Mormonism is a term used to describe the religious, ideological, and cultural elements of certain branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, and specifically, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos An ideology is a set of beliefs aims and Ideas especially in politics For the term in biology see Subculture (biology. For the song by New Order see Sub-culture (song. Please see the talk page for this article and the "See also" list before adding content or adding a hyphen to Latter Day Saint The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known

The term derives from the word Mormon, which was originally used as a pejorative term^[1] to describe those who believed in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text that adherents believe to be "another testament of Jesus Christ" and testifies of the Bible as part of the religion's canon. TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon The Book of Mormon is a Sacred text of the churches in the Latter Day Saint movement. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious Today, Mormonism is properly used in reference to the Utah-based LDS Church; however, several smaller denominations, and sects of Mormon fundamentalism also embrace the term despite opposition by the LDS Church. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and Most other Latter Day Saint movement denominations reject use of the term in reference to their faith, and such usage is now rare even though the term was used in the past.

Mormonism and Christianity

Main article: Mormonism and Christianity

Mormonism is a restorationist Christian religion. According to the Latter-day Saints (Mormons Mormonism is the restoration and perfection of Christianity. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " The virgin birth of Jesus is a religious Tenet of Christianity and Islam which holds that Mary miraculously conceived Jesus while The crucifixion of Jesus is an event recorded in all four Gospels (;;) which takes place after his arrest and trial and includes his scourging Within the body of Christian beliefs the resurrection of Jesus is a core event on which much of Christian doctrine and theology depend Church (disambiguation Christian Church and the word church are used to denote both a Christian association of people and a Place of worship The term New Covenant (; Greek:, diathēkē kainē is used in the Bible (both in the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament) to refer The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament The purpose of this timeline is to give a detailed account of Christianity from the beginning of the current era ( AD) to the present Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. Books of the Bible are listed differently in the canons of Jews and Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox Slavonic Orthodox Georgian Armenian Apostolic A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious The biblical apocrypha (from the Greek word ἀπόκρυφος meaning hidden) are books published in an edition of the Bible whose canonicity Christian Theology is discourse concerning Christian faith Christian theologians use biblical Exegesis, rational analysis and argument SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных In many religions the supreme Deity ( God) is given the title and attributions of Father. Christian views of Jesus consist of the teachings and beliefs held by Christian groups about Jesus including his divinity humanity and earthly life In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance This is an overview of the History of Christian Theology from the time of Christ to the present Christian Theology is discourse concerning Christian faith Christian theologians use biblical Exegesis, rational analysis and argument Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections Christian tradition is a collection of Traditions of practice or belief associated with Christianity. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c This is a general introduction to ecumenical councils For the Roman Catholic councils, see Catholic Ecumenical Councils. A creed is a statement of Belief — usually Religious belief — or Faith often recited as part of a religious service See also Evangelism, Christianization A Christian mission has been widely defined since the Lausanne Congress of 1974 as that which The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Denominationalism|List of Christian denominations|Church (disambiguation A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name structure and doctrine within A sermon is an oration by a Prophet or member of the Clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, or religious topic Prayer is an important theme in Christianity, and there are several different forms of prayer Ecumenism (also oecumenism, œcumenism) refers to initiatives aimed at greater Religious unity or cooperation Christianity and other religions appear to share some elements Christian movements are theological, political or philosophical interpretations of Christianity that are not generally represented by a specific church Christian music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life A Liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used (whether recommended or prescribed by a Christian congregation or The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when Christian symbolism is defined as the investing of outward things or actions with an inner meaning the expression of Christian ideas Christian art is Art produced in an attempt to illustrate supplement and portray in tangible form the principles of Christianity. Throughout the History of Christianity, a wide range of Christians and non-Christians alike have offered criticisms of Christianity, the Church, and Christians For other usages see Restoration (general disambiguation Apokatastasis (universal restoration Christian Zionism (restoration of Israel and However, other traditional Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion and most branches of Protestantism have had an uneasy relationship with it. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

Mormonism teaches that the Gospel of Christ has existed since the days of Adam and Eve, and that throughout history a series of departures from this gospel in its pure form (see apostasy) have occurred, always followed by a restoration; meaning that the doctrine taught by the LDS Church is believed to have been on the Earth throughout history, but at different eras was lost and later restored. Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living LDS teach that one such apostasy occurred after the death of Saint Peter and the other original twelve apostles, and that the calling of Joseph Smith, Jr. marked a new restoration continued to this day. The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e ^[2]

The publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830, in Palmyra, New York, aroused great animosity among Protestants. The Book of Mormon is a Sacred text of the churches in the Latter Day Saint movement. Palmyra New York may refer to Palmyra (town New York Palmyra (village New York Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon is holy scripture and, as another testament of Jesus Christ, a companion to the Bible. Some of the Mormon practices and political clout in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois also contributed to early animosity. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union.

The church has joined with other Christian denominations in political operations, such as conducting service and humanitarian operations worldwide and opposing same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same Many conflicts between Mormonism and other Christian denominations have remained and several denominations have declared Mormonism not to share their apostolic Christian tradition, and have declared Mormon baptisms to be invalid. ^[3]

Today, the major differences between Mormonism and other Christian churches include the LDS church's views on the Trinity, its temple worship, and its open canon. In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Godhead are the objects of worship and devotion within the faith In the A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious One recent Pew Research poll shows 52 percent of Americans say Mormonism is a Christian denomination. The Pew Research Center is a Think tank based in Washington D However, among non-Mormon Christians, more than six in ten said Mormonism and their own religion are very different and 57 respondents out of 1,461, 3. 9%, associated Mormonism with the word "cult. "^[4][5]

Mormonism and Judaism

See also: Mormonism and Judaism

Because of the incorporation of many Old Testament ideas into its theology, Mormonism has a historical affinity for Judaism. Latter-day Saints believe themselves to be either direct descendants of the House of Israel, or adopted into it In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The beliefs of Mormons sometimes parallel those of Judaism and certain elements of Jewish culture. This is primarily from what are historical and doctrinal connections with Judaism.

