History UsefulNotes / Mormonism

The history of the world then proceeds as indicated in the Bible. As mentioned above, the Bible contains many inaccuracies about many events due to mistranslations and deliberate omissions, but the Bible is still accepted as the word of God. However, around 600 BC, just before the Babylonian Captivity, a Jewish man named Lehi was warned by God to flee into the wilderness with his family in order to escape captivity. They are eventually led to the American continent where Lehi's sons founded two main peoples, the Nephites and Lamanites. The Book of Mormon is the history of these peoples' dealings with each other and with God from a period of about 600 BC to 400 AD, as well as a history of another people (the Jaredites) who descended from a group brought to the Americas by God just after the fall of the Tower of Babel. The most significant event related in the Book of Mormon is a visit by Jesus Christ to the peoples of the Americas just after His resurrection. Though the people live in righteousness for a few hundred years after Christ's appearance, some of them eventually turn to evil and destroy the rest of the people, resulting in the true gospel being lost from the earth.

The history of the world then proceeds as indicated in the Bible. As mentioned above, the Bible contains many inaccuracies about many events due to mistranslations and deliberate omissions, but the Bible is still accepted as the word of God. However, around 600 BC, just before the Babylonian Captivity, a Jewish man named Lehi was warned by God to flee into the wilderness with his family in order to escape captivity. They are eventually led to the American continent where Lehi's sons found two main peoples, the Nephites and Lamanites. The Book of Mormon is the history of these peoples' dealings with each other and with God from a period of about 600 BC to 400 AD, as well as a history of another people (the Jaredites) who descended from a group brought to the Americas by God just after the fall of the Tower of Babel. The most significant event related in the Book of Mormon is a visit by Jesus Christ to the peoples of the Americas just after His resurrection. Though the people live in righteousness for a few hundred years after Christ's appearance, some of them eventually turn to evil and destroy the rest of the people, resulting in the true gospel being lost from the earth.

* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God, and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. He was sent to earth to pay for our sins and teach a new covenant (replacing the Law of Moses). He is the advocate of humanity, and the mediator between us and the Father. His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane was Him taking upon Himself the sins of everyone, something even he could barely endure. His crucifixion and resurrection was so that all men could have their bodies restored. Note, however, that in order to return to Heavenly Father's presence (called "Eternal Life" by the LDS), one must be clean. The only way to do this is to be baptized and repent and do the best that one can do.
He started as a spirit with the rest of us, and gained a body here on earth. Though unlike us, Jesus was God from the beginning (due to His perfect unity in purpose with the Father). After he was resurrected, he has a perfect body like God. His life is what the members are encouraged to emulate. That's not to say they go out raising the dead and other miracles, but they do try to help those who need it, as well as being kind and caring. In fact, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he had to get baptized. Jesus Christ formed His church while He was on earth, and chose twelve Apostles to be the leaders of His Church. He gave them the Priesthood, or the authority of God, in order to baptize and perform other essential ordinances. Occasionally referred to as 'the firstborn son', 'the eldest brother', and 'the inheritor son' in more detailed theological discussions.

* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God, and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. He was sent to earth to pay for our sins and teach a new covenant (replacing the Law of Moses). He is the advocate of humanity, and the mediator between us and the Father.
His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane was Him taking upon Himself the sins of everyone, something even he could barely endure. His crucifixion and resurrection was so that all men could have their bodies restored. Note, however, that in order to return to Heavenly Father's presence (called "Eternal Life" by the LDS), one must be clean. The only way to do this is to be baptized and repent and do the best that one can do.

* The four standard works of the LDS church are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price but the Hymns are all required to receive doctrinal approval in order to be included in the LDS hymnal which means that anything you find in the LDS hymn book will be doctrine. See hymn #292 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_My_Father: O My Father]]. A Heavenly Mother should be considered explicit Mormon doctrine.

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church", is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Community of Christ and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list]]. However, the vast majority of Mormons are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) Most of this article is focused on the first group listed - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

** Actually this is a subject of argument, even among Mormons, because the man/god concept falls under Talmudic-like leadership opinion rather than official doctrine. As many point out that being like man doesn't preclude being a God. After all Jesus was God both before and during his Incarnation, so the same is true of God the Father. Which leads to the alternate interpretation that God while God gained a mortal body (which then was changed into an immortal body).
* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God, and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. He was sent to earth to pay for our sins and teach a new covenant (replacing the Law of Moses). He is the advocate of humanity, and the mediator between us and the Fater.

