Questions about the LDS (Mormon) faith

[Xuzi]

Thanks for starting this thread. I am fascinated! I love hearing about what other people believe, and I would much rather hear them tell it so I really understand it than get secondhand information that may be distorted.

 

I am an amatuer genealogist, and I am impressed by the research and care taken by the LDS in the area. But I have never had an LDS member explain the reasoning behind their interest in it and the baptisms that go along with it. And what happens if someone who was baptized wouldn't have wanted to be LDS?

If you go back to where I answered the question of what we believe about the afterlife, you'll see why we do the baptisms. They're for people who did not have a chance to recieve the Gospel and it's attending Ordinances in this life. Their Spirits still have the right (because of their agency/free will/whatever you want to call that wonderful gift from God) to accept or reject the proxy baptism. Because we have no way of knowing for sure if a deceased ancestor of ours has accepted the Gospel or not, we do their work anyway, and let them accept or reject it at their will. :)

[MamaSheep]

Ok, here's one....

 

I've been told by a close friend (who is not LDS but was born and raised in Utah in predominantly LDS communities) that LDS members believe that the "after life" consists of what equates to one's own planet.

 

Is that true? (I feel silly asking, but if it IS true I don't want to trivialize). If it isn't, what is the church's teaching on what happens after death?

 

Hmmm...Do we believe the afterlife consists of what equates to one's own planet? No...not really. But I can see where your friend might have gotten that, and it's a 'rumor' I've heard before.

 

Where to start. Believe it or not, you're kind of asking two different questions here, one kind of folded into the other. This is definitely the sort of thing that is easier to ask than to answer. But I'll give it a shot.

 

First, the part about what do we believe happens when you die. We believe that death is the separation of a person's spirit from their body. The body goes back into the earth, and the spirit goes to what we call "the spirit world" to wait for the last judgment and resurrection. In the spirit world, there are two general...'places' or 'conditions' into which one is received. The oversimplified idea here is that a person who has been generally wicked and/or not accepted Christ will find it a miserable experience or place (which we might call the 'spirit prison', or 'hell'), whereas a person who has been generally good and/or accepted Christ would be received into a state of paradise, or heaven. This is a sort of preliminary judgment, though, not the final outcome. This is a time when those who did not have the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel while living will have the opportunity to do so, because God is just and will not condemn people for not choosing something they never knew about. We believe this what Peter is referring to in 1 Peter 3:18-19 ("For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;") and 1 Peter 4:6 ("For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.")

 

Eventually, all will leave this spirit world. They will be resurrected (which to us basically means their physical body is restored to life and health and reunited with their spirit) and stand before God to be judged. Christ was the first to be resurrected and (in addition to paying for our sins) made it possible for all mankind to also be resurrected. After he rose, some other people also came forth from the grave, as recorded in the Bible, but for most of us resurrection will come at the time of Jesus's second coming, or after.

 

In this final judgment we believe that God judges the whole person--not just what you believe, or what you did, but what you ARE--what you have become through choices you have made, what you have done with the material He gave you to work with, how much you have allowed Him into yourself, to shape you--and issues a judgment accordingly.

 

If a person is in serious, knowing, intentional rebellion against God, then that person will not receive a place in God's heavenly kingdom, but would be cast out with Satan and his angels. We usually call this place and/or condition in which Satan and his angels dwell "outer darkness" to distinguish it from the "spirit prison" hell, but it is also accurately called "hell". But it's harder in LDS theology to wind up there than it is in some other theologies. It's kind of a choice--a person who truly belongs there would rather live there than in the presence of God with a knowledge of their own filth and rebellion. But it's also a judgment by God.

 

Otherwise, a person would be assigned a place within God's heavenly kingdom. But we don't believe in a one-size-fits-all type of heaven. In our Father's kingdom there are "many mansions". There are many types of existence. But they are generally categorized in to three "kingdoms" or "degrees of glory" within God's domain. They are symbolically represented by (but do not literally consist of) the sun, the moon, and the stars. As the glory of the sun is greater than the glory of the moon, so is the glory of the celestial kingdom (highest degree of glory) greater than that of the terrestrial (second highest glory), which in turn is more glorious than the telestial kingdom (lowest of the three).

 

Within the highest degree of glory, the celestial kingdom, there are three additional degrees, which do not have names that I know of. Those who, at judgment, are accepted by the Father into the highest level of the highest glory will dwell literally in the presence of God, and will receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life. We understand "eternal life" to refer not just to the duration of one's life (all of us will be immortal), but also to the quality of life. Eternal life is to live as God lives (under God's eternal rule, of course--just because one becomes an "adult" does not make one "The King".) They will, as the Bible teaches, be joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), they will "behold with open face" the glory of the Lord and be changed from glory to glory into the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18) they will see the Lord face to face, and will know Him as they are known by Him (1 Corinthians 13:12), they will sit with Christ in His throne, as Christ sits with the Father in His throne (ie. Christ will delegate His authority and power to them as the Father does to the Son) (Rev. 3:21). They will be perfect, even as the Father and the Son are perfect (Matt. 5:48). They will, in short, be "like Him" (1 John 3:2). Which I should mention is possible only through the redemption, sanctification, and grace (etc.) of Christ.

