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Mormonism

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Mormonism Joseph Smith, Jr. in the early 19th century stated the Mormon or Latter-Day Saint movement. It began with the context of Christian Restorationism. The history of the Mormons has been surrounded by controversy and persecution. According to Mormon history When Smith was 14 he wondered which of the Christian sects is the true Christian faith. According to Smith God and Jesus appeared to him in a vision. They told him that none of them where and that they had fallen away from the true faith and advised him not to join any of them. They promised to restore the true faith. Joseph Smith became the first prophet of the Mormons (ReligionFacts, 2010). The Mormon faith differs somewhat to Christianity. They are very much a family oriented religion and children seem to follow their parents into this faith without question. Today there is still controversy surrounding some of the past beliefs of the Mormons and some rogue groups that still follow the old beliefs. The interview for this paper was conducted at The Church of Latter Day Saints in Buckhannon, WV. The inside of the church does not differ much to other new churches built in today’s society. It consists of the Chapel and classrooms. Interviewing one of the members of the church gave me in-site into some of their beliefs. A Mormon church service is three hours long it is divided up into three parts the main worship service, Sunday school and they then breakup into two classes priesthood for men and relief society for women. When asked about the roles of women in the Church it was told that they are the mothers and the leaders of the family. They tend to the needs of not only their families but the church families also. Celestial marriage was explained that it is an eternal marriage. A marriage that is performed in the temple and that will last for all eternity. If your spouse dies and you are of a celestial marriage you cannot remarry as your spouse is waiting for you to continue your marriage after death. It was explained that polygamy no longer exists in the Mormon society only for the few rogue members that are no longer part of the communities. Missions are available to both young men and women. They are assigned these missions should they choose to go and spend time doing volunteer work in the communities they visit. The description of their prophets and how they are chosen is that a prophet is a seer and they are called by God. The interview ended with the comment that belief in God, Jesus and faith in my religion has made the person that I am today. Mormonism is many a family focused religion. They hold the family close but so do many other religions such as Christianity. Mormons follow the Book of Mormon and the Bible while Christianity follows the Bible only. The Church of Latter Day Saints recognizes Joseph Smith as a prophet. Christianity does not recognize this prophecy. Concerning the nature of God Mormons see God as the Supreme Being of the Universe. They believe that that God acquired this position over time by living a righteous life. Christianity teaches that God is the same today that he has always been and that is eternally and infinitely supreme, a spirit being (All about cults, n.d.). Mormons teach that humans exist as spirit beings before their birth. A human’s physical body at birth is the body that was given to that spirit. This physical world represents a period of probation. How a person lives his/her life of Earth determines the status of that person in the after-live. If the person lives by a satisfactory standard then that person has the potential to become a god. That person is given a world of his own and can produce ‘spirit children” with which to populate it. These spirit children will then populate the earth through a physical birth. Christianity teaches that humans do not exist as spirits prior to being born and that they cannot become gods or populate other worlds. Upon a humans death their spirit goes to live with the heavenly father (All about cults, n.d.). Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan were spirit brothers and sons of God. God put forth his plan for the salvation of the world and Satan proposed his own plan. Jesus accepted God’s plan and offered to implement it as the Savior. God chose Jesus to be born to the Virgin Mary, he was then crucified and rose from the dead three days later to establish his deity. Mormons also believe that the character and life of Jesus is attainable by anyone who performs at such a righteous level. Christianity teaches that Jesus existed eternally as the Son of God, the second “person” of the Trinity. Jesus took on human form and was born into the world through the virgin Mary. He was crucified to pay for our sins and rose from the dead three days later to establish deity (All about cults, n.d.). To achieve salvation Mormons believe Jesus Christ overcame physical death and guaranteed physical resurrection to all mankind. Spiritual death can only be avoided through obedience of God’s commandments. To be forgiven of one’s sins they must have faith, repent and by baptized by an approved Mormon priest. If someone dies without being baptized Mormons believe that a living person can be baptized in proxy for that person. Christianity teach that baptism and good deeds are acts of obedience to God but not the only means for gaining eternal salvation. One must establish a relationship with God by faith, prayer and following the commandments (All about cults, n.d.). Mormons maintain that although there is a temporary punishment for those most wicked Jesus will establish a new kingdom that will consist of three levels: the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom and the telestial kingdom (All about cults, n.d.). They believe that after death the spirit leaves the body and moves on to the spirit world to wait for resurrection. During this time those who did not embrace the word of God are segregated from those who did. The three kingdoms are where all men and women, except for a few who will go to the Outer Darkness, will go to be judged by God and their spirits are reunited with their immortal bodies. Those that followed the Gospel move on to the celestial kingdom which is ruled by God. Those that were not devout but did not reject the word of God are sent to the terrestrial kingdom and those who rejected the Gospel or committed grievous sins are sent to telestial kingdom away from god’s light (The Mormons, 2007). Christianity holds with that there are only two possible fates after death, heaven or hell. These locations are physically and spiritually final (All about cults, n.d.). Mormon Temples are important to Mormons. It is a place where they learn more about Heavenly Father’s plan and where families are linked together for eternity. Mormon Temples will generally hold an open house to everyone. Once the temple is dedicated the general public are not allowed to enter and only members upon a recommendation by a bishop. An interview is conducted