The Church of Jesus Christ promotes doctrine on the family that states that marriage is meant to be eternal and is between a man and a woman. Any sexual relationships outside of a heterosexual marriage are considered sinful, but feeling attraction to someone of the same sex is not itself a sin.

This doctrine on marriage, family, and sexuality has led many to believe that Mormons are anti-gay and even discriminatory to gays and lesbians. The truth is that Mormons believe that all men and women are children of a loving Heavenly Father and that regardless of sexual orientation, we should treat those around us with love and kindness. Oyler makes it a priority to teach those church members he oversees about the importance of Christ-like love when it comes to interacting with the gay community and that no life choice is an excuse for ostracizing family members.[1]

Marriage and Family Are Central to God’s Plan for His Children

There’s no denying that for Mormons, the nature of the family is eternal and unchanging. In 1995, The Church of Jesus Christ published “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” a statement that affirms the definition of marriage–between a man and woman–as well as the importance of bearing children and the potential for eternal families. The beginning of the statement first asserts our identity as children of God:

All human beings–male and female–are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

Because of this unchanging doctrine, The Church of Jesus Christ opposes same-sex marriage; the Church does not, however, condone prejudice or discrimination against gays or lesbians. In fact, The Church of Jesus Christ supports gay rights that campaign for other legal rights and privileges.

When it comes to the possibility of legalizing same-sex marriage, The Church of Jesus Christ is also concerned about the affect such decisions will have on religious freedom. In a news release published in 2008, the Church stated, “Where same-sex marriage becomes a recognized civil right, it inevitably conflicts with the rights of believers, and religious freedom is diminished.”[2]

In the same statement, the Church emphasized,

As Church members strive to protect marriage between a man and a woman, they should show respect, civility, and kindness toward others who have different points of view. . . . Church members are to treat all people with love and humanity. They may express genuine love and kindness toward a gay or lesbian family member, friend, or other person without condoning any redefinition of marriage.

Because the family is so central to Mormon doctrine, Oyler instructed that “the family unit is the most important thing, and under no circumstances should [Mormons] find themselves ostracizing or disrespecting members of their family.” Oyler continued on to say that if Mormons would cultivate more open expression of their unconditional love toward gay family members that the struggles many gays face–like depression and suicidal tendencies–would greatly diminish.

Because family is so central to God’s plan for His children, Christ-like love is just as central. It must be difficult for parents to witness a child making decisions that are not in line with what they taught or agree with, but the crux of Mormon doctrine is rooted in love. That love shouldn’t alter based on another’s decisions.

No One But God Is Qualified to Judge

At the heart of this sensitive issue, we must all remember that only God is qualified to judge His children. Yes, Mormons will continue to support heterosexual marriage, and Mormon doctrine will continue to emphasize that none of us is qualified to judge another.

In the New Testament, Christ issues two commandments:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Yes, according to the gospel of Jesus Christ, homosexual relationships are sinful, yet even with that knowledge, we are in no position to assign blame or guilt to any of our fellow brothers and sisters. We do ourselves harm whenever our efforts to campaign morally or politically conflict with our duty to express Christ-like love. Oyler emphasizes the second great commandment to his fellow church members and tries to remind them of their responsibilities to be like Christ.

The Church of Jesus Christ heads up a website aimed at fostering discussion on same-sex relationships and marriage, MormonsAndGays.org. The site seeks to cultivate understanding on all sides of this emotionally charged issue; content includes interviews of gay Church members and also words from general leaders about the importance of treating all children of God with love and kindness.

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Fostering Understanding and Genuine Love

Mormons are currently in a position where they could accomplish much good through love and understanding. Oyler understands this and has spent time and energy teaching the Mormons in His region about the crucial importance of unconditional and Christ-like love. The family is the most important social structure we have, and Oyler rightfully explained that while it is important to express what we believe, we should never let that damage our own relationships with family members. Gays and lesbians who choose to be a part of The Church of Jesus Christ need love and acceptance rather than discrimination.

Oyler’s efforts to soften Mormons’ approach to gay struggles and especially the way Mormons may deal with gay family members will have not only an important impact on his local community, but also on the greater Mormon community nationwide.

User-friendly access

The Church of Jesus Christ has a whole network of websites dedicated to making its message of the Savior accessible and easy to understand. LDS.org is the primary site for members and contains access to canonized scripture, lesson manuals, General Conference messages, church magazine articles, and web-only featured content. Church members can register at the site and then gain access to online notebooks for personal study as well as congregation directories and calendars. The site has evolved over the years to be more user-friendly and interactive, and it continues to improve in the richness of its content, adding streaming of conferences, audio files, and video.

