Mormons among us.
Mormons among us.
Having given the pages the religious traditional for Russia
To faiths, should stop the attention to most influential of
The nonconventional. One of most methodically attacking the orthodox world
Churches is Mormon, exactly 150 years ago located in
American state Utah. In interview the president of the Moscow mission of Mormons
Donald Dzharvis asserts, that Mormons with not smaller success can
To locate and in Russia.
-- You prepare for a doomsday, naming the church Jesus Church
The Christ of Sacred last days?
-- It is simply bad translation from English. And me as Slavist it
Depresses. There are to a kind not last days in general, and today.
Correctly speaking, our church - Jesus Christ Svjatyh's Church of our days.
-- In what God you believe?
-- We believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Some Christians hesitate
To tell, that they believe in a live being. They consider, that the God is love,
That is some principle or idea. We consider, that the God more than
Simply idea. It for us a being - surprising, clever and kind, it very much
It is similar to the person. We consider, that the God likes us and sympathises with us.
-- If the God - a being it is material?
- Yes, from any party it is material. But it is a material sacred. Not that,
Of which people consist. The God has body, a flesh and bones, but others, than at
Us. This matter more refined, than that from which are created
People. The god is a sacred person, the character. The devil does not have body, it only
The spirit also cannot count on an embodiment.
-- If you Christians why be not members any more
Traditional Christian church?
-- We, as well as Protestants, consider, that the primary doctrine of the Christ was in
Any degree it is deformed and lost in some centuries after it
Crucifixions. Our church after reception by its founder Joseph Smith
Variety of divine revelations has tried to restore the primary
Church.
-- Whence you have gathered representations how was actually?
-- From revelations. Besides we have a sacred book - the Book of the Mormon.
Its author - the prophet the Mormon. We believe that the Lord talked not
Only with the Jewish people, but also with all the others. The book of the Mormon is
The reference of the God to the American Indians, more precisely, to some of their ancestors.
We believe that Jesus after revival visited America. Why and
Is not present?
-- You use any symbols?
-- Symbols are mysticism. We have only one symbol - the staff arms
Utah - a bee and a beehive. A symbol of a family, collective and diligence.
-- Than your church differs from the orthodox?
-- These differences are caused by special outlook of Mormons. In
Catholicism and Orthodoxy it is very much divided ideal and wordly. We
Such opposition it is not done. Instead of tselibata in our doctrine -
Family cult; we do not have professional clergy - to be the Mormon not
Means to leave the real world, and apostles at the Christ had quite terrestrial
Trades; we do not have monkhood, we conduct essentially healthy image
Lives, believing, that the body is given the person by the God, and from it should proceed
Pleasure, instead of illness. By the way, doctors have established, that Mormons live on 10
Years longer other people. The main thing for us in a life is the pleasure, instead of
Tortures. We do not use a cross as a creed though we believe in the Christ. We
We can not underline this awful tool of his death. Therefore we not
We save hallows and relics. We believe in reason and its force, we encourage
Education and employment by sciences. And in medicine too we believe and never
We refuse its services. We do not have cramming and the fixed texts of prays
(Except two basic). Everyone speaks good luck as wants.
-- Respect for laws, "submission to sovereigns, presidents, governors and
To the judicial authorities "- one of principles of your church. Why you so
Accent it?
-- Some churches consider, for example, that the state and governors - from
Devil. Mormons are legislative. We do not object to service in army,
Participations in elections. We swear in court. It is important to us to have the correct
Relations with the state and it is important to be active members of a society. It too
Consequence of that we do not oppose the higher and real lives.
-- Whether you establish any norms of behaviour for followers
Your church?
-- Yes. Not to drink neither coffee, nor tea, alcohol, not to smoke, not to use
Drugs, not preljubodejstvovat to show diligence, to respect a family.
-- How your religion answers a question on mission of the person?
-- We have such concept, as the heavenly plan. We believe that
Earlier besides the God existed also spirits. The Lord has decided to test spirits,
Having put them in a choice situation between good and harm. That spirits
Could pass this test and be improved, and children should be born.
In them spirits are installed. That we exist on the earth, is realisation of it
The plan. We believe during a preterrestrial life, in an embodiment of spirits in people and in
Afterlife - after test. But the main thing is a freedom in choosing. The god
Chooses nothing in advance. All are chosen by the person.
-- Clearly, that your church subtracts from the traditional Christian
Doctrines, and what she in it adds?
