Who are the Mormons?

By David Matende

Most Christians in Kenya have heard of King Henry 8, founder of the Anglican Holy Communion; John Knox, who started the Presbyterian Church; John Fox, founder of the Quakers; William Booth, father of the Salvation Army, among many others.

However, how many have heard of Prophet Joseph Smith? Admittedly, very few. Yet Smith’s teachings have a significant influence on the Christian doctrine.

Smith is the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or simply, the Mormons. And he is the author of the Book of Mormons, a holy book worshipper’s use besides the bible.

Although the Mormons have been in Kenya  since the 1980s, (they were officially registered in 1993), few Kenyans know anything about them, and those who do treat them with some sort of suspicion.

That is why the church has started a campaign to educate the public on its teachings and activities to help not only lift the veil of suspicion, but also to bring people to Christ through its doctrine.

According to   its public affairs missionary Michael Ford, the church will be involving the media more in its activities.

The church’s first major public event took place in late March at the Upper Hill Chapel. This was a Stake conference at which the Nairobi Stake was divided into two. A stake is similar to a diocese.

According to Ford, the church’s membership in Kenya has grown to over 13,000 members and 63 congregations, making the division necessary.

The ceremony was presided over by Elder Carl Cook, president of Southeast Area, Elder Daniel Hall of Area Authority Seventy and Jadmaire Ndivo, president of the Nairobi stake.
Somehow misunderstood in Kenya, the Mormons are a major church in the US and other parts of the world. With a world membership of over 15 million, it is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah,

It has a presence in 30 African countries with close to a half a million members and 1,170 congregations.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was started by Prophet Smith, who was born in 1805 in Vermont. As a young man, Smith was confused as he did not know which church to join. He then embarked on serious reflection.

“I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right or are they all wrong together? If any of them is right, which is it, and how shall I know”, he writes
One day, he retired to the woods to seek answers; God appeared to him in a vision. At this moment, he asked God for answers to the questions that puzzled him. God told him not to join any of the Christian sects as all their creeds were an abomination, that all those who professed them were corrupt,

When he shared this vision with people, they dismissed him and some even persecuted him. But he refused to recant and did not join any church.

Years later, an angel called Moroni appeared to him in a vision and told him that he was a messenger sent by God. The Angel told him that there was a book written on golf plates,  deposited somewhere giving an account of the former inhabitants of the continent and which contained the fullness of the everlasting Gospel.

He was directed to where the plates were and soon after, with the help of a scribe, he translated them into the Book of Mormons, the other “bible” the church uses. That was in 1829. The book offers additional teachings of Jesus not found in the scriptures and worshippers use it as a companion to the Bible.

Thereafter Joseph worked to establish the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. Like all Christian churches, members of the church witness that Jesus is the savior and redeemer. However, unlike many other sects, they also believe that Jesus directs his church today through revelations to prophets on earth and that Smith was one such prophet.

Mormons meet in places called Meetinghouses. Unlike other churches, the meetinghouses are a hub of religious and cultural activities. They comprise chapels, classrooms, offices, fonts for baptism, cultural halls for dramatic and musical productions, kitchens and basketball courts,

The weekly long hour sacrament that takes place in the chapels on Sundays is the most important aspect of the week. All Christians, regardless of their faiths, are welcome to the sacrament.

A unique feature of the Church is what is called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints Missionary program. Through these programme, the church sends missionaries to streets in the cities and communities all over the world to do missionary work. In Kenya, some 50 young people are involved.

Additionally, the Mormons have a strong commitment to humanitarian work. In Kenya, they are sponsoring hundreds of water projects, providing relief food and offering medical equipment and services to the vulnerable.

But the church’s charity highlight is what they call “Mormons Helping Hand” which is an annual event where the church works together with others to conduct projects ranging from clean-up exercises, tree planting, blood donation, visiting children’s homes among other activities.

Aware of the suspicions other Christians view them with, the Mormons say they are determined to change that perception and are open to anyone interested in knowing them.
They insist that they are followers of Christ and believe that through his teachings, all people can find joy.

The church also teaches that the family is the most important unit of the church. But unlike other churches, they believe that marriage and family are eternal and can continue even after death.

Because of this belief, the Mormons place a very high premium on family activities. They encourage families to pray and study the bible as well as enjoy fun activities together. It is common for Mormon families to do things together.