What we believe in
Information related to Mormon theology and Fundamentalist doctrine with useful LDS, Fundamentalist & non-apologetic resources.
Visit our History page to know how we got there.
1—The Basics
"Mormonism is the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ; of which I myself am not ashamed." Joseph Smith Mormons believe God revealed true religion to His people, from Adam to Jesus' Apostles, and again in the first half of the 19th century through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Mormons do not worship Joseph Smith and they do not worship Jesus. They only worship God the Father (to whom they pray in the name of Jesus Christ whom they recognize as the Savior). Mormons insist that "plain and precious" doctrines were corrupted during a long period of apostasy (following the Apostles' demise) and that their religion is pure Christianity. Therefore, most Mormons consider themselves Christians and the LDS Church has certainly made efforts to align itself more with mainstream Christianity. However, because its early history shows traces of folk magic and exhibits Hebraic and Masonic aspects (as well as both Catholic and Protestant notions), Mormonism is often not seen as a Christian denomination. Following visitations and visions, Joseph 'translated' The Book of Mormon through the use of divinatory devices. After founding the Church, he received further revelations and gave more 'translations' of 'lost' Scriptures while developing 'new' doctrines. Today, the LDS Church no longer receives revelations and does not give new records or doctrines to the Saints who are no longer asked to gather in Zion. Salvation is still a gift from God and something earned by works and the necessary ordinances (rituals) including Masonic-like initiation in temples. Online Resources:
>Articles of Faith Mormonism has no creed but Joseph Smith outlined basics in 1842 >Lectures on Faith 7 lectures on doctrine & theology presented by Joseph Smith & published in the 1835 edition of Doctrine & Covenants. The Basics in a Nutshell
Mormons and Christians—The Differences 2—The Scriptures
"We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. We believe all that God has revealed and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things." Joseph Smith Although Joseph Smith completed his own translation of the Bible, Mormons of all stripes use the King James Version (KJV) and may interpret certain passages differently from (other) Christians. Most of God's revelations given through Joseph (and a few from other early leaders) are compiled in Doctrine and Covenants. Other 'translations' are published in the Pearl of Great Price. Mormon Fundamentalists and mainstream Mormons (LDS) usually use the same editions. For all Mormons, the canon remains open. Some Fundamentalist groups have new Scriptures or revelations that were/are given through their own leader/'prophet'. Online Resources:
>Old Testament & New Testament LDS King James Version >Inspired Version of the Bible Complete Joseph Smith Translation >A Comparison of the Inspired Version Holy Scriptures to the King James Version of the Bible The 2 versions side by side >Book of Mormon Current LDS edition >Book of Mormon 1830 Edition >The Book of Mormon Search tool: Simple searches, proximity searches and boolean searches. >Doctrine & Covenants Current LDS edition >Book of Commandments (1833) with D&C cross-reference >Unpublished Revelations, Vol.1 & 2 >Revelations 1880-1890 >Pearl of Great Price Current LDS edition >Audio Downloads MP3 files of the Scriptures >As It Is Translated Correctly (Ogden Kraut) History of biblical manuscripts and translations, the lost books of the Bible, biblical errors & Joseph Smith's inspired translation The Scriptures in a Nutshell 3—The Godhead
"It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God." Joseph Smith Mormons are not Trinitarians. They point out to the many passages in the Scriptures in which Jesus prays to God and when he pleads with Him. After his resurrection, Jesus said he was going back to where God was. In the Old Testament, God walks in the Garden of Eden, seals the entrance of Noah's Ark and speaks to Moses face to face. Genesis reads that God created man "in his own image and likeness." Joseph taught that God the Father was no 'essence' or 'spirit' but an actual corporeal being. For Mormons, God is indeed an 'exalted' man (perfect and immortal) who created this world. Jesus was with the Father and was His son before being incarnated. He is under the authority of God the Father and was born of Mary to fulfil his calling as a member of the Godhead. During his ministry on Earth, Jesus not only taught the eternal Gospel, but he also restored the Priesthood and set up his Church. Most importantly, his blood atonement was a most fundamental part of his mission for this creation. God the Father is the head and the Creator and Jesus Christ is our mediator, elder brother and Savior. The Only Begotten Son of God is now an immortal being who dwells where the Father is. The third member of the Godhead is the Testifier: the Holy Ghost who witnesses of the Father and the Son and bears revelations to men and women. He is said to have no immortal body yet. Online Resources:
>The Only True God (Ogden Kraut, 1988) "Joseph Smith had visions which identified the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob–and Christ. He revealed again the original concept of the character, nature and appearance of that God of the Bible." >Christ and the Crucifixion (Ogden Kraut) Gethsemane & the Cross explained through the law & the Scriptures. >Who Crucified Christ >The Resurrection >Judas Iscariot (Ogden Kraut,1980) Life of the apostate Apostle, the unpardonable sin & the Sons of Perdition. >Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith Selected sermons & teachings, edited by Joseph Fielding Smith Also available: MP3 download >The Joseph Smith Revelations (Editor: H. Michael Marquardt, 1999) The earliest manuscripts compared to the versions of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants. >The Essential Joseph Smith 50 unedited works spanning the Prophet's entire public life (1829-1844). "... with the contradictions, digressions or occasional earthiness remaining." New York History >Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith >The Essential Brigham Young 25 sermons, covering the personality of God, intelligence, the resurrection & the Kingdom of God. >The Essential Parley P. Pratt 20 works (some only available in this collection) covering eternal matter & mysteries of the Godhead. The Godhead in a Nutshell 4—The Plan of Salvation
“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it.” Joseph Smith Mormons believe that the spirit (soul) is without beginning or end. Our eternal spirits either progress or regress. The Father created this world so we may learn and progress towards eternal life. The Book of Mormon reads, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." The Fall is sometimes called "a fall upward" as it was no mistake. The Fall was a necessary part of the Plan. Adam and Eve had to transgress eternal law (and pay the price for it) in order to become mortal and have mortal offspring. Spirit and body united may have "a fulness of joy." Spirits in the pre-existence (before their incarnation on Earth) could only learn and progress so far. They had to experience life on Earth and make choices in order to earn life eternal (a glorious resurrection where spirit and body are united, as is the case with the Father and the Son). Indeed, we may, through Grace, our own efforts, by keeping the commandments and because of the atonement—all elements of eternal law—gain salvation and even exaltation: that is, to become God-like in the world to come. Indeed, Mormons do not believe in 'heaven' and 'hell' but in 'degrees of glory' that mankind will inherit after the resurrection. The highest degree of glory is to receive 'exaltation'. God the Father is an 'exalted' man. This implies that He is in fact a resurrected being who was once a mortal man in another creation and who—through obedience to eternal law—eventually attained salvation and even exaltation (the highest level of glory, which grants godhood). This is the doctrine of 'eternal progression', which was publicly taught by Joseph Smith. Hence the once famous Mormon couplet, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." We are now in a state of 'probation' and must live by faith and prove that faith through our good works. We must also go through ordinances (rituals), from baptism by immersion to temple initiation, so we may qualify to the highest level we may abide in the after-world (the highest one meaning becoming a God in the Celestial Kingdom). The Bible states that man is not without the woman in the Kingdom of God. This doctrine applies to both men and women. Heavenly Mother is with the Father and marriage (plural for Fundamentalists) is a requirement for exaltation. Online Resources:
>The Pre-Existence (Ogden Kraut, 1985) Christ & Lucifer, righteous spirits & evil spirits & Foreordination. >Paradise >The Segregation of Israel >Mysteries of Creation (Ogden Kraut) Gods, Sons of God & the Creation >Christ and the Crucifixion (Ogden Kraut) Gethsemane & the Cross explained through the law & the Scriptures. >The Resurrection >Judas Iscariot (Ogden Kraut,1980) Life of the apostate Apostle, the unpardonable sin & the Sons of Perdition. >The Essential Brigham Young 25 sermons, covering the personality of God, intelligence, the resurrection & the Kingdom of God. >The Essential Orson Pratt 20 works, covering the origin of man, the pre-existence, Celestial Marriage, & the New Jerusalem. >The Essential Parley P. Pratt 20 works (some only available in this collection) covering eternal matter & mysteries of the Godhead. >The Women of Mormondon (Editor: Eliza R. Snow, 1877) The women of the Restoration, the divine feminine, the matriarchal order & the nature of our Heavenly Parents. >Mormon Neo-Orthodoxy (O. Kendall White, Jr., 1987) Traditional Mormonism taught a finite God, the fundamental goodness of human nature & exaltation by merit. Neo-orthodoxy teaches the sovereignty of God, the depravity of humanity & salvation by grace. >Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism (Editor: Maxine Hanks,1992) >The Holy Priesthood, Vol.3 >Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology The Plan of Salvation in a Nutshell 5—The Priesthood
