The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) has several unique teachings about

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

and the

House of Israel The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...

. The largest denomination in the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

, the LDS Church, teaches the belief that the

Jewish people Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

are God's chosen people and it also teaches the belief that its members share a common and literal Israelite ancestry with the Jewish people. It also teaches the belief that God is perpetually punishing the Jewish people for their part in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and they will not be forgiven until they are converted. Their conversion is connected to "the literal gathering of Israel", as stated in one of the faith's articles of faith.

A comparison of the Latter Day Saint movement and Judaism

The nature of God

In Judaism, God is strictly

monotheistic Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxfor ...

, an absolute one, indivisible, incorporeal and incomparable

being In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities e ...

who is the ultimate cause of all existence. The

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Hashem as the creator of the world and it also presents him as the only power which is controlling history. The

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Israelites The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...

not to worship other gods, they should only worship

YHWH The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', '' waw'', and ...

, the God who brought them out of Egypt (Ex. 20:1-4; Deut. 5:6-7). The

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cent ...

references other, "foreign gods" as non-existent entities to whom humans mistakenly ascribe reality and power. Latter Day Saint theology maintains that

God the Father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinity, trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, God the Son Jesus Christ, and the third pers ...

(Heavenly Father),

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

(his son), and the

Holy Ghost For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is believed to be the third person of the Trinity, a Triune God manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each entity itself being God.Gru ...

are three separate and distinct beings in person and in substance, yet one in purpose and glory.

James E. Faust James Esdras Faust (July 31, 1920 – August 10, 2007) was an American religious leader, lawyer, and politician. Faust was Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1995 unti ...

expounded this Church doctrine, when he said, Together, the three comprise the Godhead, unified in purpose and heart. God the Father and Jesus Christ have tangible, perfected bodies of flesh and bone. Humans are literal spirit children of a Father in Heaven, and through the

atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...

of Jesus Christ they can return to him and become gods. In his King Follet discourse, Joseph Smith taught:

God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret .... It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know ... that he was once a man like us. Here, then, is eternal life—to know that only wise and true God, and you have got to learn how to become Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you. ... God himself, the father of us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, there are other gods within Mormonism, such as the

Heavenly Mother A mother goddess is a goddess who represents a personified deification of motherhood, fertility goddess, fertility, creation, destruction, or the earth goddess who embodies the bounty of the earth or nature. When equated with the earth or the ...

. Latter Day Saint theology also holds that, through the process of exaltation, humans can ascend to godhood. Within LDS theology,

himself, as well as

, were once mortal men who were exalted. This is different from the Reorganized LDS view, which follows more closely mainstream Christianity in that it is trinitarian rather than

nontrinitarian Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the mainstream Christian doctrine of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essenc ...

Jesus

Jesus is not mentioned in Jewish records of the time. With regard to the divinity of Jesus, a basic tenet of Judaism is that God is one in both substance and hypostasis (unitary in person); therefore the both the Christian doctrine of the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

and the Mormon doctrine of three separate Gods "united in purpose", are rejected in the Jewish belief system. Jews also do not believe that God has a previous physical manifestation, (occasionally, he took on a physical form as a fire for

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu ( Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pr ...

, or he wrestled with

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ...

in an angelic form, according to the Tanakh, but he was not a man from another planet) As a result, God does not have a permanent physical body and therefore, the idea that God might have physical, "begotten" children is not possible. In addition, most Jews believe that God is the only being to whom we should offer prayer, though historically some offered prayers to deceased holy persons and angels. According to the members of the LDS Church, Jesus Christ was the Only Begotten Son of

in the flesh. Latter-day Saints identify Jesus with the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

Jehovah Jehovah () is a Latinization of the Hebrew , one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The Tetragrammaton is considered one of the seven names of God in Judaism ...

, not with God the Father, indicating that the Israelites'

covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

with Jehovah was actually with Jesus. Due to Jesus' suffering, death, and

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

, all mankind is saved from death and will rise again and receive a perfected physical body. Furthermore, the

satisfies the demands of justice; grace, forgiveness, and mercy (i.e.

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

) are extended to all who accept Christ as their personal

Savior Savior or Saviour may refer to: *A person who helps people achieve salvation, or saves them from something Religion * Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years * Maitreya * Messiah, a saviour or ...

and become his lifelong disciples. Latter-day Saints also believe that there is only one God to whom prayer is offered, that is God the Father. Latter-day Saints do not pray to Jesus, though historically this was not always the case. Latter-day Saints believe that, the Atonement of Jesus Christ goes so far as to cover everyone who is doing their best to be good (including non-Christians), eventually, it will even rescue almost all of the spirits of the wicked from the "

telestial kingdom In the Mormon theology and cosmology there are three degrees of glory (alternatively, kingdoms of glory) which are the ultimate, eternal dwelling place for nearly all who lived on earth after they are resurrected from the spirit world. Membe ...

". The type of reward they receive, however, depends on the level of their acceptance and obedience.

Prophecy

Judaism teaches the view that

prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or p ...

ceased after the death of

Malachi Malachi (; ) is the traditional author of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Tanakh. According to the 1897 '' Easton's Bible Dictionary'', it is possible that Malachi is not a proper name, as it simply m ...

, and will be restored with the

Messianic Age In Abrahamic religions, the Messianic Age is the future period of time on Earth in which the messiah will reign and bring universal peace and brotherhood, without any evil. Many believe that there will be such an age; some refer to it as the cons ...

, whereas the Latter-Day Saints believe that

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

was present during the dispensation of Jesus, and that through

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, h ...

prophecy was restored to the earth from an age of

apostasy Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...

. Thus they believe that Smith and his successors are

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...

s. Latter-Day Saints believe that, in addition to the various prophecies from the New Testament, divine prophecy has been restored beginning with Joseph Smith. Additionally, during the dedication of the

Kirtland Temple The Kirtland Temple is a National Historic Landmark in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, on the eastern edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Owned and operated by the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of La ...

, Jesus,

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

, and Elias appeared to Smith and

Oliver Cowdery Oliver H. P. Cowdery (October 3, 1806 – March 3, 1850) was an American Mormon leader who, with Joseph Smith, was an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836. He was the first baptized ...

, giving them authority. They committed to Smith and Cowdery the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, the leading of the ten tribal families from the north, the administering of the keys of the Abrahamic dispensation, and the keys of sealing powers (D&C 110:3–4, 7).

Temples

Solomon's Temple Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by t ...

held the

Ark of the Covenant The Ark of the Covenant,; Ge'ez: also known as the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, is an alleged artifact believed to be the most sacred relic of the Israelites, which is described as a wooden chest, covered in pure gold, with an ...

in a room of the temple referred to as the

Holy of Holies The Holy of Holies (Hebrew: ''Qōḏeš haqQŏḏāšīm'' or ''Kodesh HaKodashim''; also הַדְּבִיר ''haDəḇīr'', 'the Sanctuary') is a term in the Hebrew Bible that refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle, where God's pres ...

. The presiding high priest would enter into this room, said to contain the

Shekhina Shekhinah, also spelled Shechinah ( Hebrew: שְׁכִינָה ''Šəḵīnā'', Tiberian: ''Šăḵīnā'') is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling" and denotes the presence of God, as it were, in a plac ...

(the presence of God), once a year on

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...

