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Mormonism
Questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly known as Mormonism.
3,455 Questions
The requirements for the On My Honor Youth Award are:
(1) complete the requirements for the Duty to God certificate for deacons (or for another Duty to God certificate).
(2) achieve the Scout rank of Star in the United States, or equivalent Scouting award in other countries.
The requirements for the On My Honor Adult Award are:
(1) Be registered and participate in a Church-sponsored Scouting unit.
- (2) Be at least 21 years of age.
- (3) Have served a minimum of three years in the Aaronic Priesthood or Primary.
- (4) Be thoroughly familiar with the Aaronic Priesthood or Primary program, as shown in an interview with the bishop.
- (5) Be worthy, as shown in an interview with the bishop.
- (6) Complete the basic training for Scouting leaders.
To learn more about recieving the On My Honor award, check out the "Related Links" below.
Do Mormons own Retirement Homes?
There are retirement homes which are owned or operated by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church). The Church itself does not own or operate any retirement homes.
Why did the Mormons fly the eastern us?
The early saint were given many different revelations telling them to leave the Eastern US. Some reasons are:
- Wars are coming to the US (perhaps the Civil War)
- New Jerusalem/Zion is in west of the Eastern US.
- People in the East sought to destroy the Church.
Even if the Saints weren't giving a reason by the Lord, just the fact that He told them to is a reason.
The saints left the Midwest and headed for the far west due to extreme amounts of persecution in the Mid-West.
Why don't Mormons believe in the Trinity?
Mormons "... believe in God the Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." (First Article of Faith, Joseph Smith).
However, they also believe 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." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22, Revelation given to Joseph Smith, 1843)
The doctrine of the Trinity requires one to believe that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are one in body. Mormons do not believe that. They believe them to be one in purpose.
In addition, most Mormons have a very low opinion of how the doctrine of the Trinity was introduced into Christianity. They believe that this doctrine that was added to Christian theology hundreds of years after Christ's death and the death of the original 12 Apostles. After a great and lengthy debate, this doctrine was barely passed by a slight majority of Christian leaders, and then was spread throughout the Church over which Constantine, a former pagan, presided.
This doctrine, which was inspired mostly by the earlier Greek philosophers, was soon entwined in the writings of the earlier Apostles as the church's scribes replaced or reworded the original scriptures with words that taught the council's doctrine of the Trinity. As an example, the original writings in 1 John 5:7-8 used to read:
"There are three that bear witness: the spirit, the water and the blood and these three are one."
After the doctrine of the Trinity was developed, the scribes changed this scripture to read:
"There are three that bear witness in Heaven: the Father; the Word and the Spirit and these three are one; and there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood and these three are one."
The oldest Greek copy of the New Testament was found in 1844 by Constantine Tischendorf in a monetary at the foot of Mt. Sinai. This manuscript is called the Sinaitic Manuscript or the Codex of Sinaiticus and it was translated into English recently and is now on the web at http://www.sinaiticus.com. This manuscript is believed to be the oldest Greek copy of the New Testament in the world.
If you go to this copy of the New Testament, you will find that 1 John 5:7-8 reads as follows:
"For they that testify are three, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are one."
From this oldest copy of the scriptures we find that the later copies of 1 John 5:7-8 were intentionally altered to include the doctrine of the Trinity as quoted in the previous paragraph. This is true for all the other scriptural passages in which the doctrine of the Trinity is now included in the Bible. This doctrine was added by Catholic scribes to convince Bible readers that the doctrine of the Trinity was Biblical.
Multiple Christian scholars have stated that the doctrine of the Trinity cannot be found in the Bible. The philosophies encapsulated in the doctrine of the Trinity, however can be found in the teachings of Plato and Aristotle. Therefore, the nature of God that Christian require LDS members to accept to be considered Christians is built upon the foundation of Greek philosophy not Biblical teachings by the Hebrew, or by Christ or his Apostles. For a more details discussion of the concepts presented above, see the writings of Dr. Stephen E. Robinson, Ph.D. from Duke University in Biblical Studies and currently on the faculty at Brigham Young University.
