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This page has too many comments debating whether or not LDS doctrines are true or not. Encyclopedias report on religions from the point of view of the religion. Thus we say Mohammad received the Koran from an angel, not that he wrote the Koran. Jkolak ( talk) 07:23, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.-- WaltFrost ( talk) 20:14, 4 August 2008 (UTC)
That's funny (the original post) as this article allows 'pointo f view of the religion' but a glance over at "Eastern Orthodoxy" has every doctrine and thought proceeded by "Orthodox Christians believe......" Which is the proper take on it (from wiki's perspective)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.126.163.20 ( talk) 22:55, 22 October 2008 (UTC)
The template on the right has an awkward line break for me in "school system." It's not a big deal--but a bit ugly. I believe the template is editable. Should I edit it? Rogerdpack ( talk) 03:25, 22 September 2008 (UTC) It appears to have been cleared up now in IE and FF. Thank you if anyone did it. Now if we can get a higher quality image for that CJCLDS... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rogerdpack ( talk • contribs) 16:51, 4 November 2008 (UTC)
Thank you to whoever added the svg of the image :) Now... Anyone think we should add this line to that box:
"Official Website www.lds.org"
which is also an option? Rogerdpack ( talk) 04:29, 22 December 2008 (UTC)
I have writtne a section on LDS polytheism, I have sited all my sourses, it is accurate why does it get deleated —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 19:41, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
So despite quoting LDS leaders and prophets that clearly show the polytheistic nature of the religion, it’s wrong to put in here. OK… So in the face of clear evidence from what they call scripture showing a multitude of gods, it’s too controversial and because it’s controversial it can’t be done… OK So notwithstanding Joseph Smith’s own practice of polygamy and his own writings that show his approval of it, this page will say it was all Young… OK
And you call this accurate… why?
Or and mind you just a simple or, are the alternative reasons for censoring even in the face of good citation… oh no of course not, no how could that ever be, no. I mean sure document this teaching from their own writings and supply webster’s own definition of polytheism and it’s still not right. I mean sure in the English language the word gods means more than one, which means polytheism and yea that is just to much of an inductive leap because clearly the teaching and writings of these leaders are not admissible because they themselves lead you to this conclusion.
[Courtesy blanking of unpleasant invective.] 02:53, 3 October 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.92.57.45 ( talk)
[Courtesy blanking of unpleasant invective.] 03:31, 3 October 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.92.57.45 ( talk)
Ok, so quoting Joseph Smith, the founder, starter, prophet, president, author of the Book of Mormon, author of Doctrines and Covenants, author of Perl of Great Price, seer, and all over king of Mormonism, quoting him talking about gods does not prove LDS to be polytheistic. After all his teachings authoritative? His teachings inspirited? He not a prophet? Who then can say, if not him what LDS believes?
What about Young, again prophet, president, seer, fornicator, adulterer of the LDS church. When he speaks of gods, does that not show polytheism. If not Young who is authoritative to say what the LDS religion believes?
The own songs, the songs they sing in church, talking about gods, these do not reflect their believes? Why do the sing these songs if they are not accurate to their beliefs? Their apostles, surly their apostles have the authority to say what they believe? When their apostles speak of gods, that does not show their polytheism?
Is polytheism the right word? What does the dictionary say? Dictionary.com says, the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods. LDS must believe in more than one, for their god was once a man who was under another god. That’s two right there. Oh but wait, Joseph doesn’t get to say what LDS believe. So maybe their god wasn’t a man on another plaint and Joseph was just full of beans.
But lets press on, The American Heritage Dictionary says, The worship of or belief in more than one god. So according to these dictionaries one only has to believe in more than one god, they don’t have to worship, just believe.
But who can say if they believe in more than one, if the founders, if their prophets, if their apostles, if their hymns do not have the authority to set forth their teachings. You are absolutely right, it proves nothing. Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George Q. Cannon, Orson Pratt, Joseph Fielding Smith, Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrines and Convents and the Perl of Great Price are without the ability to provide accurate doctrines of their church. The Dictionary is unable to provide us with accurate meanings of words.
Alas, how shall we concluded anything. Or wait a second, maybe that’s not it at all… maybe someone is just trying to pull the wool over the eyes of people… maybe Joseph, Brigham and so forth were polytheists, maybe the teachings of these people is authoritative, maybe the dictionary is right and maybe just maybe someone doesn’t like the conclusions these things point to and thus they censor and control what information can be presented.
By golly, gee will occurs. This subject to much for you, [Courtesy blanking of unpleasant invective.] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 17:32, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
1) you please re-read the definitions, "The worship of OR belief..." and "the doctrine of or belief in more than one god". See that little word or. In other words to worship more than one is polytheism, or to just believe in more than one is polytheism. And LDS must believe in more than one. 2) You want it from what LDS calls scripture, fine. Abr. 4: 1-12, 14, 16-18, 20-22, 24-29, 31, Abr. 5: 2-5, 7-9, 11-16, 20, D&C 132: 17-20, 37. 3) So these prophets and apostles are not like the ones from the Bible? The one’s from the Bible, their writings are scripture, their writings are authoritative, however from your view Smith’s, Young’s and so forth are not, thus they are not the same as the ones from the Bible. 4) I have no axe to grind, I only want truth presented, not watered down, white washed, “make us look mainline” crap. I want truth! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 18:45, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
Thank you! Finally someone worth talking to. Finally someone who understands. And in light of this explanation helps me to understand your position.
I may concede polytheism (seen as a loaded term) may not be the best word to use, however Monotheism does not apply to LDS. Webster: the doctrine or belief that there is but one God. LDS can not have but One God or their system falls.
Communicate this truth on this page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 16:19, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
Your adding to the definition what you want to add to it. “…usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated mythology and rituals.” That’s not the definition of the word, that’s your view of what the word means. As it stand the definition fits LDS and thus it is accurate to label LDS polytheistic no matter what you want to add to the definition. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk • contribs)
We are not in agreement. Monotheism does not apply to LDS. Webster: the doctrine or belief that there is but one God. LDS can not have but One God or their system falls. Let us look at other definitions of Monotheism, Webster's New World College Dictionary: “the belief or doctrine that there is only one God”. The American Heritage Dictionary, “The doctrine or belief that there is only one God. Collins Essential English Dictionary, “the belief or doctrine that there is only one God. All these definitions, say “only one” or “but one”. Meaning there can only be one. If there is more than one it’s not monotheism. Note the definitions have no reference to worship of only one, instead the word belief is used. So regardless of how many are worshiped, the acknowledgement in the existence of any more than one disqualifies it as monotheism. I stated above, LDS must believe, they must acknowledge the existence of more than one. If they don’t acknowledge the existence of more than one, Joseph was wrong when he said a council of gods got together Journal of Discourses 6:4 and there after. Also Abr. 4: 1-12, 14, 16-18, 20-22, 24-29, 31, Abr. 5: 2-5, 7-9, 11-16, 20, D&C 132: 17-20, 37, all these acknowledge the existence of more than one God. The importance of showing LDS to not be monotheistic, is immeasurable. For an accurate understanding of a religion, one must understand its theology. Thus what group or classification a religion is under is vital (i.e. Polytheism, monotheism, agnosticism, atheism, existentialism, deism, pantheism). Example: One cannot understand Islam without understanding its monotheistic stance. If one was to be unaware of this fact, they would not grasp Islam. Hence, if one is ever to understand LDS and they mistake it for monotheism, they misunderstand it or the word. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 17:27, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
We are close to agreement that labels are probably not useful. "Nobody is qualified to decide that on Wikipedia". We are not close to agreement. I'm reminded of Elihu's words, "Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good... Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want you to be cleared But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom." Words have definitions which give words meanings, these meanings can be used to measure the accuracy of the uses of the words and as I have attempted to illustrate. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 19:29, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
What do you ask? Canonical definition? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 20:10, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
We do not use outside sources for definitions, unless those sources are cited on the appropriate pages. Most of your dictionary sources are reliable, but their words are NOT used in wiki for definitions. According to Wikipedia, Monotheism, "...is the belief that only one deity exists." Look at the definition of deity (according to wiki). "A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural being, who is always of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings." Mormons believe that only the Unitarian has significant power, is worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred. Other exalted beings that mormons believe in, do not have any power here except that under the direction of God, and are termed angels. So, if you wish to classify mormons as polytheistic, you should be trying to come to a different consensus about the definition of deity on its page. TAU Croesus ( talk) 14:14, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
Yea, not really sure what we are talking about anymore. So more or less going to shot in the dark and see where that gets it.
Joseph Smith described the infinite series of previous gods: Joseph Smith's Sermon on Plurality of Gods (as printed in History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 473-479) “If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John discovered that God the Father of Jesus Christ had a Father, you may suppose that He had a Father also. Where was there ever a son without a father… Hence if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that He had a Father also…”
Joseph Smith Taught the plurality of gods is based upon Hebrew: “In the very being the Bible shows there is plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation…” Joseph Fieldign Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 1976, pg 372
And all the other sources I’ve shown that LDS has a plurality of gods, however it is imposable if you think about it.
There is no first in an infinite line and if there is no first there is no bringing. If you are to claim there is a first there are several problems to resolve: The infinite lineage of gods is not truly infinite, it’s really only a very large number. The god at the beginning of the finite line of gods would be a unique in this succession of gods, and in fact greater in his existence, since he did not come from a line of gods. The first god in this large number of god did no derive his source from another, and therefore always existed without cause. If LDS ever concede that a uncaused God existed, then they destroy Mormon exaltation, because a unique infinite God would exist above all of their finite gods.
However as defined more than one God or Gods is polytheism according to the dictionaries, I have sighted. 1 Cor 8:5 refutes this polytheism found in Mormonism. The words “so-called gods) is not a recognition of other gods, but a denial that any such gods exist. When Paul calls these gods and lords “so called”, he is mocking the possibility of their existence.
Polytheism is repeated renounced in the Bible. Gen 1:1- the opening verse of the Bible declares the truth of one God. The Hebrew is translated as a singular noun, based on the singular verb. He He is uncreated Creator, nothing existed with him in the beginning. The theme of one God is carried on throughout the Bible Deut. 32:39, Ps 86:10, Is 43:10, 44:6, 45:21. Other so-called gods are no gods by nature. Paul refers to the false gods as not true by nature: “When you did not know God you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods” Gal 4:8. All other gods are the products of human imagination. Paul said we ought not think that God is “an image made by man’s design and skill” Acts 17:29 and thereby exchange “the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man”. Mormon’s paint pictures of the first vision accounts of Jospeh Smith with two human-gods appearing in the a light, there are no less images. Thus Mormons have exchanged God’s heavenly likeness for an earthly likeness. Isaiah summed up the issue with the challenge, “to whom, then. Will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?” (40:18).
However now I’m off topic, but to believe LDS one would have to declare the Bible to be wrong. O.T. Ex 8:10 - Deu 4:35, 39; 32:39; 33:26 - 1 Sam 2:2; 7:22; 22;32 – 2 Sam 7:22; - 1 Kin 8:23 – 2 Kin 19:19 - 1 Chr 17:20 - Ps 18:31; 86:10 - Isa 43:10, 11; 44:6, 8; 45:5, 6, 14, 18, 21-22, 46:9, 64:4 - Jer 10:6, 7 - Hos 13:4 N.T. John 5:44; 17:3 - Rom 3:30; 16:27 - 1 Cor 8:4, 6 - Eph 4:6 - 1 Tim 1:17; 2:5 - Jude 25. Either LDS is right and the Bible wrong, or both are wrong, however both can’t be right.
Yea, and I bet you really beleive the KJV was written by Paul You miss the point —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 18:42, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
Again, you miss the point. Right now, me and my fiancée are working though a book, saving your marriage before it starts. In the communication section, like the book says you can learn all the “tricks” to communication and still not communicate, because you have never learned to listen. You can hear, however you can’t listen, because it takes work. You have read what I wrote, but you did not understand it. (I’m not talking about some kind of spiritual understanding either) I’m saying you read the words, but the point eluded you. The reason, because you only read, “Anti-momon” words. You’ve already judged me guilty of being “anti-mormon” and therefore misinterpret, seeing only attack, not reason, only hate, not logic. Your response is formulated before you even finish your reading. IF you were to paraphrase my writing my thesis would be completely absent from your elucidation. What we have here is MaCarthism. My point can’t even get across because you’ve already arbitrator it to be simply “anti-mormon”. Let me explain, with another example. In 2008, if you abject to homosexuality in any form, your automatically labeled, homophobic. Honest students of the Bible, object to homosexuality on a moral or ethical basis; and an objecting on a moral or ethical basis does not constitute a phobia. However just like in MaCarthism, your already guilty and not worth even hearing. That is what is going on here. My point falls on deaf ears. I ask, with LDS watch-dogs protecting, censoring this page. There is no objectivity. There is also no honesty. Look where it reads polygamy was encouraged by Young. That’s a half truth, because Young is teaching what Smith taught. Smith not Young was the author of D&C 132. Yet this page puts all the blame for polygamy on Young. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 16:36, 10 October 2008 (UTC)
Wow, you illustrate my last point beautify. I can say no more, MaCarthism lives and I rest my case. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 18:44, 10 October 2008 (UTC)
I thought that I understood the points. You said Mormons are polytheist. I said that according to the wiki definitions of polytheism, deity, and such, that they are not polytheist. I would suggest taking a doctrine discussion to a personal talk page. This isn't the place to discuss doctrine, and whether it makes sense. It is to discuss the article, and what should be included. TAU Croesus ( talk) 21:24, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
mormens are not a calt —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.46.94.78 ( talk) 18:00, 4 November 2008 (UTC)
The other article on Sexuality with regards to the church is really short. It seems that it would make more sense to have it be a short section in this article than a separate stub. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.23.186.180 ( talk • contribs)
i am a mormon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.51.76.79 ( talk) 21:18, 15 February 2009 (UTC)
Regarding this statement: (The Church) does not accept the Nicene Creed's definition of Trinity, that the three are consubstantial nor the Athanasian Creed's statement (presumably about the Trinity, with this grammatical construction) that they are incomprehensible.
