Elder Dallin H. Oaks, member of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles, spoke at Harvard Law School on 26 February 2010. This speech was part of the annual Mormonism 101 series. In the talk, Elder Oaks addressed a number of basic principles of Mormonism, explaining that a survey showed few people really knew anything at all about Mormons, and what they did know was wrong or misunderstood. Read the rest of this entry » Read More →
In the strictest sense, the word exmormon simply refers to someone who chose to end his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the Church are sometimes referred to informally as Mormons, and so an ex-mormon is a former Mormon. However, the term is more commonly used to refer not to people who simply left and moved on, but to those who then devote themselves to attacking the church. 3223 There are many reasons a person might do this. While most people who leave a religion—any religion—simply join a new one or abandon organized religion and go about their new lives quietly, a few feel a need to attack and to demonstrate hatred for the life they left behind. Some who do this had a disagreement with another member or with a leader. Some objected to counsel given to them by a leader. These people find themselves unable or unwilling to forgive or to resolve the matter in an amicable and Christ-like manner and as a result, organize their new life around... Read the rest of this entry »
701 This question is often asked by evangelicals, and is, in general, a misunderstanding of the Mormon teachings on what happens after death and how we control that. Many evangelicals teach that a person gets to heaven by being “saved.” This involves the act of accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. At the same time, they teach that acts cannot get you into Heaven. The Mormons also believe that a person must accept Jesus Christ as His Savior in order to return to God’s presence after death. Both groups agree that at least one act is required of all of us in order to be with God. The confusion over the number of acts required to be saved comes from the differences in terminology used by Mormons. Mormons believe everyone is saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ, even if they never accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. However, grace and eternal life, to a Mormon, are not the same thing. To understand this complex issue, let’s look at several essential points. Read More →
Mormons are rather known for being a meeting people. They have meetings and they have meetings to plan meetings. But what do they do at all these meetings? 3335 The most important meeting is Sacrament Meeting. This is held each Sunday and is the primary worship service. Because Mormons are run by a lay clergy, the bishop, who is the equivalent of a pastor, does not give the sermon each week. Every part of the meeting is done by someone donating his time and talents. The meeting is held in the chapel, which is very simply designed. There are no statues, and newer buildings don’t have pictures. There is a “stand” which is a raised area at the front of the room. This contains seating for the choir, leadership, and speakers, and usually also contains a piano and an organ. There is a podium which sometimes has flowers and always has tissues because Mormons tend to cry when they feel the spirit strongly. As worshippers arrive, prelude music is played by a volunteer. The meeting... Read the rest of this entry »
3326 People often ask why Mormons don’t have female priesthood leaders. Today, there are still many churches, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that do not have women in the priesthood, having noted from their study of the Bible that this was not the way it was done. Jesus had many women who followed Him, and whom He pointed out as outstanding examples of gospel living, but He didn’t select any of them to be His apostles. It was not that He considered them unable to do the work, or unworthy of the role; it was simply not the role assigned to women by God. Read More →
In the Catholic faith, canonization is the official recognition that someone is a saint and was so even prior to the official recognition. A process is followed to allow the church to determine who is a saint. Mormons (the nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) do not follow this process. The term saint is used in the official name of the church and denotes, as used in the Bible, a community of people who followed God. Read More →
Mormons are sometimes known as belonging to a church with a lot of rules. While it might seem like there are a great many of them, they are generally very basic rules of decent life. They were taught by the Savior during His ministry on earth, and those that were revealed in the latter-days are those that keep us safe, happy, and mora 3343 The Book of Mormon teaches that men are that they might have joy. (See 2 Nephi 2:25.) The Savior, Jesus Christ, gave us commandments that, when practiced for the right reasons in the right spirit, would allow us to live a joyful life even in times of trials. Read More →
The journey to prove God’s existence is a personal journey. He cannot be proven through a scientific study, although some studies have hinted at the existence of God. Each person must take the journey for himself and find in his own way that God is real. Some who ask this question are interested in a sincere journey to find out whether or not there is a God. Others ask as a challenge, hoping to prove the faithful wrong. First we’ll deal with the concerns of the sincere seeker of truth. Then we’ll focus on the concerns of the challengers. One reason God sent us here to live on earth was to gain faith. Mormon beliefs teach that we lived with God, as spirits, 70 before we were born. Because He was with us then, we didn’t need faith. The apostle Paul, who served as Jesus‘ apostle during the Savior’s lifetime, taught, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, King James version of the Holy... Read the rest of this entry »
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;”>Revelation is how God communicates with us, His children, while we’re away from His presence. There are many different levels of revelation and many different ways it can be received. No one may receive revelation for a level of gospel structure higher than the one he is called to carry out. For instance, a child who is trying to decide how to overcome his struggles in math class can receive personal revelation to help him with that problem. A mother can receive revelation to help her understand how to care for her children. A leader who oversees the program for teenagers at church can receive revelation to help her know how to best serve the youth in her program. A bishop (the Mormon equivalent of a lay pastor) can receive revelation about how to best meet the needs of his congregation. Each person may receive personal revelation related to his or her own responsibilities in life. However, only the prophet may receive... Read the rest of this entry »
Mormon beliefs teach that all of life comes from God. He is the literal Father of our spirits. The ability to create life on earth is a sacred responsibility, and therefore, Mormons are opposed to abortion in all but a very few limited circumstances. Read More →