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Criticism of Mormonism is the criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement, especially of the largest and most prominent sect, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter referred to as the LDS Church).

Theological critiques of Mormonism come out of concern for orthodoxy, whereas scientists and scholars may question the historicity and authenticity of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, and other Mormon religious texts. The term anti-Mormon refers to those whose criticism is motivated chiefly by a desire to antagonize, although it is used by some members of the LDS Church to describe any critic of the Church's history, practices, or teachings.

Criticism by Christians

Criticism of Doctrine and Practices

Historical Christian theologians and Christian apologists who address the topic occasionally teach that Mormonism is a form of pseudo-Christianity (Many Infallible Proofs by Henry M. Morris, page 330), which has departed from historical Christianity's interpretation of the Bible and now espouses beliefs fundamentally different. Mormonism is sometimes referred to as a cult, due to doctrinal and procedural issues. At other times it is compared with ancient gnosticism or Arianism , and is even credited to have associations with the occult .

The nature of divinity

Mormons have been criticised for rejecting the Trinity. Mormons believe that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different beings united in purpose, love, and perfection; they also believe that the Father has a physical body (see Godhead (Mormonism)). In contrast, Trinitarian theology teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three different persons united in substance (or essence), and that the Father does not have a physical body.

Although not LDS doctrine, some Mormons believe that the Father was once a man and became God at some point in the past (whose own God was similarly promoted even earlier, ad infinitum), and that Mormons may be given the same promotion, called "Exaltation" by Mormons and "Deification" or "Theosis" when the same concept is used by non-Mormons. This concept was most famously summarized by Lorenzo Snow, who framed it as a couplet: "As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be." Joseph Smith reportedly taught something similar in the King Follett Discourse, although he never recorded a scriptural passage explicitly teaching this idea, and this discourse was first published after his death, so that he would not have been able to correct any possible errors in the transcription. LDS authorities have not elaborated much on the doctrine, and there is some difference of interpretation among believers. A more certain statement of the LDS teaching is that human beings are literally God's children, and, "as such, each has a divine nature and destiny", as stated in an authoritative proclamation by the contemporary church leadership (see The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

These doctrines have been heavily criticized based on some interpretations of the Bible, often citing Isaiah 43:10, in which God declares: "before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." A possible alternate reading of this chapter reveals that God may be saying that no other God will ever take his place. This alternate reading does not result in a Biblical contradiction of Isaiah with the Lord in Psalms 82:6 or John 10:34.

Orthodox defense of the Trinity against Mormonism focuses on the doctrine of Divine unity, citing passages such as the Shema Yisrael. The LDS understanding of unity derives from the Gospel of John in the Holy Bible, specifically John 17:20-23.

Belief in exaltation has also been defended by reference to passages such as 2 Peter 1:4, as well as many statements by early Christians about humans being divinized (a doctrine known to the Eastern Orthodox as theosis). Some Christian apologists reply that there is only superficial similarity, noting the crucial distinction made between the Divine energies which creatures may participate in, and the Divine essence, which is uncreated and therefore entirely different from whatever is created.

Salvation

Another frequent topic of criticism, especially among evangelicals, is the basis of salvation. Mormons hold that there is no such thing as faith without works, based upon James 2:14-26. Some Christian denominations reject such theology, holding instead the belief that salvation is reached through faith alone. For example, in an article not specifically directed against Mormonism, John F. MacArthur said:

There are many who make justification dependent on a mixture of faith and works... This was the error of the Galatian legalists (cf. Galatians 2:16 5:4). Paul called it "a different gospel" (Galatians 1:6, 1:9). The same error is found in virtually every false cult. This critique is not without controversy because it also condemns the doctrine of the Catholic church.

Authority

Joseph Smith claimed that the priesthood, which he defined as authority to act in God's name, had been removed because of apostasy (also known as a "falling away"), which Mormons believe occurred not long after the deaths of the original apostles, which they maintain was prophesied in the Bible (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and Great Apostasy). This prophecy warned that an apostasy would occur prior to the second coming and was therefore in keeping with God's plan for mankind. Most Christians believe a complete apostasy is impossible. Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid wrote:

Since Christ is the mind and head of his Church (Ephesians 4:15-16), animating the body, the members enjoy an organic spiritual union with him (John 15:1-8). It's inconceivable that he would permit his body to disintegrate under the attacks of Satan.