-- First of all idea of a family. We even consider, that the family proceeds
After death. At us it is possible to conclude marriage forever. The main religious
Activity is conducted in a family. At Mormons the big families. On Monday
In the evening worldwide Mormons spend family evenings. There and spiritual
Lessons, both sweet, and games. From here two pillars of belief - education and
Education. And the bible learns to it. Besides a family, children are a way
Realisation of the heavenly plan when to spirits it is given the chance to undergo and
To be improved. The more number of a family, the bolshemu to quantity
Spirits we give the chance to pass test here, on the earth.
There is and more one very important thing. We, unlike Orthodoxy, not
We consider, that the person a creature, that it is initially guilty, we consider, that
The person will respond only for sodejannoe him and that at it is
Divine possibilities. We in another way concern a fall of man. In
To the book of the Mormon it is told so: "Adam has fallen, that the mankind could be. And
The mankind is to have pleasure ". Or still:" if Adam has not sinned,
That would not fall... And everything, that has been created, should remain in that
Primitive kind in which it has been created... "In other words, it also is
The beginning of human history, and full of optimism.
-- What it seems to you the main thing in your dogma?
-- That, what is it not religion of slaves. We respect advantage of the person and we appreciate
Its freedom. We are not at enmity with other religions. Each Mormon can
Freely to quote any other priests. I, for example, very much like and
Often I quote Alexander Me... And sometimes Soloveva and Marx.
-- You preach what sexual morals?
-- We, as well as any other Christians, should concern yours faithfully to
Precepts of the Lord not preljubodejstvovat.
-- And how it is combined with the well-known Mormon polygamy?
-- Polygamy existed some period of time in the last century, and
In the last century it has ceased to exist. That is it has been cancelled it is more
Centuries ago, after reception of divine revelation. And since then any
The member of church cannot have more than one wife. Why at a certain stage
There was a polygamy? Mormons at first pursued, and they not from the good
Lives have moved in such distance, as the State of Utah. All became in the terrible
Deprivations and tortures. The basic weight of physical activities, of course, bore
Men. And men as it has appeared, are more vulnerable, than women: it is a lot of
Men was lost. Also there was a considerable quantity of women without husbands. Men
Simply did not suffice - as did not suffice at you in Russia after last the world
Wars. And the woman would like to be the wife and mother and that all was
Decently. When the polygamy has been entered, many women have received
Possibility officially to marry.
-- What basic program of your actions in Russia?
-- To extend our doctrine. For this purpose our brothers come here
To serve for two years. That we preach, has universal character.
We start with the Gospel, from the Bible, from the Book of the Mormon, and in these books not
National specificity is considered. We here are not engaged in business.
-- It is said that Mormon church - one of the richest in the world. It
So?
-- You never can tell. These figures are confidential. But at us formed
The population, sober, hardworking people. From it inevitably arises
Well-being.
-- The Mormon church owns actions of networks of the supermarkets some
Newspapers, has radio station, sugar factories, a network of hotels...
-- I do not argue with it. But it is necessary to understand, that if church in America
Is engaged in business pays normal taxes. Unlike Russia, where
Any church if it is church, taxes does not pay. In my opinion, it is an error in
The Russian law.
-- On what money there is your church in Russia?
-- On desjatinnye. desjatina it is provided by the Bible. Each member of church, and
Today in their Russia more than eight and a half thousand, pay the tenth part from
The taxes of church.
-- And you too?
-- Now at me the income is not present, I here as the volunteer, pay church
My expenses.
-- What structure of your church in Russia?
-- The church is presented to Russia by Religious association. Recently
The Ministry of Justice was accepted by our charter and considers us centralised
Religious association. We are registered under the name "Jesus Church
The Christ of sacred last days ". We have churches in such cities, as
Volgograd, Voronezh, Vyborg, Kalinin, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Saratov,
Sochi, Tolyatti, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg.
-- As it seems to you, in Russia there are preconditions for your distribution
Doctrines?
-- I think, is. I already spoke, our religion is not religion of slaves. And
After all Russia has chosen 8 years ago freedom. Russian - not past slaves. They
Have possibility to choose. Including religion.
-- You think, what Russia can choose alternative religion?
-- Can.
Maria Golovanivsky has written down.
"The God has body, a flesh and bones, but others, than at us".
"We believe that Jesus after revival visited America".
//* an information Source: the Businessman (weekly journal), 16.06.98
//* Reg. Nom. - 1080600131.26-------------------------------------------
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