Jesus Christ Restored His Church To The Earth Through The Prophet Joseph Smith
Left on the earth after the Apostles were gone, were many sincere seekers after truth. However, there were no prophets or seers, so religious leaders had to look into their own hearts and minds to shape doctrine. Without information directly from God, religious leaders were of many, often conflicting, opinions. Councils were convened for the purpose of debating doctrine, and creeds were formulated combining knowledge from the scriptures and the opinions of men. The resulting creeds were apostate in relation to the truths revealed by God to His prophets. Even the nature of deity had been redefined. After the early church fell into apostasy, the Lord patiently waited for seventeen hundred years for the people to return to him. He prepared them, as the world moved from superstition to relative enlightenment, from authoritarianism to individualism. The Lord waited for a time in which He could once again restore the fullness of His gospel to the earth. Finally, the time came. In 1820, in New York, during a time of regional religious revivalism, a young boy went into the woods to ask God which church was true. He described his experience in his own words:
Birth Control And Abortion
The current church stance is that “decisions about birth control and the consequences of those decisions rest solely with each married couple” and that they should consider “the physical and mental health of the mother and father and their capacity to provide the basic necessities of life for their children” when planning a family. Historically, the church discouraged surgical sterilization, like vasectomies and tubal ligation, and encouraged members to only use these options for serious medical conditions after discussing it with a bishop. In 2020, the church’s General Handbook was modified and language regarding surgical sterilization softened. The current General Handbook states: “The Church discourages surgical sterilization as an elective form of birth control. Surgical sterilization includes procedures such as vasectomies and tubal ligations.” The LDS Church opposes elective abortion “for personal or social convenience” but states that abortion could be an acceptable option in cases of rape, incest, danger to the health or life of the mother, or where the fetus has been diagnosed with “severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.”
The Early Church Fell Into Apostasy
When Jesus Christ lived on the earth, He taught the people the gospel, and called Apostles to continue to teach them when He left. Ultimately, those apostles were violently rejected, and within a century much of the church Christ had established was crippled by apostasy from within and persecution from without. A careful reading of the New Testament shows the struggles and the frustrations of the apostles as they were surrounded by unrighteousness on the part of both the believers and non-believers. The apostles were rejected and killed, and the priesthood authority that the Lord had given to them was taken from the earth. While there were still some righteous members who lived, the people as a whole had become wicked, and the fullness of the gospel with its priesthood authority, was forced from the face of the earth. This was prophesied of in the Old Testament by the prophet Amos:
- “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.”
And again in Isaiah:
- “Which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away. Why, when I came, was there no man? When I called, was there none to answer?”
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Views On Gender Diversity And Identity
Expressions and identities for sexuality and gender are “separate, but related” aspects of a person and stem from similar biological origins. According to current church policy, transgender and other gender diverse individuals who have undergone an âelective transsexual operationâ are banned from temple rites or receiving priesthood authority. Additionally, a transgender individual who has undergone gender-confirming surgery may be baptized only with First Presidency approval, and those considering it are barred from baptism. The church has acknowledged differences between gender identity and sexual orientation stating that they have “unfinished business in teaching on .” Gender identity and roles play an important part in Latter-Day Saint teachings which teaches a strict binary of spiritual gender as literal offspring of divine parents.
The Holy Ghost Will Reveal To Mankind The Truth Of All Things
As in ancient times, the Lord has promised that men need not rely on the words and testimonies of others to know that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored. Men have been promised that they can each receive his own witness that this is true. One such promise is located near the end of the Book of Mormon:
- “Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder them in your hearts.
- “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.
- “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe the true gospel has been restored to the earth, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that church. They believe that each individual member has prayed to receive a witness from the Holy Ghost of that truth and that anyone who prays sincerely to that effect will receive the same answer directly from the Lord.
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God The Father Jesus Christ And The Holy Ghost
In LDS Church teachings, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are referred to as the “Godhead“. According to LDS scripture, the Godhead has the following attributes:
- They are three separate and distinct beings.
