What Mormons believe-interesting video on Vimeo.


Below is a list of Mormon beliefs the missionaries will be reluctant to tell you about:
•
God was not always God - "We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 345)
•
Jesus and Satan are brothers - "The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other sons of God. He was called Lucifer, son of the morning. Haughty, ambitious, and covetous of power and glory, this spirit-brother of Jesus desperately tried to become the Savior of mankind." (Milton R. Hunter, Gospel Through the Ages, pg.15)
•
Jesus was a polygamist -"I discover that some of the Eastern papers represent me as a great blasphemer, because I said, in my lecture on Marriage, at our last Conference, that Jesus Christ was married at Cana of Galilee, that Mary, Martha, and others were his wives, and that he begat children." (Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses 2:210)
The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in the doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think they were 'Mormons'" (Jedediah M. Grant, Journal of Discourses, 1:346)
•
Adam was God - "Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken--He is our Father, and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 1:50)
"I have learned by experience that there is but one God that pertains to this people and he is the god that pertains to this earth--The first man. That first man sent his own son to redeem the world..."(Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses 4:1)
•
Brigham Young said only polygamists become gods - "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy." (Journal of Discourses 11:269)
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The bible cannot be trusted - "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph smith, pg.327)
"But the Bible has been robbed of its plainness; many sacred books having been lost, others rejected by the Romish Church, and what few we have left, were copied and recopied so many times, that it is admitted that almost every verse has been corrupted and mutilated to that degree that any two of them read alike." (Orson Pratt, The Seer, pg.213)
•
You must accept Joseph Smith as a prophet to be saved - "There is "no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. The word "salvation," used in this context, must really mean "exaltation" because former Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie stated in his book Mormon Doctrine that general salvation is given to everyone regardless of belief. Personal salvation or exaltation to the highest form of Mormon heaven comes only by accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of god and by following the laws of the LDS church." (Tenth LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith in his book, Doctrines of Salvation)

This is a peculiar religion.Truthfully I do not think the American people would really adhere to the next president who is a Mormon with these beliefs.

Religion is peculiar — period. But it's not supposed to matter. Separation of church and state. A President's religious beliefs should have nothing to do with his/her ability to govern and lead. I could run well below the fold with a list of reasons to reject Romney as POTUS, but credit where it's due, I don't believe I've ever heard him say or even hint at anything political or policy-centric that was colored by Mormonism. Contrast that to evangelical wing nuts like Bachmann, Santorum, and Perry, who would have the entire country pledge allegiance to JC!

I was raised Mormon.. haven't practiced since I left home, but I can tell you that you shouldn't believe everything you read. Most of that stuff I have NEVER heard of before...
I watched parts.. what a joke.

I could immediately counter some of these points but must ready myself for work.
Admittedly, Mormons are a bit peculiar. But I find most/all religions to be that way.

So, which wife presses your pants, which one makes your lunch, and which one waves bye-bye from the doorstep?

#7
#1
#14

LOTTERY!!!!

Yep. I have them all collecting welfare and my sons are building us a ship right now to take us to the home planet where we can practice our secret rituals in peace away from you monogamists who don't believe Joseph Smith was God and Jesus was their mailman.

/insert :::rollseyes::: winkie here...

LOL. I'm used to it though. Mormonism has always been a "fringe" religion.

I think that rather relying on someones cartton people should askthe mormons themselves what they believe.

In the same way that I try to not pass judgement on a religion started by a science fiction writer.

Or Catholicism that has plenty weirdness.

I think PBS sums it up rather accurately here....

http://www.pbs.org/mormons/faqs/structure.html

Some interesting sections..

Are Mormons Christians?

Because Jesus Christ is a central figure in their theology, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consider themselves Christians. While it is true that the church has recently placed more emphasis on their Christian-ness than it once did, from the time the church was organized in 1830 onward, church members have always regarded themselves as Christians. Their name, "Latter-day Saints" references the fact that members of the "primitive" church in New Testament times were called Saints. Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the church, has said, "We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more and more widely recognized. Once upon a time people everywhere said we are not Christians. They have come to recognize that we are, and that we have a very vital and dynamic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ." To clarify the Christian themes at the center of their faith, the church added the subtitle "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" to the Book of Mormon in 1981.

There are Christians -- particularly among the modern evangelical and fundamentalist communities -- who argue that Mormons are not Christians. They base this contention on the fact that the Mormon conception of God -- summarized by LDS President Lorenzo Snow, who said, "As man is God once was, and as God is man may become" -- differs from traditional Christian ideas. They also point to the Mormons' avoidance of the cross as a religious symbol (Mormons believe it is a symbol of Christ's death, and they prefer to focus on his life, his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his resurrection); their belief in the fallibility of the Bible (because of its human translation); their acceptance of continuing revelation (which gives Mormonism an open canon); and their rejection of the Nicene Creed, a list of common Christian beliefs originally authored in 325 AD and subscribed to by most denominations.

