Mormons believe that sexuality between man and woman lawfully married is divinely appointed and has two purposes: to " multiply, and replenish the Earth " () as commanded by God to Adam and Eve, and to strengthen the bond between man and woman that they might " become one flesh " ().

Although the Latter-day Saints believe that speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues are alive and well in the Church, modern Mormons are much more likely to point to the way in which LDS missionaries are trained and learn foreign languages quickly, and are able to communicate rapidly, on their missions, as evidence of the manifestation of this gift.

Today a vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( LDS Church ) while a minority are members of other churches.

Some Mormons are also either independent or non-practicing.

As a result, Mormons today are probably less integrated with mainstream society than they were in the early 1960s.

Many black Mormons are members of the Genesis Group, an organization of black members that predates the priesthood ban, and is endorsed by the church.

A majority of U. S. Mormons are white and non-Hispanic ( 84 %).

Most Mormons are distributed in North and South America, the South Pacific, and Western Europe.

Utah Mormons ( as well as Mormons living in the Intermountain West ) are on average more culturally and / or politically conservative than those living in some cosmopolitan centers elsewhere in the U. S. Utahns self-identifying as Mormon also attend church somewhat more on average than Mormons living in other states.

) Utah Mormons often place a greater emphasis on pioneer heritage than international Mormons who generally are not descendants of the Mormon pioneers.

Engaged Mormons also contribute 10 percent of their income to the church as tithing, and are often involved in humanitarian efforts.

Mormons are opposed to abortions, except in some exceptional circumstances, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, or when the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy.

)< p > Also note the use of the lower case d and hyphen in Latter-day Saints, as opposed to the larger Latter Day Saint movement .</ ref > The beliefs and practices of LDS Mormons are generally guided by the teachings of LDS Church leaders.

There are thought to be between 20, 000 and 60, 000 members of fundamentalist sects, ( 0. 1 – 0. 4 % of Mormons ), with roughly half of them practicing polygamy.

: Cultural Mormons are individuals who do not believe some ( or many ) of the doctrines of LDS Church, but who self-identify as Mormon.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormons ), 8. 3 percent ; Also represented are Bukot Nan Jesus ( also known as Assembly of God Part Two ), 2. 2 percent ; Baptist, 1. 0 percent ; Seventh-day Adventists, 0. 9 percent ; Full Gospel, 0. 7 percent ; and the Baha ' i Faith, 0. 6 percent.

The term was initially considered pejorative, but is no longer considered so by Mormons ( although other terms such as Latter-day Saint, or LDS, are generally preferred ).

In addition, Mormons believe that Smith and his legitimate successors are modern prophets, seers, and revelators who receive revelation from God to guide His Church.

The department's research facility, the Family History Library, which has developed the most extensive genealogical record-gathering program in the world, was established to assist in tracing family lineages for special religious ceremonies that Mormons believe will seal family units together for eternity.

Mormons embraced the stereotype of Jello consumption to assert their religious and cultural identity.

During the 19th century Mormon converts tended to gather to a central geographic location, and between 1852 and 1890 many Mormons openly practiced plural marriage, a form of religious polygamy.

Over the next 50 years many Mormons entered into plural marriages as a religious duty, with the number of plural marriages reaching a peak around 1860, and then declining through the rest of the century.

In 1878 the Supreme Court ruled in Reynolds v. United States that religious duty was not a suitable defense for practicing polygamy, and many Mormons went into hiding ; later, Congress began seizing church assets.

Mormons emphasized patriotism and industry, rising in socioeconomic status from the bottom among American religious denominations to middle-class.

In addition to weekly worship services, Mormons began participating in numerous programs such as Boy Scouting, a Young Women's organization, church-sponsored dances, ward basketball, camping trips, plays, and religious education programs for youth and college students.

Partly to counter this, Mormons put an even greater emphasis on family life, religious education, and missionary work, becoming more conservative in the process.

