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'''Mormonism''' is a [[heresy|heretical]] religion founded in 1830 by [[Joseph Smith, Jr.]] It is a form Most of [[Christian Restorationism]], and encompasses over one hundred sects, each of which differs substantially from its adherents comprise the others. Its largest body is [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (or "LDS)" Church, with its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah; while the second-largest sect is the [[Community of Christ]], headquartered in Independence, Missouri. Total membership for the LDS church as of 2008 is 13,000,000,<ref>"LDS Church says membership now 13 million worldwide", ''Salt Lake Tribune'', June 25, 2007.</ref> with 250,000 in the Community of Christ<ref>http://www.cofchrist.org/news/GeneralInfo.asp. This organization was known as the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" until 2001.</ref> and perhaps fifty thousand more 50,000 in the various several smaller sects.
==Brief History==
Mormonism began on April 6, 1830 in upstate Fayette, New York, as an alleged "restoration" of the original Apostolic Church. Its originator, Joseph Smith, Jr., asserted that he had seen a vision in 1820 of two celestial "personages" in 1820 who claimed to be God the Father and the our Lord Jesus Christ. These "personages" told Smith that all existing churches--including the Orthodox Church--were false, and that he was had been chosen to "restore" the one true Church.
Attracting a host of converts, Smith's new religion also garnered intense persecution, necessitating moves in turn to Ohio, Missouri (where the Mormons were brutally expelled in 1838 after a civil war between themselves and the state militia, culminating in the issuance of an order from the governor for their "extermination") and finally Illinois, where Joseph Smith was murdered in 1844. Smith's movement fragmented following his demise, with the majority eventually following Brigham Young to Utah. Here, the Mormons established themselves, planting settlements in Utah and nearby states.
Plural marriage proved a source of dissension within the Mormon religion, especially between the Utah Mormons and the smaller Community of Christ, which rejected this the doctrine. Polygamy also caused considerable trouble between the LDS church and the U.S. government, until the LDS church finally its practice was banned it in 1890. Throughout the twentieth last century, Mormons fought to project an image of wholesome, family-oriented Christianity, reaping millions of converts and emerging as a formidible presence on the world religous scene. With the fall of communism, the LDS church extended its prosletyzing efforts into traditionally Orthodox countries, including Russia, which passed a law in 1997 designed to hamper their efforts and those of other Western sects.
With the fall of communism, the LDS extended their prosletyzing efforts into traditionally Orthodox countries, including Russia, which passed a law in 1997 designed to hamper their efforts and those of other Western sects. ==Mormonism As Compared To Holy Orthodoxy==
''(This section is concerned with the organization and theology of the Utah LDS church, which contains the majority of the world's Mormons. While the Community of Christ church is similarly organized, its beliefs differ rather sharply from LDS Mormonism in many respects, as do the beliefs and organization of the smaller sects. However, all Latter Day Saint sects remain diametrically opposed to Orthodox Church teaching in most essential respects.)''
===Mormon Organization===
While Joseph Smith and early Mormon leaders taught that any person with a testimony of Christ is a [[prophet]]. However, the LDS church remains a hierarchial organization, with a president-prophet (, usually assisted by two "Counselors") , who alone possesses the "keys" to all prophetic power. Most members of the LDS church believe that their current president, Gordon BThomas S. Hinkley Monson (as of 2008), is a living prophet, and the sole person authorized to speak definitively for God on the earth today. Below this "First Presidency" are twelve "Apostles," who are also considered "prophets, seers, and revelators," but who do not exercize the prerogatives held by the church president. Beneath the these apostles are the "Seventies," concerned with heading up Mormon missionary efforts, together with a "presiding Presiding Bishopric" mostly largely relegated to temporal affairsconcerns. These men are collectively referred to as the "General Authorities" of the LDS church.<ref>All Utah LDS priesthood offices are limited to men; the Community of Christ, on the other hand, ordains both men and women (since 1984).</ref>
A local Mormon congregation, called a "ward" (equivalent to an Orthodox parish), is headed by a "bishop" (equivalent to an Orthodox parish priest). A group of wards occupying a specific geographical area is organized into a "stake" (equivalent to an Orthodox diocese), headed by a "stake president" (equivalent to an Orthodox bishop). The disparity between Mormon and Orthodox usage of "bishop" can cause confusion for the uninitiated!