 

At any rate, we believe that these people will be allowed to assit God in His work--which is much greater and broader than just us, here, on this earth. Presumably a person at that level, with God's backing, could create any number of worlds, though that is a bit of extrapolation.

 

I hope that helps answer your question and doesn't just muddy the waters even further. :)

[HSmomNY]

But I have never had an LDS member explain the reasoning behind their interest in it and the baptisms that go along with it. And what happens if someone who was baptized wouldn't have wanted to be LDS

 

from the church web site

Jesus Christ taught that baptism is essential to the salvation of all who have lived on earth (see John 3:5). Many people, however, have died without being baptized. Others were baptized without proper authority. Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism. By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors. Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf.

 

hope that helps

:001_smile:

[Avila]

If you go back to where I answered the question of what we believe about the afterlife, you'll see why we do the baptisms. They're for people who did not have a chance to recieve the Gospel and it's attending Ordinances in this life. Their Spirits still have the right (because of their agency/free will/whatever you want to call that wonderful gift from God) to accept or reject the proxy baptism. Because we have no way of knowing for sure if a deceased ancestor of ours has accepted the Gospel or not, we do their work anyway, and let them accept or reject it at their will. :)

 

I must have missed it going through or not connected it. I will go re-read.

 

So where would you say these people who haven't had this chance are before you give them the chance? Would they fall into the Terrestial, Telestial or some other place?

 

I guess I am trying to compare it to Catholic beliefs on purgatory.

[WistfulRidge]

Thanks for putting your self "out there" to answer questions.

 

I have learned a few things as I have read this thread.

One thing that is still unclear to me.....I see mention of the Temple. You must tithe for a year before you can enter it....how does one attend services to tithe if you cannot attend the temple. When I googled images of the Temple I found several images that all had different architecture. Is there only one temple or several? I have a Church of Latter Days Saints building down the road....what would that be called? (a temple?)

 

 

And perhaps my most pressing question......Do you have certain Mormon curriculuum that you follow like Catholoics or Anibaptists? or do you just use the same as everyone else?

 

Thanks for doing this ladies.....it is always interesting to see how different people from different faiths see the world and worship!

 

Regular church services are not held in the Temple, but rather in chapels (you are more than welcome to walk into any service at those - this is likely what is just down the road from you). There are many temples. I think we're up to over 130 of them. There are so many of them because it is important that everyone have access to them so that they may partake of the ordinances/covenants performed inside of them. So we're always building more :D

 

In general we teach by the scriptures but there are handbooks for Primary, Sunday School, Young Men/Women's etc that are used to help teach those classes. (The full text of them can be found at lds.org if you want to take a look). We have various other handbooks, books of prophets teachings, etc.

[snipsnsnailsx5]

Thanks for putting your self "out there" to answer questions.

 

I have learned a few things as I have read this thread.

One thing that is still unclear to me.....I see mention of the Temple. You must tithe for a year before you can enter it....how does one attend services to tithe if you cannot attend the temple. When I googled images of the Temple I found several images that all had different architecture. Is there only one temple or several? I have a Church of Latter Days Saints building down the road....what would that be called? (a temple?)

We attend church services and activities at our meeting houses. Anyone can attend and come in the building, member or non-member, just like any other church. ;) We hold Scouts there and many other activities. Temples however are the big extravagant buildings. Those are different (as discussed earlier in this thread). For example, in WA state where I live, we have three temples. There are more in more populated areas though.

 

 

And perhaps my most pressing question......Do you have certain Mormon curriculum that you follow like Catholoics or Anibaptists? or do you just use the same as everyone else?

Are you referring to school curriculum? If so, same as everyone else. I have seen a few LDS online resources and scripture curriculum, but that's it. As far as scripture study goes, we do have manuals and guides that we can use. Is that what you're referring to?

 

Thanks for doing this ladies.....it is always interesting to see how different people from different faiths see the world and worship!

...

Edited December 31, 2010 by snipsnsnailsx5

[MamaSheep]

Wow...I brought up that last question and got interrupted partway through, and then came back and finished. Now that I clicked submit there are a bunch more pages. Thanks everyone who has pitched in. I think I'd better try and catch up. Sorry if my response is now redundant. :)

[Xuzi]

Thanks for putting your self "out there" to answer questions.

 

I have learned a few things as I have read this thread.

