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.

Finding Hope offers this promise to visitors:

Finding hope in Jesus Christ sustains us through times of difficulty and despair, teaching us there is reason to rejoice even when darkness seems to surround us.

The website opens with a video of a talk given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, an apostle of the Lord and a counselor to the Mormon prophet, called The Infinite Power of Hope. He teaches that we learn to have faith and hope gradually, a step at a time. We can learn to trust that our prayers will be answered. He reminds us that the atonement of Jesus Christ offers hope to even the bleakest moments, and can bring us joy.

President Uchtdorf understands the power of hope. He began his life in Czechoslovakia near the end of the Second World War. His father was drafted into the German army when President Uchtdorf was only three, and his mother was left to do the best she could with a young family. The children and their mother were often hungry and afraid. Finally, his mother decided to flee to Germany, where her family lived, crossing war zones and enduring hunger. President Uchtdorf notes that his mother did not sit back in fear. She acted in faith.

Another video offers to story of Victor Guzmon, a survivor of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He talks about his struggles after the attacks, and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ helped him to find peace and acceptance.

Further down the page, you’ll find personal stories from real people, sharing how they learned to allow Jesus Christ to bring peace into their challenging lives. In these stories, you’ll discover tools you can use to find your own peace.

On the right hand side are three questions site visitors might have about hope: What is hope? How can hope help me? What do I need to do to find hope? Clicking on these questions will take you to brief explanations of the answers, and links to further resources.

Hope is defined as trusting God. God is our Father in Heaven and He loves us completely and unconditionally. He knows us better than anyone else and He knows what the future holds. He can guide us to make the right choices if we allow Him to do so. In time, we can learn that even our trials can become blessings as they help us to grow and mature. We can choose to be afraid or to let those trials destroy us, or we can choose to strengthen our relationship with God and let them become blessings. As we have to make choices during our trials, we can turn to God in prayer to receive perfect guidance. God can’t end all our trials, or prevent them in the first place, because they are often helpful to us. Some trials impact others. Some are caused by the agency of others, or our own agency. However, He can give us the strength to get through them and He can help us learn the purpose of each trial and how to use it to better our lives and the lives of others.

Would you like to teach others, including your children to have hope? Organize a family night with your children and prepare a brief lesson on hope and how it can help them. Just below the links discussed above are links to other resources. One of them takes you to media that can be used to teach others, including children. There are coloring pages of Jesus Christ and other hope-related topics, puzzles, games, and activities that can be printed off. The same section of links also takes you to beautiful music about hope you can listen to or sing with your family.

Images of hope is one of my favorite pages on the site. It contains paintings of the life of Jesus Christ. Through the eyes of great artists, we can view the birth, childhood, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Savior.

The final link in this section takes you to a list of scriptures about hope. Read what the Bible says about the subject and learn how we can apply them to our own lives.

Thomas S. Monson, the Mormon prophet, teaches: “Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.” (See Thomas S. Monson, “Come unto Him in Prayer and Faith,” Ensign, Mar 2009, 4–9. When we increase our faith, our ability to hope also grows.

The Book of Mormon is a book of scripture the Mormons use in addition to the Bible. It states: “And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true (Alma 32:21). From this scripture in the Book of Mormon, we learn we don’t have to have perfect faith in order to have hope and comfort. If we had a perfect knowledge, it wouldn’t be faith. We can begin to develop our faith in God in small ways, gradually increasing our ability to trust God and to act on that trust.

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.

“When all is said and done, the most important thing about you and your testimony is that you base your beliefs on what Jesus Christ taught, and you try to follow Him by living your life in a way acceptable to our Heavenly Father and to the Lord.

This is your foundation. It was Joseph Smith’s foundation. He said: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, he was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

(See Elder M. Russell Ballard: Engaging Without Being Defensive.)

Every religion has information or writings that cover a wide spectrum of information. Some of this information is essential to the salvation of the believer, but much of it is not. For instance, we must know who created the world and believe that, but we don’t have to know exactly how long it took. That is merely interesting fodder for debate or curiosity, but has nothing to do with our salvation. It’s interesting to read the genealogy in the Old Testament, but there won’t be a test on it when we stand before the Savior in judgment. Some stories in the Bible are curious and we don’t really understand why a Biblical prophet made the choices he did, but most of the time, we don’t need to know.

What we do need to know is that God is our loving Father in Heaven, and Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son. Jesus died for us and is the only path through which we may return to God someday. We need to learn how to identify truth by communicating directly with God to learn it.

