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For similarly named churches, see Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
ClassificationRestorationist
OrientationLatter Day Saint movement
PolityHierarchical
LeaderThomas S. Monson
Region176 nations/territories
FounderJoseph Smith, Jr.
OriginApril 6, 1830
Manchester or Fayette, New York, United States
SeparationsLDS denominations
Congregations28,109
Members13,508,509[1]
Missionaries52,494[1]
Tertiary institutions4[2]
Official websitewww.lds.org

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (abbreviated as the LDS Church, often colloquially referred to as the Mormon Church) is the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. circa 1830. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations (called wards or branches) worldwide. Estimates of the church's membership range from about 13.5 million (6 million in the United States)[1][4][5] to about half of those numbers, depending on how membership is counted.[6]

Adherents are usually referred to as Latter-day Saints, LDS, or Mormons. They consider themselves part of Christianity. LDS Church theology includes Christian doctrines of restorationism (via Joseph Smith, Jr.), millennialism, continuationism, penal substitution, a form of Apostolic succession, rejection of original sin, practice of baptism by immersion, and practice of the Eucharist (called by them the Sacrament). LDS Church theology is also different from traditional Christianity in a number of ways, including rejection of the Nicene Creed, belief in a unique theory of human salvation that includes three heavens, a doctrine of "exaltation" which includes the ability of humans to become gods and goddesses in the afterlife, and unique sacramental ceremonies performed privately in LDS temples. The Church has an open canon which includes four scriptural texts:[7] the Bible (both Old and New Testament), the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Other than the Bible, the majority of the LDS canon constitutes revelation dictated by Joseph Smith, and includes commentary and exegesis about the Bible, texts described as lost parts of the Bible, and books said to be written by non-Biblical prophets.

The LDS Church is organized in a hierarchical structure dominated by men, with some women in roles leading other women and children. Mormons believe that Jesus leads the church through revelation, and has chosen a single man, called "the Prophet" or President of the Church, as Jesus' spokesman on the earth. The President is part of a First Presidency of three men, which leads a Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other larger bodies (called quorums) of general authorities, who themselves lead down the chain of command to local congregational leaders. At the local level, these members of the priesthood are drawn from the laity and work on a purely volunteer basis without stipend. Members, including clergy, are asked to donate a full tithe (10%) of their income to the Church. The church has a strong cultural influence on its members, and has taken stands on a number of public, governmental issues. It is an active proselytizing church, and sends full-time missionaries nearly worldwide, which is mainly responsible for its rapid growth.

History

Main article: History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The history of the LDS Church is typically divided into three broad time periods: (1) the early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, Jr. which is in common with all Latter Day Saint movement churches, (2) a "pioneer era" under the leadership of Brigham Young and his 19th Century successors, and (3) a modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century as the practice of polygamy was discontinued.

Joseph Smith era

See also: History of the Latter Day Saint movement
Joseph Smith, Jr. (pictured), founder of the church, and his brother Hyrum were assassinated in Carthage, Illinois, by a mob on June 27, 1844

The early history of the LDS Church is shared with other denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement, who all regard Joseph Smith, Jr. as the founder of their religious tradition. Smith first gained a small following[8] in the late 1820s as he was dictating the Book of Mormon, which he said was a translation of words found on a set of golden plates that had been buried near his home in western New York by an indigenous American prophet. Smith said he had been in contact with an angel Moroni, who showed him the plates' location and had been preparing him for a role as a religious leader.[9]

On April 6, 1830, in western New York,[10] Smith organized the religion's first legal church entity, the Church of Christ. The church rapidly gained a following, who viewed Smith as a prophet. In the 1830s, missionaries from the church converted thousands of new members[11] and established outposts in Kirtland, Ohio and Missouri, where Smith intended to build a "city of Zion". In 1838, Smith left Kirtland to Missouri after being charged with improper banking practices during the financial panic of 1837. In Missouri, the Church suffered severe persecution, and a war with non-Mormon settlers soon ensued, leading to the church's official expulsion from Missouri.

After Missouri, the church built the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, where Smith served as the city's mayor and leader of the militia. As church leader, Smith also instated the then-secret practice of plural marriage, and taught a form of theocratic Millennialism which he called "theodemocracy". As a result of public disagreement over these two issues, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith (second in line to the presidency),[12] were assassinated on June 27, 1844 by an angry mob.[13]

After Smith's death, a succession crisis ensued, and the majority of Smith's followers chose Brigham Young as their leader. Young had been a close associate of Smith's and was senior apostle of the Quorum of the Twelve. Other groups of Latter Day Saints followed other leaders, and formed some of the other denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement.

Pioneer era

Brigham Young, who led the LDS Church from 1844 until his death in 1877.

After continued difficulties and persecution in Illinois, Young left Nauvoo in 1846 and led his followers, the Mormon pioneers, to what would become in 1850 the Utah Territory in search of religious freedom.[14] The group branched out and colonized a large region now known as the Mormon Corridor. Young incorporated The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a legal entity, and initially governed both the church and the state as a theocratic leader. He also publicized the previously-secret practice of plural marriage, a form of polygamy.