One thing that is still unclear to me.....I see mention of the Temple. You must tithe for a year before you can enter it....how does one attend services to tithe if you cannot attend the temple. When I googled images of the Temple I found several images that all had different architecture. Is there only one temple or several? I have a Church of Latter Days Saints building down the road....what would that be called? (a temple?)

 

 

And perhaps my most pressing question......Do you have certain Mormon curriculuum that you follow like Catholoics or Anibaptists? or do you just use the same as everyone else?

 

Thanks for doing this ladies.....it is always interesting to see how different people from different faiths see the world and worship!

Temples are seperate from our regular Chapels where regular Sunday Services are held, and where the ordinances of Baptism and Confirmation, and the Sacrament (communion) is served. Temples are for higher, more occasional Ordinances, such as all Proxy work, Endowments, and Sealings (Eternal Marriages). Major Temples are typically open 5 days a week (closed Sundays and Mondays) with services starting every 30-60 minutes. There are smaller, "mini" Temples, in areas where LDS members aren't as neumerous, where you make an appointment to attend the services. There are over a 130 (140?) Temples around the world, with more under construction all the time.

[Parrothead]

I'll add my piece here. No, Joseph Smith was not infallible. Only Jesus is. But we do place a lot of faith in the current prophet to do what the Lord wants him to in order to lead the Church correctly.

 

Asking this with a Catholic view - Is there a prophet now leading your church?

 

 

And someone tell me about the glasses. I was at a party a few years ago speaking with an LDS gentleman. We were debating the LDS church and the Catholic church and some drunk idiot started butting in. As my companion started to tell me Idiot Boy started making fun and crude comments against the LDS church. So we had to end our discussion and move on.

[Parrothead]

Oh I have another one. Is it the LDS church that requests their members have 6 months of food on hand? If so, why?

[WistfulRidge]

I must have missed it going through or not connected it. I will go re-read.

 

So where would you say these people who haven't had this chance are before you give them the chance? Would they fall into the Terrestial, Telestial or some other place?

 

I guess I am trying to compare it to Catholic beliefs on purgatory.

 

The Terrestial, Telestial etc only come after resurrection and judgment. Prior to judgment we exist in a spirit world divided into paradise and prison. I've always been taught that those who are good people go to paradise and those who have committed major sins (adultery, murder, child molestation etc) go to prison (purgatory-ish type of place). Everyone is given a chance to receive the gospel and come unto Christ. In our Church the only unforgivable sin is having sure knowledge (faith, belief etc) in Christ and then completely turning your back on him.

[Xuzi]

I must have missed it going through or not connected it. I will go re-read.

 

So where would you say these people who haven't had this chance are before you give them the chance? Would they fall into the Terrestial, Telestial or some other place?

 

I guess I am trying to compare it to Catholic beliefs on purgatory.

It is a lot like purgatory, I think (from what I've read in the recent threads here on the topic of Catholic and Orthodox beliefs). Those who have not been baptized will go to Spirit Prison until such time as they accept a proxy baptism at which time they can move into Paradize (and if they don't accept it, then they stay in the Spirit Prison). It is after Judgement day that they would then go to one of the other Kingdoms, based on how they lived their life with the information they had while they were here. (so basically, the Lord will judge their hearts.) A person who lived a good life and lived by the principles they had in whatever part of the world or whatever religion they were raised in, will not be denied entrance to the Celestial Kingdom just because they didn't accept the Gospel while here on Earth.

[Avila]

But I have never had an LDS member explain the reasoning behind their interest in it and the baptisms that go along with it. And what happens if someone who was baptized wouldn't have wanted to be LDS

 

from the church web site

Jesus Christ taught that baptism is essential to the salvation of all who have lived on earth (see John 3:5). Many people, however, have died without being baptized. Others were baptized without proper authority. Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism. By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors. Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf.

 

hope that helps

:001_smile:

 

I think we would agree on that part of baptism then. And we do have some exception to actually being baptized for those who, through no fault of their own, were not baptized.

 

So does that offering of blessings FOR the dead extend both ways? Would you ask for the prayers of those who have died and who you believe are in Heaven? I guess I am trying to figure out that relationship.

[Amira]

Asking this with a Catholic view - Is there a prophet now leading your church?

 

 

And someone tell me about the glasses. I was at a party a few years ago speaking with an LDS gentleman. We were debating the LDS church and the Catholic church and some drunk idiot started butting in. As my companion started to tell me Idiot Boy started making fun and crude comments against the LDS church. So we had to end our discussion and move on.

 

Yes, our prophet right now is named Thomas Monson.

 

I wish I had an answer about the glasses thing, but I have no idea what you're talking about. :) I must have missed something earlier.

[Xuzi]

Asking this with a Catholic view - Is there a prophet now leading your church?