It is these things the Mormons focus on in their daily spiritual life. They work to build a loving relationship with God and Jesus Christ and to understand how They would have us live from day to day. They strive to be good family members and good citizens. They study the Savior’s life and then try to understand how to live that way themselves.

While groups who work to oppose the church often focus on unimportant intellectual games, the Mormons are busy trying to be like Jesus. When talking with a Mormon, it is important to remember they aren’t generally very interested in those fringe topics. Their testimony isn’t based on history or science, but on faith. This faith came about after developing a close and personal relationship with God and then trusting Him to answer their questions in ways they could understand. They worked to know God so well they easily recognize Him when He communicates with them.

There is little purpose in presenting a Mormon who really knows Christ with the teachings of men, which are unreliable and changing. They aren’t interested in using those teachings as a foundation for their eternal salvation. They know the Creator, and it is only His words that matter.

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 revelation for the entire church, since that is his sphere of

responsibility alone. Since the very beginning of time on earth, God has utilized prophets to receive and share His messages to His children:

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)

Revelation is not fortune telling. When Mormons receive revelation from their prophets, it is always about matters critical to eternal salvation, and is predicated on the behavior of the people of the world-not just the Mormons. For instance, when Noah was told to warn the people to repent or they would be destroyed, the warning was sincere and they were given a way to be protected. As a people, they could repent and the storm would not begin. Or some of them could repent and help to build the ark, which would hold anyone who chose to sincerely repent-before the rain began to fall. They chose to do neither, and so they were destroyed. Noah, because of his righteousness, and his family because of him or because of their own worthiness, was saved.

Personal revelation is available to every person who lives on earth and chooses to do what is necessary to receive it. It is not open only to members of God’s church. Those beginning their journeys can rely on the Spirit of Christ and periodic counsel from the Holy Ghost. Later, those who have been baptized and confirmed by a person who has authority from God may receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to be with them at all times, as long as they’re living righteously.

LDS.org, the official website for the Mormons, offers these steps to help people prepare to receive personal revelation:

Pray for guidance. Be reverent. Be humble. Keep the commandments. Partake of the sacrament worthily. Study the scriptures every day. Take time to ponder. When seeking specific guidance, we should study the matter out in our minds. Patiently seek God’s will.

Personal revelation comes through a cooperative effort between man and God. He is always willing to share the truths we need to navigate life, but he also expects us to do our part. Notice that the steps above require us to learn the gospel and then to live it, in order to have enough knowledge to understand the answers given us and to entitle us to the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can’t be where wickedness is, so we have to work to be worthy of His presence and have a humble and worthy spirit in order to “hear” the answers we receive.

Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the modern day church, demonstrates the correct procedure for gaining personal revelation. He was, in general, a good person. He wasn’t perfect, of course, but he worked hard, obeyed his parents, and tried to do what was right as far as he understood it.

As the area in which he lived became caught up in a wave of conversions and missionary efforts by many churches, he began to pay attention to the teachings of the various churches. He had a desire to join a church, but was unwilling to make the decision lightly. We’re taught that if we need a specific answer, we should first study the issue out for ourselves. Joseph did this by visiting the churches and the revivals, and thinking through the teachings he learned there. He questioned some of the ministers, trying to understand what they taught and why they all taught different things but claimed that either they alone were right or that all the churches were equally right, even if they contradicted each other. He spent time thinking through (pondering) the problem.

This process was not giving him the answers he needed. He couldn’t figure out how to know which ministers were telling him the truth or how to know which church to join. He turned to the Bible for help. While reading on his own, one day, he found a scripture in the book of James, in the New Testament. James was the brother of Jesus Christ.

James offered logical advice on how to solve this problem. He said, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5, King James version of the Bible)

Joseph realized this was the only way he would ever know what was true. Only God knew for sure. He himself was incapable of making this choice. The realization that we cannot reason out every problem alone and must have help is a part of humility, which is required for receiving revelation. We have to acknowledge that some truths are beyond the scope of our abilities to gain intellectually.

He decided to go into the woods by his home and pray for help with his problem. At this point, he had fulfilled each requirement that was available to men on earth at that time. He was ready to receive personal revelation.

The answer Joseph Smith received-a personal visit from God and Jesus Christ-is not typical of the way people receive personal revelation. A prayer that will lead to dramatic changes in Heaven and on Earth requires a dramatic answer. For most of us, the answers will be quieter and more subtle.

