All about: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian religion believing in Jesus Christ as the saviour of the world and the Son of God. This religion is also known as Mormonism. It is a diversion from the Protestant Church while holding the King James Bible as its basic scripture.

Book of Mormons

The religion was created by Joseph Smith Jr. in the year 1820. Smith claimed that Jesus Christ had told him in a vision that all denominations of the Church were false. God later told him to establish the Mormon faith following the Book of Mormons. The book was translated by Joseph Smith from an ancient book buried in a hill near New York and revealed to Smith by an angel.

Joseph Smith Jr. and Brigham Young

This book was the foundation of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Smith made many converts to the religion but was killed in 1844. After him, Brigham Young was chosen to lead the new Church. The new leader and his followers moved to Utah where a Mormon commune was brought into existence. Mormons believe in a primitive form of existence and Christianity.

Plural marriage

They LDS adherents believe in plural marriage, which is a form of polygamy. Today, the main Church has stopped polygamy but other breakoff groups and family units still permit the marriage of one man to many women. This was a sore point and aroused angry responses from people of the orthodox Protestant and Catholic Church.

Salt Lake City

As a result, missionaries were sent to England to make new converts to the LDS Mormon Church. The missionaries were very successful and by 1850 there were more Mormons in England than North America. Furthermore, a hundred thousand Mormon immigrants flocked to America and made a beeline for Salt Lake City, Utah. Even today in Utah more than fifty per cent of the people are LDS living practitioners of the faith. A unique feature of the faith involves saving ordinances. Even dead ancestors can be ordained into the modern LDS faith. Thus, there is a sudden interest in genealogy and the search for a complete family tree. Old census records like the 1881 census and the 1900 census are being looked up by modern LDS members to look for their ancestors. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young have left a Church which will always have staunch followers. Mormons living in America are now seriously looking for their roots in England. It is a normal human desire which will also keep the faith alive.