The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the LDS Church or the Mormon Church, is the largest and most well-known denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement (a group of churches and adherents who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as taught by Joseph Smith, Jr.). The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah and has established churches and temples worldwide, reporting 13 million members on its rolls.

Adherents to the church (usually called Mormons or Latter-day Saints) believe that Jesus as the head of their church via revelation given to the President of the Church whom they consider to be a prophet. They count themselves as Christians, but do not consider themselves part of the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant traditions. However, many Christians do not consider them to be Christians because they claim the Book of Mormon as Scripture, do not believe in the Trinity as defined in the Nicene Creed, and have a fundamentally different understanding of the nature of Jesus Christ.

The church teaches that it is the restoration of 1st century Christianity. They believe in the Old Testament and New Testament, but have added three books to their Biblical canon: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

Historically, the church has distinguished itself from modern Christianity by its practice of polygamy (officially discontinued in 1890), and by its other unique doctrines and practices such as the Endowment, baptism for the dead, and its views on the Godhead. The church teaches that it is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" (LDS D&C, 1:30), but it has cooperated with other churches in promoting humanitarian and moral causes.

Related References

 * Mormon Church: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Apologeticsindex.org