Posted on 12/13/2006 9:56:43 AM PST by Alex Murphy
The expected presidential candidacy of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has brought new attention to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since Romney would be the first Mormon president.
The LDS church is one of the fastest-growing religions in the world, due in part to its unparalleled lay volunteerism - for missionary work, humanitarian projects and church leadership. But Latter-day Saints say they are badly misunderstood.
Here, in question-and-answer form, is a look at the Mormon church:
___
Q: How did the church get its start?
A: Joseph Smith, considered a prophet by Mormons, said that in 1827 an angel gave him golden plates inscribed in an unknown language that were buried near Palmyra, N.Y. He said the plates told the history of ancient ancestors of American Indians, who migrated to the New World from Israel and were visited by Jesus. Smith said God miraculously empowered him to understand the language and dictate the sacred Book of Mormon. The angel then retrieved the plates.
Q: How did church headquarters end up in Salt Lake City?
A: Smith and early Mormons were attacked as heretics and were hounded out of New York, Ohio and Missouri. Smith was tarred and feathered and jailed, then murdered in 1844 by a mob in Illinois. The persecuted Mormons eventually settled in what became the state of Utah.
Q: How big is the church?
A: The church lists membership at 12.6 million worldwide, with more than half living outside the U.S. The church does not release reports on its finances, but is believed to have billions of dollars in assets.
Q: Where does the money come from?
A: Mormons are required to tithe 10 percent of their income to the church each year. They are also expected to fast for two meals a month and donate money saved by that, along with many volunteer hours, to the vast Mormon program to help the needy inside and outside the church. The church also owns ranches, farms and canneries, and has extensive investments in businesses.
Q: Does the church have ordained clergy?
A: No. Lay people serve at all levels of leadership and volunteer significant time to organize worship and other activities. The Mormon priesthood comprises lay people _ and only males are admitted. Starting at age 12, boys progress through levels of the priesthood, taking on greater responsibility for administering sacraments and instructing church members.
Q: Are Mormons Christian?
A: Latter-day Saints find the question itself insulting. Their scriptures include the Old and New Testaments. But Mormons also believe that authentic Christianity vanished a century after Christ and was restored only through Smith. Smith revised _ and in his view corrected _ large sections of the Bible. Other sacred Mormon books contain Smith’s revelations. And Mormons consider their church presidents to be prophets.
Q: Do Christian groups generally accept Mormon beliefs?
A: No. The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant group, considers the LDS church a cult and sends missionaries to Mormon communities to spread "the true Gospel of Jesus Christ." Many other Christian denominations also do not recognize Mormon baptism.
Q: Do the Latter-day Saints allow polygamy?
A: No. Smith practiced polygamy based on a revelation from God. The church retains that teaching in its scriptures but halted the practice in 1890 and excommunicates "fundamentalists" who obey Smith’s original words. Still, Romney has famously joked about the teaching, saying, "You see, for us marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman and a woman and a woman."
Q: What moral values does the church embrace?
A: Mormons emphasize hard work, volunteerism, education and chastity; they oppose abortion, gay relationships, gambling and pornography. Family is especially important to Mormons, rooted in their belief that marriage and family relationships among the faithful are "sealed" and may continue through eternity. As just one example of this emphasis, the church directs members to reserve Mondays for what they call Family Home Evening, when families gather on their own for prayer and instruction, followed by fun activities.
Q: Why don’t Mormons drink alcohol?
A: Mormons follow a health code that Smith said came to him in an 1833 revelation known as the Word of Wisdom. It bars the use of tobacco, alcohol and hot drinks - later defined as coffee and tea. Cold drinks with caffeine are also forbidden.
"Do Christian groups generally accept Mormon beliefs?"
Note that the article discusses LDS moral values and their exemplary public practices, but avoids discussing specific LDS doctrinal and theological views. It's these latter areas that the Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, etc take issue with, and form the reasons why Mormon baptisms are not recognized.
Also worth noting is that Palmyra, New York - where Joseph Smith's "First Vision" took place and the golden plates were reportedly found - lies within the Hudson River Valley. This region is also called the "burned over district". Unitarianism, Mormonism, Seventh-Day Adventism, Restorationism (the Cambellite "churches of Christ"), and a number of other movements (including Charles Finney's "Second Great Awakening" revivals) all sprang up or hit the area within a span of a few decades. Finney himself coined the phrase "burned over districts", evoking the image of forest fires scorching an area clean of all flammable material, because it's inhabitants were resistant to his revivals.
This part of western New York became famous after the Erie Canal for its history of revivalism, radicalism, communitarian experiments. It was fertile ground for new ideas to take root and spread to other parts of the country. It became a "psychic highway" for New Englanders who left the East and headed West in search of new ways of life
- from The Burned Over District
Ping for later.
(Or is that "latter"?)
Follow the Prophet...follow the Prophet.
This is a must view about LDS and Romney.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sG8CnxesY0
A: Latter-day Saints find the question itself insulting....
Insulting? I suppose the question can be intended as an insult, but generally I take it as a sign that the questioner either does not know what we believe or else does not understand the plain English meaning of the word Christian.
I believe it was Brigham Young who said, "He who takes offense where no offense is intended is a fool. (And he who takes offense where offense is intended is probably a fool.)"
