Ask a Mormon, Part 3
- Thread starter Eran of Arcadia
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The RLDS is now known as the Community of Christ, and to my knowledge they have moved, doctrinally, away from us and towards mainstream Protestantism - they view the Book of Mormon as inspired but not scripture, for instance, and I think they don't believe their leaders are prophets in the sense we do. The split came about after Joseph Smith's death (the same time that most groups branched off) - the LDS Church is from those who followed Brigham Young to Utah, the RLDS Church comes from Emma Smith (Joseph's widow) and Joseph Smith III, who stayed in Illinois.
I don't really know to be honest; I think they believe him to be a prophet, but dispute the origins of the Book of Mormon. That is about all I know of them though.
It is interesting that the number of converts was mentioned. This weekend was our General Conference (held twice each year on the first weekend of April and October, in which talks are given by Church leaders and broadcast throughout the world.
They also give Church statistics. In 2007 we passed the 13 million member mark; they also gave the total number of new converts - 279,000 - and children of record - 93,000. "Children of record" is not the same thing as being baptized at the age of 8, it is when a child is born or blessed as an infant and a record is created for them. (It is actually possible for a child of record to never be baptized, or to be baptized as a convert, but in general the number of child baptisms in 8 years will reflect the number of children on record last year.)
They also give Church statistics. In 2007 we passed the 13 million member mark; they also gave the total number of new converts - 279,000 - and children of record - 93,000. "Children of record" is not the same thing as being baptized at the age of 8, it is when a child is born or blessed as an infant and a record is created for them. (It is actually possible for a child of record to never be baptized, or to be baptized as a convert, but in general the number of child baptisms in 8 years will reflect the number of children on record last year.)
Nylan
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Jerrymander
Epistemologist
I have a Mormon friend who is 18 and went on a missionary trip to Taiwan for 2 years. He comes back this summer. Do all 18 year olds have to go on a missionary trip? He told me they did.
Nylan
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Well, you don't have to. You're not going to be excommunicated or damned if you don't go. However, it is strongly encouraged, especially among young men. Many of those who go refer to it as the "best two years" of their life later on.
The minimum age for young men is 19, for women 21. It is far more encouraged among men than women.
Nylan
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It has been stated that not a whole lot as far as direction is going to change presently, President Monson worked closely with the last few presidents of the church and so naturally holds many of the same views. He probably won't travel quite as much though, President Hinckley was infamous for his work ethic.
More than anything it simply means we have to adjust to a (semi) new personality, the face of the church has changed. Other than that, only time will tell what new happenings develop.
Life long. Which of course varies, with 9 months being the shortest anyone was president and 33 years the longest. President Hinckley was the president for 12 years.
Chazumi
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I grew up in Utah for 21 years but my family is catholic although I am atheist. My wife is a utah mormon though.
My question to you is: What are your feelings about Joseph Smith, besides the fact that he is the founder and what not, I mean specifically about what people have said about his life.
I have a 1911 excerpt from encyclopedia britannica that my dad gave me when I was young and I read it, it mentions that both his mother and father had mental problems, he himself had mental problems, and that he burned down a papermill when they were printing things about him that he didn't like.
Furthermore, does anything in the church just seem weird to you? Or do you just take it all with faith? I am referring to what I read that when he was translating the plates, he did so from behind a curtain with a few people just copying down what he said IIRC.
My question to you is: What are your feelings about Joseph Smith, besides the fact that he is the founder and what not, I mean specifically about what people have said about his life.
I have a 1911 excerpt from encyclopedia britannica that my dad gave me when I was young and I read it, it mentions that both his mother and father had mental problems, he himself had mental problems, and that he burned down a papermill when they were printing things about him that he didn't like.
Furthermore, does anything in the church just seem weird to you? Or do you just take it all with faith? I am referring to what I read that when he was translating the plates, he did so from behind a curtain with a few people just copying down what he said IIRC.
"Weird" is such a relative term that I am not sure how it has any meaning. Lots of things that make a lot of sense seem weird to those who don't understand the principles behind them - look at science, for example. So just because a way of doing something seems unusual doesn't bother me at all; if much of what he did was being done for the first or the only time, it can be expected to be done differently.
As far as charges of mental illness, I don't think there is any evidence for it unless we assume that everyone who claims to talk to God is mentally ill. Which plenty of people do. As far as the papermill, it was actually a printing press; the legality of his actions as mayor of the city of Nauvoo (by which authority he declared a newspaper printing articles hostile to him was a "public nuisance") are, I think, still debated, but since it ended up leading to his death anyways, it's not like he got away with anything.
As far as charges of mental illness, I don't think there is any evidence for it unless we assume that everyone who claims to talk to God is mentally ill. Which plenty of people do. As far as the papermill, it was actually a printing press; the legality of his actions as mayor of the city of Nauvoo (by which authority he declared a newspaper printing articles hostile to him was a "public nuisance") are, I think, still debated, but since it ended up leading to his death anyways, it's not like he got away with anything.
Huh? He was killed because of it?
Well, there were always mobs out to get him; he was arrested over the incident, and while in prison was attacked and killed.
holy king
Deity
what's the similarities, what's the differences betwen those presidents and the popes?
Prophets claim the ability to receive direct revalation from God (which to the best of my knowledge the pope does not) and of course are not the sovereigns of any nation. Also, the selection process is different.
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