Social Ethics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is one of the fastest growing churches in the world. As of December 2007 there were over 13 million members in 166 nations with over 27,000 congregations. There are over 50,000 volunteer missionaries worldwide. The Church takes stands and has theological views that impact social ethical issues that have global impact. Since 1985 the Church has given in humanitarian aid a value of over 750 million dollars. This book analyzes the growth of the Church, its views on the relationship between religion and morality, gender, feminism, the family, economics and Joseph Smith's radical economic views. Also, it treats the view of the Church on abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, and just war. Each section compares the Church's views with secular, philosophic, and other Western religious positions. This book is written for anyone interested in the phenomenon of the LDS Church and is geared towards those who want to understand the what and the why of the Church's position on various social ethical issues.