By 1857, tensions had again escalated between Mormons and other Americans, largely as a result of church teachings on polygamy and theocracy. The Utah Mormon War ensued from 1857 to 1858, which resulted in the relatively peaceful[15] invasion of Utah by the United States Army, after which Young agreed to step down from power and be replaced by a non-Mormon territorial governor, Alfred Cumming. Nevertheless, the LDS Church still wielded significant political power in the Utah Territory as part of a shadow government.[16]

At Young's death in 1877, he was followed by other powerful LDS Presidents, who resisted efforts by the United States Congress to outlaw Mormon polygamous marriages. Conflict between Mormons and the U.S. government escalated to the point that in 1890, Congress disincorporated the LDS Church and seized all its assets. Soon thereafter, church president Wilford Woodruff issued a Manifesto that officially suspended the practice.[17] Although this Manifesto did not yet dissolve existing plural marriages, and did not entirely stop the practice of polygamy, relations with the United States markedly improved after 1890, such that Utah was admitted as a U.S. state. Relations further improved after 1904, when church President Joseph F. Smith disavowed polygamy before the United States Congress and issued a "Second Manifesto" calling for all plural marriages in the church to cease. Eventually, the church adopted a policy of excommunicating its members found practicing polygamy and today seeks to actively distance itself from “fundamentalist” groups still practicing polygamy.[18]

Modern era

During the twentieth century, the church grew substantially and became an international organization. Distancing itself from polygamy, the church began engaging, first with mainstream American culture, and then with international cultures, particularly those of Latin America, by sending out thousands of missionaries across the globe. In the year 2000 the church reported 60,784 missionaries,[19] and global church membership stood at 11,068,861.[19] As of 2007, membership had reached 13,193,999.[20]

The church became a strong and public champion of monogamy and the nuclear family, and at times played a prominent role in political matters, including opposition to MX Peacekeeper missile bases in Utah and Nevada,[21] opposing the Equal Rights Amendment,[22] opposing legalized gambling,[23] support of bans on same-sex marriage,[24] and opposition to legalized physician-assisted death.[25] Apart from issues that it considers to be ones of morality, however, the church usually maintains a position of political neutrality.[26]

A number of official changes have taken place to the organization during the modern era. One significant change was the ordination of black men to the priesthood in 1978, which reversed a policy originally instituted by Brigham Young. There are also periodic changes in the structure and organization of the church, mainly to accommodate the organization's growth and increasing international presence. For example, since the early 1900s, the church has instituted a Priesthood Correlation Program to centralize church operations and bring them under a hierarchy of priesthood leaders. During the Great Depression, the church also began operating a church welfare system, and it has conducted numerous humanitarian efforts in cooperation with other religious organizations.

Teachings and practices

Sources of authority

See also: Standard Works and revelation (Latter Day Saints)
The written canon of the LDS Church is referred to as its Standard Works.

The theology of the LDS Church consists of a mixture of Biblical doctrines with reputed revelations and other commentary by LDS leaders, particularly Joseph Smith, Jr. The most authoritative sources of theology are the faith's canon of four religious texts, called the faith's Standard Works. These four texts include the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Among these books, the church holds in equal esteem as the other standard works the Book of Mormon, said by the church to be "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" that Joseph Smith translated from buried golden plates. The church characterizes the Book of Mormon as "the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of [their] religion".[27]

The Bible, also part of the church's canon, is believed to be "the word of God as far as it is translated correctly" .[28] Most often, the church uses the Authorized King James Version. Sometimes, however, parts of a version of the Bible by Joseph Smith, Jr. are considered authoritative. Some excerpts of Joseph Smith's Translations Bible have been included in the Pearl of Great Price, which also includes further reputed translations by Smith and church historical items. Other historical items and reputed revelations are found in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Other sources of doctrine include the LDS Endowment ceremony, as well as statements by LDS leaders. The church teaches that the first presidency (the prophet and his counselors) and the quorum of apostles are prophets, and that their advice usually originates from God through the Holy Spirit; members of the church acknowledge (sustain) them regularly as prophets, seers, and revelators—this is done publicly twice a year at the church's worldwide general conference broadcast.

Comparisons within Christianity

See also: Mormonism and Christianity
Latter-day Saints believe in the resurrection of Jesus, as depicted in this replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen's Christus statue located in the North Visitors' Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City

In addition to a belief in the New Testament, the Deity of Jesus Christ, and the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ, many LDS teachings are shared by at least some factions of Christianity. For example, LDS theology includes belief in the virgin birth of Christ, Millennialism (belief that a thousand year reign of earthly peace will follow the Second Coming of Christ), rejection of original sin, but a belief in baptism by immersion for the remission of one's own sins, prayer to the Father in the name of the Son, Apostolic succession (via a vision of apostles to Joseph Smith), continuationism, and Restorationism (the belief in a Great Apostasy followed by a Restoration of the Priesthood through Joseph Smith). The LDS Church teaches that it is a restoration of 1st century Christianity, and the only true and authorized Christian church.[29]

Nevertheless, the LDS Church differs from the many other churches within Christianity, and some Christians do not believe that the LDS Church is part of Christianity.[30] Officially, major Christian denominations view the LDS Church as standing apart from creedal Christianity,[31] a point that the LDS Church itself does not dispute.[32] From the perspective of Christians who hold to creeds, the most significant area of departure is the rejection by the LDS Church of certain ecumenical creeds such as the Nicene Creed, which defines the predominant view of the Christian God as a Trinity of three separate persons with "one substance". LDS church theology recognizes a "Godhead" composed of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost as three separate persons who share unity of purpose or will; however, they are viewed as three distinct beings making one Godhead. Other significant differences relate to the church's acceptance of additional scripture, doctrine, and practices beyond what is found in the latest Catholic or Protestant versions of the Bible.

