The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has struggled for acceptance ever since its founder, Joseph Smith, said in the 19th century that God told him to restore the true Christian church by revising parts of the Bible and adding the Book of Mormon as a sacred text. Who is Jesus Christ (not of Nazareth but of 'Latter Day Saints')? If you like, you can rename or replace the name as Jesus Christ of Ghana or Jesus Christ of Dzorwolu. This is my own interpretation and understanding which might be subject to debate. I believe it is important to break the issue down for my readers to appreciate the way the sect works and conceals its real motives from ordinary members in Ghana. The crux of the matter we need to digest is why this complexity? To understand the reasons, calls for better insight into the doctrines of this rich and powerful American sect that has so much control over resources in many parts of some States in the USA.
Many conservative Christians, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, feel they have a religious obligation to point out any teaching they believe would lead others astray and risk their salvation. While this theological debate has often been far from polite, the attacks have sharpened as the LDS church has gained in size and prominence. The church now says it has grown by about 1 million people every three years since the 1970s and now has than 14 million members.
From the beginning, Mormons have seen themselves as Christians — but Christians who are different.
Smith became Mormonism's founding prophet during the religious revivals of the Second Great Awakening. Smith said he had experienced visions during the late 1820s in which he was told not to join any church because they all held wrong beliefs. An angel then directed him to gold plates that had been buried in the ground in upstate New York, which Smith then translated as the Book of Mormon.
Like traditional Christians, Mormons consider the Bible sacred and view Jesus as savior. However, Mormons do not share the concept of a unified Trinity that is part of historical Christianity. They believe that God has called new apostles and prophets and that revelation continues as it did in ancient times, which does not conform to mainstream Christianity. The LDS church also teaches that God has a physical body and that human beings can eventually become like God.
But for conservative Protestants, the Bible alone is the authoritative word of God and the innovations of Mormon teaching are heresy. They do not recognize baptisms by the Mormon church and decry the secrecy surrounding some of its sacraments. Only church members in good standing can enter Mormon temples, where families are sealed, or united, so their relationships can continue in the afterlife. Evangelicals engaged in dialogue do not expect to reconcile these different views, but hope to find beliefs that they all accept.
Mormon leaders have complained that critics take obscure or outdated teachings and describe them as core doctrine. The church cast aside the teaching of polygamy in 1890, and in 1978, abolished the barrier that kept those of African descent from full participation in the church. In Ghana, this sect alongside the Jehovah's Witnesses were banned in the late 1980s for some of these doctrines and beliefs. The main reasons regarding the LDS were the doctrines of salvation of people of African descent and polygamy. They claimed that Jesus Christ actually married more than one wife.
Early Mormonism had a range of policies and doctrines relating to race in regard to African-descended people. References to black people, their social condition during the 19th century, and their spiritual place in Western Christianity as well as Mormon scriptures were complicated, with varying degrees and forms of discrimination against black people.
When the Mormons migrated to Missouri they encountered the pro-slavery sentiments of their neighbors. Initially, Joseph Smith, Jr. supported the laws regarding slaves and slaveholders, but eventually rejected the institution and supported its abolition.
Following the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., Mormon leaders instituted a policy of excluding most people of black African descent (regardless of actual skin colour) from Priesthood ordination and from participation in temple ceremonies. It was also believed that a black person could only obtain salvation by procuring such from a white person. These practices continued in LDS Church until September 30, 1978, when the highest bodies of church leadership lifted the ban after stating they had received a revelation. Some people in Ghana say many members in the country are lured with other motivations to join beside pure and inherent desire for eternal salvation. So is the LDS a true Christian sect?
