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On this page, everybody is encouraged to post a question directed to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, better known as “The Mormons”.
All church members who visit the site are encouraged to view the posted questions and respond to them on this same page or, if they need answered in greater detail (more than one comment), on the “Suggest a Topic” or “Share an Experience” page. Please keep answers to posted questions simple and concise.
Ask a question using the comment area found at the bottom of the page
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26 Responses to “Ask a Question”
What do mormons think about the Bible?
Scott,
Mormons believe in the Bible. We accept it as the word of God. We believe that prophets wrote their visions and prophecies down and throughout history, they have been collected in what has come to be known as the Holy Bible.
We accept the Old and New Testaments as scripture.
But the book of mormon is like more stuff from the Bible then?
The Book of Mormon comes from people that lived in the Americas (600 BC to 400 AD). They came from Jerusalem, crossed the ocean, and arrived at the Americas. They wrote their history and revelations on gold plates and Mormon, a prophet, compiled hundreds of records and then Moroni, his son, finished the record (gold plates) and buried it in now New York in approximately 400 AD. Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820 and told him where he had hid the plates and that Joseph would translate them.
The Bible comes from people that lived in the Garden of Eden, Jerusalem, and countries mostly found in modern-day Europe (3700 BC to 100 AD).
Both books contain revelations from God to his prophets about Jesus Christ. Just like the Bible has 2 testaments (Old Testament, New Testament) the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.
How is excommunication meant to help a former member repent?
I just discovered your blog. What a great idea! I hope it enlightens a lot of folks. I am a 59 year old single Texas guy, a nonorthodox (Catholic leaning) Christian, who has been very much into learning about the LDS faith for several years. What attracted me to your church is what commonly attracts a lot of non-Mormons: the emphasis on family, clean-cut values, and your apparent love for things that are positive and uplifting.
I am one of those unfortunate persons who would love to be married and have children, believes that God wants that for me, but has never had that opportunity (or at least one that has panned out; I am very picky!). As one who greatly admires your teachings and your approach to life and worship, and as one who knows quite a bit about the LDS Church and is learning more all the time, I guess my question is this: What would be the best way for someone who is older (and probably a bit more rigid and questioning) to move gradually in the direction of Mormonism…without having to jump in immediately with all fours? I wonder if there are ways to make true LDS friendships (not simply missionaries, but long-term friends who can guide me down the path) without being in the awkward position of sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb as one of the few non-Mormons at the weekly services? I am not quite ready for baptism, but I might be some day.
Reed,
It’s a pleasure to have you visiting the site here. Thanks so much for submitting this question. I think there are a lot of people who are in your situation. You feel something special about the gospel taught in the church but you’re a little nervous or unaware about how to go about learning more and taking the smaller steps.
I used to be a missionary like the ones you spoke of above and I understand that it is hard to make other friends in the church sometimes. I would invite you to do a couple things:
1. Continue to visit with the missionaries. (If you have lost contact with them, you can request that they visit you again.) Express to them the desires you have to do the right thing and that you wish to make friends with members of the church that live in your own neighborhood. They will be happy to help.
2. Continue to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. (If you don’t have a book, you can get a free copy online.) I know that as you feel the truthfulness of this marvelous book, the desire to do what you know is right will continue to grow within you. I have learned that for myself.
I know the first few steps can be hard. I sincerely extend my arm of friendship to you and would love to help you personally in any way that I can. Email me or leave a comment here with anything else you need.
Thank you for the suggestions. I will pursue them and see what happens. You know, I feel sure there are many others, like myself, who are interested in LDS and may even be considering conversion but just haven’t gotten up the nerve to make that giant leap yet. If any of you happen to stop by here and would care to share, feel free to email me: ohaven@hotmail.com
Thanks Reed and good luck in everything you do. Please let me know if I can help you personally in any way. I would like you to know that, even though it is a big step, conversion to the fulness of the gospel of Christ is the best decision you will ever make in your entire life. I know this is the true church of God on the earth and He loves you and knows you personally and wants you to return to live with Him in His Kingdom. Good Luck in all.
I am an inactive member of the church. I have met and married my partner (a baptised Catholic) and have a beautiful daughter, with plans of having one more. I was inactive on and from ag 17 to age 21. Now 28 I do not attend church at all. My beliefs in many of the teachings are still strong. My wife has been through all discussions and we have read the book of mormon twice, she still does not believe, and will not be converted.
I no longer go to church because I was told that my family will not be together for eternity, due to the fact that my wife has been taught the “truth” and not accepted it.
Question:
Can I acheive Celestial status? Will I have my family for all eternity? Please explain how.
