Mormonism

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{{Short description|Religious tradition and theology founded by Joseph Smith}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{About|the doctrine in the Latter Day Saint movement|the main branch of this movement commonly called the "Mormon Church"|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|the people commonly known as Mormons|Mormons|the general religious movement|Latter Day Saint movement|other uses|Mormon (disambiguation)}}

[[File:Mormon-book.jpg|thumb|200px|The [[Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ]]]]

'''Mormonism''' is the theology and religious tradition of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] of [[Restorationism|Restorationist]] [[Christianity]] started by [[Joseph Smith]] in [[Western New York]] in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of the Latter Day Saint movement, although there has been a recent push from [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) to distance themselves from this label. A historian, [[Sydney E. Ahlstrom]], wrote in 1982 that, depending on the context, the term Mormonism could refer to “a sect, a mystery cult, a new religion, a church, a people, a nation, or an American subculture; indeed, at different times and places it is all of these."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=McLoughlin|first1=Williamn G.|last2=Ahlstrom|first2=Sydney E.|date=June 1973|title=A Religious History of the American People|journal=The Journal of American History|volume=60|issue=1|page=508|doi=10.2307/2936335|jstor=2936335|issn=0021-8723}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Mormonism, An Independent Interpretation - The Encyclopedia of Mormonism|url=https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Mormonism,_An_Independent_Interpretation|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=eom.byu.edu}}</ref>

A prominent feature of Mormon theology is the [[Book of Mormon]], which describes itself as a chronicle of early [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas]] and their dealings with [[God in Mormonism|God]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Introduction|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/introduction.1?lang=eng|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=churchofjesuschrist.org}}</ref> Mormon theology includes mainstream Christian beliefs with modifications stemming from belief in revelations to Smith and other religious leaders. This includes the use of and belief in the [[Bible]] and other religious texts, including the [[Doctrine and Covenants]] and the [[Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)|Pearl of Great Price]]. Mormonism includes significant doctrines of [[Celestial marriage|eternal marriage]], [[Exaltation (LDS Church)|eternal progression]], [[baptism for the dead]], [[Plural marriage|polygamy or plural marriage]], [[Law of chastity|sexual purity]], [[Word of Wisdom|health (specified in the Word of Wisdom)]], [[Fasting#The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|fasting]], and [[Sabbath (LDS Church)|Sabbath observance]].

The theology itself is not uniform; as early as 1831, and most significantly after [[death of Joseph Smith|Smith's death]], various groups split from the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Christ]] that Smith established.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Schisms and Sects|url=https://www.patheos.com/library/mormonism/historical-development/schisms-sects|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=patheos.com}}</ref> Other than differences in leadership, these groups most significantly differ in their stances on polygamy, which the [[Utah]]-based LDS Church banned in 1890, and [[Trinitarianism]], which the LDS Church does not affirm. The branch of theology which seeks to maintain the practice of polygamy is known as [[Mormon fundamentalism]] and includes several different churches.<ref>{{Cite web|title=LDS splinter groups growing|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=&itype=ngpsid|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|language=en-US}}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Other groups affirm Trinitarianism, such as the [[Community of Christ]] (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), and describe their doctrine as Trinitarian [[Restorationism (Christian primitivism)|Christian restorationist]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Basic Beliefs|url=https://www.cofchrist.org/basic-beliefs|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=Community of Christ|language=en}}</ref>

''[[Culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Cultural Mormonism]]'' is a term coined by [[cultural Mormon]]s who identify with the culture, especially present in much of the [[Western United States|American West]],<ref>Meinig, D. W. "The Mormon Culture Region: Strategies and Patterns in the Geography of the American West, 1847-1964." Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 55, no. 2, 1965, pp. 191–220. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2561754. Accessed 14 Jan. 2023.
</ref> but do not necessarily identify with the theology.<ref>{{Cite news|title='Cultural Mormons' Adjust The Lifestyle But Keep The Label|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/08/28/490116191/cultural-mormons-adjust-the-lifestyle-but-keep-the-label|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=LDS365|date=January 30, 2019|title=States with the Highest Percentage of Church Members {{!}} LDS365: Resources from the Church & Latter-day Saints worldwide|url=https://lds365.com/2019/01/30/states-with-the-highest-percentage-of-church-members/|access-date=January 16, 2021|website=lds365.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Historical overview==
{{POV section|date=March 2024}}
{{See also|Mormon (word)|History of the Latter Day Saint movement|History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Early life of Joseph Smith|Life of Joseph Smith from 1827 to 1830}}

[[File:First-vision-joseph-smith-mormon.jpg |upright|thumb|150 px|left|Artist's depiction of the [[First Vision]]]]

The doctrines of Mormonism began with the farmboy Joseph Smith in the 1820s in [[Western New York]] during a period of religious excitement known as the [[Second Great Awakening]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=1}}; {{Harvtxt|Shipps|1985|p=36}}; {{Harvtxt|Remini|2002|p=1}}.</ref> Smith, at 14 years old, was determined to find out which [[Christian denomination|church]] taught the "true" [[doctrine]] of [[God]]. He believed that God existed, but was confused by what he believed to be contradictions in the beliefs of churches available to him. In ''Joseph Smith-History'', he wrote: "While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the [[Epistle of James]], first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.'" After praying about which [[Christian denomination|denomination]] he should join, Smith said he received a vision in the spring of 1820.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=16}}</ref> Called the "[[First Vision]]", Smith said that [[God the Father]] and his son, [[Jesus Christ]], appeared to him and instructed him to join none of the existing churches because they were all wrong.<ref>Smith's 1838 written account of this vision was later canonized in a book called ''[[Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)|The Pearl of Great Price]]''. (See: ''[[Joseph Smith–History]]'' 1:19)</ref> During the 1820s, Smith chronicled several angelic visitations, and was eventually told (by the angels) that God would use him to re-establish the "true Christian church."<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 5, 2020|title=The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-restoration-of-the-fulness-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ/a-bicentennial-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng|access-date=October 20, 2021|website=ChurchOfJesusChrist.org}}</ref>

Joseph Smith said the [[Book of Mormon]] was translated into English from writings he found on [[golden plates]] in a [[reformed Egyptian]] language; they were translated with the assistance of the [[Urim and Thummim (Latter Day Saints)|Urim and Thummim]] and [[Seer stone (Latter Day Saints)|seer stones]]. He said [[Angel Moroni|an angel]] first showed him the location of the plates in 1823; they were buried in [[Cumorah|a nearby hill]]. With the assistance of [[Martin Harris (Latter Day Saints)|Martin Harris]], an early follower, Smith began dictating the text of the Book of Mormon on April 12, 1828. Despite interruption of translation work by [[Anti-Mormonism|persecution]], Smith's continued employment in order to support his family, and Harris's loss of [[Lost 116 pages|116 pages]], the Book of Mormon manuscript was finished in June 1829.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=22}}</ref> Smith said the plates were returned to the angel after he finished the translation. During the time Smith said he possessed the plates, [[Book of Mormon witnesses|15 people were allowed to witness their existence]].

