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Mormonism

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===Mormon Organization==
While Joseph Smith taught that any person with a testimony of Christ may have the spiritual gift of prophecy, the LDS Church remains a hierarchical organization. At the head of the organization is the President of the Church who Mormons believe is a [[prophet]] in the mold of the Old Testament prophets, such as Moses, were prophets. This President is usually assisted by two "counselors," who, along with the President, form what is called the "First Presidency." Most members of the LDS church believe that their current president, Russell M. Nelson (as of 2018), is the sole person authorized to speak definitively for God on the earth today. Below this "First Presidency" is the "Quorum of the Twelve Apostles" who are also considered "prophets, seers, and revelators," but who do not exercise the prerogatives of leadership held by the President of the Church, who has "final say" in all matters. This First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve Apostles constitute the highest leadership bodies in the LDS Church and Mormons believe they hold and exercise the "keys of the kingdom" as Jesus promised Peter. Beneath these are the various "Quorums of the Seventy" concerned with heading up Mormon missionary efforts and representing the leadership of the church to the various members throughout the world. Along with the First Presidency and the Twelve APostles, the Seventies are referred to as General Authorities as they are considered to have authority over the entire church in general. The "Presiding Bishopric" oversees the temporal needs of the LDS Church and manages its massive welfare programs. <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>
A local Mormon congregation, called a "ward" (equivalent to an Orthodox parish), is headed by a "bishop" (equivalent to an Orthodox parish priest). 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 "bishop" can cause confusion for the uninitiated!
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