Mormonism & Judaism

Mormonism was established in the early 19th century as a part of what is called Christian Restorationism, and practitioners (called Latter Day Saints or often "Mormons", the largest sect being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) consider themselves to be part of Christianity. (See Mormonism and Christianity)

However, there are many Mormon doctrines and practices that Mormons claim are more closely connected to primitive Christian rite and to ancient Hebrew Judaism than to modern mainstream Christianity.

Judaism is the religion and culture of the Jewish people. The tenets and history of Judaism constitute the historical foundation of Abrahamic religions, including Christianity and Islam.

Similarities

Jews come primarily from the tribe of Judah (from whom they get their collective name), the tribe of Levi, and the tribe of Benjamin. While many members of the tribe of Levi still know their tribal status, most other Jews have lost the knowledge of their tribal affiliation over the course of history, and identify simply as "Israelites". According to some Jewish religious authorities, Ethiopian Jews are from the tribe of Dan.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe they are members of the tribes of Israel, either by blood lineage or by adoption, when the recipient is not a literal descendant of Jacob, also known as Israel. Latter-day Saints believe that all of the tribes exist within their numbers, though not every tribe in every country. By way of Mormon patriarchal blessings, the one country believed to have the most simultaneously confirmed coexisting tribes is Mongolia, missing only the Tribe of Zebulun. [1]

LDS assert peaceful coexistence with the Jewish people, whom they recognize as Israelites who simply never lost the knowledge that they are Israelites. The Church is consequently very philo-Semitic by doctrine, and the Jewish people are generally held in high esteem.

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

Differences

Jesus

One distinction between Judaism and Mormonism is the belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Judaism still awaits the coming of the Messiah, while Mormons believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah whom the Jews awaited.

Additionally, Judaism accepts the God of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (known to Christians as the Old Testament) as being the one and only God. Mormon belief, however, holds that God as mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (who is called Jehovah in some Christian Bible translations) is Jesus, who on behalf of God the Father, is directing his covenant people, prior to his mortal birth in Bethlehem.

Prophecy

Judaism holds that prophecy temporarily ceased after the destruction of the Solomon's Temple, and will be restored with the Messianic Age, whereas Mormons believe that Joseph Smith restored prophecy to the earth from an age of apostasy. Thus they believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that all of his successors are prophets as well.

Relationship between Jews and Mormons

Middle East Conflict

Jews and Mormons, as a whole, are largely pro-Israel. Mormons are also at the same time in favor of coexistence in the Holy Land of whom they believe to be children of Abraham, including both Jews and Arabs who live in the region.

Holocaust victims controversy

A long-time practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been to vicariously baptize their ancestors, both direct lineal ancestors and related lines. From time to time zealous Latter-day Saint genealogists have submitted the names of other prominent individuals, including at one point the Holocaust's Jewish victims and others. Official Church policy states that Church members submit the names of their own relatives for these type of ordinances, and requires that a surviving family member's permission be obtained for any Baptism that is to be performed of deceased individuals that have died within a certain time period (usually 50-75 years).

However, some Baptisms were done for Holocaust victims, without proper approval or permission. When this information became public, it generated vocal criticism of the LDS Church (though not rising to the level of anti-Mormonism) from Jewish groups, who found this ritual to be insulting and insensitive (though not rising to the level of anti-Semitism). Partly as a result of public pressure, Church leaders in 1995 promised to put into place new policies that would help stop the practice, unless specifically requested or approved by relatives of the victims.

In late 2002, information surfaced that members of the Church had not stopped this practice despite directives from the Church leadership to its members, and criticism from Jewish groups began again. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles, is on record as opposing the vicarious baptism of Holocaust victims. Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Center holds: "If these people did not contact the Mormons 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 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." It is not necessarily well-known that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supports the world's largest genealogical collection. Access to many of these records is freely available online at their Family Search website.

Genealogist Bernard Kouchel conducted a search of the International Genealogical Index, and discovered that many well known Jews 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 ensure that these permissions have been obtained, which has angered many in various religious and cultural communities. Many Jews however treat this entire subject as a huge joke or hoax not worthy of any serious comment.

In 2004, Schelly Talalay Dardashti, Jewish genealogy columnist for The Jerusalem Post noted that Jews, even those with no Mormon descendants, are being rebaptised 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. The agreement referred to above did not place this type of responsibility on the centralized Church leadership.