Uncategorized Archive
The Mormons—a nickname for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—have released a new edition of Gospel Principles. This lesson manual is designed for both classroom and personal study. Adults who are visiting a Mormon Church in order to learn more about Mormons and those who are new members use this as a Sunday School textbook to learn the basics of Mormon beliefs before moving into the regular, more advanced Sunday School class. It can be read online at no cost and without registration, making it an inexpensive and organized way to learn the essential teachings of the Mormons as taught to their own members.
Read Gospel Principles.
The book takes you systematically through the teachings of the Mormons and through life as seen by God. Readers begin by learning about God in the first lesson. They learn who He is and what our relationship to Him is. In the second lesson, they learn where they were before they were born and what amazing experiences happened there. In the third... Read the rest of this entry »
Stations of the Cross is a Catholic tradition that grew out of a desire to replicate pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Today, they help Catholics remember the final days of the life of Jesus Christ as they move through a series of wooden crosses that have been blessed by a person with the authority to do so and pray. Some consider it reparation for the suffering and loneliness of the Savior’s personal Via Dolorosa. Pope Pius XI considered it an obligation for Catholics and John Paul II praised those who make an effort to stand by the endless crosses the Savior endures even today through abuse and mistreatment from those who do not honor the Sacrifices He made for them.
298
Although Mormons don’t participate in a formal ceremony, they do teach the principle behind it. As Pope John Paul II said, we must stand beside the Savior.
Read More →
The Law of Moses, to Mormons, was a lesser law, given because the Jews at that time were not living in such a way as to be able to live a higher law. This was a strict law that could be followed in exactness. It didn’t replace the fullness of the gospel. It was simply provided to keep them in remembrance of God and to prepare them for a return to the higher law. (See Mosiah 13:30 in the Book of Mormon.)
595
“Strictly speaking, the Law of Moses consists of the first five books of the Old Testament-what the Jews call the Torah. These five books of Moses (Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; and Deuteronomy) are also called the Pentateuch, but in the New Testament they are usually just “the Law.” Sometimes the term “the Law” was used for the whole Old Testament, but usually a distinction was made between the books of Moses (the Law) and those of subsequent prophets (the Prophets); hence, the custom in Jesus‘ time of referring to the Hebrew scriptures... Read the rest of this entry »
A visitor to a Mormon Church might be surprised to learn the collection plate is never passed. Young men do go aisle to aisle, but they are bringing the Sacrament (communion) to the members. Mormons are commanded to pay tithing, but it is done privately.
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).
Tithing is defined as one tenth of a person’s income. The specifics of what defines income is left to the member’s own conscious and specific guidelines are not given. Instead, members are encouraged to counsel with God in order to what to pay tithing on.
The tithing is paid privately by the member. Near the office of the bishop-the local ecclesiastical leader-there is usually a small shelf with envelopes and tithing slips. The member takes... Read the rest of this entry »
436
Personal Response by Bethany
Does God feel our pain?
God really does feel and understand our pain! Jesus Christ, through the Atonement, not only suffered for our sins but also suffered our pains, sicknesses, and sorrows. He understands perfectly everything we experience here on earth. Through his love and compassion, He will and does help us with our problems and challenges we face.
When I was sixteen years old I was in an automobile accident that would have been fatal, if not for the saving graces of a truly loving Heavenly Father. I suffered many external and internal injuries that left me in and out of the hospital for quite some time. During my quiet moments when I was alone, I thought “Why me?” I didn’t understand why this horrible thing had happened and I felt sad and depressed. No one I knew could relate, and I felt very alone. However, it was also in those quiet moments at a later time as I was reading the scriptures that I knew there was one person... Read the rest of this entry »
Personal Response by Lance
On the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes casually referred to by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon” Church or the LDS Church), including the modern prophet and Twelve Apostles, speak to the world in what is known as general conference. From the Conference Center in Salt Lake City the words of the prophet, the apostles, and other leaders are carried via TV, radio, satellite, and the Internet to more than eighty countries and translated into more than eighty languages. We invite everyone, regardless of religious belief, to join with us in watching or listening to general conference.
The reason I love general conference is best described by the opening words of one of the Church hymns, “Come, listen to a prophet’s voice, And hear the word of God” (“Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice,” Hymns [Salt Lake City: The Church... Read the rest of this entry »
Personal Response by Todd
“I know the Church is true…” I’ve heard the phrase many times growing up in the Mormon Church. Thousands of members of the Church say those words each day and millions each year. When I was in high school I started to doubt. I didn’t remember ever having spiritual experiences like so many talked about. It was hard to believe that my family and friends were really experiencing what they claimed. I grew up in South East Texas where the Mormon Church was a minority. I remember wanting so desperately to fit in, to be just one of the guys. However, one day as I was with a group of friends, I felt a powerful impression to befriend another kid at school who no one talked with. It kept pushing and pushing me. Of course I fought back. I’ve since come to recognize that impression to be the Spirit “which inviteth to do good…, and to persuade to believe in Jesus Christ…wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is... Read the rest of this entry »
Personal Response by Jack Rushton
3068
I believe this is a very profound question that has undoubtedly been asked by millions of people from the beginning of time. Life can seem unfair at times as we experience our own personal suffering, and witness through our own eyes or through the media, the incredible suffering that seems to be such an integral part of the daily lives of people all over the world.
I had to come to grips with this question on a personal level when 19 years ago I broke my neck, severed my spinal cord, and became paralyzed from the neck down and ventilator dependent.
Read More →
201
Yes. Latter-day Saint leaders and canonized scripture affirm that Mary was a virgin when Jesus Christ 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).
Read More →
Personal Response by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel
934
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) constructs about 300 to 400 meetinghouses each year throughout the world. However, an additional number of buildings are constructed every year as part of an intense building program that meets the needs of a growing membership spread across the world and serves a variety of purposes.
Some buildings are used for administrative needs, such as the Mormon Church offices built on every continent. Other buildings are used for the weekday education program of the Mormon Church, including Brigham Young University campuses at Provo, Utah; Rexburg, Idaho; and Laie, Hawaii and the seminary and institute programs that sometime are located near public schools, colleges and universities. Additionally, the Church’s welfare services department constructs a variety of buildings to store and distribute food and goods and to provide employment training as part of the Church’s worldwide... Read the rest of this entry »