Catholics often see the Mormon priesthood as a counterfeit of their own Apostolic Succession. Protestants, on the other hand, often believe in the priesthood of all believers.

Most Christians believe that the Canon of Scripture is closed, making the Bible the only sacred text for Christians, though the precise number of books in the Bible is disputed among different Christian denominations. Many Protestants consider the Bible the only infallible authority, a doctrine called Sola scriptura. Latter-day Saints believe that the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants are also the word of God.

They also believe that if additional Scripture is found, it too should be embraced as the Word of God (e.g. Paul's Letter to the Laodiceans, which has never been found but referred to by Paul in Colossians 4:16).

Criticism by scientists

Archeology and the Book of Mormon

Many critics claim that the Book of Mormon is incompatible with archeology. The Book of Mormon states that there were pre-Columbian peoples that were white, literate, had knowledge of Old World languages, and possessed Old World derived writing systems. (E.g. 1 Nephi 13:23 et. seq.) They smelted metal and made tools and weapons of iron, steel, and brass. (E.g. Ether 7:9, 10:23) They owned domesticated horses and cattle. They possessed chariots. (E.g. Alma 18:9-12) The people covered the "entire land." The civilization described by these passages and scores of others in the Book of Mormon should yield certain types of discoveries in the pre-Colombian archaeological record. However, few such discoveries have been made.

Genetics and the Book of Mormon

Many critics claim that the Book of Mormon is incompatible with genetics as well. Since the late 1990s and the pioneering work of Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza and others, scientists have developed potent techniques to use genetic markers to indicate the ethnic background and history of individual people. It has thus become possible to directly compare genetic evidence of the ethnic background of Native Americans with the story of the Book of Mormon. Studies show that Native Americans have very distinctive DNA markers, and that are most similar, among old world populations, to the DNA of people anciently associated with the Altay Mountains area of central Asia, near the intersections of Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. A number of geneticists have indicated that genetic comparison does not appear to support the story in the Book of Mormon, while some Latter Day Saint advocates have argued instead that genetic markers show consistency with the story of the Book of Mormon. An argument by LDS scientists is that the DNA taken from modern day Israelis has been intermixed with DNA from many other nations, thus they do not contain the same traits that Israelites once had, back when Lehi left Israel. Also, Native Americans have been intermixed, distorting their ancestors' true DNA as well.

Linguistics and the Book of Mormon

Part of a series on the
Book of Mormon
Origin Cumorah Golden plates Joseph Smith Emma Smith Oliver Cowdery Sidney Rigdon David Whitmer Martin Harris Lucy Harris Book of Mormon witnesses Three Witnesses Eight Witnesses Spalding–Rigdon theory
Peoples Jaredites Nephites Amalekites Amlicites Zoramites Lamanites Anti-Nephi-Lehies
Persons Aaron Abinadi Abish Ammon Angel Moroni Alma the Elder Alma the Younger Akish Amaleki (scribe) Amaleki (explorer) Amalickiah Aminadab Ammoron Ammah Amulek Brother of Jared Captain Moroni Cezoram Coriantumr (last Jaredite king) Coriantumr (Nephite dissenter) Coriantumr (son of Omer) Enos Ether Gazelem Gideon Helaman Ishmael Jacob Jared Jaredite kings Joseph King Benjamin King Noah King Mosiah I King Mosiah II Laban Lachoneus Laman and Lemuel Lamoni Lehi Limhi Mormon Moroni Moron Moronihah Mulek Nephi Nehor Omner Omni Paanchi Sam Sariah Samuel the Lamanite Shiz Teancum Three Nephites Zedekiah Zeezrom Zeram, Amnor, Manti, and Limher Zeniff Zenock
Books First Nephi Second Nephi Book of Jacob Book of Enos Book of Jarom Book of Omni Words of Mormon Book of Mosiah Book of Alma Book of Helaman Third Nephi Fourth Nephi Book of Mormon Book of Ether Book of Moroni
Geography List Ammonihah Ani-Anti Antiparah Bountiful Cumeni Cumorah Jershon Moron Nahom River Sidon Valley of Alma Valley of Nimrod Waters of Mormon Zarahemla
Analysis Anachronisms Archaeology Book of Mormon and the King James Bible Criticism Historical authenticity Genetics Killing of Laban Linguistics Limited geography model Mosiah priority
Objects Liahona Plates of Nephi Record of the Nephites Urim and Thummim
Adaptations List of Book of Mormon Videos How Rare a Possession The Book of Mormon Movie Passage to Zarahemla Translations
Other Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site Curelom and cumom Deseret Engraved metal plates Gadianton robbers Lost 116 pages Monetary system Native Americans and Mormonism Pacific Islanders and Mormonism Skin color and Mormonism Urim and Thummim Reformed Egyptian Record of Zeniff Great and abominable church Secret combination Solomon Chamberlin Tree of life vision Two thousand stripling warriors
Outline of the Book of Mormon
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The Book of Mormon contains many linguistic similarities to the King James Bible (KJV). In some cases, entire passages are duplicated in the Book of Mormon. Sometimes the quotation is explicit, as in the Second Book of Nephi, which contains 18 quoted chapters of the Book of Isaiah.

