Revision as of 11:26, 14 December 2007

Mormon FAQ page is under construction.

The purpose of this page is two-fold:

1. to provide factual information about the restoration sects (Sects resulting from Joseph Smith) including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons, the LDS Church);
2. to provide reporters and other authors with advice on the consistent use of words, names, places and other elements in writing about the Church and related restorationist groups.

It is hoped that the information given will be helpful to journalists and others who write about restorationist faiths and their members, doctrines, practices, or beliefs.

Disclosure statment:While this page is sponsored by a pro-LDS group, every effort has been made to take a neutral position on the issues presented here.

WHO ARE THEY?

Restorationist Faiths.

Restorationist faiths or churches are defined as all faiths who can trace their origins to Joseph Smith, Jr. [1805-1844] and the religious manifestations that he reported during his life. Restorationist movements either spring directly from the religious community founded by Smith, or via separation from some other restorationist faith(s), much as Protestant groups broke with Roman Catholicism and then fragmented further.

It is vital that writers maintain a neutral tone when reporting on events. This is of particular concern when the writer is a member of one of the restorationist churches. Pejoratives such as apostate or break-off should never be used to describe faith groups, except when directly citing a source. When this is done, it ought to be clear that the characterization belongs to the source, not the media.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS)

This is the largest of all of the restorationist movements and is based in Salt Lake City. Note the lower case on the word "day" and the use of hyphenation. Also, since the starting "The" is part of the formal name of the Church, it should be capitalized, even if used in the middle of a sentence. http://www.lds.org/, http://www.mormon.org/

The Community of Christ (RLDS)

Previously known as The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This church is the only other world wide church within the restorationist movement and is headquartered in Independence, Mo. Note the lack of hyphenization in "Latter Day," and the fact that both words are capitalized.

http://www.cofchrist.org/

Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

This group was formally organized in 1991 in response to what they felt was the liberal direction of the Community of Christ (RLDS). Note the lack of hyphenization in "Latter Day," and the fact that both words are capitalized.

Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

This church also broke with the The Community of Christ over the issues of the ordination of women and other changes in that church. Note the lack of hyphenization in "Latter Day," and the fact that both words are capitalized.

http://www.theremnantchurch.com/

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS)

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church) is one of America's largest practitioners of plural marriage. The FLDS Church emerged in the 1930s largely because of the LDS Church's continued practice of excommunicating any practitioners of plural marriage. There is no connection between the FLDS Church and the LDS Church. Members of the FLDS church are mostly children or grandchildren of people who were excommunicated from the LDS church because of their practice of polygamy.

Note the lack of hyphenization in "Latter Day," and the fact that both words are capitalized.

Others

There are many other small denominations of restorationist churches. The purpose of this guide is not to list them all, but to make interested authors aware that they exist. The various denominations are not affiliated with each other, so it is important to correctly identify which denomination you are referring to in anything you may write. There is no "synod" or "umbrella group" of restorationist movements.

Mormon

The term Mormon was originally used as a pejorative to identify a person who believed in The Book of Mormon (some early critics also used the term Mormonite, but this quickly fell from favor.) While it may be tempting to use the label "Mormon" to identify all that that belong to a restorationist movement church, that would be incorrect. Using the term "Mormon" without additional modifiers has come to represent members of the Salt Lake City based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is not appropriate to identify members of the Community or Christ or members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as "Mormon" as that would be confusing. It becomes especially objectionable to the LDS church members to identify members of the FLDS as Mormons because the founders of that denomination were excommunicated from the LDS church.

ORGANIZATION AND LEADERSHIP

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is led at the highest levels by two presiding quorums: The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. (See LDS Newsroom - Organizational Structure of the Church)

From the highest levels the body of the Church is divided into Areas which contain Stakes amd Missions. Within a Stake, Local congregations are Wards and Branches, within a Mission local congregations are Branches.

For more detail of the organization of the LDS Church see: MormonFAQ-LDS Org

The Community of Christ (RLDS)

The Community of Christ is presided over by the First Presidency and The Council of Twelve Apostles. Congregations are communities and are led by a pastor.

For more detail on the organization of the Community of Christ see: MormonFAQ-CoC Org

BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

For the official declaration of the LDS beliefs and practices, go to Mormon.org.

