Mormon Church

by Nora Hess

When I was 16 years old, I spent a few weeks at Cornell University attending a summer program for high school students. For the first time in my life, I left the safe, comforting environment of my home to spend time with people who were very different from me. The culture shock was enormous. As a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called the “Mormon Church” by the media, I had grown up among people who believed as I did, who worshipped God, and who strove daily to keep His commandments. By contrast, the other young people with me at Cornell were largely agnostic: they did not pray, believe in Jesus Christ, or live the standards that I had been taught. Soon I realized that the way I saw the world was not the only way. I came face to face with the question: Why did I believe?

Faith: The Essential Questions 

There comes a time in each person’s life when certain questions loom large: What is the purpose of life? Is there a God, and if so, does He care about me? How can I find happiness? How can I know what is true?

I returned home from Ithaca deeply worried about those essential questions. Both the logic and the emotions upon which I had previously based my faith had been called into question by my peers. Was there a God? How could I know? I pondered for weeks as I looked at the world with new eyes, comparing different world views. What was true?

The Beginning of Faith: A Desire to Believe

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, is the religious history of an ancient people who lived in the Americas long ago. Alma, a prophet whose teachings are recorded in The Book of Mormon, once taught a group of people about how to develop faith. The people he taught had been deeply humbled, as I had been, and were searching for answers. Alma counseled them:

Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than a desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words (Alma 32:26-27).

Like Alma’s people, I did not have a perfect knowledge, or even much knowledge at all. But I knew one thing: I desired to believe. I desired to believe because when I looked at what my life would be like if I abandoned my faith and its teachings compared to the eternal life offered to me by Jesus Christ, there was no comparison. Even at my young age, I could see that a life of faith is full of unmatched goodness, richness of experience, and joy. I also could see that it was no more logical to disbelieve in God than to believe in Him; each choice was a leap of faith. So I chose to “give place for a portion” of the word, and see where it led.

Faith as a Seed: Enlarge My Soul, Enlighten My Understanding

Once Alma had encouraged the people to accept the possibility of belief in Jesus Christ, he taught them how to proceed:

Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me (Alma 32:28).

And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit (Alma 32:37).

Faith: Feasting on the Fruit

As I continued to act in faith, my conviction and knowledge continued to grow. Miracles of healing, both large and small, occurred in my life. Answers to my prayers would come as the Holy Ghost spoke to my mind and my heart. From time to time, my Heavenly Father would direct me to help someone else in just the way they needed. I felt the love of Jesus Christ for me and for those around me. Life became ever richer and more rewarding the more I acted in faith.

My life today is blessed beyond measure because of the choice I made, long ago, to believe. My faith is no longer weak, and my knowledge is no longer meager. Instead, the accumulated experience of my life helps me to know now that God does indeed live, and He loves me. Keeping His commandments leads to happiness in this life, and joy throughout eternity. My Savior, Jesus Christ, lives. He has atoned for my sins, and will sustain me through every trial. My life without God would have been an empty shell of what it is today. I believed then because I took a leap of faith and chose to experiment upon the word. I believe now because I know that what I believe is true. My life of faith brings me great joy.

But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst (Alma 32:41-42).

Additional Resources:

Faith: Study by Topic

Gordon B. Hinckley, “Be Not Faithless”

Clayton M. Christensen, “Why I Belong and Why I Believe”

When people struggle to know whether or not God and Jesus Christ are real, they often ask in frustration, “Why doesn’t God just show Himself?” It sometimes seems to them that if He wants them to believe in Him, that would be the simplest way.

Why doesn’t God just show Himself? To understand the answer to this question, we first have to examine why we came to earth. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, the explanation of life’s purpose begins even before birth. What happened to us before we were born explains why God seldom shows Himself today.

Mormon beliefs tell of a time before the world was created. God created our spirits. This is one reason Mormons consider God to be literally their Heavenly Father. Our spirits weren’t housed in bodies yet, although they had that form, but we did have our personalities, talents, and interests. In other words, we were uniquely ourselves. We lived with God during that time, getting to know Him and letting Him get to know us.

While this was wonderful, this experience didn’t allow us the full range of opportunity and experiences God wanted us to have. As a perfect Father, He knew we needed to  have challenges, tests, and hard experiences to become everything we could be. We know from our own experiences that we don’t entirely learn who we are until we live away from home and until we’ve faced some trials. If our parents make life too easy, we become spoiled and don’t develop fully.

