The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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The church has become a strong proponent of the [[nuclear family]] and at times played a prominent role in political matters, including opposition to [[LGM-118 Peacekeeper|MX Peacekeeper missile]] bases in Utah and [[Nevada]],<ref name = "Political Clout">{{cite web |url= https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/responses/mormon-political-clout |title= Mormon Political Clout |publisher= [[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]] |agency=[[Georgetown University]] |location=Washington, D.C.|date= August 14, 2018 |access-date= June 9, 2021 |archive-date= June 9, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210609165317/https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/responses/mormon-political-clout |url-status= live }}</ref> the [[Equal Rights Amendment]],<ref name = "Political Clout" /> legalized gambling,<ref name = "Gambling" /> [[same-sex marriage]],<ref name="Gay Rights"/>{{rp|2}} and [[euthanasia|physician-assisted death]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Religious Groups' Views on End-of-Life Issues |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/11/21/religious-groups-views-on-end-of-life-issues/ |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |date=November 21, 2013}}</ref>

A number of official changes have taken place to the organization during the modern era. In 1978, the church [[1978 Revelation on Priesthood|reversed its previous policy]] of excluding Black men of African descent from the priesthood, which had been in place since 1852;<ref name="Neither White Nor Black"/>{{rp|70}} members of all races can now be ordained to the priesthood. Also, since the early 1900s, the church has instituted a [[Priesthood Correlation Program]] to centralize church operations and bring them under a hierarchy of priesthood leaders. During the [[Great Depression]], the church also began operating a church welfare system, and it has conducted humanitarian efforts in cooperation with other religious organizations such as [[Catholic Relief Services]], as well as secular organizations like [[Care International]].<ref name=Relief/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.icatholic.org/article/catholic-relief-services-recognizes-church-of-jesus-5673287| publisher=[[Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City]] |newspaper=Intermountain Catholic|date=June 15, 2007|title=Catholic Relief Services recognizes Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with Deus Caritas Est Award|access-date=June 9, 2021|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609172831/http://www.icatholic.org/article/catholic-relief-services-recognizes-church-of-jesus-5673287|url-status=live}}</ref> The church ~~has~~ supported{{clarify|date=September 2024}} its members [[Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 20th-century warfare|serving in the armed forces]] during World Wars I and II, both in the U.S. and internationally.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} From 1913 to 2020 the church was a major sponsor of [[Scouting]] programs for boys, particularly in the United States. The LDS Church was the largest [[Boy Scouts of America#Chartered organizations and units|chartered organization]] in the [[Boy Scouts of America]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eckholm |first=Erik |date=October 18, 2012 |title=As Partners, Mormons and Scouts Turn Boys Into Men |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/us/mormons-and-scouts-act-as-partners-in-molding-boys.html |access-date=June 25, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124025336/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/us/mormons-and-scouts-act-as-partners-in-molding-boys.html |archive-date=November 24, 2022 |url-status=live |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/05/09/mormon-church-breaks-all-ties-with-boy-scouts-ending-100-year-relationship/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Mormon Church breaks all ties with Boy Scouts, ending 100-year relationship|access-date=January 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109223112/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/05/09/mormon-church-breaks-all-ties-with-boy-scouts-ending-100-year-relationship/|archive-date=January 9, 2020|url-status=live}} (LDS Scouts made up nearly 20 percent of all enrolled Boy Scouts)</ref> but in 2020, the church ended its relationship with the BSA and began an alternate, religion-centered youth program, which replaced all other youth programs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harkens |first=Paighten |date=May 8, 2018 |title=Mormon church to cut ties with Boy Scouts and start its own gospel-driven youth program |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/05/09/mormon-church-to-cut-ties-with-boy-scouts-and-start-its-own-gospel-driven-youth-program/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307202414/https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/05/09/mormon-church-to-cut-ties-with-boy-scouts-and-start-its-own-gospel-driven-youth-program/ |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

