How Mormons Live And Worship
Mormons tend to have large families, due to their beliefs. They strive for a clean, family-oriented lifestyle and participate in family councils, family and individual prayer, hard work, and wholesome recreational activities. Mormons worship on Sunday in Christian societies, but may meet on Friday in Moslem countries, and Saturday in Israel. They believe in keeping the Sabbath day holy and avoid shopping, recreating, or working on the Sabbath day.
Sunday meetings usually last for three hours, divided into three types of meetings. “Sacrament meeting” consists of taking the sacrament in remembrance of the Savior. Sermons are given mostly by lay members requested to speak before the congregation. The first Sunday of each month is usually “fast and testimony meeting,” wherein the saints spontaneously bear testimony to the truthfulness of the gospel and reality of God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints address each other as “brother” or “sister” and then usually append the last name . Additionally, those that hold specific leadership positions may be addressed by their title and then their last name . Some frequently-used titles are as follows:
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.
Purported Pagan Origins Of The Trinity
Some nontrinitarians also say that a link between the doctrine of the Trinity and the Egyptian Christian theologians of suggests that Alexandrian theology, with its strong emphasis on the deity of Jesus, served to infuse Egypt’s pagan religious heritage into Christianity. They accuse the Church of adopting these Egyptian tenets after adapting them to Christian thinking by means of Greek philosophy.
They say the development of the idea of a co-equal triune godhead was based on pagan Greek and Platonic influence, including many basic concepts from philosophy incorporated into the biblical God. As an example, they mention that stated: “All things are three, and thrice is all: and let us use this number in the worship of the gods for, as say, everything and all things are bound by threes, for the end, the middle, and the beginning have this number in everything, and these compose the number of the Trinity.” However, Trinitarians have argued that the words attributed to Aristotle differ in a number of ways from what has been published as the philosopher’s original text in , which omits “let us use this number in the worship of the gods”, and are not supported by translations of the works of Aristotle by scholars such as Stuart Leggatt, , J. L. Stocks, and .
The early apologists, including , and , frequently discussed the parallels and contrasts between Christianity, Paganism and other , and answered charges of borrowing from paganism in their writings.
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Why Is Mormonism Sometimes Described As A Secretive Religion
The most common and visible target for charges of suspicious secrecy in the Mormon religion are the temples. After dedication, these buildings are closed to the public and church members do not talk openly about the rituals that take place within. The church holds that the temple and its rituals are sacred and therefore private, not secret. They maintain that early Christianity featured similar special practices and bodies of knowledge that were kept quiet to preserve their sacred nature.
Church finances are also kept confidential, provoking criticism that there is no way for church members or outsiders to know where money from tithing and other revenue goes. And the church has also been questioned about the secrecy surrounding their defense of doctrine. Latter-day Saints can face excommunication if, after being warned, they continue to publicly discuss problematic or provocative elements of Mormon theology that the church chooses not to draw attention to. Because disciplinary councils that can lead to excommunication are always private, the process of gathering information and the closed meetings that consider the fate of a disciplined member add to the perception of Mormon secrecy.
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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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 .
What Are The Core Tenets Of The Mormon Religion
- Read the comments of historians, scholars and Mormons on and .
- Read the comments of historians, scholars and Mormons on and the .
- Read the comments of historians, scholars and Mormons on .
Many of the central concepts of the Mormon religion are laid out in the Articles of Faith, a 13-point list of the Latter-day Saints’ most important beliefs.
These key elements of the faith include belief in God the Father, his Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit belief in modern prophets and continuing revelation belief that through Christ’s atonement all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of Christ’s Gospel belief in the importance of repentance and baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins and belief in the right of all people to worship God as they please. The Articles of Faith also affirm a belief in the Bible as the word of God, insofar as it is correctly translated, and in the Book of Mormon as an equally important scriptural source.
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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.
Restorationism And Prophetic Leadership
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.
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Church Has Been Committed To The First Amendment Principle Of Religious Freedom
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS Church or LDS, has always been committed to the principle of religious freedom.
This commitment is found in one of their books of scripture called Doctrine and Covenants: We believe that religion is instituted of God and that men are amenable to him, and him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe on the rights of others…that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul .
The eleventh Article of Faith states, We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
The LDS Church recognizes the necessity of government for holding people accountable for their actions and promoting the good and safety of society. The twelfth Article of Faith affirms the duty of citizens to obey the rule of law. Indeed, Mormons believe that God had a hand in the development of the U.S. Constitution.
Although the Mormons believe in religious freedom and the divine origin of the Constitution, they fared poorly early on in their relations with the government and fellow citizens.
Church Releases Muslims And Latter
The new Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles, left, and a screenshot of the Arabic version from ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The new Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles, left, and a screenshot of the Arabic version from ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles is a new 35-page pamphlet that was released Jan. 19, 2022, and previewed by Elders David A. Bednar and Gerrit W. Gong at an October 2021 BYU conference.
Screenshot of the Arabic version of the new Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles, available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak at the final session of the two-day BYU conference The Islamic World Today: Issues and Perspectives on Oct. 19, 2021. The session was in the auditorium of the Joseph Smith Building.
Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak at the final session of the two-day BYU conference The Islamic World Today: Issues and Perspectives on Oct. 19, 2021. The session was in the auditorium of the Joseph Smith Building.
The new Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles, left, and a screenshot of the Arabic version from ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The common beliefs, values and practices in both faiths extend beyond any political, ethnic or cultural boundaries.
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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.
The Two Types Of Salvation
Mormons believe that they, like other Christians, have received grace because of Jesus’ death and atonement. Mormons also believe that they have to do their bit towards salvation as well.
They also believe in a further type of individual salvation – called ‘exaltation’ – through which human beings grow to become gods. An individual achieves this type of salvation through their actions.
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Finding Aids For Latter
The Studies in Mormon History Database includes citations to articles, books, theses, and Ph.D. dissertations dealing with the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, written from the time of its inception in 1830 to the present. It is intended to be comprehensive. It includes citations to over 2,000 Latter-day Saint biographies and 800 published Latter-day Saint diaries. The diary entries have abstracts describing dates of coverage and a summary of the contents. There are some links to full-text items.
Basic Beliefs And Practices
The most referenced statement of basic beliefs is the Articles of Faith, as given by Joseph Smith to a questioning reporter of his day. This brief recitation by Joseph Smith establishes the basic beliefs of Mormonism, and is not intended to be exhaustive.
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Ideology Partisanship And Economic Views
Mormons tend to be quite conservative in their political leanings and in their views on social and moral issues. Two-thirds call themselves conservatives, and three-quarters of Mormon registered voters are Republican or lean toward the Republican Party. These ideological and partisan leanings are reflected in their views of President Barack Obama, whose favorability rating among Mormon voters is half of what it is among voters in the public as a whole.
Mormons express highly positive views of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney . Romney is viewed favorably by 86% of all Mormon voters and 94% of Mormons who are Republican or lean Republican. But even among Mormon Democrats and Democratic-leaning registered voters, 62% rate Romney favorably. In fact, Romneys favorability rating is about as high among Mormon Democrats as it is among Republicans in the general population .
Two other prominent Mormon political leaders are viewed less favorably than Romney. Half of Mormon voters express a favorable view of Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr., while 24% express an unfavorable view and 26% have no opinion. Huntsman is viewed more favorably by registered voters in Utah, where 70% offer a favorable assessment and only 4% are unable to offer an opinion about him. Less than a quarter of Mormon voters have a favorable view of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat 51% of Mormon voters have an unfavorable opinion of Reid while 27% express no opinion about him.