Mormon Church

The best way to learn about the Book of Mormon is to read it. Although you can read many articles on it, you really need to study it for yourself, to know what it says without anyone else’s interpretation getting in the way. Many people who taught against the book changed their minds after they read it. Even if they didn’t convert, they realized much of what they’d been told about the Book of Mormon was false. You just have to read it for yourself from cover to cover.

Obtain a free Book of Mormon here or ask a friend for one. You can also read the Book of Mormon online free without registering.

You can study the Book of Mormon in much the same way you study the Bible, if you do so. The first step is to approach it with an open mind. Put aside any gossip you’ve heard and any negative feelings you have and just be prepared to make your own discoveries. Approach it as though you’d never heard of it.

Preparing to Read the Book of Mormon

The scriptures contain the words of the prophets of old, many of whom wrote about our day.

The first step is to pray. Ask God to guide your reading so you will see the important things in the book and understand them. Ask Him to help you know if it’s true.

Mormons have a phrase that helps them remember how to study the scriptures: Search, ponder, and pray.” Using this method, they will search the scriptures for specific things, think deeply and long about the issues and what they learn, and then pray to know the mind of God.

As you are reading, the stories will capture your attention. However, the stories exist to teach a spiritual lesson, as they do in the Bible. In between the stories are important sermons and lessons about Jesus Christ. These are important to pay attention to, even if they might seem difficult to understand.

Getting Help Understanding the Book of Mormon

The Church has created lesson manuals used when Mormons study the scriptures. If you’d like to discover what Mormons see when they read the Book of Mormon, you might try reading some of these manuals. They are free online and are the actual manuals used in Mormon classes. They range from lessons for young children to more scholarly studies for college students, as well as the regular Sunday School lessons for teens and adults.

Find Mormon lesson manuals here.

One way many people study is to choose a few themes that interest them. Watch for those themes and mark them with different colored pencils—for instance, scriptures about Jesus Christ might be in read, and scriptures about the atonement might be in blue. These allows you to notice all teachings on a given subject. When you have finished reading, you can quickly page through the book and read all the teachings on that subject at once, getting a more complete picture of what the Mormons teach on a given subject.

In the Book of Mormon, you will find that Christ and His mission are mentioned on average every 1.7 verses.

Reading the study aids will help you get the most from your reading. The chapter and book summaries help you to identify important themes in each section. The footnotes will help you find related scriptures from all books of Mormon scripture, including the Bible. This allows you to see the teachings in a larger context. There are maps and other study aids that will improve your ability to understand what you read.

Early in the Book of Mormon, you will find some wise advice from Nephi, the first writer in the book. He suggests we “liken the scriptures” to our own lives. This means to ask ourselves how what we are reading applies to our lives. What practical application can it have? How can it make my life better? How does it affect my understanding of God and Jesus Christ?

The Book of Mormon will contain many surprises for you, particularly if those who have not actually read it themselves have been your only source of information. To really know the book, you have to actually read it—really read it—all the way through and then ask God for His opinion of the book.

In the April 2013 General Conference held by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, Elaine Dalton gave her final address as president of the Young Women’s program. This program serves teenage girls around the world and she oversaw a program that included about a million girls and their leaders worldwide.

Sister Dalton’s Theme was “We are Daughters of Our Heavenly Father.” This is a gospel truth Mormons teach their members from the very youngest age—that we are all, every single person ever born, literal children of God, not by adoption if we make good choices, but by birth. Mormons believe God created our spirits, entitling Him to be our literal father. All mortal beings have a Heavenly Father as well as a mortal one.

“In every country and on every continent, I have met confident, articulate young women, filled with light, refined by hard work and trial, possessing pure and simple faith. They are virtuous. They are covenant keepers who ‘stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.’ They know who they are and that they have a significant role to play in building the kingdom of God,” Sister Dalton told the teenage girls listening to her sermon.

Sister Dalton noted that sometimes the traditional roles of women are exhausting, unimportant, and perhaps even demeaning, but they are not. Because we are daughters of God we matter, and therefore our responsibilities matter.

She used as an example her own mother, widowed with four children to support. She taught school during the day and piano at night, never complaining about the long hours of work required to be a widow for 45 years. Her mother was a covenant keeper. A covenant is a two-way promise and in church use refers to covenants between man and God. Mormons teach that if we do our part God is required to do His. Her mother believed that and kept her promises, then calling on God to help her with whatever was beyond her. Her role as a single parent didn’t make her famous or important in the eyes of the world, but she didn’t seek attention or fame. She sought to serve God and her family. She was successful in that and it was enough because she was focused on eternal joy, not temporal joy.