During the second half of the 20th century and early 21st, the church has responded to various challenges to its doctrine and authority. Challenges have included rising [[secularization]],<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Secular Transition: The Worldwide Growth of Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Seventh-day Adventists|journal=[[Association for the Sociology of Religion|Sociology of Religion]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=April 9, 2010| citeseerx=10.1.1.1024.4345|url= https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1024.4345&rep=rep1&type=pdf|access-date=June 18, 2021|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200752/https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1024.4345&rep=rep1&type=pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=[[Psychology Today]]|first=Phil|last=Zuckerman|title=Secularization Hits the Mormons|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-secular-life/201905/secularization-hits-the-mormons|date=May 6, 2019|access-date=June 18, 2021|archive-date=September 24, 2019|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20190924012644/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the%2Dsecular%2Dlife/201905/secularization%2Dhits%2Dthe%2Dmormons|url-status=live}}</ref> challenges to the correctness of the translation of the [[Book of Abraham]],<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought|Dialogue]] |date=Winter 1989|first=Karl C.|last=Sandberg|title=Knowing Brother Joseph Again: The Book of Abraham, and Joseph Smith as Translator|volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=17–37 |doi=10.2307/45228258 |jstor=45228258 |s2cid=254389117 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dialoguejournal.com/podcasts/dialogue-topic-pages-5-the-book-of-abraham/ |title=Dialogue Topic Pages #5: The Book of Abraham |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200242/https://www.dialoguejournal.com/podcasts/dialogue-topic-pages-5-the-book-of-abraham/ |archive-date=June 24, 2021|publisher=[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought|Dialogue]]}}</ref> and primary documents forged by [[Mark Hofmann]] purporting to contradict important aspects of official early church history.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lindsey |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Lindsey (journalist) |title=A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money, Murder, and Deceit |year=1988 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=0-671-65112-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/gatheringofsai00lind |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> The church's positions regarding [[Women and Mormonism|women]], [[Black people and Mormonism|Black people]], and [[Homosexuality and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|homosexuality]] have all been publicly criticized during this timeframe.

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===Cosmology and plan of salvation===

{{see also|Degrees of Glory|Exaltation (Mormonism)|Premortal life (Latter Day Saints)}}

The church's cosmology and plan of salvation include the doctrines of a [[pre-existence]], an earthly mortal existence, [[Degrees of Glory|three degrees of heaven]] and exaltation.

According to these doctrines, every human spirit is a spiritual child of a Heavenly Father and each has the potential to continue to learn, grow, and progress in the eternities, eventually achieving eternal life, which is to become one with God in the same way that Jesus Christ is one with the Father, thus allowing the children of God to become divine beings—that is, gods—themselves.<ref name=VeryShort>{{cite book |last=Bushman |first=Richard | author-link=Richard Bushman |year=2008 |series=[[Very Short Introductions]]|title=Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-531030-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6m059lR04IoC}}</ref>{{rp|74}} This view on the doctrine of [[Divinization (Christian)|theosis]] is also referred to as becoming a "joint-heir with Christ".<ref name="EoM Godhood">{{cite encyclopedia |editor-last1=Ludlow |editor-first1=Daniel H. |editor-link=Daniel H. Ludlow |last1=Carter |first1=K. Codell | encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]] |date=1992 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |contribution=Godhood | location=New York |isbn=978-0-02-904040-9 |pages=553, 555 |contribution-url=https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/3734|quote=They [resurrected and perfected mortals] will dwell again with God the Father, and live and act like him in endless worlds of happiness ... above all they will have the power of procreating endless lives. ... Those who become like him will likewise contribute to this eternal process by adding further spirit offspring to the eternal family. |via=[[BYU]]}}</ref> The process by which this is accomplished is called exaltation, a doctrine which includes the reunification of the mortal family after the [[resurrection]] and the ability to have spirit children in the afterlife and inherit a portion of God's kingdom.<ref name="EoM Godhood"/><ref name=Continuation/> To obtain this state of godhood, the church teaches that one must have faith in Jesus Christ, [[repentance|repent]] of his or her sins, strive to keep the commandments faithfully, and participate in ordinances.

