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Mormon

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Religious movements,
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   The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
   is the most-recognized architectural symbol of Mormonism
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   The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
   is the most-recognized architectural symbol of Mormonism

   Mormon is a term used to refer to adherents of the Latter Day Saint
   movement, and most commonly to the movement's original and largest
   group, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The term is
   derived from the Book of Mormon, a religious text that Joseph Smith,
   Jr. translated from ancient plates containing a history of the early
   inhabitants of the Americas that was compiled by a prophet called
   Mormon. Although many people identify the Latter Day Saint movement as
   a denomination of Protestantism, Mormons do not consider themselves to
   be Protestants and do not recognize themselves as part of any larger
   branch of Christianity, but do consider themselves Christians.

Origin of the term "Mormon"

   The term Mormon was first used in modern times in the 1830s as a
   pejorative to describe those who believed that Joseph Smith, Jr. had
   been called as a prophet of God, and who accepted the Book of Mormon as
   scripture.

   According to Latter-day Saint theology, the term Mormon also refers to
   a prophet who lived in the Americas in the 4th century A.D. He was
   called of God to abridge and compile the records of his people and
   their dealings with God into a single book. This book is now known as
   the Book of Mormon. After Mormon's death, his son Moroni witnessed the
   complete destruction of his people and buried the record compiled by
   his father in a hill in what is now upstate New York. This same Moroni,
   more than 1400 years later, was sent by God as a messenger to Smith who
   went to the place where the record was buried, and with a great deal of
   help from God, Smith translated the record into English. After Smith
   was murdered in 1844 at the hands of a mob in Carthage, Illinois jail,
   the largest body of Latter-day Saints followed Brigham Young, who
   eventually became President of his denomination, in an exodus to the
   Salt Lake Valley, arriving there in July of 1847. Smaller groups of
   Saints followed other claimants to the church presidency, some staying
   behind in Nauvoo, Illinois, and others dispersing to separate
   locations.

   The term Mormon continues to be used to refer to members of this group
   that followed Brigham Young, including The Church of Jesus Christ of
   Latter-day Saints, but not to related smaller denominations that
   separated from this group over issues such as polygamy. Individual
   leaders within the hierarchy of the LDS Church have sometimes made
   explicit effort to reject the use of the term "Mormon," as it does not
   include a reference to Jesus, whom the church asserts to be its central
   figure. As a general policy, however, while the church prefers the use
   of its full name, use of the term LDS or Mormon is not considered
   offensive or incorrect.

Claims for exclusivity

   By the 1970s, "Mormon" had become so common that the LDS Church began
   to use the term in its radio and television Public Service
   Announcements which ended: "A message from The Church of Jesus Christ
   of Latter-day Saints: the Mormons." More recently the organization has
   asked the media to use the church's complete name and to follow any
   second reference with the name "The Church of Jesus Christ."

   Claims for exclusivity of usage are primarily to avoid confusion
   between the LDS Church and "Mormon Fundamentalist" groups. LDS Church
   officials state that referring to organizations or groups outside of
   the LDS Church (especially those that practice plural marriage) as
   "Mormon," " Mormon fundamentalist," or "Mormon dissident" is a
   misunderstanding of Mormon theology, in particular the principles of
   continuous revelation and Priesthood authority. In 1998, the current
   president of the LDS Church, Gordon B. Hinckley, said:

     "I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing
     whatsoever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not
     members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They
     are in violation of the civil law . . . If any of our members are
     found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the
     most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so
     involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation
     of the law of this Church."

   Sometimes Restorationist or Restoration Movement are used as umbrella
   terms for those derived from the Campbellites or Stone-Campbell
   churches, for example, the Church of Christ and the Disciples of
   Christ. Mormons, however, are not a break-off group of the
   Campbellites. While they share some beliefs, such as the idea of a
   restoration, they differ in their beliefs about it. Most importantly,
   Mormons believe that the Restoration in question has already happened:
   The original church of Jesus Christ, known as the primitive church by
   historians, is believed by adherents to have been restored through
   Joseph Smith, the first Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of
   Latter-day Saints. There are some general similarities to Campbellite
   teachings, and many of Mormonism's first adherents (including Sidney
   Rigdon) were previously Campbellites. But the Book of Mormon, the book
   of Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price separate Mormon
   doctrine from any other Restorationist faiths.

