Did You Know?
Author Stephanie Meyers is one of the many famous Mormons. Her super famous book series
Twilight is based on the religious belief of marriages lasting for eternity.
The origins of the Mormon religion can be traced back to the early years of the 19
th century. It originated with
Joseph Smith in New York, and its headquarters is located in
Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States of America.
In comparison, Christianity is one of the most widely followed religions in the world. Its origins can be traced back many centuries to the areas that comprise present-day Israel, and is a monotheistic religion. Mormonism, on other hand, believes in monolatrism. This means that they believe in the presence of multiple Gods, but worship only one God.
Here are the main differences in the beliefs of both the religions.
Mormonism vs. Christianity
Sacred Text
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Consider
The Book of Mormon,
Pearl of Great Price, and
The Holy Bible, as far as it is translated correctly, to be their sacred text.
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Recognize only
The Bible as their sacred text.
Existence of God
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Believe that God is a man with a body of flesh and bones.
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Believe that God exists in the spirit form.
Human Nature and Sins
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Believe that the sins by humans to the age they become accountable are pardoned.
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Believe that human nature is born in sin.
Original Sin
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Do not believe in original sin. They believe that humans are punished for the sins they have committed.
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Believe that humans face punishment for the sins committed by Adam.
Theism
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Believe that the
Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, exists as three different entities.
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Believe the
Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to be different forms of one God.
Denominations
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There are no further denominations.
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There are over 40,000 denominations.
Birth of Jesus
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Believe in the natural birth of Jesus Christ.
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Believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
God and Human
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Believe that a human can become God in the afterlife.
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Believe that there exists only one God, who is and will always be superior to humans.
Other Religions
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Believe that all religions are based on true principles and teach good values.
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Believe Judaism as the only other true religion, but not complete.
Post Resurrection
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Believe that Jesus continued with his ministry in Judea after His resurrection.
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Believe that Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection.
Marriage
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In early years, promoted polygamy, or, to be precise, polygyny.
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Polygamy, polygyny, or polyandry is not promoted.
Faith and Belief
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Define faith as the belief in what one does not know.
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Define faith as the belief in what one knows.
Salvation
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Emphasis on achieving salvation through work.
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Emphasizes that salvation is achieved through belief.
Hell
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Believe that the wicked are sent to the spirit prison. They do not believe in hell.
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Believe that hell is a place of eternal torment.
Symbolism
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There are no official symbols as such.
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Symbols like cross, fish, dove, and anchor are used.
History of God
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Believe that God was not always God, but attained the present status by leading a righteous life.
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Believe that God has been in perfection, eternally.
Jesus and Lucifer
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Believe that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers.
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Believe in the eternal existence of Jesus before taking human nature, unrelated to Satan.
Place of Origin
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Originated in New York.
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Originated in Roman Judea.
Time of Origin
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Originated around the 1820s in the current era.
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Originated circa 33 A.D.
Atonement
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Early on did not believe in the atonement of Jesus, as it was achieved through murder.
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Have always believed in atonement through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Though symbolism is not prominent among Mormons, there are a few symbols that can be associated to their religion. The Sego Lily is one such image. It appears in a number of temples, as it was an important source of sustenance for early settlers in Utah.
Joseph Smith claimed that he had been called by God to restore the Church that was originally established on Earth. This led to the foundation of Mormonism. Today, it is the fourth largest religion in the United States, and one of the fastest growing ones too.