 

 

And someone tell me about the glasses. I was at a party a few years ago speaking with an LDS gentleman. We were debating the LDS church and the Catholic church and some drunk idiot started butting in. As my companion started to tell me Idiot Boy started making fun and crude comments against the LDS church. So we had to end our discussion and move on.

Yes there is a Prophet today. His name is Thomas S. Monson, and he is awesome. :D

 

ETA: The glasses thing? Perhaps he was talking about the Urim and Thummin Joseph Smith used to translate the Book of Mormon?

[WistfulRidge]

Asking this with a Catholic view - Is there a prophet now leading your church?

 

.

 

Yes. Our current prophet is Thomas S. Monson.

[dangermom]

 

I am an amatuer genealogist, and I am impressed by the research and care taken by the LDS in the area. But I have never had an LDS member explain the reasoning behind their interest in it and the baptisms that go along with it. And what happens if someone who was baptized wouldn't have wanted to be LDS?

 

Last question first: we do baptisms on the assumption that the person has to accept it in order for it to be valid. Since freedom to choose--agency or free will--is paramount in LDS theology, it would go against all our beliefs to think that anyone could be forced into the Church. We do the baptism in the hope that the person will accept it, but never assuming that he will.

 

The reasoning behind what we do is fairly simple. In the Bible, Jesus says that he who believes and is baptized is saved; he who does not believe is not saved. Baptism seems to be a requirement; it's what a believer does. You can't be with God if you don't get baptized. But what about all those people in the world who have never been able to be baptized? Various churches get around this by having the 'baptism of all believers' or by saying that baptism is a dead work and unnecessary. We believe that baptism is necessary, but that it can be done at any time, even after death.

 

Since we believe that one of God's greatest gifts to us is that families can be together forever, we want our families to be linked together eternally. For that reason, we search out our ancestors who never had the chance to learn the full gospel while they were alive, and we try to give them that opportunity so they can learn more while they are in the spirit world. That's pretty much why we do genealogy--it's like missionary work for your own family.

 

Oh, and now I've previewed and there's a ton more. Ack.

 

So where would you say these people who haven't had this chance are before you give them the chance? Would they fall into the Terrestial, Telestial or some other place?

I think this was explained before, but those kingdoms don't exist yet and won't until after the final judgement. Right now there's the spirit world, which is divided into paradise and prison. Look earlier in the thread for more.

[Parrothead]

We believe this what Peter is referring to in 1 Peter 3:18-19 ("For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;") and 1 Peter 4:6 ("For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.")

1 Peter 3:19 and 1 Peter 4:6 are two of the many verses and passages Catholics use when we are asked if Purgatory is Biblical.

[HSmomNY]

Is there a prophet now leading your church?

Yes, Thomas S. Monson :001_smile:

[WistfulRidge]

Yes, our prophet right now is named Thomas Monson.

 

I wish I had an answer about the glasses thing, but I have no idea what you're talking about. :) I must have missed something earlier.

 

I think she is talking, possibly, about the Urim and Thummim which Joseph used (at first) to help him translate the Book of Mormon. We are taught that they were a tool that helped his mind comprehend how God could help him translate with no knowledge of the language he was translating from. Once he understood the principle they were no longer needed for successful translation.

[Xuzi]

Oh I have another one. Is it the LDS church that requests their members have 6 months of food on hand? If so, why?

Preparedness. It's extremely useful to have extra food on hand in the event of a natural disaster cutting off food supplies, or a sudden jobloss cutting off your income. It's not necessarily a doctrine or "Saving" belief, but it's deffinately a very well established LDS practice.

[dangermom]

Holy moley, I cannot even keep up with this. :svengo:

[Amira]

Oh I have another one. Is it the LDS church that requests their members have 6 months of food on hand? If so, why?

 

We are encouraged to be prepared for emergencies, and having extra food at home is one way to do that. It's not a requirement (many members cannot do it), but we've used our food storage when my husband was laid off. It was a relief to not worry about food those months.

 

Sometimes people think the food storage is in case of huge national or natural disasters or the end of the world. I'm not really planning on using our food storage for that reason any time soon.

[Xuzi]

Holy moley, I cannot even keep up with this. :svengo:

Me neither! It took a little while for the thread to get started, but then it exploded!!! I'm very happy with how civil it's been thus far. Hopefully it'll go down the same road as the Orthodox thread did, and we'll have many many pages of shared understanding and exchange of knowledge. :D

[Parrothead]

Yes there is a Prophet today. His name is Thomas S. Monson, and he is awesome. :D

 

ETA: The glasses thing? Perhaps he was talking about the Urim and Thummin Joseph Smith used to translate the Book of Mormon?

Yes! That turned over a memory. The glasses had to do with translating or seeing the Book of Mormon.

[Avila]

Holy moley, I cannot even keep up with this. :svengo:

 

Sorry! I think it is LDS' turn on the hotseat instead of Catholics this round. :D

 

Thank you! I really appreciate your (and everyone else's) openness and graciousness in answering though! I am learning a lot about your faith.

