Formal Discussion - Mormonism; Church or Cult?

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MarkRohfrietsch

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  1. Title and topic: Mormonism; Church or Cult?
  2. The participants are com7fy8 and Jutta2
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Jorjan Felder

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Mormonism is not a cult.
Joseph was 14 when we went looking for a church to join. He went to every church in his community then prayed and ask God which one was the church he should choose and be baptized in. God answer that none of these churches would do and called Joseph to re-establish the Church of Jesus Christ. In the spring of 1820, Joseph went to a grove of trees near his home and knelt in prayer. He described his experience: "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph Smith-History ). This vision of Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ was the beginning of Joseph Smith's calling as a prophet of God.
He was led by God to an ancient record and given the ability to translate it into English. This record is what is now called the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith formally organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830.
Joseph Smith gave his life for the cause of truth. Joseph Smith had faced opposition, suspicion, and persecution most of his life, from the time he first saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in a vision at age 14. As the Church grew, opposition shifted from mockery of the religious beliefs of Church members to distrust and fear of the Church’s—and Joseph Smith’s—growing political power. In Nauvoo, Illinois, conflict that had simmered for years came to a boil when Joseph and the city council ordered the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor press. The Nauvoo Expositor was a newspaper published by apostate members of the Church who were opposed to plural marriage, a practice that had been growing in Nauvoo. The paper argued that Joseph Smith “had too much power, that polygamy was whoredom in disguise, and that the Nauvoo charter should be unconditionally repealed.”3
The members of the Nauvoo city council, which was led by Joseph Smith, felt that the paper was slanderous and ruled it a nuisance. By their interpretation of the rights granted to them by the state in the Nauvoo charter, the council believed they were legally justified in destroying the press.
Upon hearing of the paper’s destruction, residents of neighboring cities Carthage and Warsaw held mass meetings, declaring the act tyrannical.4 A judge in Carthage issued an arrest warrant for Joseph and Hyrum, charging that destroying the press amounted to inciting a riot. Others did not trust the law to resolve the situation. Thomas Sharp, editor of the Warsaw Signal, wrote, “We hold ourselves at all times in readyness to co-operate with our fellow citizens . . . to exterminate, utterly exterminate, the wicked and abominable Mormon leaders.” He even called for an attack on Nauvoo, declaring, “Strike them! For the time has fully come.”
Hearing these threats, Joseph Smith was reluctant to go to trial in Carthage and sought resolution from nearby judges. He also declared martial law in Nauvoo to protect the residents in case of an attack. This act angered neighbors even further, and citizens charged him with treason.
Joseph called upon Governor Thomas Ford to resolve the conflict. The governor promised to protect Joseph and Hyrum if they would answer the charges against them in Carthage. The protection he offered, however, came from the “Mormon-hating” Carthage militia, who offered only “token resistance” to the men attacking the jail.
Of the approximately 100 men involved in the attack that killed Joseph and Hyrum Smith, only nine were indicted. Four immediately fled, including a Mr. Gallaher, who, according to one witness, was the first to shoot Joseph Smith.Only five men were brought to trial: Thomas C. Sharp, publisher of the Warsaw Signal, an anti-Mormon newspaper; Levi Williams, colonel and commanding officer of the 59th Regiment of the Illinois militia; Mark Aldrich, commander of the Warsaw Independent Battalion; William N. Grover, captain of the Warsaw Rifle Company; and Jacob C. Davis, state senator and commander of the Warsaw Cadets.
The prosecution argued that even if these men did not fire a shot at Carthage Jail, “they did direct the arm that did strike the fatal blow.”While many people believed them to be guilty, no one was convicted for the murders. After they were acquitted, each man continued his life as a respected citizen in his community.
Some people mistakenly believe Mormons worship Joseph Smith. This is false; we worship God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Joseph was not a perfect person, nor a deity. He was a man of virtue who fulfilled an extraordinary calling. He showed his devotion to God in life and in death. It was said of him, "he lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and . . . has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood" (D&C 135:3).
Some people think that because we read the Book of Mormon, we don't read the Bible. That's just not true. It's like saying that we don't eat oranges because we eat apples. Both are good fruit! The Book of Mormon is not a replacement for the Bible. In fact, because the Book of Mormon and the Bible both contain the gospel of Jesus Christ as it was revealed to different civilizations, studying them together can clarify some concepts that are difficult to understand. The Book of Mormon tells us to read the Bible and affirms that its message is true (Mormon 7:8-10).

13 Articles of Faith. 13 statements that summarize our fundamental beliefs.

Two years before he died, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote them in a letter to a newspaper editor, John Wentworth, who had asked for information about the Church.
Ever since the Articles of Faith were written, they’ve inspired and directed us in the basic principles of our gospel. They enhance our understanding of certain doctrines and help us commit to living them. They invite further thought. And they’re a good tool for explaining our beliefs to people unfamiliar with them.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
This is a great video about The Book of Mormon on the BYUtv site. Featuring interviews with scholars and historians, this documentary tells the story of the coming forth of this unusual book of scriptures and how it is affecting people today—even some people you might not expect. " A New Age for The Book of Mormon". Watch it here : http://www.byutv.org/watch/90be2679...-mormon#ooid=02bDh2cDru3biGONkdL8D0nZt_gcAX8q

<script height="360px" width="640px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#...iZTY0NGJh&ec=02bDh2cDru3biGONkdL8D0nZt_gcAX8q"></script>

For more information visit : https://www.mormon.org/what-do-mormons-believe
 
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