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As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (called by the media “The Mormon Church,”) we believe that “reincarnation, also known as the transmigration of souls,” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 624, by Elder Bruce R. McConkie) is not real. Reincarnation is, in fact, a doctrine that is contrary to truth and light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed in its fullness in our day.
God’s Plan of Salvation for us does have us progress eternally, which is similar to the purpose of the doctrine of reincarnation, but as explained in Mormon doctrine, that progression goes like this:
Our “First Estate” was in the spirit world. The first estate is the period of our existence in which we lived in the spirit realm after our Father in Heaven created our spirit bodies. Mormons often call the First Estate “Pre-Mortal Life,” or the “Pre-Existence.“ The Bible alludes to pre-mortal life when it speaks of the war in heaven,... Read the rest of this entry »
On December 5,2011, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, announced a new website devoted to free online videos about Jesus Christ. The first videos are now available and teach the Christmas story in the exact words of the King James Bible.
The project is the first of many films to be produced on a film set near Goshen, Utah. 830 acres have been turned into a replica of ancient Jerusalem and other New Testament locations. It is not a re-creation of the city of Jerusalem. It is a collection of settings that can be used and re-used for the needed scenes. Digital imaging will create some aspects of the city, such as the temple, that are not being built. Researchers went to Jerusalem, studied it, and photographed it. They also studied the scriptures to understand how things needed to look. The goal was to create as authentic a set as possible. Months of searching finally led them to a large piece of land that included sand dunes, desert,... Read the rest of this entry »
In preparation for the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers, the Washington Post asked a number of the world’s greatest religion leaders and thinkers to comment on what we’ve learned from those tragic events. Thomas S. Monson was one of the people asked to blog. He is the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes nicknamed Mormons. He is possibly the first Mormon prophet to do a blog post. Excerpts of his blog post can be found on LDS News.
President Monson reminded us of the power reactions that followed the attacks. People came together, putting aside petty differences. They prayed and turned back to God, remembering the faith they had forgotten or taken for granted. They instinctively understood they, and their nation, needed God’s help to get through it all.
But then something changed.
“Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has... Read the rest of this entry »
Personal Response by Karen Trifiletti
Mormon Beliefs: Holy Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost Are Three Separate Beings
I’m so glad you asked; I remember wondering about the Godhead before I became a Mormon (member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). I scratched my head every time we recited the Athanasian creed, trying earnestly to get my mind around the notion of a three-personed God of one version of the Holy Trinity. Try as I might, I just couldn’t assimilate it. And yet I had to know. I finally determined to ask God. In the middle of a hotel room in London, I dropped everything, knelt in prayer and asked Him to please dispel my confusion about the Godhead, specifically about the Holy Trinity–how three Gods could possibly be one essence and in any way personal. As I prayed, it was as if the lights turned on immediately. I received a message, through the Spirit, like this: “It’s simple: “I’m your Father, Jesus... Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been 150 years since the Civil War and many who have ancestors who lived in that era are especially interested this year to find them. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often referred to as Mormons, offer a variety of free resources and training on the internet to help with that work. The material is also of interest to writers, historians, and students studying that time period.
FamilySearch.org is a free website for genealogists of any faith or none at all. The website has a special anniversary site on the Civil War. Sixteen collections help genealogists locate their Civil War era ancestors. Some of the collections include: Read the rest of this entry »
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are informally called Mormons, have just opened their second environmentally-friendly meeting house. It is the second of three prototype buildings and is expected to earn sivler LEED certification, as did the first building. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is earned by creating an environmentally-friendly building according to strict guidelines. It measures performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality and is difficult to attain.
Mesa, Arizona
“For decades we have looked for innovative ways to use natural resources in our meetinghouses that reflect our commitment as wise stewards of God’s creations,” explained H. David Burton, the presiding bishop of the Mormon Church.
The second prototype building is in Mesa, Arizona. It is solar-powered and is designed to produce the same amount of energy over the... Read the rest of this entry »
In 1830, the first copy of the Book of Mormon was published. Recently the 150 millionth copy was printed. Today, it is translated into 82 languages and is selections have been translated into 25 more languages.
The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible for Mormons. It is used with the Bible and its purpose is outlined in the subtitle: “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” In the Book of Mormon, we learn that a few small group of Jews were sent to the American continent by God. In just a brief time, the primary group, known as the Nephites, were forced to move away from another group, the Lamanites. The leaders of these two groups were brothers, but one was evil and one was a prophet of God. The Lamanites had as their goal to destroy the Nephites and all memory of them.
Throughout the generations, the Nephites had prophets, as did the people of the Old Testament. They learned that God loves all His children, not just those who lived in the Holy Lands at that time. They were even promised... Read the rest of this entry »
Latter-day Saints, like other Christians, accept both the Old and New
Testaments as Holy Scripture. Additionally, members of the Church of
Jesus Christ accept the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and
the Pearl of Great Price as part of their Standard Works (canonized
scripture). The Pearl of Great Price received its names from Jesus‘
parable (see Matthew 13:44-46). Compiled after the death of Joseph
Smith (1805-44), the current book contains several different types of
inspired documents including extracts from Joseph Smith‘s translation
of Genesis and Matthew, known as the Book of Moses and Joseph Smith–
Matthew; Joseph Smith’s translation of ancient Egyptians papyri, known
as the Book of Abraham; Joseph Smith’s 1838 history of the Church, and
the Articles of Faith-thirteen declarations highlighting LDS central
beliefs composed by Joseph Smith in 1842. Read the rest of this entry »
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The Mormon Church in the Seattle area of Washington State in the United States is helping the Red Cross with a special project known as “Yes, We Can.” This project makes use of surplus produce that would otherwise be thrown away. The Red Cross has no way to store or preserve this food and can’t give it away quickly enough. Now, the Mormons are helping them to can it so it can be stored for up to three years.
Mormons have canneries they use for their own membership. Members can come in, and for the cost of supplies, can food to be stored for emergencies like unemployment or a natural disaster. In addition, the Mormons can foods to be given to church members who are in need of a little help in hard times. Surplus food is given to community food banks.
Mormon beliefs state that they should do whatever they can to be self-sufficient. They store food for emergencies, avoid debt, build savings, and live modestly. However, even a person’s best efforts are sometimes not... Read the rest of this entry »
Today, when people want to learn about something, they frequently turn to the Internet for information. Of course, that can be an overwhelming experience when a search engine returns thousands of places to search for that information.
A responsible researcher knows that sources are not equally reliable. Anyone can post on the Internet, and while that is a wonderful thing, it also means there are more opportunities for people to intentionally or unintentionally mislead others. Read the rest of this entry »
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