To Start
Sometimes I get a lot of questions or comments because of my faith. There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding, often fed through the media, rumor, and the existence of a very different religion that uses the same name, only clarifying they are "reformed". As a result of this, I thought I would take a few moments to talk about what I believe.The Thirteen Articles of Faith
We have something called The 13 Articles of Faith, which is basically a list of some of the most basic beliefs we hold. My explanations here are a reflection of my own understanding and beliefs and in no way speak for the Church or other members. To read the testimony of others and to see explanations formally released by the Church, please visit www.mormon.org.
The First Article of Faith: We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church) is a Christian religion. Many people preach that we are Christian, but by definition being Christian means you believe in Christ. We believe our Lord and Savior came to Earth and sacrificed his life for us and was resurrected in order to give us the opportunity to be made clean and return to live with our Father in Heaven. We even honor him by calling our Church in His name.
We believe in all three personages of the God Head and we believe them to be three separate beings. They are one in mind and heart, meaning they are aligned in their thoughts and feelings. This can be more easily understood when you consider the request we hear to align our wills with God's. When we do this we also can become one with God. We are separate beings, but one in our hearts and intents.
We also believe Christ is the God of this world. He created it and rules over it. Heavenly Father created our spiritual as well as physical bodies, but he has given the world to his Son. In the scriptures "God" is most often referencing Christ. He is the God of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon.
The Second Article of Faith: We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
There are a few points of importance here. The difference between a sin and a transgression is the knowledge behind it. If you know you are sinning and do it anyway you carry a greater responsibility. If you act without fully comprehending what you are doing is wrong, it is a transgression. It was still wrong and you still must face consequences, but it is not as serious a crime. Adam and Eve were like children in their understanding of sin. They had no real knowledge of right or wrong until they partook of the forbidden fruit. They could not commit sin before eating the fruit because they had not learned what that means. That is why it is a transgression and not an outright sin. The same holds true for small children under the age of accountability and for those who are mentally compromised to the point of not being able to understand.
This is not to mention the necessity of this transgression. Adam and Eve could not follow God's first commandment to go forth and multiply without disobeying this second commandment and becoming mortal beings. If they had not transgressed we would not be here today. It was part of God's plan.
We don't believe any person can be punished for the sins of others. They may face consequences as a result, but will not be held responsible at Judgement Day. Because of Adam's actions, we are all born into a fallen world as fallen beings. We are fallen because we are out of the presence of God. We are spiritually dead. However, we are not held responsible for his actions. Only our own.
The Third Article of Faith: We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
As discussed before, we are spiritually dead in that we have been separated from our Father in Heaven. We are fallen and have not the ability to make our own way back. Christ came to the Earth to save us from this fate. Because he suffered for all the world, he has already made amends for our imperfections. He paid our debt that we might journey back home. All that he asks in return is that we follow Him. We must believe in Him, have faith in Him, repent of our sins, and follow His teachings. We must do our best and know that we will never be perfect on our own, but through him we can be redeemed.
The Fourth Article of Faith: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The previous Article states that Christ's Atonement makes it possible to be made clean again if we follow His Gospel. This Article teaches what exactly we must do. We must have faith in Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized in His name, and receive the companionship of the third member of the God Head. Because we are incapable of being perfect, we must continually repent of our sins. On Sundays, a sacrament is offered where we can renew our baptismal covenants and again be wiped clean by our faith and repentance through the Atonement.
Baptism symbolizes being born again through Christ. Receiving the Hold Ghost in a sense burns the sin from our souls in order to truly cleanse us. One without the other cannot save a soul.
The Fifth Article of Faith: We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
Besides clearing you of your past sins, the companionship of the Holy Ghost gives us a truly remarkable opportunity. We cannot navigate this chaotic world on our own. Having the Holy Ghost with us always provides us with inspiration and direction. That is how Priesthood holders come to know who to call to meet certain needs in the Church.
