https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Kmerkley&feedformat=atom MormonWiki - User contributions [en] 2024-03-28T19:35:09Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.29.1 https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Draper_Utah_Temple&diff=19661 Draper Utah Temple 2008-10-01T19:23:40Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~Added open house and dedication info</p> <hr /> <div>[[image:Draper mormon temple.jpg|frame|Draper, Utah Mormon Temple]]<br /> <br /> [[Category: Temples]]<br /> The Draper Utah Temple is the 129th announced temple of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. <br /> <br /> On October 2, [[2004]], the [[First Presidency]] of the Mormon Church announced plans to build a temple in Draper, Utah. The Draper temple is the third Mormon temple in the Salt Lake Valley and the twelfth temple in Utah. Another temple, the [[Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple|Oquirrh (pronounced 'O-ker') Mountain Utah Temple]], is also about to be constructed in the Salt Lake Valley overlooking Bangerter Highway in the Daybreak development. The site for the Draper temple is 2000 East 14000 South and is 12 acres. Construction is underway, and the temple is expected to be completed in 2008. The temple site will also include a meetinghouse. <br /> <br /> The Draper planning commission approved the plans for the temple on May 18, [[2006]]. The new temple will be 57,000 square feet and 166 feet tall. The design is similar to the [[Idaho Falls Idaho Temple]], with white walls, a central spire and a stair step design. Included in the construction will be a parking lot that can hold 492 cars. Like many Mormon temples the temple site is on a hill. <br /> <br /> On August 5, [[2006]], President of the Mormon Church, [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], presided over a groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication. At the ceremony President Hinckley commented that it was the faithfulness of the members in attending the temple that made the need for another temple in the Utah area. In [[2004]] the Church recorded more than 32 million temple ceremonies performed by Church members, and temple attendance has been increasing, especially since many members now have access to temples that are much closer. This is due to the current President's zeal to build temples throughout the world. In the eleven years that President Gordon B. Hinckley has presided over the Church, more than 70 temples have been built. At the groundbreaking ceremony President Hinckley stated, &quot;We must build temples where people can get to them, the church is now worldwide which means that temples must be built all over the world. Fortunately, because of the faithful, [[tithing|tithe-paying]] Saints, we have the means to do so.&quot;<br /> <br /> The First Presidency has announced the open house and dedication dates for the Draper Utah Temple.<br /> <br /> PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE<br /> Thursday, January 15 to Saturday, March 14, 2009 (excluding Sundays)<br /> <br /> DEDICATION<br /> Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22, 2009 (in 12 sessions)<br /> <br /> TEMPLE OPENS<br /> Monday, March 23, 2009<br /> <br /> Open house tours are free but require reservations, which will be taken toward the end of the year.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> * [http://www.lds.org/temples/main/0,11204,1919-1-590-0,00.html Official LDS Draper Utah Temple page]<br /> * [http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/draper/ Draper Utah Temple page]<br /> <br /> {{TemplesUtah}}</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:Michael_Ballam.jpg&diff=18654 File:Michael Ballam.jpg 2008-07-08T16:41:45Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div></div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mormon_Beliefs:_Worldliness&diff=18294 Mormon Beliefs: Worldliness 2008-06-17T01:54:31Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>==Worldliness==<br /> <br /> &quot;It is possible for a man who loves the world to overcome that love, to get knowledge and understanding until he sees things as they really are, then he will not love the world but will see it as it is.&quot;<br /> ([[Brigham Young]], ''Deseret News Weekly,'' 28 Nov. 1855, 2)<br /> <br /> &quot;If you expect glory,intelligence and endless lives, let the world go.&quot;<br /> (Joseph F. Smith, ''Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith'' [1998], 243)<br /> <br /> &quot;The distance between the Church and a world set on a course which we cannot follow will steadily increase.&quot;<br /> (Boyd K. Packer, ''Ensign,'' May 1994, 21)<br /> <br /> &quot;I would rather be a Moses on the mount with all of Israel against me, then Aaron at the altar of the Golden calf with all of Israel dancing around and praising me.&quot;<br /> (George H. Brimhall, ''[[Brigham Young University]]: A School of Destiny'' 1976, 211)<br /> <br /> &quot;May we be different in order to make a difference in the world.&quot;<br /> (Neal A. Maxwell, &quot;Why Not Now?&quot; ''Ensign,'' Nov. 1974, 13)<br /> <br /> &quot;The flow has become a flood and soon will be a torrent. It will become a torrent of sounds and sights and sensations that invite temptation and offend the Spirit of God. Swimming back upstream to purity against the tides of the world was never easy. It is getting harder and may soon be frighteningly difficult.&quot;<br /> ([[Henry B. Eyring]], &quot;We Must Raise Our Sight,&quot; CES Conference, 14 Aug. 2001)<br /> <br /> &quot;Worldliness is not, in the last analysis, love of possessions, or the habit of courting great personages. It is simply the weakness of fibre which makes us take our standards from the society round us.&quot; <br /> (Ronald A. Knox, ''Stimuli,'' 1951; in''The Treasury of Religious and Spiritual Quotations'' Reader's Digest, 1994, 633)<br /> <br /> * How come we can quote movie lines, but not as many [[scriptures]]?<br /> * How come we know batting averages and ERAs but we don't know chapter and verse?<br /> * How come we can name the entire cast of ''Friends,'' but not the members of the Quorum of the Twelve? <br /> * How come we've read all the Harry Potter books, but not all of the Bible?<br /> * Why are we so quick to wear the latest fashions, and so slow to put on the whole armor of God?</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mormon_Beliefs:_Worldliness&diff=18293 Mormon Beliefs: Worldliness 2008-06-17T01:44:04Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>==Worldliness==<br /> <br /> &quot;It is possible for a man who loves the world to overcome that love, to get knowledge and understanding until he sees things as they really are, then he will not love the world but will see it as it is.&quot;<br /> ([[Brigham Young]], ''Deseret News Weekly,'' 28 Nov. 1855, 2)<br /> <br /> &quot;If you expect glory,intelligence and endless lives, let the world go.&quot;<br /> (Joseph F. Smith, ''Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith'' [1998], 243)<br /> <br /> &quot;The distance between the Church and a world set on a course which we cannot follow will steadily increase.&quot;<br /> (Boyd K. Packer, ''Ensign,'' May 1994, 21)<br /> <br /> &quot;I would rather be a Moses on the mount with all of Israel against me, then Aaron at the altar of the Golden calf with all of Israel dancing around and praising me.&quot;<br /> (George H. Brimhall, ''[[Brigham Young University]]: A School of Destiny'' 1976, 211)<br /> <br /> &quot;May we be different in order to make a difference in the world.&quot;<br /> (Neal A. Maxwell, &quot;Why Not Now?&quot; ''Ensign,'' Nov. 1974, 13)<br /> <br /> &quot;The flow has become a flood and soon will be a torrent. It will become a torrent of sounds and sights and sensations that invite temptation and offend the Spirit of God. Swimming back upstream to purity against the tides of the world was never easy. It is getting harder and may soon be frighteningly difficult.&quot;<br /> ([[Henry B. Eyring]], &quot;We Must Raise Our Sight,&quot; CES Conference, 14 Aug. 2001)<br /> <br /> &quot;Worldliness is not, in the last analysis, love of possessions, or the habit of courting great personages. It is simply the weakness of fibre which makes us take our standards from the society round us.&quot; <br /> (Ronald A. Knox, ''Stimuli,'' 1951; in''The Treasury of Religious and Spiritual Quotations'' Reader's Digest, 1994, 633)<br /> <br /> * How come we can quote movie lines, but not [[General Conference]] talks?<br /> * How come we know batting averages and ERAs but we don't know chapter and verse?<br /> * How come we can name the entire cast of ''Friends,'' but not the members of the Quorum of the Twelve? <br /> * How come we've read all the Harry Potter books, but not all of the Standard Works?<br /> * Why are we so quick to wear the latest fashions, and so slow to put on the whole armor of God?</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Mormon_Beliefs:_Worldliness&diff=18292 Talk:Mormon Beliefs: Worldliness 2008-06-17T00:55:55Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>This is just a stub. Needs intro and additional text and links.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mormon_myths&diff=17717 Mormon myths 2008-05-23T18:22:06Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>Common LDS Myths<br /> <br /> Numerous myths have been circulated about [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], and some are just out and out bizarre. Here, some of the more common myths about the LDS Church will be addressed. <br /> <br /> *'''Myth''': None of the Church of Jesus Christ’s ministry is paid. <br /> :'''Answer''': This is actually not true. The [[General Authorities]] are offered a living allowance because they provide full-time service. Mission Presidents receive basic financial support while they serve. However, those who serve at a local level, such as [[Roles of a Bishop|Bishops]] and Stake Presidents, are not paid. <br /> <br /> *'''Myth''': The Mormon Church is a correct title.<br /> :'''Answer''': This is untrue. The proper name for the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and this has been the official name of the Church since 1838. The Church actually discourages the use of the term “the Mormon Church.” While referring to a member of the Church as a Mormon is generally acceptable, most members prefer to be called “Latter-day Saints” or &quot;LDS.&quot; <br /> <br /> *'''Myth''': The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a [[Mormonism and Christianity| Christian]] church.<br /> :'''Answer''': When given the name of the Church, it is a wonder some people deny that Latter-day Saints are Christians. The entire focus of the Church is centered around [[Jesus Christ]], the [[Atonement of Jesus Christ|Atonement]], and the [[Resurrection|resurrection]].<br /> <br /> *'''Myth''': Latter-day Saints practice [[Plural Marriage|polygamy]].<br /> :'''Answer''': Absolutely not. The practice has been banned from the Church since 1890. Any member found practicing polygamy is excommunicated from the Church. Polygamists who claim to be Latter-day Saints are not telling the truth. Polygamist sects have no affiliation with the Church.<br /> <br /> *'''Myth''': The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is [http://blacklds.org/ racist]. <br /> :'''Answer''': This is absolutely not true. In 1978, President [[Spencer W. Kimball]] stated that every “faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood.” Before this time, blacks of African descent were not able to receive the [[Priesthood|priesthood]]. This situation was not the desire of the members of the Church or its leadership. When President Kimball and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles received the revelation to extend the priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church, they had already been praying fervently for some time for that blessing. The Church’s position toward all races has always been to embrace them. Latter-day Saints treated Native Americans with respect at a time when many did not, and founding prophet [[Joseph Smith|Joseph Smith, Jr.]], actually ran for President of the United States on an anti-slavery platform. Members of the Church come from all over the world, and no one is denied access to the blessings of the Church because of his race.<br /> [[Category:Mormon Life and Culture]][[Category:Controversial Topics]]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Body_Piercing&diff=16589 Talk:Body Piercing 2008-04-19T20:14:06Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>Can we please revise this so that it is not the same text as the recently written blog posted on Mormonchurch.com? Thank you so much.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Hakawati&diff=16581 User talk:Hakawati 2008-04-18T17:50:13Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>Welcome. [[User:Rickety|Rickety]] 01:40, 4 April 2008 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Yes, welcome aboard. We're glad to have any contributions you can make to Wiki. My name is Gale Boyd, and I'm an assistant editor for More Good Foundation (check us out at www.moregoodfoundation.org). MGF mounted MormonWiki and about 70 other sites to promote understanding of the gospel and the Church. I'm your goto for questions regarding your submissions. Rickety is very savvy and a really reliable volunteer, updating all the time. My email is gboyd@moregoodfoundation.org.[[User:Gboyd|Gboyd]] 15:19, 4 April 2008 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm looking forward to participating. --[[User:Hakawati|Hakawati]] 15:23, 4 April 2008 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Aaron, another welcome from MGF. I'm Karen Merkley, and I'd love to visit with you a bit. Can you email me at kmerkley@moregoodfoundation.org? Thanks for your contribs and service. I look forward to hearing from you.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fundamentalists_vs._Mormons&diff=16478 Fundamentalists vs. Mormons 2008-04-16T16:02:52Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>According to [[Gordon B. Hinckley|President Hinckley]] there is no such thing as a &quot;Mormon fundamentalist,&quot; since this implies that the person somehow adheres more fully to the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than its actual members, which such a person is not. However, members of a splinter group of the official [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] call themselves The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). It is the world's largest group of such type; it may also be America's largest practitioner of plural marriage. The FLDS Church is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), from which it split in the late 1890s after the LDS Church renounced [[polygamy]]. The separate FLDS society is centered on the border of Utah and Arizona. There has been no individual ownership of the property, as the sect itself holds all property for distribution. Litigation is under way to try to reassign property rights to individuals. In this fundamentalist creed, polygamy is practiced. Those who practice it are fundamentalists, apart from and distinct from anyone known as a Mormon (see [[Plural Marriage]]). <br /> <br /> Wikipedia states,<br /> :Until 2007, the church was led by Warren Jeffs, who succeeded his father Rulon Jeffs in 2002. For nearly two years, Warren Jeffs had been wanted on sex-crimes charges; and from May 2004 until his arrest in August 2006 he was on the FBI's Ten Most-Wanted List. On September 25, 2007, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape and was sentenced to ten years to life in prison. He formally resigned as the president of the FLDS Church on November 20, 2007.<br /> <br /> <br /> Additional Resources<br /> <br /> * See the article on [[Plural Marriage]].<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdOM9udv4] Video of Mike Otterson's Public Affairs' statement about the Texas fundamentalist sect.<br /> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalist_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter_Day_Saints Wikipedia article]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Controversial Topics]]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mormons_Have_Nothing_to_Do_with_Polygamous_Sect_in_Texas&diff=16469 Mormons Have Nothing to Do with Polygamous Sect in Texas 2008-04-15T19:52:36Z <p>Kmerkley: /* Public Affairs YouTube Video: “Mormons Have Nothing to Do With Polygamous Sect” */</p> <hr /> <div>==Public Affairs YouTube Video: “Mormons Have Nothing to Do With Polygamous Sect”==<br /> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdOM9udv4 Video Clip]<br /> <br /> Mike Otterson, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Public Affairs office, responds to a question about how the press has handled coverage of the Texas raid of an unaffiliated polygamous sect:<br /> <br /> ==Transcription==<br /> “We’re seeing hundreds of news reports around the world dealing with recent events in Texas and some of those reports refer to those practicing polygamy as Mormons. Tell me how the Church feels about the media coverage so far.”<br /> <br /> Mike Otterson:<br /> “Well, when people [in the news media or people in general] refer to these polygamist groups as Mormons, it always bothers us. I have to say that in the last couple of weeks—or the last week or so--since this story broke about the raid on this Texas polygamous sect, the media has really been pretty good, in the United States especially: CNN, the Associated Press, USA Today, National PublicRadio have all been very, very careful to draw the distinction between the thirteen million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—that is, this global religious faith, the 4th largest faith in the United States--and these small secretive polygamous societies. <br /> <br /> I wish it was that clear a distinction to the ordinary member of the public because frankly we still do get confused even though it’s well over a century since the Church—our Church—discontinued polygamy. In 1890 [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] officially discontinued polygamy, and even today, now, if any member tried to practice polygamy, they’d be excommunicated. So we have no tolerance for it. <br /> <br /> But in the public mind, people think of the term “Mormon” as…a missionary who’s knocking at a door, or they think of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or they think of, maybe, the Mormon temple on Temple Square. So they have certain images in understanding what the term “Mormon” means. And when the media occasionally uses the term, “Mormons” to describe these fundamentalist sects; if they start calling them “Mormon fundamentalists,” or “Mormon polygamists,” it causes tremendous confusion in the public mind. And frankly, it really irritates us because we’ve really tried to make those distinctions very, very clear over the years.<br /> <br /> Some of the international press still gets it wrong. We’ve seen reports coming out of Russia, we’ve seen reports coming out of France, like the Agence France-Presse, the French News Agency, for example posted a photograph of our temple alongside the story on this raid on this polygamous sect in Texas. Well, that frankly is inexcusable, and it took us three days to persuade them to take that picture down which they eventually did and issued a clarification. So we still do get confusion, even though most of the media is now getting it.<br /> <br /> I think in the public mind there’s still this, “Well, is that you?”; “Are these Mormons or are they not?” So I want to make it really, really clear, as clear as I possibly can: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this global organization that I belong to, that preaches the gospel in 90 different languages, that has members in all the different countries in the world, that operates Brigham Young University and does all this humanitarian aid around the world, that could not be more different than these small polygamous sects that are scattered around the Intermountain West, and even as far as British Columbia. <br /> <br /> So, if people just understand that we don’t look like these people; we don’t dress like these people; we don’t worship like these people; we don’t believe the same things as these people. And the term “Mormon” should never, ever be used to describe these polygamous sects. If we can just get that, if we win that battle, frankly, we’ll have come a long way.”<br /> <br /> Transcription by Karen R. Merkley<br /> More Good Foundation<br /> kmerkley@moregoodfoundation.org<br /> 801.705.5115</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mormons_Have_Nothing_to_Do_with_Polygamous_Sect_in_Texas&diff=16467 Mormons Have Nothing to Do with Polygamous Sect in Texas 2008-04-15T19:52:05Z <p>Kmerkley: /* Public Affairs YouTube Video: “Mormons Have Nothing to Do With Polygamous Sect” */ ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>==Public Affairs YouTube Video: “Mormons Have Nothing to Do With Polygamous Sect”==<br /> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdOM9udv4]<br /> <br /> Mike Otterson, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Public Affairs office, responds to a question about how the press has handled coverage of the Texas raid of an unaffiliated polygamous sect:<br /> <br /> ==Transcription==<br /> “We’re seeing hundreds of news reports around the world dealing with recent events in Texas and some of those reports refer to those practicing polygamy as Mormons. Tell me how the Church feels about the media coverage so far.”<br /> <br /> Mike Otterson:<br /> “Well, when people [in the news media or people in general] refer to these polygamist groups as Mormons, it always bothers us. I have to say that in the last couple of weeks—or the last week or so--since this story broke about the raid on this Texas polygamous sect, the media has really been pretty good, in the United States especially: CNN, the Associated Press, USA Today, National PublicRadio have all been very, very careful to draw the distinction between the thirteen million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—that is, this global religious faith, the 4th largest faith in the United States--and these small secretive polygamous societies. <br /> <br /> I wish it was that clear a distinction to the ordinary member of the public because frankly we still do get confused even though it’s well over a century since the Church—our Church—discontinued polygamy. In 1890 [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] officially discontinued polygamy, and even today, now, if any member tried to practice polygamy, they’d be excommunicated. So we have no tolerance for it. <br /> <br /> But in the public mind, people think of the term “Mormon” as…a missionary who’s knocking at a door, or they think of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or they think of, maybe, the Mormon temple on Temple Square. So they have certain images in understanding what the term “Mormon” means. And when the media occasionally uses the term, “Mormons” to describe these fundamentalist sects; if they start calling them “Mormon fundamentalists,” or “Mormon polygamists,” it causes tremendous confusion in the public mind. And frankly, it really irritates us because we’ve really tried to make those distinctions very, very clear over the years.<br /> <br /> Some of the international press still gets it wrong. We’ve seen reports coming out of Russia, we’ve seen reports coming out of France, like the Agence France-Presse, the French News Agency, for example posted a photograph of our temple alongside the story on this raid on this polygamous sect in Texas. Well, that frankly is inexcusable, and it took us three days to persuade them to take that picture down which they eventually did and issued a clarification. So we still do get confusion, even though most of the media is now getting it.<br /> <br /> I think in the public mind there’s still this, “Well, is that you?”; “Are these Mormons or are they not?” So I want to make it really, really clear, as clear as I possibly can: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this global organization that I belong to, that preaches the gospel in 90 different languages, that has members in all the different countries in the world, that operates Brigham Young University and does all this humanitarian aid around the world, that could not be more different than these small polygamous sects that are scattered around the Intermountain West, and even as far as British Columbia. <br /> <br /> So, if people just understand that we don’t look like these people; we don’t dress like these people; we don’t worship like these people; we don’t believe the same things as these people. And the term “Mormon” should never, ever be used to describe these polygamous sects. If we can just get that, if we win that battle, frankly, we’ll have come a long way.”<br /> <br /> Transcription by Karen R. Merkley<br /> More Good Foundation<br /> kmerkley@moregoodfoundation.org<br /> 801.705.5115</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mormons_Have_Nothing_to_Do_with_Polygamous_Sect_in_Texas&diff=16466 Mormons Have Nothing to Do with Polygamous Sect in Texas 2008-04-15T19:50:18Z <p>Kmerkley: /* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints */</p> <hr /> <div>==Public Affairs YouTube Video: “Mormons Have Nothing to Do With Polygamous Sect”==<br /> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdOM9udv4]<br /> <br /> ==Transcription==<br /> “We’re seeing hundreds of news reports around the world dealing with recent events in Texas and some of those reports refer to those practicing polygamy as Mormons. Tell me how the Church feels about the media coverage so far.”<br /> <br /> Mike Otterson:<br /> “Well, when people [in the news media or people in general] refer to these polygamist groups as Mormons, it always bothers us. I have to say that in the last couple of weeks—or the last week or so--since this story broke about the raid on this Texas polygamous sect, the media has really been pretty good, in the United States especially: CNN, the Associated Press, USA Today, National PublicRadio have all been very, very careful to draw the distinction between the thirteen million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—that is, this global religious faith, the 4th largest faith in the United States--and these small secretive polygamous societies. <br /> <br /> I wish it was that clear a distinction to the ordinary member of the public because frankly we still do get confused even though it’s well over a century since the Church—our Church—discontinued polygamy. In 1890 [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] officially discontinued polygamy, and even today, now, if any member tried to practice polygamy, they’d be excommunicated. So we have no tolerance for it. <br /> <br /> But in the public mind, people think of the term “Mormon” as…a missionary who’s knocking at a door, or they think of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or they think of, maybe, the Mormon temple on Temple Square. So they have certain images in understanding what the term “Mormon” means. And when the media occasionally uses the term, “Mormons” to describe these fundamentalist sects; if they start calling them “Mormon fundamentalists,” or “Mormon polygamists,” it causes tremendous confusion in the public mind. And frankly, it really irritates us because we’ve really tried to make those distinctions very, very clear over the years.<br /> <br /> Some of the international press still gets it wrong. We’ve seen reports coming out of Russia, we’ve seen reports coming out of France, like the Agence France-Presse, the French News Agency, for example posted a photograph of our temple alongside the story on this raid on this polygamous sect in Texas. Well, that frankly is inexcusable, and it took us three days to persuade them to take that picture down which they eventually did and issued a clarification. So we still do get confusion, even though most of the media is now getting it.<br /> <br /> I think in the public mind there’s still this, “Well, is that you?”; “Are these Mormons or are they not?” So I want to make it really, really clear, as clear as I possibly can: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this global organization that I belong to, that preaches the gospel in 90 different languages, that has members in all the different countries in the world, that operates Brigham Young University and does all this humanitarian aid around the world, that could not be more different than these small polygamous sects that are scattered around the Intermountain West, and even as far as British Columbia. <br /> <br /> So, if people just understand that we don’t look like these people; we don’t dress like these people; we don’t worship like these people; we don’t believe the same things as these people. And the term “Mormon” should never, ever be used to describe these polygamous sects. If we can just get that, if we win that battle, frankly, we’ll have come a long way.”<br /> <br /> Transcription by Karen R. Merkley<br /> More Good Foundation<br /> kmerkley@moregoodfoundation.org<br /> 801.705.5115</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mormons_Have_Nothing_to_Do_with_Polygamous_Sect_in_Texas&diff=16465 Mormons Have Nothing to Do with Polygamous Sect in Texas 2008-04-15T19:49:39Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>==The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints==<br /> ==Public Affairs YouTube Video: “Mormons Have Nothing to Do With Polygamous Sect”==<br /> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdOM9udv4]<br /> <br /> ==Transcription==<br /> “We’re seeing hundreds of news reports around the world dealing with recent events in Texas and some of those reports refer to those practicing polygamy as Mormons. Tell me how the Church feels about the media coverage so far.”<br /> <br /> Mike Otterson:<br /> “Well, when people [in the news media or people in general] refer to these polygamist groups as Mormons, it always bothers us. I have to say that in the last couple of weeks—or the last week or so--since this story broke about the raid on this Texas polygamous sect, the media has really been pretty good, in the United States especially: CNN, the Associated Press, USA Today, National PublicRadio have all been very, very careful to draw the distinction between the thirteen million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—that is, this global religious faith, the 4th largest faith in the United States--and these small secretive polygamous societies. <br /> <br /> I wish it was that clear a distinction to the ordinary member of the public because frankly we still do get confused even though it’s well over a century since the Church—our Church—discontinued polygamy. In 1890 [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] officially discontinued polygamy, and even today, now, if any member tried to practice polygamy, they’d be excommunicated. So we have no tolerance for it. <br /> <br /> But in the public mind, people think of the term “Mormon” as…a missionary who’s knocking at a door, or they think of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or they think of, maybe, the Mormon temple on Temple Square. So they have certain images in understanding what the term “Mormon” means. And when the media occasionally uses the term, “Mormons” to describe these fundamentalist sects; if they start calling them “Mormon fundamentalists,” or “Mormon polygamists,” it causes tremendous confusion in the public mind. And frankly, it really irritates us because we’ve really tried to make those distinctions very, very clear over the years.<br /> <br /> Some of the international press still gets it wrong. We’ve seen reports coming out of Russia, we’ve seen reports coming out of France, like the Agence France-Presse, the French News Agency, for example posted a photograph of our temple alongside the story on this raid on this polygamous sect in Texas. Well, that frankly is inexcusable, and it took us three days to persuade them to take that picture down which they eventually did and issued a clarification. So we still do get confusion, even though most of the media is now getting it.<br /> <br /> I think in the public mind there’s still this, “Well, is that you?”; “Are these Mormons or are they not?” So I want to make it really, really clear, as clear as I possibly can: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this global organization that I belong to, that preaches the gospel in 90 different languages, that has members in all the different countries in the world, that operates Brigham Young University and does all this humanitarian aid around the world, that could not be more different than these small polygamous sects that are scattered around the Intermountain West, and even as far as British Columbia. <br /> <br /> So, if people just understand that we don’t look like these people; we don’t dress like these people; we don’t worship like these people; we don’t believe the same things as these people. And the term “Mormon” should never, ever be used to describe these polygamous sects. If we can just get that, if we win that battle, frankly, we’ll have come a long way.”