He started as a spirit with the rest of us, and gained a body here on earth. Though unlike us Jesus was God from the beginning (due to His perfect unity in purpose with the Father). After he was resurrected, he has a perfect body like God. His life is what the members are encouraged to emulate. That's not to say they go out raising the dead and other miracles, but they do try to help those who need it, as well as being kind and caring. In fact, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he had to get baptized. Jesus Christ formed His church while He was on earth, and chose twelve Apostles to be the leaders of His Church. He gave them the Priesthood, or the authority of God, in order to baptize and perform other essential ordinances. Occasionally referred to as 'the firstborn son', 'the eldest brother' and 'the inheritor son' in more detailed theological discussions.
* The '''Holy Ghost''', or the '''Comforter''', is the middle man between God and man, and can act as a guiding influence. He has not gained a physical body, mainly because in order to dwell within someone, a physical body would significantly impede his purpose. However, if someone sins or doesn't heed his advice, it drives him away, leaving that person to act without his influence.

The debate over Mormons being Christians stems mostly from this subtle, non-trinitarian perspective of the godhead. For Mormons, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are separate and distinct Beings working together with a common purpose. The rough analogy would be a modern republic: separate executive, legislative and judicial branches which collectively form one government. Mainline trinitarian Christianity considers the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit to be of one single essence and nature: one absolute monarch who functions in all roles. As a result, Mormons do not ascribe to the trinitarian Nicene Creed, which many mainline denominations consider an anti-heretical requirement to being a "true Christian".

* Basically there are three different levels of "heaven":

Another temple-related item is the wearing of the ''garment'' or "Mormon underwear" as it is commonly known. Much like a priest's collar or cardinal's vestments, the garment is an article of sacred clothing (almost exclusively simple white cotton/poly) worn under regular clothing to remind practicing members of the covenants they have made. It is sometimes believed to provided spiritual and/or physical protection, much in the same way that other Christians might view a cross/crucifix or pocket bible. Another purpose is to maintain modesty; the general rule is that if one's outfit would expose the garment, it's too skimpy.

The Church geographically organizes its membership across the world into "wards" and "stakes". In areas with less members, the resulting smaller groups are called "branches" and "districts", respectively. A ward is what other denominations frequently refer to as a "congregation"; each ward covers a certain area, and members living in that area are assigned to a specific building to meet in on Sundays at a fixed time. A ward is presided over by a bishop ("branch president" in branches), who calls counselors to aid him in his duties as bishop, which include the spiritual and temporal welfare of both members and non-members of the Church. The ward is further divided into more specific groups for children, adults and adolescents, and between male and female in order to provide more applicable teachings to each stage of life. These smaller organizations report to the bishop for his oversight. None of these leaders in the Church receive compensation for the work they do; they hold regular jobs outside of their "callings". A "stake" is composed of several wards, and a stake has a stake president and his two counselors to preside over it. The bishops within the stake report to the stake president. The stake president supervises the activities and well-being within his stake and reports the status of his stake to the general authorities of the Church.

Often mistakenly called the preexistence, pre-mortal life was when we lived with God as His spiritual sons and daughters. Here, God introduced the Plan of Salvation and ordained His spirit children to important roles in mortal life. Lucifer proposed a second plan which would have ensured that all the children of God would return to Him, but at the cost of all free will by making Lucifer omnipotent. Free will, or agency, is more or less the entire point of existence. When God rejected Lucifer's plan, there was a "war in heaven," during which one-third of God's children chose to follow Lucifer. They were cast out of heaven as a result. The remaining two-thirds accepted God's plan, and Jesus Christ was chosen as the Savior who would make repentance possible. The Earth was then created to serve as mankind's home during mortal life. Please note that the LDS Church does not believe that Earth is the only planet bearing life-God has created "worlds without number," and many of these are also inhabited by His children.

When the church first started and even well into the 20th century, the members were not well liked, to put it lightly. It was common for mobs to force church members from their communities, threatening to kill them if they did not leave. Some even harassed the church members specifically to kill them. One of the most tragic massacres took place at Haun's Mill, plenty of information about which can probably be found on TheOtherWiki. In 1844, a mob killed Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in Carthage, Illinois where they had been jailed for accusations of polygamy. This sort of persecution is what drove the Mormons to settle in Utah where no one would bother them.