But the Athanasian creed says that it is the nature of God to be incomprehensible. It doesn't say that the definition of the Trinity is incomprehensible. Being incomprehensible is understood to be part of the nature of God and it is parallel with the creed's statement that God is uncreated, eternal and almighty.
Of course it is possible that the doctrine is incomprehensible -- but that would be a POV. And, of course, not part of the Athanasian creed (which is trying to explain Trinity).
So, IMO the phrase about the Athanasian creed should be dropped. But I might be missing something.
If rewritten, I do not know how this could be stated from a LDS viewpoint, and I don't want to mess up the NPOV so I didn't attempt an edit yet. But as it stands, it suggests a misunderstanding of the Athanasian creed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Edtheist ( talk • contribs) 09:35, 13 November 2008 (UTC)
The simplest solution is to let it stand as written. It keeps the article accurate and concise. The reference to the Athanasian creed should not be dropped because it is a creed that plainly contrasts with the LDS doctrine and therefore helps to clarify the LDS position. Alternatively, the statement could be changed to "...nor the Athanasian creed that states 'the Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehesible, the Holy Ghost incomprhensible; but God is not three incomprehenibles, but one incompressible'". Cesevern ( talk) 01:09, 21 December 2008 (UTC)
It is extremely important that quotes by church leaders not be edited to state the editor's personal opinion. If a citation links to a talk or discourse of a church leader, what that person says should stand as written and not be edited to npov standards. To maintain npov standards, please state that it is a church teaching but don't change the words of the person being quoted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.180.189.229 ( talk) 08:09, 24 November 2008 (UTC)
I agree very strongly with this point of publication. In many instances the words of church leaders have been twisted to produce a negative view of the church (ie anti-mormon). If I get time I will come back with a couple of examples. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.44.25.100 ( talk) 08:22, 26 November 2008 (UTC)
In the article, it is stated under Godhead that "The word "Trinity" is not a Biblical term, while the word "Godhead" is used in Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; and Colossians 2:9."
Acts 17:29 - "Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man"; Romans 1:20 - "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;" Colossians 2:9 - "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily"
Godhead is not used in any of these scriptures, at least not in modern translations. Either the version of the bible should be quoted, the piece re-written, or the piece removed. LittleNuccio ( talk) 20:56, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
It seems a bit odd to highlight one study in this article, and the table takes up a lot of room. Can we better incorporate this info into the membership section and convert most of the table to prose? -- Eustress ( talk) 22:31, 30 December 2008 (UTC)
I deleted some unencyclopedic apologetics from the section on sacred texts, but that section could actually use some additional material to take the place of the deleted material--we provide very little information as to what's actually in the Book of Mormon.
I understand that the Book of Mormon article is the place for in-depth information on the Book's contents, but it seems to me that a little more on it is warranted here. 65.213.77.129 ( talk) 20:41, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
The Book of Mormon cannot be lightly passed over, as Joseph 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." (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Joseph Smith, p. 57)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands or falls, based on the genuineness of that Book. If it came forth, was translated from gold plates by means of ancient seer stones, from reformed Egyptian, was declared correctly translated by an angel to three witnesses besides Joseph Smith, the plates being seen and handled by still eight other witnesses, and actually was an ancient spiritual record of Christ's dealings with a fallen people on the American continents, as Joseph Smith, Jr. said it was, then he is a prophet. If any detail of his unusual account is false, then he is false. If the Book is true, as millions now believe, then he and his successors are genuine prophets, and the church he established under Divine guidance is also genuine and correct.("Testimony of Three Witnesses and Eight Witnesses" at the front of Book of Mormon; Doctrine and Covenants 84:54-59; Moroni 10:4-5 in the Book of Mormon) [1]
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, including in the courts of the land, a testimony presented by two competent witnesses is considered more convincing than the testimony of one, especially if that single witness is testifying in his own cause. The Bible and Book of Mormon set forth the Divine practice of furnishing "two or three witnesses" to important Divine acts.(Deut. 17:1; 2 Cor. 13:1; Ether 5:4) Every religion except that taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has only one witness and that is the religion itself. Latter-day saints have witnesses from each of two widely separated nations for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, one book originating in ancient Israel and one in ancient America, and the two testify of the same God and each other. Those nations produced the Bible and the Book of Mormon, "the stick of Judah" and "stick of Ephraim," which agree in one in testifying that Jesus is the Messiah, the true and livng God of Israel.(Ezekiel 37:15-19; 2 Nephi 3:12; 29:2-14; Isa. 29:11-18; Gen. 48; Jer. 3:18; John 10:16; Acts 10:34-36; Alma 46:24-26; 3 Ne. 10:16, 17; 15:16-24; 16:1-7; 20:22; D&C 3:16; 20:11-12; 42:11-12) [2]
65.213.77.129 ( talk) 20:45, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
"If it came forth, was translated from gold plates by means of ancient seer stones, from reformed Egyptian, was declared correctly translated by an angel to three witnesses besides Joseph Smith, the plates being seen and handled by an additional eight witnesses, was partly sealed (Isa. 29;11-18), and actually was an ancient spiritual record of Christ's dealings with a fallen people on the American continents, as Joseph Smith, Jr., said it was, then the Mormon position is that one must conclude that he is a prophet."
i have no interest in getting involved in a fight over whether LDS doctrine is true, false, or otherwise, but people need to realize that unless NPOV is preserved the article can't stand and will be deleted - to state what the beliefs are is different from making contentions (using archaic language that is not gender-neutral, for one thing . . . ) . . . Wikipedia is not the place to do that, and you will lose access to the audience completely - so weigh decisions based on keeping NPOV - b (who does not set the standards here - just trying to help - think about what you are doing, if you want this audience) betswiki ( talk) 20:23, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
while i was working on this, a section i was working on was deleted - as i said before, i am trying to get this changed into a form with NPOV (which is difficult given what i have to work with . . . but i don't really have a dog in the fight and would just like to help whoever is trying to do the article - i am an experienced copyeditor) but i did add 'from the point of view of Mormons/Church members/LDS people' in many places . . . - b betswiki ( talk) 20:27, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
I would like to see two issues addressed in the section on criticism:
1. Proposition 8 is mentioned without any explanation of its substance or effects upon California law. This context is important information for any viewer to have in understanding why it is that this proposition sparked such criticism. I suggest the addition of one or two lines explaining the proposition and the Church's role in it's passage in the most unbiased language possible.
2. The selection of image seems to be tinged with bias. Prominent in the image is a sign displaying in part the words 'stop the Mormons' (there were many signs at the protest that put forth a more moderate message and it could be argued that this was not representative of the protesters). I would suggest the addition of a protest image lacking in such bias. Additionally, the LA protest of the Mormon church, located at the site shown in Westwood, CA, is not well represented by the image. The event was attended by a much larger crowd and a large police presence. The image fails to capture the day of the protest as accurately as it might. Until an agreement can be reached over choice of image I would suggest its removal. SpeedyLA ( talk) 08:51, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
Actually that image is not in fact a picture of the rally. The rally was a large event that drew a crowd of thousands (not shown in that image). I don't question that this is a picture of a prop 8 protester and I won't speculate as to when it was taken, but it is the narrow focus on one aspect of the protest that I question. Furthermore, while the LDS church certainly received a great deal of criticism it also contributed a great deal to prop 8's passage. As the exact nature of their contribution is currently still under debate it would not be appropriate to discuss the 'fairness' of criticism of the LDS church as of yet. However, many of the signs displayed at the rally promote separation of church and state, equality for all, and other less confrontational messages. With a wide array of signs and messages displayed at the rally to choose from this selection would appear to be biased though I'll concede that the bias may not be intentional. SpeedyLA ( talk) 09:26, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
For Some reason I'm having difficulty uploading the picture to the site, but I would suggest using a picture that the LA times used. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-weho-protest-pg,0,937229.photogallery?index=10. This is much more representative of the actual event and shows a wide (rather than selective) display of messages. SpeedyLA ( talk) 17:58, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
Certainly a better picture can be found (though I have not been able to find one yet). A the end of the day, however, the current image does vastly misrepresent the nature of the protest in both its attendance and spirit. The event was a rather large gathering of protesters and police and I fear that the current image may have been chosen to minimize the protest in a way favorable to the church (bias). Furthermore, most of the signs displayed at the rally focus on equal rights, separation of church and state, and opposition to the church's involvement in the preposition's passage. The sign makes it seem as though the protest was targeting Mormonism at large. Again this is favorable to the church and though it is not proven certainly smells of bias. Until a more accurate picture can be found this one should be removed. SpeedyLA ( talk) 10:20, 1 February 2009 (UTC)
My apologies for being picky about that picture, but it just seemed unprofessional to me. I've been searching flickr for available share-alike pictures illustrating a temple protest scene. Might I suggest this one or this one? Even this would be ok, though I liked the other two better. I haven't uploaded pictures before and am not really in the mood to learn now...so I leave it to the rest of you to do what you like. --02:23, 2 February 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by B Fizz ( talk • contribs)
Well (being bored at work with nothing better to do) I did learn how to upload pictures and put in one of the alternatives I had suggested. It doesn't look that great as a thumbnail, but I think it's a slight improvement over what we had before. What do the rest of you think, is this a satisfactory solution, at least for now? -- B F izz ( e• t• c) 08:08, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
The new (current) image does the same thing as the old one for me, so I'm fine with either. -- Eustress ( talk) 14:43, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
Thank you for finding a more appropriate picture. In the picture the Mormon church is very clearly made out in the background and the sign (one of the no on 8 campaign signs) makes it clear what the protesters are calling for. The new picture does not have some of the problems as did the last such as inaccurate representation of a specific event in terms of message or attendance. Once more thank you for finding a more accurate picture B fizz. SpeedyLA ( talk) 15:29, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
This is turning into a demonstration of stupidity in action. First, we have a SINGLE SENTENCE talking about Prop 8 under criticism and now we have two pictures. This is completely out-of-balance. Second, the first picture, which is unneeded, was the most relevant because it criticized Mormons. Third, there is in entire article on Prop 8; have any of you read it? There is no need for any pictures here and it should just link to the main article. Left to you own devices editors seem to create crap to argue about. Everyone, would you consider deleting both and being satisfied with linking the article? -- Storm Rider 19:06, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
The only editor so far who shows preference for the older picture over the newer one is Duke53 (though StormRider does call it "more relevent"). I (B Fizz), J.Mundo, and SpeedlyLA show preference for the newer picture, while Alanyst has not yet shown any preference. Eustress explicitly states a lack of preference. StormRider proposes that we use no picture (which ByteBear seems to agree with, if I'm reading between the lines correctly). So the (somewhat weak) consensus seems to indicate that we stick with the new picture. Am I mistaken? Who knew that one little picture could generate so much conversation? -- B F izz ( e• t• c) 00:51, 3 February 2009 (UTC)
Not to stir everyone up again, but I happened across another photo that might be considered for use in the article instead of the present one. Note that it is licensed under a creative commons "Attribution 3.0 Unported" license. I like it because it clearly displays an LDS temple, many protesters, and signs more directed at the church than the generic "no on 8" sign. So if an image is to be used at all, perhaps we might consider this one? I hesitate to mention it due to the ridiculously large conversation that surged from the last picture, but...whatever xP -- B F izz ( e• t• c) 19:48, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
Intent doesn't come into play, no advertising on Wikipedia. Duke53 | Talk 08:01, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
Adding external links to an article or user page for the purpose of promoting a website or a product is not allowed, and is considered to be spam. Although the specific links may be allowed under some circumstances, repeatedly adding links will in most cases result in all of them being removed.
I disagree with the blanket statement made by User:Duke53, "Intent doesn't come into play, no advertising on Wikipedia." Clearly, links to corporate websites are allowed when the article is about the corporation in question.
IMO, the problem with the link to the Deseret Trust website is that it doesn't serve the intended purpose (to support the statement about all LDS entities being audited by Deloitte & Touche). All the link does is establish that Deseret Trust is audited by Deloitte & Touche. Thus, the link looks spammy because it focuses on Deseret Trust when there is no indication in the article that Deseret Trust is a major LDS entity and more importantly, that its audit relationship with D&T is representative of the audit relationships of all other LDS entities. In any event, the website is essentially a primary source and the article is basically asking us to make the leap from the fact that D&T audits Deseret Trust to the conclusion that D&T audits all LDS entities. It would be better to reference a secondary source that makes the assertion about LDS entities directly. -- Richard ( talk) 18:42, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
This not not an area where I have much knowledge. I did do some searching for support, but did not find too much. The language used should only reflect what the references support and not stretched. The joke was good; humor is always appreciated! -- Storm Rider 23:09, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
Hi all,
After some discussion on Talk:Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement, there seemed to be consensus that the article was too long and needed to be split up. (Well, there are problems with organization and quality as well but it's hard to come up with a good article organization when the article is too big.)
