The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Modern times=== [[File:Washington_D.C._Temple_At_Dusk.jpg|thumb|upright=1|left|The [[Washington D.C. Temple]], completed in 1974, was the first built in the eastern half of the United States since 1846.]] During the 20th century, the church grew substantially and became an international organization. In 2000, the church reported over 60,000 missionaries and global church membership stood at just over 11 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Michael |date=March 23, 2001 |title=God's Army: Mormon Missionaries| publisher=[[PBS]] |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2001/08/03/august-3-2001-gods-army-mormon-missionaries/12527/ |access-date=June 25, 2023 }}</ref> Nominal worldwide membership surpassed 16 million in 2018. Slightly under half of church membership lives within the United States.<ref>{{cite news |author-link= Peggy Fletcher Stack |first= Peggy |last= Fletcher Stack |url= http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50253113-76/church-lds-says-news.html.csp |title= LDS Church ramps up on global stage |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |date= September 14, 2010 |access-date= March 15, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110629054321/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50253113-76/church-lds-says-news.html.csp |archive-date= June 29, 2011 |url-status= live }}</ref> The church has become a strong proponent of the [[nuclear family]] and at times played a prominent role in political matters, including opposition to [[LGM-118 Peacekeeper|MX Peacekeeper missile]] bases in Utah and [[Nevada]],<ref name = "Political Clout">{{cite web |url= https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/responses/mormon-political-clout |title= Mormon Political Clout |publisher= [[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]] |agency=[[Georgetown University]] |location=Washington, D.C.|date= August 14, 2018 |access-date= June 9, 2021 |archive-date= June 9, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210609165317/https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/responses/mormon-political-clout |url-status= live }}</ref> the [[Equal Rights Amendment]],<ref name = "Political Clout" /> legalized gambling,<ref name = "Gambling" /> [[same-sex marriage]],<ref name="Gay Rights"/>{{rp|2}} and [[euthanasia|physician-assisted death]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Religious Groups' Views on End-of-Life Issues |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/11/21/religious-groups-views-on-end-of-life-issues/ |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |date=November 21, 2013}}</ref> A number of official changes have taken place to the organization during the modern era. In 1978, the church [[1978 Revelation on Priesthood|reversed its previous policy]] of excluding black men of African descent from the priesthood, which had been in place since 1852;<ref name="Neither White Nor Black"/>{{rp|70}} members of all races can now be ordained to the priesthood. Also, since the early 1900s, the church has instituted a [[Priesthood Correlation Program]] to centralize church operations and bring them under a hierarchy of priesthood leaders. During the [[Great Depression]], the church also began operating a church welfare system, and it has conducted humanitarian efforts in cooperation with other religious organizations such as [[Catholic Relief Services]], as well as secular organizations like [[Care International]].<ref name=Relief/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.icatholic.org/article/catholic-relief-services-recognizes-church-of-jesus-5673287| publisher=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City]] |newspaper=Intermountain Catholic|date=June 15, 2007|title=Catholic Relief Services recognizes Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with Deus Caritas Est Award|access-date=June 9, 2021|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609172831/http://www.icatholic.org/article/catholic-relief-services-recognizes-church-of-jesus-5673287|url-status=live}}</ref> During the second half of the 20th century and beginnings of the 21st, the church has responded to various challenges to its doctrine and authority. Challenges have included rising [[secularization]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Secular Transition: The Worldwide Growth of Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Seventh-day Adventists|journal=[[Association for the Sociology of Religion|Sociology of Religion]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=April 9, 2010| citeseerx=10.1.1.1024.4345|url= https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1024.4345&rep=rep1&type=pdf|access-date=June 18, 2021|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200752/https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1024.4345&rep=rep1&type=pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=[[Psychology Today]]|first=Phil|last=Zuckerman|title=Secularization Hits the Mormons|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-secular-life/201905/secularization-hits-the-mormons|date=May 6, 2019|access-date=June 18, 2021|archive-date=September 24, 2019|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20190924012644/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the%2Dsecular%2Dlife/201905/secularization%2Dhits%2Dthe%2Dmormons|url-status=live}}</ref> challenges to the correctness of the translation of the [[Book of Abraham]],<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought|Dialogue]] |date=Winter 1989|first=Karl C.|last=Sandberg|title=Knowing Brother Joseph Again: The Book of Abraham, and Joseph Smith as Translator|volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=17β37 |doi=10.2307/45228258 |jstor=45228258 |s2cid=254389117 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dialoguejournal.com/podcasts/dialogue-topic-pages-5-the-book-of-abraham/ |title=Dialogue Topic Pages #5: The Book of Abraham |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200242/https://www.dialoguejournal.com/podcasts/dialogue-topic-pages-5-the-book-of-abraham/ |archive-date=June 24, 2021|publisher=[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought|Dialogue]]}}</ref> and primary documents forged by [[Mark Hofmann]] purporting to contradict important aspects of official early church history.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lindsey |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Lindsey (journalist) |title=A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money, Murder, and Deceit |year=1988 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=0-671-65112-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/gatheringofsai00lind |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> The church's positions regarding [[Homosexuality and the LDS Church|homosexuality]], [[Women and Mormonism|women]], and [[Black people and Mormonism|black people]] have all been publicly criticized during this timeframe. For over 100 years, the church was a major sponsor of [[Scouting]] programs for boys, particularly in the United States. The LDS Church was the largest [[Boy Scouts of America#Chartered organizations and units|chartered organization]] in the [[Boy Scouts of America]], having joined the Boy Scouts of America as its first charter organization in 1913.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eckholm |first=Erik |date=October 18, 2012 |title=As Partners, Mormons and Scouts Turn Boys Into Men |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/us/mormons-and-scouts-act-as-partners-in-molding-boys.html |access-date=June 25, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124025336/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/us/mormons-and-scouts-act-as-partners-in-molding-boys.html |archive-date=November 24, 2022 |url-status=live |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> In 2020, the church ended its relationship with the BSA and began an alternate, religion-centered youth program, which replaced all other youth programs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harkens |first=Paighten |date=May 8, 2018 |title=Mormon church to cut ties with Boy Scouts and start its own gospel-driven youth program |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/05/09/mormon-church-to-cut-ties-with-boy-scouts-and-start-its-own-gospel-driven-youth-program/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307202414/https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/05/09/mormon-church-to-cut-ties-with-boy-scouts-and-start-its-own-gospel-driven-youth-program/ |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Prior to leaving the Scouting program, LDS Scouts made up nearly 20 percent of all enrolled Boy Scouts,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/05/09/mormon-church-breaks-all-ties-with-boy-scouts-ending-100-year-relationship/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Mormon Church breaks all ties with Boy Scouts, ending 100-year relationship|access-date=January 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109223112/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/05/09/mormon-church-breaks-all-ties-with-boy-scouts-ending-100-year-relationship/|archive-date=January 9, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> more than any other church.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chartered Organizations and the Boy Scouts of America |publisher=[[Boy Scouts of America]] |date=March 2014 |url= https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/210-807.pdf |access-date=June 23, 2023}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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