History UsefulNotes / Mormonism

** There's also Outer Darkness, where you go only if you deny the Holy Ghost after first believing in Its power. Basically, only those that devote their lives to bringing down the teachings of God who were once true believers themselves.

Despite what others may think, Mormons believe in Literature/TheBible. However, due to changes made by "the great and abominable church" (as recorded in the First Book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon), they believe that many "plain and precious truths" were removed from the Bible before it was assembled. As such, they view the Book of Mormon is a more complete record of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Bible and the Book of Mormon conflict, the Book of Mormon wins. Joseph Smith, Jr. made a ''Joseph Smith Translation'' by rewriting, expanding, and explaining the King James Version, claiming that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and, as in other things, was made to "work it out in his [own] head" for himself. Unfortunately, this "translation" (from English to English by direct power of the Holy Spirit, not a translation from the original languages) was never completed (although several parts of it went through many revisions) and the LDS Church does not use it as their official version, although excerpts from it are included in LDS-published versions of the King James Bible. Part of it is used as scripture, in Joseph Smith-Matthew, a rewriting of the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, as part of the Pearl of Great Price. The Community of Christ (RLDS) publishes the Joseph Smith Version, the manuscripts of which were in the possession of Emma Smith (Joseph's wife) and his son, Joseph Smith III, founders of the RLDS Church (since 2001 known as Community of Christ). It is sometimes entitled the "Inspired Version".

* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. He was sent to earth to pay for our sins and teach a new covenant (replacing the Law of Moses). He is the advocate of humanity, and the mediator between us and the Father (thus all Mormons end their prayers, "In the name of Jesus Christ"). His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane was Him taking upon Himself the sins of everyone, something even he could barely endure. His crucifixion and resurrection was so that all men could have their bodies restored. Note, however, that in order to return to Heavenly Father's presence (called "Eternal Life" by the LDS), one must be clean. The only way to do this is to be baptized and repent and do the best that one can do. He started as a spirit with the rest of us, and gained a body here on earth. Though unlike us, Jesus was God from the beginning (due to His perfect unity in purpose with the Father). After he was resurrected, he has a perfect body like God. His life is what the members are encouraged to emulate. That's not to say they go out raising the dead and other miracles, but they do try to help those who need it, as well as being kind and caring. In fact, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he had to get baptized. Jesus Christ formed His church while He was on earth, and chose twelve Apostles to be the leaders of His Church. He gave them the Priesthood, or the authority of God, in order to baptize and perform other essential ordinances. Occasionally referred to as 'the firstborn son', 'the eldest brother', and 'the inheritor son' in more detailed theological discussions.

** Actually, this is a subject of argument, even among Mormons, because the man/god concept falls under Talmudic-like leadership opinion rather than official doctrine. Many point out that being like man doesn't preclude being a God. After all, Jesus was God both before and during his Incarnation, so the same is true of God the Father. Which leads to the alternate interpretation that God while God gained a mortal body (which then was transfigured into an immortal body). Indeed this comparison to Jesus was the context in which Joseph Smith placed the doctrine during the King Follet sermon, and thus might be considered the more authoritative interpretation.

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church" (colloquially as "Mormonism", even amongst some Latter-day Saints) is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (known for polygamy, a practice condemned by the LDS Church). The Community of Christ split from Mormonism over a succession dispute after Joseph Smith, Jr's death: although it is considered part of the Latter-day saint movement, it does not consider itself to be Mormon, and belief in the of-questionable-historicity Book of Mormon is not a requirement. Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list]]. However, around 90% of Latter-day Saints are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. (LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) Most of this article is focused on the first group listed - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church" (colloquially as "Mormonism", even amongst some Latter-day Saints) is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (known for polygamy, a practice condemned by the LDS Church). The Community of Christ split from Mormonism over a succession dispute after Joseph Smith, Jr's death: although it is considered part of the Latter-day saint movement, it does not consider itself to be Mormon, and belief in the of-questionable-historicity Book of Mormon is not a requirement. ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list]]. However, around 90% of Latter-day Saints are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. (LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) Most of this article is focused on the first group listed - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For starters, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints no longer practices polygamy. In fact, being married to more than one living wife is grounds for excommunication (being kicked out, with all saving ordinances rendered null and void). The only "Mormons" who do practice it are a splinter group called the FLDS, who have a history of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLDS#Legal_trouble_and_leadership_struggles legal trouble]] involving forced marriages and abuse. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Jeffs previous leader]] is currently serving 10 years for being an accomplice to the rape of a minor, and no successor has been officially confirmed. Naturally, the FLDS is strongly denounced by the LDS church.

