User:InProgress/Common questions page 1

A FAIR Analysis of: 'Common Questions - p. 1'

Page 2

Common Chat Questions

1. What’s different about the Mormon faith?

The two things that probably most distinguish us is that we believe God continues to talk to prophets, and that he provides us with scripture in addition to the Holy Bible.

A third point is the concept of priesthood authority.

Distinctive beliefs:

• Book of Mormon basics
• Apostasy

2. Polygamy questions…Do Mormons really have more than one wife?

Some Mormons practiced polygamy in the nineteenth century because they believed God had commanded them to. This practice was stopped more than a century ago by the Church prophets, and is forbidden to modern Mormons.

3. I’m depressed . . . how can I find happiness?

Depression can come from many causes. Some causes of depression include:

1. medical illness - if we have a medical illness, we may wish to consult a physician for help;
2. sins - if we do things we know are wrong, this will make us feel guilty and unhappy. Freedom from sins comes by repenting, receiving forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and living righteously afterwards.
3. trials or the difficulties of life - sometimes we feel depressed because we feel our life has no purpose, or because the burdens and challenges of life are overwhelming. A deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ can help us have peace in this life, and joy in the life to come.

Virtually everyone's life can be improved by repenting, and following the teachings of Jesus Christ. As Jesus taught, service to others also has a wonderful way of lightening our own burdens. For some, professional treatment may also be needed.

4. Can you prove the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon to me through archeological evidences?

There is physical evidence that supports the Book of Mormon. We believe, however, that conversion to Jesus Christ (conviction about the Book of Mormon) will come only when people receive a spiritual witness of the Book of Mormon's truthfulness. Archaeology cannot "prove" that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are correct when they teach that Jesus was the Son of God. Only God can provide this proof, though other evidences can help us decide to exercise our faith.

5. How do I know the difference between my own feelings and the Spirit?

The Holy Ghost does not speak to us just through feelings. The Lord tells us that "you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong"

This tells us that the Holy Ghost speaks to our mind and our feelings--they both must be in agreement. This is often something that occurs after much study and consideration of the question involved. An answer from God,through the Holy Ghost, will only come to those that sincerly want to know the truth and are truly willing to accept the testimony they receive.

6. Why is Lucifer Christ’s brother?

Lucifer was a spirit child of God, as was Jesus. Lucifer rebelled against God; Jesus was perfectly obedient and united to his father. Saying that Lucifer and Jesus are "the same" because they are both spirit child of God is like saying that Gandhi and Hitler were "the same" because they were both humans. They became very different beings because of the choices they made.

Or as one person suggested, Lucifer left the family a long time ago and to suggest that he is a brother to Jesus Christ implies a personal relationship that just no longer the case.

7. Why did Joseph Smith marry a fourteen year old?

We know very little detail about Joseph Smith's marriage to Helen Mar Kimball. We do know that marriage at a young age was not as uncommon, or as frowned upon, in the mid-1800s as it is today. We do know that consent was given by both Helen and her parents. We also know that both Joseph and Helen described the marriage in spiritual rather than romantic terms. Some historians have suggested that the marriage was "dynastic" rather than romantic in nature - a way to spiritually bind together faithful members of the Church in family-ties. There is no evidence that the marriage with Helen was consummated.

The sealing of people together in covenant bonds before God was always a primary focus of Joseph Smith's ministry. It can be seen in his efforts to build the community of "Zion" - a people of one heart and one mind, in the practice of polygamy, and in his concern for what happens to our departed dead. Joseph Smith was always seeking for ways to offer to human beings the same sort of unity that our Heavenly Father and his son - Jesus Christ share.

Would you like to hear more about how we can make covenants to draw closer to God and to other people?

8. Why isn’t eternal marriage mentioned in the Bible?

There are some scriptures that discuss the importance of marriage in God's plan. The apostle Paul taught, "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord." (1 Cor 11:11). However, we believe that some important doctrines were hidden or removed from the writings that later became the Bible by those without authority from God. This is why having modern prophets is so important--God can teach us what it is important for us to know today.

