User:74s181/Sandbox/Mormonism and Christianity

Short introductory paragraph here, like the one in the original article. Main thing is that each of the subarticles will also need an introductory paragraph and I don't want to duplicate the same thing among them.

Following the introduction, a statement explaining how the article is divided up and why.

What is Mormonism?

Mormonism is the common name given to the religious movement founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Although participants in this movement are frequently referred to as Mormons, they prefer to be called Latter Day Saints because they believe that the Latter Day Saint movement is a restoration of the original church of Christ of the New Testament (see Church of Christ (Mormonism)).

Those who practice Mormonism consider themselves to be Christians because they believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and strive to follow his teachings. As Mormonism, or the Latter Day Saint movement has grown and gained worldwide renown, most denominations within the movement including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (by far the largest) and many of its splinter groups including the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints retained many, if not most, of Smith's original doctrines and practices that many Christians denounce. However, the Latter Day Saint movement is not monolithic. Some denominations within the movement such as the Community of Christ have attempted to respond to some charges through extensive ecumenical efforts, including engagement in dialog with traditional Christianity and sometimes even relinquishing certain earlier doctrines and practices.

What is Christianity?

The broad circle of Christianity encompasses a wide spectrum of beliefs, practices and organizations based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and his followers as recorded in the New Testament and interpreted by two thousand years of professional theologians. However, most traditional Christians agree on a small set of core doctrines that they believe exclude Mormonism from traditional Christianity.

These core doctrines include the Nicene concept of the Trinity and faith in the Bible as the final and complete word of God. And although not all traditional Christian denominations participate in the World Council of Churches, most accept the basic tenets of the Christian ecumenical movement such as non-proselytization of other Christians and acceptance of baptisms performed by other Christian faiths.

Conflicts between Mormonism and traditional Christianity

Conflicts during the life of Joseph Smith

Main page: User:74s181/Sandbox/Mormonism and Christianity (early history)

Relationship since the martyrdom of Joseph Smith

Main page: User:74s181/Sandbox/Mormonism and Christianity (later history)

All of the following is stuff from the original article that was removed from the new articles

The hierarchical nature of the priesthood in Mormonism can be contrasted with the Protestant doctrine of the Priesthood of all believers. Despite this hierarchy, a direct relationship with God without an intermediary priest is a fundamental principle to Mormonism. In Mormonism, the First Vision is an important event in part because it is a model of a direct, personal relationship and revelation to which every Latter-day Saint should aspire. The lay clergy in the Church is also a reflection in part that every worthy LDS is entitled to and should become a "priest" or "priestess" to God. In Mormonism, Moses' cry that "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets" (Numbers 11:29) is taken as a personal encouragement and challenge.

Another observation with regards to the Mormon priesthood is that some teachings and practices are purportedly taught or practiced only in a Mormon temple, to which access is tightly controlled. The LDS Church, for instance, requires a member to be in "good standing" before access is permitted. Those who are given access are instructed to not reveal what goes on within the temple, otherwise they are at the risk of losing their membership in the church.

In the temple, deceased Catholics, Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, and members of all other Christian and non-Christian denominations are baptized by proxy, using a member of the LDS Church as a representative of the deceased.

The practice of vicarious ordinance work for the dead, then, shows how ingrained is the Mormon belief in the essential illegitimacy of other Christian churches--the belief that no other church has the priesthood authority to act in the name of God, and no other church has the authority to perform the essential ordinances such as baptism.

and his followers began to organize a church that would embody Smith's new insights about Christianity found in the Book of Mormon and later in his revelations. This new church was deemed necessary because the Christian tradition was considered so corrupt and incorrect that the true Christian authority could not be recovered without a restoration. Therefore, in 1830, Smith formed the Church of Christ, which purported to be a restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the "true" original Christianity.

Joseph Smith's belief in the need for a church restoration was a departure from traditional Christian thought. Although most Christians acknowledge corruption and mistakes with the Christian tradition, and indeed, several branches of Christianity accepted the idea of a Great Apostasy, only the Restorationists viewed traditional Christianity as so fundamentally broken that a restoration was required, rather than a mere reformation. To non-Restorationist Christians, past failures and departures from the truth were seen as continuously being overcome, through councils and decrees. But despite the failures, the fundamental "apostolic succession" made by Catholic and Orthodox branches, or the broader "apostolic tradition" claimed by most Protestant denominations, remained intact. See Restorationism.

The Mormon doctrine of theosis or deification differs significantly from the theosis of Orthodox Christianity. In Mormonism it is usually referred to as exaltation or eternal life. While the primary focus of Mormonism is on the atonement of Jesus Christ, the reason for the atonement is exaltation which goes beyond mere salvation. All men will be saved from sin and death, but only those who are sufficiently obedient and accept the atonement of Jesus Christ before the judgment will be exalted.

Nature of God

After the 1830's, starting in Nauvoo, Illinois, Smith taught that God was once a man, and had Himself a Father. As such, some Mormons acknowledge the existence of other gods; though the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost of the New Testament are the only gods worshipped by Mormons, as Mormons believe They are the one God (Godhead) of our universe.

Some Mormons, particularly Latter-day Saints, believe that God is married to an exalted woman, whom they speculatively call a Heavenly Mother. Her existence is referred to briefly in the Church hymn titled "O My Father" (Hymn number 292), and it is presumed in Church teachings that proclaim that each person is "a spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents." Her existence is acknowledged by Church members and leadership, though She is not worshipped.

There are no Mormon teachings about an ultimate or first Creator—such as the "Unmoved Mover" first taught by Aristotle and incorporated into Muslim and most Christian religions—and it is common in Mormonism to hear that the existence of other gods is not pertinent to salvation.