Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
This is a popular church in the world so I thought that I would touch on it a bit. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is better known to most people as “The Mormons.” These are those young men on bicycles that everyone sees.
Those who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints normally call themselves “LDS.” Not to be confused with LSD!! They do not usually refer to themselves as “Mormon.”
The LDS Church is a very rich church and has many beautiful temples throughout the world. These temples are usually adorned at the top with a golden figure holding a trumpet. This is the Angel Moroni, considered to be the angel of God that spoke to Joseph Smith and instructed him to translate the “Book of Mormon.”
Titles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are very similar in name to those of the Catholic Church but the positions held are quite different. They have Bishops, Priests, etc. along with a huge hierarchy that goes right up to the top to one man, the Prophet. The Prophet speaks directly to God and instructs the rest of the organization with his visions, sort of how the White House works in the United States.
There is another organization with a similar name, The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, however they are an offshoot of the original organization and the two parties don’t really get along. The differences seem minor to some but within both organizations they are quite large. For instance, the Reorganized church leader is a direct descendent of Joseph Smith whereas the regular LDS church believes in its leaders being “called” into the position.
Various duties within the church are delegated amongst the members of the congregation. This is called “getting a calling” and is supposed to be held in high regard whenever a member receives such a calling. The calling could be for anything within the church - being a teacher, being a clerk, a leader of a group, etc. Every position in the church is fulfilled with a “calling” and the calling is usually for a set amount of time, about a year.
The Book of Mormon is one of the spiritual books that LDS members read, in addition to the Bible, The Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine & Covenants (called “The D&C” by members.) While the church claims to be Christian because of their belief in Jesus they do not really read and follow passages from the Bible, they instead focus on The Book of Mormon (subtitled “Another Testament of Christ”) which supposedly covers the time when Jesus came to the Americas and preached to the local people, the Native Americans to us, the “Lamanites” to the Church.
Do Mormons wear funny underwear? Yes, in a sense they do. These are actually called “temple garments” and are only given to those families that have been deemed worthy enough to go to one of the temples and “get sealed.” To get sealed means to go through a ceremony that “seals” each family member to each, thereby insuring that when everyone is in Heaven they will be together again. The LDS have a strong belief in “Families are Forever” and consider getting sealed to be a top priority in life. The temple garments are meant to act as a “shield” against outside forces of evil and to protect the wearer for as long as they are worn. The garments also act as a reminder to the individual and their covenant with God. The garments are not very flattering in their nature so rarely do you see LDS members just lounging around in them.