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.

Revelation; discovery; disclosure. The name of a book of the New Testament, containing many discoveries or predictions respecting the future state of Christianity, written by St. John, in Patmos, near the close of the first century.

Well. That’s a pretty simple definition, isn’t it? The apocalypse is the Book of Revelation in the Bible. The word itself comes from the Greek, meaning to reveal or uncover. Unfortunately, modern culture has made a confusing mess out of this important word in our English language. Here’s proof:

If I do a search in Google images for the word ‘apocalypse’ I get a choice from several categories of apocalypse: X Men, Zombie, Marvel, Post-Apocalypse, and specifics under those groups. Nearly every image is of death and destruction, made super-colorful by advanced CGI. The post-apocalypse always shows a ruined world with a few desperate survivors.

Hollywood keeps perpetuating the evolved definitions. X Men Apocalypse comes out in May 2016, a number of zombie apocalypse movies are in the queue, and the TV show “You, Me and the Apocalypse” (NBC) has been an instant hit.

Turns out the definition at the top of the page came from the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary. Things were a lot simpler then.

Our modern dictionaries reflect the change:

Miriam-Webster Online’s simplest definition is,

• :a great disaster : a sudden and very bad event that causes much fear, loss, or destruction

Other dictionaries agree that ‘apocalypse’ has come to mean any event resulting in great destruction and violent change, or the end of the world. Thinking about the apocalypse strikes us with fear and coincidentally makes us want to watch movies about it.

The Book of Revelation

…has a lot of scary stuff in it, yeah, but it ends very well for the “good guys.” (Mormons believe good guys [and women] are found in every culture, every religion, and even among those who believe in nothing at all.) The criterion for judgment is “What are you doing with the gifts you’ve been given?”

It’s the focus on the prophecies of destruction (and the fact that conflict makes better movies) that has brought us to this point of losing our concentration on the important and best things about the apocalypse.

Didn’t Mormons Expect the Apocalypse in Late 2015?

That is what The Press claimed. As a Mormon, I expect The Press to get us wrong most of the time.

The publicity was caused by a stir among many believers (mostly not Mormon) that a tetrad of blood moons exactly coinciding with Jewish holy days and the end of a shemittah year portended the end of the world.

It does say the following in the Book of Revelation 15:1 — “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God” …and in Acts 2:19 — “And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:…”

Indeed, these are preludes to the Second Coming of Christ, whose name is surprisingly never mentioned in the above dictionary definitions of the apocalypse. The apocalypse is actually all about Christ.

Let’s back up for a moment. The word “apocalypse” comes from the Greek, “to reveal, to uncover.” The Book of Revelation recorded by St. John the Divine reveals through revelatory means the events leading up to the Second Coming. There are other revelations in the Bible that fit in this category of being apocalyptic, especially from Daniel and Ezekiel. They are revelations about events that will occur in the Last Days before the Second Coming of Christ.

But since apocalypse means to uncover or reveal, what is the Great Reveal? Maybe it’s, simply, this: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen (Revelation 1:7).

Or, in other words: “…prepare for the revelation which is to come, when the veil of the covering of my temple, in my tabernacle, which hideth the earth, shall be taken off, and all flesh shall see me together.”

That is the real Apocalypse.

The Apocalypse Controversy of Fall 2015

Yet, in the early fall of 2015, The Press announced, “MORMON APOCALYPSE 2015: SURVIVAL KITS SELLING OUT AS BELIEVERS PREPARE FOR END OF WORLD.” Sigh. I submit that when the actual Apocalypse actually happens, we may have outlasted our need for our survival kits. Emergency storage is best relied upon before the actual Apocalyse (revealing of Christ) occurs. Also, Mormons believe no one knows the day of His Second Coming. Only God knows:

“And they have done unto the Son of Man even as they listed; and he has taken his power on the right hand of his glory, and now reigneth in the heavens, and will reign till he descends on the earth to put all enemies under his feet, which time is nigh at hand—I, the Lord God, have spoken it; but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes.

So no, Mormons did not expect the Apocalypse in 2015. Many noted possible signs that we are getting closer (Mormons have been calling this “the last dispensation of times” since Joseph Smith began preaching in the early 1800’s). This jarred some members into realizing they haven’t followed our leaders’ counsel of the past many decades to set aside supplies for emergencies.

The same rush to stock up happened at Y2K, a decided non-event, but one that did prompt Mormons to beef up their food supply, and me to buy brownie mix and cocoa.

The Seven Years of Tribulation

Because in the Bible it sounds like the Battle of Armageddon will last 3 1/2 years, and an anti-Christ will oversee a global economic system for 3 1/2 years, Evangelical and other conservative Christian groups talk about a period of seven years of tribulation. Some of these sects expect a “pre-tribulation rapture,” wherein the righteous will be taken up to heaven before the world’s worst trials begin. Mormons believe such a doctrine is NOT biblical. We don’t believe a pre-tribulation rapture will occur, but that the righteous will be caught up to meet Christ at His Second Coming. However, this is the culmination and end of the period of tribulation, the ushering in of the millennial age, wherein Christ will reign, and earth will be like paradise.

In fact, the scriptures say, “I have sworn in my wrath, and decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and the wicked shall slay the wicked, and fear shall come upon every man; And the saints also shall hardly escape; nevertheless, I, the Lord, am with them, and will come down in heaven from the presence of my Father and consume the wicked with unquenchable fire. And behold, this is not yet, but by and by” (Doctrine and Covenants 63:33-35; emphasis mine).

It is because the Saints will not be spared the turmoils, pestilences, wars, and plagues upon the earth, that the Lord has provided ways for them to be protected — “I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30; emphasis mine).

How God is Preparing Latter-day Saints for Times of Tribulation

Personal tribulation can occur at any time. Health emergencies, job loss, local outbreaks of disease, or natural disasters can be prepared for to a certain extent. Mormon doctrine has always combined temporal (earthly) welfare with spiritual welfare. Latter-day Saints have always been known for their industriousness, their temporal care for all, even as they work to perfect the Saints spiritually. Individuals, families, and even the Church have set aside stores since the beginning in order to prepare for emergencies and care for the poor. Disaster relief in the millions of dollars has been an LDS practice since the 1980’s.

The temporal preparations of the Church were highlighted by former news anchor Ted Koppel in his recent book Lights Out, in which he spends three chapters discussing the preparedness of Latter-day Saints. According to Koppel, the Mormon Church is the only entity prepared for a general emergency like a cyber-attack. However, individual families vary in their commitment to preparing. Some are real “preppers,” while others are very casual about responding to prophetic counsel from Mormon leaders to prepare temporally.

Here’s what they teach us: Begin with a three-day emergency supply in some sort of portable container or backpack — a “72-Hour Kit” for each member of the family that you can grab and go. Then work on establishing a three-month’s supply of foods and non-foods that you use often. Store a year’s supply of staples, such as wheat, rice, milk powder, honey, sugar, salt, etc., as well as blankets, clothing, first aid and cleaning supplies.