She called on parents to help girls grow up with virtue and an understanding of the sacred role of women. Mothers need to set the example and honor their husband’s priesthood so that girls will understand properly how priesthood works to bless the entire family, not just the priesthood holder. They must learn from their mother’s example to value womanhood as designed by God, who, without question, loves His daughters.

Sister Dalton is noted for her call for a return to virtue. What would the world be like if virtue—a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards, including chastity8—were reinstated in our society as a most highly prized value? If immorality, pornography, and abuse decreased, would there be fewer broken marriages, broken lives, and broken hearts? Would media ennoble and enable rather than objectify and degrade God’s precious daughters? If all humanity really understood the importance of the statement ‘We are daughters of our Heavenly Father,’ how would women be regarded and treated?

She pointed out that we never really know what part our roles will play in the future. Her mother didn’t know she was raising a future world-wide church leader, for instance. Sister Dalton told of a time when the Conference Center was first being built. The Conference Center is where General Conference is held. Her husband was helping with the carpet instillation and she was asked to vacuum the thick dust that settled into it as a result of the construction. She took her seemingly unimportant job very seriously and worked so hard that in three days the vacuum cleaner died—but she did not give up.

She gave her final sermon right there on that very carpet she had worked so hard to clean and protect, something she could not possibly have foreseen at the time.

She closed with the following testimony:

Today as a daughter of God, I stand as a witness that He lives. Jesus is the Christ. He is our Redeemer. It is through His infinite atoning sacrifice that I will one day return to live with Him—proven, pure, and sealed in an eternal family. I shall ever praise Him for the privilege of being a woman, a wife, and a mother. I testify that we are led by a prophet of God, President Thomas S. Monson, and I am grateful for righteous men, whose priesthood power blesses my life. And I shall ever be grateful for the strength I receive through the enabling power of the Savior’s infinite Atonement as I continue to strive to “act well [my] part.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Read the entire sermon on being daughters of God or watch the video below:

BYU Students Share Letters & Reflections on Scripture

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Individual Love Taught by an Infinite Being

This week I have been studying, further, Jesus’ teachings to the Nephites and Lamanites while visiting them in the America’s (approximately 1 year after Christ’s death in Jerusalem). Having examined this body of scripture a little more, this section may be my favorite account of Jesus in the Book of Mormon. The section to which I am referring is found in 3 Nephi chapter 17. My intention is to share what I have learned about the nature of Christ and the one-on-one nature of His atonement.

At this point, Christ has just finished teaching about the lost sheep of Israel and how the gospel will be spread to the House of Israel by the Gentiles in the last days. This topic was merely the most recent in a long line of other topics such as the Doctrine of Christ, including the proper mode of baptism, the Beatitudes, the calling of the twelve apostles, and the fulfilling of the Law of Moses. These are some heavy topics. I have been to conferences where I have had to take in a lot of information in a short period of time, so I can relate. These people would most certainly be tired. In 3 Nephi 17:2, Christ displays a characteristic that we should all heed. He says to the multitude, “I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.”

As teachers, missionaries, parents, and friends, we often spend more time concentrating on the “what” and the “how” of Christ’s teachings instead of focusing on the “why” or, better yet, the “who”. This simple interaction of Christ with the people demonstrates the Savior’s ability to empathize. We learn here that Christ is not only focused on delivering His message, but, more importantly, He is concerned for the individual who is receiving the message. He then instructs the people to return to their homes, ponder what he has taught, and return the next day prepared to receive and understand what further he has to say.  At this point, Christ gives us yet another lesson in compassion and Priesthood service. He, looking around at the multitude and sensing that they wished he would stay with them a little longer, said unto them “Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any sick among you? Bring them hither…and I will heal them.”

The lessons that I learn from this are that the Savior wants us to be mindful of the individual needs of those around us. He wants us to set aside our wants and desires to do His bidding and attend to the needs of others even when we may be tired ourselves. Now, I know Jesus, as a resurrected being, probably wasn’t tired, but I know I would be tired if I had been preaching to a group of people all day. I remember being a missionary and nearing extreme exhaustion towards the close of each day, having ridden my bike many miles, knocked on countless doors, taught several lessons, and shrugged off the many rejections along the way. Being a missionary is tough! Then, at the end of the day as you are about to head home, you are invited into nearly the last home on the street. In moments like this, we are required to do as the Savior did and give them our full attention. We must allow the spirit to flow through us to bless the life of the one who owns the couch upon which we sit, regardless of the exhaustion plaguing our bodies.

