Q. Do Mormons believe Jesus canoed across the Atlantic to America?
Of course not. He just walked across.
Joseph Smith Spoke with God
Q: Was Joseph Smith hearing from God himself? Can you tell me about this one?
Good question. The answer is yes. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet who heard from and spoke with God himself. And yes, I’ll tell you about this too, but I’ll give a little background first.
We believe that God has always called prophets to teach and guide others. We’ve seen that God has called numerous prophets in the Bible, first starting with Adam. Adam taught the people, but eventually his teachings were rejected by the people and they fell into darkness and apostasy. But God loves his children, so he sent another prophet, Noah. Again, we see that he taught the people, but his message was also eventually rejected and the people fell from the truth. Again, God sends another prophet, Moses… and we see that this cycle continues. God calls a prophet, the prophet teaches the gospel, but his teachings are rejected and the people fall away. This continues throughout the Bible even until the time of Christ.
As we all know, Jesus Christ taught the people, but many didn’t listen to his teachings. Not only did they reject his message, but they crucified our Lord. Later, they also rejected and killed the apostles. At this time, the people fell into a great apostasy, a great rebellion against God and his gospel.
We know that God is an unchanging God, and that he still loves his children. That is why he has called a prophet for our day. As a young boy in 1820 Joseph Smith wanted to know which church was true. He searched the Bible for a better understanding and he read that he should ask of God. (James 1:5) Acting on this instruction, Joseph went into the woods near his home and prayed.
In Joseph Smith’s own words he says what happened, “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith – History 1:16-17)
Joseph Smith did see God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. He spoke with them face to face. Joseph was given a divine mission as a prophet of God. Through him, the Lord accomplished a great and marvelous work that included bringing forth the Book of Mormon, restoring the priesthood, revealing precious gospel truths, and organizing the true Church of Jesus Christ.
As I mentioned, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, which comes with a promise given in the last chapter, “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Moroni 10:4) Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can say they know that Joseph Smith’s story is true, because they’ve taken the time to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:16)
Ultimately, it is up to each individual to study, pray, and find out for him or herself whether this story about Joseph Smith is true. I would encourage you to take the time to do these things too.
Women and the Priesthood
Q. What is the LDS position on women as priests/pastors/leaders/whatever they are called?
Well, the Church’s position is that women are very capable leaders. The women’s organization (Relief Society) is led by 4 women (president, 1st counselor, 2nd counselor, secretary) with the same organization in the Primary (children’s classes). Women also lead the teenage girls (Young Women Organization) in the same fashion. Women give sermons for the whole church, and they teach Sunday school lessons. However, the main body of the congregation (called a ward, or a branch) is led by men.
As far as women being priests, pastors, or whatevers, that just isn’t women’s job. Okay, that sounds sexist, but it isn’t, just hear me out (and know that I am a woman).
See, God isn’t running a democracy and He doesn’t have to give His power to everyone to be fair. He is running a theocracy; and it works well because He knows everything, understands what we need, and is completely Good.
So He has assigned the worthy men the role of carrying his authority to preside over the church, give Priesthood blessings, and serve as God himself would serve. This is really good for men, in general. It gives them the opportunity and responsibility to take care of others, serve, and become selfless. Men sometimes have a hard time looking outside themselves, and with this responsibility solely on their shoulders, they are solely responsible to God for how they do. If they don’t do what they are supposed to bad things can happen. That’s how apostasy comes about.
He gave women an equally responsible job–they are in charge of raising their children to be God-loving, respectful, and well-balanced. This is a huge job: like the Priesthood, they are accountable to God for how they do; and, like the priesthood, the responsibility helps them take care of others, serve, and become selfless. If they don’t follow through with their duties, and their children grow up without knowing God, or keeping His commandments, bad things can happen. That’s why the earth was flooded.
Both men and women are heading for salvation, but since our natures are so different, God has given us different responsibilities to round out our weaknesses and accentuate our strengths. That’s why God’s theocracy works–everyone in His kingdom is working toward the same goal and He has tailored their roles to get them there.
Salvation in a Nutshell
Q. What is the Mormon message of salvation in a nutshell? (like, two paragraphs)?
Not a fan of reading, eh? All right, I’ll do it, but you have to promise to do a little more research before you tell your friends at your next barbecue that you ‘studied’ Mormonism.
This is the very center of our beliefs —
The Gospel of Jesus Christ:
We are mortal. We will all die. We, alone, are powerless to stop it. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die for us on the cross; then, after three days He was resurrected. Many deceased souls were awakened from the grave at that time and were given immortal bodies. We have all been promised an eventual release from death also, all because of Jesus Christ.