Other significant connections between the two books include Book of Mormon words and phrases that only appear in their KJV usage, perpetuation of Bible passages considered by some scholars to have been mistranslated in the KJV, and the possible presence of English homophones.

Most Mormons accept the miraculous origin theory of the Book of Mormon and deny that the KJV was a source for it, arguing that the alleged similarities between the two are artifacts of the divine nature of the creation of the work. In contrast, those who reject the miraculous origin of the Book of Mormon view the KJV as a major source for the Book of Mormon.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) identify the Book of Mormon as the "stick of Joseph" and the Bible as the "stick of Judah" in Ezekiel 37:19:

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

This link comes from revelation written in Doctrine and Covenants 27:5:

Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim.

Miraculous origin story

Adherents of Latter Day Saint movement generally believe the Book of Mormon has a miraculous origin. While Joseph Smith described the Book of Mormon as a "translation" of text written on golden plates, Smith had not studied ancient languages and did not "translate" in the traditional sense of the word. Smith claimed a divine origin for his ability to translate.

The existence of biblical passages in the Book of Mormon is explained in the text as being the result of Lehi's family bringing with them a set of brass plates from Jerusalem which containing the writings of Moses, Isaiah, and several prophets not mentioned in the Bible. Regarding this record, 1 Nephi 5:11 states:

And he beheld that they did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents;

While most contemporary secular and religious biblical scholars dates the completion of the Pentateuch to no earlier than the Persian period (538–323 B.C.), those who accept the miraculous origin theory generally subscribe to the tradition of Mosaic authorship circa 1280 B.C.

Mormon writers have noted that although the portions of the Book of Mormon that quote from the Bible are very similar to the KJV text, they are not identical. Mormon scholars have also noted that at least seven of "the ancient textual variants in question are not significantly different in meaning."

The text of the Book of Mormon is written in an archaic style, and some Latter Day Saints have argued that one would expect a more modern 19th-century vocabulary if Smith had authored the book. The Book of Mormon also appears, according to Skousen, to use archaic phrases that are not found in the KJV but were in current usage at or around the time of its first publication in 1611. For example, in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon, the original text of what is now Alma 37:37 reads:

counsel the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good;

using the word "counsel" to mean "counsel with." When read in modern English, the text as originally written makes it sound as if "the Lord" was to be the one to be counseled. When the 1920 edition of the Book of Mormon was being prepared, the preposition "with" was added in this passage "so that readers would not misinterpret the language." The text of Alma 37:37 now reads:

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good;

The older sense of the word "counsel" became obsolete about 250 years prior to Smith's birth.

Another example is "but if" in the original text of Mosiah 3:19: "but if he yieldeth", compared to the current reading; "unless he yieldeth." The use of "but if" to mean "unless" ended around the beginning of the 17th century, predating Smith by 200 years

Quotation of ancient sources

The quotation of Isaiah 2:16 by 2 Nephi 12:16, "And upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures" is sometimes used as evidence of an ancient source for the Book of Mormon. The KJV contains only half the phrase, while the Septuagint contains the other half. The scholarly consensus is that the Septuagint is a mistranslation of the original Hebrew. Isaiah 2:16 is part of a poetic section and is a rhyming couplet; the Book of Mormon contains three phrases at this section where the meter dictates there should be only two. Numerous readily available bible commentaries in the early 1800s mentioned the Septaugint translation, including ones by John Wesley and Adam Clarke.