The Book of Mormon claims to be [[Book of Mormon chronology|a chronicle]] of early [[Israelites]] who left the [[Near East]] and traveled to the [[Americas]]. The book begins {{circa|600|lk=no}} BC with the departure from [[Jerusalem]] of the family of the prophet [[Lehi (Book of Mormon prophet)|Lehi]] at the urging of [[God in Mormonism|God]], and their sailing {{circa|589|lk=no}} BC to the Americas. It tells of people in the Americas (i.e., [[Native Americans in the United States|First Nations Americans]]) with a belief in [[Jesus|Christ]] hundreds of years before [[Nativity of Jesus|his birth]]; their witnessing his personal visitation to them after [[Resurrection of Jesus|his resurrection]]; and of their eventually losing Christianity after generations of wars and [[Apostasy in Christianity|apostasy]]. The Book of Mormon and [[Revelation in Mormonism|continuing revelations]] would be the means of establishing correct doctrine for the [[Restorationism|restored church]]. Smith, [[Oliver Cowdery]], and other early followers began [[Baptism in Mormonism|baptizing]] new converts in 1829, and formally organized in 1830 as the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Christ]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Remini|2002|pp=63, 79}}</ref> Smith was seen by his followers as a modern-day [[prophet]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=8}}</ref>

[[Historicity of the Book of Mormon|Historical accuracy]] and veracity of the Book of Mormon was, at the time of its publication and continuing to the present day, [[Criticism of the Book of Mormon|hotly contested]]. Along with disputes over the Book of Mormon, the early Church of Christ faced persecution from residents of several towns when they tried to gather and "establish God's kingdom on the earth".<ref name=":0" /> To avoid confrontation in [[Palmyra (town), New York|Palmyra, New York]] the members moved to [[Kirtland, Ohio]], and hoped to establish a permanent [[New Jerusalem]] or [[Zion (Latter Day Saints)|City of Zion]] in [[Jackson County, Missouri]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=10}}</ref> However, they were expelled from Jackson County in 1833 and fled to other parts of Missouri in 1838. [[Mormon War (1838)|Violence]] between the Missourians and church members resulted in the governor of Missouri issuing [[Mormon Extermination Order|an "extermination order"]] against the Mormons, as they were called, which again forced the church to relocate.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Remini|2002|p=135}}</ref> The displaced church fled to Illinois, to a small town called Commerce. Under Smith's direction, the church bought the town, renamed it [[Nauvoo, Illinois|Nauvoo]], and lived with a degree of peace and prosperity for a few years.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=11}}</ref> However, tensions between Mormons and their neighbors again escalated and in 1844 [[death of Joseph Smith|Smith was killed]] by a mob, precipitating [[Succession crisis (Latter Day Saints)|a succession crisis]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=12–14}}</ref>

The largest group of Mormons followed [[Brigham Young]] as the new prophet and, under his direction, emigrated to what became the [[Utah Territory]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=13}}</ref> There, the church began the open practice of [[plural marriage]], a form of [[polygyny]] which Smith had instituted in Nauvoo. Plural marriage became the faith's most sensational characteristic during the 19th century, but vigorous opposition by the [[United States Congress]] threatened the church's existence as a legal institution. Further, polygamy was also a major cause for the opposition to Mormonism in the states of Idaho and Arizona.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Groberg|first=Joseph|date=Spring 1976|title=The Mormon Disfranchisements of 1882 to 1892|journal=Brigham Young University Studies|volume= 16| issue = 3|page=400}}</ref> In the [[1890 Manifesto]], church president [[Wilford Woodruff]] announced the official end of plural marriage.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=2}}; {{cite web |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng |title=Official Declaration 1 |publisher=churchofjesuschrist.org}}</ref>

Due to this formal abolition of plural marriage, several smaller groups broke with the LDS Church and formed denominations following what they called [[Mormon fundamentalism]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=14}}</ref> However, the LDS Church has experienced the most growth out of any of the churches following Mormonism, with a current membership of over 16&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics|title=LDS Statistics and Church Facts &#124; Total Church Membership|website=mormonnewsroom.org|access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref>

==Theology==
{{see also|Teachings of Joseph Smith}}

===Nature of God===
{{main|God in Mormonism}}

In orthodox Mormonism, the term ''God'' generally refers to the biblical [[God the Father]], whom [[Latter Day Saint movement|Latter Day Saints]] refer to as ''[[Elohim]]'',<ref name="Davies 2003">{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Douglas J. |author-link=Douglas Davies |year=2003 |chapter=Divine–human transformations |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fw8DIziwEDsC&pg=PA65 |title=An Introduction to Mormonism |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=65–90 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511610028.004 |isbn=978-0-511-61002-8 |oclc=438764483 |s2cid=146238056}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author1=First Presidency|author-link=First Presidency (LDS Church)|author2=Quorum of the Twelve Apostles|author2-link=Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|title=Gospel Classics: The Father and the Son|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2002/04/the-father-and-the-son?lang=eng|magazine=[[Improvement Era]]|publisher=Intellectual Reserve, Inc.|date=April 2002|access-date=February 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name="EoM">{{citation |contribution-url=https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/God_the_Father |contribution=God the Father |pages=548–552 |author1-last=Robinson |author1-first=Stephen E. |author2-last=Burgon |author2-first=Glade L. |author3-last=Turner |author3-first=Rodney |author4-last=Largey |author4-first=Dennis L. |editor-last=Ludlow |editor-first=Daniel H. |editor-link=Daniel H. Ludlow |year=1992 |title=[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishing]] |isbn=0-02-879602-0 |oclc=24502140 |via=[[Harold B. Lee Library]] |access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref> and the term ''Godhead'' refers to a council of three distinct divine persons consisting of God the Father, [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]] (his firstborn [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son]], whom Latter Day Saints refer to as ''[[Jehovah]]''), and the [[Holy Spirit (Christian denominational variations)#Latter Day Saints|Holy Ghost]].<ref name="Davies 2003"/><ref name="EoM"/> Latter Day Saints believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct beings, and that the Father and Jesus have perfected, glorified, physical bodies, while the Holy Ghost is a spirit without a physical body.<ref name="Davies 2003"/><ref name="Mason 2015">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Mason |author-first=Patrick Q. |author-link=Patrick Q. Mason |date=September 3, 2015 |title=Mormonism |url=https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-75 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion |location=[[Oxford]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.75 |isbn=978-0-19-934037-8 |doi-access=free |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130060403/https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-75 |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=May 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{citation |contribution-url=https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Godhead |contribution=Godhead |pages=552–553 |last=Dahl |first=Paul E. |editor-last=Ludlow |editor-first=Daniel H. |editor-link=Daniel H. Ludlow |year=1992 |title=[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishing]] |isbn=0-02-879602-0 |oclc=24502140 |via=[[Harold B. Lee Library]] |access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref> Latter Day Saints also believe that there are other gods and goddesses outside the Godhead, such as a [[Heavenly Mother (Mormonism)|Heavenly Mother]]—who is the wife of God the Father—and that faithful Latter-day Saints may attain godhood in the afterlife.<ref>{{citation |contribution-url=https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Godhood |contribution=Godhood |pages=553–555 |last=Carter |first=K. Codell |editor-last=Ludlow |editor-first=Daniel H. |editor-link=Daniel H. Ludlow |year=1992 |title=[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishing]] |isbn=0-02-879602-0 |oclc=24502140 |via=[[Harold B. Lee Library]] |access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref> [[Joseph Smith]] taught that God was once a man on another planet before being [[Exaltation (Mormonism)|exalted]] to Godhood.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-47-exaltation?lang=eng|title=Gospel Principles Chapter 47: Exaltation|website=ChurchofJesusChrist.org|access-date=October 17, 2017}}</ref>

This conception differs from the traditional Christian [[Trinity]] in several ways, one of which is that Mormonism has not adopted or continued to hold the doctrine of the [[Nicene Creed]], that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are of the [[Homoousion|same substance]] or being.<ref name="Davies 2003"/> Also, Mormonism teaches that the intelligence dwelling in each human is coeternal with God.<ref>{{citation |contribution-url=https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Premortal_Life |contribution=Premortal Life |pages=1123–1125 |last=Brown |first=Gayle O. |editor-last=Ludlow |editor-first=Daniel H. |editor-link=Daniel H. Ludlow |year=1992 |title=[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishing]] |isbn=0-02-879602-0 |oclc=24502140 |via=[[Harold B. Lee Library]] |access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref> Mormons use the term ''omnipotent'' to describe God, and regard him as the creator: they understand him as being almighty and eternal but subject to eternal natural law which governs intelligences, justice and the eternal nature of matter (i.e. God organized the world but did not create it from nothing).<ref>{{citation |contribution-url=https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Omnipotent_God;_Omnipresence_of_God;_Omniscience_of_God |contribution=Omnipotent God; Omnipresence of God; Omniscience of God |page=1030 |last=Paulsen |first=David L. |editor-last=Ludlow |editor-first=Daniel H. |editor-link=Daniel H. Ludlow |year=1992 |title=[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishing]] |isbn=0-02-879602-0 |oclc=24502140 |via=[[Harold B. Lee Library]] |access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref> The Mormon conception of God also differs substantially from the [[Mormonism and Judaism#The nature of God|Jewish tradition]] of [[ethical monotheism]] in which ''[[Elohim#Hebrew Bible|elohim]]'' ({{lang|he|אֱלֹהִים}}) is a completely different conception.

