| QUESTION from:Bubba Smith, Other Religion, Age 25-34, wrote on 6/6/1998: | |
| A friend of mine (he is a Mormon) said that the Book of Mormon contains parts of Isaiah, Malachi, and the Sermon on the Mount. When I asked him to show me this -- he couldn't it. Do these things really exist in the book of mormon -- and if so -- where can I find them? Thanks. A seeker -- | |
These things can be found in 1
Nephi (parts of Isaiah that Nephi
was inspired to include), and 3
Nephi (when Jesus Christ taught
the Nephites personally about his
gospel as well as some of the
teachings of Malachi).
You can read the Book of Mormon on line at LDS.ORG |
| QUESTION from:LaGrand, Other Religion, Age 25-34, wrote on 6/8/1998: | |
| I happen to believe that when we die that we will forgive and be forgiven of all that has happened in our lives. I believe that even someone as bad as Hitler will stand next to me and will be as loved by God as Mother Theresa. I do not believe in Hell as most have envisioned in their minds. How can any religion believe that God could imprison anyone in Hell for anything they did for the split second of eternity that we are on the earth. Thanks and Hope you see the love, LaGrand in WA | |
|
The prophet Alma taught: Alma 42:19 Now, if there was no law given--if a man murdered he should die--would he be afraid he would die if he should murder? 20 And also, if there was no law given against sin men would not be afraid to sin. 21 And if there was no law given, if men sinned what could justice do, or mercy either, for they would have no claim upon the creature? 22 But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God. 23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice. 24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved. 25 What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God. 26 And thus God bringeth about his great and eternal purposes, which were prepared from the foundation of the world. And thus cometh about the salvation and the redemption of men, and also their destruction and misery. 27 Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds. 28 If he has desired to do evil, and has not repented in his days, behold, evil shall be done unto him, according to the restoration of God.
Do you not recall that one third
of the hosts of heaven were cast
out, because of rebellion in the
war in heaven spoken of in the
Book of Revelation? (12:4, see
also chapters 8&9)
God's prophet Nephi taught: |
| QUESTION from:Jeff Burden, Baptist Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 7/4/1998: | |
| If Three Nephites never died (3 Nephi 28:7-8) that would assume that they have been alive since somewhere around the year AD 34- 35. And if they were able to save many souls unto Jesus as (3 Nephi 28:29)states, were those people part of the "one true Church" ? Or were they subject to the Great Apostasy? The 3 Nephites and all the people they converted would be part of the Church of the Lamb of God. So the complete and full apostasy could never have happened! So then according to Brigham Young the your Church is "unwarranted" (History of the Church 1:xL). My question: What about the 3 Nephites were they apart of the apostasy? Either way the LDS Church is in a bit of trouble, what are your thoughts... | |
|
You did not consider that although
there may have been good people
who believed in Christ during the
dark ages, and even though the 3
Nephites may have ministered unto
people like this, it still is up
to God whether there will be an
official church established in His
name. Recall that during the hundreds of years before Joseph Smith was called as God's prophet to restore the fulness, there were many good people who believed in Christ. Yet the Church of Jesus Christ was not to be found upon the earth. Why? Because God had not called a prophet yet to restore the authority to mortal man. The 3 Nephites are as angels, as the Book of Mormon says, but they are not God's prophet upon the earth. That role belongs to a mortal man it appears, and if the angels held that role we never would have had a need for prophets. Yet prophets are a part of the plan, part of God's way of communicating with mankind (see Amos 3:7) and it has always been so since the beginning. It's a better test of faith that way. We are being tested while out of the presence of God. |
| QUESTION from:Jeff Burden, Baptist Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 7/4/1998: | |
| I asked you a question on the third of July about the 3 nephites. You didn't answer my question. Were the 3 Nephites subject to the Great Apostasy? Are you actually saying that the 3 nephites and the people they won to christ were apart of the Church of the Devil? According to 1 nephi 14:10, you can only be a part of the Church of the Lamb of God and the Church of the Devil. And a LDS bishop has told me everyone since the fall of the great Apostasy up until the prophet Smith in 1830 were a part of the Church of the Devil. So were the 3 nephites spared? If so you must admit there was no "complete" apostasy as Brigham Young described. Please answer the question. | |
|
Jeff: The apostasy is that the authority to use the priesthood of God was lost from the mortal earth. The "church of the devil" includes any organization, including governments and societies, etc. that keep people from coming fully to Christ . If one does not join themselves to one of these organizations or groups, they certainly have not joined the "church of the devil." People are agents unto themselves and are not forced. If you recall, Joseph Smith was not able to decide which Christian church to join, for a right decision was not possible (when he was 14), but he prayed about it to know. He was told to join none of them. He most certainly did not belong to the "church of the devil" before or after that prayer. One can have faith in Christ, and not join a church or group to manifest it. One can pray to God, and not be a part of any church. This was most certainly possible in the dark ages as well. Since the Church of Jesus Christ was not to be found upon the earth during that time, I would imagine that people of great faith were assured by the Spirit that at some future date they would enjoy the blessings of priesthood ordinances. There was most definitely an apostasy, even with the 3 Nephites preaching about and encouraging people to believe in Christ. The 3 Nephites were transformed, they were not subject to death or the final effects of mortality. They were as the angels of heaven. During the apostasy as we know it, the priesthood authority was not in the hands of any mortals. The authority was lost through corruption of Christ's true church shortly after the death of His Apostles (with the exception of John, who did not die, but experienced a fate similar to the 3 Nephites). The prophet Moroni said of those who ran churches during the dark ages Apostasy: |
| QUESTION from:Bill McKeever, Protestant Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 7/5/1998: | |
| I run what you would call an "anti- Mormon" ministry. You would be hard- pressed to find any person who would say that LDS missionaries are motivated by anything but a sincere desire to share their faith with those who are not members of their Church. Why is it then, when Bible- believing Christians (such as myself among others) desire to shear their faith with a member of the LDS Church, we are often accused of being hateful and bigoted. Any effort on their part to discuss the teachings of Mormonism is often looked upon as an act of persecution. Is this right? What I do at my ministry is try to educate Christian about the beliefs of your Church. I try to defend what I believe is scared, which 50,000+ LDS missionaries are going door to door telling people are not. If all those missionaries can tell people that my Church is an "abomination in the sight of God" as the Mormon god told young Joseph, and when Brigham Young tells us that Christians is a "pack of nonsense" (JOD 6:167), and that we are "heathens as to the knowledge of the salvation of God" (JOD 8:171). Am I wrong, should your missionaries have the right to tell them my church is wrong and has no authority, but I can't do the same with out the tag "hateful anti- Mormon"? | |
|
Bill: This actually is a fair question because there is most definitely some confusion on the matter. If we were promoting our own ideas and had no authority from the Lord, then we would most definitely be hypocrites to make such bold statements. But it is not us who made the original statement, but the Lord. The missionaries tell the true account of what the Lord said, which is that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men: having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof." (see the Joseph Smith story). It is no different than preaching scripture when we teach it. But when others attack our beliefs, without a specific authority from the Lord, then it is the work of a man, even though they have every freedom to do so. All should be able to worship how they please, and make choices on what they hear. Joseph Smith received authority from the Lord, and was called to be the prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ in this latter day. Like a Moses. That is a truth that I know by the Spirit. And he was most definitely instrumental in the hands of the Lord to bring much light and truth to the world. It was through this prophet that Jesus Christ restored His authority and priesthood once again to the earth. It was through Joseph Smith that Jesus Christ sent revelation upon revelation, and brought once again the fulness of the gospel to the earth. A fulness which was dimmed by the great apostasy that took place during the dark ages. I testify to the truthfulness of this work, a marvelous work and a wonder, and hope that people will just give these things a faithful chance, and by humbly and prayerfully considering all these things will come to a knowledge and testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. |
| QUESTION from:SnowAngel, Born Again Christian, Age 1-17, wrote on 7/10/1998: | |
| I think that you have mastered the art of compounding large words and quoting and misquoting Scripture to the point that you can confuse people. I'll give you a hint. In my religion (the only true one) people have been miraculously healed. It happens all the time. Have you ever seen anyone instantly healed? If you have, it was of the devil. | |
|
All good things
come from God, and
none of it comes
from the devil. The Book of Mormon
Prophet Mormon taught:
For I remember the word of God, which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also. 11 For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil. 12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. (Moroni 7:7,11-12) I personally have seen people instantly healed, and if the devil had his way, he would destroy them, not heal them. Jesus Christ taught that we may know whether someone is good or not by their fruits. If being healed is a good fruit, then we may know that it came from God. Joseph Smith taught concerning healing: there could be no devil in it, if God gave His sanction by healing; (History of the Church, Vol.4, Ch.35, p.604) Some people in our Church as well mistakenly believe that when people in your faith or other faiths are healed, that it was of the devil. This is a common reaction, even among ourselves. But the fact is, those people had enough faith to be healed. And so God healed them. He loves all of His children, for we all are, and so He has nothing but good desires for all of us. If we need Him, He helps us. He is not a partial God. (Moroni 8:18) Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil. (source: Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:14) |
| QUESTION from:E Jamelle Morgan, Other Religion, Age 35-49, wrote on 7/24/1998: | |
| I have just started to review material about the Latter-day Saints. In fact, a dear friend of mine's son is a missionary. I have just one question at this time -- I notice the Prophet and Apostles are all white men. No women, no minorities. Is this part of the doctrine? It was a disturbing sight when I visited the WEB page. *** ejm | |
|
Dear E Jamelle: No need to be disturbed about that. There is nothing racial about it. We are of Ephraim, and are descendents of Joseph of the House of Israel. The Lord caused Israel thousands of years ago to bless Ephraim (son of Joseph of Egypt) and his father Joseph with great blessings over their brothers (see Genesis 48:13-20 and 49:22-26) Today we see those blessings coming true. The gospel has been restored. You see, the Lord has done it, but the world sometimes sees the desire to have political correctness and racial diversity. But if Ephraim and Joseph were promised of the Lord anciently that their descendants would do these things, then who would want to do something different than the Lord's will?