Another source of confusion is the Mormon use of the word "Elder." While Orthodox Christians use "Elder" to refer to a holy person who has been given a special gift of spiritual insight and direction (but who is not necessarily a priest, or even a male), Mormons use this term to refer to a specific office in the "Melchizedek Priesthood," the higher of their two "priesthoods" (the lesser "priesthood" is referred to as the "Aaronic Priesthood"). "Elder" is the lowest office in this higher "priesthood," and is generally held by all male members of their church over the age of eighteen who are deemed "worthy" of it (the vast majority). "Patriarch" also has a different usage for Mormons than for Orthodox; instead of referring to the chiefest of Orthodox bishops, this term is used to describe an office in the higher Mormon priesthood mostly concerned with the giving of special "patriarchial blessings" to church members.
===The "Doctrine of Eternal Progression"===
:'''First''', there is a definite distinction in the Church between God and mankind, between the Creator and His Creation. God is eternal, and existed for eternity prior to (and entirely separate from) His creation (which, unlike its Creator, is ''not'' eternal), until the incarnation of the pre-eternal Word of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, as Our Lord Jesus Christ. This was a unique union between God and His creation, which never existed before. Mormonism, on the other hand, teaches that only matter and intelligence are truly eternal (not God), and that ''all'' of their "gods" essentially "evolved" in the same fashion, from physical matter.
:'''Second''', the Orthodox Church clearly teaches that the [[Holy Trinity|Most Holy Trinity ]] has ''always'' existed precisely as one God: "the Trinity, One in essence, and undivided." Mormonism, on the other hand, teaches that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in "purpose" only, and most emphatically ''not'' one in essence or hypostasis (as the Orthodox Church teaches). They are three "gods," say the Mormons, and not "one" in anything except a common purpose and mindset. Furthermore, say they, there are potentially billions of "gods" beyond the three they acknowledge as belonging to this world. All of this is diametrically opposed to Orthodox Christian teaching.
:'''Third''', Theosis is a unification between God and mankind, not the creation of an entirely separate deity (or dieties).
Mormonism's designation by Orthodoxy as being "heretical"--as opposed to instead of "heterodox," as is the case with the Roman Catholic and most major Protestant faiths--stems primarily from their spurious doctrines on the Holy Trinity and the nature of God, together with their various other specious beliefs.
Within these structures, Mormons practice (for themselves, or on behalf of others)certain esoteric rituals: :'''Baptism for the Dead''', where living proxies act on behalf of deceased persons who are then "baptized" into the LDS church; names are obtained from geneological research, for which the Mormons are world-famous. This practice was rejected by the Council of Hippo and the Third Council of Carthage, and St. [[John Chrysostom]] associated it with the heretical [[Marcionites]]. St. [[Clement of Alexandria]] indicated that Baptism for the Dead was a doctrine also particular to the [[Gnostic|Gnostics]].
:'''The so-called "Endowment'''," where initiates are taught the "fullness" of Mormon doctrine on such subjects as the "plurality of Gods," the Mormon version of creation, and the process by which one may "progress to godhood." Additionally, participants take a solemn oath never to reveal anything that goes on in the temple, as well as oaths to faithfully abide by all Mormon teachings. This ritual is essentially a "contract" between the Mormon "god" and his adherents, by which they promise to obey his laws and earthly leadership, and he in turn promises to advance them to "godhood" upon their resurrection. Many elements of this rite were stolen from the heretical [[Freemasons]], and Joseph Smith (who had been a Master Mason himself) was expelled from that fraternity as a result.