"I do many things to break down superstition and I will break it down." Joseph Smith In Mormonism, 'Priesthood' means 'authority to act in the name of God'. It is not an occupation as it is in Christendom and Priesthood holders are expected to hold a job and support their family. The Priesthood/'authority' is passed from one man to another by the laying on of hands during a short and simple ceremony called 'Priesthood ordination.' Priesthood holders trace their 'authority' to Joseph Smith, through their 'Line of Authority', a document listing whom the man who ordained him got his authority/Priesthood from and those before him up to Joseph Smith (who was supposedly ordained by heavenly messengers). The Aaronic Priesthood (with the offices of Deacon, Teacher, Priest) is generally conferred to teenagers while the Melchizedek Priesthood (with the offices of Elder, High Priest, Patriarch, Seventy, Apostle) is conferred to adults deemed worthy of receiving and exercising it. Most LDS and Fundamentalist men are Priesthood holders in one capacity or another and are regularly 'set apart' (called to serve). In the LDS Church and some Fundamentalist groups, Bishops are Priesthood holders who are set apart for a certain amount of time to oversee the temporal affairs of a 'ward' (congregation). The Bishop invites members (male and female) to give talks and prayers. He also asks priests to bless the sacrament (communion) during Sacrament Meetings every Sunday. LDS and Fundamentalist meetings are very similar to the exception of the manner in which the Sacrament is blessed and distributed. In the LDS Church, Missionaries are Priesthood holders who are set apart to proselytise full-time and baptise converts, generally after high school is completed, to an area ('mission field') where they serve for two years. LDS females may be set apart to serve as missionaries for 18 months (but do not have the authority to baptise). LDS and Fundamentalist females are not ordained to the Priesthood, even though they are 'called' to be Priestesses and Queens during temple ceremonies. Since 1979, the LDS Church authorises men of African descent to be ordained to the Priesthood. Online Resources:
>Power From On High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood (Gregory A. Prince, 1995) Also available: Several related titles on our Beliefs page >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 1 (Ogden Kraut,1992) Presentation of the concept of Priesthood, with its opposition & an explanation of proper conferring & ordination >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 6 >The Seventies >Lineage of the Priesthood (Ogden Kraut,1998) The chosen people in the Bible, Priesthood lineage in the Christian era & in the restoration & the mark of Cain & Priesthood restrictions >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 2 >The Church and the Priesthood (Ogden Kraut, 2002) The Priesthood in & outside the Church, man-made manifestos & just & unjust excommunication >Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism (Editor: Maxine Hanks,1992) >The Holy Priesthood, Vol.3 The Priesthood in a Nutshell Mormon Fundamentalism 6—The Temple
"Now, brethren, the man that honors his Priesthood, the woman that honors her Priesthood, will receive an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of God." Brigham Young LDS members worship in churches (or meeting houses) where all visitors are welcome. Ordinances such as baptism by immersion (for repentant adults and children of eight or over), confirmation (after one's baptism to be confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost) as well as ordinations of the Priesthood are conducted in meeting houses. Members who remaining faithful to the covenants of the ordinances and who follow Christ and repent regularly and obey the laws of the Gospel may expect salvation. On Sundays, Sacrament Meeting (worship with communion), Sunday School and sundry meetings take place. Other meetings and social gatherings may take place for some members during the week. LDS members also attend temples ceremonies where only those deemed worthy (after a successful interview with a leader of the LDS Church) can enter. Higher ordinances, including sacred and secret Mason-like initiatory rituals take place in temples on weekdays only. Those include washing and anointing, taking out one's endowment (receiving instruction and learning signs and tokens as well as receiving undergarments with Masonic signs on them (temple garments) to wear at all times under street clothes. Sealings (eternal marriage) take place in temples too. Men and women are 'called' to become Priests and Priestesses and King and Queens in the world to come. Members who remaining faithful to the covenants of the higher ordinances may expect exaltation, a higher form of salvation that may make men and women like their Father and God in the afterlife. Mormons who wish to and are deemed worthy to attend temple ceremonies are adults. However, young people may also attend the temple to be baptised by proxy for the dead. Those who have gone through the temple and received their endowment are encouraged to attend regularly to perform the same ordinances by proxy for the dead (hence the Mormons' interest in genealogy) from washings to sealings. Online Resources:
>Temple and Cosmos (Hugh Nibley,1992) The sacred vestments, the circle & the square, the symbolism of the temple & its ordinances. >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 3 (Ogden Kraut) The temple endowment & the relationship of women to the Priesthood, from Mother Eve to the ancient Matriarchs. >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 4 >The LDS Endowment Website presenting the temple ceremony >Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology (Margaret & Paul Toscano,1990) Male and female in the Godhead, monogamy & polygamy, the ordination to the priesthood of men & women. >The Holy Priesthood, Vol.3 & Vol.4 The Temple in a Nutshell 7—Mormon Fundamentalist Beliefs
Mormon Fundamentalists split from the LDS Church when the latter relinquished plural marriage. Since then, the Church has gone through many transformations but Fundamentalists hold on to some essential doctrines and practices taught by Joseph Smith and the early brethren.
a) The Father and Jesus Christ
"There are but very few beings in the world who understand rightly the character of God." Joseph Smith In the days of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, God the Father was the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the God who had revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jehovah was the father of Jesus Christ, the Savior of humanity who sent him. Mormon Fundamentalists insist that God the Father is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, our God and Creator, the only one we are to worship. However, the LDS Church now teaches that Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament, was Jesus Christ before his incarnation in the flesh and recently have encouraged members to 'develop' a relationship with him. Mormon Fundamentalists see this change as a heresy and a clear indication that the Church is becoming increasingly 'Christian'. Online Resources:
>Journal of Discourses 26 volumes of 1,438 sermons given by Brigham Young, John Taylor, Orson Pratt, Heber C. Kimball & other brethren, published from 1854 to 1886 with the endorsement of the First Presidency (but now disavowed by the LDS Church)."The Journal of Discourses deservedly ranks as one of the standard works of the Church." President George Q. Cannon >The Essential Brigham Young 25 sermons, covering the personality of God, intelligence, the resurrection & the Kingdom of God. >The Essential Parley P. Pratt 20 works (some only available in this collection) covering eternal matter & mysteries of the Godhead. >The Women of Mormondon (Editor: Eliza R. Snow, 1877) The women of the Restoration, the divine feminine, the matriarchal order & the nature of our Heavenly Parents. b) Adam and Eve
"Adam is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do." Brigham Young God the Father is also called "The Ancient of Days" in the Bible and Doctrine and Covenants. Many Christians and biblical experts understand this character to be God the Father. Three passages in Doctrine and Covenants liken the Ancient of Days to Adam: Section 27:11, Section 116: 1 and Section 138: 38. How can Adam be the Ancient of Days if the Ancient of Days is the God of the Old Testament? Mormons teach that God the Father created our world so that His children could learn and progress towards eternal life, gain exaltation and become like Him. Godhood implies being able to create worlds so that our 'children' may be born in that world organized for helping them learn and progress to godhood in their turn. This doctrine of "eternal progression" implies that our God was previously a man who followed eternal principles that allowed him to progress to godhood, hence the once famous Mormon couplet: "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." One man from another creation received his exaltation at the resurrection. He was later called to organize a world for his children to be born and continue the cycle. Most Mormon Fundamentalists believe that being the Father of a creation involves 'falling' and become mortal again, so he may have mortal offspring who may may live, progress and learn to become their Father (God). For most Fundamentalists this resurrected/exalted/immortal man was Adam who took one of his wives to become the Eve (Mother of all the