For starters, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints no longer practices polygamy. In fact, being married to more than one living wife is grounds for excommunication (being kicked out, with all saving ordinances rendered null and void). The only "Mormons" who do practice it are a splinter group called the FLDS who have a history of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLDS#Legal_trouble_and_leadership_struggles legal trouble]] involving forced marriages and abuse. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Jeffs previous leader]] is currently serving 10 years for being an accomplice to the rape of a minor, and no successor has been officially confirmed. Naturally the FLDS is strongly denounced by the LDS church.

Being that the church is well established in the United States and all over the world as well as being in a very visual position with the missionary Elders, there has been plenty of references to the church and its members in all forms of media. A near-guaranteed joke to Mormons will be had if there is any mention of a man having multiple wives, which has already been well discussed on this page.

The church has put out many different movies in an effort to help broaden understanding of church doctrine, history, and scriptures themselves. Many are meant to be used specifically for the Church Education System but there are a handful of feature-length and one-hour movies designed for non-members and shown in various visitor centers located at specific temples. Also for non-members there is a large series of videos that can be obtained for free by calling a phone number or going online to [[http://www.mormon.org www.mormon.org]]. These videos cover both LDS-specific beliefs, such as Eternal Families, as well as other videos focused on universal Christian beliefs such as the Atonement of Christ.

There has been a slowly growing industry of Mormon filmmakers who are producing movies that are unabashedly made for the LDS culture. They are not directly connected to the church and individual quality varies from film to film as well as the ability to connect to viewers not familiar with that culture. For more information on that see MormonCinema.

If there is any question that you have that is not answered, ask it in the discussion. Other more-knowledgeable individuals will try to answer it in the discussion as well as in this article. For a more exhaustive source the church has a website designed for non-members at [[http://www.mormon.org www.mormon.org]].

After a hard winter in Nebraska, he first wagon train, led by Young himself struck out across the Plains. Speaking with many trappers familiar with the region, Young decided to make for the Great Basin on the assumption that it would be too arid for anyone else to want. In July of 1847, the train reached Salt Lake Valley. Young proclaimed the site to be "the right place." The valley would become the destination of some 70,000 people for the next twelve years.

[[AC:TheBookOfMormon]]

TheBookOfMormon is a religious text that was translated from Hebrew written in Reformed Egyptian to English. More information is available in its TVTropes page. The Church offers it as tangible proof that Joseph Smith, Jr. was given power to be a prophet of God, for if the book is not the work of God, then neither is the Church; equally, if the Book of Mormon is the work of God, then the Church and Joseph Smith, Jr., and all subsequent prophets, are God's chosen servants on Earth. All people are invited to read the Book of Mormon and to ask God to know that the book is His. Practicing members of the Church testify that they have received revelation from God indicating that this is true, which stands as an anchor to their faith in the Church.

The main body of the Church resettled in Illinois, in and around a small town named Commerce. Eventually, the town grew to become one of the largest cities in Illinois at the time and was renamed "Nauvoo" (nah-VOO). Joseph Smith would become mayor and a militia leader sanctioned by the state government, but bloc-voting and rumors of polygamy caused violence to flare up once more. Smith was arrested for destroying the press of an anti-Mormon newspaper on the basis that it was inflaming local prejudice. He was taken to nearby Liberty Jail. Soon, it was assaulted by a mob, and Smith was shot and killed, along with his brother Hyrum.

There have been multiple apostasies throughout Earth's history, but the one after Jesus was slain was the longest.

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians. They share a large portion of their beliefs with most mainstream Christian denominations, with some key differences. The Latter Day Saint movement is perhaps best viewed as Christianity's very own ExpandedUniverse material.

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church", is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Community of Christ and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list]]. However, the vast majority of Mormons are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) Most of this article is focused on the first group listed.

