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The LDS Restorationist movement,
including many Mormon denominations

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Background:

The LDS Restoration movement is made up of denominations, sects, and small faith groups who trace their origins back to the original Church of Christ that Joseph Smith's founded in 1830. The Church of Christ was renamed the Church of Latter Day Saints in 1834, then became the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1838.

Following Smith's assassination by a Christian mob in 1844, problems arose about the choice of a new leader. This caused schism within the church, which resulted in the creation of a number of new faith groups. The largest faction, under the leadership of Brigham Young, started on a long trek to Salt Lake in what is now Utah. Other groups remained in the mid-west.

The Utah group changed the capitalization and punctuation of their name to became The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1851. It is now called by the latter title (no pun intended), and is often referred to as the LDS, LDS Church, Mormon Church, Latter-day Saints, the Church, or The Church of Jesus Christ. It remains by far the largest denomination within the LDS Restoration movement.

Many schisms followed so that the present-day LDS Restoration movement consists of almost a hundred faith groups.

The membership of the LDS Church and of some other groups within the LDS Restoration movement are often referred to as "Mormons" by the media and general public. However, only the LDS Church and a few other faith groups use this term themselves. Further, the LDS Church objects to any reference to other denominations having any claim to the term "Mormon."

In an essay on the LDS church in Christianity Today -- the leading evangelical Christian magazine -- Robert Millet and Gerald McDermott stated:

"Historically, evangelicals and Mormons have demonized each other. Evangelicals consider the Church of Latter-day Saints to be a cult and typically think Mormons are not real Christians." ₁

In return, Mormons generally accept evangelicals and many other Christian denominations as Christian groups. However Mormons also believe that the Christian movement deviated from the true message of the Gospel after the apostles died in the first century CE and that they have been able to recreate authentic Christianity.

Topics covered in this section:

The LDS Restorationist movement:

	Terminology: Almost hopelessly confusing
	Are the LDS Restorationists Christians? Are they Protestants? Which is the true Mormon denomination?
	History of LDS Restorationism Early history Recent history
	Mormon texts: Who wrote the Book of Mormon? The Book of Abraham Computer analysis of the Book of Mormon to determine its authorship
	American history: Book of Mormon teachings about ancient Native American origins DNA evidence about the ancestry of American Natives

	More information Mormon books and Internet resources
	Practice of polygyny 2 by some LDS Restorationists: The Law of Abraham and the Law of Sarah During the early 19th century During the later 19th century Current practice In Bountiful, BC, Canada Government reaction

Groups within the LDS Restorationist movement:

	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a. LDS Church & Mormon Church) Introduction: Current status, Recent major events Holy texts, & Organizational structure Terminology, Practices, Opposition, & Off-shoots The Mountain Meadows Massacre Books on the massacre 2008 presidential candidate: Mitt Romney Reasons Ex-Mormons give for leaving the LDS Church Videos and websites intended to dispel myths about the LDS faith   LDS Beliefs: Differentiating between valid LDS doctrine & opinions of its past leaders General beliefs The Articles of Faith  by Joseph Smith Abortion Blood atonement Divorce Homosexuality and same-sex marriage Racism   Theological conflicts with LDS beliefs: Why a bishop resigned Theological criticisms by evangelicals and some other non-Mormons: Part 1: Rejection of Mormon theology. Part 2: Verbal attacks on Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, etc. Theological questions by an Atheist Is the LDS church a cult?   Essays donated by visitors to this web site: Jose Davis: "Is Mormonism a Christian denomination?" Samuel Klein: Why the LDS Church is not a cult? John Nash: "On Mormons and the equality of women"
	The Community of Christ (formerly called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
	The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) (known for their practice of polygyny) 2
	The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonites)

Before sending a letter of complaint:

Please read this note

A reference and footnotes used:

1. Robert Millet and Gerald McDermott, "Mitt's Mormonism and the 'Evangelical Vote' Can conservative Protestants vote for a member of what they consider a cult?" Christianity Today, 2007-MAY-31, at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/
2. We receive a lot of Emails saying that our use of "polygyny" is a typo and that the correct word is "polygamy." This is not a spelling error. "Polygyny" means a marriage between one man and multiple wives, which is what the essays discuss.
   
   Polygamy can mean:

   	polygyny: a marriage among one man and multiple women;
   	polyandry: a marriage among one woman and multiple men; or
   	group marriage: a marriage among multiple men and multiple women

   Only polygyny is currently promoted by certain fundamentalist Mormon denominations. With few exceptions, polygyny was the only polygamous arrangement promoted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until it was at least temporarily suspended in the late 19th century.

3. American Experience and Frontline, two of PBS' most acclaimed TV series presented "The Mormons," a four hour documentary about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is available for viewing online and for purchase in DVD format. See: http://www.pbs.org/mormons/

Copyright © 1995 to 2013 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2013-DEC-30
Author: B.A. Robinson

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