What Is The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints

Restorationism And Prophetic Leadership

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

Finding Aids For Latter

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

Succession After Smith’s Death

Smith left ambiguous or contradictory succession instructions that led to a crisis in the early church. Several church members claimed rights to leadership.

An August 8, 1844 conference that established Brigham Young’s leadership is the source of an oft-repeated legend. Multiple journal and eyewitness accounts from those who followed Young state that when Young spoke regarding the claims of succession by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he appeared to look or sound like the late Smith. Although many of these accounts were written years after the event, there were contemporary records.

Most Latter Day Saints followed Young, but some aligned with other various people claiming to be Smith’s successor. One of these was Smith’s own son, Joseph Smith III, who in 1860 led the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now called the Community of Christ church. Many of these smaller groups were spread throughout the Midwestern United States, especially in Independence, Missouri. Reverberations of the succession crisis continue to the present day.

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Adoption Of The Current Name

In the late 1830s, Smith founded a new headquarters in Far West, Missouri. At Far West on April 26, 1838, Smith recorded a revelation from God renaming the organization the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church was known by this name until after Smiths death in 1844 occasionally the name would be written with a hyphen between the words Latter and Day.

After Smiths death, competing Latter Day Saint denominations organized under the leadership of a number of successors. The largest of these, led by Brigham Young, continued using Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints until incorporation in 1851 by the legislature of the provisional State of Deseret, when the church standardized the spelling of its name as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which included a hyphenated Latter-day and a British-style lower-case d. In January 1855, the legislature of Utah Territory re-enacted the charter which incorporated the church under this name.

In 1876, the LDS Church issued a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants which contains the text of significant revelations received by Joseph Smith. In this new editionâthe first revision since before Smiths deathâthe capitalization and hyphenation of the churchs name in the 1838 revelation to Smith was changed to reflect the name format the church had since adopted:

Histories Of Local Church Units

Many histories of wards, stakes, and missions are available at the Family History Library and the Church History Library. These unit histories sometimes include biographical sketches of members, photographs, maps, lists of ward officers, and a history of the local community. For books and articles that give short histories of many local Church units see:

• Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History of the Church cited fully in .

The Church History Library has manuscript histories, and historical reports for local Church units from the 1830s to 1983. Since 1983, the yearly histories have been known as annual reports. Wards and branches submit their reports to the stake or mission, which compiles them and submits the reports to the Church History Library. These records often include the names of the Church units officers and teachers. Histories of the Mormon Battalion, the Pioneers of 1847, , and other prominent groups are also available.

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What Is A Temple

Temples existed throughout biblical times. These buildings were considered the house of the Lord . Latter-day Saint temples are likewise considered houses of the Lord by Church members.

To Latter-day Saints, temples are sacred buildings in which they are taught about the central role of Christ in Gods plan of salvation and their personal relationship with God.

In temples, members of the Church make covenants, or promises, with God to live a virtuous and faithful life. They also participate in ordinances on behalf of their deceased ancestors.

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are also used to perform marriage ceremonies in which the faithful are promised eternal life with their families. For members of the Church, family is of central importance.

Mormons Unveil New Official Logo At Crowd

Leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sat 6 feet apart inside an empty room Saturday as the faith carried out its signature conference while adhering to social distancing guidelines

SALT LAKE CITY Leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sat 6 feet apart inside an empty room as the faith carried out its signature conference Saturday by adhering to social distancing guidelines that offered a stark reminder of how the global coronavirus pandemic is affecting religious practices.

Their livestreamed speeches didnt dwell heavily on the pandemic as they instead stuck to plans made last year to make the conference a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of events that led to the creation of the church by founder Joseph Smith. Speakers spoke at length about the tenets he established, including why men have priesthood powers but not women.

Church President Russell M. Nelson also unveiled a new church logo that continued his push to rebrand how the faith is known and recognized around the world. The new symbol features a drawing of Thorvaldsens marble Christus statue under an arch and on top of the church name with the words Jesus Christ larger than the rest.

When we remove the Lords name from the name of his church, we inadvertently remove him as the central focus of our worship and our lives, said Nelson, explaining the logo.

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Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter

A new symbol was introduced by the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and urged people to join in a fast to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Russell M. Nelson said the new symbol will help continue the effort to focus on the Churchs name.

Nelson announced the new symbol during the Saturday evening session of the churchs General Conference.

portrays the resurrected, living Lord reaching out to embrace all who will come unto Him, President Nelson said. This symbol should feel familiar to many, as we have long identified the restored gospel with the living, resurrected Christ.

The new symbol will be used on official literature, news and events of the Church Nelson said. It will remind all that this is the Saviors Church and that all we do, as members of His Church, centers on Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Nelson also encouraged members and those from around the world to fast on Good Friday, April 10 to help resolve the COVID-19 pandemic. He encouraged people to fast for two meals or 24-hours.

