The Church Of Later Day Saints

Brigham Young’s Later Years

The church had attempted unsuccessfully to institute the United Order numerous times, most recently during the Mormon Reformation. In 1874, Young once again attempted to establish a permanent Order, which he now called the “United Order of Enoch” in at least 200 Mormon communities, beginning in St. George, Utah on February 9, 1874.In Young’s Order, producers would generally deed their property to the Order, and all members of the order would share the cooperative’s net income, often divided into shares according to how much property was originally contributed. Sometimes, the members of the Order would receive wages for their work on the communal property. Like the United Order established by Joseph Smith, Young’s Order was short-lived. By the time of Brigham Young’s death in 1877, most of these United Orders had failed. By the end of the 19th century, the Orders were essentially extinct.

Brigham Young died in August 1877. After the death of Brigham Young, the First Presidency was not reorganized until 1880, when Young was succeeded by President John Taylor, who in the interim had served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Name Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter

The name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is derived from an 1838 revelation church founder Joseph Smith said he received. Church leaders have long emphasized the church’s full name , and have resisted the application of informal or shortened names, especially those which omit “Jesus Christ”. These informal and shortened names include the “Mormon Church”, the “LDS Church”, and the “Church of the Latter-day Saints”.

Abortion And Birth Control

The LDS Church opposes elective abortion “for personal or social convenience” but states that abortion could be an acceptable option in cases of rape, incest, danger to the health or life of the mother, or where the fetus has been diagnosed with “severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.” The current church stance on birth control is that decisions about its use and “the consequences of those decisions rest solely with each married couple” and that they should consider “the physical and mental health of the mother and father and their capacity to provide the basic necessities of life for their children” when planning a family. Historically, the church discouraged surgical sterilization, like vasectomies and tubal ligation, and encouraged members to only use these options for serious medical conditions after discussing it with a bishop. In the past the use of birth control methods including artificial contraception was explicitly condemned by LDS Church leaders.

Read Also: What Is Sacrifice In The Bible

Restorationism And Prophetic Leadership

The LDS Church teaches that, subsequent to the death of Jesus and his original apostles, his church, along with the authority to act in Jesus Christ’s name and the church’s attendant spiritual gifts, were lost, due to a combination of external persecutions and internal heresies. The restorationas represented by the church began by Joseph Smithrefers to a return of the authentic priesthood power, spiritual gifts, ordinances, living prophets and revelation of the primitive Church of Christ. This restoration is associated with a number of events which are understood to have been necessary to re-establish the early Christian church found in the New Testament, and to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus. In particular, Latter-day Saints believe that angels appeared to Joseph Smith and a limited number of his associates, and bestowed various priesthood authorities on them.

Resignations From The Lds Church

One of the main parties to this phenomenon, the online legal service QuitMormon, has processed over 30,000 resignations for former members of the church. The site, run by Mark Naugle and Ryan Sorensen, enables members of the church to retain legal counsel that represents them in the proceedings required to remove ones name from official church records.

Many reach out to QuitMormon out of desperation, Sorensen says. Some who tried to leave by way of quiet inactivity find its hard to get the church to leave them alone, Sorensen says. Between missionaries stopping by and members of the bishopric, youre basically a project. If youre inactive, there is a list and people are told you need to be activated.

But for others, resigning is an act of symbolic protest because they know their names are being reported, and dont want to be counted and dont want to be part of this, Sorensen says.

Recommended Reading: Who Is The Father Of Melchizedek In The Bible

A Site Created By Mormon Church Members

On MormonChurch.com, you will find articles written by average members of the Mormon Church, which is a common nickname for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our purpose is to share our beliefs with others and to establish a site where honest inquiries can be answered. This is not an official Church site. The official Church websites are lds.org and mormon.org

Jesus Christ is the center of Mormon faith and worship. Mormon Church members strive to follow Jesus Christ in all that they do. To emphasize this, the Church has therefore established a website about Jesus Christ.

Your comments and feedback on MormonChurch.com are welcome. Please feel free to contact us.

Duties And Expectations Of Church Members

For members of the church, the greatest commandment is to love God with all their heart and the second is to love others as they love themselves. All other commandments are considered appendages to these great commandments /Matthew#22:37-40″ rel=”nofollow”> Matt 22:37-40). Members are encouraged to pray several times a day, to perform good works, and to read scriptures daily.

