I'm writing a report on the common misconceptions of the LDS (Mormon) Religion. What is your misconception?

Question

What have you heard or been told about Mormons? If you're LDS, what weird questions have you been asked?

Answer 1

Look into history and you will find that Mormonism started (with Joesph Smith) as a cult. He killed people who didn't agree.

Answer 2

As a mom of a Mormon, i have self assurance that they are perceived as a "cult", as human beings describe a cult. no longer so. that's determined up like the recent testomony and many of the practices of the former testomony. they have the Prophets, Bishops and Elders, which went out 2 by 2. there are various deep truths which aren't any more reveled in different works, jointly with the Bible. Bigamy became practiced interior the former testomony to multiply the land. Like in the course of the time of Abraham and after the flood. They stated the practice of the Prophet to multiply the earth for the boom of the of the Latter Day Saints. In turning out to be bodies for souls to be born into the international spread the teachings of the Church. I truthfully have truthfully puzzled if that's the e book that the messenger advised John in Revelation to no longer write right down to close it up till the end time and then it will be printed. The Muslim's teach of a e book also from their Prophet and likely more suitable religions too.

Answer 3

I've never been asked questions about that particular religion, then again I'm a Christian and don't consider LDS as a true Christian sect. I only got into a few chapters of the Book Of Mormon to conclude it was a false doctrine. As far as misconceptions, try justifying baptism of dead bodies, or is this a misconception? Too bad those golden tablets dug up in that field disappeared. Imagine that. The lost tribes of Israel were most likely integrated into the areas north and east of Palestine and Persia. The possibility that any remained intact to migrate to North America is highly improbable. And don't forget this. When Jesus ascended He said that no man will see him again until his second coming and "all men will see Him", so anyone who says they have is a false prophet and a lier! Even Paul didn't see Him because he was blinded. Paul only heard a voice! Ergo, there was no way Jesus could have appeared to North American "Native Indian tribes" after his ascention, or did Mr. Smith miss that passage in the Bible?

Answer 4

If you are truly planning on writing a book, you will want to research where each of these "misconceptions" came from. Most of them aren't really misconceptions, but truths that existed in the Church at some point that were later covered up by the Church or its leaders.

I can tell you 101 'misconceptions' about the LDS Church if you'd like. Just e-mail me.

Answer 5

Most everything listed is a misconception about us. Some of the things I've heard the most (as LDS, I have lots of experience)--

Do you have horns? (NO!!!)

How many wives do you have? How about your dad? (ONE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!)

Do you wear magic underwear? (NO, although they are referring to temple garments)

Is your religion a cult? (NO)

Can you drink caffeine? (Contrary to popular belief, YES, although I don't because it is an addictive vaso-dilator)

Isn't your church cursed for adding on to the bible (see Revelations)? (NO, first of all, the verse in Revelations refers only to that book, and second of all, much of the Book of Mormon was written before Revelations was!)

Hope this helps. I can't think of any other really common ones, but you can always also use any non-mormons things that they claim to know are true. guitarpicker56 gave a good list of some. smiley faced avatar dude refers to some misconceptions these ppl actually believe.

Answer 6

This is a very strange question -who is going to admit to having any? If I believe something about Mormonism, it is because I have learned what Mormons say on that subject.

Now, if you were to ask me what I think are misconceptions that Mormons have about their own religion, I would tell you that they mistakenly think that they are Christians eventhough the Jesus of Mormonism and the Jesus of the Bible are different. The Jesus of the LDS is the spirit brother of Lucifier, the other (of Christian belief) is the eternal, uncreated, UNIQUE Son of God.

Another misconception that Mormons have is that "their burning in the bosom" testimony that the BOM is true is a valid means of determining the authenticity of its message from God. This is in spite of the fact that Mormon doctrine, particularly its "gospel", contradicts with the Bible's teachings and the "once delivered" Gospel upon which Christianity is based.

A final, if not the most eternally damnable misconception that Mormons hold is the doctrine of eternal progression -that God (Elohim) was once a man who attained Godhood through obedience to the "laws of the gospel"., and that Mormons who follow through with this same obedience will achieve exaltation and their own godhood.

Answer 7

Misconceptions are many.
1. That Mormons currently practice polygamy.
2. That Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon by himself rather than the ancient prophets of America.
3. That the church is prejudiced against blacks.
4. That no one existed before they were born into mortality.
5. That Jesus couldn't had visited the ancients in America immediately after His crucifixion because it was too far to travel or He didn't know about them.
6. That Jesus and Michael the Archangel (the Ancient of Days) are the same person.
7. That the Pearl of Great Price that Joseph Smith discovered is not of Moses and Abraham but of something entirely different.
8. That the witnesses to the gold plates and their signatures attesting to seeing and handling them were false because the plates are no longer to be seen.
9. That it is crazy for anyone to sail across the ocean from Jerusalem and settle into the Americas long before Christ was born.
10. That the tithing of the church members are used to pay the General Authorities and that the Church does nothing else but take in the money from the membership for their gain.
11. That the Mormons do not worship Jesus Christ and obey His commandments.

