Followers of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that their name was given
to them by Jesus Christ himself.
“Saints” is the term the church uses for its members and the name of the
Church indicated the present-day followers of Christ.
The Church was
organized on April 6, 1830 in the United Stated by Joseph Smith Jr., whom the
believers call the first prophet.
According to them, Smith, at the age of 14, had a vision of Angel
Moroni, who told him of golden plates hidden in a hill. The plates allegedly contain an account of a
people in ancient America who fled from Jerusalem after they were warned by God
that Jerusalem would be destroyed. The
plates were obtained by Smith when he was 23 years of age.
In the Philippines,
the Church started in the 1960s.
Missionaries were sent from the United States after they received
reports from American servicemen based at the Clark Air Base that some
Filipinos were interested in the practices of the Church. As of 1985, membership in the country has reached
115,000.
Members of the
Church o Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are also called Mormons because of
their belief in the Book of Mormon, one of the four standard works of the
Church. The Book of Mormon was written
by one of the members of the ancient people who migrated from Jerusalem. The three other books the Church uses are the
King James version of the Bible, which according to the believers is the most
accurate version; the Doctrine and Covenants written by Joseph Smith containing
the revelations he received from Christ; and the Pearl of Great Price which are
the writings of Moses not contained in the Bible.
The Mormons have
thirteen Articles of Faith written in the Pearl of Great Price. One of the beliefs listed in the Articles is
that man will be punished for his own sins and not for Adam’s
transgression. Mankind can be saved
through the Atonement of Christ and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of
the Gospel.
The special rites
of the Latter-day Saints are baptism, done by immersion to individuals eight
years or older; laying of the hands,
which grants the gift of the Spirit; and
the Lord’s Supper. The Mormons also have
baptism for the day and marriage for eternity.
Members of the
Church are prohibited from taking alcohol, tobacco, drinks such as coffee and
tea, and other substances that may impair health and well-being.
Latter-day Saints
incorporate in their religious code all of the ethical standards and basic
doctrines of the New Testament. They
believe that all persons can be saved and that many will become “Divine”. They also believe in the “spirit prison”
where dead persons, before judgement, are taught the Gospel by missionaries.
Latter-day Saints
have a strong missionary activity.
The Mission of the
Church is three-fold:
- to preach the
Gospel,
- to teach the
people to obey the commandments, and to redeem the dead through a ritual called
the baptism for the dead.
The Mormons believe
in a living prophet who becomes the head of the church. The current head of the church, Ezra Taft
Benson, is a former US Secretary of Agriculture. He is assisted by 12 Apostles, the most
senior of whom becomes the next prophet.
In the Church the
ward is the local unit of organization.
The ward is composed of 250 to 500 members. Assisting the ward bishopric of three men is
a large corps of officers and teacher.
Six or more wards compose a stake This is president: Every priests hood
quorum within the ward or stake has a president.
Source:
The Book or Mormons
The Pearl of Great
Price
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