The Savior then healed each person one-by-one, thus reflecting the individuality of the scope of His atonement. Later, calling the little children to “come unto” Him and ministering unto them, we see the incredible, infinite love of a God in caring for those who are most dear to us. I can only imagine the joy I would experience for me to witness my son in the presence of the Savior. Oh how my heart aches for that day. Not only did the Savior take time to speak with the children, but he also blessed them and prayed unto the Father for them. And then, the most powerful emphasis of the love of the Savior is expressed with two simple words, “he wept”. Jesus, giving unto us the perfect example of empathy, He being a God himself, wept for joy.

I love the lessons the Savior teaches, but I love Him more for who He is. I wish to be like Him. I long to love as He loves. And it is in His name that I testify, He lives! It is my prayer that we strive this week to be a little better and do a little more to be like the Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
.

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Jesus, My Brother, I Will Fall
Letter to her father

Dearest Father,
I had the best lesson today in my Book of Mormon class! Brother Griffin is my teacher and he is awesome. We spent all of our time talking about Chapter 11 in 3 Nephi which is basically all a Temple text, which means Christ taught at the temple when He showed himself to the people of Nephi.
So right before chapter 11, the sign was given that the voice of Christ was coming upon them so a great multitude of people were all gathered around the temple waiting. In verse 3 it says,
“And if came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.”
I thought it was really interesting that these people began to look around horizontally rather than looking up vertically to Heavenly Father. They didn’t recognize that the voice came from Heaven. Finally, the third time that the voice was heard, they opened “their ears to hear it;” but Brother Griffen pointed out that they didn’t just open their ears but rather their H*E*A*R*T. And then they looked “steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came” because they opened their hearts and were able to recognize what was happening because they were looking vertically.
Then the absolute best testimony of Jesus Christ that has ever been said came from our Heavenly Father. Verse 7, “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.” That’s all He needed to say is that Jesus truly is His Beloved Son and he sacrificed him for us. The second best testimony is the words Jesus says to the people of Nephi. Verse 11,
“And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.”
I can’t even imagine the wonder and gratitude that would have been in my heart after hearing Jesus say these things. It said the entire multitude fell to the earth when they heard him. Brother Griffin pointed out that when the prophet comes into the room, out of respect we stand, but in Jesus’ case, our reaction is to fall because of the reverence and overwhelming spirit that comes into our hearts. After Jesus proclaims himself as the light of the world, he tells the multitude to “arise and come forth” and to “thrust” our hands into his side and if you remember, the spear wound Jesus has went straight through his heart so symbolically, he is telling us to thrust ourselves into his heart and  become as he is.
This chapter is amazing! Brother Griffin also said that once we go through the temple and are endowed, this chapter is so symbolic and includes the exact reasons why it’s so important we go to the temple. I can only imagine the amazing spirit and testimony that comes from the Celestial Room. The temple magnifies our infinite and intimate relationships with our loved ones and the Savior.
I LOVE THE TEMPLE! I can’t wait to be endowed for my mission here in just a few short months. I sure love you Dad and just thought you would enjoy this thought. Thank you for all you do and for the sacrifice you’ve made for me.
Love your Daughter Always and Forever,
Sadie Leigh

BYU Students Share Letters & Reflections on Scripture

Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”   BYU students take nearly a semester of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Mormon Church: “Focusing on What Really Matters”

Paul’s epistle to the church members in Galatia is his effort to get them to see that the Law of Moses no longer holds any significance now that Christ has come. Anytime the  “law” is mentioned, it is referring to a framework of very literal, checkmark-oriented guidelines given to the Jews because of their transgressions while in the wilderness. This law was an outwardly-measured way to come closer to Christ. What the Jews did not understand, however, was that when Christ came, the higher law was established, and the Law of Moses was obsolete. The purpose for which it was introduced was fulfilled. This was SO HARD for the Jews to accept. In Galatia, there were Judaizers, or church members, who were of the opinion that one must become a member of Judaism first and live the Law of Moses, and then convert to Christianity when sufficiently ready.

In class we discussed situations that can occur today. It is easy for us to get into the same pitfall of looking beyond the mark.  Contending over such things as pinpointing the location of God or or the whereabouts of ancient civilizations mentioned in scripture are appendages to our salvation and can divert us from focusing on the Savior and applying the doctrine.

Sometimes in Mormon culture, a person will focus on the current organization of the Church or a particular leader in their area. Taking issue with a certain individual can lead to doubting the validity of the gospel, which is as pointless as declaring math to be wrong merely because a person solved a problem inaccurately using the methods. The Church is the vehicle by which the gospel is spread. The people within it are not perfect. This simple reality is often lost on people who choose to dwell on a particular component of the Church.