In addition to LDS.org, The Church of Jesus Christ maintains several other websites. Mormon.org is a site directed to those who aren’t Mormons and who are looking to learn more about the faith and teachings. Through Mormon.org, users can read profiles of Mormons (submitted directly by members), read concise content about beliefs, order their own free copy of the Book of Mormon, and even live-chat with missionaries.

In addition to several other sites, The Church of Jesus Christ also operates FamilySearch.org, a family history and genealogy website; Mormonsandgays.org, a site for openness and dialogue regarding the Church’s standing on homosexuality and gay marriage; and Overcomingpornography.org, a website to foster support and recovery for those struggling with pornography addiction.

The Church of Jesus Christ officially manages the following sites:

• LDS.org

• Mormon.org

• JesusChrist.lds.org

• Ensign.lds.org

• Youth.lds.org

• ProvidentLiving.org

• LDSjobs.org

• YouTube.com/MormonMessages

• Temples.lds.org

• FamilySearch.org

• Countries.lds.org

• Languages.lds.org

• Images.lds.org

• Braille.lds.org

• Music.lds.org

• OvercomingPornography.org

• MormonTabernacleChoir.org

• ItsAboutLove.org (LDS family services adoption website)

• Newsroom.lds.org

• AddictionRecovery.lds.org

• MormonsAndGays.org

• MormonsAndChina.org

Faith on-the-go

The Church of Jesus Christ has jumped on the smart-device bandwagon and has developed apps for both phones and tablets. Especially for millennials, these technological adaptations make scripture much more accessible. You can literally carry thousands of pages of scripture in your pocket and access it at any time. The app enables access to canonized scripture, General Conference messages, church magazine content, hymnbooks, and dozens of lesson manuals. The app also has highlighting, note-taking, and bookmarking tools; you can even create specific “notebooks” to store specific content. (For example, I have an in-app notebook for my personal goals and one for my Sunday lessons.) And unlike the log-in access on LDS.org, the Gospel Library app doesn’t require a username and password. It’s free and available for anyone.

With the Church adapting to technology by harnessing it, the organization ensures that its methods of spreading the word are still relevant. Some religions are having a hard time keeping up with the trends, and some are even being left behind. The Church of Jesus Christ knows how important its message is–that the Savior is the only and ultimate source of peace and redemption–and will use every honorable method it can to enable people to connect with God.

For members, The Church of Jesus Christ has also developed a practical app called LDS Tools. This allows members access to congregational and local leadership directories as well as local congregational calendars.

The YouTube presence

Mormons have staked out a clear spot on YouTube with the Church’s official channel, the Mormon Channel. The Church of Jesus Christ continues to produce short videos to spread its message and to help bring the faith out of the margins. Mormon Channel produces video series like Mormon Messages, Bible Videos, and the  I’m a Mormon campaign. These videos are able to be shared on social media platforms and are a great way to both introduce people to the faith and support and edify existing members.

Twice a year, General Conference can also be streamed live on YouTube (as well as through the LDS.org website and other internet channels), and the individual talks are promptly published in video, audio, and text formats just days after their initial broadcast.

Curriculum adapted for technology

The Church of Jesus Christ has also started adapting its curriculum to include more technological content. This weaving in of technology with curriculum has started with the content for the Church’s youth ages 12 – 18. The messages are the same, but the method of delivery has been updated. Lessons now include interactive PDFs and links to related video content. This new curriculum allows for teachers to better adapt the lessons to the needs of their students, because while the ultimate message of The Church of Jesus Christ doesn’t change, the needs of youth are so varied that the teachers need greater flexibility in presenting the curriculum.

Online missionary work

More and more Mormons are participating in online missionary work. Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), said in a 2007 BYU – Hawaii commencement speech, that members should be doing more to share the gospel via blogs and social media. (Read this article by M. Russell Ballard, one of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.)

In addition to an increase in “civilian” missionary work, the rise of online media has allowed for more full-time missionary service. Many more missionaries with disabilities who aren’t able to proselyte on the streets in foreign countries are able to spread the gospel officially through the internet. This is a wonderful advancement that is also more inclusive to all church members who want to participate in the “Great Commision,” that of taking the gospel to the world.

Technology is important

Technology is important in the work of God. While almost all technologies can be used for degenerate purposes, these same tools can also be harnessed to spread the joyful message of Jesus Christ. Mormons have been asked by their leadership to learn these new technologies and use them to help in the worldwide missionary effort.

The Church of Jesus Christ wouldn’t be advancing the way it has been without the use of valuable and advanced technology. The message Mormons have to share is relevant to everyone, and they’re using the new tools available to make a mark and spread the word.

