God's Prophet Today

I have some really great news for you guys. We have a modern prophet today! He is called of God to declare His word to us.

No, no, no, wait. Didn't God stop calling prophets after Jesus Christ came? Aren't the days with prophets over? No. Why would they be over? Why would God call prophets for thousands of years and then all of a sudden stop calling them? If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then doesn't that mean His ways don't change? God has always given His children prophets to lead and guide them and tell them God's word. 

Each of God's prophets is unique and came from different circumstances. In the Bible, no two prophets were the same. Adam was the first man on earth, Noah was 600 years old when he was called to build an ark, Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son as a test, Moses was raised with Egyptian royalty and was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Samuel was chosen as a boy to be a prophet, Jonah was swallowed by a whale, and Daniel was thrown into a Lion's den. I will go ahead and let you all know right now that although each prophet is called of God, none of them are perfect. Only Jesus was perfect. Don't act so shocked. 

There have been many periods of time when there was no prophet on the Earth because of the people's unbelief but God loves us and always calls another prophet when the people are ready. You can find this pattern all throughout the Bible. The last time that this happened was when Jesus was born. The people rejected Him and His apostles and killed them. After this, the Earth didn't have any prophets for many years because of wickedness and because people simply weren't ready to have a prophet again. When the world was ready to once again have a prophet, one was called and Jesus Christ's church and authority was restored to the Earth after being lost and altered for so many centuries. This prophet was Joseph Smith. 

After Joseph Smith died, God continued to call prophets through revelation. The next prophet was Brigham Young. Then we had John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F. Smith, Heber J. Grant, George Albert Smith, David O. McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, Spencer W. Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, and now Thomas S. Monson.

Today instead of wearing robes and crying repentance in cities, the prophet wears a suit and carries a brief case and speaks to the world about following Jesus Christ. Even though they live thousands of years apart, they were all called of God to bless His children and to do a specific work here on the earth. 

The way that a new prophet is called is inspired of God. These men were chosen before they were born to be one of God's prophets. "And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born"(Abraham 3:23).

President Monson was born in 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1948 with a degree in business management and later received his MBA degree from Brigham Young University. He also served in the United States Navy near the close of World War II. He married his wife, Frances Beverly Johnson, in 1948 and they have three children. He also has had a distinguished career in publishing and printing. He is a past president of Printing Industry of Utah and a former member of the board of directors of Printing Industries of America. 


President Monson also has served faithfully in the Church his whole life. He served as president of the Church's Canadian Mission from 1959 to 1962. He also served as a Bishop of a ward in Salt Lake City. He was called to be an Apostle in 1963 and was later called to be a counselor to three prophets. In 2008, after President Gordon B. Hinckley's death, he became the next prophet of the Church. 

Each prophet is a humble man who has done his best to serve God. Every calling in the Church is voluntary and that includes the calling of the prophet. President Thomas S. Monson is not paid for his service and neither are the apostles, bishops, missionaries, or Sunday School teachers. A prophet is not voted for by the people. When a prophet dies, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the next prophet. If Thomas S. Monson were to die today, President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles would become the next prophet. 

Although the process of "becoming" a prophet may seem simple, it is divinely inspired of God. No one will become a prophet unless he is called of God. Everyone who is called to be an Apostle of Prophet serves for the rest of his life. They are faithful, God-fearing men who do their best to serve God and His people. We are promised that if we follow the prophet, we will never go astray. Following the prophet is always right, even when it isn't generally accepted. Anyone who has picked up a Bible can attest that following the prophet has never been a popular decision. However, it has always been the correct decision that has led to peace and salvation. 

I love President Thomas S. Monson. He is a true disciple of Jesus Christ and he has spent his whole life trying to serve him in the best way possible. I know that heeding the words of God's current and past prophets will bless us and help us to know God's will. 

Go here to read President Monson's recent sermons from last month. 

"Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea"(Jacob 4:6).


Amen.

"Mormonism is Insane" and Other Accusations

I recently received a comment on my Facebook post where I was sharing my blog when I got a great comment from someone we'll call "Dane." He said, "Mormonism is insane. It's not really Christianity either (which is crazy enough as is). But Mormonism is far and away completely bonkers. You believe that God was once a person and that he's from a planet called Kolob, and you believe that everyone will get to be a god when they die. Also, you believe that Jesus came to America to visit a Hebrew civilization here that there is no evidence for (and every bit of evidence against). It's completely and absolutely nuts; the only thing Mormonism does is show just how much you can delude people in mass numbers." 

