agency – Page 3 – What Do Mormons Believe?

To Sing a Song of Redeeming Love

There are times in my life when feelings are particularly poignant towards my Savior. I read the scriptures, I pray and and I try the best I can to do His will and I ask myself, as Alma once asked, “if [I] have experienced a change of heart, and if have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can [I] feel so now?.” (Alma 5:26) The answer at times may be yes or no. I certainly try to keep that feeling to sing a song of redeeming love concerning my Savior. It is difficult, yes, but the rewards are infinite in scope and value.

The price to pay for these rewards is ourselves. Our Heavenly Father asks us to be humble and penitent toward Him and to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. When we give ourselves, our will and our lives, to Christ, He gives them right back to us in a purer condition and also with His blessings. These might be spiritual blessings such as peace in one’s heart or also blessings of prosperity and success. It is important to realize that He allows us to retain our freedom even when we give ourselves to Him.

This is diametrically opposed to the manner the world sees it and how the world operates. Many things petition us for our time, energy and will that will enslave us and will never set us free willingly. I have seen families destroyed by abuse of alcohol and individuals reduced to nothing because of all kinds of destructive habits. There is no real freedom there.

The power to free us remains in Christ. We must choose Him to become free spiritually. “But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son.” (Alma 12:33) That mercy will allow us to break the chains that hold us down and to destroy habits that enslave.

All can be free through Christ. It truly is a glorious prospect, and not one that comes easy. It takes a sincere desire to change one’s being, from thought to action, and, more importantly, the humility to understand the powerlessness one has in a current situation. But where there is a lack of power and ability, Christ makes up the difference. “But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” (2 Nephi 1:15) From binding chains to arms that embrace is a reality that does happen. I know it does. I have seen it, I have felt it and I can’t imagine a better way to show my appreciation for it than by sharing it.

The Fall of Adam and Eve

In terms of doctrinal subjects, the case of Adam and Eve can be one of the more difficult to explain and understand. The Biblical story can seem confusing. I have found myself in the past studying this complex and important part of the Plan of Salvation because I plainly did not understand it. The ‘whys’ didn’t seem to line up. But with some time, I began to understand the importance and need for this event.

Before the fall, there was the creation of Earth. Before that, there was a council. Our Heavenly Father presented a plan for us to progress from our spiritual state to one where we could be like Him. For this to be accomplished, we needed to come to Earth and gain a body, experience life, and learn to use the agency given us to submit our will to His through doing all that he would command us to do (Abraham 3:24-25). This plan encompassed all these things. God knew what would happen on Earth. He knew that Adam and Eve would eat the forbidden fruit and would have to leave His presence, He knew of wars among His children, He knew of the pain and suffering they would pass through and He knew that left alone, His children could never return to Him. That is precisely why the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the key part of this plan. God planned that once the fall of Adam and Eve occurred, He would teach them about the Atonement so that they could live and grow in spite of being separated from God.

Once all the future of the Earth was planned according to God’s power, He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to create the Earth. And create it, He did (Ephesians 3:9). He created it beautifully and perfectly and placed the plants, animals, and man there. Once Adam and Eve were there, God commanded them to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). Furthermore, they were told that they could eat of any plant or tree in the Garden of Eden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them that if they were to eat of this tree that they would die (Moses 3:17), however He gave to them agency and expressly told them that it was given to them to choose. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden in a state of innocence, not knowing good or evil, nor did they know what happiness or sadness were (Moses 5:11). They existed, and little more.

The book of Moses tells us that Satan did not know the mind of God (Moses 4:6) and wanted to destroy God’s plan for his children. Through a serpent, he told Eve that she ought to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil so that her eyes could be opened, to know good from evil (Moses 4:11). Now, eating this fruit was something that God had warned them against because of the consequences. Eating this fruit would cause them to become mortal and therefore imperfect. They would eventually die. Mortal man, stained with his own sins, cannot withstand the presence of God in a permanent setting, so this also separated them from God. God never allows us to make decisions that separate us from Him without first warning us, hence the commandment He gave Adam and Eve.

Eve saw that the result of knowing good from evil was indeed a desirable thing so being deceived by Satan, she ate the fruit. As evidenced by Adam’s confession to God a few verses later (Moses 4:18, Genesis 3:12), Adam was commanded to remain with Eve. Once Eve had eaten the fruit, Adam saw that he must either partake of the fruit or be separated from Eve. It is a good thing that he chose the first or none of us would be here.