The God of the Greeks is without body, parts or passion, and apostate Christianity adopted these Greek teachings as Christian doctrine, but this is NOT the beliefs of the Hebrews, or the teachings of Christ and His Apostles. These claims about the Hellenization of Christian doctrine are discussed by many Christian scholars. It is not something that the LDS scholars made up.
Why is the Mormon bible unaccepted?
The Bible used by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) is the King James Version of the Bible. This Bible could not be described as unaccepted and in fact has been the most popular and commonly accepted Bible version since it was first published over 400 years ago in 1611.
You are probably thinking of the Book of Mormon. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other denominations in the Mormonism movement use the Book of Mormon as an additional book of scripture. The Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ and describes the faith and practices of Israelite and Christian believers on the American continents during approximately the same time period as the Bible.
As for why the Book of Mormon is generally unaccepted by those outside of Mormonism, there are several reasons:
First - people just don't know about it. Mormonism is still a relatively small religious movement, especially outside of the United States.
Second - people are unwilling to read it. This may be in fear of the unknown or in fear of what it might mean if they discover that it is true. Or perhaps people just might believe when others tell them the Book of Mormon is false.
Third - allegiance to the Bible or to one's current faith. Some who claim strict allegiance to the Bible are unwilling to accept the possibility of other sacred writings. Or, perhaps they feel a loyalty to their current faith and therefore are not interested in exploring the beliefs of another.
Fourth - prophecy. The Book of Mormon itself states that few will accept it's message, which will largely be due to people who have hardened their hearts and are unwilling to change and to rumors which will be spread about it.
You can learn more about the Book of Mormon at the "Related Links" below and form your own opinion about it.
Is Mormonism listed as a follower in the Satanic bible?
In the Satanic bible on the page listing "Infernal Names" the god of the ghouls is named "Mormo!" (a ghoul is an evil being obsessed with the dead). His followers would be called Mormons! Mormons are obsessed with geneologies and Temple rites and rituals for the dead, who they believe can visit the living, and who can convert to mormonism even in the grave. In Chinese, "Mormon" means 'gates of hell.' That is why Mormon missionaries have problems in Hong Kong.
Who are the Kingston group of Mormons?
The "Kingston Group" is not affiliated with the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). It's founders were excommunicated from the Mormon Church in the early 1900's for their practice of polygamy.
After being kicked out of the Mormon Church, the Kingstons and some others formed their own church, called the "Latter Day Church of Christ". Their church exists today with about 3,000 members, mostly in Utah. The group is quite secretive, but they have been accused of some very serious things such as child marriages, intra-family marriages, abuse, fraud, and tax evasion.
What percent of Mormons tithing goes to charity?
Technically, all tithes paid to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) count as charity, since the Church is a non-profit. When Church members pay tithes to the church, they can choose to have their money go into a general fund to be used where it is needed most, or they can choose a specific category, such as humanitarian efforts, building funds, or missionary work.
The categories on the donation slip are:
Missionary funds: Mormons can donate to a specific missionary or to a general fund for those missionaries who are too poor to pay for their own food, shelter, and supplies.
Book of Mormon: The Church gives out millions of free Book of Mormons, and this fund goes to pay for the printing of those free books.
Humanitarian Aid: money goes to disaster relief programs, charities, orphanages, hospitals, etc.
Temple construction: pays for the construction of new temples around the world
Perpetual education: pays for higher education to young people in third world countries.
Fast Offerings go straight to helping the less fortunate within the local community.
Tithing general fund is used wherever needed, whether it's paying the electrical bills for the church building or buying blankets for humantarian work. It is never used for any for-profit ventures of the Church.
You can see a photo of the Church's tithe donation slip at the "Related Links" below.
There has been much debate as to who or what Christ was referring to when He said "Upon this rock..." The Catholic church say that He was referring to Peter as being the Rock on which He (Christ) would build His church. Mormons believe that when Christ asked Peter who he was and Peters reply was "The Christ...". Christ then referred to this knowledge as being given to Peter by revelation, and this was what Christ meant when He said "Upon this Rock.." meaning the Rock of Revelation".
As Mormonism was not organized at the time of Peter he was a disciple of Christ and a member of His flock. He later became the President of the church along with James and John as his counselors. BUT the church was nor built upon Peter, he was only its first President.