Members are expected to donate their time, money, and talents to the church, and those who have participated in the endowment ceremony make an oath to donate all that they have, if required of them, to the Lord. To be in good standing and to enter the church’s temples, church members are asked to tithe their income to the church, which is officially interpreted as 10 percent of annual income. In addition, members are invited to donate monthly charitable “fast offerings” , which are used to help the poor and needy in the community members are also encouraged to make other humanitarian donations through the church.

Church members are permitted to think or believe freely on any issue, but are discouraged from publicly criticizing local leaders or general authorities repeated public criticism of the church or its leaders may subject a person to church discipline for apostasy. The church maintains a Strengthening Church Members Committee which monitors members’ publications and refers critical material to local authorities for possible disciplinary action.

You May Like: Where Does It Say Separation Of Church And State

Why Is Family Life So Central To Latter

• about genealogy and the Mormon archives.

Mormons believe that the family is an eternal unit and central to Godâs plan. In fact, eternal progression toward Godhood is limited to those who marry for time and eternity in a ceremony conducted by a properly ordained member of the LDS priesthood in a Mormon temple. Church President Hinckley has also stressed the importance of the family during mortal life, saying, âIf you want to reform a nation, you begin with families, with parents who teach their children principles and values that are positive and affirmative and will lead them to worthwhile endeavors. That is the basic failure that has taken place in America. And we are making a tremendous effort to bring about greater solidarity in families. Parents have no greater responsibility in this world than the bringing up of their children in the right way, and they will have no greater satisfaction as the years pass than to see those children grow in integrity and honesty and make something of their lives, adding to society because they are a part of it.â To strengthen families, many Mormons observe âfamily home evening.â This is one night a week â generally Monday â that a family spends together praying, learning about scripture, sharing things from their lives, and playing games or engaging in other fun at-home activities.

Donât Miss: What Coffee Is Best For Cold Brew

What Are Some Of The Rituals Of The Faith What Are The Restrictions And Prohibitions

• Read the comments of historians, scholars and Mormons on .

The rituals of the Mormon faith include ceremonies performed in the temple — endowment, baptism of the dead, celestial marriage and family sealings — plus several ceremonies that take place in Mormon chapels. The naming and blessing of infants — performed by a priesthood holder, often the baby’s father — takes place in the chapel. Baptisms are held in the chapels when Mormon children turn 8 years old or when an adult converts to the faith. Family and friends generally attend both of these rituals. The Latter-day Saints also have a practice of annointing and blessing the sick if an ill individual so desires.

Like other Christians, Mormons celebrate Christmas and Easter as their two most important religious holidays. The Latter-day Saints also observe Pioneer Day on July 24, marking the date the first Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley in 1847. It is around the time of this holiday that the church presents its elaborate history pageant at the Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, N.Y., where Joseph Smith found the golden plates.

Mormons are advised not to get tattoos and to limit body piercings to a single pair of plain earrings for women. They also follow a general dress code that teaches that modest dress not only shows respect for one’s own body and for God, but also has a positive effect on spirituality and behavior.

You May Like: Is Weed Mentioned In The Bible

Other Historical Documents Of Local Church Units

The Historical DepartmentArchive Search Room also has the following types of historical records:

Minute Books from 1837 to 1977. You will find minutes of priesthood quorums, Relief Societies, other auxiliary organizations, and general ward and stake minutes. The minutes may provide dates of blessings, baptisms, confirmations, and ordinations that you will not be able to find elsewhere.

Quarterly Reports of branches, wards, stakes, and missions. These reports provide the names of the leaders in the various organizations. Stake and mission reports are available to the present. The ward and branch reports are available between 1956 and 1983.

Chapel And Temple Services

Weekly worship services, including sacrament meetings, are held on Sundays, in meeting houses, also referred to as “chapels” or “stake centers.” All people, regardless of belief or standing in the church are welcome to attend. The Sacrament, similar to Communion or the Eucharist in other churchesconsecrated bread and water in remembrance of the body and blood of Christis offered weekly.

