Oceania.

Another Mormon denomination, the Community of Christ , is headquartered in Independence, Missouri, and had a membership of approximately 250,000 in the early 21st century.

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Slow Growth And Opposition To The Church

While many members of the church immigrated to Utah, between 1873 and 1914, 22 native Icelandic saints living in Utah were called on missions to Iceland. Missionaries sent in 1873 began preaching again in the Westman Islands, but faced strong opposition. These missionaries left the following year, but had organized a small branch there. Other pairs of missionaries continued to be sent to the islands, and in 1879 they began preaching on the mainland.:7581

A section of The Book of Mormon was translated into Icelandic in 1881 by convert Jon Jonsson, who was living in the Spanish Fork settlement at the time. While it appears that he intended to copy the entire book, Jonsson only translated the First Book of Nephi. He also compiled a book of psalms in Icelandic and even wrote some Icelandic hymns for saints to sing in their native tongue.

An Icelandic Mission was established in 1894, but it was dissolved in 1900 largely due to persecution. Missionary work during this time was largely unsuccessful, with few baptisms. Missionaries often reported hardships they faced from opposition and unfavorable weather. By 1906, there were only 36 reported church members in Iceland.:8189 Missionary work ceased in Iceland in 1914, and did not resume until 1975,

Church Monitors Members’ Critical Publications

Richard Abanes and the Ostlings criticize the LDS Church for maintaining a group called the Strengthening Church Members Committee, led by two church apostles. According to the Ostlings, the purpose of this committee is to collect and file “letters to the editor, other writings, quotes in the media, and public activities” of church members that may be publishing views contrary to those of the church leadership. The committee has also recruited students to spy on professors at Brigham Young University who are suspected of violating the church’s dictates.

The Tanners state that throughout the 20th century the church denied scholars access to many key church documents, and in 1979 said that it had refused to publish Joseph Smith’s diary. Apologists point out that The Joseph Smith Papers project provides access to Smith’s journals.

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They Don’t Get Their Own Planet

One of the biggest lies to come out of the “Book of Mormon” musical is that every Mormon hopes to get their own planet. The parallel that the musical draws from is the Mormon vision of “exaltation,” which is when they reach eternal glory alongside God. In response to the misinterpretation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints penned a 3,500-word article detailing what their eternity view is actually like: Unsurprisingly, they aren’t teaching anyone that they’ll get their own planet after death. In a refutation of this celestial mockery, the church stated that, “while few Latter-day Saints would identify with caricatures of having their own planet, most would agree that the awe inspired by creation hints at our creative potential in the eternities.”

They go on to explain that the Book of Mormon teaches an exaltation that focuses less on what Latter-day Saints will get when they are exalted, but instead on how what they have, and who they are, will be perfected and elevated. So, while God is said to come from near his own celestial body, Kolob , followers are not out there trying to get their own.

What Is The Latter

For Latter-day Saints, mortal existence is seen in the context of a great sweep of history, from a pre-earth life where the spirits of all humankind lived with Heavenly Father to a future life in His presence where continued growth, learning and improving will take place. Life on earth is regarded as a temporary state in which men and women are tried and testedand where they gain experiences obtainable nowhere else. God knew humans would make mistakes, so He provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, who would take upon Himself the sins of the world. To members of the Church, physical death on earth is not an end but the beginning of the next step in Gods plan for His children.

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Historical Authenticity Of The Book Of Mormon

Discussion regarding the historicity of the Book of Mormon often focuses on archaeological issues, some of which relate to the large size and the long time span of the civilizations mentioned in the book. Joseph Smith founded the movement in upstate New York in the 1820s. The faith drew its first converts while Smith was dictating the text of the Book of Mormon from golden plates which had reformed Egyptian writing on them which he said he found buried after being directed to their location by the Angel Moroni. The book described itself as a chronicle of early indigenous peoples of the Americas, known as the Nephites, portraying them as believing Israelites who had a belief in Christ many hundred years before his birth. According to the book, the Nephites are one of four groups which settled in the ancient Americas. The Nephites are described as a group of people that descended from or were associated with Nephi, the son of the prophet Lehi, who left Jerusalem at the urging of God c. 600 BC and traveled with his family to the Western Hemisphere, arriving in the Americas c. 589 BC. After the translation was complete, Smith said he returned the golden plates to the Angel Moroni.

Episcopal Government In Other Denominations

The and the in may sometimes be called “episcopal”. In these latter cases, the form of government is not radically different from the form, except that their councils of bishops have hierarchical over the local ruling bodies to a greater extent than in most and other . As mentioned, the Lutheran Church in Sweden and Finland are exceptions, claiming apostolic succession in a pattern somewhat like the Anglican churches. Otherwise, forms of polity are not mandated in the Lutheran churches, as it is not regarded as having doctrinal significance. Lutheranism, for historical reasons, has tended to adopt theories of episcopal authority . In the United States, the Lutheran churches tend to adopt a form of government more comparable to . A small minority of exists.

Most churches of the tradition follow an episcopal system, at least in name. Congregational governance is strongly emphasized, and each congregation elects its pastor. Bishops enforce inter-congregational unity and may discipline pastors for breaking from traditional norms.

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Their Garden Of Eden Is In Missouri

To be fair, mainstream Christianity can’t pinpoint where the Garden of Eden actually is. According to Christianity.com, the belief is that God does not want his people to find the garden. It is, after all, a perfect place, and the people have since become a little less than perfect. The Bible describes it as a location around which four rivers flowed these being the Euphrates, Tigris, Pison, and Gihon. Though the last two are unknown, this is generally understood to be somewhere in Iraq, although modern studies have indicated the Garden may have existed anywhere between the fertile crescent and Ethiopia, according to Christianity.com.

Mormons are more specific it’s in Jackson County, Missouri, according to the church itself. This stems from the belief that Joseph Smith uncovered Jackson County to be the seat of New Zion. Brigham Young himself said, “Joseph the Prophet told me that the garden of Eden was in Jackson Missouri” . You can’t get much more certain than that.

Withdrawal Of Foreign Missionaries During World War Ii

Despite the outbreak of World War II in Europe in 1939, missionary efforts in Tonga continued. At the time, mission president Dunn encouraged the people to maintain gardens and extra food supplies. Within a year of the war starting, LDS Church president Heber J. Grant sent a telegram to Dunn directing that all foreign missionaries return to the United States. Dunn arranged for those missionaries to go to Hawaii. In an effort to explain why the missionaries needed to return to America, Dunn stated that Grant was “inspired to call them back”.:459 However, this explanation did not quell the rumors of the church being discontinued that were going around the islands. By 1942, missionaries returned to Tonga. Dunn ensured there were at least 15 missionaries in the mission field from 1942 to 1945.:461

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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

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By Elizabeth Dias

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.