Religion

• Brief backgound on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Basic Beliefs
• Fallacies
• links
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was and is:

• Lead by Jesus Christ, who communicates with a Living Prophet today.
• Founded by God through Joseph Smith
• The only church upon the face of the earth in which 100% of the doctrine is true
• One of the fatest growing churches in the world

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Basic Beliefs of the church (as stated by the Prophet Joseph Smith; also known as The Articles of Faith)

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gosepl are:
   1. first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
   2. second, Repentance;
   3. third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;
   4. fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelations, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continant; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and recieve it's paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the priviledge of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilige, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

These are some of the core beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you have any questions, or would like further clarification, I would suggest that you see the official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Also, I should make mention here that I take full responsibility/blame for any errors or fallacies presented (though hopefully there won't be any of those. =). This is something I've put together on my own time. It is not Church endorsed, nor in anyway affiliated with the Church except that I happen to be a member, and the focus of this page is the Church.

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Some Common Fallacies about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I've run across

Fallacy

The members of the "Mormon" church worship Joseph Smith.

Truth

While it is true that most members hold the prophet Joseph in high respect, he is not worshipped. We worship the true and living God, not a man.

Fallacy

The members believe that salvation comes through works alone.

Truth

While it is true that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints puts more emphasis on works than many churches, it isn't true that we don't believe in the necessity of faith and grace. Grace is of ultimate necessity; without it, we could never be saved. Faith is also necessary. However, we must do our part, little though it may be that we can do in the grand scheme of things, in order to be saved. All three elements are necessary for salvation. But what actually makes up the biggest "percentage" towards our salvation? Definitely grace.

Fallacy

While the LDS church claims the Book of Mormon is authentic scripture detailing a nation of people in the Americas, there is no actual support for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.

Truth

There are, in fact, many evidences of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. A few examples are:

• The consistancy of the warfare described in the Book of Mormon with what we now know of warfare in Meso-America during the same time period.
• The numerous Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon. Here I must pause to make a comment: the Book of Mormon has sometimes been ridiculed for its "incorrect" grammar. However, when that same grammar is compared with the syntax and speaking of Hebrew, it is strikingly similar, and it appears that the Book of Mormon is a very . . . literall translation. An example of this in another language is Spanish to English. Although when we hear the phrase "Muchas Gracias" we think "Thank you very much," a more literal translation would yeild something closer to Much Thanks. The Book of Mormon is a very literal translation in that sense.
• Chaismic structure. This is a form of Hebrew poetry, and which everything is repeated in reverse order. Confused? =) The nursery rhyme Old King Cole was a merry old soul, a merry old soul was he is a simple form of Chaism. Old King Cole is first, he is last. Next, on both ends, is was. Then comes a merry old sould which is the core of the statement. The Book of Mormon contains hundreds of the chaisms, and some of the best examples of them, too. Considering that the form wasn't known to the Western world before the mid to late 1900's, I find this fact of particular interest. One more, then I'm done with this part. =)
• The discovery of "cement" houses in Meso America. Since the publishing of the Book of Mormon in 1830, until just very recently, people laughed at the mention of some Book of Mormon people building "cement" houses. That continued until recent discoveries of houses in Meso America constructed of a crude cement, houses which date to times parallel to the Book of Mormon mention.
  The four points above are only a few evidences of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. There are many, many more.

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This page is still under heavy construction. I would appreicate any comments, ideas, questions, or input of any sort that anyone might have to give, be it good or bad. If you do have a comment, you can mail me

Links to Various other LDS related sites.

• The official LDS website. This sight will give you more detailed information about the church and its teachings.
• FARMS online is a good place to go if you want to learn more about the evidences of the Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, and other related topics.

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