Thu Hien Kopp Assignment 12
(1) What are the beliefs of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints (The Mormon Church)?
This is one of the most fastest grow religion in the
world. They believe themselves to be Christians who
belong to a perfect, restored Christianity, point out the
differences between Mormonism and traditional
Christianity.
Joseph Smith is the founder of the movement. He was
struggling between Christian groups. When he was 14,
he had vision of Jesus and God the father, who
informed him that no current Christian denomination
was correct, because the true Christianity had died out.
When he turned 17, he had another vision. An angel
named Moroni showed him a direction to dig a golden
tables inscribed with foreign words, a breastplate, and
a mysterious stone that he used to translate the words.
The result of his work was the Book of Mormon.
He and his followers began a series od moves to Ohio,
Missouri, and Illinois. It practices polygamy , which
Smith defended as biblical justified. In Illinois, Smith
and his brother got killed when they were in prison.
The Mormon Church has always been a missionary
Church in very early in England and Hawaii. The
Mormon Church spears to worldwide now and very
successful in the South Pacific.
It is inspired by the Christian Bible, which they usually
use in King James Version, so do other works are
equally inspired. Another inspired works is the Doctrine
and Covenants, a list of more than 100 revelations that
were given by God to Joseph Smith to the heads of the
Church. The last inspired works are all thought of as
complements to the Christian Bible. There are more
than 100 millions copies of the Book of Mormon have
been published. And the most important book is the
Book of Mormon.
The Mormon notion of the afterlife includes a belief in
hell and in several higher levels of rewards: the
telestial, terrestrial, and celestial realms.
Mormons performed all the special ordinances in
hundred temples around the world. Couple who
married in celestial realm become godlike, producing
spiritual children there.
The book of Mormon teaches that some descendants
of the people who produced the tower of Babel settled
in the Americas but finally died and a group of Israelites
came to North America about 600 BCE. They divided
into 2 warring factions, the Nephites and Lamanites,
and Jesus. The book also tells how in the 4th century
the Nephites lost in battle with the Lamanites.
Mormons follow the Christian practice and using
baptism as a ritual of initiation, by proxy for dead
relatives. Mormons maintain the largest source of
genealogical records in the world.
People meet for study and worship each Sunday for
Mormons, include a sacrament service (with bread and
water). Devout Mormons do not smoke or drink, or do
drug, or consume coffee and tea.
Mormons Church has different roles for men and
women, hierarchy is male. However women still play
leadership roles in their own organizations as domestic
work, child rearing, and social welfare. They appreciate
harmonious family life. They also set 1 night a week for
everyone in the family to stay at home and enjoy each
other as a family.
The top person of the Church is call Prophet. Below
him is a group of men call the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles, and below are the First and Second Quorums
of the Seventies, who act as general Authorities. Below
are area authorities and stake presidents. Pastors are
called bishops, Young men are supposed to give two
years to preaching the religion, in foreign countries.
Young women do missionary work, usually a year and
a half. Today, the Mormon church has about 14 millions
members, half lives out side the States. The
headquarters of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day
Saints is in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Mormonism has a strong choral tradition. Hymns and
solo works are sung at services. The Mormon
Tabernacle Choir, which gives regular concerts in Salt
Lake City, performs a traditional hymns, oratorios and
other music.
The largest branch of the movement begun by Joseph
Smith, includes more than dozen offshoots. The most
important is the Community of Christ. The name
changed in 2001 to emphasize the mainstream
Christianity. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest of the groups
practicing polygamy and get a lot of government
