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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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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{{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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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==