living) of this creation. Like the grave could not keep Jesus, it could not keep (his father) Adam who is now enthroned (with Jesus on His right). Brigham Young and a few other leaders taught this doctrine publicly for about forty years. Nowadays, the Adam-God doctrine is completely rejected by the LDS Church and its defenders face excommunication. The LDS Church asserts that Brigham Young "speculated" and "only expressed his own personal opinion". This "false doctrine" has also been imputed to "errors of scribes". However, the LDS Church continues to teach, in accordance with The Book of Mormon and the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, that the Fall of Adam and Eve was a positive event, allowing their children to participate in the Plan of Salvation. Online Resources:
>Michael/Adam (Ogden Kraut) The Godhead & a documented presentation of the Adam-God doctrine >Adam-God (Craig Tholson, 1991) The most accessible & most complete treatment of the Adam-God doctrine. >Mysteries of Creation (Ogden Kraut) Gods, Sons of God & the Creation >Reincarnation >Journal of Discourses >The Essential Orson Pratt 20 works, covering the origin of man, the pre-existence, Celestial Marriage, & the New Jerusalem. >The Essential Parley P. Pratt >Sermons & Writings of the Restoration, Vol. 2 58 works published or written from 1851 to mid-1852, covering the last days, the seed of Cain & the endowment. >Sermons & Writings of the Restoration, Vol. 4 38 works published from 1853 to 1854, covering dreams and visions, Adam & the doctrine of Celestial Marriage. >The Women of Mormondon >Mormon Neo-Orthodoxy (O. Kendall White, Jr., 1987) Traditional Mormonism taught a finite God, the fundamental goodness of human nature & exaltation by merit. Neo-orthodoxy teaches the sovereignty of God, the depravity of humanity & salvation by grace. >Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism (Editor: Maxine Hanks,1992) >The Holy Priesthood, Vol.3 >Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology
c) The Church & the Gospel
"If I cannot have a religion that will lead me to God, and place me en rapport with him, and unfold to my mind the principles of immortality and eternal life, I want nothing to do with it." John Taylor Often considered the father of Mormon Fundamentalism, John Taylor was Brigham Young's successor and 3rd President of the Mormon Church. Revelations received through John Taylor in the 1880s (and published in some contemporary European editions of Doctrine and Covenants) warned the Saints against abandoning the doctrine of plural marriage. The revelations explained that not only was the doctrine essential to a glorious exaltation (as the Church already knew from Section 132 in Doctrine and Covenants) but that denying it (even in the face of persecution the Church was now facing because of it) would result in a loss of 'authority/Priesthood. When LDS leaders (under the presidency of Wilford Woodruff, 4th President of the Church) abandoned plural marriage at the turn of the 20th century, some Priesthood holders decided to continue the practice. Many got excommunicated from the Church but felt secure about their standing before God and keeping their Priesthood intact. Meanwhile, accounts emerged about President Taylor setting apart (called) a group of Priesthood holders to continue sealing (marrying) men to women in plural marriage even if the Church decided to reject the doctrine. Mormon Fundamentalism was born. Some men distinguished themselves as organisers and set up study groups and Priesthood meetings, while remaining as close as possible to the Church. Today, while some Fundamentalists expect a "setting in order" of the Church (apparently promised in Section 85, verse 7 of Doctrines and Covenants), others believe that the LDS Church has no longer full (if any) authority. To most Fundamentalists, LDS Presidents are the legitimate leaders of the one true Church (as the Church is free to decide as it wishes on any matters) but those leaders have no authority as regards the the Priesthood and the Gospel since they rejected fundamental doctrines. The LDS Church and Mormon Fundamentalists Online Resources:
>The Church and the Gospel (Ogden Kraut,1993) The changeable Church, the unchangeable Gospel & the doctrinal differences between the two. >The Church and the Priesthood >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 5 (Ogden Kraut,1996) Fallibility of leaders & conflict between dead & living prophets. >Compromise and Concession >95 Theses (Ogden Kraut, 1975) 95 drastic changes in doctrine or practice brought about by the modern LDS Church >Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith Selected sermons & teachings, edited by Joseph Fielding Smith Also available: MP3 download >The Joseph Smith Papers Project aiming to publish all documents ever written, dictated or annotated by Joseph Smith. "Edited according to the highest professional standards, . . . the Joseph Smith papers represent a landmark in historical scholarship." Ohio