The scripture in Genesis 49:22
cross-references with 2 Nephi 3:4
where Lehi the Book of Mormon
prophet said: This is Joseph Smith, and the gospel is now being carried forth in a big way into the world by the descendents of Joseph of Egypt, even Ephraim. These people of Ephraim are the ones who have been commissioned by the Lord, even anciently to do the work. Their modern descendants (Apostles and Prophets) are not racially motivated, but are called of the Lord, as part of the House of Israel that would initiate and take part in the gathering of Israel and the Lost Tribes in the last days. I too am of Ephraim as a patriarch has declared my lineage. |
| QUESTION from:Scott B.Sullivan, Non-Denominational Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 7/24/1998: | |
| I am curious, how could it be that Jesus Christ's ministry to the people of North America could become lost for almost 2000 years. Had Jesus truly ministered to the people of North America during his physical reign on Earth, the miracle of his being would surely have left an impression upon the native inhabitants, and it would be expected that an active ministry of Jesus Christ would have existed in America prior to colonization by Europeans. In short, how could Jesus Christ, the infallible Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, fail to gain deciples in North America prior to the discovery of the Book of Mormon? It seems incomprehensible to me. | |
|
Scott: Lucifer works real hard to get people to forget about Jesus Christ. How much do our history books say about Jesus Christ? Little to none. It's sad considering all that He accomplished for people, His profound teachings, and the great miracles He performed. Let alone His Atonement, which I would not expect a history book to cover...His name is officially unspeakable in today's schools, except it be to profane it. Lucifer makes sure that this will be so. Who were Christ's disciples after His earthly ministry, and how long did they prevail? Not too long (a hundred years or more)...they were persecuted and killed, and an apostasy was the result. In the Book of Mormon era, there was a time of great righteousness, even perfect righteousness upon the Americas for a period of about 200 years after the personal visitation of Christ! So you see, it did have a great effect, even much greater than the effect upon the Jews in Jerusalem who did not believe Him, for the most part. There was no such mass conversion there. There has been no significant active ministry there. It is presently forbidden to teach of Jesus Christ, so strong is the hold of Lucifer upon the hearts of certain men!
During the 200 year Book of
Mormon era after the visitation of
the resurrected Jesus Christ,
"there were not rich
and poor, bond and free, but they
were all made free, and partakers
of the heavenly gift. After the Nephite civilization was destroyed 400 years later, the Lord's servants were commanded to hide up the sacred records...and this is why they were not had among the remaining Lamanites who met the Europeans, and it is because the Lamanites rejected them. The Lord had a plan for the Book of Mormon record, however. He wanted a record to come forth in the latter days in its purity, a document abridged by one of His servants, Mormon, a righteous prophet who compiled the book of Scripture from many prophetical writings the way the Lord wanted it done. The Book of Mormon was specially prepared for our day. |
| QUESTION from:Joe, Other Religion, Age 18-24, wrote on 7/17/1998: | |
| In 2nd Nephi 3:3 Lehi tells his son Joseph that his seed should not utterly be destroyed but Joseph's seed were Nephites and all the Nephites were destroyed how could that be? | |
|
Joe: The answer is that not all of the Nephites were destroyed. If you recall from reading the Book of Mormon, the Nephite nation became so corrupt and wicked, the Lord allowed them to be destroyed as a nation. The more wicked part of the Nephites fell among the Lamanites and mixed with the Lamanite seed. The Book of Mormon prophets were informed by God of this (and this is how Jacob's seed or posterity was preserved) and they wrote as follows: Alma 45:13 And when that great day cometh, behold, the time very soon cometh that those who are now, or the seed of those who are now numbered among the people of Nephi, shall no more be numbered among the people of Nephi. 14 But whosoever remaineth, and is not destroyed in that great and dreadful day, shall be numbered among the Lamanites, and shall become like unto them, all, save it be a few who shall be called the disciples of the Lord; and them shall the Lamanites pursue even until they shall become extinct. And now, because of iniquity, this prophecy shall be fulfilled. So there we have it. Not all of the Nephite seed were destroyed, but they inter-mingled with the Lamanites which remained. The seed of Jacob (Lehi's son) walks the face of the Americas today. |
| QUESTION from:Ed Goble, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 7/28/1998: | |
| I can't remember who had
the question, but I found the
answer finally (or
at least one that may help.) It
was about how
they found thousands of arrowheads
around the New
York Hill Cumorah area, and a
whitish substance
appearing to be the residue of
decayed bones,
suggesting a large battle had
occured there:
"In McCauley's History of New York, published in 1828 (interesting date), the author noted that the first settlers moving into western New York to start farming found the topsoil in certain wide areas to be covered with a whitish, limy substance that they recognized as being the residue of decayed human bones. When they first broke the sod with their horses and plows, they unearthed thousands of arrowheads and spear points. The bones and weaponry indicated to them only one thing: at least one great battle had taken place in the area in some long-ago-time. The great quantity of whitish lime in the soil could only mean that many thousands of men had perished, side-by-side, at the same time, and no one had remained to carry them back to their families, or even bury them in shallow graves." (Duane Erickson, Out of the Dust, The Official Newsletter of the BMS Foundation, May 1998, p. 4). Also, this statement may be of interest to that person: "Frank (Fred) Kennedy, a Seneca Elder from New York, says that long ago in New York State there was a major confrontation between his people and another people of lighter skin. They fought over who would control God! These other people lost. We won the fight. Dr. Scherz of UW Madison, WI asked him, "Why was this fight so important?" Fred said it involved the WAU-PA- NU. The WAU-PA- NU is our priesthood. These men could go among all the tribes to act as arbitrators, messengers and spiritual leaders among our many people. The WAU-PA-NU had their beginning when EAST STAR MAN appeared. He set up new laws, healed the sick and ended blood sacrifice. Now we use tobacco instead of blood to offer sacrifice. Fred Kennedy then stated the meaning of the name ONEIDA, which is a tribe of the Iroquois nation. ONEIDA means "Keepers of the stone" or "Keepers of the hill." The hill he refers to is the Mormon Hill, or CUMORAH." (Testimony given to James P. Scherz, PhD at the UW Campus of Richland Center, Wisconsin Conference for the Ancient Earthworks Society, July 1992.) | |
|
Thanks Ed for sharing those
accounts with us, as well as the
source for those who want to
investigate further.