Distinctive doctrines and practices

Main article: Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A couple following their marriage in the Manti Utah Temple

Several doctrines and practices of the LDS Church distinguish it from other churches within Christianity. For example, the Mormon cosmology, a Plan of Salvation that includes a Pre-mortal life, three heavens, and the doctrine of Exaltation are distinctive among Christian sects. In particular, the LDS Church teaches that every human spirit is a literal child of God, though its "intelligence" is co-eternal with God.[33] Moreover, the church teaches that humans may become gods and goddesses in the afterlife where they may have their own spirit children.[34] To obtain this state of godhood or goddesshood (called exaltation), the church teaches that one must have faith in Jesus, participate in a sequence of ceremonies (called ordinances),[35] and then remain faithful to the obligations they make as part of these ordinances. The ordinances deemed necessary for exaltation include baptism, confirmation, the Endowment, Celestial marriage and/or sealing, and in some cases, a second anointing.

Baptismal font in the Salt Lake Temple, circa 1912, where baptisms for the dead are performed by proxy. The font rests on the backs of twelve oxen representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel

The latter of these ceremonies are performed in temples. Those members who have taken part in an Endowment ceremony are given an undergarment, called the temple garment, which they wear as a source of protection and as a reminder of their obligations under the Endowment.[36] The LDS sealing ceremony reflects a singular LDS view with respect to families. According to LDS church theology, men and women may be sealed to each other so that their marital bond continues in the afterlife.[37] Children may also be sealed to their biological or adoptive parents to form permanent parent-child bonds.[38] The most significant LDS ordinances may be performed via proxy for and in behalf of those who have died. (See, e.g., baptism for the dead). The LDS Church teaches that all will have the opportunity to hear and accept or reject LDS theology and the benefit of its sacraments, in this life or the next.

The LDS faithful observe a health code called the Word of Wisdom in which they abstain from the consumption of alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, and tobacco. Their moral code includes a law of chastity that prohibits sexual relations outside of heterosexual marriage. LDS faithful donate a 10% tithe on all their income. They also give volunteer service in their local Church. Moreover, all single young men between 19–25 years old who have sufficient health, and many retired couples are encouraged to volunteer up to two years as a missionary to proselytize and/or provide humanitarian service. Unmarried women 21 years and older also may serve as missionaries for 18 months, but it is not considered their duty to do so as it is with the men who are ordained Elders.

The LDS teach that God speaks to the Church today through living prophets who reveal His will as He did anciently. They also teach that both LDS and non-LDS individuals may receive personal guidance from the Holy Spirit to help them in their life.

Comparison with other Latter Day Saint movement faiths

See also: Latter Day Saint movement and Mormon fundamentalism
All Latter Day Saint movement faiths recognize Joseph Smith, Jr. as a prophet. Here, he is shown in a depiction of the First Vision, where he said he saw God the Father and Jesus.

The LDS Church shares a common heritage with a number of other smaller faiths that are collectively called the Latter Day Saint movement. These faiths have in common with the LDS Church their belief in Joseph Smith, Jr. as a prophet and founder of their religion. They also accept the Book of Mormon, and at least some version of the Doctrine and Covenants. Some of these faiths, such as the Community of Christ, have always rejected Joseph Smith's doctrine of plural marriage, as well as many other of his distinctive doctrines. The Community of Christ also ordains women to the priesthood, focuses more on the Bible, and allows its members to accept mainstream Christian beliefs.

Other branches of the Latter Day Saint movement may be considered off-shoots of the LDS Church, mainly as a result of disagreements about plural marriage. In the LDS Church, the practice of plural marriage was abandoned around the turn of the 20th century, but it has continued among the fundamentalist groups, who believe the practice is a requirement for Exaltation (the highest degree of salvation), which will allow them to become gods and goddesses in the afterlife. The LDS Church, by contrast, believes that a single Celestial marriage is sufficient for Exaltation. Fundamentalists also believe in a number of other doctrines taught and practiced by Brigham Young in the 19th century, which the LDS Church has either abandoned, repudiated, or put in abeyance.

Stung by bad publicity in the 19th century over its former practice of plural marriage, the LDS Church has taken efforts to distance itself from polygamy and from Mormon fundamentalist groups. The church has long excommunicated any members caught practicing polygamy.

Church organization and structure

The church teaches that it is a continuation of the Church of Christ established in 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr. This original church underwent several name changes during the 1830s, being called the Church of Jesus Christ, the Church of God,[39] and then in 1834, the name was officially changed to the Church of the Latter Day Saints.[40] In April 1838, the name again was officially changed by reputed revelation to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.[41] There were several alternate spellings of this name in use during Smith's lifetime, however, including a hyphenated "Latter-Day". After Smith died, Brigham Young and the largest body of Smith's followers incorporated the LDS Church in 1851 by legislation of the State of Deseret,[42] under the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which included a hyphenated "Latter-day" and a lower-case "d".[43] In 1887, the LDS Church was legally dissolved in the United States by the Edmunds–Tucker Act because of the church's practice (now abandoned) of polygamy. Thereafter, the church has continued to operate as an "unincorporated religious association", under the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which remains its formal name. Accepted informal names include the LDS Church, the Latter-day Saints, and the Mormons. The term Mormon Church is in common use,[44] but the church began discouraging its use in the late 20th century, though takes no issue with the term Mormon itself. The Church requests that the official name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be used when possible, or if necessary shortened to "the Church" or "the Church of Jesus Christ".[45]