When the church first started and even well into the 20th century, the members were not well liked, to put it lightly. It was common for mobs to force church members from their communities, threatening to kill them if they did not leave. Some even harassed the church members specifically to kill them. One of the most tragic massacres took place at Haun's Mill, plenty of information about which can probably be found on TheOtherWiki. In 1844, a mob killed Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in Carthage, Illinois, where they had been jailed for accusations of polygamy. This sort of persecution is what drove the Mormons to settle in Utah where no one would bother them.

The most well-known emigrant groups from this period are the Willy and Martin handcart (a tiny wagon pulled by hand) companies. Due to insufficient handcarts being prepared, they had to either leave late in the season or stay for winter in a strange place (most were British immigrants) with little money. Despite appointed church guide Levi Savage's warning that "The bones of the elderly and the infirm will litter the trail," the immigrants insisted on attempting to make it to Salt Lake before winter. The first obstacle was that they packed too much flour and thus left a lot of it on the trail. Then they hit an early October snow storm, stopping them in their tracks in a blizzard with insufficient food and shelter. They took refuge at Martin's Cove, where they waited for rescue. Brigham Young heard about the plight right as he was about to hold the traditional twice-yearly General Conference of the Church. He told the Saints that the two handcart companies needed help immediately, and effectively canceled the conference, deeming it [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming more important for them to live the principles of their religion than to talk about them.]] A rescue was hastily organized and set out later that day, saving the lives of many of the handcart companies' members.

The Church sends out missionaries in teams of two (occasionally three) to share the church's message with others. These missionaries are volunteers and receive no compensation from the Church or from the people they teach. They are primarily young male adults, between the ages of 19 to 25 years of age; however, older married couples and female adults over the age of 21 can also serve as missionaries of the Church. Unless they are married, men are always paired with men, and women with women. The world is divided geographically into "missions," such as the California San Fernando mission and the Mexico Tijuana mission, which are each presided over by an individual Mission President. The Mission President receives revelation from God about what needs to be done within the mission he presides for the benefit of the people living therein.\\

Another temple-related item is the wearing of the ''garment'' or "Mormon underwear" as it is commonly known. Much like a priest's collar or cardinal's vestments, the garment is an article of sacred clothing (almost exclusively simple white cotton/poly) worn under regular clothing to remind practicing members of the covenants they have made. It is sometimes believed to provide spiritual and/or physical protection, much in the same way that other Christians might view a cross/crucifix or pocket bible. Another purpose is to maintain modesty; the general rule is that if one's outfit would expose the garment, it's too skimpy.

The debate over Mormons being Christians stems mostly from this non-Trinitarian and non-monotheistic perspective of the godhead (which is variously viewed as polytheist, monolatrist [meaning "one worship"], or, in the words of apostle Orson Pratt, "plurality of gods"). For Mormons, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are separate and distinct Beings working together with a common purpose. The rough analogy would be a modern republic: separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches which collectively form one government. Mainline trinitarian Christianity considers the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit to be of one single essence and nature: one absolute monarch who functions in all roles. As a result, Mormons do not ascribe to the trinitarian Nicene Creed, which all mainstream Christians (Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox) consider to be the hallmark of orthodoxy (from the Greek for "right belief"); thus the characterization of Mormons as outside the fold of Christianity, as the rest of Christendom considers those groups which are not Nicene non-Christian. Thus, in the eyes of most of Christianity, Mormons are a new religion, just as Christianity is a new religion and not just a "splinter sect of Judaism"; in the eyes of many Mormons, they are Christian, and, in the eyes of outsiders, no one cares, the internecine struggle is either funny or ridiculous, and they're all counted together as long as they say something about Jesus (along with Moonies, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, and all sorts of crazy groups).

