Doctrine and covenants, 1835, page 251 the joseph smith papers. The truth about mormonism church of christ in zion. An earlier version of this paper was presented in 989 at the sunstone symposium xi in salt lake city. After the lecture, he took questions from the students. Mormonism 101 contributes absolutely nothing new to the body of anti mormonism there is nothing in the book that hasnt been written about elsewhere. Another testament of jesus christ, which is an english translation from the golden plates that was first published in 1830.
This book exposes the many differences between mormonism and traditional christianity. Together the authors examine the major tenets of mormon theology and compare them with orthodox christian beliefs. Ive read several books now, including the controversial, the god makers. The traitorous amalickiah urged lehonti to come down and meet him in the. Oaks of the quorum of the twelve apostles and thomas b. The book is very thorough, and i learned a lot of new details about mormonism. Beside the scriptures, the book of mormon, the pearl of great price, and the doctrine and covenants are accepted as inspired. Mormonism 101 mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs.
Replica of the original gold plates of the book of mormon. An account of how the book of mormon was received by believers and unbelievers. Top ten books the lds mormon church doesnt want you to. Denny burk has a very helpful piece on whether mormonism is a cult, and albert mohler has written a thoughtful article on mormonism, democracy, and. The lds church has distinct beliefs, an interesting history, and its influence is increasing in america and elsewhere in the world. Mormons traditionally have rejected outright the nearly contemporary accounts from hostile non mormons in favor of lds accounts written long after the event.
The early history of the mormons official site pbs. Criticism of mormonismbooksmormonism 101introduction. The word mormon originally derived from the book of mormon, a religious text published by smith, which he said he translated from golden plates with divine. It was back in may of 2000 that i ordered mormonism 101. The world view of mormonism is polytheism many gods.
I bought this book because i will spending a few days in salt lake city on my upcoming vacation. According to the bible, after cain killed abel, god cursed him and put a mark on him, although the bible does not state what the nature of the mark was. Feb 29, 2000 mormonism 101 is a good guide as to how mormonism differs from mainstream christianity. Within the lds church, a movement to reemphasize the jesusbased elements of mormonism in the 1980s included a rediscovery of the book of mormon. The lds church recognizes four main texts as divinely inspired and authoritative scripture. The mormon church distributes free copies of the king james version of the bible and the book of mormon. Mar 30, 2012 he was invited to lecture on mormonism 101, a very basic introduction to mormonism for those who are not mormon. Because it can be so confusing to ascertain the di. To be included on this list of fifty each work had to be a book or set of books. Discussion regarding the historicity of the book of mormon often focuses on archaeological issues, some of which relate to the large size and the long time span of the civilizations mentioned in the book. For your free copy of the bible, go to free holy bible and for a free book of mormon, go to free book of mormon. The author typically portrays christian teaching vary narrowly, misrepresenting the majority of christians. Mormons believe in the bible, as well as other books of scripture, such as the book of mormon. Asterisk denotes a featured version, which includes an introduction and annotation book of mormon, 1830 book of mormon, 1837 book of mormon, 1840 book of mormon, 1841 page 47 hide editing marks.
Mormons today believe that god the father, jesus christ and the holy ghost are three separate persons who together constitute the godhead. This earlier book contained 65 early revelations to church leaders, including joseph smith and oliver cowdery. Explorations in critical methodology, signature books, 1993, page 1 to 2. For those who have wondered in what specific ways it differs from the christian faith, mormonism 101 provides definitive answers.
Number of mormons to peak at 20 million in 2045 the mormon church traditionally announces a statistical update during its april general conference. I prefer mormonism 101 to any book ive read because this book documents and references everything very well. Section 101 statement on marriage, circa august 1835. It also sheds light on the the true origins of the book of mormon. Under the banner of heaven by jon krakauer, the 19th wife by david ebershoff, no man knows my history. The psychological effects of the mormon church on its members. Book of mormon, 1841, page 47 the joseph smith papers. Find out about its teachings of men becoming gods, temples, the book of mormon, and joseph smith who claimed to have seen god the father. The book of mormon vs mormonism richard packhams home page. The title page states that the purpose of the book of mormon is to show unto the. Though the book is written by christians, much of the text is an objective presentation of facts. It is simply another example of modernday professional antimormonismattacking the restored gospel for money. Mar 17, 2004 mormonism was founded by joseph smith in the mid19th century northeast united states. Edited by grant hardy 2003 although mark twain famously dismissed the book of mormon as chloroform in print, mormonism s founding scripture deserves a.
Lund goodreads author shelved 6 times as mormon fiction avg rating 4. And with two mormon presidential candidates, including mitt romney the front runner for the republican nomination, theres a good chance we will be hearing much more about mormonism for the next twelve months. The pages of the book of commandments are rescued from the muddy. The pearl of great price, another mormon book of scripture, describes the descendants of cain as darkskinned 12 in another biblical account, ham discovered his father noah drunk and naked in his tent. New viewpoint on mormonism series focuses on christmas book citations from lds leaders by eric johnson from 1981 until 2017, the first presidency of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints published leatherbound editions of the standard works or books. The word mormon originally derived from the book of mormon, a religious text. Over the years, a number of christians have told us how this resource helped them to better understand the theology of. The true origin of the book of mormon by charles augustus shook. Founder of the largest indigenous christian church in american history, joseph smith published the 584 page book of mormon when he was 23 and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age 38. Mormonism 101 is a lecture series held at the harvard law school. For those who have wondered in what specific ways mormonism differs from the christian faith, mormonism 101 provides definitive answers, examining the major tenets of mormon theology and comparing them with orthodox christian beliefs. I find mormonism 101 to be thorough introduction to the church of jesus christ of the latterday saints. Not one thing is claimed without very accurate proof. They have a unique view of cosmology and believe that all people are spiritchildren of god.