There are many more, but 11 should suffice.

Answer 8

There are two major misconceptions about our religion. Alot of people think that we dont believe in Jesus. If you think this, look at our name. The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints. Also, people believe that we believe in piligamy. We used to do that, back in the 1800's when our church was new, but we were told otherwise by a prophet. You know what, another misconception is that we are stuck up and different from everybody else. We really aren't. I just told my friend that I was mormon, and she said she was suprised because I acted like everyone else. So as you can see, dont judge people because they are mormon, because your best friend just might be one.

Answer 9

That they based their religion on a series of gold plates that were discovered by Joseph Smith that were found somewhere in the Eastern United States in the 19th century, that these plates were emblazoned with a language that was not understood, but that an angel gave Joseph Smith special glasses and allowed him to translate the plates into English, and this translation became the book of Mormon.

That this is a lengthy and involved book, but essentially that Jesus came to North America and said the Indians were one of the lost tribes of Israel (which, by the way, has been shown to be genetically totally false), and that the this book was written by Mormon, one of the survivors of a great war that predates Columbus.

That even though no one but Joseph Smith saw these plates and the glasses, the book was believed to be another gospel of Jesus and during a nationwide period of religious revival, Smith was able to recruit a number of followers, probably owing to the fact that the Mormons at the time were promoting polygamy. They were run out of just about all the towns east of the Mississippi River, and eventually were led by Brigham Young to Utah, near the Great Salt Lake, where they settled.

In more recent years, the Mormon prophet (President) has ruled that polygamy is no longer to be practiced, but some of the purists think that was simply a kowtowing to State authority. These dissenters have set up rival branches of the LDS church, where polygamy is still practiced.

The Mormons consider black people to be "cursed" by God, although in the last few years that seems to be softening. They do not consume alcohol or caffeine, they tend to take care of members of their own church, although charity for non-Mormons is not so strong. They believe that baptism of the dead is possible, and for that reason they have accumulated vast storehouses of genealogical data so they can ensure families will be together in heaven.

Mormons depend almost entirely on their churches for their social and family lives. They send the boys out on missions when they are young men to try and convert others to the faith. Those who are fully inaugurated into the faith wear a special kind of undewear that is ritualistically stitched to show various elements of the faith.

Most other Christians do not consider Mormons to be in the broader fellowship of Christianity because of their odd beliefs about Jesus and North America. In my own point of view, there is nothing in the Book of Mormon that is any less believable than anything in the 66 canonical books of the Bible. It's all incredibly beyond credibility.

So let me know: How did I do? How many of my conceptions are misconceptions?

Answer 10

Speaking from the inside, you can quote just about all of your respondents because none of them have it right. Many think we worship Joseph Smith. We don't. We worship Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind. Many think we have multiple wives. The Church practiced plural marriage from the 1830s to 1890. It was stopped at that time and any who try to practice on their own are excommunicated. Many think we have secrets inside our temples. What worship we perform inside the temples is sacred and therefore, we protect those ordinances from the general public. All are invited to learn of us and to join us. You can go in the temple if you meet all the requirements like the other temple worshippers. So it isn't secret, just sacred. Many think we can't sing and dance. That is so not right. We sing all the time and have regular dances for our youth and our adults. Most of the misconceptions come from ignorance. The people that promulgate those rumors have never researched it with an open mind to find out what we are really like. I encourage you to do the same. Don't just learn the misconceptions, learn the truth as well. Go to lds.org or contact your local missionaries.

Answer 11

That all mormons are polygymasts. We are not. That is an entirely different group of people that call themselves mormons. All people practicing polygamy after it became unlawful to do so were excommunicated from the real church.
That all mormons are expected to have a minimum of 5 children. That is NOT true. Mormons base a large part of religion around family life and many feel that large families are better. It is personal preference...not a religious requirement.
Mormon men are not required to go on a mission. It is a personal choice. Mormon women are not required to be stay-at-home moms. That is also personal preference.
I am constantly bombarded with weird questions. People are so ignorant and hate what they don't understand. The mormon religion is not a cult.


Yes, we believe in Jesus Christ and that he is the saviour and that we must repent and accept him in our hearts for salvation. We are christians.
We read the bible, we feel that the book of mormon is an extension to the bible, not a separation. We study BOTH. Just as Catholics study from different texts.
That's all I can think of righ now but the list goes on and on.