I believed that if I ever were able to move on, I had to forgive. Even though I didn’t like what he did, I couldn’t go around the rest of my life being a victim.  I had to forgive in order to save my own life. I have learned that refusing to forgive is like taking poison yourself and hoping that the other person will die.

President James E. Faust added similar insight when he stated,

Most of us need time to work through pain and loss. We can find all manner of reasons for postponing forgiveness. One of these reasons is waiting for the wrongdoers to repent before we forgive them. Yet such a delay causes us to forfeit the peace and happiness that could be ours. The folly of rehashing long-past hurts does not bring happiness.

What President Faust is saying is that when we refuse to forgive, we waste our energy and cheat ourselves out of happiness.

This is true. Refusing to forgive is like taking poison and hoping that the other person will die.  As President Faust said,

If we can find forgiveness in our hearts for those who have caused us hurt and injury, we will rise to a higher level of self-esteem and well-being. 

The Damage that Comes from Entertaining Grievances

Soldiers on the battlefield in World War I.

A little over a hundred years ago, our planet was faced with twin catastrophes. One was a devastating flu pandemic, and the other was World War I. Kaiser Wilhelm II is generally recognized as the primary instigator of the war, which is widely considered to have created the conditions that led to the pandemic. Although Wilhelm had several motivations, a desire to get retribution for perceived wrongs done to himself and his country was one of his primary motivations for instigating the twin tragedies of that age.

It would appear that the world has changed little over the last hundred years.  In addition to facing a major pandemic, society also has to put up with political leaders, celebrities, and social media influencers who spend tremendous amounts of energy attacking others for perceived wrongs.  This is part of a cultural epidemic in which the expression of grievances is the increasingly common form of human interaction. This culture of grievances is especially harmful in a time of social isolation where human interaction is limited.  But we are not helpless. Just as we can follow sound health practices to protect our physical health, we can also protect our mental and spiritual health by refusing to be a part of the culture of grievances. 

We Live in a Culture of Grievances—How Do We Pull Back from It?

How do we go about removing ourselves from this culture of grievances? Should we obtain our guidance from political leaders, celebrities, or social media influencers, or is there a better source of guidance? There is a better source.  In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord said, 

Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.  I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.  

This is only one of the scriptures which tells us that we need to forgive others. So, we have to ask ourselves: Why is it so important for us to forgive others?  Of course, forgiving those who have wronged us may help them to change and become better people, but it may not. Thus, the more important reason why we are commanded to forgive others is because we must do so for our own welfare.

Dr. Sidney Simon, an authority on values realization, once said, 

Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves. 

What Forgiveness Is—and Is Not

Of course, there are dangerous people in this world who inflict real harm on others. Forgiving others does not mean that we need to subject ourselves to abuse or allow an abuser to escape consequences.  As stated by Dr. Carole Kanchier, 

Just as important as defining what forgiveness is, though, is understanding what forgiveness is not.  Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it mean condoning or excusing offenses. Though forgiveness can help repair a damaged relationship, it doesn’t obligate one to reconcile with the person who harmed the individual, or release that person from legal accountability. Instead, forgiveness brings the forgiver peace of mind and frees him or her from destructive anger.

When it comes to harm that amounts to criminal conduct, cooperation with prosecution is consistent with forgiveness.  As it says in Alma 42, mercy cannot rob justice. One can let go of anger and hatred, and still cooperate in the justice process.  Forgiveness does not require anyone to remain in an abusive situation or otherwise place themselves in danger.

Of course, we can’t pretend that forgiveness is always easy.  President Faust said, 

We need to recognize and acknowledge angry feelings. It will take humility to do this, but if we will get on our knees and ask Heavenly Father for a feeling of forgiveness, He will help us. The Lord requires us to forgive all men for our own good because hatred retards spiritual growth. Only as we rid ourselves of hatred and bitterness can the Lord put comfort into our hearts.  

This may seem easier said than done, but we can do it with the Savior’s help. 

Being More Loving and Less Judgmental

There is another aspect of forgiving others that is illustrated by the following story about J. Golden Kimball, who was a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy in the early part of the 1900’s.  For those who don’t remember, Elder Kimball was a former cowboy who was known for telling it exactly how it was, and this was a time when the Word of Wisdom was not yet a strict requirement.  

One day J. Golden was in a drugstore, sitting at the far end of the long counter. After he was served a cup of coffee, a man walked by, turned and looked at him and at the cup of what he was drinking. “Aren’t you J. Golden Kimball?” the man asked.  J. Golden sighed and answered, “Yes I am.” The man looked disgusted and straightened up and said, “I’d rather commit adultery than drink coffee.” J. Golden looked back at the man and responded, “Hell, who wouldn’t?”

This story has two main points that apply to the concept of forgiving others.  First, we need to stop being so judgmental of others. Just because someone may sin differently than we do, we need to remember that we are not perfect, and we all commit sin. Heavenly Father doesn’t love his children any less or more than others just because they make different types of mistakes. The second point is that we would be wise to be less critical.  Telling random strangers in drugstores that they need to change will rarely do anything more than cause offense. The same thing goes for mere acquaintances. Only love and genuine care can be effective in helping others to make positive changes.

What it all boils down to is that we forgive others because it is the right thing to do for ourselves.  Forgiveness takes away the power someone else has over us to determine how we feel. Forgiveness allows those who have been wronged to regain the power to determine how they feel about themselves.  How we feel about ourselves is up to us and our Savior, and He loves us.

By Blake Hills —  Blake Hills is a career prosecutor who also teaches at the law enforcement academy. He received his JD from the University of Utah College of Law.  For several decades, Blake has effectively used Star Wars quotes to persuade his children (and now grandchildren) to see things from a certain point of view.  He has also found using these quotes to be an especially effective method of winning arguments with defense attorneys.

Historic Temple Square, in downtown Salt Lake City, attracts millions of visitors each year.

There is much for LDS Church members and nonmembers to see and experience, whether it’s taking photos of the Salt Lake Temple, listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or walking the colorful and well-manicured grounds. While moving about, guests are greeted by a small army of smiling sister missionaries who speak a multitude of languages.

Those interested in a tour are guided through Temple Square’s two visitors centers, where they can learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through interactive displays, artwork and other exhibits, highlighted by a short presentation at the 11-foot Christus statue, a copy of the original by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Joyce Chase, a recent first-time Temple Square guest from Seattle, said,

The Christus was beautiful. It was the best part. Temple Square is more than just the temple.

In the past 140 years, visitors centers at temples and historic sites have become an important tool for the LDS Church in telling its story, spreading the gospel message and strengthening the faith and testimony of its members. Today, the church has 25 visitors centers and historic sites, with four additional centers under construction, in Rome; Paris; Frankfurt, Germany; and Sao Paulo, according to the church missionary department. Mark Lusvardi, director of public programs for the church’s missionary department, said,

The visitors centers and historic sites are places where people can come to dedicated grounds and feel peace and tranquility. They are an oasis from the cares of the world where guests can feel closer to God and have their thoughts uplifted toward the heavens.

A Short History

A scaled model of the Salt Lake Temple sits in the South Visitors’ Center on Temple Square.

Few might recognize the name of Charles J. Thomas.

In 1875, Thomas was appointed the first official guide on Temple Square during construction of the Salt Lake Temple. The following year, he interacted with about 4,000 visitors, according to an article in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Jennifer L. Lund, a director for the church’s historic sites division, said,

Anytime you have a huge construction project, people are going to be interested. Thomas had a little caretaker’s cottage on Temple Square when the temple walls were probably 10 feet high. He took care of the grounds, cleaned up after people and gave tours to anybody who came by. He did that for a long time.