Wow I've never heard that before (sarcasm). I'm just going to cover each of these topics one by one if that's alright.

1. "Mormonism is insane." 

I get it, you all think we're a bunch of weirdos. We are all VERY aware of what the world thinks of us. The Lord Himself said: "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be an peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth"(Deuteronomy 14:2). God's people have never been very popular in the world. From the beginning the world has persecuted and killed them. They even thought Jesus was mad, called him "gluttonous" and a "winebibber," and killed Him. (Matthew 11:19)

I will let you all know that the Mormon church teaches its members that nothing is more important than family. Family is central to God's plan. We teach people to have good values, be honest, love one another, be self-sufficient, care for the poor and needy, etc. Next time there's a national disaster, check and see who some of the first responders are. American Red Cross, Mormons, and other religious organizations. Regardless of how "insane" people think we are, we do our best to follow Jesus Christ and love and serve everyone. 

2. "It's not really Christianity either." 

Oh Dane, if only you'd read my blog post found here. I explain why we are Christian but why some people think we're not. Our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We worship Jesus Christ. Not Mormon or Joseph Smith or Satan or Mitt Romney.

3. "You believe that God was once a person... and you believe that everyone will get to be a god when they die." 

Correct.. mostly. The Bible teaches us many times about this concept: 

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if it so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together"(Romans 8:16-18).

"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ"(Galatians 4:7).

"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"(Revelation 3:21). 

God's plan for His children is for us to come to Earth in families to gain a body, be tried and tested, and return to live with Him again if we were faithful. If we follow Him and do our part, we can one day inherit all that the Father has. Essentially we can become as He is, a God. Not everyone will get to become gods because not everyone will follow Him and qualify. So we don't believe that everyone will get to be a god, only the faithful will as outlined in the scriptures.

This process is how God Himself became a God. He went through the same process we did on some other world. He overcame and was able to become a God. Lorenzo Snow, the fifth prophet of the Church today, said: "As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be." This adds a whole new round of questions and for the answers to those I will direct you here.

4. "You believe... that [God is] from a planet called Kolob."

In case you haven't noticed, Mormons have two additional books of scripture besides The Book of Mormon. It's the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. We just learned about additional scripture called The Book of Mormon and now I'm throwing more at you? Yes. I think if we can use more of anything in the world it's more of God's word. God loves us and likes to speak to us through more mediums than just the Bible. Get over it. Anyway, in the Pearl of Great Price is the book of Abraham. This Abraham is the same one in the Bible. This is where Kolob is mentioned. Abraham says:

"And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it; 

"And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.

"And thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord’s time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest"(Abraham 3:2,3,9).

And that's about all we know about it. Kolob is a planet that is nearest the throne of God and the time of Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord's time. So we don't believe that God necessarily lives on Kolob, we just believe that it is a planet that is nearest to God. You can read the rest of that chapter in Abraham for further information.

5. "Also, you believe that Jesus came to America to visit a Hebrew civilization here that there is no evidence for (and every bit of evidence against)."

Yes we do believe that Jesus Christ came to visit the Americas after His resurrection and appearance to His apostles in Jerusalem.  Jesus told His disciples: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd"(John 10:16). Jesus Christ Himself said that there are other people besides the ones in Jerusalem that He's going to visit. It's possible that the Americas were one of many other civilizations He appeared to. The account of His visit to the Americas can be found starting in 3 Nephi 11. 

As for evidence for the Book of Mormon. God of course doesn't give us evidence for everything He does because He expects us to have faith in Him. However, there is a bit of evidence for The Book of Mormon. For example, the idea of writing on metal plates was once ridiculed, but in recent years numerous examples of sacred writings on metal plates -- some hidden in stone boxes -- have been found. 

Linguists have noted Book of Mormon words and phrases that sound awkward in English but make perfect sense in Hebrew and related languages that would have been known by the people of the Book of Mormon -- languages young Joseph Smith did not know. 

