Browse >
Home / Archive by category 'Mormon Beliefs'
Mormon Beliefs Articles
Yes, for just as Jesus empowered his apostles that “whatsoever ye bind (seal) on earth shall be bound (sealed) in heaven,” so too he declared “and whatsoever ye loose (unseal) on earth shall be loosed (unsealed) in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
Marriages in Mormon temples are meant to be eternal covenants. Children born into those marriages are meant to be sealed to their parents for eternity. Mormon temple sealings are also meant to seal the participants into God’s eternal family. Those who continue in worthiness and charity (defined as the “pure love of Christ”) may inherit the highest kingdom of heaven, where God dwells, and where marriages and families can continue.
The divorce rate for Mormon temple marriages is about 7%, too high, but much lower than the divorce rate for religious people of all faiths (25%) and the general American population (about 50%). Any divorce is lamentable, as the break-up of families causes devastation to both spouses and their... Read the rest of this article »
The union of a man and woman in marriage brings together God’s greatest creations. Marriage and sealing in the temple of our Lord is for time and all eternity. This is the ultimate ordinance and covenant that makes possible exaltation and eternal life. If we are true and faithful to the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, we can become co-heirs with Christ and share in His attributes, including the ability to create (see Doctrine and Covenants 131; 132:19). Each spouse should make his or her primary concern the well-being and happiness of their companion. In this union, the purpose is to create a family. The family should strive to live in love and harmony so as to help each member become a disciple of Jesus Christ and build up the Kingdom of God here upon the earth.
THE SCRIPTURES TEACH US
Moses 3:24—Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.
The unity of husband and wife brings a oneness like unto the... Read the rest of this article »
What do Mormons believe about scripture?
Mormons believe “the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly” They “also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” 3 The Lord said, “The testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another.” 4 Both the Book of Mormonand Bible testify of Christ, and they are the records of two separate nations: The Bible tells the story of those living in the Old Jerusalem, or Israel, and the Book of Mormon is the record of the people who traveled from Jerusalem to the American continent just before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians.
The Mormon Church has an open scriptural canon, meaning more scripture can be added. This is because of the Mormon doctrine which posits that leaders of the Church continue to receive revelation for the Church. It also reflects the Mormon belief that prophets from the beginning of time have recorded their revelations, but that... Read the rest of this article »
What do Mormons believe about revelation?
Mormons “believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and [they] believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” 2 Mormons believe in continuing revelation. Mormons also believe in personal revelation, and that God is no respecter of persons. All men come to earth in possession of the “Light of Christ,” which acts as a conscience and urges men to do good. From time to time, the Holy Ghost speaks to God’s children, warning them, or guiding them to truth, spreading knowledge on the earth.
The scriptures say the following:
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).
During His ministry, Christ organized His Church with Apostles and Seventies under His direction. After His death, the Apostles were guided by direct revelation from Christ. Mormons believe that after the death of Christ’s apostles,... Read the rest of this article »
What do Mormons believe about Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of Mormon belief. Joseph Smith said, “the fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” 1
Mormons believe that the Father is “the personal and literal Father of a mortal Offspring born of mortal woman” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., 155). Born to Mary in the city of Bethlehem over two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ had both godly and mortal characteristics while on earth. Mormonism teaches that this means he could fulfill His mission as Savior of the World, which mission was laid out by the Father. He would suffer all physical, emotional, and spiritual afflictions possible for man to experience and then would be put to death. He would thus pay the price for all the... Read the rest of this article »
What do Mormons believe about the sacrament?
The Mormon Church holds that each member makes a covenant with the Lord at baptism. In doing so, the person being baptized promises the Lord that s/he will take His name upon them, remember Him always, and strive to keep His commandments. In return, Mormons believe He will bless them with His Spirit. The blessings of the atonement—peace, forgiveness, a promise of eternal joy—will be theirs when they abide by the baptismal covenant.
But we all make mistakes after we are baptized. Though we are perfectly clean when we come up out of the water, none of us remain that way forever. Mormons believe that partaking of the weekly sacrament is a way to renew the baptismal covenant and start out fresh for another week. As long as a person is repenting and striving to keep the commandments, the taking of the sacrament will indeed renew that covenant and make them clean again.
For Mormons, the sacrament is constituted of eating bread and drinking... Read the rest of this article »
What do Mormons believe about life after death?
At the end of our mortal lives on earth, we all die. Mormons believe that life does not end with death. Mormons believe death is the departure of the spirit from a body that is no longer inhabitable. The spirit leaves the body and enters the spirit world, where he or she waits for resurrection and judgment. Mormon prophet Joseph F. Smith saw a vision of the Spirit World. His account, and the revelations of Joseph Smith, reveal that we enjoy felicity with our families and friends in the Spirit World, but that we also long to be resurrected, for only in the perfect union of our spirits with our bodies can we experience true joy. Joseph F. Smith saw that Christ Himself taught the spirits of the righteous during the three days that His body lay in the tomb. He saw that Christ ordained prophets who were already deceased to also go among the spirits of the rebellious to teach them the gospel, a work that is ongoing. While in the... Read the rest of this article »
What do Mormons believe about the purpose of life?
Mormons believe all men and women are children of Heavenly Father. We lived with Him in heaven in a happy state before we came to earth. God’s work and glory is to bring His children home to Him after their mortal lives have ended. This is a plan of progression, and mortal life is a time of learning and testing that can enable us to progress to a kingdom of glory as resurrected beings in the eternities.
In our pre-mortal existence, we were spirits–spirit-children of Heavenly Father. On earth, we are born to earthly parents. We obtain physical bodies and have experiences that help us learn and grow. The Lord knew that none of His children would live sinless lives. The atonement of Christ provides us with the grace that can cleanse and perfect us, after all we can do to repent and draw unto Christ. We can come to know our Savior Jesus Christ through trials and through trying our best to live a righteous life, with the Savior... Read the rest of this article »
Polygamy in Mormonism
In 1843, the principle of plural marriage was given by God through Joseph Smith. The Prophet and some of the leaders in the Mormon Church were commanded to enter into this practice. After President Brigham Young, the second president of the Church, led the saints to the Salt Lake Valley, plural marriage was taught and practiced until the year of 1890.Mormon polygamy was practiced because the Lord commanded it. Sometimes, we do not know why God has asked us to do certain things, but we do it because of our faith in Him and our desire to be obedient. Why was Abraham asked to sacrifice his son Isaac? Abraham did not know, except that the Lord required it of him; the Lord required his obedience. Practicing plural marriage was a sort of Abrahamic sacrifice for the early members of the Mormon Church. It increased the persecution against them, and was so foreign to their western, Victorian culture, that only the desire to be completely obedient to God’s will, and their... Read the rest of this article »
What do Mormons believe about the Word of Wisdom?
Mormons believe the physical body is a sacred gift from God. As such, we are to treat it with respect, understanding that Jesus Christ has bought our bodies for a price, through the atonement.
Mormons believe that we lived in heaven before coming to earth. In this state we were spirit-children of Heavenly Parents; we had no physical bodies. We understood that in order to attain complete eternal joy, we would have to go to earth to receive physical bodies and be tested. Mormon belief teaches that our bodies are made in the image of the Lord and that the Spirit of the Lord can reside in our bodies when we live worthy of that blessing. The mortal body is corruptible, subject to disease and injury. It is also the vehicle through which men and women are tempted. It is also the tabernacle for the spirit, and a dwelling place for the Holy Ghost. We are to control our human appetites within the bounds the Lord has set. We are to... Read the rest of this article »