The church has organized several tax-exempt corporations to assist with the transfer of money and capital. These include the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized in 1916 under the laws of the state of Utah to acquire, hold, and dispose of real property. In 1923, the church incorporated the Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah to receive and manage money and church donations. In 1997, the church incorporated Intellectual Reserve, Inc. to hold all the church's copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property. The church also holds several non-tax-exempt corporations. See Finances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Geographic distribution and membership

See also: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership history
  Countries and territories with at least one LDS temple
  Countries and territories with no LDS temple, but with organized congregations and missionaries
  Countries and territories with no official LDS presence

Church congregations are generally organized geographically, unlike other mainstream Christian denominations. For Sunday services, the church is grouped into either larger (~200 to ~400 people) congregations known as wards, or smaller congregations known as branches. Although the building may sometimes be referred to as a chapel, the room used as a chapel for religious services is actually only one component of the standard meetinghouse.[46] The church maintains an online meetinghouse locator which can be used to find the locations and meeting times of its congregations all over the world.[47] Regional church organizations larger than single congregations include stakes, missions, districts, areas, and regions.

2007 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Survey Mormons (U.S.) U.S. Avg.
Married 71% 54%
Divorced or separated 9% 12%
3 or more children at home 21% 9%
Weekly (or more) Attendance at Religious Services 75% 39%

The church reports a worldwide membership of over 13 million[4][5] with approximately 6.7 million residing outside the United States. According to these statistics it is the fourth largest religious body in the United States.[48] The church membership report includes all baptized members and their children. Although the church does not release attendance figures to the public, researchers estimate that actual attendance at weekly LDS worship services globally is around 4 million.[49] Members living in the U.S. and Canada constitute 46% of membership, Latin America 38%, and members in the rest of the world 16%.[50] A Survey by the City College of New York in 2001 extrapolated that there were 2,787,000 self-identified LDS adults in the United States in 2001, 1.3% of the US population, making the LDS Church the 10th-largest religious body in their phone survey of over 50,000 households.[51]

Priesthood hierarchy

Main articles: Priesthood (Latter Day Saints) and Priesthood (LDS Church)
Thomas S. Monson, President of the LDS Church beginning in 2008.

The LDS Church is organized in a hierarchical structure dominated by men, with some women in roles leading other women and children. Mormons believe that Jesus leads the church through revelation, and has chosen a single man, called "the Prophet" or President of the Church, as Jesus' spokesman on the earth. The current president is Thomas S. Monson. He and two counselors (who usually are ordained apostles) form the First Presidency, the presiding body of the Church; twelve other apostles form the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles[52]. When a President dies, his successor is invariably the most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who then reconstitutes a new First Presidency.[53] These men, and the other male members of the church-wide leadership (including the first two Quorums of Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric) are called general authorities. They exercise both ecclesiastical and administrative leadership over the church, and direct the efforts of regional leaders down to the local level. General authorities and mission presidents work full-time and typically receive stipends from church funds or investments.[54]

At the local level, the church leadership are drawn from the laity and work on a part-time volunteer basis without stipend.[55] Like all members, they are asked to donate a tithe of 10% of their income to the church. An exception to that rule is for LDS missionaries who work at the local level and are paid basic living expenses from a fund that receives contributions from their home congregations; however, prospective missionaries are encouraged to contribute the cost of their missions to this fund themselves when possible. Members volunteer general custodial work for local church facilities.

Interior of the Conference Center where the church holds its semi-annual and annual General Conferences

Men in leadership roles are generally considered to be part of the priesthood, and are ordained to the priesthood as early as age 12. Ordination occurs by a ceremony involving the laying their hands on the head of the one ordained. Women who have participated in the Endowment ceremony are sometimes said to have been endowed with "priesthood power,"[56] but they are never ordained to a priesthood office, and are not considered to be part of the priesthood. They do not have leadership roles except over children and other women. The priesthood is divided into an Aaronic Priesthood for young men 12 and up, and a Melchizedek Priesthood for men 18 and up. Since 1978, membership in the priesthood has been open to all races.[57]

Church programs and auxiliary organizations

See also: Auxiliary organization

Under the leadership of the priesthood hierarchy are five auxiliary organizations that fill various roles in the church: Relief Society (a women's organization),[58] the Young Men Organization and Young Women Organization (for adolescents aged 12 to 17), Primary (an organization for children up to age 12), and Sunday School (which provides a variety of Sunday classes for adolescents and adults). The church also operates several programs and organizations in the fields of proselytizing, education, and church welfare. Many of these auxiliaries and programs are coordinated by the Priesthood Correlation Program, which is designed to provide a systematic approach to maintain worldwide consistency, orthodoxy, and control of the church's ordinances, doctrines, organizations, meetings, materials, and other programs and activities.