One FARMS researcher, John A. Tvedtnes, performed comparisons of the Isaiah variants found in the Book of Mormon with the following versions of the Book of Isaiah: the Hebrew Massoretic text, the Dead Sea scrolls found at Qumran, the Aramaic Targumim, the Peshitta, the Septuagint, the Old Latin and Vulgate, and the Isaiah passages which are quoted in the New Testament. He argues that some of these comparisons show support for the Book of Mormon passages as having been derived from an ancient text. A rebuttal to Tvedtnes's conclusions was given by David P. Wright. In an analysis of each of the examples that Tvedtnes presented, Wright argues that the support given by Tvedtnes was "problematic as proof" and that in some cases Tvedtnes's analysis and evidence was "highly ambiguous, substantially incomplete, strained, or simply in error."

KJV as a source for Book of Mormon

Some critics of the Book of Mormon argue that the KJV was a significant source for the Book of Mormon text.

Quotation of KJV in the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon explicitly quotes the prophet Isaiah, containing 19 chapters of the KJV of Isaiah in their entirety, along with parts of a few other chapters. In total, approximately 30 percent of the Book of Isaiah is quoted in the Book of Mormon (Tvedtnes counts 478 verses in the Book of Mormon that are quoted from Isaiah, but notes that 207 show variations).

The Book of Mormon also quotes from the KJV of other books.

The Book of Mormon contains a version of the Sermon on the Mount, which some authors have claimed to be "the Achilles heel of the Book of Mormon." One author makes the point that certain portions of the Greek manuscripts of Matthew 5–7 do not agree with the KJV of the text, and concludes that the Book of Mormon version of the sermon should not contain text similar to the KJV.

Perpetuation of KJV translation variations

The KJV of 1769 contains translation variations which also occur in the Book of Mormon. A few examples are 2 Nephi 19:1, 2 Nephi 21:3, and 2 Nephi 16:2. The Book of Mormon references "dragons" and "satyrs" in 2 Nephi 23:21-22, matching the KJV of the Bible.

Use of English homophones

Some examples of homophones found in the English Book of Mormon are the words strait and straight, and the words sun and son.

A few passages in the Book of Mormon use phrases from the KJV, but with certain words changed to English homophones. For example, 3 Nephi 25:2 reads, "But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall." This is identical to Malachi 4:2, except that the word "Son" is used in place of "Sun". The two words are homophones in English but dissimilar in Hebrew and in Egyptian.

Unique words and phrases

There are many words and phrases which, when found in the Book of Mormon, exist only in a KJV context, suggesting that the words were not part of the author's daily vocabulary, but were used only in borrowings from the KJV. For example, "fervent" and "elements" each appear twice, both times together in the same phrase, and in the same context as 2 Peter 3:10 (3 Nephi 26:3, Mormon 9:2). Also, "talent" is used only once, in the same context as Matthew 25:28 (Ether 12:35).

Archaic language

The Book of Mormon uses an archaic vocabulary and grammar that reflects 16th- and 17th-century usage (Jacobean English) as opposed to the 19th-century American English. Examples include the use of the word "require" to mean "to request" in Enos 1:18 (compare to KJV Ezra 8:22) and use of "to cast arrows" to mean "to shoot arrows" in Alma 49:4 (compare to KJV Proverbs 26:18).