Members of the LDS-Church believe in TheBible. They also believe in three additional books: TheBookOfMormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. However, they believe that due to [[BlindIdiotTranslation translation errors]] and "the great and abominable church," many "plain and simple things" were lost or changed. The nature of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost is that they are three separate beings with one purpose: bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Another one of their beliefs is that everyone is a spiritual son or daughter of Heavenly Father, and by extension a spiritual brother or sister; this includes Jesus. In the pre-mortal world, God presented the Plan of Salvation and asked for a volunteer to be Savior. Lucifer volunteered, upon the conditions that all of God's children [[WorldOfSilence surrender their free will so that no one could "fail"]], and that he be given God's glory. Jesus volunteered, agreeing to go through all the suffering required as well as remaining subservient to God. Lucifer pushed the issue, essentially attempting a coup in what has become known as The War in Heaven. Lucifer and his followers, a third of the pre-mortal world's "population", were thus cast out of heaven, becoming Satan and associated devils and demons.

* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God, and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. He was sent to earth to teach about the higher law and to pay for our sins. His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane was Him taking upon Himself the sins of everyone, something even he could barely endure. His crucifixion and resurrection was so that all men could have their bodies restored. Note, however, that in order to return to Heavenly Father's presence, one must be clean. The only way to do this is to be baptized and repent and do the best that one can do. He started as a spirit with the rest of us, and gained a body here on earth. Though unlike us Jesus was God from the beginning (due to His perfect unity in purpose with the Father). After he was resurrected, he has a perfect body like God. His life is what the members are encouraged to emulate. That's not to say they go out raising the dead and other miracles, but they do try to help those who need it, as well as being kind and caring. In fact, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he had to get baptized. Jesus Christ formed His church while He was on earth, and chose twelve Apostles to be the leaders of His Church. He gave them the Priesthood, or the authority of God, in order to baptize and perform other essential ordinances. Occasionally referred to as 'the firstborn son', 'the eldest brother' and 'the inheritor son' in more detailed theological discussions.

The debate over Mormons being Christians stems from this subtle, non-trinitarian perspective of the godhead. For Mormons, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are separate and distinct Beings working together with a common purpose. The rough analogy would be a modern republic: separate executive, legislative and judicial branches which collectively form one government. Mainline trinitarian Christianity considers the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit to be of one single essence and nature: one absolute monarch who functions in all roles. As a result, Mormons do not ascribe to the trinitarian Nicene Creed, which many mainline denominations consider an anti-heretical requirement to being a "true Christian".

Heavenly Mother is not talked about much, other than as a logical hypothesis that in order to become exalted, one must be married in the temple. It is occasionally speculated that the reason why She isn't talked about much is because people would blaspheme ''Her'', which no doubt would anger Heavenly Father a lot. This, however, is not official doctrine.

[[AC:TheBible]]

Despite what others may think, Mormons believe in TheBible. However, due to changes made by "the great and abominable church" (as recorded in the First Book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon), many "plain and precious truths" were removed. As such, the Book of Mormon is a more complete record of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Bible and the Book of Mormon conflict, the Book of Mormon wins. Joseph Smith, Jr. made a ''Joseph Smith Translation'' by divine inspiration to correct some of the translation errors and stuff that was left out. Unfortunately, this "translation" isn't complete.

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church", is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Community of Christ and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list]]. However, the vast majority of Mormons are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) While , most of this article is focused on the first group listed.

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians, so much so that some other Christians don't consider them as such. The following may sound similar to Christianity; that's because it is. However, there are some key differences from most mainstream Christians. The Latter Day Saint movement is like Christianity's very own ExpandedUniverse material.

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church", is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Community of Christ and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. However, the vast majority of Mormons are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) While ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list of Mormon denominations]], most of this article is focused on the first group listed.

Also note that while [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church", is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are considered to be the definitive example. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Community of Christ and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (However, it is worth noting that the vast majority of Mormons are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; the treatment of this varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) While ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list of Mormon denominations]], most of this article is focused on the first group listed.

The most well-known emigrant groups from this period are the Willy and Martin handcart (a tiny wagon pulled by hand) companies. Due to insufficient handcarts being prepared, they had to either leave late in the season or stay for winter in a strange place (most were British immigrants) with little money. Despite appointed church guide Levi Savage's warning that "The bones of the elderly and the infirm will litter the trail," the immigrants insisted on attempting to make it to Salt Lake before winter. The first obstacle was that they packed too much flour and thus left a lot of it on the trail. Then they hit an early October snow storm, stopping them in their tracks in a blizzard with insufficient food and shelter. They took refuge at Martin's Cove, where they waited for rescue. Brigham Young heard about the plight right as he was about to hold the traditional General Conference of the Church. He told the Saints that the two handcart companies needed help immediately, and effectively canceled the conference, deeming it [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming more important for them to live the principles of their religion than to talk about them.]] A rescue was hastily organized and set out later that day, saving the lives of many of the handcart companies' members.