In 1 Nephi 16:34, a man named Ishmael died, "and was buried in the place which was called Nahom." Cool. Where's Nahom? A group of Latter-Day Saint researchers found evidence linking a site in Yemen, on the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula, to the name "Nahom." They located a stone altar that professional archaeologists dated to at least 700 BC. This altar contains an inscription confirming "Nahom" as an actual place that existed in the peninsula before the time of Lehi. Can you imagine Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey "writing" the Book of Mormon and Joseph says, "hmmm, let's have this guy Ishmael die. And we'll have them bury him in a place called 'Nahom'. Make the 'h' silent. Yeah, that sounds great. I bet they'll dig up evidence for that one day and we'll totally get them!"

Lastly, there are many small evidences found in the cultures and traditions of North and South American people. When Christopher Columbus came, the Native Americans thought he was a god because they had been told that a white god would come to visit them. Can it be possible this same "white god" they were thinking of was Jesus Christ who appeared to their ancestors 1400 years before? Many Latter-Day Saints have traveled to South America on vacation and learned that some of those people's ancient beliefs sound very familiar to our beliefs about the Plan of Salvation. 

Essentially, the Book of Mormon has been around for over 200 years and no one has been able to prove it's false. However, millions now can attest to its truthfulness. And that brings us to our last point made by our friend Dane. 

6. "It's completely and absolutely nuts; the only thing Mormonism does is show just how much you can delude people in mass numbers." 

In 2013 the Church had 282,945 convert baptisms. How do we "delude" people in mass numbers? Because it's true. There are thousands of missionaries that go out every day to teach people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and The Book of Mormon. Missionaries don't force anyone to believe. All they do is teach them and ask them to pray to know if it's true. Those who receive an answer to their prayers are baptized into the Church. That means that 282,945 people last year received the answer from God that this is true. The promise is there: "Ask and ye shall receive." God says it over and over again. He's not kidding. Anyone can know if it's true if you are willing to experiment to see if it's true. I promise that anyone who reads the Book of Mormon and prays and asks God with faith and real intent will receive an answer. 

I know it is true and so does God and 15 million others with that number growing every day. If it wasn't true, this church wouldn't have survived. How could a silly 14 year old with a crazy book and a band of destitute followers ever survive and grow into a church with millions of followers and 88,000 young adults traveling the world to tell everyone that it's true? It could never happen unless this is God's work. And I testify that it is.

And there you have it. Six arguments against the church laid out for you. Now are you going to take my word for it or some other guy on the internet or are you going to ask God if it's true? Here's the Book of Mormon. Read it. Then pray and ask God. Once you receive your answer, let me know. (:

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost you shall know the truth of all things"(Moroni 10:5).

Amen.

Why Do a Lot of Mormons Live in Utah?

Currently there are over 1,975,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints living in Utah. That is 68% of the state. There are a little over 15 million members worldwide and about 6.4 million in the United States. That means that 31% of Church members in the United States and 13% of members worldwide live in Utah. That is quite a chunk. How come so many live in Utah? Is it because the Church started there? Nope. It was organized in up-state New York.

Perhaps some of you remember vaguely hearing about the Mormon pioneers in your United States History classes. Some man believed that God and angels appeared to him so he started a church with a weird book but then everyone thought the members, nicknamed Mormons, were crazy, devilish polygamists who were taking over their towns so they drove them out from everywhere they tried to settle so the Mormons trekked across the plains until they arrived in Utah. That's it in a nutshell. Now let's expound on these teachings. 

In 1830 The Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth with the proper Priesthood Authority of God complete with prophets and apostles just like in Biblical times. Many people joined the Church after that and it started expanding. Many Saints (we call Church members Saints. Not that we think we're amazing or anything, it's just what we're called.) moved to Ohio. Others moved to Missouri and Illinois later on.

When the Mormons settled in Jackson, Missouri, they were very excited and started up their own little town with more members arriving every day. Soon, the locals grew very uneasy. They were nervous about the growing influence and were afraid they would soon be outnumbered. Ministers, merchants, and politicians especially resented the intrusion. There was also a slavery issue which we all know was a huge deal during this time. The old settlers liked their slaves but the Mormons brought their abolitionist views and there was fear of a black rebellion. Soon, committees were meeting together discussing how to get rid of the Mormons. One of these meetings turned into a mob that destroyed stores owned by the Mormons and tarred and feathered Mormons who wouldn't denounce their beliefs at the public square. Later, mobs killed many members of the church and told them that if the Mormons didn't leave then every man, woman, and child belonging to the Church would be whipped. Eventually all of this conflict led to more and more violence until the Mormons were brutally driven from the state. 

