Mitt Romney, a professed member of the Mormon or LDS Church, is one of several leading candidates competing to win the GOP presidential primary race and run for president in the general election. If he does win the primary, he will be the first Mormon to run as a major candidate in the general election. As we advance toward the primary dates, I'm sure that a lot of people are going to want to know more about the Mormon Church as it has been branded a "cult" by many Protestants and Catholics. As a non-denominational protestant, I knew next to nothing about the LDS Church, so I did a little research. what I found was surprisingly interesting...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church was founded by a guy named Joseph Smith Jr., who, in 1820, was visited by an angle named Moroni that commanded him to unearth some golden plates buried in a hill near Smith's home in New York. Smith goes to the hill, unearths the plates and a number of other objects, including a pair of glasses. The golden plates contain writing on them in an ancient Egyptian script. Although Smith was unable to read the writing, the glasses allowed him to translate the text directly into English. These transcribed plates are the Book of Mormon. The book is the "true and accurate" account of three ancient American civilizations whose history it documents. It includes their connections to the Jewish peoples and the later appearance by Christ to the peoples of the Americas. Smith said: "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."

In the 1830's, Smith established the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After moving the church headquarters to several places around the country, Smith finally settled in what is now the State of Utah.

Some other interesting facts about the church include that they believe that Jesus Christ leads the church through revelation given to the President of the Church, who is considered to be a prophet.

Mormons also believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, born of a virgin, atoned for the sins of humanity by dieing on a cross, was resurrected on the third day, and now sits on the right hand of God.

They believe that they are the true Christian Church and that other Christian churches have not followed Christ's original teachings.

On the political side, the Church does not support same-sex marriage, gambling, or physician assisted death.

Obviously this is a greatly simplified review of a complex religion, but it is the best I can do in 300 words. I highly recommend reading more about the LDS Church as it is quite interesting.

Labels: 2008, LDS, Religion, Romney