|
| QUESTION from:Jared, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 8/19/1998: | |
| Mine is a response to Garrith Hewlitt's question (record 1953). I obtained all of my infromation from the World Book Encyclopedia (1970 release), a very scholarly approach I might add (LOL). The Encyclopedia substantiates that the Bronze Age was in full swing as early as 3000 B.C. And that the age of true steel crafting embarked somewhere around 1100 B.C in Asia Minor. Nephi's record begins somewhere around 600 B.C in Asia Minor. It seems reasonable that Nephi had access to steel technology. The encyclopedia further states that the practice of steel working was popularized over bronze casting because of its cheapness, abundance, and widespread use. --Let's break for a little demystification of of metals. Steel is Iron (Fe) with less than 1% carbon impurities. This is hardly nuclear physics. Bronze is Copper (Cu) with up to 25% Tin (Sn) content. Steel is strong and hard, but not at all resistent to oxidation (rust). Bronze is also strong and hard and highly resistent to oxidation. This alone may well explain the abundace of Bronze found in the older ages, because sparse Iron tool population may well have rusted away. Actually, the earliest known working of Iron is by peoples in the middle East who made tools with it around 3000 B.C.(at the beginning of the bronze age I might add). This is in plenty of time for this skill to have trickled down to the Jaredites(somewhere around 2300 B.C., correct me if I am wrong). Therefore it is apparent that working of Iron ore existed prior to the dawn of the Iron Age. However, we can infer that it was not a popular practice, perhaps due to lack of knowledge of its abundance. Thus, we see, that with a tiny amount of research effort, another anti-mormon perpetuated falsehood bites the dust, as they all fail to stand up to scrutiny from my experience. | |
|
Jared: Thanks for the little research exercise! It's amazing how easy it seems, sometimes. Even though we can prove our logic and our position on these matters (because truth is on our side), I have always felt that it would be a plain old testimony that converts the searcher. If we can get doubting people to think, by showing things such as this, then hopefully that will lead to the process of spiritual study where the Holy Ghost has a place. Anyway, I thank you for your contributions! |
| QUESTION from:Reuben, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 8/27/1998: | |
| Regarding question 1943: I think that there is a possible error in the answer given. I was under the impression that the scripture quoted was not writen by John the Baptist, but by John the beloved, or as some would call him, John the Revelator. They are two different people entirely. As far as I am aware, John the Baptist did not write any of the books of Scripture in the Bible. | |
|
True, there is no book of John the
Baptist in the Bible. If you look
at the footnote
references in the scripure,
however, you will see the link to
John the Baptist. Also,
Bruce R. McConkie, in his book,
The Promised Messiah, p.54
wrote specifically about this as
well: It was John, whom men call the Baptist, who saw the heavens open, the Holy Ghost descend, and heard the Father's voice proclaim, "This is my Beloved Son"-it was this John who left us the most perfect account known of the mortal progression and achievements of Him who was God before the world was: "And I, John," he wrote, "saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first." Then this
ancient witness told of the
baptism itself, and continued:
|
| QUESTION from:dennis carter, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 9/1/1998: | |
| What does the scripture mean,"and he received grace for grace", and how does that apply to our lives? | |
|
John the Baptist taught: D&C 93:13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; (See also John 1:16)
The prophet Ezra Taft Benson said
concerning this scripture:
How does it apply? Well, the Book
of Mormon teaches that it is
because of the grace and truth
which is in Christ that we can
have eternal life: |
| QUESTION from:Natalie Jones, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 9/8/1998: | |
| I have heard that the prophet is going to be on Larry King Tuesday. Do you know anything about that? | |
|
Yes! I watched it today. It was
carried on CNN's Larry King Live,
and President GOrdon B. Hinckley
did a wonderful job! I especially
liked the part when he asked Larry
if he "bossed" his wife, when
Larry had brought up the subject
of the father being the head of
the house... That was funny!
Here are the details. If you have
Real Video and sound, you can see
this interview on the Internet on
CNN. GO to
http://cnn.com/videoselect/
and choose the Larry King
Live video links for: The interview is broken into the following segments so far: 1 - The Mormon Church and
thoughts on Clinton investigation
(9:16)
Truly the Spirit of the Lord was with him, as I felt the Lord guide His answers and responses to really tough questions. |
| QUESTION from:Eliot AF Smith, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 9/9/1998: | |
| Just thought you might like to have this URL: http://cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/9809/08/ lkl.00.html It is a transcript of President Hinckley's interview on Larry King Live. | |
|
Thanks Eliot! The video links
seemed to have gone away with the
newer shows coming on...
|
| QUESTION from:Barbara, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 9/17/1998: | |
| Just a quick question, from a rookie to your site. Do you know of any reference, made by a G.A. or maybe even by someone more local, of the "dangers" of "sleep-overs"? There are several people in my area who don't allow their children to participate in this activity. They say that they heard someone advise against it, several years ago. | |
 You might want to
check out a book which our family
has read, called "Raising Up A
Family To The Lord" by Elder Gene
R. Cook. I remembered reading in
this book that their family does
not do this. That does not make it
gospel, but General Authorities
often have very good ideas.Page 156 reads: Setting family standards. #6 We decided at least for our family there would be no sleep-overs. That was difficult to maintain in the beginning, since nearly all our neighbors allowed them. But we had seen enough problems, moral and otherwise, from sleep-overs that we were determined to hold that standard in place."
The Book of Mormon seems to
support this kind of concept when
it says: It is a huge trust to send your kids to an overnight. Are the people at that house "people of God that walk in his ways and keep the commandments?" |
| QUESTION from:BK, Protestant Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 9/21/1998: | |
| Why is Moroni on the spire above the name of Christ when Angels are not supposed to recieve glory or praise for what they do since they are supposed to bring all glory to God? Satan (God's BEST Angel) was kicked out of Heaven for trying to get some glory and be like God (Isaiah 14:13- 14). Hebrews 1:4-14 and Revelation 19:9-10 explain the role of Angels and their response to praise. | |
|
He is there because Moroni
represents God. God sent him to
this world. He is the angel spoken
of in the Book of Revelation.
Placing him at the top of some
temples is symbolic of the event
whereby God sent Moroni into the
world to usher in the Book of
Mormon! If we took the idea that you are proposing literally, we would only speak of and honor Christ. Well, we do honor Christ, a whole lot more than Moroni. We understand the temples to be completely centered in Christ, and to house His holy ordinances. Truly it is the gospel of Christ, and not Moroni. Even so, I believe that it is appropriate to also honor those that Christ sent. If we do not honor them too, then we dishonor Christ by so doing. Jesus taught this very principle in John when he spoke of how certain Jews dishonored the Father by dishonoring him (Christ) whom the Father sent.
We have a scripture that Christ
revealed to Joseph Smith which
teaches: |
| QUESTION from:Rachel Lakatos, Non-Denominational Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 10/4/1998: | |
| My question today is this: Do you have to be a Mormon, or a member of the LDS church in order to be saved? And if so, what about all the Christians who for hundreds of years were believing and serving Jesus without the Book of Mormon? | |
|
Rachel: I guess it all depends on what it means to be "saved."