Adam and Eve’s world changed then. It no longer was a paradise that grew all sorts of foods without effort. It became a place where Adam and Eve had to work to live. Aside from being a reference to the separation of God from the world, it provided an environment where mankind had to work, be humble towards God and rely on His mercies. According to the plan, Adam learned the gospel of Jesus Christ and knew that the Atonement was coming. He taught his children this truth and rejoiced in the knowledge of his Lord and Savior.

While the Fall of Adam and Eve may seem like a tragic event, it isn’t. It’s true that they transgressed the commandments of God, but that event provided an opportunity for all of the spirit children of God to come to a place to receive a body and have the opportunity to become like God himself if they chose to do so. Even though Adam and Eve disobeyed, God is merciful. He provided a way for them to be forgiven of that transgression through His Son–the only sinless person who has or ever will live on this earth. Likewise, all of the posterity of Adam and Eve, us, have claim upon this wonderful opportunity of forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ if we will choose to receive it into our lives.

Our Life on Earth

I have met many people in my life who struggle with the questions, “Why am I here? What am I doing with my life? What should I be doing with my life?” Fortunately, there is an answer.

Life is full of ups and downs. At times we feel inclined to sing, rejoice and be happy. At others times, we feel as though we are treading through paths of misery and woe. In spite of life’s difficulties and pains, we are not meant to be continually mourning. Our purpose here in life is actually to have joy. The prophet Lehi of the Book of Mormon stated, “Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25) We exist in order to have joy!

While in this life, we ought to be happy and we ought to be preparing to join God in His Heaven after this life (Alma 34:32). The two go hand in hand. When we choose to prepare to meet God, that is, we choose to shun the evil and pursue the good, we will be more happy. It is in God’s nature to be happy and everything that is good (including happiness) comes from God. Obedience to the commandments and happiness are related. Conversely, when we make poor decisions that are contrary to the commandments of God, we cannot expect to be happy forever because wickedness never was happiness. (Alma 41:10)

Every decision we have to make has consequences. We are allowed in this life to make our own choices but we cannot choose the consequences that our decisions incur. Those consequences can be good and bring us knowledge, success or peace or those consequences can be just the opposite and damage the body, mind and soul. The commandments that God has given us are guidelines of a loving parent so that we might more fully enjoy life without being encumbered with additional pains. When we keep the commandments in our hearts and seek to obey them, God has promised a fuller and more abundant life. They are not intended to restrict, but to free. Milton R. Hunter, a member of the quorum of the seventy wrote in the book, ‘The Gospel through the Ages,’ the following about living life, “Religion is the highest expression of man’s will to live and to have that life more abundantly. Religion is the outreaching of the human heart for the most worthwhile things that life offers. In fact, it is the highest aspect of our struggle for life, beauty and happiness.” Those commandments contained in the Bible become less of a burden and more of a joy when we realize what things are truly worthwhile in the larger scheme of things.

When considering this principle of consequences from actions, one must not assume all pain and suffering comes from bad choices. Life is a growing experience. God did not place us all in a static environment. That would show nothing from us. All people grow more when they are stretched to their limits. “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and mygrace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:27) Our real responsibility when dealing with hard times is to remember that we still control our attitude. The way we react to situations speaks volumes of our true self. When we have hope, we allow God to help us grow in trials. When we despair, we are left to languish and deteriorate.

God did not intend for us to only react, however, and He has given us certain commandments that we must be charitable towards our fellow man. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39). When we love God, we love our neighbor. We serve him and when we serve our neighbor, we are serving our God. (See James 1:27 and Matthew 25:34-40)

A truly full and abundant life would not be complete without our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through His gospel, He can be a daily part of our life. Through Him, our efforts to serve God will not be in vain. We will grow, our fellow man will grow, and we will all be perfected in Him. This process is continuous and does not end, even when this life will end. Our true faith and our willingness to come to Christ will be an integral part of our life and it will show.

See “The Plan of Salvation“

Who gets to be saved?

Road to Heaven Q. I am a Christian and go to the First Christian Church here in town, am I wrong? I was wondering if you believe that I am damned to hell if I don’t switch to your Church.