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Joseph Smith, first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ, knew that the Church would grow in this way.  Joseph often received revelations from God, and the Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of many of those revelations. Several of them speak to the exponential growth of the Church:

• “For, verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth–the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs following them that believe” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:64)

• “The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth” (Doctrine and Covenants 65:2)

• “And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Doctrine and Covenants 133:37)

The Book of Mormon (a record of nations in the ancient Americas translated by Joseph Smith) also contains prophecies about The Church of Jesus Christ and its growth:

• “In the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed” (1 Nephi 15:13)

• “And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men” (2 Nephi 25:17)

• “Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O house of Israel, in the latter day shall the truth come unto the Gentiles, that the fulness of these things shall be made known unto them” (3 Nephi 16:7).

Even the Bible contains prophecies about The Church of Jesus Christ filling the earth and gathering God’s children:

• “That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3)

• “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6)

• “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day” (Ezekiel 34:12)

The Church of Jesus Christ has placed heavy emphasis on missionary work ever since its restoration in 1830 — it is the “great commission” of the Lord. In the early days of the Church, Mormon missionaries went to Europe to teach, and soon after that, entered Asia and the Pacific islands. In 2012, Mormon leadership lowered the minimum age for full-time missionaries from 19 to 18 for men, and from 21 to 19 for women. As of 2013, The Church of Jesus Christ had over 80,000 full-time missionaries serving all around the world. This missionary force is key in the fulfillment of prophecies about the spreading of the gospel around the world.

During his ministry as prophet, Joseph Smith prophesied powerfully about the influence the gospel would have on the world:

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done (History of the Church, 4:540).

Why Would Anyone Want to Join Such a Church?

Skeptics can’t deny that something has to account for the rapid growth of The Church of Jesus Christ, especially with the lifestyle changes new converts have to make. Anyone baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ is required to give up coffee, tea, tobacco, and alcohol, and commit to live the law of chastity, which in many cases, requires converts to marry their significant other or end their relationship. Some converts even encounter harsh disapproval from friends and family members.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, one of the general leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ, said that converts to the Church have powerful reasons for doing so. These reasons include love for the Savior, opportunities to make a difference, and paths to dear blessings like guidance, healing, and knowledge. (Read this talk given by President Uchtdorf.)

Mormons bear a unique and powerful message of peace and redemption. Mormon missionaries encourage people to ask God for themselves whether or not the message they share is true. The Church of Jesus Christ teaches each member that he or she needs to develop a personal relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Mormon missionaries are not called to convince or prove to investigators of the truth; anyone can receive his or her own personal witness of the Mormon message through studying the Book of Mormon and sincerely praying about it.

At the very end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni, the last of the Book of Mormon prophets, extends this invitation:

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:4 – 5).

The rapid growth of The Church of Jesus Christ is not evidence of highly trained salespersons or polished marketing (most missionaries are young men and women in their late teens and early 20s). The exponential rise in membership is explained by the fact that the message Mormons have to share is true, that its promises are real. Millions of people all over the world have put the message to the test, and God has answered them personally.  If you’re interested in what Mormons have to say, you can chat with missionaries here. You can order a free Book of Mormon by clicking here.

An exciting event occurred far away from where I live that shows the Mormons’ global mission outreach. Although Mormon congregations have been organized worldwide since 1830, it was only 10 years ago when the first meetinghouse was built in India and dedicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons by the media). On May 27, 2012, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of Jesus Christ, formed the first stake (group of local congregations) in India called the Hyderabad India Stake. (“Apostle Creates First Stake in India,” Mormon Newsroom, June 1, 2012). I may never get the chance to visit India, but I know that God loves all of His children and will send the truth throughout all nations in the world. I myself was called by a prophet of God to serve as a missionary in Spain and taught people of all faiths and from many nations including Africa, South America, and Asia. Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) was established by the Lord in 1830, in the United States, there are now “more members outside the United States than inside.” [1]

Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? (See 2 Nephi 29:7 as recorded by ancient prophets in the Americas in The Book of Mormon.)

Christ’s Church Restored

Missionaries worldwide share the wonderful message that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored. The apostle Luke taught that God “spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Luke 1: 70). We know that God still speaks to prophets today and began the true restoration of Christ’s Primitive Church in 1820 when he called Joseph Smith to be a prophet. This prophet translated the scriptures (known as The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ) which contain the writings of ancient prophets in the Americas:

The prophet Nephi taught, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:26).

