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- For a topic outline on this subject, see Outline of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Portal
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as the LDS Church or the Mormon Church, describes itself as the restoration of the original church established by Jesus Christ. It is classified as a Christian church; separate from the Catholic or Protestant traditions, though many of those denominations disavow the LDS Church. The church teaches that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, Jr., called him to be a prophet and to restore the original church as established by Jesus Christ during his mortal ministry. This restoration is often referred to by members of the church as the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which they believe was had by prophets and righteous civilizations throughout the earlier history of the earth. The restoration included all elements that had been missing from Christianity since the early days of Christianity due to apostasy. This restoration included the return of priesthood authority, new sacred texts, and the continual calling of a prophet and twelve apostles. The LDS Church was organized under the leadership of Smith in Fayette, New York, on April 6, 1830, soon after Smith's translation of the Book of Mormon from which adherents—also called Latter-day Saints—get their nickname Mormons. Smith led the church until he was killed in 1844. After a period of confusion during which the church was led by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and various claims of succession were made, Brigham Young led a group of Mormon pioneers away from the former church headquarters in Nauvoo, Illinois, and then eventually to Utah's Salt Lake Valley in July 1847. Young was sustained as the church's president at general conference in December 1847. Now a more international organization, the church has its world headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, where it is led by its current president. The church sends tens of thousands of missionaries throughout the world yearly, with over 85,000 currently in service. As of December 31, 2013, the church reported a worldwide membership of 15,082,028, with more than 50% living outside the United States. Selected articleThe Book of Mormon is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, named after the prophet/historian Mormon, who according to the text compiled most of the book. Published by the founder of the Mormon movement, Joseph Smith, Jr., in March 1830 in Palmyra, New York, the belief in the truthfulness of this book stands as the central dividing doctrine of the denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement from traditional Christian faiths. Adherents to its teachings are commonly referred to as "Mormons" or Latter-day Saints. The book asserts that it contains part of the history of three large ancient American civilizations, and that one of these, the Lamanites are "among the ancestors of the American Indians." The book declares that its purpose is to testify of Jesus Christ through the writings of ancient prophets of the Western Hemisphere who traveled there from ancient Israel, probably between 625-575 BC. It asserts that it was abridged and compiled by the prophet/historian Mormon, and his son Moroni in the 5th century, for "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God." Joseph Smith is said to have translated the record by divine inspiration with assistance from the Urim and Thummim from gold plates, which he claimed were returned to the angel Moroni later on. Along with the Bible, which is also held by Latter Day Saints to be the Word of God, the Book of Mormon is esteemed as part of the canon of churches that grew out of the Latter Day Saint movement, founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. The crowning event of the Book of Mormon is the visitation of the resurrected Christ to the Nephites around 34 AD, shortly after his ministry in Jerusalem (3 Nephi 11-26). Every prophet in the book teaches about Jesus. Selected pictureAn etching of the Carthage, Illinois jail, circa 1885. This was the location of the Death of Joseph Smith on June 27, 1844 Selected history![]()
The original handwritten "Extermination Order", issued by Governor Lilburn Boggs in October 1838.
Missouri Executive Order 44, also known in Latter Day Saint history as the Extermination Order, was an executive order issued on October 27, 1838 by the governor of Missouri, Lilburn Boggs. It was issued in the aftermath of the Battle of Crooked River, a clash between Mormons and a unit of the Missouri State Guard in northern Ray County, Missouri, during the 1838 Mormon War. Claiming that the Mormons had committed "open and avowed defiance of the laws", and had "made war upon the people of this State," Boggs directed that "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description". Executive Order 44 is often referred to as the "Mormon Extermination Order" due to the phrasing used by Boggs. The question of whether anyone was killed as a direct result of it between October 27 (the date of its issuance) and November 1, 1838 (the date of the Mormon surrender) has been hotly debated among Latter Day Saints and in the broader historical community. Selected LocationThe Manhattan New York Temple is the 119th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is the second "high rise" LDS temple to be constructed, after the Hong Kong China Temple, and the third LDS temple converted from an existing building. (The previous two being the Vernal Utah Temple and the Copenhagen Denmark Temple.) The announcement of a temple in New York City was made on August 7, 2002. News coverage was swift and widespread. Several months before, on March 24, 2002, at a special regional conference broadcast from Manhattan to surrounding stakes and districts, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley told those in attendance that he expected a temple to be built in the area in the next two years. It was widely assumed that this was in reference to the previously announced temple in Harrison, New York, construction of which had been delayed for several years. The need for a temple in the area became apparent during the previous decade when local Mormon membership tripled to more than 42,000 members. Selected biographyWilford Woodruff, Sr. (March 1, 1807 – September 2, 1898) was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1889 until his death. Woodruff's large collection of diaries provides an important record of Latter Day Saint history, and his decision to formally end the practice of plural marriage among the members of the LDS Church in 1890 brought to a close one of the most difficult periods of church history. Woodruff joined the Latter Day Saint church on December 31, 1833. At that time, the church numbered only a few thousand believers clustered around Kirtland, Ohio. On January 13, 1835, Woodruff left Kirtland on his first full-time mission, preaching without "purse or scrip" in Arkansas and Tennessee. Woodruff was always known as a conservative religious man, but was also enthusiastically involved in the social and economic life of his community. As an adult, he was a farmer, horticulturist and stockman by trade and wrote extensively for church periodicals. Selected Anniversaries
Selected QuotesChapter 1 Enos prays mightily and gains a remission of his sins—The voice of the Lord comes into his mind, promising salvation for the Lamanites in a future day—The Nephites sought to reclaim the Lamanites—Enos rejoices in his Redeemer. 1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it— 2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins. 3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. 4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. 5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. 7 And I said: Lord, how is it done? 8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole. CategoriesRelated portalsLDS Church topicsHistory of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Extermination Order - Mormon handcart pioneers - Mormon Battalion - Succession crisis - Mormon Reformation - Mountain Meadow massacre Standard Works: Old Testament - New Testament - Book of Mormon - Doctrine and Covenants - Pearl of Great Price Things you can doWikiProjectsAssociated WikimediaThe following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject:
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