Click and Read the talk to get more details. The Book of Mormon brings people to Christ. That is its mission. to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations If the Book of Mormon brings souls to Christ, then it is a catalyst for salvation. For those that die without knowledge, we have the knowledge that missionary work beyond the veil in the Spirit World is being performed to bring souls to Christ. All will have this opportunity. And every knee should bow ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! (see Phillippians 2:10-11) |
| QUESTION from:Jeremy Loeding, Non-Denominational Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 10/9/1998: | |
| How do you define Persecution? Do you believe the persecution of the LDS church prove that it is the true church? | |
|
No, for even sinners are
persecuted by those who should
have loved them. So it doesn't
prove that. But Jesus Christ did teach us something that helps us to endure persecution, for His sake... He said to the Nephites:
3 Nephi 12:10 And blessed are all
they who are persecuted for my
name's sake, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
|
| QUESTION from:Emily Anne, Protestant Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 11/1/1998: | |
| Hello, This is something quite new, deciding to call yourselves "Mormon Christians". Of course you can call yourselves anything you like, but isn't this a public relations decision, the change of name, designed to try and bring more people into your organization? You could at least be honest about it. | |
|
No, in fact it is a very old
thing. Even in the centuries
before Jesus Christ was born, the
Christians of the American
Continent knew of His coming, and
they worshipped in His name, and
called themselves Christians. Alma 46:15 And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come. (this taking place before the birth of Christ) Now, if they could call themselve that, why not us? Brigham Young said We are Christians professedly, according to our religion. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.350) Why do you think this is a new PR move on the part of the Church? This thing is thousands of years old as far as we are concerned. Possibly the Apostles and Prophet are speaking of it more now because there is a specific movement among some Christian faiths to try and teach that we are not Christians. |
| QUESTION from:Edna Snow, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 11/4/1998: | |
| I am not at peace with the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. Historical accounts say that gunfire was exchanged and members of the mob were wounded. Does this situation create a martyr? Disciples of Christ who were martyred shed no blood in their martyrdom and no violence or defense was attributed to them. Could it be possible that Joseph was removed as a prophet because of errant philosophies or prophecies or ambition? I believe he was a prophet of God but there is no perfect man and Joseph himself admitted his imperfections. David, who Heavenly Father identified as "having a heart after His own, was similarly called in his youth as Joseph was and had similar problems or weaknesses. It appears to me that Latter Day Prophets are less distracted by worldly ambition than earlier prophets and more focused on spiritual leadership. | |
|
Peter smote off the ear of one and
wounded one of the men who was
coming to take the Savior. Most
of us would have thought that to
be a noble gesture of self
defense. Yet the Savior said "get
thee behind me satan" to Peter
because it was Jesus' mission and
destiny to be sacrificed for the
sins of the world. Peter did not
yet understand that it must be
so. Yet Christ was still a martyr, even though one of His adversaries got wounded, and healed, in the process. Joseph Smith had no perfect understanding either of the fate of everyone in that upper jail room with him at the time. He felt he was going to die, but what about Hyrum, John Taylor, etc.? He knew not their fate, and was certainly very concerned for them. Do people really believe that Joseph Smith was trying to defend himself? He had already said that his life is of no worth to him if it wasn't of any worth to his friends. He was willing to die, and that is why he went to Carthage. He knew he was going to die, but what about the others... Was Joseph willing to let others die because of him? No, and so he shot in some act of defense for the others, and the murderers were probably subdued somewhat from all barging into the room and killing all of them. They had some fear that they might get shot. Joseph was truly inspired to do this, for John Taylor lived, miraculously, through it all, and became the 3rd prophet. What constitutes a martyr? Dieing or being killed for that which we believe. He was. That he defended his friends and was extremely distraught at the instant death of his brother Hyrum, is a testament to where his heart was. Joseph Smith died great, and was sent straight to his God. There is absolutely nothing wrong in self defense, and more especially defense of one's righteous friends. |
| QUESTION from:Anon., Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 11/6/1998: | |
| I have fallen away from my faith. I know the church is true and when I think of what Jesus did for me, it breaks my heart that I'm not keeping up with my end of the "deal". I did something that I knew was wrong just because there were members in my Ward that wanted me to. I wish to be anonymous so I can't give specifics. Since then, I have been depressed and lost my zeal for living the gospel. My Bishop said not to worry but it is eating at my heart. So, my question for you answerman is just that. How can one get back the zeal that they once felt for living the gospel should they happen to lose it? I know you aren't the "LDS Dear Abby" but I need help!! | |
|
Dear Anon:
I believe that if we understand our adversary, we are better equipped to overcome the challenges that are placed before us. Lehi was a great parent, and just before he died he counseled some of his children on how to overcome a similar lack of zeal. He said: 2 Nephi 1:13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe. If we understand that the adversary has these chains around our necks when we are struggling with our faith. This visual image helps us to know that there really is something very strong that has a "grip" on us, and it is sometimes impossible to get those chains off of our neck if we try to break the chains ourself. We need the Savior to do that for us. Try it alone, and the chains stay, and we are led down the path carefully to hell.
2 Nephi 28:22 And behold, others
he flattereth away, and telleth
them there is no hell; and he
saith unto them: I am no devil,
for there is none--and thus he
whispereth in their ears, until he
grasps them with his awful chains,
from whence there is no
deliverance.
Alma 5:10 And now I ask of you on
what conditions are they saved?
Yea, what grounds had they to hope
for salvation? What is the cause
of their being loosed from the
bands of death, yea, and also the
chains of hell?
Alma 13:28 But that ye would
humble yourselves before the Lord,
and call on his holy name, and
watch and pray continually, that
ye may not be tempted above that
which ye can bear, and thus be led
by the Holy Spirit, becoming
humble, meek, submissive, patient,
full of love and all long-
suffering;
So you see, the ONLY way to overcome this is to fervently call upon the name of Christ, and in all humility ask for His deliverance. |
| QUESTION from:Mike Castillo, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 11/10/1998: | |
| Do you believe its right to use our Saviour to gain profit? What is your personal belief? I have seen websites both LDS and NON that use teachings of Christ to draw them to their website, and after they are there offers are made of things they would want to sell to them. Mike Castillo | |
|
If that is their motivation, I do
not believe that is right. That is
what the Book of Mormon teaches is
called Priestcraft, where the
purpose is to get gain. That is
wrong. But I would at the same
time be slow to judge the works of
another, primarily because Jesus
Christ told us to be slow to
judge, and to make sure that we
follow the Spirit on these matters
in our own personal lives.
|
| QUESTION from:nikki lanette may, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 1-17, wrote on 12/21/1998: | |
| i have this friend that is always asking about us, but her parents are catholic, and do not want to let her go!! we are always asking her what she feels, if she wants to go, etc... we have given her a book of mormon, book of mormon on trail, etc... we even submitted her name to the missionaries!! we are so confused we dont know what to do. please help!! | |
|
Sharing the gospel is an exciting
thing, and I recall in my youth
several instances where I most
certainly felt over-anxious when
some of my friends showed
interest. It was exciting. But as a youth, they are still subject to their parents, and no youth can be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ without the express permission of their parents. This is because of our deference to the wishes and authority of parents over their families. Even Jesus knew about this, and was subject to His earthly parents. Do you recall the story about when Jesus was 12, and he was in the temple teaching (being about His Father's business) and his mother Mary and earthly guardian Joseph found him and brought him back home with them? The record says that he was subject to them, even though He knew who He was, what He was supposed to do, etc., and He knew better than His parents what he was supposed to do... but he remained subject to them out of obedience and reverence for the stewardship that his parents had over him until he officially an adult. |
| QUESTION from:Dale Zesige, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 12/22/1998: | |
| I read in a church book somewhere recently (I wish I could remember where), that the Church's official view on the Lost Tribes is that they are only lost in terms of their dispersion among the nations of the earth. The book further stated that the notion that the Lost Tribes are living as a lost civilization is a myth. I am genuinely confusued here. The Book Mormon makes it fairly clear that the Lost Tribes are in fact a homogeneous society living in a location lost to the ordinary view of man; and that in fact, this particular segment of the Ten Tribes will be literally gathered as a whole. Brigham Young specifically prophesied that the Lost Tribes are living together somewhere on the earth. Can you possibly shed some light on this subject? Thanks for the good work. The Church is true. | |
|
1 Nephi 22:3 ...for it appears
that the house of Israel, sooner
or later, will be scattered upon
all the face of the earth, and
also among all nations.