. The LDS Church's

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth templ ...

contains a

wherein the church's

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

—acting as the Presiding High Priest—enters to fulfill the relationship between the High Priest of Israel and

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

, in accordance with the Church theological interpretation of the

Book of Exodus The Book of Exodus (from grc, Ἔξοδος, translit=Éxodos; he, שְׁמוֹת ''Šəmōṯ'', "Names") is the second book of the Bible. It narrates the story of the Exodus, in which the Israelites leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through ...

(). Hence, this Holy of Holies is considered a modern cognate to the inner sanctuary of the

Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...

and

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusa ...

. Of the 173

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

operated by the LDS Church today, only the Salt Lake Temple has a Holy of Holies; previous to the completion of the Salt Lake Temple in 1893, the

Manti Temple Manti or Manty may refer to: Places * Manti, Iowa, a defunct Mormon settlement * Manti, Utah, a city, named for the city of Manti in the Book of Mormon * Manti National Forest, formerly Manti Forest Reserve, in Colorado and Utah * Manti (crater), ...

housed a Holy of Holies for the use by the President of the Church. While the room itself still exists in the Manti Temple, it was used as a

sealing room In temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), an ordinance room is a room where the ceremony known as the '' Endowment'' is administered, as well as other ordinances such as Sealings. Some temples perform a progre ...

for marriages for time, but since it is such a small room, it is now only open for viewing by temple patrons. Latter-day Saints believe that the Jews will one day rebuild a temple in Jerusalem, and that the Jews will restore the practice of rituals of the Law of Moses within that temple.

Priesthood and clergy

holds that literal male descendants of

Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

are ''

Kohanim Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally be ...

'', or priests. As well, other literal male descendants of

Levi Levi (; ) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's third son), and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron, Moses and M ...

are '' Leviim'', members of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. Because Aaron was a member of the tribe of Levi, all members of the Kohen priesthood order are also in the Levi priestly order, but not vice versa. ''Kohanim'' and ''Leviim'' have specific religious rights, duties, and (in the case of ''Kohanim'') restrictions. The daughter of a ''Kohen'' (a ''bat-Kohen'') also has specific rights and restrictions, but does not pass on the status of ''Kohen'' to her offspring (unless their father is also a ''Kohen''). Judaism recognizes no other forms of priesthood.

Rabbis A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

are not necessarily ''Kohanim''; rather they are Jews who are particularly learned in Jewish law and practice. Although not required, it is typical for a congregation to have at least one rabbi. While it is typical for rabbis to act similarly to spiritual leaders in other religions—delivering a weekly sermon, visiting the sick, officiating at weddings and other life events, and so on—a rabbi's most important function in his or her congregation is interpreting and teaching Jewish law. Training to become a rabbi includes extensive education in Jewish law and practice, and may also include education in Jewish history and philosophy. In general, a congregation will hire a rabbi after reviewing applications and interviewing several candidates—there is no central body that assigns a rabbi to a congregation.

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

accepts only male rabbis.

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

ordained its first female rabbi in 1972,

Reconstructionist Judaism Reconstructionist Judaism is a Jewish movement that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization rather than a religion, based on concepts developed by Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983). The movement originated as a semi-organized stream wi ...

in 1974, and

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...

in 1985. The Reform and Reconstructionist movements also accept openly gay and lesbian rabbis.

Karaite Judaism Karaite Judaism () or Karaism (, sometimes spelt Karaitism (; ''Yahadut Qara'it''); also spelt Qaraite Judaism, Qaraism or Qaraitism) is a Jewish religious movement characterized by the recognition of the written Torah alone as its supreme au ...

accepts only male '' ḥakhamim'', although they serve a different purpose than rabbis do in

Rabbinic Judaism Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Babylonian ...

. Conservative Judaism (typically a more conservative branch than the Reform or Reconstructionist movements) moved to allow individual congregations to choose whether or not to accept both gay and lesbian rabbis and same-sex commitment ceremonies in December 2006. There are no restrictions in any branch of Judaism with regard to race or descent. The LDS Church allows "literal descendants of Aaron" the legal right to preside as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, when so directed by the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

. (See Doctrine and Covenants, ). When no worthy descendants of Aaron are available,

Melchizedek priesthood The priesthood of Melchizedek is a role in Abrahamic religions, modelled on Melchizedek, combining the dual position of king and priest. Hebrew Bible Melchizedek is a king and priest appearing in the Book of Genesis. The name means "King of Right ...

holders preside instead. The orders of the priesthood are the Aaronic, modeled after the priesthood of

the Levite, the first high priest of the Hebrews, and his descendants (Kohen); and the

, modeled after the authority of the prophet

Melchizedek In the Bible, Melchizedek (, hbo, , malkī-ṣeḏeq, "king of righteousness" or "my king is righteousness"), also transliterated Melchisedech or Malki Tzedek, was the king of Salem and priest of (often translated as "most high God"). He is f ...

. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not recognize a patriarchal order of priesthood separate from the Melchizedek priesthood, and considers that both the Patriarchal and Aaronic priesthoods are subsets of the Melchizedek. Members of the Tribe of Levi are said to have held the Levitical priesthood by right of birth before Jesus, whereas after Jesus, holders of the Aaronic priesthood have received it "by prophecy, and by the

laying on of hands The laying on of hands is a religious practice. In Judaism ''semikhah'' ( he, סמיכה, "leaning f the hands) accompanies the conferring of a blessing or authority. In Christian churches, this practice is used as both a symbolic and formal met ...

". The Doctrine and Covenants, however, contains an indication that the Aaronic priesthood is only available until the Tribe of Levi again "makes an offering unto the Lord in righteousness" (See D&C 13:1). The Aaronic priesthood is now typically given at the age of twelve. Just as the priest's and the high priest's lines were subsets of the tribe of Levi, parallels may be drawn between levels of authority within the offices of the Latter-day Saint Aaronic priesthood and offices under the Law:

deacons A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

, corresponding to Levites;

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, corresponding to Kohathites;

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...

, corresponding to the priestly line; and bishops, corresponding to the Aaronic High Priest's descendants (not to be confused with the High Priesthood of Melchizedek). All worthy males are eligible to receive the Aaronic Priesthood at age twelve. At age eighteen, worthy members of the Aaronic priesthood are eligible to be ordained as elders in the Melchizedek Priesthood. Depending on the needs of a church, an elder may be ordained a

high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

seventy 70 (seventy) is the natural number following 69 and preceding 71. In mathematics 70 is: * a sphenic number because it factors as 3 distinct primes. * a Pell number. * the seventh pentagonal number. * the fourth tridecagonal number. * the fif ...

, or

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Black people Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

were prohibited from receiving the priesthood until 1978, at which time the LDS Church announced that its leaders had received a revelation permitting all worthy males to receive the priesthood. Some

Mormon fundamentalist Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of Joseph Smith, Bri ...

sects reject this revelation. Some break-off groups, including the

Community of Christ The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...

(formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), have adopted the use of women in clerical roles, which is not accepted by the LDS Church.

Dietary laws

The laws of ''

kashrut (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

'' ("keeping kosher") are the Jewish

dietary laws Some people do not eat various specific foods and beverages in conformity with various religious, cultural, legal or other societal prohibitions. Many of these prohibitions constitute taboos. Many food taboos and other prohibitions forbid the mea ...