To receive the full experience God planned for us, we needed physical bodies, families, and a chance to develop faith. Faith is the answer to “Why doesn’t God just show Himself?” While we lived right in God’s presence, we didn’t need faith to believe in Him. However, faith is an important part of life’s experiences. When we learn to have faith in things we can’t see, it dramatically improves our life experience. Learning to have faith can help us learn to love and to commit to a family even in hard times. After all, we can’t see or scientifically measure love and we can’t see into the future to know how family life will work out. So much of that is based on faith. With faith, we can have the courage to take risks that enhance our lives—trying a skill we’re not sure we’re good at, giving ourselves uplifting experiences outside our comfort zone, or making wiser choices.

There are many possible things to believe in, but when we’re forced to sort through them and make choices about what to believe and what to reject, we improve our ability to make wise decisions. The ability to make good decisions helps us in both our temporal and spiritual lives.

And so, God told us that if we chose to come to Earth, we would lose our memory of our time in His presence, and even of His existence. However, He would send along a toolkit that would help us to know it happened, if we chose to open the kit and use it.

One gift God gave us is the Spirit of Christ. Every person has this gift at all times. We can also receive promptings from the Holy Ghost, and after baptism and confirmation by someone with the proper authority, we can have the Holy Ghost with us all the time, as long as we are living worthy of the presence of the Holy Ghost.

Harold B. Lee, a past Mormon prophet, explained the Light of Christ or Spirit of Christ in this way: “Every one of you born into this world enjoys the blessing of this Light that shall never cease to strive with you until you are led to that further light from the gift of the Holy Ghost that may be received only upon condition of repentance and baptism into the Kingdom of God.” (See Decisions for Successful Living, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973, p. 144.)

God cannot show Himself to most of us because we agreed to come here in part to learn how to have faith. By having all of us learn faith by seeking out God and Jesus Christ, God is able to create a plan to help us learn. Of course, just as it is with anything we want to learn, we must make a choice to learn faith and we must commit ourselves to doing so.

The Book of Mormon, which God commanded ancient prophets on the American continent to create, was written to serve as a second witness of Jesus Christ. It is meant to be used with the Bible. It is structured much like the Bible, in that a variety of authors wrote the book and the book is filled with both stories and sermons designed to help us gain faith. One of the most famous sermons on faith in this book was given by a prophet named Alma. Alma taught listeners to conduct an important experiment that would help them gain faith. This experiment is as valid today as it was anciently.

Alma’s sermon was preached to a specific group of people called the Zoramites. The Zoramites had once been followers of Christ, but had somehow become sidetracked and had corrupted the gospel. They became very worldly and were entirely focused on wealth. They believed wealth was proof of God’s approval on a person. They believed this so strongly they would not allow the poor into their churches. Their services were nothing more than a celebration of how wonderful they were and once they went home, they gave no further thought to God until the next week.

Unfortunately, they taught there was no way to worship God except inside their churches. The poor, being excluded, felt they were lost forever due to their poverty. When Alma and his missionary companions arrived to preach, the poor asked Alma what they could do to be saved. Alma taught them that what they needed was not to get inside this corrupt church, but to have faith.

He challenged them to experiment with faith. He assured them that all they needed to get started was a desire to have faith—just a desire, and nothing more. God could take that desire and grow it into something wonderful.

He praised them for being humble, but pointed out they were humble out of necessity. He told them they would be blessed even more if they were humble by choice as well. Humility is essential to gaining faith in God. By accepting they were not the greatest and highest power in the world, they could learn to obey God and accept His will, even if it wasn’t what they hoped it would be. This would allow them to repent when they sinned, and repentance allows God to forgive through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Alma then tells them something that helps us understand more about why God can’t just show Himself to us:

“17 Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe.

18 Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it.”

19 And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression? (See Alma 32:17-19).

From this we see many people, even then, wanted signs—proof. But if you have proof, you don’t need faith. Furthermore, your punishment for failing to keep the commandments is far greater if you have proof of God’s existence than if you only have faith in it. Greater knowledge comes with greater responsibility. In addition, history has shown that having a sure knowledge doesn’t really convert the heart.

