Brigham Young’s Early Theocratic Leadership
Following the death of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young stated that the Church should be led by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles #Conference_of_August_8,_1844″ rel=”nofollow”> Succession Crisis). Later, after the migration to Utah had begun, Brigham Young was sustained as a member of the First Presidency on December 25, 1847, , and then as President of the Church on October 8, 1848. .
One of the reasons the Saints had chosen the Great Basin as a settling place was that the area was at the time outside the territorial borders of the United States, which Young had blamed for failing to protect Mormons from political opposition from the states of Missouri and Illinois. However, in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico ceded the area to the United States. As a result, Brigham Young sent emissaries to Washington, D.C. with a proposal to create a vast State of Deseret, of which Young would naturally be the first governor. Instead, Congress created the much smaller Utah Territory in 1850, and Young was appointed governor in 1851. Because of his religious position, Young exercised much more practical control over the affairs of Mormon and non-Mormon settlers than a typical territorial governor of the time.
For most of the 19th century, the LDS Church maintained an ecclesiastical court system parallel to federal courts, and required Mormons to use the system exclusively for civil matters, or face church discipline.
What Is The Latter
For Latter-day Saints, mortal existence is seen in the context of a great sweep of history, from a pre-earth life where the spirits of all humankind lived with Heavenly Father to a future life in His presence where continued growth, learning and improving will take place. Life on earth is regarded as a temporary state in which men and women are tried and testedand where they gain experiences obtainable nowhere else. God knew humans would make mistakes, so He provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, who would take upon Himself the sins of the world. To members of the Church, physical death on earth is not an end but the beginning of the next step in Gods plan for His children.
They Believe Jesus Came To America
There are several ways that Mormonism differs from traditional Christianity, but few are greater than the belief that after Jesus died and was resurrected, he descended from the heavens in North America. Supposedly, Jesus wasn’t the first ancient Jew to make it to America though. According to ABC News, 600 years before the birth of Christ, a tribe of Israelites had already made the daunting trek across the Atlantic Ocean to America.
Since the Jews had settled in America, it made sense that when Jesus died, he’d do a world tour to visit all of his people after his resurrection, so this is exactly what he did, coming over to America on a ship, according to ABC News. In addition, Latter-day Saints believe that when Jesus comes back to Earth, he will of course go to Jerusalem first the holiest city of Christianity but after that, he’s coming right to America. Missouri, to be more specific.
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Gethsemane And Crucifixion In The Ensign
Using the same methodology described for the Millennial Star and the Improvement Era, we searched the Ensign magazine between 1971 and 2020 for artistic images of Gethsemane and the Crucifixion. The Ensign began in January 1971 as the official English magazine for adults of the Church, subsuming and replacing other Church periodicals such as the Millennial Star and Improvement Era . At the end of 2020, the Ensign was discontinued, replaced by the worldwide Liahona magazine. In comparison to the Star and Era, the Ensign historically made greater use of visual imagery to accompany the printed word. We identified 100 total representations of Christs Crucifixion in the Ensign. Of those 100, 53 were smaller than a quarter page, 24 were a quarter page up to just under a half page, 9 were between half a page and just smaller than three-quarters of a page, and 14 were three-quarters of a page or larger.
In comparison, we found 215 total representations of Christ in Gethsemane in the Ensign. Of those 215, 131 were smaller than a quarter page, 39 were a quarter page to just under a half page, 13 were a half page to just smaller than three-quarters of a page, and 32 were three-quarters of a page or larger. These data are summarized in table 2.37
Table 2. Ensign Crucifixion and Gethsemane Images, 19712020
| Crucifixion Images | |
|---|---|
| 73 | 215 |
The Founder Joseph Smith Jr
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. and five associates on April 6, 1830, in Fayette, New York.
When Smith was fourteen years old, he claimed to have had a religious experience, in which both God the Father and Jesus Christ spoke to him and instructed him not to affiliate himself with any denomination. Three years later, he reported being visited again by a heavenly angel named Moroni who told him that a book written on gold plates had been buried and Smith had been charged with its protection.
Smith allegedly retrieved the gold plates in 1827 and began the process of translating their engravings. On March 26, 1830, when his dictation was complete, Smith published the work as the Book of Mormon. Shortly thereafter, on April 6, 1830, Smith also founded the first Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints church.
To avoid conflict and persecution encountered for his claims, Smith and his followers moved to Kirtland, Ohio early in 1831. Here the church’s first temple was built and some Mormons believed erroneously that Jesus’ Millennial reign had begun. However, the controversy and mob violence that had plagued Smith followed him to Kirtland and in early 1832, Joseph was dragged from his bedroom in the dead of night, tarred and feathered, and left for dead.
In February, 1844, Smith announced his candidacy for President of the United States, with Sidney Rigdon as his vice-presidential running mate.
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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.
They Weave Aliens Into Their Faith
Most religions, particularly Christians, have a difficult time on the subject of aliens. Given the Christian doctrine stating that salvation is only possible to those who accept Jesus , it’s hard to then work in where aliens fit into the picture, assuming that Jesus didn’t live a double life on some faraway planet and die for their sins too.
Mormons, however, don’t have as much trouble making sense of extraterrestrials, even going so far as to embrace them. According to LDS Living, aliens aren’t just out there, they were also made by the same God who created us, and they made regular visits to Earth throughout history. While it may appear that Mormons conflate aliens with angels, their primary evidence of extraterrestrials is indeed through angelic interventions as described in the Bible, like Daniel in the lion’s den, or the angels circulating during the birth of Christ. That said, this doesn’t necessarily mean little green aliens with giant eyes, as explained, “Obviously, God’s sons and daughters would be of his species, would resemble him. Consequently, people on other worlds would be like us, because we are all his children.”