Spiritual preparation is also of utmost importance. Mormons receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism by the laying on of hands. The Holy Ghost can warn, prompt, and instruct us during emergencies, and most Latter-day Saints have experienced this.

The Post-Apocalyptic World

Una and the Lion by Briton Riviere

…is going to be amazingly wonderful. One thousand years of peace with Christ in charge with everyone supporting Him; desolate areas of the world becoming like the Garden of Eden; no death; children growing up without sin unto salvation; animals living in harmony with each other and with us, and conversing with us on a sanctified earth; vibrant health for every living thing.

Life may be a little dicey leading up to the Great Reveal, but the choices of men and women have a great deal to do with that. Preparation is good; spiritual preparation is paramount.

How are you preparing for the Great Reveal?

Some excellent outside reading:

A Discussion of the Coming Apocalypse by Religious Thinkers

Apocalypse Not by Wired.com

When Civilization Collapses, I will Survive

Note: The featured image for this article is of artwork by Jon McNaughton. It is copyrighted and may not be reproduced for any reason. Go here to access his gallery.

Read Part 1 of this article.

Nowhere in the scriptures are we told that we should choose to doubt. In fact, we are repeatedly told that we should avoid doubt. Christ said to his disciples: “Neither be ye of doubtful mind.” (Luke 12:29. See also Matthew 21:21 and Mark 11:23.) The Lord told Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (Doctrine & Covenants 6:36). And Moroni counsels all of us to “Doubt not, but be believing” (Mormon 9:27). More recently, President Thomas S. Monson said,

Do not yield to Satan’s enticements; rather, stand firm for truth. . . . Vice never leads to virtue. Hate never promotes love. Cowardice never gives courage. Doubt never inspires faith.

In other words, as between doubt and faith, we should choose faith. (See also Helaman 5:49 and Mormon 9:21 & 25.)

That is not to say that we should not be inquisitive or that it is wrong to ask questions, or wonder about things. In fact, we are admonished to ask, seek and knock (3 Nephi 14: 7 & 27:29; Matthew 7:7; Doctrine & Covenants 6:5). We are to worship God not only with our heart, but also with our minds (Mark 12:30; 2 Nephi 25:29; Moroni 10:32). We are told “with all thy getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). President Dieter F. Uchtforf has said:

Inquiry is the birthplace of testimony. Some might feel embarrassed or unworthy because they have searching questions regarding the gospel, but they needn’t feel that way. Asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a precursor of growth. …

 

Fear not; ask questions. Be curious, but doubt not! Always hold fast to faith and to the light you have already received. Because we see imperfectly in mortality, not everything is going to make sense right now. In fact, I should think that if everything did make sense to us, it would be evidence that it had all been made up by a mortal mind. Remember that God has said: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. …”

We are also told that some kinds of revelation come only after we have studied things out in our minds. (See Doctrine & Covenants 9:8.) Alma taught us to use both our intellectual as well as spiritual faculties to experiment upon the word (Alma 32:27). John taught us to test the spirits to see if they are of God (1 John 4:1). Similarly, Paul taught us to “Prove all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We are told to diligently teach and seek “out of the best books words of wisdom.” We are to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:118; Doctrine & Covenants 109:7 & 14.) So as we ask, seek and knock, we are to do so in a spirit of faith, not in a spirit of cynicism, bitterness or doubt (James 1:5-6).

Nourishing Your Testimony

Just as a little plant must be nourished to grow, so our testimony also must be nourished by faith.

Nevertheless, although we should try to avoid complacently accepting doubt, it is not a sin to be tempted by doubt. But thoughts and feelings of doubt do not need to be indulged. It has been said that a bird may land on your head, but you don’t need to let it build a nest there. So, like other temptations of the mind, thoughts of doubt about God and His Church may enter our heads, but there is no sin in that unless we choose to cultivate, embrace or act on those thoughts.

A helpful analogy in this regard is that of Alma’s garden in Alma 32:27-43. Alma teaches us to plant the seeds of faith in the garden of our hearts and nourish and cultivate the seeds to see if they will bear good fruit and prove themselves to be good seeds. We move from faith to knowledge as the seeds grow, enlarge our souls, enlighten our understanding and expand our minds (Alma 32:33-34).

However, bad seeds, seeds of doubt and apostasy, can also fall into our gardens. So, just as it is important to nourish the good seeds, we should avoid nourishing the bad seeds so they do not choke out the good seeds. If we cultivate seeds of faith, we will reap the fruits of faith: knowledge and eternal life. If we cultivate seeds of doubt, we will harvest the fruits of apostasy.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell similarly applied this analogy [Neal A. Maxwell, Meek and Lowly (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1987), 6.]:

Lack of intellectual humility is there among those who have deliberately cultivated their doubts in order, they think, to release themselves from their covenants. Some nurture their grievances assiduously. Were their grievances, instead, Alma’s seed of faith, they would have long ago nourished a mighty tree of testimony.

Much of the work organizations such as FairMormon do are to provide ways for people to identify the bad seeds and to give people the tools they need to pull the weeds from the gardens of their hearts.  Of course, it is not possible for FairMormon to destroy all the seeds of doubt. If it were, as Professor Terryl Givens points out, people would not be free to choose faith as they would have no options. Furthermore, while FairMormon can help give people the tools they need to remove the weeds from their gardens, a garden will still not bear fruit if no one has made an effort to plant good seeds and diligently nourish them. As Alma indicated, once the tree of testimony begins to grow, we must continue to exercise faith by nourishing the tree so that we may one day eat the fruit of the tree, which is everlasting life (Alma 32:36-43). Elder Neil L. Andersen discussed how we can strengthen our testimonies in the face of trials:

How do you remain “steadfast and immovable” during a trial of faith? You immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core of faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the scriptures, you repent, you keep the commandments, and you serve others.

When faced with a trial of faith-whatever you do, you don’t step away from the Church! Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view.

Elder Quentin L. Cook further taught us what to avoid:

Many who are in a spiritual drought and lack commitment have not necessarily been involved in major sins or transgressions, but they have made unwise choices. Some are casual in their observance of sacred covenants. Others spend most of their time giving first-class devotion to lesser causes. Some allow intense cultural or political views to weaken their allegiance to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some have immersed themselves in Internet materials that magnify, exaggerate, and, in some cases, invent shortcomings of early Church leaders. Then they draw incorrect conclusions that can affect testimony. Any who have made these choices can repent and be spiritually renewed.

Avoiding the Seeds of Doubt

Also, in trying to avoid doubt, it can be helpful to avoid those who sow the seeds of doubt. Excessive exposure to people who are bitter, cynical and angry is corrosive and has a tendency to erode faith. Elder Maxwell observed that as we read in the Section 46 of the Doctrine and Covenants, “to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God… to others it is given to believe on their words…” The dark side of that coin, of course, is that doubts can be pooled, too, and anxieties shared with the wrong people so that this wilts such few tender sprouts of certitude as exist. The point is not that we should refuse to share our concerns, but that sincere doubters really seek for answers, while it is often the insincere doubter who wants to play “Can you top this?” in a frenzy of doubt for doubt’s sake. [Neal A. Maxwell, For the Power is In Them…(Mormon Musings) (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1970), 31.]