Around this time, a local bookseller spent time at Temple Square giving tourists cards with the Articles of Faith printed on them, Lund said.

The future of LDS visitors centers was greatly influenced by an important event that occurred in 1893, according to Reid L. Neilson, assistant church historian and recorder.

At that time, the Latter-day Saints were isolated in the West, and Utah had been unable to gain statehood. Mormons had been disrespected in the national press for the practice of plural marriage. Nevertheless, LDS Church leaders viewed participation in the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition as an opportunity to put its best foot forward. They organized a series of exhibits featuring unique aspects of Utah, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, pioneer crafts, textiles and minerals. The First Presidency, many members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and more than 7,000 Latter-day Saints traveled to Chicago that summer for the national event, Neilson said.

“For the first time in the second half of the 19th century, I think both Utah and Latter-day Saints were celebrated and appreciated and had some measure of acceptance at that point,” said Neilson, who researched the event and published a book on the topic. “I think they also appreciated the utility of such an exposition and ways to exhibit the church and how we can tell our own story. It was successful in Chicago, we can do it in other places, we can do it in Salt Lake City. … It was an incredibly important moment.”

In 1902, the church built its first visitors center on Temple Square and called it the Bureau of Information. Larger versions of the visitors center were constructed in 1904 and 1910, the article said. In the decades that followed, the LDS Church continued to have a presence at world’s fairs in Dresden, German (1930); Chicago (1933-34); San Diego (1935-36); San Francisco (1939-40); and beyond.

One key figure for the church who helped plan and carry out some creative and successful ideas during this period was future LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.

According to his biography, “Go Forward With Faith,” Hinckley’s father arranged for him to stop in Chicago for the 1933 World’s Fair while en route to his mission in England. The experience made an impression on young Elder Hinckley, who later as a church employee, knew the church needed an innovative exhibit to stand out at the San Francisco fair. He suggested “the exhibit capitalize on the fame of the Tabernacle Choir by creating a replica of Temple Square, including a domed-roof Tabernacle complete with organ and seating for 50 people,” author Sheri Dew wrote. The biography continued,

Gordon worked on the project for months, calling on the talents of artists, photographers, builders and other artisans who lent their professional skills to the complicated undertaking. The effort and anxiety were well worth it, however. Few displays were more popular at the Golden Gate International Exposition than the church’s exhibit, which drew more than 1,400 persons on the opening day alone and some 320,000 over the 13 months of the fair’s operation.

Another memorable moment for the church came at 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Stanley McAllister, president of the New York Stake in the 1960s, approached church leaders with an idea to create the Mormon Pavilion, whose facade resembled the east spires of the Salt Lake Temple. In addition to displaying the replica Christus statue, the church produced the film, “Man’s Search for Happiness,” narrated by Richard L. Evans, the voice of “Music and the Spoken Word.” The pavilion also had a prime location, near the front entrance and close to a major subway line near Shea Stadium, according to an LDS Church News article. The article said,

The Mormon Pavilion at the fair left a lingering legacy immediately observable in the art, dioramas and multimedia technology of today’s visitors centers.

Drawing upon success from the world expositions, the LDS Church began building visitors centers at temples and later at some historic sites in order to tell its story and accommodate curious visitors. Centers were built in Mesa, Arizona (1951), Los Angeles (1955), New Zealand(1958), Idaho Falls (1960) and Oakland, California (1964), Lund said.

In 1963, a visitors center was constructed in the northwest corner of Temple Square with Thorvaldsen’s Christus as the main centerpiece. Stephen B. Allen, managing director of the LDS Church’s missionary department, said each center has a representation of the Savior Jesus Christ as a prominent visual message, “to let the world know visually that we believe in Jesus Christ.”

The visitors center in the southeast corner of Temple Square was opened to the public in 1978. Both Temple Square visitors centers were remodeled in 2001.

Today, the most visited exhibit in the South Visitors’ Center is a small model that displays the interior of the Salt Lake Temple, Lusvardi said.

In addition to “The Christus,” other prominent exhibits at the North Visitors’ Center include the films (available in various languages) “God’s Plan for His Family” and “8 Stories,” which features the lives of eight LDS missionaries, and an interactive exhibit, “Finding Faith Through The Book of Mormon,” which introduces guests to the Book of Mormon.

Missionary Focus

Missionary work has been a natural result of telling the Latter-day Saint story. Each exhibit, film and display is designed to communicate basic gospel doctrines in an interesting and easy-to-understand way. There is also an effort to customize content and presentation for the region in which the visitors center is located, Lusvardi said.

“Visitors centers are an opportunity for people who might be a little hesitant about stepping into a regular sacrament meeting. People find their way in and learn about us,” Lusvardi said.

Another unique feature of visitors centers, as opposed to learning about the church on the internet, is they are located on land dedicated by prophets and apostles for temples or historic sites, Lusvardi said.

“People come to those dedicated places and you feel something,” Lusvardi said. “It’s a face-to-face experience that compliments what you can get online and also supplements what missionaries can do in the field.”

The most effective element at all visitors centers are the sister missionaries called to serve at the sites. They missionaries are what guests remember long after they return home, Lusvardi said.

“We’ve done repeated research on that, and guests say the best thing you have are the sisters,” Allen said.

Other research by the missionary department has revealed that of more than 5,000 LDS converts surveyed, 25 percent said a visitors center influenced their decision to investigate the church.

 

A study involving 10,000 converts in the United States showed that 32 percent had visited a visitors center before investigating the church.

In 2015, more than 6 million people visited centers, with tens of thousands requesting missionaries after their visits. Sisters missionaries facilitate referrals, stay in touch with people after they leave, and when not outside, answer questions and interact with people online through Mormon.org inside the center, Lusvardi said.

Visitors centers and historic sites are also for members who want to strengthen their faith and testimony, said Elder Brent H. Nielson, executive director of the missionary department. Elder Nielson, a general authority Seventy for the church, said his family recently relished a trip to New York where they attended the Hill Cumorah Pageant and other historic sites in the region. It was a life-changing experience, he said. Elder Nielson said,

We are focused on teaching nonmembers, but visitors centers are also for our members. It was a life-changing experience (for my family) to see those places and connect with what happened there. Their faith has been greatly strengthened. It’s a big thing for members, I think, to feel the spirit at these centers and sites.

A June 2015 Ensign article shared a few examples of both LDS Church members and those of other faiths having spiritual experiences at visitors centers. One of those recounts how Rachel Magaoay, of Honolulu, was visiting a friend in Utah who took her to Temple Square. While watching “The Testaments” she had a spiritual experience. Magaoay later met with missionaries, investigated the church and was baptized. She went on the serve a full-time mission and was called to Temple Square.

“I continued to feel the same spirit I felt when my friend took me to the visitors’ center and the Holy Ghost bore witness to me,” she said in the Ensign article.

To view the original article, click here.

 
These beliefs are often misunderstood or may seem weird to some people at first. So for those who still would like to know more, here is a more in-depth look at these five core doctrines that often draw people to the Mormon faith.

All Can Receive Personal Revelation

We believe that we are all children of God. Isn’t God always referred to in scripture as God the Father? He is the Father of Christ, but we also call Him Father because He created the Earth and each of our spirits. Just as each of us have an Earthly father, He is the Father of our spirits. He wants us to know Him, speak with Him in prayer, and He also communicates back, giving personal revelation and inspiration that is specific to each person.

There are several ways that we can receive personal revelation. It can come through quiet feelings in your heart, thoughts, dreams, the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) of the Holy Ghost, and occasionally and for very specific purposes, more dramatic ways such as visions or visitations.