:'''Marriage for Eternity''', where participants, upon receiving their "Endowment," are married "for time and all eternity." This is seen as an indespensible requirement for "godhood." <ref>LDS ''Doctrine & Covenants'', Section 131. See http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/131.</ref> The Orthodox Church has traditionally rejected this concept. The Mormon hell, by the way, is limited to those few who have apostasized from the Mormon religion, broken their oath of secrecy about the Temple rituals (see below), committed murder after becoming a Mormon, or are guilty of other very serious offenses; together with the devil and his angels.
===The Mormon Concept of Angels===
In contrast to Orthodoxy, which views angels (whether righteous or fallen) as a separate class of beings created by God prior to--and separate from--humanity, Mormonism sees angels as being either pre-existent spirits of human beings not yet physically born, or the spirits of departed "righteous" men, such as characters from the Bible and the ''Book of Mormon.'' "Moroni," the alleged "angel" who showed the golden plates of the ''Book of Mormon'' to Joseph Smith (see below), was supposed to have been an ancient American prophet who figures prominently in the final portions of that book.
==="The Great [[Apostasy]]" and Apostolic Succession===
Mormons believe strongly in the concept of Apostolic Succession, which they refer to as "Priesthood succession" or "Priesthood lineage." However, since they recognize no church between the alleged "Great Apostasy" and the establishment of their own in 1830, they trace ''their'' succession to one of four "exalted beings,"<ref>The Mormons claim these beings to have been St. John the Baptist, and the Holy Apostles SS Peter, James and John.</ref> who purportedly visited Joseph Smith on two separate occasions in the 1820's, just prior to their church's founding.
===Mormonism Gethsamene and the CrossGolgotha===Utah Mormonism Mormons generally rejects reject all usage of the Holy [[Cross]] as a Christian symbol. The Mormon church teaches that the atonement of Christ took place, not primarily on the Cross, but rather in the Garden of Gethsamene the night before our Lord's His crucifixion. This seems to be the main focus of their theology: the The LDS Bible Dictionary entry for "Atonement" speaks of the shedding of Our Lord's blood as having taken place ''there''; His subsequent death on the Cross the following day is relegated to a seemingly secondary place. There is no entry for "Cross" in the official LDS Bible dictionaryDictionary, and its cursory entry for article on "crucifixion" makes no mention whatsoever of this salvific event having any role in His Atonement. In the The ''Mormonwiki'', the article on the "Atonement of Jesus Christ" contains a section entitled "Gethsamene and Golgotha," which emphasizes the time our Lord spent in the Garden of Gethsamene, alleging that it was ''here'' that the genuine "shedding of blood" took place to effect our salvation.
Many Mormon leaders have denounced the wearing or display of the Cross by Mormons. Some of their statements are contained in an essay entitled "Why Are There No Crosses on Mormon Churches and Temples?"<ref>http://members.tripod.com/~Aarius/nocross.htm.</ref>
On the other hand, the late Fr. Michael Pomazansky, author of ''Orthodox Dogmatic Theology'', shows the Orthodox teaching on the Cross as both the ''path'', ''power'' and ''banner'' of the Church. In his essay "The Cross of Christ: the Path, the Power and the Banner of the Church" (printed in this same book), he presents gives the Orthodox teaching on the vital importance of our Lord's Cross as the indispensible weapon, not only merely in the general victory against Satan and his angels won at Calvary, but equally in our own individual struggles for salvation.<ref>Pomazansky, Protopresbyter Michael, ''Orthodox Dogmatic Theology: A Concise Exposition''; St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1997, pp. 326-30.</ref>
===Original Sin and Infant Baptism===
In contrast, Orthodoxy teaches that while only [[Adam]] and [[Eve]] bear the ''guilt'' for their sin in the [[Garden of Eden]], they have transmitted the ''consequences'' of that sin to their posterity. St. [[Anastasius the Sinaite]] wrote this on the subject: "We became the inheritors of the curse in Adam. We were not punished as if we had disobeyed that divine commandment along with Adam; but because Adam became mortal, he transmitted sin to his posterity. We became mortal since we were born from a mortal."<ref>St. Anastasius the Sinaite, 19. Vide I.N. Karmirh, SUNOYIS THS DOGMATKHS THS ORQODOXOU EKKLHSIAS, s. 38. Quoted from Kalomiros, Dr. Alexandre, The River of Fire, ch. IV, found at http://www.orthodoxpress.org/parish/river_of_fire.htm.</ref>