. Food which is prepared in accordance with ''

halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

'' (Jewish law) is termed kosher, and food which is not prepared in accordance with Jewish law is termed ''treifah'' or ''

treif (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

''. Kosher laws address which kinds of animals can be eaten and they also require the separation of milk and meat (disputed), they command that vegetables be thoroughly inspected for insects, they command that animals be ritually slaughtered by certified persons, and they command that many food products be produced under rabbinical supervision. Produce from the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

is subjected to further restrictions. Jews are expected or required to drink wine on certain occasions. Wine is typically consumed during the Sabbath evening meal, after the recitation of a special blessing. In addition, the drinking of wine is an important part of the celebration of two major Jewish holidays—

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...

and

Purim Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Boo ...

. Latter-Day Saints believe that the

Word of Wisdom The "Word of Wisdom" is the common name of an 1833 section of the Doctrine and Covenants, a book considered by many churches within the Latter Day Saint movement to be a sacred text. The section defines beliefs regarding certain drugs, nutritious ...

is a modern revelation which is similar to the laws of ''kashrut''. The revelation, which is found in the D&C 89, contains three parts; a list of substances such as

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

, strong drink, and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

that should not be used (), a list of foods that should be used, sometimes with certain limitations (), and a promise to those who follow the guidelines (). Among the substances which should not be used according to the revelation, the first substance is "wine or strong drink", which the revelation says should not be drunk except for wine, which may be used as part of the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...

(the Latter-Day Saint communion). As a further precaution, the revelation states that if wine is used, it should be pure wine and it should be "of your own make" or it should be made by fellow church members. The LDS Church has done away with wine altogether, with water replacing wine in the sacrament, according to a revelation on the subject, section (), Members are instructed not to drink any alcoholic beverages. The revelation also advises against the use of tobacco and "hot drinks" (which was explained by Joseph Smith and his associates as meaning coffee and tea). Tobacco is believed to be "not for the body, neither for the belly, and it is not good for man, but it is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill." The list of foods and substances that the revelation encourages the consumption of includes wholesome herbs, fruits, and meat; however, meat is to be eaten sparingly, if it is to be eaten at all, and ideally, it should only be eaten in the winter, during

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

s, or during periods of "excess hunger". Other references ( and ) expand on meat and flesh. The revelation also encourages the use of grains, particularly wheat. The use of barley is also encouraged, particularly for the making of "mild drinks".

Sabbath

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

, lasting from sunset Friday night to the appearance of three stars on Saturday night, celebrates God's creation with a day of rest that commemorates God's day of rest upon the completion of creation. It plays an important role in Jewish practice and is the subject of a large body of religious law. The most notable law with regard to observation of Jewish Sabbath is the requirement to abstain from creative work of any kind (the most widely known implication of this being the prohibition against kindling a fire). Observant Jews will prepare food ahead of time to avoid having to cook on Sabbath, and observant Orthodox Jews will avoid turning on electric lights (which "creates" an electric circuit) or driving. While almost all work is forbidden on Sabbath, acts of leisure and pleasure are appropriate, as long as they do not violate any proscription with regard to doing work. A special meal is eaten (including wine and meat, if possible, even if the household cannot afford these luxuries the rest of the week). Married couples are encouraged to engage in sexual relations. The Sabbath for Latter-day Saints is Sunday. This is explained in the Church ''Bible Dictionary'' as: "After the ascension of Christ, the members of the Church, whether Jews or gentiles, kept holy the first day of the week (the Lord's day) as a weekly commemoration of our Lord's resurrection (Acts 20: 7; 1 Cor. 16: 2; Rev. 1: 10); and by degrees the observance of the seventh day was discontinued." There are some notable exceptions, such as in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and some Arab countries, where Latter-day Saints celebrate Sabbath on Saturday or on Friday. The focus of Sabbath for Latter-day Saints is as a day of rest from worldly concerns and endeavors and to concentrate on spiritual matters such as attending church meetings, scripture study, visiting the sick and infirm, and family activities. Members are further encouraged not to make any purchases on the Sabbath, unless an emergency demands otherwise. Members are also to fast on the first Sabbath of the month from the night before Sabbath until the evening of Sabbath. This period of fasting is used to pray and reflect on their own relationship with God. The money that would have been spent on the two missed meals is usually donated as a

fast offering Fast offering is the term used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to denote money or usable commodities donated to the church, which are then used to provide financial or other assistance to those in need. The local bish ...

to the church. These fast offerings are dedicated to feed the poor and the needy.

Scriptures

Judaism's most holy book is the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

. Virtually all Jewish congregations own at least one ''sefer Torah'' (copy of the Torah, hand-calligraphed on parchment) of which a portion is read aloud every week. The Torah, the

Nevi'im Nevi'im (; he, נְבִיאִים ''Nəvīʾīm'', Tiberian: ''Năḇīʾīm,'' "Prophets", literally "spokespersons") is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the ''Tanakh''), lying between the Torah (instruction) and Ketuvim (wri ...

(the Prophets) and

Ketuvim The Ketuvim (; hbo, , Modern: ''Kəṯūvīm'', Tiberian: ''Kăṯūḇīm'' "writings") is the third and final section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), after Torah (instruction) and Nevi'im (prophets). In English translations of the Hebrew Bi ...

(the Writings), make up the

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

, which is made up of two parts: the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

(

Oral Torah According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law ( he, , Tōrā šebbəʿal-pe}) are those purported laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah ( he, , Tōrā šebbīḵ� ...

) and the

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah w ...

(rabbinic commentaries and analysis). More recent work explaining Jewish law includes the

Shulkhan Arukh The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in Is ...

, which was written in the 16th century. Traditionally, Jews believe that the Torah was given to Moses at Mount Sinai, to be passed on to the Jewish people. Scrolls of the Torah are copied by hand by specially trained scribes. Joseph Smith said, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." Thus, the study of The Book of Mormon is emphasized by Church leaders and teachers, but they also encourage the study of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible and believe in literal fulfillment of Biblical prophecies and covenants, including the

Abrahamic covenant According to the Old Testament, the covenant of the pieces or covenant between the parts () is an important event in Jewish history. In this seminal event God revealed himself to Abraham and made a covenant with him (in the site known nowadays as ...

. The eighth

Article of Faith A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

states, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." In addition to these two books, in keeping with the meaning of the ninth Article of Faith, the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price are also considered canonical scripture. According to Latter-Day Saint doctrine, the Book of Mormon was originally written in

reformed Egyptian The Book of Mormon, a work of scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement, describes itself as having a portion originally written in reformed Egyptian characters on plates of metal or "ore" by prophets living in the Western Hemisphere from perha ...

by a group of the House of Israel who had migrated from the area of Jerusalem. The book was translated by Joseph Smith "by the gift and power of God". The Book of Mormon is in a style that closely resembles the language used in the King James Version of the Bible.