According to LDS Church theology, men and women may be sealed to one another so that their marital bond continues into the eternities.{{efn|A man may be sealed to more than one wife if his previous wives are either dead or legally divorced from him; a living woman, however, may only be sealed to one husband.<ref name=Spurring>{{Cite news |last=Fletcher Stack |first=Peggy |date=November 24, 2019 |title=Polygamy lives on in LDS temples, spurring agony, angst and a key question: Who will be married to whom in heaven? |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/11/24/polygamy-lives-lds/ |access-date=June 25, 2023 |author-link=Peggy Fletcher Stack |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321042757/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/11/24/polygamy-lives-lds/ |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |url-status=live |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Thus, there is a common view within the LDS Church that though prohibited by the LDS Church in mortality, polygamy or "[[plural marriage]]" will exist in the afterlife.<ref name=Spurring/><ref name=Civil >{{Cite book |last=Burge |first=Charles Ormsby |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YfEDAAAAMAAJ |title=The Adventures of a Civil Engineer: Fifty Years on Five Continents |date=1909 |publisher=[[Alston Rivers]] |via=[[Google Books]] |pages=235–236}}</ref> "In the case of a man marrying a wife in the everlasting covenant who dies while he continues in the flesh and marries another by the same divine law, each wife will come forth in her order and enter with him into his glory."<ref name=Civil /> [[Joseph Fielding Smith]], then an [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostle]], stated in 1939 "my wives will be mine in eternity" in reference to his two deceased and one living partners.<ref>{{cite book|title=Aaronic Priesthood: Manual 3|chapter=Celestial Marriage – A Preparation for Eternity|page=138 |publisher=LDS Church |date=1995 |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/34822_eng.pdf?lang=eng}}</ref>}} Children may also be sealed to their biological or adoptive parents to form permanent familial bonds, thus allowing all immediate and extended family relations to endure past death.{{efn|Children born to biological parents who have been sealed to each other are considered "born in the covenant" and need not be sealed to their parents.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last= Cottrell |first= Ralph L. |contribution= Born in the Covenant |contribution-url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5557 |page= 218 |editor-last= Ludlow |editor-first= Daniel H |editor-link= Daniel H. Ludlow |year= 1992 |encyclopedia= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |location= New York |publisher= [[Macmillan Publishers]] |isbn= 0-02-879602-0 |oclc= 24502140 |title-link= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |access-date= January 20, 2016 |archive-date= March 14, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160314031732/http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5557 |url-status= live }}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last= Hyer |first= Paul V. |author-link= Paul Hyer |contribution= Sealing: Temple Sealings |contribution-url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/4177 |pages= 1289–1290 |editor-last= Ludlow |editor-first= Daniel H |editor-link= Daniel H. Ludlow |year= 1992 |encyclopedia= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |location= New York |publisher= [[Macmillan Publishers]] |isbn= 0-02-879602-0 |oclc= 24502140 |title-link= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |access-date= January 20, 2016 |archive-date= April 18, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160418185507/http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/4177 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last= Thomas |first= Ryan L. |contribution= Adoption of Children |contribution-url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5451 |pages= 20–21 |editor-last= Ludlow |editor-first= Daniel H |editor-link= Daniel H. Ludlow |year= 1992 |encyclopedia= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |location= New York |publisher= [[Macmillan Publishers]] |isbn= 0-02-879602-0 |oclc= 24502140 |title-link= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |access-date= January 20, 2016 |archive-date= April 18, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160418130020/http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5451 |url-status= live }}</ref> The most significant LDS ordinances may be performed via proxy in behalf of those who have died, such as [[baptism for the dead]]. The church teaches that all will have the opportunity to hear and accept or reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, either in this life or the next.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2009 |title=Baptism for the Dead |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/mormon/ritesrituals/baptismdead.shtml |publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pIMACOruWRoC&pg=PA189 |title=The Mormon Faith of Mitt Romney: What Latter-Day Saints Teach and Practice |year=2012 |publisher=Kudu Publishing |isbn=978-0-9849294-1-2 |pages=189–190}}</ref>