In keeping with the Holy Scriptures and the Apostolic Tradition, the Orthodox Church baptizes infants by triple immersion (as She she does with adult converts, as well), not to cleanse them of any "[[original sin]]," but rather to give them the grace that this holy [[sacrament]] imparts, together with membership in the Church and access to the [[Eucharist|Holy Eucharist]] and all of the other means of grace She she offers.<ref>Pomazansky, pp. 268-69.</ref>
===Miracles and Martyrs===
Mormons assert that one proof of their claims is the miracles claimed by members of their sect, --and the comparative absence of these in other Christian denominations. This was emphasized during the early years of Mormonism, where their assertions of the "restoration" of the "gifts of the Spirit" contrasted sharply with Campbellite and other Protestants' assertions that such miracles had entirely ceased among Christians. Mormons assert insist that this cessation of such "gifts" comprises proof of their alleged "Great Apostasy" of the entire Church (see above).
Orthodoxy, however, offers an unbroken twenty-century history of wonderworkers, miracles and gifts far surpassing anything the Mormons can adduce. The twentieth century alone saw SS Nectarios of Aegina, John Maximovitch of San Francisco and John of Kronstadt, among others; each preceding century offers additional proof that the true "gifts of the Holy Spirit" ''never'' ceased in the one, true (Orthodox) Church of Christ.
Mormonism believes in the concept of martyrdom, offering various persons who have been murdered for professing the LDS religion since its inception. While it does not pray to these people, as Orthodox do to their martyrs and saints, it does venerate their memory and uphold them as examples to other Mormons. The LDS church offers its founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., as its chief "martyr," as he was murdered by an anti-Mormon mob in Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844. However, whereas a martyr has always been understood by Orthodox Christians as one who dies voluntarily for the Faith without resisting his persecutors in any way (and indeed, while praying for and forgiving them), Joseph Smith did not die in this fashion. Rather, Smith used a six-shot pistol against his attackers, wounding three of them before being killed himself.<ref>''History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'', Vol. 7, p. 100, 102 & 103</ref>
While the murder of Smith was indeed a deplorable and henious act, it cannot be described as true "martyrdom" by Orthodox standards--not only because of Smith's resistance to his killers, but equally because he died for a false religion. "The martyrdom of heretics is suicide," say the Holy Fathers.<ref>http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/i_believe.aspx.</ref>
In 1823 Smith claimed to have been visited by an [[angel]] named Moroni, who told him of a chronicle of ancient history supposedly engraved in an ancient Egyptian dialect (which he referred to as "Reformed Egyptian") on tablets of gold and buried in a hill near Manchester, New York. Smith was also told that he would bring this knowledge to the world. He allegedly obtained these plates in 1827 and supposedly translated them into English via the use of two seer-stones which he called the "Urim and Thummim." These stones are not to be confused with the [[Old Testament]] Urim and Thummim, the stones on the High Priest’s breastplate used to relay messages from God to His people, though Mormons sometimes try to connect the two.
This translation became ''The Book of Mormon'', which is revered as "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" by Mormons. The monikers referring to Smith's church as "the Mormon Church" and its members as "Mormons" are derivations from''The Book of Mormon.'' The This book purports to be a religious and secular history of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, --called Nephites, Lamanites, Mulekites, and Jaredites, --from about 2200 B.C. to A.D. 421. It claims that at least some Native Americans are descended from various groups of Near Eastern peoples (mostly [[Jews]]) who immigrated during pivotal periods in [[Israel|Israel’s]] history.