Also note that while [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church", is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are considered to be the definitive example. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Community of Christ. (However, it is worth noting that the vast majority of Mormons are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. Also, most LDS are reluctant to call any non-LDS "Mormon", and many non-LDS are reluctant to call themselves Mormon, due to not wanting to be so closely associated with the others.) While ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list of Mormon denominations]], most of this article is focused on the first group listed.

Also, while it is common for the media and people who are not members to refer to them as 'Mormon', LDS members more commonly use 'Latter-day Saints' or sometimes just 'Saints' for short, as while Mormon is the name of both a key scripture and a prominent prophet in the church, it is not the actual name of the church. Historically, members never referred to themselves as "Mormon", but nowadays they '''constantly''' refer to themselves as such, even amongst other Mormons.

The Mormons also believe that in order to go to the Celestial Kingdom, one must be baptized (there's other stuff too, but that's the basic idea). Children under 8 are immediately considered pure of any sin, as 8 is the "age of accountability" when they become responsible for their actions--this is why the Mormons baptize people at the age of 8 or older, depending on when they are introduced to the church. Because God understands that not everyone has a chance to be baptized during their lifetime, there is an ordinance called Baptism For The Dead, where righteous members are baptized as proxies for those who have died. Then those people can decide whether they accept it or not. Therefore, they still have a chance to enter the Celestial Kingdom. (Also, see below section on Temples).

TheBookOfMormon is a religious text that was translated from Hebrew written in Reformed Egyptian to English. More information is available in the TVTropes page. The Church offers it as tangible proof that Joseph Smith, Jr. was given power to be a prophet of God, for if the book is not the work of God, then neither is the Church; equally, if the Book of Mormon is the work of God, then the Church and Joseph Smith, Jr., and all subsequent prophets, are God's chosen servants on Earth. All people are invited to read the Book of Mormon and to ask God to know that the book is His. Practicing members of the Church testify that they have received revelation from God indicating that this is true, which stands as an anchor to their faith in the Church.

Despite what some people think, Mormons believe in TheBible. However, due to changes made by "the great and abominable church" (as recorded in the First Book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon), many "plain and precious truths" were removed. As such, the Book of Mormon is a more complete record of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If The Bible and The Book of Mormon conflict, The Book of Mormon wins. Joseph Smith, Jr. made a ''Joseph Smith Translation'' by divine inspiration to correct some of the translation errors and stuff that was left out. Unfortunately, this "translation" isn't complete.

While Jesus Christ was on the earth, He gave His disciples authority to perform miracles and perform saving ordinances, such as baptism, to those who would receive them. Therefore, not all people are authorized to baptize (or else the authority would be superfluous), and without this authority, saving ordinances have no validity. The Church maintains that the authority for these things, called the Priesthood, was lost after the Apostles of Jesus Christ were slain and the saving ordinances such as baptism, as well as many "plain and precious truths," were radically changed in the following centuries (including the formation of the Nicaean Creed). Because the Priesthood was removed, it had to be brought back again, which process began with Joseph Smith, Jr. See "Restoration" below.

First off, temples are a holy place, considered the House of the Lord, and the stuff done there is sacred. To avoid such ordinances being abused, what actually goes on there isn't talked about casually by members. However, they do do Baptisms for the Dead, where they baptize a dead person by having a living person stand in their place. That is one purpose of finding your ancestors.

Also performed in temples is ''Celestial Marriage'', where someone can be married for time and all eternity to their spouse. This lasts beyond death and into eternity. In order for someone to be married for time and all eternity, they must be temple worthy.

Another temple-related item is the wearing of the ''garment'' or "magical underwear" as it is commonly known. Much like a priest's collar or cardinal's vestments, the garment is an article of sacred clothing (almost exclusively simple white cotton/poly) worn under regular clothing to remind practicing members of the covenants they have made. It is sometimes believed to provided spiritual and/or physical protection, much in the same way that other Christians might view a cross/crucifix or pocket bible. Another purpose is to maintain modesty; the general rule is that if one's outfit would expose the garment, it's too skimpy.