In an early Book of Mormon writing, we learn of a family that had four sons when the story began. The two oldest were self-centered and unfaithful. When they abused or tried to kill their brother, angels came to them multiple times. Despite seeing angels and many miracles, they were not truly converted. They continued to deny what God wanted them to do and to disobey commandments. They had proof, but they had no real conversion in their hearts.

This is why Alma found it so important to teach his students that they needed faith. He told them their faith would not be a perfect knowledge—if it were, it wouldn’t be faith. He compared the growth of faith to a seed. First, they must plant the seed in their hearts and not cast it out by choosing to not believe. The seed would then, if it was a good seed (meaning if God was real), begin to swell or grow in their hearts. When they felt this swelling feeling, and felt their souls enlarge, they would know it was a good seed—signs of the reality of God.

Alma reminded them that seeds bring forth their own kind. An apple seed will grow an apple tree. A seed of faith in God will grow faith in God and in itself, then, will prove that God is real. Satan cannot bring forth joy and peace, and that is what you feel when you are praying to know if God is real.

This part of the experiment leads to perfect knowledge, but only in one thing—whether or not the seed was a good one and capable of changing you. If we plant a tree seed, we have to nurture the seed to get the best results. Faith also has to be nurtured in order to grow. If you neglect it, it will die, not because it was bad, but because you didn’t take care of it.

Nurturing the seed of faith requires prayer, scripture study, and pondering of gospel truths that are learned. It requires us to agree to act on whatever God tells us, even if it isn’t what we hoped to hear. Alma warned his listeners that developing a strong faith requires a long commitment, just as growing a tree does. However, it leads to faith in God and eternal life. The rewards are more than worth the work involved.

Once we have faith, we no longer need God to appear before us. Our hearts, and the Spirit of Christ, will tell us everything we need to know.

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 Jesus would visit them sometime after his crucifixion and resurrection, which He did. The wicked were killed and the righteous remained to greet their Savior. During this visit, the people learned of the Savior’s great love for them. Unfortunately, after a few generations, the children who had not been alive at this time stopped believing Jesus had ever really come or stopped caring what He had taught. They became progressively more wicked and again divided into two groups.

Eventually too many of the Nephites had forgotten the promises they had made to God. God had promised they could not be destroyed as long as they were righteous but the time came when there were few who were righteous. A great war ensued between the two groups and large numbers of people were killed, with the greatest number on the side of the Nephites. The Lamanites continued to hunt down and kill the surviving Nephites until there was only one man left, a teenage boy named Moroni. He was the son of the prophet Mormon, who had been commanded by God to begin abridging the records each prophet had left behind and handed down from prophet to prophet. When he died, Moroni, now the only righteous person in his personal world, went into hiding and finished the project. He was in constant danger of being murdered as the Lamanites continued to search for him. So bloodthirsty they could not stop fighting when their enemies were dead, they were now killing each other, but they were anxious to finish off the remaining Nephite.

Once Moroni finished the editing, he hid the book and left the area. He returned after a time, briefly, and added more to it. We don’t know what happened to him after that. He did report that the Lamanites were still fighting, so it is likely they became a fairly small population by the time their internal wars ended.

The purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Jesus Christ. It refers to Him and to His ministry more often than does the Bible. It contains many of the great Biblical themes: grace, atonement, charity, service, faith, and repentance, for example.

Following are a few verses from the Book of Mormon that relate critical doctrine:

8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary (Mosiah 3:8).

For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23).

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. (2 Nephi 25:26)

26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you (Moroni 7:26)

The Book of Mormon came into our modern lives through Joseph Smith, the first prophet of modern times. God often said in the Bible He would do nothing but through the mouth of His prophets. There had been brief (from an eternal standpoint) periods of time in which prophets were withdrawn from the earth due to the refusal of God’s children to listen to them and to obey them. But always God returned the prophets to the earth. In these final days, as we prepare for the Second Coming, we can look around and see there has never been a greater need for a prophet. It is clear people are confused about what is true and what is not. Without a prophet like Noah or Moses to guide them, it can be very difficult to stay the course. God loves us too much to let us flounder when the stakes are high.

With this in mind, God called Joseph Smith to be the first prophet in modern times. He was shown the location of the Book of Mormon by Moroni himself, now an angel. The Bible often refers to angels and they are an essential part of God’s work. Moroni tutored Joseph until he was ready to receive the plates on which the book was recorded. Although at the time no one had ever heard of records being kept on metal plates in ancient times, today archaeologists have indeed found such records.