Afterlife

Jewish beliefs with regard to an afterlife are highly variable. Physical

resurrection of the dead General resurrection or universal resurrection is the belief in a resurrection of the dead, or resurrection from the dead ( Koine: , ''anastasis onnekron''; literally: "standing up again of the dead") by which most or all people who have died ...

at the time of the

Mashiach The Messiah in Judaism () is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology, who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jewish people. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or Hig ...

is a traditional belief (with some European Jews being buried facing Jerusalem, so they would be ready on that day). Other Jewish sages promoted the idea of a purely spiritual resurrection. Adherents of

and

are more likely to believe in a general

than in a physical Moshiach, with or without resurrection. There is also the possibility of

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

in some cases. In general, religious Jews believe that the

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

undergoes a period of reflection and penance after death, before moving on to whatever comes next. This period does not exceed 12 months, and Jewish mourners will say special

prayers for the dead Religions with the belief in a future judgment, a resurrection of the dead or a purgatory often offer prayers on behalf of the dead to God. Buddhism For most funerals that follow the tradition of Chinese Buddhism, common practices include chantin ...

during this time, to ease the departed soul's passage. (See ''

Kaddish Kaddish or Qaddish or Qadish ( arc, קדיש "holy") is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy, different version ...

'').

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

and

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

as they are understood in Christian theology are roughly analogous to the Jewish

Olam habah Jewish eschatology is the area of Jewish theology concerned with events that will happen in the end of days and related concepts. This includes the ingathering of the exiled diaspora, the coming of a Jewish Messiah, afterlife, and the rev ...

and

Gehenna The Valley of Hinnom ( he, , lit=Valley of the son of Hinnom, translit=Gēʾ ḇen-Hīnnōm) is a historic valley surrounding Ancient Jerusalem, Ancient Jerusalem from the west and southwest. The valley is also known by the name Gehinnom ( ...

, with certain major differences. Jewish faiths generally agree that reward in the afterlife or

world to come The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or par ...

, whatever its form, is not exclusive to Jews, and that punishment in the afterlife is not eternal but corrective. The Latter-Day Saint movement teaches of a physical

for some beginning with the resurrection of Christ. At the time of the

second coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

of Christ there will be a general resurrection of the dead. It is held by the LDS Church that between the time of an individual's death and resurrection, the individual inhabits an intermediary afterlife in the Spirit world, corresponding to

Tartarus In Greek mythology, Tartarus (; grc, , }) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans. Tartarus is the place where, according to Plato's ''Gorgias'' (), souls are judg ...

. The nature of this afterlife depends on the individual. Deceased persons who lived good lives and repented during their life of any major sins they had committed are said to inhabit Paradise. However, spirits inhabiting spirit paradise may also receive an assignment to do "missionary work" to other souls in paradise or to the souls in Spirit world (Latter Day Saints)#Spirit prison, spirit prison, the condition in which Latter-Day Saints believe the spirits of the "rebellious and ungodly" reside. The term "spirit prison" is sometimes used to describe the condition of any spirit who is awaiting being taught the gospel or having the opportunity to accept ordinances that allow them to progress in gaining further knowledge during their time in the spirit world. Latter-Day Saints hold that missionary work in the spirit world was started by Christ during the days between his death and resurrection (Doctrine and Covenants 138). As Smith's personal writings and Latter-Day Saint scriptures indicate, it is also possible that if one follows the commandments, then one may be worthy of becoming a literal god and assist the Father in "bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). ''Gospel Principles'', an official book of the LDS Church, states that God the Father was a mortal on another earth the same as Jesus Christ was, and like Jesus was resurrected. Following that example, Latter-day Saints hope to attain same godhood status, while eternally worshiping the Father and the Son (Gospel Principles, chapter 47). In 1977, church president Spencer W. Kimball said, concerning this doctrine of exaltation (Mormonism), exaltation: "We remember the numerous scriptures which, concentrated in a single line, were said by a former prophet, Lorenzo Snow: 'As man is, God once was; and as God is, man may become.' This is a power available to us as we reach perfection and receive the experience and power to create, to organize, to control native elements. How limited we are now! We have no power to force the grass to grow, the plants to emerge, the seeds to develop. The Latter-Day Saint movement teaches the existence of three "degrees of glory." As well, for the most evil of people there is outer darkness, a "kingdom of no glory". Outer darkness is considered to be the second death or spiritual death, for those few souls who know a fullness of truth and openly rebel and fight against God. The other three degrees of glory have been labeled the

, the terrestrial kingdom, and the celestial kingdom, with the celestial kingdom itself consisting of "three heavens or degrees" (see Doctrine and Covenants 131). This afterlife is what Latter-Day Saints believe comes after an individual's resurrection and judgment. Some individuals will be resurrected before or at the second coming of Jesus, while others will be resurrected years later. Members of the LDS Church believe all three kingdoms, celestial, terrestrial and telestial, are kingdoms of glory. They are all places of glory suitable to the individuals that will reside in them, based on the desires of their hearts. The church further teaches that Baptism (Latter Day Saints), baptism performed by the proper authority is required to enter the celestial kingdom.

Conversion and proselytization

As a general rule, Jews refrain from active proselytism, proselytizing, and some Jewish religious movements, Jewish denominations discourage Religious conversion#Judaism, conversion. In Judaism, conversion is not a requirement nor is it a prerequisite for goodness or salvation, and if persons truly wish to convert to Judaism, they will seek out communities and rabbis which they feel comfortable with and begin the process there. Conversion to Judaism involves extensive instruction in Jewish law, the renunciation of other religious affiliations, immersion in a mikveh, and, for males, Religious male circumcision, circumcision. If the potential male convert is already circumcised, a procedure which is known as ''Brit milah#Hatafat dam brit, hatafat dam brit'' is performed, in which blood is drawn from his penis.

also requires acceptance of the entire code of Jewish Law. The LDS Church operates a widespread proselytizing program, and its missionaries are encouraged to invite others to repent and be baptized. Baptism not only carries membership in the church, it also, according to Latter-Day Saint beliefs, carries the blessings of the covenants which were given to the House of Israel. In order to be baptized, individuals must agree to abide by the Word of Wisdom and the law of chastity, agree to pay tithes, attend church meetings, and declare that they have repented of their sins. Like most Christian churches, the Latter Day Saint movement does not require circumcision because circumcision was done away with when Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses. By being baptized, members are covenanting with God in order to be "circumcised of heart", which means that they are covenanting to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit in order to live in accordance with the gospel. Doctrine and Covenants instructs the elders to teach the gospel to all nations, but it instructs them to go to the Gentiles first, and then, it instructs them to go to the Jews. There has not been much proselytizing among the Jews, partially because of the teachings about the destiny of the Jews. Early LDS prophets, such as Brigham Young and Wildord Woodruff, taught the belief that Jewish people could not be truly converted because of the curse which resulted from Jewish deicide. However, after the establishment of the state of Israel, many LDS members felt that the Jewish people should join the LDS Church. During the 1950s, the LDS Church established several missions which specifically targeted Jewish people in several cities in the United States.