This description of God represents the Mormon [[orthodoxy]], formalized in 1915 based on earlier teachings. Other currently existing and historical branches of Mormonism have adopted different views of god, such as the [[Adam–God doctrine]] and Trinitarianism.

===Restoration===
{{Main|Restoration (Latter Day Saints)}}

[[File:Priesthood Restoration Crocheron.jpg|thumb|A depiction of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery receiving [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Priesthood authority]] from [[John the Baptist]]]]

Mormonism describes itself as falling within [[world Christianity]], but as a distinct restored [[Dispensation (period)#Latter Day Saint dispensations|dispensation]]; it characterizes itself as the only true form of the Christian religion since the time of a "[[Great Apostasy (Latter Day Saints)|Great Apostasy]]" that began not long after the [[ascension of Jesus Christ]].<ref name = PMG35>{{Citation |author= Missionary Department of the LDS Church |author-link= The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |title= Preach My Gospel |publisher= [[LDS Church]], Inc |year= 2004 |page= 35 |url= http://www.lds.org/languages/additionalmanuals/preachgospel/PreachMyGospel___06_03-1_TheRestoration__36617_eng_006.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100602103044/http://lds.org/languages/additionalmanuals/preachgospel/PreachMyGospel___06_03-1_TheRestoration__36617_eng_006.pdf  |archive-date= June 2, 2010 |isbn= 0-402-36617-4 }} Mormons believe the Great Apostasy had been foretold by the [[Apostle Paul]], who knew that the Lord would not come again "except there come a falling away first" (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3)</ref> According to Mormons this apostasy involved the corruption of the pure, original Christian doctrine with [[Ancient Greek philosophy|Greek]] and other philosophies,<ref name = GA2>{{Citation |last= Talmage |first= James E. |author-link= James E. Talmage |title= The Great Apostasy |publisher= The Deseret News |year= 1909 |pages= 64–65 |url= https://archive.org/stream/greatapostasycon00atalm#page/68/mode/2up |isbn= 0-87579-843-8}}</ref> and followers dividing into different ideological groups.<ref name = MARV1>{{Citation |last= Richards |first= LeGrand |author-link= LeGrand Richards |title= A Marvelous Work and a Wonder |publisher= Deseret Book Company |year= 1976 |page= 24 |isbn= 0-87747-161-4|title-link= A Marvelous Work and a Wonder }}</ref> Additionally, Mormons claim the [[Christian martyrdom|martyrdom]] of the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]] led to the loss of [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Priesthood authority]] to administer the Church and its ordinances.<ref name = GA1>{{Citation | last = Talmage | first = James E. | author-link = James E. Talmage | title = The Great Apostasy | publisher = The Deseret News | year = 1909 | page = 68 | url =https://archive.org/stream/greatapostasycon00atalm#page/68/mode/2up | isbn = 0-87579-843-8}}</ref><ref name = Eyring>{{Citation |last= Eyring |first= Henry B. |author-link= Henry B. Eyring |title= The True and Living Church |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2008/05/the-true-and-living-church?lang=eng |journal= Ensign |publisher= LDS Church |pages= 20–24 |date= May 2008}}</ref>

Mormons believe that God re-established the [[Christianity in the 1st century|1st-century]] [[Early Christianity|early Christian church]] as found in the [[New Testament]] through the [[Restoration (Latter Day Saints)|restoration]] of Joseph Smith.<ref>Smith's restoration differed significantly from other ''restorationist'' movements of the era (for instance, that of Alexander Campbell). Instead of using Bible analysis, Smith claimed to write and interpret scripture as the biblical prophets did. {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=5}}</ref> In particular, Mormons believe that angels such as [[Saint Peter|Peter]], [[James, son of Zebedee|James]], [[John the Apostle|John]], and [[John the Baptist]] appeared to Joseph Smith and others and bestowed various [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Priesthood authorities]] on them.<ref>See [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1.69-72?lang=eng JSH 1:69,72] and [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/84?lang=eng Doctrine and Covenants 84:19-21]</ref> Mormons thus believe that their Church is the "only true and living church" because divine authority was restored to it through Smith. In addition, Mormons believe that Smith and his legitimate successors are modern prophets who receive revelation from God to guide the church. They maintain that other Christian religions have a portion of the truth and are guided by the [[light of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|light of Christ]].<ref>{{cite book |title= Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith |page= 316 |editor1-first= Joseph Fielding |editor1-last= Smith |editor-link= Joseph Fielding Smith |editor2-first= Richard C. |editor2-last= Galbraith |orig-date= 1938 |year= 1993 |isbn= 0-87579-647-8 |title-link= Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (book) |publisher= Deseret Book Company }} ("Have the Presbyterians any truth? Yes. Have the Baptists, Methodists, etc., any truth? Yes. They all have a little truth mixed with error. We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true 'Mormons'.")</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title= Religions of the World: A Latter-day Saint View |last1= Palmer |last2= Keller |last3= Choi |last4= Toronto |publisher= Brigham Young University |year= 1997}} (Mormons take an [[Inclusivism|inclusivist]] position that their religion is correct and true but that other religions have genuine value).</ref>

===Cosmology===
{{main|Mormon cosmology}}

Smith's cosmology is laid out mostly in Smith's later revelations and sermons, but particularly the [[Book of Abraham]], the [[Book of Moses]], and the [[King Follett discourse]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=64–71}}</ref> [[Mormon cosmology]] presents a unique view of God and the universe, and places a high importance on human [[Agency in Mormonism|agency]]. In Mormonism, life on earth is just a short part of an eternal existence. Mormons believe that in the beginning, all people existed as spirits or "intelligences", in the presence of God.<ref>Mormons differ among themselves about the form of man in the beginning ... but Smith's intention was to assert that some essence of human personality has always existed. {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=72}}</ref> In this state, God proposed a [[Plan of salvation (Latter Day Saints)|plan of salvation]] whereby they could progress and "have a privilege to advance like himself."<ref>See King Follett discourse and {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=73}}</ref> The spirits were free to accept or reject this plan, and a "third" of them, led by [[Satan]] rejected it.<ref>According to the Book of Moses, Lucifer offered an alternate plan that would guarantee the salvation of ''all'' spirits, however, at the cost of their agency, essentially forcing them to be saved. God's plan allowed spirits the freedom of choice but left room for some to fall out of his presence into darkness. {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=73}}</ref> The rest accepted the plan, coming to earth and receiving bodies with an understanding that they would experience sin and suffering.

In Mormonism, the central part of God's plan is the [[Atonement in Christianity|atonement]] of Jesus Christ.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=77}}</ref> Mormons believe that one purpose of earthly life is to learn to choose good over evil. In this process, people inevitably make mistakes, becoming unworthy to return to the presence of God. Mormons believe that Jesus paid for the sins of the world and that all people can be saved through his atonement.<ref>Nineteenth century Mormonism defined itself against Calvinistic religions that asserted humans' incapacity and utter dependence on the grace of God. Early Mormon preachers emphasized good works and moral obligation; however in the late twentieth century, Mormons pulled back from an "entrenched aversion" to the doctrines of grace, and today have an attitude of trusting in the grace of Christ while trying their best to do good works. {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=76}}</ref> Mormons accept Christ's atonement through faith, repentance, formal covenants or ordinances such as baptism, and consistently trying to live a Christ-like life.

According to Mormon scripture, the Earth's creation was not ''[[ex nihilo]]'', but organized from existing matter. The Earth is just one of many inhabited worlds, and there are many governing heavenly bodies, including the planet or star [[Kolob]], which is said to be nearest the [[throne of God]].

===America===

[[File:Constitution of the United States, page 1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Mormons believe that the U.S. Constitution is the result of divine inspiration. Fundamentalists believe in the related [[White Horse Prophecy]].]]

