Scriptures

While the Community of Christ uses Smith’s unfinished translation of the Bible, which incorporates prophecies of his own coming and of the Book of Mormon, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prefers the King James Version. Of great importance to both churches and factions is the Book of Mormon, which recounts the history of a group of Hebrews, led by the prophet Lehi, who migrated from Jerusalem to America about 600 bce. There they multiplied and split into two groups: the virtuous Nephites, who prospered for a time, and the hostile Lamanites, who eventually exterminated the Nephites.

Other revealed writings, including Smith’s translation of “Egyptian” texts that he declared to be the Book of Abraham, were incorporated into the Pearl of Great Price. The Doctrines and Covenants contains Smith’s ongoing revelations through 1844. The editions of the Utah church and of the Community of Christ add the revelations of their respective church presidents (who, like Smith, are regarded as prophets). The Community of Christ’s version of the Doctrines and Covenants omits several of Smith’s revelations that appear in the Utah edition.

Doctrines

Mormon beliefs are in some ways similar to those of orthodox Christian churches but also diverge markedly. The doctrinal statement, the Articles of Faith, for example, affirms the belief in God, the eternal Father, in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. These three beings—the Godhead—are considered to be distinct entities (a doctrine known as tritheism) rather than united as the Trinity. Although Mormons believe that Christ came to earth so that all might be saved and raised from the dead, they maintain that people’s futures are determined by their own actions as well as by the grace of God. They also stress faith, repentance, and acceptance of the ordinances of the church, including baptism by immersion and laying on of hands for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They administer the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as a memorial of Christ’s death.

Mormons believe that faithful members of the church may receive God’s fullness and thus become gods themselves. Everyone who ever lived, save for a few who reject God having known his power, will receive some degree of glory in the afterlife. At Christ’s return to earth, he will establish a millennial kingdom. After the millennium, the earth will become a celestial sphere and the inheritance of the righteous. Others will be assigned to lesser kingdoms named terrestrial and “telestial.”

Members of the church regard orthodox Christian churches as apostate for lacking revelation and an authoritative priesthood, although they are thought to be positive institutions in other respects. Smith, they believe, came to restore the institutions of the early Christian church. Although calling people to repent, Smith’s creed reflected contemporary American optimism in its emphasis on humanity’s inherent goodness and limitless potential for progress.

Institutions and practices

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dissolves the distinctions between the priesthood and the laity. At age 12 all worthy males (a category which until 1978 generally did not include black men) become deacons in the Aaronic priesthood. They become teachers at age 14 and priests at age 16. About two years later they may enter the Melchizedek priesthood as elders, and thereafter they may enter the upper ranks of the church priesthood hierarchy. In addition to service in the priesthood, many members accept the call to missionary work. Single young men, generally between the ages of 18 and 25, undertake a 24-month proselytizing mission, and single young women age 19 and older undertake a mission of 18 months. Many retired married couples also serve as missionaries. This missionary work helped to make the faith one of the fastest-growing religions in the world.

Baptism, a rite signifying repentance and obedience, is understood as essential for salvation. Baptism is administered to children at age eight and to adult converts and may be undertaken by proxy for those who died without knowledge of the truth. In 2019 the church reversed its position against the blessing and baptism of the children of LGBTQ couples, saying that such baptisms no longer need special approval from church leaders. In addition, gay marriage, while still considered “a serious transgression,” is no longer treated as apostasy in terms of church discipline.

The Mormons’ interest in genealogy proceeds from their concern to save the deceased population of the earth, and meticulous genealogical information is compiled in order to identify candidates for baptism by proxy. In 2010, after complaints from some Jewish groups, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed its procedure for collecting genealogical information, in order to prevent the names of Jews who had died during the Holocaust from being proposed for baptism by proxy. As of 2018, the church had some 4,800 family history centres in 134 countries to assist with genealogical research for anyone, regardless of faith.

Baptism for the dead, endowment (a rite of adult initiation in which blessings and knowledge are imparted to the initiate), and the sealing of husbands, wives, and children (which may also be undertaken by proxy for the dead) are essential ceremonies that take place in the temple. During the endowment, the person is ritually washed, anointed with oil, and dressed in temple garments. This is followed by a dramatic performance of the story of Creation, the Fall, and the return of God. Temples, which are distinct from the church meetinghouses used for weekly services, are reserved for such ceremonies. There are more than 150 temples worldwide.

Structure of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The “General Authorities” of the church are the First Presidency (the church president and two councillors), the Council of the Twelve Apostles, the First Quorum of Seventy, and the presiding bishop and two councillors, who manage the church’s property and welfare programs. All are “sustained in office” by the regular and now-ritualized vote of confidence at the semiannual General Conference, which is open to all believers and to outside observers as well. Until the year 2000, conferences were held in the dome-shaped tabernacle east of the temple in Salt Lake City. Constructed between 1864 and 1867, the tabernacle had become unable to accommodate conference attendance, and its use was largely replaced by the new LDS Conference Center, which has a capacity of nearly 22,000 and is one of the largest theatre-styled auditoriums in the world.

At the local level, members of the church are divided into “stakes” of 4,000 to 5,000 members under stake presidents and into wards, each of a few hundred members, under a bishop. The religious life of each member is focused on the ward, through which religious, economic, and social activities, tithing, and the operation of the church’s elaborate welfare plan are organized.

Community of Christ

The Community of Christ, which was known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints until 2001, holds less firmly to the Book of Mormon than its sister church and rejects various teachings, especially baptism on behalf of the dead and tithing. It never practiced polygamy or sealing for the afterlife. It does not perform temple ceremonies at the Kirtland, Ohio, temple, which it owns, or at the temple in Independence, Missouri. The office of church president was for many years passed to lineal descendants of Joseph Smith III. With the end of the presidency of Wallace B. Smith in 1996, however, no Smith descendant was available to take the reins of leadership. That year the church’s World Conference chose W. Grant McMurray as its new president.