Mormon religion
The Mormon Religion is a phrase that refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called the Mormon Church, because of its book of scripture, the Book of Mormon. The Mormon Religion was established after a boy of 14, Joseph Smith, in 1820 received a vision in response to his prayer regarding which of the Protestant churches he should join. In his vision, Joseph saw two personages — God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This vision taught him that none of the Christian churches of the time had the whole truth, for they all taught the Trinitarian notion that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost were three manifestations of the same being and that God was a spirit, whereas Joseph saw Him as a man of flesh and bone, glorious beyond description. The Father introduced His Son, Jesus Christ, as His Only Begotten, in whom He is well-pleased, and after that, it was Christ who addressed Joseph.
Jesus told him not to join any of the Churches, but that He was about to restore the true gospel on the earth in preparation for the Second Coming. The authority to act in the name of God had been lost from the earth, and God restored it through heavenly messengers who have that authority. Joseph received many further revelations and visitations enabling him to restore Christ's original church, nearly always in the presence of other people. Thus, the Aaronic Priesthood was restored by the laying on of hands by John the Baptist to Joseph and to Oliver Cowdery. The Melchizedek Priesthood was restored in the same manner by Apostles Peter, James, and John. The keys to the sealing power were restored by Elijah to Joseph and Sidney Rigdon in the Kirtland Temple, as was the key to the gathering of Israel by Moses.
Joseph Smith received the knowledge he needed to re-establish Christ's true church on the earth, line upon line and precept upon precept. He was the first in a long line of modern prophets, who have continued to lead the Mormon Church through revelation from Jesus Christ. The modern church has the same organization of Christ's ancient church with apostles, seventies, patriarchs (evangelists), etc. As in the church of old, it has a lay clergy. Worthy youth, men, and women are called (while still pursuing their educational and vocational endeavors) to serve in temporary, unpaid positions in the Church, some very challenging and time-consuming.
The Lord has given Mormons the call to spread the gospel to all the earth. At any given time in the Mormon religion, there are over 50,000 Mormon missionaries serving full-time missions all over the world. In the Mormon religion, members have also been commissioned by Christ to save their dead. Therefore, Mormons do family history work and perform saving ordinances in their temples for their dead ancestors. The deceased, who reside in the Spirit World awaiting resurrection, may choose whether or not they will accept those ordinances performed in their behalf.
The Mormon religion teaches its members (in 2011, over 14,000,000 of them) to live the two greatest commandments — to love God, and to love their fellow men. Therefore, the Mormon religion has its own welfare program that is a light to the world, and an extensive humanitarian aid program.
The Mormon religion helps its members develop strong personal testimonies of Jesus Christ and leadership capabilities through church callings and the missionary program. The Mormon religion also emphasizes clean living (see Law of Chastity, Word of Wisdom) and personal preparedness (see Food Storage) and hard work. Thus, Mormons are known for their responsible and clean lifestyle, strong families, honesty, and work ethic.
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