Mormonism Research Ministry

Category: Mormonism

  • Tithe (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Tithe: A tenth of one’s income, which is given to the church. It is required for those desiring to enter the temple. For more, see here and here.Return to dictionary here.

  • Testimony (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Testimony. 

  • Seer Stone (Defined)

    Seer Stone (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Seer Stone: Described as a chocolate-colored, egg-shaped rock Joseph Smith found while digging a well near Palmyra, New York (Comprehensive History of the Church 1:129). A number of witnesses claimed Smith used the stone when translating the Book of Mormon. According to historian Richard Bushman, “Joseph Jr. never repudiated the stones or denied their power to…

  • Priesthood (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Priesthood. 

  • President/Prophet (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    President/Prophet. The highest office in the Mormon Church. It is the president’s duty to preside over the whole church. Also known as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, he is chosen from among the Council of the Twelve Apostles. Revelations concerning the LDS Church must come through the Presidency.

  • Mormonism (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Mormonism. The religion of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since 2018, church members have been discouraged from using this term to refer to this religion. Return to dictionary here.

  • Melchizedek Priesthood (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Melchizedek Priesthood. A special authority given to Mormon men eighteen years and older, designed to enable them to gain exaltation in the highest heaven. It is taught that this priesthood was restored sometime between May 15, 1829 and April 6, 1830, although there is no written documentation for such an event prior to late 1834.…

  • King Follett Discourse (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    King Follett Sermon. A sermon given by Joseph Smith just three months before Joseph Smith was killed in a gun battle. On April 7, 1844, Smith declared that Joseph Smith was an exalted man who lived on an earth. It should be the goal of every person, he said, to be like God. In the…

  • Joseph Smith, Jr. (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1830). The founder of the Mormon religion. He claimed that he was visited by God and Jesus Christ in 1820, and later by the angel Moroni in 1823. In 1830, he published the Book of Mormon and founded the Mormon Church with six members. According to LDS scripture, “Joseph Smith, the Prophet…

  • General Conference (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    General Conference. An assembly of LDS membership held in Salt Lake City, Utah each April and October. These meetings are for official instruction, announcements and teaching given by General Authorities and other LDS leaders. What is said at conference is considered to be authoratative.

  • General Authority (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    General Authorities.  Men “called to serve in the highest levels of leadership” in the LDS Church (Encyclopedia of Mormonism 2:538). These offices include the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, quorums of the Seventy, and Presiding Bishopric. 

  • First Vision (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    First Vision. Occurred in 1820 (officially) when Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was 14 years old. Confused about religion and reflecting on James 1:5, Smith retired to the woods to pray and ask God which church to join. God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. According to Joseph Smith-History 1:19, “I was…

  • First Presidency (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    First Presidency.  Consists of the Prophet/President and his two counselors. “Of the Melchizedek Priesthood, three Presiding High Priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the Church” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:22). Thirteenth President Ezra Taft Benson…

  • Christian (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Christian. A Chrsitian is, in a complete sense, is a Mormon in good standing with his or her church. A Chrsitian, according to an October 2012 general conference message (“Being a More Christian Christian”) delivered by Apostle Robert D. Hales, can be defined by these distinctives:

  • Community of Christ (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Community of Christ. Previously known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, on January 1, 2001 the church officially changed its name to the Community of Christ (COC). It is the second largest splinter group of the Latter-day Saint movement. Headquartered in Independence, Missouri, this group historically has been led by…

  • Apostle (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

    Apostle. A member of the Council of the Twelve, the second level in the Mormon hierarchy. The twelve apostles are also known as the Traveling Presiding High Council and officiate under the direction of the First Presidency in all parts of the world. According to tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith, “The Twelve Apostles have been sustained as…

  • Great Apostasy (Defined)

    Eric Johnson

     Great Apostasy. True Christianity is said to have ceased after the death of Christ’s apostles. This made it necessary for God to restore the true church through Joseph Smith in 1830. Without this belief, there is no reason for the Mormon Church to exist.

  • Aaronic Priesthood (Definition)

    Eric Johnson

    Aaronic priesthood. Known as the lesser of two priesthoods held by Mormon males (Priesthood and Church Government, p. 106). It is taught that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were visited by John the Baptist on the bank of the Susquehanna River on May 15, 1829; he laid hands on them and ordained them to the…

  • Though He Insists It Isn’t, Richard Mouw’s Definition of a Cult Fits the LDS Church

    Bill McKeever

    In an interview printed in Christianity Today titled “Rich Mouw on Why Evangelicals Need to Be Quick to Listen to Mormons,” Dr. Richard Mouw, the outgoing president of Fuller Seminary (yes, the same Dr. Mouw that continues to accuse evangelicals of bearing false witness when it comes to the teachings of Mormonism) insists that the word cult should…

  • A Case of Not Willing To Listen

    Eric Johnson

    Richard Mouw is probably best known for his seven-minute speech at the Mormon Tabernacle a few years ago that preceded a talk by Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. Using half of his fifteen minutes of fame, Mouw apologized to the Mormons for ill treatment over the years by the Christian community. Meanwhile, his words upstaged the…