Cover Story: Mormonism

Mormons have always been tight-knit, insular and mysterious to the world outside, ever since Joseph Smith said he had a revelation near Palmyra, New York, in 1820 in which God appeared with Jesus and told Smith that none of the churches at the time were true and that God was restoring the true Gospel back on Earth. Smith said he was selected to become the first Latter-day prophet of what was to be called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Today, the LDS Church is one of the fastest growing in the U.S., with more than five and half million members. But despite the Churchs efforts to become more mainstream with the abolition of polygamy 115 years ago and the acceptance of African-Americans into the priesthood, several Christian churches, Southern Baptist prominent among them, have long held that Mormons are not Christians and some evangelicals regard the religion as little more than a cult.

Bob Faw explores the fears and misconceptions about the Mormon faith and what the LDS Church is doing to address criticisms about its doctrine and theology. According to Sandra Tanner, a former Mormon who runs a Salt Lake City bookstore, "You are talking about a very radical theology from standard Christianity. I believe they are a heresy of Christianity." But Dr. Dallin Oaks, one of the 12 apostles of the LDS Church and former president of Brigham Young university, says Mormonism is part of mainstream Christianity: "We are traditional Christianity... The two main differences that separate us from other Christian faiths is some of the content of our doctrine and our belief in continuing revelation. Everything else follows from those two."

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