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Read A Brief Summary Of This Topic
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , also called Mormonism, church that traces its origins to a religion founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in 1830. The term Mormon, often used to refer to members of this church, comes from the Book of Mormon, which was published by Smith in 1830 use of the term is discouraged by the church. Now an international movement, the church is characterized by a unique understanding of the Godhead, emphasis on family life, belief in continuing revelation, desire for order, respect for authority, and missionary work. Its members obey strict prohibitions on alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea and promote education and a vigorous work ethic.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and had more than 16 million members by the early 21st century. A significant portion of the churchs members live in the United States and the rest in Latin America, Canada, Europe, Africa, the Philippines, and parts of Oceania.
Another Mormon denomination, the Community of Christ , is headquartered in Independence, Missouri, and had a membership of approximately 250,000 in the early 21st century.
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.
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Tithing And Other Donations
Church members are expected to donate one-tenth of their income to support the operations of the church, including construction of temples, meetinghouses, and other buildings, and other church uses. Members are also encouraged to abstain from food and drink on the first Sunday of each month for at least two consecutive meals. They donate at least the cost of the two skipped meals as a fast offering, which the church uses to assist the poor and needy and expand its humanitarian efforts.
All able LDS young men are expected to serve a two-year, full-time proselytizing mission. Missionaries do not choose where they serve or the language in which they will proselytize, and are expected to fund their missions themselves or with the aid of their families. Prospective male missionaries must be at least 18 years old and no older than 25, not yet married, have completed secondary school, and meet certain criteria for physical fitness and spiritual worthiness. Missionary service is not compulsory, nor is it required for young men to retain their church membership.
Unmarried women 19 years and older may also serve as missionaries, generally for a term of 18 months. However, the LDS Church emphasizes that women are not under the same expectation to serve as male members are, and may serve solely as a personal decision. There is no maximum age for missionary service for women.
Images Of The Crucifixion In Latter
To gather data on paintings that hang in the foyers and hallways of Latter-day Saint buildings, we informally used social-media channels to ask willing individuals to share with us information about artwork in the hallways and foyers of their chapels. Participants were asked to count and report in their respective meetinghouses how many total paintings of the Savior hang in the hallways, how many paintings of Christ in Gethsemane are displayed in the hallways and, how many paintings of Christ on the cross hang there. We note that by policy, a typical Latter-day Saint Sunday meetinghouse does not allow any paintings, statues, murals, or mosaics in their main chapel interior, where the congregation meets to partake of the sacrament. Those who have responsibility to care for the building, however, may choose approved artwork to adorn the hallways, offices, and classrooms of Church meetinghouses.20
Moreover, the May 2020 guidelines that require an image of Christ to be hung in the welcoming foyer of all Church meetinghouses limit the choice to twenty-two approved paintings. There are images of Christ ministering, teaching, sitting at the Last Supper, suffering in Gethsemane, and rising from the tomb, but there are no images depicting his Crucifixion.24 Thus, even if a local Church leader or facility manager wanted to order an image of Christs Crucifixion to be displayed in a foyer or hallway, no such options are currently available in the Church-approved facilities catalog.
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The Untold Truth Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter
A lot of people get their knowledge of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from one or both of two sources Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of “South Park” and the musical “The Book of Mormon ” and the sharply dressed young men who show up at your door, asking if you can spare a minute to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. Both sources have their facts, and both sources have their fictions, mostly from misplaced assumptions. Consider that, in a 2012 survey of the general American public, the Pew Research Center reported that over 60% of people admitted to knowing either “not much” or “nothing” about the Mormon faith. In the same study, people were asked if they thought Mormonism was a Christian faith, which it absolutely is, yet only 51% of those surveyed said that it was.
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 MD 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.
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Atonement Images In The Millennial Star Improvement Era And Ensign
In this section, we examine how Christs suffering in Gethsemane and his Crucifixion on Calvary were portrayed in three major magazines for adult Church members: the Millennial Star , the Improvement Era , and the Ensign . We included images of Christ praying or suffering in Gethsemane but excluded images of olive trees or the betrayal of Christ . We also excluded any documentary or location photographs that were not considered artistic expressions. We included any representation of Christ hanging on, being nailed to, or being taken down from the cross, and any representation with Christ on the cross in the background. We excluded any implicit or imminent Crucifixion representations including the crown of thorns on Christ, Christ carrying his cross, his trial before Pilate and scourging, the Christus statue , and any images of Golgotha without Christ represented.
Figure 5.
History Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter
The history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is typically divided into three broad time periods:
During the 20th century, the church grew substantially and became an international organization. Distancing itself from polygamy, the church began engaging, first with mainstream American culture, and then with international cultures, particularly those of Latin America, by sending out thousands of missionaries across the globe. The church became a strong and public champion of monogamy and the nuclear family, and at times played a prominent role in political matters. Among the official changes to the organization during the modern area include the ordination of black men to the priesthood in 1978, reversing a policy originally instituted by Brigham Young. The church has also periodically changed its temple ceremony, gradually omitting certain controversial elements. There are also periodic changes in the structure and organization of the church, mainly to accommodate the organization’s growth and increasing international presence.
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