Governor Boggs, the governor of Missouri, issued the infamous "Extermination Order" ordering that Mormons must be treated as enemies or exterminated. Many people took this to heart.

One of the most violent events happened at Haun's mill in Missouri on October 31, 1835. A mob attacked the village, shooting at everyone regardless of age. One ten year old boy was hiding during the attack when one of the mobbers found him and blew off the upper part of his head. The man later said, "Nits will make lice, and if he had lived he would have become a Mormon."

Many more incidents like this occurred throughout the 1830s and 1840s. The Saints lived in Kirtland, Ohio for a few years until being thrown out as well as in Nauvoo, Illinois. They managed to build a temple in both Kirtland and Nauvoo before being forced out. The Nauvoo temple was burned down and was rebuilt over 150 years later but the Kirtland temple is still standing today and is owned by a different church.  

The leaders of the church weren't getting any help at all from the federal government and it was eventually made clear to them that they had to leave the United States in order to have peace. Although the Mormons left the United States, they responded to the call when James K. Polk, then President of the United States, requested 500-1,000 Mormon men to assist in the Mexican War. This became the longest infantry march in history with the men marching approximately 1,850 miles to help defend the country that denied them their rights. We call this the Mormon Battalion.

The famous Mormon Pioneers trekked across the plains and the first group, Brigham Young being with them, arrived in the Salt Lake valley on July 24, 1847. Utah celebrates this day as a state holiday. Throughout the coming years, thousands more of the Saints arrived from eastern United States and Europe, a lot of them going through a lot of difficulty to get there. They built up Salt Lake City and had members of the church settle neighboring communities. They built temples there and the Headquarters of the Mormon church have been there ever since. 

The Church has expanded a lot during the years and now there are more Mormons living outside the United States than in but Utah is still the main place for Mormons because of their pioneer ancestors. We acknowledge that our ancestors weren't perfect and made mistakes, but so has every person who has ever lived besides Jesus Christ. We revere our ancestors for their sacrifice and bravery.

Most Mormons living in Utah can trace their ancestry back to the Mormon pioneers. My ancestors on my mother's side were Mormon pioneers. My ancestors on my father's side consist of the mobbers who killed the pioneers. One of my father's ancestors in particular was part of the mob that murdered Joseph Smith and his brother. 

And that is why so many Mormons live in Utah. The majority of them have stayed from when their ancestors arrived there. Many have come for other reasons. It isn't a perfect state and we keep church and state separate but it was founded on Christian values. I love Utah. The Salt Lake City Temple is beautiful as are the surrounding mountains. It's also famous for having great snow for skiing and snowboarding which brings in thousands of people each year. If any of you are ever passing by Utah, stop by Temple Square in Salt Lake City. There are buildings and museums there with lots of history of the Mormon pioneers and also the Native Americans who lived there as well. 

President John F. Kennedy visited Salt Lake City, Utah on September 29, 1963, 55 days before his assassination. He delivered a speech, found here. He praised the Mormon Pioneers and said, "Of all the tales of America's pioneers and settlers, none is more inspiring than that of the Mormon Trail."

I'm grateful for the Mormon pioneers and for their faith and sacrifice. Every hardship they went through was worth it for them to be able to follow God and do what they believed to be right.
 

 

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
"And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes"(D&C 121:7-8). 

Amen.

Why Do Mormons Build Temples?

Currently there are 143 operating temples in the world. By the time the Church completes all the ones that are currently under construction there will be about 170. There are temples on every continent and in many countries. They dot the earth. 85% of Church members live within 200 miles of a temple. So why are Latter-Day Saints obsessed with building temples? Why do we need so many? And what do we do in them?

The Lord has always commanded His children to build temples. In the Book of Exodus, God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle. King Solomon was also instructed to build a temple. In the Book of Mormon the people worshiped in temples as well. Very soon after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was restored, Joseph Smith was commanded to build a temple. Temples have always been part of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. "And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name"(1 Kings 5:5).