We make mistakes; not just bad, embarassing choices, but often downright wicked decisions. If you haven’t ever murdered, stolen, or lied, you might be tempted to say this is a problem for other people, but consider this: Is there someone you dislike whom you treat like garbage? Do you do things in secret that you are ashamed of? Are you holding on to a long-running grudge? Do you snap at people? Just as pain is an indicator to your body that your physical body is in danger, guilt warns us when we are in (or approaching) spiritual danger, and few of us are free of guilt.
The punishment for sin is separation from God. We are powerless, on our own, to avoid this consequence. Once again, Jesus Christ provided the way out. He suffered an infinite atonement for our sins, thus making payment for the wrong moves we made (but He never made). We must choose to accept this gracious gift, and along the way start learning how to make good, holy choices. Our purpose isn’t just to fulfill a debt, but to become the sort of person Jesus is.
The start of our path is having faith in Christ. I know He loves me and will help me with the problems in my life. You can have this faith, too. Next comes repentance: turn your life away from your sins and pray for forgiveness. Then, to set out as a new beginning, covenant with God that you will be His disciple your whole life long with baptism by immersion in water. Receive the Holy Ghost after it has been conferred to you through laying on of hands, and finally, live up to your promise and seek the godly road.
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I realize this was double the paragraphs you had anticipated, but it’s such an important topic that you should probably read it again.
Progression
In the Book of Mormon, God tells Nephi, the first contributor to the Book of Mormon “I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have” (2 Nephi 28:30). There are three points to take away from this: First, knowledge of God and how we should live doesn’t come all at once, but a little at a time. Second, if we follow what has been given, we will receive more. Third, if we aren’t willing to follow God’s counsel and live by it, that which was given to us will be taken away. I take this to mean that we will forget the knowledge of God that we had gained.
Throughout my life there have been many things that I haven’t understood about my religion– why I was asked to do this or not do that and so on; the answers were not immediately available. However, as I have sought to understand, understanding has come. For me, the Holy Ghost always confirms this understanding. When this happens to me, it is an epiphany. All of the cards fall into place and I understand the why.
It is similar to climbing to the top of a peak, I cannot always see where the trail leads or what it will look like from the top. However, once I reach the top I can see further than I ever could on the trail below and I can understand better where I am. Furthermore, the view from the top is always worth the struggle. It is the same with living God’s commandments. Sometimes it is hard to do what is right, but once I make up my mind that I am going to do it (choose to do it) the Holy Ghost always confirms that I have made the right choice. These experiences with the Holy Ghost are always worth the effort, because I know that I am acting according to God’s will and that is when the understanding comes, “I can see for miles and miles.” As I have moved from one level of understanding to the next, my belief in God and his prophets has grown and so has my willingness to follow their counsel. Thus, I know that there is always a why, there always has been and I know that there will continue to be an answer even if I don’t immediately understand.
I want to illustrate this point with a personal example that may appear absurd to many of you. During my first year of college I grew a magnificent beard. It was thick and black, and I loved it. However, I felt that I should prepare myself to serve as a missionary for my Church. I knew that this would mean that I had to cut my beard and shave for two years. Nevertheless, I vowed that the day that I returned from my missionary service would be the last day that I shaved for the rest of my life. Begrudgingly I cut my beard and left for my mission.
In the middle of my service in Russia, I was at a meeting with the president of our mission. He was talking about our appearance and how it influences how others see us. He said that everyday it is possible to meet someone who might have a large impact on our lives; therefore, we should always look presentable so as to give them the best possible impression. At that moment, the Holy Ghost filled my heart and I knew that I was being asked not to grow my beard again. I understood the reason behind the rule. The “why.” This might appear silly, but the point is I had progressed in my understanding of why I was asked to keep myself clean-shaven. I am not saying that this applies to everyone else, but it applies to me and I am happy to follow this understanding that I have gained.
Finally, we shouldn’t criticize or judge others if they do not see things or live their life the way we do. Perhaps they haven’t progressed in understanding the way we have or maybe they are beyond us in understanding God and his mysteries. In the context of progression, if we judge others we are saying that we know best and that we are better than others. We should have charity for all people regardless of the choices they make or the lives they live. God loves all of his children and we should do the same and leave the judging up to God, because only he knows our thoughts, desires and intents. Furthermore, he is the only one who truly knows where we are on the path of progression