Mormons I need your help please!! 10 points :)?

Question

hi :)

i am doing a project on Mormonism (LDS) for my religion class and i am stuck on a couple questions. i am Catholic so if i get this all screwed up, please forgive me. could you help me out, please? :)

thanks :)

1. How is the KJV Version of the Bible that Mormons use any different from any Christian Bible?

2. What would you as Mormons consider your most sacred texts? some sources say it's the Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price, while others say it's just the first 3.

3. What does Doctrine and Covenants talk about?

4.People say that LDS is the most populous branch of the Latter Day Saint movement. did RDLS and FDLS derive from that movement too?

5. LDS and RDLS banned polygamy, right? or is it just the LDS that banned it? or did polygamy even exist in RDLS???? sry i am so confused on that one!! :p

6. can Mormons (LDS) really not drink coffee and tea? why not? and can Mormon girls not wear any pants/skirts above the knee?? just curious :)

7. lastly, i know LDS call themselves Mormons and that it's often confused with the FDLS who believe in polygamy still. i know they (FDLS) refer to themselves as Fundamentalists. what does the RDLS refer themselves as?

thanks soooo much!!!! :) take care :)

p.s. i found The Book of Mormon at my school! i read some of it and thought it was really cool! heheh :)

Answer 1

1. The LDS KJV doesn't include the Apocrypha and includes in the footnotes the "Joseph Smith Translation" or JST which is the text from the re-translation of the Bible Joseph Smith worked on up until his death. You can read more on the specifics of the JST in the link (1) I've provided below. I'm not entirely certain why the Church doesn't use the JST instead, but I suspect it has something to do with copyrights of the RLDS Church or that he didn't finish it before being killed or both.



2. The Church considers its "standard works" to be the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. So essentially the "scriptures" they would take to Church contain all 4 of these. Some members carry it in one book and call it the "Quad." Others carry a 2 book combination, one containing the Bible and the other containing the other three, referred to as a "triple combination." During the "Sunday School" portion of a Mormon Sunday (also referred to as Gospel Doctrine) they will study one of the books each year, except the Bible is broken up into Old Testament and New Testament and the Pearl of Great Price is lumped in with the Old Testament study.



3. The Doctrine and Covenants are the recorded revelations Joseph Smith received from God which include the "Word of Wisdom" (why Mormons don't drink coffee, etc.), the doctrine of baptism in behalf of the dead, the revelation on both participating in polygamy and ending it, the organization of the Church, etc. You can look at the Doctrine and Covenants free on-line in link 2.



4. Members of the LDS Church don't consider RLDS or FLDS to be branches of the same church but rather break offs or apostate organizations that claim roots back to the LDS Church. RLDS stands for re-organized Latter-day Saints, and they broke off after Joseph Smith was killed, believing that the role of prophet should be passed to Joseph's son (Joseph Smith III) and not to Brigham Young. They changed their name to Community of Christ in 2001 and while a lot of their structure is similar, there are some differences. FLDS I know less about, but they broke off after the Church came out and said it was no longer okay to practice polygamy.



5. Polygamy was essentially "banned" on September 24, 1890, though recognized in the Church's "General Conference" (where members can hear what the Prophet and Apostles have to say concerning the direction of the Church or other relevant topics every April and October) on October 6, 1890 See link 3.



6. Mormon abstain from drinking coffee, tea, and alcohol because of the "Word of Wisdom" in the Doctrine and Covenants. See link 4 and 5. As for Mormon girls and skirts/pants, they are encouraged to be modest, which is deemed knee-length, but does not cause their membership to be withheld if they don't do so.



7. The LDS Church has been trying to get away from the label "Mormon" which was a label those against the Church used in the beginning as a slander, but which the members did not mind at the time because Mormon is a great prophet in the Book of Mormon (and author of it). Now they worry that too much focus is on the word Mormon and adds to confusion about whether or not they are Christians. But you won't offend anyone calling them a Mormon, as it's more well known than saying you are "LDS." I'm not sure about the others, only that RLDS now calls their Church Community of Christ.



