Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why should there not be? What would the world be like without suffering?

If we are to believe that God should prevent suffering, at what arbitrary and subjective point should he prevent it?

What suffering should God prevent?

Should he prevent starvation which is an obvious target? How would he do so? By forcing the ground to produce crops spontaneously so that those starving individuals could just go out and harvest wheat or pick up manna from the ground? By forcing the rest of the world to somehow provide food for them?

Should he prevent murder, genocide, and all wars by either killing the murderers before they act or shocking them in such a way that they know they are displeasing God? Just think of the good God could have done and the suffering he could have prevented by killing Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, and a host of other mass murderers before they acted.

Should he prevent adultery which harms the relationships of innocent spouses and causes hurtful grief and suffering?

Should he prevent theft, profanity that offends, liars that deceive people into giving up their wealth to help some “poor soul” (scam artist) that just needs to move $10 million out of Nigeria?

How should he prevent these things? By striking down the offender in the act, prior to the act when the thought is fully developed, or when the thought first occurs in their mind?

If one rationally thinks about these things, we would soon come to the conclusion that God would be hated by mankind for taking away the choices of any who might infringe on the rights of others, and thus God would be guilty of the same sin he is acting to prevent. We would soon worship the devil who would tell us we are free to do everything we want and our love for God would be extinguished in the moment our free will was taken from us.

It must become obvious that if there is a God, he must provide a level playing field for the souls of men to be able to, of their own free will and choice, follow God and find peace and joy through choosing to live his commandments, or else misery and pain by causing the suffering of others by their own actions. God’s laws are designed to give us choice with consequences that bring about one of these two ends.

God’s law of agency

In the LDS faith we call this principle, agency, or the ability to have free will to choose to serve God out of love and not by force. In the book of Revelation we read of a war in heaven in which Satan was cast out.

Revelation 12:7-9

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Why was Satan cast out in this war? From another book of scripture that we use in the LDS faith, we read two reasons:

Moses 4:3  Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;

First, Satan wanted to destroy our choice by creating a utopia where everyone would be forced to choose the right and everyone would wind up back in heaven because their agency would be suspended during this mortal testing period.

Second, because he was going to do this supposedly great work of ensuring that all of God’s children would return to heaven (albeit by means of force), he wanted God’s power for himself.

The resulting war in heaven had him forcibly removed and cast down to earth to tempt God’s children to sin by attempting to get them to violate others’ agency and establish his plan for forced righteousness on earth. We can see this in the actions of the communist philosophy which is forced equalization by those in power trying to create a perfectly organized society where nobody suffers (and yet everyone suffers). Misery abounds when agency is cut off.

Our Heavenly Father is a loving being that doesn’t operate under force. In a section of modern day scripture unique to the LDS church, we read God’s specific instruction to his priesthood holders about how they must act in order to please God.

Doctrine & Covenants 121:34-37

34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson-
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

Why does God allow for suffering?

God allows for suffering in this world because this world is a temporary proving ground, and for God to remove suffering would violate God’s laws and his honor and respect throughout the universe would cease. In essence, God would cease to be God. In order for God’s eternal plan for mankind to succeed, we must have our agency to choose eternal life with God. As for the suffering in the world, the true followers of Christ covenant with God to use their agency to do what God himself would do if he were here.

Mosiah 18

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life-
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

From the Book of Mormon, we read accounts of ancient prophets who also testified of Christ. When brought together with the accounts in the Bible we have two witnesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that he died for us to pay the price of sin and provide a glorious resurrection. This is the most fundamental core point of our doctrine.

Alma 22:14(speaking of the Atonement of Christ)

14 And since man had ^afallen he could not ^bmerit anything of himself; but the sufferings and ^cdeath of Christ ^datone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the ^egrave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.

Alma 40:23-26(speaking on the resurrection)

23 The ^asoul shall be ^brestored to the ^cbody, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a ^dhair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and ^eperfect frame.

