Mormonism

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Mormonism
By Katherine Esteve, Emily Wright, Lucy Yuan,
and Kathy Guo
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Founding

• Founder Joseph Smith Jr.
• In New York, during the spring of 1820, God the
  Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to the
  14-year-old Smith in response to his prayer
  regarding which church to join
• God commanded Smith not to join any existing
  churches but to create his own
• This encounter became known as the First Vision
• Smith founded The Church of Latter Day Saints 10
  years after the First Vision
• Joseph Smith Jr. becomes known as the first
  prophet of the restored Church of Christ

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Congregation

• After Joseph Smiths death in 1844, Brigham Young
  was ordained President of the Mormon Church in
  December 1847
• Young founded Salt Lake City, Utah where he
  established the headquarters of the Church of
  Latter-day Saints
• Mormonism is the 4th largest religion in USA and
  has almost 14 million followers in the world today

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Mormon Temples Around the World
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Holy Scripture

• The Book of Mormon
• Similar to The Bible, it is a volume of ancient
  scriptures which tell of the Israelites who,
  under the direction of God, traveled from
  Jerusalem to America in 600 B.C.
• Most prominent belief is that Jesus is the
  Christ, the eternal God, manifesting himself unto
  all nations.
• The Doctrine and Covenants
• Part of the Book of Mormon, it was originally
  called the book of commandments. The Doctrine and
  Covenants are a list of revelations given to the
  prophet Joseph Smith, directed towards members of
  the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Beliefs

• Soon after founding the Church of Jesus Christ of
  Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith wrote the
  Thirteen Articles of Faith. These straightforward
  statements about the basic beliefs of the Mormon
  Church include
• Belief in the holy trinity God the Father, Jesus
  Christ, and the Holy Spirit
• Mankind can find salvation through the Atonement
  of Jesus Christ
• Belief that Bible and the Book of Mormon are the
  word of God
• Christ will personally reign on the Earth
• Zion (New Jerusalem) will be located in America

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Connection to Christianity

• Mormonism is a form of Christian primitivism.
  Mainstream Christianity has come about in two
  ways
• - Orthodox churches were organized a few hundred
  years after the death of Christ
• Protestant churches have attempted to reform
  perceived problems in Orthodox beliefs and
  practice
• Mormonism is the restoration of Christs ancient
  church with its authority and power, done through
  modern revelation under the guidance of Jesus
  Christ.

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Sources

• http//carm.org/teachings-of-mormonism
• http//whymormonism.org/basic_mormon_beliefs
• http//mormon.org/joseph-smith/
• http//www.adherents.com/largecom/com_lds.html
• http//www.religioustolerance.org/lds.htm
• http//lds.org/?langeng