ABSTRACT
In conjunction with their belief in God the Father, Mormons emphatically believe in and worship Jesus Christ. Millenarian teaching and speculation figured prominently in the nineteenth-century Latter Day Saints (LDS) Church; indeed, the official designation of church members as LDS denotes the belief that humanity currently lives in the final period before Christ's return to the earth. Mormon teachings about citizenship have frequently included a belief, supported by early revelations to Joseph Smith, that the Constitution of the United States was, to some degree, inspired by God. In spite of Mormonism's atheological creedlessness, it is possible to sketch out the foundational beliefs which the vast majority of LDS would agree upon. Mormon scripture, teaching, and devotional life are centered on the worship of the God of the Christian Bible. Contemporary Mormons talk about feeling the love of Jesus, and the principal doctrinal touchstone for LDS curriculum and ministry is the atonement of Jesus Christ.