The issue that the Galatian members had with letting go of the Law of Moses is a lesson we can apply to current times as members of the Church. Treating membership like a checklist defeats the pure purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it is a habit that anyone can get caught up in. Reading these ancient stories is so useful in these modern times!

If these reflections helped you, or if you have any questions, I would be happy to hear from you.

Mormon Beliefs

Free Bible

Family

Today, many people have decided that when the Bible ended, God closed down the process of revealing His gospel and thus, no prophets are needed and continuous revelation is unnecessary. Many say it is no longer necessary because people can just pray to know what is true and what God wants, rather than going through an intermediary. But is this a Biblical teaching, or merely one devised to explain the lack of prophets in a person’s own religion?

Mankind has always been taught to pray for truth. After Adam and Eve left the Garden, they needed to pray to God for what they needed and for wisdom. The first specific mention of prayer is found in Genesis 20, when Abraham prayed for Abimelech.

We know, then, that prayer is found in the Bible. Throughout the Bible, we learn of people praying for wisdom and truth—and prophets still existed. The ability to pray did not alleviate the need for prophets at any time in the Bible.

Individuals have always had the ability to seek God’s wisdom for anything within their own sphere of influence. They can pray to know what is true, what to do, how to care for their families, how to carry out their employment, and how to do their church work. They cannot, however, pray to learn how to do someone else’s job. If a Mormon, for instance, is the Primary president over the children, she can pray to learn how to be a better Primary president and to learn how God wants the Primary run. However, she cannot pray to find out how the Relief Society (women’s auxiliary) is to be run, because that isn’t her responsibility.

Mormons, a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe the only person who can pray to learn how God’s entire church should be run and what doctrines are true for the entire church is the prophet. This has been so since the beginning of time.

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

The Bible demonstrates just why we need continuous revelation. Each prophet added new information to the gospel of Jesus Christ—every word after God’s first instruction to Adam has been continuous revelation. It has added to our knowledge of eternal truths, enlarged our understanding, or changed practices. God adapted what was to be practiced at any given time based on the specific needs and abilities of the people.

An example of this is found in Matthew 19. Jesus was asked by the Pharisees why Moses allowed men to divorce their wives. He explained that God allowed it due to the hardness of men’s hearts, but that in the beginning, it was not so. Divorce has not initially been allowed. God had made a change because of the limited capacity of His children at that time. Then Jesus added a new level of requirement to this practice. He taught that if they divorced for any reason other than adultery, they could not remarry. Again, the practice changed to meet the capacity of the people.

Without prophets, God could not have made these changes. He didn’t reveal them to each person individually. He revealed them to Moses and then to Jesus Christ, who then took the information to the people.

We can see, as we look around the world, that the idea of individual revelation only has not really been effective. There are thousands of different religions, even within the Protestant tradition, all disagreeing with each other on essential issues such as marriage or baptism. If individual prayer was all that was needed, there would be just one faith and everyone would agree. However, the role of individual prayer has always been to confirm the truths revealed to the prophets, not to turn each of us into prophets, something God has never done in the history of the world. The Bible shows us only certain people are called to be prophets—we cannot call ourselves to that role and it has never been given to everyone to receive new revealed truths. New universal revelation has always come through God’s chosen prophets.

Learn who God’s prophet is today: Thomas S. Monson

Hartman Rector, Jr. and his wife Connie were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February of 1952. Seventeen years later, he was called as a General Authority into the First Council of the Seventy for the Church. He has spent his life in devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and wrote a book compiling many conversion stories. Each story is unique and compelling. One story he recounts is Don Vincenzo Di Francesca:

Early one cold morning Vincenzo received a note about a sick friend. While he was on his way down Broadway toward the ailing friend’s home, a strong breeze from the open sea rustled the pages of a book, which had been thrown upon a barrel full of ashes ready for the city trash truck. The form and the binding of the pages gave him the idea that it was a discarded religious book, and curiosity pushed him to retrieve it. He plucked it from the ashes and beat it against the trunk of the trash barrel. He looked at the frontispiece and found it torn; the cover was completely missing. The fury of the wind turned the pages in his hand, and he saw names that he had never in his life seen before. In his haste to go on to his destination, he wrapped the soiled book in the newspaper he had just bought and continued toward his colleague’s house, where he visited with him and consoled and advised him.