"I take it as a sign that the questioner either does not know what we believe or else does not understand the plain English meaning of the word Christian."
Would you, as a Mormon, consider Jehovah's Witnesses to be Christians?
I don't mean individuals, here and there, but the group as a whole.
Yes.
-A8
That is a different question, to which my answer is no. That is to say, the Jehovah's Witnesses teach doctrines which I do not accept or believe to be true.
Nevertheless, they are Christians.
Do you realize that Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the deity of Christ?
No, I did not realize that. Nor do I believe it to be an accurate representation of what Jehovah's Witnesses actually believe. On their official website, they say that Jesus was divine, but that he is not the Almighty God, that is, God the Father.
That is about as much as I know about the subject. I will leave it to the Jehovah's Witnesses to explain what they believe.
I am using the word Christian to mean "one who professes to believe in or to follow Jesus Christ." I believe that to be the usual, everyday meaning of the word. And by that definition, Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians.
That does not mean I agree with all of the doctrines or practices of the Jehovah's Witnesses. For that matter, I do not agree with all of the doctrines or practices of the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholics or the many Protestants in the world; nonetheless, I consider them to be Christians.
"I will leave it to the Jehovah's Witnesses to explain what they believe."
I hope you've got the patience of Job, cause you're gonna be sitting by that keyboard for a long time waiting for a JW to chime in and explain their beliefs.
I have never seen one around here in my 7 year stint. (Actually, I think their church doesn't let them read any non-JW material.)
As I said in my previous post, a Christian is one who professes to believe in or to follow Jesus Christ.
By that definition, a person can be said to be an authentic Christian to the extent that he or she truly believes and follows Jesus Christ.
Q: How did the church get its start? A: Joseph Smith, considered a prophet by Mormons, said that in 1827 an angel gave him golden plates...
Joseph's "First Vision" in 1820, when he was 14 years old was his first claim to prophecy and revelation. He states God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. The Angel Moroni appeared later when he was 18. He got the Gold plates when he was 21 from Moroni. The Church was legally organized in New York on April 6, 1830. (of course technically in my belief system I believe it is the same Church since the time of Adam, Abraham, Noah, Peter, Apostles etc. Mormons claim the modern Church of the Latter days is the same as the Church of Jesus's days.)
Q. Does the church have ordained clergy? No. Lay people serve at all levels of leadership and volunteer....
Wrong, we believe in Priesthood Ordination. We do not believe however in a paid clergy. You have to be ordained by a Priesthood holder with the authority. We have no professional clergy but we do have ordained Priesthood holders.
Q: Do Christian groups generally accept Mormon beliefs?
Obviously No, or they would be Mormon then, wouldn't they? My Christian friends who understand what I atually believe accept me and other Mormons they know as Christian. Many people have difficulty with what they think the Mormons believe or have heard that Mormons belive. There is a lot of information out there about what I actually belive that is incorrect. So I don't blame them. It can be suprising though that those who so easily see through the MSM media lies like "Bush Lied" and the forged memos can accept MSM lies about my faith so readily. There are Doctrinal differences for sure, but it can get tiring to debate with someone who insists I belive things I in fact don't actually beleive.
A good book about some of the Doctrinal differences between Mormons and Evangelicals is "How Wide the Divide?: A Mormon & an Evangelical in Conversation" by Craig L. Blomberg, Stephen E. Robinson.
Book Description Voted one of Christianity Today's 1998 Books of the Year!Mormons and evangelicals don't often get along very well, at least not once they begin to discuss their religious beliefs. They often set about trying to convert one another, considering the faith the other holds as defective in some critical way. Unfortunately, much of what they say about one another simply isn't true. False stereotypes abound on both sides, preventing genuine and helpful communication.Having discovered this sad state of affairs, Craig Blomberg, a committed evangelical scholar, and Stephen Robinson, a committed Mormon scholar, set out to listen to one another and to ferret out the real agreements and disagreements between them. In the conversation that develops, you will read what each believes about key theological issues--the nature and bounds of Scripture, the nature of God and deification, the person of Christ and the Trinity, and the essentials of salvation--and see how they interact with one another. What they agree on may surprise you.Though this book does not sweep differences under the rug, it is meant to help Mormons and evangelicals know and tell the truth about one another. It does not expect to end evangelistic efforts from either side. In fact, it may help to promote more effective communication because it can help to get rid of misrepresentations from both sides. In the end, however, you will be able to judge for yourself just how wide the divide between them is.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was the first creation of God, a created being. I got that directly from their site.
Christians are those who believe in Christ, repent of their sins, confess that Christ is the Son of God, and are baptized for the remission of their sins. They are then added to the church by God.
IIRC, I've seen one or two myself. It's been several years since the last one popped up, though.
I'm still waiting for someone Amish to post on FR, though...
Mormons believe that God the Father was born. But I have never been able to get an answer from a Mormon to the question: "Who gave birth to God the Father?"
-A8
Choices, choices...hmmm....Proverbs 26:4 or 26:5?
Anyone can toss out ad hominems. Even children call each other names.
Do you know the answer to the question: Who do Mormons believe gave birth to God the Father?
-A8
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