Mormon theology teaches that the [[United States]] is a unique place and that Mormons are God's [[chosen people]], selected for a singular destiny.<ref name="Bracht 2012">{{cite book |author-last=Bracht |author-first=John |year=2012 |orig-date=1990 |chapter=The Americanization of Adam |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3CCYaHRKG-oC&pg=PA97 |editor-last=Trompf |editor-first=G. W. |title=Cargo Cults and Millenarian Movements: Transoceanic Comparisons of New Religious Movements |location=[[Berlin]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[De Gruyter]] |series=Religion and Society |volume=29 |pages=97–142 |doi=10.1515/9783110874419.97 |isbn=978-3-11-087441-9}}</ref> The [[Book of Mormon]] alludes to the United States as being the Biblical [[promised land]], with the [[Constitution of the United States]] being [[Divine inspiration|divinely inspired]], and argues that [[American exceptionalism|America is an exceptional nation]].<ref name="Bracht 2012"/><ref name="Barlow">{{cite journal |last=Barlow |first=Philip L. |date=June 2012 |title=Chosen Land, Chosen People: Religious and American Exceptionalism Among the Mormons |journal=The Review of Faith & International Affairs |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=51–58 |doi=10.1080/15570274.2012.682511 |doi-access=free |issn=1557-0274 |s2cid=145547250}}</ref><ref name="Yorgason 2006">{{cite book |author-last=Yorgason |author-first=Ethan |year=2006 |chapter=The Shifting Role of the Latter-day Saints as the Quintessential American Religion |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwim_0xE1c4C&pg=PA141 |editor-last=Lippy |editor-first=Charles H. |title=Faith in America: Changes, Challenges, New Directions. Volume 1: Organized Religion Today |location=[[London|London, U.K.]] and [[Westport, Connecticut]] |publisher=[[Praeger Publishers]] |series=Praeger Perspectives |pages=141–163 |isbn=978-0-313-04961-3 |lccn=2006022880}}</ref>

In [[Upstate New York]] in 1823, Joseph Smith claimed to have had a vision in which the [[Angel Moroni]] told him about engraved [[golden plates]] buried in a [[Cumorah|nearby hill]].<ref name="Givens 2003">{{cite book |last=Givens |first=Terryl L. |year=2003 |orig-date=2002 |chapter="A Seer Shall the Lord My God Raise Up": The Prophet and the Plates |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nd8-DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 |title=By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/019513818X.003.0002 |pages=8–42 |isbn=978-0-19-513818-4 |oclc=1028168787 |s2cid=159734267}}</ref><ref name="Stark 2005">{{cite book |author-last=Stark |author-first=Rodney |author-link=Rodney Stark |editor-last=Neilson |editor-first=Reid L. |year=2005 |title=The Rise of Mormonism |chapter=The Basis of Mormon Success |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wO6Ui_48mRcC&pg=PA114 |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |doi=10.7312/star13634-006 |pages=114–116 |isbn=978-0-231-13634-1 |lccn=2005045464 |oclc=800910267 |s2cid=99224315}}</ref> According to Smith, he received subsequent instruction from Moroni and, four years later, excavated the plates and translated them from "[[reformed Egyptian]]" into English; the resultant [[Book of Mormon]]—so called after an [[Mormon (Book of Mormon prophet)|ancient American prophet]] who, according to Smith, had compiled the text recorded on the golden plates—recounts the history of a tribe of [[Israelites]], led by the prophet [[Lehi (Book of Mormon prophet)|Lehi]], who migrated from [[Jerusalem]] to the [[Americas]] in the 7th century BCE.<ref name="Givens 2003"/><ref name="Stark 2005"/> In Mormonism, these Israelite tribes who migrated to the Americas centuries before the birth of [[Jesus Christ]] are considered to be among the ancestors of [[pre-Columbian]] [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]].<ref name="Bracht 2012"/><ref name="Givens 2003"/><ref name="Stark 2005"/>

Joseph Smith argued that the [[Millennialism|millennial]] [[New Jerusalem]] was to be built in America (10th [[Articles of Faith (Latter Day Saints)|Article of Faith]]).<ref name="Barlow"/> In the [[Doctrine and Covenants]], Smith records God as saying "it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another. And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood" (D&C 101:79–80). To Mormons, this places America as the originator of [[religious liberty]] and freedom, while noting a need to expand these American values worldwide.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edwards |first1=Jason A. |last2=Weiss |first2=David |title=The Rhetoric of American Exceptionalism: Critical Essays |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N9HOOPK96jwC&pg=PA105 |access-date=January 5, 2021 |publisher=McFarland |date=January 10, 2014 |page=107 |isbn=978-0-7864-8681-6 |language=en}}</ref>

Although officially shunned by the LDS Church, [[Mormon fundamentalism|fundamentalist Mormons]] believe in the [[White Horse Prophecy]], which argues that Mormons will be called upon to preserve the Constitution as it hangs "by a thread".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Quammen |first1=Betsy Gaines |title=COVID-19 and the White Horse Prophecy: The Theology of Ammon Bundy |url=https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/175390 |access-date=January 4, 2021 |work=History News Network |agency=Columbian College of Arts and Sciences: The [[George Washington University]] |date=May 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Duncan |first1=Charles |title=Did Mitt Romney fulfill a Mormon prophecy with vote to convict Trump? |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article240035018.html |access-date=January 4, 2021 |work=Miami Herald |date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>

===Ordinances===

In Mormonism, an [[Ordinance (Latter Day Saints)|ordinance]] is a religious [[ritual]] of special significance, often involving the formation of a [[Covenant (Latter Day Saints)|covenant]] with God.<ref>An ordinance is generally a physical act signifying a spiritual commitment or a covenant. Failure to honor that commitment results in the ordinance having no effect. However, sincere repentance can restore the blessings associated with the ordinance.</ref> Ordinances are performed by the authority of the [[Priesthood (Mormonism)|priesthood]] and in the name of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]]. The term has a meaning roughly similar to that of the term ''[[sacrament]]'' in other Christian denominations.

{{Annotated image| image = LDS Baptism Panama.JPG| image-width = 800| image-left = -355| image-top = -180 | width = 175| height = 240| float = right
| annotations = | caption = A young man [[baptism in Mormonism|baptizing]] a child into the LDS Church in Panama}}

Saving ordinances (or ordinances viewed as necessary for salvation) include: [[Baptism (Latter Day Saints)|baptism]] by [[immersion baptism|immersion]] after the [[age of accountability]] (normally age 8); [[Confirmation (Latter Day Saints)|confirmation]] and reception of the [[Baptism with the Holy Spirit|gift of the Holy Ghost]], performed by laying hands on the head of a newly baptized member; ordination to the [[Aaronic priesthood (LDS Church)|Aaronic]] and [[Melchizedek priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Melchizedek priesthood]]s for males; an [[Endowment (Latter Day Saints)|endowment]] (including [[washing and anointing]]) received in [[Temple (LDS Church)|temples]]; and [[Celestial marriage|marriage]] (or [[Sealing (Latter Day Saints)|sealing]]) to a spouse.<ref>"[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/ordinances?lang=eng "Ordinances]," ''True to the Faith'', (LDS Church, 2004) p. 109.</ref>

Mormons also perform other ordinances, which include the [[Eucharist|Lord's supper]] (commonly called the [[Sacrament (Latter Day Saints)|sacrament]]), [[naming and blessing children]], giving [[priesthood blessing]]s and [[patriarchal blessings]], [[Anointing of the Sick|anointing and blessing the sick]], participating in [[Prayer circle (Mormonism)|prayer circles]], and [[setting apart]] individuals who are called to church positions.

In Mormonism, the saving ordinances are seen as necessary for salvation, but they are not sufficient in and of themselves. For example, baptism is required for [[Exaltation (Mormonism)|exaltation]], but simply having been baptized does not guarantee any eternal reward. The baptized person is expected to be obedient to God's commandments, to repent of any sinful conduct subsequent to baptism, and to receive the other saving ordinances.

