Latter Day Saint Settlement
Following the in 1844, , as president of the , became the leader of the LDS Church in . To address the growing conflicts between his people and their neighbors, Young agreed with Illinois Governor in October 1845 that the Mormons would leave by the following year.
Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers reached the on July 24, 1847. Over the next 22 years, more than 70,000 pioneers crossed the plains and settled in Utah. For the first few years, Brigham Young and the thousands of early settlers of Salt Lake City struggled to survive. The arid desert land was deemed by the Mormons as desirable as a place where they could practice their religion without harassment.
Settlers buried thirty-six Native Americans in one grave after an outbreak of measles occurred during the winter of 1847.
The first group of settlers brought African slaves with them, making Utah the only place in the western United States to have African slavery. Three slaves, Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby, came west with the first group of settlers in 1847. The settlers also began to purchase Indian slaves in the well-established Indian slave trade, as well as enslaving Indian prisoners of war.
God The Father Jesus Christ And The Holy Ghost
In LDS Church teachings, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are referred to as the “Godhead“. According to LDS scripture, the Godhead has the following attributes:
- They are three separate and distinct beings.
- They are collectively “one God”, meaning that they are united in spirit, mind, and purpose. According to LDS theology, Jesus is “one” with the Father in the same way as he asked his disciples to be “one” with him and each other.
- Jesus and the Father have physical “bodies of flesh and bone”, while the Holy Spirit does not, though the Holy Spirit has a “spirit body”.
- God the Father is understood to be the literal father of the spirits of humanity, as well as the literal father of both the spirit and physical body of Jesus.
The church’s view of the Godhead breaks with Nicene Creed tradition and believes it returns to the teachings taught by Jesus. It does not accept the creed’s definition of Trinity that the three are “consubstantial” nor the Athanasian Creed‘s statement that they are “incomprehensible”, arguing that the LDS view is self-evident in the Bible that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are separate personsâthree divine beings as illustrated in Jesus’ farewell prayer, his baptism at the hands of John, his transfiguration, and the .
God the Father
Jesus Christ
Holy Ghost
Early Life And Education
Russell M. Nelson was born on September 9, 1924, in , to Floss Edna and Marion Clavar Nelson . He had two sisters, Marjory E. and Enid , and a brother, Robert H. . Nelson’s father was a reporter for the and later became general manager of Gillham Advertising, Utah’s earliest . His parents were not active in the Latter-day Saint faith while he was a youth, but they did send him to , and he was baptized a member of the LDS Church at age 16.
Nelson studied at in his mid-teens and worked as an assistant secretary at a bank. He graduated from high school at age 16 and enrolled at the , graduating in 1945 with a and membership. While at the University of Utah, he was a member of the Beta Epsilon chapter of and . Nelson then attended the , graduating with a degree in 1947 ranked first in his class. Nelson began his first year of medical school while still an undergraduate, and completed the four-year MD program in only three years.
After medical school, Nelson went to the for his . While at Minnesota, he was a member of surgeon ‘s pioneering research team developing the that in April 1951 supported the first human using . Nelson received a from Minnesota in 1954 for his research contributions.
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Historical Names Of The Church
The LDS Church traces its founding to April 6, 1830, when Smith and five other men formally established the Church of Christ. The church was known by this name from 1830 to 1834.
In the 1830s, the fact that a number of U.S. churches, including some Congregational churches and Restoration Movement churches, also used the name “Church of Christ” caused a considerable degree of confusion. In May 1834, the church adopted a resolution that the church would be known thereafter as “The Church of the Latter Day Saints”. At various times the church was also referred to as “The Church of Jesus Christ”, “The Church of God”, and “The Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints”.
Restoration Of The Church Of Jesus Christ
While Jesus Christ was on the earth, He established His Church. Following His death and the deaths of His Apostles, some of the precious truths He taught and His sacred authority were lost for a time.11 This time period is known as the Great Apostasy.
In the spring of 1820, a young man named Joseph Smith prayed to God with great concern for the salvation of his own soul and to know which church he should join. God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph12 and began to prepare him to bring back the precious truths and the sacred authority that had been lost from the Church Jesus Christ formed while on the earth. Under the Lords direction, Joseph Smith organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830.
Through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated an ancient record written by prophets who lived on the American continents and taught and testified of Jesus Christ.13 This ancient record is called the Book of Mormon and stands alongside the Bible as another testament that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind.