Will you go to hell for not being a Mormon? Heavens no. You’ll get a heaven very much like the one that is taught in your church—a glorious place, beyond imagination, where Jesus Christ reigns and you live throughout eternity as an angel, singing praises to Him.

So why, you may ask, are you Mormons so insistent that everyone else join your church? I’ll tell you: “In [our] Father’s house there are many mansions” (John 14:2) and the heaven that most of Christianity is yearning for isn’t even all that the Father wants to give us. Even the very lowest level mansion (or kingdom) is beyond our imagination in terms of splendor and glory and beauty and happiness. But what He really intended for us for eternity is exaltation, not just salvation. He wants us to have eternal families—meaning you, your spouse and children will stay together as a family unit for eternity, not just until death. He wants us to return to Him, He wants us to have everything that He has.

Those blessings of exaltation are only available through living the Gospel valiantly, through the ordinances performed by His priesthood here on the earth, (which priesthood was restored through Joseph Smith) and, most importantly, through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to earth to save us all. Not just the Lutherans or the Baptists or the Mormons. His atonement is big enough to save everyone who will come unto Him and accept His help (2 Nephi 26:23-28, 1 Cor. 15:22). However, if we reject His sufferings in our behalf, we will have to suffer for our sins ourselves (read about that here). But when all of the suffering is over and Christ’s work is done, salvation will be given to all.

The object of our Church and its doctrines is to make our entire existence joyful. Live on earth more compassionately and wisely, avoid unnecessary suffering and sin, enjoy our time in Paradise before we are resurrected because Christ will have already suffered for our sins, and then return to live with God forever, with our families. The alternative has a happy ending too, but with a lot of unnecessary sadness and misery on the way (and no families forever).

i want these guys forever — I want these guys forever

“Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he that commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.” (2 Nephi 26:27)

For more information on this incredible topic, read these:

D&C 76 (the vision given to Joseph Smith describing the kingdoms of glory)

D&C 19 (talks about suffering for sins—both Christ’s and what we will have to do if we don’t accept Him)

D&C 45 (Christ talking as our advocate before the Father)

“Salvation and Exaltation” by Russell M. Nelson (talks about the differences between the two)

“Our Father’s Plan – Big Enough for All of His Children” by Quentin L. Cook (talks about how Mormons are different from most other Christians in that they don’t see everyone but them going to hell)

“The Plan of Salvation”

Baptisms for the Dead

Q. What happens to people who die without being taught/accepting baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Heavenly Father has prepared another chance for them to hear the gospel and choose to accept or reject it.

The official Church website explains: “Jesus Christ taught that baptism is essential to the salvation of all who have lived on earth (see John 3:5) Many people, however, have died without being baptized. Others were baptized without proper authority. Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism. By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors. Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf.”

Baptism is the first ordinance of the gospel. It is so important that even Jesus Christ asked to be baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness. Because Heavenly Father desires for us all to return to Him, He has made it possible for the dead to have the same opportunities as the living through the temple ordinances.

Some have the misconception that this temple work forces the deceased persons into covenants against their will. This is entirely false. All spirits maintain their free will after death and can opt to accept or refuse the ordinance of baptism. When a living person is baptized and receives the Gift of the Holy Ghost in behalf of a deceased person, it is only to give the deceased person the opportunity – the option of redemption.

LDS.org also reveals: “Many in the spirit world embrace the gospel. However, they cannot receive priesthood ordinances for themselves because they do not have physical bodies. In holy temples, we have the privilege of receiving ordinances in their behalf. These ordinances include baptism, confirmation, Melchizedek Priesthood ordination (for men), the endowment, the marriage sealing, and the sealing of children to parents. The Lord revealed this work to the Prophet Joseph Smith, restoring a practice that had been revealed to Christians shortly after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:29 ).

Part of the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to Redeem the Dead. Because of this, we participate in genealogy/family history work to find our ancestors who were not able to hear and accept the gospel while on earth. Many in my family are involved in this work because of our desire to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to their fathers as mentioned at the very end of the old testament.

I love going to the temple. There is such a special feeling that accompanies me when I’m in the House of the Lord. Doing the physical ordinances for my ancestors who have passed on is an amazing experience because I know that many of them have been waiting for hundreds of years to finally have their baptism performed. Being a part of their spiritual progression is remarkable. I know that God is merciful and mindful of each of us because He gives everyone a fair chance at accepting or rejecting the message of the gospel.