- They are collectively “one God”, meaning that they are united in spirit, mind, and purpose. According to LDS theology, Jesus is “one” with the Father in the same way as he asked his disciples to be “one” with him and each other.
- Jesus and the Father have physical “bodies of flesh and bone”, while the Holy Spirit does not, though the Holy Spirit has a “spirit body”.
- God the Father is understood to be the literal father of the spirits of humanity, as well as the literal father of both the spirit and physical body of Jesus.
The church’s view of the Godhead breaks with Nicene Creed tradition and believes it returns to the teachings taught by Jesus. It does not accept the creed’s definition of Trinity that the three are “consubstantial” nor the Athanasian Creed‘s statement that they are “incomprehensible”, arguing that the LDS view is self-evident in the Bible that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are separate personsâthree divine beings as illustrated in Jesus’ farewell prayer, his baptism at the hands of John, his transfiguration, and the .
God the Father
Jesus Christ
Holy Ghost
Duties And Expectations Of Church Members
For members of the church, the greatest commandment is to love God with all their heart and the second is to love others as they love themselves. All other commandments are considered appendages to these great commandments /Matthew#22:37-40″ rel=”nofollow”> Matt 22:37-40). Members are encouraged to pray several times a day, to perform good works, and to read scriptures daily.
Members are expected to donate their time, money, and talents to the church, and those who have participated in the endowment ceremony make an oath to donate all that they have, if required of them, to the Lord. To be in good standing and to enter the church’s temples, church members are asked to tithe their income to the church, which is officially interpreted as 10 percent of annual income. In addition, members are invited to donate monthly charitable “fast offerings” , which are used to help the poor and needy in the community members are also encouraged to make other humanitarian donations through the church.
Church members are permitted to think or believe freely on any issue, but are discouraged from publicly criticizing local leaders or general authorities repeated public criticism of the church or its leaders may subject a person to church discipline for apostasy. The church maintains a Strengthening Church Members Committee which monitors members’ publications and refers critical material to local authorities for possible disciplinary action.
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Sexual Orientation Change Efforts
Because of its ban against same-sex sexual activity and same-sex marriage the LDS Church has a long history of teaching that its adherents who are attracted to the same sex can and should attempt to alter their feelings through righteous striving and sexual orientation change efforts . These current teachings and policies leave homosexual members with the option of potentially harmful attempts to change their sexual orientation, entering a mixed-orientation opposite-sex marriage, or living a celibate lifestyle without any sexual expression .:11:20â21
While the LDS church has somewhat softened its stance toward LGBTQ individuals in recent years, leaders continued to communicate into 2015 that changing one’s sexual orientation was possible through personal righteousness, prayer, faith in Christ, psychotherapy, and group therapy and retreats. In the 60s and 70s Church leaders taught that homosexuality was a curable disease and they encouraged self-help attempts by homosexual members to change their sexual orientation and cultivate heterosexual feelings.:13â19 To assist in this, leaders developed an aversion therapy program on BYU campus for gay adolescents and adults in ’59 since simply being attracted to people of the same sex was an excommunicable sin under church president Kimball.:2 The on-campus aversion therapy program lasted into the mid-90s.:90
Who Do Mormons Say Jesus Is
Mormons regard Jesus Christ as the central figure of their faith, and the perfect example of how they should live their lives. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Godhead and a separate being from God the Father and the Holy Ghost. Mormons believe that: Jesus Christ is the first-born spirit child of God.
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Why Do You Baptize For The Dead
Jesus Christ taught that except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God . For those who have passed on without the ordinance of baptism, proxy baptism for the deceased is a free-will offering. According to Church doctrine, a departed soul in the afterlife is completely free to accept or reject such a baptismthe offering is freely given and must be freely received. The ordinance does not force deceased persons to become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor does the Church list deceased persons as members of the Church. In short, there is no change in the religion or heritage of the recipient or of the recipients descendantsthe notion of coerced conversion is utterly contrary to Church doctrine.