After Vincenzo’s return home, as soon as he could get his coat off and warm himself, he opened the book and began to read. He came across some of the writings of Isaiah—a name he recognized—and was convinced that it was a fine religious book he had found. But he could not detect the name of it since the cover and some pages were missing, and other pages were too soiled to be legible. He went out to the drug store and bought 20 cents’ worth of denatured alcohol, and with this and a cotton-pad he washed the remainder of the pages. Then he read them.

“I felt as though I was receiving fresh revelation and much new light and knowledge,” he recalls. “I was also charmed to think of the source by which I had obtained the book. Many of the lectures in the book left in my memory a strong magnetic attraction, and I felt urged to re-read it several times, always satisfied that it fit very well with other scripture, as though it were a fifth Gospel of the Redeemer.

“The next day I locked my door and knelt with the book in my hands. First, I reviewed the 10th chapter of Moroni, and then I prayed to know if the book were of God. I also asked if I could mix the words of it with the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in my public preaching.

“While I was in that pose, awaiting a positive answer, I first felt my body become cold and my heart palpitate as if it would speak, and then I felt a gladness as if I had found something of extraordinary preciousness. It left in my memory sweet consolation and supreme joy that human language finds no words to describe.

“The book was easy to understand without effort. The more I read it and thought about it, the more I was impressed that I had received the assurance that God had answered my prayer and I knew that the book was of great benefit to me and to all who would heed its words.

“Within a few days my preaching was strung with the new words of the book, and the listeners became amazed and enthralled with the new power in these sermons, at the same time becoming indifferent to some of my fellow preachers. Thus while the esteem towards me grew, so did professional anger and envy and suspicion. One day I was interrupted in a meeting by the Vice Venerable, when he heard me talking of Mary the Virgin and substituting the vision of 1 Ne. 11:15-36. This arrogant authority encouraged my colleagues to sit in all my meetings and contradict any new doctrine! These contradictions and indignities made me rebel, and I became disobedient to the warnings for me to observe the strict methods of the sect.

“Next I was denounced to the Committee of Censure who, with fatherly words, counseled me to burn the book of the devil that had brought so much trouble to the harmony of the brothers who loved me.

Francesca then left his church and set out to preach the teachings of this mysterious book and find the source by which it came.

“In May, 1930, I stumbled onto the source of my precious book. It happened while I was looking in my French dictionary for the significance of a pulley invented by a Frenchman. As I was thumbing through the M’s, my eyes fell upon the words “Mormon sect.” I quickly wrote to the president of the ‘University of Provo,’ which was mentioned in the article, and asked for information about the remainder of the book that talks of Nephi, Alma, Mosiah, Mormon, Isaiah, Lamanites, etc. He passed my letter to the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in another month I heard from President Heber J. Grant. He sent me a copy of the Book of Mormon in Italian and said that he had informed the president of European Missions in Liverpool, England, Elder John A. Widtsoe, to arrange baptism.

“On June 5, 1932, Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Council of the Twelve came to Naples intending to baptize me, but a revolution between Fascists and anti-Fascists on the Island of Sicily caused the police of Palermo to prevent me from going to Naples, and I had to wait for another chance, like Moses in anticipation of the promised land.

“I was called to arms during the Italian-Ethiopian war in 1934, and this further prevented anyone with authority from reaching me for baptism.

“On January 14, 1937, I started correspondence with Elder Richard R. Lyman, European Missions President, and later with the president of the British Mission. President Hugh B. Brown of that mission eventually came to Rome intending to baptize me, but his letter of invitation for me to go to Rome was delayed until the day in which he and his family left Rome for America because of the outbreak of World War II, when the missionaries in Europe returned to America. Thus I was deprived of baptism, and cut off from any news of the Church.

“I remained a faithful follower and fervent preacher of the gospel of this dispensation, being in possession of the standard works of the Church. I translated those works in my idiom and sent the important chapters to persons of my acquaintance.

“On February 13, 1949, I started again the correspondence with Elder John A. Widtsoe and I asked him to help me to be baptized soon. He answered that he had written asking President Samuel Bringhurst of the Swiss-Austrian Mission to come down to Sicily and baptize me.

“On January 18, 1951, I was baptized by President Bringhurst in the Thermal Waters of Termini Irnerese, Sicily, in the South of Italy.

“In 1954 I made a trip to the Swiss Temple for my own endowments, and this first step was quickly followed by other trips to do temple work for my ancestors.

“You can see that I have toiled hard to find the salvation in the kingdom of God which was spoken of in the remainder of the pages of the book without title page or cover. I pray earnestly that my story will be copied into the historical record of the Italian District [now Mission] so that future converts can learn clearly that man does not live by bread alone but lives also by the word of God. To all the saints in Zion I clasp hands across the ocean in true brotherhood.”