The church has more than 16 million members worldwide.

Informal And Abbreviated Names

Because of the belief in the Book of Mormon among Joseph Smiths followers, in the 1830s people outside the church began to refer to its members as Mormonites or Mormons and the church as the Mormon Church. Smith and other church leaders considered these informal or abbreviated terms to be derogatory and inappropriate, as editorialized in 1834:

Others may call themselves by their own, or by other names, and have the privilege of wearing them without our changing them or attempting so to do but we do not accept the above title, nor shall we wear it as our name, though it may be lavished out upon us double to what it has heretofore been.

âSecond Elder Oliver Cowdery,

Today, it remains common for individuals and media outside of the church to refer to it as the Mormon Church. Church leaders have resisted these practices and have asked members not to refer to the church in these ways.

In 2001, the LDS Church Saints issued a style guide on its name, requesting that those writing about the church adhere to the following guidelines:

• In the first reference, the full name of the Church is preferred: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Please avoid the use of Mormon Church, LDS Churchor the Church of the Latter-day Saints.
• When a shortened reference is needed, the terms the Church or the Church of Jesus Christ are encouraged.
• When referring to Church members, the term Latter-day Saints is preferred, though Mormons is acceptable.

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The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter

MormonismChurch of Christ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

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

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

How Did The Church Begin

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith in New York State in 1830. This era is often referred to as the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant religious revival, in which preachers including Smith called for the restoration of Christianity, which they saw as corrupt.

According to Smiths account, he was visited in the 1820s by an angel called Moroni, who revealed to him the location of a new revelation from God, called the Book of Mormon. It was discovered by Smith in the form of gold plates or tablets, buried near his family farm in New York State.

The Book of Mormon includes stories about the ancient peoples of the North American continent, who had travelled there from Israel, as recorded by the prophet Mormon and his son, the angel Moroni. It claims that Jesus visited the Americas after his resurrection. Smith said it was written in a new language which he alone could translate, and as he gradually converted the texts into English they revealed the structure of a new religious movement which he then established.

Gradually Smith gathered a group of followers, often by converting people who were already interested in restorationist versions of Christianity, and tried to settle the nascent church in several towns.

In 1844 Smith and his brother Hyrum were charged with riot and treason and were shot dead by a mob while being held in an Illinois jail awaiting trial.

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The Church Will Never Be Destroyed

Thousands of years ago, the Lord said He would set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, . . . and it shall stand for ever . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that kingdom. Although there have been periods of worldwide apostasy in the past, the Lord has promised that His Church will remain until Jesus Christ returns to reign personally on the earth. As members of the Church, it is our privilege to enjoy many blessings, to share those blessings with others, and to prepare for the Saviors coming.

The basic beliefs and traditions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a cultural impact that distinguishes church members, practices and activities. The culture is geographically concentrated in the Mormon Corridor in the United States, and is present to a lesser extent in many places of the world where Latter-day Saints live.

The majority of Latter-day Saints live outside the United States. Therefore, even though the global differences are important, there are some common traits around Latter-day Saints worldwide.

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What Is The Position Of The Church Regarding Race Relations

The gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. The Book of Mormon states, Black and white, bond and free, male and female all are alike unto God . This is the Churchs official teaching.

People of all races have always been welcomed and baptized into the Church since its beginning. In fact, at the end of his life in 1844, Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opposed slavery. During this time some black males were ordained to the priesthood. At some point the Church stopped ordaining male members of African descent, although there were a few exceptions. It is not known precisely why, how or when this restriction began in the Church, but it has ended. Church leaders sought divine guidance regarding the issue and in 1978 extended the priesthood to all worthy male members. The Church immediately began ordaining members to priesthood offices wherever they attended throughout the world.

The Church unequivocally condemns racism, including any and all past racism by individuals both inside and outside the Church. In 2006, then Church president Gordon B. Hinckley declared that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ. Let us all recognize that each of us is a son or daughter of our Father in Heaven, who loves all of His children .

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Cosmology And Plan Of Salvation

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

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

Critique Of The United States

The Book of Mormon can be read as a critique of the during Smith’s lifetime. Historian of religion called the Book of Mormon “a document of profound social protest”, and Bushman “found the book thundering no to the state of the world in Joseph Smith’s time.” In the of , class inequality was a major concern as fiscal downturns and the economy’s transition from guild-based artisanship to private business sharpened . in New York limited access to the vote, and the culture of civil discourse and mores surrounding liberty allowed social elites to ignore and delegitimize populist participation in public discourse. Ethnic injustice was also prominent, as Americans typically stereotyped American Indians as ferocious, lazy, and uncivilized. Meanwhile, Antebellum disestablishment and denominational proliferation could be seen as undermining religious authority through ubiquity as “the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently”, producing sectarian confusion that, for some, only obfuscated the path to spiritual security.

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