24 And now, my son, this is the restoration of which has been ^aspoken by the mouths of the prophets--

25 And then shall the ^arighteous shine forth in the kingdom of God.

26 But behold, an awful ^adeath cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and ^bno unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter ^ccup.

Here is a video the LDS church recently released about the real message of Easter. Yes, Mormons celebrate Easter for all the right reasons.

The debate rages on between scientists and religionists over the creation timeline, but it can all be easily explained when we understand LDS theology and how creation was a 2-step process.

Spiritual vs. Physical Creation

In Hebrews 11:3 we read:

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

What does that mean? In the LDS book of scripture known as the Doctrine & Covenants, there are a few verses which help expand this concept.

31 For by the power of my Spirit created I them; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal-
32 First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work; and again, first temporal, and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work-

The Lord declares here that there are two different types of creation at work. One was spiritual, and the other was temporal. In the beginning of God’s work, he created all things spiritually before they were created physically. At the end of the world, he will transform the temporal or physical things into spiritually perfected creations to endure through eternity.

Genesis 2:4-5expresses the creation concept in this way:

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

So was it 7 days or millions of years for the earth to be created?

In the LDS faith, we have another book of scripture we use called the Pearl of Great Price, and in it there are two accounts of the creation story. The first one is in the book of Moses and gives us an account of the spiritual creation, while the second account from the book of Abraham is an account of the physical creation.

In the book of Moses, each period of creation is called a “day,” which Peter informs us that God’s days are like 1,000 of our years ( 2 Peter 3:8).

However, in the book of Abraham, it does not identify the creation periods as days. but as times. So things happened in the first time, second time, and so on.

Now this part isn’t something I’ve been taught as official church doctrine but it’s a way for me to mesh these concepts in what seems a logical way. God is a being that is not limited by linear time such as we are. Imagine that after planning the creation out during the spiritual creation, God then stepped into our temporal time line and initiated the gathering of star dust to form the earth, or even brings a massive star from another dimension and causes it to explode here in our universe. He then steps back out of the temporal timeline and as a multi-dimensional being, a moment later steps into the temporal timeline millions or billions of years after initiating this action. He observes the gathering of the atoms and particles and gives his next set of instructions from the spiritual creation plan and again steps out of the timeline. He then re-enters millions of years later on that timeline but to him it is just a short moment. Angels and servants of God could step into the work at important points to assist in beautifying and populating the earth by creating rivers, valleys, plants, trees, creatures, and eventually man was placed on the earth to begin the temporal existence of man on the earth. Each object has it’s spiritually created form placed within the physical to give it life and a connection to God.

Now I don’t know that that’s really how things worked, but I do know from the scriptures that there was a spiritual and temporal creation and that someday all things will be revealed to us in a way that makes perfect sense. Knowing that all things are before God (D&C 88:41), and that he is not a being constrained by time, seems to make sense to me that he can influence things in lower dimensions as needed and at will much like we can turn to any page in a book and read or write on that page because we exist outside of that book. It makes sense to me though, that the spiritual creation may have taken 7 days of God’s time to do all the planning and then the implementation could have been a much shorter period of time for God but in our earthly timeline represented millions of years. I realize this is speculative, but it’s sort of how I make sense of things until I receive additional light and knowledge that refines these thoughts on how God created the world.

On Christmas Day, 1977, I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I don’t remember much from it being so long ago and only being 8 years old at the time, but I’ve always appreciated that my parents arranged for me to be baptized on Christmas in honor of the Savior’s birth.

As members of the church, we have several key beliefs that help us understand the importance of baptism.

