Preview

Mormonism: Comparisons to Monotheism and If It Is Truly Monotheistic

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
751 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mormonism: Comparisons to Monotheism and If It Is Truly Monotheistic
VW
03/07/2013
Religion

Mormonism: Comparisons to Monotheism and if it is truly monotheistic
Mormonism is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., in the 1820s. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself from traditional Protestantism. Mormonism today represents the new, non-Protestant faith taught by Smith in the 1840s. Mormonism in itself is its own religion. It has its own beliefs and customs. But it has some connections to other mainstream monotheistic religions. These religions are Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Mormonism shares some commonalities with these religions and some differences.
For example Mormonism shares some similarities with Judaism. Both Jews and Mormons are members of the twelve families of Israel who were under the Abrahamic Covenant. Both groups believe in and worship the same Heavenly Father, also the belief in angels, and holy visitations. Also the Jewish Tanakh scriptures have parallels and similarities to the LDS “bible” in subject matter, wisdom, and purpose. Mormons and Jews both believe in revelation and prophecy that is available to anyone. There are some connections that can be drawn from Mormonism to Judaism but ultimately it comes down to the differences. A main difference is that Jews do not believe that the messiah has come yet Mormons believe he already has and he was Jesus Christ. This is one key difference that sets the two apart.
Whether Mormons should be considered "Christians" is a controversial and rather complicated issue. Many Catholics and Protestants do not consider Mormons to be Christians because they believe the differences in doctrines are larger and more fundamental than those between Christian denominations. On other hand, religious studies books tend to group Mormons in with Christians because, Mormons regard themselves as Christians. Mormonism emerged in a Christian

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Gebusi Chapter Summary

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One major difference is that Seventh Day Adventists believe the Bible, but they do not fully recognize the division between the Old and New Testaments. The Mormons believe the Bible also, but they have additional books that they believe are equal.…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mormonism has usually been described as a frontier religion. But study of the circumstances of its origins and its continuing appeal in the area which bred it suggests a different view. The church did not rise during the pioneering era of western New York. Its early recruits came from many sects, but invariably from the longest settled neighborhoods of the region. Joseph’s peregrination during the period when he was pregnant with the new religion were always eastward, not westward, from his Manchester home. The first congregations of the church formed at Manchester, Fayette in Seneca County, and Colesville in Broome County. These facts together with the realization of Mormonism’s dependence on current excitements and upon myths and doctrines built by the passage of time into the locality’s very fabric, demonstrate that the Church of the Saints was not a frontier phenomenon in origin.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I too had difficulty narrowing down the search to just one religion. I ended up comparing the Mormon Sect to general Christians. After reviewing all the monotheistic religions it does seem that the God they all worship seem to be relatively similar in one way or another. There is not enough evidence to call it the same God, as each and every religion has picked and chosen what they want to believe and have geared their religions to fit their own needs through the different cultures and locations throughout the world. This is why we have Catholic, Mormon, Lutheran, Orthodox, Baptist, and the list goes on. They have all branched off of one another because they did not like some of the doctrine that were being practiced.…

    • 127 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Fundamental Ladder Day Saints is a religion that broke away from the Ladder Day Saint, or Mormon religion, in 1890. The FLDS is just one of the hundreds of sects that broke away from the Mormon religion. Before there were any sects from the Mormon religion, there was only one religion, which was started by Joseph Smith in 1830. Joseph Smith decided to add a doctrine to his religion, which was the practice of polygamy. The men within the Mormon religion were encouraged to take more then one wife, and if the men did not take more then one wife they were looked down upon by the community. Joseph Smith wrote a book, which is said, came from the visions Smith received, and this book became known as the Book of Mormon. In…

    • 2265 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mormonism/Jehovah Witness

    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Lehi: Prophet Lehi and his son Nephi, escape from Jerusalem, build a boat, and sail to “promised land” of America ca. 600 BC., sail to mormon region Nephi: son of Lehi Laman: son of Lehi 33 AD encounter Jesus 570 Nephites and Lamanites 400 AD Nephites killed off except moroni and mormon, become dark skinned Mormon writes down one two sets of golden plates, writes history, plate of nehi, plates of Lehi, when scribe loses first batch joseph smith translated from lehi, corrupted from satan, god wants me to translate from plates of lehi Mormon (3 meanings) ● Latter day saint ● mormon-person ● place Moroni: ● Moroni dies and becomes an angel tasked with guarding the plates ● Moroni reveals the location of the plates to Joseph Smith ● 2nd vision comes from the angel of moroni Joseph Smith: ● Dec 23,1805- June 27, 1844 (murdered, 38 years old) ● In 1820 during a revival, receives vision from God & jesus (distinct persons) that “all denominations are false” (Mt. 15:8, 2 Tim 3:5) ● Smith is seen as restoring the true church from current corruption ● 2nd vision comes in 1823 from the angel Moroni directing Smith to the location of the golden plates, along with Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30) ● 4 years later, Smith translates the Book of Mormon using the Urim & Thummim ● Book of Mormon goes on sale in 1830 ● Biography- pearl of great price Brigham Young ● President of the 12 Apostles ● Convinced many that the rightful successor ● Relocates LDS to Salt Lake City, Utah Gold plates (2 sets): Lehi and Nephi Urim & Thummim ● 2nd vision comes in 1823 from the angel Moroni directing Smith to the location of the golden plates, along with Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30) ● 4 years later, Smith translates the Book of Mormon using the Urim & Thummim Book of Mormon: ● A historical account of the Nephite people and Christ’s appearance to them ● Subtitles “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” in 1982 to clarify the role of the savior in the book ●…