Of course, as we try to cast the seeds of doubt out of our lives, we should not be too quick to cast out the doubters. Some, through no fault of their own, experience doubt and ask questions more than others. Elder Maxwell described different types of doubters in the following way:

You are quite right to be lovingly concerned about doubters, who come in such various shapes and attitudinal shadings. Some doubters truly seek answers. These give the Brethren the benefit of the doubt, and, for them, doubt becomes a useful spiritual spur. There are others who doubt and hold back simply because they are so afraid of being “taken in.” There are still others who are embarrassed because of their inability to defend their faith; for these, doubt is a refuge. Yet other doubters are stubborn, because they feel God has not responded to them on their terms. There are even doubters who come to enjoy their roles and the associated attention and who set themselves up “as a golden calf for the worship” of people in the Church (Doctrine & Covenants 124:84). A variation of the latter is seen in those who are “professing and yet [are] not of God” (Doctrine & Covenants 46:27; see also Doctrine & Covenants 136:19). “He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion” (2 Nephi 26:29).

 

These latter individuals have their own agendum and have apparently long since concluded that, if they can’t be a leader, then they will be a critic.

 

Absent sufficient meekness in the doubter, I am not sure that much can be done. Experience can either soften or harden doubts, depending on the person’s supply of meekness. Clearly, however, our love should include all doubters, whatever their motivation, “for ye know not but what they will… come unto me with full purpose of heart” (3 Nephi 18:32). [Neal A. Maxwell, That Ye May Believe, Kindle edition, 2026.]

As we strive to spread the gospel and build faith in others, patience and love are necessary if we are to reach those who are struggling, but have not yet surrendered to and embraced doubt. As Elder Maxwell has written:

The ability to create a climate around us in which people, as in the case of the man who approached Jesus, feel free enough to say the equivalent of “Lord, help Thou my unbelief,” is a critical skill. If we can deal with doubt effectively in its nascent stages, we can assist people by a warmth and love which frees them to share the worries that they may have, and increase the probability of dissolving their doubt. But, if we over-react to dissent or to doubt, we are apt, rather than inculcating confidence in those we serve, to exhibit what, in the eyes of the rebel, may seem to be a flaw in our inner confidence in what we say.

 

We need to relax to be effective in the process of helping people who are building testimonies. Over-reacting and pressing the panic button when doubt first makes its appearance can render us ineffective. This is one of the reasons why parents are often in a temporarily poorer tactical position to deal effectively with a rebellious son or daughter— the anxiety is too real to relax. In these circumstances, bishops, teachers, and friends can be helpful— not because they are clinically detached, for their love and concern should be honestly communicated— but rather because third parties sometimes can listen a little longer without reacting, can prescribe with a clear-headed assessment, and most of all, can be a fresh voice which conveys care and concern, a voice which has risen above similar challenges. [Neal A. Maxwell, A More Excellent Way: Essays on Leadership for Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1967), 62.]

Doubt is necessary, in the cosmic scheme of things, if we are to experience an authentic test of our true desires, retain our moral agency, and have the kind of full experience we need that will help us to become more like Christ. However, as we better come to appreciate the necessity of doubt, we should be careful to speak of doubt in its proper place. Doubt is a condition to be overcome and not a virtue to be embraced.

An unavoidable part of life is that we routinely experience doubt, confusion and uncertainty. These feelings are always troubling, but they can be especially disconcerting when they relate to our feelings about God. During those times, I like to think about two different episodes in the scriptures.

The first event involved Christ and a great number of his followers. In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Christ gave what has become known as “The Bread of Life Sermon” in which he stated that He is the Bread of Life and that unless we eat of his flesh and drink his blood, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Most of those who were listening were so upset by the notion that we must eat the flesh and blood of Christ to go to Heaven that they stopped listening then and there and left the Savior.

Only his most loyal disciples, the Twelve, remained. Christ did not run after those who left to apologize for offending them, or to try and explain that it was merely a metaphor. He merely turned to the Twelve and asked, “Will ye also go away?” (John 6:67.) It was Peter who replied. He did not say, “Of course we’re going to stay. We understand that you are only speaking metaphorically.” Instead, he said “to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6: 68). Peter and the Twelve may have experienced the same kinds of doubts, confusion and uncertainty that were felt by those who left, but the Twelve set those feelings aside and stood by the Savior. Rather than act upon whatever doubts they may have had, they acted upon their faith. And because of this decision to act with faith, and continue following the Savior, their faith was eventually transformed into knowledge.

The second story involves a great miracle and a man of imperfect faith. The anguished man had sought a blessing from the disciples of Christ for his son, who had been afflicted with convulsions since he was a child. When the disciples were unable to heal the son, the scribes, perhaps seeing an opportunity to embarrass the disciples of Christ, started arguing with the disciples. At this point, Christ entered the scene and asked what the argument was about. The man stepped forward and explained how he had brought his son to the disciples to be healed, but they had failed. Christ told the man that “all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). Of course, the man had just witnessed how Christ’s disciples had fallen short and were now being challenged by critics of the Church. The conclusion the man might have drawn was that not even the disciples had sufficient faith. Under these circumstances, it would be understandable if the man gave up and surrendered to doubt. Instead, the man gathered all the faith he could, and said “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). In other words, he was not certain that Christ could heal his son. But he would set aside what uncertainty he had and ask for a miracle. In doing so, his faith turned to knowledge once Christ healed the son.

Counsel for Those Wrestle with Doubts

Clearly, we can be blessed and even witness miracles even though we experience confusion and doubt. Nevertheless, we may become discouraged when we find that our leaders are imperfect. We may become upset at some difficult doctrine or find some Church historical events impossible to fathom. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf acknowledged that leaders of the Church have made mistakes and that with respect to the history of the Church, “there have been some things said and done that could cause people to question.” His counsel was to be patient while we gather more information, consider looking at things from a different perspective, and to “first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” [See F. F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer (1924), 23.]

Yet, one does not need to spend much time on the Internet today to find people who speak of doubt as if it is something to be proud of. It seems that for some, a person is not truly thoughtful if that person does not regularly experience doubt about the Church and its leaders. For such people, doubt is a badge of honor and a symbol of intellectual maturity rather than a burden and trial to be overcome. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has observed,

“Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not!”

Of course, as people speak of “doubt,” it is sometimes difficult to know what they mean. The word “doubt” may be used when all that is meant is mere confusion, uncertainty or a reservation of judgment. Other times the word “doubt” may be used to describe bitterness, cynicism and distrust. One can temporarily “doubt” certain things in the first sense, and still generally see with an “eye of faith” (Alma 32:40). However, “doubt” of the second kind erodes and undermines faith. And even when doubt begins as mere questioning or uncertainty, if left unresolved, it can eventually devolve into cynicism and bitterness.