Joseph Smith Jr. named the largest Mormon settlement he founded Nauvoo, which means "to be beautiful" in Hebrew. There is also a Nauvoo Alabama, and a Nauvoo Pennsylvania Nauvoo ( is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois There is also a Nauvoo Alabama, and a Nauvoo Pennsylvania Nauvoo ( is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois Brigham Young named a tributary of the Great Salt Lake the "Jordan River. Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the US state of Utah, is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere the fourth-largest terminal The Jordan River is a long River in the US state of Utah. It flows from Utah Lake to Great Salt Lake and is and one of three major " The LDS Church created a writing scheme called the Deseret Alphabet, which was based, in part, on Hebrew. The Deseret alphabet (𐐼𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐰𐑊𐑁𐐩𐐺𐐯𐐻 or 𐐼𐐯𐑆𐐲𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐰𐑊𐑁𐐲𐐺𐐯𐐻 is a phonetic Alphabet Currently, the LDS Church has a Jerusalem Center in Israel, at which some college-aged youth study and learn to appreciate and respect the region. The Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies (BYU Jerusalem Center situated on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, Israel, is a satellite For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. ^[6]

The LDS church also teaches that its adherents are members of the House of Israel. Patriarchal blessings are received by most individuals in their youth. Among other things, this blessing's purpose is to declare one's lineage; in other words, to which tribe the individual belongs.

Conversely, there has been some controversy involving Jewish groups who see the actions of some elements of Mormonism as offensive. In the 1990s, Jewish groups vocally opposed the LDS practice of baptism for the dead on behalf of Jewish victims of the Holocaust and Jews in general. Baptism for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is the religious practice of baptizing a living person on behalf of an individual who is dead The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as According to LDS Church general authority Monte J. List of general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church a general authority is a member Brough, "Mormons who baptized 380,000 Holocaust victims posthumously were motivated by love and compassion and did not understand their gesture might offend Jews . . . they did not realize that what they intended as a 'Christian act of service' was 'misguided and insensitive. '"^[7].

Mormonism and polygamy

Main articles: Plural marriage and Mormon fundamentalism

Mormonism has been closely associated in public discourse with polygamy. Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and The term polygamy (a Greek word meaning "the practice of multiple marriage" is used in related ways in Social anthropology, Sociobiology, and In the 1830s, Joseph Smith, Jr. instituted a form of polygamy referred to as plural marriage, which Brigham Young acknowledged and promoted after the LDS church's move to the Utah Territory. Brigham Young (June 1 1801 &ndash August 29 1877 was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. According to his own statements, Joseph Smith, Jr. was more than a little uneasy at facing the institution of plural marriage, and said that he did so only after being warned through subsequent divine revelation that he should begin the practice or "be destroyed" ^[8]; however, not all members practiced polygamy.

Upon learning about the practice, mainstream churches and political forces in the United States mounted a vigorous campaign to stamp it out. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Congress passed laws criminalizing the practice and dissolved polygamous families, disincorporated the LDS Church, and began seizing church property. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses A few months after a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of the Federal government's actions to disincorporate the LDS church and force the forfeiture of its property, the church issued its 1890 Manifesto renouncing the practice of polygamy. The Late Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v See also Latter Day Saint polygamy in the late 19th century The "1890 Manifesto", sometimes simply called "The Manifesto", is a statement Today, the LDS Church asserts the time for polygamy has ended, rejects the practice, and excommunicates members who engage in it. In 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. "

The 1890 renunciation of polygamy by the LDS Church also led to a number of schisms involving relatively small groups who today describe themselves as Mormon fundamentalists and who still practice polygamy as well as other elements of 19th-century Mormonism that have been rejected or denounced by the LDS Church. Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and These organizations believe that their doctrines and practices remain true to the original teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. and Brigham Young. Brigham Young (June 1 1801 &ndash August 29 1877 was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement.

Basic beliefs

In Mormonism, the Articles of Faith are an informal creed composed by Joseph Smith, Jr. as part of an 1842 letter sent to John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat. Within the Latter Day Saint movement, the Articles of Faith are a Creed composed by Joseph Smith Jr A creed is a statement of Belief — usually Religious belief — or Faith often recited as part of a religious service Year 1842 ( MDCCCXLII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The Wentworth letter was a letter written in 1842 by Latter Day Saint founder Joseph Smith Jr "Long" John Wentworth (March 5 1815 &ndash October 16 1888 was the editor of the Chicago Democrat, a two-term Mayor of Chicago The Chicago Democrat was the first Newspaper in Chicago Illinois. It is a concise listing of thirteen fundamental doctrines of Mormonism. Most Latter Day Saint denominations view the articles as an authoritative statement of basic theology. A Latter Some denominations, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have adopted the articles as scripture (see Pearl of Great Price). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known The Pearl of Great Price is part of the standard works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church see also Mormonism) and some

See also

• Blacks and the Latter Day Saint movement
• Criticism of Mormonism
• God Loveth His Children (Homosexuality and Mormonism)
• List of articles about Mormonism
• Polygamy within Mormonism

Notes

External links

• pbs.org/mormons/—PBS special on Mormons
• Mormon.org—Church beliefs
• Lds.org—Church Website
• Jesus Christ, Son of God (LDS web site)
• Mormon Studies - what Mormons Really believe
• exmormon.org - Recovery from Mormonism