[Amira]

Holy moley, I cannot even keep up with this. :svengo:

 

No kidding!

[Once]

Me neither! It took a little while for the thread to get started, but then it exploded!!! I'm very happy with how civil it's been thus far. Hopefully it'll go down the same road as the Orthodox thread did, and we'll have many many pages of shared understanding and exchange of knowledge. :D

 

 

Wait......there was an Orthodox thread?

 

I do not have enough time in my day......good thing it is Christmas break! :D

[Jen500]

Thank you! I really appreciate your (and everyone else's) openness and graciousness in answering though! I am learning a lot about your faith.

 

:iagree:

[lynn]

I worked with a lady who was LDS. She taught a 6th grade girls class, talked about her missionary work etc. Not bragging just converation of life experiences. She was very excited that she had received or earned a "card?" to be able to attend a particular Temple??

 

Just wondering why she had to earn access to the Temple and are there regular services there or is it just a place to pray and worship on your own to grow in your faith.

 

Also, when she tranferred to Utah I believe she said something about only being able to attend a certain church because of her age and she was single? Not sure I understood that? If you can explain this thank you.

[Parrothead]

We are encouraged to be prepared for emergencies, and having extra food at home is one way to do that. It's not a requirement (many members cannot do it), but we've used our food storage when my husband was laid off. It was a relief to not worry about food those months.

 

Sometimes people think the food storage is in case of huge national or natural disasters or the end of the world. I'm not really planning on using our food storage for that reason any time soon.

Okay. Cool. My next questions would have been about how young families get started doing that or if there were storage facilities available for people in apartments.

I think she is talking, possibly, about the Urim and Thummim which Joseph used (at first) to help him translate the Book of Mormon. We are taught that they were a tool that helped his mind comprehend how God could help him translate with no knowledge of the language he was translating from. Once he understood the principle they were no longer needed for successful translation.

Thanks for the link. :thumbup1:

Sorry! I think it is LDS' turn on the hotseat instead of Catholics this round. :D

 

Thank you! I really appreciate your (and everyone else's) openness and graciousness in answering though! I am learning a lot about your faith.

:iagree:

 

More questions about the current prophet. How does he "come to power" so to speak? Is he elected? Does he serve for live or for a certain term? Is he the leader of your church in a similar way the pope is leader of the Catholic church or the Patriarch the leader of the Orthodox church?

[WistfulRidge]

I worked with a lady who was LDS. She taught a 6th grade girls class, talked about her missionary work etc. Not bragging just converation of life experiences. She was very excited that she had received or earned a "card?" to be able to attend a particular Temple??

 

Just wondering why she had to earn access to the Temple and are there regular services there or is it just a place to pray and worship on your own to grow in your faith.

 

Also, when she tranferred to Utah I believe she said something about only being able to attend a certain church because of her age and she was single? Not sure I understood that? If you can explain this thank you.

 

It's come up a few times but the "card" is a temple recommend and is held by members in good standing with the Church. It is required to enter the temple. Regular services are not held in the temple.

 

In Utah (especially) there are wards especially for singles between the ages of 18 and 30. Generally if you live in an area with a singles ward (congregation - and not all areas have them, just places with a high LDS population) and you are single and within those ages you attend the singles ward instead of a regular congregation. It is both to facilitate dating between members (yeah...) and because lessons can be tailored to specifically target the area of life that they are at.

[Xuzi]

My answers in blue.

I worked with a lady who was LDS. She taught a 6th grade girls class, talked about her missionary work etc. Not bragging just converation of life experiences. She was very excited that she had received or earned a "card?" to be able to attend a particular Temple??

 

She was probably talking about a Temple Recommend, which will get you into any Temple.

 

Just wondering why she had to earn access to the Temple and are there regular services there or is it just a place to pray and worship on your own to grow in your faith.

 

The Temple is not where we have regular Services. We have chapels for those. The Temple is for higher ordiances, and it's typically by "walk in". You go inside, change into Temple clothes, and wait for the next service to start (they typically start every 30 to 60 minutes). The service always ends in the Celestial Room, and you can stay in there and pray, meditate, or quietly converse with others for as long as you want.

 

Also, when she tranferred to Utah I believe she said something about only being able to attend a certain church because of her age and she was single? Not sure I understood that? If you can explain this thank you.

 

She was probably talking about a Young Single Adult ward, which specifically caters to, well, young single adults :tongue_smilie:. However, she would not have been limited to that ward. She could have attended a regular family ward if she'd wanted to.

 

[Jmac]

On the subject of baptism, what if you were baptized by someone not authorized by the LDS church? Would you need to be re-baptized and can you enter heaven without baptism? Do Latter day saints believe in salvation by faith alone or is it faith + works?