So, I have now created Criticism of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as an article that focuses on criticisms that are specific to this church. I have also created Criticism of Mormon sacred texts to cover criticism of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham.
Your help in improving these articles is solicited.
-- Richard ( talk) 06:48, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
It seems to me that the section on revelation is much too long and goes much too far in depth on a few points. Although it is tempting to simply chop out some of the paragraphs, like the "Compatible with the Apostle Paul..." paragraph or the "In the Judeo-Christian tradition..." paragraph, it might be more desirable to move the information to another article. Revelation (Latter Day Saints) is one possibility, or perhaps we should create a Revelation (Latter-day Saints) article. Either way, the information currently in the Revelation section of this article is lengthy enough to be its own article. Another problem: noting scriptural references in parenthesis (Matt 22:29) is pervasive in this section, but completely absent from the rest of the article. It may be appropriate for church manuals, but (in my opinion) should be avoided when writing Wikipedia articles. While I enjoy fixing small grammar, punctuation, or NPOV errors, reworking an entire section is too involved for me. But I hate to see the section this way, so I invite the rest of you skilled editors to address these problems. =) What do you think? -- B F izz ( e• t• c) 23:21, 3 March 2009 (UTC)
No mention of the garments worn by Mormons? I would have expected a comprehensive article to include this information. Is it located elsewhere on Wikipedia and I'm just not finding it? Wowlookitsjoe ( talk) 18:03, 17 March 2009 (UTC)
The "Finances" section of the article currently states "The church uses its tithing funds to construct and maintain buildings and other facilities; to print the Scriptures for missionary work; to provide social welfare and relief; and to support missionary, educational, and other church-sponsored programs." The official church website is then cited as evidence. But the church does not release their financial records so there is no way of knowing if this is true. It would be more accurate to say that the "The church claims that its tithing funds..." or "According to church authorities, the church uses its tithing funds to..." This change is especially pertinent since there has been some speculation about the church's use of tithing money after media reports on its financial support of Proposition 8. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.200.170.9 ( talk) 00:09, 25 March 2009 (UTC)
You're an idiot. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.113.104.107 ( talk) 20:19, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
I would go with something like "reports to use" or the like. Saying you "claim to use your money on X" seems a little attacking. Cheers! Rogerdpack ( talk) 22:56, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
Didn't the "Public reception" section used to be "criticism of the LDS church"? I propose that it should be changed back to reflect the content of the section. "Reception" would imply both positive and negative responses from the public. Currently the body of the section only contains criticism. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.200.170.9 ( talk) 00:17, 25 March 2009 (UTC)
From discussion from the Talk:Mormon page:
So you're proposing that Mormon direct by default here? Just wondering. Rogerdpack ( talk) 02:46, 20 April 2009 (UTC)
Thanks for asking. Yes I am proposing a redirect from Mormon to this article. See also the discussion at Talk:Mormon. -- 79.102.193.253 ( talk) 09:21, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
What about these items (from United Methodist Church)? Tom Haws ( talk) 08:55, 19 April 2009 (UTC)
I think a good church article should include those in a clearly outlined way like that. Tom Haws ( talk) 08:55, 19 April 2009 (UTC)
Seeing as including all of that would make the church's page even longer, I don't think it necessary to specifically mention EVERYTHING. It's long enough as it stands. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chasicle ( talk • contribs) 01:15, 30 April 2009 (UTC)
I wonder if perhaps the "branches" image shouldn't be updated to have the LDS branch something like 4x larger than the rest. Not as an attack on the others but more as a useful imagery. Thoughts? Rogerdpack ( talk) 02:51, 20 April 2009 (UTC)
This article is 88 kb of text, and far too long. So we need to find ways to triage what needs to appear in this article. Every important detail about the LDS Church cannot be in the article, and for any subject where there is already a sub-article, we should not worry about trying to re-create everything in the sub-article here on this page. I think the most bloated section is presently the "Teachings and Practices" section, which takes up about 50% of the article text. We already have a Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints article, and the present "Teachings and Practices" section is about the same size as that sub-article. I think we can significantly trim the "Teachings and Practices" section, but that means we will have to accept that not every detail of Mormon doctrine can fit in this article.
This article, in my view, ought to be, essentially, an Introduction to the LDS Church directed toward someone with no personal stake in the subject matter. (Not the kind of introduction you might be presented by either LDS missionaries or evangelical Christians.) That means that the article should include a summary of everything notable about the religion, with particular focus on how it differs from generic Christianity. We should ask, "What would a reasonably-intelligent non-Christian, who is familiar with Christianity but has only an academic curiosity about the LDS Church and no interest in either being recruited or proving it false, want to know about the LDS Church?" COGDEN 17:58, 7 May 2009 (UTC)
could be reduced significantly. In my opinion, the amount of coverage that any given teaching or practice of the church gets in this article should be substantial enough to give a basic understanding, while succinct enough to spark interest and leave the reader wanting to delve into the sub-articles for further information. That's the real magic of the internet - when we hand the reader only the information that will interest him/her, and give that reader the power to choose both when to expose him/herself to more information and which information he/she wants to see. Don't count on me to make substantial changes to the article; however, I will try to help you synthesize ideas, and I will review the changes that are made, and whatnot. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 19:51, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
This seems redundant to the second paragraph at the beginning of the article. Pehaps the one at the beginning of the article could be removed or a note could mark "for beliefs in common with other Christians see Similarities within Christianity below.
Also the second paragraph of "Similarities..." in fact, does not focus on similarities but rather differences, and should be condensed and merged with Overview of distinctive doctrines and practices Cesevern ( talk) 15:13, 14 June 2009 (UTC)
I have hacked a bit of fluff out of the "geographic distribution and membership" section. Have a look-see and make sure I didn't mess it up too much. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 04:38, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
While I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that Encarta has given up and will be offline before the end of this year, you still have to admit their LDS Church article ending sentence is much more tactful than ours: "An unusual combination of biblical Christianity, American pragmatism, millennialist expectations, economic experimentation, political conservatism, evangelical fervor, and international activity, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is still a dynamic, rapidly growing religion in an uneasy relationship with the surrounding culture." If you were to actually read this whole article through (on Wikipedia), wouldn't you expect it to sort of wrap up at the end, like the encarta one does so (surprisingly) well? Another item to add to the lengthy yet invisible todo list for this article. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 04:59, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
A user is wanting to radically change the Wikipedia Naming Conflict guideline, particularly with relevance to cutting the section on self-identifying names. If this section were changed it would raise a lot of problems on pages like this, since the name the group calls itself (eg LDS) would no longer be automatically preferred as article title over the more popular name others give it (eg Mormon.) Not many people are involved in this proposed change, which could cause hundreds of hours of havoc and edit-warring on articles like this It would be useful for people to comment on Kontiski's proposed change, or state whether you would prefer policy to stay as it is, at. Wikipedia talk:Naming conflict Xan dar 20:00, 4 August 2009 (UTC)
Is the LDS religion obscure and unimportant? I thought it was a religion with a significant following. In the United States article, others want to mention the major religions but insists on not mentioning the LDS church. Is the LDS really obscure? I think not but would like your editorial opinion. User F203 ( talk) 18:32, 11 August 2009 (UTC)
My thanks to whoever cleaned up the template so it no longer has an ugly purple background on the churches name--or perhaps it was the template itself--either way much thanks :) Rogerdpack ( talk) 16:36, 14 August 2009 (UTC)
There is a brief mention of possible homophobia, and one line about Prop 8. Is that enough to get in the WikiProject LGBT studies? Joshuajohanson ( talk) 21:29, 24 August 2009 (UTC)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a specific denomination, so why is there a link (Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement) to all criticism of the LDS movement, basically combining all denominations and organizations and giving the appearance that this denomination is affiliated, liable or condoning of separate denominations? Considering that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has never accepted or condoned any break off denomination, they should not be liable, criticized or even related for what a separatist church does. I would see no reason to criticize Protestants for the actions of Roman Catholics or vice versa, so why is it acceptable in this article? I have no problem with having a sub-article for criticism, but it should be specific to this denomination only. The same respect is openly given to other religions and denominations on Wikipedia and it would merely be correct and logical to format this article in a similar manner. I propose either a new article for criticism, or to remove the link entirely. The current article is a criticism of the LDS movement, therefore it should remain linked to the LDS movement article which encompasses all LDS denominations. I do not see how the criticism of multiple churches could possibly be considered as accurate or informative of a single church. The proper word is "misleading", and there is absolutely no reason why this denomination should not have a separate page for criticism as opposed to "conveniently" linking it to all other LDS denominations. I will wait to hear your thoughts and comments before I change anything. Unless proven otherwise, I will proceed to edit the article. Sharpsr1990 ( talk) 18:39, 13 September 2009 (UTC)
It has been suggested that I come here first to discuss such changes as stories. I would like to propose that my old revision be put back in as I did say that " it is said that the following occurred" I did not say that it actually did and I am simply trying to make sure that people see it from both sides. I did not say that it happened for sure, I am simply saying that it was one of the proposed stories. I would like in put and feedback as well as ways that I could change it in order to get the story reinstated into the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ridoco234 ( talk • contribs) 19:31, 14 September 2009 (UTC)
There's a line in the "Joseph Smith era" section that bothers me.
After Missouri, the church built the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, where Smith served as the city's mayor and leader of the militia. As church leader, Smith also introduced the concept of plural marriage, and taught a form of theocratic Millennialism which he called "theodemocracy". As a result of public disagreement over these two issues, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith (second in line to the presidency),[15] were assassinated on June 27, 1844 by an angry mob.
The final sentence implies that "public disagreement over the issues of plural marriage and theodemocracy" resulted in the Smiths' assasination by an angry mob, an assertion that feels too closed. Is there a way to open up the statement to admit the existence of other possible factors? One problem, I think, is that the idea of a "theodemocracy" carried with it a lot of other factors such as the Mormons' (particularly Smith's) rising political power at the time. Those factors that lead to the assasination aren't as easily visible to today's readers.
But I couldn't really think of how to reword the sentence properly. Suggestions? ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 22:41, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
This skips a lot of information that may be worth mentioning. The attitude of the surrounding peoples and how they were incited by Sharp. More importantly, the charge that was initially brought was not treason, but riot against the Nauvoo's town officers. Each was released on bond and were to await the next term of the circuit court. Before the hearing, another charge was introduced, that of treason against both Joseph and Hyrum. Governor Ford considered the charge without merit because Nauvoo had good reason to fear an invasion by mobs caused by the continued inflamed remarks of Sharp and others. Regardless, Ford refused to intervene and allowed the charges to stand which resulted in committing both Joseph and Hyrum to prison without a hearing. Going to prison was Ford's way of "protecting" them from mob action.
I can't get behind the charge of forming a theocracy as being a major concern on the lips of the surrounding citizens. Polygamy was on their lips. Conversation was not so enlightened as to describe that the Mormons, because of their numbers, had gained too much economic and political control. Charges were more outlandish and designed to inflame anger. Here I am thinking of the Warsaw Signal proclaiming: "Citizens ARISE, ONE AND ALL!!! Can you stand by, and suffer such INFERNAL DEVILS! to rob men of their property and rights, without avenging them. We have no time for comment, every man will make his own. Let it be made with POWDER AND BALL!!!" The caps are the papers. No, conversation was not calm, not elevated or intelligent. It was scandalous and we need to describe that that environment. -- Storm Rider 18:38, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
Is this the correct article/place to discuss excommunication standards? We haven't really discussed what commitment, membership and participation really mean in the Church. Material below by User:Pepwaves removed for discussion. WBardwin ( talk) 20:22, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
Our new editor, User:Pepwaves, has been placing the scripture reference below into the article. I've reverted, and encouraged him/her to come to the talk page and discuss. But no response other than reverting, sigh. It's not a bad phrase -- but I thought the wording and reference should be discussed. I will not revert again. WBardwin ( talk) 21:41, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
Sorry for the confusion. I know this is a tightly embattled subject; however, to post other people's statments about what the LDS believe, and not have a statement from the LDS perspective stating what they themselves believe is antithetical to everything that Wikipedia stands for. Set the belief out there, 2 Nephi 25:26, and let the reader decide for themselves. A typical view of Christianity is that if a person believes they must rely on Christ for salvation, they are Christian. Would COGDEN prefer a statement from the prophet, or an apostle stating that we are Christians? I have no problem with someone quoting from the Qu'ran to explain what Muslims believe, and it would probably be more reliable than a statement from a critic of their faith. Would a section about the debate over the LDS Christian assertion be appropriate so readers can decide for themselves? -- Pepwaves ( talk) 05:41, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
I would just like to know how anyone could think that quoting scripture is acceptable. Maybe I'm just not as familiar with wiki guidelines as others, but how could that possibly be NPOV or be considered "encyclopedic?" Specifically in the intro, that bit about "holding strong in their faith of Christ... Even Wikipedia users try to marginalize and distort their faith..." again, how is that anywhere near acceptable? Also that Family section of the article, that's just a long quote from the church. is that level of self-advertisement/propaganda really allowed? Geoffruh ( talk) 05:06, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
Recently an edit added that 31% of Americans do not consider Mormons Christian. I eventually tracked down the source as this " LDS should promote positive image, Elder Perry says" from the Deseret News. The problem is the statistic is not scientific, nor is it even cited in the article. The article says:
So, who are "people" and where is this study done? I removed the source and the statement. If you really asked all people, I would say 95% of the world population would never have even heard of Mormonism. Clearly the statement was cherry picked for emphasis, and has no real scientific merit. Bytebear ( talk) 16:39, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
Pepwaves, can you please provide a clearer explanation for the following edits and reversions:
COGDEN 22:04, 30 September 2009 (UTC)
I think my desire to put Utah statehood instead of polygamy as the turning point has several motives. One of them is that from an academic standpoint, the modern age of the church is very complex, and narrowing it to the one issue of polygamy is misleading. Slavery debate was the defining issue of the era. National attitudes of religious toleration shifted. Having a transcontinental railroad to connect the church to mainstream world of the East helped eliminate seclusion. Mass communications generally dispelled ignorance, and all of these events culminated in Utah achieving statehood.