<br /> <br /> Transcription by Karen R. Merkley<br /> More Good Foundation<br /> kmerkley@moregoodfoundation.org<br /> 801.705.5115</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mormons_Have_Nothing_to_Do_with_Polygamous_Sect_in_Texas&diff=16464 Mormons Have Nothing to Do with Polygamous Sect in Texas 2008-04-15T19:49:02Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>==The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Public Affairs YouTube Video: <br /> “Mormons Have Nothing to Do With Polygamous Sect”==<br /> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdOM9udv4]<br /> <br /> ==Transcription==<br /> “We’re seeing hundreds of news reports around the world dealing with recent events in Texas and some of those reports refer to those practicing polygamy as Mormons. Tell me how the Church feels about the media coverage so far.”<br /> <br /> Mike Otterson:<br /> “Well, when people [in the news media or people in general] refer to these polygamist groups as Mormons, it always bothers us. I have to say that in the last couple of weeks—or the last week or so--since this story broke about the raid on this Texas polygamous sect, the media has really been pretty good, in the United States especially: CNN, the Associated Press, USA Today, National PublicRadio have all been very, very careful to draw the distinction between the thirteen million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—that is, this global religious faith, the 4th largest faith in the United States--and these small secretive polygamous societies. <br /> <br /> I wish it was that clear a distinction to the ordinary member of the public because frankly we still do get confused even though it’s well over a century since the Church—our Church—discontinued polygamy. In 1890 [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] officially discontinued polygamy, and even today, now, if any member tried to practice polygamy, they’d be excommunicated. So we have no tolerance for it. <br /> <br /> But in the public mind, people think of the term “Mormon” as…a missionary who’s knocking at a door, or they think of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or they think of, maybe, the Mormon temple on Temple Square. So they have certain images in understanding what the term “Mormon” means. And when the media occasionally uses the term, “Mormons” to describe these fundamentalist sects; if they start calling them “Mormon fundamentalists,” or “Mormon polygamists,” it causes tremendous confusion in the public mind. And frankly, it really irritates us because we’ve really tried to make those distinctions very, very clear over the years.<br /> <br /> Some of the international press still gets it wrong. We’ve seen reports coming out of Russia, we’ve seen reports coming out of France, like the Agence France-Presse, the French News Agency, for example posted a photograph of our temple alongside the story on this raid on this polygamous sect in Texas. Well, that frankly is inexcusable, and it took us three days to persuade them to take that picture down which they eventually did and issued a clarification. So we still do get confusion, even though most of the media is now getting it.<br /> <br /> I think in the public mind there’s still this, “Well, is that you?”; “Are these Mormons or are they not?” So I want to make it really, really clear, as clear as I possibly can: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this global organization that I belong to, that preaches the gospel in 90 different languages, that has members in all the different countries in the world, that operates Brigham Young University and does all this humanitarian aid around the world, that could not be more different than these small polygamous sects that are scattered around the Intermountain West, and even as far as British Columbia. <br /> <br /> So, if people just understand that we don’t look like these people; we don’t dress like these people; we don’t worship like these people; we don’t believe the same things as these people. And the term “Mormon” should never, ever be used to describe these polygamous sects. If we can just get that, if we win that battle, frankly, we’ll have come a long way.”<br /> <br /> Transcription by Karen R. Merkley<br /> More Good Foundation<br /> kmerkley@moregoodfoundation.org<br /> 801.705.5115</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fundamentalists_vs._Mormons&diff=16446 Fundamentalists vs. Mormons 2008-04-15T15:47:58Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~This is to make the distinction and disaffiliation crystal clear between Mormons and Fundamentalists.</p> <hr /> <div>According to [[Gordon B. Hinckley|President Hinckley]] there is no such thing as a &quot;Mormon fundamentalist,&quot; since this implies that the person somehow adheres more fully to the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than its actual members, which such a person is not. However, members of a splinter group of the official [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] call themselves The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). It is the world's largest group of such type; it may also be America's largest practitioner of plural marriage. The FLDS Church is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), from which it split in the late 1890s after the true LDS Church renounced [[polygamy]].This apostate organization is centered on the border of Utah and Arizona. There has been no individual ownership of the property, as the sect itself holds all property for distribution. Litigation is under way to try to reassign property rights to individuals. In this apostate creed, polygamy is practiced. Those who practice it are fundamentalists, apart from and distinct from anyone known as a Mormon. <br /> <br /> Wikipedia states,<br /> :Until 2007, the church was led by Warren Jeffs, who succeeded his father Rulon Jeffs in 2002. For nearly two years, Warren Jeffs had been wanted on sex-crimes charges; and from May 2004 until his arrest in August 2006 he was on the FBI's Ten Most-Wanted List. On September 25, 2007, Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape and was sentenced to ten years to life in prison. He formally resigned as the president of the FLDS Church on November 20, 2007.<br /> <br /> <br /> Additional Resources<br /> <br /> [http://youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdOM9udv4] Video of Mike Otterson's Public Affairs' statement about the Texas fundamentalist sect.<br /> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalist_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter_Day_Saints Wikipedia article]<br /> <br /> [[Category:Controversial Topics]]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Fundamentalist_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter_Day_Saints&diff=16445 The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 2008-04-15T15:41:17Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~This title may mislead people who don't read further. We'll redirect this.</p> <hr /> <div></div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Plural_Marriage&diff=16421 Plural Marriage 2008-04-12T20:33:19Z <p>Kmerkley: /* External Links */ ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:Marriage and Families]][[Category:Controversial Topics]]<br /> == Introduction ==<br /> <br /> Mormons, members of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], do not practice polygamy. The term &quot;Mormon Polygamy&quot; is incorrect, as anyone who follows this practice in our day is not a member of the Church but belongs instead to some [[Fundamentalists|fundamentalist]] or other religious denomination. [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], 15th Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stated the following about [[polygamy]] in the Church's General Conference of October 1998:<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They are in violation of the civil law. They know they are in violation of the law. They are subject to its penalties. The Church, of course, has no jurisdiction whatever in this matter.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church. An article of our faith is binding upon us. It states, 'We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law' ([[Articles of Faith]] 1:12). One cannot obey the law and disobey the law at the same time.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;There is no such thing as a 'Mormon Fundamentalist.' It is a contradiction to use the two words together.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> Polygamy, usually called [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html plural marriage], plurality of wives, or the &quot;Principle,&quot; by [[Latter-day Saints|Mormons]], was once commanded of the Lord for a very specific purpose at a critical time in history, and the law was divinely repealed in 1890. The term ''polygamy'' is actually a widely used misnomer, as Church members actually practiced ''polygyny,'' a type of marital relationship where one man marries multiple women. This practice led to severe persecution and repression of Mormons by the United States Government in the latter half of the nineteenth century, and its abandonment became a condition for Utah statehood. Many misunderstandings, misconceptions, half-truths, and outright lies have attended discussions of polygamy among the Mormons and are still fostered among anti-Mormons and ex-Mormons who attempt to attack the Church and its teachings. This article will address the history of polygamy among Mormons and the official teachings of the Mormon Church about polygamy.<br /> <br /> ===Marriage as the Lord Decrees===<br /> <br /> Since the beginning of recorded history, God has sometimes commanded His people to practice polygamy, and sometimes forbid it, but when He does command it, the purpose is to raise righteous children unto the Lord. This corresponds precisely to what Joseph Smith and Brigham Young taught:<br /> <br /> *: [...] I have constantly said no man shall have but one wife at a time, &lt;b&gt;unless the Lord directs otherwise&lt;/b&gt;. (''Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,'' page 324.)<br /> <br /> *:God never introduced the Patriarchal order of marriage with a view to please man in his carnal desires, nor to punish females for anything which they had done; but &lt;b&gt;He introduced it for the express purpose of raising up to His name a royal Priesthood&lt;/b&gt;, a peculiar people. (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:264)<br /> <br /> *:This revelation, which God gave to Joseph, was &lt;b&gt;for the express purpose of providing a channel for the organization of tabernacles [i.e. bodies]&lt;/b&gt;, for those spirits to occupy who have been reserved to come forth in the kingdom of God, and that they might not be obliged to take tabernacles out of the kingdom of God. (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:265)<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Joseph Smith and Polygamy===<br /> :&lt;i&gt;see also the [[Ohio Period|Mormon history]] article covering this time period.&lt;/i&gt;<br /> <br /> In 1831, one year after the founding of the Church, as Joseph Smith was working on a translation of the Bible, he appealed to the Lord about some questions raised as he read the scriptures. According to [http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/132 the revelation] given to Joseph Smith, but not written down until July 12, [[1843]], Joseph Smith approached the Lord and asked Him why he permitted ancient prophets like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to have multiple wives. The revelation states that only God can command men to practice polygamy and that he appoints a prophet to be in charge of it when he does. <br /> <br /> Joseph Smith was hesitant to teach this new principle and did not even share it with his closest associates for many years. According to later statements by [[Lorenzo Snow]], and [[Brigham Young]], Joseph was himself repelled by the idea, and not until an angel of Lord appeared to him and ordered him to practice it and teach it, did he begin. This apparently took place sometime after [[1839]], when the Mormons had been driven to [[Nauvoo and the Martyrdom|Nauvoo, Illinois]]. When Brigham Young learned about it he said:<br /> <br /> : Some of these my brethren know what my feelings were at the time Joseph revealed the doctrine; I was not desirous of shrinking from any duty, nor of failing in the least to do as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time. And when I saw a funeral, I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to regret that I was not in the coffin, knowing the toil and labor that my body would have to undergo; and I have had to examine myself, from that day to this, and watch my faith, and carefully meditate, lest I should be found desiring the grave more than I ought to do (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:266).<br /> <br /> It is not clear exactly how many women Joseph Smith married, but it is apparent that Joseph Smith did not ever live with any of these other wives. Mormon teachings on [[Celestial marriage|marriage]], which Joseph Smith had begun teaching in Nauvoo, taught that men and women could be married for all eternity, not just in this life. Marriage was for &quot;time and all eternity.&quot; &lt;i&gt;Time&lt;/i&gt; referred to this mortal life while &lt;i&gt;eternity&lt;/i&gt; referred to the next life. Hence, according to Joseph Smith marriages could be just for this life, for this life and the next, or just for the next life. <br /> <br /> This last category has caused much confusion and led to many attacks on the characters of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. For persons whose spouses were not Mormons and thus could not be married for “time and all eternity” to that spouse, early Mormon practice allowed the person to be &lt;i&gt;sealed&lt;/i&gt;, a Mormon word referring to [[Mormon temple|temple]] marriage for all eternity, to one person, but married for time to another. Thus, the person would continue to live with one spouse in this life, but have the blessings of eternal marriage, called [[celestial marriage]], with another. Many of Joseph Smith’s and Brigham Young’s wives were of this sort. They never lived with these wives or had sexual relations with them. <br /> <br /> Women tend to be more intuitive than men, so most religions or spiritual movements have won more female adherents than male. Likewise, in the early days of the Church, there were more female converts than male. Polygamy enabled these women to have financial support, as those leaders able to support more than one wife stepped up and accepted that burden. <br /> <br /> ===The Nauvoo Period===<br /> In Nauvoo, Joseph Smith began teaching polygamy to his closest and most trusted associates. Nearly 100 people were taught about it before [[Martyrdom of Joseph Smith|Joseph Smith’s martyrdom]]. A few began this practice before the exodus of [[1846]], but it remained in hiatus until the Mormons were established in Utah.[http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/qa/against_plural.htm]<br /> <br /> During this time, some close associates took advantage of this situation. John C. Bennett, a friend of Joseph Smith and mayor of Nauvoo, perverted these teachings to gratify his own lust. He told single and married women that Joseph was teaching &quot;spiritual wifery,&quot; as he called it, which he claimed gave them permission to sleep with whomever they desired. Bennett was eventually caught. He confessed that Joseph Smith had never taught &quot;spiritual wifery,&quot; which amounted to adultery, and was soon excommunicated. He left Nauvoo and began publishing scathing attacks on Joseph Smith. Another close associate, William Law, pleaded with Joseph Smith to renounce polygamy. When he would not, Law and a few other disaffected Mormons published the &lt;i&gt;[[Nauvoo Expositor]]&lt;/i&gt; which claimed Joseph Smith was teaching adultery and fornication and called for him to be hung. The Nauvoo City Council decided this was a public nuisance and so destroyed the press. Riots followed and Joseph Smith was arrested, imprisoned in [[Carthage Jail]], and there murdered on June 27, [[1844]].<br /> <br /> ==Polygamy in Utah==<br /> :&lt;i&gt;see also the articles on [[Mormon history]] covering this period.&lt;/i&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Polygamy Publicly Announced===<br /> The Mormons were driven out of Illinois in [[1846]]. Once established in Utah, [[Brigham Young]] directed Orson Pratt of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] to announce the practice publicly. He did so on [http://journalofdiscourses.org/Vol_01/refJDvol1-11.html August 29, 1852]. In this speech and others that followed, he set forth the Church’s explanation and defense of polygamy. He claimed first that God had commanded it. Secondly, the reason God commanded it was so that Mormons could raise righteous children. Lastly he noted that God only permitted His prophets to direct who will practice polygamy. As evidence, he cited the story of the Prophet Nathan and King David, where Nathan explains that he gave David his wives from a commandment of God (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/2_sam/12 2 Samuel 12:1-9]). <br /> <br /> The practice continued in Utah until [[1890]], when a revelation came from the Lord forbidding further polygamous marriages. At first, being isolated in Utah, the Mormon Church practiced it openly and without harassment. In the 1850s the newly formed Republican Party made part of its platform the abolishment of polygamy. Distracted by the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, little happened at first, though the issue of polygamy was part of the justification for the [[Utah War]]. President Buchanan sent 5,000 troops to crush a non-existent rebellion in the territory in [[1857]]. <br /> <br /> ===Anti-Polygamy Legislation and Raids===<br /> Beginning in [[1862]], the U.S. Congress passed a series of increasingly stringent laws outlawing polygamy. The first, the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, passed on July 1, [[1862]], outlawed polygamy. Bigamy was difficult to prove, as records were scanty, and while some Mormon leaders including Brigham Young were arrested, they were generally released. George Reynolds, Young’s secretary and a British immigrant, was arrested and tried. He appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court arguing that polygamy was protected by the U.S. Bill of Rights, which guaranteed free exercise of religion. In ruling on &lt;i&gt;Reynolds v. United States&lt;/i&gt;, the Court said that this clause protected beliefs only and that Congress could pass laws preventing practices “which were in violation of social duties or subversive of good order” (98 U.S. 164). Reynolds was sentenced to five years of jail time.<br /> <br /> Sir Richard Burton, the famous explorer and orientalist, actually defended both the Mormons and their practice of polygamy in his book, &lt;i&gt;The City of the Saints and across the Rocky Mountains to California&lt;/i&gt;. He said:<br /> <br /> :Those individuals who have the strength of mind sufficient to divest themselves entirely from the influence of custom, and examine the doctrine of a plurality of wives under the light of reason and revelation, will be forced to the conclusion that it is a doctrine of divine origin; that it was embraced and practiced under the divine sanction by the most righteous men who ever lived on the earth: holy prophets and patriarchs, who were inspired by the Holy Ghost (p 382).<br /> <br /> Burton also defended the Mormons against their legal persecutors. He argued that the Constitution of the United States should protect this practice:<br /> <br /> :The Constitution and laws of the United States, being founded upon the principles of freedom, do not interfere with marriage relations, but leave the nation free to believe in and practice the doctrine of a plurality of wives, or to confine themselves to the one-wife system, just as the choose. This is as it should be (p 379).<br /> <br /> ===The True Nature of Polygamy in Utah===<br /> The raids and attacks of the 1880s make it appear that all Mormons were living in polygamy. Though records are not always clear, their clarity deliberately obscured to prevent government officers from easily finding polygamists, it is clear that only a minority ever practiced polygamy. Estimates are that at maximum 20 to 25 percent of the Church at any given time was practicing it; some estimates place it as low as 5 percent. Approximately one third of women in the 1880s lived in polygamous families. The 1,300 men arrested is certainly a small percentage of the nearly 150,000 Mormons at the time and that number approached 200,000 by [[1890]]. Some people, anti-Mormons and even some Mormons, have tried to claim that Mormon prophets of the nineteenth century said that every man must practice polygamy to get into heaven, but this is a distortion of the truth. In [[1866]], [[John Taylor]], who succeeded Brigham Young as [[Mormon president|President of the Church]] said:<br /> <br /> : When this system was first introduced among this people, it was one of the greatest crosses that ever was taken up by any set of men since the world stood. Joseph Smith told others; he told me, and I can bear witness of it, &quot;that if this principle was not introduced, this Church and kingdom could not proceed.&quot; When this commandment was given, it was so far religious, and so far binding upon the Elders of this Church, that it was told them &lt;b&gt;if they were not prepared to enter into it&lt;/b&gt;, and to stem the torrent of opposition that would come in consequence of it, the keys of the kingdom would be taken from them. When I see any of our people, men or women, opposing a principle of this kind, I have years ago set them down as on the high road to apostasy, and I do to-day; I consider them apostates, and not interested in this Church and kingdom (John Taylor, ''Journal of Discourses'' 11:221).<br /> <br /> Here he clearly says that it is the principle that must be accepted, just as men are expected to accept every principle and revelation from God. He says men must be ‘prepared’ to enter into it and defend it, even though they may not be required to do so. If one considers that when he said that the majority of those listening were not practicing polygamy and were never asked to do so, it becomes clear that they understood this to mean that they must accept the principle as a revelation from God in order to enter heaven, since Jesus taught that man must live on “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). <br /> <br /> For Mormons who practiced polygamy, it brought both blessings and trials to be overcome. Mormon women were generally in favor of polygamy, feeling not only that it came from God, but also that it liberated them to do much more with their time. Many Mormon women, with other wives to share the work, went to school and became very accomplished. Anti-Mormon leaders in Utah gave women the right to vote in 1870 hoping that these supposedly oppressed women would vote for anti-Mormon candidates, but the measure backfired. Mormon women under polygamy had much more freedom to pursue vocations and education. Three of Brigham Young’s wives studied medicine and helped found a hospital. <br /> <br /> [[Joseph Fielding Smith]], who was a Mormon Apostle and later [[Mormon president|President of the Church]] grew up in a polygamous family. Of this situation he said: &quot;[My father [[Joseph F. Smith]]] had five wives and 43 children. No father ever at any age of the world, we feel confident in saying, had a greater love for wife or wives and children, and was more earnestly concerned for their welfare than was [my father]&quot; (Joseph Fielding Smith, ''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449). He says further of the wives and children in this family:<br /> <br /> :[T]here was and is no monogamist family which could be more united. To the astonishment of the unbelieving world, the wives loved each other dearly. In times of sickness they tenderly waited upon and nursed each other. When death invaded one of the homes and a child was taken, all wept and mourned together with sincere grief which was wonderful to see. Two of the wives were skilled and licensed practitioners in obstetrics, and brought many babies into the world. They waited upon each other and upon the other wives, and when babies came all rejoiced equally with the mother. <br /> <br /> :The children recognized each other as brothers and sisters, full-fledged, not as half, as they would be considered in the world. They defended each and stood by each other no matter which branch of the family was theirs (''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449).<br /> <br /> Smith concludes that the reasons the outside world viewed polygamy with such horror and disgust was that they &quot;judged the 'Mormon' people by their own corrupt standards that they failed to understand the true condition which prevailed in 'Mormon' homes&quot; (''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449).<br /> <br /> ===Polygamy Discontinued===<br /> In [[1887]], the Congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act which disincorporated the Church and seized virtually all of its property, except the temples and some church buildings. The Church appealed this ruling, again citing the freedom of religion, but in [[1890]] in &lt;i&gt;The Late Corporation of the Mormon Church v. United States&lt;/i&gt; the Supreme Court again upheld the ban on polygamy. <br /> <br /> Facing the utter destruction of the Church, [[Wilford Woodruff]], the forth president of the Church met and prayed with the other apostles. After much prayer, President Woodruff saw a vision of what would happen if the Church continued to practice polygamy. He saw the destruction of the Church, the scattering of the Mormons, and the cessation of all their work. The Lord had previously shown that sometimes he commands men to practice polygamy and sometimes he forbids it, depending upon the circumstance. Wilford Woodruff then realized that the time had come to stop practicing polygamy. He issued what has become known as the [[Manifesto]]. It said that the Mormon Church would no longer contract marriages forbidden by law. President Grover Cleveland would later pardon all those who entered polygamous marriages before [[1890]]. Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona were required to ban polygamy in their constitutions. Idaho's laws originally kept all polygamists from holding office, and for a time Idaho banned all persons married in Mormon temples from voting or holding office. <br /> <br /> Anti-Mormons try to claim that Wilford Woodruff caved under pressure, but according to [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], former President of the Mormon Church, the role of the [[Mormon president|Prophet]] is to find answers to the problems of God’s people by asking God in prayer. President Woodruff sought help from God and God gave it. Wilford Woodruff himself in speaking about this revelation said:<br /> <br /> :I have had some revelations of late, and very important ones to me, and I will tell you what the Lord has said to me. Let me bring your minds to what is termed the manifesto...<br /> <br /> :The Lord has told me to ask the Latter-day Saints a question, and He also told me that if they would listen to what I said to them and answer the question put to them, by the Spirit and power of God, they would all answer alike, and they would all believe alike with regard to this matter.<br /> <br /> :The question is this: Which is the wisest course for the Latter-day Saints to pursue—to continue to attempt to practice plural marriage, with the laws of the nation against it and the opposition of sixty millions of people, and at the cost of the confiscation and loss of all the Temples, and the stopping of all the ordinances therein, both for the living and the dead, and the imprisonment of the First Presidency and Twelve and the heads of families in the Church, and the confiscation of personal property of the people (all of which of themselves would stop the practice); or, after doing and suffering what we have through our adherence to this principle to cease the practice and submit to the law, and through doing so leave the Prophets, Apostles and fathers at home, so that they can instruct the people and attend to the duties of the Church, and also leave the Temples in the hands of the Saints, so that they can attend to the ordinances of the Gospel, both for the living and the dead?<br /> <br /> :&lt;b&gt;The Lord showed me by vision and revelation exactly what would take place if we did not stop this practice&lt;/b&gt;. If we had not stopped it, you would have had no use for...any of the men in this temple at Logan; for all ordinances would be stopped throughout the land of Zion. Confusion would reign throughout Israel, and many men would be made prisoners. This trouble would have come upon the whole Church, and we should have been compelled to stop the practice. Now, the question is, whether it should be stopped in this manner, or in the way the Lord has manifested to us, and leave our Prophets and Apostles and fathers free men, and the temples in the hands of the people, so that the dead may be redeemed. A large number has already been delivered from the prison house in the [[Spirit World|spirit world]] by this people, and shall the work go on or stop? This is the question I lay before the Latter-day Saints. You have to judge for yourselves. I want you to answer it for yourselves. I shall not answer it; but I say to you that that is exactly the condition we as a people would have been in had we not taken the course we have.<br /> <br /> :...I saw exactly what would come to pass if there was not something done. I have had this spirit upon me for a long time. But I want to say this: I should have let all the temples go out of our hands; '''I should have gone to prison myself, and let every other man go there, had not the God of heaven commanded me to do what I did do'''; and when the hour came that I was commanded to do that, it was all clear to me. I went before the Lord, and I wrote what the Lord told me to write... (Doctrine and Covenants, excerpts attached to Official Declaration 1).<br /> <br /> ==Since the Manifesto==<br /> <br /> Groups today that practice polygamy, and call themselves &quot;Fundamentalist Mormons,&quot; are not affiliated with [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. Most of their members have never been members of the Mormon church and their actions are considered illegal. These groups often withdraw into isolated communities and seldom gain new converts. This leads to intermarrying of close relatives and has caused heightened birth defects among these groups.[http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1,1249,635182923,00.html] These groups often require all men to enter polygamy, which causes many problems and has led to an excess of single men unable to marry. These men are often expelled from the group and cut off from their families. Other abuses often occur in these isolated communities such as forced marriages, which did not occur among nineteenth-century Mormons. Polygamy as practiced by these groups is very different from the historical practice of polygamy by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which never required all men to practice polygamy and never withdrew into secretive communes cut off from the rest of the world. The Mormon Church in the nineteenth century never forced young girls into marriage or expelled those who would not enter into polygamous marriages. These practices of contemporary polygamous sects should never be confused with nineteenth century Mormon practice.<br /> <br /> A doctrinal explanation for the purpose of polygamy is subtly alluded to in a personal interview with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in his participation with the PBS documentary &quot;The Mormons&quot;: [http://www.pbs.org/mormons/interviews/holland.html]<br /> <br /> == External Links ==<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=9OqdOM9udv4 Mike Otterson, Church Public Affairs on Texas sect]<br /> *[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy] -- FAIR LDS Topical Guide<br /> *[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/video-challenges-public-misperceptions-explains-myths-vs-reality Steve Young and Sharlene Hawkes address misconceptions about polygamy and the Church]<br /> *[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/publicizing-good-works LDS Newsroom:Mormons and Polygamy]<br /> *[http://www.fairlds.org/Misc/Polygamy_Prophets_and_Prevarication.html FAIRlds:Answers to questions about Polygamy]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Joseph_Smith_Papers&diff=16390 The Joseph Smith Papers 2008-04-11T15:43:44Z <p>Kmerkley: /* Extensive Repository of Church History to be Researched and Published */</p> <hr /> <div>==Extensive Repository of Church History to Be Researched and Published==<br /> <br /> A 30-volume historical compilation of the origins and growth of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (sometimes errantly referred to as the &quot;Mormon Church&quot;), is currently in progress. Elder Marlin K. Jensen, Church Historian and Recorder refers to the Joseph Smith Papers Project &quot;the most important Church history project of this generation&quot;, a project that, once completed, will appear on its own website: www.josephsmithpapers.org. ([http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/search/church-launches-joseph-smith-papers-project]).