Latter-day Saints - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is among the most recent Christian religions to come into existence. It was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith, who is considered to be a prophet by members of the church. The church he created is far removed from the beliefs and practices of other Christian faiths, which has led to both controversy and persecution in its relatively short existence.

The Founding of the Church

The founder of the church, Joseph Smith, claimed to have a number of visions and revelations from God the Father, Jesus Christ, and angels, among others. In the first of these it was revealed to him that the true Church of God did not exist anywhere on the Earth. This became a foundation of the LDS church – the belief that their church is the only true church and only true religious authority on the planet. Smith also stated that beginning in 1827 he would visit a book written on golden plates in order to translate it, claiming that an angel had shown him its location. When he finished translating the plates (he claimed that God gave him the ability to translate the texts), he published this translation as the Book of Mormon, one of the most important doctrinal texts in the church he founded.

Persecution and Pilgrimage

The followers of Joseph Smith were disliked and persecuted for a number of reasons, including their tendency to vote as one in elections, the perception that Joseph Smith ruled over church members like a monarch, and rumors that his followers were practicing polygamy. This persecution led to the gradual pilgrimage of Smith’s followers from New York to the Midwest and, eventually, Utah. Smith himself was assassinated by a mob in Illinois, with the church eventually accepting the leadership of Brigham Young as Smith’s successor.

Beliefs and Practices

Although nominally a Christian religion, the LDS church has a very different theology compared to other Christian churches. The LDS church believes that the soul exists before birth rather than being born at the moment of conception. They also believe that the members of the Holy Trinity are not one God in three persons, but three separate entities united in purpose. They also believe that there are different levels of salvation, with those achieving the highest level of salvation becoming equal to God in the kingdom of Heaven. Some of the practices of structures of the church are also very different, with the church being led by the President of the Church (sometimes called the prophet) and the Twelve Apostles of the church. There are numerous church offices in which males of the church can serve, and sermons are often delivered by church members. There is a great emphasis on missionary work, and because they consider themselves to be the one true church they even work to convert other Christians to the LDS church.