I did not input the second section about the priesthood in the historical section. I can see both sides of the debate and it would be undertandable for it to be moved.
The third point is understood. I think that putting something like, "they are a 3rd branch of Christianity distinct from Catholicism and Protestantism" might be the most informative. I don't think it adds much to say that lots of people view them as distinct from Christianity. Frankly, in casual conversations with people, those that have this view either have a negative bias or aren't very well informed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pepwaves ( talk • contribs) 00:41, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
attitudes toward persecution particularly impressed Kane, as the Saints “thank God in prayer for it day and night; and . . . congratulate themselves on having abandoned for ever their pleasant homes.” The Saints retained their patriotism in the midst of their “unmanly persecution” and the federal government “may look in vain elsewhere for more generous and patriotic supporters.” Their numerous virtues—“pious though not austere—honest, frugal—self sacrificing, humane, decorous”—convinced Kane he would “hunt in vain through our Eastern States for any community of equal size, better entitled no matter how great its pretensions to the name of Christian.” To have been taken seriously by men much older and more experienced than himself must have been deeply satisfying for Kane, and he boasted of his own influence with the top tier of Mormon leaders, writing, “I am admitted into all their consultations as though a Elder of the 1st class . . . I honestly believe that they would not disobey my advice in any important matter unless it touched their creed.” His experience at the camps led him to “love more & more this suffering people.” Indeed, he had possibly “found in this the mission of my life. . . to save some fifteen thousand souls from misery if not extermination, and make the happiness of perhaps fifty thousand. . . if God spares my life, I will save them from the dangers which now menace them—as great as those which they have gone through." I believe your characterization of the LDS church as any kind of a hippie movement is misguided, and shows a bias that does not belong on the pages of Wikipedia. -- Pepwaves ( talk) 15:42, 10 October 2009 (UTC)
These ideas put forward by Pepwaves( talk) appear to be a reflection of opinion. Even if there are a score of references from authorities within this religious group, it might well still represent opinion and Consensus reality. - Fremte ( talk) 18:29, 10 October 2009 (UTC)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (abbreviated as the LDS Church, often colloquially referred to as the Mormon Church) is the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement restored by Joseph Smith, Jr. circa 1830.
Should it not say "founded by Joseph Smith"? or use another word. This is odd wording, perhaps an artefact of some editting? So far as general info is concerned, this group originated with this man then. If the assertion is that Smith restored a prior existent religion, then this sounds POV, i.e., a matter of belief or faith, and must be reworded neutrally. -- Fremte ( talk) 22:07, 6 October 2009 (UTC)
Pepwaves: What is your concern with the Controvery section cleanup? -- Noleander ( talk) 14:30, 7 October 2009 (UTC)
On the other hand, the church was also occasionally the subject of journalistic praise during this era. After spending a summer with the LDS in the early 1870s, historian John Codman concluded that the LDS in Utah did a better job of ridding their communities of gambling, drunkenness, and prostitution than the rest of the country: "In all my voyages and travels about the world, I never before passed three months in a community more industrious, upright, honest in dealing among themselves and with others, quiet, inoffensive, loyal to government, temperate, virtuous, and religious, than these Mormons."[93]
-- Noleander ( talk) 14:49, 7 October 2009 (UTC)
I don't think the The Family: A Proclamation to the World should be cited so extensively in this section. While the document understandably has an effect on LDS culture, it seems more like a doctrinal subject to go under the Teachings and Practices section. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 05:57, 11 October 2009 (UTC)
I appreciate the summary presentation over the lengthy quotation, but as it stands it focuses on doctrine. I reiterate my concern: put doctrinal discussion in the "Teachings and Practices" section, and culture-related content in the culture section. While COgden's initial summary may not have done the Proclamation justice, Pepwaves's changes have made it grammatically confusing and out of place. Pepwaves, please reconsider the presentation of this material in the Culture/Family section and tailor it to the topic on hand. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 22:14, 11 October 2009 (UTC)
I tried rehashing the summary - not to be considered the perfect final version by any means. Yes, I simplified. No, we cannot cram every bit of doctrine that is discussed in the document into this article. Please review the change and help me to work the paragraph into the "culture" context. Or we might consider moving it. But I do think that the Proclamation helps to describe the underlying thought behind LDS culture. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 02:24, 13 October 2009 (UTC)
Under the assumption that anyone even reads this Wikipedia article, I highly doubt that anyone actually reads the references. Maybe they'll check one or two. I feel that too much parenthetical information is being crammed into references. Furthermore, no one really cleans up the references because no one reads them anyways.
Example:
How is this a "reference"? Isn't that what the ref tag is for...references? The controversial statements in this comment also seem to require references of their own.
Another example:
Controversial statements. No actual reference provided. I'm not saying it's completely wrong. I'm just saying...why are things like this wrapped in a ref tag? Should we sweep through the article and deal with them somehow? I want to hear what y'all think about this. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 06:08, 11 October 2009 (UTC)
Fellow editors, the lead of this article has evolved into a poorly written, factually dubious piece of editing. This new phrase about a "single man" to be "The Prophet" is simply not correct and it reads like an obnoxious pamphlet of the worst quality. First of all, the Quorum of the Twelve are all held to be prophets. The president of the Church is held to the same standard and is also called to be the current prophet of the church. The introduction must summarize the article's content and not create new language. I am not sure if I should just begin editing the article or present my views here. -- Storm Rider 17:16, 12 October 2009 (UTC)
A short third paragraph might be okay. -- Fremte ( talk) 18:13, 12 October 2009 (UTC)
I think this section of the third paragraph is too complex for the intro. I find it hard to follow and my eyes glaze over, i.e., two kinds of Quorums, president, first president, priesthood, laity etc.
Can this possibly be summarized in a way that tells us that there is a structure with out the detail that loses the reader? Remember it has to be aimed at the general reader not those in the know. (I am not one in the know myself). "The President heads a hierachical structure with various levels down to local congregations. Congregations are lead by male priests drawn from their numbers (laity). Males may be ordained to lay priesthood after age 12. Women are not eligible for the priesthood and may lead in other ways."
Just suggestions. -- Fremte ( talk) 18:35, 14 October 2009 (UTC)
The present version of the article now has a box quote for Joseph Smith. The quote selected is the one where Smith describes what Moroni first said to him, i.e., Smith's name would be had for good and evil, etc. I have no strong objection to including a box quote here, but why this quote in particular? Joseph Smith said a lot of interesting things, and a lot of interesting things were said about him. This particular quote is not really that amenable to floating quote boxes. If we have to have a quotation for this section, what about one of the following?:
COGDEN 18:52, 14 October 2009 (UTC)
We need to be careful about the claim that the LDS Church is the "fourth largest Christian denomination in the U.S." This is not true, by any fair and neutral standard. If LDS Church membership is counted the same way that the other competing organizations on the list are counted, it is not in fourth place. For doctrinal reasons, anyone who is baptized into the LDS Church normally becomes a "member" for life, even if they join another faith or become areligious, agnostic or atheist. That's great and useful for internal church records. However, when you compare the LDS Church to other churches, you have to use the same methodology as the other churches, or the result is not neutral. If the United Methodist Church counted their members this way, then any former-Methodist convert to Mormonism would get counted twice, and vice versa. Using a level playing-field for counting membership, the LDS Church would be around 8th place in the U.S., which is still impressive. COGDEN 23:11, 16 October 2009 (UTC)
Fremte and an anonymous editor had a little scuffle recently about whether we should say that the church is a Christian church. Surely this has been discussed before? In any event, there's no denying that it is a restorationist church. The first two words of the "restorationism" wikipedia article are "In Christianity..."
I think that the phrase "is a restorationist Christian church" (capitalization necessary?) is perfectly correct from all perspectives and this is why: the statement clearly implies that the church is not a part of traditional christianity by using the qualifier "restorationist." I didn't want to revert, though, until we had discussed the issue.
The problem we have is that the average reader would not necessarily know that "restorationist" implies "Christian" in that sense, making either the omission or the inclusion of the term "Christian" look like POV. My opinion: use "Christian." ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 04:01, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
Ok, so I've noticed this in other denominational articles to and thought I'd get opinions here. When reading this article, when the LDS church is referred to simply as "the church", "church" somtimes begins with a capital letter and other times with a lowercase letter. It's not a big deal, but I think an article should have a standard usage. So for the LDS Church, when referred to simply as "the church" in the article, should "church" begin with a capital letter or not? Ltwin ( talk) 02:26, 24 October 2009 (UTC)
Question about the viewpoint of the article. If Biblical text was corrupted by man-made doctrine over the millenia (untill the restoration), why don't we see many supposed "Early Church" idea's reflected within the text? Dosen’t that seem counterproductive? For example, LDS are quick to state the idea of the Triune God (Trinity) “can't be found in the Bible” and is “man made”. So if the early church was truly guilty of tampering / corrupting Scripture, wouldn’t main ideas like the Trinity be significantly more prevelant in today's Scripture?
All Good points about the article. However, I have one issue about the "Biblical Authority" comment. It reads something like, "Scripture is considered accurate so long as it's translated correctly". Can we expand on that? What does that mean exactly - are we talking about versions of the Bible (ie. KJV, NIV, etc) or are we refering to the LDS proposed "corruption" of the orignal manuscripts?
In regard to the original writtings, I dont see any historical citations in the article for known origins of the Bible. Perhaps a link to the Christian Bible page should be placed there?
So again, what's meant by "Scripture is considered accurate so long as it's translated correctly". Translated from what? We can't aurgue that even the KJV contradicts some foundational LDS teachings. Here's my point - if you haven't seen an "undefiled" manuscript of the Bible (i.e. pre "apostacy") and compared it against the modern KJV, how would you know it was "degraded"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.242.1.50 ( talk) 18:05, 15 January 2010 (UTC)
I appreciate your reply. Moreover, even if our conversation is viewed as less germane to the topic, I’m happy to continue our dialog. From a Baptist standpoint (please don’t paint me with a broad-brush), my faith group does adhere to the concept of Sola Scriptura. So I do speak from experience on this point. In fact, I’ve never been obligated to any "creeds" or "ordinances" that truly cannot be located somewhere in the 66 books of Scripture. Granted, I’m not a theologian and can’t explain with exactness every doctrinal detail – the LDS can't either.
However, let me try to explain why the mainstream (i.e. Orthodox or Traditional Christianity) believes in Sola Scriptura. I’m not referring to Catholics which frankly, have disappointed Christianity all together (another topic). We believe and place faith in the inerrant, unchanging nature of God’s word. The same way the LDS place faith in the Book of Mormon as “another testament”. However, unlike Mormonism, mainstream Christianity believes verses like 1 Peter 1:25, Isaiah 40:8 & 59:21, and Matthew 24:35 (to name a few), all indicate the word of God will never change or depart from humanity. It stands opposite to the LDS inspired notion that God’s word has changed over the centuries.
So here’s the dilemma… without placing faith that God’s word has remained pristine, we have no way to know what teachings have been corrupted or not. If God said it would abide forever, I plan to take Him at his word – period. I plan to accept His enduring Testimony. Why would anyone question that? He's the same God who delivered men through a blazing furnace and a nation through the Red Sea. Why couldn't He then miraculously preserve a book? In turn, have you, as an educated and independent person, examined the historical background of the Book of Mormon? Joseph Smith? You’re comfortable and satisfied with you findings? And you’ve arrived to the irrevocable conclusion that a "restoration" was needed because God’s word - the word He promised would never change - was eventually changed. Was there a time limit on His promise that ended after 100 AD? The dichotomy is very interesting. —Preceding unsigned comment added by HBSOCAL ( talk • contribs) 15:09, 22 January 2010 (UTC)
Thanks for your reply. You're right, it's not germane to the article. However, I checked out some of your sources. Nothing really thought provoking. Will continue to review articles for potentail errors / points of discussion. Thanks. HBSOCAL ( talk) 18:49, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
Part of a series on |
Christianity |
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Would it be appropriate, instead of simply including the Christianity portal link, to use the {{ christianity}} template in this way?
Do note that the link on the template in the nontrinitatian section points to Latter Day Saint movement, and not to this article directly (so technically this particular article isn't "Part of the series on Christianity"). Though that could be changed. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 07:39, 30 November 2009 (UTC)
The following text has been tagged as lacking a supporting citation for significant amounts of time and have been removed until verification from a reliable source can be found:
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
References in text
was invoked but never defined (see the
help page).The Church Auditing Department has been granted access to all records and systems necessary to evaluate the adequacy of controls over receipts of funds, expenditures, and safeguarding of Church assets. The Church Auditing Department is independent of all other Church departments and operations, and the staff consists of certified public accountants, certified internal auditors, certified information systems auditors, and other credentialed professionals. Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church for the year 2006 have been recorded and administered in accordance with appropriate accounting practices, approved budgets, and Church policies and procedures.