<br /> <br /> ==Endorsement from National Historical Publications and Records Commission==<br /> In 2007, a prominent division of the National Archives, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, gave its endorsement to the project, which is now underway with dozens of scholars and researchers examining a plethora of over 2,000 documents written by Joseph and his scribes, and pertaining to the business transactions, early interactions of Church members, journal accounts, litigation, revelations, and other addenda in Church History.<br /> <br /> Dean Jessee, a Church historian and scholar, has made the study of early Mormon history and Joseph's life his vocation for years, and serves as one of three general editors of the project, with Ronald K. Esplin acting as the managing editor of the project.<br /> <br /> Writers and researchers will be working together at the Church headquarters; to this point they have been pooled in separate groups at the Joseph Fielding Smith building on the BYU campus and, as well, at the Church offices. [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/joseph-smith-papers-project-moving-ahead]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Joseph_Smith_Papers&diff=16389 The Joseph Smith Papers 2008-04-11T15:43:27Z <p>Kmerkley: /* Extensive Repository of Church History to be Researched and Published */</p> <hr /> <div>==Extensive Repository of Church History to be Researched and Published==<br /> <br /> A 30-volume historical compilation of the origins and growth of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (sometimes errantly referred to as the &quot;Mormon Church&quot;), is currently in progress. Elder Marlin K. Jensen, Church Historian and Recorder refers to the Joseph Smith Papers Project &quot;the most important Church history project of this generation&quot;, a project that, once completed, will appear on its own website: www.josephsmithpapers.org. ([http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/search/church-launches-joseph-smith-papers-project]).<br /> <br /> ==Endorsement from National Historical Publications and Records Commission==<br /> In 2007, a prominent division of the National Archives, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, gave its endorsement to the project, which is now underway with dozens of scholars and researchers examining a plethora of over 2,000 documents written by Joseph and his scribes, and pertaining to the business transactions, early interactions of Church members, journal accounts, litigation, revelations, and other addenda in Church History.<br /> <br /> Dean Jessee, a Church historian and scholar, has made the study of early Mormon history and Joseph's life his vocation for years, and serves as one of three general editors of the project, with Ronald K. Esplin acting as the managing editor of the project.<br /> <br /> Writers and researchers will be working together at the Church headquarters; to this point they have been pooled in separate groups at the Joseph Fielding Smith building on the BYU campus and, as well, at the Church offices. [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/joseph-smith-papers-project-moving-ahead]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Joseph_Smith_Papers&diff=16388 The Joseph Smith Papers 2008-04-11T15:43:14Z <p>Kmerkley: /* Extensive Repository of Church History to be Researched and Published */</p> <hr /> <div>==Extensive Repository of Church History to be Researched and Published==<br /> <br /> A 30-volume historical compilation of the origins and growth of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (sometimes errantly referred to as the &quot;Mormon Church&quot;), is currently in progress. Elder Marlin K. Jensen, Church Historian and Recorder refers to the Joseph Smith Papers Project &quot;the most important Church history project of this generation&quot;, a project that, once completed, will appear on its own website: www.josephsmithpapers.org.([http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/search/church-launches-joseph-smith-papers-project]).<br /> <br /> ==Endorsement from National Historical Publications and Records Commission==<br /> In 2007, a prominent division of the National Archives, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, gave its endorsement to the project, which is now underway with dozens of scholars and researchers examining a plethora of over 2,000 documents written by Joseph and his scribes, and pertaining to the business transactions, early interactions of Church members, journal accounts, litigation, revelations, and other addenda in Church History.<br /> <br /> Dean Jessee, a Church historian and scholar, has made the study of early Mormon history and Joseph's life his vocation for years, and serves as one of three general editors of the project, with Ronald K. Esplin acting as the managing editor of the project.<br /> <br /> Writers and researchers will be working together at the Church headquarters; to this point they have been pooled in separate groups at the Joseph Fielding Smith building on the BYU campus and, as well, at the Church offices. [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/joseph-smith-papers-project-moving-ahead]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Joseph_Smith_Papers&diff=16387 The Joseph Smith Papers 2008-04-11T15:42:20Z <p>Kmerkley: /* The Joseph Smith Papers */</p> <hr /> <div>==Extensive Repository of Church History to be Researched and Published==<br /> <br /> A 30-volume historical compilation of the origins and growth of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (sometimes errantly referred to as the &quot;Mormon Church&quot;), is currently in progress. Elder Marlin K. Jensen, Church Historian and Recorder refers to the Joseph Smith Papers Project &quot;the most important Church history project of this generation&quot;, a project that, once completed, will appear on its own website: www.josephsmithpapers.org([http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/search/church-launches-joseph-smith-papers-project]).<br /> <br /> ==Endorsement from National Historical Publications and Records Commission==<br /> In 2007, a prominent division of the National Archives, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, gave its endorsement to the project, which is now underway with dozens of scholars and researchers examining a plethora of over 2,000 documents written by Joseph and his scribes, and pertaining to the business transactions, early interactions of Church members, journal accounts, litigation, revelations, and other addenda in Church History.<br /> <br /> Dean Jessee, a Church historian and scholar, has made the study of early Mormon history and Joseph's life his vocation for years, and serves as one of three general editors of the project, with Ronald K. Esplin acting as the managing editor of the project.<br /> <br /> Writers and researchers will be working together at the Church headquarters; to this point they have been pooled in separate groups at the Joseph Fielding Smith building on the BYU campus and, as well, at the Church offices. [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/joseph-smith-papers-project-moving-ahead]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Joseph_Smith_Papers&diff=16386 The Joseph Smith Papers 2008-04-11T15:39:31Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>===The Joseph Smith Papers===<br /> <br /> A 30-volume historical compilation of the origins and growth of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (sometimes errantly referred to as the &quot;Mormon Church&quot;), is currently in progress. Elder Marlin K. Jensen, Church Historian and Recorder refers to the Joseph Smith Papers Project &quot;the most important Church history project of this generation&quot;, a project that, once completed, will appear on its own website: www.josephsmithpapers.org([http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/search/church-launches-joseph-smith-papers-project]). <br /> <br /> ==Endorsement from National Historical Publications and Records Commission==<br /> In 2007, a prominent division of the National Archives, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, gave its endorsement to the project, which is now underway with dozens of scholars and researchers examining a plethora of over 2,000 documents written by Joseph and his scribes, and pertaining to the business transactions, early interactions of Church members, journal accounts, litigation, revelations, and other addenda in Church History.<br /> <br /> Dean Jessee, a Church historian and scholar, has made the study of early Mormon history and Joseph's life his vocation for years, and serves as one of three general editors of the project, with Ronald K. Esplin acting as the managing editor of the project.<br /> <br /> Writers and researchers will be working together at the Church headquarters; to this point they have been pooled in separate groups at the Joseph Fielding Smith building on the BYU campus and, as well, at the Church offices. [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/joseph-smith-papers-project-moving-ahead]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Plural_Marriage&diff=16385 Plural Marriage 2008-04-10T19:52:53Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:Marriage and Families]][[Category:Controversial Topics]]<br /> == Introduction ==<br /> <br /> Mormons, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do not practice polygamy. The term &quot;Mormon Polygamy&quot; is incorrect, as anyone who follows this practice in our day is not a member of the Church but belongs instead to some fundamentalist or other religious denomination. [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], 15th Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stated the following about polygamy in the Church's General Conference of October 1998:<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They are in violation of the civil law. They know they are in violation of the law. They are subject to its penalties. The Church, of course, has no jurisdiction whatever in this matter.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church. An article of our faith is binding upon us. It states, 'We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law' (Articles of Faith 1:12). One cannot obey the law and disobey the law at the same time.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;There is no such thing as a 'Mormon Fundamentalist.' It is a contradiction to use the two words together.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> Polygamy, usually called [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html plural marriage], plurality of wives, or the Principle, by [[Latter-day Saints|Mormons]], was once commanded of the Lord for a very specific purpose at a critical time in history, and the law was divinely repealed in 1890. The term ''polygamy'' is actually a widely used misnomer, as Church members actually practiced ''polygyny,'' a type of marital relationship where one man marries multiple women. This practice led to severe persecution and repression of Mormons by the United States Government in the latter half of the nineteenth century and its abandonment became a condition for Utah statehood. Many misunderstandings, misconceptions, half-truths, and outright lies have attended discussions of polygamy among the Mormons and are still fostered among anti-Mormons and ex-Mormons who attempt to attack the Church and its teachings. This article will address the history of polygamy among Mormons and the official teachings of the Mormon Church about polygamy.<br /> <br /> ===Marriage as the Lord Decrees===<br /> <br /> Since the beginning of recorded history, God has sometimes commanded His people to practice polygamy, and sometimes forbid it, but when He does command it, the purpose is to raise righteous children unto the Lord. This corresponds precisely to what Joseph Smith and Brigham Young taught:<br /> <br /> *: [...] I have constantly said no man shall have but one wife at a time, &lt;b&gt;unless the Lord directs otherwise&lt;/b&gt;. (''Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,'' page 324.)<br /> <br /> *:God never introduced the Patriarchal order of marriage with a view to please man in his carnal desires, nor to punish females for anything which they had done; but &lt;b&gt;He introduced it for the express purpose of raising up to His name a royal Priesthood&lt;/b&gt;, a peculiar people. (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:264)<br /> <br /> *:This revelation, which God gave to Joseph, was &lt;b&gt;for the express purpose of providing a channel for the organization of tabernacles [i.e. bodies]&lt;/b&gt;, for those spirits to occupy who have been reserved to come forth in the kingdom of God, and that they might not be obliged to take tabernacles out of the kingdom of God. (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:265)<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Joseph Smith and Polygamy===<br /> :&lt;i&gt;see also the [[Ohio Period|Mormon history]] article covering this time period.&lt;/i&gt;<br /> <br /> In 1831, one year after the founding of the Church, as Joseph Smith was working on a translation of the Bible, he appealed to the Lord about some questions raised as he read the scriptures. According to [http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/132 the revelation] given to Joseph Smith, but not written down until July 12, [[1843]], Joseph Smith approached the Lord and asked Him why he permitted ancient prophets like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to have multiple wives. The revelation states that only God can command men to practice polygamy and that he appoints a prophet to be in charge of it when he does. <br /> <br /> Joseph Smith was hesitant to teach this new principle and did not even share it with his closest associates for many years. According to later statements by [[Lorenzo Snow]], and [[Brigham Young]], Joseph was himself repelled by the idea, and not until an angel of Lord appeared to him and ordered him to practice it and teach it, did he begin. This apparently took place sometime after [[1839]], when the Mormons had been driven to [[Nauvoo and the Martyrdom|Nauvoo, Illinois]]. When Brigham Young learned about it he said:<br /> <br /> : Some of these my brethren know what my feelings were at the time Joseph revealed the doctrine; I was not desirous of shrinking from any duty, nor of failing in the least to do as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time. And when I saw a funeral, I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to regret that I was not in the coffin, knowing the toil and labor that my body would have to undergo; and I have had to examine myself, from that day to this, and watch my faith, and carefully meditate, lest I should be found desiring the grave more than I ought to do (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:266).<br /> <br /> It is not clear exactly how many women Joseph Smith married, but it is apparent that Joseph Smith did not ever live with any of these other wives. Mormon teachings on [[Celestial marriage|marriage]], which Joseph Smith had begun teaching in Nauvoo, taught that men and women could be married for all eternity, not just in this life. Marriage was for &quot;time and all eternity.&quot; &lt;i&gt;Time&lt;/i&gt; referred to this mortal life while &lt;i&gt;eternity&lt;/i&gt; referred to the next life. Hence, according to Joseph Smith marriages could be just for this life, for this life and the next, or just for the next life. <br /> <br /> This last category has caused much confusion and led to many attacks on the characters of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. For persons whose spouses were not Mormons and thus could not be married for “time and all eternity” to that spouse, early Mormon practice allowed the person to be &lt;i&gt;sealed&lt;/i&gt;, a Mormon word referring to temple marriage for all eternity, to one person, but married for time to another. Thus, the person would continue to live with one spouse in this life, but have the blessings of eternal marriage, called celestial marriage, with another. Many of Joseph Smith’s and Brigham Young’s wives were of this sort. They never lived with the person or had sexual relations with them. <br /> <br /> ===The Nauvoo Period===<br /> In Nauvoo, Joseph Smith began teaching polygamy to his closest and most trusted associates. Nearly 100 people were taught about it before [[Martyrdom of Joseph Smith|Joseph Smith’s martyrdom]]. A few began this practice before the exodus of [[1846]], but it remained in hiatus until the Mormons were established in Utah.[http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/qa/against_plural.htm]<br /> <br /> During this time, some close associates took advantage of this situation. John C. Bennett, a friend of Joseph Smith and mayor of Nauvoo, perverted these teachings to gratify his own lust. He told single and married women that Joseph was teaching &quot;spiritual wifery,&quot; as he called it, which he claimed gave them permission to sleep with whomever they desired. Bennett was eventually caught. He confessed that Joseph Smith had never taught &quot;spiritual wifery,&quot; which amounted to adultery, and was soon excommunicated. He left Nauvoo and began publishing scathing attacks on Joseph Smith. Another close associate, William Law, pleaded with Joseph Smith to renounce polygamy. When he would not, Law and a few other disaffected Mormons published the &lt;i&gt;[[Nauvoo Expositor]]&lt;/i&gt; which claimed Joseph Smith was teaching adultery and fornication and called for him to be hung. The Nauvoo City Council decided this was a public nuisance and so destroyed the press. Riots followed and Joseph Smith was arrested, imprisoned in [[Carthage Jail]], and there murdered on June 27, [[1844]].<br /> <br /> ==Polygamy in Utah==<br /> :&lt;i&gt;see also the articles on [[Mormon history]] covering this period.&lt;/i&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Polygamy Publicly Announced===<br /> The Mormons were driven out of Illinois in [[1846]]. Once established in Utah, [[Brigham Young]] directed Orson Pratt of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] to announce the practice publicly. He did so on [http://journalofdiscourses.org/Vol_01/refJDvol1-11.html August 29, 1852]. In this speech and others that followed, he set forth the Church’s explanation and defense of polygamy. He claimed first that God had commanded it. Secondly, the reason God commanded it was so that Mormons could raise righteous children. Lastly he noted that God only permitted His prophets to direct who will practice polygamy. As evidence, he cited the story of the Prophet Nathan and King David, where Nathan explains that he gave David his wives from a commandment of God (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/2_sam/12 2 Samuel 12:1-9]). <br /> <br /> The practice continued in Utah until [[1890]], when a revelation came from the Lord forbidding further polygamous marriages. At first, being isolated in Utah, the Mormon Church practiced it openly and without harassment. In the 1850s the newly formed Republican Party made part of its platform the abolishment of polygamy. Distracted by the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, little happened at first, though the issue of polygamy was part of the justification for the [[Utah War]]. President Buchanan sent 5,000 troops to crush a non-existent rebellion in the territory in [[1857]]. <br /> <br /> ===Anti-Polygamy Legislation and Raids===<br /> Beginning in [[1862]], the U.S. Congress passed a series of increasingly stringent laws outlawing polygamy. The first, the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, passed on July 1, [[1862]], outlawed polygamy. Bigamy was difficult to prove, as records were scanty, and while some Mormon leaders including Brigham Young were arrested, they were generally released. George Reynolds, Young’s secretary and a British immigrant, was arrested and tried. He appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court arguing that polygamy was protected by the U.S. Bill of Rights, which guaranteed free exercise of religion. In ruling on &lt;i&gt;Reynolds v. United States&lt;/i&gt;, the Court said that this clause protected beliefs only and that Congress could pass laws preventing practices “which were in violation of social duties or subversive of good order” (98 U.S. 164). Reynolds was sentenced to five years of jail time.<br /> <br /> Sir Richard Burton, the famous explorer and orientalist, actually defended both the Mormons and their practice of polygamy in his book, &lt;i&gt;The City of the Saints and across the Rocky Mountains to California&lt;/i&gt;. He said:<br /> <br /> :Those individuals who have the strength of mind sufficient to divest themselves entirely from the influence of custom, and examine the doctrine of a plurality of wives under the light of reason and revelation, will be forced to the conclusion that it is a doctrine of divine origin; that it was embraced and practiced under the divine sanction by the most righteous men who ever lived on the earth: holy prophets and patriarchs, who were inspired by the Holy Ghost (p 382).<br /> <br /> Burton also defended the Mormons against their legal persecutors. He argued that the Constitution of the United States should protect this practice:<br /> <br /> :The Constitution and laws of the United States, being founded upon the principles of freedom, do not interfere with marriage relations, but leave the nation free to believe in and practice the doctrine of a plurality of wives, or to confine themselves to the one-wife system, just as the choose. This is as it should be (p 379).<br /> <br /> ===The True Nature of Polygamy in Utah===<br /> The raids and attacks of the 1880s make it appear that all Mormons were living in polygamy. Though records are not always clear, their clarity deliberately obscured to prevent government officers from easily finding polygamists, it is clear that only a minority ever practiced polygamy. Estimates are that at maximum 20 to 25 percent of the Church at any given time was practicing it; some estimates place it as low as 5 percent. Approximately one third of women in the 1880s lived in polygamous families. The 1,300 men arrested is certainly a small percentage of the nearly 150,000 Mormons at the time and that number approached 200,000 by [[1890]]. Some people, anti-Mormons and even some Mormons, have tried to claim that Mormon prophets of the nineteenth century said that every man must practice polygamy to get into heaven, but this is a distortion of the truth. In [[1866]], [[John Taylor]], who succeeded Brigham Young as [[Mormon president|President of the Church]] said:<br /> <br /> : When this system was first introduced among this people, it was one of the greatest crosses that ever was taken up by any set of men since the world stood. Joseph Smith told others; he told me, and I can bear witness of it, &quot;that if this principle was not introduced, this Church and kingdom could not proceed.&quot; When this commandment was given, it was so far religious, and so far binding upon the Elders of this Church, that it was told them &lt;b&gt;if they were not prepared to enter into it&lt;/b&gt;, and to stem the torrent of opposition that would come in consequence of it, the keys of the kingdom would be taken from them. When I see any of our people, men or women, opposing a principle of this kind, I have years ago set them down as on the high road to apostasy, and I do to-day; I consider them apostates, and not interested in this Church and kingdom (John Taylor, ''Journal of Discourses'' 11:221).<br /> <br /> Here he clearly says that it is the principle that must be accepted, just as men are expected to accept every principle and revelation from God. He says men must be ‘prepared’ to enter into it and defend it, even though they may not be required to do so. If one considers that when he said that the majority of those listening were not practicing polygamy and were never asked to do so, it becomes clear that they understood this to mean that they must accept the principle as a revelation from God in order to enter heaven, since Jesus taught that man must live on “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). <br /> <br /> For Mormons who practiced polygamy, it brought both blessings and trials to be overcome. Mormon women were generally in favor of polygamy, feeling not only that it came from God, but also that it liberated them to do much more with their time. Many Mormon women, with other wives to share the work, went to school and became very accomplished. Anti-Mormon leaders in Utah gave women the right to vote in 1870 hoping that these supposedly oppressed women would vote for anti-Mormon candidates, but the measure backfired. Mormon women under polygamy had much more freedom to pursue vocations and education. Three of Brigham Young’s wives studied medicine and helped found a hospital. <br /> <br /> [[Joseph Fielding Smith]], who was a Mormon Apostle and later [[Mormon president|President of the Church]] grew up in a polygamous family. Of this situation he said: &quot;[My father [[Joseph F. Smith]]] had five wives and 43 children. No father ever at any age of the world, we feel confident in saying, had a greater love for wife or wives and children, and was more earnestly concerned for their welfare than was [my father]&quot; (Joseph Fielding Smith, ''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449). He says further of the wives and children in this family:<br /> <br /> :[T]here was and is no monogamist family which could be more united. To the astonishment of the unbelieving world, the wives loved each other dearly. In times of sickness they tenderly waited upon and nursed each other. When death invaded one of the homes and a child was taken, all wept and mourned together with sincere grief which was wonderful to see. Two of the wives were skilled and licensed practitioners in obstetrics, and brought many babies into the world. They waited upon each other and upon the other wives, and when babies came all rejoiced equally with the mother. <br /> <br /> :The children recognized each other as brothers and sisters, full-fledged, not as half, as they would be considered in the world. They defended each and stood by each other no matter which branch of the family was theirs (''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449).<br /> <br /> Smith concludes that the reasons the outside world viewed polygamy with such horror and disgust was that they &quot;judged the 'Mormon' people by their own corrupt standards that they failed to understand the true condition which prevailed in 'Mormon' homes&quot; (''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449).<br /> <br /> ===Polygamy Discontinued===<br /> In [[1887]], the Congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act which disincorporated the Church and seized virtually all of its property, except the temples and some church buildings. The Church appealed this ruling, again citing the freedom of religion, but in [[1890]] in &lt;i&gt;The Late Corporation of the Mormon Church v. United States&lt;/i&gt; the Supreme Court again upheld the ban on polygamy. <br /> <br /> Facing the utter destruction of the Church, [[Wilford Woodruff]], the forth president of the Church met and prayed with the other apostles. After much prayer, President Woodruff saw a vision of what would happen if the Church continued to practice polygamy. He saw the destruction of the Church, the scattering of the Mormons, and the cessation of all their work. The Lord had previously shown that sometimes he commands men to practice polygamy and sometimes he forbids it, depending upon the circumstance. Wilford Woodruff then realized that the time had come to stop practicing polygamy. He issued what has become known as the [[Manifesto]]. It said that the Mormon Church would no longer contract marriages forbidden by law. President Grover Cleveland would later pardon all those who entered polygamous marriages before [[1890]]. Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona were required to ban polygamy in their constitutions. Idaho's laws originally kept all polygamists from holding office, and for a time Idaho banned all persons married in Mormon temples from voting or holding office. <br /> <br /> Anti-Mormons try to claim that Wilford Woodruff caved under pressure, but according to [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], former President of the Mormon Church, the role of the [[Mormon president|Prophet]] is to find answers to the problems of God’s people by asking God in prayer. President Woodruff sought help from God and God gave it. Wilford Woodruff himself in speaking about this revelation said:<br /> <br /> :I have had some revelations of late, and very important ones to me, and I will tell you what the Lord has said to me. Let me bring your minds to what is termed the manifesto...<br /> <br /> :The Lord has told me to ask the Latter-day Saints a question, and He also told me that if they would listen to what I said to them and answer the question put to them, by the Spirit and power of God, they would all answer alike, and they would all believe alike with regard to this matter.<br /> <br /> :The question is this: Which is the wisest course for the Latter-day Saints to pursue—to continue to attempt to practice plural marriage, with the laws of the nation against it and the opposition of sixty millions of people, and at the cost of the confiscation and loss of all the Temples, and the stopping of all the ordinances therein, both for the living and the dead, and the imprisonment of the First Presidency and Twelve and the heads of families in the Church, and the confiscation of personal property of the people (all of which of themselves would stop the practice); or, after doing and suffering what we have through our adherence to this principle to cease the practice and submit to the law, and through doing so leave the Prophets, Apostles and fathers at home, so that they can instruct the people and attend to the duties of the Church, and also leave the Temples in the hands of the Saints, so that they can attend to the ordinances of the Gospel, both for the living and the dead?<br /> <br /> :&lt;b&gt;The Lord showed me by vision and revelation exactly what would take place if we did not stop this practice&lt;/b&gt;. If we had not stopped it, you would have had no use for...any of the men in this temple at Logan; for all ordinances would be stopped throughout the land of Zion. Confusion would reign throughout Israel, and many men would be made prisoners. This trouble would have come upon the whole Church, and we should have been compelled to stop the practice. Now, the question is, whether it should be stopped in this manner, or in the way the Lord has manifested to us, and leave our Prophets and Apostles and fathers free men, and the temples in the hands of the people, so that the dead may be redeemed. A large number has already been delivered from the prison house in the [[Spirit World|spirit world]] by this people, and shall the work go on or stop? This is the question I lay before the Latter-day Saints. You have to judge for yourselves. I want you to answer it for yourselves. I shall not answer it; but I say to you that that is exactly the condition we as a people would have been in had we not taken the course we have.<br /> <br /> :...I saw exactly what would come to pass if there was not something done. I have had this spirit upon me for a long time. But I want to say this: I should have let all the temples go out of our hands; '''I should have gone to prison myself, and let every other man go there, had not the God of heaven commanded me to do what I did do'''; and when the hour came that I was commanded to do that, it was all clear to me. I went before the Lord, and I wrote what the Lord told me to write... (Doctrine and Covenants, excerpts attached to Official Declaration 1).<br /> <br /> ==Since the Manifesto==<br /> <br /> Groups today that practice polygamy, and call themselves [[Fundamentalist Mormons]], are not affiliated with [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. Most of their members have never been members of the Mormon church and their actions are considered illegal. These groups often withdraw into isolated communities and seldom gain new converts. This leads to intermarrying of close relatives and has caused heightened birth defects among these groups.[http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1,1249,635182923,00.html] These groups often require all men to enter polygamy, which causes many problems and has led to an excess of single men unable to marry. These men are often expelled from the group and cut off from their families. Other abuses often occur in these isolated communities such as forced marriages, which did not occur among nineteenth-century Mormons. Polygamy as practiced by these groups is very different from the historical practice of polygamy by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which never required all men to practice polygamy and never withdrew into secretive communes cut off from the rest of the world. The Mormon church in the nineteenth century never forced young girls into marriage or expelled those who would not enter into polygamous marriages. These practices of contemporary polygamous sects should never be confused with nineteenth century Mormon practice.