by a bishop for recommendation of entrance (Mormon Temples, 2008). Members of the church perform several ordinances and some of these take place in the temple. Some of these are baptism, confirmation, ordination to higher offices including ordination to Elder on behalf of the dead, marriage and other eternal sealing’s, prayer circle, and temple dedication. These things still require a personal recommendation from a members bishop. Recommendations can range from temporary which only allows attendance of the baptism of the dead to a permanent who is worthy. To be found worthy one must have paid a tithe in support of the church, followed the word of wisdom, followed the commandments and remain morally clean (ReligionFacts, 2010). Mormons have their temples and chapels for worshiping. Every religion has a place of worship, Christians worship in a church, at home, etc. as they feel that god is everywhere and he does not require one specific place to worship him. Some others are the Jewish faith worship in synagogues, Buddhism use temples, and Islamic have mosque. Religious clothing is not specific to the Mormon religion. Jewish men at special times or all times by devout orthodox Jews wear the yarmulke. A minister or priest will wear a special collar in some religions and nuns will wear special clothing that signifies the religious order they are affiliated with. To Mormons garments are a special piece of clothing worn as a symbolic gesture and it is worn at all times day and night. The garment is always worn under other clothing next to the skin. This garment is directly related to Mormon temples. When a member first receives this garment they are given instruction on what it stands for and how it should be cared for. Mormons believe that God clothed Adam and Eve before they left the Garden of Eden as part of the religious instruction that God provided them and this is the context that they receive their garment (Mormon Underwear, 2009). In the economy today it is hard to find that extra monies to give to religion. Mormon members faithfully give one-tenth of their income to the Church. These funds are used to build up the Church and further the work of the Lord worldwide. To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this is a privilege. This shows their gratitude to God for their blessings and their trust in the Lord instead of material things. The tithing donations are given to local leaders and then the funds are transmitted directly to the headquarters of the Church where a council decides the ways to use the funds. These funds are normally used to maintain temples and meeting houses, for missionary work, and education of church members (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2010). Many Christians struggle with the issue of tithing. Some churches over emphasize tithing. Tithing or the passing of the collection plate is intended to be joyful and a blessing which today is usually not the case. Tithing comes from the Old Testament and some Christian churches have taken the 10 percent figure from the there and applied it as a recommended minimum. The New Testament talks about the importance and benefits of giving. Most Christians give as they are able sometimes this means the 10 percent, more than the 10 percent and sometimes this means less, it all depends on the person’s ability to give. 2 Corinthians 9:7 reads “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (Gotquestions?org, 2010). Christians follow the teachings of the Bible while Mormons follow the Book of Mormon and the Bible. The Book of Mormon is not a replacement for the Bible. They both contain the gospel of Jesus Christ as it was revealed to different civilizations. The Book of Mormon is Holy Scripture with form and content similar to the Bible. It contains the history and God’s revelations to the people who lived in the Americas between approximately 600 BC and 400 AD. The prophets in the Book of Mormon recorded God’s dealings with His people and these recordings were compiled by a man named Mormon onto gold plates. The Book of Mormon refers to the Bible and tells the members to read the Bible (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2010). The core of a Mormon’s testimony is faith in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and Joseph’s Smith’s restoration of the true church on earth, this is the foundation of the Mormon Church. Mormon’s believe in and follow the Ten Commandments and the Articles of Faith, which outline more basic Mormon beliefs. Mormon’s believe in modern day prophets and are open to revelation from the Lord to change or expand the Church. Mormons follow the Word of Wisdom, a commandment that forbids drinking alcohol, coffee, tea, or using tobacco or illegal drugs. They believe in the law of tithing and dressing modestly. They refrain from recreating or shopping on Sundays. Living these commandments brings joy and stability, freedom, and safety to followers of Christ (Mormon Beliefs, 2010). All religions have their places of worship, the rules for tithing, their rules that must be followed in addition to God’s commandments and their books of study. Mormons take the teachings of the bible and add their Book of Mormon to it. They are true believers in the family organization to the point that it is eternal. The family unit will live together in life as well as death. The Mormon religion is a family unit itself. They are Elders, Sisters, Prophets and take care of one another. The Mormon religion gives their members a peace of mind that even after death they will be a family unit which helps them to deal with their physical life with their families. Comparing Christianity and Mormonism show they live by the same basic principles Mormons just add more to their beliefs for their members to live by.

References
All about cults. (n.d.). What do Mormons believe? Retrieved from http://www.allaboutcults.org/what-do-mormons-believe.htm Gotquestions?org. (2010). What does the Bible say about Christian tithing?. Retrieved from http://www.gotquestions.org/tithing-Christian.html
Mormon Beliefs. (2010). Mormon Beliefs. Retrieved from http://www.mormonbeliefs.org/mormon_beliefs
Mormon Temples. (2008). Mormon Temple open house. Retrieved from http://www.mormontemples.com/115/mormon_temple_open_house
Mormon Underwear. (2009). Mormon Underwear. Retrieved from http://www.mormon-underwear.com/
ReligionFacts. (2010). History of Momonism. Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/mormonism/history.htm ReligionFacts. (2010). Mormon Temple Ordinances. Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/mormonism/practices/temple_ordinances.htm The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (2010). Gospel topics. Retrieved from http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=e141f73c28d98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (2010). The Book of Mormon. Retrieved from http://www.mormon.org/book-of-mormon/
The Mormons. (2007). The Mormon faith. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/mormons/faqs/

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