The Church sends out missionaries in teams of two (occasionally three) to share the church's message with others. These missionaries are volunteers and receive no compensation from the Church or from the people they teach. They are primarily young male adults, between the ages of 19 to 25 years of age; however, older married couples and female adults over the age of 21 can also serve as missionaries of the Church. Unless they are married, men are always paired together, as are women. The world is divided geographically into "missions," such as the California San Fernando mission and the Mexico Tijuana mission, which are each presided over by an individual Mission President. The Mission President receives revelation from God about what needs to be done within the mission he presides for the benefit of the people living therein.\\

The family is one of the major focal points of the Church. Sunday meetings at the church provide adapted teaching for each member of the family based on age and gender, ranging from the nursery and the primary school for children, young men's and young women's groups, and adult men's and women's groups. Specific wards are created for the young single adults in the church (between ages 18 and 35) in order to meet others of their own age group and find prospective partners for marriage. In 1995, the leaders of the Church released the The Family: A Proclamation to the World, an official declaration of the church regarding several of the church's doctrines and beliefs regarding the family; some included are that the family unit was created by God for the benefit of His children on earth; that marriage is sacred and is to be shared between only a man and a woman; sex outside of marriage is sin; and that abusers of spouse or of children will one day account to God for their acts. A copy of the full document can be found [[http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,00.html here.]]

Adam and Eve were put in the garden of Eden after the creation of the Earth as described in Genesis. Adam and Eve were commanded to not eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were simultaneously given a commandment to multiply and replenish the Earth through having children-this was impossible while they remained innocent. Eve specifically chose to eat the fruit in order to have children and put the Plan of Salvation in motion.

The history of the world then proceeds as indicated in the Bible. As mentioned above, the Bible contains many inaccuracies about many events due to mistranslations and deliberate omissions, but the Bible is still accepted as the word of God. However, around 600 BC, just before the Babylonian Captivity, a man named Lehi was warned by God to flee into the wilderness with his family in order to escape captivity. They are eventually led to the American continent where Lehi's sons found two main peoples, the Nephites and Lamanites. The Book of Mormon is the history of these peoples' dealings with each other and with God from a period of about 600 BC to 400 AD, as well as a history of another people (the Jaredites) who descended from a group brought to the Americas by God just after the fall of the Tower of Babel. The most significant event related in the Book of Mormon is a visit by Jesus Christ to the peoples of the Americas just after His resurrection.

The LDS Church teaches that after the deaths of the apostles of Christ (both in the Old World and the New), priesthood authority was eventually lost because of deviations from the true word of Christ. Thus the world entered into an age of apostasy that would last from about the second century AD to the early 19th century, when a boy named Joseph Smith, Jr was born in rural Vermont.

In 1820, Joseph Smith, Jr. was a 14-year-old boy who, like many in the United States at the time, was caught up in the Second Great Awakening, a time of great religious fervor and evangelism. His family was greatly interested in religion, and different members ended up joining different sects. After reading the Bible (and James 1:5 in particular) he decided to pray for direction in which sect to join. He went into a grove of trees, knelt, and prayed. He then saw a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, who instructed him not to join any church, but that the "fullness of the gospel" would be made known to him. This is known as the First Vision, and its end result would be the establishment of a new religion: Mormonism.

When the church first started and even well into the 20th century, the members were not well liked, to put it lightly. It was common for mobs to force church members from their communities, threatening to kill them if they did not leave. Some even harassed the church members specifically to kill them. One of the most tragic massacres took place at Haun's Mill, plenty of information about which can probably be found on TheOtherWiki. A mob killed Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in Carthage, Illinois where they had been jailed for accusations of polygamy. This sort of persecution is what drove the Mormons to settle in Utah where no one would bother them.

For starters, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints no longer practices polygamy. In fact, being married to more than one living wife is grounds for excommunication (being kicked out, with all saving ordinances rendered null and void). The only "Mormons" who do practice it are a splinter group called the FLDS who have a history of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLDS#Legal_trouble_and_leadership_struggles legal trouble]] involving forced marriages and abuse. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Jeffs previous leader]] is currently serving 10 years for being an accomplice to the rape of a minor, no successor has been officially confirmed. Naturally the FLDS is denounced by the LDS church.