Why hasn't Glen Beck been excommunicated from the Mormon church for his racism and hate speech?
I have never heard any racist comments or hate speech coming from Glenn Beck. Yes he does have some very extreme opinions that many people (including many Mormons) don't agree with, but that doesn't make it hate speech.
As for why he hasn't been excommuncated... he hasn't done anything to be excommuncated! Excommuncation is a very extreme situation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) and it rarely happens. Excommuncation can only take place when the person has admitted to a serious sexual sin or been legally convicted of serious crimes. Things such as spousal/child abuse, rape, adultry, polygamy, child molestation, and murder will get you excommunicated. Excommunication has also been known to happen in cases of apostasy in which the individual goes to great lengths to try to publically destroy the Church (such as a church member publishing an anti-Mormon book).
Rasicm and hate speech, although not approved of by the Church, are not grounds for excommuncation.
You can learn more about Mormon's opinions of Glenn Beck at the "Related Link" below.
What route did the Mormons expect the army to take into the salt lake valley?
Echo Canyon was the main route into the Salt Lake Valley. This is the route that the Mormons expected the army to take to come into the Salt Lake Valley.
The army attempted to go around the Wasatch Mountains and come down into the Salt Lake Valley from Idaho via Soda Springs, but after several days of slow and exhaustive traveling that expedition turned around (Oct. 1857).
No. Shia LeBouf is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church).
What kind of underwear do mormon men wear?
Male members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) have the same underwear options as other men: boxers or briefs (or boxer-briefs!).
Those Church members who have chosen to be "endowed" (recieve a sacred priesthood ordinance in a Temple ceremony) are obligated to wear an undergarment that is symbolic of the covenants they made in the Endowment. While the undergarment is produced and distributed by the Church, it is available in several styles and fabrics, the most popular of which are boxer-style or boxer-brief style, just like regular store-bought mens underwear.
Where in bible does it say mormonism is true?
The Bible never directly says that Mormonism is true. Mormons do find many verses in the Bible which support their religion and seem to point to their church being God's true church. For example:
New Testament Christian Church went into Apostasy, necessitating a Restoration:
Isaiah 60:2-3 "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."
Amos 8:11-12 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."
2 Thessalonians 2:2-3"That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, expect there come a falling away first…"
Isaiah 29:9-10 "Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered."
About events in the Book of Mormon, or about the Book of Mormon itself:
Genesis 49:22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall." (Referring to Nephites, descendants of Joseph who 'run over the wall' to the Americas)
Psalm 85:11 "Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven" (referring to the Book of Mormon coming out of the earth and God restoring truth from heaven)
Isaiah 29:4 "And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust." (referring to the Book of Mormon coming out of the earth)
Isaiah 29:11-12 "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed." (referring to the professors who would not verify the translation of the Book of Mormon and the portion of the plates which were sealed shut.)
Ezekiel 37:19 "Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel and his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand." (Referring to the Book of Mormon (stick of Ephraim) and the Bible (stick of Judah) being used together as scripture, also to the Jews and righteous Gentiles (Mormons) being combined into one fold of God.)
John 10:16 "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (referring to the Israelites (Nephites) living in a different fold (the Americas) in the Book of Mormon, and the Savior's visit to them as recorded in the Book of Mormon.)
About Joseph Smith:
Isaiah 11:1 "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." (Joseph Smith is the rod from the stem of Jesse, Jesus Christ is the Branch from the roots of Jesse)
Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." (Joseph Smith is the messenger preparing the way, who told of Jesus Christ visiting him in the temple.)
The Restoration of true Christianity and what God's church looks like in the Last Days:
Isaiah 2:2 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." (referring to Salt Lake City, the central headquarters of Mormonism)
Isaiah 11:11-12 "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left… And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth"
Jeremiah 31:31"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah."
Ezekiel 37:26-28"Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my
sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore."
Daniel 2:44-45 "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."
Malachi 4:5-6"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
Matthew 17:11-13 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." (referring to John the Baptist restoring Priesthood authority to Joseph Smith)
Romans 11:25 "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in."
Isaiah 1:26 "And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city."
God's true Church must be led by prophets:
Amos 3:7 "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
When did the Mormons become popular?