The temples bless our families. Through ordinances performed in the temples, families can be united for eternity. In civil marriage ceremonies they say, "til death do you part" but in the temple we believe that marriage and family relationships will continue after the grave. We build a lot of temples so that members all over the world will have the opportunity to go to the temple to have their families "sealed" together.

In the temple we also make covenants with God. Covenants are two way promises. We agree to obey God and keep the commandments and He in return promises us blessings. When we are sealed to our families, we make a covenant with our spouse and God. These covenants help us to come closer to God and they bless us immensely. 

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God"(D&C 88:119). 

Temples not only bless our immediate family but they also bless our ancestors. In the temple, we believe in performing ordinances for our deceased ancestors. We do family history and look up the names of our ancestors who weren't baptized and we take their names to the temple and we are baptized, confirmed, and sealed in behalf of them. God loves all of His children and He wants all of us to return to live with Him. We know from the scriptures that "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"(John 3:5). However, a lot of people have died without hearing about the gospel. God doesn't just send them straight to hell for never being told about Him. He gives everyone the opportunity to accept or reject Him, either while we are living or after we die. 

  Only worthy members of the LDS Church are allowed to enter the temples. Quite a few people get upset about that and believe that we are being judgmental or unfair. Well let's think about this for a moment. Have you ever been to the White House in Washington, D.C.? I have. It's beautiful. Can you just walk inside? No. Why not? Because it's the President of the United States and his family's home and important things happen in there so it has top security. Well how do you get inside? You have to fill out a form with your name, birth date, social security number, etc. and then it takes a few months for you to be able to enter on a guided tour on a time set by those in charge of it. I haven't really heard much complaint about it because everyone understand that if you try to go prancing inside without permission then you'll get tackled or shot and then sent to jail (unless you're a toddler).

A temple is a house of the Lord. It is His house so He sets the standard. Anyone can enter the temple if they are a member of the church over a certain age and are obeying the commandments. To enter the temple we need a temple recommend. To get one we have an interview with the leader of our congregation called the bishop or one of his two councilors. He asks us some questions set by the leaders of our Church in Salt Lake City to determine our worthiness. These questions relate to if we believe in God and Jesus Christ, if we keep the ten commandments, and if we live the law of tithing, keep the God-given health code called the Word of Wisdom, and obey the law of chastity. As long as we are found worthy and are able to answer these questions, we are given a nice little piece of paper that we bring to the temple to gain admittance. To be able to do baptisms and confirmations for the dead you need to be at least 12 years old and new members can go and do that as soon as they are baptized and receive a recommend. To go and make higher covenants with God such as being sealed to your family or spouse, you need to have been a member for at least a year, keeping the commandments as explained, and usually need to be at least 18 years old. Members will go to the temple to make covenants before serving a mission, before getting married, or when they feel they are ready.

Although the temple is closed to those who don't have temple recommends when it's in operation, there is a time when you can enter a Mormon temple without being a Mormon. After a temple's construction is completed, it is opened to the public for tours for about 2-4 weeks before its dedication. The dedication is when the prophet or one of his twelve apostles come bless the temple and dedicate it to God. After the dedication only members can enter but before that anyone can. 

There are many temples that will be completed soon that you can tour. The Phoenix, Arizona temple will be open October 10th - November 1st this year for tours. It will then be dedicated on November 16th. So if any of you are by Phoenix, head on over! The other temples currently under construction are in Cordoba, Argentina; Payson, Utah; Trujillo, Peru; Rome, Italy; Indianapolis, Indiana; Provo City Center, Utah; Tijuana, Mexico; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Hartford, Connecticut; Sapporo, Japan; Paris, France; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Meridian, Idaho. 

I love the temple. I love how much it has blessed me and my family. Whenever I go there I feel such comfort and peace. I know that temples are truly the houses of the Lord and that His spirit dwells there. Because of the temple, my family can be together forever, I can receive greater blessings from God, and I can go there to receive guidance and answers to prayers. Temples are an expression of God's love for us. 

"One of the blessings of the temple is the perspective that it provides. When we go to the house of the Lord, we leave all of our cares and problems at the door. And when we come back out, they're still there. We have to pick them back up and they haven't changed, but what has changed is us." -Elder D. Todd Christofferson

San Diego, California

Washington, D.C.