[[AC:TheBible]]

Despite what others may think, Mormons believe in TheBible. However, due to changes made by "the great and abominable church" (as recorded in the First Book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon), they believe that many "plain and precious truths" were removed from the Bible before it was assembled. As such, they view the Book of Mormon is a more complete record of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Bible and the Book of Mormon conflict, the Book of Mormon wins. Joseph Smith, Jr. made a ''Joseph Smith Translation'' by rewriting, expanding, and explaining the King James Version, claiming that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and, as in other things, was made to "work it out in his [own] head" for himself. Unfortunately, this "translation" (from English to English by direct power of the Holy Spirit, not a translation from the original languages) was never completed (although several parts of it went through many revisions) and the LDS Church does not use it as their official version, although excerpts from it are included in LDS-published versions of the King James Bible. Part of it is used as scripture, in Joseph Smith-Matthew, a rewriting of the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, as part of the Pearl of Great Price. The Community of Christ (RLDS) publishes the Joseph Smith Version, the manuscripts of which were in the possession of Emma Smith (Joseph's wife) and his son, Joseph Smith III, founders of the RLDS Church (since 2001 known as Community of Christ). It is sometimes entitled the "Inspired Version".

First off, temples are a holy place, considered the actual House of the Lord, and the things done there are sacred. To avoid such ordinances being abused, what actually goes on there isn't talked about casually by members. However, they do do Baptisms for the Dead, where they baptize a dead person by having a living person stand in their place. That is one purpose of finding your ancestors.

Under Young's direction, various settlements were built over a wide area extending from present-day Alberta to Sonora. The Church followed a policy of "building Zion," sending missionaries worldwide and then encouraging converts to emigrate to Deseret, as the region was called. Within a year of arriving, Deseret found itself a part of the United States as a result of Mexico's defeat in the Mexican-American War. Young immediately petitioned to have Deseret added to the Union as a state, but Congress, wary of Deseret's enormous size (which included the majority of the Mormon settlements and stretching to the Pacific Coast and including the then-insignificant town of Los Angeles) chose to create the Territory of Utah instead. Young became the first Territorial Governor.

This time period in Utah is controversial, owing to Young's often tense relationship with the federal government and disputes over the amount of influence he wielded over the population as both political and spiritual leader. Poor communication and disgruntled federal officials who found it difficult to work with unresponsive LDS citizens caused the brief but highly-publicized Utah War in 1857-58, when an entire Army division was sent to remove Young as governor because President James Buchanan had been led to believe that Utah was in open rebellion. Sensationalist media reports, pumped by allegations of heathen polygamy, predicted a bloodbath when the division reached Salt Lake City. It was in this climate that a band of LDS militiamen waylaid a pioneer wagon train from Arkansas as it was passing through southern Utah. In an event known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, they killed most of the travelers and sent their children to be raised with local families. The militia leader would later be executed by the territorial government after being excommunicated by the Church.

Eventually, a non-LDS governor was installed in Young's place, as Young continued to lead the Church. During this time, the building of settlements went on, including the construction of more temples (including the iconic [[http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/saltlake/ Salt Lake Temple]]). They also continued the practice of polygamy until after the deaths of Young and his successor, John Taylor, despite the passage of several Acts of Congress that explicitly outlawed it, and even took steps to curtail LDS power in the territory. Wilford Woodruff became prophet in 1887. Faced with the arrests of dozens of practitioners of polygamy and the probable seizure of all Church property by the federal government, he issued the 1890 Manifesto, which declared that polygamy would no longer be allowed. In response, several fundamentalist groups broke away from the LDS Church and fled to isolated areas in the US, Canada, and Mexico in order to continue practicing polygamy.

----

* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost (e.g. three separate gods: LDS do not worship Jesus Christ, but only God the Father). He was sent to earth to pay for our sins and teach a new covenant (replacing the Law of Moses). He is the advocate of humanity, and the mediator between us and the Father (thus all Mormons end their prayers, "In the name of Jesus Christ"). His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane was Him taking upon Himself the sins of everyone, something even he could barely endure. His crucifixion and resurrection was so that all men could have their bodies restored. Note, however, that in order to return to Heavenly Father's presence (called "Eternal Life" by the LDS), one must be clean. The only way to do this is to be baptized and repent and do the best that one can do. He started as a spirit with the rest of us, and gained a body here on earth. Though unlike us, Jesus was God from the beginning (due to His perfect unity in purpose with the Father). After he was resurrected, he has a perfect body like God. His life is what the members are encouraged to emulate. That's not to say they go out raising the dead and other miracles, but they do try to help those who need it, as well as being kind and caring. In fact, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he had to get baptized. Jesus Christ formed His church while He was on earth, and chose twelve Apostles to be the leaders of His Church. He gave them the Priesthood, or the authority of God, in order to baptize and perform other essential ordinances. Occasionally referred to as 'the firstborn son', 'the eldest brother', and 'the inheritor son' in more detailed theological discussions.