<br /> <br /> A doctrinal explanation for the purpose of polygamy is subtly alluded to in a personal interview with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in his participation with the PBS documentary &quot;The Mormons&quot;: [http://www.pbs.org/mormons/interviews/holland.html]<br /> <br /> == External Links ==<br /> *[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy] -- FAIR LDS Topical Guide<br /> *[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/video-challenges-public-misperceptions-explains-myths-vs-reality Steve Young and Sharlene Hawkes address misconceptions about polygamy and the Church]<br /> *[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/publicizing-good-works LDS Newsroom:Mormons and Polygamy]<br /> *[http://www.fairlds.org/Misc/Polygamy_Prophets_and_Prevarication.html FAIRlds:Answers to questions about Polygamy]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Plural_Marriage&diff=16384 Plural Marriage 2008-04-10T19:51:33Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category:Marriage and Families]][[Category:Controversial Topics]]<br /> == Introduction ==<br /> <br /> Mormons, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do not practice polygamy. The term &quot;Mormon Polygamy&quot; is incorrect, as anyone who follows this practice in our day is not a member of the Church but belongs instead to some fundamentalist or other religious denomination. [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], 15th Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stated the following about polygamy in the Church's General Conference of October 1998:<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They are in violation of the civil law. They know they are in violation of the law. They are subject to its penalties. The Church, of course, has no jurisdiction whatever in this matter.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church. An article of our faith is binding upon us. It states, 'We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law' (Articles of Faith 1:12). One cannot obey the law and disobey the law at the same time.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;There is no such thing as a 'Mormon Fundamentalist.' It is a contradiction to use the two words together.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> Polygamy, usually called [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html plural marriage], plurality of wives, or the Principle, by [[Latter-day Saints|Mormons]], was once commanded of the Lord for a very specific purpose at a critical time in history, and the law was divinely repealed in 1890. The term ''polygamy'' is actually a widely used misnomer, as Church members actually practiced ''polygyny,'' a type of marital relationship where one man marries multiple women. This practice led to severe persecution and repression of Mormons by the United States Government in the latter half of the nineteenth century and its abandonment became a condition for Utah statehood. Many misunderstandings, misconceptions, half-truths, and outright lies have attended discussions of polygamy among the Mormons and are still fostered among anti-Mormons and ex-Mormons who attempt to attack the Church and its teachings. This article will address the history of polygamy among Mormons and the official teachings of the Mormon Church about polygamy.<br /> <br /> ===Marriage as the Lord Decrees===<br /> <br /> Since the beginning of recorded history, God has sometimes commanded His people to practice polygamy, and sometimes forbid it, but when He does command it, the purpose is to raise righteous children unto the Lord. This corresponds precisely to what Joseph Smith and Brigham Young taught:<br /> <br /> *: [...] I have constantly said no man shall have but one wife at a time, &lt;b&gt;unless the Lord directs otherwise&lt;/b&gt;. (''Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,'' page 324.)<br /> <br /> *:God never introduced the Patriarchal order of marriage with a view to please man in his carnal desires, nor to punish females for anything which they had done; but &lt;b&gt;He introduced it for the express purpose of raising up to His name a royal Priesthood&lt;/b&gt;, a peculiar people. (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:264)<br /> <br /> *:This revelation, which God gave to Joseph, was &lt;b&gt;for the express purpose of providing a channel for the organization of tabernacles [i.e. bodies]&lt;/b&gt;, for those spirits to occupy who have been reserved to come forth in the kingdom of God, and that they might not be obliged to take tabernacles out of the kingdom of God. (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:265)<br /> <br /> <br /> ===Joseph Smith and Polygamy===<br /> :&lt;i&gt;see also the [[Ohio Period|Mormon history]] article covering this time period.&lt;/i&gt;<br /> <br /> In 1831, one year after the founding of the Church, as Joseph Smith was working on a translation of the Bible, he appealed to the Lord about some questions raised as he read the scriptures. According to [http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/132 the revelation] given to Joseph Smith, but not written down until July 12, [[1843]], Joseph Smith approached the Lord and asked Him why he permitted ancient prophets like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to have multiple wives. The revelation states that only God can command men to practice polygamy and that he appoints a prophet to be in charge of it when he does. <br /> <br /> Joseph Smith was hesitant to teach this new principle and did not even share it with his closest associates for many years. According to later statements by [[Lorenzo Snow]], and [[Brigham Young]], Joseph was himself repelled by the idea, and not until an angel of Lord appeared to him and ordered him to practice it and teach it, did he begin. This apparently took place sometime after [[1839]], when the Mormons had been driven to [[Nauvoo and the Martyrdom|Nauvoo, Illinois]]. When Brigham Young learned about it he said:<br /> <br /> : Some of these my brethren know what my feelings were at the time Joseph revealed the doctrine; I was not desirous of shrinking from any duty, nor of failing in the least to do as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time. And when I saw a funeral, I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to regret that I was not in the coffin, knowing the toil and labor that my body would have to undergo; and I have had to examine myself, from that day to this, and watch my faith, and carefully meditate, lest I should be found desiring the grave more than I ought to do (Brigham Young, ''Journal of Discourses'' 3:266).<br /> <br /> It is not clear exactly how many women Joseph Smith married, but it is apparent that Joseph Smith did not ever live with any of these other wives. Mormon teachings on [[Celestial marriage|marriage]], which Joseph Smith had begun teaching in Nauvoo, taught that men and women could be married for all eternity, not just in this life. Marriage was for &quot;time and all eternity.&quot; &lt;i&gt;Time&lt;/i&gt; referred to this mortal life while &lt;i&gt;eternity&lt;/i&gt; referred to the next life. Hence, according to Joseph Smith marriages could be just for this life, for this life and the next, or just for the next life. <br /> <br /> This last category has caused much confusion and led to many attacks on the characters of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. For persons whose spouses were not Mormons and thus could not be married for “time and all eternity” to that spouse, early Mormon practice allowed the person to be &lt;i&gt;sealed&lt;/i&gt;, a Mormon word referring to temple marriage for all eternity, to one person, but married for time to another. Thus, the person would continue to live with one spouse in this life, but have the blessings of eternal marriage, called celestial marriage, with another. Many of Joseph Smith’s and Brigham Young’s wives were of this sort. They never lived with the person or had sexual relations with them. <br /> <br /> ===The Nauvoo Period===<br /> In Nauvoo, Joseph Smith began teaching polygamy to his closest and most trusted associates. Nearly 100 people were taught about it before [[Martyrdom of Joseph Smith|Joseph Smith’s martyrdom]]. A few began this practice before the exodus of [[1846]], but it remained in hiatus until the Mormons were established in Utah.[http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/qa/against_plural.htm]<br /> <br /> During this time, some close associates took advantage of this situation. John C. Bennett, a friend of Joseph Smith and mayor of Nauvoo, perverted these teachings to gratify his own lust. He told single and married women that Joseph was teaching &quot;spiritual wifery,&quot; as he called it, which he claimed gave them permission to sleep with whomever they desired. Bennett was eventually caught. He confessed that Joseph Smith had never taught &quot;spiritual wifery,&quot; which amounted to adultery, and was soon excommunicated. He left Nauvoo and began publishing scathing attacks on Joseph Smith. Another close associate, William Law, pleaded with Joseph Smith to renounce polygamy. When he would not, Law and a few other disaffected Mormons published the &lt;i&gt;[[Nauvoo Expositor]]&lt;/i&gt; which claimed Joseph Smith was teaching adultery and fornication and called for him to be hung. The Nauvoo City Council decided this was a public nuisance and so destroyed the press. Riots followed and Joseph Smith was arrested, imprisoned in [[Carthage Jail]], and there murdered on June 27, [[1844]].<br /> <br /> ==Polygamy in Utah==<br /> :&lt;i&gt;see also the articles on [[Mormon history]] covering this period.&lt;/i&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Polygamy Publicly Announced===<br /> The Mormons were driven out of Illinois in [[1846]]. Once established in Utah, [[Brigham Young]] directed Orson Pratt of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] to announce the practice publicly. He did so on [http://journalofdiscourses.org/Vol_01/refJDvol1-11.html August 29, 1852]. In this speech and others that followed, he set forth the Church’s explanation and defense of polygamy. He claimed first that God had commanded it. Secondly, the reason God commanded it was so that Mormons could raise righteous children. Lastly he noted that God only permitted His prophets to direct who will practice polygamy. As evidence, he cited the story of the Prophet Nathan and King David, where Nathan explains that he gave David his wives from a commandment of God (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/2_sam/12 2 Samuel 12:1-9]). <br /> <br /> The practice continued in Utah until [[1890]], when a revelation came from the Lord forbidding further polygamous marriages. At first, being isolated in Utah, the Mormon Church practiced it openly and without harassment. In the 1850s the newly formed Republican Party made part of its platform the abolishment of polygamy. Distracted by the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, little happened at first, though the issue of polygamy was part of the justification for the [[Utah War]]. President Buchanan sent 5,000 troops to crush a non-existent rebellion in the territory in [[1857]]. <br /> <br /> ===Anti-Polygamy Legislation and Raids===<br /> Beginning in [[1862]], the U.S. Congress passed a series of increasingly stringent laws outlawing polygamy. The first, the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, passed on July 1, [[1862]], outlawed polygamy. Bigamy was difficult to prove, as records were scanty, and while some Mormon leaders including Brigham Young were arrested, they were generally released. George Reynolds, Young’s secretary and a British immigrant, was arrested and tried. He appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court arguing that polygamy was protected by the U.S. Bill of Rights, which guaranteed free exercise of religion. In ruling on &lt;i&gt;Reynolds v. United States&lt;/i&gt;, the Court said that this clause protected beliefs only and that Congress could pass laws preventing practices “which were in violation of social duties or subversive of good order” (98 U.S. 164). Reynolds was sentenced to five years of jail time.<br /> <br /> Sir Richard Burton, the famous explorer and orientalist, actually defended both the Mormons and their practice of polygamy in his book, &lt;i&gt;The City of the Saints and across the Rocky Mountains to California&lt;/i&gt;. He said:<br /> <br /> :Those individuals who have the strength of mind sufficient to divest themselves entirely from the influence of custom, and examine the doctrine of a plurality of wives under the light of reason and revelation, will be forced to the conclusion that it is a doctrine of divine origin; that it was embraced and practiced under the divine sanction by the most righteous men who ever lived on the earth: holy prophets and patriarchs, who were inspired by the Holy Ghost (p 382).<br /> <br /> Burton also defended the Mormons against their legal persecutors. He argued that the Constitution of the United States should protect this practice:<br /> <br /> :The Constitution and laws of the United States, being founded upon the principles of freedom, do not interfere with marriage relations, but leave the nation free to believe in and practice the doctrine of a plurality of wives, or to confine themselves to the one-wife system, just as the choose. This is as it should be (p 379).<br /> <br /> ===The True Nature of Polygamy in Utah===<br /> The raids and attacks of the 1880s make it appear that all Mormons were living in polygamy. Though records are not always clear, their clarity deliberately obscured to prevent government officers from easily finding polygamists, it is clear that only a minority ever practiced polygamy. Estimates are that at maximum 20 to 25 percent of the Church at any given time was practicing it; some estimates place it as low as 5 percent. Approximately one third of women in the 1880s lived in polygamous families. The 1,300 men arrested is certainly a small percentage of the nearly 150,000 Mormons at the time and that number approached 200,000 by [[1890]]. Some people, anti-Mormons and even some Mormons, have tried to claim that Mormon prophets of the nineteenth century said that every man must practice polygamy to get into heaven, but this is a distortion of the truth. In [[1866]], [[John Taylor]], who succeeded Brigham Young as [[Mormon president|President of the Church]] said:<br /> <br /> : When this system was first introduced among this people, it was one of the greatest crosses that ever was taken up by any set of men since the world stood. Joseph Smith told others; he told me, and I can bear witness of it, &quot;that if this principle was not introduced, this Church and kingdom could not proceed.&quot; When this commandment was given, it was so far religious, and so far binding upon the Elders of this Church, that it was told them &lt;b&gt;if they were not prepared to enter into it&lt;/b&gt;, and to stem the torrent of opposition that would come in consequence of it, the keys of the kingdom would be taken from them. When I see any of our people, men or women, opposing a principle of this kind, I have years ago set them down as on the high road to apostasy, and I do to-day; I consider them apostates, and not interested in this Church and kingdom (John Taylor, ''Journal of Discourses'' 11:221).<br /> <br /> Here he clearly says that it is the principle that must be accepted, just as men are expected to accept every principle and revelation from God. He says men must be ‘prepared’ to enter into it and defend it, even though they may not be required to do so. If one considers that when he said that the majority of those listening were not practicing polygamy and were never asked to do so, it becomes clear that they understood this to mean that they must accept the principle as a revelation from God in order to enter heaven, since Jesus taught that man must live on “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). <br /> <br /> For Mormons who practiced polygamy, it brought both blessings and trials to be overcome. Mormon women were generally in favor of polygamy, feeling not only that it came from God, but also that it liberated them to do much more with their time. Many Mormon women, with other wives to share the work, went to school and became very accomplished. Anti-Mormon leaders in Utah gave women the right to vote in 1870 hoping that these supposedly oppressed women would vote for anti-Mormon candidates, but the measure backfired. Mormon women under polygamy had much more freedom to pursue vocations and education. Three of Brigham Young’s wives studied medicine and helped found a hospital. <br /> <br /> [[Joseph Fielding Smith]], who was a Mormon Apostle and later [[Mormon president|President of the Church]] grew up in a polygamous family. Of this situation he said: &quot;[My father [[Joseph F. Smith]]] had five wives and 43 children. No father ever at any age of the world, we feel confident in saying, had a greater love for wife or wives and children, and was more earnestly concerned for their welfare than was [my father]&quot; (Joseph Fielding Smith, ''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449). He says further of the wives and children in this family:<br /> <br /> :[T]here was and is no monogamist family which could be more united. To the astonishment of the unbelieving world, the wives loved each other dearly. In times of sickness they tenderly waited upon and nursed each other. When death invaded one of the homes and a child was taken, all wept and mourned together with sincere grief which was wonderful to see. Two of the wives were skilled and licensed practitioners in obstetrics, and brought many babies into the world. They waited upon each other and upon the other wives, and when babies came all rejoiced equally with the mother. <br /> <br /> :The children recognized each other as brothers and sisters, full-fledged, not as half, as they would be considered in the world. They defended each and stood by each other no matter which branch of the family was theirs (''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449).<br /> <br /> Smith concludes that the reasons the outside world viewed polygamy with such horror and disgust was that they &quot;judged the 'Mormon' people by their own corrupt standards that they failed to understand the true condition which prevailed in 'Mormon' homes&quot; (''Life of Joseph F. Smith,'' p. 449).<br /> <br /> ===Polygamy Discontinued===<br /> In [[1887]], the Congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act which disincorporated the Church and seized virtually all of its property, except the temples and some church buildings. The Church appealed this ruling, again citing the freedom of religion, but in [[1890]] in &lt;i&gt;The Late Corporation of the Mormon Church v. United States&lt;/i&gt; the Supreme Court again upheld the ban on polygamy. <br /> <br /> Facing the utter destruction of the Church, [[Wilford Woodruff]], the forth president of the Church met and prayed with the other apostles. After much prayer, President Woodruff saw a vision of what would happen if the Church continued to practice polygamy. He saw the destruction of the Church, the scattering of the Mormons, and the cessation of all their work. The Lord had previously shown that sometimes he commands men to practice polygamy and sometimes he forbids it, depending upon the circumstance. Wilford Woodruff then realized that the time had come to stop practicing polygamy. He issued what has become known as the [[Manifesto]]. It said that the Mormon Church would no longer contract marriages forbidden by law. President Grover Cleveland would later pardon all those who entered polygamous marriages before [[1890]]. Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona were required to ban polygamy in their constitutions. Idaho's laws originally kept all polygamists from holding office, and for a time Idaho banned all persons married in Mormon temples from voting or holding office. <br /> <br /> Anti-Mormons try to claim that Wilford Woodruff caved under pressure, but according to [[Gordon B. Hinckley]], former President of the Mormon Church, the role of the [[Mormon president|Prophet]] is to find answers to the problems of God’s people by asking God in prayer. President Woodruff sought help from God and God gave it. Wilford Woodruff himself in speaking about this revelation said:<br /> <br /> :I have had some revelations of late, and very important ones to me, and I will tell you what the Lord has said to me. Let me bring your minds to what is termed the manifesto...<br /> <br /> :The Lord has told me to ask the Latter-day Saints a question, and He also told me that if they would listen to what I said to them and answer the question put to them, by the Spirit and power of God, they would all answer alike, and they would all believe alike with regard to this matter.<br /> <br /> :The question is this: Which is the wisest course for the Latter-day Saints to pursue—to continue to attempt to practice plural marriage, with the laws of the nation against it and the opposition of sixty millions of people, and at the cost of the confiscation and loss of all the Temples, and the stopping of all the ordinances therein, both for the living and the dead, and the imprisonment of the First Presidency and Twelve and the heads of families in the Church, and the confiscation of personal property of the people (all of which of themselves would stop the practice); or, after doing and suffering what we have through our adherence to this principle to cease the practice and submit to the law, and through doing so leave the Prophets, Apostles and fathers at home, so that they can instruct the people and attend to the duties of the Church, and also leave the Temples in the hands of the Saints, so that they can attend to the ordinances of the Gospel, both for the living and the dead?<br /> <br /> :&lt;b&gt;The Lord showed me by vision and revelation exactly what would take place if we did not stop this practice&lt;/b&gt;. If we had not stopped it, you would have had no use for...any of the men in this temple at Logan; for all ordinances would be stopped throughout the land of Zion. Confusion would reign throughout Israel, and many men would be made prisoners. This trouble would have come upon the whole Church, and we should have been compelled to stop the practice. Now, the question is, whether it should be stopped in this manner, or in the way the Lord has manifested to us, and leave our Prophets and Apostles and fathers free men, and the temples in the hands of the people, so that the dead may be redeemed. A large number has already been delivered from the prison house in the [[Spirit World|spirit world]] by this people, and shall the work go on or stop? This is the question I lay before the Latter-day Saints. You have to judge for yourselves. I want you to answer it for yourselves. I shall not answer it; but I say to you that that is exactly the condition we as a people would have been in had we not taken the course we have.<br /> <br /> :...I saw exactly what would come to pass if there was not something done. I have had this spirit upon me for a long time. But I want to say this: I should have let all the temples go out of our hands; '''I should have gone to prison myself, and let every other man go there, had not the God of heaven commanded me to do what I did do'''; and when the hour came that I was commanded to do that, it was all clear to me. I went before the Lord, and I wrote what the Lord told me to write... (Doctrine and Covenants, excerpts attached to Official Declaration 1).<br /> <br /> ==Polygamy Since the Manifesto==<br /> <br /> Groups today that practice polygamy, and call themselves [[Fundamentalist Mormons]], are not affiliated with [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]. Most of their members have never been members of the Mormon church and their actions are considered illegal. These groups often withdraw into isolated communities and seldom gain new converts. This leads to intermarrying of close relatives and has caused heightened birth defects among these groups.[http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1,1249,635182923,00.html] These groups often require all men to enter polygamy, which causes many problems and has led to an excess of single men unable to marry. These men are often expelled from the group and cut off from their families. Other abuses often occur in these isolated communities such as forced marriages, which did not occur among nineteenth-century Mormons. Polygamy as practiced by these groups is very different from the historical practice of polygamy by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which never required all men to practice polygamy and never withdrew into secretive communes cut off from the rest of the world. The Mormon church in the nineteenth century never forced young girls into marriage or expelled those who would not enter into polygamous marriages. These practices of contemporary polygamous sects should never be confused with nineteenth century Mormon practice.<br /> <br /> A doctrinal explanation for the purpose of polygamy is subtly alluded to in a personal interview with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in his participation with the PBS documentary &quot;The Mormons&quot;: [http://www.pbs.org/mormons/interviews/holland.html]<br /> <br /> == External Links ==<br /> *[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy] -- FAIR LDS Topical Guide<br /> *[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/video-challenges-public-misperceptions-explains-myths-vs-reality Steve Young and Sharlene Hawkes address misconceptions about polygamy and the Church]<br /> *[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/publicizing-good-works LDS Newsroom:Mormons and Polygamy]<br /> *[http://www.fairlds.org/Misc/Polygamy_Prophets_and_Prevarication.html FAIRlds:Answers to questions about Polygamy]</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Individual&diff=16338 Template:Featured Individual 2008-04-09T16:11:15Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:MONSON1_medium.jpg|thumb|Thomas S. Monson]]<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Thomas S. Monson|Thomas Spencer Monson]] was [[FAQ: The Passing of Mormon Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley|sustained]] as the 16th President of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] on April 5, 2008, following the death of President [[Gordon B. Hinckley]].<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assembly==<br /> <br /> There’s an air of anticipation that fills the air in weeks, days and hours before General Conference, which intensifies when a new prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sustained by the general membership of the Church (Mormons). Such was the case today, April 5, 2008, in light of the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. <br /> <br /> Individuals, families, and extended families gather together in their homes, meetinghouses, and, in Salt Lake City, on Temple Square in the newly built [[Conference Center]], refurbished [[Tabernacle]] and Assembly Hall--to glean spiritual knowledge, direction, vision, and replenishment to guide them in coming months. Donned in spring colors and in the shadow of the [[Salt Lake Temple]], thousands of Latter-day Saints gather at the feet of modern apostles and prophets just as those early Christian saints listened to the early apostles and the Savior at the gates of the temple, in meetinghouses, and on the shores of Galilee. <br /> <br /> Such a meeting, in which the President of the Church is sustained, along with his two counselors, is referred to by the Lord and Mormons as a “[[Solemn Assembly|solemn assembly]].&quot; In this spring conference, the solemn assembly occurred in the first session of the Saturday morning April 2008 conference. Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf were sustained as the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. <br /> <br /> For Mormons, standing and raising their hands to the square as a symbolic gesture of their choice to sustain the newly called prophetic leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a privilege and a historic spiritual moment. By assignment, each group of members is called to stand and share their sustaining vote of the new First Presidency. As Mormons believe and witness that the Lord calls and foreordains these prophets, seers, and revelators, there is a joy and rejoicing in watching His hand move forward His work on the earth.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:MONSON1_medium.jpg&diff=16337 File:MONSON1 medium.jpg 2008-04-09T16:08:17Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div></div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Individual&diff=16335 Template:Featured Individual 2008-04-09T15:54:14Z <p>Kmerkley: /* Thomas S. Monson: Background */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:MONSON_medium.jpg|thumb|Thomas S. Monson]]<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Thomas S. Monson|Thomas Spencer Monson]] was [[FAQ: The Passing of Mormon Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley|sustained]] as the 16th President of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] on April 5, 2008, following the death of President [[Gordon B. Hinckley]].<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assembly==<br /> <br /> There’s an air of anticipation that fills the air in weeks, days and hours before General Conference, which intensifies when a new prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sustained by the general membership of the Church (Mormons). Such was the case today, April 5, 2008, in light of the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. <br /> <br /> Individuals, families, and extended families gather together in their homes, meetinghouses, and, in Salt Lake City, on Temple Square in the newly built [[Conference Center]], refurbished [[Tabernacle]] and Assembly Hall--to glean spiritual knowledge, direction, vision, and replenishment to guide them in coming months. Donned in spring colors and in the shadow of the [[Salt Lake Temple]], thousands of Latter-day Saints gather at the feet of modern apostles and prophets just as those early Christian saints listened to the early apostles and the Savior at the gates of the temple, in meetinghouses, and on the shores of Galilee. <br /> <br /> Such a meeting, in which the President of the Church is sustained, along with his two counselors, is referred to by the Lord and Mormons as a “[[Solemn Assembly|solemn assembly]].&quot; In this spring conference, the solemn assembly occurred in the first session of the Saturday morning April 2008 conference. Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf were sustained as the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. <br /> <br /> For Mormons, standing and raising their hands to the square as a symbolic gesture of their choice to sustain the newly called prophetic leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a privilege and a historic spiritual moment. By assignment, each group of members is called to stand and share their sustaining vote of the new First Presidency. As Mormons believe and witness that the Lord calls and foreordains these prophets, seers, and revelators, there is a joy and rejoicing in watching His hand move forward His work on the earth.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Young_Women_General_Presidency&diff=16281 Young Women General Presidency 2008-04-06T21:47:35Z <p>Kmerkley: /* Ann M. Dibb */</p> <hr /> <div>==General Young Women Presidency Sustained April 5, 2008==<br /> <br /> Three well-qualified, divinely appointed women have been newly called to lead the worldwide organization of [[Young Women]] of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elaine S. Dalton, formerly the first counselor in the Young Women's general presidency. Mary N. Cook and Ann Dibb were called as first and second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, respectively.<br /> <br /> These women, under the direction of the Lord and the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will guide, inspire and oversee the 554,600 young women between the ages of 12 and 18 in 170 countries in the world. <br /> <br /> ==Elaine S. Dalton==<br /> <br /> Elaine was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, is the wife of Stephen E. Dalton. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University. She and her husband are the parents of five sons and one daughter.<br /> <br /> As Elaine Dalton walked into the press room, she mentioned that as she had passed the Hall of the Presidents of the Young Women's organization, she felt them share the thought that they had laid the foundation of the Church and now it was time to move it forward. She is excited and confident in moving forward the work of the Young Women in the kingdom of God. They will, as a Young Women Presidency, she declared, &quot;unfurl a banner&quot; to the world, of standing for truth and righteousness.<br /> <br /> ==Mary N. Cook==<br /> <br /> Mary N. Cook spoke of Ann Dibb's &quot;uncanny insight and ability&quot; into what young women need, and shared her appreciation of how passionate Elaine Dalton is about the youth, and how much love she has exemplified toward the young women of the world. Mary Cook, as well, brings her own divinely nurtured skill set and spiritual orientation for this important call from the Lord. Having traveled the world in her previous capacities in the general Young Women Presidency--from Mongolia to Sri Lanka to Hong Kong--understands their common struggles and need to understand their divine identity and individual power through a relationship with the Savior. She sees, in part through her own &quot;little lab of 12 granddaughters&quot; as well as those she has met, what the youth &quot;are up against&quot; and is looking forward to this call to serve.