Often, personal revelation comes as a result of someone actively seeking it: praying, fasting, and reading the scriptures in search of answers. Mormons believe in and seek for these moments of personal revelation to provide guidance and direction in our lives.

Mormons have an Unpaid Lay Ministry

As mentioned in the video, every position in local Mormon congregations is both unpaid and volunteer. Members give of their time and talents to teach lessons, prepare music, run Sunday school and primary classes, give temple service, go on missions, and to help any who need it, whether they are a member of our church or not.

So how does the Church support itself then? While it does make investments, the majority of its support comes from faithful members all around the world. Following the law of tithing set down in the Old and New Testaments, members voluntarily give ten percent of their increase to help build and maintain meeting houses and temples, print scriptures and hymnals, provide humanitarian aid, maintain four private universities, and generally cover needed operation costs.

Basically, Mormons strive, like all other Christians, to better this world through service and love for others, both in and outside of their faith.

God Speaks Through Living Prophets

We believe that in addition to prayers, God has always followed a pattern of speaking through prophets. This way, rather than God having to give instructions to every person, He can act instead through His appointed servants.

Anciently, prophets warned of danger, called people to repentance, taught the gospel of Christ, and wrote instructions that they received from God, which scripture still guides us today.

These are exactly the same things that modern prophets and apostles do, only instead of writing scripture, they testify and teach the doctrines of Christ every six months at a massive gathering known as General Conference. Their teachings are broadcast, transcribed, printed, translated, and made available around the world in 43 different languages (and portions of it made available in 93 languages).

So how do we know that their teachings are really from God? Christ said “by their fruits shall ye know them.” Do their words uplift and strengthen your faith in Christ? Do they live what they preach? After praying and asking the Lord, pondering, and listening to their words, we can receive personal witnesses of their calling, and have faith in them as living prophets today.

Mormons Believe in more than just Heaven and Hell

One of the beliefs that we hold most dear, is our belief in the afterlife. But rather than separating the afterlife into just two places—Heaven and Hell, we believe that there are many different levels of eternal reward, rather than a “pass/ fail” system. Christ, himself said that, “in my Father’s house are many mansions,” knowing that we will all reach different levels of righteousness in this life.

Ultimately, we believe in Grace. We believe in Christ, as our Savior, Redeemer, and Advocate with the Father. We believe that although the Lord does require our best efforts to follow the commandments, He knows that we can never do it on our own. That is why Christ died. That is why He suffered and made atonement for our sins, so that there can be grace, so that there can be mercy. Because without His mercy, we would all end up cast out from the light and presence of the Lord. We can’t do it on our own.

Thankfully, the Lord knows us. He knows us perfectly. He knows our weaknesses, sins, and mistakes, but He also knows our good works, our desires, and our heart. Every person on Earth is unique, so we believe that heaven is not “one size fits all” either.

Mormons believe in three basic levels of Heaven, called the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial “kingdoms.” The Celestial kingdom is a place for those who have been baptized, repented of their sins, done their best to keep the commandments, and have a testimony of Jesus Christ. These are those who will be able to dwell forever in the presence of Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son.

The Terrestrial and Telestial kingdoms, are lower kingdoms– still merciful and good places to live, but away from the full glory of the Father and Son, where the Lord has prepared a place for those who were either not valiant in their testimony of Jesus, rejected the gospel, or chose to live sinful lives and do not repent.

“Hell,” (called Outer Darkness) in the Mormon faith, is only reserved for those very, very few, who have had a sure knowledge of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, and then chose to deny and reject Christ. Without the saving grace of His atonement, they cannot enter into Heaven. However, it will be because of their intentional choice and evil hearts, not a punishment inflicted on those who still have a shred of light within.

What about children who died without baptism, those who were never really taught the gospel of Christ, or those who made mistakes they never got the chance to repent of in this life? What about them?

We believe that before the final judgment, there is and will continue to be a massive missionary effort on the other side, teaching those who have passed on about Christ, and giving them the opportunity to believe in Him and accept His atonement.

That is why Mormons actively search out all the genealogical records available, and do proxy ordinances (such as baptism) for them in holy temples, which the person who has died then has the choice to either accept or reject. The apostle Paul referenced this practice, saying, “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?” (1 Cor 15:29)

In the end, perfect justice will still be required by a perfect God for the sins we have committed, but the Mormon view of the afterlife isn’t just Heaven and Hell. It is a place of “many mansions,” where there are many different levels and opportunities for missionary work, mercy and grace from a loving Heavenly Father.

Families Can Be Together Forever

Mormons believe that some of the greatest joys possible in this life are available through a family life centered in Jesus Christ. These precious relationships between husbands, wives, parents, children, and siblings teach us about selflessness, service, patience, and love… all characteristics of our perfect Father in Heaven.

The Lord himself is identified first and foremost in scripture as “the Father,” choosing a family title more frequently than a kingly one for himself, and identifying himself as a Father both to Christ and to us. The word “Father” appears almost 1,000 times in the King James Version of the Bible alone. Jesus’ primary title was often “the Son.” We are told in scripture that those who repent are children of God and joint heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) The Lord has also given us the divine institution of marriage- a scriptural commandment in fact—and Christ said of this important ordinance, “what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder,” (Matthew 19:6).

All of these things point to family being the very focal point of our lives, both here on Earth, and afterwards. Paul in speaking to the Ephesians said, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family of heaven and earth is named.” (Ephesians 3:13-15)

Marriage has been given by God as one of the most supernal blessings of this world, and we believe that these marriages can then continue into the next one. Jesus told Peter in Matthew 18:18, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,” giving his Chief Apostle the power to bind and “seal” things not just for this life but for eternity. Marriages performed without this power have the ability to unify a couple for the duration of their life on earth, but we believe that these precious relationships, forged by God, and nurtured over entire lifetimes, are not meant to be broken at death. Through the sealing ordinances performed in the temple, they are meant to last forever.

Mormons spend a lot of time and resources searching for the records of those who have passed on, and doing proxy ordinance for them in the temple (including sealing families together for eternity), which we earnestly hope they will accept on the other side of the veil. This way, all worthy families can be together after this life, even if they never had access to a temple during their lifetimes.

What about those that are worthy that never receive the blessing of marriage in this world, despite their righteous desires? God is love, and we believe that the Lord will not withhold any eternal blessing from one of His faithful children. Through the sealing power available in holy temples all will be made right.

We believe that family, which is the center of our lives here, does not end with death, that husbands do not separate from wives, or children from parents, but that all can be exalted and sealed together as one great family with God at the helm. And the relationships that are the very dearest to us, that give our lives so much meaning and joy, can be eternal, and continue, even into the heavenly realms.

If you have more questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please contact us.

So, here’s the deal: a reality of being a Latter-day Saint in the 21^st century is that each of us has either personally struggled with a crisis of faith or we have painfully watched people close to us struggle.

Many people want us to believe that this is a Mormon phenomenon. But it isn’t. Far from it.

A wave of secularism is indiscriminately mounting an offensive against all religion, doing everything it can to undermine faith in the authority of scripture, the calling of prophets, and the existence of God. Religions everywhere are buckling under the pressure and actually, according to the data, the LDS Church is doing a better job retaining members than other religions.

But even if that is the case, we still can’t help but ache for close friends and family members (or ourselves) who face a barrage of doubts.

This article is a humble attempt to turn the tables on the doubt that so many members struggle to overcome. We seek to reach the members who desperately want to believe but no longer know how they can.

In this article we use a logical approach to overcoming doubt. And you may wonder why. The reason is simple. People who seriously struggle with doubt have come across information that they find to be both disturbing and convincing. They often feel so compelled by the logic of it all that exercising faith in the restored Gospel seems about as foolish as exercising faith in a unicorn.