** Actually, this is a subject of argument, even among Mormons, because the man/god concept falls under Talmudic-like leadership opinion rather than official doctrine. Many point out that being like man doesn't preclude being a God. After all, Jesus was God both before and during his Incarnation, so the same is true of God the Father. Which leads to the alternate interpretation that God while God gained a mortal body (which then was transfigured into an immortal body).

Also, while it is common for the media and people who are not members to refer to them as "Mormon", LDS members more commonly use "Latter-day Saints" or just "Saints", as while Mormon is the name of both a key scripture and a prominent prophet in the church, it is not the actual name of the church. Historically, members never referred to themselves as "Mormon", but nowadays they frequently refer to themselves as such, even amongst other Mormons. As an adjective, "LDS" remains more common, as in "LDS culture" or "LDS fiction".

Women's rights were strongly advocated in the Territory of Utah. Utah would become the second territory (after Wyoming) to grant full suffrage to women in 1870. However, in 1887, the Edmunds-Tucker Act, which aimed to disenfranchise the Church and curtail its power in the territory, stripped this right from women. They would not regain voting rights until the admission of Utah as a state in 1896.

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians. They share some beliefs with most mainstream Christian denominations, with many major key differences. The Latter Day Saint movement may perhaps be viewed as Christianity's very own ExpandedUniverse material. This Expanded Universe material includes the Book of Mormon (containing about a dozen other books, which, oddly, teach none of the distinctive attributes of the Mormon religion), the Doctrine and Covenants, containing 132 sections of varying length, from several sentences to several pages and two "Official Declarations;" The Pearl of Great Price, containing the Book of Abraham, the Book of Moses, (these last two are where the LDS Church got the germ of the polytheistic or monolatristic ideas that would later most distance it from mainstream Christianity), Joseph Smith-Matthew and Joseph Smith-History. These are called the "Standard Works", and, along with the King James Version of the Bible, comprise the (current) Mormon scriptures, which are "open" - meaning they can be expanded, contracted, or re-arranged at any time by a vote of the members of the Church. Eminent Protestant Christian scripture scholar Bruce Metzger (head of the translation committee for the RSV and NRSV Bibles, and long-standing editor of the New Oxford Annotated Bible until his death in 2005) defined the difference between an "open canon" (canon, from the Greek, meaning "measuring stick", in this means a list of authoritative books for a religion) and a closed canon (common to all mainstream Christianity, even if the contents are disagreed upon) thus: "An open canon is a list of authoritative books: a closed canon is an authoritative list of books."

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church" (colloquially as "Mormonism"), even amongst some Latter-day Saints) is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (known for polygamy, a practice condemned by the LDS Church). The Community of Christ split from Mormonism over a succession dispute after Joseph Smith, Jr's death: although it is considered part of the Latter-day saint movement, it does not consider itself to be Mormon, and belief in the of-questionable-historicity Book of Mormon is not a requirement. ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list]]. However, around 90% of Latter-day Saints are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. (LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) Most of this article is focused on the first group listed - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians. They share some beliefs with most mainstream Christian denominations, with many major key differences. The Latter Day Saint movement may perhaps be viewed as Christianity's very own ExpandedUniverse material. This Expanded Universe material includes the Book of Mormon (containing about a dozen other books, which, oddly, teach none of the distinctive attributes of the Mormon religion), the Doctrine and Covenants, containing 132 sectionsof varying length, from several sentences to several pages and two "Official Declarations;" The Pearl of Great Price, containing the Book of Abraham, the Book of Moses, (these last two are where the LDS Church got the germ of the polytheistic or monolatristic ideas that would later most distance it from mainstream Christianity), Joseph Smith-Matthew and Joseph Smith-History. These are called the "Standard Works", and, along with the King James Version of the Bible, comprise the (current) Mormon scriptures, which are "open" - meaning they can be expanded, contracted, or re-arranged at any time by a vote of the members of the Church. Eminent Protestant Christian scripture scholar Bruce Metzger (head of the translation committee for the RSV and NRSV Bibles, and long-standing editor of the New Oxford Annotated Bible until his death in 2005) defined the difference between an "open canon" (canon, from the Greek, meaning "measuring stick", in this means a list of authoritative books for a religion) and a closed canon (common to all mainstream Christianity, even if the contents are disagreed upon) thus: "An open canon is a list of authoritative books: a closed canon is an authoritative list of books."