4 And behold, there are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea; and whither they are none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away. 2 Nephi 29:13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews. 3 Nephi 17:4 But now I (Jesus Christ) go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them. These verses seem to indicate that the lost tribes of Israel will be eventually scattered among all nations, and yet their prophets have kept records (scriptures). The Lost Tribes can be living somewhere, like so many prophets have mentioned, but this does not necessarily mean that they are living exclusive apart from other peoples...they are most likely mingled with Gentiles of various nations. Indeed, we have prophets today, and yet are mingled with Gentiles throughout the world. |
| QUESTION from:Paul McCormack, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 12/24/1998: | |
| Hello. I saw an anonymous letter to you in the category of Companion to the bible. I think it was record #98. It ask about whether man was inheretly good or evil. Part of the answer you gave was a quote from the BOM about baptism of little children and how it was abominable to baptise them. You also said the bible did not mention anything on this subject. Anyway, months ago a missionary friend showed this verse to me and asked me what I thought about it. 1 Peter 3:20-21. Please ponder on the words "like figure". Could this clear up the argument of the age of baptism? In my mind I have no doubt. Thank you. | |
|
1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was a
preparing, wherein few, that is,
eight souls were saved by water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: One has to ask, what is meant by "the like figure" when the number eight was just mentioned as a figure. It is true, by revelation, the Latter-day Saints have learned to baptize children at age 8 if they are ready and willing. Thanks Paul! |
| QUESTION from:D.K. Beyer, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 12/24/1998: | |
| In the Book of Mosiah, Alma was head of the Chruch, and Mosiah was the king, yet Mosiah granted Alma to establish churches (that is fine), however he (Mosiah) also "gave him (Alma) power to ordain priests and teachers over every church." Why would Mosiah do this as Alma was already the head of the Church? Mosiah, acutally would have no authority to do so as Alma was head of the Church, even though he (Mosiah) was a prophet as well! What is your view on this matter. Remember, there can only be one prophet at a time who holds all the keys. | |
|
When King Mosiah, a righteous king
was appointed by his father King
Benjamin in the City of Zarahemla,
Alma was not in that land. Alma
was heading up the church in
another land, beginning at the
Waters of Mormon, and then fleeing
the armies of the wicked King Noah
to go into yet another land.
There was a church in the land of
Zarahemla as well, for King
Benjamin taught all the things to
that group of people as instructed
by the angel of the Lord (see
Mosiah 2-4). We see that two
separate church governments were
taking place in different parts of
the land, and that it was the Lord
who set things up that way. This
was probably because communication
technology was not in place that
would allow the policy you
mention, one prophet at a time.
Times were different then, and
today there is technology that
brings the world together. This situation with the Nephites in Zarahemla and the Nephites in the land of Lehi-Nephi is similar to two churches taking place on the world at the same time as when Jesus established His Church and Apostles in the land of Jerusalem, and then came to America to find His disciples there already worshipping in the Church of Christ. He established 12 Disciples there too. Then Christ went on to visit yet more of His sheep throughout the world, to establish his doctrine, call leaders (prophets) like He did with the Nephites, and they ran their own systems of church government as directed by the Spirit of the Lord, independent from one another. The people of Alma eventually came together with the people of King Mosiah, and at that time, it made sense that someone would have governance over the Church, and the other would have governance over the affairs of the land. King Mosiah had the governance over the land, so... |
| QUESTION from:Clark A. Peterson, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 50+, wrote on 12/26/1998: | |
| Record 714 asks about baptism
during Old Testament
times. Adam was caught away by the
spirit of the
Lord, and was carried down into
the water, and was
laid under the water, and was
brought forth out of
the water. And thus he was
baptized... (Moses
6:65,66.)
Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism... (1 Nephi 20:1; Compare Isaiah 48:1.) The corresponding verse in Isaiah does not mention baptism. Nephi learned in a vision that when the book (Bible) proceeded from the mouth of a Jew, it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord. By the time we got the Bible, many plain and precious things, and also many covenants of the Lord had been taken away. (1 Nephi 24,26, 29.) Even though baptism is never mentioned in the Old Testament, it was practiced during that time period. The Book of Mormon and other latter-day revelation gives us a knowledge of some of the things that were taken from the Bible. | |
|
Clark: It is a very interesting discovery, and a very important one. Thanks for sharing it. The ancient prophets knew of Jesus Christ, and the purpose of the Plan of Salvation. They were indeed baptized by authority through faith in Christ. Even Nephi, the ancient American prophet was shown around 600 BC a great vision, in which he saw the future. Here is a portion of that: 1 Nephi 13:24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God. 25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God. 26 And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of a great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. 27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men. 28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God. 29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest--because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God--because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them. |
| QUESTION from:anonymous, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 2/8/1999: | |
| I'm confused: Satan rebelled in the pre-mortal world. Why would he not value the plan of salvation and the rewards and blessings that come with it? Why would he not want to have it and be righteous, and reap the consequences of righteousness, especially since he knew that if he rebelled he would be tormented forever, according to the unalterable truth and justice. I just don't understand the motivation or the fighting for evil ends and goals, or seeking evil things for "happiness", there being nothing in that but misery. I've been afraid about turning away from and not valuing the gospel because of this, and I want to keep my heart in the right place. Please help if you can! | |
|
Many people have questioned the
motivation of satan in fighting
against God. It is difficult to
understand how a person would cut
off their own nose despite their
face, but people do these kind of
things. First of all, we must recognize that satan had/has a HUGE ego problem and pride bursts at his seams. He was in the presence of the Almighty God, our Father, and wanted the Father to give him all of His glory! He was that proud of himself. It had really gotten to him bad in a most wicked way, and he truly thought he was better than God. It was actually a very sad experience for heaven, because they wept over his fall from grace into satanism. It is satanic to be proud, high and mighty, to think that we are better than others, and to exercise authority over others because of pride and lust for power. This is what caused the fall of Lucifer (satan), and is the reason that he does what he does. When you are angry, proud, in your mind, you are right! no one can convince you otherwise. You will be victorious. You will win. You have no love for others in your heart when you feel this way. It is a satanic attribute, yet many people suffer from giving into these temptations while in this life. Is it any wonder that satan can not help himself? He is who he is: an ego maniac, pride embodied, arrogant, and without any love for others, and he hates God, our Father, with a perfect hate. He will never convert, and will never change. That is why he was banished forever.
Moses 4:1 AND I, the Lord God,
spake unto Moses, saying: That
Satan, whom thou hast commanded in
the name of mine Only Begotten, is
the same which was from the
beginning, and he came before me,
saying--Behold, here am I, send
me, I will be thy son, and I will
redeem all mankind, that one soul
shall not be lost, and surely I
will do it; wherefore give me
thine honor.
|
| QUESTION from:Therone Gibson Phillips, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 1-17, wrote on 12/27/1998: | |
| How do you know that the Book of Mormon is true and how do you know that the church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints is the true church. | |
|
I have gained this knowledge by
the gift of God, which comes to
anyone who is faithful in asking
for it in the name of Christ. It
is God's desire that we may know,
so that we can enter into a
covenant with Him in the name of
Christ, to begin our journey back
to the Father. The ancient
American Prophet Moroni has
said:
Moroni 10:4 And when ye shall
receive these things, I would
exhort you that ye would ask God,
the Eternal Father, in the name of
Christ, if these things are not
true; and if ye shall ask with a
sincere heart, with real intent,
having faith in Christ, he will
manifest the truth of it unto you,
by the power of the Holy Ghost.