Polygamy was introduced in 1842 by prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. Members of the church accepted it as a revelation of God, and also ceased it according to the succeeding prophet's words, The reason being that it conflicted with a more important rule: Follow the law of the land.

The main body of the Church resettled in Illinois, in and around a small town named Commerce. Eventually, the town grew to become one of the largest cities in Illinois at the time and was renamed "Nauvoo" (NAH-voo). Joseph Smith would become mayor and a militia leader sanctioned by the state government, but bloc-voting and rumors of polygamy caused violence to flare up once more. Smith was arrested for destroying the press of an anti-Mormon newspaper on the basis that it was inflaming local prejudice. He was taken to nearby Liberty Jail. Soon, it was assaulted by a mob, and Smith was shot and killed, along with his brother Hyrum.

The most well-known emigrant groups from this period are the Willy and Martin handcart (a tiny wagon pulled by hand) companies. Due to insufficient handcarts being prepared, they had to either leave late in the season or stay for winter in a strange place (most where British Immigrants) with little money. Despite appointed church guide Levi Savage's warning that "The bones of the elderly and the infirm will litter the trail," the immigrants insisted on attempting to make it to Salt Lake before winter. The first obstacle was that they packed too much flour and thus left a lot of it on the trail. Then they hit an early October snow storm, stopping them in their tracks in a blizzard with insufficient food and shelter. They took refuge at Martin's Cove, where they waited for rescue. Brigham Young heard about the plight right as he was about to hold the traditional General Conference of the Church. He told the Saints that the two handcart companies needed help immediately, and effectively canceled the conference, deeming it [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming more important for them to live the principles of their religion than to talk about them.]] A rescue was hastily organized and set out later that day, saving the lives of many of the handcart companies' members.

Under Young's direction, various settlements were built over a wide area extending from present-day Alberta to Sonora. The Church followed a policy of "building Zion," sending missionaries worldwide and then encouraging converts to emigrate to Deseret, as the region was called. Within a year of arriving, Deseret found itself a part of the United States as a result of Mexico's defeat in the Mexican-American War. Young immediately petitioned to have Deseret added to the Union as a state, but Congress, wary of Deseret's enormous size (which included the majority of the Mormon settlements and stretching to the Pacific Coast and including the then insignificant town of Los Angeles) chose to create the Territory of Utah instead. Young became the first Territorial Governor.

This time period in Utah is controversial, owing to Young's often tense relationship with the federal government and disputes over the amount of influence he wielded over the population as both political and spiritual leader. Poor communication and disgruntled federal officials who found it difficult to work with unresponsive LDS citizens caused the brief but highly publicized Utah War in 1857-58, when an entire Army division was sent to remove Young as governor because President James Buchanan had been led to believe that Utah was in open rebellion. Sensationalist media reports, pumped by allegations of heathen polygamy, predicted a bloodbath when the division reached Salt Lake City. It was in this climate that a band of LDS militiamen waylaid a pioneer wagon train from Arkansas as it was passing through southern Utah. In an event known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, they killed most of the travelers and sent their children to be raised with local families. The militia leader would later be executed by the territorial government after being excommunicated by the Church.

Being that the church is well established in the United States and all over the world as well as being in a very visual position with the missionary Elders, there has been plenty of references to the church and its members in all forms of media. A near guaranteed joke to Mormons will be had if there is any mention of a man having multiple wives, which has already been well discussed on this page.

The church has put out many different movies in an effort to help broaden understanding of church doctrine, history and of the scriptures themselves. Many are meant to be used specifically for the Church Education System but there are a handful of feature-length and one-hour movies designed for non-members and shown in various visitor centers located at specific temples. Also for non-members there is a large series of videos that can be obtained for free by calling a phone number or going online. These videos cover both Church specific beliefs such as Eternal Families as well as other videos focused on Universal Christian beliefs such as the Atonement of Christ.

There has been a slowly growing industry of Mormon Filmmakers who are producing movies that are unabashedly made for the LDS culture. They are not directly connected to the church and individual quality varies from film to film as well as the ability to connect to viewers not familiar with that culture. For more information on that see MormonCinema.