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The LDS Church teaches that, subsequent to the death of Jesus and his original apostles, his church, along with the authority to act in Jesus Christ's name and the church's attendant spiritual gifts, were [[Great Apostasy#Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|lost]], due to a combination of external persecutions and internal heresies.<ref name=PMG>{{cite book|title=Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service|publisher= [[LDS Church]]|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/36617_eng.pdf|access-date=May 14, 2021|archive-date=March 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310070216/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/36617_eng.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|33}} The ~~restoration—as~~"Restoration"—as ~~represented~~begun by ~~the~~Joseph ~~church~~Smith ~~begun~~and byembodied ~~Joseph~~in the church ~~Smith—refers~~itself—refers to a return of the authentic priesthood power, [[Gifts of the Spirit in Mormonism|spiritual gifts]], ordinances, living [[Prophet, seer, and revelator|prophets]] and revelation of the [[Early Christianity|primitive]] Church of Christ.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Prophet, The Church: Beliefs and Doctrines |url=https://www.pbs.org/americanprophet/core-beliefs.html |access-date=June 30, 2023 |website=[[PBS]]}}</ref><ref name="Early Christ Quest">{{cite news|last1=Shipps|first1=Jan|editor1-last=Hughes|editor1-first=Richard T.|date=1988|title=The Reality of the Restoration and the Restoration Ideal in the Mormon Tradition|work=The American Quest for the Primitive Church|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]] |location= Champaign|isbn= 978-0-252-06029-8|url= https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/76agz7nq9780252060298.html |pages=181–195|access-date=April 16, 2021|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416192825/https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/76agz7nq9780252060298.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This restoration is associated with a number of events which are understood to have been necessary to re-establish the early Christian church found in the [[New Testament]], and to prepare the earth for the [[Second Coming (LDS Church)|Second Coming]] of Jesus.<ref>{{cite book|last=Russell |first=Thomas A. |date=2010 |title=Comparative Christianity: A Student's Guide to a Religion and Its Diverse Traditions |location=Irvine, CA |publisher= [[Universal Publishers (United States)|Universal Publishers]]| quote=Mormon Restorationism is the largest indigenous religious movement found in North America. Among its member churches are the approximately 100 or so groups that trace their roots |chapter=Joseph Smith, Jr. and Mormon Restorationism| page=151 |isbn=978-1-59942-877-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FmMarHDbglgC |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> In particular, Latter-day Saints believe that angels appeared to Joseph Smith and a limited number of his associates, and bestowed various priesthood authorities on them.

===Leadership===

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The church and its members consider marriage and [[family]] highly important, with emphasis placed on large, nuclear families.<ref name =Encyclopedia.com/> In 1995, the church's First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve issued "[[The Family: A Proclamation to the World]]", which asserts the importance of a heterosexual, nuclear family~~. Its intended audience was not only for its own members but to "responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere"~~. The proclamation defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman and stated that the family unit is "central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." The document further says that "[[gender]] is an essential characteristic of individual [[Premortal life (Latter Day Saints)|premortal]], mortal, and eternal identity and purpose," that the father and mother have [[Complementarianism|differing roles]] as "equal partners" in raising children, that "children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony", and that successful marriages and happy families are most likely established when founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ.{{refn|<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Petrey |first1=Taylor G.|author1-link=Taylor G. Petrey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e6XgDwAAQBAJ |title=The Routledge Handbook of Mormonism and Gender |last2=Hoyt |first2=Amy |year=2020 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-351-18158-7 |pages=11, 61, 435}}</ref><ref name="Gay Rights"/>{{rp|52–54}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fletcher Stack |first=Peggy |author-link=Peggy Fletcher Stack |date=October 14, 2015 |title=After 20 years, Mormonism's family proclamation is quoted, praised, parsed and politicked |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/mormon/2015/10/14/after-20-years-mormonisms-family-proclamation-is-quoted-praised-parsed-and-politicked/ |access-date=June 26, 2023}}</ref>}} The proclamation also promotes specific roles essential to maintaining the strength of the family unit—the traditional roles of a husband and father as the family's breadwinner and those of a wife and mother as a nurturing caregiver. Nonetheless, it acknowledges that "circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation" and that spouses are "obligated to help one another as equal partners" in fulfilling those roles. It also charges both parents with the duties of childrearing. It concludes by inviting its audience to "promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society".<ref name =Encyclopedia.com>{{cite web|publisher=[[Encyclopedia.com]]|title=Mormons|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/christianity/protestant-denominations/mormons|access-date=June 22, 2023 |date= 2018|archive-date=March 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307052950/https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/christianity/protestant-denominations/mormons|url-status=live}}</ref> Senior church leaders have continued to emphasize conservative teachings on marriage and gender to the present time.<ref>[https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2023/10/02/mormon-general-conference-gender-marriage-eternity Mormon leaders double down on gender and marriage. Axios Salt Lake City. October 2, 2023. Accessed October 5, 2023.]</ref>

LDS Church members are encouraged to set aside one evening each week, typically Monday, to spend together in "[[Family Home Evening]]" (FHE), which typically consists of gathering as a family to study the faith's gospel principles, and other family activities. Daily family prayer is also encouraged.<ref name =Encyclopedia.com/>

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{{main|Sexuality and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Law of chastity}}

{{see also|Views on masturbation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Homosexuality and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}