If you ever have any other questions, let me know!

Answer 2

1. If you were to get an LDS version of the Bible, it would have all the same chapters and verses of any other KJV Bible. It would have it's own set of footnotes, maps and pictures of the areas, topical guide and dictionary at the end.



2. All four are considered canon.



3. The Doctrine and Covenants contains revelations received by Joseph Smith and other prophets in the latter days. Some were originally directed to specific individuals and others to the church as a whole. The Book of Mormon is a translation of an ancient text that contained the writings of prophets in the Americas. The Pearl of Great Price is kind of a potpourri of revelations. You can find it at the lds.org site and see the explanations there.



4. During Joseph Smith's life, the church went through a few names, but ended on "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." After his death, there were divisions among the members. The majority of the 12 apostles chose Brigham Young as the next prophet. This group kept the name. Joseph's wife and others thought it should descend through the family line to Joseph the third. This group became the RLDS and recently changed the name to Community of Christ. The FLDS left after the ban on polygamy.



5. LDS practiced polygamy until 1890. I don't think any of the RLDS practiced it.



6. Mormons refrain from coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs. See Doctrine and Covenants section 89. All members are taught to be modest, but the church hasn't come out with any type of dress code.



7. RLDS (CoC) sometimes refer to themselves as mormons but I think they try to stress the use the term 'saints.'

Answer 3

1. It is the same KJV as any other Church that uses it.

2. All four of those works are considered the words of God, and likewise all are considered sacred. This question is like asking: "Which of God's words is most important....?"

3. The Doctrine and Covenants is a record of God's revelations to his prophets, in these the latter-day days. They describe God's commandments and blessings to his children, as well as give us direction in this day and age.

4. The LDS Church is the original Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All others are branches that have broken off for one reason or another.

5. Both the LDS Church and the RLDS (now called the Community of Christ) have discontinued polygamy.

6. Any Mormon can do anything they want. It is their free choice and will to obey God's commandments. Yet, there is indeed a section in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 89 that is a code of health. In section 89, called the "Word of Wisdom," LDS members are encouraged not to drink alcoholic beverages and avoid tobacco as they are not healthy. This was given in 1836, over a hundred years before modern science has determined the same thing.

7. See above question. RLDS originally referred to the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. Now they call themselves the Community of Christ.

Answer 4

1. Mormons use the king James version of the bible which is the most common bible used by Christians. Joseph Smith began translating the bible but never finished. The Joseph Smith version is not an official scripture to Mormons.

2. The bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price are known as the standard works of the church. Mormons also consider the words of living prophets as scripture.

3. D&C is a compilation of revelations received by latter day prophets most of which are by Joseph Smith. It mostly concerns the building up of the church and the establishing of church doctrines.

4. When Joseph Smith Died, the bulk of the church followed Brigham Young. This is the main LDS church. At that time a small group (RLDS) broke off and followed a successor from Joseph Smith's family. Later, when Polygamy was stopped, a small group (FLDS) who believed in polygamy broke off.

5. I don't know that polygamy existed in the RLDS. Today it is only practiced by FLDS.

6. Mormons are counseled to not drink coffee and tea, though they do drink non cafeinated drinks like herbal teas, Mormons are counseled to dress modestly. Faithful LDS women do not wear sleeveless or low cut tops or very short pants or skirts. They wear one piece bathing suits. Otherwise you would not be able to distinguish them from the general population. They dress normally but not overly non conservative.

7. RLDS stands for the reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. FLDS stands for Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Answer 5

1. How is the KJV Version of the Bible that Mormons use any different from any Christian Bible?



It isn't in any way that counts. Many LDS prefer to use copies printed by the church, but the only difference is that they come with footnotes and cross references for studying. The words are exactly the same, and any KJV version is acceptable.



2. What would you as Mormons consider your most sacred texts? some sources say it's the Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price, while others say it's just the first 3.



