God's Commandments Bring Happiness

Divine Guidance

Remember how our parents would teach us rules when we were young? Rules like not playing in the street or not playing with matches. Remember how sometimes the rules seemed like a burden, like our parents must have invented them to keep us from doing the things we really wanted to do—the things we thought would make us happy? As we grow up we learn how important these rules are, how we could have been seriously injured or even killed if we had not obeyed.

Like our parents growing up, God gives us commandments to help keep us focused on what is most important and how to stay safe. All of His guidance is meant to keep us safe, help us stay close to Him and, in the end, to give us more freedom and happiness.

The word "commandment" might make us think of the Ten Commandments—a list of "Thou Shalt Nots"—God does not only tell us what we should not do, but He also tells us what we should do. His greatest hope is for our eternal happiness, so we can be sure that His commandments are not restrictive rules, but they are divine guidance meant to protect us from harm and lead us to better ways of living. (Read more at http://mormon.org/commandments.)

Road Signs

Have you ever gone on a long road trip before the age of GPS?  One that required changing freeways and highways and many confusing directions?  It can be very difficult to get from the starting point to the end destination on these trips.  To help with such endeavors we have resources like maps and road signs to guide us through our journey.  If we know where we want to go we can follow the signs that guide us in that direction.

I've learned that commandments are very similar to road signs.  We are on a long journey of sorts right now, working our way through this life with the hope of making it back to the presence of God.  The path can be confusing, often sins disguise themselves to look like good actions or thoughts.  It is by following the commandments set by God that we can make it through life with the least amount of physical, emotional and spiritual pain.

Commandments Bring Happiness

Elder Robert D. Hales, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has explained:  "These commandments are loving instructions provided by God our Father for our physical and spiritual well-being and happiness while in mortality ... The commandments are not a burden or a restriction.  Every commandment of the Lord is given for our development, progress, and growth."  Elder Hales continues by quoting Joseph Smith, "God has designed our happiness ... He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed." ("If Thou Wilt Enter In Life, Keep the Commandments," April 1996 General Conference.)

When the Lord commands us to stay away from substances it is because those substances are harmful to our bodies.  When we are commanded to do things it is because those things will benefit us.  Closing, I again use the words of Elder Hales:

"How I love the commandments of the Lord!  They guide and protect us and allow us to return back into the presence of our Heavenly Father.  If we faithfully obey the commandments, we are promised the blessings of eternal life."

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Those who desire to know more about the commandments of God, or have any questions concerning the things mentioned above, you can ask missionaries here.

Testimonies Throughout Mormonism's History

Yesterday I made this video containing testimonies of eight of the sixteen latter-day prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism).  The prophets contained in this video are:

David O. McKay | Joseph Fielding Smith | Harold B. Lee | Spencer W. Kimball
Ezra Taft Benson | Howard W. Hunter | Gordon B. Hinckley | Thomas S. Monson

I love listening to the words of these prophets.  Their teachings help us live happier lives, be better people, and, most importantly, come closer to Christ.  I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the church that has been set up through the guidance of the Lord himself, by the hands of Joseph Smith and his successors.

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If you would like to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ, or Mormonism, check out some of the following sites:

Mormon Topics | http://mormontopics.org/eng/christ

LDS | https://www.lds.org/

Mormon | http://mormon.org/

If you have further questions there are missionaries ready to help answer your questions.  Just ask.

Chat with a Missionary | http://mormon.org/chat

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #13

Continuing with the "What is Mormonism?" series of posts, I now add Article of Faith #13.  This is the final Article of Faith.  It is as follows:

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.  If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Number thirteen is my personal favorite of the Articles of Faith.  This final point of belief leaves a person with hope of the future.  One day there can be found a future of honesty, truth, chastity, benevolence, and virtue, among other good and praiseworthy traits and standards.

I do not pretend to say that hard times won't come.  We all know that no matter how righteous a person strives to be, challenges will enter life.  Consider the prophets in the scriptures.  They were prophets of the Lord but they still had their problems.  Think of Joseph Smith, a martyr for the gospel of the Lord.  It was the President Joseph Smith that said, "The nearer a person approaches the Lord, the greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes."

