BELIEFS AND STORIES FROM MEMBERS OF
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Personal Response by Lance

I have known for a long time that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but only in the last couple of years, while serving as a Mormon missionary, was I finally able to put into words the way that my answer came. There is a promise given by Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon that if a person reads, ponders, and prays to know the Book of Mormon is true, the truth will be manifest to them by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3-5)

Two Witnesses- Greg K. Olsen

I read the Book of Mormon a few times growing up and I always felt that it was true, but I could never clearly express how I had come to that knowledge. I could honestly say that I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but I couldn’t describe what that meant. It was more than just a simple feeling. It was a strong conviction.

As a missionary I came across people who had highly varying beliefs about the Holy Ghost and the way that the Holy Ghost affects us. This caused me to search even more to find a way to clearly explain how I had received a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. I was reading in the Book of Mormon one day and I found my answer. (more…)

Marys Heart - Liz Lemon Swindle

Yes. Latter-day Saint leaders and canonized scripture affirm that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born. Like other Christians, Latter-day Saints believe in the miraculous conception, though no miraculous means are ascribed to the method of his birth.

When Matthew quoted the prophecy “Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 Jewish Publication Society of America), he translated the original Hebrew text or used the Greek Septuagint version with one slight change. He replaced the Greek word for “young woman” with the word for “virgin,” thus reinforcing the messianic nature of the prophecy (see Matthew 1:23).

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Personal Response by James E. Faulconer

The answer to this question is straightforward: God didn’t create hell. Hell is the state of being separated from the love of God, a state that we create when we turn from him in sin.

Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught, “What is the damnation of hell? To go with that society who have not obeyed his commands” (History of the Church, page 554). Through his Son, Jesus Christ, God has given us a way via which we can return to him, restored from our state of sin to a state of grace and glory, but he will force none of us to return against our will. If we choose to remain in sin when given the chance of being lifted from it, he will allow us to remain where we wish, separated from God, in other words, in hell. (more…)

Personal Response by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is often identified as the Mormon or LDS Church. LDS, in this case, is an acronym for Latter-day Saints, a part of the official name of the Church. When religious bodies use similar names to identify themselves, such as FLDS and LDS, there may be and often is some confusion about the relationship between them.

Just as there are many Christian denominations which believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the long anticipated Jewish Messiah and the Savior of the world, yet disagree upon other significant doctrinal points, including the nature and composition of the Bible, there are individuals and groups who accept the message of the Restoration (the calling of Joseph Smith as a prophet and coming forth of additional scripture, including the Book of Mormon) yet disagree on some rather key doctrines, policies, and practices. (more…)

Personal Response by Karen Merkley

You can know the truth for yourself. It is possible. It is more than possible. We were born to know our purpose and to live for it.

While there is a crisis of knowing in our day, truth is in fact knowable, and we have an inborn capacity to know and recognize the truth. That knowledge is discernible, and it is real and absolute. All knowledge is not, as many claim in our day, just a social construct or a relative idea, equal to every other. Truth matters. Truth exists. So you are on the right path if you desire in your mind and heart to know it. It comes to us through the voice of the Spirit, God’s voice to us, His children.

As we desire to know what is true, we search for it by reading, thinking, pondering what we can find that pertains to that truth. We are enlightened in the process through the light of Christ, which brings understanding to us. We can recognize that burst of light as we connect ideas and thoughts in a way that exceeds our own ability and as we see that we feel and know has come to us from an outside source of revelation in a language we understand and that penetrates us in an unmistakably clear way. As we act on whatever we learn, we are guided further to greater light. (more…)

Personal Response by Karen R. Merkley

By divine will, there is an order of leadership that the Lord has laid out for us in modern revelation. That pattern means that the one called as Prophet and President of the Church, Stake President (leader of a large congregation of members), Bishop (leader of a smaller unit of members), Relief Society President (leader of women in a designated area), Young Women or Young Men’s President (leader of youth), Primary President (leader of children) and other leaders will prayerfully select two counselors to serve with them in their respective calls. Together these presidencies seek specific inspiration for the needs of those they serve. They counsel together, review matters at hand and move forward with decisions and activities to lift, inspire and encourage individuals and families only after they have come to a unity of mind and heart on those matters. This is the way the Lord prescribed. It is a safeguard, a help, and a blessing to those who serve and are served in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additional Resources:

General Conference broadcast transcript, forthcoming, April, 2008 at www.lds.org.

Personal Response by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Current Latter-day Saint practice in holding special meetings known as solemn assemblies is rooted in the Old Testament. Other Christian groups also hold gatherings identified as solemn assemblies because the practice is mentioned in the Bible. However, the Church holds these meetings because of a commandment from the Lord to do so (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:70), not just because their presence is noted in ancient scripture. (more…)

Personal Response by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons or Latter-day Saints), like other Christians, accept both the Old and New Testaments as Holy Scripture. Additionally, they accept the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price as part of their standard works (canonized scripture). The Doctrine and Covenants, first published in 1835, contains one hundred thirty-eight sections or individual documents generally arranged in chronological order beginning in 1823 through 1918 and two “Official Declarations” announcing new policies in 1890 and 1978. These documents are a selection from the revelations and other inspired writings given through Joseph Smith (1805-44) and his successors as president of the Church. (more…)