[WistfulRidge]

 

More questions about the current prophet. How does he "come to power" so to speak? Is he elected? Does he serve for live or for a certain term? Is he the leader of your church in a similar way the pope is leader of the Catholic church or the Patriarch the leader of the Orthodox church?

 

A prophet serves for life. When the old prophet dies the leadership of the church reverts to the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency (made of the prophet and his two councilors) is dissolved. Generally speaking the President of the Quorum of the Twelve becomes the next prophet.

[Xuzi]

Okay. Cool. My next questions would have been about how young families get started doing that or if there were storage facilities available for people in apartments.

 

Thanks for the link. :thumbup1:

 

:iagree:

 

More questions about the current prophet. How does he "come to power" so to speak? Is he elected? Does he serve for live or for a certain term? Is he the leader of your church in a similar way the pope is leader of the Catholic church or the Patriarch the leader of the Orthodox church?

 

The Prophet is a prophet for the remainder of his life. In addition to the Prophet there is also a Quorum of the 12 Apostles, and it's from there that the next Prophet is chosen. It's typically the most senior Apostle (the one who's been an Apostle the longest), but it's not a hard and fast rule. It can be whoever the Spirit reveals to the 12 is to be the next Prophet.

 

I don't know much about Popes and Patriarches, but we believe that the Prophet holds all of the Kings to the Kingdom (the ones given to Peter), and when he dies those keys are in the temporary custody of the 12, which is why they choose the next Prophet. When our previous prophet, Gordon B. Hinkley passed away back in 2008 Thomas S. Monson was the new prophet within I think about 2-3 days. The 12 held a Solemn Assembly in the Salt Lake Temple and he was Called and Ordained there, then Confirmed by the membership at the next semi-annual General Conference.

[WistfulRidge]

On the subject of baptism, what if you were baptized by someone not authorized by the LDS church? Would you need to be re-baptized and can you enter heaven without baptism? Do Latter day saints believe in salvation by faith alone or is it faith + works?

 

Yes, you would need to be re-baptized by someone with the proper authority. It depends what you mean by "heaven", if you mean the paradise portion of our post-earth (but pre-judgment) life, then yes. If you mean post judgment, then no. You must have been baptized by the proper authority to gain exaltation. And we're a big faith and works people. You can have all the faith you want, but if you're not willing to show it by helping your fellow men then I don't imagine it would do you much good.

[dangermom]

I worked with a lady who was LDS. She taught a 6th grade girls class, talked about her missionary work etc. Not bragging just converation of life experiences. She was very excited that she had received or earned a "card?" to be able to attend a particular Temple??

 

Just wondering why she had to earn access to the Temple and are there regular services there or is it just a place to pray and worship on your own to grow in your faith.

We do particular ordinances in the temple. Especially, it's a place to make serious covenants with God. As such, you don't go there right away, but when you're an adult and feel prepared to take on those covenants. To go, you get a 'recommend,' which is on a little card. The temple is also a good place to pray and worship. :)

 

Also, when she tranferred to Utah I believe she said something about only being able to attend a certain church because of her age and she was single? Not sure I understood that? If you can explain this thank you.

She will have meant a particular congregation, I think. We call our congregations wards and they are geographically based--I go to church with the people who live in my area of town, and it would need a special circumstance to justify going to a different ward. Single folks often go to a singles' ward, sometimes divided into young singles and older singles (I think it's over 30). I bet that's what she was talking about. It depends on where you live--here in my town, if you're over 30 and unmarried you just go to a family ward. The reason to have a singles ward at all is to make administration easier and get everybody mingling and married off! (That's sort of a joke...)

[Parrothead]

A prophet serves for life. When the old prophet dies the leadership of the church reverts to the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency (made of the prophet and his two councilors) is dissolved. Generally speaking the President of the Quorum of the Twelve becomes the next prophet.

I have no idea why I'm stuck on the Prophet. Is the prophet always a man? Can any LDS man become a prophet or is it limited to someone in leadership?

 

Is there some kind of priesthood. What are meetings in chapels like?

[dangermom]

Sorry! I think it is LDS' turn on the hotseat instead of Catholics this round. :D

 

Thank you! I really appreciate your (and everyone else's) openness and graciousness in answering though! I am learning a lot about your faith.

It's fine by me--but it's impossible to keep up! :D

[Xuzi]

On the subject of baptism, what if you were baptized by someone not authorized by the LDS church? Would you need to be re-baptized and can you enter heaven without baptism? Do Latter day saints believe in salvation by faith alone or is it faith + works?

We believe that baptism must be performed by someone with the proper Priesthood authority, so yes, someone who wasn't baptismed under that authority would have to be rebaptised.

