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Understanding Mormonism: Beliefs & Practices

Overview of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints

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Perets Arnaud
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102 views16 pages

Understanding Mormonism: Beliefs & Practices

Overview of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints

Uploaded by

Perets Arnaud
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints

(Mormonism)
Group 4 Comparative Religions
Lecturer: Rev. Roland Okah
2
Outline
 Introduction
 The Founding of Mormonism
 Key Beliefs and Practices
 Sacred Texts
 Doctrines
 How to Evangelize to Mormons
 Conclusion
Introduction (1/2) 3

Mormons are a religious group that embraces the concepts


of Christianity as well as revelations made by their founder,
Joseph Smith. They primarily belong to The Church of
Christ, but was latter on changed in 1834 to the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or LDS, which is
headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has more than
16 million members worldwide. Another Mormon
denomination, the Community of Christ, is centered in
Independence, Missouri, and has about 250,000 members

The religion was officially founded in 1830 when The Book


of Mormon was published
Introduction (2/2) 4

Today, the LDS church is most


prevalent in the United States, Latin
America, Canada, and Europe, the
Philippines, Africa and parts of
Oceania. While Mormons embrace
many Christian beliefs, they have
their own distinct set of philosophies,
values and practices.
5
The Founding of Mormonism
Joseph Smith Jr. who
happened to be the
founder of the Mormon
Church was born in
Vermont on December
23, 1805. He founded the
Mormon Church when he
was twenty four years old
in the state of New York
on April 6, 1830 Joseph Smith (1805-1844)
The Founding of Mormonism 6
When Smith was 14, he said
while praying in the woods, he
received a vision from God and
Jesus, who told him not to join
any Christian denominational
churches. Three years later,
Smith claimed that an angel
named Moroni appeared to him

He asked the Son which church


he should join. Claimed Joseph,
“I was answered that I must
join none of them, for they
were all wrong… that all their
creeds were an abomination in
his sight; that those professors
were all corrupt…”
The Founding of Mormonism 7

Moroni revealed that Smith had been selected to


translate the Book of Mormon, a sacred text that
was written around the 4th century and named after
Moroni’s father, Mormon. According to Moroni, this
spiritual book contained information about the
ancient people who inhabited the Americas. He
revealed that the book was inscribed on golden
plates near Palmyra, New York, which was close to
where Smith lived at the time
The Founding of Mormonism 8

Although the plates were first


revealed to him on
September 22, 1823, Smith
said he was not allowed to
retrieve them until
September 1827. The Book of
Mormon was translated and
published in 1830. Smith also
asserted that John the Baptist
appeared to him while he
was translating the Book of
Mormon and instructed him
to restore the church by
preaching the true gospel

Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA


The Founding of Mormonism 9
Smith was criticized and persecuted
by many for teaching his new ideas.
In February 1844, Smith and his
brother were jailed on charges of
treason. On June 27, 1844, both
Smith and his brother were
murdered in jail by an anti-Mormon
mob in Carthage, Illinois. After
Smith died, the church divided.
Many Mormons followed Brigham
Young, who became Smith’s
successor. Young led a large group of
persecuted Mormons from Illinois to
search for religious freedom. In
1847, Young and the other pioneers
reached Utah’s Salt Lake Valley
Brigham Young (1801-1877)
Key Beliefs and Practices 10

• 1. Apostasy and Restoration: Mormons claim that “total”


apostasy overcame the church following apostolic times, and that
the Mormon Church (founded in 1830) is the “restored church.”
•
2. God: Mormons claim that God the Father was once a man and
that he then progressed to godhood (that is, he is a now-exalted,
immortal man with a flesh-and-bone body)
•
3. Polytheism: Mormons believe that the Trinity consists not of
three persons in one God but rather of three distinct gods.
According to Mormonism, there are potentially many thousands
of gods besides these
11
Key Beliefs and Practices
4. Exaltation of Humans: Mormons believe that humans, like God the
Father, can go through a process of exaltation to godhood

5. Jesus Christ: Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was the firstborn
spirit-child of the heavenly Father and a heavenly Mother. Jesus then
progressed to deity in the spirit world

6. Sin and Atonement: Mormons believe that Adam’s transgression


was a noble act that made it possible for humans to become mortal, a
necessary step on the path to exaltation to godhood. They think that
Christ’s atonement secures immortality for virtually all people,
whether they repent and believe or not

7. They believe in the baptism of the dead


12
Sacred Texts
The sacred text of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-
Day Saints is the Book of Mormon, revealed by Moroni to
Smith. It is a a sacred text that was written around the 4th
century and named after Moroni’s father, Mormon
The Book of Mormon
Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon confirms
information found in the Holy Bible
The text gives an account of ancient prophets who lived in
the Americas. It covers events that occurred from about
2500 B.C. to 400 A.D
According to the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ appeared
and preached to the Nephites in the Americas after his
crucifixion
Comparison of Doctrines of Mormonism and Christianity 13
Comparison of Doctrines of Mormonism and Christianity 14
How to Evangelize to Mormons 16
 Be prayerful: We are called to pray without season (1 Thess 5:17). Pray that God
would grant you the wisdom you need to clearly and carefully communicate the
truth to your Mormon friends

 Understand Their believes: While there is no need to believe history and culture,
it can only help if we know some of the basics

 Define your terms: Mormonism like other Christian religions uses Christian
vocabulary but does not use a biblical dictionary. For this reason, confusion can
arise while witnessing. Always be prepared to ask what do you mean by that?
Christian also

 Know Christianity and the bible well

 Love the person

 Proclaim grace and forgiveness when sharing the Gospel with Mormons
Thank you 16

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