Friday, 30 April 2010

Religion In America - Mormons



The Church Of Jesus Christ Of The Latter-Day Saints is regarded as part of the Christian movement and is a wing of the Mormon religion. It was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith. Jr. who was told by an angel that a tablet of gold hidden in the earth would tell of God's dealings with pre colonised America. The top ranks of the movement are considered great teachers and followers are discouraged from questioning them over matters of theology. There sacred texts include the Old and New Testament, as well as the Book Of Mormon which is considered on the same level as the previous two.

For me, is shows America in one of its fundermental lights, as the church has at one time or another both refused entry of black men into the church and Polygamy. It tells of how, in 1820, Smith was visited by both 'God the Father' and Jesus Christ, and that he was taught that through the gradual acquisition of knowledge,
those who were sealed to there exaltation could eventually become co-equal with God. It takes the religions of many to the extreme, has a wealth of contradictions and half truths, for example Joseph said that God had commanded him to tell the people He would return in 56 years. Smith said this in 1835, so that would be 1891. Christ did not return in 1891, because it is believed that when Jesus returns, every eye will see Him. (Rev 1:7)

In another revelation by Smith, he proclaimed a temple would be built within a generation in the west of Missouri. A generation to the western world is often recognized as 40 years. However, the Mormon definition of a generation is 110. This was recorded in 1832, 166 years have passed and there is no temple in the western Missouri. According to God's word, it only takes 'one false prophesy to make a false prophet'. In just one period of time Smith gave 64 prophesies and 58 never came true and most are dated so the Mormon can not simple say it has not happened yet!

Thursday, 29 April 2010

Scientology

Who hasn't heard of scientology before ? A couple Hollywood stars (Tom Cruise, for example) are part of this strange religion. The website is very "snazzy", with videos on every page and a very professional looking layout. You can learn about the founder, what it is like inside a church, the beliefs and practices and you can even meet a scientologist !
The first thing I thought when arriving on the website was : wow, okay, they had money invested in their website ! You can buy the Scientology book, you can find information about the humanitarian programs they sponsor and you can also find the website of your country (however, I stayed on the American one). Talking of the humanitarian programs, that's something that strikes out at first. They want to help others and encourage you to help the world ... by becoming a scientologist ! Scientology helps the rest of the world, but it also helps individuals get happier. It's a nice message and I guess that's where the appeal resides (at least, that's what I would say, I don't really see an appeal here).
It really talks about coming together to make the world a better place but to also be happy. It says it's "a religion in its highest meaning, as it helps bring man to total freedom and truth". Scientology is today's fastest growing religion, in today's economic climate, wanting to be happy is probably high on the list of priority for people. The phrase "The pursuit of happiness" came to my mind as soon as I started to read a bit of the website.

http://www.scientology.org/

The Native American Church

My chosen religious denomination focuses on the Native American church of Strawberry Plains Tennessee. http://www.nativeamericanchurch.com/
The sentence that highlights the front page of this website emphasises the very beliefs relevent in Native American communities: 'Truth, like the air we breathe, comes to us compliments of the creator, may it always be so'. The church practises what is called a 'peyote' practise, 'the road back to a true self'. It focuses around spiritual healing and the sacred relationship with your soul. Although their religion may seem individualistic, they do believe in a one supreme God, the creator and do preach the love of their neighbours, though may this love may be limited to their own community, which explains the somewhat hostile history associated with Native Americans amongst the various tribes. Peyotism primarily acts as a reflection of oneself on humanity. Man forms an 'image' of himself. If this 'image' conducts bad behavioural practises, linked with Christian sins, the image is lost, and this 'loss of image' is the main fear of peyote practise. The object for Native Americans practising this religion is to seek a perfect being of 'intent' and 'direction', the path to creating a 'true self' and gain 'spiritual legacy'.

Wednesday, 28 April 2010

Seventh Day Adventist Church

http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/index.html

The Seventh Day Adventist Church is a Christian group with a strong belief based on the Scriptures and the idea that Jesus Christ will return to Earth. This is a very large organisation with members all over the world. They are the largest church in the states of Utah and Idaho.
I was interested to see that whilst their views are very traditional, they seem prepared to accept that it helps to not be judgmental and to offer help and support wherever possible. They offer guidelines on various things – one being abortion. Whilst it is clear that they disagree with the principle, they accept that there are circumstances when it is necessary, such as in the event of rape, congenital defects and risk to health. They don’t however condone homosexuality or same sex marriage.
They clearly value family life and help within the community and I can see that this would be very comforting to many people. Whilst their beliefs may seem old fashioned, they have considered many aspects of modern life and offer their members advice on how to provide support to others. There is also a dating website offering Seventh Day Adventist singles the opportunity to meet other like-minded people.

Wednesday, 14 April 2010