    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mormon Pioneers Summary

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the early days of the Mormon Church, founded by Joseph Smith between 1820 and 1830, periods of strife and tension would follow the early members of the church around the entire United States. Beginning in the East, Joseph Smith would find it difficult to find a safe haven for the organization and headquartering of the Church of Christ. Beginning in Fayette, New York in 1830, Smith 's mission was to continue the original Church of Jesus Christ that was no longer on Earth. In 1823, Smith would claim that an angel directed him to a buried book written on golden plates containing the religious…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Church of the Later-day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830. Joseph was born 23 December 1805 in America. In 1820 when he was 14 years old Joseph was concerned that all churches claimed to be the true church. He prayed for guidance and saw God and Jesus in a vision. They told him not to join any existing church as the original church would be restored to the earth. Later in 1823 Joseph had another vision of an angel called Moroni who showed him religious history inscribed on golden plates. These inscriptions told the teachings of an ancient American civilisation. Joseph Smith used these inscriptions to write the ‘the Book of Mormon’. In 1830 Joseph established the ‘Church of Christ’ and after a revelation he…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mormons faith was founded and created on the soil of America but one cannot help but to wonder what is particularly American about this religion. To answer this question we must traveled to the past and witness how the church of Mormon came into existence. In the 19th century to call someone a Mormon is close to calling someone a Muslim terrorist. Today Mormon is one of the world’s fastest religions regardless of the enormous of repression Mormons endured over the past two generations.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mormon Extermination in Missouri Some people search their whole lives looking for something to fulfill them, to give meaning, and to find purpose. Some go to their graves never finding it, but for others, they find that meaning and yearn to share it with others. In 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was established by a man named Joseph Smith in New York. The members of this church soon received the nickname “Mormons” because of their adherence and belief to The Book of Mormon.…

    • 1732 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Over the centuries since Jesus walked on the earth, there have been many beliefs and doctrines that have been conceived. Many of these have not established their foundation in God’s Word, the Bible. This has caused a descent from how Christ initially established the Church those many years ago. Many religions today would claim to be the true Church of Jesus Christ. However, most have turned from Bible truths, and are therefore not the true Church of Jesus Christ. The Mormon Church is not the Church of Jesus Christ because they do not hold to the beliefs that the Bible is the complete, inerrant Word of God, salvation is by faith alone, and Jesus Christ has always been God.…

    • 1404 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anti-Mormonism In America

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Unlike other cases, the Mormons weren’t discriminated because of race or color, but almost only because of their religion and beliefs. A majority of the intolerance incidents against Mormonism were violent, however many of these violent actions were fueled by the media. The assailants felt justified because they saw Mormonism as a threat to their community. At first, Mormons chose to run away from conflict, then fought back with violence as tensions rose. Within their society, they were a culturally normal and integrated people, and yet they were rejected (Cater, para.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Joseph spent the next six years of his life translating the Hebrew text to the real world of God in a book he names “The Book of Mormon”. Ten years after the first vision in 1830, Joseph Smith Jr released “The Book of Mormon” and began his branch of religion called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.The difference between Christianity and Mormonism is that Mormons practiced things at the time were unimaginable, such as polygamy. Mormons believed they weren’t doing anything wrong because they believed that Joseph Smith Jr. was a prophet and was supposed to correct the world with the correct words of God. Another way that Mormons practiced ‘free exercise” also come with fear because it threatened the new personal and Evangelical view of religion. Evangelicals feared that a religion like Mormonism or Catholicism that had enough supporters, that would become the dominant religion in America. The result would be a singular a religion country again. Mormons and Catholics didn't only focus on more community than individual experience, but they were both also blindly following one single man.Evangelical thought this could threaten their religious freedom, and that the country…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Service Learning Project

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Mormon doctrine is prolife, the same as the Catholic doctrine. Both religions call their followers…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    All three of the monotheistic religions are very distinct in their differences. In Christianity, Jesus was the son of God. This is very different compared to Islam and Judaism. Christians also believe that if you have sinned in your life too much and not pleaded for forgiveness, you will go to hell. With that said, another unique difference is that they believe that the prophet Jesus was the messiah. However, when it comes to Judaism, they believe that the messiah will come in the future. They don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus because they don’t believe him to be a prophet of God. Jews have a set of dietary laws (kashrut) comprising of permitted and forbidden animals. Islam is also fairly different compared to Judaism and Christianity.…

    • 210 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    World History Module 1

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    * The holy books of all three religions are somewhat similar because they are all written by a close follower of the worshiped God. The difference though, is their reasons for believing that their holy book is more correct than the others. Jewish people do not believe in the New Testament while the Christians do and the Islamic people that Jesus was a great prophet but that neither Christians nor Jews are correct in their beliefs.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays