A Mormon Perspective

Two of these denominations were the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the African Methodist Episcopal. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - commonly known as Mormons was founded by Joseph Smith; he was inspired to create a new church faction by the revivals he experienced in the western area of New York called the "Burned Over District-" implying it had been "scorched" by so many revivals. Although not regarded as a splinter off from an existing Protestant denomination but a restoration of primitive Christianity having distinctive post-biblical doctrines, the Mormon Church is now a flourishing, worldwide denomination. On the other hand, during the revivals, Baptists and Methodists converted large numbers of blacks. However, because of the mistreatment they received from their fellow believers, under the leadership of Richard Allen, the black population broke away from the Methodist church while creating their own denomination; the African Methodist Episcopal.10 Both churches mentioned above, having developed and sprouted out other denominations over the years, still stand even today.

Latter day saints are just your typical Mormons there group is scarce and not very many exist at least not big in numbers but they are slowly growing and are welcome to take in more members .they don’t ask for a lot when you join besides faith, repentance and baptism. When you marry you marry for life it is believed in this religion that trust in god is also trust in your marriage and should not be broken in any way if you marry you stay married and it is for life they also don’t want to see children get hurt in the case of a broken marriage . This religion also practices polygamy in some forms but members were not reported to have more than four or five wives and it was a choice you did not have to be a polygamist . Latter Day Saints believe the bible to be the word of god so long as it is translated correctly in proper context they also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God . They believe in Baptism for the dead but only for members who have died in close relative to another member and has also taken seriously both there faith and studies for the religion

A homegrown religion originating in the late 1820s, Mormonism arose as a rejection of the existing Christian sects and a return to what the Mormons considered to be pure Christianity. Similarly, the members believed their desire for a new kind of government stemmed from their disillusionment with what they believed was a corrupt government and a desire for the reestablishment of true American values and the original intent of the founding fathers. This sentiment is epitomized by Joseph Smith’s presidential platform, which states “No honest man can doubt for a moment, the glory of American liberty is on the wane; and that calamity and confusion will sooner or later destroy the

Mormonism, the largest church to originate on American soil is not without its own burdens to bear. As one of the younger religions, one that strayed from the foundations of the other already established religions in the United States, it is often viewed with negativity and mockery. Modern day social media, television, news articles and movies often exploit Mormon beliefs. They twist and exaggerated certain facets of the Mormon way of life. This framing of their belief system by the media leads the public opinion toward viewing this representation as a true depiction of the Mormons. Some of the more extreme behaviors exhibited by members that have separated from the main group are used against the entire faith by the media, so in turn this extremist view has become a Mormon stereotype.

Although many will claim reading the scriptures and saying prayers are the “primary answers” to any situation, I want to share with you how I have found studying the Book of Mormon is one of “The Primary Answers” to protection and lasting conversion in our lives. The fiery darts of the adversary have little or no effect upon us when we begin a serious study of the Book of Mormon; we are protected through the promises of the Lord who said “whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:24). We are also promised by a modern day prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, “There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path.” (Ezra Taft Benson, October 1986, Ensign) There is no other path to true conversion and staying on the path which leads us to the tree of eternal life and that of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Mormonism is a religion created by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830(The Mormon Trail), its believers are referred to as Mormons and practice the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) (The Mormon Trail). Smith believed himself to be a prophet destined to “restore the original pure church the Christians in the Book of Mormon had created (Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion).” However, he was killed by a mob in Illinois but was replaced by his successor, Brigham Young. Their beliefs include a particular set of deity, afterlife, and they practice polygamy, which is one of the reasons the Mormons sought religious freedom.

An unfair systemic rule allowed for no freedoms and caused masses of people to pack up their belonging and settle a new land. This new land was vast and mostly uninhabited but oppression still continued from a ruler across an ocean. The settlers shouted, “no taxation without representation” and eventually fought for their independence. This led to the creation of a nation founded on liberty and freedom. Not more than 55 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was formed and for many reasons such as their rapid growth as well as their practice of polygamy faced persecution as well as political and religious oppressions. This caused masses of Mormons to pack up and leave in 1846 to a new and vast land that was mostly uninhabited. In this land the Latter Day Saints grew and prospered and were free to practice--within the confines of the law--their religion as well as receive representation from