 

Aba, Nigeria

 

Seoul, Korea

 

Papeete, Tahiti

 

Adelaide, Australia

 

Campinas, Brazil

 

Buenos Aires, Argentina  

  

Cebu City, Philippines 

 

Fort Lauderdale, Florida  

 

Guadalajara, Mexico

 

Laie, Hawaii

 

Kyiv, Ukraine 

 

Tegucigalpa, Honduras 


"Each temple stands as a beacon to the world, an expression of our testimony that God, our Eternal Father, lives, and... that life beyond the grave is as real and as certain as is our life here on earth." -President Thomas S. Monson

Amen.   

The Plan of Salvation

The Plan of Salvation answers the three questions of the soul: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?

We learn from The Plan of Salvation that God has a plan for us and that we each have a purpose. We are all God's children and He loves us and wants us to return to live with Him again some day. Knowledge of the Plan of Salvation was given to God's children in the beginning with Adam and Eve. "And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations"(Alma 24:14).

Unfortunately during the Great Apostasy, knowledge of the Plan of Salvation was lost. Many Bible verses allude to it, but the doctrine was no longer taught. When Jesus Christ restored the fullness His gospel through Joseph Smith, He also restored the knowledge of this plan.

The Plan of Salvation is also referred to as the Plan of Happiness. Knowing the Plan of Salvation gives us purpose in our lives. 

The Plan of Salvation teaches us these basic beliefs:

God is our Father and we lived with Him before we came here.

God presented a plan for us to come to earth and gain bodies and to learn and grow.

Heavenly Father provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins so we can be cleansed of sin if we will come to Him and repent and be baptized.

While on this earth we are to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized and prepare to return to live with God.

When we die, we go to the spirit world. While there, those who didn't have the opportunity to hear about the gospel while they were alive are taught about it and given the opportunity to accept it.

Everyone, whether they are good or evil, we eventually be resurrected and have perfected, immortal bodies.

God will judge us according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We will be sent to one of three Kingdoms of Glory depending on how we lived and if we followed Jesus Christ.

In future posts, I will go into more detail about each one.  

I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. It has given me so much peace in my life. I have honestly had times in my life where I wanted to give up but knowing about this plan has made all the difference and has helped me to have the desire to keep on going. I know this plan will bless you too as you learn more about it. I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has provided this plan of happiness so that we can return to live with Him and share in His glory one day.

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors"(Alma 34:32).

 Amen.

Mormons and Polygamy

Do Mormons practice polygamy? No. 

President Gordon B. Hinckley, the previous prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, made the following statement in 1998 about the Church's position on plural marriage:

"This Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church... If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church."

"But..but..but..Brigham Young and Joseph Smith were polygamists! And the people in 'Big Love' are polygamists!" Correct.  Now let me explain.

First of all,"Big Love" has nothing to do with Mormons. Also "Sister Wives" aren't Mormon either.  Warren Jeffs isn't Mormon. If you ever find anyone today practicing polygamy, they aren't Mormon.  

At various times, the Lord has commanded His people to practice plural marriage. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon were all prophets in the Bible who had multiple wives. At other times, the Lord commands His people not to practice polygamy.  In The Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob said to the people: "Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none"(Jacob 2:27); The Lord is all-knowing and His ways are always right. If He commands us to have multiple wives or pay tithing or love our neighbor, we do it because He is the God of the whole earth and knows what is best. It is not our place to question His wisdom.

The Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. Brigham Young recounted his struggle with this commandment as such: "I was not desirous of shrinking from any duty, nor of failing in the least to do as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time.  And when I saw a funeral, I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to regret that I was not in the coffin." 

I don't know all the reasons why the Lord commanded polygamy at that time nor will I pretend to. But I have an assumption. It is that the Mormons were constantly being persecuted and as a result many Mormon men were killed. There weren't enough men for the women to marry and have children with in the Church and most if not all men outside of the Church wouldn't want to marry a Mormon woman anyway. This helped support all of the women who were left without husbands to provide for them.

Church leaders regulated the practice. Only about 10% of the members practiced polygamy and those entering into it had to be authorized to do so. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff, prophet and president of the Church at that time, received a revelation from the Lord that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage.

