The Church of Jesus Christ: Nelson Mandela, Race and the Priesthood

The Church of Jesus Christ: Nelson Mandela, Race and the Priesthood

Following the death of Nelson Mandela, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon” Church by the media and others) released a statement expressing its condolences at the loss of a national and world leader.

Remembering the Legacy of Nelson Mandela

Nelson MandelaFormer South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, passed away on Thursday, 5 December 2013 at the age of 95. Born on 18 July 1918 in Mvezo, Transkei, South Africa, he was the son of Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, a counselor to the royal house of the Thembu tribe, and Nosekeni Fanny Mandela. The name given him at birth was Rolihlahla Dalibhunga Mandela. He was later given the name Nelson by a school teacher.

Throughout his life he was known as both “the world’s most famous political prisoner” and “South Africa’s Great Black Hope.” [1] In a CNN report following his death, Mandela was described as a “freedom fighter, prisoner, moral compass and South Africa’s symbol of the struggle against racial oppression.” [2] He was the first Black President of the Republic of South Africa having been elected on 29 April 1994, and serving until June 1999. (more…)

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir: Called to Sing

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir represents The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as the Mormon Church. The Choir is based in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and was established almost as soon as the wagons stopped rolling in the Salt Lake Valley. When the Choir was first started in 1847, it consisted of only a few voices; now, the Choir numbers 360 Latter-day Saint voices.

History of the Choir

Brigham Young, second president of The Church of Jesus Christ, directed a small choir to be formed soon after the Latter-day Saints arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847. This choir performed for the Church’s first general conference, or church-wide worship meeting, in the Salt Lake Valley. Since then, the Choir has continued to grow and perform for the Church and the world. (more…)

Mormon Cult

Mormon Cult

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the Mormon Church, has opponents who derisively refer to The Church of Jesus Christ as a cult. Latter-day Saints (Mormons) do not consider The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a cult or source of brainwashings, intimidation, or black magic often associated with cults.

Mormon Cult

Dictionary.com defines cult as:

  1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
  2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
  3. the object of such devotion.
  4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
  5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
  6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the Mormon Church, has opponents who derisively refer to The Church of Jesus Christ as a cult. Though not correct definitions of cult, typically the term conotes images of brainwashings and  participation through intimidation on one end of the spectrum and black magic on the other end of the spectrum, but most especially being in the thrall of a charismatic leader. Latter-day Saints (Mormons) know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a cult.

What Do Mormons Believe?

laughter of the world Neal A MaxwellTruly Mormons are “a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.”  The Church of Jesus Christ’s 1st Article of Faith states, “We believe in God the Eternal Father and in His Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost” (1st Article of Faith).  Members of the Church hold the Prophet Joseph Smith in high regard, but they do not worship him.

Mormonism is “a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.”  Every tenet and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ reflects the mission and atoning sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ.  The Savior revealed commandments, covenants (a two way promise of an obligation fulfilled by man and a promised blessing by God), and ordinances (ritual acts, like baptism, that teach literally and metaphorically of man’s journey back to God’s presence). (more…)

New Mormon Pageant Launches in the UK

New Mormon Pageant Launches in the UK

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church) love recording and retelling stories of the history of the Church.

Scriptural injunctions reinforce the story telling and recording tradition. In latter-day scriptures, the Doctrine & Covenants (a collection of modern revelations), the Lord commands the Church’s history to be written:

I say unto you that it shall be appointed unto him to keep the church record and history continually; Wherefore, it shall be given him, inasmuch as he is faithful, by the Comforter, to write these things. Even so. Amen. (Doctrine & Covenants 47:3-4)

Motivation Enjoy QuoteA Legacy of Story Telling

While crossing the desolate plains from Illinois to Utah in the 1840s, my Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) pioneer ancestors’ journals record days of journeying hardships and evenings of singing, dancing, and story telling. Brigham Young, president of the Church during the Mormon migration westward, encouraged Latter-day Saints to gather around the evening campfire and rejoice together. As they constantly recounted the blessings of the Lord in their lives, the difficult journey became increasingly bearable–one day at a time. (more…)

Interfaith Discussion in Lubbock, Texas Dispels Myths About Mormons

A recent interfaith discussion held in Lubbock, Texas recently helped students better understand four faiths. Represented on the panel were Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Baptists, Jews, and Muslims. Each spoke on basic principles of their faith or about famous members of their faith.

Mormons have long held that the best way to dispel prejudice against any group of people is to provide information and personal contact. Studies have shown that people who know practicing, believing Mormons are less likely to hold negative views of the religion or to practice discrimination. When people receive authentic information on Mormon beliefs, rather than the gossip often spread by people who are not qualified to speak on the faith, they generally realize that many Mormon beliefs are not as different from the beliefs of other Christians as they thought and for those beliefs that are different, they are more likely to understand the appeal or even the reason for the beliefs. (more…)

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This website is not owned by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org.