Summary of Beliefs

First and foremost, the LDS church believes that God is a loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. The Bible is used as a principal book of scripture.

They consider themselves to be a Christian denomination and it is extremely offensive to them to consider them otherwise. But, they do not consider themselves to be Protestant. They are restorationist.

Some of the beliefs that differentiate the LDS Church from other churches include:

1) Modern day revelation and modern day prophets. Starting with Joseph Smith in 1830, the Church has a prophet that leads the church. The prophet generally gives counsel and guidance and there is no expectation of infallibility. There is also a strong belief in receiving revelation "line up line." We--meaning the membership and the prophet--learn only what we are able to apply in our lives. Free agency also plays a big role and everyone is free to choose to follow or not to follow.

2) Apostasy and Restoration. Mormons believe that Jesus established a church on the earth. As the Apostles were killed, there was a loss of authority in the Church. While there were many great and inspired people throughout time in many denominations, the authority and many teachings were lost and had to be restored.

3) Scripture. LDS and RLDS believe that the Bible is the word of God as it is written down by man. They do not hold it as the infallible Word of God as it may contain the errors of men. But, even though they say that, they are traditionally conservative in their Bible interpretation and are strong readers of the Bible. One Barna Research poll has members of the LDS Church reading the Bible more frequently than many protestant denominations. The Latter-day Saints also believe in an Open Canon. That means they believe in scripture in addition to the Bible. The Book of Mormon is considered scripture as well as the Doctrine and Covenants (called the Book of Commandments by some denominations) and the Pearl of Great Price (Not accepted by all non-LDS denominations.)

4) View of Salvation. Christ makes it possible for us to be saved. But he expects us to repent and come to him. This means he expects us to do what he asks. LDS believe he asks us to be baptized, live a goodly life, and repent as we make mistakes. Christ saves us, the ordinances such as baptism do not. But Jesus asks us to show our commitment to him through following his commandments and one cannot expect to be saved if he or she willfully and knowingly refuses the gospel ordinances. Everyone will have the opportunity to be saved and we are not able to say who is saved and who isn't as God will be the judge and not man.

5) Nature of God. Mormons believe in God the Father, in his son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. Where they differ from many other denominations is they don't believe they are one in substance as many trinitarians believe.

6) Deification. One belief that irritates some of the protestant denominations is the belief that God is our Heavenly Father, and that through Jesus Christ we might one day be like Him and be joint-Heirs with Christ in our Heavenly Father's presence. The doctrine is called deification by many theologians and was widely believed by some of the early church fathers in early Christianity.

Common Mis-characterizations

There are many things in the LDS church that are held up to ridicule by professional anti Mormons and by some of the protestant denominations. These things simply are not true.

1) God had sexual intercourse with Mary. This is not a doctrine of the LDS church. It is believed that Jesus is the literal Son of God, but the process by which he was concieved has never been a canonized doctrine of faith within the LDS church. It can't be denied that there may be some members and leaders who have made and do make this assumption, but this is not doctrine of the Church.

2) Mormons believe they will be Gods over their own planets and have endless celestial sex with their multiple Goddess wives. This is a gross mischaracterization of LDS belief. Mormons believe that we will be Joint-Heirs with Christ (see Deification above). While some individuals have speculated on what life would be like in heaven, none of those speculations have followed this claim that has been put forward by professional anti-Mormons. Mormons are offended by this claim.

3) Mormons believe they are saved by good works and ordinances. (See view of Salvation). Mormons believe they are saved by Jesus Christ. Without Christ, it wouldn't matter how many good works or ordinances you did, it would not lead to your salvation. Similarly, it matters not how much you profess Christ if you do not try to follow Him by obedience to what He taught.

4) Mormons believe you must practice polygamy to be saved. In the LDS church, plural marriage (or polygamy) was a practice and a belief that was appropriate for its time in the 1840's through the 1890's. In the 1890's its usefulness had mostly past as it ended the practice. They follow a Book of Mormon scripture which states plural marriage is not to be practiced except during times when God commands it.