History >The Joseph Smith Revelations (Editor: H. Michael Marquardt, 1999) The earliest manuscripts compared to the versions of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants. >The Essential Joseph Smith 50 unedited works spanning the Prophet's entire public life (1829-1844). "... with the contradictions, digressions or occasional earthiness remaining." New York History Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith >Journal of Discourses >Rebaptism (Ogden Kraut) Baptism & re-baptisms for renewal and entering new covenants. >Fasting for Health and Happiness >The Gathering of Israel (Ogden Kraut,1974) History & doctrine of the Law of Gathering >The Segregation of Israel (Ogden Kraut,1986) The chosen people & the reasons for remaining a peculiar people >Mormons and Jews: Early Mormon Theologies of Israel >Lineage of the Priesthood >The Gift of Dreams (Ogden Kraut) Discerning & interpreting dreams. >The Gift of Tongues >Seers and Seer Stones >Wit and Wisdom of Heber C. Kimball 16 sermons taken from the Journal of Discourses, covering the family, revelation, the Priesthood & Freedom. >Sermons & Writings of the Restoration, Vol. 1 91 works taken from issues of the Millennial Star, Times and Seasons, Deseret News, journals and histories published or written from 1840 to 1854, covering revelations & testimonies. >Sermons & Writings of the Restoration, Vol. 2 58 works published or written from 1851 to mid-1852, covering the last days, the seed of Cain & the endowment. >Sermons & Writings of the Restoration, Vol. 3 44 works taken from issues of the Millennial Star, Deseret News & Wilford Woodruff Journals published or written from 1852 to 1853, covering sign-seeking, endurance, prayer & polygamy. >Sermons & Writings of the Restoration, Vol. 4 38 works published from 1853 to 1854, covering dreams and visions, Adam & the doctrine of Celestial Marriage. >The Women of Mormondon The Church and the Gospel in a Nutshell d) The Priesthood, Ordinances and Meetings
The Priesthood is passed down from one man to another in a ceremony called 'Ordination to the Priesthood' within a Fundamentalist group of from one Independent Mormon Fundamentalist to another. Only the 'keys' (offices and rights) already held by a Priesthood holder can be given to another. Fundamentalists ordinations are similar to the LDS. Fundamentalists tend not to proselytize. They deem that the LDS Church already teaches the Gospel across the world through its many missionaries. They claim that anyone called to live "the fulness of the Gospel" (meaning the essential doctrines and practices revealed by God but watered down or discarded by the LDS Church) will receive a testimony (an assurance from God) and will go to them. Baptism is similar to the LDS. However, the water will be blessed before hand, even if a natural body of water such as a lake or a river. Converts, children aged 8 and over and adults, must be baptised, even if they already were baptised in a Christian Church or in the LDS Church (as only the Priesthood has authority). Fundamentalists also offer re-baptism, a doctrine abandoned by the LDS Church and that was meant to help the Saints wash their sins away after (or before) important events requiring purification. The laying on of hands for confirmation/the Gift of the Holy Ghost is similar to the LDS. The individual is even confirmed as "a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." This is because Fundamentalists consider themselves as part of the Church in its true definition. Different from the corporate LDS Church, it is a group of Priesthood holders and baptised and confirmed believers. Many Fundamentalist groups hold meetings similar to the LDS. Independent Fundamentalists (who are not members of any organized group or Church) may choose to worship with other families or with on their own. All will use their Priesthood to baptise their children, ordain them and bless and distribute the Sacrament (communion) and conduct any other meetings they see fit. Fundamentalists bless and distribute the Sacrament in a slightly different way than the modern LDS. The officiant raises his left arm to the square to bless the bread and the water (or wine). He and the other officiant will distribute the Sacrament without handing the tray(s)/plate(s) and cup(s) to those who partake the Sacrament, staying among them until no bread or warer/wine is left. Since the prohibition of alcohol and hot drinks in the LDS Church was not enforced before the Fundamentalists split, many Fundamentalists consume hot beverages and alcohol in moderation (and follow the other advice of the revelation on health, known as the Word of Wisdom, in the same spirit.) As for temple ordinances, including plural marriage, some Fundamentalist groups own their own temple. However, many Priesthood holders (if holding the authority to do so) will simply dedicate a quiet space as a 'temple setting' before the ordinances take place. As in the LDS Church, the Aaronic Priesthood is often conferred to young men