Animosity between fundamentalist Christians and Mormons peaked in the 1990s, when the Southern Baptist Convention held an annual meeting in Salt Lake City, partly in hopes of converting Mormons to Protestant Christianity. More recently, some high-profile fundamentalist Christians have gone on record apologizing for past discord and accepting Mormonism as a branch of Christianity, but some tension remains.


And...

Does the Mormon Church support political candidates?

Although 80 to 90 percent of Mormons voted for Republican presidential candidates in the last few elections -- and several prominent Mormons, including the prophet Joseph Smith himself, have run for U.S. president -- the church itself is institutionally neutral.

The church states on its Web site: "The church does not endorse political parties or candidates, nor does it permit the use of its buildings for political purposes. The church does not participate in politics unless there is a moral question at issue, in which case the church will often speak out."

Two such issues have been the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) battle, in which some scholars say the church played a crucial role in killing the amendment, and more recently, gay marriage, which the church has mounted a major campaign to stop. Latter-day Saints received direction from Mormon leaders in fighting the passage of gay marriage legislation in California.

However, the church doesn't exactly line up on all conservative social positions. It is officially pro-life, but it permits abortion when the life or health of the mother is at stake; when the child is unlikely to survive due to serious birth defects; or in cases of rape or incest. It does not accept government funds, and thus has not participated in President Bush's faith-based initiative program.

Political scientists David Campbell of Notre Dame and J. Quin Monson of Brigham Young University have profiled (PDF file) the voting behavior of Mormons and describe them as "dry kindling. … Like kindling they can be lit, ignited by the spark of explicit direction from their church leaders. However, much of the flammability is due to the relative infrequency with which Mormons are mobilized by their church leaders."


+++++++

Why is the Mormon temple central to the faith? What happens in the temple? Why can't non-Mormons go in?

The Mormon temple is considered an earthly point of contact with higher spheres of being. Mormons believe that God is present in the temple space. This makes it a sacred place set aside to learn things that allow individuals to progress toward becoming like God -- the temple ordinances, especially celestial marriage, make "eternal progression toward Godhood" possible. The family unit is central to Mormonism, and the primary ritual function of the temple is to perform ceremonies that seal families together, thus allowing them to dwell together for eternity when they pass on to the celestial kingdom. The specific rituals supporting this function are marriage and family sealing ceremonies -- in which a husband, wife and children are officially bound together -- and baptism for the dead -- through which individuals who died without accepting the Latter-day Saints' Gospel and no longer possess the physical body required for baptism are represented by living proxies, thereby granting them the opportunity to join their families in the celestial kingdom.

The temple is also used to perform the Mormon endowment ceremony. During this ritual, adult Mormons go through a series of lessons and exercises to deepen their faith, and they make covenants with God to keep his commandments. After receiving their endowments, Latter-day Saints wear a distinctive underwear on which special marks are embroidered. Known as "garments", this underwear, worn next to the skin at nearly all times, is meant to remind individuals of their commitment to their faith and to God. Men generally receive their endowment before going on a mission and women before they marry, but it is not a one-time ceremony like baptism. Saints are encouraged to return to the temple throughout their lives to continue growing their faith by experiencing the rituals of endowment.


Before Latter-day Saints can go to the temple to receive their Endowments, they must obtain a Temple recommend, a card signed by a church leader to certify that the bearer is in good standing within the church. Good standing, ascertained by an interview process, includes having a strong testimony of the truth of the Gospel, keeping up with the law of tithing, following the 10 commandments and the Word of Wisdom, and otherwise proving one's faith and commitment. Inside the temple, men wear all-white suits and women wear floor-length white dresses.

Non-Mormons and Mormons without a temple recommend are not allowed into the temple. The church says this is to preserve the sacred nature of the practices that take place inside and to avoid potential distractions and disruptions. Non-Mormons are, however, welcome to attend the Latter-day Saints' chapels, where weekly Sunday services and meetings take place. The general public are also allowed to tour newly-constructed temples during the brief window of time before they are officially dedicated.


And so on. I think PBS did a neutral and reasonable job summing up the LDS church. If you can get your mind around the fact that they believe a modern day prophet (Joseph Smith in the 1800s) received a revelation from God.. .. then I really don't see anything on these pages that would cause any alarm to the average individual looking at different religions.


Oh.. and Steve.. I'll bet you didn't know the Jews played a part in the Mormons theology/history.