Approaching Doubts

Usually, when we speak of doubt in a religious context, it denotes a condition that is antithetical to faith. For example, when the scriptures or general authorities speak of doubt, it is almost always of the more negative variety.

So we are understandably concerned when a friend or family member admits to having “doubts.” And it can be especially confusing lately to hear so many speak of doubt as something useful or even desirable.

Whether doubts end up as a positive or negative thing for us depends to a large degree upon how we look at them and what we do about them. Elder John A. Widstoe examined the different approaches to doubt as follows:

The strong man is not afraid to say, “I do not know”; the weak man simpers and answers, “I doubt.” Doubt, unless transmuted into inquiry, has no value or worth in the world…. To take pride in being a doubter, without earnestly seeking to remove the doubt, is to reveal shallowness of thought and purpose. …

 

Doubt of the right kind— that is, honest questioning— leads to faith. Such doubt impels men to inquiry, which always opens the door to truth. The scientist in his laboratory, the explorer in distant parts, the prayerful man upon his knees— these and all inquirers like them find truth. They learn that some things are known, others are not. They cease to doubt….

 

On the other hand, the stagnant doubter, one content with himself, unwilling to make the effort, to pay the price of discovery, inevitably reaches unbelief and miry darkness. His doubts grow like poisonous mushrooms in the dim shadows of his mental and spiritual chambers. At last, blind like the mole in his burrow, he usually substitutes ridicule for reason, and indolence for labor….

 

Doubt which immediately leads to honest inquiry, and thereby removes itself, is wholesome. But that doubt which reeds and grows upon itself, and, with stubborn indolence, breeds more doubt, is evil. [John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991), 31-33.]

Elder Holland has added:

Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.

While it is possible, as Elder Holland suggests, to have questions, but still have faith, it is also becoming increasingly common for people to talk about doubt as being essential to faith in a way that might lead one to conclude that if one does not carefully preserve and cherish one’s doubts, one might just lose one’s faith. While it is true that experiencing and overcoming doubt can strengthen faith, God does not expect us to cling to our doubts. Ultimately, doubt is not the friend of faith, but rather its enemy. As we learn from the Lectures on Faith [Lectures on Faith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1985, p. 46.]:

Where doubt is, there faith has no power.

The Choice Between Doubt and Faith

Mormon scholar Terryl Givens, professor of religion and literature at the University of Richmond, gave a fireside presentation titled “Letter to a Doubter.” This insightful piece has had a dramatic impact on the way in which many of us view doubt and doubters. Of course, as with many ideas that garner great enthusiasm, we can begin to carry an idea to an extreme that starts to undermine the very reason for communicating the original idea.

Obviously, Professor Givens did not intend to foster greater doubt. Rather, he hoped to help build faith. Yet, if we are not careful, we may mistakenly take his arguments as justification for not only defending, but encouraging doubt. Professor Givens says that we should be grateful for our doubts. However, this is only true in the same sense that we should be grateful for our temptations, suffering and afflictions. There must be an opposition in all things (2 Nephi 2:11). It is in resisting temptation, enduring suffering and overcoming affliction that we progress and grow. It is through the test of our adversities that we manifest our true desires. We should no more seek out and celebrate doubt than we should seek out and celebrate temptation, suffering, or affliction. As Professor Givens explains:

I know I am grateful for a propensity to doubt because it gives me the capacity to freely believe…. There must be grounds for doubt as well as belief in order to render the choice more truly a choice, and therefore more deliberate and laden with more personal vulnerability and investment. An overwhelming preponderance of evidence on either side would make our choice as meaningless as would a loaded gun pointed at our heads…. What we choose to embrace, to be responsive to, is the purest reflection of who we are and what we love. That is why faith, the choice to believe, is, in the final analysis, an action that is positively laden with moral significance.

So doubt is necessary for the way in which it helps to reveal our true desires. Doubt can also help us to grow, to gain experience, and to maintain our moral agency. But it is not a condition that we should seek after or complacently maintain. Just as we can choose to believe, we can also choose to doubt. Elder Neal A. Maxwell observed that for some, this is a serious temptation:

Why are a few members who somewhat resemble the ancient Athenians, so eager to hear some new doubt or criticism? (See Acts 17:21.) Just as some weak members slip across a state line to gamble, a few go out of their way to have their doubts titillated. Instead of nourishing their faith, they are gambling “offshore” with their fragile faith. To the question “Will ye also go away?” these few would reply, “Oh, no, we merely want a weekend pass in order to go to a casino for critics or a clubhouse for cloakholders.” Such easily diverted members are not disciples but fair-weather followers. Instead, true disciples are rightly described as steadfast and immovable, pressing forward with “a perfect brightness of hope.” (2 Nephi 31:20; see also Doctrine & Covenants 49:23.)

So, although we may experience feelings of doubt, and feel tempted to embrace doubt, we should vigorously resist that choice. Among our deepest desires should be one in which we long to move beyond doubt, through faith, and into the realm of knowledge.

Read Part 2 of this article.

What I discovered when I did go hunting was a tangle of beliefs that are scattered all over the spectrum. Christians have such varying beliefs that I was astonished by the diversity of belief I found. I learned that much of their belief is based on their definition of God and their interpretation of the Bible. Even among Protestants belief in Christ and what He did varies widely.

I have included here quotes from a couple of Christian sources. One states there is no way Christ could have resurrected Himself, and the other claims uncategorically that Jesus raised himself from the dead. I have also included a list of resurrection verses from the scriptures and several references from Church leaders who have differing methods of discussing the subject.

Christianity Divided

The Good News – A Magazine of Understanding is published by the United Church of God. The first paragraph is only one of several reference paragraphs where they list verses that claim that someone other than Jesus resurrected him. The second paragraph explains the verses in John that “implies” that Jesus would bring himself back to life.

No dead person can resurrect Himself. Death is the complete absence of life and consciousness. Only someone alive and gifted with supernatural powers could have performed such a wondrous deed. The New Testament plainly reveals in many passages that it was God the Father who raised Jesus from the dead.

For example, the apostle Peter stated in his first sermon on the Day of Pentecost: “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts:2:32). Not long after, Peter repeated this vital testimony. He told the audience that they had “killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses” (Acts:3:15). …

Yet Jesus did say, “Destroy this temple [referring to His body being slain], and in three days I will raise it up [implying His resurrection]” (John:2:19; see verse 21). Jesus did not mean by this that He would come back to life on His own, contradicting the other verses in this regard. Rather, He was referring to the fact that once God the Father made Him alive again in His tomb, He would stand up from where He lay dead—raising Himself from His lying position to then ascend from the grave.

The following two paragraphs come from an article from Come Reason Ministries. This is an apologetics article. They clearly believe that Jesus raised himself from the dead. They also include the belief that the other members of the Trinity (Godhead) had a hand it the process.