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This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
This page has too many comments debating whether or not LDS doctrines are true or not. Encyclopedias report on religions from the point of view of the religion. Thus we say Mohammad received the Koran from an angel, not that he wrote the Koran. Jkolak ( talk) 07:23, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.-- WaltFrost ( talk) 20:14, 4 August 2008 (UTC)
That's funny (the original post) as this article allows 'pointo f view of the religion' but a glance over at "Eastern Orthodoxy" has every doctrine and thought proceeded by "Orthodox Christians believe......" Which is the proper take on it (from wiki's perspective)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.126.163.20 ( talk) 22:55, 22 October 2008 (UTC)
The template on the right has an awkward line break for me in "school system." It's not a big deal--but a bit ugly. I believe the template is editable. Should I edit it? Rogerdpack ( talk) 03:25, 22 September 2008 (UTC) It appears to have been cleared up now in IE and FF. Thank you if anyone did it. Now if we can get a higher quality image for that CJCLDS... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rogerdpack ( talk • contribs) 16:51, 4 November 2008 (UTC)
Thank you to whoever added the svg of the image :) Now... Anyone think we should add this line to that box:
"Official Website www.lds.org"
which is also an option? Rogerdpack ( talk) 04:29, 22 December 2008 (UTC)
I have writtne a section on LDS polytheism, I have sited all my sourses, it is accurate why does it get deleated —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 19:41, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
So despite quoting LDS leaders and prophets that clearly show the polytheistic nature of the religion, it’s wrong to put in here. OK… So in the face of clear evidence from what they call scripture showing a multitude of gods, it’s too controversial and because it’s controversial it can’t be done… OK So notwithstanding Joseph Smith’s own practice of polygamy and his own writings that show his approval of it, this page will say it was all Young… OK
And you call this accurate… why?
Or and mind you just a simple or, are the alternative reasons for censoring even in the face of good citation… oh no of course not, no how could that ever be, no. I mean sure document this teaching from their own writings and supply webster’s own definition of polytheism and it’s still not right. I mean sure in the English language the word gods means more than one, which means polytheism and yea that is just to much of an inductive leap because clearly the teaching and writings of these leaders are not admissible because they themselves lead you to this conclusion.
[Courtesy blanking of unpleasant invective.] 02:53, 3 October 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.92.57.45 ( talk)
[Courtesy blanking of unpleasant invective.] 03:31, 3 October 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.92.57.45 ( talk)
Ok, so quoting Joseph Smith, the founder, starter, prophet, president, author of the Book of Mormon, author of Doctrines and Covenants, author of Perl of Great Price, seer, and all over king of Mormonism, quoting him talking about gods does not prove LDS to be polytheistic. After all his teachings authoritative? His teachings inspirited? He not a prophet? Who then can say, if not him what LDS believes?
What about Young, again prophet, president, seer, fornicator, adulterer of the LDS church. When he speaks of gods, does that not show polytheism. If not Young who is authoritative to say what the LDS religion believes?
The own songs, the songs they sing in church, talking about gods, these do not reflect their believes? Why do the sing these songs if they are not accurate to their beliefs? Their apostles, surly their apostles have the authority to say what they believe? When their apostles speak of gods, that does not show their polytheism?
Is polytheism the right word? What does the dictionary say? Dictionary.com says, the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods. LDS must believe in more than one, for their god was once a man who was under another god. That’s two right there. Oh but wait, Joseph doesn’t get to say what LDS believe. So maybe their god wasn’t a man on another plaint and Joseph was just full of beans.
But lets press on, The American Heritage Dictionary says, The worship of or belief in more than one god. So according to these dictionaries one only has to believe in more than one god, they don’t have to worship, just believe.
But who can say if they believe in more than one, if the founders, if their prophets, if their apostles, if their hymns do not have the authority to set forth their teachings. You are absolutely right, it proves nothing. Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George Q. Cannon, Orson Pratt, Joseph Fielding Smith, Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrines and Convents and the Perl of Great Price are without the ability to provide accurate doctrines of their church. The Dictionary is unable to provide us with accurate meanings of words.
Alas, how shall we concluded anything. Or wait a second, maybe that’s not it at all… maybe someone is just trying to pull the wool over the eyes of people… maybe Joseph, Brigham and so forth were polytheists, maybe the teachings of these people is authoritative, maybe the dictionary is right and maybe just maybe someone doesn’t like the conclusions these things point to and thus they censor and control what information can be presented.
By golly, gee will occurs. This subject to much for you, [Courtesy blanking of unpleasant invective.] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 17:32, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
1) you please re-read the definitions, "The worship of OR belief..." and "the doctrine of or belief in more than one god". See that little word or. In other words to worship more than one is polytheism, or to just believe in more than one is polytheism. And LDS must believe in more than one. 2) You want it from what LDS calls scripture, fine. Abr. 4: 1-12, 14, 16-18, 20-22, 24-29, 31, Abr. 5: 2-5, 7-9, 11-16, 20, D&C 132: 17-20, 37. 3) So these prophets and apostles are not like the ones from the Bible? The one’s from the Bible, their writings are scripture, their writings are authoritative, however from your view Smith’s, Young’s and so forth are not, thus they are not the same as the ones from the Bible. 4) I have no axe to grind, I only want truth presented, not watered down, white washed, “make us look mainline” crap. I want truth! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 18:45, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
Thank you! Finally someone worth talking to. Finally someone who understands. And in light of this explanation helps me to understand your position.
I may concede polytheism (seen as a loaded term) may not be the best word to use, however Monotheism does not apply to LDS. Webster: the doctrine or belief that there is but one God. LDS can not have but One God or their system falls.
Communicate this truth on this page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 16:19, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
Your adding to the definition what you want to add to it. “…usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated mythology and rituals.” That’s not the definition of the word, that’s your view of what the word means. As it stand the definition fits LDS and thus it is accurate to label LDS polytheistic no matter what you want to add to the definition. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk • contribs)
We are not in agreement. Monotheism does not apply to LDS. Webster: the doctrine or belief that there is but one God. LDS can not have but One God or their system falls. Let us look at other definitions of Monotheism, Webster's New World College Dictionary: “the belief or doctrine that there is only one God”. The American Heritage Dictionary, “The doctrine or belief that there is only one God. Collins Essential English Dictionary, “the belief or doctrine that there is only one God. All these definitions, say “only one” or “but one”. Meaning there can only be one. If there is more than one it’s not monotheism. Note the definitions have no reference to worship of only one, instead the word belief is used. So regardless of how many are worshiped, the acknowledgement in the existence of any more than one disqualifies it as monotheism. I stated above, LDS must believe, they must acknowledge the existence of more than one. If they don’t acknowledge the existence of more than one, Joseph was wrong when he said a council of gods got together Journal of Discourses 6:4 and there after. Also Abr. 4: 1-12, 14, 16-18, 20-22, 24-29, 31, Abr. 5: 2-5, 7-9, 11-16, 20, D&C 132: 17-20, 37, all these acknowledge the existence of more than one God. The importance of showing LDS to not be monotheistic, is immeasurable. For an accurate understanding of a religion, one must understand its theology. Thus what group or classification a religion is under is vital (i.e. Polytheism, monotheism, agnosticism, atheism, existentialism, deism, pantheism). Example: One cannot understand Islam without understanding its monotheistic stance. If one was to be unaware of this fact, they would not grasp Islam. Hence, if one is ever to understand LDS and they mistake it for monotheism, they misunderstand it or the word. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 17:27, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
We are close to agreement that labels are probably not useful. "Nobody is qualified to decide that on Wikipedia". We are not close to agreement. I'm reminded of Elihu's words, "Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good... Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want you to be cleared But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom." Words have definitions which give words meanings, these meanings can be used to measure the accuracy of the uses of the words and as I have attempted to illustrate. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 19:29, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
What do you ask? Canonical definition? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 20:10, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
We do not use outside sources for definitions, unless those sources are cited on the appropriate pages. Most of your dictionary sources are reliable, but their words are NOT used in wiki for definitions. According to Wikipedia, Monotheism, "...is the belief that only one deity exists." Look at the definition of deity (according to wiki). "A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural being, who is always of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings." Mormons believe that only the Unitarian has significant power, is worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred. Other exalted beings that mormons believe in, do not have any power here except that under the direction of God, and are termed angels. So, if you wish to classify mormons as polytheistic, you should be trying to come to a different consensus about the definition of deity on its page. TAU Croesus ( talk) 14:14, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
Yea, not really sure what we are talking about anymore. So more or less going to shot in the dark and see where that gets it.
Joseph Smith described the infinite series of previous gods: Joseph Smith's Sermon on Plurality of Gods (as printed in History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 473-479) “If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John discovered that God the Father of Jesus Christ had a Father, you may suppose that He had a Father also. Where was there ever a son without a father… Hence if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that He had a Father also…”
Joseph Smith Taught the plurality of gods is based upon Hebrew: “In the very being the Bible shows there is plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation…” Joseph Fieldign Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 1976, pg 372
And all the other sources I’ve shown that LDS has a plurality of gods, however it is imposable if you think about it.
There is no first in an infinite line and if there is no first there is no bringing. If you are to claim there is a first there are several problems to resolve: The infinite lineage of gods is not truly infinite, it’s really only a very large number. The god at the beginning of the finite line of gods would be a unique in this succession of gods, and in fact greater in his existence, since he did not come from a line of gods. The first god in this large number of god did no derive his source from another, and therefore always existed without cause. If LDS ever concede that a uncaused God existed, then they destroy Mormon exaltation, because a unique infinite God would exist above all of their finite gods.
However as defined more than one God or Gods is polytheism according to the dictionaries, I have sighted. 1 Cor 8:5 refutes this polytheism found in Mormonism. The words “so-called gods) is not a recognition of other gods, but a denial that any such gods exist. When Paul calls these gods and lords “so called”, he is mocking the possibility of their existence.
Polytheism is repeated renounced in the Bible. Gen 1:1- the opening verse of the Bible declares the truth of one God. The Hebrew is translated as a singular noun, based on the singular verb. He He is uncreated Creator, nothing existed with him in the beginning. The theme of one God is carried on throughout the Bible Deut. 32:39, Ps 86:10, Is 43:10, 44:6, 45:21. Other so-called gods are no gods by nature. Paul refers to the false gods as not true by nature: “When you did not know God you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods” Gal 4:8. All other gods are the products of human imagination. Paul said we ought not think that God is “an image made by man’s design and skill” Acts 17:29 and thereby exchange “the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man”. Mormon’s paint pictures of the first vision accounts of Jospeh Smith with two human-gods appearing in the a light, there are no less images. Thus Mormons have exchanged God’s heavenly likeness for an earthly likeness. Isaiah summed up the issue with the challenge, “to whom, then. Will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?” (40:18).
However now I’m off topic, but to believe LDS one would have to declare the Bible to be wrong. O.T. Ex 8:10 - Deu 4:35, 39; 32:39; 33:26 - 1 Sam 2:2; 7:22; 22;32 – 2 Sam 7:22; - 1 Kin 8:23 – 2 Kin 19:19 - 1 Chr 17:20 - Ps 18:31; 86:10 - Isa 43:10, 11; 44:6, 8; 45:5, 6, 14, 18, 21-22, 46:9, 64:4 - Jer 10:6, 7 - Hos 13:4 N.T. John 5:44; 17:3 - Rom 3:30; 16:27 - 1 Cor 8:4, 6 - Eph 4:6 - 1 Tim 1:17; 2:5 - Jude 25. Either LDS is right and the Bible wrong, or both are wrong, however both can’t be right.
Yea, and I bet you really beleive the KJV was written by Paul You miss the point —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 18:42, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
Again, you miss the point. Right now, me and my fiancée are working though a book, saving your marriage before it starts. In the communication section, like the book says you can learn all the “tricks” to communication and still not communicate, because you have never learned to listen. You can hear, however you can’t listen, because it takes work. You have read what I wrote, but you did not understand it. (I’m not talking about some kind of spiritual understanding either) I’m saying you read the words, but the point eluded you. The reason, because you only read, “Anti-momon” words. You’ve already judged me guilty of being “anti-mormon” and therefore misinterpret, seeing only attack, not reason, only hate, not logic. Your response is formulated before you even finish your reading. IF you were to paraphrase my writing my thesis would be completely absent from your elucidation. What we have here is MaCarthism. My point can’t even get across because you’ve already arbitrator it to be simply “anti-mormon”. Let me explain, with another example. In 2008, if you abject to homosexuality in any form, your automatically labeled, homophobic. Honest students of the Bible, object to homosexuality on a moral or ethical basis; and an objecting on a moral or ethical basis does not constitute a phobia. However just like in MaCarthism, your already guilty and not worth even hearing. That is what is going on here. My point falls on deaf ears. I ask, with LDS watch-dogs protecting, censoring this page. There is no objectivity. There is also no honesty. Look where it reads polygamy was encouraged by Young. That’s a half truth, because Young is teaching what Smith taught. Smith not Young was the author of D&C 132. Yet this page puts all the blame for polygamy on Young. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 16:36, 10 October 2008 (UTC)
Wow, you illustrate my last point beautify. I can say no more, MaCarthism lives and I rest my case. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.174.25.156 ( talk) 18:44, 10 October 2008 (UTC)
I thought that I understood the points. You said Mormons are polytheist. I said that according to the wiki definitions of polytheism, deity, and such, that they are not polytheist. I would suggest taking a doctrine discussion to a personal talk page. This isn't the place to discuss doctrine, and whether it makes sense. It is to discuss the article, and what should be included. TAU Croesus ( talk) 21:24, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
mormens are not a calt —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.46.94.78 ( talk) 18:00, 4 November 2008 (UTC)
The other article on Sexuality with regards to the church is really short. It seems that it would make more sense to have it be a short section in this article than a separate stub. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.23.186.180 ( talk • contribs)
i am a mormon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.51.76.79 ( talk) 21:18, 15 February 2009 (UTC)
Regarding this statement: (The Church) does not accept the Nicene Creed's definition of Trinity, that the three are consubstantial nor the Athanasian Creed's statement (presumably about the Trinity, with this grammatical construction) that they are incomprehensible.