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Informal And Abbreviated Names
Because of the belief in the Book of Mormon among Joseph Smith’s followers, in the 1830s people outside the church began to refer to its members as “Mormonites” or “Mormons” and the church as the “Mormon Church”. Smith and other church leaders considered these informal or abbreviated terms to be derogatory and inappropriate, as editorialized in 1834:
Others may call themselves by their own, or by other names, and have the privilege of wearing them without our changing them or attempting so to do but we do not accept the above title, nor shall we wear it as our name, though it may be lavished out upon us double to what it has heretofore been.
âSecond Elder Oliver Cowdery,
Today, it remains common for individuals and media outside of the church to refer to it as the “Mormon Church”. Church leaders have resisted these practices and have asked members not to refer to the church in these ways.
In 2001, the LDS Church Saints issued a style guide on its name, requesting that those writing about the church adhere to the following guidelines:
- In the first reference, the full name of the Church is preferred: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
- Please avoid the use of “Mormon Church”, “LDS Church” or the “Church of the Latter-day Saints.”
- When a shortened reference is needed, the terms “the Church” or “the Church of Jesus Christ” are encouraged.
- When referring to Church members, the term “Latter-day Saints” is preferred, though “Mormons” is acceptable.
Transfers To Foreign Institutions
Charities in Canada are allowed to transfer donations to foreign charities and universities as long as those institutions are on the CRA’s list of “qualified donees.”
If a school regularly enrols Canadian students, it can make the list.
Established by Brigham Young, LDS president from 1847 to 1877, Brigham Young University is a private institution, owned and operated by the church and headquartered in Salt Lake City.
Three BYU schools in Utah, Idaho and Hawaii are popular among Mormons. As many as 98 per cent of students at those schools are members of the church.
The number of Canadian students fluctuates, but by any measure is small. According to available data, in the fall of 2018, there were 1,394 Canadian students in the three LDS schools, representing 1.6 per cent of the student body that semester.
Other U.S. universities on the CRA’s “qualified donees” list include well-known schools such as Harvard, Berkeley and Stanford, along with some lesser-known universities such as Loma Linda University, a part of the Seventh Day Adventist church, and Yeshiva University, a private Orthodox Jewish school.
However, none gets the same amounts of money as BYU.
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The Fifth Estate also collected the list from CRA of the money Canadian charities have sent to all foreign universities in the same 15 years.
That’s what Kennett was expecting the church to do with his donations.
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Chapel And Temple Services
Weekly worship services, including sacrament meetings, are held on Sundays, in meeting houses, also referred to as “chapels” or “stake centers.” All people, regardless of belief or standing in the church are welcome to attend. The Sacrament, similar to Communion or the Eucharist in other churchesconsecrated bread and water in remembrance of the body and blood of Christis offered weekly.
The primary Sunday service is sacrament meeting and attended by the combined congregation. The foremost purpose of sacrament meeting is the blessing and passing of the Sacrament to members of the church. After the Sacrament, the service usually consists of two or three “talks” prepared and delivered by members of the congregation. Once a month however, usually on the first Sunday, instead of prepared talks, members are invited to bear their testimonies about gospel principles. Hymns are sung throughout the service.
During the other two segments, the congregation divides into smaller groups based on age and/or gender. The church publishes manuals for each type of class, usually including a teacher’s manual as well as a student booklet for youth and adult classes.
First Bryan Baptist Church Celebrates 235 Years Of Worship Services
Posted: Jan 15, 2023 / 04:00 PM EST
Posted: Jan 15, 2023 / 04:00 PM EST
SAVANNAH, G.A. First Bryan Baptist Church celebrated a huge milestone this afternoon.
For more than 200 years, First Bryan Baptist church has been an important part of Savannahs long standing history. And, on its 235th anniversary, the church wanted to celebrate how far they have come.
Reverend Pearl Smalls of First Bryan Baptist Church says shes happy to see the community come together and be a part of something so important.
This is a momentous occasion for us, we are so excited because God has truly blessed First Bryan. We have come such a long way, and he continues to keep us and sustain us, and as we celebrate these 235 years, we are remembering the legacy of Andrew Bryan, our first pastor. Smalls said.
To honor the early beginnings of First Bryan, members of the congregation hosted a play called The Old Ship of Zion. Its an old Christian Hymn that tells the story of overcoming challenges by keeping the faith.
Smalls said, We want people to know that Christ is the answer, and we want them to know that trusting in God is what helps you to get to where you want to be. We want them to know that God offers eternal life through his son, Jesus. So, this play today shows us how holding on Jesus, how following in his footsteps, you can get to Christ, and get to eternal life.