Because Mormons believe that everyone must receive certain ordinances to be saved, Mormons perform [[Baptism for the dead|ordinances on behalf of deceased persons]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|pp=60–61}}</ref> These ordinances are performed vicariously or by "proxy" on behalf of the dead. In accordance with their belief in each individual's "free agency", living or dead, Mormons believe that the deceased may accept or reject the offered ordinance in the [[spirit world (Latter Day Saints)|spirit world]], just as all spirits decided to accept or reject God's plan originally. In addition, these "conditional" ordinances on behalf of the dead are performed only when a deceased person's genealogical information has been submitted to a temple and correctly processed there before the ordinance ritual is performed. Only ordinances for salvation are performed on behalf of deceased persons.

===Scripture===

[[File:Latter-day Saint Scripture Quadruple Combination.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|The ''[[Standard Works]]'' constitute the LDS Church [[Sacred texts|scriptural]] [[Biblical canon|canon]]]]

Mormons believe in the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament|New]] Testaments, and the LDS Church uses the [[Authorized King James Version]] as its official scriptural text of the [[Christian biblical canons|Bible]]. While Mormons believe in the general accuracy of the modern day text of the Bible, they also believe that it is incomplete and that errors have been introduced.<ref>''[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]]'', Macmillan 1992, pp. 106-107</ref><ref>Matthews, Robert J., ''A Bible! A Bible'', Bookcraft, 1990, p. 13</ref><ref>{{Citation |title= Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith |publisher= Deseret Book |year= 1976 |orig-date= 1938 |pages= 9–10, 327|title-link= Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (book) }}</ref> In Mormon theology, many lost truths are restored in the [[Book of Mormon]], which Mormons hold to be divine scripture and equal in authority to the Bible.<ref>''[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]]'', Macmillan 1992, pp. 111</ref>

The Mormon scriptural canon also includes a collection of revelations and writings contained in the [[Doctrine and Covenants]] which contains doctrine and prophecy and the [[Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)|Pearl of Great Price]] which addresses briefly Genesis to Exodus. These books, as well as the [[Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]], have varying degrees of acceptance as divine scripture among different denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement.

===Revelation===
{{further|Revelation (Latter Day Saints)}}
In Mormonism, [[continuous revelation]] is the principle that God or his divine agents still continue to communicate to mankind. This communication can be manifest in many ways: influences of the [[Holy Ghost]] (the principal form in which this principle is manifest), visions, visitations of divine beings, and others. Joseph Smith used the example of the Lord's revelations to Moses in [[Deuteronomy]] to explain the importance of continuous revelation:

{{Blockquote|text=God said, "Thou shalt not kill"; at another time he said, "Thou shalt utterly destroy." This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted, by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the Kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-d-1-1-august-1842-1-july-1843/284 |title=History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843] [addenda], p.3 [addenda] |author-surname=Smith |author-given=Joseph |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |date=27 August 1842 |website=The Joseph Smith Papers |access-date=10 September 2021}}</ref>}}

Mormons believe that Smith and subsequent church leaders could speak scripture "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost."<ref name="personalrev">{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=26}} See also: Doctrine and Covenants 68:4</ref> In addition, many Mormons believe that ancient prophets in other regions of the world received revelations that resulted in additional scriptures that have been lost and may, one day, be forthcoming. In Mormonism, revelation is not limited to church members. For instance, Latter Day Saints believe that the [[United States Constitution]] is a divinely inspired document.<ref>{{citation |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1992/02/the-divinely-inspired-constitution?lang=eng |title= The Divinely Inspired Constitution |first= Dallin H. |last= Oaks |author-link= Dallin H. Oaks |date=February 1992 |journal= [[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]}}; ''cf.'' {{Cite D&C|section=101|verse=76|range=–80}}</ref>

Mormons are encouraged to develop a personal relationship with the Holy Ghost and receive personal revelation for their own direction and that of their family.<ref name=personalrev/> The Latter Day Saint concept of revelation includes the belief that revelation from God is available to all those who earnestly seek it with the intent of doing good. It also teaches that everyone is entitled to {{em|personal}} revelation with respect to his or her [[stewardship (theology)|stewardship]] (leadership responsibility). Thus, parents may receive inspiration from God in raising their families, individuals can receive divine inspiration to help them meet personal challenges, church officers may receive revelation for those whom they serve.

The important consequence of this is that each person may receive confirmation that particular doctrines taught by a prophet are true, as well as gain divine insight in using those truths for their own benefit and eternal progress. In the church, personal revelation is expected and encouraged, and many converts believe that personal revelation from God was instrumental in their conversion.<ref>{{cite web | title=Continuing Revelation | work=Mormon.org | url=http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1084-1,00.html | access-date=August 5, 2005}}</ref>

==Relationship with other faiths==

===Relationship with mainstream Christianity===
{{See also|Mormonism and Nicene Christianity}}

[[File:Christus statue temple square salt lake city.jpg|thumb|Mormons see Jesus Christ as the premier figure of their religion.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=8}} ("As the name of the church&nbsp;... suggests, Jesus Christ is the premier figure. Smith does not even play the role of the last and culminating prophet, as Muhammad does in Islam"); {{cite web |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/what-mormons-believe-about-jesus-christ |title=What Mormons Believe About Jesus Christ |publisher=LDS Newsroom |access-date=November 11, 2011}}; In a [http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america-executive-summary.aspx#beliefs 2011 Pew Survey] a thousand Mormons were asked to volunteer the one word that best describes Mormons. The most common response from those surveyed was "Christian" or "Christ-centered".</ref>]]

Mormonism categorizes itself within [[Christianity]], and nearly all Mormons self-identify as [[Christians|Christian]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mormonism in America |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Mormon/mormons-in-america-executive-summary.aspx |website=Pew Research Center |date=January 2012 |quote=Mormons are nearly unanimous in describing Mormonism as a Christian religion, with 97% expressing this point of view.}}</ref><ref name = aremormonschristian>{{citation |author= Robinson, Stephanie |date= May 1998 |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/1998/05/are-mormons-christians?lang=eng |title= Are Mormons Christians? |publisher= LDS Church |journal= [[New Era (magazine)|New Era]]}}</ref><ref>According to [[Bruce R. McConkie]], a [[general authority]] of the LDS Church, "Mormonism is indistinguishable from Christianity." {{citation |author= Bruce R. McConkie |title= Mormon Doctrine |page= 513 |title-link= Mormon Doctrine (book) }}<!-- Need to know the year so we know which edition this is from --></ref> For some who define Christianity within the doctrines of [[Catholicism]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern]] and [[Oriental Orthodoxy]], the [[Assyrian Church of the East|Churches]] [[Ancient Church of the East|of the East]], and [[Protestantism]], Mormonism's differences place it outside the umbrella of Christianity.<ref>For example, a 2007 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center found that one in three Americans surveyed do not consider Mormons to be Christian. See for example [http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19478/religion-poll-2 ReligionNewsblog.com]</ref><ref>"It is sometimes said that Mormonism is to Christianity as Christianity is to Judaism. Both Mormonism and Christianity established themselves by reinterpreting a preceding faith. Christianity built on Judaism but emphasized the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; Mormonism began with Christianity but accepted new revelation through a modern prophet." {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=62}}</ref><ref>Examples of organizations that do not recognize Mormonism as Christian include:<br/> • [[Luther Seminary]] ({{citation |title=The New (and Old) Religions Around Us |url=http://www.luthersem.edu/lifelong_learning/layschool/handouts/New%20and%20Old%20Religions%20Slides%20Session%204.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103232351/http://www.luthersem.edu/lifelong_learning/layschool/handouts/New%20and%20Old%20Religions%20Slides%20Session%204.pdf |archive-date=January 3, 2014 |first= Mark A. |last= Granquist |date=March 7, 2011 |website=Luther Seminary}});<br/> • [[Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary]] ({{citation |url=http://www.mbts.edu/2011/10/is-mormonism-christian |title=Is Mormonism Christian? |date=October 20, 2011 |website=Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary |access-date= May 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829125115/http://www.mbts.edu/2011/10/is-mormonism-christian/ |archive-date= August 29, 2013 }});<br/> • [[Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]] ({{citation |url= http://www.christianity.com/christian-life/political-and-social-issues/mormonism-is-not-christianity-11628184.html |title= Is Mormonism Christian? |first= Albert |last= Mohler |author-link= Albert Mohler |date= n.d. |work= christianity.com |publisher= [[Salem Web Network]] }}.<br/> See also: [[Christian countercult movement]]</ref>