See also:

Mormonism and marriage

Jump to Subtopic:

• Temple marriage
• Social issues related to marriage among Latter-day Saints
• Issues related to divorce in Mormonism

< Back to FAIR Answers Index

Temple Sealings and Exaltation

Summary: There are a few related criticisms of the Latter-day Saint doctrine that temple sealing and eternal marriage are necessary for exaltation. Critics argue that this doctrine conflicts with the Bible because (1) Paul appeared to teach that remaining unmarried was preferable, (2) Jesus said that people "neither marry, nor are given in marriage" in the resurrection, and (3) requiring marriage for exaltation seems unfair to faithful members who never have the opportunity to marry.

Neither Paul nor Jesus taught that eternal marriage is impossible or unimportant, and God will ultimately provide every worthy person who lacked the opportunity for temple marriage in mortality the chance to receive all the blessings of exaltation.

---

Question: Is marriage essential to achieve exaltation?

There is no biblical obstacle to the doctrine of eternal marriage

Some criticize the Latter-day Saint view of marriage as essential on the following grounds:

1. If marriage is essential to achieve exaltation, why did Paul say that it is good for a man not to marry? (1 Corinthians 7:1)
2. Why does the Mormon Church teach that we can be married in heaven when Jesus said in Matthew 22:30 that there is no marriage in the resurrection?
3. Since not all members of the Church are married, doesn't this mean there will be many otherwise good Mormons who will not be exalted?

There is no Biblical obstacle to the doctrine of eternal marriage.

1. Some of Paul's statements addressed specific situations (e.g., missionaries wishing to leave their labors to be married), and some refuted false ideas in the Christian churches about avoiding marriage. There is textual evidence for the importance of marriage in the early Church, and evidence from early Fathers and the Bible that Paul was, in fact, married.
2. It will be too late for weddings after the resurrection, but the state of marriage itself can exist eternally, if entered into via the Lord's way. This is supported by the details of the situation described in Matthew, and the original Greek.

Latter-day Saints do not draw their doctrine from a reading of the Bible—as in all things, they are primarily guided by modern revelation. That same revelation assures them that no worthy person who was unable to marry will be denied any blessing in the hereafter.

The critics misstate the Biblical evidence: Paul's statement is a response to a particular situation, probably regarding missionary work

In brief, the critics misstate the Biblical evidence.

1. Paul does not say it is good not to marry. Paul was probably married himself. But, married or not, his advice to the Corinthians — that the unmarried remain unmarried and that the married be as if they were not married — is a response to a particular situation, probably regarding missionary work.
2. Jesus' response to the Pharisees in Matt 22 says nothing about the marital status of the righteous in heaven. It responds to a particular question about an actual case that the Sadducees were using to try to trick the Savior.

The critics also misunderstand or misrepresent LDS doctrine on the necessity of marriage for salvation. Each of these points is discussed below.

Paul and "good not to marry"

The basis for the suggestion that Paul counseled against marriage and sexual relations is found in 1 Corinthians 7:1-2:

Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

There are several things that should be understood if one is to correctly interpret this passage and, indeed, the entire seventh chapter of Paul's letter to the Corinthians. These are:

1. The statement, "it is good for a man not to touch a woman" was probably not Paul's.
2. Paul may well have been married himself, but traveling in the ministry without his wife.
3. Paul taught the importance of marriage in many places.
4. The reason for Paul's advice to the unmarried was for an unusual and a temporary situation.
5. Paul is careful to point out that this advice to remain single for the time being is not God's commandment, but was only his personal (though very wise) opinion.
6. Paul is clear that marriage, not celibacy, is a requirement for church leadership.

For a detailed response, see: Further discussion of Corinthians 7

Jesus and "neither marry nor given in marriage"

Matthew 22:23-30 (or its counterparts, Mark 12:18-25 and Luke 20:27-36) is often used by critics to argue against the LDS doctrine of eternal marriage. The Sadducees, who didn't believe in the resurrection, asked the Savior about a case where one woman successively married seven brothers, each of which died leaving her to the next. They then tried to trip up Jesus by asking him whose wife she will be in the resurrection. Jesus' answer is almost identical in all three scriptural versions.

Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:29-30)

This scripture is one of the most misunderstood scriptures in the Bible. If one is to understand it properly, one must take into account the following:

1. The question that the Sadducees asked was not a hypothetical one but was based on a real case of a woman who married seven brothers in succession, and that Jesus is commenting on this particular case.
2. The original Greek of this passage makes it clear that Jesus intended no statement concerning the marital status of the righteous in heaven.
3. The eternal unmarried state is the state of the angels in heaven, but it is not that of the heirs of salvation.