Water purification

Mikveh

To achieve a state of ritual purification, observant Jews immerse in a Mikveh. Certain kinds of utensils and other objects are also immersed (this practice should not be confused with the physical cleaning required for

). The most common use of the Mikveh is the practice of immersion after menstruation, miscarriage, or childbirth. This immersion marks the end of a period of sexual separation, and the woman's rejoining with her husband. It is also required that a woman immerse before her wedding. Some men use the Mikvah regularly, either daily, weekly, or before

. This is especially true in Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic circles. It is also required for Conversion into Orthodox Judaism for both sexes. Jewish laws with regard to Mikveh are extensive. The most notable aspect of these laws is that a Mikveh must be filled with "living water," namely, water that has come directly from the earth in the form of caught rainwater or spring water (water flowing in a river or stream is also acceptable in some cases). Once water has been carried in a vessel or run through a pipe, it is no longer considered "living." Additionally, immersion must be complete (including the head and hair), and there can be nothing between the water and the person immersing—not only clothing, but also makeup and jewelry are removed. The common practice is to wash thoroughly before immersion (to remove any dirt or dead skin on the body), and to enter the Mikveh while still wet (to avoid any air bubbles that might be trapped on the skin or in the hair). Unlike baptism, immersion is a private event—unless a physical handicap makes it impossible, the person undergoing immersion enters the Mikveh alone, and says any appropriate prayers themselves. When performed as part of Conversion to Orthodox Judaism, the act of immersion needs to be witnessed by a Beth-din of three Rabbis; however, the person immerses him/herself. "Symbolic" immersions, where only drops of water are applied, where "carried" water is used, or where the immerser wears any kind of clothing or underclothing, are not considered valid immersions under Jewish law. Jews do not practice or recognize any kind of "Proxy" immersion, where one person immerses in the place of another person (living or dead).

Baptism

Baptism is a water purification ritual where one is immersed in water. The practice of purification via immersion exists in many cultures. The word ''baptize'' derives from the Greek language, Greek word βάπτειν (the infinitive; also listed as the 1st person singular present active indicative βαπτίζω, which loosely means "to dip, bathe, or wash"). The Christian ritual of baptism traces back to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, who the Bible says baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. Latter-Day Saint belief holds that baptisms were performed in Adam and Eve's day. Baptism is a required ordinance and ritual cleansing process when joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is considered to be a purification process in one's conversion. In the event of one's excommunication or adoption of another faith, individuals are required to be Rebaptism (Mormonism), rebaptized when returning to the church. Baptism is also seen as symbolic of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with the water representing the grave. After the one being baptized is determined to be worthy through an interview with their priesthood leader, he is dressed in white clothing, symbolizing the purification of the baptism. The ordinance is performed by a priest of the Aaronic priesthood or any holder of the Melchizedek priesthood. Latter-Day Saint children are not baptized until they turn eight years old, which is considered to be the age of accountability. In the past, it was common for Latter Day Saints to be re-baptized for health, or as a re-affirmation of belief. This practice slowly diminished and is no longer practiced by any of the mainstream denominations.

Washing and anointing

In the Latter-Day Saint movement, washing and anointing is an Ordinance (Mormonism), ordinance that symbolizes ritual cleansing and anointing to be a king or queen in heaven. In the LDS Church, the ritual is performed in temples. The ordinance of washing and anointing symbolizes the ritual cleansing of priests that took place at Israel's Tabernacle, the temple of Solomon, and later temples in Jerusalem (see Exod. 28:40–42, 29:4–9, 29:20–21, 29:29–30, 30:18–21).

Marriage

Polygamy in Judaism

The Hebrew Bible recounts several cases of polygamy among the ancient Hebrews. One source of polygamy was the practice of levirate marriage, wherein a man was required to marry and support his brother's widow. Ashkenazi Jewry has not practiced polygamy since Rabbenu Gershom's ban in the 11th century "except in exceptional circumstances requiring obtaining in advance the permission of 100 rabbis." Some Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, Mizrahi groups, in particular those from Yemen and Iran (where polygamy is the cultural norm), only discontinued polygamy much more recently, for non-religious reasons. When these groups immigrated to the State of Israel after its 1948 creation, existing polygamous families were "grandfathered" in. Polygamous marriage is banned in the State of Israel, however, and no new polygamous marriages are permitted among those groups.

Polygamy in the Latter-Day Saint movement

:''See main articles: Mormonism and polygamy, Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy, Mormon fundamentalism, Polygamy in Christianity.'' Early in its History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, history, the LDS Church practiced Polygamy in North America, polygamy and referred to it as "plural marriage". The practice of polygamy was introduced by Joseph Smith and it was canonized in scripture as being from "the Lord thy God ... the Alpha and Omega" (Doctrine and Covenants 132:1, 2, 66). It was publicly acknowledged by the church in 1852. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now known as the Community of Christ, rejected polygamy and in 1860, they established an independent church under the leadership of Joseph Smith III, the eldest son of the founding leader. The practice of polygamy led to opposition to the LDS Church and it also led to the enactment of anti-polygamy laws in the United States. (The Congress of the United States, U.S. Congress made the practice illegal in U.S. territories in 1862.) Many members of the church fled to Canada or Mormon colonies in Mexico, Mexico in an attempt to set up communities which would be free from prosecution. Although Latter-day Saints believed that plural marriage was protected as a religious practice by the United States Constitution, opponents used it to delay Utah's statehood until 1896. Increasingly harsh anti-polygamy legislation stripped church members of their rights as citizens, revoked the right to vote for female members of the church, disincorporated the church, and permitted the seizure of church property until the church formally discontinued the practice with the 1890 Manifesto. National attention in the United States focused on polygamy in the church in the early-20th century during the House hearings on Representative-elect B. H. Roberts and Senate hearings on Senator-elect Reed Smoot (U. S. Senator), Reed Smoot (the Smoot Hearings). This caused church president Joseph F. Smith to issue the "Second Manifesto" against polygamy in 1904. Since that time, it has been church policy to excommunicate any member either practicing or openly advocating the practice of polygamy. The ban on polygamy resulted in a schism within the LDS Church, with various

groups leaving the church and continuing to practice polygamy. Collectively, such groups now comprise less than three tenths of one percent of the total membership of the Latter-Day Saint Movement. Among these groups, polygamy currently persists in Utah and neighboring states, and it is also practiced by isolated individuals with no organized church affiliation. The largest church which supports polygamy is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and it is believed to have about 10,000 members. According to one source, there are as many as 37,000 Mormon fundamentalists, and less than half of them live in polygamous households. Most of the polygamy is believed to be restricted to about a dozen extended groups of polygamous Mormon fundamentalists.

Divisions

Judaism encompasses a spectrum of observance with several recognized branches: Hasidic Judaism, Haredi Judaism (often referred to as "ultra-Orthodox"),

, and Humanistic Judaism. Further divisions exist within the divisions. Approximately 98 percent of Latter Day Saint adherents are members of the LDS Church; however, there are several other groups, such as the Community of Christ and numerous smaller churches within Mormon fundamentalism. The second largest group, the Community of Christ, refer to themselves as Latter Day Saints but not as Mormons, though they do continue to use the Book of Mormon as scripture. The doctrine of the Community of Christ doctrine has changed markedly since their reorganization by Joseph Smith III. Two major changes have been the acceptance of the trinitarian concept of God and ordaining women to the priesthood. Fundamentalist Mormons, in contrast, claim adherence to traditional beliefs and practices that have been rejected or changed by the LDS Church.

Jewish symbolism in the Latter-Day Saint movement

The LDS Church includes among its traditional symbols the Star of David, which has been the symbol of Judaism since at least the 13th century. For the LDS Church, it represents the divine Israelite Covenant (biblical), covenant, Israelite regathering, and affinity with Judaism; a Star of David is prominently depicted in a stained glass window in the landmark Salt Lake Assembly Hall.