while the Melchizedek Priesthood is conferred to adults judged worthy to exercise it. Some Fundamentalists groups hold interviews with a Bishop or another leader while Independent Fundamentalists only rely on personal revelation before ordaining any man to the Priesthood. All receive their Line of Authority going back to Joseph Smith. Fundamentalist women are not ordained to the Priesthood. However, they receive it in separate temple ordinances when sealed to their husband and may exercise that Priesthood as matriarchs within their own family. This aspect is mostly overlooked by LDS members. Members of any gender or color have the right to, and are invited to, give talks ('preach') and offer prayers during religious services on Sundays. Although African-Americans were ordained by Joseph Smith and served under Brigham Young, most Fundamentalists still abide to the so-called 'Priesthood Ban' due to their interpretation of certain passages in the Scriptures and teachings of some early Church leaders on the matter. Online Resources:
>The Church and the Priesthood (Ogden Kraut, 2002) The Priesthood in & outside the Church, man-made manifestos & just & unjust excommunication >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 1 (Ogden Kraut,1992) Presentation of the concept of Priesthood, with its opposition & an explanation of proper conferring & ordination >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 6 >The Seventies >Lineage of the Priesthood (Ogden Kraut,1998) The chosen people in the Bible, Priesthood lineage in the Christian era & in the restoration & the mark of Cain & Priesthood restrictions >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 2 >Power From On High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood >Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism >The Holy Priesthood, Vol.3 >Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology e) Temple Ordinances
"Your endowment is to receive all those ordinances to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, and gain your eternal exaltation." Brigham Young Mormons do not worship in their temples but go there to attend sacred initiatory ceremonies called 'the endowment'. During that ceremony men and women receive some teachings about the eternal Plan of Salvation and are invited to identify with Adam and Eve in their journey. For the participants, that journey takes them through several rooms in the temple. Men and women are washed and anointed with oil. The man and woman who 'take out their endowment' are also taught certain Masonic-like signs and tokens that they must remember to access the Celestial kingdom in the afterlife (and that they must demonstrate at a later stage of the ceremony). The ordinance was originally revealed by God through the Prophet Joseph Smith (and likely expanded on by Brigham Young). The LDS Church regularly modifies the ceremony due to internal pressure and to render it less intimidating and Mason-like. Fundamentalists believe the ceremony must not be modified and some groups (as well as some Independents) use older versions. During the endowment ceremony, men and women receive 'temple garments' (undershirt and underpants or one union suit) with Masonic symbols (stitched or cut on them) that will be worn at all times (like some Jewish men wear a yarmulke and some Muslim women wear the hi-jab). The LDS Church regularly modifies the 'temple garments' due to internal pressure and convenience due to changes in fashion. Many Fundamentalists believe the pattern for the 'temple garment' was revealed by God through Joseph Smith and should remain unchanged. Many will opt for the union suit with the marks cut in them. Some Fundamentalists make their own. Vicarious work (by proxy) for the dead: baptism, endowment and 'sealings' (marriages) are performed by the LDS Church on weekdays in temples around the world. The Second Annointing is a temple ordinance that the LDS Church has completely discontinued. Fundamentalists still offer this most sacred ordinance. However, most Fundamentalists do not have access to a temple and instead dedicate a place that is used as a 'temple setting' for the ordinances: from the baptism for the dead, to the endowment for the living and the dead, to sealings (eternal marriages, including plural) for the living and the dead, to the Second Annointing. Online Resources:
>Lecture at the Veil (Brigham Young,1877) Lesson summarizing theological concepts taught throughout the endowment ceremony until the modern LDS Church removed it in 1990 >Temple and Cosmos (Hugh Nibley,1992) The sacred vestments, the circle & the square, the symbolism of the temple & its ordinances. >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 3 (Ogden Kraut) The temple endowment & the relationship of women to the Priesthood, from Mother Eve to the ancient Matriarchs. >The Holy Priesthood, Vol. 4 >The LDS Endowment Website presenting the temple ceremony >Calling and Election (Ogden Kraut) First anointing, second anointing, the first & second comforter, the testimony of Jesus & the Church of the Firstborn f) Celestial Marriage