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians. They share some beliefs with most mainstream Christian denominations, with many major key differences. The Latter Day Saint movement may perhaps be viewed as Christianity's very own ExpandedUniverse material, with the same panache for disregarding rules of the canon universe as found in all other Expanded Universes the world - multiverse? - over. This Expanded Universe material includes the Book of Mormon (containing about a dozen other books, which, oddly, teach none of the distinctive attributes of the Mormon religion), the Doctrine and Covenants, containing 132...Doctrines and Covenants?...of varying length, from several sentences to several pages and two "Official Declarations", the Book of Abraham, the Book of Moses, (these last two are where the LDS Church got the germ of the polytheistic or monolatristic ideas that would later most distance it from mainstream Christianity), Joseph Smith-Matthew and Joseph Smith-History. These are called the "Standard Works", and, along with the King James Version of the Bible, comprise the (current) Mormon scriptures, which are "open" - meaning they can be expanded, contracted, or re-arranged at any time by the current President of the Church, considered "Prophet and Revelator". Eminent Protestant Christian scripture scholar Bruce Metzger (head of the translation committee for the RSV and NRSV Bibles, and long-standing editor of the New Oxford Annotated Bible until his death in 2005) defined the difference between an "open canon" (canon, from the Greek, meaning "measuring stick", in this means a list of authoritative books for a religion) and a closed canon (common to all mainstream Christianity, even if the contents are disagreed upon) thus: "An open canon is a list of authoritative books: a closed canon is an authoritative list of books."

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church" (colloquially as "Mormonism"), even amongst Latter-day Saints) is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (known for polygamy, a practice condemned by the LDS Church). The Community of Christ split from Mormonism over a succession dispute after Joseph Smith, Jr's death: although it is considered part of the Latter-day saint movement, it does not consider itself to be Mormon, and belief in the of-questionable-historicity Book of Mormon is not a requirement. ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list]]. However, around 90% of Latter-day Saints are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. (LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) Most of this article is focused on the first group listed - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

** Actually, this is a subject of argument, even among Mormons, because the man/god concept falls under Talmudic-like leadership opinion rather than official doctrine. Many point out that being like man doesn't preclude being a God. After all, Jesus was God both before and during his Incarnation, so the same is true of God the Father. Which leads to the alternate interpretation that God while God gained a mortal body (which then was changed into an immortal body)..

Despite what others may think, Mormons believe in TheBible. However, due to changes made by "the great and abominable church" (as recorded in the First Book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon), they believe that many "plain and precious truths" were removed from the Bible before it was assembled. As such, they view the Book of Mormon is a more complete record of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Bible and the Book of Mormon conflict, the Book of Mormon wins. Joseph Smith, Jr. made a ''Joseph Smith Translation'' by rewriting, expanding, and explaining the King James Version, claiming that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and, as in other things, was made to "work it out in his [own] head" for himself. Unfortunately, this "translation" (from English to English by direct power of the Holy Spirit, not a translation from the original languages) was never completed (although several parts of it went through many revisions) and the LDS Church does not use it as their official version, although excerpts from it are included in LDS-published versions of the King James Bible. Part of it is used as scripture, in Joseph Smith-Matthew, a rewriting of the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, as part of the Pearl of Great Price. The Community of Christ (RLDS) publishes the Joseph Smith Version, the manuscripts of which were in the possession of Emma Smith (Joseph's first and legitimate wife) and his son, Joseph Smith III, founders of the RLDS Church (since 2001 known as Community of Christ). It is sometimes entitled the "Inspired Version".