But the Athanasian creed says that it is the nature of God to be incomprehensible. It doesn't say that the definition of the Trinity is incomprehensible. Being incomprehensible is understood to be part of the nature of God and it is parallel with the creed's statement that God is uncreated, eternal and almighty.
Of course it is possible that the doctrine is incomprehensible -- but that would be a POV. And, of course, not part of the Athanasian creed (which is trying to explain Trinity).
So, IMO the phrase about the Athanasian creed should be dropped. But I might be missing something.
If rewritten, I do not know how this could be stated from a LDS viewpoint, and I don't want to mess up the NPOV so I didn't attempt an edit yet. But as it stands, it suggests a misunderstanding of the Athanasian creed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Edtheist ( talk • contribs) 09:35, 13 November 2008 (UTC)
The simplest solution is to let it stand as written. It keeps the article accurate and concise. The reference to the Athanasian creed should not be dropped because it is a creed that plainly contrasts with the LDS doctrine and therefore helps to clarify the LDS position. Alternatively, the statement could be changed to "...nor the Athanasian creed that states 'the Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehesible, the Holy Ghost incomprhensible; but God is not three incomprehenibles, but one incompressible'". Cesevern ( talk) 01:09, 21 December 2008 (UTC)
It is extremely important that quotes by church leaders not be edited to state the editor's personal opinion. If a citation links to a talk or discourse of a church leader, what that person says should stand as written and not be edited to npov standards. To maintain npov standards, please state that it is a church teaching but don't change the words of the person being quoted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.180.189.229 ( talk) 08:09, 24 November 2008 (UTC)
I agree very strongly with this point of publication. In many instances the words of church leaders have been twisted to produce a negative view of the church (ie anti-mormon). If I get time I will come back with a couple of examples. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.44.25.100 ( talk) 08:22, 26 November 2008 (UTC)
In the article, it is stated under Godhead that "The word "Trinity" is not a Biblical term, while the word "Godhead" is used in Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; and Colossians 2:9."
Acts 17:29 - "Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man"; Romans 1:20 - "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;" Colossians 2:9 - "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily"
Godhead is not used in any of these scriptures, at least not in modern translations. Either the version of the bible should be quoted, the piece re-written, or the piece removed. LittleNuccio ( talk) 20:56, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
It seems a bit odd to highlight one study in this article, and the table takes up a lot of room. Can we better incorporate this info into the membership section and convert most of the table to prose? -- Eustress ( talk) 22:31, 30 December 2008 (UTC)
I deleted some unencyclopedic apologetics from the section on sacred texts, but that section could actually use some additional material to take the place of the deleted material--we provide very little information as to what's actually in the Book of Mormon.
I understand that the Book of Mormon article is the place for in-depth information on the Book's contents, but it seems to me that a little more on it is warranted here. 65.213.77.129 ( talk) 20:41, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
The Book of Mormon cannot be lightly passed over, as Joseph 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." (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Joseph Smith, p. 57)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands or falls, based on the genuineness of that Book. If it came forth, was translated from gold plates by means of ancient seer stones, from reformed Egyptian, was declared correctly translated by an angel to three witnesses besides Joseph Smith, the plates being seen and handled by still eight other witnesses, and actually was an ancient spiritual record of Christ's dealings with a fallen people on the American continents, as Joseph Smith, Jr. said it was, then he is a prophet. If any detail of his unusual account is false, then he is false. If the Book is true, as millions now believe, then he and his successors are genuine prophets, and the church he established under Divine guidance is also genuine and correct.("Testimony of Three Witnesses and Eight Witnesses" at the front of Book of Mormon; Doctrine and Covenants 84:54-59; Moroni 10:4-5 in the Book of Mormon) [1]
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, including in the courts of the land, a testimony presented by two competent witnesses is considered more convincing than the testimony of one, especially if that single witness is testifying in his own cause. The Bible and Book of Mormon set forth the Divine practice of furnishing "two or three witnesses" to important Divine acts.(Deut. 17:1; 2 Cor. 13:1; Ether 5:4) Every religion except that taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has only one witness and that is the religion itself. Latter-day saints have witnesses from each of two widely separated nations for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, one book originating in ancient Israel and one in ancient America, and the two testify of the same God and each other. Those nations produced the Bible and the Book of Mormon, "the stick of Judah" and "stick of Ephraim," which agree in one in testifying that Jesus is the Messiah, the true and livng God of Israel.(Ezekiel 37:15-19; 2 Nephi 3:12; 29:2-14; Isa. 29:11-18; Gen. 48; Jer. 3:18; John 10:16; Acts 10:34-36; Alma 46:24-26; 3 Ne. 10:16, 17; 15:16-24; 16:1-7; 20:22; D&C 3:16; 20:11-12; 42:11-12) [2]
65.213.77.129 ( talk) 20:45, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
"If it came forth, was translated from gold plates by means of ancient seer stones, from reformed Egyptian, was declared correctly translated by an angel to three witnesses besides Joseph Smith, the plates being seen and handled by an additional eight witnesses, was partly sealed (Isa. 29;11-18), and actually was an ancient spiritual record of Christ's dealings with a fallen people on the American continents, as Joseph Smith, Jr., said it was, then the Mormon position is that one must conclude that he is a prophet."
i have no interest in getting involved in a fight over whether LDS doctrine is true, false, or otherwise, but people need to realize that unless NPOV is preserved the article can't stand and will be deleted - to state what the beliefs are is different from making contentions (using archaic language that is not gender-neutral, for one thing . . . ) . . . Wikipedia is not the place to do that, and you will lose access to the audience completely - so weigh decisions based on keeping NPOV - b (who does not set the standards here - just trying to help - think about what you are doing, if you want this audience) betswiki ( talk) 20:23, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
while i was working on this, a section i was working on was deleted - as i said before, i am trying to get this changed into a form with NPOV (which is difficult given what i have to work with . . . but i don't really have a dog in the fight and would just like to help whoever is trying to do the article - i am an experienced copyeditor) but i did add 'from the point of view of Mormons/Church members/LDS people' in many places . . . - b betswiki ( talk) 20:27, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
I would like to see two issues addressed in the section on criticism:
1. Proposition 8 is mentioned without any explanation of its substance or effects upon California law. This context is important information for any viewer to have in understanding why it is that this proposition sparked such criticism. I suggest the addition of one or two lines explaining the proposition and the Church's role in it's passage in the most unbiased language possible.
2. The selection of image seems to be tinged with bias. Prominent in the image is a sign displaying in part the words 'stop the Mormons' (there were many signs at the protest that put forth a more moderate message and it could be argued that this was not representative of the protesters). I would suggest the addition of a protest image lacking in such bias. Additionally, the LA protest of the Mormon church, located at the site shown in Westwood, CA, is not well represented by the image. The event was attended by a much larger crowd and a large police presence. The image fails to capture the day of the protest as accurately as it might. Until an agreement can be reached over choice of image I would suggest its removal. SpeedyLA ( talk) 08:51, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
Actually that image is not in fact a picture of the rally. The rally was a large event that drew a crowd of thousands (not shown in that image). I don't question that this is a picture of a prop 8 protester and I won't speculate as to when it was taken, but it is the narrow focus on one aspect of the protest that I question. Furthermore, while the LDS church certainly received a great deal of criticism it also contributed a great deal to prop 8's passage. As the exact nature of their contribution is currently still under debate it would not be appropriate to discuss the 'fairness' of criticism of the LDS church as of yet. However, many of the signs displayed at the rally promote separation of church and state, equality for all, and other less confrontational messages. With a wide array of signs and messages displayed at the rally to choose from this selection would appear to be biased though I'll concede that the bias may not be intentional. SpeedyLA ( talk) 09:26, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
For Some reason I'm having difficulty uploading the picture to the site, but I would suggest using a picture that the LA times used. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-weho-protest-pg,0,937229.photogallery?index=10. This is much more representative of the actual event and shows a wide (rather than selective) display of messages. SpeedyLA ( talk) 17:58, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
Certainly a better picture can be found (though I have not been able to find one yet). A the end of the day, however, the current image does vastly misrepresent the nature of the protest in both its attendance and spirit. The event was a rather large gathering of protesters and police and I fear that the current image may have been chosen to minimize the protest in a way favorable to the church (bias). Furthermore, most of the signs displayed at the rally focus on equal rights, separation of church and state, and opposition to the church's involvement in the preposition's passage. The sign makes it seem as though the protest was targeting Mormonism at large. Again this is favorable to the church and though it is not proven certainly smells of bias. Until a more accurate picture can be found this one should be removed. SpeedyLA ( talk) 10:20, 1 February 2009 (UTC)
My apologies for being picky about that picture, but it just seemed unprofessional to me. I've been searching flickr for available share-alike pictures illustrating a temple protest scene. Might I suggest this one or this one? Even this would be ok, though I liked the other two better. I haven't uploaded pictures before and am not really in the mood to learn now...so I leave it to the rest of you to do what you like. --02:23, 2 February 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by B Fizz ( talk • contribs)
Well (being bored at work with nothing better to do) I did learn how to upload pictures and put in one of the alternatives I had suggested. It doesn't look that great as a thumbnail, but I think it's a slight improvement over what we had before. What do the rest of you think, is this a satisfactory solution, at least for now? -- B F izz ( e• t• c) 08:08, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
The new (current) image does the same thing as the old one for me, so I'm fine with either. -- Eustress ( talk) 14:43, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
Thank you for finding a more appropriate picture. In the picture the Mormon church is very clearly made out in the background and the sign (one of the no on 8 campaign signs) makes it clear what the protesters are calling for. The new picture does not have some of the problems as did the last such as inaccurate representation of a specific event in terms of message or attendance. Once more thank you for finding a more accurate picture B fizz. SpeedyLA ( talk) 15:29, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
This is turning into a demonstration of stupidity in action. First, we have a SINGLE SENTENCE talking about Prop 8 under criticism and now we have two pictures. This is completely out-of-balance. Second, the first picture, which is unneeded, was the most relevant because it criticized Mormons. Third, there is in entire article on Prop 8; have any of you read it? There is no need for any pictures here and it should just link to the main article. Left to you own devices editors seem to create crap to argue about. Everyone, would you consider deleting both and being satisfied with linking the article? -- Storm Rider 19:06, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
The only editor so far who shows preference for the older picture over the newer one is Duke53 (though StormRider does call it "more relevent"). I (B Fizz), J.Mundo, and SpeedlyLA show preference for the newer picture, while Alanyst has not yet shown any preference. Eustress explicitly states a lack of preference. StormRider proposes that we use no picture (which ByteBear seems to agree with, if I'm reading between the lines correctly). So the (somewhat weak) consensus seems to indicate that we stick with the new picture. Am I mistaken? Who knew that one little picture could generate so much conversation? -- B F izz ( e• t• c) 00:51, 3 February 2009 (UTC)
Not to stir everyone up again, but I happened across another photo that might be considered for use in the article instead of the present one. Note that it is licensed under a creative commons "Attribution 3.0 Unported" license. I like it because it clearly displays an LDS temple, many protesters, and signs more directed at the church than the generic "no on 8" sign. So if an image is to be used at all, perhaps we might consider this one? I hesitate to mention it due to the ridiculously large conversation that surged from the last picture, but...whatever xP -- B F izz ( e• t• c) 19:48, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
Intent doesn't come into play, no advertising on Wikipedia. Duke53 | Talk 08:01, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
Adding external links to an article or user page for the purpose of promoting a website or a product is not allowed, and is considered to be spam. Although the specific links may be allowed under some circumstances, repeatedly adding links will in most cases result in all of them being removed.
I disagree with the blanket statement made by User:Duke53, "Intent doesn't come into play, no advertising on Wikipedia." Clearly, links to corporate websites are allowed when the article is about the corporation in question.
IMO, the problem with the link to the Deseret Trust website is that it doesn't serve the intended purpose (to support the statement about all LDS entities being audited by Deloitte & Touche). All the link does is establish that Deseret Trust is audited by Deloitte & Touche. Thus, the link looks spammy because it focuses on Deseret Trust when there is no indication in the article that Deseret Trust is a major LDS entity and more importantly, that its audit relationship with D&T is representative of the audit relationships of all other LDS entities. In any event, the website is essentially a primary source and the article is basically asking us to make the leap from the fact that D&T audits Deseret Trust to the conclusion that D&T audits all LDS entities. It would be better to reference a secondary source that makes the assertion about LDS entities directly. -- Richard ( talk) 18:42, 31 January 2009 (UTC)
This not not an area where I have much knowledge. I did do some searching for support, but did not find too much. The language used should only reflect what the references support and not stretched. The joke was good; humor is always appreciated! -- Storm Rider 23:09, 2 February 2009 (UTC)
Hi all,
After some discussion on Talk:Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement, there seemed to be consensus that the article was too long and needed to be split up. (Well, there are problems with organization and quality as well but it's hard to come up with a good article organization when the article is too big.)