"We have been taught that plural marriage is as much a part of our religion as faith, repentance and baptism." President John Taylor LDS members and Fundamentalists may be married by any person legally allowed to do so. However, eternal marriage (or sealing) must be conducted by a Priesthood holder able to do so and only in the temple (or, for Fundamentalists) in a 'temple setting'. Up to the early 20th century, Celestial marriage was understood to be 'plural marriage'. A first marriage was in preparation for further marriages also 'sealed' by the Priesthood in the temple. Plural marriage was deemed essential and, even though the vast majority of Mormons never practised it, it was advocated in the strongest terms possible by Church leaders and prominent men and women in the Church. Only polygamists could aspire to the highest level of the Celestial kingdom (as explained in the revelation recorded in D&C 132). Today, this commandment is rejected by the LDS Church and anyone guilty of, or supporting, polygamy faces excommunication. This importance put on the doctrine is the reason why Fundamentalism came to be at the turn of the 20th century. However, only a third of Fundamentalists today are actually polygamists. Online Resources:
>The Marriage Covenant (Ogden Kraut) The purpose of marriage, monogamy, polygamy & the law of celestial marriage. >Polygamy in the Bible >Jesus was Married >Celestial Marriage (Ogden Kraut,1999) 6 articles published by B. H. Roberts in 1885 defending polygamy as a religious & constitutional right despite of the 1882 Edmunds Act. >Complaint Against Ogden Kraut >Revelations 1886-1890 (Compiler: Ogden Kraut,1970) Revelations pertaining to plural marriage, received through John Taylor & Wilford Woodruff & published in some European editions of the Doctrine and Covenants or recorded in journals. >The Most Holy Principle, Vol. 1. The Law and The Testimony of Plural Marriage, 5 Dec. 1805-3 Mar. 1887 (GEMS,1970) Compilation of selected testimonies & teachings pertaining to the doctrine of the plurality of wives. >The Most Holy Principle, Vol. 2. The Horn Made War with the Saints & Prevailed, 3 March, 1887 - 2 September 1898 (1970) Official decisions of the Supreme & lower courts together with other items concerning the action of the Government against the Church >The Most Holy Principle, Vol. 3. A History Problem, 23 Dec. 1805 - June 1970 (1970) Documents pertaining to plural marriage, including newspaper articles, letters & minutes of meetings >Calling and Election >Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology >The Holy Priesthood, Vol.3 & Vol.4 Celestial Marriage in a Nutshell g) Zion and the Kingdom of God
"We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and that Zion will be built upon this, the American continent." Joseph Smith It was believed that the nations of the world would eventually come under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God. In a 'theodemocracy', God communicates His Laws to the Saints who then decide whether they accept them or not. The essence of the Law of Consecration and the United Order is that able Saints must work and contribute to the community. Any surplus is redistributed to the Church with the intention of helping the needy and mitigate differences between the rich and the poor. Today, the Law of the Gathering (and its political and economic aspects) have been discarded by the LDS Church. Members are required to gather in their own countries and at church. The economic aspect only appears in the Law of Tithing, which encourages members to give 10% of their income for the maintenance of the Church and the assistance of those in need. Fundamentalists endeavour to live both laws as much as they possibly can, with more or less success or dedication. Online Resources:
>The Kingdom of God, Vol. 1 (Ogden Kraut,1999) Definition of the Kingdom & its history >The Kingdom of God, Vol. 2 & Vol. 3 >The Gathering of Israel (Ogden Kraut,1974) History & doctrine of the Law of Gathering >Establishing Zion (Eugene E. Campbell, 1988) "... a masterpiece of critical scholarship and ... one of the few attempts to objectively reveal the role of the Mormon church in the American West during the years 1847 to 1869." Fred Gowans >The United Order (Ogden Kraut,1983) History & doctrine of the United Order >Blood Atonement (Ogden Kraut) The history & doctrine of Blood Atonement & the Danites >The One Mighty and Strong (Ogden Kraut) Statements on the One Mighty and Strong refered to in D&C 85:2 >The White Horse Prophecy (Ogden Kraut,1993) About the future of the Constitution of the United States >Parallel Paths >Prophecies of the Latter Days (Ogden Kraut,1987) Ancient & modern prophets on apostasy within the Church, setting in order of the House of God, the New Jerusalem & the Second Coming >Visions of the Latter Days Zion and the Kingdom of God in a Nutshell |
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