Church members are expected to follow a [[moral code]] called the law of chastity, which prohibits [[adultery]], homosexual behavior, and sexual relations before or outside of marriage.{{r|name=Mason2015|q=Observant Mormons... adhere to the 'law of chastity,' meaning that they engage in no premarital or extramarital sexual relations and confine sex only to monogamous heterosexual marriages.|p=1}} As part of the law of chastity, the church strongly opposes pornography, and considers masturbation an immoral act.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/latter-day-saint-sex-therapist-faces-excommunication-over-controversial-views|title=Latter-day Saint sex therapist faces excommunication over views on sexuality|date=April 16, 2021|access-date=April 20, 2021|archive-date=April 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420051328/https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/latter-day-saint-sex-therapist-faces-excommunication-over-controversial-views|url-status=live |publisher=[[KSTU]]}}</ref> Law of chastity violations can be grounds for [[church membership council|church discipline]]; resulting penalties may include having access to the [[Temple (LDS Church)|temple]] and [[Sacrament (LDS Church)|sacrament]] revoked, as well as ~~withdrawal of church membership~~excommunication.<ref>{{cite book |last= Riess|first=Jana |author-link=Jana Riess |date=2019|title=The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BPiFDwAAQBAJ |location= |publisher= [[Oxford University Press]]|page= |chapter=Chapter 4: Single Mormons in a Married Church – Sex and the Single Mormon |isbn=9780190885229}}</ref> The church discourages romantic dating until around the age of 16.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hoyt |first1=Amy |last2=Petrey |first2=Taylor G. |author2-link=Taylor G. Petrey |date=2020 |title=The Routledge Handbook of Mormonism and Gender |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e6XgDwAAQBAJ|location= |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |page= |isbn=9781351181587}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Frandsen |first=Jake |date=October 3, 2022 |title=What are the Biggest Changes to the New ''For the Strength of Youth'' Booklet? |url=https://www.ldsliving.com/whats-new-in-the-for-the-strength-of-youth-booklet/s/11043 |magazine=[[LDS Living]]}}</ref>

===Tithing and other donations===

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Church members are expected to donate one-tenth of their income to support the operations of the church. After initially relying on a communal lifestyle known as the [[law of consecration]] throughout most of the 1830s, the church created the law of tithing in July 1838 when the membership was [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Missouri|concentrated in Missouri]].<ref name="givens">{{cite book |last=Givens |first=Terryl |author-link= |date=2020 |title=Mormonism: What Everyone Needs to Know |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-RP0DwAAQBAJ|location= |publisher= [[Oxford University Press]]|page=170 |isbn=9780190885113}}</ref> Church members would frequently tithe by giving ten percent of their livestock and produce; nowadays donations are generally done with money.<ref name="givens"/>

Annual donations were estimated to total $7 billion<ref>{{Cite news |last=Henderson |first=Peter |date=August 13, 2012 |title=Mormon church earns $7 billion a year from tithing, analysis indicates |work=[[NBC News]] |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/mormon-church-earns-7-billion-year-tithing-analysis-indicates-flna939844 |access-date=June 26, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Curtis |first=Larry D. |date=December 20, 2019 |title=LDS Church releases explanation of its use of tithes, donations after $100B fund revealed |publisher=[[KUTV]] |url=https://kutv.com/news/local/lds-church-releases-explanation-of-its-use-of-tithes-donations-after-100b-fund-revealed |access-date=June 26, 2023}}</ref> to $33 billion<ref name=Hidden/> [[United States dollar|USD]] donated in 2012 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|7|2012|r=1}} billion to ${{Inflation|US|33|2012|r=1}} billion in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}). To qualify for participation in temple ordinances (which Latter-day Saints believe are necessary for their salvation), paying a full tithe is a requirement, regardless of one's temporal circumstances.{{refn|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fletcher Stack |first=Peggy |date=March 26, 2018 |title=Does tithing requirement for entry into LDS temples amount to Mormons buying their way into heaven? |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/03/26/does-tithing-requirement-for-entry-into-lds-temples-amount-to-mormons-buying-their-way-into-heaven/ |access-date=June 27, 2023 |author-link=Peggy Fletcher Stack}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=West |first=Aaron L. |date=December 2012 |title=Sacred Transformations |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/eng/ensign/2012/12/sacred-transformations |magazine=[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |publisher=[[LDS Church]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Shields |first=Steven L. |url=https://archive.org/details/latterdaysaintbe0000shie/page/90/mode/1up |title=Latter Day Saint Beliefs: A Comparison Between the RLDS Church and the LDS Church |publisher=[[Herald Publishing House]] |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-8309-0437-2 |page=90 |via=[[Internet Archive]] |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ronquillo |first=John C. |date=May 8, 2015 |title=Op-ed: There's another option besides online LDS tithing: confidential payments |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2015/05/08/op-ed-theres-another-option-besides-online-lds-tithing-confidential-payments/ |access-date=June 27, 2023}}</ref>}} Members are also encouraged to [[fasting|fast]] (abstain from food and drink) on the [[Fast Sunday|first Sunday of each month]] for two consecutive meals. They donate at least the cost of the two skipped meals of the fast as a "fast offering", which the church uses to assist people in need and expand its [[LDS Humanitarian Services|humanitarian efforts]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 5, 2009 |title=Mormon: Fasting |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/mormon/customs/fasting.shtml |access-date=June 27, 2023 |website=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

