China Religion

Religions of the World

October 5, 2007

HUM 130

Momons have a divine mission in life and in their Heavenly Father’s plan. They believe they came to earth to receive a body and to gain knowledge and experience to help them become more like their Heavenly Father. Specifically, He wants you to learn to control your body, to choose right over wrong, and to walk by faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing that you could not progress continually if you remained in the pre-mortal world, Heavenly Father sent us to Earth, much as a parent sends a child to school.

Some lessons Mormons must learn here in this life include how to:

Be humble, obedient, and kind.

Love and serve Him and His children.

Devote your life to doing good.

Overcome the appetites of the flesh and follow the promptings of the spirit.

You make many choices every day. Whatever you choose, good or bad, you also choose, knowingly or not, the consequences of your choices. Lasting happiness and progression comes from choosing to do what God wants you to do.

The reason that I chose to write a paper on this certain religion is because I keep hearing about Mormons, plus there is a Mormon presidential candidate. I was curious to learn more about their beliefs and what exactly it is that they believe in, and to find out what all the fuss about Mormons was really all about.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded in the early 1800's by a boy named Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith lived in a little town in New York called Palmyra.

The story goes that when he was just about 15 years old in the year 1820 there was a big religious movement and his mother and father were of different religions. Joseph Smith, being the youngest in the family was confused on which religious sect he should join, he left his house and went into a grove of trees to pray and ask God which of all the churches were true. He was visited by God and His son Jesus Christ. They told him not to join any of them because none of them were true and that he has been chosen to be a prophet to bring forth the trueness of the church

In September 1827, Joseph received the record, which was written on thin plates of gold. Joseph translated the book into English by the inspiration of God and called the book the Book of Mormon. It is named after Mormon, an ancient prophet who compiled the sacred record. The book verifies, as another testament of Christ, the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ. This is why people call them the "Mormons." It is because of their belief in this book. The Book of Mormon is “a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel.”

My next question I asked was about holidays. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrate Christmas and Easter, regarding these two events as the most spiritually significant days in history because of the birth, suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Church members also celebrate the national holidays of the countries where they live, along with birthdays, anniversaries and similar events.

The first Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in July 24th, 1847. Members of the Church worldwide honor their pioneer heritage on the 24th of July of each year. This celebration is called Pioneer Day.

Additionally, twice a year (usually the first weekend in April and October) the Church holds a general conference for all its members. Although this is not considered a holiday, members of the Church take time on these days to be instructed and encouraged by Church leaders

Basic beliefs of the Mormon Faith include that God is their Father in heaven. They call God Heavenly Father because they believe that He is the father of their spirits and that we are all created in His image. God sent his son Jesus Christ to earth to redeem them from all their sins and our wrong doings, so that they can, one day return to live with God and Jesus like they did in the life before this one.

Mormons think highly of families. They believe family is the most important aspect of the church. “The family is the fundamental unit of society and the primary setting in which children develop virtue.” “God has placed families at the center of His eternal plan for the happiness of His children. “In a family, children learn about love, trust, loyalty, cooperation, and service.” “They learn how to behave in a community and develop the attributes of good citizenship.” “The health of any society lies in the strength of its families. Thus, strengthening families will strengthen communities and nations.”

The difference between the churches and the temple that the Mormons have is that their churches are for Sunday worship and other daily activities. Anyone can enter into the churches for worship. The temples they have are open every day except Monday night and Sunday. Family home evening is on Mondays. This is where families have a day to themselves to teach the principals and ordinances to their children. Only the members of the church that abide by certain rules and commandments can enter into their temples. Sacred ordinances of the gospel performed in the temples by those who are living for themselves and for those who are dead. These ordinances include baptisms, confirmations, endowments, eternal marriages, and sealings of couples, and of the family members.

Christ died on a hill called Calvary. Mormons do not symbolize the cross or hang them anywhere. Not even in their houses or at the place of worship. Even the steeple of the church doesn’t have a cross on the top of it. The steeple comes to a very sharp point pointing towards heaven. Mr. Beauchamp said, "Jesus did die for all our sins and that is the single most important belief in our faith. If we don't believe that he died for us how could we ever repent of our sins?” Jesus died for everybody, not just the member and future members of the church, he was resurrected