History of Christ’s Church in India

Since the restored gospel of Jesus Christ was first introduced in India (1850), missionaries struggled learning the native language and taught their important message in English. Then, in 1981, The Book of Mormon had been translated into the Telugu language and more missionaries began teaching in the native language Telugu. However, many converts emigrated and India lacked strong local leadership. Fortunately, in the 1990’s missionary work was successful and there are presently about 10,000 members living in India. [1] For more information, read the below timeline of missionary work in India: [2]

1850 First messages of restored gospel shared by British sailors visiting Calcutta, India.

1851 First baptisms and converts called as missionaries by Elder Joseph Richards & small branch established and small meetinghouse built but most members emigrated.

1853 First messages of restored gospel shared by missionaries in Madras, Bombay, Rongoon, Karachi, Poona, and other areas.

1858 Missionaries returned to Utah and several converts emigrated.

1903 India Mission has not been successful and at least one branch existed.

1981 The Book of Mormon translated into Telugu & the government allowed a missionary couple to establish a branch.

1993 Bangalore Mission created & native of India (Gucharan Singh Gill) served as President. India had 1,150 members in 13 branches.

1998 India had 2,000 members in 18 branches.

2002 First meetinghouse dedicated in India for the Rajahmundry Branch (small local congregation).

2012 First LDS stake in India organized & named the Hyderabad India Stake (a stake is a group of “wards,” or congregations with over 200 members and good leadership).

Watch a short video about the LDS Mormon church global growth by stake:

Why Visit Christ’s Church?

Everyone is invited to attend services in local wards or branches (areas where there are fewer Church members [3]). These congregations are organized into stakes and there are currently 2,946 stakes worldwide. “A stake is an administrative unit composed of numerous congregations (called wards and branches) within a geographic area (similar to what other faiths might call a diocese).” [1] In the Mormon book, the missionary Ammon taught, “God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth…”(Alma 26:37). The modern prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said:

This Church is true. It will weather every storm that beats against it. It will outlast every critic who rises to mock it. It was established by God our Eternal Father for the blessing of His sons and daughters of all generations. It carries the name of Him who stands as its head, even the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. It is governed and moves by the power of the priesthood. It sends forth to the world another witness of the divinity of the Lord. Be faithful, my friends. Be true. Be loyal to the great things of God which have been revealed in this dispensation (“Keep the Faith,” Ensign, September 1985, 6).

I invite you to prayerfully consider this message and ask God of the veracity for yourself. I know that the current prophet (Thomas S. Monson) is led by God to guide the Church of Jesus Christ today. (See Prophets and Apostles Speak Today: Special Witnesses of Christ.) Everyone is invited to listen to him when he addresses the world during General Conference (broadcast biannually via satellite, LDS.org, and Ensign magazine publications).

Elder Holland began his remarks by congratulating the students on their openness to discussions of religious belief. “In the western world religion has historically been the basis of civil society as we have known it, and if I am not mistaken, men and women of the law are committed to the best—that is, the most just—civil society possible,” Elder Holland pointed out. “So thank you for taking religion seriously. You will not only be better attorneys but you will be closer to the truth in your own personal lives.”

Mormonism: The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ

The origins of Mormonism were the first topic addresses by Elder Holland. Mormonism is a restoration of the original gospel established by Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry. Following Christ’s ascension into heaven and the deaths of the original twelve apostles, the primitive Christian Church entered a long period of confusion:

So what ensued was a millennium and a half of destroying Paul’s hope that there would be a “unity of the faith, and [a] knowledge of the Son of God, . . . that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” It is commonplace to note that in the Christian world we now see anything but “a unity of faith” or any real Christian cohesiveness that could remotely be called “the building fitly framed together”that would reaffirm “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

The Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith

By the time of Joseph Smith, who was a young man during the time of religious contention and revival during the early 1800s in the United States known as the second “Great Awakening,” huge divides of doctrine separated the different Christian sects from one another. According to Elder Holland,

This young boy-prophet lamented that his region was “a scene of great confusion and bad feeling . . . priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that [any] good feelings . . . were entirely lost in a . . . war of words and tumult of opinions.” “A war of words and tumult of opinions.” That says so much about post-New Testament Christianity.

Mormonism: Basic Beliefs

Mormons are Christians

We are not fourth-century Christians, we are not Nicene Christians, we are not creedal Christians of the brand that arose hundreds of years after Christ. No, when we speak of “restored Christianity” we speak of the Church as it was in its New Testament purity, not as it became when great councils were called to debate and anguish over what it was they really believed. So if one means Greek-influenced, council-convening, philosophy-flavored Christianity of post-apostolic times, we are not that kind of Christian. Peter we know, and Paul we know, but Constantine and Athanasius, Athens and Alexandria we do not know. (Actually, we know them, we just don’t follow them.)

