Chicago, USA - Thomas Appiah and his wife, Katrina, have no problem with all the curious new questions about their Mormon faith.
The couple recalled attending a recent event at a non- denominational church and entering into a discussion about Jesus. As Appiah spoke on the Scriptures, people became captivated, and many asked if he was a pastor and where they could hear him preach. When he told them he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the crowd turned.
"All of a sudden, that desire to befriend me, that desire to embrace me, it all turned to animosity. They became argumentative and said we were not Christians," Appiah said. "I felt sorry for them; they missed the chance to know me truly for who I am."
His wife added, "I think once prejudice is there, it just becomes really hard to get rid of."
Despite tremendous growth of the Mormon Church worldwide and a heightened profile of the faith due to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, church officials and members still face hostile attitudes and misperceptions about their beliefs. Mormonism is one of the fastest-growing religions in the world, with more than 13 million members, more than a third of those in Latin America, according to church figures. The church now ranks as the fourth-largest denomination in the U.S., with close to 6 million members, surpassing Presbyterians, Lutherans and Episcopalians.
In the past, church officials largely distanced themselves from public scrutiny, perpetuating the notion that the religion is strange and secretive. But with Mormonism becoming an issue in the candidacy of Romney, a Mormon, the church has done an about-face and launched an unprecedented campaign to inform the public about the religion.
This month, church officials based in Salt Lake City hosted their first online news conference to educate the nation's religion reporters on the Mormon faith. The effort includes a 24-hour hot line for political writers seeking basic information about the church and a media guide outlining church beliefs. In addition, church officials are discussing visits by senior church officials, known as apostles, to newspaper editorial boards for presentations on Mormon beliefs.
"Right now, there is a national conversation going on about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," said church spokesman Mike Otterson. "We want to be part of that conversation. ... We won't stand by and let other people define us."
Church at crossroads
As the nation watches, the Mormon Church now stands at a crossroads, struggling with how to portray itself to the public and whether to be more forthcoming about church beliefs. Church officials have emphasized common ground with other Christians, such as belief in Jesus Christ and acceptance of the Bible. Yet full disclosure means open discussion of their controversial differences, including the teaching that humans are "spirit children" of God, the belief that Mormon leaders are living prophets and the significance of baptisms for the dead. Some say such candor could be a double-edged sword.
"This is critical for the church," said Jan Shipps, a prominent Mormon scholar and professor emeritus of history and religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. "It could bring Mormonism into the nation's religious mainstream or it could make it seem wackier than ever.
"The best they can hope is to create an atmosphere for people to begin to say: This is a legitimate way to be religious. If they can get that across, that Mormonism is a legitimate way to be Christian, and if they can use this as a way to establish more legitimacy, it will work to the church's benefit. But, if there is so much emphasis on the unusual aspects of Mormon worship, it could make things worse."
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in a log cabin by Joseph Smith and five members in upstate New York in 1830. Members believe Smith revived the early church after receiving revelations from God through the angel Moroni. From those early American beginnings, the church has grown rapidly, fueled mainly by black and Latino converts won over by Mormon missionary zeal.
The global surge of Mormonism has been hotly debated, with one scholar, Rodney Stark, claiming it is the fastest-growing religion in the world, rivaling Islam. Stark predicts there will be 60 million Mormons by 2080. Many have attacked that claim as a myth, saying the church also struggles with retaining members.
In the U.S., the Mormon Church is the second-fastest-growing denomination behind the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church. Mormon scholars and church officials say converts are attracted by the religion's focus on family.
Appiah, 43, was converted in his native Ghana, leaving the Methodist Church. In 1987, while Appiah was working as a Mormon missionary in London, he met Katrina Allen, a dark-haired, outspoken woman from Utah raised as a Latter-day Saint. They married in 1991 in Salt Lake City and now live in Schaumburg with their four children.
"This is a way of life for me. People who know me say that 'Thomas Appiah is a family man,' and they know that's true because of my faith," he said.
'Sacred, not secret'
Regardless of such testimony, anti-Mormon feelings persist, with the church attacked as anti-Christian and a cult. Others mistakenly believe Mormons still practice polygamy, even though the church banned plural marriages in 1890.
According to religious scholars, the polygamy legacy is hard to shake because it forms such a central part of the church's history. Also, splinter polygamist sects exist throughout Utah. Smith introduced polygamy to the church through a revelation from God and is believed to have had more than 30 wives.
Others attribute anti-Mormon feelings to secrecy surrounding temple ceremonies. Church members refer to the temple as "sacred, not secret."
"You know what happens in the temple? It's people in white clothes making promises to God," said Janet Stowell, a church member who lives in Winnetka.
Still, Laurie Maffly-Kipp, associate professor of religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said American culture presumes the public has the right to know.
"I've never understood why ... certain religious actions need to be open to scrutiny from the outside, but many Americans believe this and assume that if it is not public, it must be illicit in some way," she said.
Mormons want tolerance and acceptance, said Maffly-Kipp, but not necessarily assimilation. So there is some debate on how acceptance could affect the distinctive character of the faith.
"The great risk of public acceptance is that it would raise the question of what makes Mormons unique and distinctive," she said. "Tension with the larger culture has had advantages in creating a close-knit sense of community among the church. Losing that altogether might well create problems."
Though church history and exclusive temple ceremonies shape some of the negative attitudes toward Mormons, church officials and members are more troubled by the charge that they are not Christian. That perception stems from a fierce campaign by evangelical leaders in recent years to denounce Mormonism from the pulpit, according to Shipps.
"These [anti-Christian] feelings persist in the minds of a lot of people, especially evangelicals. There is this perception, 'They are not like us.' That is a problem for the church," Shipps said. "The fact is that it's a very complicated theology."
Before sunrise, about a dozen Mormon teens headed into the basement of Stowell's home in Winnetka to study Scripture. Attendance at the daily classes, known as early-morning seminary, is expected of all young Mormons age 14 to 18 and illustrates the church's emphasis on religious formation. Last week, Stowell and the teens discussed the importance of waiting in the Bible and waiting in their own lives.
"What do we wait for?" Stowell asked.
"Wait to date," said a teen girl.
"We wait to go to the temple," said another seminary student.
Stowell said she understood the church's reluctance to enter into the Romney religious discussion. Church leaders were concerned about being seen as partisan, she said. But, with the new effort to be open, Stowell hopes the church uses the opportunity to show the public that Mormonism has become part of the fabric of America.
"Look around you, there are Mormons everywhere now. So, the church has to be ready for this. We might as well get it all out there," Stowell said. "Then, maybe the next time this happens, some of those questions will have been answered."
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What Mormons believe
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons, consider themselves to be Christian, professing faith in Jesus Christ as the son of God. They also believe in the Bible and regularly teach from it.
But there are significant differences between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity.
* Mormons believe they are the restored church of Jesus Christ as it existed in biblical times in the New Testament.
* They often refer to their faith as "restored New Testament Christianity."
* They also believe in additional Scripture known as The Book of Mormon, which they describe as another testament of Jesus Christ.
* The Bible and Book of Mormon are used side by side in preaching and study.
* Mormons view senior church leaders as living prophets and believe God is still communicating to them through revelations.
* Gordon Hinckley is the current president and considered the prophet of the church.
* Mormons believe they are spirit children of God, who lived with him before being born to earthly parents.
* Life on Earth is a probationary state leading to a future life with God, where continued growth, learning and improvement will take place.