 

As far as Salvation, we believe that all are saved from ****ation, save those who deny the Holy Spirit. All others will be recieve some degree of Glory in God's Kingdom, depending on their works and where their hearts are (so someone doesn't have to be up to par with, say, Mother Teresa in the works department to be allowed into the Celestial Kingdom. Just as in the Parable of the Talents, if I did well with the few talents He gave me, I'll be just as rewarded as the person who was given more talents and did well with them). Our works show our love for our Savior ("If ye love me, keep my commandments") and we rely on His Grace to wash away our sins and make up for our inevitable short comings.

[athomemom]

I've tried to keep up with all the post - reading with great interest.

 

I have a few questions.

 

1) Do Mormons believe in salvation by grace like Baptist or Methodist do? I've heard a "more famous Mormon" :D talk about this and truly wonder.

 

2) When you say, "Heavenly Father", are you referring to God or Jesus.

 

3) Jesus was married? I've never heard this before. Is there a reference to this somewhere?

 

4) What do you think of t.v. shows that portray Mormonism and more specifically polygamy?

 

I hope I haven't offended and have asked my questions correctly.

[Parrothead]

The Prophet is a prophet for the remainder of his life. In addition to the Prophet there is also a Quorum of the 12 Apostles, and it's from there that the next Prophet is chosen. It's typically the most senior Apostle (the one who's been an Apostle the longest), but it's not a hard and fast rule. It can be whoever the Spirit reveals to the 12 is to be the next Prophet.

 

I don't know much about Popes and Patriarches, but we believe that the Prophet holds all of the Kings to the Kingdom (the ones given to Peter), and when he dies those keys are in the temporary custody of the 12, which is why they choose the next Prophet. When our previous prophet, Gordon B. Hinkley passed away back in 2008 Thomas S. Monson was the new prophet within I think about 2-3 days. The 12 held a Solemn Assembly in the Salt Lake Temple and he was Called and Ordained there, then Confirmed by the membership at the next semi-annual General Conference.

I'm not sure about the EO Patriarchs. The Catholic Pope is the successor to Peter and has the keys to the kingdom. He is elected by the College of Cardinals. Generally he comes from the College, but there are very rare loopholes. When a pope does there are things that need to be done the the College is called together and a new pope elected.

 

It all sounds so similar. There are more than 12 Cardinals.

[MamaSheep]

Honestly, curiosity got the better of me and I wiki'ed the garment thing. And while not the exact same thing by any means, your temple garments sound similar, but still different, to the scapular that some Catholics wear. Your temple garments are actual clothes and a scapular is generally a couple scraps of cloth.

 

Now I'm allergic to to wool so once I got mine and went through the little ceremony I switched to a medal.

 

Makes me wonder if there are any other denominations/religions that have some sort of religious "clothing."

 

Holy moley, I cannot even keep up with this. :svengo:

 

Me neither! It took a little while for the thread to get started, but then it exploded!!! I'm very happy with how civil it's been thus far. Hopefully it'll go down the same road as the Orthodox thread did, and we'll have many many pages of shared understanding and exchange of knowledge. :D

 

No kidding!

 

WOW. I did open a can of worms, didn't I.

 

I want to say here, that with the speed this thing is currently traveling I hope nobody's question gets overlooked, but if you ask something and none of us picks it up, please ask again at some point. We're not ignoring your question on purpose, this is just a lot to keep up with.

 

And yes, thanks so much everyone for being polite and kind here.

 

After a quick scan through, a couple of things came to mind that I wanted to comment about.

 

I don't think you have to have paid a full tithe for a year to get a temple recommend. You have to have been a MEMBER of the church for at least a year, and there are certain other qualifications, but a lot of the 'how long' you have to be doing it for is between you and your bishop (and the Lord of course). It is true that you make deeper commitments in the temple, and part of the bishop's job is to help you make sure you're ready for that. In some ways I think it's kind of like entering monastic life, except we continue living in the world at large rather than retiring to an enclosed community. But yes, we wear ceremonial clothing with a symbolic meaning while there, some of which we continue to wear after we leave, and some of which is specific to temple worship, and I have noticed a few other similarities.

 

I also noticed that someone non-LDS had mentioned that women can't go to the highest degree in the celestial kingdom unless they're married. That's actually true. What she didn't mention is that neither can men. The highest degree of the highest glory is given only to married couples jointly and is not available to either apart from the other. And the quality of the marriage is also important. Just being married, even "sealed" is not enough.

 

I think there were a couple other things, but I've lost them...lol...

[Xuzi]

I have no idea why I'm stuck on the Prophet. Is the prophet always a man? Can any LDS man become a prophet or is it limited to someone in leadership?

 

Is there some kind of priesthood. What are meetings in chapels like?

Yes, the Prophet is always a man. The Prophet is always chosen from the 12, but any man in good standing and ordained to the Priesthood can be called into the 12.