Since its beginnings, the faith has proclaimed itself to be Christ's Church [[Restorationism (Christian primitivism)|restored]] with its original authority, structure and power; maintaining that existing denominations believed in incorrect doctrines and were not acknowledged by God as his church and kingdom.<ref>Teaching that existing denominations "were believing in incorrect doctrines, and that none of them was acknowledged by God as his church and kingdom" {{Harvnb|Smith|1842a|p=707}} and "all their creeds were an abomination in his sight." {{Harvnb|Smith|1842c|p=748}}</ref> Though the religion quickly gained a large following of Christian seekers, in the 1830s, many American Christians came to view the church's early doctrines and practices<ref>, the most publicized of which included [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionism]], [[plural marriage]] and the church's [[theodemocracy|theocratic aspirations]] (both now discontinued by the mainstream faith),</ref> as politically and culturally [[subversion (politics)|subversive]], as well as doctrinally heretical, abominable, and condemnable. This discord led to a series of sometimes-deadly conflicts between Mormons and others who saw themselves as orthodox Christians.<ref>For more information on historical conflicts, see [[History of the Latter Day Saint movement]].</ref> Although such violence declined during the twentieth century, the religion's unique doctrinal views and practices still generate criticism, sometimes vehemently so. This gives rise to efforts by Mormons and opposing types of Christians to proselytize each other.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Mormons believe in Jesus Christ as the literal [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God]] and [[Messiah]], [[Crucifixion of Jesus|his crucifixion]] as a conclusion of a [[sin offering]], and subsequent [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/what-mormons-believe-about-jesus-christ |title=What Mormons Believe About Jesus Christ—LDS Newsroom |publisher=Newsroom.lds.org |access-date=November 27, 2013}}</ref> However, Latter-day Saints (LDS) reject the [[ecumenical creeds]] and the definition of the [[Trinity]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1.18-19?lang=eng |title=Joseph Smith History 1:18-19 |publisher=Scriptures.lds.org |access-date=November 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title= Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith |editor-first= Joseph Fielding |editor-last= Smith |editor-link= Joseph Fielding Smith |location= Salt Lake City |publisher= [[Deseret Book]] |year= 1976 |orig-date= 1938 |page= 370 |title-link= Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (book) }}</ref> (In contrast, the second-largest Latter Day Saint denomination, the [[Community of Christ]], is Trinitarian and [[monotheistic]].) Mormons hold the view that the [[New Testament]] prophesied both the [[Great Apostasy|apostasy]] from the teachings of Christ and his apostles as well as the [[Restorationism (Christian primitivism)|restoration]] of all things prior to the second coming of Christ.<ref>See, for instance, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/2-thes/2.2-3?lang=eng Thessalonians 2:2-3] and [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/acts/3.19-21?lang=eng Acts 3:19-21]</ref>

Some notable differences with mainstream Christianity include a belief that Jesus began his [[Substitutionary atonement|atonement]] in the garden of [[Gethsemane]] and continued it to his crucifixion, rather than the orthodox belief that the crucifixion alone was the physical atonement;<ref>{{citation |first= Bruce R. |last= McConkie |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1985/05/the-purifying-power-of-gethsemane?lang=eng |title= The Purifying Power of Gethsemane |journal= [[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |date=May 1985 |page= 9}}</ref> and an afterlife with three [[degrees of glory]], with [[hell]] (often called [[Spirit world (Latter Day Saints)#Spirit prison|spirit prison]]) being a temporary repository for the wicked between death and the resurrection.<ref>Mormon scriptures speak of hell in two ways. The first is another name for [[Spirit world (Latter Day Saints)#Spirit prison|spirit prison]], a place for the spirits of people who have "died in their sins." The second is a more permanent place called [[Outer Darkness]], reserved for the Devil, his angels, and those who have committed the unpardonable sin. ''True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference'', 2004, LDS Church. "[http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Curriculum/home%20and%20family.htm/true%20to%20the%20faith%20a%20gospel%20reference.htm/hell.htm?f=templates$fn=document-frame.htm$3.0#JD_36863Hel Hell] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616000140/http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Curriculum/home%20and%20family.htm/true%20to%20the%20faith%20a%20gospel%20reference.htm/hell.htm?f=templates$fn=document-frame.htm$3.0#JD_36863Hel |date=2010-06-16 }}," p. 81; See also: [[Christian views on Hell#Latter-day Saints|Christian views on Hell (Latter-day Saints)]]</ref> Additionally, Mormons do not believe in creation ''[[ex nihilo]]'', believing that matter is eternal, and creation involved God organizing existing matter.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=71}}</ref>

Much of the Mormon belief system is geographically oriented around the [[North America|North]] and [[South America]]n continents. Mormons believe that the people of the [[Book of Mormon]] lived in the [[western hemisphere]], that Christ appeared in the western hemisphere after his death and resurrection, that the true faith was restored in [[Upstate New York]] by Joseph Smith, that the [[Garden of Eden]] was located in North America, and that the [[New Jerusalem]] would be built in [[Missouri]].{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} For this and other reasons, including a belief by many Mormons in [[American exceptionalism]], [[Molly Worthen]] speculates that this may be why [[Leo Tolstoy]] described Mormonism as the "quintessential 'American religion{{' "}}.<ref>[[Molly Worthen|Worthen, Molly]], "[https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/13/the_missionary_position The Missionary Position] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103203934/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/13/the_missionary_position |date=November 3, 2014 }}", ''[[Foreign Policy Magazine|Foreign Policy]]'', June 13, 2011.</ref>

===Relationship with Judaism===
{{See also|Mormonism and Judaism}}

Although Mormons do not claim to be part of [[Judaism]], Mormon theology claims to situate Mormonism within the context of Judaism to an extent that goes beyond what most other Christian denominations claim. The faith incorporates many [[Old Testament]] ideas into its theology, and the beliefs of Mormons sometimes parallel those of Judaism and certain elements of Jewish culture. In the earliest days of Mormonism, Joseph Smith taught that the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas]] were members of some of the [[Lost Tribes of Israel]]. Later, he taught that Mormons were Israelites, and that they may learn of their tribal affiliation within the twelve Israelite tribes. Members of the LDS Church receive [[Patriarchal blessing]]s which declare the recipient's lineage within one of the tribes of Israel. The lineage is either through true blood-line or adoption. The LDS Church teaches that if one is not a direct descendant of one of the twelve tribes, upon baptism he or she is adopted into one of the tribes. Patriarchal blessings also include personal information which is revealed through a patriarch by the power of the priesthood.

Smith hired Joseph Seixas, son of [[Gershom Mendes Seixas]] and Hebrew school teacher at [[Congregation Shearith Israel]], to teach Mormon leaders Hebrew. Smith himself attended some of these classes and went on to use his basic Hebrew in teachings. For example, Smith named the largest Mormon settlement he founded ''[[Nauvoo, Illinois|Nauvoo]]'', which means "beautiful" (pl.) in [[Biblical Hebrew]]. Brigham Young named a tributary of the [[Great Salt Lake]] the ''[[Jordan River (Utah)|Jordan River]]''. The LDS Church has a [[BYU Jerusalem Center|Jerusalem Center]] in [[Israel]], where students focus their study on Near Eastern history, culture, language, and the Bible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ce.byu.edu/jc/ |title=BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies |publisher=Ce.byu.edu |access-date=November 27, 2013}}</ref>

There has been some controversy involving Jewish groups who see the actions of some elements of Mormonism as offensive. In the 1990s, Jewish groups vocally opposed the LDS practice of [[baptism for the dead]] on behalf of Jewish victims of [[the Holocaust]] and Jews in general. According to LDS Church [[general authority]] Monte J. Brough, "Mormons who baptized 380,000 Holocaust victims posthumously were motivated by love and compassion and did not understand their gesture might offend Jews ... they did not realize that what they intended as a 'Christian act of service' was 'misguided and insensitive{{' "}}.<ref>Pyle, Richard. {{cite web|title=Mormons, Jews sign agreement on baptizing Holocaust victims.|url=http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/ldsagree.html|access-date=January 4, 2007}} AP Newswire, May 5, 1995.</ref> Mormons believe that when the dead are baptized through proxy, they have the option of accepting or rejecting the ordinance.