Scholarly usage

   Some scholars, such as J. Gordon Melton, in his Encyclopedia of
   American Religion, subdivide the Mormons into Utah Mormons and Missouri
   Mormons.

   In this scheme, the Utah Mormon group includes all the organizations
   descending from those Mormons who followed Brigham Young to what is now
   Utah. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is by far the
   largest of these groups, and the only group to initially reside in
   Utah. The Missouri Mormons group includes those Mormons who did not
   travel to Utah, and the organizations formed from them — the Community
   of Christ, Church of Christ (Temple Lot), Remnant Church of Jesus
   Christ of Latter Day Saints, etc.

   In its October Conference of 1890, the LDS Church declared that it
   would discontinue the practice of plural marriage. The policy was
   accepted by unanimous vote of those in attendance. Nearly 20 years
   later, however, individuals surfaced who said that polygamy was a
   “fundamental” belief of Mormonism and could not be discarded. They
   formed several small congregations and communities advocating the
   necessity of polygamy and other doctrinal differences with the LDS
   Church. While these smaller groups have memberships in the hundreds or
   thousands, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now reports
   a worldwide membership of over 12.5 million . Due to heavy media focus
   on these fractional bodies, however, misidentification of The Church of
   Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with these polygamous groups is not
   uncommon. These groups include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus
   Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Kingston clan, the True & Living
   Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days and a few others.
   Most of these groups have headquarters in Utah, with communities in
   Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, British Columbia, Alberta, Mexico and Great
   Britain. Additionally, several dozen "fundamentalists" claim
   affiliation with no group other than their own family.

   The terms "Utah Mormon" and "Missouri Mormon" are problematic because
   the majority of each of these branches' members no longer live in
   either of these states. Although a majority of Utahns are members of
   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the LDS Church has a
   large membership in other states, most notably Arizona, California,
   Idaho and Nevada, and the majority of the church's membership today
   resides outside of the United States. Nor are all "Missouri Mormons"
   based in Missouri. Notable exceptions include the Pennsylvania-based
   Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) which considers Sidney Rigdon
   Joseph Smith's rightful successor and the Wisconsin-based Church of
   Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) which considers James J.
   Strang Smith's rightful successor.

   Addressing some of the limitations of the Utah/Missouri designations,
   some historians have now coined the terms Rocky Mountain Saints and
   Prairie Saints to rename the "Utah" and "Missouri" branches of the
   movement. These new terms have begun to gain a following among
   historians today, but similar to the above mentioned titles, they are
   not of common usage among the majority of those who call themselves
   "Mormons."

   Additionally, "Utah Mormon" is often used as a derisive term among the
   LDS themselves. A "Utah Mormon" is one who outwardly lives every tenet
   of the faith without maintaining a deep spiritual conviction.

Distinctions from other religious groups

   Despite some misconceptions over similar nicknames and stereotypes,
   Mormons are not the same religious group as Quakers (members of the
   Religious Society of Friends), Mennonites, or Amish, nor are they
   Jehovah's Witnesses. Mormons originated separately from these groups
   and are distinct in culture, practice, and theology.

   One source of confusion in some regions comes from a mistranslation in
   the film Witness (starring Harrison Ford) into Spanish, French,
   Russian, Polish, Hungarian, and Italian. "Amish" was translated
   incorrectly to "Mormon." How this happened with different translators
   into different languages is not clear, but demonstrates a general
   misunderstanding about the identity of the Amish, the Mormons, or both.

Basic beliefs

   Additional details regarding basic beliefs of Mormons can be found on
   the LDS Church's official website, http://www.lds.org, or the LDS
   Church's site designed for "non-members," http://www.mormon.org.

   When Joseph Smith was asked about the basic beliefs of Mormonism, he
   summarized the teachings and doctrines in 13 points, known today as The
   Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

   The Articles of Faith are:
    1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus
       Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
    2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not
       for Adam’s transgression.
    3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be
       saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
    4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel
       are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance;
       third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth,
       Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
    5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by
       the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the
       Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
    6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive
       Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists,
       and so forth.
    7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions,
       healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
    8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is
       translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the
       word of God.
    9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal,
       and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important
       things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
   10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the
       restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will
       be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign
       personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and
       receive its paradisiacal glory.
   11. 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.
   12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and
       magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
   13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and
       in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the
       admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we
       have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.
       If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or
       praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

   History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 535-541
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon"
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