“Why do Mormons refer to themselves as Latter Day Saints?”……When the hunger for religious experience peaked in the 1800's, the lack of unity among the differing branches of Christian faith became a stumbling block. A man named Joseph Smith emerged to propose his own reported religious experiences as the solution. He declared himself to be a prophet of God. Adherents claimed that to Joseph Smith was restored the "holy priesthood [of] the apostles and disciples of old├ö├ç┬¬." He also declared that in these "latter days" of the world, all other churches were participating in apostasy and only his private revelation (or that of those associated with him) could be trusted for salvation and instruction.……Primarily by the efforts of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, an organization formed and was named The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The name was reported to have come by revelation from Jesus Christ. It was to indicate three specific certainties: 1. Jesus Christ ordained the church; 2. the church's ministry was specific to the latter days of the world, and 3. the church would consist of only the true saints acknowledged by Jesus Christ. Such a name would have sounded very appealing in a time of widely fluctuating doctrine. The LDS church put forward that theirs was the task of establishing the kingdom of God and of instituting the practices of Christian religion as God intended. These things together were commonly called "the restoration of the gospel" and were part of the Restoration movementof the early 19th century.(see below)……According to the Bible, it is God who shall establish His kingdom (Isaiah 9:7). The saints are not called upon to do this for Him. Also, whether one views the latter days as the very end of our earth's age, or as including all the days that follow the completed ministry of Jesus Christ, there is no biblical support for a broken gospel in need of restoration. Jesus declared Simon Peter's acknowledgment of Him as "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" to be the rock on which His church would be built, against which "the gates of Hades shall not prevail├ö├ç┬¬" (Matthew 16:16, 18). God also declares that although some have strayed from the truth, "the solid foundation of God stands" (2 Timothy 2:18-19). These verses indicate the enduring nature of the church within the context of the gospel. Indeed, in the end times apostasy will abound (Matthew 24:11), but the gospel will remain intact with those who endure (Matthew 24:13-14).……The true work of today's saints is to continue to declare the truth of the eternal gospel (John 3:16Mark 16:15), and to "hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard… in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 1:13).

“What is the Restoration movement?”……Answer: The Restoration Movement, part of the broader movement called "restorationism," began in the early 19th Century when a conglomeration of members from different Christian groups and denominations decided they had gotten away from the basics of Christianity. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and others abandoned their formal denominations with hopes of establishing a church based solely on the Christianity taught in the New Testament. With their belief in Jesus as the only model and the Bible as the only sacred book, they endeavored to re-establish Christ’s church as it had been during Jesus’ time. Because the different organized denominations had constructed rules and practices that did not come explicitly from the Bible, those with new ideas felt the divisions must be dissolved. Their goal was for everyone to abandon their dividing religions and become united as one church under God’s rule alone.……Among the most influential leaders of this movement were Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone. Although the fundamental views remained, in 1906 this group split. The followers of Campbell and Stone divided into two sects, called the Church of Christ (Non-Instrumental) and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Over time many additional schisms have formed from these core groups as well. Currently there are three major and several minor groups who trace their roots back to the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement: the Christian Churches/Disciples of Christ, Churches of Christ, IndependentChristianChurches, Churches of Christ in Australia, AssociatedChurches of Christ (New Zealand), United Reformed Church (UK), and others.……Among the key principles of the Restoration Movement are:……~Recognition of the New Testament pattern of the church. Overall, the people of this movement try to pattern their practices and rituals as closely as possible to those of the New Testament. Of particular importance to them is the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper, although there is nothing in Scripture to indicate this was a weekly function. In fact, Acts 2:46 indicates it might have been a daily ritual: "And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart" (emphasis added). In addition, Acts 2:44-45 states of the New Testament church that they also "sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need." This is not a practice of the New Testament church that those in the Restoration Movement have felt led to adopt.……~Names, creeds, and ecclesiastical traditions divide believers from one another; therefore these things are renounced, doing away with creeds and human authority. While the desire for there to be nothing dividing believers is a noble one, there is no evidence that attending a Baptist or Presbyterian church divides its members from those of other churches any more than attending a Disciples of Christ church divides its members from those of other church within the Restoration Movement. The spirit of unity or disunity is a heart issue, not a matter of church affiliation. Although a key principle of the Restoration Movement is concern for Christian unity, the history of the movement is itself riddled with numerous splits, re-splits and schisms. ……~Names of human origin divide, therefore they name only the name of Christ. They decry the use of denominational names, claiming to be "Christians only," believing this approach to be the only true scriptural one. The adherents to the Restoration Movement are careful to have no other name but Christ in their church titles, believing this to be the true to the New Testament. They deny, for instance, that the name "Presbyterians" has any biblical validity, even though the name is derived from the Greek word for elder, presbytos. Thus, the name reflects its method of governance, completely in accordance with New Testament church structure. Using the name of Christ in a church title may or may not be an indication of a church's doctrinal stand. As with any group or organization claiming to represent Christ and His church, what they believe, and how it lines up with the Bible, is of paramount importance.……When examining the Restoration Movement, of particular concern is their doctrine of salvation. According to a Christian Restoration Association publication, "What You Must Do to Become a Christian" involves four things: You must believe, repent of sin, confess Christ, and be baptized for the remission of sins. One must admit his or her sinfulness and need for forgiveness, then repent and accept Jesus as Lord of his or her life. One must then be baptized by full body immersion for the remission of sins. At this point, it is believed that one begins a new life, and is reborn. This directly contradicts the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace through faith alone, without the added condition of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Baptism is not a requirement for salvation, but is rather evidence of it. The new believer is baptized in obedience to God's command to do so, not as a prerequisite for salvation.……Equally disturbing is the Restoration Movement belief that in order to remain a Christian, one must do four things, again according to the Christian Reformation Association: Pray, study the Bible, worship and remain faithful. If these are requirements to maintain salvation, it stands to reason according to this line of thinking, that anyone who does not continue in these four disciplines is in danger of losing his/her salvation. The Bible, however, is clear that the true believer cannot lose his/her salvation because we are saved by God (Romans 8:30), sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14),and kept by God until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). Just as once we are born, we cannot be made unborn, we have been made new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we cannot be made old again by any means.……On the positive side, the Restoration Movement has maintained belief in the deity of Christ, unlike the rest of those in the restorationist movement. Great care must be taken, however, to avoid the exclusivist mindset which says "we alone have the right way." Such thinking leads to pride, the ultimate cause of disunity in the church, the very thing those in the Movement seek to rectify.