When the Book of Mormon was published, the church was officially restored. Mormons would read both the Bible and the Book of Mormon to gain a greater understanding of God’s work and the Savior’s mission. Over the years, the Book of Mormon has been loved and read by many, named among the nation’s most influential books even by organizations not associated with the Church.

How did this book, whose power to change lives, come to be accepted as scripture by so many people? The Bible has had the gift of time. We are more inclined to accept the old, even when there is insufficient proof. For instance, many “experts” believe Abraham never existed because the story doesn’t fit the facts as they have determined them. And yet, Christians accept the reality of Abraham even without physical proof. We don’t need proof. God said Abraham existed and we trust God.

The Book of Mormon, although newer, also requires a measure of faith. The Bible tells us how to find out if it is true. In James 1:5, James told us if we lack wisdom, we can ask God with faith and pure intent and He will answer our question. With this promise, we can know the Bible is true. The Book of Mormon offers a similar promise. In Moroni 10:4, near the end of the book, Moroni promises that if we study the book with pure intent and a sincere desire to know if it’s true, we can pray and receive an answer to our request to know.

Mormons are taught to put this to the test. Most Christian churches don’t require their members to pray about the Bible prior to joining their church. Mormons teach even their young children that they are to pray to know if the scriptures are true and if the church is true. Before baptism, they are asked about the results of this inquiry by their leaders. Each member of the Mormon church is expected to gain a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Bible, rather than trusting the words of others.

The Book of Mormon has reached such a high level of readership because so many people have put the book to the test and received confirmation that it is true. It has withstood all its critics, all those who mock it, and all those who discount it and has continued on to give people what is often their first testimony of Jesus Christ.

A personal account and explanation from Keith, of Annapolis, Maryland.

Walking in the Newness of Life

Romans 6:4 reads, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

The fourth Article of Faith states: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

The Savior revealed the true method of baptism to the Prophet Joseph Smith, making clear that the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority and that it must be done by immersion. In Doctrine and Covenants 20:73-74, we are taught, “The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Then shall he immerse him or her in the water, and come forth again out of the water.”

The act of immersing a person in water is symbolic of that person’s sinful life being buried and their being reborn or receiving a new life—a spiritual life—a life dedicated to serving God and others. Immersion is also symbolic of the death and resurrection of the Savior. In Romans 6:3-11, we read these words, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I was born and raised as a baptist. As such, the method of baptism by immersion was not a new concept to me. I had read the New Testament gospel accounts of the baptism of Christ numerous times, and I fully understood that being baptized by immersion was indeed following the example that the Savior had set before us when he was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River (See Matthew 3:13-17). I also understood the symbolism that Christ’s baptism represents and teaches us. I did not have a real issue with having to be baptized again because even growing up in the Baptist church, if I transferred from a church that was a part of one sect or convention to another, re-baptism was often required before membership would be accepted. What did concern me for some time was the idea of having to be baptized by one who had proper authority. The question in my mind was “Were not those who baptized me before authorized to do so?” It took a lot of soul searching, pondering the scriptures, and prayer to finally come to terms with the matter.

I had no doubt in my mind that this is the Lord’s true Church and that becoming a member of His Church was indeed the right thing to do. I also came to the realization that if I were to become a member of the Mormon Church–His Church– I had to be willing to be obedient to the things which He has commanded and one of things which He commanded was that baptism was to be done by immersion and the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority.

To help settle many of my concerns, I made a commitment to read all of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price prior to being baptized. I had already read the Bible in its entirety several times, so I was very familiar with its teachings. As I read the Book of Mormon in particular, I came across some verses in Mosiah 18 that really made me stop and think and helped me in making my decision to be baptized. In Mosiah 18:8-10 we read:

“And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light…

“Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life…

“Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?”

I further came to realize that if I were to become a member of His Church, I had to be willing to take His name upon me and be willing to follow His example because when we are baptized we enter into a covenant with God to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him to the end (See Mosiah 18:8-10; D&C 20:37). Each time that we partake of the sacrament, we renew the covenant that we made at baptism (See D&C 20:77-79).

The question is asked in 2 Nephi 31:10, “Can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?” Verses 11 to 13 continue:

“And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

“And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.”