Doctrinal Differences Between Mormons and More Recent Christianity

A few doctrinal differences between Mormon doctrines and post-fourth-century traditions were pointed out:

• God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are separate and distinct beings with glorified bodies of flesh and bone. As such, we stand with the historical position that “the formal doctrine of the Trinity as it was defined by the great church councils of the fourth and fifth centuries is not to be found in the [New Testament].”…However, having affirmed the point of Their separate and distinct physical nature, we declare unequivocally that [God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ] were indeed “one” in every other conceivable way—in mind and deed, in will and wish and hope, in faith and purpose and intent and love. They are most assuredly much more alike than They are different in all the ways I have just said, but They are separate and distinct beings as all fathers and sons are. In this matter we differ from traditional creedal Christianity but agree with the New Testament.
• We also differ with fourth and fifth century Christianity by declaring that the scriptural canon is not closed, that the heavens are open with revelatory experience, and that God meant what He said when He promised Moses, “My works are without end, and . . . my words . . . never cease.” We believe that God loves all His children and that He would never leave them for long without the instrumentality of prophets and apostles, authorized agents of His guidance and direction.
• …we are unique in the modern Christian world regarding one matter which a prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called our “most distinguishing feature.” That is, divine priesthood authority to provide the saving sacraments—the ordinances—of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The holy priesthood, which has been restored to the earth by those who held it anciently, signals the return of divine authorization. It is different from all other man-made powers and authorities on the face of the earth. Without it there could be a church in name only, and it would be a church lacking in authority to administer in the things of God. This restoration of priesthood authority eases centuries of anguish among those who knew certain ordinances and sacraments were essential but lived with the doubt as to who had the right to administer them. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we can answer the question of “who laid hands on him” all the way back to Christ Himself. The return of such authority is truly “the most distinguishing feature” of our faith.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is often identified as the Mormon or LDS Church. LDS, in this case, is an acronym for Latter-day Saints, a part of the official name of the LDS Church. When religious bodies use similar names to identify themselves, such as FLDS and LDS, there may be and often is some confusion about the relationship between them.

Just as there are many Christian denominations which believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the long anticipated Jewish Messiah and the Savior of the world, yet disagree upon other significant doctrinal points, including the nature and composition of the Bible, there are individuals and groups who accept the message of the Restoration (the calling of Joseph Smith as a prophet and coming forth of additional scripture, including the Book of Mormon) yet disagree on some rather key doctrines, policies, and practices.

From the earliest period in Mormon history (1830-60) there have been dissenters, some of whom created separate religious communities. Over time, these groups have evolved and, in many cases, they have created a unique theology and history in marked contrast to that of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). In this sense, these dissenters are very much like the first Protestants who were separated from the Holy Roman Apostolic Church, or Catholic Church, when they rejected the authority of the Pope and created alternative Christianities.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) is one such group, an independent community with no official relationship to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Most of their members have never been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormon Church). The only connection between the churches is that each shares a common historical past within the nineteenth century. FLDS beliefs, practices, and polices have become so distinct and unique that it is not helpful to compare and contrast them with those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, just as it would be impossible to compare the Baptist Church with the Catholic Church, even though they share a common belief in Jesus Christ and the Bible.

Latter-day Saint (LDS) leaders categorically reject FLDS beliefs and practices about polygamy, priesthood succession, and following and sustaining civil law. Therefore, any Latter-day Saint who supports FLDS doctrines or practices is subject to LDS Church discipline, generally including excommunication. Like most other Americans, Latter-day Saints struggle to understand the religious motives and activities of this fundamentalist group because their practice and beliefs are just as foreign from their everyday experiences as they are from most other Christian denominations. Because of the major differences in doctrine, practice and history, Latter-day Saints are concerned when the media or others attempt to link the churches together.

Latter-day Saints support religious pluralism. One of the Church of Jesus Christ’s Articles of Faith states, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, and what they may” (Articles of Faith, 11). Latter-day Saints therefore, allow people the right to join any religious body they choose. However, another Article of Faith states, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (Articles of Faith, 12). Therefore, the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS Church) teaches its members that they should support the constitutional laws of the land and believe that the government has the right to enforce laws that protect children and other vulnerable members of society. Like many other people of good will, Latter-day Saints are sympathetic to the plight of the children and women of the FLDS Church and hope that they might be in a position to enjoy life without fear of abuse and with the full freedom to associate or disassociate from any religious body at any time they feel so inclined.