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'''Mormonism''' is a [[heresy|heretical]] religious movement founded in the early 19th century by [[Joseph Smith, Jr.]] It is self-described as a form of ''[[Christian Restorationism]]'', and it includes many religious encompasses over one-hundred sects and organizations, each of which tends to differ significantly from the others. The largest of these churches today is ''[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]]'' (LDS), with its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah; while the second-largest is the [[Community of Christ]] church, headquartered in Independence, Missouri. Total membership for the LDS church as of 2008 is approximately 13,000,000,<ref>"LDS Church says membership now 13 million worldwide", ''Salt Lake Tribune'', June 25, 2007.</ref> with 250,000 in the Community of Christ<ref>http://www.cofchrist.org/news/GeneralInfo.asp</ref> and perhaps twenty or thirty thousand more scattered throughout the other smaller sects.

==Brief History==Mormonism had its formal beginning on April 6, 1830 in upstate New York, as the alleged "restoration" of the original Apostolic church. Its founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., asserted that he had seen a vision in 1820 of two celestial "beings" who claimed to be God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. These "beings" supposedly told Smith that all existing churches--including the Orthodox Church--were false, and that he was to "restore" the true Church, which Smith claimed had vanished completely from the earth sometime after the deaths of the last of the Holy [[Apostles]] (Mormons give no specific date for this alleged occurence).  Attracting a host of converts, Smith's new religion also garnered a great deal of persecution, necessitating moves in turn to Ohio, Missouri (where the Mormons were brutally expelled in 1838 after a civil war between themselves and the state militia, culminating in the issuance of an order from Missouri's governor for their "extermination") and ultimately Illinois, where Joseph Smith was murdered in 1844. Smith's movement fragmented following his demise, with the majority eventually following Brigham Young to Utah. Here, the Mormons were able to finally establish themselves, planting numerous settlements in Utah and adjacent states. The Mormon practice of plural marriage, itself a source of considerable dissension within their religion (especially between the Utah Mormons and the Community of Christ, which has always rejected polygamy), caused considerable trouble with the U.S. government until the Mormon church finally banned it in 1890. During the twentieth century, the Mormons successfully fought to project an image of wholesome, family-oriented Christianity, reaping millions of converts in the process and becoming a force to be reckoned with on the world religous scene. With the fall of communism, Mormons have extended their prosletyzing efforts into traditionally Orthodox countries, including Russia, which passed a law in 1997 designed to hamper their efforts and those of other Western sects.  ==Mormon Organization and Theology==Mormonism as a whole encompasses a mélange of many different religious beliefs, the vast majority of which are contrary to Orthodox Church teaching. Joseph Smith obtained inspiration from various religious movements of the his time. , including [[Campbellism|Campbellite]], [[Restorationism|Restorationist]], and [[Universalism|Universalist]] beliefs are prevalent in many aspects of Mormon theology; however. However, the foundation of Mormon belief is the acceptance of modern prophecy.  Smith and early Mormon leaders taught that any person with a testimony of Christ is a [[prophet]]. However, the LDS church is a highly hierarchial organization, with a president-prophet (usually assisted by two "Counselors") who claims to alone possess all the "keys" to prophetic power and authority. Below this president and his counselors are twelve "Apostles," who are also considered "prophets, seers, and revelators," but who do not have the authority of the church president. Beneath the Mormon apostles are "Seventies," concerned mainly with heading up Mormon missionary efforts worldwide, together with a "presiding Bishopric" mostly concerned with temporal church affairs.  A local Mormon congregation, called a "ward" (equivalent to an Orthodox parish) is headed by a "bishop" (equivalent to an Orthodox parish priest), while a group of wards occupying a specific geographical area is organized into a "stake" (equivalent to an Orthodox diocese), headed by a "stake president" (equivalent to an Orthodox bishop; the disparity between Mormon and Orthodox usage of the term "bishop" can cause confusion for the uninitiated!).   Most modern members of the LDS believe that the current president of the Mormon Church is a living prophet. Another pillar of Mormon belief is their concept of [[theosis|deification]]. Adhering to some extent to the Trinitarian doctrines stated in the [[First Ecumenical Council|First]] and [[Second Ecumenical Council|Second]] [[Ecumenical Council|Ecumenical Councils]], Mormons believe that [[God]] the Father was originally a human being. However, they believe that He also maintains a corporeal form and resides near a planet orbiting a star called "Kolob" (''Doctrines and Covenants'', Abraham III). As stated in ''The Mormon Encyclopedia'':