For a detailed response, see: Further discussion of Matthew 22:23-30

Question: Will Mormons who are not married in this life be able to achieve exaltation?

People who live a worthy life but do not marry in the temples, for various reasons beyond their control, will at some time be given this opportunity

In discussing the nature of marriage for time and eternity, anti-Mormon authors McKeever and Johnson ask the following:

Although continued good works are essential, Mormonism teaches that a person must be married in the temple to have a chance at exaltation. But what happens if a person does not get married, for whatever reason, and dies single?

In his article in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, James T. Duke explains the LDS doctrine on this subject:

People who live a worthy life but do not marry in the temples, for various reasons beyond their control, which might include not marrying, not having heard the gospel, or not having a temple available so that the marriage could be sealed for eternity, will at some time be given this opportunity. Latter-day Saints believe it is their privilege and duty to perform these sacred ordinances vicariously for deceased progenitors, and for others insofar as possible.

This is not a new teaching. In 1957 Joseph Fielding Smith said to the single sisters of the Church:

You good sisters, who are single and alone, do not fear that blessings are going to be withheld from you. You are not under any obligation or necessity of accepting some proposal that comes to you which is distasteful for fear you will come under condemnation. If in your hearts you feel the gospel is true and would under proper conditions receive these ordinances and sealing blessings in the temple of the Lord, and that is your faith and your hope and your desire, and that does not come to you now, the Lord will make it up, and you shall be blessed, for no blessing shall be withheld.

Likewise Harold B. Lee counseled the single women of the Church:

You young women advancing in years who have not yet accepted a proposal of marriage, if you make yourselves worthy and ready to go to the House of the Lord and have faith in this sacred principle, even though the privilege of marriage dies not come to you now, the Lord will reward you in due time and no blessing will be denied you. You are not under obligation to accept a proposal from some one unworthy of you for fear you will fail of your blessings.

Bruce R. McConkie also taught this principle when he wrote:

I am perfectly aware that there are people who did not have the opportunity [of celestial marriage] but who would have lived the law had the opportunity been afforded. Those individuals will be judged in the providences and mercy of a gracious God according to the intents and desires of their hearts. That is the principle of salvation and exaltation for the dead.

While LDS doctrine states that Celestial marriage is necessary for exaltation with God, the doctrine also states that worthiness is more important than an ordinance, and that the worthy will be provided with all the opportunities necessary so that they do not lose their chance at any blessings. This is one of the great purposes of the LDS temple work for the dead.

⍗

Source(s) of the criticism

Critical sources

Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, Mormonism 101. Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2000), Chapter 15. ( Index of claims ) MormonThink.com website (as of 4 May 2012). Page: http://mormonthink.com/jst.htm Jerald Tanner and Sandra Tanner, The Changing World of Mormonism (Moody Press, 1979), 520.( Index of claims ) Tower to Truth Ministries, "50 Questions to Ask Mormons," towertotruth.net (accessed 15 November 2007). 50 Answers

Notes (click to expand)

Back to Top

Social issues related to marriage among Latter-day Saints

Jump to Subtopic:

• Mormons who remain unmarried
• Marriage used as "therapy" for same-sex attraction

Issues related to divorce in Mormonism

Jump to Subtopic:

• Divorce in the modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormon")
• Mormonism and divorce in the nineteenth century

9. Why do you believe Christ is separate from God the Father?

Christ is a separate personage from the Father, but he is united to him in will, in attributes, and in character. (Jesus prayed for the disciples to be "one" as Jesus and the Father were one--and yet, the disciples are clearly not one in "essence" (see John 17:11,21-22). We know them to be seperate as a result of the First Vision to Joseph Smith, where he testifies of seeing two seperate and distinct personages, one God the Father and the other Jesus Christ. We also have the testimonhy from scripture because the Bible teaches this--Jesus prays to his Father, he pleads for his will to match the Father's will, he ascends to his Father, and so forth. Finally, we believe the testimony of modern prophets, who have seen the Father and the Son, and bear witness of them (JS-H 1꞉17).