Eleven years ago in the far away land of Iceland, where I was stationed in the Navy, I made the decision to be baptized into the Mormon Church. That decision started me on a whole new path in my life. I am convinced that had the Lord not taken me out of the main stream of things and sent me to a place as far away as Iceland, I probably would not be standing before this congregation this morning. My goals and my priorities where definitely a lot different than what the Lord had in mind. After being baptized in the Mormon religion and becoming more learned of the Gospel, and because of my willingness to take upon me His name, to follow His example, and to be obedient to His commands, I have seen and continue to see blessing after blessing in my life. Many doors that I once thought would never be opened to me are now beginning to open, and I have been blessed in so many ways with new opportunities to help me grow and mature in the Gospel.

I believe the words of President Joseph F. Smith best describe how I felt after being baptized: “When I [was] baptized for the remission of my sins, the feeling that came upon me was that of pure peace, of love and of light. I felt in my soul that if I had sinned—and surely I was not without sin—that it had been forgiven me; that I was indeed cleansed from my sin; my heart was touched, and I felt that I would not injure the smallest insect beneath my feet. I felt as if I wanted to do good everywhere to everybody and to everything. I felt a newness of life, a newness of desire to do that which was right. There was not one particle of desire for evil left in my soul . . . this was the influence that came upon me, and I know that it was from God, and was and ever has been a living witness to me of my acceptance of the Lord” (CR, April 1898, p.66).

I leave you with my testimony that I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God. I know God lives and Jesus is the Christ. I know Joseph Smith was and is a Prophet of the Lord. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) is the Lord’s true Church upon the earth today and that His Church is being led by a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.

God never promised life would be easy. In fact, trials are one reason we were sent here to live on earth. Through our trials, we learn to trust God and to

turn to Him for comfort and hope. A new website by the Mormons offers counsel and inspiration for those seeking to hold on to hope in the most difficult of circumstances. (more…)

In the strictest sense, the word exmormon simply refers to someone who chose to end his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the Church are sometimes referred to informally as Mormons, and so an ex-mormon is a former Mormon. However, the term is more commonly used to refer not to people who simply left and moved on, but to those who then devote themselves to attacking the church.

(more…)

The Pew Forum, which is not affiliated with the Church in any way, did a study of Mormons in the United States. One aspect of Mormons in their personal lives involved their feelings about and relationships with God.

The study found that every Mormon surveyed believed in God, which was higher than any other religion previously

surveyed. In addition, nine out of ten were absolutely certain of God’s existence. Ninety-one percent of Mormons believe God is someone you can have a relationship with. All these figures are well above the normal for other groups. (more…)

Revelation is how God communicates with us, His children, while we’re away from His presence. There are many different levels of revelation and many different ways it can be received.

No one may receive revelation for a level of gospel structure higher than the one he is called to carry out. For instance, a child who is trying to decide how to overcome his struggles in math class can receive personal revelation to help him with that problem. A mother can receive revelation to help her understand how to care for her children. A leader who oversees the program for teenagers at church can receive revelation to help her know how to best serve the youth in her program. A bishop (the Mormon equivalent of a lay pastor) can receive revelation about how to best meet the needs of his congregation. Each person may receive personal revelation related to his or her own responsibilities in life.

However, only the prophet may receive revelation for the entire church, since that is his sphere of

responsibility alone. Since the very beginning of time on earth, God has utilized prophets to receive and share His messages to His children:

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)

Revelation is not fortune telling. When Mormons receive revelation from their prophets, it is always about matters critical to eternal salvation, and is predicated on the behavior of the people of the world-not just the Mormons. For instance, when Noah was told to warn the people to repent or they would be destroyed, the warning was sincere and they were given a way to be protected. As a people, they could repent and the storm would not begin. Or some of them could repent and help to build the ark, which would hold anyone who chose to sincerely repent-before the rain began to fall. They chose to do neither, and so they were destroyed. Noah, because of his righteousness, and his family because of him or because of their own worthiness, was saved.

Personal revelation is available to every person who lives on earth and chooses to do what is necessary to receive it. It is not open only to members of God’s church. Those beginning their journeys can rely on the Spirit of Christ and periodic counsel from the Holy Ghost. Later, those who have been baptized and confirmed by a person who has authority from God may receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to be with them at all times, as long as they’re living righteously.

LDS.org, the official website for the Mormons, offers these steps to help people prepare to receive personal revelation:

Pray for guidance. Be reverent. Be humble. Keep the commandments. Partake of the sacrament worthily. Study the scriptures every day. Take time to ponder. When seeking specific guidance, we should study the matter out in our minds. Patiently seek God’s will.