Jesus was baptized as an example to us

When Jesus began his ministry, the first thing he did was sought out John the Baptist and asked him to baptize him (Matt. 3:13-17). At that event, while Jesus was in the water, the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the sign of a dove, while the Father spoke from heaven his witness of the importance of this event saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

In the Book of Mormon, an American prophet named Nephi explained the reason for Jesus’ baptism in these words (2 Nephi 31:4-7):

4 Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.
5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!
6 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?
7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

In other words, Christ was baptized, not because of a need to for Himself, but to fulfill a righteous commandment and to set an example for us.
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Nicodemus was one of the ruling Jews, a Pharisee, and he came to Jesus by night asking some questions about the Savior’s teachings. Jesus told him he needed to be born again and this confused Nicodemus who asked how a person could enter the womb a second time. Jesus replied “except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). These 2 events, being born of water, and of the Spirit, are baptism (by water) and the receipt of the Holy Ghost (of the Spirit).

At the end of Christ’s ministry, he also instructed his disciples to go into all the world preaching the gospel and “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). This doctrine can seem harsh until one understands the nature of what he means by damned (explained in another article “Do Mormons believe everyone else is going to hell?“)
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The word baptism comes from a Greek word meaning to “make whelmed” or fully wet. Jesus was baptized by immersion to symbolize his death, burial (under the water), and resurrection (coming forth from the water) (Romans 6:4). When we are baptized we also signify that we are beginning the process of taking Jesus’ name upon us by doing the things he did.
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Not everyone can baptize someone. They must receive their authority from God, not through a certificate of having attended divinity school. The Priesthood of God has been restored to the earth again, and authorized servants again have power to baptize and confer the gift of the Holy Ghost on people who desire to make covenants with God. (John 15:16)
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There are some churches that teach that baptism isn’t necessary, and others who believe it so necessary that any who die, including babies that never received baptism, must be going to hell.

This article has addressed the necessity of baptism. In another article I have addressed the topic of people who die without baptism having the ordinance performed for them so they are not held back from their eternal progress. Now I want to briefly relate why infants do not need baptism.

Baptism is a covenant we make with God. It is an action where we promise God to live His commandments in exchange for His blessings such as the opportunity to return and live with Him again someday.

In the Book of Mormon, there was a period of time when some people were of the belief that little children who died without baptism were going to be cast off forever. The prophet Mormon corrected their thinking in this way.

Mormon 8:5-15

5 For, if I have learned the truth, there have been disputations among you concerning the baptism of your little children.
6 And now, my son, I desire that ye should labor diligently, that this gross error should be removed from among you; for, for this intent I have written this epistle.
7 For immediately after I had learned these things of you I inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And the word of the Lord came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, saying:
8 Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.
9 And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.
10 Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach-repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.
11 And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.
12 But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!
13 Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell.
14 Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell.
15 For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.

So is baptism necessary for salvation? Yes it is, but little children, defined in the church as under the age of 8, are innocent before God and do not need that ordinance for God to save them. Those who die without baptism over the age of 8 also have provisions made by God to receive that required ordinance.

To a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, there are few principles as important as the principle of “agency.” Agency is a gift from God to allow us personal growth through liberty and choice. In life, we choose what to be and how to live. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to free us from the bondage of sin and give us liberty through the gospel, but he also knew that oppressive governments would never allow the gospel to flourish. Totalitarian states create systems of control over their populations such that the right to worship is restricted or controlled.

Consider the case of the early settlers of this country. Many of them fled England because their natural rights were being violated. They had no freedom to worship God as they saw fit. To hold political office and influence laws, one had to be a member of the state church, the Church of England.

The Land of Promise

Ancient prophets on the American continent had great views of latter-day America. They saw things concerning the destiny of this country and how God would use it as a base of freedom, both religiously and politically, and called this country “the land of promise.” These prophesies are recorded in The Book of Mormon, another witness of Jesus Christ, and a companion volume of scripture to the Holy Bible.

One such prophet named Nephi, saw in vision the events that would lead up to the founding of this nation. He recorded in 1 Nephi 13 the following events (red text are my comments):

Discovery of America by Columbus

10 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles (Europeans) from the seed of my brethren (native Americans).
11 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren.
12 And I looked and beheld a man (Columbus) among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.

Settlers follow

13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.
14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten (Some settlers like Cortez wreaked devastation on the American continents).

The people flourish and are righteous

15 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain.
16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.