Two missionaries

The LDS Church operates a large missionary program. Some members of the church are encouraged to serve as missionaries, either full-time, part-time or as "service" missionaries in one of hundreds of missions throughout the world. All missionaries serve on a volunteer basis. Most of them receive a stipend that is paid from a fund that receives contributions from the missionaries themselves, their families, and their local congregations. Missionaries include young single men between 19 and 25 (who serve two year missions), single women over the age of 21 (who serve 18-month missions), and mature couples who are generally retired (who serve terms ranging from three to 36 months[59]). Young single men are strongly encouraged and expected to serve a mission; women and couples are encouraged, but not expected to serve missions. Missionaries generally have no input on what part of the world they serve their missions, and if necessary, the church will teach them a new language. Missionaries are held to high standards of personal "worthiness", which is determined by probing interviews by ecclesiastical leaders about how well the missionary has followed church standards such as the Word of Wisdom (not consuming alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea) and the Law of Chastity (abstaining from pre- or extra-marital sex).

The carillon tower at Brigham Young University, one of several educational institutions sponsored by the church.

The church operates a Church Educational System which includes Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University–Idaho (formerly Ricks College), Brigham Young University Hawaii, and LDS Business College. The church also operates Institutes of Religion and an LDS Student Association near the campuses of many colleges and universities. For high-school aged youth, the church operates a four-year Seminary program. The church also sponsors a low-interest educational loan program known as the Perpetual Education Fund, which provides educational opportunities to students from developing nations.

The church's welfare system, initiated during the Great Depression, provides aid to the poor. It is financed by fast offerings: monthly donations beyond the normal 10% tithe, which represents the cost of foregoing two meals on monthly Fast Sundays. Money from the program is used to operate Bishop's storehouses, which package and store food at low cost. Distribution of funds and food is administered by local bishops (congregational pastors). The church also distributes money through its LDS Philanthropies division to disaster victims and third-world countries.

Other church programs and departments include LDS Family Services, which provides assistance with adoption, marital and family counseling, psychotherapy, and addiction counseling; the LDS Church History Department, which collects church history and records; and the Family History Department which administers the church's large family history efforts. The church is also a major participant in Scouting programs for boys, and runs numerous local Boy Scout units.

Finances

Main article: Finances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The church has not released church-wide financial statements since 1959, but in 1997 Time Magazine called it one of the world's wealthiest churches per capita.[60] Its for-profit, non-profit, and educational subsidiary entities are audited by an independent accounting firm: as of 2007, Deloitte & Touche.[61][62] In addition, the church employs an independent audit department that provides its certification at each annual general conference that church contributions are collected and spent in accordance with church policy.[63]

The church receives almost all funds from tithes (ten percent of a member's income) and fast offerings (money given to the church to assist individuals in need). According to the church, tithing and fast offering moneys collected are devoted to ecclesiastical purposes and not used in for-profit ventures. About ten percent of its funding also comes from income on investments and real estate holdings.[citation needed]

The church uses its tithing funds to construct and maintain buildings and other facilities; to print the Scriptures for missionary work; to provide social welfare and relief; and to support missionary, educational, and other church-sponsored programs.[64]

The church has also invested in for-profit business and real estate ventures such as Bonneville International, Deseret Book Company, and cattle ranches in Utah, Florida, and Canada. However, these ranches are split between Church Welfare Work (Bishop's Storehouse and Welfare Square) for which funds are used from tithing and are not for profit.[clarification needed] For-profit ranching operations are partially self-sustained but never use tithed money.[citation needed]

Culture

Main article: Culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Due to the differences in lifestyle promoted by church doctrine and history, a distinct culture has grown up around members of the church. It is primarily concentrated in the Intermountain West, but as membership of the church spreads around the world, many of its more distinctive practices follow, such as following the Word of Wisdom, a revealed health law or code (D&C 89), similar to Leviticus chapter 11 in the Bible, prohibiting the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, coffee and tea, and other addictive substances.[65] As a result of the Word of Wisdom, the culture in areas of the world with a high concentration of LDS tends to be reflected.[66][67]

Meetings and outreach programs are held regularly and have become part of the Latter-day Saint culture.

Home and family

Four times a year, the adult women (members of the church's Relief Society) attend a Home, Family and Personal Enrichment Meeting. The meeting may consist of a service project, or of attending a social event, or of various classes being offered. Additional Enrichment activities are offered for women with similar needs and interests.

Social events and gatherings

A typical meetinghouse of the church

In addition to these regularly scheduled meetings, additional meetings are frequently held at the meetinghouse. Auxiliary officers may conduct leadership meetings or host training sessions and classes. The ward or branch community may schedule social activities at the meetinghouse, including dances, dinners, holiday parties and musical presentations. The church's Young Men's and Young Women's organizations (formerly known as the Mutual Improvement Organization, or simply "Mutual") meet at the meetinghouse once a week, where the youth participate in activities and work on Duty to God, scouting, or Personal Progress. Other popular activities are basketball, family history conferences, youth and singles conferences, dances and various personal improvement classes. Church members may also reserve the building for weddings and receptions, or funerals.

Media and arts

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has received a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Peabody Awards, and the National Medal of Arts.

The culture has created substantial business opportunities for independent LDS media. The largest of these communities are LDS cinema, LDS fiction, LDS websites, and LDS graphical art like photography and paintings. The church owns a chain of bookstores called Deseret Book, which provide a channel through which publications are sold. This culture also resides outside of heavily Mormon populations, and many LDS-related bookstores exist near temples. Some of the titles that have become popular outside of the LDS community are The Work and the Glory novels and the movie The Other Side of Heaven.[original research?] A number of works have been successful only within the LDS community. These works generally elaborate on LDS culture or are of historical interest or are historical fiction. BYU TV, the church-sponsored television station, also airs on several networks.