There are a couple of key verses where Jesus explicitly claims that He has the power over His own life. In John chapter 2, Jesus drives out the merchants and the moneychangers from the Temple and the Jewish religious leaders were incensed. They demanded to know what proof Jesus could offer to justify His judgment of spiritual propriety. Jesus responded “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John then clarifies Jesus’ statement and writes, “But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” Jesus reiterated His power over His own life and death in John 10:17 – 18 when He says, “My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

It is clear that Jesus claimed to have the power to resurrect Himself. The Bible also claims that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, (see Acts 5:30, Galatians 1:1 among others) and that God’s Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11, 1 Peter, 3:18). So we have all three persons of the Trinity involved in Jesus’ resurrection. Given the crucial aspect of the Resurrection to God’s plan, that is no surprise.

Relevant Verses

Before I list comments on Christ’s resurrection from modern apostles and get into a commentary about the issue, I think it would be good to read a few verses that talk about Christ’s resurrection. Notice that some have already been referenced, and there seem to be some contradictions as to who should get credit for the resurrection of Christ.

2 Nephi 2:8:

Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

Here we are told that Jesus used the power of the Spirit to resurrect Himself. In the verse below we are told that it was Jesus who broke the bands of death.

Mosiah 15:23:

They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death.

2 Timothy 1:10:

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

The verse in 2 Timothy is a little vague as to who actually did the resurrecting. All it says is that Christ “brought life.” This doesn’t help us solve anything. In the next verse from the book of Romans, all we know is that “the glory of the Father” raised Christ. It doesn’t say who actually performed the resurrection.

Romans 6:4:

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.

Revelation 1:18:

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

From our understanding of priesthood keys through modern revelation, we know that he who has the keys controls all the rights of administration to the ordinances and powers of that thing. If Christ has the keys of death and hell then he has control over life and is the ultimate judge, because only the one who holds those keys can consign someone to hell. This verse is a pretty reasonable indication that Jesus could have resurrected himself.

Luke 24:46:

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

This verse makes it sound like Christ was in control of both his death and his own resurrection.

Words of the Prophets

In his Conference talk from April, 1982, entitled The Resurrection of Jesus, Elder Marion G. Romney states very clearly that Jesus “brought forth his own glorious resurrected body.” Yet in the next reference from the book Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie, he left the reference vague, saying that it was done “by the power of God.”

When we speak of Jesus being resurrected, we mean that his premortal spirit, which animated his mortal body from his birth in the manger until he died on the cross, reentered that body; and the two, his spirit body and his physical body, inseparably welded together, arose from the tomb an immortal soul.

Our belief is, and we so testify, that Jesus not only conquered death for himself and brought forth his own glorious resurrected body, but that in so doing he also brought about a universal resurrection. This was the end and purpose of the mission for which he was set apart and ordained in the great council in heaven, when he was chosen to be our Savior and Redeemer (Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie, p 639).

Christ was the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:23), and because of his resurrection, “by the power of God,” all men shall come forth from the grave (Mormon 9:13).

Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1, p 31 by Joseph Fielding Smith states very clearly that Jesus resurrected Himself. Actually, it doesn’t, but it does say that He had the power to do it by Himself. What it does appear to state is that Jesus was commanded of his Father to resurrect Himself. This ability to raise Himself from the dead is the ultimate proof that Jesus was divine.

Christ Had Power over Death. This being true, what then did Paul mean by saying to Timothy, according to the King James Bible, that the Son of God “only hath immortality”? Simply this: That of all who have dwelt upon this earth, the Son of God stands out alone as the only one who possessed life in himself and power over death inherently. Christ was never subject unto death, even on the cross, but death was ever subject unto him. “As the Father hath life in himself,” the Savior said, “so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” Again, he said: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 5:26; John 10:17 – 18).

In the words of Elder Neal A. Maxwell (from the same talk by Elder D. Todd Christofferson referenced below) the victory over death belongs to Christ.

“Christ’s victory over death ended the human predicament. Now there are only personal predicaments, and from these too we may be rescued by following the teachings of him who rescued us from general extinction.”

In the April, 2014 General Conference Elder D. Todd Christofferson gave a talk entitled, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is also pretty clear that Jesus had the power within himself to raise himself from the dead.

Christ’s Resurrection shows that His existence is independent and everlasting. “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” Jesus said:

“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”

The Savior is not dependent on food or water or oxygen or any other substance or power or person for life. Both as Jehovah and Messiah, He is the great I Am, the self-existing God. He simply is and ever will be.

… Consider for a moment the significance of the Resurrection in resolving once and for all the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth and the great philosophical contests and questions of life. If Jesus was in fact literally resurrected, it necessarily follows that He is a divine being. No mere mortal has the power in himself to come to life again after dying. Because He was resurrected, Jesus cannot have been only a carpenter, a teacher, a rabbi, or a prophet. Because He was resurrected, Jesus had to have been a God, even the Only Begotten Son of the Father.

The Importance of Unity of the Godhead

If you have spent any time in the scriptures you have probably read passages where Jesus speaks as though He is the Father. You have also read passages where the Holy Spirit has spoken as though He were either Christ or the Father. My point is the degree of unity in the Godhead. They speak and act for each other.

I have shown you verses that claim the Spirit raised Jesus, verses that say the Father raised Jesus, and verses that say Jesus raised Himself. As part of the Godhead, does it really matter who did it? I don’t think so. Most of the modern prophets rely on the reference that Jesus had the power over life and death within Himself.

Whether Jesus was raised by the Father, used the power of the Spirit to raise Himself, or had sufficient power to raise Himself without any assistance, it doesn’t change my view of the divinity of Jesus. He was dead, yet lives again. Because of Him all of us will live again. Life has meaning of an eternal nature because of His resurrection. I think that is all that truly matters.

What about you? What were you taught about the resurrection of Jesus? Can you allow that though we don’t have all the answers as to exactly how the resurrection took place that what really matters is that He lives? As you think about what the risen Lord means to you, does it really matter who had a hand in it? Jesus died, yet He lives again. This is the glorious message of the gospel. This is the good news of our salvation and redemption.

The Lord has never given us details about important spiritual events and processes. In this life we are required to walk by faith. How Jesus was resurrected is one of those details He hasn’t shared with us. But we live by faith that because of his resurrection we will live again as well. This means we will have the opportunity for eternal progress and growth, and eternal families. His atonement and resurrection were the most profound events in our existence.

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.

Spirit daughters and sons of God watch and wait, for physical bodies and mortal experiences are God’s intent for His children. A veil of forgetting tests these earthly inhabitants’ loyalty to their Father. Years, decades, centuries march on as they subdue, control, and consume the Earth’s bountiful resources. Happiness and prosperity are their frequent companions; but also temptation, sin, vice, disease, war, destruction, death, and misery. The choices and consequences of men and women injure and oppress the once paradisiacal planet.

A seer, who watches the Earth through the eons of its existence and hears its groans from pain and weariness, cries out, “O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth?” “When shall the earth rest?” (Moses 7:49, 58).