The Revolutionary War

17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.

Nephi sees they have the Bible

20 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.
21 And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book?
22 And I said unto him: I know not.
23 And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass (these plates were records that Nephi’s family brought from Jerusalem and contained the ancient scriptures from Adam to the time of Jeremiah), save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.

The U.S. Constitution

In 1787 the 13 separate states became a nation with the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. At this moment in history, the Lord brought together an amazing group of men to create a document that would ensure political freedom and guarantee rights to life, liberty, and property.

Modern Day Revelation Affirms the Constitution

In 1820, the Lord opened the heavens in answer to a young boy’s prayer and called him to be a prophet just like prophets were called anciently. His name was Joseph Smith and the revelations he received are recorded in a book of scripture the LDS church uses in conjunction with the Bible and Book of Mormon. That book is known as the Doctrine & Covenants because it contains doctrine and instruction in the covenants of the Lord. There are several references in those revelations to this nation and its founding as well.

D&C 98:4-8

4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.
8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.

D&C 101:77-80

77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
78 That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, [block]17[/block]
79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.

D&C 109:54(This is from the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland, Ohio temple)

54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.

But what about slavery?

Observant readers will notice in D&C 101:79 the Lord says it is not right that man should be in bondage to each other, and yet some say slavery was written into the constitution. At the time our country was founded, we never would have gotten the constitution passed unless there was a provision for the South to keep their slaves. They would never have ratified the document. The 3/5ths clause in the constitution has caused many people to stumble in their understanding that the document was a document of freedom.

The South wanted greater representation in congress and so they wanted to count their slaves as people for purposes of representation in congress. The North then said if the South was going to count slaves, which the South regarded as property, the North would use other objects of property such as animals to increase their representation. This led to a compromise position where the constitution would count 3/5ths of a slave as a person for purposes of representation and thus the anti-slavery North would retain greater representation. It had nothing to do with black men being only worth 3/5ths the value of a white man. It was inherently an anti-slave position to reduce the power of the pro-slavery South if they fully counted slaves. (Click to watch a video clip by David Barton and Glenn Beck to see this explanation)

America is the Promised Land

With the Constitution established, this country became a place of hope and freedom, attracting immigrants from around the world to come and live their dreams in an environment where they could flourish. Their desires to worship God blessed their lives and rooted them in a choice land.

To summarize, in the LDS faith, we believe the Lord prepared this land for a glorious purpose. He established it as a place where political freedom would maximize individual liberty and allow for a restoration of His gospel under the protection of the inspired Constitution. Most people that have never read the Book of Mormon have no idea what it actually contains. They have no idea that it is a Book of Scripture from ancient American prophets who saw our day and wrote the book especially for us. They not only preach the gospel of Jesus Christ as a second witness to the Bible, but also discuss principles of government and the destiny of this nation. I encourage you to get a free copy of the Book of Mormon and read it for yourself. I know anyone who reads it and asks God with an honest heart if it is true will receive an answer that it is.

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This was part 2 of a 2 part series. Click here to read part 1, “Is the United States in the Bible?”

Jacob’s Inspired Blessing to Joseph

In the book of Genesis just prior to the death of Jacob the Patriarch, he called his sons together to bless each of them with prophetic pronouncements. His son Joseph, on whom was the birthright blessing, was given this blessing in Genesis 49.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

In the LDS faith, we interpret this as being Joseph’s descendents (branches) would be numerous (fruitful). They would travel (run) over an ocean (well of water) which is difficult for a desert people (wall representing the difficulty). They would arrive in a promised land containing everlasting hills and be separated from their brethren in the same way Joseph was separated from his brethren during his life. The American continent is the only one in the world with mountains that run from the top of North America to the bottom of South America. We believe these verses show the promised land given to Joseph was upon this continent.