Controversy and criticism

Main article: Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement
Protesters in front of the Newport Beach California Temple voicing their opposition to the church's support of Prop 8

The church has been subject to both public praise and criticism by outsiders since its early years in New York and Pennsylvania. In the late 1820s, criticism centered around the claim by Joseph Smith, Jr. to have discovered a set of golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was reputedly translated. In the 1830s, the greatest criticism was for Smith's handling of a banking scandal in Kirtland, Ohio, and the LDS Church's political and military power in Missouri, culminating in the 1838 Mormon War. In the 1840s, criticism of the church centered on the church's theocratic aspirations in Nauvoo, Illinois and the then-secret practice of plural marriage, criticism which appeared in the Nauvoo Expositor and led to a series of events culminating in Smith's assassination in 1844.

As the church began openly practicing plural marriage under Brigham Young during the second half of the 19th century, the church became the target of nation-wide criticism for that practice, as well as for the church's theocratic aspirations in the Utah Territory , May 2009 {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help). After the Civil War, the church also came under nation-wide criticism for the Mountain Meadows massacre. On the other hand, the church was also occasionally the subject of journalistic praise during this era. After spending a summer with the LDS in the early 1870s, historian John Codman concluded that the LDS in Utah did a better job of ridding their communities of gambling, drunkenness, and prostitution than the rest of the country.

"In all my voyages and travels about the world, I never before passed three months in a community more industrious, upright, honest in dealing among themselves and with others, quiet, inoffensive, loyal to government, temperate, virtuous, and religious, than these Mormons."

-John Codman [68]

After the 1890 and 1904 manifestos and church president Joseph F. Smith's testimony before the U.S. Senate, the most severe national criticism of the church eased [original research?]. However, throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, academic critics have questioned the legitimacy of Smith as a prophet and the historicity of the Book of Mormon and other works such as the Book of Abraham [original research?]. In modern times, criticism focuses on claims of historical revisionism, homophobia, racism,[original research?][69] sexist policies, and inadequate financial disclosure. Notable 20th century critics include Jerald and Sandra Tanner and Fawn Brodie.

In recent years, the Internet has provided a new forum for critics,[70] and the church's recent support of California's Proposition 8 sparked heated debate and protesting by gay-rights organizations.[71][72] [73]

See also

Template:Christianityportal

References

  1. ^ a b c Statistical Report 2008
  2. ^ "LDS Newsroom - Education" (Press release). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  3. ^ Chronological List of Temples
  4. ^ a b "LDS Church says membership now 13 million worldwide", Salt Lake Tribune, June 25, 2007.
  5. ^ a b Press Release, LDS Church, "One Million Missionaries, Thirteen Million Members", June 25, 2007.
  6. ^ The church counts all members who were ever baptized, who have neither been excommunicated nor asked to have their names removed from church records. Independent surveys estimate that about 50% of people on LDS Church rolls do not identify with the religion. See John Dart, Counting Mormons: study says LDS numbers inflated, Christian Century, August 21, 2007.
  7. ^ Articles of Faith 1:8
  8. ^ According to reminiscences written in the 1830s, Smith early ministry was preceded by a personal quest for truth culminating in 1820 with his First Vision, in the woods near his home. Early accounts of this vision say that Jesus told him his sins were forgiven. Later versions say Smith was told that all Christian denominations had become corrupt, and further indicate that Smith saw multiple heavenly beings, including both Jesus Christ and God the Father. Though unknown to early Latter Day Saints, this story became a significant part of LDS history as told by Mormons.
  9. ^ "Scriptures". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2007-12-25.: "On September 22, 1827, an angel named Moroni—the last Book of Mormon prophet—delivered these records to the Prophet Joseph Smith." "Angel Moroni Statue Displayed in Massachusetts". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2001. Retrieved 2007-12-25..
  10. ^ The Church of Christ was organized in the log cabin of Joseph Smith, Sr. in the Manchester area, near Rochester, followed by a meeting the next Sunday in nearby Fayette at the house of Peter Whitmer, Sr. Nevertheless, one of Smith's histories and an 1887 reminiscence by David Whitmer say the church was organized at the Whitmer house in Fayette. (Whitmer, however, had already told a reporter in 1875 that the church was organized in Manchester. Whitmer (August 7, 1875), "The Golden Tables", Chicago Times {{citation}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |unused_data= (help); Text "first-John C." ignored (help).) See Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints). The LDS Church refers to Fayette as the place of organization in all its official publications.
  11. ^ From 1831 to 1838, church membership grew from 680 to 17,881. See The Desert Morning News 2008 Church Almanac pg.655.
  12. ^ Regarding Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young later stated: "Did Joseph Smith ordain any man to take his place. He did. Who was it? It was Hyrum, but Hyrum fell a martyr before Joseph did. If Hyrum had lived he would have acted for Joseph" (Times and Seasons, 5 [Oct. 15, 1844]: 683).
  13. ^ Encyclopedia of Latter-Day Saint History pg. 824.
  14. ^ "Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail: History & Culture", U.S. National Park Service. "The great Mormon migration of 1846–1847 was but one step in the LDS' quest for religious freedom and growth."
  15. ^ The most notable instance of violence during this war was the tragic Mountain Meadows Massacre, in which leaders of a local Mormon militia ordered the massacre of a civilian emigrant party who had the misfortune of traveling through Utah during the escalating military tensions.
  16. ^ Richard Collin, Edwin Brown; Mangrum (2002), Zion in the Courts: A Legal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, U. of Illinois Press, p. 140, ISBN 0252069803
  17. ^ Official Declaration — 1
  18. ^ In 1998 President Gordon B. Hinckley stated,