( Nonetheless, whether they live in Utah or elsewhere in the U. S., Mormons tend to be more culturally and / or politically conservative than members of other U. S. religious groups.

Practicing adult Mormons wear religious undergarments that remind them of sacred covenants and encourage them to dress modestly.

Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement.

At least one Roman Catholic writer does not consider Mormons and members of some other religious groups to be separated brethren.

Among the new denominations that grew from the religious ferment of the Second Great Awakening are the Churches of Christ, Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ ), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( nicknamed the Mormons ), the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada.

Some individuals and religious groups, for example, retain beliefs or practices which involve acts contrary to established law, such as the use of cannabis by members of the Rastafari movement, the religious use of eagle feathers by non-Native Americans ( contrary to the eagle feather law, 50 CFR 22 ), or the practice of polygamy amongst Mormons in the 19th century.

Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker ( 1980 ) also has religious or mystical themes, while Orson Scott Card's post-apocalyptic anthology The Folk of the Fringe deals with American Mormons after a nuclear war.

Open conflict with earlier settlers ensued, driven by religious and cultural differences, and the perception by pro-slavery Missourians that the " Yankee " " Mormons " were abolitionists.

Many of these religious residents identify as Christians — 38. 08 % are Protestants, 7. 65 % are Roman Catholics, 5. 03 % identify with another Christian faith, 0. 43 % are Mormons, 0. 03 % belong to an Eastern religion, and 0. 01 % are Jewish.

Furthermore Leer offers an unusually large variety of smaller religious communities, especially Baptists, Mennonites, Methodists, Adventists and Mormons.

With the Missouri extermination order Mormons became the only religious group to have a state of the United States legalize the extermination of their religion.

The 2002 Winter Olympics was also a showcase of American religious freedom and cultural tolerance of the history of Utah's large majority population of Mormons, as well representation of Muslim Americans and other religious groups in the US Olympic team.

Generally, Christian denominations that are an accepted part of mainstream Christianity are not seen as new religious movements ; nevertheless, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( a. k. a. Mormons ), Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, and Shakers have been studied as NRMs.

Antisemitic, racist, anti-Mormon, anti-Masonic, and various religious groups criticized the group's acceptance of Jews, non-whites, Masons, and Mormons.

The Mormon Corridor region, which has the highest Mormon populations, has been nicknamed the " Jell-O Belt ", referring to the 20th century Mormon cultural stereotype that Mormons have an affinity for Jell-O ( a gelatin-based food ).

The center of Mormon cultural influence is in Utah, and North America has more Mormons than any other continent, though the majority of Mormons live outside the United States.

In 2010 Around 13 – 14 % of Mormons lived in Utah: the center of cultural influence for Mormonism.

Cultural Mormonism includes a lifestyle promoted by the Mormon institutions, and includes cultural Mormons who identify with the culture, but not necessarily the theology.

Others have left the LDS Church but consider themselves to be cultural Mormons.

The reasons for the emigration of settlers vary, but often they include the following factors and incentives: the desire to start a new and better life in a foreign land, personal financial hardship, social, cultural, ethnic, or religious persecution ( e. g. the Pilgrims, Mormons and Zionists ), political oppression, and government incentive policies aimed at encouraging foreign settlement.

Some modern LDS youth today use the term to describe a baptized member who chooses not to follow the ethical, moral and cultural guidelines common to Mormons.

Religious groups normally register under both of these categories ; the Mormons, for example, runs strictly religious activities through its association of worship and operates a school under its cultural association.

Typically, cultural Mormons still have an appreciation for the lessons and the love they have received in the course of long church membership.

One such group refers to itself as the New Order Mormons, a name patterned on the term New Order Amish ( Amish who maintain cultural ties to their religion while not accepting some of its core tenets ).

This is a group of Mormons and former Mormons who no longer believe at least some of the tenets of the LDS faith, but because of family or cultural ties do not choose to completely separate themselves from the faith.