But we have already "endured many things" that the adversary has thrown at us.  Elder James E. Faust has given us these words of comfort:  "He [the devil] can have no power over us unless we permit it" (The Great Imitator, 1987).  So we strive to obtain the good things in life to the greatest of our abilities, with the hope of being able to endure all things, making life better for us and those around us.

If, after reading this series on the Articles of Faith, you have any questions on Mormonism or Joseph Smith or anything else pertaining to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ask the missionaries by clicking the picture below.

Mormonism: A Living Prophet

Thomas S. Monson
Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Photo taken from LDS.org

Apostle M. Russell Ballard was once asked the question:  What makes Mormonism different than other religions?  His answer was a question of his own:  If Moses was alive on the earth today, would you listen to him?  The interviewer responded, saying, "Of course!  Everyone would listen!"  Elder Ballard responded by saying that is what makes us different than other churches.  We have a prophet that has the same authority Moses had in Biblical times.

The Church of Jesus Christ does have a modern-day, living prophet to watch over and lead the church.  As the 6th Article of Faith explains, "We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth."  Among the ancient Church of Jesus Christ were prophets to give the will of the Lord to the people.  The Doctrine and Covenants explains further the role of a prophet:

"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same" (D&C 1:38).

A prophets speak to the church the will of the Lord.  I have heard the question, "What is the need for a prophet to speak on behalf of the Lord when I can pray to the Lord myself?"  While it is true that we can pray to the Lord for ourselves and learn what God wants us to do, we cannot do so on behalf of the entire church.  The church does many wonderful things on a global level - such as sending necessities during natural disasters, or giving food to those that do not have the money for it themselves.  These are things that have been organized by our prophets according to the revelations and inspiration they have received from God.

The prophet is also often called a "seer" or "revelator."  I will only briefly discuss these as I have at an earlier time made a post on this topic specifically.  You can read that earlier post here, if you want to know more: Seers Ancient and Modern.

A Seer, as defined in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Guide to the Scriptures, is "a person authorized of God to see with spiritual eyes things which God has hidden from the world... A seer knows the past, present, and future."

And a revelator is a person with the authority to reveal the will of God to the people.  In this way he is able to guide the people of the Church in righteous ways.

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As is always the case, if you are confused about anything I have said here, or have any additional questions concerning The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism), you are welcome to ask the Mormon missionaries your questions here: http://mormon.org/chat.

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #6

A while back I began a series of posts called, "What is Mormonism?" in which I gave my thoughts on the Articles of Faith.  I will now do some more on that.  This post is on Article of Faith #6, which reads as follows:

We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

This article explains just what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints professes to be:  the same church that Christ formed during his ministry.  We believe that during Jesus Christ's mortal life he set up a church.  This can be seen in the words of Paul, when he said:

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
- Ephesians 4:11-12 -

We believe, as the Article of Faith says, in that same organization.  I now add an excerpt from the words of Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

"I realize that this is quite a claim, especially when we consider all of the other organizations that profess similar authority.  And many of those organizations have been around much longer than our Church.  How can we claim Heavenly Father's full authority when others can trace their ecclesiastical roots back through the middle ages to the time of Christ Himself?  Quite simply, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that God's full authority was lost from the earth for centuries following the mortal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles..." (M. Russell Ballard, Our Search For Happiness, pp. 26).

The apostle Paul spoke of the time this authority would be lost when he wrote "for that day [the Second Coming of Christ] shall not come, except there come a falling away first," (2 Thessalonians 2:3).  Peter, another ancient apostle during the time of Christ, wrote of a "restitution of all things" that must come before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Acts 3:20-21).  How can there be a restitution without a falling away?

We believe that this restitution of all things began in the early nineteenth century when young Joseph Smith prayed in a grove of trees and the heavens were again opened with a new dispensation.  (Read more about the First Vision of Joseph Smith here.)

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If you have any questions concerning Mormonism, Joseph Smith or the Articles of Faith, please ask the missionaries your questions by clicking the picture below.  They will do their best to answer any of your questions.

The Christ of Mormonism

'WELCOME' by Del Parson
http://www.delparson.com/

Who is Jesus Christ?
He is the Son of God, the Only Begotten in the flesh.  He dwelt with God before the world was made, and was chosen then to be the Christ of all mankind:

Abraham 3:27
27. And the Lord said:  Whom shall I send?  And one answered like unto the Son of Man:  Here am I, send me.  And another answered and said:  Here am I, send me.  And the Lord said:  I will send the first.