N. Anonymous – Your family may be together for eternity. Please don’t think that because your wife has not yet and has no intention of ever being converted, that she won’t be. It is not for us to say when someone has heard and understood the gospel sufficiently. Continue to study the gospel, go to church. You aren’t the only one in this situation. Continue to love your wife and family and treat them celestially. Trust in the Lord.
I want to know what plan dose god have for me
My daughter (20) is friends with a Mormon male (21) who has just returned from his 2-year mission. They have been friends for 3-4 years and he has been back for less than one week and sent my daughter an e-mail telling her that he can no longer be her friend, as it is “what the Lord told me”.
The Lord told him he can’t have friends? My daughter is not the only friend that he sent this e-mail to. At least one other friend (of more than 6 years) was sent the same thing. He states in his e-mail that he must now carry on with college in another state and get married.
My daughter has never judged this young man due to his religion. She is a Christian girl (although not active in church) and has always valued this friendship. She is absolutely crushed that he has seemingly ended their friendship due to his religion.
Is this common in the Mormon church?
Dear Mimi,
No, this sort of thing is not common. I’m sorry that it has happened to your daughter. As members of the church we cherish diversity and friendship. The decision of this young man is his own decision and not something that is generally taught in the church. I’m sorry I don’t have a more definite answer for you. I hope that helps a little. You can also learn more about what we believe at mormon.org. Thanks!
Dear Maxine,
As members of the church of Jesus Christ, we believe that God has a wonderful plan for you and your loved ones. We lived with God before we came to earth and He wants us to return to His presence and live with Him and our loved ones forever after this life. That is why He has given us commandments and why He sent Jesus Christ. If we follow the commandments, have faith, get baptized, repent of our sins, and live according to God’s commands, we can live with Him and our families forever.
I would like to invite you to learn more by inviting the missionaries into your home. They will be able to teach you all about God’s plan for you. You can contact them by clicking this link.
I am not a LDS but I have many friends and neighbors that are. As I speak with them, I learn bits & pieces about Morman beliefs. One question often leads to another, so I appreciate the opportunity that this blog offers. My question is in reference to Isaiah 43:10 it says, “Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.” In Isaiah 44:6, God says, “There is no God besides Me.” In light of what is said here, how can worthy Mormon males become Gods in the afterlife when God already said that before him no God was formed, nor will there be any Gods formed after Him? Thank you for clarification.
Mike,
This information comes from Mormon.org.
“Those who are worthy to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ become “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17) of all that the Father has. They will return to live with Heavenly Father and with their families in His eternal glory.”
I am a simple believer, Mike. But I seem to understand difficult truths like this one by relating it to events here on earth that I CAN understand. Let me illustrate:
Let’s assume my father is the President of an enormous company. He raises me by teaching me all about the business he works in, the things he does on a daily basis, and the skills he has acquired. He hopes, as any good father might, that I can, one day become everything that he has become and more. After I go through life, get my education, work for the company, and prove my ability to do what my father asks of me within the company, I am promoted. Promotions continue until, one day, I am the Vice President. The only person in the company that is above me is my father. Remembering that he wants me to acheive all that he has and more, he then offers me the ability to be a joint partner with him in this company so I can experience all that he has.
I would submit to you, in my own simple way, that this is how our Heavenly Father, God, works as well. He wants us to gain all the experience we can while here on earth, prove ourselves, and return to dwell with him. We are then worthy to posses “all the Father hath.” God wants us to attain all we can and has prepared a plan by which we can do so.
I don’t have all the answers, Mike, but I can tell you that I know that God loves us and wants the most for us as His children. I can also testify to you that the complete and whole truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth today and found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints. I know that for myself.
I would invite you to meet with missionaries and ask them the questions that you have posed here. They would be more than happy to answer your questions and talk with you about the church a little more. They are the official representatives of the church and of God on the earth. You can invite them to visit with you by clicking here.
Thanks so much, Mike for asking that question. I would love to talk to you more about the topic if you would like to email me by clicking here. Or you can leave a comment in response to this one. Thanks again, and good luck in everything!
I have had several Mormon friends over the years, and, as is my tendency, I will sometimes enter into theological conversations. I am confused by the variety of explanations I have received in response to the nature of one’s salvation. I have heard the answer that you are saved fully and completely by faith (this was given by the youngest person I have conversed with on the topic, and seems to posses a similarity to protestant doctrine); I have heard that you are saved by a combination of faith and works (the more common answer I have received, and would seem to be backed up by the Book of Mormon); and I came across, in reading your Journal of Discourses, the idea of shedding one’s own blood to cover a particularly heinous sin (Brigham Young, I believe, was the quoted). I am confused because the first one definitely seems to contradict the other two, and the last would seem to be a practice that would receive some level of news coverage- yet I’ve heard nothing of the sort. Any clarification on the matter would be much appreciated. Thank You.