Richard G. Scott, an apostle of the Lord, explained how prayers are answered:

To help each of us recognize answers given, the Lord said: “If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

“Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?” (D&C 6:22-23; italics added).

The Lord provides further insight by counseling us to study a problem out in our mind and then to ask if it be right: “If it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

“But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought.” (D&C 9:8-9; italics added.)

It is vitally important to recognize that the Lord also responds a third way to prayer by withholding an answer when the prayer is offered. Why would He do that?

He is our perfect Father. He loves us beyond our capacity to understand. He knows what is best for us. He sees the end from the beginning. He wants us to act to gain needed experience:

When He answers yes, it is to give us confidence.

When He answers no, it is to prevent error.

When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act.

Most often what we have chosen to do is right. He will confirm the correctness of our choices His way. That confirmation generally comes through packets of help found along the way. We discover them by being spiritually sensitive. They are like notes from a loving Father as evidence of His approval. If, in trust, we begin something which is not right, He will let us know before we have gone too far. We sense that help by recognizing troubled or uneasy feelings.” Richard G. Scott, “Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer,” Ensign, Nov 1989, 30

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 uncomfortable with the idea of continued agency, and rejected it. They preferred to stay with Satan and allow him to do their thinking for them. Those who followed Lucifer elected to give up their agency and were denied a chance to come to earth. They could not live here without agency.

The Mormon religion allows us to maintain control over our lives. Mormons teach that each person is required to find out for himself if the Mormon religion is true. While a very young child might believe simply because his parents believe, the child is taught, before he is eight years old, to begin deciding for himself. At age eight, he can be baptized, and before this happens, he is to learn his religion and to pray to know if it’s true.

This process is often repeated several times, as the child grows up and gains a stronger ability to recognize the promptings of faith. The pattern was set for us by Joseph Smith, the first Mormon prophet of modern times. He wanted to know which church to join, and after reading in the Bible that God would tell him, he went into the woods to ask God. Both God and Jesus Christ came to him to answer His question.

Most of us won’t get that type of answer, but we can receive an answer to our prayers, just as Joseph Smith did.

Does joining a church force you to give up your right to think for yourself? Of course not. Because each member of the church is taught to find out for themselves if the church is true, they are making an informed decision. Even after making this overall choice, if they learn something they’re not sure about, they can pray about that specific doctrine as well.

If your mother taught you not to touch a hot stove, and you obey, have you given up your right to think for yourself? No, because you are still free to touch the stove, as long as you’re willing to accept the consequences. You’re simply choosing to do what you know is best for you. Mormons, and other who believe in God, are doing the same.

One example often given is that of the sonnet. The sonnet is a poem with a very strict structure. Within the strict structure, however, a great deal of originality is possible. There are millions of sonnets, all following the rules, but all unique.

Believing in God is comforting. It’s a safe and healthy comfort, unlike the artificial comfort brought about by alcohol, drugs, or other immoralities many people turn to when they are stressed or worried. People who believe in God know there is someone who loves them and knows them, who always has their best interests at heart, and who, while not taking away our personal agency, will help us if we ask for help.

A true religion asks a great deal of its members. The Mormon religion isn’t a passive one. Because it’s a lay church, each member works hard to help it function, serving as leaders, teachers, and givers of service. They are held to a high standard of behavior.

Giving up your right to think for yourself is seemingly easy (although in reality it isn’t.) People looking for an easy way through life aren’t interested in being Mormon. The moral standards are very high and, since Mormons live in the everyday world, not in a sheltered community, this means making sacrifices and fighting those who want them to lower their standards. They raise families, have jobs, do volunteer work, and are also taught to make the most of the talents they have been given. They must figure out how to do this on their own, given their unique circumstances.

Religion never promises to be easy. The Mormons expect people to work hard for their own happiness and well-being, using the gospel as a guideline, but making choices within those guidelines.

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, which is shed for you.

The broken bread reminds Church members of the Savior’s body, His suffering, and that through His mercy everyone will be resurrected and given the opportunity to obtain eternal life.  The water is symbolic of the Savior shedding His blood in suffering and anguish which started in the Garden of Gethsemane and ended on the cross.

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, it is probable that the word pantai would not have been employed, but, instead, the word amphoterai, meaning “both,” would have been used.