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians. ''[sic]'' They share some beliefs with most mainstream Christian denominations, with many major key differences. The Latter Day Saint movement may perhaps be viewed as Christianity's very own ExpandedUniverse material, with the same panache for disregarding rules of the canon universe as found in all other Expanded Universes the world - multiverse? - over. This Expanded Universe material includes the Book of Mormon (containing about a dozen other books, which, oddly, teach none of the distinctive attributes of the Mormon religion), the Doctrine and Covenants, containing 132...Doctrines and Covenants?...of varying length, from several sentences to several pages and two "Official Declarations", the Book of Abraham, the Book of Moses, (these last two are where the LDS Church got the germ of the polytheistic or monolatristic ideas that would later most distance it from mainstream Christianity), Joseph Smith-Matthew and Joseph Smith-History. These are called the "Standard Works", and, along with the King James Version of the Bible, comprise the (current) Mormon scriptures, which are "open" - meaning they can be expanded, contracted, or re-arranged at any time by the current President of the Church, considered "Prophet and Revelator". Eminent Protestant Christian scripture scholar Bruce Metzger (head of the translation committee for the RSV and NRSV Bibles, and long-standing editor of the New Oxford Annotated Bible until his death in 2005) defined the difference between an "open canon" (canon, from the Greek, meaning "measuring stick", in this means a list of authoritative books for a religion) and a closed canon (common to all mainstream Christianity, even if the contents are disagreed upon) thus: "An open canon is a list of authoritative books: a closed canon is an authoritative list of books."

** Actually, this is a subject of argument, even among Mormons, because the man/god concept falls under Talmudic-like leadership opinion rather than official doctrine. Many point out that being like man doesn't preclude being a God. After all, Jesus was God both before and during his Incarnation, so the same is true of God the Father. Which leads to the alternate interpretation that God while God gained a mortal body (which then was changed into an immortal body).
*** What does he do with it, then? Put it in cryogenic suspension between uses? I can't imagine the region near Kolob (that's changed in to "Kobol" in Battlestar Galactica) is very hospitable to life. The stuff in the ''Journal of Discourses'' is more of the leadership opinion, as is the ''Ensign'' (LDS magazine): since the ''Ensign'' is written by General Authorities, is it automatically scripture? Serialized scriptures - awesome. I've read the ones of just about every religion (except for the ''Avesta'') because the Bible is ''just too short'' (seriously, in my opinion... I'm a real odd one, huh?).
* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God (e.g. Mormons believe he was begotten by the physical form of God in carnal relations with the not-so-virgin Mary) of and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost (e.g. three separate gods: LDS do not worship Jesus Christ, but only God the Father). He was sent to earth to pay for our sins and teach a new covenant (replacing the Law of Moses). He is the advocate of humanity, and the mediator between us and the Father (thus all Mormons end their prayers, "In the name of Jesus Christ"). His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane was Him taking upon Himself the sins of everyone, something even he could barely endure. His crucifixion and resurrection was so that all men could have their bodies restored. Note, however, that in order to return to Heavenly Father's presence (called "Eternal Life" by the LDS), one must be clean. The only way to do this is to be baptized and repent and do the best that one can do. He started as a spirit with the rest of us, and gained a body here on earth. Though unlike us, Jesus was God from the beginning (due to His perfect unity in purpose with the Father). After he was resurrected, he has a perfect body like God. His life is what the members are encouraged to emulate. That's not to say they go out raising the dead and other miracles, but they do try to help those who need it, as well as being kind and caring. In fact, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he had to get baptized. Jesus Christ formed His church while He was on earth, and chose twelve Apostles to be the leaders of His Church. He gave them the Priesthood, or the authority of God, in order to baptize and perform other essential ordinances. Occasionally referred to as 'the firstborn son', 'the eldest brother', and 'the inheritor son' in more detailed theological discussions.

First off, temples are a holy place, considered the House of the Lord, and the things done there are sacred. To avoid such ordinances being abused, what actually goes on there isn't talked about casually by members. However, they do do Baptisms for the Dead, where they baptize a dead person by having a living person stand in their place. That is one purpose of finding your ancestors.

Despite what others may think, Mormons believe in TheBible. However, due to changes made by "the great and abominable church" (as recorded in the First Book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon), they believe that many "plain and precious truths" were removed from the Bible before it was assembled. As such, they view the Book of Mormon is a more complete record of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Bible and the Book of Mormon conflict, the Book of Mormon wins. Joseph Smith, Jr. made a ''Joseph Smith Translation'' by divine inspiration to correct some of the translation errors and stuff that was left out. Unfortunately, this "translation" was never completed, and the LDS Church does not use it as their official version (some of the other Mormon groups do).