If there is any question that you have that is not answered, ask it in the discussion. Other more knowledgeable individuals will try to answer it in the discussion as well as in this article. For a more exhaustive source the church has a website designed for non-members at [[http://www.mormon.org www.mormon.org]].

Also note that while [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church", is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are considered to be the definitive example. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Community of Christ. While ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list of Mormon denominations]], most of this article is focused on the first group listed.

Members of the LDS-Church believe in TheBible. They also believe in three additional books: ''TheBookOfMormon'', ''Doctrine and Covenants'', and the ''Pearl of Great Price''. However, they believe that due to [[BlindIdiotTranslation translation errors]] and "the great and abominable church," many "plain and simple things" were lost or changed. The nature of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost is that they are three separate beings with one purpose: bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Another one of their beliefs is that everyone is a spiritual son or daughter of Heavenly Father, and by extension a spiritual brother or sister; this includes Jesus. In the pre-mortal world, God presented the Plan of Salvation and asked for a volunteer to be Savior. Lucifer volunteered, upon the conditions that all of God's children [[WorldOfSilence surrender their free will so that no one could "fail"]], and that he be given God's glory. Jesus volunteered, agreeing to go through all the suffering required as well as remaining subservient to God. Lucifer pushed the issue, essentially attempting a coup in what has become known as The War in Heaven. Lucifer and his followers, a third of the pre-mortal world's "population", were thus cast out of heaven, becoming Satan and associated devils and demons.

Another temple-related item is the wearing of the ''garment'' or "magical underwear" as it is commonly known. Much like a priest's collar or cardinal's vestments, the garment is an article of clothing worn to remind practicing members of the covenants they have made. It is sometimes believed to provided spiritual and/or physical protection, much in the same way that other Christians would view a cross/crucifix or pocket bible.

Another ordinance done is ''Celestial Marriage'', where someone can be married for time and all eternity to their spouse. This lasts beyond death and into eternity. In order for someone to be married for time and all eternity, they must be temple worthy.

When the church first started and even well into the 20th century, the members were not well liked, to put it lightly. It was common for mobs to force church members from their communities, threatening to kill them if they did not leave. Some even harassed the church members specifically to kill them. One of the most tragic massacres took place at Haun's Mill, plenty of information about which can probably be found on TheOtherWiki. A mob killed Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in Carthage, Illinois where they had been jailed on false accusations. This sort of persecution is what drove the Mormons to settle in Utah where no one would bother them.

Also, while it is common for the media and people who are not members to refer to them as 'Mormon', LDS members more commonly use 'Latter-day Saints' or sometimes just 'Saints' for short, as while Mormon is the name of both a key scripture and a prominent prophet in the church, it is not the actual name of the church. Historically, members never referred to themselves as "Mormon", but nowadays they sometimes do, especially when around non-member friends (instead of having to explain the term "Latter-day Saint").

Note, however, that ThisTroper, having grown up a Mormon, in a family of Mormons, in one of the most Mormonized cities ''in the world,'' has '''constantly''' heard Mormons refer to themselves as such, even amongst other Mormons.

<<|UsefulNotes|>>

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians, so much so that some other Christians don't consider them as such. The following may sound similar to Christianity; that's because it is. However, there are some key differences from most mainstream Christians. The Latter Day Saint movement is like Christianity's very own [[Expanded Universe]] material.

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians, so much so that some other Christians don't consider them as such. The following may sound similar to Christianity; that's because it is. However, there are some key differences from most mainstream Christians.

Despite what some may have people think, Mormons believe in TheBible. However, due to changes made by "the great and abominable church" (as recorded in the First Book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon), many "plain and precious truths" were removed. As such, the Book of Mormon is a more complete record of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If The Bible and The Book of Mormon conflict, The Book of Mormon wins. Joseph Smith, Jr. made a ''Joseph Smith Translation'' by divine inspiration to correct some of the translation errors and stuff that was left out. Unfortunately, this "translation" isn't complete.

Also, while it is common for the media and people who are not members to refer to them as 'Mormon', LDS members more commonly use 'Latter-day Saints' or sometimes just 'Saints' for short, as while Mormon is the name of both a key scripture and a prominent prophet in the church, it is not the actual name of the church. Historically, members never referred to themselves as "Mormon", but nowadays they sometimes do, especially when around non-member friends (instead of having to explain the term "Latter-day Saint).