Jewish presence in Utah

Not long after LDS Church members reached the Salt Lake Valley, adherents of Judaism also arrived in the area. Alexander Neibaur, a Jewish convert to the LDS Church, arrived in 1848. The first permanent Jewish family in Utah is thought to be Julius Gerson Brooks and his wife, Isabell. The first Jewish cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah, was on land donated by Brigham Young in 1869, and the first Reform Judaism, Reform synagogue in Salt Lake was funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Inspired by the Jewish left, Jewish back-to-the-land movement, Eastern European Jewish immigrants from Philadelphia and New York established the Clarion, Utah, Clarion colony in Sanpete County in 1910. The colony was organized by the Jewish Agricultural and Colonial Association, and with approximately 200 individuals at its height, was one of the largest Jewish farming colony initiatives of its era. Simon Bamberger, the fourth List of Governors of Utah, Governor of Utah (1917–1921) was Jewish; antisemitism, antisemitic publications targeting Bamberger were denounced by most Utahns. B. H. Roberts, a politician and church leader, supported Bamberger's campaign by nominating him for the governor.

Baptism for the dead

A longtime practice of the LDS Churchhas been to Baptism for the dead, vicariously baptize their relatives, stemming from the belief that all individuals must receive all Ordinance (Latter Day Saints)#Saving ordinances, saving ordinances to achieve exaltation. Under church theology, vicarious performance of the ordinance of baptism and other temple ordinances does not automatically make a deceased individual a Latter-day Saint, but rather allows the person (believed by Latter-day Saints to be alive in the afterlife) the option of freely accepting or rejecting the ordinances performed on their behalf. Latter-day Saints do not claim the power to compel acceptance of vicarious ordinances or change a deceased person's religious affiliation against his will. From time to time, and contrary to church policy, Latter-day Saint genealogists have submitted the names of other prominent individuals, including at one-point victims of the Holocaust. Official policy states that church members submit the names of their own relatives for these type of ordinances, and requires that permission of the closest living relative be obtained for any baptism that is to be performed for deceased individuals born within the last 95 years. Regardless, some baptisms were performed on behalf of Holocaust victims. When this information became public, it generated vocal criticism of the Church from Jewish groups, who found this ritual to be insulting and insensitive. In 1995, in part as a result of public pressure, church leaders promised to put new policies into place that would help stop the practice, unless specifically requested or approved by the surviving spouse, children or parents of the victims. In late 2002, information surfaced that members of the church had not stopped the practice of baptizing Jewish Holocaust victims despite directives from the church leadership. Criticism once again arose from Jewish groups. The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center is on record as opposing the vicarious baptism of Holocaust victims. Rabbi Marvin Hier of the center stated, "If these people did not contact the Latter-Day Saints themselves, the adage should be: Don't call me, I'll call you. With the greatest of respect to them, we do not think they are the exclusive arbitrators of who is saved." Recently, church leaders have agreed to meet with leaders of the ''World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors''. In December 2002, independent researcher Helen Radkey published a report showing that the church's 1995 promise to remove Jewish Nazi victims from its International Genealogical Index (IGI) was not sufficient; her research of the church's database uncovered the names of about 19,000 who had a 40 to 50 percent chance of having "the potential to be Holocaust victims ... in Russia, Poland, France, and Austria." Genealogist Bernard Kouchel conducted a search of the IGI and discovered that many well-known Jewish people have been vicariously baptized, including Rashi, Maimonides, Albert Einstein, Menachem Begin, Irving Berlin, Marc Chagall, and Gilda Radner. Some permissions may have been obtained, but there is currently no system in place to verify that these permissions were obtained, which has angered many in various religious and cultural communities. In 2004, Schelly Talalay Dardashti, Jewish genealogy columnist for ''The Jerusalem Post'', noted that some Jews, even those with no Latter-Day Saint descendants, are being rebaptized after being removed from the rolls. In an interview, D. Todd Christofferson, a church official, told ''The New York Times'' that it was not feasible for the church to continuously monitor the archives to ensure that no new Jewish names appear. On April 11, 2005, Jewish and church officials met and created a joint Jewish/Mormon committee with the goal of preventing future issues. The committee met intermittently over the next few years. On September 1, 2010, Jewish and leaders from the LDS Church issued a joint statement "acknowledging that concerns between members of both groups over [the] sensitive doctrinal issue have been eliminated." However, in February 2012, the issue re-emerged after it was found that the parents of Holocaust survivor and Jewish rights advocate Simon Wiesenthal were added to the FamilyTree genealogical database.

Latter-Day Saint movement's views on Jews

According to Armand Mauss, most LDS members simultaneously hold beliefs that encourage them to show a feeling of religious affinity for the Jews along with beliefs that encourage them to show a feeling of religious hostility towards Jews, beliefs that are in line with orthodox LDS teachings. Most LDS members believe that Jews are God's chosen people and they also believe that LDS Church members and Jews share a common and literal Israelite ancestry, an ancestry which was associated with an affinity for Jews. However, most LDS members also believe that God is perpetually punishing Jews for their part in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and they will not be forgiven until they are converted.

Claims of House of Israel descent

Latter-Day Saints consider themselves to be the descendants of the Patriarchs (Bible), biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and

(also known as "Israel") or they consider themselves to be adoptees into the House of Israel, and contemporary Latter-Day Saints use the terms "House of Israel" and "House of Joseph" when they refer to themselves. The Book of Mormon states that the family of the Tribe of Manasseh and the family of the Tribe of Ephraim migrated from Jerusalem to an unknown location in the Americas. According to Mormon view of the House of Joseph#Book of Mormon genealogy, Mormon doctrine, this migration fulfilled the prophecy of Jacob on his son, Joseph: "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall" (Old Testament, Genesis 49:22). The Book of Mormon also states that members of the Tribe of Judah came to the Americas after they were defeated by Babylon in around 600 BCE. Additionally, Alma 16:13 of the Book of Mormon specifically contains the Greek word "synagogues"':

"And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance to the people in their temples, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews" ().

The official position of the LDS Church is that those who have accepted the teachings of the church or those who are members of the

are primarily from the House of Joseph, either by blood lineage or by adoption, when the recipient is not a literal descendant of

, who is also known as Israel. Individual church members are told about their tribal affiliation through a patriarchal blessing. The LDS Church teaches the belief that all of the tribes exist within their numbers, but it does not teach the belief that members of every tribe live in every country. By far, Ephraim and Manasseh are the two largest tribes in the LDS Church. Tribal affiliation is usually not discussed in everyday church life, and all church members worship together, regardless of tribal affiliation. Usually, the knowledge of one's tribal affiliation is only shared with one's immediate family. In modern Jewish culture, by contrast, knowledge of individual tribal affiliation has been lost since antiquity, except in the case of Levites and Cohens, where such knowledge is relevant to religious practice. However, some Jewish families hold family traditions of descent from other tribes. The Sephardi Chief Rabbinate of Israel has recognized the Beta Israel of Ethiopia as the Tribe of Dan, and he has also recognized the Bene Menashe of India as the Tribe of Menasseh. The Bene Israel of India and the Lemba people of Africa claim descent from

—according to a government report, these claims are supported by DNA analysis. The position of those who consider themselves Jewish with regard to Latter-Day Saints is similar to their feelings about other Christian groups—while peaceful coexistence is strongly desired, attempts at conversion are considered inappropriate and unwanted. Some Jewish groups like Jews for Judaism reject wholesale the claims of the LDS Church that the conversion to the church reveals a familial connection between the convert and ethnic Jews. They base their position on Judaism's interpretation of Hebrew scriptures and advances in biological science, saying, "No amount of genetic testing or DNA sampling will show the Jewish people and the Latter-day Saints to be of the same ancestry. The Latter-day Saints are simply not of Israelite origins.... For all their assertions and genealogical research, the Latter-day Saints are not descendants of Joseph and can never join Judah in fulfillment of a nonexistent prophecy." On similar grounds they reject claims from the LDS Church that Native Americans have Hebrew origins. They also critique church scripture for, in their view, an erroneous use of the word "Jew", saying "If the American Indians are descendants of Manasseh that would make them Israelites but not specifically Jews. The term 'Jews' is associated with the tribe of Judah and those of Israelite descent who practice Judaism. ... [I]n the Book of Mormon the inhabitants of what are now the Americas are referred to as descendants of Jews although the dominant group supposedly stems from Manasseh. Thus, Nephi is alleged to have written, 'And thus shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews' (2 Nephi 30:4)."