Mormons do not practice polygamy. Yes we used to just like they used to in the Bible.  However it has not been allowed in over 120 years. I have one mom. I will be my future husband's only wife.

Amen.

What is The Book of Mormon?

What is The Book of Mormon? Why are Mormon missionaries always trying to get you to read it? What is it about? Why do we need it if we have the Bible? I'm glad you asked.

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.  Just like we have the Old Testament and the New Testament, this is another or a "third" testament.  And also like the Bible, it was written by ancient prophets. We read both The Book of Mormon and the Bible. We don't consider one to be better than the other, they are both the word of God. 

The book of Ezekiel prophecies about The Book of Mormon: "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand"(Ezekiel 37:16-17).

The stick of Judah is the Bible. The tribe of Judah is the Jews and the Bible is the record of the Jews. The stick of Ephraim is The Book of Mormon. The people in The Book of Mormon were of the tribe of Ephraim.

The Book of Mormon takes place 600 B.C. during the time of Jeremiah the prophet and the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah.  It starts with the record of a family living in Jerusalem.  The father, Lehi, had a vision and was called as a prophet to preach repentance to the people.  He told them that if they didn't repent then Jerusalem would be destroyed.  The people didn't listen. They also wanted to kill him. So God in His mercy told Lehi and his family to leave Jerusalem.  They did so and traveled in the wilderness for 8 years and then eventually sailed across the ocean to the American continents. 

One of Lehi's sons, Nephi, was righteous and believed in his father's visions and received many more visions from God because of his faith.  He later became a prophet and wrote the first two books in The Book of Mormon. His descendants called themselves the Nephites.  Lehi had two other sons, Laman and Lemuel, who did not believe he was a prophet and were bitter about leaving Jerusalem.  They rebelled when they arrived in the Americas. Their descendants were thereafter called the Lamanites.

The rest of The Book of Mormon is a record written by prophets who passed the records on to the next prophets.  It covers 1000 years of history of this people.  The crowning event in The Book of Mormon is when Jesus Christ appeared to the people after His death and resurrection. Moroni was the very last prophet to write in The Book of Mormon before the Great Apostasy. His father was a man named Mormon. Mormon abridged and compiled the records written by the prophets and gave the gold plates they were written on to his son.  Moroni buried the record in a hill after writing his final testimony in it shortly before he died.  Moroni appeared as an angel 1400 years later in 1823 to the Prophet Joseph Smith to show him where the record was buried.  The record is named The Book of Mormon after Moroni's father, Mormon, since he was the one who abridged and assembled the record written by all of the prophets. 

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are nicknamed the Mormons because we have The Book of Mormon.

This ancient scripture was so important that God waited until the restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel to bring it forth so that it wouldn't be altered or tainted by men and so that it can stand as proof that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that Jesus Christ's Church is once again on the earth. 

I am so grateful for The Book of Mormon!  Together with the Bible, it testifies of Jesus Christ. Why wouldn't we want further revelation from God?  If your favorite author wrote a second book, you wouldn't get mad and say that you won't read it because they can only write one. It's the same with the scriptures! Why would you try to limit God and say that He can't speak to multiple people and have multiple scriptures? God is our loving Heavenly Father.  We are all His children.  He loves the Jews and the Gentiles.  He loves every race, nationality, gender, and age regardless of a person's standing in the world, financial situation, or level of education.  He revealed Himself to the prophets in the ancient Americas just like He did to the prophets in the Bible. He has probably revealed Himself to so many other people that we have no record of. He is the God of the whole world.  I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God as is the Bible. 

If you read and pray about the book, you can know for yourself that it's true.  Moroni, in his final testimony in the book before he died, wrote:

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things"(Moroni 10:4-5).

I know that whoever reads this book and prays about it with real intent and faith (faith meaning hope, not a perfect knowledge) in Christ will receive an answer through the power of the Holy Ghost. And how does the Holy Ghost speak to us? The Bible tells us: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.."(Galatians 5:22-23).  If you feel any of those things as you read and pray about it, then that's the Holy Ghost telling you that it's true.

Amen.

(You can go here to read The Book of Mormon online or click here to request a free copy.)