Example parallels

Example parallels include:

See also

• Linguistics and the Book of Mormon

Notes

1. "A Comparison Between Christian Doctrine and Mormon Doctrine". Retrieved 2006-06-18.
2. "Lorenzo Snow, About Mormons". Retrieved 2006-05-08.
3. "Mormon Answers". Retrieved 2006-06-03.
4. "LDS View of God Contradicts the Bible". Retrieved 2006-05-08.
5. "God: POLYTHEISM". Retrieved 2006-05-08.
6. ""I Have Said, 'Ye are Gods'": Concepts Conducive to the Early Christian Doctrine of Deification in Patristic Literature and the Underlying Strata of the Greek New Testament Text". Retrieved 2006-05-08.
7. See "Mormonism 201: Chapter 3 The Trinity". Retrieved 2006-05-08. and "Did The Early Church Believe In the LDS Doctrine of God?". Retrieved 2006-05-08.
8. "Jesus' Perspective on Sola Fide". Retrieved 2006-05-08.
9. Sperry 1995a harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSperry1995a (help)
10. Modern Scholarship in the Study of Torah: Contributions and Limitations, Ed. Shalom Carmy, and Handbook of Jewish Thought, Volume I, by Aryeh Kaplan.
11. Sperry 1995c harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSperry1995c (help)
12. Out of some twenty-five thousand—see Majority text, Textus Receptus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Vaticanus, Codex Bezae, Alexandrian text-type, Byzantine text-type, Western text-type and Caesarean text-type—most of which are minor, which distinguish the basis of the KJV and its version of the Sermon on the Mount (from a mistranslation of Desiderius Erasmus's Textus Receptus of the 15th century) from more ancient and correct manuscripts.
13. ^ Welch 1994 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFWelch1994 (help)
14. Book of Mormon, 1830 Edition, p. 330.
15. ^ Skousen 2005 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSkousen2005 (help)
16. ^ Pike, Dana M. and Seely, David R. (2005) "Upon All the Ships of the Sea, and Upon All the Ships of Tarshish": Revisiting 2 Nephi 12:16 and Isaiah 2:16," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 14: No. 2, Article 4.
17. ^ Ronald V. Huggins; "Without a Cause" and "Ships of Tarshish": A Possible Contemporary Source for Two Unexplained Readings from Joseph Smith. Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 1 April 2003; 36 (1): 157–179. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/45226934
18. ^ David P. Wright, "Joseph Smith's Interpretations of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon," Dialogue 31, no. 4 (Winter 1998): 182-206; and Wright, "Isaiah in the Book of Mormon," 157-234
19. Tvedtnes 1984 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFTvedtnes1984 (help)
20. Wright, David P. (2002). "Isaiah in the Book of Mormon: or Joseph Smith in Isaiah". In Vogel, Dan; Metcalfe, Brent Lee (eds.). American Apocrypha: Essays on the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. pp. 157–234. ISBN 1560851511. OCLC 47870060..
    This paper, in slightly revised form, is available online at: Wright, David P. (August 1998), "Isaiah in the Book of Mormon ...and Joseph Smith in Isaiah", Mormon Central
21. Abanes, Richard (2003), One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church, Thunder's Mouth Press, p. 72, ISBN 1-56858-283-8
22. Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (1987), Mormonism - Shadow or Reality?, Utah Lighthouse Ministry, pp. 73–80, ISBN 99930-74-43-8
23. Specifically, chapters 2–14, 48–51, 53, and 54 of Isaiah are quoted in the Book of Mormon. Most of Isaiah 52 is also contained in the Book of Mormon.
24. Tvedtnes 1984 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFTvedtnes1984 (help)
25. Larson 1993 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFLarson1993 (help)
26. Reynolds & Skousen 2001 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFReynoldsSkousen2001 (help)
27. "Words and phrases used in a KJV context". Archived from the original on 1998-12-02.
28. Grant Palmer, Insider's View
29. 3 Nephi 9
30. John 14
31. John 1
32. Rev 22
33. 3 Nephi 11
34. Mark 16
35. 3 Nephi 15
36. John 10