In a manner that may be difficult to understand, they have lost the ability to exercise that particle of faith. You see, while faith precedes testimony, you still need a reason to exercise your faith. That’s why you’ve never tried an experiment of faith on the Greek gods or the Hindu ones. You couldn’t sincerely do so even if you wanted to. And that’s because your reason tells you that it would be silly to even think about it. And it is perhaps because we need a reason to exercise our faith that Peter admonished us to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”

So, for those who may need a couple of reasons to exercise faith: We’ve got some.

And just to be clear, the evidence included in this article is not the type of ‘archaeological’ or ‘DNA’ evidence that is never really conclusive. We should avoid that type of evidence because it can quickly be invalidated by new evidence.

Instead, we focus on textual evidence because it isn’t refutable and you don’t have to be an expert to inspect it for yourself.

(Note: there are many links throughout this article. It would be best to read the entire article and then go back to the links you were interested in later.)

1. The Money System Described in the Book of Mormon Is Distinctly Ancient

Lehi’s Sons Offering Riches to Laban, painting by Jerry Thompson

We’ve all probably wondered about the seemingly random description of the Nephite monetary system that assigns value to various weights of gold and silver.

One of the interesting things about this money system is that if Joseph were a fraud, he’d have to have an uncanny understanding of money systems in the ancient world.

You see, before the development of minted coins, monetary systems operated on a very different logic. What works for modern money systems today simply doesn’t work well for systems that rely on weights of precious metals.

For this reason, the most advanced ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptian nation, developed a system of standardized weights based on what you call a binary methodology. (Binary systems rely on values that double at each increment.)  It’s a system that isn’t exactly intuitive to the modern mind, but it was very innovative for ancient societies.

Another interesting thing about these ancient systems is that their arithmetic was not developed far enough to understand many of the fractions we use today. They could only think in terms of halves (i.e. 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc.). And this was reflected in the fractional weights that these civilizations implemented.

Stunningly, the monetary system described in the Book of Mormon uses the same logic as these ancient money systems. The Nephite monetary system is binary, uses the same fractions, and reflects the same overall organization. Click here for more details.

So, how did Joseph Smith know how to construct an ancient money system, especially one so different from his own? Are we to believe that of the few books available to him, one happened to be on the intricate dynamics of ancient money systems? Or that he happened to guess his way to a system that looks an awful lot like the Egyptian system but with careful improvements?

Seems like it would take quite a bit of faith to believe that.

2. The Book of Mormon Is Written from Cover to Cover Using Ancient Hebraic Literary Forms

Mormon Abridging the Plates, by Tom Lovell

By now, many LDS members are aware that the Book of Mormon contains something called parallelisms. However, few realize the full extent to which the Book of Mormon uses these poetic forms nor the shocking implications that they have.

First, for those who are unfamiliar: parallelisms are a poetic style that is a defining attribute of Hebrew writing, and the Old Testament is replete with them. The Book of Mormon reflects these same poetic structures from beginning to end and uses them in a distinctly Hebrew manner.

Critics often select a simple parallelism in the Book of Mormon and say, “Well, that could have been an accident.” And they are absolutely right. Even when I look back at my own study journal I see various forms of simplistic parallelisms in my writing.

But there is a difference between the simplistic and haphazard parallelisms that show up in all literature and writing, and the type of systematic and intricate parallelisms used by the Hebrews in both the Bible AND the Book of Mormon.

For example, we wouldn’t be surprised to see occasional parallelistic patterns such as:

OR even a chiasmus (a type of parallelism) such as:

But we find much more than that in the Book of Mormon. For example, all of Alma 36 is one long chiasmus—we’re talking about a 34 part chiasmus. The letters below represent the chiasmatic pattern found in Alma 36:

…that was no accident. And you would not believe the skill with which many of these parallelisms are crafted and the additional meaning that they convey. Alma 36 is one of my favorites. The way Alma uses chiasmus to convey his story of conversion is simply beautiful. To learn more about that, click here.

And not only are many of the Book of Mormon’s parallelisms quite complex, but they draw from over 20 distinct styles, and they form a network of thousands of parallelisms. To read more about how the various types of parallelisms operate, and to see a partial list of the Book of Mormon’s parallelisms, click here.

Now, to be sure, critics try their best to undermine the strength of this evidence. To see the arguments they make and why they are extremely flawed, click here.

Critics don’t realize two main things: 1. The complexity and the sheer extensiveness of the parallelisms in the Book of Mormon prove that they are not mere accidents. And 2. If Joseph knew what he was doing (and the evidence shows he couldn’t have known what parallelisms are), then this would only complicate the theory of fraud.

Why? Because if the Book of Mormon was a fraud, then Joseph had to memorize his invention and recite it to his scribes. Reciting an extensive network of parallelisms would make that task all the more difficult.

Also, if Joseph went to all the trouble to come up with thousands of parallelisms, why not say something to someone? Why not plant this piece of potentially exonerating evidence with Martin Harris or Oliver Cowdery? Why would a conman not present the evidence that may have stopped his persecutors in their tracks?

It sure seems like it would take a lot of faith to believe the Book of Mormon is just a fraud.

3. An Archaic Rhetorical Device in the Book of Mormon Reveals Something Extraordinary

King Benjamin Addresses His People (King Benjamin Preaches to the Nephites), by Gary L. Kapp

Have you ever heard of something called enallage?

Enallage is a rhetorical device that uses grammatical inconsistencies to make a point.  A distinct and rare form of enallage called “distance-to-proximity” was an important part of the rhetorical repertoire of Hebrew prophets and Book of Mormon leaders.

“Distance-to-proximity” works by switching between pronouns in order to transition between a sense of distance and directness.

This tool has come in handy for Biblical and Book of Mormon prophets and leaders who want to really drive a point home. You see, when a prophet uses the second person (the direct approach), people get angry and defensive. That’s why people had a tendency to stone prophets who went about saying, “You need to repent.”

But if a prophet uses the 3rd person and later transitions to the second person, it creates an initial distance wherein the audience doesn’t feel personally attacked, and they can more rationally evaluate the message being taught.

A great Biblical example of this can be found, here.

In the Book of Mormon, Limhi uses the technique in a very subtle manner. He wanted his people to understand that they were in bondage because of their sins. Now, he could have just told the people how evil and abominable their mistakes were, but they may have resisted that message because of pride.

So instead, Limhi creates temporary distance by using the pronouns “they” and “them,” instead of “ye” or “we”, while still referring to the people he is addressing. By doing this, the people are able to evaluate their wickedness and the consequences of their sins at a safe distance. And then Limhi transitions back to “ye” in order to help the people take responsibility for those sins. Check out the details on how he does that, here.

This “distance-to-proximity” device is so subtle that if the message isn’t intended precisely for you, you don’t even notice it much less appreciate it. As the outside observer, everything you read is distant.

Enallage only affects the people who are being entreated.

And that’s where things get interesting. Enallage is a rhetorical device that reveals who an author’s audience really is. You employ enallage when you feel acutely aware of the ego or sensitive feelings you have to work around. So, enallage demonstrates that Limhi’s speech was not written by someone thinking of a modern audience. Instead, the person who crafted that speech was acutely aware of the needs of Limhi’s people and particularly concerned about them understanding the message.

For the Book of Mormon to be a fraud, we would have to believe that Joseph was far more careful about the minutest of details than critics have ever considered. And if the Book of Mormon were just a fraud, why care about minute details that 19^th century Americans never would have picked up on? (Even modern readers don’t pick up on it.)