Independent information about the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormons. The history of the church of jesus christ of latterday saintscasually dubbed mormonismis a modern epic. Civilizations of their magnitude and duration would be expected to leave extensive archaeological records. Book of mormon, 1830, page 47 the joseph smith papers. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the mormon. I wanted to learn what mormonism is about and how it differs from the christianity i know. Buy cheap church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormon. There they will wait out the winter of 184647 before beginning their westward trek again. Jesuss name examined in the book of mormon the book of mormon has many references to the name, jesus, christ or jesus christ. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Mormonism the church of jesus christ of latter day. For example, mormons readily accept the accuracy of joseph smiths sermons which were massively reconstructed more than a decade after he spoke. Mormonism is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, with over five million mormons in the united states alone. This book details the lds belief and the supporting documents or statements of those beliefs.
The title page proclaims the book to be a contemporary expose of mormonism, and makes the claim that the historical portion of the book of mormon text was based upon a manuscript written by solomon spalding. In 1982, the church subtitled the book another testament of jesus christ, to emphasize that jesus was a central focus of the book 97 and that the book is intended to be a complement to the bible. An annual event, it is sponsored by the schools latterday saint student association. Popular mormonism books meet your next favorite book. However one thing i have noticed to be consistently true is that believing mormons are very difficult to talk religion with. Introduction the word cult is a loaded, pejorative term. Aug 08, 2012 the latterday saint canon consists of four books. The lds church encourages discovery of the books truth by following the. Mar 17, 2004 the lds church recognizes four main texts as divinely inspired and authoritative scripture. Mormonism is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. Mormonism 101 does not combine direct cookies or other firstpartyids with third party cookies or ids. The legacy of the mountain meadows massacre dvd debate. A very short introduction by richard bushman, the viper on the hearth by terryl givens, the.
Mormonism unvailed is a book published in 1834 by eber d. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. The doctrine and covenants was first published in 1835 as a later version of the book of commandments, which had been partially printed in 1833. Perfect for students of religion and anyone who wants to have. Mormons have very little official doctrine to begin with. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to. Not everything on this map constitutes official mormon doctrine. Denny burk has a very helpful piece on whether mormonism is a cult, and albert mohler has written a thoughtful article on mormonism. Known as the keystone of mormonism, the book of mormons origins have been debated since it first appeared on the scene. Mormons believe that returning to god requires following the example of jesus christ, and accepting his atonement through ordinances such as baptism. Mormonism 101 is not a bad introduction to mormonism.
The weakest part of the book is the presentation of christian doctrine. Apr 01, 2000 mormonism 101 is not a bad introduction to mormonism. Mormonism, also known as the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, claims to be the restoration of the true gospel and a revelation of the true god. A very plausible lost and missing novel by solomon spalding manuscript found, separate and distinct from the oberlin manuscript has not been ruled out by mormon apologists. The book talks about mormons key beliefs such as how they view jesus, the trinity, and communion mormonism 101. Essential books on mormonism the christian century. As a website, we desire to share that story with the world by sharing engaging, factual, and succinct accounts of the faith, dedication, and sacrifice of church members.
A proven resource for responding to mormons mormonism is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. Asterisk denotes a featured version, which includes an introduction and annotation book of mormon, 1830 book of mormon, 1837 book of mormon, 1840 book of mormon, 1841. Richard bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing mormon, moves beyond the. The american scripture that launched a new world religion, by terryl l. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints uses four holy books. A contemporary mormon view is that these civilizations rose and fell in mesoamerica. Mormon missionaries usually try to get prospective converts investigators to read it as soon. Although the book of mormon does not specifically call them apostles, bruce mcconkie does in his book the mortal messiah 4. They are busy knocking on doors as are the jehovahs witnesses. Mormon is only a nickname, one which can be properly applied to the members of the church but not to the church itself. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421.
Criticism of mormonismbooksmormonism 101 fairmormon. In the book of mormon, slavery was against the law. Independent information about the church or jesus christ of latterday saints mormons. This list is for ex mormons by an ex mormon score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Discover the basic beliefs and values of the religion of mormonism from a christian perspective, and learn how it differs from christianity. It is simply another example of modernday professional anti mormonism attacking the restored gospel for money. Much of what the mormons believe, is based on the theological speculations of early church leaders like joseph smith, sidney rigdon, brigham young, orson pratt, b.
According to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds, the. Examining the religion of the latterday saints by bill mckeever and eric johnson is a book all about the mormon faith. Book of commandments, 1833, page 47 the joseph smith papers. Examining 5 things the book of mormon bom is said to be the most correct book on earth, according to mormons. A practicing mormon attempts to understand the founding prophet of mormonism in realistic but sympathetic terms. Mormonism 101 contributes absolutely nothing new to the body of antimormonismthere is nothing in the book that hasnt been written about elsewhere. Mormons believe that joseph smith, the founder of mormonism, received a revelation from god in which he was commanded to practice polygam. The difference between the content of their lessons and the content of the research i did is indescribable. Mormonism research ministry challenging the claims of. It does rely heavily on statements of lds presidents, leaving me to wonder how influential those actually are. A readers edition, edited by grant hardy, mormonism.
The book of mormon vs mormonism by richard packham most people mormons and nonmormons alike assume that the mormon religion is based on its holy book, the book of mormon and that by reading that book one can learn what mormonism is all about. Joseph smiths first vision watch a video about the. The book of mormon the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Mormonism is the predominant religious tradition of the latter day saint movement of restorationist christianity started by joseph smith in western new york in the 1820s and 30s. Mckeever and johnson are coauthors of questions to ask your mormon friend.
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