Latter Day Saints Mormon Church

September 23, 2022

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Restorationism And Prophetic Leadership

The Goal: A Story of Faith, Friendship and Forgiveness

The LDS Church teaches that, subsequent to the death of Jesus and his original apostles, his church, along with the authority to act in Jesus Christ’s name and the church’s attendant spiritual gifts, were lost, due to a combination of external persecutions and internal heresies. The restorationas represented by the church began by Joseph Smithrefers to a return of the authentic priesthood power, spiritual gifts, ordinances, living prophets and revelation of the primitive Church of Christ. This restoration is associated with a number of events which are understood to have been necessary to re-establish the early Christian church found in the New Testament, and to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus. In particular, Latter-day Saints believe that angels appeared to Joseph Smith and a limited number of his associates, and bestowed various priesthood authorities on them.

The Plan Of Salvation

The term Plan of Salvation is used to describe how the gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to bring about the immortality and eternal life of humankind. It includes the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement, along with all God-given laws, ordinances, and doctrines. Members believe that after this life is the Resurrection and Judgment.

The gift of immortality is also believed to be freely given to all because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and his subsequent Resurrection, although salvation from sin is conditional. Entrance to the highest Heavenly Kingdom, the “Celestial Kingdom,” is only granted to those who accept Jesus through baptism into the church by its priesthood authority, follow Church doctrine, and live righteous lives. Faith alone, or faith without works is not considered sufficient to attain exaltation.

Kingdoms

According to the Church, the Celestial Kingdom is where the righteous will live with God and their families. This kingdom includes multiple degrees of glory, the highest of which is exaltation. Those who have had the ordinances of eternal marriage, which is performed in temples, and baptism may be exalted if they are found worthy by God. Accountable individuals must be baptized and repent to gain entrance to the Celestial Kingdom Latter-day Saints profess that all children who die before the age of accountability automatically inherit a celestial glory.

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Jesus Wasnt A Teetotaler

The ancient Jews were a temperate peopletemperate used in the right sense. They used light wine as part of the regular diet . Jesus, you will recall, was called a wine-drinker , the charge being not that he drank, but that he drank too much .

The New Testament nowhere says the Jews claimed Jesus should have been a teetotaler. Wine was used also at weddings, and our Lord clearly approved of the practice of wine drinking, since he made wine from water when the wine was depleted at Cana .

Something Mormons seldom refer to is wines medicinal uses . You will recall that Paul advised Timothy to take wine to ease stomach pains . Such apostolic admonitions coexist uneasily with Mormonisms strictures against wine.

Mormons practice tithing, yet would be shocked to learn that in a key Old Testament passage where tithing is discussed, God says: you shall turn into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses, and spend the money for whatever you desire, oxen, or sheep, or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves and you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household . Were also told, Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more .

Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter

Laurel and Hyrum Ence tour the Mormon Church History Museum, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in Salt Lake City. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renovated history museum features a small and surprising display about an uncomfortable part of the faiths history that for generations has been glossed over: polygamy. Some of the Supreme Court’s first cases on the free exercise of religion clause involved the church challenging laws against polygamy.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose followers used to be known as Mormons, has helped to shape the relationship between government and religion through the interpretation of the First Amendments establishment and free exercise clauses. As of August 2018, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Russell M. Nelson asked that the terms LDS and Mormons no longer be used when referencing the Church

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Overview Of Critics’ Position

The historical record shows that the Church’s name has been significantly altered. In 1830, it was first named, “Church of Christ,” in 1834, the name changed to “The Church of the Latter Day Saints,” and in 1838, the name changed again, to “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Working with the contemporary primary sources, historians have noted a lack of clarity concerning the reason for these name changes. There is also scant reliable information documenting the decision-making processes followed by early Church leaders. One fact that appears indisputable is that name changes resulted from human, not divine, intervention. For critics, these alterations are from the acts and intentions of humans motivated by perhaps social, political, and economic objectives.

Aceable Permit Test Answers

The Copenhagen Denmark Temple is the 118th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the 1st temple completed in Metropolitan Denmark. It was the second temple built from an existing building, following the Vernal Utah Temple . The temple is a total renovation of the neo-classical Priorvej.