Thus the household of Joseph and Mary apparently numbered at least five boys (including Jesus) and at least three girls-eight children-in addition to the parents.” (Robert J. Matthews, “Mary and Joseph,” Ensign, Dec 1974, 13)

Professor Matthews says in this article that there are two theories about these other children. One is that they were Joseph’s from a previous marriage, and that Mary stayed a virgin all her life. He points out if this were true, those children, older than Jesus, would have been the heirs to the Davidic line, not Jesus. In addition, Jesus was referred to as Mary’s firstborn child, not her only child.

It’s important to note that prophecy said Jesus must be born to a virgin. It does not say she had to remain a virgin after His birth.

The other theory is that these were the children of Joseph and Mary, making them Jesus’ half-brothers. In this case, they would be younger than Jesus.

The brothers are mentioned by name in the book of Mark, chapter six, verse 3, in the Bible: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”

In the next verse, Jesus responds with a suggestion of sadness in His words: “4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4)

It appears He was not recognized as a prophet by His brothers at that time. In John 7, his brothers are pressuring him:

3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.

4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.

5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.

Carlfred Broderick, who in 1987, was a professor of sociology at the University of Southern California, notes that when Jesus was in his hometown and the people wanted to push him off a cliff, there is no record of His brothers coming to His defense. (Carlfred B. Broderick, “The Brothers of Jesus: Loving the Unbelieving Relative,” Ensign, Mar 1987, 50)

Professor Broderick also reminds us that on the cross, Jesus turned over care of His mother to one of His apostles, not to His brothers. It was apparent none of them came to Calvary that day, to support their mother or to be there for Him.

It may be this challenge, having brothers who turned their backs on the truth, that caused Jesus to speak of the importance of finding the lost sheep and of converting others. He knew, like so many others who face the heartache of an unbelieving relative, how challenging it was to see a loved one go astray.

There was not a change of heart until Jesus was resurrected. At that time, he appeared to His brother, James. Only now, when they could see the proof of his divinity, did they have a change of heart and fully repent of their earlier disbelief. Later scriptures mention the brothers as leaders in the church, with James seeming to fulfill a particularly high role. Some wrote portions of the New Testament. It was James who wrote the scripture that launched the restoration of the gospel.

In James 1:5, he wrote:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Joseph Smith was fourteen years old when he read this passage in the Bible. He had been visiting various churches and trying to figure out how a person could tell which one to join. When he read this scripture, written by the Savior’s own brother, he realized this was the only way to know what God wanted. God knew which church was true. He went into woods and prayed. During the course of the prayer, God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. God introduced him to Jesus, who then instructed him not to join any of the churches, because none was entirely correct.

In a few years, when Joseph was grown, he would be mentored by an angel, who would prepare him to lead the restored gospel.

What are the Articles of Faith?

Personal Response by Bethany

Background:

In 1842, John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, wrote to Joseph Smith requesting information for a friend who was writing a history of New Hampshire.  Joseph Smith’s response to this inquiry has become known as the “Wentworth Letter.”  The letter includes a brief history of the Church and significant events in its restoration.  It ends with thirteen statements that have become known as the Articles of Faith and are published in the Pearl of Great Price.

Personal Response by Natalie

Yes! He really does. I have felt the powerful assurance that God does hear my prayers many times in my life. I know that the Savior’s message, recorded in the New Testament, still rings true: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

Last summer I was preparing to begin my first year at Brigham Young University. As it got closer to the time that I had to move out, I began to get really nervous. I worried about who my roommates would be, how hard my classes would be, and how difficult living away from home for the first time would be. I remember one night being particularly worried and stressed about everything. In tears, I knelt next to my bed and prayed to my Father in Heaven that He would fill me with comfort. Almost immediately I felt a calm assurance wash over me and I knew my prayer had been answered. I knew that the Lord knew me and loved me and that I had nothing to fear. As I continued to look forward to starting the new semester, the words of this scripture went through my mind “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36). This too, was a simple, peaceful reminder from a loving Heavenly Father that everything would be okay.

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)

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.

Personal Response by Nathan

Answers to prayers come in many different ways. A good way to answer this question may be to explain some of the generic ways prayers are answered.

There is a method of seeking revelation (communication from God to man) that allows prayers to be answered. Seeking revelation correctly begins through effort on our part. A simple prayer is often not enough. Important steps to consider are fasting, pondering, and building faith to accept an answer. As we fulfill these steps, God will see our efforts and bless us accordingly. Often the best method of seeking revelation or answers to prayers is to make a tentative decision after our fasting, pondering, and faith building. Once we feel we have a good preliminary decision, we take the decision to the Lord and ask for His confirmation.