This story touches the very depths of my soul as it testifies of the power of the Book of Mormon. I have a very special testimony of the Book of Mormon. My testimony has hinged on the truth that I have of the reality of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true and it reveals that the Lord’s Church has been restored upon the earth and that it is functioning after the Holy Order of God, His priesthood. I invite you to request a copy of the Book of Mormon from Mormon.org as I know you will find the answer to your questions in life.

This article was written by Mady Clawson, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mady Clawson is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon” single adult), with a zest for the gospel. She currently studies English, with an emphasis in Professional Writing and Communications at BYU-Idaho.

Additional Resources:

The Bible in Mormonism

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Mormon Worship

Hartman Rector, Jr. and his wife Connie were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February of 1952. Seventeen years later, he was called as a General Authority into the First Council of the Seventy for the Church. He has spent his life in devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and wrote a book compiling many conversion stories. Each story is unique and compelling. One story he recounts is of Clifford J. Barborka, Jr.

Material wealth, social position, worldly pleasures-these things have always been a threat to righteousness. Clifford Barborka almost succumbed to them.

His wife, the talented singer Melva Niles, accepted the gospel first. His resistance to it caused much conflict between them, and this tension was not eased by his health impairments caused by his heavy smoking and drinking. How was God going to reach down and lift a life like this?

The Lord’s hand is indeed evident as the story unfolds. Today, many thousands of Church members and nonmembers alike from coast to coast have seen and enjoyed the programs presented by the talented Clifford and Melva as they, serve their full-time informal mission. In this way as well as during their formal stake mission, they have borne to multitudes the fervent gospel testimony they feel.

For their talents and services, this couple formerly received an annual income in six figures. But as the reader clearly sees, their real success and happiness came when they were “hired” by the Lord.

In His own words, Barborka recounts his conversion:

When Melva Niles and I first met in 1947, she was starring in “Song of Norway” and had accompanied the show on its national tour. As we progressed towards marriage she made great strides in her career. Fortunately, Melva has always been first a wife and second a career woman, especially after our two sons were born. This attitude is rare among talented women.

In the meantime I became Midwest Sales Manager for John Blair & Company, which was the leader in its field and the first radio-television station representative firm to pass the $100 million gross figure. In 1958 I became vice president of that company, Director of Midwest Operations, and a member of the board of directors. Soon I would become the fifth largest stockholder of the company.

I mention these and other matters here, not for purposes of self-aggrandizement, but rather to set forth the background of our lives as they were when the gospel found us. Educated in mid-western private schools, and very much a part of the world both personally and professionally, I had never even heard of the name, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” and I knew of the Mormons only as a group headed by Brigham Young in a historical exodus to the west. My father’s background was Catholic, my mother’s family was Methodist, but we had long since fallen away from any formal religion.

One sunny day in July of 1956, my phone rang while I was in the midst of a most important meeting; Melva had called to tell me that she had been talking to two young men who told her about another young man who said he had seen God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ! This was so incredible to me that I told her to “get them out of our apartment and do so at once, and they are not to come back.” This was the beginning of our personal Armageddon.

To Melva, this was the moment of truth for which her soul must have been thirsting, because she received an immediate testimony that these young missionaries were telling the truth. Subsequently she met regularly with them. Even I settled for two meetings at later dates. At one of these meetings, I tried to point out errors in the missionaries’ teachings and presented an opposite viewpoint. Then I invited a personal friend, an Episcopalian priest, to have dinner with us and the young missionaries so that Melva might compare the learned with the unlearned, be brought back to the facts of life, and thus stop asking me to get involved. How well I remember that night! Intellectually, the priest dominated the young missionaries; however, I told Melva afterwards that I believed the two young men more than I did my long-time friend, the priest—but that, with all our other commitments and responsibilities, we could not get involved in a church.

Melva and her older son ended up joining the Church, but Clifford would not. He could not let go of the worldly vices that kept him from spirituality. He also was very sick, due to smoking three and a half packs of cigarettes a day. He thought he had “graver things to think about.” He continues:

Melva made a tragically prophetic statement shortly after she was baptized (I did not attend her baptism). She said that if I continued to stay away from the Church and did not take it seriously, we would lose everything. I did stay away and I did procrastinate with my inner feelings, and her prophecy was true in so many ways.

Then in 1963 we had a particularly serious argument about religion, and the next morning I found a letter from my wife which caused me to realize the desperate and lonely situation that confronted Melva. She had gone as far as she could go without her husband. The letter truly touched me, and at this time I realized something serious had to be done. It was at this point that I began to accompany my family to Sunday School regularly and to study the scriptures and the writings of Church leaders. We invited the missionaries to dinner often, but still I was not really opening my heart to their message.