References

• Larson, Stan (1978), "Conjectural Emendation and the Text of the Book of Mormon" (PDF), BYU Studies, 18 (4), Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University.
• Larson, Stan (June 1993), Metcalf, Brent Lee (ed.), "The Historicity of the Matthean Sermon on the Mount in 3 Nephi", New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology, Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, ISBN 1560850175.
• Parry, Donald W; Ricks, Stephen D (March 2000), The Dead Sea Scrolls: Questions and Responses for Latter-day Saints, Maxwell Institute, pp. 41–50, ISBN 0934893519, retrieved 2007-04-26.
• Reynolds, Noel B; Skousen, Royal (2001), "Was the Path Nephi Saw "Strait and Narrow" or "Straight and Narrow"", Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 10 (2), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute: 30–33, doi:10.5406/jbookmormstud.10.2.0030, S2CID 127970445, archived from the original on 2007-04-18, retrieved 2007-04-27.
• Skousen, Royal (2005), "The Archaic Vocabulary of the Book of Mormon", FARMS Insights, 25 (5), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, archived from the original on 2011-07-19, retrieved 2007-04-16.
• Sperry, Sidney B (1995a), "The Book of Mormon and the Problem of the Pentateuch", Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 4 (1), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute: 119–28, doi:10.2307/44758770, JSTOR 44758770, S2CID 165123974, archived from the original on 2011-09-30, retrieved 2007-04-16.
• Sperry, Sidney B (1995b), "The "Isaiah Problem" in the Book of Mormon", Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 4 (1), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute: 129–52, doi:10.2307/44758771, JSTOR 44758771, S2CID 191646397, retrieved 2007-04-16.
• Sperry, Sidney B (1995c), "The Book of Mormon and the Problem of the Sermon on the Mount", Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 4 (1), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute: 153–65, doi:10.2307/44758772, JSTOR 44758772, S2CID 165075492, archived from the original on 2022-10-04, retrieved 2022-10-04.
• Tvedtnes, John A (1984), "Isaiah Variants in the Book of Mormon", Featured Papers, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, archived from the original on 2007-04-08, retrieved 2007-04-16.
• Welch, John W (1994), "Approaching New Approaches", FARMS Review of Books, 6 (1), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, archived from the original on 2007-04-06, retrieved 2007-04-26.

External links

• Bible References about The Book of Mormon (Mormon Source) from "Moroni's Latter-Day Saint Page" at Moroni10.com
• Origins of the Book of Mormon (Non-Mormon Source) from "Joseph Smith and the Origins of The Book of Mormon" at mrm.org

Criticism of Mormonism because of alleged discriminatory practices

Women and Mormonism

The status of women in Mormonism has been a source of public debate beginning prior to the death of Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1844. Various denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement have taken different paths on the subject of women and their role in the church and in society—views ranging from the full equal status and ordination of women to the priesthood as practiced by the Community of Christ, to the Catholic-like patriarchal system practiced by the modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the ultra-patriarchal plural marriage system practiced by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and other Mormon fundamentalist groups.

Blacks and Mormonism

The first reference in Latter Day Saint writings describing dark skin as a curse and mark from God refers to Ancient Americans, rather than African Americans. The Book of Mormon, dictated in the late 1820s, states the following about Lamanites, apparent ancestors of some tribes of Native Americans:

And had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people, the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. And thus saith the Lord God; I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities." (2 Nephi 5:21, emphasis added)

The Book of Mormon seems to imply that dark skin was heritable, passed down through generations to a group of Lamanites known as Anti-Nephi-Lehies or Ammonites who became converted to the group of God, "they did open a correspondence with them, and the curse of God did no more follow them," (Alma 23:18) And later, the Book of Mormon claims that another group of Lamanites converted, "their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites... and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites." (3 Nephi 2:15-16).

Having separated themselves from the people of God, the Lamanites had regressed into a state of ignorance and iniquity and, by doing so, had cursed themselves and their posterity. The black skin represented their spiritual blindness and constituted the marke of the curse (see 2 Nephi 30:6). Possible intermarriage wilth local tribes would explain both the heritable nature of the dark skin and the sudden change from civilized Hebrew society to a loin-cloth culture of idleness, "full of mischief and subtlety"

Homosexuality and Mormonism

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints considers homosexuality or homosexual behavior to be sinful just as adultery and fornication are considered to be sinful. Homosexual desire when dwelled on is also viewed as sinful. The LDS church encourages its members to not feed any such tempted desire.

The LDS Church has actively opposed efforts to legalize same-sex marriage or civil unions. LDS doctrine holds that heterosexual marriage is one of many requirements for entry into the "highest degree of glory" of the Celestial Kingdom, the highest of the three heavens mentioned by Paul in the New Testament. Marriage between a man and a woman is not only required but is considered an essential part in the so named heaven being that family(nuclear family) is believed to be the fundamental unit of society in this life and in heaven.