The Creator whispers hope and assures the seer:

And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve;

And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. . . .

Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;

And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest (Moses 7:61–64).

The thousand-year rest is preparatory, fortifying; for the ultimate destiny of God’s Earth requires cleansing, purging, purification:

The earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (Mormon 9:2).

It must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory;

For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;

That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified. . . .

The earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law—

Wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:18–20, 25–26)

Through apocalyptic death and glorious resurrection, the Earth becomes a New Heaven and a New Earth, a “sea of glass and fire, where all things” are manifest “past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord,” a sanctified orb of revelation (Doctrine and Covenants 130:7).

The story is not fantasy; it is prophecy. The great prophets Isaiah and John the Revelator saw this destiny for the earth.

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. . . .

For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17–18; 66:22)

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. (Revelation 21:1)

God revealed the destiny of the earth to other prophets:

And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new. (Ether 13:9)

And also that of element shall melt with fervent heat; and all things shall become new, that my knowledge and glory may dwell upon all the earth. (Doctrine and Covenants 101:25)

The earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. (Article of Faith 1:10)

In its transformed and glorified state, the New Heaven and New Earth is a celestial and eternal abode for God and His Son.

It is a fantastic story that can be believed. Beautiful Earth was created for each of God’s children by a loving Heavenly Father. When it completes the “measure of its creation,” it will receive its eternal reward of rebirth and eternal life.

Interviews with people who aren’t Mormon or who are former Mormons often include mentions of the rules. Many people have heard that Mormons have a lot of rules. Even more surprisingly, they’ve heard Mormons like all those rules. Why? Is there any benefit to them? Do they keep people from being independent and making their own choices? What are some of their “favorite” rules? Here’s an in-depth look at the mysterious Mormon rules. (Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to talk about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Do Mormons Think the Rules Will Save Them?

It’s a myth that Mormons think they can work their way into Heaven by obeying a lot of rules. Mormons know we are saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ—it says this many times in the Book of Mormon and Bible and is taught even to the young children at church. We could not atone for our own sins, and we understand that if Jesus Christ had refused to carry through the atonement, we could not have been saved. We are not qualified to atone for our own sins.

That said, we are saved from our sins, not in them. The Bible talks often about the eternal importance of obeying commandments and makes it clear that if we say we’re Christian but then go on to live any way we want to live, we aren’t going to be able to live with God. The wicked can’t be in God’s presence. Repentance is a required process in the gospel, and if there are no rules, you can’t repent.

If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21, KJV of the Bible).

We must remember that if I say I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior but then walk out the door and rob a bank, I probably was not sincere in my profession of faith. Our actions, when done for the right reasons, are a demonstration of our commitment to and love for the Savior. Christianity is meant to be life changing. We have to be willing to sacrifice our favorite sins for God. However, done for the wrong reasons, the actions have no benefit, because they were done for selfish reasons and not because we love Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus tied obedience to love in John 14:15.

Are All Those Mormon Rules a Burden?

When people refer to Mormon rules as a burden, I often think it might help if they changed their terminology. Mormons don’t call them Mormon rules—they call them God’s commandments. To a Christian, of course, keeping God’s commandments is a privilege, not a burden. God gives us so much and asks comparatively little of us in return. What He does ask isn’t random. Mormons know every commandment has a purpose. We might not always know what it is—although eventually we often figure it out—but we trust God.

So no, Mormons don’t consider the rules a burden. Ezra Taft Benson, a past Mormon prophet, said, “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.”

That quote has always helped me when I start wishing we didn’t have a certain rule. I love God and Jesus Christ. Why should it ever irritate me to do what God asks me to do? If I really love Them, I will trust Them to ask me to do what is right. The stronger my testimony of God and Jesus, the easier it becomes to keep the commandments.

Is it a burden? No, it’s an honor.

Don’t All Those Rules Make You Clones?

One of my favorite ways to explain why we can have a lot of rules and all be different from each other is to use the sonnet as an analogy. A sonnet is a type of long poem with a lot of rules.

Sonnets have to be exactly fourteen lines long and every line has to be in iambic pentameter. You have to follow the rhyme scheme for the type of sonnet you’re writing. It even has to use metaphors and build its case a certain way. They are considered valuable exercises for writers because they force the writer to think in new ways, choose words they might not naturally choose, and to pay attention to the smallest details while writing. Sonnets take a lot of work, but as Shakespeare demonstrated, they have great power when they’re done well.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is like a sonnet. There are strict rules governing the sonnet, and yet there have been millions of unique sonnets written throughout history. Mormons may have a lot of rules (but not as many as you think) and yet each Mormon is completely unique. There is room for creativity within the structure and living within that structure brings spiritual maturity and power.

The structure involves those things that are essential for our salvation and that keep us safe from the consequences of bad choices. Some “rules” are commandments, such as keeping the Sabbath Day holy or not drinking alcohol. Others are just common sense recommendations, such as getting an education. Mormons find that when they stay inside the structure, they avoid a great many of the difficult challenges other people face. We’ll talk more about that later in the article.

When there isn’t a specific rule, Mormons can choose for themselves. A fascinating way to explore how Mormons manage very diverse lives while living in a sonnet-like structure is to watch the “I’m a Mormon” videos and to read the written bios from hundreds of ordinary Mormons like me.

Read “I’m a Mormon” biographies.

Read my own profile on “I’m a Mormon.”

Watch fun unscripted video profiles of ordinary Mormons.

How Do You Know It’s really a Commandment?

People sometimes wonder how we really know that what the Church says for us to do is really God’s will. Do we just blindly do as we’re told?

Agency is a critical part of Mormon belief. We believe we chose to come here to live in mortality on the earth, after dwelling in a spiritual, pre-mortal life with God our Father.  And we chose to accept the challenges we’d face during our lifetimes. We believe that conversion is voluntary. We also, though, believe in making informed decisions. That doesn’t mean we will always know exactly why God wants us to do something before we do it—the Bible shows us God often just wants us to trust Him. However, He has given us a way to find out if a commandment is real.

Of course, the method depends on our ability to trust God and our willingness to pray for answers. God promised in the Bible (James 1:5, for instance) that if we ask God for wisdom, He will give it to us—but we must ask in faith, nothing wavering. Mormons learn how to do this at a young age. Before they are baptized at age eight, children are taught how to know if God is real and how to ask Him if the Church is true. They learn how to pray to know if the Mormon prophet really is a prophet of God. They’re encouraged to repeat these prayerful requests for wisdom as needed as they are growing up and in fact, throughout their lives.

Sometimes, though, even when you really do believe the prophet is a prophet, you find yourself struggling with something. There is a commandment you wish wasn’t true for whatever reason—maybe you wish you could drink coffee in order to stay awake after a late night of playing. Perhaps you wish you could use your tithing money for something you think you need or want more.