Local leadership is not paid, and is expected to tithe as well. Full-time missionaries, however, are not expected to pay tithing as they are usually paying to be a missionary.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/missionary-standards-for-disciples-of-jesus-christ/_manifest?lang=eng|website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org|access-date=May 6, 2024}}</ref>

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Common informal names for the church include the LDS Church, the Mormon Church, and the Latter-day Saints Church.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Noyce |first=David |date=March 8, 2019 |title=AP changes its style on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but 'Mormon' is not entirely out |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325173628/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/03/08/ap-changes-its-style/ |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |url-access=limited |via=[[Internet Archive]] |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/03/08/ap-changes-its-style/ |access-date=June 25, 2023}}</ref> The church requests that the official name be used when possible or, if necessary, shortened to "the Church" or "the Church of Jesus Christ".<ref name=Drop/> In August 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson asked members of the church and others to cease using the terms "LDS", "Mormon" and "Mormonism" to refer to the church, its membership, or its belief system and instead to call the church by its full and official name.<ref name=nbc_dont_say_mormon>{{cite news | title=Don't use 'Mormon' or 'LDS' as church name, president says | newspaper=[[NBC News]] | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/don-t-use-mormon-or-lds-church-name-president-says-n901491 | date=August 16, 2018 | access-date=July 27, 2020 | archive-date=September 15, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915210811/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/don-t-use-mormon-or-lds-church-name-president-says-n901491 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=washpost_dont_say_mormon>{{cite news | title=Stop calling the Mormon Church 'Mormon,' says church leader. 'LDS' is out, too |last=Chiu |first=Allyson |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/17/stop-calling-the-mormon-church-mormon-says-church-leader-lds-is-out-too/ | date=August 17, 2018 | access-date=July 27, 2020 | archive-date=July 28, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728135750/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/17/stop-calling-the-mormon-church-mormon-says-church-leader-lds-is-out-too/ | url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|During the Church's October 2018 General Conference, Nelson declared that the use of nicknames such as ''Mormon'' represented "a major victory for Satan."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fletcher Stack |first1=Peggy |last2=Pierce| first2=Scott D. |author1-link=Peggy Fletcher Stack |first3=David |last3= Noyce |title=Members 'offend' Jesus and please the devil when they use the term 'Mormon,' President Nelson says |url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/10/07/members-offend-jesus/ |publisher=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |access-date=October 9, 2018 |date=October 7, 2018}}</ref><ref name=Drop/>}} Subsequent to this announcement, the church's premier vocal ensemble, the [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]], was officially renamed and became the "Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square".<ref name=pbs_motab_rename>{{cite news | title=Mormon Tabernacle Choir renamed in church shift | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/mormon-tabernacle-choir-renamed-in-church-shift | publisher=[[PBS]] | date=October 5, 2018 | access-date=July 28, 2020 | archive-date=July 28, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728025252/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/mormon-tabernacle-choir-renamed-in-church-shift | url-status=live }}</ref> Reaction to the name change policy has been mixed.<ref name=sltrib_a_year_later>{{cite news | title=A year later, how successful is the war on the word 'Mormon'? | url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/08/20/jana-riess-year-later-how/ | last=Riess | first=Jana |author-link=Jana Riess |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] | date=August 20, 2019 | access-date=July 28, 2020 | archive-date=July 28, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728015841/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/08/20/jana-riess-year-later-how/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