Joseph’s Separation to Egypt

We know during Joseph’s life that he was separated from his family when his brothers sold him into Egypt. That separation later turned to enormous good as Joseph saved his family during a difficult famine in the land. God’s foreknowledge of events provided a great blessing to his covenant people by putting them through a sore trial, especially for Joseph. This separation and later salvation, is a parallel or shadow of events that would take place on a macro-level with the 12 tribes of Israel. Verse 26 above indicates there would be another separation.

The Lord’s House to be established in America

In Isaiah chapter 2 we read another interesting prophesy concerning America.

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Verse 2 shares some of the same language as Joseph’s blessing above. Interestingly, Isaiah declares that the mountain of the Lord’s house would be established in the top of the mountains. That certainly isn’t Jerusalem Isaiah is talking about because it’s pretty much at sea level. So what could Isaiah be referring to?

A mountain is where ancient prophets like Moses went to have holy experiences such as on Sinai where he spoke with God face to face as a man speaketh with another (Exodus 33:11). The Lord’s house is called a temple. In all the world, only one religion claims to have a purpose in building temples and their main temple from which they have established their church is in the Rocky Mountains. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ headquarters is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, where there is a temple built to God and where literally several million people come and visit each year. Nobody else even makes a claim to fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah’s.

Further on in Isaiah 19 and 20, it’s quite possible that Egypt represents modern day America in symbolic imagery. Jesus also speaks of “other sheep which are not of this fold” which he will bring back and you can read more about that in this article “What is a Mormon?“. There are other passages which could be mentioned but this will have to do for groundwork.

America is the Land of Promise for Joseph’s Descendants

The Bible shows that God promised his children various promised lands. The Bible also shows that God spoke with his covenant people through prophets. Joseph’s descendants, as prophesied in the Genesis 49 quote above, separated from their brethren around 600 B.C. just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. They were led by a prophet named Lehi who was a contemporary of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. Both were preaching the destruction of Jerusalem unless the people repented. It was at this time the Lord chose to separate Joseph’s branch from his brothers and took them over the ocean wall to the America’s. Yet in Ezekiel 37:15-19 we read a prophesy that a stick of Judah (ie. the writings of the Jews we have as the Bible) would someday be joined together with the writings from the stick of Joseph (which is the record of Joseph’s tribe which is called the Book of Mormon). In the Book of Mormon we read much about America’s prophetic destiny. Lehi and his family and descendants knew this was a choice land that God appointed for greatness.

America as mentioned in the Book of Mormon

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the writings of the prophets that lived here anciently.

2 Nephi 1

5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.

6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.

Ether 2

7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.

8 And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.

9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off.

11 And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God--that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.

12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.

Ether 13

4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.

5 And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come--after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel--

6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.

7 For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not.

8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.

Get a free copy of the stick of Joseph, the Book of Mormon

You can get the record of prophets in the ancient Americas by clicking this link for a free copy of the stick of Joseph. There is no obligation. I just encourage you to read it for yourself and make up your own mind about the truthfulness of this book. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that the Bible does in fact mention the United States and the record of ancient prophets upon this continent.

Part 2: Why Do Mormons believe the Constitution of the United States was inspired by God?

Robin Heuer joined the Mormon church as a teenager. Here’s her conversion story to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

As a child I remember on occasion staying up to watch “the Apple” drop in New York city at midnight on December 31st. For me, it soon lost its luster and I have personally found other ways to celebrate and ring in the new year besides an extra effort at incurring sleep deprivation. Now that I have children, that’s harder because they think it’s something fun to stay up till midnight just to do it as if watching the clock turn to midnight will have some type of social impact on their lives.

There is no church doctrine surrounding New Year’s celebrations except the obvious one. Do it sober. The LDS church has a doctrine we call the Word of Wisdom which is a revelation Joseph Smith received on taking care of your body. The result of living that law for the past 180 or so years is LDS men and women have a longer lifespan than non-LDS people by several years. I’ve seen numbers that are as high as 11 extra years touted but that link to a study shows about 7 years.

