Who Founded Mormonism?
Mormonism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) was officially established on April 6, 1830 by Joseph Smith, who was born in Vermont on December, 23, 1805 to Lucy Mack Smith and Joseph Smith Sr.
In the spring of 1820, fourteen year-old Joseph Smith Jr. prayed for guidance about which church he should join. While he was praying in a grove of trees in upstate New York, Smith claimed that two “personages”—identifying themselves as God the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ—appeared to him. They allegedly told Smith that he was to join none of the currently existing churches, including the one Jesus actually founded: the Catholic Church. This is how the LDS Church began under Smith’s leadership.
What Do Mormons Believe?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believes it has restored the doctrines of the early Church, which were allegedly lost not long after the death of the apostles. Latter-day Saints (or Mormons) call this the “great apostasy.” LDS members believe that this restoration began the moment Joseph Smith prayed for guidance on which church he should join.
While both Mormons and Christians believe that God is “the Supreme and Absolute Being in whom we believe and whom we worship,” Catholics (and other Christians) disagree with Mormons over the nature of God. In contrast to orthodox Christianity, Joseph Smith believed God is not a purely spiritual Supreme Being who existed from all eternity, and who created everything by himself, i.e., without the need of preexistent material (creatio ex Deo). Instead, Smith believed God was a man, with a flesh-and-blood body who organized pre-existing matter into the shape of our universe. According to Doctrines and Covenants 130:22,
The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.
So Mormons believe that God was once a man like us, but that he exalted himself and now rules from within the universe in a glorified body. Since they believe God was once simply a man, then many more gods can “come to be” or begin to exist—that human beings have the potential to become gods. This Mormon doctrine is called “eternal progression.”
Additionally, Mormons believe that Jesus was once an “intelligence” like us who existed from eternity past. They believe he was not always divine, and not always the Son of God. Instead, they believe God chose Jesus to become “the first-born” among the intelligences by giving him the first spirit body (Doctrine and Covenants 93:29-33). Consequently, they don’t believe in the Triune God: three divine Persons who wholly possess the one, selfsame divine nature from all eternity.
Are Mormons Christians?
No. Mormons do not follow the God of Christianity—in that they do not subscribe to the dogma of the Holy Trinity. Since Mormons believe in the existence of many gods, that God the Father was once a man, and that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not fully divine, it follows that they do not worship the God of Christianity. Christians believe there is only one God, eternally existing as three divine Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Although Mormons claim that they, too, believe in “one God,” what they mean is that they believe in one collection of Gods. For Mormons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three Gods who cooperate so perfectly that they might as well be one God. And while the Catholic Church recognizes as valid the baptisms performed by other non-Catholic Christians—given that they are done according to the Trinitarian form with water—it does not recognize LDS baptisms as valid, and thus does not recognize Mormons as Christians.
What Is the Book of Mormon?
In 1823, Joseph Smith claimed an angel named Moroni appeared to him and revealed the location of a set of gold plates inscribed in a language Smith called “reformed Egyptian.” Smith met with this angel over a period of four years to prepare to translate the gold plates. Smith allegedly achieved this translation by putting his head inside a hat and using a set of “seer stones” to illuminate the reformed Egyptian characters on the plates. Smith would then dictate the translation he saw to a scribe.
In 1828, a wealthy farmer named Martin Harris offered to assist Smith in the transcription process:
As Mormon historian Ivan J. Barrett recounts, the first 116 pages of English transcript, taken down by the scribe Martin Harris at Smith’s dictation, were lost irretrievably after Harris took them home to show to his skeptical wife. Mrs. Harris apparently lost, destroyed, or concealed the manuscript. She refused to disclose what had happened to it, and Harris returned empty-handed to the furious prophet.
Smith then claimed that God was angry at the loss of the pages and would now allow him (Smith) only to translate from another set of golden plates. These plates told the same story as the original plates but from a slightly different perspective.
In 1829, a schoolteacher named Oliver Cowdery helped Smith finish his translation, and on March 26, 1830, the Book of Mormon was published.
Why LDS and not Mormon?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints prefers the term “LDS” as opposed to “Mormon.” This LDS church has made several attempts to promote the use of the church’s full name throughout the years—most notably after The Book of Mormon debuted on Broadway in 2011. Several Mormon professors and educators wanted to emphasize Jesus being held in a high regard within the Mormon faith.
What Can Catholics Learn from Latter-Day Saints?
Theological disagreements and serious doctrinal errors aside, Latter-day Saints are fearless in their pursuit of evangelization. As of 2024, there were 80,000 Mormon missionaries—this is a staggering number considering the global Mormon population is significantly smaller than the global Catholic population. Catholics make up roughly 1.46 billion of the world’s population, but only about 411,000 of that population are missionaries; however, to be fair, these are Catholics who have committed their whole adult lives as missionaries, not a mere two years like young Mormon men on mission. Also, most Catholic lay missionaries—who total more than 444,000—are not included in the 411,000 figure. Also, Catholic catechists worldwide total more than 2.8 million.
Mormons also value tithing. As estimated 40% of U.S. Mormons fulfill their “full tithe,” while 40% of practicing Christians tithe at least 10% of their annual income. (The number falls to 21% for all Christians, and the respective percentages are lower for Catholics in particular.)
As Catholics, we have a duty to evangelize, give charitably, and love others. We can learn from the zeal and generosity of our Mormon neighbors. Their boldness should push us to a renewed effort in advancing our God-given Great Commission—not as an optional act, but as a sacred obligation bestowed on us beginning at baptism (see Matt. 28:18-20).
Commonly Asked Questions
- Are Latter-day Saints and Mormons the same? Yes. However, many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints prefer that others use the full name, or the acronym LDS, rather than “Mormons.”
- Why can Mormons drink soda but not coffee? Doctrine and Covenants 89 states that Mormons may not consume wine (except at worship services), alcohol, tobacco, and “hot drinks.” “Hot drinks” are what Mormons consider to be coffee or tea.
- Are Mormons polygamous? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has not taught polygamy since 1890, in significant part because of legal pressure in the United States. However, some splinter groups, like the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints) still do practice polygamy.
- Do Mormons baptize the dead? Yes. LDS members believe people who have died can be baptized by proxy, giving them the opportunity to become Mormons after their death.
Related Content
Articles
What You Need to Know About the Mormons
My Biggest Problem with the Book of Mormon
Mormonism Refutes Christianity?
Books
The Apostasy That Wasn’t: The Extraordinary Story of the Unbreakable Early Church
A Catholic Engagement with Latter-Day Saints
Q & As
What’s The Book of Mormon About?