It is considered perfectly acceptable to pray to God specifically about that commandment. In fact, we’re encouraged to do so. Mormons learn to first study the topic. This means to read the scriptures to see what they tell us and to find out what the prophets have said on the subject. We’re encouraged to put a commandment to the test. Give up coffee and see if, once the addiction is gone, you feel better. Stop drinking alcohol and see if your life improves. Pay your tithing and pay attention to how life works out and the impressions God places in your heart and mind. Then make a decision and pray about it. Ask God to help you understand what He wants you to do. Be willing to accept the answer even if it isn’t what you were hoping for.

When you’ve done this often enough, a pattern emerges, and you can recognize a yes or a no when you receive it. When I was first learning to pray this way, I kept track of how impressions came to me—warm, peaceful, and powerful feelings in my heart, thoughts in my mind that don’t seem like my own, a happy feeling of true joy (not worldly pleasure) when I’ve done the right thing. I noticed the results of the actions. Eventually I understood that these answers were really answers because things always worked out correctly. Negative or confusing feelings generally meant I needed to go back and start over.

Mormons, then, aren’t acting on blind faith. They’re getting their instructions from God. Can you think of a safer guide through life? The prophet delivers God’s words to us, but we have the privilege and responsibility to confirm those words if we face doubts.

Why Does God Make So Many Rules?

When I read the Old Testament and study the Law of Moses, I’m always glad I didn’t live then. They make the Mormon rules look easy! Still, God had a reason for them. He wasn’t just trying to make their lives hard. They were learning to obey and to sacrifice. Many of the rules helped to prepare them to understand the mission and teachings of Jesus Christ later on. Jesus kept the Law of Moses and I never saw any sign that He considered them a burden. I think that is because He completely understood them.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a counselor to Mormon prophet Thomas S. Monson, taught the women in the church, and a year later, the men, that obedience is easier when we understand why God wants us to obey. He built on the statement I quoted earlier by Ezra Taft Benson:

While understanding the “what” and the “how” of the gospel is necessary, the eternal fire and majesty of the gospel springs from the “why.” When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet.

Let us not walk the path of discipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us. Let us not walk unaware of the beauty of the glorious earthly and spiritual landscapes that surround us.

My dear sisters, seek out the majesty, the beauty, and the exhilarating joy of the “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The “what” and “how” of obedience mark the way and keep us on the right path. The “why” of obedience sanctifies our actions, transforming the mundane into the majestic. It magnifies our small acts of obedience into holy acts of consecration (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Forget Me Not, Ensign, November 2011).

Sometimes the scriptures give us the “why.” Sometimes the “why” is obvious to us. Sometimes we just have to wait and find out the results of our obedience. When Joseph Smith, the first Mormon prophet, gave the Word of Wisdom, the Mormon health code, it seemed weird to many people. Today, doctors are teaching us to eat that way—science caught up with God. In the early days of the church, however, Mormons just had to take it on faith that whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables, smaller quantities of meat, and avoidance of addictive substances such as coffee, tea, alcohol, and tobacco were a good idea.

Many things the world has decided to make acceptable—and which many mock the Mormons for doing—are really against all common sense. The sins we’ve made “normal” cause more trouble than happiness. A previous female international leader who never married said this about her decision to live a chaste lifestyle:

Several years ago, I participated in an international policy forum where the discussion moved from prostitution to pornography to abortion and so on. When the moderator invited me to comment, I noted that it seemed impossible not to notice a common theme—that every thorny issue had immoral underpinnings. I then told about my parents, who are devout members of our faith, what they had taught me about marriage and chastity, and how those teachings had governed my life. Afterwards, one woman after another pulled me aside and said the same thing: “You are so lucky. I didn’t think chastity was even possible. I wish someone had told me this years ago—it would have changed my life.”

I personally know tens of thousands of youth and young adults who are living morally clean lives. They are happy, productive, and anxiously engaged in becoming engaged. Moral purity is not outdated. Admittedly, it is also not easy. But I submit that it is easier than the alternative. Virtuous men and women never worry about a surprise pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. Never agonize over confessing unfaithfulness. Have no emptiness after a one-night stand. No pain in losing one’s family to infidelity. No haunting memories of indiscretions. Quoting C. S. Lewis, “Virtue—even attempted virtue—brings light; indulgence brings fog.” (Sheri L. Dew, “The Power of Virtue,” Church News, August 9.)

When we look at the problems created by modern concepts of morality we realize God knew what He was doing when He created rules for us. Choices have consequences, and most often the consequences don’t come from God, but from life. They are the natural consequences of poor choices in life. Our parents taught us to avoid stupid decisions that could lead to bad natural consequences, such as getting hit by a car if we run into the street without looking. God’s rules are much like this. The consequences are not worth whatever satisfaction we think the sin gives us.

What Are Some of Your Favorite Mormon Rules?

Let’s look at just a few Mormon rules that non-Mormons often comment on when discussing Mormon rules. I’ll let you know what I like about them and how they impact my life as a Mormon woman. When seen through the eyes of a Mormon, they may begin to make sense.

Sabbath and Three Hours of Church

Many people are shocked that Mormons try to keep the Sabbath Day holy and that they willingly attend church for three hours each Sunday. It is, however, something I look forward to all week.

The Bible teaches us to keep the Sabbath Day holy. It was so important God made it one of the Ten Commandments and He never repealed it. Even the Law of Moses acknowledges times when an exception can be made — it’s okay to rescue your suffering animal on the Sabbath.  Jesus  healed a sick person on the Sabbath. He did not, however, take away the Sabbath Day commandment. We’re supposed to keep the Sabbath Day holy all day and the reasons for it are wise.

All week long I’m very busy with family, volunteer work, and self-employment. During that time, it often seems hard to find as much time as I’d like to give God. This morning, for instance, I read my scriptures, but stopped sooner than I would have liked because I had to get to work. There are some Sabbath-appropriate activities I love that I don’t have time for at all during the week.

Sundays, however, are just for God. He gives me six days to do all the other things I need to do and only asks for one to be spent on Him. This seems very fair since I wouldn’t have any of the days if it weren’t for God.

Three hours of church? They are the highlight of my week! Mormons consider church attendance to be a visit to God’s home. It is a time to focus just on God and Jesus Christ. We take the Sacrament (Communion), learn more about God and the Savior, study the scriptures, and, in my case, teach them to children. It is a peaceful time away from the challenges of the world. There is no housework, no business distraction, no phone ringing…just me and my time with God and His followers.

I come away from my three hours tired, since I teach little children, but spiritually and emotionally refreshed. I’ve enjoyed learning and teaching the gospel. I renew my covenants (promises) to God when I take the Sacrament. When I get home, I do only the necessary chores, such as preparing a simple dinner. I don’t shop or sightsee. I have plenty of time to work on my church lessons, read the scriptures, and do my genealogy, which Mormons consider a family-time activity. When my children were young, I had more time for them. Now that they’re grown, I can spend more time quietly talking to my husband and more time refreshing the spirit.