Smith claimed that many of these people were openly-practicing [[Christians]], ''before'' the birth of Christ, with a functioning church organization that mirrored that later taught by the Holy Apostles. According to the ''Book of Mormon'', administering the godly "Nephites" openly administered baptisms, "confirmations" and the Holy Eucharist eons ''before'' the coming of the Savior. The book even claims that our Lord came to visit these peoples Himself after His [[Ascension]]--after raining down several days of death and destruction on the evildoers among them. About four-hundred years after this alleged event, the godly "Nephites" were destroyed by the evil wicked "Lamanites," who became the principal ancestors of the Native American peoples.
Interestingly, over 3,000 changes have been noted between the ''Book of Mormon'' currently published by the LDS Church, and the original edition published by Joseph Smith. Most of these changes were made by Smith himself, in later editions of the book printed during his own lifetime. Of potential interest to Orthodox Christians are passages in I Nephi 11:32, where our Lord was originally referred to as "the eternal God," but is now referred to as "the ''son'' of the eternal God;" and I Nephi 11:18, where the Theotokos was originally referred to as "the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh," while today she is referred to as "the mother of the ''Son'' of God, after the manner of the flesh."<ref>http://www.geocities.com/swickersc/mormonbkchange.html.</ref>
Connections between the history and civilization portrayed in ''The Book of Mormon'' and evidence found by archaeologists in the Americas is debatable. Evidence of horses, elephants, cattle, barley, wheat, steel swords, chariots, shipbuilding, and other Old World paraphernalia has not been found to exist in the Americas until the advent of the Europeans. Evidence of these people, the gold plates, or the "seer-stones" has yet to be found.<ref>See, for instance, the Smithsonian Institutes' offical statement on the ''Book of Mormon'', at http://www.irr.org/mit/smithson.html.</ref>
===Other Mormon "Scriptures"===
Mormons also accept as Scripture the ''Doctrine and Covenants'', containing 138 "revelations " and two "Official Declarations" allegedly given to Joseph Smith and his successors; together with the ''Pearl of Great Price'', containing the "Book of Moses" (a rewrite by Joseph Smith of the first part of the Book of Genesis), the "Book of Abraham" (a purported account of the Patriarch [[Abraham]], containing with references to multiple "gods" in the act of creation, rather than one God), and various other texts by Smith.
Additionally, Joseph Smith rewrote the entire Bible "by inspiration" during his lifetime, making substantial additions to the text, deleting the Song of Solomon entirely, and otherwise shaping its text to conform to his own teachings (including an alleged prophecy of his own coming). While this text was never officially adopted by the main LDS church (it was adopted, on the other hand, by the Community of Christ), portions of it appear in the "''Pearl of Great Price" '' and as footnotes in the official LDS editions of the King James Version of the Bible (still the "official" LDS version).
==Mormonism and Polygamy==
Plural marriage was practiced by early Mormon church leaders. Many sources say that Smith had as many as twenty to thirty wives, while Brigham Young counted fifty-two.<ref>D. Michael Quinn, ''The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power'', Signature Books, Salt Lake City, 1994, 685 pages, ISBN 1-56085-056-6; Appendix 6, "Biographical Sketches of Officers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, 1830-47" pp. 607-608).</ref> The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints practiced [[polygamy]] until 1890, when they ended it to ensure Utah’s statehood.
Today about 70% of Utah is Mormon, and around 60,000 or so are polygamous, though the mainline LDS Church excommunicates anyone advocating or practicing it. Other breakaway Mormon sects practice polygamy secretly. Despite the huge publicity campaign the LDS Church has constructed to disassociate itself from polygamy, Mormons and plural marriage are still commonly associated in contemporary culture. While it may have been renounced by the main LDS body, there is no doubt that Mormonism and its unholy practice of plural marriage remain closely entwined, especially since mainline LDS members are still required to affirm the propriety of polygamy when it was authorized by their church (prior to 1890).
