Changes

The Mormon practice of plural marriage, a source of considerable dissension within their the Mormon religion (especially between the Utah Mormons and the Community of Christ, which always rejected polygamy), caused considerable trouble with the U.S. government until the Mormon LDS 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 emerging as a force to be reckoned with on the world religous scene. With the fall of communism, Mormons 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.

Mormonism as a whole encompasses a mélange of many different religious beliefs, the vast majority of which are contrary to the teachings of the Orthodox Church teaching. Joseph Smith obtained gleaned inspiration from various religious movements of his time, including [[Campbellism|Campbellite]], [[Restorationism|Restorationist]], and [[Universalism|Universalist]]. However, the foundation of Mormon belief is the acceptance of modern prophecyand revelation, and an "open canon" of [[Scripture|Holy Scripture]].

Joseph Smith and early Mormon leaders taught that any person with a testimony of Christ is a [[prophet]]. However, the LDS church itself 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. Most modern members of the LDS church believe that their current president, Gordon B. Hinkley (as of 2008), is a living prophet, and the sole person authorized to speak definitively for God on the earth today. Below this president and his counselors are twelve "Apostles," who are also considered "prophets, seers, and revelators," but who do not have exercize the authority of held by the church president. Beneath the Mormon apostles are the "Seventies," concerned mainly with heading up Mormon missionary efforts worldwide, together with a "presiding Bishopric" mostly concerned with temporal church affairs. These men are collectively referred to as the "General Authorities" of the Mormon church.<ref>All Utah LDS priesthood offices are limited to men; the Community of Christ, on the other hand, ordains both men and women (since 1984).</ref>

Another A major pillar of Mormon belief is their concept of [[theosis|deification]], which they refer to as the "Doctrine of Eternal Progression." This doctrine bears no little genuine resemblance whatsoever to the Orthodox doctrine of [[theosis]], as explained by the [[Holy Fathers]] of the Church. In diametric opposition to the Trinitarian dogmas of the [[First Ecumenical Council|First]] and [[Second Ecumenical Council|Second]] [[Ecumenical Council|Ecumenical Councils]], Mormons believe that [[God]] the Father , whom they refer to as "Eloheim," was originally a flesh-and-blood human being, who was spiritually "begotten" by another "god" (and his "godess" wife) who had lived before himand then physically born on another planet (not Earth). "Eloheim" (the Mormon name for God the Father) lived an ordinary human life on another planet, and by following that his world's version of Mormonism, he gradually "progressed" to "become" a the "god" he is today.

Having attained to "godhood," this "Eloheim" and his wife (or wives) were able to create and populate their own world--namely, ours--with pre-existent spiritual offspring who, by coming to earth and taking human flesh, embracing and living the Mormon religion, and "enduring to the end," in the same, could themselves "progress" to acquire "godhood," where they in turn could begin the this process anew. It should be noted that the Mormon LDS doctrine of "pre-existence" of spirits, by which we all are alleged to have existed "spiritually" in heaven prior to our birth on this earth, was specifically condemned by the [[Fifth Ecumenical Council]].

:"There is no ultimate disparity between the divine and human natures; Joseph Smith asserted that mankind is of the same species as God, having been made in God's image (theomorphism) and being eternal, with unlimited capacity." One early LDS leader proclaimed, "As man now is, God once was. As God now is, man may be" (President Lorenzo Snow). Latter-day Saints speak of man as a "God in embryo." (under section ''[[Christology]]'')

For a casual observer, this may seem similar to the Church's teaching of [[theosis]], but this is most emphatically ''not'' so:

:'''First''', there is a definite distinction in the Church between God and mankind, between the Creator and His Creation. God is eternal, and existed for eternity prior to (and entirely separate from) His creation. The , until the incarnation of the pre-eternal Word of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity as Our Lord Jesus Christ, . This was a unique union between God and His creation, which had never existed before. Mormonism, on the other hand, teaches that only matter and intelligence are truly eternal (not God), and that ''all'' of the their "gods" essentially "evolved" in the same fashion, from physical matter.:'''Second''', the Orthodox Church clearly teaches that the Most Holy Trinity has ''always '' existed precisely as one God: "the Trinity, One in essence, and undivided." Mormonism, on the other hand, not only teaches a multiplicity of potentially millions or even billions of "gods;" it equally teaches that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in "purpose" only, and most emphatically ''not '' one in essence or hypostasis (as the Orthodox Church teaches). They are three "gods," say the Mormons, and not "one " in anything except a common purpose and mindset. This is diametrically opposed to Orthodox Christian teaching.