The core of this doctrine is to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea (herbal is OK), and other harmful substances; and to partake of wholesome grains, fruits, and herbs. The revelation ends with a promise of health, mental alertness, and that the “that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.” You can read the revelation on the Word of Wisdom in its entirety here.

So back to New Years celebrations. On the Sunday closest to New Years, we typically find this hymn sung. The lyrics are from a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson and there are several other verses to the poem, but these three are the ones in the LDS hymnal. You can listen to the song at this link to Ring Out, Wild Bells.

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

As with so many others, the LDS faith is a strong believer in personal repentance and self-improvement. The ringing in of a new year is an important time to make resolutions to improve our lives in all areas. I typically set goals each year for things I’d like to do and ways I’d like to live my life better. There is an importance in keeping our priorities straight in life. Celebrating New Years’ is a good time to reflect on our lives and set goals to realign ourselves with our priorities. One excellent talk on this subject was given by Lynn G. Robbins in the April 2011 General Conference. His talk was entitled “What manner of men and women ought ye to be?” and focused on the need to be, rather than just do. Here’s one snippet from this excellent talk.

Many of us create to do lists to remind us of things we want to accomplish. But people rarely have to be lists. Why? To do's are activities or events that can be checked off the list when done. To be, however, is never done. You can't earn checkmarks with to be's. I can take my wife out for a lovely evening this Friday, which is a to do. But being a good husband is not an event; it needs to be part of my nature--my character, or who I am.

Another excellent talk for New Year’s resolutions was given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a member of the First Presidency, entitled “Of Things that Matter Most.”

Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship--the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace.

Mormons do celebrate New Years, but should do it more with a re-commitment of our priorities in life, than in having a New Year’s Eve party to celebrating the passing of another year.

As a child, I loved waking up on Christmas morning and coming out to see the presents Santa had brought that special night. It always amazed me how they magically appeared. As I got older, I started to think differently about Christmas but I don't think I had the maturity to truly appreciate the holiday until I was an adult with children of my own. I've learned that Christmas as an adult is better than Christmas as a child. There's more meaning to it, but also more magic in watching my own children's delight. The challenge is helping them understand the true reason for the season.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I love the story of Jesus's birth as portrayed in the Bible. The church just started releasing New Testament videos they've produced which also help tell the story of the Savior's life.

As members of the LDS church, we also have the account of the Savior's birth as it was recorded in the Book of Mormon by ancient prophets who prophesied of signs to come at his birth, and recorded their fulfillment. Here is part of the account. The non-believers had chosen a day that if the signs that had been given were not fulfilled, they would put all the believers in Christ to death. The prophet Nephi at that time went and prayed to the Lord asking him what to do.

3 Nephi 1 (click to see full chapter)

10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.
11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
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15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.
16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.
17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.
18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.
19 And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given.
20 And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.
21 And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word.
22 And it came to pass that from this time forth there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen; but notwithstanding these lyings and deceivings the more part of the people did believe, and were converted unto the Lord.
23 And it came to pass that Nephi went forth among the people, and also many others, baptizing unto repentance, in the which there was a great remission of sins. And thus the people began again to have peace in the land.

This Christmas message in the Book of Mormon is a second witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to earth to free us from the bonds of sin. It is the witness of another nation of God's children who God favored with prophets who recorded God's word to them. The Book of Mormon doesn't take anything away from the Bible. It supports it and testifies of it. To obtain a free copy of the Book of Mormon, click the link above and to the right and the LDS church will send you a copy free of charge. This magnificent book testifies all throughout its pages that Jesus is the Christ, brings us the true spirit of Christmas. Yes, Mormons do celebrate Christmas, and along with the rest of Christianity believe firmly in Jesus Christ's true message of hope and salvation.

Do Mormons Believe in Christ?

The short answer is a definite yes, Mormons DO believe in Christ.  However, you are reading this to get a bigger and better understanding of what Mormons really believe.  So, I will continue.

