The Mormons are better known as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church is established in Salt Lake City and has congregations, known as wards or branches, throughout the world. The Mormon church is the largest denomination to grow out of Joseph Smith’s Latter Day Saint Movement that began around 1830.
The members of the Mormon church consider themselves a part of Christianity, and the theology includes many Christian doctrines, including baptism by immersion, rejection of original sin, and a plan of salvation. The Church follows four scriptural texts: The Bible, including the Old Testament and New Testament; The Book of Mormon; The Doctrine and Covenants; and the Pearl of Great Price. Most of the texts, excluding the Bible, were written by Joseph Smith, the founder of the movement, whom Mormons believe was a prophet.
The Church has gone through many changes over the course of its existence. Founded by Joseph Smith, the church eventually moved to a period of change and the “pioneer era” led by Brigham Young, and today is in a new phase, one that is a bit more modern and frowns on a few of the older beliefs, such as the practice of polygamy.
Though the Church believes it is a part of Christianity, there are many detractors who claim it is not. This claim comes from the fact that the LDS Church doesn’t follow creedal Christianity, something that the Church does not deny.
Today, the Church membership stands at over thirteen million and counting. It promotes monogamy and the nuclear family, as well as adoption and caretaking of those less fortunate. The Church opposes same-sex marriage, legalized gambling, physician-assisted death, and the Equal Rights Amendment. The Church welfare system for members is considered one of the best in the world.
This brief overview of the Mormon Church doesn’t touch on all the basic points needed to understand Church views and history; however, those more detailed lessons will be coming in the next several posts, so stay tuned for more!
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