What are the core tenets of the Mormon religion?

Many of the central concepts of the Mormon religion are laid out in the Articles of Faith, a 13-point list of the Latter-day Saints' most important beliefs.

These key elements of the faith include belief in God the Father, his Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit; belief in modern prophets and continuing revelation; belief that through Christ's atonement all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of Christ's Gospel; belief in the importance of repentance and baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins; and belief in the right of all people to worship God as they please. The Articles of Faith also affirm a belief in the Bible as the word of God, insofar as it is correctly translated, and in the Book of Mormon as an equally important scriptural source.

The 10th Article of Faith relates to the Mormons' distinct perspective on history and on the second coming of Jesus. Like many conservative Christians, the Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus will return to earth to establish Zion, the paradisiacal Promised Land, but the Mormons believe specifically that Jesus will establish his new kingdom on the American continent. This expectation derives from revelation given through the prophet Joseph Smith, and it is in harmony with the history laid out in the Book of Mormon, a modern scripture that came into being through the agency of the prophet.

This text, which reads something like the Old Testament, tells the story of an ancient Hebrew patriarch and prophet named Lehi, who, in roughly 600 B.C., was called by God to lead a group of Jews from Jerusalem to the New World. The group established themselves somewhere in North America and, according to this history, at least some Native Americans descended from these immigrants. Eventually, Jesus appeared to these New World Jews and taught the Christian Gospel to them. From this civilization, God continued to call forth prophets, including one named Mormon, the original author of the text that would be engraved on plates of gold that Mormons believe Joseph Smith unearthed in the late 1820s. Along with the plates, Smith said he found the Urim and Thummim, a translating contrivance that allowed him to read the engravings on the plates.


A group of followers coalesced around Smith as he dictated his translation of the plates to scribes. Soon after the Book of Mormon was published in 1830, the prophet and his followers organized the Church of Christ, an ecclesiastical institution that differed from all other Christian churches at the time because it was led by a prophet and had another sacred text in addition to the Old and New Testaments. Revelation told the members of this new church that theirs was the restoration of the New Testament church that had been removed from the earth during a "Great Apostasy" that occurred at the end of the apostolic era. This revelation convinced Smith's followers that theirs was the only true church, a doctrinal claim that is still held by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the church headquartered in Salt Lake City also known as the "Mormon Church" or the "LDS Church").

Another important element of the Latter-day Saints' doctrine is their concept of a "plan of salvation" that encompasses the spirit's existence before, during and after time spent on earth. The Saints believe that prior to being born, each person has a pre-mortal life. In the pre-mortal realm, spirits dwell with God, the literal father of all people, and develop talents and knowledge to prepare for mortal life. When their preparation is complete, individuals must progress and spend time on earth. Gaining a physical body, they practice actively choosing between good and evil (the Articles of Faith reject the concept of original sin) and gain new levels of knowledge that will allow them to become like God, the ultimate goal of Mormon spiritual development.

Mormons believe that after death, the spirit leaves the body and moves on to the spirit world to wait for resurrection. During this time, those who did not embrace the Gospel are segregated from those who lived according to God's word, and the spirits of individuals who never had a chance to hear the Gospel are given this opportunity. The Plan of Salvation teaches that Heaven is divided into three separate kingdoms of glory: the celestial, the terrestrial, and the telestial. These kingdoms are where all men and women (except a certain few known as Sons of Perdition, who will go to Outer Darkness) will go after they are judged by God and their spirits are reunited with what will be their immortal bodies. Those judged to have followed the Gospel move on to the celestial kingdom, ruled by God himself. Those who did not devoutly follow but also did not actively reject the word of God are sent to the Terrestrial Kingdom, and those who actively rejected the Gospel or committed grievous sins must dwell in the Telestial Kingdom, away from God's light.


Latter-day Saints believe entrance into each kingdom depends on a person's worthiness and their adherence to the commandments of God and the ordinances he has prescribed. Since God is the ultimate judge, all people will be judged fairly and put into the kingdom where they will be most happy. Mormon Scripture describes that men and women will be sent to "their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive" (Doctrine and Covenants [D&C] 88:32). Many people will be sent to the lower kingdoms "because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received" (D&C 88:32), namely exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Even so, according to Mormon theology, all three kingdoms are kingdoms of glory, and even the lowest is more glorious than man can currently comprehend.



I think that was a bit more informative than the cartoon version.

Another reason -"Newt for President " !!

I agree with Steve and a few others ALL Religions are peculiar - period !

NOT a single one isn't Self-Serving !

They ALL say our way or "to Hell" with you !