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Ann M. Dibb==<br /> <br /> Ann M. Dibb, second counselor in the Young Women Presidency, has been serving on the Young Women general board, an organization that supports the general presidency in their calling and service. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education, is the mother of 4 children, and has enjoyed the privilege of being a full-time homemaker. She is the daughter of [[Thomas S. Monson]] and Frances Johnson Monson.<br /> <br /> Sister Dibb shares Sister Dalton's vision of the ability of the young women to strengthen individual families now and their coming families eternally. She indicated that the young women would be required to step up and do their part to be a beacon to those in the world who desire to find a better way. She expressed appreciation for her own mother's legacy of concentration on motherhood and example of love, service, and teaching to her family.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Young_Women_General_Presidency&diff=16280 Talk:Young Women General Presidency 2008-04-06T21:39:41Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>We still need to add the photo and links. Thanks. [[User:Kmerkley|Kmerkley]] 21:39, 6 April 2008 (UTC)</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Young_Women_General_Presidency&diff=16279 Young Women General Presidency 2008-04-06T21:38:31Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>==General Young Women Presidency Sustained April 5, 2008==<br /> <br /> Three well-qualified, divinely appointed women have been newly called to lead the worldwide organization of [[Young Women]] of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elaine S. Dalton, formerly the first counselor in the Young Women's general presidency. Mary N. Cook and Ann Dibb were called as first and second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, respectively.<br /> <br /> These women, under the direction of the Lord and the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will guide, inspire and oversee the 554,600 young women between the ages of 12 and 18 in 170 countries in the world. <br /> <br /> ==Elaine S. Dalton==<br /> <br /> Elaine was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, is the wife of Stephen E. Dalton. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University. She and her husband are the parents of five sons and one daughter.<br /> <br /> As Elaine Dalton walked into the press room, she mentioned that as she had passed the Hall of the Presidents of the Young Women's organization, she felt them share the thought that they had laid the foundation of the Church and now it was time to move it forward. She is excited and confident in moving forward the work of the Young Women in the kingdom of God. They will, as a Young Women Presidency, she declared, &quot;unfurl a banner&quot; to the world, of standing for truth and righteousness.<br /> <br /> ==Mary N. Cook==<br /> <br /> Mary N. Cook spoke of Ann Dibb's &quot;uncanny insight and ability&quot; into what young women need, and shared her appreciation of how passionate Elaine Dalton is about the youth, and how much love she has exemplified toward the young women of the world. Mary Cook, as well, brings her own divinely nurtured skill set and spiritual orientation for this important call from the Lord. Having traveled the world in her previous capacities in the general Young Women Presidency--from Mongolia to Sri Lanka to Hong Kong--understands their common struggles and need to understand their divine identity and individual power through a relationship with the Savior. She sees, in part through her own &quot;little lab of 12 granddaughters&quot; as well as those she has met, what the youth &quot;are up against&quot; and is looking forward to this call to serve.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Ann M. Dibb==<br /> <br /> Ann M. Dibb, second counselor in the Young Women Presidency, has been serving on the Young Women general board, an organization that supports the general presidency in their calling and service. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education, is the mother of 4 children, and has enjoyed the privilege of being a full-time homemaker.<br /> <br /> Sister Dibb shares Sister Dalton's vision of the ability of the young women to strengthen individual families now and their coming families eternally. She indicated that the young women would be required to step up and do their part to be a beacon to those in the world who desire to find a better way. She expressed appreciation for her own mother's legacy of concentration on motherhood and example of love, service, and teaching to her family.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=MormonWiki_Articles&diff=16278 MormonWiki Articles 2008-04-06T21:01:32Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>'''This page contain links to most of the articles of Mormonwiki classified by topics.'''<br /> <br /> '''For a complete list of all articles go to: [http://www.mormonwiki.com/Special:Allpages All Pages]'''<br /> <br /> The following articles seek to offer information regarding the beliefs, doctines, policies, and members of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (commonly referred to as the Mormon Church or simply the Mormons). Articles are organized by topic and the same article may be found under different topics. Since this is a wiki, articles are frequently being added and modified. We sincerely hope the following articles will be helpful in learning about the Church. <br /> <br /> '''Articles by Topic'''<br /> <br /> ==Baptism==<br /> [[Baptism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Baptism by Immersion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Baptism for the Dead]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon baptism|Mormon Baptism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[First Principles of the Gospel]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fullness of the Gospel]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Conversion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Infant Baptism]]<br /> [[Jesus' Baptism]]<br /> <br /> ==Basic Beliefs==<br /> <br /> [[Atonement]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Agency]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Almsgiving]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Articles of Faith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Baptism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Baptism by Immersion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Beliefs of Mormonism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Conversion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Faith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fall|Fall of Adam and Eve]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fasting]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[First Principles of the Gospel]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fullness of the Gospel]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gift of the Holy Ghost]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Godhead]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[God]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Grace]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Great Apostasy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Beliefs on human tragedy| Human Tragedy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sabbath|Keeping the Sabbath]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon law of chastity| Law of Chastity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Deception]]<br /> [[LDS Scriptures]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Modesty]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon myths]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon myths 2]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon theology]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Plan of Salvation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Prayer]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Priesthood]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Repentance]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Resurrection]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Revelation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacrament]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacrifice]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sanctification]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Satan]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Second Coming]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Service]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Inside Mormon temples|Temples]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Teachings of Joseph Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ten Commandments]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Three-fold mission of the Church]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Depression]]<br /> [[Tithing]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[What do Mormons believe|What Do Mormons Believe]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Abortion]]<br /> [[Disobedience]]<br /> [[Despair]]<br /> [[Disciples of Christ]]<br /> [[Earth]]<br /> [[Drugs]]<br /> [[Daily Prayer]]<br /> [[Passion of Christ]]<br /> [[Child of God]]<br /> [[Religion]]<br /> [[God's Will]]<br /> [[Transfiguration]]<br /> [[Trials]]<br /> [[Self-Mastery]]<br /> <br /> ==Beliefs about Life and Death==<br /> [[Baptism for the Dead]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Celestial marriage|Celestial Marriage]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial Kingdoms]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Creation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Death]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Divinity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Exaltation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family History]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Foreordination]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Beliefs on human tragedy|Human Tragedy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Last Judgment]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Millennium]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mortality]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Plan of Salvation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Pre-Mortal Life]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Resurrection]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spirit World]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Salvation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Physical Death]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spiritual Death]]<br /> <br /> ==Book of Mormon Topics==<br /> [[Book of Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon archaeology]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon evidences|Book of Mormon Evidences]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon DNA]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon geography|Book of Mormon Geography]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon Places]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon Characters]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Translation of the Book of Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Who is Mormon|Prophet Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Angel Moroni]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nephi]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nephites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lamanites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jaredites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Cumorah]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Zarahemla]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Golden Bible]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Golden Plates|Golden Plates]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brass Plates]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Iron Rod]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Liahona Compass]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Seer Stones]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Tree of Life]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Urim and Thummim]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Oliver Cowdery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Martin Harris]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David Whitmer]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Scriptures]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon books|Mormon Books]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Cumoms]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Secret Combinations]]<br /> <br /> ==Church History: Overview==<br /> [[Mormon history|Mormon History Main Page]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New York Period]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ohio Period]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Missouri Period]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nauvoo and the Martyrdom]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Westward Migration]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Utah War]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Post-Civil War Persecution]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Stability and Growth]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[International Growth]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Contemporary Developments]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Church History: Miscellaneous Topics==<br /> [[Adam-ondi-Ahman]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Battle of Crooked River]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Box Elder Tabernacle]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Carthage Jail]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Colonization of the West]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Far West]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[First Vision]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gathering]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Great Apostasy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Handcart Companies]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Haun's Mill]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Independence, Missouri]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Journal of Discourses]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Kanesville Tabernacle]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Kinderhook plates]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Kirtland Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Liberty Jail]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Magic Valley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Martin Harris Farm]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Martyrdom of Joseph Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Battalion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Pioneers]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Population|Mormon Populations Today]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Trail]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mountain Meadows massacre|Mountain Meadows Massacre]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Museum of Church History and Art]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Music and the Spoken Word]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nauvoo]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nauvoo Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New Jerusalem]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ogden Utah History|Ogden Utah]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Palmyra]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Perpetual Emigration Fund]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Peter Whitmer Home]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Polygamy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Presidents and Prophets]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quetzalcoatl]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacred Grove]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Salt Lake Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Translation of the Book of Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Wentworth letter]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Winter Quarters]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Zion's Camp]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Wakefield]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Calves Wilson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Burr Riggs]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Church Leaders: Current==<br /> ===President of the Church===<br /> [[Thomas S. Monson]]<br /> <br /> ===First Presidency of the Church===<br /> [[Thomas S. Monson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Henry B. Eyring]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dieter F. Uchtdorf]]<br /> <br /> ===Quorum of the Twelve Apostles===<br /> [[Thomas S. Monson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Boyd K. Packer]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[L. Tom Perry]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Russell M. Nelson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dallin H. Oaks]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[M. Russell Ballard]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph B. Wirthlin]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Richard G. Scott]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Robert D. Hales]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jeffrey R. Holland]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Henry B. Eyring]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dieter F. Uchtdorf]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David A. Bednar]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quentin L. Cook]]&amp;nbsp;<br /> <br /> ===Presiding Bishopric===<br /> [[H. David Burton]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Richard C. Edgley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Keith B. McMullin]]&amp;nbsp;<br /> <br /> ===General Relief Society Presidency===<br /> [[Julie B. Beck]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Silvia Henriquez Allred]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Barbara Thompson]]&amp;nbsp;<br /> <br /> ===General Young Women Presidency===<br /> [[New General Young Women Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]<br /> <br /> ===Other Leadership Positions===<br /> [[Bonnie D. Parkin]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Charles W. Dahlquist]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Church Leaders: Past==<br /> ===President of the Church===<br /> [[Joseph Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brigham Young]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John Taylor]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Wilford Woodruff]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lorenzo Snow]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph F. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Heber J. Grant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[George Albert Smith (Prophet)|George Albert Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David O. McKay]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Fielding Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Harold B. Lee]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spencer W. Kimball]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ezra Taft Benson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Howard W. Hunter]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gordon B. Hinckley]] ·<br /> <br /> ===Quorum of the Twelve Apostles=== <br /> [[Thomas B. Marsh]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David W. Patten]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brigham Young]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Heber C. Kimball]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Orson Hyde]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[William E. M'Lellin]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Parley P. Pratt]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Luke S. Johnson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[William Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Orson Pratt]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John F. Boynton]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lyman E. Johnson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John E. Page]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John Taylor]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Wilford Woodruff]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[George Albert Smith (b. 1817)|George A. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Willard Richards]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lyman Wight]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Amasa M. Lyman]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ezra T. Benson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Charles C. Rich]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lorenzo Snow]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Erastus Snow]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Franklin D. Richards]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[George Q. Cannon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph F. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brigham Young, Jr.]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Albert Carrington]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Moses Thatcher]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Francis M. Lyman]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John Henry Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[George Teasdale]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Heber J. Grant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John W. Taylor]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Marriner W. Merrill]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Anthon H. Lund]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Abraham H. Cannon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Matthias F. Cowley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Abraham O. Woodruff]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Rudger Clawson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Reed Smoot]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hyrum M. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[George Albert Smith (Prophet)|George Albert Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Charles W. Penrose]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[George F. Richards]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Orson F. Whitney]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David O. McKay]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Anthony W. Ivins]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Fielding Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[James E. Talmage]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Stephen L Richards]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Richard R. Lyman]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Melvin J. Ballard]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John A. Widtsoe]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph F. Merrill]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Charles A. Callis]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[J. Reuben Clark]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Alonzo A. Hinckley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Albert E. Bowen]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sylvester Q. Cannon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Harold B. Lee]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spencer W. Kimball]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ezra Taft Benson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mark E. Petersen]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Matthew Cowley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Henry D. Moyle]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Delbert L. Stapley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Marion G. Romney]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LeGrand Richards]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Adam S. Bennion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Richard L. Evans]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[George Q. Morris]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hugh B. Brown]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Howard W. Hunter]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gordon B. Hinckley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[N. Eldon Tanner]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Thomas S. Monson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Boyd K. Packer]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Marvin J. Ashton]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bruce R. McConkie]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[L. Tom Perry]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David B. Haight]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[James E. Faust]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Neal A. Maxwell]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Russell M. Nelson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dallin H. Oaks]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[M. Russell Ballard]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph B. Wirthlin]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Richard G. Scott]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Robert D. Hales]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jeffrey R. Holland]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Henry B. Eyring]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dieter F. Uchtdorf]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David A. Bednar]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quentin L. Cook]]&amp;nbsp;<br /> <br /> ===General Relief Society Presidents===<br /> [[Emma Hale Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Eliza R. Snow]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Zina D. H. Young]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bathsheba W. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Emmeline B. Wells]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Clarissa S. Williams]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Louise Y. Robison]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Amy Brown Lyman]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Belle S. Spafford]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Barbara B. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Barbara W. Winder]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Elaine L. Jack]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mary Ellen W. Smoot]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bonnie D. Parkin]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Julie B. Beck]]&amp;nbsp;<br /> <br /> ===Other Leadership Positions===<br /> [[Barbara B. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David Whitmer]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Martin Harris]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Newel K. Whitney]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Oliver Cowdery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jesse Knight]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Samuel Williams]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Church Leadership and Callings==<br /> [[Bishop]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Choosing a Prophet]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Deacons]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Elder]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[General Authorities]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Home Teaching]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Leadership in the Church]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Callings]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon leadership|Mormon Leadership]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon president|Mormon President]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon prophet|Mormon Prophet]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nursery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Patriarch]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Presiding Bishop]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Priests]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Primary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Relief Society]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Roles of a Bishop]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Teachers]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Visiting Teaching]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Young Women]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Patriarch to the church]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Church Programs and Organizations==<br /> [[Church Educational System]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Education]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[ Bishop's Storehouses ]]<br /> [[Brigham Young University]] &amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Church Magazines]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ensign Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Liahona Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New Era Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Friend Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Relief Society]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sunday School]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Primary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Deseret Industries]].<br /> [[Mutual]]&amp;nbsp;·[[Family History]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> [[Family History Library]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family Search]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Farms Owned By The Mormon Church]].<br /> [[General Conference]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Church Welfare Program]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Provident Living]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Finances|Church Finances]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Debt Reduction]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Overcoming Debt]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Employment Programs]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Humanitarian Center]].