Personal revelation comes through a cooperative effort between man and God. He is always willing to share the truths we need to navigate life, but he also expects us to do our part. Notice that the steps above require us to learn the gospel and then to live it, in order to have enough knowledge to understand the answers given us and to entitle us to the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can’t be where wickedness is, so we have to work to be worthy of His presence and have a humble and worthy spirit in order to “hear” the answers we receive.

Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the modern day church, demonstrates the correct procedure for gaining personal revelation. He was, in general, a good person. He wasn’t perfect, of course, but he worked hard, obeyed his parents, and tried to do what was right as far as he understood it.

As the area in which he lived became caught up in a wave of conversions and missionary efforts by many churches, he began to pay attention to the teachings of the various churches. He had a desire to join a church, but was unwilling to make the decision lightly. We’re taught that if we need a specific answer, we should first study the issue out for ourselves. Joseph did this by visiting the churches and the revivals, and thinking through the teachings he learned there. He questioned some of the ministers, trying to understand what they taught and why they all taught different things but claimed that either they alone were right or that all the churches were equally right, even if they contradicted each other. He spent time thinking through (pondering) the problem.

This process was not giving him the answers he needed. He couldn’t figure out how to know which ministers were telling him the truth or how to know which church to join. He turned to the Bible for help. While reading on his own, one day, he found a scripture in the book of James, in the New Testament. James was the brother of Jesus Christ.

James offered logical advice on how to solve this problem. He said, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5, King James version of the Bible)

Joseph realized this was the only way he would ever know what was true. Only God knew for sure. He himself was incapable of making this choice. The realization that we cannot reason out every problem alone and must have help is a part of humility, which is required for receiving revelation. We have to acknowledge that some truths are beyond the scope of our abilities to gain intellectually.

He decided to go into the woods by his home and pray for help with his problem. At this point, he had fulfilled each requirement that was available to men on earth at that time. He was ready to receive personal revelation.

The answer Joseph Smith received-a personal visit from God and Jesus Christ-is not typical of the way people receive personal revelation. A prayer that will lead to dramatic changes in Heaven and on Earth requires a dramatic answer. For most of us, the answers will be quieter and more subtle.

Richard G. Scott, an apostle of the Lord, explained how prayers are answered:

To help each of us recognize answers given, the Lord said: “If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

“Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?” (D&C 6:22-23; italics added).

The Lord provides further insight by counseling us to study a problem out in our mind and then to ask if it be right: “If it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

“But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought.” (D&C 9:8-9; italics added.)

It is vitally important to recognize that the Lord also responds a third way to prayer by withholding an answer when the prayer is offered. Why would He do that?

He is our perfect Father. He loves us beyond our capacity to understand. He knows what is best for us. He sees the end from the beginning. He wants us to act to gain needed experience:

When He answers yes, it is to give us confidence.

When He answers no, it is to prevent error.

When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act.

Most often what we have chosen to do is right. He will confirm the correctness of our choices His way. That confirmation generally comes through packets of help found along the way. We discover them by being spiritually sensitive. They are like notes from a loving Father as evidence of His approval. If, in trust, we begin something which is not right, He will let us know before we have gone too far. We sense that help by recognizing troubled or uneasy feelings.” Richard G. Scott, “Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer,” Ensign, Nov 1989, 30

The intellect is very important. God gave it to us and expects us to use it. We can take it with us when we die and the knowledge we gain in each stage of life will also go with us. However, the intellect is not the most important part of us, nor is it the source of absolute knowledge of truth. (more…)

Personal Response by Bethany

Yes!  You can have faith and still believe in science.  The scriptures clearly and repeatedly verify that God is the Creator of the earth, the heavens, and all things that are in them.  They also attest that the elements of which the earth consists of are eternal.  As a current biology major I am constantly tying science and religion together as I continually study the science of life and its spiritual connection with religion.  As I increase my studies, my faith also increases as I see the hand of God in every aspect of life.

Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stated that, “the essence of the gospel is the doctrine of trying…and that, of course, is the essence of science, also: the doctrine of trying, testing, and proving.  That’s the kind of procedure that makes science what it is.”  The point is that the gospel teaches us to experiment with the words of the Savior and to do as a scientist would do to find the truth. (more…)