So, I have now created Criticism of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as an article that focuses on criticisms that are specific to this church. I have also created Criticism of Mormon sacred texts to cover criticism of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham.
Your help in improving these articles is solicited.
-- Richard ( talk) 06:48, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
It seems to me that the section on revelation is much too long and goes much too far in depth on a few points. Although it is tempting to simply chop out some of the paragraphs, like the "Compatible with the Apostle Paul..." paragraph or the "In the Judeo-Christian tradition..." paragraph, it might be more desirable to move the information to another article. Revelation (Latter Day Saints) is one possibility, or perhaps we should create a Revelation (Latter-day Saints) article. Either way, the information currently in the Revelation section of this article is lengthy enough to be its own article. Another problem: noting scriptural references in parenthesis (Matt 22:29) is pervasive in this section, but completely absent from the rest of the article. It may be appropriate for church manuals, but (in my opinion) should be avoided when writing Wikipedia articles. While I enjoy fixing small grammar, punctuation, or NPOV errors, reworking an entire section is too involved for me. But I hate to see the section this way, so I invite the rest of you skilled editors to address these problems. =) What do you think? -- B F izz ( e• t• c) 23:21, 3 March 2009 (UTC)
No mention of the garments worn by Mormons? I would have expected a comprehensive article to include this information. Is it located elsewhere on Wikipedia and I'm just not finding it? Wowlookitsjoe ( talk) 18:03, 17 March 2009 (UTC)
The "Finances" section of the article currently states "The church uses its tithing funds to construct and maintain buildings and other facilities; to print the Scriptures for missionary work; to provide social welfare and relief; and to support missionary, educational, and other church-sponsored programs." The official church website is then cited as evidence. But the church does not release their financial records so there is no way of knowing if this is true. It would be more accurate to say that the "The church claims that its tithing funds..." or "According to church authorities, the church uses its tithing funds to..." This change is especially pertinent since there has been some speculation about the church's use of tithing money after media reports on its financial support of Proposition 8. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.200.170.9 ( talk) 00:09, 25 March 2009 (UTC)
You're an idiot. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.113.104.107 ( talk) 20:19, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
I would go with something like "reports to use" or the like. Saying you "claim to use your money on X" seems a little attacking. Cheers! Rogerdpack ( talk) 22:56, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
Didn't the "Public reception" section used to be "criticism of the LDS church"? I propose that it should be changed back to reflect the content of the section. "Reception" would imply both positive and negative responses from the public. Currently the body of the section only contains criticism. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.200.170.9 ( talk) 00:17, 25 March 2009 (UTC)
From discussion from the Talk:Mormon page:
So you're proposing that Mormon direct by default here? Just wondering. Rogerdpack ( talk) 02:46, 20 April 2009 (UTC)
Thanks for asking. Yes I am proposing a redirect from Mormon to this article. See also the discussion at Talk:Mormon. -- 79.102.193.253 ( talk) 09:21, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
What about these items (from United Methodist Church)? Tom Haws ( talk) 08:55, 19 April 2009 (UTC)
I think a good church article should include those in a clearly outlined way like that. Tom Haws ( talk) 08:55, 19 April 2009 (UTC)
Seeing as including all of that would make the church's page even longer, I don't think it necessary to specifically mention EVERYTHING. It's long enough as it stands. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chasicle ( talk • contribs) 01:15, 30 April 2009 (UTC)
I wonder if perhaps the "branches" image shouldn't be updated to have the LDS branch something like 4x larger than the rest. Not as an attack on the others but more as a useful imagery. Thoughts? Rogerdpack ( talk) 02:51, 20 April 2009 (UTC)
This article is 88 kb of text, and far too long. So we need to find ways to triage what needs to appear in this article. Every important detail about the LDS Church cannot be in the article, and for any subject where there is already a sub-article, we should not worry about trying to re-create everything in the sub-article here on this page. I think the most bloated section is presently the "Teachings and Practices" section, which takes up about 50% of the article text. We already have a Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints article, and the present "Teachings and Practices" section is about the same size as that sub-article. I think we can significantly trim the "Teachings and Practices" section, but that means we will have to accept that not every detail of Mormon doctrine can fit in this article.
This article, in my view, ought to be, essentially, an Introduction to the LDS Church directed toward someone with no personal stake in the subject matter. (Not the kind of introduction you might be presented by either LDS missionaries or evangelical Christians.) That means that the article should include a summary of everything notable about the religion, with particular focus on how it differs from generic Christianity. We should ask, "What would a reasonably-intelligent non-Christian, who is familiar with Christianity but has only an academic curiosity about the LDS Church and no interest in either being recruited or proving it false, want to know about the LDS Church?" COGDEN 17:58, 7 May 2009 (UTC)
could be reduced significantly. In my opinion, the amount of coverage that any given teaching or practice of the church gets in this article should be substantial enough to give a basic understanding, while succinct enough to spark interest and leave the reader wanting to delve into the sub-articles for further information. That's the real magic of the internet - when we hand the reader only the information that will interest him/her, and give that reader the power to choose both when to expose him/herself to more information and which information he/she wants to see. Don't count on me to make substantial changes to the article; however, I will try to help you synthesize ideas, and I will review the changes that are made, and whatnot. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 19:51, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
This seems redundant to the second paragraph at the beginning of the article. Pehaps the one at the beginning of the article could be removed or a note could mark "for beliefs in common with other Christians see Similarities within Christianity below.
Also the second paragraph of "Similarities..." in fact, does not focus on similarities but rather differences, and should be condensed and merged with Overview of distinctive doctrines and practices Cesevern ( talk) 15:13, 14 June 2009 (UTC)
I have hacked a bit of fluff out of the "geographic distribution and membership" section. Have a look-see and make sure I didn't mess it up too much. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 04:38, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
While I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that Encarta has given up and will be offline before the end of this year, you still have to admit their LDS Church article ending sentence is much more tactful than ours: "An unusual combination of biblical Christianity, American pragmatism, millennialist expectations, economic experimentation, political conservatism, evangelical fervor, and international activity, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is still a dynamic, rapidly growing religion in an uneasy relationship with the surrounding culture." If you were to actually read this whole article through (on Wikipedia), wouldn't you expect it to sort of wrap up at the end, like the encarta one does so (surprisingly) well? Another item to add to the lengthy yet invisible todo list for this article. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 04:59, 19 June 2009 (UTC)
A user is wanting to radically change the Wikipedia Naming Conflict guideline, particularly with relevance to cutting the section on self-identifying names. If this section were changed it would raise a lot of problems on pages like this, since the name the group calls itself (eg LDS) would no longer be automatically preferred as article title over the more popular name others give it (eg Mormon.) Not many people are involved in this proposed change, which could cause hundreds of hours of havoc and edit-warring on articles like this It would be useful for people to comment on Kontiski's proposed change, or state whether you would prefer policy to stay as it is, at. Wikipedia talk:Naming conflict Xan dar 20:00, 4 August 2009 (UTC)
Is the LDS religion obscure and unimportant? I thought it was a religion with a significant following. In the United States article, others want to mention the major religions but insists on not mentioning the LDS church. Is the LDS really obscure? I think not but would like your editorial opinion. User F203 ( talk) 18:32, 11 August 2009 (UTC)
My thanks to whoever cleaned up the template so it no longer has an ugly purple background on the churches name--or perhaps it was the template itself--either way much thanks :) Rogerdpack ( talk) 16:36, 14 August 2009 (UTC)
There is a brief mention of possible homophobia, and one line about Prop 8. Is that enough to get in the WikiProject LGBT studies? Joshuajohanson ( talk) 21:29, 24 August 2009 (UTC)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a specific denomination, so why is there a link (Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement) to all criticism of the LDS movement, basically combining all denominations and organizations and giving the appearance that this denomination is affiliated, liable or condoning of separate denominations? Considering that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has never accepted or condoned any break off denomination, they should not be liable, criticized or even related for what a separatist church does. I would see no reason to criticize Protestants for the actions of Roman Catholics or vice versa, so why is it acceptable in this article? I have no problem with having a sub-article for criticism, but it should be specific to this denomination only. The same respect is openly given to other religions and denominations on Wikipedia and it would merely be correct and logical to format this article in a similar manner. I propose either a new article for criticism, or to remove the link entirely. The current article is a criticism of the LDS movement, therefore it should remain linked to the LDS movement article which encompasses all LDS denominations. I do not see how the criticism of multiple churches could possibly be considered as accurate or informative of a single church. The proper word is "misleading", and there is absolutely no reason why this denomination should not have a separate page for criticism as opposed to "conveniently" linking it to all other LDS denominations. I will wait to hear your thoughts and comments before I change anything. Unless proven otherwise, I will proceed to edit the article. Sharpsr1990 ( talk) 18:39, 13 September 2009 (UTC)
It has been suggested that I come here first to discuss such changes as stories. I would like to propose that my old revision be put back in as I did say that " it is said that the following occurred" I did not say that it actually did and I am simply trying to make sure that people see it from both sides. I did not say that it happened for sure, I am simply saying that it was one of the proposed stories. I would like in put and feedback as well as ways that I could change it in order to get the story reinstated into the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ridoco234 ( talk • contribs) 19:31, 14 September 2009 (UTC)
There's a line in the "Joseph Smith era" section that bothers me.
After Missouri, the church built the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, where Smith served as the city's mayor and leader of the militia. As church leader, Smith also introduced the concept of plural marriage, and taught a form of theocratic Millennialism which he called "theodemocracy". As a result of public disagreement over these two issues, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith (second in line to the presidency),[15] were assassinated on June 27, 1844 by an angry mob.
The final sentence implies that "public disagreement over the issues of plural marriage and theodemocracy" resulted in the Smiths' assasination by an angry mob, an assertion that feels too closed. Is there a way to open up the statement to admit the existence of other possible factors? One problem, I think, is that the idea of a "theodemocracy" carried with it a lot of other factors such as the Mormons' (particularly Smith's) rising political power at the time. Those factors that lead to the assasination aren't as easily visible to today's readers.
But I couldn't really think of how to reword the sentence properly. Suggestions? ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 22:41, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
This skips a lot of information that may be worth mentioning. The attitude of the surrounding peoples and how they were incited by Sharp. More importantly, the charge that was initially brought was not treason, but riot against the Nauvoo's town officers. Each was released on bond and were to await the next term of the circuit court. Before the hearing, another charge was introduced, that of treason against both Joseph and Hyrum. Governor Ford considered the charge without merit because Nauvoo had good reason to fear an invasion by mobs caused by the continued inflamed remarks of Sharp and others. Regardless, Ford refused to intervene and allowed the charges to stand which resulted in committing both Joseph and Hyrum to prison without a hearing. Going to prison was Ford's way of "protecting" them from mob action.
I can't get behind the charge of forming a theocracy as being a major concern on the lips of the surrounding citizens. Polygamy was on their lips. Conversation was not so enlightened as to describe that the Mormons, because of their numbers, had gained too much economic and political control. Charges were more outlandish and designed to inflame anger. Here I am thinking of the Warsaw Signal proclaiming: "Citizens ARISE, ONE AND ALL!!! Can you stand by, and suffer such INFERNAL DEVILS! to rob men of their property and rights, without avenging them. We have no time for comment, every man will make his own. Let it be made with POWDER AND BALL!!!" The caps are the papers. No, conversation was not calm, not elevated or intelligent. It was scandalous and we need to describe that that environment. -- Storm Rider 18:38, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
Is this the correct article/place to discuss excommunication standards? We haven't really discussed what commitment, membership and participation really mean in the Church. Material below by User:Pepwaves removed for discussion. WBardwin ( talk) 20:22, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
Our new editor, User:Pepwaves, has been placing the scripture reference below into the article. I've reverted, and encouraged him/her to come to the talk page and discuss. But no response other than reverting, sigh. It's not a bad phrase -- but I thought the wording and reference should be discussed. I will not revert again. WBardwin ( talk) 21:41, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
Sorry for the confusion. I know this is a tightly embattled subject; however, to post other people's statments about what the LDS believe, and not have a statement from the LDS perspective stating what they themselves believe is antithetical to everything that Wikipedia stands for. Set the belief out there, 2 Nephi 25:26, and let the reader decide for themselves. A typical view of Christianity is that if a person believes they must rely on Christ for salvation, they are Christian. Would COGDEN prefer a statement from the prophet, or an apostle stating that we are Christians? I have no problem with someone quoting from the Qu'ran to explain what Muslims believe, and it would probably be more reliable than a statement from a critic of their faith. Would a section about the debate over the LDS Christian assertion be appropriate so readers can decide for themselves? -- Pepwaves ( talk) 05:41, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
I would just like to know how anyone could think that quoting scripture is acceptable. Maybe I'm just not as familiar with wiki guidelines as others, but how could that possibly be NPOV or be considered "encyclopedic?" Specifically in the intro, that bit about "holding strong in their faith of Christ... Even Wikipedia users try to marginalize and distort their faith..." again, how is that anywhere near acceptable? Also that Family section of the article, that's just a long quote from the church. is that level of self-advertisement/propaganda really allowed? Geoffruh ( talk) 05:06, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
Recently an edit added that 31% of Americans do not consider Mormons Christian. I eventually tracked down the source as this " LDS should promote positive image, Elder Perry says" from the Deseret News. The problem is the statistic is not scientific, nor is it even cited in the article. The article says:
So, who are "people" and where is this study done? I removed the source and the statement. If you really asked all people, I would say 95% of the world population would never have even heard of Mormonism. Clearly the statement was cherry picked for emphasis, and has no real scientific merit. Bytebear ( talk) 16:39, 29 September 2009 (UTC)
Pepwaves, can you please provide a clearer explanation for the following edits and reversions:
COGDEN 22:04, 30 September 2009 (UTC)
I think my desire to put Utah statehood instead of polygamy as the turning point has several motives. One of them is that from an academic standpoint, the modern age of the church is very complex, and narrowing it to the one issue of polygamy is misleading. Slavery debate was the defining issue of the era. National attitudes of religious toleration shifted. Having a transcontinental railroad to connect the church to mainstream world of the East helped eliminate seclusion. Mass communications generally dispelled ignorance, and all of these events culminated in Utah achieving statehood.