The Mormons understood that they needed to take a proactive approach in discovering new members, especially in the beginning of their movement. Mormons also had traveling missionaries to spread their message and recruit new members and followers. A final reason that the Mormon religion was able to flourish for years after its inception was its willingness to change their views on polygamy after being pressured by the American public (Scott). The Mormon Church eventually decided they would no longer endorse polygamy. Today, Mormonism is a growing world religion, while there are no Oneida Perfectionists left today and only a handful of practicing Shaker women remain in parts of New England. There are over twelve million practicing Mormons worldwide,

It is also the largest Mormon denomination today with over 15 million members (Mormon Newsroom). The LDS Church was founded in 1830 in New York under the leadership of Joseph Smith. This group of Mormons believes in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Godhead in addition to the 13 Articles of Faith, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The 13 Articles of Faith are thirteen statements that were written by Joseph Smith to summarize the main beliefs of The LDS Church. They also believe that men will be punished for their sins. LDS “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” (Mormons and Religion). “The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of divine revelations and inspired declarations given for the establishment and regulation of the kingdom of God on the earth in the last days” (Smith, The Doctrine and Covenants). Compared to The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Temple Lot Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only denomination that believes in the Pearl of Great Price. “The Pearl of Great Price is a selection of choice materials touching many significant aspects of the faith and doctrine of The Church of Jesus

Mormonism fits the definition of a religion because they cover all the “bases” in terms of what it needs to have to be considered a religion. The black and white definition for religion is “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power” If you apply Mormonism to that it already fits the definition because they don’t just believe in one superhuman being or in this case a God, they believe in multiple ones. But it goes way beyond just a simple definition, Mormonism also helps people deal with their mortality by offering the promise of an afterlife, it also allows opportunities for healing and companionship along with it also explaining where we came

Who are the Mormons? The Mormons are a religious group, who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint. The Mormons were founded on April 6, 1830 by Joseph Smith, in Fayette, New York.

Mormons and Christians can agree on that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that Christ is the way to salvation. As written in Claiming Christ by Robert L. Millet and Gerald R. McDermott, “they agree that Jesus was Gully God and that his life and death are critical to human salvation. Both groups claim that human beings must trust in Jesus and make him our Lord. Both say that we are to have a personal relationship with Jesus” (16).

Through their teachings from the bible they believe and are taught that homosexual passions and acts are shameful and unnatural, that deny entrance to the Kingdom of God. With this being the basis of their believe, same-sex marriage cannot be the foundation of a Christian marriage approved by God’s Church. They believe the Church main purpose is the saving of people, not to bless the means of their damnation. “No marriage can be sanctioned by the Church if the very basis of the marriage involves acts that put the couple outside of eternal salvation. No matter what our society may legislate, the law of God is clear—that a marriage is not a godly marriage if it is a same sex union.” (What does the Bible say about same sex marriage?) But Jehovah Witnesses believe that Jesus loves EVERYONE including homosexuals, lesbians, transvestites, and transgender. Jesus is the Great Healer and offers freedom from the bondage of sin and unnatural sexual feelings only when you seek Him for His cleansing forgiveness. The Mormon Church has made public attempts to combat same-sex marriage. They created a policy were Children living in a same-sex household may not be blessed as babies or baptized until turn 18. The new policy states that the child once 18, the child may denounce the practices of same-sex marriage and cohabitation and request to join the church. The church has opposed same-sex marriages for ages and respects the law and acknowledges the right of others to think and act differently. But it does not accept same-sex marriage within its members. Their views on same-sex marriage are on par with their views on polygamy. Over 1000 members of the Mormon Church have protested over the passing of this new

Mormonism is a name meaning the spiritual principles of followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well known as Mormons. Mormonism defines the guidelines of the Church that were reestablished to the world by the Prophet Joseph Smith. If you would ask the question “what is Mormonism” to a member, there’s a high change they would respond by acknowledging their love of Jesus Christ, he is the dominant part of the religion. Where can you find a continuing participant of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, well they're instituted at every level of civilization. For instance, in a charity, business, education, science, political parties, government, news media, and lastly the entertainment productions. The originator of The Church, Joseph Smith, wrote, “the essential philosophies of our religion are regarding Jesus christ, he died and was buried, rose again and on the third day ascended into the heavens; all supplementary things which relate to our religion is only accessories to it.”The main beliefs and practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are that Jesus Christ is the redeemer of the earth and the Son of our