It is by this same power and test by which I gained my personal testimony of the truthfulness of these things, the Book of Mormon, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Holy Ghost has made this a knowledge to me by virtue of that distinct spiritual experience. |
| QUESTION from:Ken Marlin, Non-Denominational Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 12/28/1998: | |
| I'm currently thinking of joining the mormon church and I have two questions. First, Is it true that to become a member of the church (LDS) you must first get baptized? If so, what happens after that? Are you a member then or are there further tasks to be completed? Second, how does the church make money? I mean after becoming a member - how do you give money to the church? | |
|
Baptism is the gate for entrance
into the Kingdom of God, and will help
partially qualify you to become an official member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints (after confirmation by the laying on of hands). But baptism is a first
step in following Christ. It is
just the beginning. In the Book
of Mormon, the prophet Alma was
teaching Christians at the waters
of Mormon, and speaking of baptism
and making a covenant with Christ,
he said: Mosiah 18:7 And it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord. 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? 11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts. 12 And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart. 13 And when he had said these words, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world. 14 And after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam were buried in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit. 15 And again, Alma took another, and went forth a second time into the water, and baptized him according to the first, only he did not bury himself again in the water. 16 And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace of God. 17 And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church. Your future tasks to complete will be to be a Christian, by helping people, willing to bear their burdens, to take upon yourself the name of Christ, and keep His commandments, and be a witness in all places, etc. Tithing is the Lord's law. 10% of our increase. It is the way that all things are paid for, and it is given confidentially and voluntarily back to the Lord through one's Bishop. |
| QUESTION from:Erika Steen, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 12/29/1998: | |
| Hi, a co-worker of mine is a Jehovah's Witness and we converse alot about our beliefs. One thing that bothers her about Mormons are that we join the military and go to war and most of us are very patriotic. Since we are commanded,"Thou shalt not kill", witnesses do not join the military, go to war, vote, or engage in any polotics. They believe that this is going above God's law. I understand that being in the military is our own personal decision, but I would like your thoughts on why it is okay for us to go to war if it results in possibly killing another person. Thank you. | |
|
The Book of Mormon teaches that we
are to defend our families even
unto bloodshed! It is a
commandment of the Lord. Alma 43:47 And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion. What more noble cause than to defend the cause of liberty which provides for freedom of religion and worship in the first place! It is the very foundation upon which we can have religion. We have to fight for it. It is our right. It is our duty.
The commandment "Thou shalt not
kill" was in effect in Old
Testament days, yet the Lord
commanded Saul (through the
prophet Samuel) to kill all of
Amalek.
9 But Saul and the people spared
Agag (the king), and the best of
the sheep, and of the oxen, and of
the fatlings, and the lambs, and
all [that was] good, and would not
utterly destroy them: but every
thing [that was] vile and refuse,
that they destroyed utterly.
They were NOT obedient to the
commands of the Lord (which to
many would seem contrary to the
commandment "thou shalt not kill."
Even so, the Lord rebuked their
disobedience in verse 19: And so we can see from the Old Testament, that the Lord has commanded to kill even when a commandment to not kill was in place as a default. God can over- ride the default from time to time, and He has! War is ugly, yet when the cause is just, such as preserving our freedoms, we must participate in it. |
| QUESTION from:David Green, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 12/31/1998: | |
| Hello What does the Church believe happens to the spirit of an animal - such as a family pet - when it dies ? | |
|
Many prophets have taught that
there will be animals in heaven
(Joseph Smith, and Joseph Fielding
Smith, etc.). But I can find
nothing on
the matter of where the family pet
goes right after its death. The
Lord just did not reveal this
through scriptures. But I would
speculate that in the Spirit World
where the souls of mankind go
after death, there are the
elements of life that we see
around us now. Plants, buildings,
dirt, clothes, animals, etc., all
in spiritual form, for all things
were created spiritually before
the temporal state.
The Apostle John A Widtsoe
said: |
| QUESTION from:JOHAN, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 50+, wrote on 1/1/1999: | |
| DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD EXIST? | |
|
Yes I do. I believe that God is
our Father in Heaven, and that we
lived with Him before we came to
this earth. I believe that He
created this earth through His
first born Jesus Christ. I
believe that God the Father, Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Ghost are one
God, not one in being, but one in
purpose, and that they are able to
be God because of this union of
three in purpose. There is a need
for a Savior. God the Father can
not save us alone, because there
would be a problem with extending
mercy or justice. He could not do
both, except there was a Savior.
Jesus Christ was able and willing,
and was able to pay the price of
Justice by suffering for us, the
price was fully paid. Then God
the Father can extend mercy to us
through His only begotten Son,
Jesus Christ, because the price
was paid. Both justice and mercy
can be satisfied, but it takes the
entire Godhead to accomplish
this. The Holy Ghost gives us
peace, hope, faith, and joy. He
is the one that prompts us, and
leads us back to the Father,
through the Son Jesus Christ.
|
| QUESTION from:Joanne Long, Protestant Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 1/1/1999: | |
| What are the beliefs of your church with regard to preserving food? My sister tells me some Mormons have food supplies stored to last several years. Why? How many years of food stored? | |
|
We believe that a prophet of God
has warned us to do so, and to
have a year's supply of the things
that we need, including fuel and
goods. It is wise insurance
against troubled times that come
and go in our lives. When one
loses a job, it is a good thing to
have some things stored away
including money, fuel, clothing,
and food. To not do so means that
when troubled times come, that
person may have to be a burden on
other people for help. It is a
good thing to be self-sufficient
and responsible if at all
possible. Storing goods and food is like insurance. We never think twice when we hear of people saving only money in their banks...yet the food idea seems strange to many. In the great depression, it may be recalled that food was a much greater commodity than was a wagon full of money. Isn't is possible that this sort of thing could happen again? Maybe. Since insurance companies do not deal in food and goods, but only in money, it is good for us to self-insure in the areas that are not covered. The Book of Mormon contains a wonderful account of the Nephite people who saved their food and goods when troubled times came. When the Gadianton Robbers threatened to take all that they had away from them by plunder, the Governor over the land commanded the people to come together into one body in the land of Zarahemla (see 3 Nephi 3-4) They had provisions for up to 7 years! The Gadianton Robbers, which were numerous, were not so wise, and they perished in the wilderness for want of food, because they depended on stealing from others to get things.
3 Nephi 4:2 But behold, there were
no wild beasts nor game in those
lands which had been deserted by
the Nephites, and there was no
game for the robbers save it were
in the wilderness.
In this case, the Nephites were very wise to have provisions for such a long time, otherwise they would have lost their freedom. |
| QUESTION from:Diane P. Smith, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 50+, wrote on 1/1/1999: | |
| Are wheels mentioned in The Book of Mormon? | |
|
They are not mentioned
specifically, but there are
instances in the book which may
indicate that they used wheels.
