The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Mormonism, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is a religion that got its start in America in the early 1800's. This religion is referred to as a "cult" by many Christian denominations, even though the LDS church has more than 13,000,000 members worldwide and considers faith in Christ to be a requirement for salvation.

It is hard to understand the basics of this religion without taking a look at its founder, Joseph Smith. Smith was a teenager living in New York when the religious revival known as The Second Great Awakening swept through the area. Smith wrote in his History of the Church that he was torn between joining various Christian churches; specifically the Methodists, Baptists, or Presbyterians.

Remembering a Bible verse that promised God would provide wisdom to anyone that asked, Smith went into the woods near his house to spend time praying about what to do. Very soon after he started, he had an astonishing experience; God and his son, Jesus, appeared to Smith. They told him that he should not join any church, because they were all wrong. Smith was to start a church that would restore the true Gospel of Christ to the world.

Smith was only 14 at the time, and was quickly derided by a Methodist minister with whom he shared his experience. Smith held fast to the idea that this had actually happened, and four years later he had another supernatural experience. An angel named Moroni appeared to him and told him that there was a book buried nearby he needed to read. This book was written on golden plates and contained the lost history of America, but the time had not yet arrived for Smith to read the book.

Four more years passed, and eventually Moroni allowed Smith to obtain the book. In the cache Smith found which contained the book, he also found two stones called the Urim and Thummim, and these stones were intended to help Smith translate the book into English. Smith immediately began the process of translating the book he had found with the Urim and Thummim, and when he was finished, the result was the Book of Mormon.

Mormons view the Book of Mormon as a document that has as much authority as the Old and New Testament. The Book of Mormon tells of God calling a group if Israelites out of Israel so that they could travel to North America. It also tells of how Christ, after his crucifixion and resurrection, appeared in America to this lost tribe of Israel. It also contains the account of many people that lived during this time and their experiences with God and each other. Those experiences form the basis of many of the Mormons' beliefs.

Another source of doctrinal authority for the Mormons is the Doctrine & Covenants, which contains revelation given to Joseph Smith and other subsequent heads of the Mormon Church.

Mormons have a leg up on many of their Christian counterparts when it comes to familial relationships. Families are encouraged to set one night aside to spend together without any outside distractions. This is done to strengthen the family bond. Mormon marriages end in divorce at a rate much less than their Protestant counterparts. Mormons also have unique dietary restrictions that, when properly followed, are intended to give members longer and healthier lives.

Another component of this faith is that young men and women of college age are encouraged to dedicate up to two years of their lives engaging in an evangelistic mission. These missions, which can take place anywhere in the world, have the benefit of bringing in new members to the church while also reinforcing to the missionaries themselves the authenticity of their faith.

Unlike their born-again Christian counterparts, LDS missionaries do not bludgeon potential converts over the head with the facts of their faith. Each potential convert is taken through a series of lessons about the Mormon faith, and at the end they are asked to pray about what they've heard and ask God to show them if it is true. Once someone feels they have this supernatural confirmation, a baptism is performed and the convert is considered a member. At this point they begin to be introduced to facets of the Mormon faith that diverge further from mainstream Christianity.

There is no brainwashing, no coercion. The Latter Day Saints are a group of believers that practice their faith with sincerity and humility. They are very welcoming to others and have such a strong evangelistic focus because they believe it is their duty to share a restored Gospel with the rest of the world.