And again, if Joseph was aware of the skillful way he crafted these little details…why not plant this evidence somewhere?

4. Hebraisms Fill the Book of Mormon

Lehi Prophesying to the People of Jerusalem (Lehi Preaching in Jerusalem), by Del Parson

We won’t belabor this point since this article is already getting a little long, but we want to introduce you to Book of Mormon Hebraisms and point you in a few directions to learn a bit more about them.

But first off, when we say that the Book of Mormon is filled with Hebraisms, we mean that it is written in a distinctly Hebrew manner. We would expect this because while the Book of Mormon was written in a “reformed Egyptian,” we also learn from Mormon that the native tongue for Nephi and other Book of Mormon prophets was Hebrew (or a derivative of it). So, even though the gold plates were not inscribed with Hebrew, the thoughts, teachings, ideas, and history were originally conceived in Hebrew. Thus, we would expect for uniquely Hebrew indicators to be found in the Book of Mormon (just as they are found in the Bible).

Look here, here, and here for information that dives deep into the countless Hebraisms that scholars have discovered in the Book of Mormon.

Now, critics argue that Joseph could simply be mimicking the Biblical style since many of these Hebraisms also show up in the Bible. What they do not acknowledge is that many of the Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon don’t show up in the Bible or were so heavily weeded out by the translators, that they would be difficult to extract from only the English version. And yet these Hebraisms still show up in the Book of Mormon. EXAMPLE= names

But even without this, the extensiveness to which the original Book of Mormon manuscripts reflect a Hebrew culture and mode of expression is simply stunning. For critics to argue that Joseph merely mimicked the Bible, they will have to explain where a 24 year old, impoverished farm boy obtained the sufficient time to have studied and understood the linguistics of the Bible so well that he was capable of the Hebraistic consistency we find in the Book of Mormon. DREAMED A DREAM

5. The Context Makes a Book of Mormon Fraud Very Unlikely

Joseph Smith Translating (Joseph Smith Translating the Gold Plates), by Del Parson

Critics will often say that it isn’t so surprising that Joseph Smith could have invented the Book of Mormon. “Just look at Lord of the Rings or any number of other complex fictional works,” they say. But these claims ignore the circumstances surrounding the Book of Mormon (among many other things).

Consider the following:

#1: When the manuscript was completed, Joseph Smith was only 24 years old and most of his life was spent working on the family farm or engaged in hired manual labor.

We’re not saying that these circumstances make it impossible for Joseph to have invented the Book of Mormon, but they do make it much less plausible. After all, because of his young age and his family’s poverty, Joseph hadn’t had much time to devote to academia. He may have read what few books were available to him, and his father may have home schooled him; but as a poor youth, most of his life was spent under the constraints of manual labors.

When would he have had the time or energy to come up with the plot, the religious teachings, and all the little literary treasures found in the Book of Mormon? And how would he have known enough to even be capable of creating those things?

#2: Even if he found time to come up with the Book of Mormon, it would have been extraordinarily difficult for Joseph to properly create notes on his ideas or the organization of the book.

Not only are authors of fiction generally much more educated and older than Joseph Smith, but they also have the luxury of a private space where they can write out ideas and begin to organize the plot and details of their books. They also have access to paper and something to write with.

Not exactly so for Joseph. Until near the beginning of the translation process, his access to a private space or parchment would have been pretty limited. Even if he was able to purchase paper before the translation process, he would have needed to go into the woods to write in privacy—and not with a ball point pen but ink and a quill. Picture what that would have looked like.

#3: Unlike other great authors, Joseph would have needed to not only write his book but also memorize it and then recite it to his scribes.

If Joseph were a conman, he really complicated things for himself by not just putting the manuscript together alone. Instead, he dictated this huge and complex book to scribes under circumstances that gave him no access to no notes (i.e. he needed to at least appear to be translating). And this would entail memorizing and reciting the Book of Mormon to his scribes. Tolkien didn’t have to do that.

Things get even more complicated when you realize that all of those parallelisms could get messed up if he wasn’t reciting his invention nearly word for word. The money system would have been nonsensical if he had remembered something incorrectly. Keeping all the little literary treasures of the Book of Mormon straight in addition to memorizing 531 pages of text surely borders on the impossible (given all the other circumstances).

Bottom line: We should never say that critics don’t know how to exercise faith because it takes a tremendous amount of faith to believe that Joseph Smith was just a conman.

Conclusion:

When it comes down to it, these evidences are compelling, but they still don’t prove anything. The same is true of the reasons that people doubt; they may be compelling, but they still don’t prove anything.

A strong case could be made to believe or disbelieve if you only use one-sided evidence. However, when you consider the evidence on both sides, in a holistic manner, you quickly see that believing and not believing are BOTH decisions of faith.

So, for those who struggle with doubt, the question becomes: in what will you choose to exercise your faith? Because both of the paths before you will require faith.

Which is perhaps why Alma says that “even if you can no more than desire to believe…let that desire work within you.” To some degree, what we exercise faith in comes down to what our soul desires…whether or not we desire life, light..etc. Which is also why so many who struggle with doubt hang in there and fight for their faith.

It is also for this reason that some who doubt and leave the Church are unreachable: they don’t want the Restoration to be true, they don’t want God to exist. Deep down in their souls, they are repulsed by Eternal Life (or at least by what Eternal Life requires).

But President Uchtdorf made clear that many fall into the former category, instead of the latter. It is those people we hope our article will reach and help.

So, know this: the 21st century presents new challenges. Many members have been confronted with only one side of the evidence. We understand that this could make it very difficult to truly and sincerely continue a journey of faith in the restored Gospel—regardless of where your heart is at. So, we hope that this article gives you tools that will help you to make the choice that is truly in tune with the desires of your heart.

And we bear our own testimonies of the Book of Mormon, the restored gospel, and Jesus Christ. We are both very familiar with Church history and the reasons that individuals come to doubt, and yet we still believe—in Christ and His Church.

I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods (Teachings, p. 370, see also History of the Church, 6:474).

Bruce R. McConkie states concerning the Godhead:

Three glorified, exalted, and perfected personages comprise the Godhead or supreme presidency of the universe…. Though each God in the Godhead is a personage, separate and distinct from each of the others, yet they are one God (Testimony of Three Witnesses in the Book of Mormon), meaning that they are unified as one in the attributes of perfection. For instance, each has the fullness of truth, knowledge, charity, power, justice, judgment, mercy and faith. Accordingly they all think, act, speak, and are alike in all things; and yet they are three separate and distinct entities (Mormon Doctrine, p. 319).

In a latter work, McConkie confirmed that “…the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one…. They are one in plan, one in possession of the attributes of godliness, and one in every good thing. The whole system of salvation is so ordained that we may become one with Deity. If we do not, we are not like him….” (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrines of the Restoration, p. 380). Thus, the oneness of the Godhead is a perfect example of the unity that should exist among the saints (3 Nephi 28:10-11; Doctrine & Covenants 35:2, Teachings, pp. 311-312; Lectures on Faith, Lecture 5).

Although the Bible contains numerous examples of the separate nature of the Father and the Son (see below), there are only a few instances where all three members of the Godhead are described as separate and distinct. The best example is the baptism of Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-32). In all but John’s account, all three members of the Godhead are identified: the Father bearing witness “from heaven” (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22), the Son “coming up out of the water” (Mark 1:10), and the “Holy Ghost descending in a bodily shape like a dove” (Luke 3:22). All three members of the Godhead are clearly separate entities who, in this instance, are physically separated also.