Thank you – I appreciate your response. Your analogy of a father & his desire for his son to become like him is interesting. The trouble I have is two fold: First, it suggests that God is very small (not like our God described in Rev 4) and therefore anyone can achieve His position through their own good works. Second, the question is not answered, how can LDS really be bible believers and make claims that are directly opposite of what God has told us. He tells us that there have never been and there will never be any (any) other Gods. I think this question is simple and deserves serious answers. I will pray for you “Admin”.
- Mike Ryan
Thank you for your insight and your prayers, Mike. All I can tell you is that I believe 100% in Jesus Christ, in a God who loves me and you, and in the Holy Scriptures. I know that God wants us to have all that he has and be joint-heirs with Christ in the world to come.
I would love to continue to talk to you about these things if you would like to. You might also enjoy and benefit from speaking with official representatives of the church. You can contact them by clicking here.
Alex,
This is a very good question and one that deserves time and attention from each of us. In the book of James, in the Bible, it teaches that “faith without works is dead”. As believers in the Bible, we understand that we cannot be saved simply by having faith in Jesus Christ. This is why he has given us commandments from the beginning. He asks us to obey him so that we can be happy on earth and be saved in His kingdom after this life.
My answer to you would match the second of the two that you have posed above. The first is refuted by James himself in the Bible, and the last of the three, I haven’t ever heard. This is not to say it doesn not exist, but I know that the church condemns suicide, murder, and anything of the sort. We know that sacrifices of blood ended when the Lord was resurrected.
I would be more than happy to continue to discuss this with you if you could find a reference to the third example you gave. Otherwise, I would humbly suggest to you, that as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints, we believe that Jesus Christ saves us after all we can do. To learn the official stance the church takes on issues like this, you can visit the official church web site or invite church representatives into your home.
Thank you for your great question. I look forward to hearing back from you.
I am not Mormon, but I do travel conscientiously a path parallel to those of the LDS and Catholic churches, what I think of as the true churches of Jesus Christ. I hope you will allow me to briefly weigh in on the topics of “works” and “gods”.
My understanding is that many, if not most, Protestants feel that good works will happen automatically if you accept Jesus as your savior. They would argue that doing good works is not the end unto itself, but rather an “indicator” that you have truly and sincerely been saved by inviting Jesus into your heart. While that could be, I am more apt to agree with the earlier poster who indicated that faith and works are equally important. Certainly, Catholicism teaches that. And that seems to be the Mormon view as well, is it not?
Next, on the subject of gods, I wonder: Does the LDS church teach that worthy males become Gods equal to the father, the creator (i.e. God with a capital “G”). Or do they become lesser gods (with a small “g”)? Is it possible that we are actually talking about two entirely different nouns with entirely different meanings? If that were the case, it could explain a lot of things: the first commandment, for example, or the divine nature of Jesus Christ. ohaven[at]hotmail[dot]com
How does the Book of MORMON APPLY TO US TODAY?
Not as much a question now that i have read many responses to the genealogy questions that we non-LDS have of your faith. Thanks for the info into my family. My only question is why so many other Christians questions your motives. God bless you, JOhn
I am 17 years old and was introduced into the church about a year ago and have attended church with friends that are members and have even sat down and had discussions with the missionaries. I know the church is right and true and I can feel the spirit every time I go to church with my friends that are members. I want to become a member very very bad and get baptized, but my parents are non members and they have been informed wrong about the churchs teachings and are very against me joining the church. Can anyone give me some help to try to help me show them that the church is ok and that it’s ok if I become a member.
I am LDS and I moderate an LDS Chatroom online. Everyone is welcome. I leave it open to sharing feelings about our religion or others to share their feelings about their religion. I have it open to answer sincere questions about the church to those interested and direct them to information about the church and to the missionaries if they are interested. Since the room is open to everyone worldwide I get a variety of people come in. Every so often I get members of the chuch who engage,argue or confront people in debate about the gospel. Some go to the point of saying others of different beliefs are in error. I believe you can share the gospel without debate and being confrontational by love and example. If someone has questions, then with love answer them and encourage them to seek out the missionaries to gain further instruction. My question is in sharing the gospel what is appropriate and what is not appropriate in sharing the gospel with others. I would value any kind comments.