The LDS Church and the State of Israel

The LDS Church is officially neutral when it comes to the Arab–Israeli conflict. Latter-Day Saints, as well as many Jews, are also in favor of peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land. The church recognizes Jews and Arabs as children of Abraham. The LDS Church has at least three congregations in

: the Jerusalem Branch in Jerusalem, a branch in Tel Aviv, a branch in Be'er Sheva, (and formerly: the Galilee Branch in Tiberias). There are also branches in nearby Amman and Beirut. Latter-day Saints in Israel hold their worship services on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. "Missionaries are allowed to proselytize, although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints voluntarily refrains from proselytizing under an agreement with the Government." Brigham Young University (BYU) has a BYU Jerusalem Center, study center in Jerusalem that is active in research and cultural activities (e.g., classical music concerts). Its creation was initially protested by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jewish groups which claimed, despite reassurances from the church that it would be a center of Proselytism, proselytizing activities. BYU was allowed to open the center in Jerusalem only after promising the mayor that no proselytizing would take place and that all students would be foreigners. The courses at the center, attracting students from BYU and other institutions of higher learning in the US who wanted to do credit coursework in Israel, have previously been temporarily suspended due to security concerns.

Jewish curse and gathering

The LDS Church believes that the Jewish people were collectively responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Based on this accusation, the LDS Church believes that God cursed them and scattered them across the Earth. The LDS Church believes that the Jewish people will continue to be punished for their iniquities until they believe in Jesus, repent, and are gathered to Israel. The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus came to the Jews because they were the only nation which was wicked enough to crucify him. The Book of Mormon characterizes the works of the Jews as "works of darkness" and their doings as "doings of abominations". It also teaches that the Jewish people were punished with death and destruction "according to their iniquities". It teaches that God gave the gentiles the power to scatter the Jews and it connects their future gathering to their belief that Jesus is the Christ. According to the Doctrine & Covenants, after Jesus reveals himself to the Jews, they will weep because of their iniquities. It warns that if the Jewish people do not repent, the world will be destroyed. On its title page, the Book of Mormon, part of the scripture of Latter-day Saints, states that its purpose is "the convincing of the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ." The Doctrine and Covenants, a collection of canonized prophecies of

and other Latter-Day Saint leaders, contains prophecies regarding the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel: :"And the children of Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to Abraham, their father." In addition, it states: :"Let them, therefore, who are among the Gentiles flee unto Zion. And let them who be of Judah flee unto Jerusalem, unto the mountains of the Lord’s house." Joseph Smith taught that the generation of Jews that crucified Jesus were corrupt like his generation. Brigham Young, an early LDS prophet, taught the belief that the Jewish people were in a middle-tier of cursed lineages, below Lamanites (Native American people and Mormonism, Native Americans) but above Curse and mark of Cain#Latter-day Saints, Cain's descendants (

), because they had crucified Jesus and the gathering in Jerusalem would be part of their penance for it. As part of the curse, they would not receive the gospel and if anyone converted to the church it would be proof that they were not actually Jewish. As more Jews began to assimilate into Northern America and Western Europe, church leaders began to soften their stance, saying instead that Lord was gradually withdrawing the curse and the Jews were beginning to believe in Christ, but that it wouldn't fully happen until Jesus returned. The Holocaust and the threats of Nazism were seen as fulfillment of prophecy that the Jews would be punished. Likewise, the establishment of Israel and the influx of Jewish people were seen as fulfillment of prophecy that they Jewish people would be gathered and the curse lifted. In 1982, Bruce R. McConkie published a book titled ''The Millennial Messiah'', which devotes an entire chapter to "The Jews and the Second Coming". It states: :"Let this fact be engraved in the eternal records with a pen of steel: the Jews were cursed, and smitten, and cursed anew, because they rejected the gospel, cast out their Messiah, and crucified their King. ... Let the spiritually illiterate suppose what they may, it was the Jewish denial and rejection of the Holy One of Israel, whom their fathers worshiped in the beauty and holiness, that has made them a hiss and byword in all nations and that has taken millions of their fair sons and daughters to untimely graves. ... What sayeth the holy word? "They shall be scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of Israel, and turn the hearts aside, rejecting signs and wonders, and the power and glory of the God of Israel. And because they turn their hearts aside,…and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and become a hiss and by-word and be hated among all nations.: (1 Ne. 19:13-14; 2 Ne. 6:9-11.) Such is the prophetic word of Nephi." After the Black people and Mormon priesthood#Racial restrictions end in 1978, LDS Church began to give the priesthood to all males regardless of race and it also began to de-emphasize the importance of Race (human categorization), race, instead, it adopted a more universal emphasis. This has led to a spectrum of views on how LDS members interpret scripture and previous teachings. According to research by Armand Mauss, most LDS members believe that God is perpetually punishing Jews for their part in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and they will not be forgiven until they are converted.

Treatment of the Jews

The Book of Mormon contains a specific condemnation of antisemitism: :"Yea, and ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor of any remnant of the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn
3 Nephi 29:8
In a May 2, 1976, speech at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Ezra Taft Benson declared that he cherished his friendship with the Jews of Israel: :"Among some of my most cherished experiences and recollections are the fond association I have enjoyed in past years with the Jewish people in the United States and the land of Israel. I have visited Israel three times. I have met hundreds of government officials, farmers, business and trade people, and leaders in professions. No visits have been more impressive than the visits with David Ben-Gurion, Levi Eshkol, and Moshe Dayan." Benson called on Mormons to understand, learn from, and befriend the Jewish people: :"But our affinity toward modern Judah is not prompted merely out of mutual suffering; it is prompted out of a knowledge of our peculiar relationships together—relationships which claim a common heritage. Jeremiah has prophesied that in the latter times "the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together." (Jer. 3:18.) My prayer is that because of evenings spent together like this one, this prophecy will come to be fulfilled. We need to know more about the Jews, and the Jews ought to know more about the Mormons. When we understand one another, then perhaps you will understand why Ben-Gurion said, "There are no people in the world who understand the Jews like the Mormons." Benson then criticizes the Crusades' violence: "Some of the most evil of those deeds were perpetrated upon the remaining Jews in Palestine in the name of Christianity during the Crusades. Will Durrant [sic] has correctly written of this sad chapter of human suffering, 'No other people has ever known so long an exile, or so hard a fate.'" Benson laments the suffering and "ruins of what was the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe in the Jewish section of Warsaw, Poland": :"Here 250,000 descendants of Judah had lived prior to the war. Under the Nazi rule, through forced labor, Jews were required to build a wall around the ghetto. Later some 150,000 Jews from other parts of Europe were brought into that area. The Germans first tried to starve them out, but when that did not work, they transported over 310,000 Jews to the extermination camps. When Himmler found that there were still some 60,000 Jews alive in the ghetto, he ordered their "resettlement." When they forcibly resisted, the German S. S. General Stroop ordered the tanks, artillery, flamethrowers, and dynamite squads on the ghetto. The extermination which was to have taken three days lasted four weeks. The final report by the general read, "Total number of Jews dealt with: 56,065, including both Jews caught and Jews whose extermination can be proved." This report left 36,000 Jews unaccounted for which were no doubt claimed by the gas chambers. (William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publishers, 1965, p. 1272.) :"I have visited some of the concentration camps, the mass graves, and the crematoriums where, it is estimated, six million of the sons and daughters of Judah lost their lives, reducing their world population from seventeen to eleven million. :"I have been impressed to tears as I visited some of these wanderers, those persecuted and driven sons of our Heavenly Father, my brethren of Judah. Yes, the prophecies regarding the dispersion and suffering of Judah have been fulfilled. But the ''gathering and reestablishment of the Jews was also clearly predicted''.