Proxy baptism for the deceased is nothing new. It was mentioned by Paul in the New Testament and was practiced by groups of early Christians. As part of a restoration of New Testament Christianity, Latter-day Saints continue this practice. All Church members are instructed to submit names for proxy baptism only for their own deceased relatives as an offering of familial love.
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Can Mormons Have Tattoos
Tattoos Are Strongly Discouraged in the LDS Faith Body art can be a way to express yourself and your personality. … The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints LDS/Mormon strongly discourages tattoos. Words such as disfigurement, mutilation and defilement are all used to condemn this practice.
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Mormonism Is The Core Theology Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter
Mormonism is the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the church are often called Mormons. The term was originally considered derogatory, but today it is considered acceptable. However, the LDS church has explained that the word Mormon is sometimes used to describe other splinter groups that are not affiliated with the Church of Latter-day Saints, such as polygamist groups.
Mormonism is marked by several saving ordinances, or what other religions may call sacraments. These ordinances include baptism by immersion, confirmation, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, an endowment in the temples, and marriage.
Ordinances and covenants help us remember who we are, the LDS church says on its official site. They remind us of our duty to God. The Lord has provided them to help us come unto Him and receive eternal life. When we honor them, He strengthens us.
Myth : Mormons Can’t Drink Caffeinated Beverages
Faithful Mormons do their best to live by a set of health and lifestyle rules known as the Word of Wisdom. The original Word of Wisdom was a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1833 after he prayed about the use of tobacco among church members. The answer Smith received was that men and women should not only avoid tobacco, but also alcohol and “hot drinks,” which were interpreted as coffee and tea. Meat was also to be eaten “sparingly,” only in times of winter and famine, and then always with thanksgiving.
In the original revelation, the Word of Wisdom was less a rule than a “principle with promise” the promise being physical health, wisdom and knowledge to those who follow its guidelines.
“For much of the first decades of the church, the Word of Wisdom was considered good advice, something that good saints might do who wanted the promises in the revelation,” says Bowman. “But there are instances of members not following it, in part because it wasn’t seen as a formal commandment or injunction. The first wagon train that left for Salt Lake City carried coffee with it.”
In the early 20th century, as polygamy ended, Bowman says that the Word of Wisdom took on a new significance as a way of maintaining social boundaries between the Latter-day Saints and outsiders. Eventually, adherence to the Word of Wisdom’s injunctions against alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea became a prerequisite for full activity in the Church.
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Why Dont Mormons Believe Jesus Is God
According to the accounts provided in the Bible, Mary gave birth to Jesus on earth. The birth took place in Bethlehem. He walked the planet without sinning and in complete submission to the will of God the Father for his whole life. Mormons, in contrast to Christians who attend churches that have not been restored, do not hold the belief that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost.
What Is The Role Of God In Latter
It is an apt description of God, who is kind and righteous, smart beyond measure, and powerful beyond compare.Members of the Church believe that the Godhead, often known as the Trinity, is comprised of God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds the belief that God is embodied, despite the fact that His body is faultless and exalted.Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in the Trinity?
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Christian Vs Mormon Practices
Christians believe that all people should strive to follow Christ’s commands and example in their everyday actions. For many, this includes obedience to the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament. Other Christian practices include acts of piety such as prayer and Bible reading. Christians assemble for communal worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection, though other liturgical practices often occur outside this setting. Scripture readings are drawn from the Old and New Testaments, but especially the Gospels.
Mormons wear ceremonial temple garments under their daily clothes and perform baptisms for the dead, and other ordinances by proxy, in temples and doing attendant genealogical research. A dietary code called the Word of Wisdom, currently requiring abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, and illegal drugs caffeinated soft drinks are left to individual discretion. Virtually all Christians hold special ceremonies or rites, often called sacraments. The Mormons call these ceremonies ordinances. The three main ordinances practices by Mormons are Baptism, Confirmation, Sacraments, Endowments and Sealings. While Mormons are expected to confess their sins directly to God as repentance, some Christians confess their sins to a priest.