When I sit down at my desk on Monday morning, I’m refreshed, spiritually charged, and ready to face the world. Unlike most people, I love Mondays because that spiritual recharging is still fresh. Three hours at church is not hard at all when you spend it visiting and learning about someone you love.

Mormon Tithing

Mormon tithing is another rule that comes right from the Bible. It’s mentioned in Genesis 14, where we learn that Abraham paid tithing. In Malachi 3, we learn just how serious a sin it is to not pay your tithing:

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

These are strong words: Failing to pay your tithing is robbing God. Jesus praised the widow who gave her mite, because her sacrifice to God was greater than that of the wealthy men who would never miss the money. I’ve heard it said that the atonement did away with that (and anything else the speaker might not want to do), but the atonement did not make it free to do God’s work, and having more money for personal pleasure is not what the atonement was about. Tithing is still a commandment. Today, many churches that no longer teach it are struggling to stay open and to have money for their charitable works.

My tithing does not go to pay salaries of church leaders. It does go to maintain the building where I attend church, the temples, the charitable work, the supplies needed to run a congregation, missionary work, and other important essentials. The benefits to me are greater than whatever benefit the money might have provided me had I kept it.

Malachi promised that if we paid tithing, Heaven would pour out more blessings than we can handle. This does not mean we will get rich—he didn’t say a word about getting money. Gordon B. Hinckley, a past Mormon prophet, said:

Now, do not get me wrong. I am not here to say that if you pay an honest tithing you will realize your dream of a fine house, a Rolls Royce, and a condominium in Hawaii. The Lord will open the windows of heaven according to our need, and not according to our greed. If we are paying tithing to get rich, we are doing it for the wrong reason. The basic purpose for tithing is to provide the Church with the means needed to carry on His work. The blessing to the giver is an ancillary return, and that blessing may not be always in the form of financial or material benefit (President Gordon B. Hinckley, Tithing: An Opportunity to Prove Our Faithfulness, Ensign, May 1982).

Like Sabbath Day observance, tithing is a gift of love to God. Mormons try to not feel burdened by being asked to give back to the God who gave us everything. We consider it is God’s money and that we’d not have it at all without His blessing. For that reason, we’re happy to return the small amount He asks for—ten percent in tithing and more in donations and offerings to special funds, including those that care for the poor.

Mormon Health Code

It’s likely you already know about the Mormon health code. We call it the Word of Wisdom because that’s what it is. While there are some don’ts (no alcohol, no cigarettes, no recreational drugs, no coffee and no tea) there are also some do’s most people aren’t aware of: eat meat sparingly, eat whole grains, enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, and get enough rest. As I mentioned earlier, these are common sense guidelines today, but were a little unusual in the 1800s. Today we know just how dangerous cigarettes are. We see the tragedies that come from drug and alcohol abuse. We know coffee is an addictive substance.

Having grown up watching a grandmother die of smoking-related diseases and having seen the impact of alcoholism on family members (and finding that it runs through several lines of my family), I found these rules easy to adjust to. I became a Mormon at age 17, but had never been interested in cigarettes or alcohol. I’d seen their dangers and knew that addiction tendencies are inherited. Watching how completely addicted to coffee many people have become, I’m glad I never liked it anyway.

The easiest way to live the Word of Wisdom is to simply avoid ever getting addicted to these substances. For those who become Mormon later, there is a certain satisfaction when they find themselves free of the addictions and problems the forbidden substances created. You can’t live the life God planned for you if you’re dependent on addictive substances in order to get through a day. When I teach children, I try hard to help them realize how much more wonderful it is to go through life on their own strength.

These are just a few of the Mormon rules people talk about. There are others, but they are all equally designed to help me stay safe or to allow me greater ability to show God and Jesus Christ how grateful I am to them for their gifts of love to me.

Mormon rules: Burden or blessing? For me, as a Christian, they are a blessing and one more way I know God loves me. He is doing His best to keep me safe and I’m always working to live up to His expectations for me. I want to become the person He knows I can be.

After Christ was resurrected and left this earth, the essential doctrines and truths that He taught were slowly lost to the world. Eventually the world fell into a period of apostasy, in which no full truth or any priesthood power could be found. The restoration of all things was prophesied by Peter when he spoke about “the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”^[1] Mormons believe that the restoration of all things began when God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820.

Several events will be a part of the full restoration: the re-establishment of Christ’s church as He organized it during His mortal life; the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods;  the restoration of sacred temple ordinances and priesthood keys; the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon, restoring essential gospel truths to the world; the gathering of Israel; the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and His consequent millennial reign on the earth; and the gospel of Jesus Christ accepted worldwide.

Several of these promised restorations have already happened. Peter, James, and John came to Joseph Smith to restore the power of the priesthood; The Church of Jesus Christ was officially established in these days in 1830; Moses, Elias, and Elijah appeared in the Kirtland temple to restore the essential priesthood keys of the gathering of Israel, the keys of the dispensation of Abraham, and the power of the sealing keys, which enables families to be sealed together forever.

God’s ultimate plan for this earth is coming together in the restoration of all things. This restoration includes worldwide missionary work and the building of temples all around the globe. The Lord seeks to make every one of His children aware of the truth so that they may have the opportunity to choose to follow Him.

The purpose of the restoration is to prepare the world and God’s children for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. God will not leave His children unprepared and has taken critical steps to ensure that His gospel will be made available to everyone through the restoration of all things. Without the restoration, the Savior could not come to reign on earth again, and truths crucial to our salvation would be out of our reach. Because of the restoration of all things, we can come unto Christ more fully and completely than we could before this restoration. The restoration of all things is evidence that God loves and cares for each and every one of His children and wants them to be happy both in this life and in the life to come.

Why Temple Marriage?        

Latter-day Saints believe that when worthy couples are married in the temple, they are sealed together as husbands and wives for all time and all eternity. This means that unlike civil marriages, marriage in the temple is designed to perpetuate beyond mortality and into the next life. During a temple wedding, a couple makes sacred covenants and are sealed together by priesthood authority – the same authority Jesus Christ gave to Peter and other apostles declaring that “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Without this sealing authority, marriage and family relationships could not continue beyond the grave, hence the statement declared in many civil weddings: “till death do you part.”

Temple Marriage is a Requirement for Receiving Eternal Life

Eternal life means living in the presence of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. It is living eternally with families and loved ones in the Celestial Kingdom – a place where God lives. It is the greatest of all gifts of God for His children. One of the requirements for receiving this gift is receiving the sealing ordinance of temple marriage.

“In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;

“And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];

“And if he does not, he cannot obtain it” (Doctrine and Covenants131:1-3).

Thus, in order to receive eternal life and be with their families forever, every person must work for a temple marriage and married couples must keep the covenants associated with it such as staying faithful to each other. The Lord commands: “Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:22).

Couples who have previously been married by civil law may be sealed in temples and receive all the promised blessings that come from making and keeping their covenants. Single people must seek the guidance of the Lord and follow the guidelines set by the Church as they prepare themselves to marry in holy temples.