===Relationship with UFOlogy===
{{See also|Mormonism and UFOs}}

Many Mormons are believers, experiencers, or promotors of [[Unidentified flying object|UFO]]s as an interstellar or non-human phenomenon. Matthew Bowman, scholar of [[Mormon studies|Mormon Studies]], writes that while some people use this to try to make Mormonism look silly, "a good number of Latter-day Saints" have welcomed being associated with UFOs. "Latter-day Saints have pointed to the phenomenon as either entirely consistent with their faith or even proof of it. ... These folks are the heirs to a strain of theology going back to Brigham Young that peaked with the early 20th-century writings of church leaders like [[B. H. Roberts|B.H. Roberts]] or [[John A. Widtsoe|John Widtsoe]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Matthew Bowman: Why some Latter-day Saints believe in UFOs and why these alien travelers fit with their religion |url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2023/09/05/matthew-bowman-why-some-latter-day/ |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Theological divisions==

Mormon theology includes three main movements. By far the largest of these is "mainstream Mormonism", defined by the leadership of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church). The two broad movements outside mainstream Mormonism are [[Mormon fundamentalism]], and liberal reformist Mormonism.

===Mainstream Mormon theology===
{{See also|Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}

Mainstream Mormonism is defined by the leadership of the LDS Church which identifies itself as Christian.<ref name = aremormonschristian/> Members of the LDS Church consider their top leaders to be prophets and [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostle]]s, and are encouraged to accept their positions on matters of theology, while seeking confirmation of them through personal study of the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Personal prayer is encouraged as well. The LDS Church is by far the largest branch of Mormonism. It has continuously existed since the [[Succession crisis (Latter Day Saints)|succession crisis]] of 1844 that split the Latter Day Saint movement after the death of founder Joseph Smith, Jr.

The LDS Church seeks to distance itself from other branches of Mormonism, particularly those that practice polygamy.<ref>The LDS Church encourages journalists not to use the word ''Mormon'' in reference to organizations or people that practice polygamy {{cite web |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/style-guide |title=Style Guide—LDS Newsroom |date= April 9, 2010|access-date=November 11, 2011}}; The church repudiates polygamist groups and excommunicates their members if discovered {{Harvtxt|Bushman|2008|p=91}}; {{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/25396937 |title=Mormons seek distance from polygamous sects |year=2008 |publisher=NBC News}}</ref>
The church maintains a degree of orthodoxy by excommunicating or disciplining its members who take positions or engage in practices viewed as apostasy. For example, the LDS Church excommunicates members who practice polygamy or who adopt the beliefs and practices of Mormon fundamentalism.

===Mormon fundamentalism===
{{Main|Mormon fundamentalism}}
{{more citations needed section|find=FLDS|find2=differences with mainstream LDS|date=October 2022}}

One way Mormon fundamentalism distinguishes itself from mainstream Mormonism is through the practice of [[plural marriage]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hardy |first=B. Carmon |date=December 1, 2011 |title=The Persistence of Mormon Plural Marriage |url=https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/dial/article/44/4/43/248891/The-Persistence-of-Mormon-Plural-Marriage |access-date=September 15, 2022 |journal=Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought|volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=43–106 |doi=10.5406/dialjmormthou.44.4.0043 |s2cid=172005470 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Fundamentalists initially broke from the LDS Church after that doctrine was discontinued around the beginning of the 20th century. Mormon fundamentalism teaches that plural marriage is a requirement for [[Exaltation (Latter Day Saints)|exaltation]] (the highest degree of salvation), which will allow them to live as gods and goddesses in the afterlife. Mainstream Mormons, by contrast, believe that a single [[Celestial marriage]] is necessary for exaltation.

In distinction with the LDS Church, Mormon fundamentalists also often believe in a number of other doctrines taught and practiced by [[Brigham Young]] in the 19th century, which the LDS Church has either abandoned, repudiated, or put in abeyance. These include:
*the [[law of consecration]] also known as the [[United Order]] (put in abeyance by the LDS Church in the 19th century);
*the [[Adam–God theory|Adam–God teachings]] taught by Brigham Young and other early leaders of the LDS Church (repudiated by the LDS Church in the mid-20th century);
*the principle of [[blood atonement]] (repudiated by the LDS Church in the mid-19th century); and
*the [[Black people and Mormonism|exclusion of black men]] from the [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|priesthood]] (abandoned by the LDS Church in 1978).

Mormon fundamentalists believe that these principles were wrongly abandoned or changed by the LDS Church, in large part due to the desire of its leadership and members to assimilate into mainstream American society and avoid the persecutions and conflict that had characterized the church throughout its early years. Others believe that it was a necessity at some point for "a restoration of all things"{{quote without source|date=July 2022}} to be a truly restored Church.

===Liberal reformist theology===
{{see also|Bickertonite}}

Some LDS Church members have worked towards a more liberal reform of the church. Others have left the LDS Church and still consider themselves to be [[cultural Mormon]]s. Others have formed new religions (many of them now defunct). For instance the [[Godbeites]] broke away from the LDS Church in the late 19th century, on the basis of both political and religious liberalism, and in 1985 the [[Restoration Church of Jesus Christ]] broke away from the LDS Church as an [[LGBT-friendly]] denomination, which was formally dissolved in 2010.

==Criticism==
{{main|Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement}}

As the largest denomination within Mormonism, the LDS Church has been the subject of criticism since it was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830.

Perhaps the most controversial, and a key contributing factor for Smith's murder, is the claim that [[plural marriage]] (as defenders call it) or [[polygamy]] (as critics call it) is biblically authorized. Under heavy pressure—[[History of Utah|Utah]] would not be accepted as a state if polygamy was practiced—the church formally and publicly renounced the practice [[1890 Manifesto|in 1890]]. Utah's statehood soon followed. However, plural marriage remains a controversial and divisive issue, as despite the official renunciation of 1890, it still has sympathizers, defenders, and semi-secret practitioners within Mormonism, though not within the LDS Church.

More recent criticism has concerned questions of [[Criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints#Criticism|historical revisionism]], [[Criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints#Views on homosexuality|homophobia]], [[Criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints#Racism|racism]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://irr.org/mit/pdfs/Skin-Color-&-LDS-Church.pdf |title=Skin Color in Mormon Scripture and Theology |access-date=February 6, 2009  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122170912/http://irr.org/mit/pdfs/Skin-Color-%26-LDS-Church.pdf |archive-date=January 22, 2009 }}</ref> [[Criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints#Gender bias and sexism|sexist policies]], [[Finances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|inadequate financial disclosure]], and the [[historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity|Latter Day Saint movement}}

* [[Anti-Mormonism]]
* [[Black people and Mormonism]]
* [[Black people and early Mormonism]]
* [[Black people and Mormon priesthood]]
* ''[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]]''
* [[List of articles about Mormonism]]
* [[List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement]]
* [[Mormonism and Pacific Islanders]]
* [[Native American people and Mormonism]]
* [[Outline of Joseph Smith]]
* [[Outline of the Book of Mormon]]
* ''[[The Joseph Smith Papers]]''

