History
Mormonism is a Christian movement. Joseph Smith initiated the society in the early 19th century1. In the year 1830, he formed a church in upstate New York. During its inception, the church had a handful of members. Currently, the movement is legally referred as the Church of Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS)2. It has over 12 million members. A half of these members are based in the USA. From its head office in Salt Lake City, LDS oversees an international worldwide evangelist force of more than 40, 000 individuals. Even though its followers regard the faction as a reinstatement of early Christianity, Mormonism embraces many unique dogmas and practices. For instance, they believe in a scripture auxiliary to the Bible referred as the Book of Mormon.
Major doctrines
Mormons believe the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and revelations to their prophet are the basis of authority3. Although the movement accepts as true that God inspired the Bible, they assert that it is only one of the numerous potential bases of power. Based on this claim, they intensely stress that the holy book is not comprehensive. Therefore, they believe that there will continually be accompaniments to the existing canon. For instance, they suggest that Jesus Christ revoked the decree of Moses in Matthew 5:21–484. As such, the sect depends on the King James Version of the Bible. Notably, the group believes that the version contains errors that need to be highlighted.
On the other hand, The Book of Mormon is perceived as a similarly inspired texts of the early persons who settled in America earlier and after the era of Jesus Christ. The literature narrates a classic tale of two waves of immigration. According to the book, the first settlement occurred soon after the obliteration of the tower of Babel. The second migration happened around 600 B.C. They assert that two populations emerged out of these settlements.
They are Nephite and the Lamanite. The book indicates that Nephites were forward-looking and civilized. They became believers after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who traveled to America to establish his congregation. On the other hand, the Lamanites were befallen by a spell. Because of this, they got dark skin and relapsed. A thousand years later, the Nephites were eradicated. They identify the Native Americans with the remaining collapsed nation. Compared with the Bible, the Book of Mormons ought to be perceived as an imaginary writing. As such, the Bible has thousands of evidence to back up some of its claims unlike the Book of Mormons.
Culture and practices
Segregation in Utah enabled the movement to come up with distinctive culture. As the religious devotion spread internationally, its unique rehearses have been embraced. Mormon believers are expected to repent of sins and sometimes adopt foreign principles of conduct. Habits associated with the sect comprise of reading the Bible, interceding, fasting habitually, participating in adoration services, and engaging in religious platforms. They also stress on values taught by Jesus Christ like uprightness, truthfulness, compliance with the law, chastity, and faithfulness in marriage.
The religious group has a robust sense of communality. The church associates have a duty to donate their time and capacities to assisting the needy and advancing the church5. The bulk of church’s management team is made up of nonprofessional positions. All the church leaders are expected to offer 9 to 14 hours a week in voluntary church service. Members are required to donate 10% of their revenue to the organization I form of tithes. They are also expected to participate in charitable efforts. As such, numerous youths of the church select to serve in an evangelizing assignment. Through this, they voluntarily commit all of their time to the church service.
The movement abides by the Word of Wisdom. It comprises of health laws. The decrees forbid smoking to tobacco and sometimes ingestion of coffee and tea. The law encourages the members to consume herbs, cereals, vegetables, fruits, and minimal meat products. The law also outlaws other risky and addictive substances like bang and cocaine. The group is also against addictive habits like watching obscene media content and gambling.
The trinity
Unlike other Christian sects, the Mormons do not believe in the trinity6. They assert that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct entities. Mormons accept as true the concept of an eternal advancement. To them, God once existed in human form. For them, any person can ultimately become a God if he or she is religious. For example, they believe that Adam, Isaac, and Moses have entered the condition of acclamation and turned into Gods.
Mormon’s opinions about Jesus Christ vary a lot from that of conventional Christianity. They believe that Christ is Jehova. According to their teachings, Christ is the first child of God. Other children of God are cherubs, demons, and human beings. According to Mormons, the Holy Spirit is an entirely nonphysical entity deprived of flesh and bones. Therefore, it is different in nature from God and Christ.
Works Cited
Gau, Justin. “Gallagher V Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints”. ELJ 11.01 (2008): 125. Print.
Hatch, Greg. “Family History Library Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints”. Serials Review 32.2 (2006): 137-142. Print.
Hedengren, Mark. The Mormons. New York: Red Finch, 2010. Print.
Johnson, Frank. Jews And Mormons. Hoboken, NJ: Ktav Pub. House, 2000. Print.
Keddington, Roger. “Caring For Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) In The Emergency Department’. Journal of Emergency Nursing 33.3 (2007): 252-256. Print.
Otterstrom, Samuel. “International Spatial Diffusion Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints”. Territoire en mouvement 13 (2012): 102-130. Print.
Footnotes
- Greg Hatch. “Family History Library Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints”. (Serials Review 32.2 (2006): 137-142. Print ) 139.
- Justin Gau. “Gallagher V Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints”.( ELJ 11.01 (2008): 125. Print ) 32.
- Mark Hedengren. The Mormons. (New York: Red Finch, 2010. Print) 123.
- Frank Johnson. Jews And Mormons. (Hoboken, NJ: Ktav Pub. House, 2000. Print) 156.
- Roger Keddington. “Caring For Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) In The Emergency Department’. (Journal of Emergency Nursing 33.3 (2007): 252-256. Print) 252.
- Samuel Otterstrom. “International Spatial Diffusion Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints”. (Territoire en mouvement 13 (2012): 102-130. Print) 115.