10. Why do you believe that you can become a god?

We accept the Bible's, as well as modern scripture, teachings that those who are saved are given our Heavenly Father's kind of life: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelations 3:21).

This does not mean we will be separate or independent of God, but will be part of His eternal family and will be part of God's great plan for His children.

11. Do Mormons believe that they get their own planet?

We know very little about what the life of the redeemed will involve. We know that they will be in God's presence, and we know that they will remain together in families. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him," taught Paul (1 Corinthians 2:9).

12. I’m already saved. Why do I need the Mormon baptism?

We believe that anyone who already has faith in Christ would be anxious to learn more about him and more about what he has told us today. We would not expect you to be rebaptized unless you were convinced that God wanted you to do so. Baptism is not the first step; first you must learn what we believe God has revealed about Jesus in our day, and decide if it is true.

We beleive that baptism must be performed by one who has the proper priesthood authority. That authority was restored through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is available to bless the lives of all who are willing to accept this truth.

13. What happens after we die?

When we die, we go to a place called the "spirit world." For those who have been righteous, the spirit world is a place of peace and rest. For the wicked, this is called "spirit prison" or "hell," where they suffer for their sins. People who did not have a chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ in this life can learn about it in the spirit world. Eventually, every person will be resurrected--they will receive their body again. All will have an opportunity to accept the Savior and repent of their sins. The righteous will be resurrected to live with God and Jesus Christ; the wicked will also be resurrected, but must leave God the Father's presence forever. With few exceptions all will go and live in a place of glory that far exceeds this earth life in joy and happiness.

14. What’s with the special underwear?

Members of the Church who have made promises in the temple wear a modest form of underwear which reminds them of the promises they have made. Just as some Christians wear crosses or religious clothing of various types to remind them of their faith, Latter-day Saints do something similar.

15. What does it take to get to heaven?

To return to live with Our Heavenly Father, we must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized by someone who has authority, and receive the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost purifies us as if by fire, and we must then endure to the end in our new life by keeping the promises we made at baptism, and continuing to have faith in Jesus.

16. Why does God allow suffering in the world?

God wants us to learn to make good choices without being forced to do so. He wants us to use our free will to do right.

This life is a time to learn how to make these kinds of choices. But, for us to be free to make these choices, God needs to be "out of sight." God allows bad things to happen because of natural laws and because of the bad choices of ourselves and other people.

But, he promises us that if we turn to him, he will give us comfort and strength to endure any bad things that happen, and he will help us to help others.

17. I’m losing my faith in God, what should I do?

Having faith in God is like having a relationship with a friend. Our relationship with our friends would not be very close if we never spoke to them, never thought of them, or never wrote to them. To build faith in God, we should start by reading what God has written to us--this includes the scriptures, the Bible and the Book of Mormon. We should try to put into practice what we read. And, we should pray to God--we should talk to him, explain our problems, and ask for his help. We can be helped in this process by talking with others who have faith in God, such as the missionaries from the Church.

18. Do Mormons believe in multiple gods?

Like other Christians, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in one God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Latter-day Saints understand this unity differently than some other Christians. Other Christians believe God is one in "essence," while Latter-day Saints believe they are separate personages that are one in love, in will, and in character. Because of this, some describe Latter-day Saints as believing in "many gods," but we consider that inaccurate. We simply understand how God is one in a different way.

19. How can you say your church is true if you don’t know very much about other churches?

It is not necessary to know all things in order to know what is true. The apostles who followed Christ during His ministry didn't know everything about all the religions of their day, but they were able to recognize the truth in Christ. That Jesus was the Christ, the true Messiah, was revealed to them by the Spirit of revelation. (See Matthew 16:15-17.)

We say our Church is true because God has similarly revealed it to us by His Holy Spirit. We do not expect others to take our word for it. We ask them not to believe us, but to take the steps necessary so that they can know for themselves.

20. How can you be so presumptuous to say that you are the only true church when God loves all his children?

It is true that God loves all his children, and so we do not believe that God would cause confusion or arguing about his Church. We believe that he will tell everyone who sincerely seeks whether what we teach comes from him or not.

We also believe that all churches and religions have many good, true things in them which also come from God. We invite all those who have truth to bring the truth they have, and see if we cannot add to it.

Page 1

A FAIR Analysis of: 'Common Questions - p. 2'