The Church is run entirely by its members. There is no paid clergy. There is no worldly reward for serving. Members of the Church serve in the Church because they are serving their God. During one's lifetime s/he may hold several different callings with different sets of responsibilities. These callings are filled through inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Once called, this person must be set apart and receive the official assignment from God by having the Priesthood lay hands on their head and give them a blessing.
This holds true for the one called to clean a church building and for the President of our Church and our present day Prophet.
The Sixth Article of Faith: We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
God states in the scriptures that he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God is unchanging. His Gospel is unchanging. While the world might change, societies evolve, people come and go, God is constant. This being so, His Church must also be constant.
The Seventh Article of Faith: We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
If God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the miracles and occurrences that happened in ancient days as recorded in the scriptures do not just stop. We believe that Joseph Smith saw and spoke with God the Father and Jesus Christ and was responsible for restoring the Church. We believe he translated the Book of Mormon through the power of the Holy Ghost. We believe our current Prophet also has the ability to converse with God. We believe members can experience every miracles of their own as well.
We believes all these blessings still come to pass today. However, be it unto each of us according to our faith. If you refuse to believe, the chances of you ever experiencing such truths are extremely unlikely.
The Eighth Article of Faith: We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
The LDS Church recognizes both the Bible and the Book of Mormon as holy scripture. The presence of the Book of Mormon does not diminish the Bible in anyway. Quite to the contrary, the purpose of it is to support the Bible and testify of its truth.
Again, pointing out that God is constant also means he treats all his Children the same. Why would he speak to one civilization of people and not the rest? It will be incredible when one day scriptures are revealed from different societies all around the world.
The Ninth Article of Faith: We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
God speaks to his children today and he will continue to speak to his children for eternity. He provides knowledge and guidance as we struggle through this world full of temptation and evil. As we become prepared to accept more revelations, we will be enlightened further.
To illustrate how I perceive this to work, when my daughter is eating a bowl of cereal and asks for more I often find she still has plenty of cereal in her bowl. If I give her more cereal anyway, she often does not finish it. I've learned to tell her she must finish what she has before I give her more. Now, when she finishes and asks for more again I know she actually wants more. Often, she finds herself full and does not want anything further.
We must consume what we have been given before we can be fed anything more.
The Tenth Article of Faith: We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
This Article carries a lot of weight. I am not an expert on scripture and cannot fully explain what all of this means. If I tried I would not do it credit. But, in the last part it talks about Christ reigning on the Earth and the Earth becoming paradise. We believe that when Christ returns to the Earth, his brilliance will inflame all unclean things and literally renew the Earth to perfection by fire. Our world will be a paradise. Christ will then remain here for a millennium. This will be a time of peace.
The Eleventh Article of Faith: We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
Part of being a fallen being is having agency, which means you are being able to choose for yourself what you will believe. No one has to believe in God. No one has to believe any one religion or faith. Therefore, all individuals are free to choose for themselves without the judgement of their fellow men. We must respect the agency of all the world.
The Twelfth Article of Faith: We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
Part of following Christ is learning obedience. Our first priority must always be to our Heavenly Father and our Savior. However, we must also learn humility and obedience in our own societies. We believe in being good citizens and following the laws and guidelines set before us as long as it does not interfere with the commandments given from God.
The Thirteenth Article of Faith: We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
What beautiful sentiments exist here! The Gospel of Christ is a gospel of love and purity. It is these qualities we strive to live and to seek out in the world around us. We all fall short at times, but can repent, be forgiven, and learn to become better. We hope to be able to endure all things that we may do what we must do and become what we must become so we may have the privilege of returning to live with our Father in Heaven.
Final Words
This is a brief explanation of what Mormons believe as interpreted by myself. In fact, much of it is probably not so far off from many other religions.
As Joseph Smith once said, "The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it." ( Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 121).
The Articles of Faith and other insights into our beliefs can be found HERE.