All claim to be correct and the others false... kinda like McDonalds proclaiming they make the best hamburgers ! (same PR)

What a load of Doo-doo ! This is why I believe the most simple minded person (read GOP and TP members) are the most gullible and less tolerant of any religious people. You can throw in many other uneducated people around the world like the fanatical Muslims or any other religion.

I was raised S Baptist and some of their doctrine is nuts and totally illogical. Haven't been back to their church since college (1970s). The more you're educated the more BS you realize is present. Maybe that's why I like Lennon's song Imagine so well !!

True true.

I will say that Mitt has not displayed the ethics issues that Newt seems to be plagued with and I'm going to also say that I'm not voting for either of these candidates so i'm just playing devils advocate.
Hehe.. how appropriate for this thread.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not on the pulpit here. It's just that I see these things and it's been so long that I get curious to find the answers...



Is Jesus The Only Son of God

That part I believe is correct. They believe that God was once a man who achieved? his higher status and that we can also do the same.

I believe their saying is..
As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.

Personally, I kind of like it.

The bible cannot be trusted - "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph smith, pg.327)
"But the Bible has been robbed of its plainness; many sacred books having been lost, others rejected by the Romish Church, and what few we have left, were copied and recopied so many times, that it is admitted that almost every verse has been corrupted and mutilated to that degree that any two of them read alike." (Orson Pratt, The Seer, pg.213)

This has already been proven. There have soooo many mis translations and different versions it's not even funny.




http://bible.org/article/why-so-many-versions






http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_different_versions_are_there_of_the_Bible

You are right the Mormon religion has nothing to do with being a leader like the president of the U.S..I guess people are to narrow minded today including myself to judge someone's performance when their religion is involved.The old cliche don't believe everything you read.

I don't know what any other candidates faith is... and don't care. I'm guessing most people don't know either... but they sure do know about Mitts religion.

Well we know Newt's is the Church of What's Happenin' Now.

I wonder how many Open Marriages they perform?

Newt may be a God! I guess we better hire him!

heh

youtube link ;-)

Journal of Discourses LDS

One word of warning, there's a lot of content here to digest so pursue it at your own risk.

Ya..I'm not reading that and I will suspect most in here won't either.
I read about 30 excerpts/quotes.
Curious, was this to further information about the religion or was it meant to back up your basic thrust in your first post?

At the bottom of the page is a link that takes me to this...

I was trying to post some Mormon documents that the previous article quoted. That way readers could compare both sides and come to their own conclusions.

Ahhh...I see. Well.. as the link states... those were not always verbatim and not necessarily church doctrine. I do believe that their doctrines have changed over time.

I guess if you look at the history of any religion you can find inconsistencies and weird, dark nooks and crannies. I know i've read some disturbing things about most religions... Mormons included.

I think religions are constantly adapting to the times we live in so I'm inclined to look at what a religion is teaching now... not in times that were considerably different than these.
But, anyways, I've done my part here to dispel some of the misperceptions that I'm aware of and will leave it at that. I don't practice any religion today other than appreciating every day God gives me on Earth with my family.

Sorry to have caused you trouble. My original purpose was to express a concern I had with Romney but I obviously failed to take into consideration people's feelings. My deepest apologies, I will try to do better next time I post. If I fail please feel free to kick me in the butt or use a 2x4 if necessary.

Right on!

No trouble at all. It's one of the few times I have taken more than a passing look backwards at my religious upbringing .. at least in a way that involved some research.
You didn't hurt my feelings.. at all. Seriously.
I just have listened to people express some pretty weird beliefs about the LDS and sometimes I speak up about it.

Now, the Fundamentalists (FLDS) is an offshoot from the main church and still believe in living on compounds and dressing like it's the 1800s and having plural wives. THAT'S where a lot of the perceptions come from since they stick out like the freaky cousin in the family that isn't quite normal.

Which makes this song all the more entertaining, if not beautiful.

FWIW, NG4 I have a few friends who are "estranged" from the church. The Mormon church is such a phenomenon and such a world unto itself and these friends of mine have very complex feelings about the church and their relation to it. I suspect you have a lot of the same feelings.

I suppose I don't need to chime in about religion, but I see no point in knocking anyone's unless that religion explicitly tells them to do unto others with impunity. The only religions I can think of that fit this bill are the human sacrificial ones that have died out long ago.If you are a believer in JC (regardless of flavor), than JC tells us that everyone is free to do what they please. I remind my wife of this when she gets overly concerned about my soul or skipping too many church days to see sumo (the best days are always Sundays).

That's a good way to put it.
This is not the KKK or witchcraft or devil worship or headhunting/ cannibalism/ whatever.
It's merely one more flavor of Christianity amongst many.