For example, when it says in Alma
16:4 Now it
came to pass that the Nephites
were desirous to obtain those who
had been carried away captive into
the wilderness. ... Are we to believe that the people who were "carried" away captive were carried on animals, while their captors walked, or carried on the backs of the captors, or does carried mean "taken," or can we speculate that they were carried in a wheeled vehicle of some sort (so they couldn't escape)? Who knows for sure, but it seems plausible that a people that would build highways and roads and build large temples and stone structures would most certainly have used the wheel. I personally believe that the Nephites were a very inspired and intelligent civilization, with much industry. For example: Helaman 3:10 And it came to pass as timber was exceedingly scarce in the land northward, they did send forth much by the way of shipping. Did they drag these logs? Or did they ship with the aid of wheels, or even some boats? Who knows, but they shipped things. I personally think they had some kind of trucking industry using cureloms for engines :) |
| QUESTION from:Jared Kuemmerle, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 1/1/1999: | |
| Luke 7:33-4 says "33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!" Thus, it is obvious that Jesus, the God of this earth, drank fermented wine (although he was not a winebibber). D&C 89:5- 7 says "5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. 6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make. 7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies." I find it difficult to rationalize that the same God who gave us the word of wisdom would participate in drinking or promoting drinking as in the Marriage of Cana, where he produced wine for the drinking pleasure of his guests, supposedly. Are we to believe that he only partook of pure wine of the vine and that the meaning is lost in translation? Obviously drinking was a big deal for John, otherwise he would have drank. And I don't think that he would have been opposed to drinking grapejuice (although stranger things have happened). It does seem that Jesus drank alcoholic wine, albeit in moderation. Still, this seems to go against the spirit of the instructions given by him in the word of wisdom. Please explain. I welcome enlightenment. | |
|
Jared: It is not clear to me that Jesus drank alcoholic wine (I do not believe that he would have done such a thing), because this passage in Luke is actually part of one of his parables. He is likening the men of his generation to children sitting in a market place, playing games. He then points out their hypocrisy by showing how they accuse different people using duplicitous standards (such as accusing John for not drinking wine and accusing Jesus for drinking wine, and to construe that both are bad). It is not clear from this parable whether any of the accusations are true. I am sure that Jesus was accused of a lot of false things. I believe that there are enough statements from Jesus Christ to know that if we use wine in our sacraments, it was to be made new among us. Is "new" relative, or can we just call it grape juice? |
| QUESTION from:Ben Kucenski, Protestant Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 1/2/1999: | |
| What does it mean to "deny yourself all ungodliness?" | |
|
It means to put off the natural
man, or the worldly and carnal
ways of mankind. The prophet King
Benjamin taught his people: Mosiah 3:19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. |
| QUESTION from:Ben Kucenski, Protestant Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 1/3/1999: | |
| If Joseph Smith had stopped at the Book of Mormon (which I know would really defeat the concept of continuing revelation, but go with me on this), what gospel message would you teach? Basically I was wondering what the gospel according to the Book of Mormon is. No opinion just passages. | |
|
The Book of Mormon contains the
fulness of the gospel of Christ,
but not all of the doctrines and
mysteries. The gospel of Jesus
Christ is very simple, and is
contained in the Book of Mormon
and the Bible. It is the Good
News. It is that Jesus is the
way, the truth, and the light, and
that no man enters into heaven but
by Him. Jesus suffered for our
sins. We can repent, and through
our faith in Christ we can be
saved. That is the simple concept
of what the gospel is. Now if we believe in this gospel and follow the words of Christ, believe on His name, and are His disciples, etc., then if He gives us more of His truth, words and doctrines through a prophet, should we not also follow those things as well? If we truly believe in Christ, we will accept all that He gives, in addition to the basic gospel concepts that point us to Him in the first place. |
| QUESTION from:Ann-Marie Charbonneau, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 1/3/1999: | |
| In Mormon 3:11 and 16, Mormon decides he will not lead the Nephite armies anymore b/c of their wickedness, etc. But then in Mormon 5:1, he states that he "repented of the oath which (he) had made", and agreed to lead them once more. Why would he have need to repent of this is if in Mormon 3:16, (he) did even as the Lord had commanded (him). | |
|
Mormon 5:1 And it came to pass
that I did go forth among the
Nephites, and did repent of the
oath which I had made that I would
no more assist them; and they gave
me command again of their armies,
for they looked upon me as though
I could deliver them from their
afflictions. Sometimes the word "repent" in the scriptures means just to change or turn away, and does not mean that anyone sinned. For example, the Lord "repented" of some of the things which He did, but certainly He did sin, but changed methods: Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. Now we know that God did not sin, but merely turned away (or repented of) the judgement that He would have sent upon them if they did not repent. Mormon repented of the decision to leave the Nephite armies as their leader, when the Lord inspired him to go back to work as their leader, and give them another try. The Lord gives us all many "tries." |
| QUESTION from:Trevor Wilford, Other Religion, Age 18-24, wrote on 1/5/1999: | |
| Why does the LDS church hide historical documents that it deems damaging to the entegrity of the chruch? Granted the Salamander Letter was a forgery, but it is one of several illustrations of how the LDS Church hides or tries to hide damaging historical documents. It has been my experience, that an organization that faces and grows through a foundation shaking experience is much stronger in the long run than one that tries to hide from the truth. This is because the truth has a way of leaking out. Furthermore it seems to mirror the foolishness of the Catholic church excumminicating early scientists for their discoveries of the nature of the Universe. It underestimates mankinds ability to see truth despite obstacles, and to work out and grow in their individual faith. Again here is my question: Why does the LDS Church hide historical documents that it sees as damaging for the Church? | |
|
Hide from the truth? If the
documents are false, how can that
be deemed hiding from the truth?
I liken it to doing someone a
favor by removing a booby-trap. I personally think it good to obtain rights over false documents and to keep them out of circulation, lest the people begin to believe them. Our faith and religion has always encouraged higher learning and to find out truth by the Holy Spirit. I have always been encouraged to pray about things, to find things out, and to learn and study by faith. |
| QUESTION from:katie, Protestant Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 1/6/1999: | |
| It's true that archeology is not needed to build faith. If it is, your faith is not strong enough to last. But it is just as true that if a large civilization inhabited an area for a long period of time, there must be some evidence of that existence. This is what the BoM does not seem to have. the people of the BoM built cities, fought wars, and had a developed writing system, as evidenced by the gold plates. They must have been great, so where is the evidence? I heard of a people in South America who dissappeared, but they left Machu Picchu (sp?) behind. Where is the evidence of the people of the BoM? | |
|
Visit farmsresearch.com for
evidences. I know that many,
many, evidences exist, but this is
not why a person should believe in
the Book of Mormon. It should be
based on faith. Still it may
interest you, but only prayer and
faith in Christ will give one a
true testimony of the things in
the Book of Mormon.
|
| QUESTION from:Eric Littlejohn, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 50+, wrote on 1/6/1999: | |
| In our high priest group lesson, we were discussing the restoration of the Priesthood. A question came up for which we didn't have an answer for. The question is this: Was Oliver Cowdery ever set apart as an apostle? | |
|
Yes, Oliver Cowdery was an
Apostle. He was
with Joseph Smith when John the
Baptist restored to them the
Aaronic Priesthood and when Peter,
James, and John ordained them to
the Melchizedek Priesthood and the
apostleship, and again during the
momentous Kirtland Temple visions
(D&C 110).
source: Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Oliver Cowdery (which can be found at http://www.mormons.org/daily/histor y/people/Cowdery_Oliver_EOM.htm) |
| QUESTION from:katie, Protestant Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 1/6/1999: | |
| There seems to be a general consensus here that the Bible is a translation of a translation of a translation. That it went through many languages before it came to english. This is not so. Each translation has been translated directly from the original Greek and Hebrew sources, with the exception of the King James, with was from the latin Vulgate, which was from an older Greek source. All other translations are direct from the originals. This is totally unrelated, but why are there no female prophets? Why can't females enter the priesthood? This is big for me, since I feel called to it. The Bible has some pretty prominent females, and Jesus certainly seems pro- woman, so why are we given second- rate placement? Again unrelated, I admit to having been influenced by stereotypes. I want to call in for a BoM, (the 1-800 nuber on the lds page) but I'm a little afraid they might keep my phone number or require personal info or something. Will anything like this happen? | |
|
The original manuscripts would be
hard to come by. They are copies
of copies of copies then. Unless
we have the brass plates that the
Book of Mormon prophets used, then
we would have some originals, but
even those were copies of the
orginal writings of the prophets,
accurate at they may have been. The main issue here is that the Bible has been rendered into many different syles and "translations" now, where individuals, without direct authority from God, have taken it upon themselves through their scholarship to render English (and other languages) to us from the copies of the original prophetical writings. For example, no one has the original writings of Moses, no matter what language we are seeking.