John provides another scriptural witness that “there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost” (1 John 5:7). John adds that “these three are [actually] one,” apparently meaning one witness because they, like the witnesses of the spirit, the water, and the blood, “agree in one” (1 John 5:8). Bible scholars have noted that 1 John 5:7 and 8 are not found in the early Greek manuscripts and may therefore be of questionable authority. Whether or not these verses are authentic, it is clear from other Bible passages that the Father and the Son are in fact separate witnesses. John himself records in John 8:17-18, 28-29 that Jesus taught:

It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me… I do nothing of myself; but as my Father taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him.

Many who espouse the Triune concept point to Old Testament scriptures as proof that there is only one God (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 43:10-12; 44:6, 8; 46:9) but these verses, as originally written, made no such claim. Although our King James Version (KJV) states in Genesis 1:1 that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” the Hebrew identified Eloheim as the creator. Eloheim is the plural form of eloah (as used in Isaiah 44:8), which means God or Deity. Thus eloheim literally means Gods or Deities and Genesis 1:1 could be translated: “In the beginning Gods created the heavens and the earth.” (See Abraham 4:1.) Use of “us” and “our” in Genesis 1:26 further justifies this conclusion.

Examination of the Hebrew text also helps us understand Isaiah’s references (chapters 43 and 44) to one God. Isaiah 43:10-12 in the KJV reads: “Ye are my witnesses saith the Lord [Jehovah in Hebrew]… understand that I am he: beside me there was no God [Eloheim in Hebrew] formed neither shall there be after me. I even I am the Lord [Jehovah] and beside me there is no saviour…. ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord [Jehovah], that I am God [El].” Knowing that Jehovah was Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 10:4), we are confronted with a contradiction. Paul the apostle later taught that “there is but one God, the Father… and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things…” (1 Corinthians 8:6; see also 1 Timothy 2:5).

If Jesus as Jehovah was saying that He was the only God then the Father could not logically also be the only God and still be separate from Jesus Christ. The Hebrew wording clarifies the meaning of these verses. The last portion of Isaiah 43:10, for example, reads: “who has formed a god or poured out an image [i.e. idol] to no profit?” (Hendrickson Interlinear Bible) Thus, the Lord is not claiming to be the only God in existence but is warning Israel not to uselessly worship false idol gods. (See also Isaiah 17:7-8; 42:8, 17; 43:12; 44:6-18.)

When these chapters are read in context in the KJV, it is clear that Isaiah’s reference to forming god is speaking of graven images of metal and wood. Isaiah 44:8-18 makes it unmistakably clear that the prophet is condemning idolatry and not a belief in more than one god.

Isaiah 43:12 is also clarified when examined in Hebrew. The Hebrew reads:

Ye are my witnesses saith Jehovah, I (or I AM), El (short form of Eloheim) and no other eloheim [gods; in this case false gods] no none are like me.

This verse actually uses three names for deity together. The contraction of Jehovah-Eloheim (translated LORD God in the KJV) is a similar, commonly found grouping of names found in the Hebrew Old Testament. It appears that these compound name-titles were an attempt by ancient writers or scribes to refer to more than one member of the Godhead by a compound name (Articles of Faith, p. 49). Thus the Hebrew of the above verse might more accurately be translated: “Ye are our witnesses saith Jehovah and Eloheim and no other gods are like us.”

Although the New Testament also speaks of the “oneness” of the Godhead (John 10:30; 17:11, 21, 22; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 1 John 5:7), the context of the verses generally provides the key to a correct interpretation. John, for example, quotes the Savior’s reference to his own oneness with the Father but also indicates that the disciples need to be one (using the same Greek word) with Himself, God, and other believers (John 6:56; 14:20; 17:11, 21-22; 1 John 3:24; 4:13, 15). The context of many of Paul’s references to oneness make it clear that he is speaking of a oneness of mind and spirit. Paul speaks, in 1 Corinthians 2:16, of having “the mind of Christ.” He likewise tells the Philippians to “stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). (See also Galatians 5:22-25 and 1 Corinthians 1:10.)

Paul also made frequent reference to a oneness of the saints (again using the same Greek word) with God and Christ as well as with other members (Romans 8:1; 12:16; 15:6; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:17; 10:17; 12:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 6:16; Galatians 2:20;3:28; Ephesians 1:10; 3:17; Philippians 1:27; Colossians 1:27; 2:10; Hebrews 2:11). It is especially significant that Paul used the same verbal construction as Christ used in saying, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) to describe his relationship to Apollos. He wrote, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase…. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one…” (1 Corinthians 3:6, 8). From the above cited references it should be clear that both John’s and Paul’s concept of “oneness” was not that of a merging of substance but was an expression of unity of purpose, mind, and heart. Modern scripture also confirms this interpretation (Doctrine & Covenants 35:2; 50:43; 130:22).

The early church fathers Hippolytus, Origen and Tertullian also affirmed that God the Father and Jesus Christ were separate and distinct personages with unity of purpose and power. Hippolytus taught that Christ and the Father “are one… but it refers to two persons and one power… and disposition of unity of mind… God the Father Almighty, and Christ Jesus the Son of God, who being God, became man… and the Holy Spirit… are three” (Hippolytus, Against the Heresy of Noetus, 7, 11 as quoted in James L. Barker, Apostasy from the Divine Church, p. 44). Origen wrote that the Father and Son “are two separate persons, but one in unity and concord of mind and in identity of will…” (Henry Bettenson, The Early Christian Fathers, p. 336), and Tertullian declared that “the Father is one, and the Son one, and the Spirit one, and that They are distinct from Each other.” [(The Anti-Nicene Fathers, 3:603) See also James L. Barker, Apostasy from the Divine Church, pp. 42-44 for further quotes on this subject.]

Are Latter-day Saints Polytheists?

Some outside the Mormon Church contend that the LDS belief that there are three Gods in the Godhead make us polytheist. Though dictionaries generally define polytheism as a belief in the existence of more than one god, most Latter-day Saints refuse to accept this term as descriptive of our religious worship. The reason for this is the commonly accepted meaning that most people give this term despite its technical definition. Polytheism is commonly associated with a multiplicity of deities as worshipped by primitive pagan religions. This system of gods is totally foreign to LDS beliefs and is considered by Church members to be an apostate perversion of the original truths revealed to Old Testament prophets beginning with Adam.

Although Latter-day Saints do believe in a plurality of gods and may properly be called henotheistic (i.e. worshipping one God without denying the existence of others) or as Social Trinitarian (three divine persons whose unity consists of a loving relationship), we reserve our “worship in the true and saving sense” for God the Father (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrines of the Restoration, p. 60).

Our worship of Christ is of an entirely different nature. Although we are “reverently grateful to Him who has redeemed us” (Ibid.) and love and respect Him for the perfect example He has given us, yet we reserve our most profound worship for God the Father. LDS prayers, for example, are always addressed to our Father in Heaven and are closed “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Bible scripture speaks of a “God of gods and Lord of lords” (Deuteronomy 10:17) and Paul taught that while there were many gods, mortals of this earth should worship only “God the Father” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Members of the LDS Church do in fact worship God the Father in the name of Christ as is taught in both ancient and modern scripture (Matthew 6:9; John 15:16; Colossians 3:17; 2 Nephi 32:9; Jacob 4:5; 3 Nephi 18:19; Moroni 10:4; Doctrine & Covenants 18:40; 20:19, 29; Moses 1:17; see also Exodus 15:11; 18:11; Psalms 97:9; 135:5; 136:2; 138:1; Daniel 11:36).

Are God and Christ Separate Beings?

Joseph Fielding Smith leaves no doubt that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate and distinct beings. He has declared:

How plain it is that the Father and Son are separate Personages, yet one in power, wisdom and unity. Hence they are, with the Holy Spirit which carries out their will— one God or Presiding Council! (Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:4).