<br /> [[Humanitarian Efforts]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Family Services]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Welfare Cannery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Distribution Centers]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon missionaries|Missionary Program]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Missionary Training Center]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Three-fold mission of the Church]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Music and the Spoken Word]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Perpetual Education Fund]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Polynesian Cultural Center]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Temple Square]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Conference Center]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Museum of Church History and Art]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Pageants]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hill Cumorah Pageant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Miracle Pageant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Perpetual Emigration Fund]]&amp;nbsp;<br /> <br /> ==Church Structure==<br /> [[Church Organization]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Relief Society]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Young Women]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Primary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sunday School]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nursery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mutual]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ward]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Wards]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Stake|Stakes]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Presidency of the Seventy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Signs of the True Christian Church]]<br /> <br /> ==Controversial Topics==<br /> [[Addictions and Recovery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Adoption]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Antimormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Anti-Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Priesthood| Blacks and Women in the Priesthood]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon archaeology]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon DNA]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon evidences|Book of Mormon Evidences]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Changes to Temple Ordinances]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Christianity vs. Mormonism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Community of Christ]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Ex-Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gay]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Homosexuality]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Kinderhook plates]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Living Hope Ministries]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon law of chastity|Sexuality and the Law of Chastity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mountain Meadows massacre|Mountain Meadows Massacre]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon cult]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon garments|Mormon Underwear]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon temple|Mormon Temples]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon myths]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon myths 2]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon women]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism and Christianity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism vs. Christianity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism cult]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Out of Mormonism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Polygamy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Reorganized (RLDS) Church]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Same-sex attraction|Same-Sex Attraction]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Stem cell research|Stem Cell Research]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Strangite]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Church of Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Translation of the Book of Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon garments]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Adam - God Theory]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Education==<br /> [[Church Educational System]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Education|Education Facts]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brigham Young University]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Business College]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Seminary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bellota A Roble Project (Acorn to Oak)]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[BYU-Idaho]]<br /> <br /> ==Famous Mormons==<br /> [[Arnold Friberg]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Benji Schwimmer]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Bob Bennett]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brooke White]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Buck McKeon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Charles Roscoe Savage]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Chris Cannon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dale Murphy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David Archuleta]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Dean Heller]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Derek Hough]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Donny Osmond]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Eni Faleomavaega]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Famous Mormons]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gordon Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Harry Reid]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Henry Eyring]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hugh Nibley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[J. Willard Marriott]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jeff Flake]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jim Matheson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John Doolittle]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Julianne Hough]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Mike Crapo]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mike Leavitt]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mike Simpson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mitt Romney]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Orrin Hatch]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Rob Bishop]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Steve Young]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Thurl Bailey]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Yukihiro Matsumoto]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jon M. Huntsman, Sr.]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Fundamental Principles==<br /> [[First Principles of the Gospel]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fullness of the Gospel]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Faith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Repentance]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Baptism by Immersion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gift of the Holy Ghost]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[God]]<br /> <br /> ==Gender and Cultural Issues==<br /> [[Adoption]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Evergreen International]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Exodus International]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gay]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Homosexuality]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Same-sex attraction|Same-Sex Attraction]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==General Church Information==<br /> [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Latter-day Saints]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Three-fold mission of the Church]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Demographics|Church Demographics]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Church]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon cult|Mormon Cult]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Finances|Mormon Finances]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon myths|Mormon Myths]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon theology|Mormon Theology]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Population]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormanism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism and Christianity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism vs. Christianity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism cult|Mormonism Cult]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Anti-Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ex-Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Out of Mormonism]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==The Godhead==<br /> [[Godhead]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Heavenly Father]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Atonement of Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Crucifixion of Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Savior]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Messiah]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Living Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Holy Ghost]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Holy Spirit]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gift of the Holy Ghost]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Divinity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Foreordination]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Elohim]]<br /> [[God]]<br /> <br /> ==Humanitarian Aid==<br /> [[Service]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Humanitarian Efforts]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Church Welfare Program]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Debt Reduction]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Overcoming Debt]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Employment Programs]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Family Services]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Welfare Cannery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Provident Living]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Jesus Christ==<br /> [[Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Appearances of Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Atonement of Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Crucifixion of Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Messiah]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Savior]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Second Coming]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Millennium]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New Testament]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quetzalcoatl]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Living Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Godhead]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Divinity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Foreordination]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism and Christianity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism vs. Christianity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacrament]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Joseph Smith==<br /> [[Joseph Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Smith, Jr.]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Emma Hale Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[First Vision]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacred Grove]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Golden Plates]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Urim and Thummim]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Translation of the Book of Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Kirtland Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Liberty Jail]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Martyrdom of Joseph Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Carthage Jail]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Articles of Faith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lectures on Faith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Teachings of Joseph Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Literature==<br /> [[LDS Scriptures]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Scriptures]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon books|Mormon Books]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Holy Bible]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Old Testament]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New Testament]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Doctrine and Covenants]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Pearl of Great Price]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Abraham]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lectures on Faith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Journal of Discourses]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Standing for Something]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Church Magazines]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ensign Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Liahona Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New Era Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Friend Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Living Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Proclamation to the World|The Family: A Proclamation to the World]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Living Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[For the Strength of the Youth]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Marriage and Families==<br /> [[Adoption]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Celestial marriage|Celestial Marriage]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family Home Evening]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family Home Evening 2]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Family Services]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Weddings]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon law of chastity|Law of Chastity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormonism and Marriage]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Plan of Salvation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Plural Marriage]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Proclamation to the World]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Scrapbooking]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Service]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Missionary Work==<br /> [[Mission]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon missionaries|Mormon Missionaries]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Missionary Training Center]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Couple Missionaries]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Every Member a Missionary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Returned Missionary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Senior Missionaries]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mission Reunions]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mission farewell and homecoming]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Convert Retention]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Demographics]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Population]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Three-fold mission of the Church]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Conversion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Mormon Life and Culture==<br /> [[Beehive house]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bellota A Roble]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Caffeine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Conversion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Demographics|LDS Demographics]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Downtown Rising]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Education]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Every Member a Missionary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family Home Evening]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family Home Evening 2]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fasting]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Food Storage]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[General Conference]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Keeping a Journal]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Latter-day Saints]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon law of chastity|Law of Chastity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Bookstores]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Games]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Living Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Radio]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Rings]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Sermons]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Living in the Latter-days]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mission Reunions]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Modesty]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Art and Artists]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon garments|Mormon Garments]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Handicraft]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Holidays]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Idioms]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon jokes]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Music]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon myths|Mormon Myths]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Politics]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Terminology]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon undergarments|Mormon Undergarments]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Provident Living]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sabbath|Sabbath Day Worship]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacrament Meeting]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Scrapbooking]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Service]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Stake|Stakes]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Testimonies]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Tithing]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Wards]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Word of Wisdom]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Zion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Doing Business the Mormon Way]]<br /> [[Gospel Music]]<br /> [[Pioneers]]<br /> <br /> ==Plan of Salvation==<br /> [[Plan of Salvation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Proclamation to the World]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Pre-Mortal Life]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Divinity]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Satan]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Creation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Adam and Eve]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fall|The Fall]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Agency]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Foreordination]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mortality]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dispensation|Dispensations]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Beliefs on human tragedy|Human Tragedy]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Death]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Atonement of Jesus Christ]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Savior]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spirit World]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Second Coming]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Millennium]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Resurrection]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Last Judgment]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sons of Perdition]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Salvation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Exaltation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial Kingdoms]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Priesthood==<br /> [[Priesthood]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Priesthood Authority]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Priesthood Power]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Laying on of Hands]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ordinances]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Patriarchal Blessings]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Deacons]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Teachers]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Priests]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Elder]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bishop]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Roles of a Bishop]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Patriarch]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[General Authorities]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon prophet|Prophet]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon women|Women and the Priesthood]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Prophets==<br /> [[Mormon prophet|Prophets]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon president|Church President]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Choosing a Prophet]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quotes from the Prophets]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Foreordination]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brigham Young]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[John Taylor]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Wilford Woodruff]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lorenzo Snow]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph F. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Heber J. Grant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[George Albert Smith (Prophet)|George Albert Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[David O. McKay]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Fielding Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Harold B. Lee]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spencer W. Kimball]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ezra Taft Benson]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Howard W. Hunter]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gordon B. Hinckley]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Scriptural Topics==<br /> [[Abinadi]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Abraham]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Abrahamic Covenant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Adam and Eve]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Agency]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Angel Moroni]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ancient Apostles]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Anger]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ark of the Covenant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon Characters]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial Kingdoms]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[City of Enoch]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Creation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Cumorah]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Death]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dispensation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Exaltation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Faith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fall|Fall of Adam and Eve]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fasting]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Golden Plates|Golden Plates]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Grace]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Iron Rod]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jaredites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Kolob]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lamanites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Last Judgment]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Law of Moses]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Liahona Compass]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Millennium]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mortality]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Moses]]&amp;nbsp;.<br /> [[Nephi]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nephites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New Jerusalem]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Plan of Salvation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Prayer]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Pre-Mortal Life]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Who is Mormon|Prophet Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Repentance]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Resurrection]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Revelation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sabbath]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacrament]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacrifice]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Salvation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sanctification]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Satan]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Second Coming]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Seer Stones]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sons of Perdition]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spirit World]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ten Commandments]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Tithing]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Tree of Life]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Urim and Thummim]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Word of Wisdom]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Zarahemla]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Zion]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Scriptures==<br /> [[LDS Scriptures]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon books|Mormon Books]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Scriptures]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon evidences|Book of Mormon Evidences]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon DNA]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Mormon geography|Book of Mormon Geography]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Golden Bible]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Golden Plates|Golden Plates]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Holy Bible]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bible Characters]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Old Testament]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New Testament]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Doctrine and Covenants]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Pearl of Great Price]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Abraham]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Articles of Faith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Jasher]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Book of Revelation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bible Study]]<br /> [[Gospel of John]]<br /> <br /> ==Social Topics==<br /> [[Birth control]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Body Piercing]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Circumcision]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Depression and Anxiety]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Divorce]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Euthanasia]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Family finances]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Suicide]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Temples==<br /> [[Baptism for the Dead]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Changes to Temple Ordinances]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Celestial marriage|Celestial Marriage]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Inside Mormon temples|Inside Mormon Temples]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Weddings]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon endowment|Mormon Endowment]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon garments|Mormon Garments]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Temples]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon undergarments|Mormon Undergarments]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Temple endowment|Temple Endowment]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Temple Square]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Chronological List of Temples]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Geographical List of Temples]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> '''Historic Temples'''<br /> <br /> [[Kirtland Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nauvoo Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Salt Lake Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[St. George Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> '''Temples in the United States'''<br /> <br /> [[Albuquerque New Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Anchorage Alaska Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Atlanta Georgia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Billings Montana Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Birmingham Alabama Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bismark North Dakota Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Boise Idaho Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Boston Massachusetts Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bountiful Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Chicago Illinois Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Columbia River Washington Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Columbia South Carolina Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Columbus Ohio Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Dallas Texas Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Denver Colorado Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Detroit Michigan Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Draper Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fresno California Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Houston Texas Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Harrison New York Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Idaho Falls Idaho Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jordan River Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Kona Hawaii Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Laie Hawaii Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Las Vegas Nevada Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Logan Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Los Angeles California Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Louisville Kentucky Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lubbock Texas Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Manhattan New York Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Manti Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Medford Oregon Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Memphis Tennessee Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mesa Arizona Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Monticello Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nashville Tennessee Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Newport Beach California Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Oakland California Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ogden Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Orlando Florida Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Palmyra New York Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Portland Oregon Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Provo Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Raleigh North Carolina Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Redlands California Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Reno Nevada Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Rexburg Idaho Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacramento California Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[St. Louis Missouri Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[St. Paul Minnesota Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[San Antonio Texas Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[San Diego California Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Seattle Washington Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Snowflake Arizona Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spokane Washington Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Twin Falls Idaho Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Vernal Utah Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Washington D.C. Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> '''Temples Around the World'''<br /> <br /> [[Aba Nigeria Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Accra Ghana Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Adelaide Australia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Apia Samoa Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Asuncion Paraguay Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bern Switzerland Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bogota Colombia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brisbane Australia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Buenos Aires Argentina Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Campinas Brazil Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Caracas Venezuela Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Cardston Alberta Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Cebu Philippines Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ciudad Juarez Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Cochabamba Bolivia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Colonia Juarez Chihuahua Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Copenhagen Denmark Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Curitiba Brazil Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Edmonton Alberta Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Frankfurt Germany Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Freiberg Germany Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fukuoka Japan Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Guadalajara Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Guatemala City Guatemala Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Guayaquil Ecuador Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Halifax Nova Scotia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hamilton New Zealand Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Helsinki Finland Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hong Kong China Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Johannesburg South Africa Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Kiev Ukraine Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lima Peru Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[London England Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Madrid Spain Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Manila Philippines Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Melbourne Australia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Merida Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mexico City Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Monterrey Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Montevideo Uruguay Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Montreal Quebec Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Oaxaca Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Panama City Panama Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Papeete Tahiti Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Perth Australia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Porto Alegre Brazil Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Preston England Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Recife Brazil Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Regina Saskatchewan Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[San Jose Costa Rica Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Santiago Chile Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[São Paulo Brazil Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Seoul Korea Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Stockholm Sweden Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Suva Fiji]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sydney Australia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Taipei Taiwan Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Tampico Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[The Hague Netherlands Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Tokyo Japan Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Toronto Ontario Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Vancouver British Columbia Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Veracruz Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Villahermosa Mexico Temple]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Women in Mormonism==<br /> [[Mormon women|Mormon Women]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Relief Society]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Visiting Teaching]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Young Women]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Personal Progress|Young Women Personal Progress]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mormon Handicraft]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sheri L. Dew]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Barbara B. Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Belle S. Spafford]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bonnie D. Parkin]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Eliza R. Snow]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Emma Hale Smith]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Zina D. H. Young]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Julie Bangerter Beck]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Susan W. Tanner]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Cheryl C. Lant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> ==Youth and Children==<br /> [[Duty to God]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Eagle Scout]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Especially for youth|Especially For Youth]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Faith in God Program]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[For the Strength of the Youth]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Friend Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Modesty]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mutual]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[New Era Magazine]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Nursery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Personal Progress]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Primary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Scouting]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Scripture Mastery]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Seminary]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Young Women]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> <br /> == Personal Experiences and Testimonies ==<br /> The following articles are available for use, but should not be changed from what is shown here. If you have your own personal experiences that you would like to share with others, please contact Giuseppe Martinengo (gmartinengo@moregoodfoundation.org) for additional information.<br /> <br /> * [[There Was No Question]] (Giuseppe Martinengo)<br /> * [[What a Christmas!]] (Alan Osmond)<br /> * [[A Mormon missionary's dream]] (John Tvedtnes)<br /> * [[Land of miracles]] (John Tvedtnes)<br /> * [[To Coach|To Coach: Believing is Swimming]] (Brad Larsen)<br /> <br /> ==General Conference Talks==<br /> These talks cannot be reproduced without permission.<br /> * [[Beware of Pride]] (President Ezra Taft Benson)<br /> * [[Joseph, the Seer]] (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)<br /> * [[Mormon Should Mean &quot;More Good&quot;]] (President Gordon B. Hinckley)<br /> * [[Tender Mercies of the Lord]] (Elder David A. Bednar)<br /> * [[The False Gods we Worship]] (President Spencer W. Kimball)<br /> <br /> ==Short Definitions and Dictionary==<br /> [[active|Active]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Adversary]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Age of Accountability]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Auxiliaries]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Baptismal Covenant]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Bishopric]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brethren]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Brother]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Chapel]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Commandment]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Confirmation]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Consecrate]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Convert]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Counselor]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Covenant]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[CTR]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Cultural Hall]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[D&amp;C]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Excommunication]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fall of Adam]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Families Can Be Together Forever]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fast]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gathering of Israel]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Genealogy]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gold Plates]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gold plates|Gold Plates 2]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gospel]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Gospel Essentials Class]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hathaway Brook]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Hell]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[High Council]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[House of Israel]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Humility]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Fireside]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Inspiration]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Intellectual reserve]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Investigator]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ishmaelites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Jacobites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Josephites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lds|LDS 2]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[LDS Gems]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Lemuelites]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Mercy]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Opening Exercises]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Ordinance]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Parable]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Pass along cards]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Personal Ancestral File]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Preside]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Presidency]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Prophecy]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Proxy Baptism]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Pulpit]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Quad]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Restitution]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sacred]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sharon, Vermont]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Single Adults]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sister]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Spirit of the Lord]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Stewardship]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Susquehanna River]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Sustain]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Temple Recommend]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Thousand]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Throne of grace]]&amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Transgression]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Trinity]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Twelve Tribes]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Vicarious Work]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Worthy Member]] &amp;nbsp;·<br /> [[Young Single Adults]] &amp;nbsp;·</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:D._Todd_Christofferson&diff=16264 Talk:D. Todd Christofferson 2008-04-06T18:40:14Z <p>Kmerkley: New page: Please add the links to these talks for me; thank you! ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>Please add the links to these talks for me; thank you! [[User:Kmerkley|Kmerkley]] 18:40, 6 April 2008 (UTC)</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=D._Todd_Christofferson&diff=16261 D. Todd Christofferson 2008-04-06T18:35:48Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Category: Apostles]][[Category: Church Leaders: Current]]<br /> [[Image:Christoperson.jpg|thumb|Elder D. Todd Christofferson, © 2008 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.]]<br /> Elder [[D. Todd Christofferson | David Todd Christofferson]] is the most recent member of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]], the second-highest governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained in that position on April 5, [[2008]].<br /> <br /> Elder Christofferson addressed the general Church membership and welcomed friends of other faiths in the Sunday morning session of the 178 Annual General Conference of the Church. <br /> <br /> In that address, Elder Christofferson acknowledged his witness of the range and sacredness of the apostolic calling, which overcame him through the Spirit as he sustained a newly called apostle earlier in his service in the presidency of the [[Seventy]] and for which words were insufficient to describe.<br /> <br /> He also expressed gratitude for the influence of &quot;goodly parents&quot; and for generations beyond, whose legacy has influenced his life. Pledging his loyalty to the First Presidency, Elder Christofferson indicated that he would unflinchingly serve the Lord, recognizing his dependence on the Lord for power behind his native ability. He expressed his love for his wife, Kathy, who he said, was filled with &quot;spiritual intuition, humor&quot; and to whom he wished to manifest the depth of his love even &quot;more convincingly&quot; as the days and years go by. He hailed the faithfulness of his 4 sons and their spouses (and in the case of his youngest, of his soon-to-be spouse) and their commitment to the Lord. Elder Christofferson bore his divine witness of the work of the kingdom of God on the earth.<br /> <br /> ==Education and Professional Life==<br /> Christofferson was born in American Fork, Utah on January 24, [[1945]] and raised in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, Utah. He graduated from high school in New Jersey and attended [[Brigham Young University]] as an Edwin S. Hinckley Scholar. After receiving his bachelor's degree from BYU, Christofferson earned a law degree from Duke University School of Law.&lt;ref&gt;LDS Newsroom, First Presidency Sustained, New Apostle and Other Leaders Named [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/first-presidency-sustained-new-apostle-and-other-leaders-named]&lt;/ref&gt; After graduating from law school, he clerked for Chief Judge John Sirica of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. During Christofferson's tenure as a clerk under Judge Sirica, he worked on the trial of the Watergate burglars.&lt;ref&gt;Salt Lake Tribune, Christofferson named member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, [http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8822975?source=rv]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During his career, Christofferson practiced law in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and Tennessee. While in Charlotte, North Carolina, Christofferson was associate general counsel for NationsBank Corp. (now Bank of America). He has also worked in various civic capacities, including chairman of Affordable Housing of Nashville, Tennessee.&lt;ref&gt;Deseret News, Presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy, [http://www.deseretnews.com/confer/leaders/c.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Church Service==<br /> Elder Christofferson has served in many positions in the Church, including those of [[bishop]], [[Stake President|stake president]], and [[regional representative]]. On April 3, [[1993]], he was sustained as a member of the First [[Quorum of the Seventy]]. On April 15, [[1998]] he was called as a member of the [[Presidency of the Seventy]], and was sustained in that position on October 3, 1998. While serving in the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Christofferson had supervisory responsibility for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas.<br /> <br /> Elder Christofferson is married to Katherine Jacob Christofferson. They have five children.&lt;ref&gt;Deseret News, Presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy, [http://www.deseretnews.com/confer/leaders/c.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Teachings==<br /> <br /> Elder Chistofferson, in a 2007 address to male members of the Church in what is known as the [[Priesthood session]] of General Conference, called for men not to follow the casual cadence of the world but to raise the bar in spirituality and their ability to engage in and move the Lord's work forward. He remarked:<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;The prophet Lehi pled with his rebellious sons, saying, &quot;Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men&quot; (2 Nephi 1:21; emphasis added). By age, Laman and Lemuel were men, but in terms of character and spiritual maturity they were still as children. They murmured and complained if asked to do anything hard. They didn't accept anyone's authority to correct them. They didn't value spiritual things. They easily resorted to violence, and they were good at playing the victim.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;We see some of the same attitudes today. Some act as if a man's highest goal should be his own pleasure. Permissive social mores have &quot;let men off the hook&quot; as it were, so that many think it acceptable to father children out of wedlock and to cohabit rather than marry.1 Dodging commitments is considered smart, but sacrificing for the good of others, naive. For some, a life of work and achievement is optional. A psychologist [called this general phenomenon] 'young men stuck in neutral.' ...&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;We who hold the priesthood of God cannot afford to drift. We have work to do (see Moroni 9:6). We must arise from the dust of self-indulgence and be men! It is a wonderful aspiration for a boy to become a man—strong and capable; someone who can build and create things, run things; someone who makes a difference in the world. It is a wonderful aspiration for those of us who are older to make the vision of true manhood a reality in our lives and be models for those who look to us for an example.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> The newly called apostle has also raised a voice of admonition regarding the way we treat and relate to sacred things--the scriptures, the Brethren, our spiritual experiences. In his words:<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;You might ask yourself, &quot;Do I see the calling of the prophets and apostles as sacred? Do I treat their counsel seriously, or is it a light thing with me?&quot; President Gordon B. Hinckley, for instance, has counseled us to pursue education and vocational training; to avoid pornography as a plague; to respect women; to eliminate consumer debt; to be grateful, smart, clean, true, humble, and prayerful; and to do our best, our very best.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;Do your actions show that you want to know and do what he teaches? Do you actively study his words and the statements of the Brethren? Is this something you hunger and thirst for? If so, you have a sense of the sacredness of the calling of prophets as the witnesses and messengers of the Son of God.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> Elder Chistofferson--bright, articulate lawyer, husband, father, grandfather, former [[Seventy]]-- is now the most recently called modern apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=D._Todd_Christofferson&diff=16260 D. Todd Christofferson 2008-04-06T18:32:57Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Category: Apostles]][[Category: Church Leaders: Current]]<br /> [[Image:Christoperson.jpg|thumb|Elder D. Todd Christofferson, © 2008 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.]]<br /> Elder [[D. Todd Christofferson | David Todd Christofferson]] is the most recent member of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]], the second-highest governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained in that position on April 5, [[2008]].<br /> <br /> Elder Christofferson addressed the general Church membership and welcomed friends of other faiths in the Sunday morning session of the 178 Annual General Conference of the Church. <br /> <br /> In that address, Elder Christofferson acknowledged his witness of the range and sacredness of the apostolic calling, which overcame him through the Spirit as he sustained a newly called apostle earlier in his service in the presidency of the [[Seventy]] and for which words were insufficient to describe.<br /> <br /> He also expressed gratitude for the influence of &quot;goodly parents&quot; and for generations beyond, whose legacy has influenced his life. Pledging his loyalty to the First Presidency, Elder Christofferson indicated that he would unflinchingly serve the Lord, recognizing his dependence on the Lord for power behind his native ability. He expressed his love for his wife, Kathy, who he said, was filled with &quot;spiritual intuition, humor&quot; and to whom he wished to manifest the depth of his love even &quot;more convincingly&quot; as the days and years go by. He hailed the faithfulness of his 4 sons and their spouses (and in the case of his youngest, of his soon-to-be spouse) and their commitment to the Lord. Elder Christofferson bore his divine witness of the work of the kingdom of God on the earth.<br /> <br /> ==Education and Professional Life==<br /> Christofferson was born in American Fork, Utah on January 24, [[1945]] and raised in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, Utah. He graduated from high school in New Jersey and attended [[Brigham Young University]] as an Edwin S. Hinckley Scholar. After receiving his bachelor's degree from BYU, Christofferson earned a law degree from Duke University School of Law.&lt;ref&gt;LDS Newsroom, First Presidency Sustained, New Apostle and Other Leaders Named [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/first-presidency-sustained-new-apostle-and-other-leaders-named]&lt;/ref&gt; After graduating from law school, he clerked for Chief Judge John Sirica of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. During Christofferson's tenure as a clerk under Judge Sirica, he worked on the trial of the Watergate burglars.&lt;ref&gt;Salt Lake Tribune, Christofferson named member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, [http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8822975?source=rv]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During his career, Christofferson practiced law in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and Tennessee. While in Charlotte, North Carolina, Christofferson was associate general counsel for NationsBank Corp. (now Bank of America). He has also worked in various civic capacities, including chairman of Affordable Housing of Nashville, Tennessee.&lt;ref&gt;Deseret News, Presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy, [http://www.deseretnews.com/confer/leaders/c.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Church Service==<br /> Elder Christofferson has served in many positions in the Church, including those of [[bishop]], [[Stake President|stake president]], and [[regional representative]]. On April 3, [[1993]], he was sustained as a member of the First [[Quorum of the Seventy]]. On April 15, [[1998]] he was called as a member of the [[Presidency of the Seventy]], and was sustained in that position on October 3, 1998. While serving in the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Christofferson had supervisory responsibility for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas.<br /> <br /> Elder Christofferson is married to Katherine Jacob Christofferson. They have five children.&lt;ref&gt;Deseret News, Presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy, [http://www.deseretnews.com/confer/leaders/c.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Teachings==<br /> <br /> Elder Chistofferson, in a 2007 address to male members of the Church in what is known as the [[Priesthood session]] of General Conference, called for men not to follow the casual cadence of the world but to raise the bar in spirituality and their ability to engage in and move the Lord's work forward. He remarked:<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;The prophet Lehi pled with his rebellious sons, saying, &quot;Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men&quot; (2 Nephi 1:21; emphasis added). By age, Laman and Lemuel were men, but in terms of character and spiritual maturity they were still as children. They murmured and complained if asked to do anything hard. They didn't accept anyone's authority to correct them. They didn't value spiritual things. They easily resorted to violence, and they were good at playing the victim.<br /> <br /> We see some of the same attitudes today. Some act as if a man's highest goal should be his own pleasure. Permissive social mores have &quot;let men off the hook&quot; as it were, so that many think it acceptable to father children out of wedlock and to cohabit rather than marry.1 Dodging commitments is considered smart, but sacrificing for the good of others, naive. For some, a life of work and achievement is optional. A psychologist [called this general phenomenon] 'young men stuck in neutral.' ...<br /> <br /> We who hold the priesthood of God cannot afford to drift. We have work to do (see Moroni 9:6). We must arise from the dust of self-indulgence and be men! It is a wonderful aspiration for a boy to become a man—strong and capable; someone who can build and create things, run things; someone who makes a difference in the world. It is a wonderful aspiration for those of us who are older to make the vision of true manhood a reality in our lives and be models for those who look to us for an example.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> The newly called apostle has also raised a voice of admonition regarding the way we treat and relate to sacred things--the scriptures, the Brethren, our spiritual experiences. In his words:<br /> <br /> &lt;blockquote&gt;You might ask yourself, &quot;Do I see the calling of the prophets and apostles as sacred? Do I treat their counsel seriously, or is it a light thing with me?&quot; President Gordon B. Hinckley, for instance, has counseled us to pursue education and vocational training; to avoid pornography as a plague; to respect women; to eliminate consumer debt; to be grateful, smart, clean, true, humble, and prayerful; and to do our best, our very best.<br /> <br /> Do your actions show that you want to know and do what he teaches? Do you actively study his words and the statements of the Brethren? Is this something you hunger and thirst for? If so, you have a sense of the sacredness of the calling of prophets as the witnesses and messengers of the Son of God.&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> <br /> Elder Chistofferson--bright, articulate lawyer, husband, father, grandfather, former [[Seventy]]-- is now the most recently called modern apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=D._Todd_Christofferson&diff=16259 D. Todd Christofferson 2008-04-06T18:28:24Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>[[Category: Apostles]][[Category: Church Leaders: Current]]<br /> [[Image:Christoperson.jpg|thumb|Elder D. Todd Christofferson, © 2008 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.]]<br /> Elder [[D. Todd Christofferson | David Todd Christofferson]] is the most recent member of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]], the second-highest governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained in that position on April 5, [[2008]].<br /> <br /> Elder Christofferson addressed the general Church membership and welcomed friends of other faiths in the Sunday morning session of the 178 Annual General Conference of the Church. <br /> <br /> In that address, Elder Christofferson acknowledged his witness of the range and sacredness of the apostolic calling, which overcame him through the Spirit as he sustained a newly called apostle earlier in his service in the presidency of the [[Seventy]] and for which words were insufficient to describe.<br /> <br /> He also expressed gratitude for the influence of &quot;goodly parents&quot; and for generations beyond, whose legacy has influenced his life. Pledging his loyalty to the First Presidency, Elder Christofferson indicated that he would unflinchingly serve the Lord, recognizing his dependence on the Lord for power behind his native ability. He expressed his love for his wife, Kathy, who he said, was filled with &quot;spiritual intuition, humor&quot; and to whom he wished to manifest the depth of his love even &quot;more convincingly&quot; as the days and years go by. He hailed the faithfulness of his 4 sons and their spouses (and in the case of his youngest, of his soon-to-be spouse) and their commitment to the Lord. Elder Christofferson bore his divine witness of the work of the kingdom of God on the earth.<br /> <br /> ==Education and Professional Life==<br /> Christofferson was born in American Fork, Utah on January 24, [[1945]] and raised in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, Utah. He graduated from high school in New Jersey and attended [[Brigham Young University]] as an Edwin S. Hinckley Scholar. After receiving his bachelor's degree from BYU, Christofferson earned a law degree from Duke University School of Law.&lt;ref&gt;LDS Newsroom, First Presidency Sustained, New Apostle and Other Leaders Named [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/first-presidency-sustained-new-apostle-and-other-leaders-named]&lt;/ref&gt; After graduating from law school, he clerked for Chief Judge John Sirica of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. During Christofferson's tenure as a clerk under Judge Sirica, he worked on the trial of the Watergate burglars.&lt;ref&gt;Salt Lake Tribune, Christofferson named member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, [http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8822975?source=rv]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During his career, Christofferson practiced law in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and Tennessee. While in Charlotte, North Carolina, Christofferson was associate general counsel for NationsBank Corp. (now Bank of America). He has also worked in various civic capacities, including chairman of Affordable Housing of Nashville, Tennessee.&lt;ref&gt;Deseret News, Presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy, [http://www.deseretnews.com/confer/leaders/c.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Church Service==<br /> Elder Christofferson has served in many positions in the Church, including those of [[bishop]], [[Stake President|stake president]], and [[regional representative]]. On April 3, [[1993]], he was sustained as a member of the First [[Quorum of the Seventy]]. On April 15, [[1998]] he was called as a member of the [[Presidency of the Seventy]], and was sustained in that position on October 3, 1998. While serving in the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Christofferson had supervisory responsibility for the North America Northwest and North America West Areas.<br /> <br /> Elder Christofferson is married to Katherine Jacob Christofferson. They have five children.&lt;ref&gt;Deseret News, Presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy, [http://www.deseretnews.com/confer/leaders/c.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Teachings==<br /> <br /> Elder Chistofferson, in a 2007 address to male members of the Church in what is known as the [[Priesthood session]] of General Conference, called for men not to follow the casual cadence of the world but to raise the bar in spirituality and their ability to engage in and move the Lord's work forward. He remarked:<br /> <br /> The prophet Lehi pled with his rebellious sons, saying, &quot;Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men&quot; (2 Nephi 1:21; emphasis added). By age, Laman and Lemuel were men, but in terms of character and spiritual maturity they were still as children. They murmured and complained if asked to do anything hard. They didn't accept anyone's authority to correct them. They didn't value spiritual things. They easily resorted to violence, and they were good at playing the victim.<br /> <br /> We see some of the same attitudes today. Some act as if a man's highest goal should be his own pleasure. Permissive social mores have &quot;let men off the hook&quot; as it were, so that many think it acceptable to father children out of wedlock and to cohabit rather than marry.1 Dodging commitments is considered smart, but sacrificing for the good of others, naive. For some, a life of work and achievement is optional. A psychologist [called this general phenomenon] 'young men stuck in neutral.' ...