The central belief of Mormonism is that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God on the earth. He was placed on this earth to do several things: gain a physical body and show mankind through His example of how to live, teach us more about our relationship with God, give us ordinances and power to establish His church on this earth, but most of all to atone for our sins and overcome death so that all of mankind will rise up at the resurrection and have an opportunity to live with God and Jesus Christ our Savior.

Do we believe in Mormon or Christ?

It is unfortunate that the members of the church were given the nickname "Mormons" so early in the establishment of this religion.  This is cause for much confusion and misunderstanding about their beliefs and teachings and if they are Christians or not.  The true name of the church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints".  This is the only name by which the church has ever been established.  The inherited nickname of "Mormon" comes because new scripture introduced to complement the Bible is titled "The Book of Mormon." It is understood that The Book of Mormon, given to Joseph Smith was a fulfillment of the prophetic scripture in Ezekiel 37:16-18:

 "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.

And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand."

Like other Christians do not worship any of the prophets and others who contributed to the Bible, which tells us of Christ, members of The Church of Jesus Christ do not worship Mormon, who was a prophet who abridged books written by prophets and others who lived on the American Continent from about 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. This book, The Book of Mormon, is simply another testament of Jesus Christ, and in fact quotes several similar accounts listed in the Old Testament of the Bible and also has similar accounts to the New Testament that happened in the Americas such as the visitation of Christ to the inhabitants there after his resurrection.

Just as a person belonging to the Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic or Baptist church would be hurt that someone didn't think they believed in Christ because the name of their church didn't include his name, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) are saddened by the misunderstanding that stems from the nickname of "Mormon", because the actual name of the church does specify they believe and follow Christ.

It has been believed that Mormons do not believe in the same Jesus as other Christian churches, that each Jesus Christ is different.  Members of the LDS church believe in the very same Jesus Christ that lived over 2000 years ago, was born to the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, after coming back from Egypt, grew up in Nazareth and during his ministry called 12 men to be his disciples, then suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, died upon a cross in Calvary, and resurrected 3 days later from his tomb. He is our Savior and our Redeemer.  The light of the world!

However, members also believe that He is alive today giving further light and knowledge through modern revelation to current prophets. We believe that Christ revealed himself to other people on the earth other than Jews and that He will return to the earth in glory in what is referred to as His Second Coming. Mormons do not share the same beliefs of the nature of the Godhead as stated in the Nicene Creed. We have a different understanding of the Godhead because of modern revelation and scriptures which add to our understanding of the nature of God, His Son and the Holy Ghost.

As we study the Bible, it also indicates that God has a body:

Exodus 24:10"And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness."

How could God have feet if he is only a Spirit?

Deuteronomy 5:4"The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire."

Face to face? He has a face!

The fact that God and His Son, Jesus Christ are two separate beings is also addressed in the Bible.  Luke 2:49 "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" He clearly understood that he was to do the Father's work while on this earth, but that He is not his Father.

St. John 20:17 "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God"

Christ is not the same being as God the Father, why would he need to ascend to Himself?

Matthew 26:39"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

It is obvious that Christ is praying to someone else other than himself.  He did not pray to himself, He prayed to His Father, Our Father.

Mormons DO believe in Christ

Christ is our Elder Brother, the only Begotten of the Father on this earth. He came to earth and lived perfectly, was baptized by immersion, atoned for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and completed this Atonement through his death on the cross. He then resurrected three days later, a glorified being. I testify that this is true, that Mormons do believe in Christ. That because of our knowledge of revelation, we are able to have a personal witness from the Holy Ghost of his divinity. And, if you would like a personal witness, you too can pray to the Father and receive your own witness that His Son, Christ leads and directs The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints today on the earth.  You can also read the Book of Mormon and feel the power of the Spirit testifying to you of its truthfulness as a second witness of Jesus Christ, in addition to the Bible.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

We invite you to learn more about our beliefs by obtaining a free copy of the Book of Mormon. There is no obligation. Just click the link above on the right and one will be sent to you. I know it will help answer your questions about the purpose of life which certainly go beyond “do Mormons believe in Christ?”