With Tv Shows Hit Broadway Plays And Presidential Candidates Mormons Have Recently And Suddenly Returned To The National Spotlight How Did Mormonism Begin And What Makes It So Influential To Pop Culture Today

During the first fifteen years of the 21st century, Mormons were suddenly everywhere in pop culture. They were on cable television in shows like Big Love and Sister Wives their stories played on Broadway in the hit show The Book of Mormon and the church ended up in the political spotlight in 2012, when the devout Mormon Mitt Romney ran for president. But even if Mormons were fairly high profile in the media, to those outside the religion, they remained a little bit mysterious.

This is a transcript from the video series The History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch. Watch it now, on Wondrium.

Utah War And Mountain Meadows Massacre

You Never Know How Much Good You Do

In 1857â1858, the church was involved in an armed conflict with the U.S. government, entitled the Utah War. The settlers and the United States government battled for hegemony over the culture and government of the territory. Tensions over the Utah War, the murder of Mormon apostle Parley P. Pratt in Arkansas, and threats of violence from the Baker-Fancher wagon train , resulted in rogue Mormon settlers in southern Utah massacring a wagon train from Arkansas, known as Mountain Meadows massacre. The result of the Utah War was the succeeding of the governorship of the Utah territory from Brigham Young to Alfred Cumming, an outsider appointed by President James Buchanan.

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Migration To Utah And Colonization Of The West

Under the leadership of Brigham Young, Church leaders planned to leave Nauvoo, Illinois in April 1846, but amid threats from the state militia, they were forced to cross the Mississippi River in the cold of February. They eventually left the boundaries of the United States to what is now Utah where they founded Salt Lake City.

The groups that left Illinois for Utah became known as the Mormon pioneers and forged a path to Salt Lake City known as the Mormon Trail. The arrival of the original Mormon Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, is commemorated by the Utah State holiday Pioneer Day.

Groups of converts from the United States, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere were encouraged to gather to Utah in the decades following. Both the original Mormon migration and subsequent convert migrations resulted in much sacrifice and quite a number of deaths. Brigham Young organized a great colonization of the American West, with Mormon settlements extending from Canada to Mexico. Notable cities that sprang from early Mormon settlements include San Bernardino, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Mesa, Arizona.

The Church And Its Leaders Are Rightly Cautious About Officially Endorsing Any Material That Has Not Been Approved By The Correlation Process Of The Church

How does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view apologists?How does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view apologists?

Does the Church avoid mentioning the work of LDS apologists in any public forum sponsored by the Church?
Does the Church avoid endorsing any LDS apologetic scholarship?

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Why Does The Church Send Out Missionaries

The missionary effort of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is based on the New Testament pattern of missionaries serving in pairs, teaching the gospel and baptizing believers in the name of Jesus Christ . Missionary work is voluntary, with most missionaries funding their own missions. They receive their assignment from Church headquarters and are sent only to countries where governments allow the Church to operate. In some parts of the world, missionaries are sent only to serve humanitarian or other specialized missions.

The Name Of The Church

A church’s name is meaningful because it conveys important information. From its name, we learn about the identity of believers and how they express their relationship to the divine. A name can also tell us how a church distinguishes itself from other similar faiths. In 1830, as Joseph Smith’s revelations became scriptures and people warmed to this new testament, it became clear that his fledgling faith community needed a name. Joseph and early Church leaders looked to the Book of Mormon for guidance.

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Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints Or

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian restorationist church that is considered by its followers to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 74,000 missionaries and a membership of over 15 million. It is ranked by the National Council of Churches as the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States. It is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening.

Both men and women may serve as missionaries, and the church maintains a large missionary program which proselytizes and conducts humanitarian services worldwide. Faithful members adhere to laws regarding sexual purity, health, fasting, and Sabbath observance, and contribute ten percent of their income to the church as a tithe. In addition, the church teaches sacred ordinances through which adherents make covenants with God, including baptism, confirmation, the sacrament , endowment, and celestial marriage all of which are of great significance to church members.

Brigham Young’s Early Theocratic Leadership

Following the death of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young stated that the Church should be led by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles #Conference_of_August_8,_1844″ rel=”nofollow”> Succession Crisis). Later, after the migration to Utah had begun, Brigham Young was sustained as a member of the First Presidency on December 25, 1847, , and then as President of the Church on October 8, 1848. .