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Why Do You Baptize For The Dead
Jesus Christ taught that except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God . For those who have passed on without the ordinance of baptism, proxy baptism for the deceased is a free-will offering. According to Church doctrine, a departed soul in the afterlife is completely free to accept or reject such a baptismthe offering is freely given and must be freely received. The ordinance does not force deceased persons to become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor does the Church list deceased persons as members of the Church. In short, there is no change in the religion or heritage of the recipient or of the recipients descendantsthe notion of coerced conversion is utterly contrary to Church doctrine.
Proxy baptism for the deceased is nothing new. It was mentioned by Paul in the New Testament and was practiced by groups of early Christians. As part of a restoration of New Testament Christianity, Latter-day Saints continue this practice. All Church members are instructed to submit names for proxy baptism only for their own deceased relatives as an offering of familial love.
Read more on this subject here
What Is The Position Of The Church Regarding Race Relations
The gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. The Book of Mormon states, Black and white, bond and free, male and female all are alike unto God . This is the Churchs official teaching.
People of all races have always been welcomed and baptized into the Church since its beginning. In fact, at the end of his life in 1844, Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opposed slavery. During this time some black males were ordained to the priesthood. At some point the Church stopped ordaining male members of African descent, although there were a few exceptions. It is not known precisely why, how or when this restriction began in the Church, but it has ended. Church leaders sought divine guidance regarding the issue and in 1978 extended the priesthood to all worthy male members. The Church immediately began ordaining members to priesthood offices wherever they attended throughout the world.
The Church unequivocally condemns racism, including any and all past racism by individuals both inside and outside the Church. In 2006, then Church president Gordon B. Hinckley declared that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ. Let us all recognize that each of us is a son or daughter of our Father in Heaven, who loves all of His children .
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Mormonism Is The Core Theology Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter
Mormonism is the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the church are often called Mormons. The term was originally considered derogatory, but today it is considered acceptable. However, the LDS church has explained that the word Mormon is sometimes used to describe other splinter groups that are not affiliated with the Church of Latter-day Saints, such as polygamist groups.
Mormonism is marked by several saving ordinances, or what other religions may call sacraments. These ordinances include baptism by immersion, confirmation, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, an endowment in the temples, and marriage.
Ordinances and covenants help us remember who we are, the LDS church says on its official site. They remind us of our duty to God. The Lord has provided them to help us come unto Him and receive eternal life. When we honor them, He strengthens us.
Why Is The Mormon Temple Central To The Faith What Happens In The Temple Why Can’t Non
The Mormon temple is considered an earthly point of contact with higher spheres of being. Mormons believe that God is present in the temple space. This makes it a sacred place set aside to learn things that allow individuals to progress toward becoming like God — the temple ordinances, especially celestial marriage, make “eternal progression toward Godhood” possible. The family unit is central to Mormonism, and the primary ritual function of the temple is to perform ceremonies that seal families together, thus allowing them to dwell together for eternity when they pass on to the celestial kingdom. The specific rituals supporting this function are — in which a husband, wife and children are officially bound together — and baptism for the dead — through which individuals who died without accepting the Latter-day Saints’ Gospel and no longer possess the physical body required for baptism are represented by living proxies, thereby granting them the opportunity to join their families in the celestial kingdom.
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What Is The Book Of Mormon
In addition to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, named after one of its ancient prophets, is another testament of Jesus Christ. It contains the writings of prophets, giving an account of Gods dealings with the peoples who lived anciently on the American continent. For Latter-day Saints it stands alongside the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as holy scripture.
Tithing And Other Donations
Church members are expected to donate one-tenth of their income to support the operations of the church, including construction of temples, meetinghouses, and other buildings, and other church uses. Members are also encouraged to abstain from food and drink on the first Sunday of each month for at least two consecutive meals. They donate at least the cost of the two skipped meals as a fast offering, which the church uses to assist the poor and needy and expand its humanitarian efforts.
All able LDS young men are expected to serve a two-year, full-time proselytizing mission. Missionaries do not choose where they serve or the language in which they will proselytize, and are expected to fund their missions themselves or with the aid of their families. Prospective male missionaries must be at least 18 years old and no older than 25, not yet married, have completed secondary school, and meet certain criteria for physical fitness and spiritual worthiness. Missionary service is not compulsory, nor is it required for young men to retain their church membership.
Unmarried women 19 years and older may also serve as missionaries, generally for a term of 18 months. However, the LDS Church emphasizes that women are not under the same expectation to serve as male members are, and may serve solely as a personal decision. There is no maximum age for missionary service for women.
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