All of those. People seem to think we have to choose one, but we don't see it that way at all. They're all sacred works of scripture to us.



3. What does Doctrine and Covenants talk about?



Mostly modern revelations given to Joseph Smith and a few others in the early days of the church. If you ever want to check them out, you can go online to lds.org and scan through them. They're all there, and they're all free for browsing.



4.People say that LDS is the most populous branch of the Latter Day Saint movement. did RDLS and FDLS derive from that movement too?



Yes, we share roots with the FLDS and the RLDS. The RLDS--now Community of Christ--is a splinter group. When Joseph Smith, the founder, was killed, leadership passed to Brigham Young. Joseph's son, however, felt that it should pass to him. He changed quite a bit and formed his own faith, and though there are still similarities, we're completely different faiths now.



FLDS is actually a term used for many different splinter faiths. We just tend to lump them together, as they're very similar and it's understandably easier, if inaccurate. Still, when the LDS ceased practicing polygamy roughly 150 years ago, the FLDS (Fundamentalists) refused to follow that and formed their own faiths. They basically left because they wanted to continue practicing plural marriage, but after so long, they're also completely different now. They're the ones often living on compounds, have women in prairie dresses, and don't use television and the like. Mormons aren't like that.



5. LDS and RDLS banned polygamy, right? or is it just the LDS that banned it? or did polygamy even exist in RDLS???? sry i am so confused on that one!! :p



No more polygamy for LDS or Community of Christ, no. And as far as I know, RLDS never officially sanctioned polygamy, though since the LDS had already begun practicing that before Joseph Jr. left the church, it's possibly that some members once did.



6. can Mormons (LDS) really not drink coffee and tea? why not? and can Mormon girls not wear any pants/skirts above the knee?? just curious :)



Coffee and tea are massively unhealthy, and obviously God would want to protect us from the health problems caused by both drinks. He's asked us to avoid them, along with alcohol and tobacco products.



And it's not as though we have anything against showing our knees. We just believe that we should dress modestly, and often enough, clothes that ride up too high on the leg just aren't. As long as our clothes are modest, anything goes.



7. lastly, i know LDS call themselves Mormons and that it's often confused with the FDLS who believe in polygamy still. i know they (FDLS) refer to themselves as Fundamentalists. what does the RDLS refer themselves as?



Again, RLDS (not RDLS) are now Community of Christ. Though I'm sure they still answer to RLDS, they don't really go by that any longer.



p.s. i found The Book of Mormon at my school! i read some of it and thought it was really cool! heheh :)



If you want to get a free copy of the Book of Mormon to keep, go to mormon.org and request one.



Feel free to email me if you have any other questions. I'm happy to help.

Answer 6

1. the LDS use the KJV. it is just that .....some have footnotes, maps, etc, that the LDS have put together for it.

2. all four are scripture.

3. D&C is a compilation of revelations (most of which were received by the Prophet Joseph Smith) for the establishment and governance of the kingdom of God in the latter days.

4. yes. the RLDS was a break off group that did not make the trek west - they broke off due to a disagreement on the next prophet....the RLDS felt it should pass from JS to his son in a familial line.

the FLDS broke off after the trek west due to a disagreement over polygamy.....the FLDS did not accept the revelation to discontinue the practice and so broke off and selected their own prophet and continued the practice of polygamy.

5. the early members of the RLDS (CoC - they changed their name) would have been in the LDS church when polygamy was practiced, but the CoC itself did not embrace polygamy on the whole.

6. we are cautioned not to use tobacco, coffee, or tea through the word of wisdom(D&C 89) because they are not good for us. we are cautioned against other things in the WoW as well. (caffeine is NOT in there). LDS are also cautioned to be modest. most will wear skirts that reach lower than their fingertips.....but some of it depends on the parents.