The church believes homosexuality to be a problem which is destructive to families and to individuals. Members who experience these "problems" are counseled to receive guidance and help from their family, bishop, or presiding authority. It is also considered a very serious matter, as serious as adultery and fornication in that all three are difficult to give up, undermine the family, and (in the beliefs of that Church) are sins of which one must repent.

In order to give a more clear view on the LDS view of same-sex marriage; the current church president(Gordon B. Hinckley) said in a 2004 interview with Larry King the following...

"Well, we're not anti-gay. We are pro-family. Let me put it that way. And we love these people and try to work with them and help them. We know they have a problem. We want to help them solve that problem." (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0412/26/lkl.01.html)

The LDS Church is against any form of homosexuality but also is very opposed to and officially condemns persecution and violence against gays and lesbians, and encourages people to instead treat homosexuals as neighbors in accordance to Christ's teachings of neighborly love, in whatever the actions they choose.

The LDS church website has a section on general questions and basic beliefs of the LDS church. In this section can be found a page on their views of homosexuality.

http://www.mormon.org/question/faq/category/answer/0,9777,1601-1-60-1,00.html

Critics of Mormonism

There are several organizations with various individual activities which oppose the Mormon church. In most cases the primary activity is informational – they seek to provide what they regard as a true picture of the Mormon church. Some are independent while others are connected with parent churches, and not all are Christian. Examples of such organizations are:

• Utah Lighthouse Ministry (founded by Jerald and Sandra Tanner)
• "Mormon Research Ministries".
• "Mormons in Transition".
• The Exmormon Foundation
• "Living Hope Ministries".

Some anti-Mormons have become well-known for their activities. A few of them are:

• Arthur Budvarson
• Ed Decker
• Bill McKeever
• Jerald and Sandra Tanner

Some Utah residents are often described as Anti-Mormon due to political opposition of many popular conservative political agendas. This is vastly different from the Anti-Mormon beliefs of some fundamentalist and evangelical Christians who oppose Mormon Theology. Many Utah media outlets such as The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City Weekly, and the University of Utah's Daily Utah Chronicle are often described as "Anti-Mormon" even though many of the contributors are Mormon themselves. Many of these charges surfaced when Mark Hofmann sold forged documents to the LDS Church and when Salt Lake City sold one block of Main Street to the church, with what many felt was too little public input.

In the case of the Salt Lake Tribune, however, this reputation stems from the paper being founded as an openly anti-Mormon publication in the 1800's. Over the years this position has moderated significantly. The other major newspaper in Utah is the Deseret Morning News, founded by the Church. The two papers routinely cooperate in a number of areas, including sharing advertising and distribution channels.

See also

• Book of Mormon
• Egyptian Names in the Book of Mormon
• Jesus in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Book of Abraham
• The Book of Mormon and the King James Bible

References

1. See Enos 1:20 and 2 Nephi 5:24.

External links

Pro-LDS or LDS Apologetic Websites

• LDS.org - The official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Brief historiography of anti-Mormonism - Maintained by Jeff Lindsay
• The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) - A non-profit organization providing well-documented answers to criticisms of LDS doctrine, belief and practice
• Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies - An organization devoted to the scholarly study of Mormonism

Critical or Anti-Mormon Websites

• Exmormon.org - For those who have left the LDS Church, or for those considering leaving.
• Exmormonfoundation.org - A non-sectarian charity to assist those transitioning out of the LDS church. Organizes annual conferences each October in Salt Lake City.
• Postmormon.org - An alternative to ex-Mormon, focused on moving beyond, not opposing, Mormonism.
• Utah Lighthouse Ministry - Maintained by Jerald and Sandra Tanner
• Concerned Christians - Evangelical ministry of former Mormons to expose what they believe to be the truth about Mormonism
• The Mormon Church and Freemasonry - California Freemason online
• Questions Mormons should ask themsevles

• Book of Mormon studies
• Criticism of Mormonism
• King James Version
• Mormonism and the Bible
• Mormonism-related controversies
• Criticism of religion
• Mormonism