One of the reasons the Saints had chosen the Great Basin as a settling place was that the area was at the time outside the territorial borders of the United States, which Young had blamed for failing to protect Mormons from political opposition from the states of Missouri and Illinois. However, in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico ceded the area to the United States. As a result, Brigham Young sent emissaries to Washington, D.C. with a proposal to create a vast State of Deseret, of which Young would naturally be the first governor. Instead, Congress created the much smaller Utah Territory in 1850, and Young was appointed governor in 1851. Because of his religious position, Young exercised much more practical control over the affairs of Mormon and non-Mormon settlers than a typical territorial governor of the time.

For most of the 19th century, the LDS Church maintained an ecclesiastical court system parallel to federal courts, and required Mormons to use the system exclusively for civil matters, or face church discipline.

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A Major Victory For Satan

Raised in a non-religious home, Nelson read the Mormon scriptures at a young age and was convinced. So convinced that he went home and smashed his parents liquor supply.

Since then, divine omens have played an important role in his life, Nelson says. A former heart surgeon who conducted Utahs first open-heart operation, the Mormon president said he has prayed for the Holy Ghosts help while wielding a scalpel over a patients body.

Revelations have seeded Nelsons love life as well. After his first wife died in 2005, Nelson proposed to the former Wendy Watson. To strengthen my proposal to Wendy, I said to her, I know about revelation and how to receive it, the Mormon president has said. Wendy Nelson said she, too, had received a revelation about their relationship.

During his time as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the churchs top echelons of leadership, Nelson said that he prayed for revelations daily. In 2016, before he became president, he defended the churchs then-new policy of calling LGBT couples apostates and effectively barring their children from baptism.

When liberal Mormons criticized the policy, Nelson called it the will of the Lord as expressed to former president Thomas Monson.

Some Mormons say Nelson was trying to shore up a man-made decision by calling it a revelation, but the criticism seems not to have slowed his revelation roll.

History Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter

What Is The Book of Mormon? | Now You Know

The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is typically divided into three broad time periods:

The early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith which is in common with most Latter Day Saint movement churches,

A “pioneer era” under the leadership of Brigham Young and his 19th-century successors, and

A modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century as the practice of plural marriage was discontinued.

During the 20th century, the church grew substantially and became an international organization. Distancing itself from polygamy, the church began engaging, first with mainstream American culture, and then with international cultures, particularly those of Latin America, by sending out thousands of missionaries across the globe. The church became a strong and public champion of monogamy and the nuclear family, and at times played a prominent role in political matters. Among the official changes to the organization during the modern area include the ordination of black men to the priesthood in 1978, reversing a policy originally instituted by Brigham Young. The church has also periodically changed its temple ceremony, gradually omitting certain controversial elements. There are also periodic changes in the structure and organization of the church, mainly to accommodate the organization’s growth and increasing international presence.

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Terminology Used By The Church

Church leaders now teach that itâs okay to identify as gay. In the past church leaders have stated that âhomosexualâ, âlesbianâ, and âgayâ should only be used as adjectives to describe thoughts, feelings, or behaviors, and never as nouns to describe people. Church leaders and organizations have made reference to homosexuality as a sexual orientation. Leaders have only begun directly addressing bisexual members since October 2016. The church and its members have often referred to homosexuality with the term âsame-gender attractionâ. The church no longer speaks on the origins of homosexuality.

Church Has Been Involved In Other First Amendment Cases

When Utah gained statehood in 1896, its constitution provided for freedom of religion and protection against church domination of state and local government. Since then, relations between the government and the LDS Church have been more peaceful, with only occasional legal challenges over personal injury, property issues, and business concerns. One such recent challenge, Utah Gospel Mission v. Salt Lake City Corporation , concerned the churchs effort to buy a section of main street next to the Temple square in Salt Lake City and convert it into a plaza with easements for public access. The church was given the right to restrict behavior and speech in the plaza, which raised free speech concerns and charges of improper establishment of religion. Many government officials were members of the church. The case was resolved when the city and the church agreed that the city would relinquish the public easement in the plaza and in return the church would give the city other land that it wanted, as well as some financial consideration.

Another establishment clause case, Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Amos , involved church termination of several employees in alleged violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Supreme Court ruled that a religious exemption, section 702, in the act did not violate the establishment clause and that the religious anti-discrimination exemption was constitutional.

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