7. the LDS actually were called "mormon" as a derogatory name clear back inthe 1830's because of the BoM....and because the LDS DO embrace the BoM, we have also just embraced the name. the FLDS do not call themselves 'mormon' - but the media does and that causes the confusion, and the "effort" to refer to ourselves as LDS rather than 'mormon'. the RLDS are known (official in 2000) as the community of Christ.



hope that helps and I hope you enjoy the BoM and finish reading it. =D

Answer 7

ex-mormon, I got your back on this one!!!!

1. I will alter the question, it is dofferent becaus eot has the joseph smith footnotes in it.

2. The Book of Mormon

3. The revelations of Joseph smith some of which did not come true.

4. Yes and they have temples as well.

5. Not sure. Each sect uses different books as well.

6. D & C 89 is the WofW. They have rules about modesty so no pants in church and skirts in church must go below the knee.

7. The RLDS refer to themselves as the Church of Christ.

Answer 8

I isn't replica and pasting, yet i can't assure my answer isn't long. i will save on with it up with links so which you would be able to dig around somewhat greater once you have an interest. So, greater beneficial than one spouse is polygamy. it is not allowed to any extent further (for a minimum of one hundred years), yet we've not got self assurance that as quickly because it replace into allowed it replace into incorrect. to any extent further than it replace into incorrect for Abraham or Isaac to have greater beneficial than one spouse. The definition of a cult is generally a faith. In that way, we are a cult. yet once you're thinking brainwashing, abuse, and so on, then we don't slot in that definition. The 14 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous women marrying in 1890's outfits are from the FLDS (fundamentalist Latter Day Saints). Your chum can drink espresso and tea... however the church recommends to no longer. that is per our word of awareness. It additionally says issues like do no longer consume too plenty meat, consume greens and culmination in season, do no longer use tobacco or alcohol and positively is a competent nutritional handbook. What are info and what are lies? somewhat... in case you examine some thing, then seem for an LDS internet site to confirm in the event that they have countered it. then you definately could make up your innovations. on the least, you are able to understand what a Mormon believes, whether you do no longer agree. particularly situations you get some distinctly whacked out issues being reported (extraordinarily in this internet site) and in case you prefer to understand if that's what a Mormon somewhat believes, then you definately could desire to question it and dig deeper. you are able to try asking your chum too. there's some books he will supply you to describe our ideals (no longer purely the e book of Mormon, they're books greater quite carried out to describe our ideals, no longer convert.)

Answer 9

1. it is pretty much the same 2.all 4 are equal 3.prophesies to modern day prophets 4.? 5.me too 6.tough one 7.?

Answer 10

4. The LDS church had split into 2 groups by the time Smith was killed in the 1840s. He had secretly brought about 200 men and 700 women into polygamy. The other members didn't know about it, except rumors because everyone publicly denied it.



After Smith died and Brigham Young took over, people who didn't like polygamy started up sects that denied its existence, like the Strangites, Bictonites, and RLDS.



Brigham Young was one of the polygamists in Nauvoo, and after he got his group to Utah, he opened it up to everyone.



5. One of the most eminent members of the RLDS church was Joseph Smith's widow Emma. She was adamant that he never practiced polygamy until the day she died. They still hold that view.



7. Any person who believes the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet is called a Mormon. The LDS church has attempted to trademark the word 'Mormon', but they were unsuccessful. They strongly dislike anyone else using the term but them - kind of like all the Christian groups who deny Mormons are Christians, they want to own and define the label themselves.



The FLDS and other small Mormon polygamous sects like the Kingstonites wrote a letter to the local newspapers asking to be called Mormons.

http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/ChartLinks/FLDSChurch.htm



See the terminology section in

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_fundamentalism



RLDS were called Reorganites by LDS at one point, but they have changed the name of their church to Community of Christ, so that doesn't work. I don't know what they called themselves.



The LDS and other Utah sects are sometimes called Brighamites, since they all also share a belief in Brigham Young's authority. That distinguishes them from RLDS and Strangites, 2 of the sects that formed before Young's time.

Answer 11

Wow, you could be the first person ever to ask a mormon for help.