Mormon Beliefs Archive
Mormons believe strongly in religious freedom. Many of the early settlers who came to the United States came because they needed the freedom to practice their religions. While some of them weren’t practitioners of freedom of religion for others, this longing for the free practice of a given religion eventually led to increased respect for other religions. By the time the Mormons were establishing the restored gospel, the world was somewhat prepared to allow such a faith to develop. Of course, there were challenges and many people attempted to block religious freedom for Mormons and for some other religions, but in general, the country was well-suited for such an enterprise.
Following are thoughts from Mormon leaders on religious freedom:
Separation of Church and State:
“Unfortunately, good culture alone is not strong enough to cause good culture to endure in perpetuity. Additional strength is needed from the power of theistic conviction. For this reason, a policy to separate completely... Read the rest of this entry »
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, recently issued the following statement:
Mormons believe in atonement through
In the mid-19th century, when rhetorical, emotional oratory was common, some church members and leaders used strong language that included notions of people making restitution for their sins by giving up their own lives.
However, so-called “blood atonement,” by which individuals would be required to shed their own blood to pay for their sins, is not a doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe in and teach the infinite and all-encompassing atonement of Jesus Christ, which makes forgiveness of sin and salvation possible for all people.” (See Mormon Church Statement on Blood Atonement.) Read the rest of this entry »
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Today, when people want to learn about something, they frequently turn to the Internet for information. Of course, that can be an overwhelming experience when a search engine returns thousands of places to search for that information.
A responsible researcher knows that sources are not equally reliable. Anyone can post on the Internet, and while that is a wonderful thing, it also means there are more opportunities for people to intentionally or unintentionally mislead others. Read the rest of this entry »
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A personal account and explanation from Keith, of Annapolis, Maryland.
Walking in the Newness of Life
Romans 6:4 reads, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
The fourth Article of Faith states: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
The Savior revealed the true method of baptism to the Prophet Joseph Smith, making clear that the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority and that it must be done by immersion. In Doctrine and Covenants 20:73-74, we are taught, “The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself... Read the rest of this entry »
God never promised life would be easy. In fact, trials are one reason we were sent here to live on earth. Through our trials, we learn to trust God and to
turn to Him for comfort and hope. A new website by the Mormons offers counsel and inspiration for those seeking to hold on to hope in the most difficult of circumstances. Read the rest of this entry »
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Recently, Elder Russell M. Ballard spoke to graduating students at Brigham Young University, a school owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of this church are often informally known as Mormons. He counseled them in ways to discuss their religion with others, pointing out
that most topics of greatest interest to detractors are not critical elements of the current religion, but are fringe elements or practices no longer carried out. He advised them to keep the discussions focused on the core of the religion, the elements that affect salvation, rather than those that are merely interesting intellectual discussion points. Read the rest of this entry »
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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. Read the rest of this entry »
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This is a common misconception about religion. Mormons teach that each person is given agency to choose for himself how to live. Mormon beliefs begin the story of life prior to birth, when God created each of us as a spirit. We lived with Him, learning, developing our character and personality, and practicing making choices, until the time came to come to earth. At that time, we were, as always, given our agency. We could choose to come to earth with Jesus as our Savior. If we made this choice, we would continue to have agency and some would use it unwisely and be unable to return. God would send a Savior to do that part we couldn’t do for ourselves. This Savior, Jesus Christ, would take on the sins of the world and die for them.
The other choice was to follow Lucifer. Lucifer wanted to take away our agency and send us to earth as puppets, with himself as the puppet master. He would control our every thought and action, and we’d live perfect lives, but for no purpose. Some were... Read the rest of this entry »
Personal Response by Bethany
To a Mormon, the Sacrament is very personal because it provides an opportunity for members to think about the great life, ministry, and Atonement of the Savior and how it applies and affects their individual lives. As written in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, “the Sacrament focuses attention on the sacrifice for sin wrought by the Savior and the need for all those who have been baptized to maintain their lives constantly in harmony with his teachings and commandments.” The word “Sacrament” refers to the Lord’s Supper in which Christ used emblems in similitude of the sacrifice He was soon to make. Christ met with His Apostles and instituted the sacrament as written in Luke 22:19-20:
19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood,... Read the rest of this entry »
The family of Jesus Christ consists of both an earthly and a heavenly component. His father, of course, is God. Jesus is literally God’s son. God is the creator of our spirits, making us all God’s children, but we all have earthly parents. Only Jesus is the literal child of an earthly mother and a Heavenly Father.
Jesus also had siblings. According to Dr. Robert J. Matthews, who, in 1974, was an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, we can estimate the number of siblings he had.
“We don’t know how many other children there were in the family, but the New Testament names four boys and lists some sisters. The Greek manuscripts are helpful here. Matthew speaks of “all” (Greek: pantai) his sisters (Matt. 13:56), suggesting more than two. The Greek term hai adelphia (the sisters) is used in the manuscripts, signifying a plurality-that is, three or more sisters. If the record had intended to convey that there were only two sisters,... Read the rest of this entry »