I did not input the second section about the priesthood in the historical section. I can see both sides of the debate and it would be undertandable for it to be moved.
The third point is understood. I think that putting something like, "they are a 3rd branch of Christianity distinct from Catholicism and Protestantism" might be the most informative. I don't think it adds much to say that lots of people view them as distinct from Christianity. Frankly, in casual conversations with people, those that have this view either have a negative bias or aren't very well informed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pepwaves ( talk • contribs) 00:41, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
attitudes toward persecution particularly impressed Kane, as the Saints “thank God in prayer for it day and night; and . . . congratulate themselves on having abandoned for ever their pleasant homes.” The Saints retained their patriotism in the midst of their “unmanly persecution” and the federal government “may look in vain elsewhere for more generous and patriotic supporters.” Their numerous virtues—“pious though not austere—honest, frugal—self sacrificing, humane, decorous”—convinced Kane he would “hunt in vain through our Eastern States for any community of equal size, better entitled no matter how great its pretensions to the name of Christian.” To have been taken seriously by men much older and more experienced than himself must have been deeply satisfying for Kane, and he boasted of his own influence with the top tier of Mormon leaders, writing, “I am admitted into all their consultations as though a Elder of the 1st class . . . I honestly believe that they would not disobey my advice in any important matter unless it touched their creed.” His experience at the camps led him to “love more & more this suffering people.” Indeed, he had possibly “found in this the mission of my life. . . to save some fifteen thousand souls from misery if not extermination, and make the happiness of perhaps fifty thousand. . . if God spares my life, I will save them from the dangers which now menace them—as great as those which they have gone through." I believe your characterization of the LDS church as any kind of a hippie movement is misguided, and shows a bias that does not belong on the pages of Wikipedia. -- Pepwaves ( talk) 15:42, 10 October 2009 (UTC)
These ideas put forward by Pepwaves( talk) appear to be a reflection of opinion. Even if there are a score of references from authorities within this religious group, it might well still represent opinion and Consensus reality. - Fremte ( talk) 18:29, 10 October 2009 (UTC)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (abbreviated as the LDS Church, often colloquially referred to as the Mormon Church) is the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement restored by Joseph Smith, Jr. circa 1830.
Should it not say "founded by Joseph Smith"? or use another word. This is odd wording, perhaps an artefact of some editting? So far as general info is concerned, this group originated with this man then. If the assertion is that Smith restored a prior existent religion, then this sounds POV, i.e., a matter of belief or faith, and must be reworded neutrally. -- Fremte ( talk) 22:07, 6 October 2009 (UTC)
Pepwaves: What is your concern with the Controvery section cleanup? -- Noleander ( talk) 14:30, 7 October 2009 (UTC)
On the other hand, the church was also occasionally the subject of journalistic praise during this era. After spending a summer with the LDS in the early 1870s, historian John Codman concluded that the LDS in Utah did a better job of ridding their communities of gambling, drunkenness, and prostitution than the rest of the country: "In all my voyages and travels about the world, I never before passed three months in a community more industrious, upright, honest in dealing among themselves and with others, quiet, inoffensive, loyal to government, temperate, virtuous, and religious, than these Mormons."[93]
-- Noleander ( talk) 14:49, 7 October 2009 (UTC)
I don't think the The Family: A Proclamation to the World should be cited so extensively in this section. While the document understandably has an effect on LDS culture, it seems more like a doctrinal subject to go under the Teachings and Practices section. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 05:57, 11 October 2009 (UTC)
I appreciate the summary presentation over the lengthy quotation, but as it stands it focuses on doctrine. I reiterate my concern: put doctrinal discussion in the "Teachings and Practices" section, and culture-related content in the culture section. While COgden's initial summary may not have done the Proclamation justice, Pepwaves's changes have made it grammatically confusing and out of place. Pepwaves, please reconsider the presentation of this material in the Culture/Family section and tailor it to the topic on hand. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 22:14, 11 October 2009 (UTC)
I tried rehashing the summary - not to be considered the perfect final version by any means. Yes, I simplified. No, we cannot cram every bit of doctrine that is discussed in the document into this article. Please review the change and help me to work the paragraph into the "culture" context. Or we might consider moving it. But I do think that the Proclamation helps to describe the underlying thought behind LDS culture. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 02:24, 13 October 2009 (UTC)
Under the assumption that anyone even reads this Wikipedia article, I highly doubt that anyone actually reads the references. Maybe they'll check one or two. I feel that too much parenthetical information is being crammed into references. Furthermore, no one really cleans up the references because no one reads them anyways.
Example:
How is this a "reference"? Isn't that what the ref tag is for...references? The controversial statements in this comment also seem to require references of their own.
Another example:
Controversial statements. No actual reference provided. I'm not saying it's completely wrong. I'm just saying...why are things like this wrapped in a ref tag? Should we sweep through the article and deal with them somehow? I want to hear what y'all think about this. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 06:08, 11 October 2009 (UTC)
Fellow editors, the lead of this article has evolved into a poorly written, factually dubious piece of editing. This new phrase about a "single man" to be "The Prophet" is simply not correct and it reads like an obnoxious pamphlet of the worst quality. First of all, the Quorum of the Twelve are all held to be prophets. The president of the Church is held to the same standard and is also called to be the current prophet of the church. The introduction must summarize the article's content and not create new language. I am not sure if I should just begin editing the article or present my views here. -- Storm Rider 17:16, 12 October 2009 (UTC)
A short third paragraph might be okay. -- Fremte ( talk) 18:13, 12 October 2009 (UTC)
I think this section of the third paragraph is too complex for the intro. I find it hard to follow and my eyes glaze over, i.e., two kinds of Quorums, president, first president, priesthood, laity etc.
Can this possibly be summarized in a way that tells us that there is a structure with out the detail that loses the reader? Remember it has to be aimed at the general reader not those in the know. (I am not one in the know myself). "The President heads a hierachical structure with various levels down to local congregations. Congregations are lead by male priests drawn from their numbers (laity). Males may be ordained to lay priesthood after age 12. Women are not eligible for the priesthood and may lead in other ways."
Just suggestions. -- Fremte ( talk) 18:35, 14 October 2009 (UTC)
The present version of the article now has a box quote for Joseph Smith. The quote selected is the one where Smith describes what Moroni first said to him, i.e., Smith's name would be had for good and evil, etc. I have no strong objection to including a box quote here, but why this quote in particular? Joseph Smith said a lot of interesting things, and a lot of interesting things were said about him. This particular quote is not really that amenable to floating quote boxes. If we have to have a quotation for this section, what about one of the following?:
COGDEN 18:52, 14 October 2009 (UTC)
We need to be careful about the claim that the LDS Church is the "fourth largest Christian denomination in the U.S." This is not true, by any fair and neutral standard. If LDS Church membership is counted the same way that the other competing organizations on the list are counted, it is not in fourth place. For doctrinal reasons, anyone who is baptized into the LDS Church normally becomes a "member" for life, even if they join another faith or become areligious, agnostic or atheist. That's great and useful for internal church records. However, when you compare the LDS Church to other churches, you have to use the same methodology as the other churches, or the result is not neutral. If the United Methodist Church counted their members this way, then any former-Methodist convert to Mormonism would get counted twice, and vice versa. Using a level playing-field for counting membership, the LDS Church would be around 8th place in the U.S., which is still impressive. COGDEN 23:11, 16 October 2009 (UTC)
Fremte and an anonymous editor had a little scuffle recently about whether we should say that the church is a Christian church. Surely this has been discussed before? In any event, there's no denying that it is a restorationist church. The first two words of the "restorationism" wikipedia article are "In Christianity..."
I think that the phrase "is a restorationist Christian church" (capitalization necessary?) is perfectly correct from all perspectives and this is why: the statement clearly implies that the church is not a part of traditional christianity by using the qualifier "restorationist." I didn't want to revert, though, until we had discussed the issue.
The problem we have is that the average reader would not necessarily know that "restorationist" implies "Christian" in that sense, making either the omission or the inclusion of the term "Christian" look like POV. My opinion: use "Christian." ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 04:01, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
Ok, so I've noticed this in other denominational articles to and thought I'd get opinions here. When reading this article, when the LDS church is referred to simply as "the church", "church" somtimes begins with a capital letter and other times with a lowercase letter. It's not a big deal, but I think an article should have a standard usage. So for the LDS Church, when referred to simply as "the church" in the article, should "church" begin with a capital letter or not? Ltwin ( talk) 02:26, 24 October 2009 (UTC)
Question about the viewpoint of the article. If Biblical text was corrupted by man-made doctrine over the millenia (untill the restoration), why don't we see many supposed "Early Church" idea's reflected within the text? Dosen’t that seem counterproductive? For example, LDS are quick to state the idea of the Triune God (Trinity) “can't be found in the Bible” and is “man made”. So if the early church was truly guilty of tampering / corrupting Scripture, wouldn’t main ideas like the Trinity be significantly more prevelant in today's Scripture?
All Good points about the article. However, I have one issue about the "Biblical Authority" comment. It reads something like, "Scripture is considered accurate so long as it's translated correctly". Can we expand on that? What does that mean exactly - are we talking about versions of the Bible (ie. KJV, NIV, etc) or are we refering to the LDS proposed "corruption" of the orignal manuscripts?
In regard to the original writtings, I dont see any historical citations in the article for known origins of the Bible. Perhaps a link to the Christian Bible page should be placed there?
So again, what's meant by "Scripture is considered accurate so long as it's translated correctly". Translated from what? We can't aurgue that even the KJV contradicts some foundational LDS teachings. Here's my point - if you haven't seen an "undefiled" manuscript of the Bible (i.e. pre "apostacy") and compared it against the modern KJV, how would you know it was "degraded"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.242.1.50 ( talk) 18:05, 15 January 2010 (UTC)
I appreciate your reply. Moreover, even if our conversation is viewed as less germane to the topic, I’m happy to continue our dialog. From a Baptist standpoint (please don’t paint me with a broad-brush), my faith group does adhere to the concept of Sola Scriptura. So I do speak from experience on this point. In fact, I’ve never been obligated to any "creeds" or "ordinances" that truly cannot be located somewhere in the 66 books of Scripture. Granted, I’m not a theologian and can’t explain with exactness every doctrinal detail – the LDS can't either.
However, let me try to explain why the mainstream (i.e. Orthodox or Traditional Christianity) believes in Sola Scriptura. I’m not referring to Catholics which frankly, have disappointed Christianity all together (another topic). We believe and place faith in the inerrant, unchanging nature of God’s word. The same way the LDS place faith in the Book of Mormon as “another testament”. However, unlike Mormonism, mainstream Christianity believes verses like 1 Peter 1:25, Isaiah 40:8 & 59:21, and Matthew 24:35 (to name a few), all indicate the word of God will never change or depart from humanity. It stands opposite to the LDS inspired notion that God’s word has changed over the centuries.
So here’s the dilemma… without placing faith that God’s word has remained pristine, we have no way to know what teachings have been corrupted or not. If God said it would abide forever, I plan to take Him at his word – period. I plan to accept His enduring Testimony. Why would anyone question that? He's the same God who delivered men through a blazing furnace and a nation through the Red Sea. Why couldn't He then miraculously preserve a book? In turn, have you, as an educated and independent person, examined the historical background of the Book of Mormon? Joseph Smith? You’re comfortable and satisfied with you findings? And you’ve arrived to the irrevocable conclusion that a "restoration" was needed because God’s word - the word He promised would never change - was eventually changed. Was there a time limit on His promise that ended after 100 AD? The dichotomy is very interesting. —Preceding unsigned comment added by HBSOCAL ( talk • contribs) 15:09, 22 January 2010 (UTC)
Thanks for your reply. You're right, it's not germane to the article. However, I checked out some of your sources. Nothing really thought provoking. Will continue to review articles for potentail errors / points of discussion. Thanks. HBSOCAL ( talk) 18:49, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
Part of a series on |
Christianity |
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Would it be appropriate, instead of simply including the Christianity portal link, to use the {{ christianity}} template in this way?
Do note that the link on the template in the nontrinitatian section points to Latter Day Saint movement, and not to this article directly (so technically this particular article isn't "Part of the series on Christianity"). Though that could be changed. ...but what do you think? ~ B F izz ( talk) 07:39, 30 November 2009 (UTC)
The following text has been tagged as lacking a supporting citation for significant amounts of time and have been removed until verification from a reliable source can be found:
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
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