5) African-Americans are cursed of God. This is not a belief in the LDS church. Unlike most denominations, African Americans have worshiped together with white members in LDS congregations since the 1830's. In the LDS church, Blacks were ordained to be members of the lay priesthood in the 1830's, but then in the 1840's under the leadership of Brigham Young the practice was instituted to deny African-Americans membership in the lay priesthood until 1978 (Just as a note, most protestant denominations also had no African-American ministers over white congregations until the late 1960s and early 1970s.) In justifying the practice of denying priesthood authority, the Mormons picked up the popular protestant explanation that black skin was the result of the curse of Cain. Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie stated that we should forget about all of those past explanations. For more information on this topic see our FAIR-wiki article on Blacks_and_the_priesthood

6) Mormons believe that they will be Gods of their own planets. This is purposeful distortion of the Deification concept discussed previously. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that God has a "work" that He does. This is expressed in the scripture:

"39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." - Moses 1:39

They believe that they participate in this work here on earth through missionary work, Church service, and geneology and Temple work, and that in the hereafter they will continue to work to God's glory. Many have speculated that they will do this in much the same way God has done on this earth, by creating and populating new worlds. This speculation has led to this particular claim by critics. For more information on this subject see our FAIRwiki article on Deification_of_man

TERMS

A

Aaronic Priesthood

This is one of the two Latter-Day Saints priesthoods. It is made up of three offices Deacon, Teacher and Priest each with increasing duties. In the LDS Church it is generally given to young men starting at age 12. In the RLDS and most other restorationist churches, it is generally given to adults. Capitalize both words. See priesthood.

Aaronic Order

A communal restorationist faith in and around Esk-Dale, Utah.

anti-Mormon

Those who actively campaign against Mormon beliefs or practices. Merely disbelieving Mormon doctrine, leaving the Church, or disagreeing with Church policy does not make someone anti-Mormon. Some anti-Mormons write books, pamphlets and articles, while others protest outside of church buildings and conference centers while the Mormons worship. For an example of anti-Mormon activities, see: ((link|url=http://www.fairlds.org/Anti-Mormons/Street_Preachers.html}}. Anti-Mormons generally share one of two ideologies: (a) Evangelical/Fundamentalist Christian groups or (b) secular/agnostic/atheist, usually former members. Authors should be aware that that some who pass themselves off as experts on Mormonism have their own ideologic agendas, and sometimes derive some or all of their income from material attacking the LDS church.

apostate

An inflammatory word used by some to denote a person who has been a member of a Church and who has been excommunicated or who has withdrawn from membership because of belief in doctrines that are not compatible with church doctrine. The term, however, should not be used to describe or label any church or person. If a church can trace its origins to another church, then it should be so stated. For example: The Restoration Church of Jesus Christ was formed by members of the RLDS Church in 1989. If an individual is no longer a member of the church, they should be referred to as a "former member" or some other less inflammatory term.

Apostle

A calling usually in reference to a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the RLDS Church it may be used as a title, Apostle John Smith. Use the term Elder in the LDS Church, Elder John Smith, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Area Authority Seventy

Articles of Faith

Auditorium, The

Capitalize when referencing to the building (RLDS) at Independence, Mo.

B

baptism for the dead

The practice of baptizing a person by proxy for a deceased person. Do not capitalize. This rite is performed most often in the temples of the LDS Church.

Barlow University

A college in Colorado City, Arizona operated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Barlow)

Beehive

A term used for a class of young women age 12 or 13.

Bishop

A lay person called to oversee the operation of a local congregation (LDS) or to assist in the temporal affairs of the church in a given area (RLDS). Capitalize when part of the title. Bishop John Smith otherwise lower case as in the bishop's storehouse. In the RLDS and Temple Lot, etc. bishops have the general oversight and responsibility for all the temporal affairs of the church and its members.

Book of Commandments

A book of scripture first published in 1833, consisting of revelations received by Joseph Smith. It was reissued in 1835 with additional revelations as the Doctrine and Covenants. The Book of Commandments is still used by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and several other restorationist churches. .

Book of the Law of the Lord

A book of scripture translated by James J. Strang in 1851. Used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strang) and related groups.

The Book of Mormon

A book of scripture used by most, but not all, of the restorationist churches. Translated by Joseph Smith, Jr. it is also known as The Record of the Nephites by some churches. The LDS Church's media style guide gives the name as The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ which is rarely used even within the LDS Church. Citing scriptures from the Book of Mormon. Because the Book of Mormon has two different verse numbering systems in use it is important to cite verses from it in a consistent way. The numbering system used by the church about which the story is concerning should be used with the alternate system used afterwards. The two systems are noted as either LDS or RLDS. For example: 1Ne. 1:1 (1Ne. 1:1 RLDS) You should do this even in cases where the two numbering systems agree.