For While Mormonism claims to focus on salvation through the Orthodoxatonement of Jesus Christ, their concept of ''exaltation is explained as becoming'' goes far beyond this. All mankind, say the Mormons, will be saved from death through the sacrifice resurrection of Jesus Christ; but it is only those whom God judges as obedient and faithful, who receive specific saving ordinances (which will be offered to every person that has ever lived), a co-inheritor with and who fully accept the atonement of Jesus in all that Christ before the judgment who will be exalted to the highest of the three "degrees of glory" which comprise the Father possesses (Romans 8:16-17); as children Mormon vision of God we are enabled heaven. Only those exalted to this highest "Celestial glory" will become one with God as Jesus is one with God"gods" and go on to create their own worlds. Those in the lower two degrees, inheriting the same divinity while enjoying a blessed and perfection They enjoyhappy state, eternally acting under Their guiding influence will still be limited in their "progression" and authoritywill become "servants" to those in the highest "degree."

While Mormonism claims to focus on salvation through the atonement of Jesus Christ, ''exaltation'' goes far beyond this. All mankind, say the Mormons, will be saved from death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ; but it is only those whom God judges as obedient and faithful, who receive specific saving ordinances (which will be offered to every person that has ever lived), and who fully accept the atonement of Jesus Christ before the judgment who will be exalted to the highest of the three "degrees of glory" which comprise the Mormon vision of heaven. Only those exalted to this highest, "Celestial glory" will become "gods" and go on to create their own worlds. Those in lower degrees, while enjoying a blessed and happy state, will still be limited in their "progression" and will become "servants" to those in the highest "degree."  The Mormon hell is limited to those who have apostasized from the Mormon religion, broken their oath of secrecy about the Temple rituals (see below), committed murder after becoming a Mormon, or committed are guilty of other very serious offenses.

To attain to the "Celestial glory" (and thus, Mormon "godhood"), one must be baptized as a Mormon by "true authority" (meaning a regularly-ordained member of the LDS church), confirmed by "true authority," and then receive certain "Sacredsacred" or "Higherhigher" ordinances that can only be had within a Mormon temple. While Orthodox Christians tend to use the term "temple" to refer to any Orthodox Church building, Mormons use this term only for specific structures specially dedicated as "templessuch."<ref>The regular Mormon meetinghouses are generally called "chapels" or "stake centers," and unlike their temples, are generally open to the public."</ref>

:'''Baptism for the Dead''', where proxies act on behalf of deceased persons who are then "baptized" into the LDS church; names are obtained from geneological research, for which the Mormons are world-famous. This practice was rejected by the Council of Hippo and the Third Council of Carthage, and St. John Chrysostom associated it with the heretical [[Marcionites]]. St. Clement of Alexandria indicated that Baptism for the Dead was a doctrine also particular to the [[Gnosticism|Gnostics]].

Interestingly, over 3,000 changes have been noted between the ''Book of Mormon'' currently published by the LDS Church, and the original edition published by Joseph Smith. Most of these changes were made by Smith himself, in later editions of the book printed during his lifetime. Of potential interest to Orthodox Christians are passages in I Nephi 11:32, where our Lord is originally referred to as "the eternal God," but is now referred to as "the ''son '' of the eternal God;" and I Nephi 11:18, where the Theotokos is originally referred to as "the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh," while today she is referred to as "the mother of the ''Son '' of God, after the manner of the flesh."<ref>http://www.geocities.com/swickersc/mormonbkchange.html.</ref>

Connections between the history and civilization portrayed in ''The Book of Mormon'' and evidence found by archaeologists in the Americas is debatable. Evidence of items like horses, elephants, cattle, barley, wheat, steel swords, chariots, shipbuilding, and other Old World paraphernalia has not been found to exist in the Americas until the advent of the Europeans. Evidence of these people, the gold plates, or the "seer-stones" has yet to be found.<ref>See, for instance, the Smithsonian Institutes' offical statement on the Book of Mormon, at http://www.irr.org/mit/smithson.html.</ref>