[John M.]

Upon the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the church’s first prophet, Sidney Rigdon, one of Smith’s closest followers, felt that the right of the presidency should be passed to the oldest son of the dead prophet. The church at the time had 12 apostles who together held the same authority as the Prophet did individually and were supposed to select the Prophet from among themselves and then select a person to fill the vacancy within the twelve. Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith’s widow, Emma, disagreed and formed the Re-organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Both groups believe in the Bible and also believe the Book of Mormon to be God’s word to his children for their benefit.

The re-organized church was not the only break-away group from the “Mormons.” Others left when the practice of plural marriage was discontinued by the church in Utah. Some groups still exist today in Mexico, Utah, Montana and Arizona that persist in this practice and are sometimes erroneously referred to by the media as “fundamentalist Mormons.” However, the practice was discontinued at the direction of the prophet Brigham Young due to the denial of state’s rights to the territory of Utah and through prayerful consideration. True fundamentalists would accept the direction of the prophet and likewise abandon the practice.

The word “Mormon” was used as a slur by those who persecuted the members of the church and chased them from their homes. In many states, leaders of the original church prefer that the name not be used since it detracts from the true nature and foundation of the church which is Jesus Christ. “Latter-Day Saints” is used to distinguish its members from the early members of the church who were also called “saints,” a moniker which denotes devotion and discipleship and not necessarily the connotation given by Roman Catholics. I know. I am a Mormon and I’m no “saint.” Hope this helps.

User Detail :  

Name : John M., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : learning disabled/tourettes syndrome, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Mormon, Age : 44, City : Las Vegas, State : NV, Country : United States, Occupation : Systems Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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