The official name of the church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; it is sometimes called the Mormon Church. The word Mormon comes from the Book of Mormon which, along with the Bible, is one of the sacred scripture books of the church. The church is named after Jesus Christ because we believe he established the church, approves of the church, and is its ultimate leader, through a prophet who lives in our day. The prophet communicates with God in the same ways as the prophets did in the Bible, such as Moses and Abraham. The church has the same organization that Jesus established in his church when he was alive, including prophets and apostles, and it has the priesthood of God.
If you want to learn about the church, do not look to the enemies of the church. Instead look to the church itself. The church is not a cult, does not practice or believe in polygamy, and contains no bizarre practices or doctrines. We are a Christian church even though our understanding of Christ is somewhat different from other Christian churches. We base our understanding of Christ on the scriptures, including the Bible, which we accept as coming from God. We respect that others may disagree with us and feel that they should respect that we do not agree with them.
We believe that there are three separate members of the godhead, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. They are "one" in purpose but are separate individuals who work together to do the work of God in our lives. God the Father is the originator of all things and the father of all spirits. Jesus Christ is his son, both spiritually and physically, and the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit who testifies of the Father and the Son, and leads people to the truth. We have access to God through sincere prayer and personal inspiration, aided by the Holy Ghost.
God the Father and Jesus Christ have individual resurrected bodies, while the Holy Ghost has a spiritual body. The work of the Holy Ghost is to testify to us about the Father and the Son, and to spiritually reveal gospel truth to those who seek it. The members of the godhead seek the happiness of all mankind through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. The "gospel" is the good news that Jesus came to earth to save all people. Gospel truths and essential ordinances are revealed to the church through prophets of God chosen for that purpose. Joseph Smith was the prophet who restored the church in our day.
We believe that, after this life, all people will be saved in the sense that they will be resurrected. Resurrection means that the spirit and the body will be reunited in a life after this life. While all will be resurrected, not all will be able to live with the God in an exalted condition. Following this life, exaltation will only be available to worthy individuals who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, received the ordinances available through his approved church, and kept the Lord's commandments.
We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the implementation by Jesus Christ of the Father's plan of happiness for his children. That plan was developed in the life before this life, in which we all existed as spirit children with our Heavenly parents. Lucifer, or Satan, opposed the Father's plan and wanted to impose his own plan that would force people to return to God but not give glory to God. Jesus proposed to implement the Father's plan that would give people the freedom to choose their own compliance with the Father's plan and to determine their own eternal destiny. Jesus was chosen to be the Savior under the Father's plan. Satan's plan was rejected, and he and those who chose to follow him were cast out and denied a mortal existence.
Faith is belief in things of God that are not seen with mortal eyes, and is a fundamental principle of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is based upon faith that Jesus Christ is the savior of all mankind and has made available a system of exaltation for all people who qualify. We believe that we are saved by Jesus' grace, but that our situation in the hereafter depends upon our willingness to keep God's commandments and do the things upon which spiritual progress and exaltation are based. We do not save ourselves, but we do qualify ourselves for other blessings after we are saved by Jesus. Forgiveness of sins through repentance is one of the great blessings of the Savior's atonement.
As anticipated in the Father's plan, mortal life consists of hardships and challenges that give people the opportunity to grow and develop both physically and spiritually. The suffering that people experience in this life is not evidence that there is no god or of his cruelty; rather, it is evidence that this life is intended as a time of testing that will help determine each individual's situation in the eternity that follows. Either in this life or the life to come, individuals who would be comfortable living with God in the hereafter will have the opportunity to qualify themselves for eternal blessings. No one is forced to qualify, but those who don't qualify will not receive the same blessings as those who do. Such a plan is both just and merciful to all - those who qualify are blessed for their obedience, and those who don't qualify receive other blessings they are willing to receive.
As savior in the Father's plan, Jesus Christ agreed to make it possible for everyone to be resurrected. Jesus Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and his suffering and death on the cross brought to pass the atonement, which enables both the resurrection of all people and the exaltation of those who qualify. For those who choose to do so, the atonement makes it possible to repent of their disobedience to God’s commandments (sins) and to be cleansed from the effects of their sins. Through such repentance and cleansing, people can qualify themselves to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the life after this life. Such qualification requires being worthily and devotedly associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this life.
Mercifully, the Lord also makes the blessings of salvation available to deceased individuals who had no opportunity to join the church in this life. This is done through ordinances for the dead performed in the temples of the church. Also, all little children who die before they become accountable for their actions are saved with God, as are all those whose handicaps prevent them from being accountable.
Families are very important to the church. Salvation for families, both living persons and deceased ancestors, is a primary focus of the work of the church. This work is carried on in homes, through missionary work, and in the temples of the church. The church sends missionaries throughout the world because it believes that the gospel offers peace, truth, and salvation to all people who will accept its message and follow God's commandments. The church respects the beliefs of other people and believes there is much good in the world.
Thus, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the just and fair implementation of the plan of a God who loves all his children. Each person will receive the blessings they qualify for, without discrimination or coercion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is composed of good people striving to keep the commandments of God, who have great love for everyone, whether in the church, or in some other church, or in no church at all. No one in the church is perfect, but church members strive to do what is right and follow the example of the Savior.
If you have any question, go to LDS.org.
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