Notes

References

;Primary sources :''This list is Original Source Information'' * ''The Book of Mormon'', The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, July 1981, * ''Pearl of Great Price'', The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, January 2003, * ''Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price'', The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Missionary edition, 1979, ASIN B00070RJYS * ''Hebrew-English Tanakh'', Jewish Publication Society of America; Student edition, December 2000, * ''The Holy Bible, King James Version'', National Publishing Company, January 2000, ;Secondary and other sources ''The following references are based on previous Wikipedia research, and are also found in the supporting articles, where much of the information for producing this article was obtained.'' * ''Women and Jewish Law: An Exploration of Women's Issue's in Halakhic Sources'', Rachel Biale, Shocken Books, 1984 * ''On Women and Judaism: A View from Tradition'' Blu Greenberg, Jewish Publication Society * ''Rereading the Rabbis: A Woman's Voice'' Judith Hauptman, Westview Press, 1998 * ''Women Who Would Be Rabbis'' Pamela S. Nadell, 1999 Beacon Press * ''Women and Prayer: An Attempt to Dispel Some Fallacies,'' Judith Hauptman, ''Judaism'' 42 (1993): 94-103. *Edward M. Cook, ''Solving the Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls: New Light on the Bible'', Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994 *Frank Moore Cross, ''The Ancient Library of Qumran'', 3rd ed., Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995. *Norman Golb, ''Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? The Search for the Secret of Qumran'', New York: Scribner, 1995 * E. Qimron, ''The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls'', Harvard Semitic Studies, 1986. (This is a ''serious'' discussion of the Hebrew language of the scrolls.) *Barbara Thiering, ''Jesus and the Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls'' (), New York: Harper Collins, 1992 *Geza Vermes, ''The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English'', London: Penguin, 1998. (good translation, but complete only in the sense that he includes translations of complete texts, but neglects fragmentary scrolls and more especially does not include biblical texts.) * Chaim Stern, ed., Central Conference of American Rabbis. ''Gates of Prayer - for Shabbat and Weekdays. A Gender-Sensitive Prayerbook'' 1994 LoC: BM674.34.C46 DDC: 296.4-dc20 *Central Conference of American Rabbis, New York, and Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, London. ''Gates of Prayer - The New Union Prayerbook for Shabbat, Weekdays and Festivals. Services and Prayers for Synagogue and Home. '' 1975 LC: 75-13752 *Meyer, Michael A. Response to Modernity: A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1995. *Kaplan, Dana Evan, American Reform Judaism: An Introduction. New Brunswick, New Jersey:Rutgers University Press, 2005. *''Platform on Reconstructionism'', FRCH Newsletter, Sept. 1986, pages D, E *''Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach'', Rebecca T. Alpert and Jacob J. Staub, The Reconstructionist Press, 1988 *David Griffin's article in ''Jewish Theology and Process Thought'', Ed. Sandra B. Lubarsky and David Ray Griffin, State University of New York Press, 1996 *Louis Jacobs ''God, Torah, Israel: Traditionalism Without Fundamentalism'' Hebrew Union College Press, Cincinnati, 1990; *''Judaism As a Civilization'' Mordecai Kaplan, The Jewish Publications Society, 1994 *Mordecai Kaplan "The Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion", 1962 *''Judaism Beyond God: A Radical New Way to Be Jewish'', Sherwin T. Wine, KTAV Publishing House and Society for Humanistic Judaism, 1996. *''God-Optional Judaism: Alternatives for Cultural Jews Who Love Their History, Heritage, and Community'', Judith Seid, Citadel Press, 2001. *''Judaism In A Secular Age - An Anthology of Secular Humanistic Jewish Thought'', Edited by: Renee Kogel and Zev Katz, KTAV Publishing House and International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, 1995. *''Conservative Judaism: Our Ancestors To Our Descendants'' (Revised Edition), Elliot N. Dorff, United Synagogue. New York, 1996 *''The Conservative Movement in Judaism: Dilemmas and Opportunities'', Daniel J. Elazar, Mintz Geffen, SUNY Press, 2000 *''Conservative Judaism: The New Century'', Neil Gillman, Behrman House 1993 *''Halakha For Our Time: A Conservative Approach To Jewish Law'', David Golinkin, United Synagogue, 1991 *''A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice'' Isaac Klein, JTS Press, New York, 1992 *''Conservative Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook'' Pamela S. Nadell, Greenwood Press, NY 1988 *''Emet Ve-Emunah: Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism'', Ed. Robert Gordis, JTS, New York, 1988 *''Etz Hayim: A Torah Commentary'', Ed. David Lieber, Chaim Potok and Harold Kushner, The Jewish Publication Society, NY, 2001 *Richard P. Howard, ''The Church Through the Years,'' Herald House: 1992. *Andrew Bolton and Jane Gardner, "The Sacraments: Symbol, Meaning and Discipleship," Herald House, 2005. *Jerry Nieft, ed., "Walking with Jesus: A Member's Guide in the Community of Christ," Herald House, 2004. *Roger D. Launius, ''Joseph III: Pragmatic Prophet,'' University of Illinois Press: 1995. *Inez Smith Davis, ''The Story of the Church: A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and of Its Legal Successor, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,'' 12th edition, Herald House: 1981. *Quinn, D. Michael,
Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism
, ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'', Summer, 1998, p. 1-68. *. * Yitzchak Blau "Body and Soul: ''Tehiyyat ha-Metim'' and ''Gilgulim'' in Medieval and Modern Philosophy", ''The Torah U-Madda Journal'', Volume 10, 2001

External links

Jews and Mormons: Similarities and Differences
- By Raphael Jospe. The article also emphasises the need for dialogue between the two faith communities.

in the ''Jewish Magazine'' (mostly concerning Utah)
Interviews with Jews in UtahJewish Oral History Project, Salt Lake City
{{Jews and Judaism Christianity and Judaism, Mormonism Latter Day Saint belief and doctrine Mormonism and other religions, Judaism Mormonism and race, Jewish