The LDS Church (Mormon's) started to become popular with the movie "Brigham Young" in 1940. With the 'Donny & Marie' TV series in 1976 the LDS Church got a lot of momentum.
The Church has became very popular after Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley became its leader in 1995 and with his appearance on CNN's Larry King Live in 2004. Since 1995 there are LDS celebrities on TV shows (Dancing with the Stars (Marie Osmond, Julianne Hough), American Idol (David Archuleta, Brooke White, etc.) Many LDS movies have been made (Charly, The Best Two Years, etc). TV shows like 'Touched by an Angel' was filmed in Utah. 15 members of Congress are LDS and the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is LDS. The list goes on.
1940 - The movie "Brigham Young".
1950 - The movie "Wagon Master".
1962 - George W. Romney is Governor of Michigan.
1968 - Gov. George W. Romney is a U. S. Presidential Candidate for the Republican Party.
1976 - Donnie & Marie TV series.
1984 - Movie "Footloose" filmed in Utah.
1993 - 'Angels in Love' Broadway show & TV Movie.
1995 - Gordon B. Hinckley becomes president of L. D. S. Church.
1997 - The movie "Orgazmo".
1997 - The play "Bash: Latter Day Plays" (Off Broadway Show)
1998-95 - "Moroni Traveler Jr." (Book series)
2001 - "Bash: Latter Day Plays" TV Movie
2003 - "Pride & Predjudice a Latter-Day Comedy" (Movie)
2004 - Pres. Hinckley on CNN's Larry King Live.
2006-11 - "Big Love" TV series
2011 - Broadway Play "The Book of Mormon"
When did Samuel H. Smith - Latter Day Saints - die?
Samuel H. Smith - Latter Day Saints - died on 1844-07-30.
What Indian tribes did the Mormon's meet on Mormon trail?
Entry - July 27, 1847 "Some Ute Indians visited the Pioneer Camp." This was in the Salt Lake City area. (LDS Church Chronology 1805 -1914, page 34)
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) believe that God has given them a health code called the 'Word of Wisdom' which prohibits 'strong drink'. Church leaders have identified 'strong 'drink' as alcoholic drink. In the early days of the church, mild alcoholic drinks such as light beers and wine were permitted, but around 1900 the church became more strict on the matter and beers and wine are no longer viewed as commonly acceptable.
In the past, Mormons celebrated the 'sacrament' (similar to communion) with wine, but have replaced it with water. The official doctrine of the church still states that wine may be used if it is 'of your own make', and also that mild drinks (such as beers) can be consumed if they are 'of your own make' as well. While the vast majority of practicing Mormons avoid all alcoholic beverages, a few do produce their own wine and 'mild drinks' according to the church's historic doctrine for their own consumption.
Check out the 'Related Links' to learn more about Mormons and the 'Word of Wisdom'.
Do Mormons believe there is no hell?
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Mormon" church) do believe in Hell. The term Hell is used to describe two different locations. The first is Spirit Prison. This is the temporary dwelling place of those that were disobedient in mortality. In Spirit Prison, people are given the opportunity to repent of their earthly sins and accept Jesus Christ. Those who repent and accept Christ will be resurrected to one of the degrees of heaven. Those who do not will face a thousand years of torment in Spirit Prison before being resurrected to the lowest degree of heaven.
The second location called Hell is Outer Darkness. This is the permanent location of those spirits who will not be redeemed by Jesus Christ because they have "denied the Son after the Father has revealed Him". Those who go to Outer Darkness dwell there eternally with Satan. They are called the Sons of Perdition.
You can learn more about what Mormons believe about Hell at the "Related Links" below.
What role does Jesus Christ play in mormonism?
Jesus Christ is the central focus of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the "Mormon" church). He is everything.
Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the founder, leader, and head of their church through revelation and direct visitation to living prophets.
Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind, the co-creator with the Father, and the Only Begotten Son of God. It is because of Jesus Christ that we have life and that we are resurrected to eternal life. It is through Jesus Christ's grace and power that we are aided through trials and cleansed from sin. Mormons believe that the purpose of this life is to become more like Him by emulating His example.
If you'd like to learn more about what Mormons believe about Jesus Christ, visit JesusChrist.lds.org or Mormon.org/JesusChrist.