Jesus Christ likewise taught: “And now… I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one [in purpose and unity] as we are” (John 17:11).

The scriptures are replete with examples of the separate nature and substance of the Father and the Son. Consider the following:

1.  God spoke from heaven while Christ was on the earth— Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; John 12:28-30.

2. God is a separate witness of Christ— John 5:36-37; 8:17-18.

3. Christ was “with” God in the beginning— John 1:1-3, 10, 14; 6:38; 16:28; 17:3, 5, 24;20:21; 1 John 4:14; Ephesians 3:9.

4. Christ is God’s Son— Mark 9:7; John 3:16; 9:35-37; 17:1; 20:17, 21, 31; Ephesians 3:14; Hebrews 1:6; 5:5.

5. Christ prayed to his Father— Matthew 6:6-9; 26:39; 27:46; Luke 23:34; John 12:27-28; 16:26; 17:10-11.

6.  Christ was seen standing at the right hand of God— Mark 16:19; Luke 22:69; Acts 2:33; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 3:21.

7. The Father committed all judgment unto the Son— John 5:17-20, 22-23; Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:1.

8. God anointed Jesus Christ— Acts 10:38; Hebrews 1:9.

9. God honored, blessed and glorified Christ— Matthew 12:18; John 5:26; 12:23; 17:1, 24; Acts 3:13; 5:30-31; 2 Peter 1:17-18; Philippians 2:9.

10. Jesus was raised up by God— Acts 5:30-31; 1 Peter 1:21.

11. God and Jesus are plural (we, our, us)— Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 6:8; John 14:23; 17:11, 22.

12. God “sent” Christ to atone for us— Mark 9:37; John 3:16; 5:24; 6:38; 7:28-29; 8:42; 12:44-45; 17:3-4, 6-10, 18, 25; 20:21; 1 John 4:14.

13. Christ asked men to pray to God in His name— Matthew 6:6; Colossians 3:17; Hebrews 7:25-26.

14. Christ spoke of His Father in heaven— Matthew 10:33; 16:15-19; John 14:12; 20:17.

15.Only God knew the exact time of the end; Christ did not then know— Mark 13:32; Matthew 24:36.

16. God the Father is Christ’s God— Mark 15:34; John 20:17; Ephesians 1:17; 1 Peter 1:3.

17. Christ’s will and doctrine were separate from God’s— Matthew 26:39-42; Luke 22:41-42; John 5:30; 7:16-17; 14:10.

18. Christ did His Father’s work, not His own— Luke 2:49-50; John 17:3-4.

19. Christ came in His Father’s name— John 5:43.

20. Christ came from and returned to God— John 14:12; 16:27-28, 30; 1 Peter 3:21-22.

21. The Father was “greater than” the Son— John 10:29; 14:28; 1 Corinthians 15:28.

22. We come to the Father only by the Son— John 14:6.

23. Christ will deliver up the kingdom to God— 1 Corinthians 15:24

24. Christ is mediator between God and men— 1 Tim. 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 9:5; 12:24.

Since proponents of the “one substance” doctrine have never been able to explain how God can be His own son, stand by Himself, or why He would pray to Himself, they must describe it as a mystery. A mysterious God is not the God that Christ taught us we should come to “know” (John 17:3). (See also James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, chap. 2.)

Do Latter-day Saints Believe in the Trinity?

Jesus Christ praying, artwork by Del Parson.

The answer to this question depends entirely on the inquirer’s definition of Trinity. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word Trinity as “the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead….” The Random House College Dictionary adds to this definition a second alternative which allows also “the threefold personality of one Divine Being.” Although Webster’s definition would be considered a valid LDS description of the Godhead, the second Random House alternative definition would be considered by Mormons to be an apostate view.

Some today assert that belief in a mysterious unknowable Trinitarian god is essential to a claim of Christianity, but this requirement is not biblical. Colossians 2:9 is, at times, used to prove a Trinitarian concept. It states that “in him [Christ] dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Though this scripture appears to vindicate belief in a Trinity, the Greek text does not justify this interpretation. The Greek word translated as Godhead in this verse is “theotes.” This word actually means divinity and is translated as such in many modern Bible translations. Accurately translated, this verse should read “in Christ the fullness of divinity dwells in bodily form” (see New International Version). Thus God is manifest to us in Christ but Christ is not God the Father.

It is important to note that the word Trinity appears nowhere in the King James Version nor any other reputable translation of the Bible. The term Godhead, on the other hand, is an accepted biblical term (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9) and the preferred title in the LDS Church (History of the Church, 6:473; Lectures on Faith, Lecture 5; A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, pp. 58-59). References to the Godhead as the Trinity are found in Church literature (Articles of Faith, pp. 39-41; Journal of Discourses, 6:95; History of the Church, Vol. 1, Intro., 80-81), but such usage clearly denotes a three-person Godhead and not a one-being concept (See also Van Hale, Defining the Mormon Doctrine of Deity, brochure, Mormon Misc. Reprint #6, p. 9).

The latter concept seems to have originated under the influence of Greek and other oriental philosophies during the period of apostasy following the death of the apostles (History of the Church, Vol. 1, Intro., 82-87). A study of Christianity prior to A.D. 325 reveals that the LDS interpretation of the Godhead was then the prevailing belief. Church fathers such as Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Origen, Athanasius and others argued that the Godhead consisted of separate Beings (see J. D. N. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines, San Francisco, 1978, Harper and Row, pp. 93, 96, 129, 233). The first person to use the term Trinity appears to have been Tertullian in about A.D. 200. He used the term to refer to ideas which mentioned three and one.

Over a century later in A.D. 325, Emperor Constantine convened a delegation composed of about one-sixth of the bishops from throughout the Roman Empire. The stated purpose of this Council of Nicea, as it was called, was to achieve unity among the factions then existent. The three major groups with differing views regarding God’s nature, at length became two factions. The eastern (Arian) Christian view favored a three God concept while the western (Roman) view favored one supreme God, to whom all others were subordinated. Under extreme intimidation by the emperor, the Arian group was forced to go along with the Roman view. Arius and the bishops and priests who opposed the Nicean Creed and the “one substance” terminology adopted by the council were exiled. Constantine, in order to ensure future unity, also commanded that the writings of these men be burned (Journey to Eternal Life and Distractions Along the Way, James K. and Rose Seastrand, 1990, p. 132; History of the Church, Vol. 1, Intro., pp. 79-90).

The Nicean Creed stated that there was “one God and one Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God…” who was “one substance with the Father.” The Athanasian creed, which was an outgrowth of the Nicean Creed, typifies the modern concept of the Trinity. It speaks of an “incomprehensible” God which is completely foreign to Christ’s teachings. Jesus taught that “this is life eternal that [we] might know… the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [God had] sent” (John 17:3). (See also Jeremiah 31:34; John 8:19; 14:7-9; Hebrews 8:10-11; 1 John 2:3-4; and 1 John 3:1-2, 6; 5:20.)

Thus the accepted Trinitarian concept of deity is the result of a compromise achieved without the benefit of apostles, prophets, or revelation and arrived at only when extreme pressure was exerted by a then-pagan emperor. The true concept of God is not that of an “unknown” or unknowable God (Acts 17:23) but one whose offspring we are (Acts 17:28-29) and in whose image we were created (Genesis 1:26-27). Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to know Him and become like Him (Matthew 5:48; 1 John 3:1-2). (See also Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:165-169.)