They're also really dedicated to spreading their religion, as this article shows.

The debate over Mormons being Christians stems mostly from this subtle, non-trinitarian perspective of the godhead. For Mormons, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are separate and distinct Beings working together with a common purpose. The rough analogy would be a modern republic: separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches which collectively form one government. Mainline trinitarian Christianity considers the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit to be of one single essence and nature: one absolute monarch who functions in all roles. As a result, Mormons do not ascribe to the trinitarian Nicene Creed, which many mainline denominations consider an anti-heretical requirement to being a "true Christian".

The godhead consists of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.

* '''Jesus Christ''' is the spiritual ''and'' physical son of God, and a separate being from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. He was sent to earth to pay for our sins and teach a new covenant (replacing the Law of Moses). He is the advocate of humanity, and the mediator between us and the Father. His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane was Him taking upon Himself the sins of everyone, something even he could barely endure. His crucifixion and resurrection was so that all men could have their bodies restored. Note, however, that in order to return to Heavenly Father's presence (called "Eternal Life" by the LDS), one must be clean. The only way to do this is to be baptized and repent and do the best that one can do. He started as a spirit with the rest of us, and gained a body here on earth. Though unlike us, Jesus was God from the beginning (due to His perfect unity in purpose with the Father). After he was resurrected, he has a perfect body like God. His life is what the members are encouraged to emulate. That's not to say they go out raising the dead and other miracles, but they do try to help those who need it, as well as being kind and caring. In fact, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he had to get baptized. Jesus Christ formed His church while He was on earth, and chose twelve Apostles to be the leaders of His Church. He gave them the Priesthood, or the authority of God, in order to baptize and perform other essential ordinances. Occasionally referred to as 'the firstborn son', 'the eldest brother', and 'the inheritor son' in more detailed theological discussions.

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians. ''[sic]'' They share some beliefs with most mainstream Christian denominations, with many major key differences. The Latter Day Saint movement may perhaps be viewed as Christianity's very own ExpandedUniverse material, with the same panache for disregarding rules of the canon universe as found in all other Expanded Universes the world - multiverse? - over.

While [[http://www.lds.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], commonly referred to as the "LDS Church", is the largest denomination of Mormonism, they are erroneously often presented as the only denomination. Consider it a parallel to ChristianityIsCatholic: Mormons Are Latter-day Saints. Other significant Mormon denominations include the Community of Christ and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. ThatOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Latter_Day_Saint_denominations extensive list]]. However, the vast majority of Mormons are LDS; it outnumbers the next-largest denomination by over ten million. (LDS are generally reluctant to refer to non-LDS as "Mormon"; this treatment varies among non-LDS groups, which may or may not refer to themselves as "Mormon".) Most of this article is focused on the first group listed - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormons are probably one of the most misunderstood group of Christians. They share a large portion of their beliefs with most mainstream Christian denominations, with some key differences. The Latter Day Saint movement may perhaps be viewed as Christianity's very own ExpandedUniverse material.

Heavenly Mother is not talked about much, other than as a logical hypothesis that in order to become exalted (re-enter the presence of God), one must be married in the temple. It is occasionally speculated that the reason why She isn't talked about much is because people would blaspheme ''Her'', which no doubt would anger Heavenly Father a lot. This, however, is not official doctrine.
* The four standard works of the LDS church are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price but the Hymns are all required to receive doctrinal approval in order to be included in the LDS hymnal which means that anything you find in the LDS hymn book will be doctrine. See hymn #292 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_My_Father O My Father]]. A Heavenly Mother should be considered explicit Mormon doctrine.
* It is not. Changes to the standard works are presented to the general membership for sustaining vote as official scripture and canon. Other church publications, including the hymnal, teaching materials and magazines, are not subject to the same canonical process. There is no canonical scriptural support for or against the concept of a heavenly mother. At the same time, nobody has bothered to modify the lyrics of a uniquely Mormon hymn, which could just as easily be for historical and cultural reasons as it is to avoid doctrinal commentary. It's kind of up there with wondering if Jesus was married: Maybe. Maybe not. Officially, we don't know. But either way, would it change that he died for our sins?