Abbreviations of book titles The following are the accepted abbreviations.

• 1 Ne. 1 Nephi
• 2 Ne. 2 Nephi
• Jacob Jacob
• Enos Enos
• Jarom Jarom
• Omni Omni
• W of M Words of Mormon
• Mosiah Mosiah
• Alma Alma
• Hel. Helaman
• 3 Ne. 3 Nephi
• 4 Ne. 4 Nephi
• Morm. Mormon
• Ether Ether
• Moro. Moroni

Branch

Ecclesiastical unit in the LDS Church that is comparable in function to a ward but that is smaller. It is presided over by a Branch President.

Brigham Young University

Also known as BYU or "The Y". A University in Provo, Utah operated by the LDS church. It is one of the largest private Universities in the West with approximately 27,000 daytime students. It has received many national recognitions and is ranked high in several categories. http://www.byu.edu

Brigham Young University-Idaho

A University in Rexburg, Idaho operated by the LDS church. Formerly known as "Ricks College." http://www.byui.edu/

Brigham Young University-Hawaii

A University in Laie, Hawaii operated by the LDS church. http://www.byuh.edu/

BYU Jerusalem Center

The Jerusalem Center is Brigham Young University's center for study in Jerusalem. Students enroll through the BYU campus in Provo, Utah, travel to the Holy Land, and live in the Center for programs that extend for two or four months. Students study a core curriculum that focuses on Old and New Testament, ancient and modern Near Eastern studies, and language (Hebrew and Arabic). Classroom study is built around field trips that cover the length and breadth of the Holy Land. http://ce.byu.edu/jc/

C

Celestial Kingdom

The highest of degree of glory in the LDS concept of heaven. It is compared to the glory of the sun It is sub-divided into three heavens or degrees (D&C 131:1-4).

D

Deacon

An office in the Aaronic Priesthood. In the LDS Church this office is generally given to boys at the age of 12. In the Community of Christ (RLDS) it is held by adults, both men and women. This office generally performs non-ecclesiastical duties such as collecting offerings and passing the sacrament (communion) to the congregation.

Doctrine and Covenants

E

Elder

There are three uses for the term "Elder." First it is a level of priesthood that belongs to most male members between the ages of 18 and 50. Secondly, it is the title used when referring to all male LDS missionaries who posses that priesthood. Third, it is the title used when referring to members of the the Quorum of the Twelve, or the Seventy. For example, Dallin H. Oaks may be referred to as "Elder Oaks."

Endowment

Ritualistic-drama ceremony given in LDS temples that teaches man about the creation, fall, atonement, and how man may return to God's presence and be exalted.

Exaltation

In LDS belief, exaltation refers to the deification of men and women in the highest heaven of the Celestial Kingdom. This is reserved for those who are heirs of God and join-heirs with Jesus Christ (See Romans 8:16-18). They will become "gods, even sons of God" (See D&C 76:58-59) and thus participate in the Divine Council (See Psalm 82).

F

Family Home Evening 

Family Prayer

Fasting

Fast Offerings

Fast and Testimony Meeting

On the first Sunday of each month, the members of the church fast. Then when they come to church, instead of their usual meeting they have an open pulpit and allow the members to stand and give their testimonies.

First Presidency

The highest presiding council of the Church composed of the President of the Church who is the Presiding High Priest over the whole Church and usually two counselors who are also High Priests. All three are referred to by the the title of "President." The RLDS and the LDS Churches both have a First Presidency.

G

Garments

After a member of the church goes to the temple, they wear special garments as their under clothing as a sacred reminder of covenants made with God. They are similar in form to boxer shorts and an under shirt. Some anti-Mormons mockingly refer to this as "magic underwear" or other derogatory names which behavior is very offensive to the members of the church.

General Authorities

Church Leaders who have authority in the world wide church and who are not restricted in authority to certain geographical regions alone. The First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the First and Second Quorums of Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric are all general authorities.