Michael Hickenbotham is the author of Answering Challenging Mormon Questions, which is still in print after 20 years.  He grew up in Southern California and has served full-time missions to France and the Brussels, Belgium/Netherlands Mission. He studied at Brigham Young University, where he met and married Kathy Walker and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also earned an MBA from Florida State University. He served in the US Air Force for 20 years and has filled numerous callings in the Church for over 45 years.  He and Kathy have 5 children and 17 grandchildren.

Pilgrimages have been part of the Judeo-Christian tradition since the temple was built in Jerusalem about 957 years before Christ. While the temple stood, all Jewish men were obliged to present themselves at the temple for each of the three major harvest feasts as God ordained in Deuteronomy 16:16-18. To this day these feasts are called Pilgrimage Festivals.

It is likely that Joseph and Mary would have planned to stop and fulfil their obligation at the temple before they continued the short distance to Bethlehem, to be counted in the census decreed by Caesar Augustus. The journey from Nazareth may have taken about three or four days. They would have stayed at inns, also known as caravansaries that were located every twenty or so miles along the way. They may have had difficulty finding places to stay each night since all of Israel was expected to converge upon Jerusalem for the seven day long Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover. Thousands of families would have thronged the roads and shelters.

Israelites made 3 pilgrimages each year to the temple in Jerusalem.

Mary and Joseph would have ascended the Temple Mount singing the pilgrimage songs of ascents found in the book of Psalms, chapters 120-134. They would have observed the wave sheath offering performed on the 16th day of Nissan, or the first Sunday of the festival week. Barley was the first crop to ripen in the spring and a sheaf of green barley was waved by the priest—north, south, east and west, dedicating the first fruits to God. Only after the wave offering was performed could the harvested grain begin to be used.

An unblemished male lamb was first sacrificed as a burnt offering to the Lord, along with minchah—unleavened bread mixed with wine, thus prefiguring the Savior’s sacrifice, and the sacrament instituted by Christ that we might remember Him.

At the temple, every family large enough to completely consume a young lamb or wild goat was required to offer one for sacrifice on the afternoon of the 14th day of Nisan, and to eat it that night. If the family were too small to finish eating the entire offering in one sitting, an offering was made for a group of families. The offering had to be made before a quorum of 30. The Levites sang Hallel while the priests performed the sacrificial service. Psalms 113 – 118 were recited at the three pilgrimage feasts.

Psalm 136 was generally known as the great Hallel. It is a Psalm of thanksgiving, beginning and ending with the same phrase: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.”

After seven days of prescribed feasting and Passover rituals, the pilgrimage was complete.

When Mary and Joseph made their temple pilgrimage, they were obedient to the Biblical injunction in Psalms 105:4 to, “…seek the face of the Lord evermore.” This was taken to mean temple attendance.

Doctrine and Covenants 101, verse 38, reiterates this injunction: “And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.” Our latter-day pilgrimages to His holy temple allow us the sacred privilege of seeking and honoring our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Bethlehem was known as the City of David, for King David who was born there nearly a millennium before Christ. In Bethlehem, at present, the Church of the Nativity is built over a limestone cave, the traditional site of the Savior’s birth. Thousands of Christians every year make their pilgrimage to this spot, where occurred the most sacred birth in human history. Here, it is thought, the Christ child, rightful heir to King David’s throne, and the long awaited Messiah, began his earthly life in a humble stable, because there was no room in the inn.

The Pilgrimage of the Wise Men of the East

Of the four evangelists, only Mathew records another pilgrimage, that of the wise men who came first to Jerusalem to inquire of King Herod the whereabouts of the new-born king and then to Bethlehem in search of the holy infant.

The Magi, coming from the east, would have in all probability traveled along the Silk Road, a portion of which was the even more ancient Royal Road. The silk routes were valid for a thousand years, from about 500 B.C. until the fifth century after Christ, and were dotted with about a thousand caravansaries, conveniently spaced at 20 to 30 mile intervals. These inns provided safety and rest.

LDS Art – Wise Men

Matthew’s account describes the arrival of the three wise men after their pilgrimage. “When they saw the young child and Mary, his mother, they fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.” The precious spices may have been worth more than the gold. Frankincense, historically, was one of the most valuable substances in the world. It was in great demand for a variety of uses, but primarily for incense. It was a component of the consecrated incense burned in the Jerusalem temple as a symbol of the divine name, and of prayer.

Frankincense is derived from the gummy sap that oozes out of the Boswellia Sacra tree when the bark is cut. Similarly, myrrh is derived from the Commiphora tree. Anciently, tons of frankincense were shipped out of Oman on the Arabian Sea and transported through the straits of Hormuz, ending in Babylon where the spice routes merged with the Silk Road. The frankincense trade was as important in its time as the production of Middle Eastern oil is in our day. The use of camels as pack animals originated with the frankincense trade and assuredly the Wise Men would have used them to transport their treasures to Bethlehem.

The Biblical account does not specify how many wise men made the pilgrimage, but since three gifts are mentioned, it is assumed there were at least three. The LDS Bible dictionary suggests that these learned men were prophets sent on a divine errand “to behold the Son of God, and who returned to their people to bear witness that the King Immanuel had indeed been born in the flesh.” From that viewpoint, we might conclude that their witness of Christ to their people was the most important function of their pilgrimage, and the most important gift of all.

Our witness of Christ, given to the modern world, is the most important gift we can give to Him, together with the gift of service to the Lord’s children.

May we be enthusiastic witnesses of Christ and diligent servants of His children.

Kathleen Halverson Hadfield, of Amelia, Courthouse Virginia, is currently serving with her husband, Dr. M. Gary Hadfield,in the France Lyon Mission, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Her interests include art, archeology, genealogy, historic preservation and hospitality (www.winterhamplantation.com).  Kathleen and Gary have 4 children and 21 grandchildren. 

Most of us when we think of “abundance” we think “extremely plentiful,” or more than we can use in quantity or supply of something. An example of that would be a bumper crop of wheat or carrots, which means that we had enough for our needs and more. If we had an abundance of carrots we might consider sharing with our neighbors.

But there are similar yet different definitions for “abundance.” Most people do not think of abundance and Jesus Christ in the same way. When we truly accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and allow Him to fill our hearts, we will experience an “abundance of the heart.” Jesus Christ came to this earth to teach us how to give, how to live, and how to love. He walked amongst us, blessed the poor and afflicted, preached the Word of God, and set the example for each of us. And he did it all with the pure unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. As we study the life of the Savior we understand more of how we need to live in this life.

When we search, ponder and pray about the Savior in our lives we feel an overwhelming love for others, we feel that we want to reach out to those who are in need or are suffering. We see through different eyes just as the Savior sees us. Jesus Christ loves each of us, unconditionally, no matter what our sins are, He sees our hearts, and He knows us individually. Our hearts can be filled with joy, peace, and love and giving as we draw closer to Him. We will feel an abundance of positivity towards others. Then as we allow ourselves to go with that feeling, we will reach out to help the homeless, the sick and afflicted, the downtrodden, the stranger that needs a kind word, the child that needs a hug, the elderly that has no one to visit them.

There are thousands of opportunities in our society; we never have to look far to find someone that we can reach out to. Recently in a Sunday school class it was pointed out that everyone needs and would accept unconditional love and kindness. If everyone accepted the Savior into their hearts can you imagine the difference in the world?

I have had the opportunity to help at a soup kitchen; it was an eye opening experience. There were men, women and even children, all down on their luck, but they were so appreciative of everything that we shared with them. All of them taught me so much about giving, sharing and the true meaning of unconditional love.  And it starts with me and you, and Jesus Christ, our Savior. Each of us can have an abundance of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Kay Cahoon, member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), wife, mother of six, grandma of many, traveler and genealogist.