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

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|last = Bloom
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|title = The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation
|publisher = Simon & Schuster
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|edition = 1st
|year = 1992
|isbn = 978-0-671-67997-2
|url = https://archive.org/details/americanreligio000bloo
}}
*{{cite book
|last = Brooke
|given = John L.
|title = The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644–1844
|year = 1994
|publisher = Cambridge University Press
|location = Cambridge
}}
*{{cite book
|last = Bushman
|first = Richard Lyman
|author-link = Richard Bushman
|title = Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction
|year = 2008
|place = New York
|publisher = Oxford University Press
|isbn = 978-0-19-531030-6
}}
*{{cite book
|title = Mormons and Mormonism: an introduction to an American world religion
|first = Eric Alden
|last = Eliason
|publisher = University of Illinois Press
|year = 2001
}}
*{{cite book
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 | title=The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation
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 | year=1994
 | isbn=0-252-02071-5
 }}
*{{cite book
|last = McMurrin
|first = Sterling M.
|author-link = Sterling M. McMurrin
|title = The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion
|publisher = [[Signature Books]]
|location = Salt Lake City
|year = 1965
|isbn = 1-56085-135-X
}}
*{{cite book
|last1 = Ostling
|first1 = Richard
|last2 = Ostling
|first2 = Joan K.
|author1-link = Richard and Joan Ostling
|title = Mormon America: The Power and the Promise
|publisher = HarperOne
|location = New York
|year = 2007
|isbn = 978-0-06-143295-8
}}
*{{cite book
 | last=Remini
 | given=Robert V.
 | author-link=Robert V. Remini
 | title=Joseph Smith: A Penguin Life
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 | isbn=0-670-03083-X
 | url=https://archive.org/details/josephsmith00remi
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*{{cite book
|last = Shipps
|first = Jan
|title = Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition
|year = 1985
|publisher = University of Illinois Press
|location = Chicago
|isbn = 0-252-01417-0
}}.
*{{cite journal
 | last=Smith
 | first=Joseph Jr.
 | author-link=Joseph Smith
 | title=Church History [Wentworth Letter]
 | journal=[[Times and Seasons]]
 | volume=3
 | issue=9
 | pages=706–10 [707]
 | date=1 March 1842a | url=http://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v3n09.htm#706
}}.
*{{cite journal
 | last=Smith
 | first=Joseph
 | author-link=Joseph Smith
 | title=History of Joseph Smith
 | journal=[[Times and Seasons]]
 | volume=3
 | issue=11
 | pages=748–49
 | date=1 April 1842c
| url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/NCMP1820-1846,9825
 }}
*{{cite book
|first1 = Rodney
|last1 = Stark
|author1-link=Rodney Stark
|first2 = Reid Larkin
|last2 = Neilson
|author2-link=Reid Larkin Neilson
|title = The rise of Mormonism
|publisher = Columbia University Press
|year = 2005
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IN4QeS38Qk0C
|isbn = 978-0-231-13634-1
}}
*{{cite book
|last1 = Toscano
|first1 = Margaret
|last2 = Toscano
|first2 = Paul
|year = 1990
|title = Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology
|publisher = Signature Books
|location = Salt Lake City
|url = http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=3813
}}
*{{cite journal
|last = White
|first = O. Kendall Jr.
|title = The Transformation of Mormon Theology
|journal = [[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]]
|volume = 5
|issue = 2
|year = 1970
|pages = 9–24
|doi = 10.2307/45224197
|jstor = 45224197
|s2cid = 254388331
|url = https://dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V05N02_11.pdf
}}
*{{cite book
 |last = White
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 |title = Mormon Neo-Orthodoxy: A Crisis Theology
 |year = 1987
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 |url = http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/theology/preface.htm#preface
 |isbn = 0941214-524
 |access-date = December 28, 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100707010446/http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/theology/preface.htm#preface
 |archive-date = July 7, 2010
}}
*{{cite book
|last = Widmer
|first = Kurt
|title = Mormonism and the Nature of God: A Theological Evolution, 1830–1915
|location = Jefferson, N.C.
|publisher = McFarland
|year = 2000
}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite journal |last=Barnes |first=Jane |date=2012 |title=Post-Modern Joseph Smith: Faith and Irony |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/487673 |journal=[[The Hopkins Review]] |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=490–507 |doi=10.1353/thr.2012.0074 |issn=1939-9774}}
* {{Cite book |last=Beam |first=Alex |authorlink=Alex Beam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5c8iBQAAQBAJ |title=American Crucifixion: The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church |date=2014-04-22 |publisher=[[PublicAffairs]] |isbn=978-1-61039-313-3 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Beckwith |editor-first1=Francis J. |editor-first2=Carl |editor-last2=Mosser |editor-first3=Paul |editor-last3=Owen |year=2002 |title=The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement |location=Grand Rapids, MI |publisher=Zondervan |isbn=0-310-23194-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Samuel Morris |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/8938 |title=In Heaven as It Is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death |date=2012 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-993251-1 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199793570.001.0001}}
* {{cite book |title= Contemporary Mormonism: Social Science Perspectives |editor1-first= Marie |editor1-last= Cornwall |editor1-link= Marie Cornwall |editor2-first= Tim B. |editor2-link= Tim B. Heaton |editor2-last= Heaton |editor3-first= Lawrence A. |editor3-last= Young |year= 2001 |place= Urbana |publisher= University of Illinois Press |isbn= 0-252-06959-5 |oclc= 28721262 }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Duffy |first=John-Charles |date=2006 |title=Just How "Scandalous" is the Golden Plates Story? Academic Discourse on the Origin of the Book of Mormon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43200239 |journal=[[The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal]] |volume=26 |pages=142–165 |jstor=43200239 |issn=0739-7852}}
* {{Cite book |first=Clyde R. |last=Forsberg Jr. |date=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GAHQxbjPsDgC |title=Equal Rites: The Book of Mormon, Masonry, Gender, and American Culture |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=978-0-231-50746-2 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last = Palmer |first = Grant H |authorlink = Grant H. Palmer |date = 2002 |title = [[An Insider's View of Mormon Origins]] |publisher = [[Signature Books]] |isbn = 1-56085-157-0 }}
* {{cite book |last=Shields |first=Steven L. |year=1990 |title=Divergent Paths of the Restoration: a History of the Latter Day Saint Movement |edition=Fourth revised and enlarged |location=Los Angeles |publisher=Restoration Research |isbn=0-942284-00-3}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Taves |first=Ann |author-link=Ann Taves |date=2014 |title=History and the Claims of Revelation: Joseph Smith and the Materialization of the Golden Plates |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5s4591r8 |journal=[[Numen (journal)|Numen: International Review for the History of Religions]] |volume=61 |issue=2–3 |pages=182–207 |doi=10.1163/15685276-12341315 |s2cid=170900524 |via=eScholarship}}
* {{Cite book |last=Tobolowsky |first=Andrew |date=2022-03-17 |chapter=Becoming Israel in America: The Mormons and the New Jerusalem |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-K5hEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA148 |title=The Myth of the Twelve Tribes of Israel: New Identities Across Time and Space |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-009-08913-5 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Vogel |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Vogel |year=2004 |title=[[Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet]] |publisher=[[Signature Books]] |isbn=1560851791 }}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |wikt=Category:Mormonism |commons=Mormonism |b=no |n=no |q=Mormonism |s=Mormonism |v=no |species=no }}
*[https://www.pbs.org/mormons/ PBS: ''Frontline'' + ''American Experience'': Mormons]—PBS special on Mormon belief
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101229212909/http://www.patheos.com/Library/Mormonism.html Patheos + Mormonism]—Patheos.com. Mormonism Origins, Mormonism History, Mormonism Beliefs (archived 29 December 2010)
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/mormon/index.shtml "Religions: Mormonism"]—[[BBC Online|BBC Religion]]

===Links to official websites of specific Mormon denominations===
*[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]
*[http://www.cofchrist.org Community of Christ] (formerly the RLDS church)
*[http://www.thechurchofjesuschrist.org The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)]
*[http://www.elijahmessage.net Church of Christ With the Elijah Message]

{{Latter Day Saint movement}}
{{Religion topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mormonism| ]]
[[Category:Christian new religious movements]]
[[Category:Joseph Smith]]
[[Category:Latter Day Saint terms]]
[[Category:Mormon studies]]
[[Category:Nontrinitarian denominations]]
[[Category:Abrahamic religions]]
[[Category:1820s introductions]]