In studying the scriptures I discovered new and profound meanings. Especially was I amazed at how the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants supplement and add veracity to the Bible. Then in class on Sunday I began to feel a radiant spirit among some of the members, and my curiosity began to grow. Now gospel discussions were more common in my life, and soon it was apparent to me that the Book of Mormon was at least unique and exceptionally interesting.

After coming out of the waters of baptism, I had that exhilarating feeling that comes when the spirit has subjugated the physical man. It was so strong that I knew I had been “hired” by the Lord for his purposes and that I was truly different from what I had been the day before. Since I did not want to be “fired” from the Lord’s employ, and since the priesthood was more important to me than any job I had ever had, I knew that the Lord and I would overcome my Word of Wisdom problem, so instead of pills I turned to prayer. Whereas I had been accustomed to having a fresh cigarette in my hand every fifteen minutes, it now became a matter of a prayer on my lips almost every fifteen minutes. I will not detail the conquering of this habit—this minor requirement of gospel living—except to say that it was not easy. But I knew it was necessary, and ever since the day I was baptized, I have been able to testify to the truth of the Word of Wisdom, for I am still in better health than ever before, and the liver and lung impairments, while not cured, are surely arrested.

Clifford and his wife spent a lifetime “hired” by the Lord and fulfilling His purposes. They served in hundreds of wards, branches, and stakes across the globe. They accumulated over 120,000 miles in missionary service and have received more then they’d ever ask for. The story of the Barboka family is an example of what the gospel can bring to a family. They no longer cared of money or materials, but of God and His employ. The reward is far greater. The same can be for you, and I invite you to seek the missionaries and come to know of the truth.

Excerpt taken from No More Strangers, vol. 1, Hartman and Connie Rector.

This article was written by Mady Clawson, a meber of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mady Clawson is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (ʺMormonʺ single adult), with a zest for the gospel. She currently studies English, with an emphasis in Professional Writing and Communications at BYU-Idaho.

Additional Resources:

The Lord Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Mormon Scriptures

The Meaning of Life

Mormon Missionaries

The answer to the question, “Are Mormons saved?” is yes, but a simple yes doesn’t really answer the question. Mormons use the term “saved” a little differently and the answer might depend on your definition of the term. The Bible uses the word “saved” to mean many different things, all of which the Mormons, a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accept. To understand the Bible, we have to consider the way the scriptures fit together and not look at single scriptures in isolation.

Mormons believe that we cannot save ourselves. No one can live a perfect life—only Jesus Christ was able to do that. He met all the requirements of a Savior and was the only One who could save us. What does it mean that He saved us?

Mormons teach that the atonement has two aspects. Some portions of it are given freely to all, regardless of the choices they make on the earth. For instance, because Jesus atoned for our sins, died on the cross, and was resurrected, we all are resurrected and live forever—even the wicked receive that particular gift.

Others require action on our part to activate. To receive the full measure of the atonement, one must accept Jesus Christ as his or her Savior (an act), be baptized (an act), and keep the commandments of God. Most Christian religions accept that certain acts are required to be saved. They accept that one must accept Jesus Christ as the Savior, and many also require baptism.

Baptism is so important and essential that even Jesus insisted on being baptized by immersion, despite having no sins to be forgiven of. He taught his disciples that both faith and baptism is required for salvation: Baptism is an act. We are not saved by our actions, but actions are required as part of the process—and must, as this Bible verse makes clear, be accompanied by faith:

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16).

Peter also taught this doctrine: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:37-38).

Jesus warned us that while confessions of faith are an important part of our salvation, they must be accompanied by righteousness:

“9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10)

These verses tell us that we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, but also have that confession of faith be sincere and life-changing enough to cause us to obey the commandments and to become righteous. A confession of faith that doesn’t change our lives is meaningless. The mouth says the words, but the heart obeys God.

Many scriptures emphasize the importance of keeping the commandments in order to return to God. This is where the confusion about Mormon beliefs concerning being saved come from. Many people misinterpret the Mormon emphasis on keeping commandments as being a belief that we can earn our way into Heaven. This is not actually what Mormons teach. In fact, the true Mormon belief is not that different from traditional Christianity, except that we emphasize it more, making certain our members understand that love must be accompanied by action:

If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

The Bible is emphatic in its teachings that faith without works is dead. If we say we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, but spend our days harming others and committing sins, we clearly didn’t really mean it. Our works are a manifestation of our faith—if, and only if—they are done for the right reason, which is love for Jesus Christ. Jesus consistently condemned the Pharisees for carrying out their faith for show, but then sinning privately, and He condemned those who obeyed for all the wrong reasons. For this reason, the claimed differences between Mormon beliefs and Protestant beliefs on this subject is really just wordplay. Mormons believe our works will develop out of our love. A former Mormon prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, once said, “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” Our attitude toward obedience is a direct measure of our love for Jesus Christ, and it is for this reason Mormons spend a lot of time talking about commandments. Mormons want their members to live the way God has asked them to live—and to do so joyfully and for the right reasons.