<br /> <br /> We who hold the priesthood of God cannot afford to drift. We have work to do (see Moroni 9:6). We must arise from the dust of self-indulgence and be men! It is a wonderful aspiration for a boy to become a man—strong and capable; someone who can build and create things, run things; someone who makes a difference in the world. It is a wonderful aspiration for those of us who are older to make the vision of true manhood a reality in our lives and be models for those who look to us for an example.<br /> <br /> The newly called apostle has also raised a voice of admonition regarding the way we treat and relate to sacred things--the scriptures, the Brethren, our spiritual experiences. In his words:<br /> <br /> You might ask yourself, &quot;Do I see the calling of the prophets and apostles as sacred? Do I treat their counsel seriously, or is it a light thing with me?&quot; President Gordon B. Hinckley, for instance, has counseled us to pursue education and vocational training; to avoid pornography as a plague; to respect women; to eliminate consumer debt; to be grateful, smart, clean, true, humble, and prayerful; and to do our best, our very best.<br /> <br /> Do your actions show that you want to know and do what he teaches? Do you actively study his words and the statements of the Brethren? Is this something you hunger and thirst for? If so, you have a sense of the sacredness of the calling of prophets as the witnesses and messengers of the Son of God.<br /> <br /> Elder Chistofferson--bright, articulate lawyer, husband, father, grandfather, former [[Seventy]]-- is now the most recently called modern apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Individual&diff=16224 Template:Featured Individual 2008-04-05T18:17:44Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:MONSON_medium.jpg|thumb|Thomas S. Monson]]<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Thomas S. Monson|Thomas Spencer Monson]] was [[FAQ: The Passing of Mormon Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley|sustained]] as the 16th President of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] on April 5, 2008, following the death of President [[Gordon B. Hinckley]].<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assembly==<br /> <br /> There’s an air of anticipation that fills the air in weeks, days and hours before General Conference, which intensifies when a new prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sustained by the general membership of the Church (Mormons). Such was the case today, April 5, 2008, in light of the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. <br /> <br /> Individuals, families, and extended families gather together in their homes, meetinghouses, and, in Salt Lake City, on Temple Square in the newly built [[Conference Center]], refurbished [[Tabernacle]] and Assembly Hall--to glean spiritual knowledge, direction, vision, and replenishment to guide them in coming months. Donned in spring colors and in the shadow of the [[Salt Lake Temple]], thousands of Latter-day Saints gather at the feet of modern apostles and prophets just as those early Christian saints listened to the early apostles and the Savior at the gates of the temple, in meetinghouses, and on the shores of Galilee. <br /> <br /> Such a meeting, in which the President of the Church is sustained, along with his two counselors, is referred to by the Lord and Mormons as a “[[solemn assembly]].&quot; In this spring conference, the solemn assembly occurred in the first session of the Saturday morning April 2008 conference. Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf were sustained as the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. <br /> <br /> For Mormons, standing and raising their hands to the square as a symbolic gesture of their choice to sustain the newly called prophetic leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a privilege and a historic spiritual moment. By assignment, each group of members is called to stand and share their sustaining vote of the new First Presidency. As Mormons believe and witness that the Lord calls and foreordains these prophets, seers, and revelators, there is a joy and rejoicing in watching His hand move forward His work on the earth.<br /> <br /> ==Thomas S. Monson: Background==<br /> President Monson had previously served as First Counselor in the [[First Presidency]] of the Church to President Hinckley. President Monson was called into service for the Church at a young age—he was called as a bishop at twenty-two, as a counselor in a stake presidency at twenty-seven, a mission president at thirty-one, and an apostle at thirty-six.<br /> <br /> <br /> Born on 21 August [[1927]], in Salt Lake City, Utah, to G. Spencer and Gladys Condie Monson; Thomas S. Monson grew up during the Great Depression, which shaped in him, a character of compassion. When he was seventeen, during WWII, Monson joined the U.S. Navy. However, the war was soon over and he was able to enroll in classes at the University of Utah, where he graduated with honors and a business degree in [[1948]]. On October 7, 1948, he married Frances Beverly Johnson. They eventually had three children, two sons and a daughter.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Individual&diff=16223 Template:Featured Individual 2008-04-05T18:17:01Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:MONSON_medium.jpg|thumb|Thomas S. Monson]]<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Thomas S. Monson|Thomas Spencer Monson]] was [[FAQ: The Passing of Mormon Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley|sustained]] as the 16th President of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] on April 5, 2008, following the death of President [[Gordon B. Hinckley]].<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assembly==<br /> <br /> There’s an air of anticipation that fills the air in weeks, days and hours before General Conference, which intensifies when a new prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sustained by the general membership of the Church (Mormons). Such was the case today, April 5, 2008, in light of the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. <br /> <br /> Individuals, families, and extended families gather together in their homes, meetinghouses, and, in Salt Lake City, on Temple Square in the newly built [[Conference Center]], refurbished [[Tabernacle]] and Assembly Hall--to glean spiritual knowledge, direction, vision, and replenishment to guide them in coming months. Donned in spring colors and in the shadow of the [[Salt Lake Temple]], thousands of Latter-day Saints gather at the feet of modern apostles and prophets just as those early Christian saints listened to the early apostles and the Savior at the gates of the temple, in meetinghouses, and on the shores of Galilee. <br /> <br /> Such a meeting, in which the President of the Church is sustained, along with his two counselors, is referred to by the Lord and Mormons as a “[[solemn assembly]]. In this spring conference, the solemn assembly occurred in the first session of the Saturday morning April 2008 conference. Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf were sustained as the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. <br /> <br /> For Mormons, standing and raising their hands to the square as a symbolic gesture of their choice to sustain the newly called prophetic leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a privilege and a historic spiritual moment. By assignment, each group of members is called to stand and share their sustaining vote of the new First Presidency. As Mormons believe and witness that the Lord calls and foreordains these prophets, seers, and revelators, there is a joy and rejoicing in watching His hand move forward His work on the earth.<br /> <br /> ==Thomas S. Monson: Background==<br /> President Monson had previously served as First Counselor in the [[First Presidency]] of the Church to President Hinckley. President Monson was called into service for the Church at a young age—he was called as a bishop at twenty-two, as a counselor in a stake presidency at twenty-seven, a mission president at thirty-one, and an apostle at thirty-six.<br /> <br /> <br /> Born on 21 August [[1927]], in Salt Lake City, Utah, to G. Spencer and Gladys Condie Monson; Thomas S. Monson grew up during the Great Depression, which shaped in him, a character of compassion. When he was seventeen, during WWII, Monson joined the U.S. Navy. However, the war was soon over and he was able to enroll in classes at the University of Utah, where he graduated with honors and a business degree in [[1948]]. On October 7, 1948, he married Frances Beverly Johnson. They eventually had three children, two sons and a daughter.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Individual&diff=16222 Template:Featured Individual 2008-04-05T18:14:01Z <p>Kmerkley: /* Solemn Assembly */ ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:MONSON_medium.jpg|thumb|Thomas S. Monson]]<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Thomas S. Monson|Thomas Spencer Monson]] was [[FAQ: The Passing of Mormon Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley|sustained]] as the 16th President of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] on April 5, [[2008]], following the death of President [[Gordon B. Hinckley]].<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assembly==<br /> <br /> There’s an air of anticipation that fills the air in weeks, days and hours before General Conference, which intensifies when a new prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sustained by the general membership of the Church (Mormons). Such was the case today, April 5, 2008, in light of the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. <br /> <br /> Individuals, families, and extended families gather together in their homes, meetinghouses, and, in Salt Lake City, on Temple Square in the newly built [[Conference Center]], refurbished [[Tabernacle]] and Assembly Hall--to glean spiritual knowledge, direction, vision, and replenishment to guide them in coming months. Donned in spring colors and in the shadow of the [[Salt Lake Temple]], thousands of Latter-day Saints gather at the feet of modern apostles and prophets just as those early Christian saints listened to the early apostles and the Savior at the gates of the temple, in meetinghouses, and on the shores of Galilee. <br /> <br /> Such a meeting, in which the President of the Church is sustained, along with his two counselors, is referred to by the Lord and Mormons as a “[[solemn assembly]]. In this spring conference, the solemn assembly occurred in the first session of the Saturday morning April 2008 conference. Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf were sustained as the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. <br /> <br /> For Mormons, standing and raising their hands to the square as a symbolic gesture of their choice to sustain the newly called prophetic leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a privilege and a historic spiritual moment. By assignment, each group of members is called to stand and share their sustaining vote of the new First Presidency. As Mormons believe and witness that the Lord calls and foreordains these prophets, seers, and revelators, there is a joy and rejoicing in watching His hand move forward His work on the earth.<br /> <br /> ==Thomas S. Monson: Background==<br /> President Monson had previously served as First Counselor in the [[First Presidency]] of the Church to President Hinckley. President Monson was called into service for the Church at a young age—he was called as a bishop at twenty-two, as a counselor in a stake presidency at twenty-seven, a mission president at thirty-one, and an apostle at thirty-six.<br /> <br /> <br /> Born on 21 August [[1927]], in Salt Lake City, Utah, to G. Spencer and Gladys Condie Monson; Thomas S. Monson grew up during the Great Depression, which shaped in him, a character of compassion. When he was seventeen, during WWII, Monson joined the U.S. Navy. However, the war was soon over and he was able to enroll in classes at the University of Utah, where he graduated with honors and a business degree in [[1948]]. On October 7, 1948, he married Frances Beverly Johnson. They eventually had three children, two sons and a daughter.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Individual&diff=16221 Template:Featured Individual 2008-04-05T18:10:59Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:MONSON_medium.jpg|thumb|Thomas S. Monson]]<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Thomas S. Monson|Thomas Spencer Monson]] was [[FAQ: The Passing of Mormon Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley|sustained]] as the 16th President of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] on April 5, [[2008]], following the death of President [[Gordon B. Hinckley]].<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assembly==<br /> <br /> There’s an air of anticipation that fills the air in weeks, days and hours before General Conference, which intensifies when a new prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sustained by the general membership of the Church (Mormons). Such was the case today, in light of the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. <br /> <br /> Individuals, families, and extended families gather together in their homes, meetinghouses, and, in Salt Lake City, on Temple Square in the newly built [[Conference Center]], refurbished [[Tabernacle]] and Assembly Hall--to glean spiritual knowledge, direction, vision, and replenishment to guide them in coming months. Donned in spring colors and in the shadow of the [[Salt Lake Temple]], thousands of Latter-day Saints gather at the feet of modern apostles and prophets just as those early Christian saints listened to the early apostles and the Savior at the gates of the temple, in meetinghouses, and on the shores of Galilee. <br /> <br /> Such a meeting, in which the President of the Church is sustained, along with his two counselors, is referred to by the Lord and Mormons as a “[[solemn assembly]]. In this spring conference, the solemn assembly occurred in the first session of the Saturday morning April 2008 conference. Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf were sustained as the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. <br /> <br /> For Mormons, standing and raising their hands to the square as a symbolic gesture of their choice to sustain the newly called prophetic leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a privilege and a historic spiritual moment. By assignment, each group of members is called to stand and share their sustaining vote of the new First Presidency. As Mormons believe and witness that the Lord calls and foreordains these prophets, seers, and revelators, there is a joy and rejoicing in watching His hand move forward His work on the earth.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Thomas S. Monson: Background==<br /> President Monson had previously served as First Counselor in the [[First Presidency]] of the Church to President Hinckley. President Monson was called into service for the Church at a young age—he was called as a bishop at twenty-two, as a counselor in a stake presidency at twenty-seven, a mission president at thirty-one, and an apostle at thirty-six.<br /> <br /> <br /> Born on 21 August [[1927]], in Salt Lake City, Utah, to G. Spencer and Gladys Condie Monson; Thomas S. Monson grew up during the Great Depression, which shaped in him, a character of compassion. When he was seventeen, during WWII, Monson joined the U.S. Navy. However, the war was soon over and he was able to enroll in classes at the University of Utah, where he graduated with honors and a business degree in [[1948]]. On October 7, 1948, he married Frances Beverly Johnson. They eventually had three children, two sons and a daughter.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Individual&diff=16220 Template:Featured Individual 2008-04-05T18:08:46Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:MONSON_medium.jpg|thumb|Thomas S. Monson]]<br /> <br /> Thomas S. Monson, Mormon Prophet, Sustained as President of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.]]<br /> <br /> [[Thomas S. Monson|Thomas Spencer Monson]] was [[FAQ: The Passing of Mormon Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley|sustained]] as the 16th President of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] on April 5, [[2008]], following the death of President [[Gordon B. Hinckley]].<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assembly==<br /> <br /> There’s an air of anticipation that fills the air in weeks, days and hours before General Conference, which intensifies when a new prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sustained by the general membership of the Church (Mormons). Such was the case today, in light of the 178th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. <br /> <br /> Individuals, families, and extended families gather together in their homes, meetinghouses, and, in Salt Lake City, on Temple Square in the newly built [[Conference Center]], refurbished [[Tabernacle]] and Assembly Hall--to glean spiritual knowledge, direction, vision, and replenishment to guide them in coming months. Donned in spring colors and in the shadow of the [[Salt Lake Temple]], thousands of Latter-day Saints gather at the feet of modern apostles and prophets just as those early Christian saints listened to the early apostles and the Savior at the gates of the temple, in meetinghouses, and on the shores of Galilee. <br /> <br /> Such a meeting, in which the President of the Church is sustained, along with his two counselors, is referred to by the Lord and Mormons as a “[[solemn assembly]]. In this spring conference, the solemn assembly occurred in the first session of the Saturday morning April 2008 conference. Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf were sustained as the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. <br /> <br /> For Mormons, standing and raising their hands to the square as a symbolic gesture of their choice to sustain the newly called prophetic leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a privilege and a historic spiritual moment. By assignment, each group of members is called to stand and share their sustaining vote of the new First Presidency. As Mormons believe and witness that the Lord calls and foreordains these prophets, seers, and revelators, there is a joy and rejoicing in watching His hand move forward His work on the earth.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==Thomas S. Monson: Background==<br /> President Monson had previously served as First Counselor in the [[First Presidency]] of the Church to President Hinckley. President Monson was called into service for the Church at a young age—he was called as a bishop at twenty-two, as a counselor in a stake presidency at twenty-seven, a mission president at thirty-one, and an apostle at thirty-six.<br /> <br /> <br /> Born on 21 August [[1927]], in Salt Lake City, Utah, to G. Spencer and Gladys Condie Monson; Thomas S. Monson grew up during the Great Depression, which shaped in him, a character of compassion. When he was seventeen, during WWII, Monson joined the U.S. Navy. However, the war was soon over and he was able to enroll in classes at the University of Utah, where he graduated with honors and a business degree in [[1948]]. On October 7, 1948, he married Frances Beverly Johnson. They eventually had three children, two sons and a daughter.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Compare_A_Course_in_Miracles_to_LDS_Teachings&diff=16022 Talk:Compare A Course in Miracles to LDS Teachings 2008-03-28T15:49:52Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>I'd love to see this article fleshed out. Thank you for initiating it. However, I think rather than linking to criticism, I'm wondering how you'd feel about a straightforward comparison. We don't want to contend but to present the differences. I'd also like to see a parallel, comparative piece on Love and Logic. Thank you.<br /> Karen Merkley<br /> Editor<br /> More Good Foundation<br /> 705.5115</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Compare_A_Course_in_Miracles_to_LDS_Teachings&diff=16021 Talk:Compare A Course in Miracles to LDS Teachings 2008-03-28T15:47:11Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>I'd love to see this article fleshed out. Thank you for initiating it. I'd also like to see a parallel, comparative piece on Love and Logic. Thank you.<br /> Karen Merkley<br /> Editor<br /> More Good Foundation<br /> 705.5115</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Videos&diff=15515 Template:Featured Videos 2008-02-27T17:00:45Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~The previous video was made of clips from videos, not sure if that was legal....</p> <hr /> <div>'''Joseph Smith - Mormon Prophet'''<br /> <br /> &lt;videoflash&gt;nG0unqpDhcs&amp;rel=0&lt;/videoflash&gt;</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Videos&diff=15514 Template:Featured Videos 2008-02-27T16:50:12Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~newer video on Joseph Smith</p> <hr /> <div>'''Joseph Smith - Mormon Prophet'''<br /> <br /> &lt;videoflash&gt;rIkFN4yofNA&amp;rel=0&lt;/videoflash&gt;</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Videos&diff=15513 Template:Featured Videos 2008-02-27T16:49:54Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~newer video on Joseph Smith</p> <hr /> <div>'''Joseph Smith - Prophet of the Restoration'''<br /> <br /> &lt;videoflash&gt;rIkFN4yofNA&amp;rel=0&lt;/videoflash&gt;</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Videos&diff=15510 Template:Featured Videos 2008-02-26T22:59:58Z <p>Kmerkley: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Joseph Smith - Prophet of the Restoration'''<br /> <br /> &lt;videoflash&gt;&amp;rel=0&lt;/videoflash&gt;</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:Featured_Videos&diff=15489 Template:Featured Videos 2008-02-26T19:35:54Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~video in new location</p> <hr /> <div>'''Joseph Smith - Prophet of the Restoration'''<br /> <br /> &lt;videoflash&gt;sQsfpYGY4ccrel=0&lt;/videoflash&gt;</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:Solemn_Assembly&diff=15122 Talk:Solemn Assembly 2008-02-06T05:15:52Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>Gale or Sean, can you add the links to this page for me? Thanks!</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Solemn_Assembly&diff=15121 Solemn Assembly 2008-02-06T05:14:53Z <p>Kmerkley: ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>==What Is a Solemn Assembly?==<br /> <br /> A solemn assembly is a sacred gathering of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a specific spiritual purpose, including the dedication of a temple or the sustaining of a new [[First Presidency]] and other divinely appointed Church leaders before the Church and the Lord.<br /> <br /> ==When Is the Next Solemn Assembly?==<br /> <br /> At the next semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to be held during the first weekend in April, 2008, a special session, or solemn assembly, will convene. During this solemn assembly, and by the raise of the right hand, members of the Church will stand and signify their sustaining vote of the Lord's leaders and their willingness to heed their counsel and support them. This vote is not a means of showing popular support, but is an outward sign of inward commitment to follow the divinely called leaders.<br /> <br /> Members of the [[First Presidency]], including the President of the Church and his two counselors are presented to the Church membership as prophets, seers and revelators. All in favor of the proposed calls of these Brethren, indicate their approval by the raise of their right hand. Any opposed may also signify it. Likewise, the Quourm of the Twelve Apostles, and leaders of other Church [[auxiliaries]], or organizations--including the [[Young Men]] and [[Young Women's]] organizations, [[Relief Society]] (for women) and the [[Primary]] (for children), are also similarly sustained. Those watching the Conference via satellite in meetinghouses or in their homes, are also invited to stand and participate in the sustaining of the officers of the Church as constituted at that time. It's remarkable to witness the process through which a new President of the Church is called and sustained, and it is unique in the calling of Church leadership in the world.<br /> <br /> ==When Did Solemn Assemblies Begin in the Church?==<br /> <br /> &quot;Each of the presidents of the Church has been sustained by the priesthood of the Church in solemn assembly.&quot; (''Ensign'', May 1974, p. 45.) This has been the order of the Church ever since its organization, and actually has been the order of the Lord since ancient times. In Israel, these assemblies were held in conjunction with Solomon's Temple, and were associated with their feasts and meetings in the Tabernacle. <br /> <br /> Joseph Smith was first sustained by a congregation. Following his first solemn assembly, and after his remarks and members' sustaining votes, he said:<br /> <br /> &quot;The vote was unanimous in every instance, and I prophesied to all, that inasmuch as they would uphold these men in their several stations, the Lord would bless them . . . in the name of Jesus Christ, the blessings of heaven should be theirs; and when the Lord's anointed go forth to proclaim the word, bearing testimony to this generation, if they receive it they shall be blessed, but if not, the judgments of God will follow close upon them until that city or that house which rejects them shall be left desolate.&quot; (''Documentary History of the Church,'' vol. 2, pp. 416-18.)<br /> <br /> Brigham, likewise, was sustained on March 27, 1846, and was &quot;unanimously elected president over the whole Camp of Israel...&quot; by the council. (B.H. Roberts, ''A Comprehensive History of the Church,''vol. 3, p. 52).<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assemblies and Temples==<br /> <br /> Joseph Smith also received revelation from the Lord regarding the necessity of gathering for a solemn assembly during the time the Saints were building the [[Kirtland Temple]]. In light of that upcoming event, Joseph urged the Saints: &quot;We must have all things prepared, and call our solemn assembly as the Lord has commanded us, that we may be able to accomplish His great work, and it must be done in God's own way. The House of the Lord must be prepared, and the solemn assembly called and organized in it, according to the order of the House of God&quot; (''Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith'', sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 1938, p.91). <br /> <br /> Joseph asked the Saints to purify themselves, to &quot;solemnize their minds, by casting away every evil from them, in thought, word, and deed, and to let their hearts become sanctified, because they need not expect a blessing from God without being duly prepared for it, for the Holy Ghost would not dwell in unholy temples.&quot; (Orson F. Whitney, ''Life of Heber C. Kimball'' 3d ed., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967, p. 91.) That solemn assembly was held on 30 March 1836; 300 brethren met and after receiving gospel ordinances, received callings to their respective priesthood [[quorums]]. Surrounding these occasions were marvelous outpourings of the Spirit. The heavens were opened. Angels appeared to many. The Saints were instructed. During that time of spiritual power and instruction, Joseph Smith saw the [[celestial kingdom]] or highest kingdom where the throne of God is and where the redeemed and righteous will dwell with loved ones after this life.<br /> <br /> ==Other Occasions for Solemn Assemblies==<br /> <br /> Solemn assemblies can be called for reasons other than sustaining leaders and dedicating temples. On 2 July 1889, for example, Lorenzo Snow presented the law of tithing as a divine revelation for Church members to accept. (Francis M. Gibbons, ''Lorenzo Snow, Spiritual Giant, Prophet of God'' Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982, pp 222-23). Other assemblies have been called by the First Presidency to instruct priesthood leaders and returned missionaries.<br /> <br /> With the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, came the &quot;restitution of all things&quot; promised by the Lord and spoken of in [[Acts 3:21]]--including the restoration of the solemn assembly.</div> Kmerkley https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Solemn_Assembly&diff=15120 Solemn Assembly 2008-02-06T04:48:42Z <p>Kmerkley: /* When Is the Next Solemn Assembly? */ ~~~~</p> <hr /> <div>==What Is a Solemn Assembly?==<br /> <br /> A solemn assembly is a sacred gathering of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a specific spiritual purpose, including the dedication of a temple or the sustaining of a new [[First Presidency]] and other divinely appointed Church leaders before the Church and the Lord.<br /> <br /> ==When Is the Next Solemn Assembly?==<br /> <br /> At the next semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to be held during the first weekend in April, 2008, a special session, or solemn assembly, will be held. During this solemn assembly, and by the raise of the right hand, members of the Church will stand and signify their sustaining vote of the Lord's leaders and their willingness to heed their counsel and support them. This vote is not a means of showing popular support, but is an outward sign of inward commitment to follow the divinely called leaders.<br /> <br /> ==When Did Solemn Assemblies Begin in the Church?==<br /> <br /> &quot;Each of the presidents of the Church has been sustained by the priesthood of the Church in solemn assembly.&quot; (''Ensign'', May 1974, p. 45.) This has been the order of the Church ever since its organization, and actually has been the order of the Lord since ancient times. In Israel, these assemblies were held in conjunction with Solomon's Temple, and were associated with their feasts and meetings in the Tabernacle. <br /> <br /> Joseph Smith was first sustained by a congregation. Following his first solemn assembly, and after his remarks and members' sustaining votes, he said:<br /> <br /> &quot;The vote was unanimous in every instance, and I prophesied to all, that inasmuch as they would uphold these men in their several stations, the Lord would bless them . . . in the name of Jesus Christ, the blessings of heaven should be theirs; and when the Lord's anointed go forth to proclaim the word, bearing testimony to this generation, if they receive it they shall be blessed, but if not, the judgments of God will follow close upon them until that city or that house which rejects them shall be left desolate.&quot; (''Documentary History of the Church,'' vol. 2, pp. 416-18.)<br /> <br /> Brigham, likewise, was sustained on March 27, 1846, and was &quot;unanimously elected president over the whole Camp of Israel...&quot; by the council. (B.H. Roberts, ''A Comprehensive History of the Church,''vol. 3, p. 52).<br /> <br /> ==Solemn Assemblies and Temples==<br /> <br /> Joseph Smith also received revelation from the Lord regarding the necessity of gathering for a solemn assembly during the time the Saints were building the [[Kirtland Temple]]. In light of that upcoming event, Joseph urged the Saints: &quot;We must have all things prepared, and call our solemn assembly as the Lord has commanded us, that we may be able to accomplish His great work, and it must be done in God's own way. The House of the Lord must be prepared, and the solemn assembly called and organized in it, according to the order of the House of God&quot; (''Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith'', sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 1938, p.91). <br /> <br /> Joseph asked the Saints to purify themselves, to &quot;solemnize their minds, by casting away every evil from them, in thought, word, and deed, and to let their hearts become sanctified, because they need not expect a blessing from God without being duly prepared for it, for the Holy Ghost would not dwell in unholy temples.&quot; (Orson F. Whitney, ''Life of Heber C. Kimball'' 3d ed., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967, p. 91.) That solemn assembly was held on 30 March 1836; 300 brethren met and after receiving gospel ordinances, received callings to their respective priesthood [[quorums]]. Surrounding these occasions were marvelous outpourings of the Spirit. The heavens were opened. Angels appeared to many. The Saints were instructed. During that time of spiritual power and instruction, Joseph Smith saw the [[celestial kingdom]] or highest kingdom where the throne of God is and where the redeemed and righteous will dwell with loved ones after this life.<br /> <br /> ==Other Occasions for Solemn Assemblies==<br /> <br /> Solemn assemblies can be called for reasons other than sustaining leaders and dedicating temples. On 2 July 1889, for example, Lorenzo Snow presented the law of tithing as a divine revelation for Church members to accept. (Francis M. Gibbons, ''Lorenzo Snow, Spiritual Giant, Prophet of God'' Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982, pp 222-23). Other assemblies have been called by the First Presidency to instruct priesthood leaders and returned missionaries.<br /> <br /> With the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, came the &quot;restitution of all things&quot; promised by the Lord and spoken of in [[Acts 3:21]]--including the restoration of the solemn assembly.</div> Kmerkley