    “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.” Gordon B. Hinckley, "What Are People Asking About Us?" Ensign, November 1998, 70

  19. ^ a b “Statistical Report, 2000,” Ensign, May 2001, 22
  20. ^ Deseret Morning News 2008 Church Almanac pg. 655
  21. ^ “First Presidency Statement on Basing of MX Missile”, Ensign, June 1981, 76.
  22. ^ “The Church and the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment: A Moral Issue”, Ensign, March 1980, insert.
  23. ^ “Church’s Stand against Gambling”, Ensign, March 1992, 74.
  24. ^ "Same-Gender Attraction" (Press release). Newsroom.lds.org. 2005-05-26. Retrieved March 2007. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  25. ^ "Euthanasia and Prolonging Life" (Press release). Newsroom.lds.org. Retrieved March 2007. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  26. ^ "Political Neutrality" (Press release). Newsroom.lds.org. 2006-10-19. Retrieved March 2007. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); see also Newsroom.lds.org, "No Thumbs Up or Down To Legislature", Retrieved May 2007.
  27. ^ History of the Church, 4:461.
  28. ^ See Articles of Faith 1:8 ("We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.")
  29. ^ D&C 1:30 (LDS Church is the "only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth").
  30. ^ For example, a 2007 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 31% of Americans surveyed do not consider Mormons to be Christian. See http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19478/religion-poll-2.
  31. ^ See, for example, "Presbyterians and Latter-day Saints". Retrieved 2007-01-30. (Presbyterian Church USA, stating that "Mormonism is a new and emerging religious tradition distinct from the historic apostolic tradition of the Christian Church"); "Should Lutherans Rebaptize Former Mormons Who Are Joining the Congregation?". Retrieved 2006-08-15. (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, stating that LDS Church doctrine regarding the Trinity is "substantially different from that of orthodox, creedal Christianity."; "General Conference 2000 806-NonDis". Retrieved 2006-08-15. (United Methodist Church, stating that the LDS Church, "by self-definition, does not fit within the bounds of the historic, apostolic tradition of Christian faith".).
  32. ^ According to Joseph Smith, Jr., Jesus told him that the Christian creeds "were an abomination in his sight; that those professors [of religion] were all corrupt". Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith—History 1:19.
  33. ^ D&C 93:29 ("Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither can it be."). Nevertheless, Joseph Smith, Jr. taught that God "organized" human "intelligences" and thereby became the father of spirits. See Abraham 3:22
  34. ^ LDS Church (1997), Gospel Principles (PDF), Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church (listing among the "blessings given to exalted people" that "they will become gods,… and will be able to have spirit children…."); Carter, K. Codell (1992), "Godhood", in Ludlow, Daniel H. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Mcmillan, pp. 553–55, ISBN 0-02-904040-X (p. 553: "all resurrected and perfected mortals become gods"; p. 554: "Latter-day Saints believe that those who become gods will have the opportunity to…add[] further offspring to the eternal family").
  35. ^ Pope, Margaret McConkie (1992), "Exaltation", in Ludlow, Daniel H. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Mcmillan, p. 479, ISBN 0-02-904040-X ("All Church ordinances lead to exaltation, and the essential crowning ordinances are the Endowment and the eternal marriage covenant of the temple.").
  36. ^ LDS Church (2006), Church Handbook of Instructions: Book 1, Stake Presidencies and Bishoprics, Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, p. 80.
  37. ^ A man may be sealed to more than one wife if his previous wives are either dead or legally divorced from him; a living woman, however, may only be sealed to one husband. See LDS Church (2006), Church Handbook of Instructions, Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, p. 85. Thus, there is a common view within the LDS Church that though prohibited by the LDS Church in mortality, plural marriage will exist in the afterlife. See, e.g., Penrose, Charles W. (1897), Mormon Doctrine Plain and Simple, or Leaves from the Tree of Life, Salt Lake City, UT, p. 66{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) ("In the case of a man marrying a wife in the everlasting covenant who dies while he continues in the flesh and marries another by the same divine law, each wife will come forth in her order and enter with him into his glory."); Smith, Joseph Fielding (1954–56), McConkie, Bruce R. (ed.), Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith, vol. 2, Bookcraft, p. 2{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) (stating of his deceased wives: "my wives will be mine forever").
  38. ^ See Hyer, Paul V. (1992), "Sealing: Temple Sealings", in Ludlow, Daniel H. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Mcmillan, p. 12891290, ISBN 0-02-904040-X; Thomas, Ryan L. (1992), "Adoption of Children", in Ludlow, Daniel H. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Mcmillan, pp. 20–21, ISBN 0-02-904040-X. Children born to biological parents who have been sealed to each other are considered "born in the covenant" and need not be sealed to their parents. See Cottrell, Ralph L. (1992), "Born in the Covenant", in Ludlow, Daniel H. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Mcmillan, p. 218, ISBN 0-02-904040-X.
  39. ^ Roberts, B.H., ed. (1905), [[History of the Church|History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], vol. 3, Deseret News, pp. 23–24 {{citation}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help).
  40. ^ Smith, Joseph, Jr.; Williams, Frederick G.; Cowdery, Oliver (1834), "Minutes of a Conference of the Elders of the Church of Christ, May 3, 1834", The Evening and the Morning Star, 2 (20): 160{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link).
  41. ^ Smith, Joseph, Jr. (August 1838), Elders' Journal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1 (4): 52 http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/eldjur04.htm {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link). Manuscript History of the Church, book A-1, LDS Church Archives, 1838, p. 37, reproduced in Jessee, Dean C., ed. (1989), The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings, vol. 1, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, pp. 302–303. Marquardt, H. Michael; Walters, Wesley P. (1994), Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record, Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, p. 160.
  42. ^ The initial incorporation by the non-existent State of Deseret[1] was not legally valid, but was soon ratified by the Territory of Utah in 1851[2] and 1855. See Late Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Romney, 136 U.S. 44–45 (1890).
  43. ^ State of Deseret: An Ordinance, incorporating the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, February 4, 1851.
  44. ^ The Associated Press continues to recommend "Mormon Church" as a proper second reference in its Style Guide for journalists.[citation needed]
  45. ^ "Style Guide" (Press release). Newsroom.lds.org. 2009-03-24. Retrieved March 2009. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  46. ^ A church-maintained virtual tour of a typical meetinghouse
  47. ^ LDS Maps - Find Places of Worship
  48. ^ 2005 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, National Council of Churches. See article by Information Please Database, Pearson Education, Inc.
  49. ^ Fletcher, Peggy. "Keeping Members a Challenge for LDS Church". Salt Lake Tribune, June 22, 2006.
  50. ^ Statistical Information, Retrieved December 1, 2007
  51. ^ Egon Mayer, Ph.D.; Barry A. Kosmin, Ph.D.; Ariela Keysar, Ph.D. "American Religious Identification Survey". cuny.edu. Retrieved 2006-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ Haight, David B., "A Prophet Chosen of the Lord", Ensign, May 1986, 7
  53. ^ Haight, David B., "A Prophet Chosen of the Lord", Ensign, May 1986, 7
  54. ^ Ludlow, Daniel H., Latter-day Prophets Speak: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Church Presidents, 1948/1993, Ch. 32
  55. ^ For a time, the church had a paid local clergy; however, that practice was discontinued in the early 1900s. See D. Michael Quinn (1997), Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, ch. 6.
  56. ^ James E. Talmage (1912) The House of the Lord, Salt Lake City: LDS Church, p. 94 ("It is a precept of the Church that women of the Church share the authority of the priesthood with their husbands, actual or prospective; and therefore women, whether taking the endowment for themselves or for the dead, are not ordained to specific rank in the priesthood.").
  57. ^ From the end of the nineteenth century until 1978, The church did not allow black men of African descent to be ordained to the priesthood or allow black men or women of African descent to participate in temple ordinances such as the Endowment and sealing that the church teaches are necessary for the highest degree of salvation. This policy was reversed in 1978.
  58. ^ The Relief Society was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, and with the motto "Charity Never Faileth", the organization today includes more than 5 million women in more than 165 countries. "From Pioneer Group to Worldwide Society". newsroom.lds.org.. Every Latter-day Saint woman age 18 or older is a member of the Relief Society.
  59. ^ "Mormon Missionaries". Light Planet.
  60. ^ Biema, David Van. Kingdom Come. Time Magazine, Vol. 150 No. 5, August 4, 1997 (estimating the church's value at over $30 billion).
  61. ^ Belo Corp Form 8-K. Accessed May 16, 2007.
  62. ^ "Financial Planning". finserve.byu.edu. Accessed May 16, 2007.
  63. ^ Cantwell, Robert W. (2007). "Church Auditing Department Report, 2006". Ensign. 37 (5): 6. Retrieved 2008-02-22. The Church Auditing Department has been granted access to all records and systems necessary to evaluate the adequacy of controls over receipts of funds, expenditures, and safeguarding of church assets. The Church Auditing Department is independent of all other church departments and operations, and the staff consists of certified public accountants, certified internal auditors, certified information systems auditors, and other credentialed professionals. Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the church for the year 2006 have been recorded and administered in accordance with appropriate accounting practices, approved budgets, and church policies and procedures. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  64. ^ "Church Finances". newsroom.lds.org.
  65. ^ See Doctrine & Covenants, Section 89.
  66. ^ Salt Lake Tribune Editorial, Liquor stores: Banning phone listings, stores won't stop abuse.
  67. ^ http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/12/15/americas-10-fittest-citiesand-10-least-fit-too.html
  68. ^ Codman, John (1874). The Mormon Country. A Summer with the "Latter-Day Saints". New York: United States Pub. Co. p. 225.
  69. ^ "Skin Color in Mormon Scripture and Theology" http://irr.org/mit/pdfs/Skin-Color-&-LDS-Church.pdf
  70. ^ Mindy Sink (September 6, 2003). "Religion Journal; Spiritual Issues Lead Many to the Net". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  71. ^ "San Diego march for marriage equality draws 20,000 protesters". Gay & Lesbian Times. Retrieved 2009-01-21. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  72. ^ "California and Same-Sex Marriage". LDS Church. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  73. ^ Page, Jared (2008-06-20). "Sierra Club hails LDS Church for downtown Salt Lake makeover". Deseret News. Retrieved 2008-06-29. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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