Are Mormons saved? They have faith, they are baptized, and they receive the Holy Ghost. They repent of their sins and work to keep the commandments of God. They trust in the atonement of Jesus Christ to do for them what they cannot possibly do for themselves. They are saved as far as they can be saved in mortality, but no one completes the process until the final judgment. At that time, the Savior, and no one else, will determine their final status. Only Jesus Christ may say who is saved and who is not.

Mormon funerals are a time for family and friends to gather to share in their sadness at a temporary separation from someone they love, as well as to celebrate the life and future of the person who has died.

Mormons believe life is a three-stage process, the first beginning before birth, the second during our mortal life, and the final stage our eternal lives. For most people, eternity will be spent in Heaven. Mormons know Heaven to be a wonderful place. While not everyone will live with God (because the Bible outlines the rules for returning home to God), God has prepared a wonderful home for all but the most evil. Mormons don’t believe only Mormons go to Heaven—they don’t, in fact, believe only Christians go to Heaven. You do, however, have to accept Jesus as your Savior and agree to live the principles He taught in order to live in the presence of God. Those who die without the opportunity to do so will be taught the gospel after death and be permitted to make their choice then. Those who die too young to make a choice—children under the age of eight, return directly home to God without the need for baptism. The atonement of Jesus Christ covers them. The atonement also allows everyone to be resurrected, to live forever, and to repent. It makes salvation possible.

This means that a funeral is a cause for celebration for nearly everyone and is viewed as a graduation and going away party. Of course, it is held in the chapel, so it is reverent and respectful. However, while you will see plenty of tears, you won’t see hysteria, anger, or uncontrollable grief.

When someone dies, they are buried in white. If they had a temple recommend (permission to enter a Mormon temple as a result of personal worthiness) they are buried in the white clothing they wore in the temple, which includes a white dress for women and a white shirt, pants, and tie for men.

After the viewing, the family prays together and the casket is closed. When the casket is brought to the Mormon chapel (not the Mormon temple), the guests are already seated. The casket is displayed at the front of the chapel, usually to the side by the door located at the front of the chapel. The family enters and is seated in the front rows.

Visitors will notice most people are not dressed in all black clothing. They wear church clothing if they have it—dresses or skirts for women, and sports suits for men—and the nicest thing they have if they don’t have those items. All black clothing is not required because Mormons know that death is only a transition, not the end of existence or even the end of the family. Mormons believe you take your relationships with you. Mormon marriages that occur in the Mormon temples are forever, not just this life and their children are also theirs forever. This means that while Mormons will miss the person terribly, the farewell is not forever and does not signify the end of a happy marriage or family. Who would want to live forever without their families?

The funeral begins with an opening hymn and prayer. A priesthood holder conducts the meeting—often the bishop, who is a lay pastor. There will frequently be a musical number as well, since most congregations have many skilled singers.

Rather than a single sermon, there are usually several speakers at a Mormon funeral. One will remind—or explain if some guests are not Mormon—Mormon beliefs on life after death. Since Mormons believe life after death is nearly always wonderful, this is a reassuring and upbeat talk about family reunions and eternal joy.

Following this, the focus is on the individual who died. At a recent funeral I attended, a long-time family friend shared for the young adult children of the woman who had died the story of how the parents met and the miracles, prayers, and longing that led to the births of the children. They were reminded just how much they had been wanted. Another speaker, a sibling of the deceased, gave the eulogy. Throughout the talks, there was laughter over the humorous moments of a life joyfully lived, smiles at the successes of the life, inspiration in the courage of someone who faced many trials with courage and a smile, and longing for the loss of the daily influence of this person in our lives. However, there was also joy as we pictured her life now, in the final stage, and anticipation in our future reunions with her.

For Mormons, funerals are a sad time because our friend or family member has moved far away, but joy in knowing the challenges of life are complete and the person now knows only happiness and the peace of Heaven. The video below features the current president of the Mormons (before he was the president) talking about the death of a childhood friend and what he shared with the friend’s mother about eternal life many years ago.