 

We have 2 Priesthoods, Aaronic, and Melchezadick. The Aaronic Priesthood administers the Sacrament, collects Fast Offerings (donations used to help the needy in the ward), and oversee the welfare of the ward (Our Bishops are the head of the Aaronic Priesthood in the congregation). The Melchezadick Priesthood is the higher Priesthood. All men who have been to the Temple have been ordained to that Priesthood. They perform the baptisms, provide Blessings of healing, Confirm new members and confer the gift of the Holy Ghost, among other things.

[Avila]

I know LDS considers itself to be apostolic, but what about liturgical? Do you follow a church calendar (Lent, Easter, etc.)?

 

And which things are sacraments (might be the wrong term for you)? Ours would be baptism, marriage, confession, confirmation, anointing of the sick, sacred orders, and confirmation (if that helps for reference).

 

Do you have something after baptism like our confirmation? Do your kids take classes to formally join your church?

[Amira]

I have no idea why I'm stuck on the Prophet. Is the prophet always a man? Can any LDS man become a prophet or is it limited to someone in leadership?

 

Is there some kind of priesthood. What are meetings in chapels like?

 

God can call whomever He wants as the prophet, but there is a generally accepted line to become the prophet. The basic organization of the church has the prophet at the top with two or more counselors (called the First Presidency), and then 12 Apostles below them. The longest-serving apostle is next in line to become the prophet when the current prophet dies. The two counselors also are assigned from the group of apostles. Apostles are called by the First Presidency.

 

Any worthy male older than 12 in our church can hold the priesthood. When a boy turns 12, or when an older male is baptized, he receives the Aaronic priesthood. As he get older (usually 18 or 19) or more experienced, he receives the Melchizedek priesthood. The only requirement for being called as an Apostle is that a man hold the Melchizedek priesthood.

[Parrothead]

Yes, the Prophet is always a man. The Prophet is always chosen from the 12, but any man in good standing and ordained to the Priesthood can be called into the 12.

 

We have 2 Priesthoods, Aaronic, and Melchezadick. The Aaronic Priesthood administers the Sacrament, collects Fast Offerings (donations used to help the needy in the ward), and oversee the welfare of the ward (Our Bishops are the head of the Aaronic Priesthood in the congregation). The Melchezadick Priesthood is the higher Priesthood. All men who have been to the Temple have been ordained to that Priesthood. They perform the baptisms, provide Blessings of healing, Confirm new members and confer the gift of the Holy Ghost, among other things.

What is the Sacrament - capital "S"?

[Xuzi]

As always, answers in blue.

 

I've tried to keep up with all the post - reading with great interest.

 

I have a few questions.

 

1) Do Mormons believe in salvation by grace like Baptist or Methodist do? I've heard a "more famous Mormon" :D talk about this and truly wonder.

 

Answered this one elsewhere.

 

2) When you say, "Heavenly Father", are you referring to God or Jesus.

God.

 

3) Jesus was married? I've never heard this before. Is there a reference to this somewhere?

Never heard it either. We do believe in a Heavenly Mother however. We just barely know of her, really only that she exists. One of our hymns "Oh My Father" was written by one of the early members of the LDS church, and contains a line "In heaven are parents single? no, the thought makes reason stare. Truth is reason, truth eternal, tells me I've a mother there". Joseph Smith read the verse and said that it was true. And that's about where the official explaination of the doctrine ends. :lol: Some members have speculation about her, but that's about it.

 

4) What do you think of t.v. shows that portray Mormonism and more specifically polygamy?

Meh. I try not to get my panties in a bunch over them. I've watched a few of the South Park episodes, and they at least get their information mostly right, even if it's only for the intent of mocking it. :tongue_smilie:

 

I hope I haven't offended and have asked my questions correctly.

[dangermom]

I have no idea why I'm stuck on the Prophet. Is the prophet always a man? Can any LDS man become a prophet or is it limited to someone in leadership?

 

Is there some kind of priesthood. What are meetings in chapels like?

Yes, there is a priesthood! Proper priesthood authority is very important to us. The priesthood is limited to men, but any worthy man can have it. Once a boy turns 12, he gets the beginning level, so to speak, and that continues all the A man can't go to the temple if he doesn't hold the priesthood--nor can he go on a mission or serve in most callings--all routine parts of an LDS guy's life.

 

In the LDS Church we all have jobs (callings) and we switch around. So a guy may do several jobs and move in and out of different areas--my husband has taught Sunday School, been ward financial clerk, and is currently in the Elders' Quorum presidency (elder is a priesthood office--he works with the adult men under 45, pretty much). Any leadership position for a man requires the priesthood, but it would not be unusual for a man to, say, be bishop for 5 years and then go out of that leadership position into teaching a Sunday School class. That would not be considered a 'demotion.'

 

So the prophet is chosen from the 12 apostles, and there's a whole administrative structure, with area authorities and whatnot, kind of like the Catholics only with different terms.