General Conference

The first weekend in April and the first weekend in October, all of the General Authorities of the church will meet in Salt Lake City in the conference center. They will give sermons and talks on a variety of subjects. It is broadcast all over the world and listened to by the members of the LDS church. You can see the talks from General Conference here http://www.lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,49-1-775,00.html

Gift of the Holy Ghost

The right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost. This right is given only after proper and authorized baptism and is conferred by the laying on of hands by those who hold Melchizedek Priesthood. It acts as a cleansing agent to purify a person and sanctify them from sin.

Godhead

• The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost acting in a quorum. In the LDS teach that "the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." (D&C 130:22)
• The term "Godhead" as found in the KJV New Testament is archaic and means "godhood"--the quality or state of being divine. LDS do not generally use the term in this fashion although it is in KJV version of the Bible which is used by the Church.

H

High Priest

This is a level in the LDS priesthood given to many males over the age of 50, or to those who have served in Ward or Stake leadership positions.

Home Teaching

Homosexuality

I

Institute

J

Jesus Christ

Joseph Smith 

K

L

Laurel

M

Melchizedek Priesthood

Mia Maid

N

O

P

Pastor

The leader of the local congregation in the RLDS Church.

Patriarch

Patriarchal Blessings

Pearl of Great Price

A book of scripture held sacred by the LDS Church. It contains various texts including:

• The Book of Moses: Joseph Smith's retranslation of the early chapters of Genesis.
• The Book of Abraham: Joseph Smith's translations of some papyrus that was discovered with some mummies by Michael Chandler.
• Joseph Smith - Matthew: Part of Joseph Smith's retranslation of Matthew, chapters 23 and 24.
• Joseph Smith - History: Joseph's account of early events of the Church, taken from his History of the Church. And,
• The Articles of Faith: A brief statment of basic beliefs of the Church, originally part of a letter by Joseph Smith to John Wentworth, Editor of the Chicago Democrat who inquired of Joseph about the Church.

Priest

A level in the LDS priesthood held by young men ages 16-18. It is also often held by newer male converts in the LDS church. In the Community of Christ (RLDS) the office of Priest as with other Priesthood offices is generally held by adults, both men and women.

Primary

The children's organization in the LDS church.

Q

R

Relief Society

the woman's organization within the LDS church. All women within the church belong to this organization.

S

Sabbath

Seminary

Stake

Ecclesiastical unit comprised of wards and branches and presided over by a Stake President.

Stake Conference

A meeting of the entire stake. It generally takes place twice a year. No ward or branch meetings are held on the Sunday when Stake Conference is held.

T

Teacher

There are two uses of this word among LDS. The first is the familiar term teacher, as in a Sunday School teacher. The second usage is for a position in the LDS priesthood that is generally reserved for young men age 14-16.

Telestial Kingdom

The lowest kingdom of Glory in the LDS view of heaven. It is compared to the glory of the stars.

Temple

The temple is not a church building for normal Sunday meetings. It is a place of sacred worship and ceremonies performed for the living and on behalf of the dead.

Terrestrial Kingdom

The middle kingdom of Glory in the LDS view of heaven. It is compared to the glory of the moon.

Testimony

This has two uses within the LDS church. First it is a description of belief, as in "He has a testimony of the gospel." Secondly, it is used to describe the verbal expression of that belief, as in "He bore his testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

Tithing 

Tithing has been defined by the Lord as "one-tenth of [a person's] interest annually" (D&C 119:4). Generally this has been interpreted to mean "increase." The Church has not defined "interest" or "increase" specifically and so it is up to the member to determine what it is.

U

V

W

Ward

Ecclesiastical unit presided over by a Bishop. Members are assigned to attend wards by geographical location.

Welfare

Word of Wisdom 

The health code followed by practicing Latter-day Saints (Mormons.) The current interpretation includes not drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, taking illegal drugs, drinking coffee, or black or green tea. Some Latter-day Saints in the United States have further interpreted this to mean they should not drink any caffeinated beverages although many have not.

X

Y

Z

Zion

There are several definitions:

• The name of the people of the Lord (Moses 7:18).
• A city built by Enoch and his people that was translated (Moses 7:18-69).
• The City of Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:6-7).
• The New Jerusalem that is to be built in Jackson County Missouri (D&C 84:1-4).
• All of North and South America (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 362).