The primary Sunday service is sacrament meeting and attended by the combined congregation. The foremost purpose of sacrament meeting is the blessing and passing of the Sacrament to members of the church. After the Sacrament, the service usually consists of two or three “talks” prepared and delivered by members of the congregation. Once a month however, usually on the first Sunday, instead of prepared talks, members are invited to bear their testimonies about gospel principles. Hymns are sung throughout the service.

During the other two segments, the congregation divides into smaller groups based on age and/or gender. The church publishes manuals for each type of class, usually including a teacher’s manual as well as a student booklet for youth and adult classes.

You May Like: How Long Does It Take To Read The Bible

Early Life And Education

Russell M. Nelson was born on September 9, 1924, in , to Floss Edna and Marion Clavar Nelson . He had two sisters, Marjory E. and Enid , and a brother, Robert H. . Nelson’s father was a reporter for the and later became general manager of Gillham Advertising, Utah’s earliest . His parents were not active in the Latter-day Saint faith while he was a youth, but they did send him to , and he was baptized a member of the LDS Church at age 16.

Nelson studied at in his mid-teens and worked as an assistant secretary at a bank. He graduated from high school at age 16 and enrolled at the , graduating in 1945 with a and membership. While at the University of Utah, he was a member of the Beta Epsilon chapter of and . Nelson then attended the , graduating with a degree in 1947 ranked first in his class. Nelson began his first year of medical school while still an undergraduate, and completed the four-year M.D. program in only three years.

After medical school, Nelson went to the for his . While at Minnesota, he was a member of surgeon ‘s pioneering research team developing the that in April 1951 supported the first human using . Nelson received a from Minnesota in 1954 for his research contributions.

There Are A Few Different Sects Of The Mormon Church

A common misconception is that all Mormons are part of the LDS church. The LDS church is the main group with its roots with Joseph Smith. Another group of Mormons that are not affiliated with the official LDS church is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This sect came to media attention with the conviction of church leader Warren Jeffs. The FLDS do practice polygamy, which was suspended by the LDS church in 1890.

Another different offshoot of Mormonism is the Apostolic United Brethren, which has members in many states. This group came about when their leader, Joseph W. Musser, split with other Mormon fundamentalists. This group practices polygamy as well.

Another Arizona sect, called Centennial Park group, came from conflict over leadership in the 1980s leadership of the FLDS church. The Centennial Park group, unlike other sects of the FLDS church, advocates spreading the groups message. While they do practice polygamy, they are against underage girls being forced to marry.

Read Also: Where In The Bible Does It Talk About Dinosaurs

Finding Aids For Latter

The Studies in Mormon History Database includes citations to articles, books, theses, and Ph.D. dissertations dealing with the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, written from the time of its inception in 1830 to the present. It is intended to be comprehensive. It includes citations to over 2,000 Latter-day Saint biographies and 800 published Latter-day Saint diaries. The diary entries have abstracts describing dates of coverage and a summary of the contents. There are some links to full-text items.

The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter

MormonismChurch of Christ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian, Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 16.8 million members and 54,539 full-time volunteer missionaries. The church is the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States, with over 6.7 million US members as of 2021. It is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the early 19th-century period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening.

The church has been criticized throughout its history. Modern criticisms include disputed claims, treatment of minorities, and financial controversies. The churchs practice of polygamy was also controversial until officially rescinded in 1890.

You May Like: What Do Dreams Mean In The Bible

Cosmology And Plan Of Salvation

The Mormon cosmology and plan of salvation include the doctrines of a pre-mortal life, an earthly mortal existence, three degrees of heaven, and exaltation.

According to these doctrines, every human spirit is a spiritual child of a Heavenly Father, and each has the potential to continue to learn, grow, and progress in the eternities, eventually achieving eternal life, which is to become one with God in the same way that Jesus Christ is one with the Father, thus allowing the children of God to become divine beings that is, gods themselves. This view on the doctrine of theosis is also referred to as becoming a “joint-heir with Christ”. The process by which this is accomplished is called exaltation, a doctrine which includes the reunification of the mortal family after the resurrection and the ability to have spirit children in the afterlife and inherit a portion of God’s kingdom. To obtain this state of godhood, the church teaches that one must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of his or her sins, strive to keep the commandments faithfully, and participate in a sequence of ceremonial covenants called ordinances, which include baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, the endowment, and celestial marriage.