Mormons; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ, is a religious movement founded by Joseph Smith in the United States in 1830. In addition to the Bible, Mormons believe in a scripture known as the “Book of Mormon” written by Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormons’ beliefs include that Jesus Christ was resurrected after his death, that there are three different levels of heaven, and that people will be rewarded according to their work done here. Also, Mormons believe that God still communicates vividly today, and therefore they believe in the existence of modern prophets.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith. According to his beliefs, he personally appeared to Smith several times regarding God, Jesus Christ, and other holy beings and gave him scriptures and other important writings. The Church advocates a revival of the teachings of Jesus Christ and uses other important works in addition to the Bible created by the prophet Joseph Smith. It maintains that it is the One and Only True Church and that it is obligated to preach to people all over the world before the return of Christ.
The Mormons’ Emergence Story
The Mormon story begins with Joseph Smith declaring himself a prophet of God. Smith claims that while he was praying in a forest in 1820, a divine sight and sound came to him. As a result of this experience, Smith says that he will translate a new version of the Bible through the angel Moroni, who was shown to him. At the end of this process, the book known as the “Book of Mormon” emerges. Later, Smith founded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and began gathering his congregation.
Smith was arrested in Illinois in 1844 and lynched by a crowd while in detention. Brigham Young succeeded Smith as the leader of the church, and Mormons migrated to the west of the Americas and settled in the Utah region. Due to the pressures they faced all over America in their early years, the Mormons chose Utah as their headquarters and they grew rapidly, establishing many new settlements there. Today, 80 percent of Salt Lake City’s population is Mormon and its churches and temples are located here.
Features of the Book of Mormon
The basis of Mormons’ beliefs is the scripture called the “Book of Mormon” adopted in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This book claims to be the continuation of the Bible and the Torah and tells that Jesus Christ also appeared to people living in the Americas and conveyed his teachings to them. The Book of Mormon is a 15-volume book in which the teachings of Jesus Christ are recorded. The book also gives information about the history of the people who lived in the Americas from 600 BC to 421 AD.
According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this book makes up for the shortcomings of the Bible and the Torah and is God’s final divine message. In addition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also includes the King James version of the Bible among its scriptures. However, some parts of the Bible are not compatible with the teachings of the Book of Mormon. The Church accepts the teachings of the Book of Mormon and reinterprets parts of the Bible.
Mormons Life and Rules
Mormons are a congregation that seeks to apply their faith in all aspects of their lives. Therefore, they see high solidarity, work and production as a sacred pursuit. Mormons rely on God-given wisdom and faith to build the promised land. They follow some rules to protect their bodies, such as the prohibition of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and premarital sex. These prohibitions help Mormons lead healthy lives and view their bodies as God’s temple. For this reason, Mormons do not consume beverages such as tea, coffee, cola, and they avoid films containing sexuality. These rules are among the many principles that govern the lives of Mormons. In the 1890s, they announced that they had abolished polygamy to join the Federation.
The community maintains long-term stocks of food to be prepared for a worldwide disaster. These stocks contain foods that conform to their religion. At first, the community, which wanted to increase their numbers rapidly, adopted a different lifestyle such as polygamy. However, the conservative sections when the movement first emerged refused to give up these relations. Today, the largest group that continues polygamy is concentrated in Centennial Park, made up of Fundamentalist Mormons. In this group, men can marry more than one woman, but this is not the case for women. Since women are brought up in large polygamous families, they do not hesitate to be second, third, fourth and even fifth wives.
There is no compulsion in their marriage and women are not jealous of each other. It is also not important to distinguish children, it does not matter which child gave birth to which mother. Usually one or two women take care of the housework while the others work. Mormons view polygamous marriages as a way to enter heaven. Every woman wants to have at least 5-6 children in order to reproduce, which is the most important element of her beliefs. For this reason, Mormons are considered to be the religious group with the highest population growth rate, and their total population is estimated at around 15 million.