Here is some text from what some
of our friends of other faiths are
saying about the NIV translation,
and how the scholars who prepared
it presumed to know what the
prophets meant and intended when
they provided altered passages:
The same sort of preinterpretation
problem occurs in 1 Corinthians
7.1b, where the Authorised (King
James) Version reads, "It is good
for a man not to touch a woman."
The New International Version
renders this, "It is good for a
man not to marry." The literal
meaning of "not to touch a woman"
is a euphemism for abstaining from
immorality. The word 'to touch'
has connotations of intimate
contact. What is in view is not
abstaining from marriage, but from
immoral intimate contact. Although
marriage is mentioned later in the
passage, and some have interpreted
the entire passage in that light,
the context is still one of
abstaining from immorality -- an
immorality which is not found in
marriage. Again, the New
International Version rendition is
more than simple translation; it
is an unfair interpretation which
could cause some to abstain from
the holy and honourable
relationship which God intended
for most of His children (note
Genesis 2.18; 1 Corinthians 7.9; 1
Timothy 4.3; Hebrews 13.4).
(source: trinitarian bible society http://biz.ukonline.co.uk/trinitari an.bible.society/articles/niv.htm) The Lord has designated in His Plan of Salvation that man and woman have different roles, but are equals:By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. (source: The Family: A Proclamation to the World, http://www.lds.org) Because of these differing roles, man has been given the duties of the priesthood, one of which is the role of prophet. Woman, in my estimation, has been given, collectively, the most important duties of nurturing faith and godly attributes in their children. |
| QUESTION from:katie, Protestant Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 1/6/1999: | |
| Alright, that hurt. I'm noticing a decidedly anti-Christian mentality here. Very convienient, isn't it, to have so many Bible translations to choose from. Did you think I wouldn't notice the versions you chose? You know as little about Christian as we know about you. I've already said that the King James is inaccurate. The Catholic Bible is modeled after that. If you really want to use this particular line of arguement, then I direct you to another three versions, the new International, the Revised Standard, the New American Standard, and notice how often these ones AGREE!! And as for the "older is more accurate" defense, this does not refer to the King James and the others. It refers to the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Of course you,as mormons, don't have this problem of trying to get as accurate a translation as you can. It was appaerantly done for you, then the evidence, the plates, dissappeared. How incredably convienient! | |
|
Katie: You would do well to realize that the biblical original text came from somewhere. It came from a prophet. You have faith that those men were indeed prophets, and that their words are the words of God. Your whole testimony of the Bible is based in this fact, that you have faith that those men were who they said they were. How are we any different, when we believe not only what you believe, but also that Joseph Smith too was a prophet of God, and that the words which he brought forth by the power of God are also the words of God? God had to take back the plates so that the Book of Mormon could also be judged on faith, just as the Bible must be. If the golden plates were still here with us, then we would have millions if not billions of souls who would convert for the wrong reasons: proof. I hope you can accept the fact that you too, do not have any proof that those words are what you believe they are, else all other world religions would join you, yet they don't, because in the end it is all a matter of faith, still. |
| QUESTION from:John romero, Catholic Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 1/7/1999: | |
| Can a non-LDS person be a Christian (Mosiah 25:23; Mosiah 5:8) in the true sense of the word if they are not baptized by one of LDS authority? | |
|
Yes, anyone with faith in Christ
is a Christian, as I see it,
according to my opinion. Whether
one is true in their faith is only
something that God can determine.
I am sure that there are many
people in the world who are not of
the LDS faith, who are Christians,
and who may be in some cases
better Christians (but I believe
they will convert to the true
Church at a future date!).
|
| QUESTION from:John romero, Catholic Christian, Age 35-49, wrote on 1/7/1999: | |
| When you take on the name of Christ (Acts 19:2-6) are you a member of the church of God (Mosiah 25:23; 3 Nephi 26:21; Alma 46:15) and a child of God (Galations 3:24-27; Alma 34:38)? Does the Book of Mormon teach who ever desires to take upon the name of Jesus will join the church of God and will be called his people and the Lord will pour out his Spirit upon those who desire (Mosiah 25:22-24; Mosiah 26:22)? | |
|
Those are the general attributes
of the true faith or Church of
Christ. Yet the Lord's house is a
house of order, and it is the Lord
who establishes His religion
throughout the land(s). His is
one faith, one baptism, and there
is a straight and narrow path, not
two or three or more. One way.
|
| QUESTION from:WILLIAM GARRISON, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 18-24, wrote on 1/7/1999: | |
| SOMETIMES I FEEL REALLY CONFUSED.I KNOW IT MAY BE SAD TO SAY, BUT I'M CURIOUS IF ANYONE EVER FEELS THE SAME.I CONSIDER MYSELF A CHRISTIAN. NOT THE BEST BY FAR ,BUT THE LORD IS IN MY MIND ALL THE TIME.I THINK I'M JUST LOST.I OFTEN FEEL LIKE I'M DAMED.LIKE NO MATTER WHAT I DO I'VE DONE SO BAD ALREADY THAT REALLY THERES NO POINT ON EVEN TRYING BECAUSE I'VE ALREADY DAMED MYSELF. THERE'SNOTHING MORE THAT I WOULD LIKE THAN TO BE THE BEST CHRISTIAN I CAN BE, BUT THIS THOUGHT JUST WON'T LEAVE MY MIND.IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR SCRIPTURES YOU CAN HELP MW WITH I WOULD BE VERY GREATFUL IF YOU E- MAILED THEM TO ME,THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND READING TO WHAT I CAN'T SEEM TO GET OUT OF MY MIND. THANKS,WIL | |
|
Will: The gospel of Jesus Christ, if we believe it, gives us hope. Even still, we can be bombarded with temptations to make us think otherwise. That is what you are going through. Sure people feel the same from time to time. You need to ask the Lord in fervant prayer to take away the temptation, and give you peace. You are not damned. That is a lie that satan wants you to believe. You have hope in Christ, I know that. You can be forgiven of your sins, no matter what. You can receive the comfort of the Holy Ghost again, but you have got to pray for it. You need to recognize that you are being tempted by the adversary to think and believe those thoughts. Ask God our Father in the name of His Son Jesus Christ if He would take that burden temptation from you. Call on His name in fervent mighty prayer, and believe me, you will be comforted after the trial of your faith.
Enos 1:4 And my soul hungered; and
I kneeled down before my Maker,
and I cried unto him in mighty
prayer and supplication for mine
own soul; and all the day long did
I cry unto him; yea, and when the
night came I did still raise my
voice high that it reached the
heavens.
5 And there came a voice unto me,
saying: Enos, thy sins are
forgiven thee, and thou shalt be
blessed.
6 And I, Enos, knew that God could
not lie; wherefore, my guilt was
swept away.
7 And I said: Lord, how is it
done?
8 And he said unto me: Because of
thy faith in Christ, whom thou
hast never before heard nor seen.
And many years pass away before he
shall manifest himself in the
flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith
hath made thee whole.
|
| QUESTION from:Julie Bard, Latter-day Saint Christian, Age 25-34, wrote on 1/8/1999: | |
| I am currently inactive and my sister is getting baptized tomorrow and has asked me to do the talk on baptism ... can you please give me scripture to use for my talk. Thank you so much! | |
|
Sorry this did not get to you in
time. Mosiah 18 is a great
chapter from the Book of Mormon to
address the topic of Baptism.
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?
|
| QUESTION from:lola taggart, Other Religion, Age 50+, wrote on 1/8/1999: | |
| what was jesus christ's earthly last name? | |
|
Last names are not gene |
Recently one of the Apostles,
Dallin H. Oaks