Mormon Church

Is there a God or not? What is He like? Does He care about individuals? Does He care what we do? Can we communicate with Him?

Why are we here on earth? What happens after we die? Did we live before we were born?

Was Jesus Christ really the literal Son of God in the flesh? Do we need His atonement? Was He literally resurrected, and will we be resurrected? Do we need to keep His commandments?

Are there prophets on the earth today? Can we receive personal revelation from God?

Will we be with our families after we die? How important are marriage and families?

Knowing the Truth is Important

Different religions throughout the world answer these questions differently. The answers are important to us because they govern how we live from day to day, how we choose to spend our time, and especially how we relate to other people. It is the small daily choices we make over time determine who we are. A person who believes they will continue to live as an individual after this life will be likely to make different choices than one who believes their existence ends at death. Those who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as their ideal treat others differently than those who do not. If we believe that family relationships continue after death, we treat our families differently. Our beliefs color everything we do, and our choices affect the world around us.

Truth Can Be Found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes inadvertently referred to as “The Mormon Church” by the media, teaches many essential truths about the life and mission of Jesus Christ, the purpose of life, man’s role in God’s creation, the importance of families, and other doctrines. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the Mormonism, lived during a time of religious revival, when many different preachers actively sought converts to their different Christian faiths. Joseph, who was only 14 years old at the time, was so confused about their conflicting answers to his questions that he sought the answers directly from God through prayer. What God revealed to Joseph Smith in answer to his questions forms the basis of the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormon Doctrine: The Nature of God

Mormon doctrine answers the questions above in the following ways.

There is a living God, who is the Father of our spirits. We lived with Him before we came to earth. The Godhead consists of three separate and distinct individuals: God the Father; God the Son, who is Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost. Both the Father and the Son have bodies of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit so that He can dwell in our hearts (see Doctrine and Covenants 130:22). God loves us beyond our capacity to understand, and is aware of the minute details of our lives. He desires us to communicate with Him through prayer, and will respond to us in our minds and hearts through the Holy Ghost. We are His greatest work:

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (The Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:39).

Mormon Doctrine: Our Purpose on Earth

We lived with our Heavenly Father in a loving family relationship before we were born. Jesus Christ, as the firstborn of God in the spirit, was our eldest brother there. God planned for us to come to the earth to obtain bodies of flesh like His, and to learn to choose between good and evil in an environment where we could be completely free to choose and to experience the consequences of our choices. This earth life is both a schooling and a test to see what we desire most. God’s ultimate desire is that we choose good, learn to be like Him, and return to live with Him after this life. Eternal life is God’s life, and is a life of ultimate joy and peace.

Mormon Doctrine: Jesus Christ

Because all of us sin, none of us is able to return to God on our own. Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God in the flesh.  He alone lived a perfect life. Before His mortal birth, He created the earth and all things in it. He came to earth to teach us and to show us by example how we must live to be like God. In Gethsemane and on the cross, Jesus Christ paid for all of our sins on condition of repentance. He also bore the burdens of our sufferings in mortality, so that through His atonement He is able to succor and sustain us through any mortal trial. He was literally resurrected from the dead, thus breaking the bands of death for all mankind. We will all be resurrected one day, and every human being will spend eternity in an immortal, perfected physical body like the bodies of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. If we choose to follow Jesus Christ and repent of our sins, striving daily to keep His commandments, the atonement of Jesus Christ will pay for our sins, and we can grow to be like Him and live with God eternally.

Mormon Doctrine: Prophets and Personal Revelation

Because God cares for us so profoundly, He will never leave us alone. Throughout the history of the world, God has called prophets to teach us His word and His commandments. From Adam until the present day, God has spoken to prophets to teach His children how they should live. He loves all His children equally, and has called prophets in every age and clime. When men have lost the truth through apostasy, God has called new prophets to bring the truth back again. Prophets lead His Church on the earth today, and continually reveal God’s will for us. The Church of Jesus Christ today teaches the same truths that were made known by Jesus Christ to His prophets throughout Old Testament times and to His apostles at the time of His earthly ministry.

In addition to the guidance of prophets, God has provided the opportunity for each individual to receive personal revelation through the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost helps us with personal problems, answers to questions, comfort, and peace. The Holy Ghost speaks to our minds and our hearts, giving us ideas accompanied by feelings of light and joy. We can feel the depth of God’s love for us through the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is often referred to as the “still, small voice.” In order to hear Him, we must first remove the darkness of sin and the distractions of the world from our lives. We must pray diligently

…to God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, …with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, [and] He will manifest  the truth …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 (The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Moroni 10:4-5).

Mormon Doctrine: The Importance of the Family

Oh Say, What is Truth?

Oh say, what is truth? ‘Tis the last and the first,

For the limits of time it steps o’er.

Though the heavens depart and the earth’s fountains burst,

Truth, the sum of existence, will weather the worst,

Eternal, unchanged, evermore.

(“Oh Say, What is Truth?“ Hymns #272, verse 4)

 The Family: A Proclamation to the World

God’s Commandments

The Book of Mormon and Other Mormon Scripture

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