Legally, the church currently functions as a [[corporation sole]], incorporated in Utah,<ref name=SECfiling/>, of which the [[Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)|Presiding Bishop]] is the sole officer.{{failed verification|date=August 2024}}

Intellectual Reserve is a nonprofit corporation wholly owned by the church, which holds the church's intellectual property, such as copyrights, trademarks, and other media.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/02/not-mormonr-still-mormon|title=Not Mormon®, But Still Mormon|first=Vera|last=Ranieri|date=February 9, 2016|publisher=[[Electronic Frontier Foundation]]}}</ref>

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Church humanitarian aid includes organizing food security, clean water, mobility, and healthcare initiatives, operating [[Deseret Industries|thrift stores]], maintaining a service project website, and directly funding or partnering with other organizations. The church reports that the value of all charitable donations in 2021 was $906 million.<ref name ="Humanitarian2" /> Independent reporting has found that the Church's charity organization, LDS Charities, gave a total of $177 million from 2008 to 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/11/02/mormon-finances-scrutiny-australia-canada|title=LDS Church finances are under scrutiny abroad|first=Erin|last=Alberty|date=November 2, 2022|website=[[Axios.com|Axios]]}}</ref>

The church also distributes money and aid to disaster victims worldwide.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title= Mormon Helping Hands Make a Difference |magazine= [[Meridian Magazine]] |url= http://www.meridianmagazine.com/articles/051020helpinghands.html |date=October 20, 2005 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100201225231/http://meridianmagazine.com/articles/051020helpinghands.html |archive-date= February 1, 2010}}</ref> In 2017, the church partnered with Catholic Relief Services and other organizations to provide aid to several African and Middle Eastern nations.<ref name=Relief>{{Cite news |last=Mims |first=Bob |date=September 27, 2017 |title=Mormon church adds $11M to famine relief in Africa, Middle East |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/09/27/mormon-church-adds-11m-to-famine-relief-in-africa-middle-east/ |access-date=June 30, 2023}}</ref> In 2010, it partnered with [[Islamic Relief]] to help victims of flooding in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 17, 2010 |title=Bay Area residents raise money for Pakistan flood victims |work=[[KGO-TV|ABC7]] |location=San Francisco, California |url=https://abc7news.com/archive/7613688/ |access-date=June 30, 2023}}</ref> Latter-day Saint Charities increased the conversion of stockpiled raw foods into finished food ~~production~~products during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and donated healthcare supplies to 16 countries affected by the crisis.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/03/24/how-latter-day-saint/ |title=How Latter-day Saint Charities is helping during coronavirus crisis – in Utah and around the world |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326234823/https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/03/24/how-latter-day-saint/ |archive-date=March 26, 2020 |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://kutv.com/news/local/gallery/lds-church-donates-thousands-of-masks-goggles-to-china-amid-coronavirus-outbreak |title=LDS Church donates thousands of masks, goggles to China amid coronavirus outbreak |date=January 29, 2020 |access-date=April 17, 2020 | publisher=[[KUTV]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227122321/https://kutv.com/news/local/gallery/lds-church-donates-thousands-of-masks-goggles-to-china-amid-coronavirus-outbreak |archive-date=February 27, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://fox13now.com/2018/09/27/lds-church-announces-hefty-food-donation-throughout-the-u-s/ |title=LDS Church announces hefty food donation throughout the U.S. |date=September 28, 2018 | publisher=[[KSTU]] |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013085625/https://fox13now.com/2018/09/27/lds-church-announces-hefty-food-donation-throughout-the-u-s/ |archive-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The church has donated $4 million to aid refugees fleeing from the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc4.com/news/the-church-donates-millions-to-aid-displaced-ukrainian-refugees/|title=The LDS Church donates millions to aid displaced Ukrainian refugees|date=March 14, 2022|publisher=[[KTVX]]}}</ref> In 2022, the church gave $32 million to the United Nations World Food Programme, in its largest one-time donation to a humanitarian organization to that point.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pierce |first=Scott D. |date=September 14, 2022 |title=LDS Church makes its biggest one-time charitable donation ever |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2022/09/14/lds-church-makes-its-biggest-one/ |access-date=June 30, 2023}}</ref>

==Criticism and controversies==

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* [[List of new religious movements]]

* [[List of Latter Day Saint periodicals]]

* [[Ministering]]

== Notes ==