He created the earth:

John 1:3
3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In the Old Testament he was known as Jehovah, the great I AM.  The people of the New Testament knew him as the Christ, the Redeemer and Messiah.  During the Meridian of time he came to earth and "went about doing good." (Acts 10:38.)  In the last days of his life he atoned for all men in Gethsemane, and soon after died at Golgotha (also known as Calvary) on the cross:

Alma 7:11-12
11. And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

After three days he was resurrected from the tomb:

1 Corinthians 15:20
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

He implemented the sacrament among his followers for them to always remember his sacrifice for them.  In the latter-days, early nineteenth century, he returned to earth to restore his church:

Joseph Smith-History 1:17-19
17. ...When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air.  One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other - This is My Beloved Son.  Hear Him!
18. My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join...
19. I was answered that I must join none of them...

His church was restored - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;" (Ephesians 2:20).

One future day he will return to the earth yet again, this time the King of Kings, in all his glory, as the Son of God.

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More on Mormonism - http://mormontopics.org/eng/christ
See also 'The Living Christ' - http://jesuschrist.lds.org/
Any Questions? - http://mormon.org/chat

Mormonism: Immortality and Eternal Life (Moses 1:39)

Many of you may know this, but for those of you who do not, I will explain.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism) has more book of scripture than just the Holy Bible.  It is not uncommon for religions to have multiple books of scripture.  Mormonism has four scriptural books:  The Holy Bible (containing both the Old and New Testaments), the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.  The passage I wish to expound upon today is taken from the Pearl of Great Price.

In the Book of Moses, in the Pearl of Great Price, chapter one verse thirty nine, it reads:

"For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

There are many ways one could branch out from this, but I wish to do so this way:  First I will explain immortality and second eternal life.  There is a difference between the two, and in connection with the above quoted verse it is important to understand.  Here we go.

Immortality
As the word describes, immortality is to be immortal, to live forever.  Mankind is now mortal (as is discussed in detail here and here).  But through the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ mankind will one day become immortal through the resurrection (discussed a bit more in detail here and here).  In this way the first half of the previously quoted verse has come into being.  God's work of bringing about immortality has been fulfilled.

Eternal Life
Second comes eternal life.  Eternal Life is a degree greater than immortality.  Immortality is to live forever and eternal life is to liver forever with God, in the Celestial Kingdom.  Only those that have lived worthily to receive this will have eternal life.  (Discussed more here.)

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If you have questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Jesus Christ, or any other church topic chat with a missionary here.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Mormonism in the First Vision

While looking over my blog last night I realized I have yet to share the story and significance of the 'First Vision' experience of Joseph Smith.  The account of Joseph's prayer in the grove of trees near his house goes back to the absolute beginning of the History of Mormonism.  I have written many posts concerning Joseph:  Meeting Moroni, the Gold Plates, Translation, the "Missing Pages," and even the vision with Sidney Rigdon, but I must now do the first vision.

Let us go back to the beginning of it now.  Joseph Smith grew up in the very early 19th century in New England.  This area at that time was going through the Second Great Awakening.  The 'Awakening' was a type of religious movement that was big in the New England area.  Christian denominations were working hard at this time to bring new people into their church.  This urge to get new members was so intense there were many arguments between the religious groups.

The family of Joseph Smith were religious, like most people at the time.  Some members of the Smith family went to one church while some others went to another church.  And there were members that did not attend a church, not knowing which one best fit their personal religious beliefs.  Joseph Smith was one that did not join a church.  He did not know which to join.  But all these religions believed to teach from the Bible and the Smith family had a Bible.  So this is where the young Joseph turned for help.

In the beginning of the book of James Joseph read the following verse:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him as of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

*You may recognize that scripture from the post "Back to the Beginning of 'Mormonism' - Prayer."  If you'd like to go in more depth on that scripture check out that post.

The scripture simply explains that if a person needs guidance, especially spiritual guidance as was Joseph's case, then they could pray to God and receive the answer.  Understanding this, the young Smith decided to do just that.

Joseph chose the grove of trees near his house to say this prayer.  And now I'd like to use Joseph's own words:

"Having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God.  I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak.  Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
"But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction - not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being form the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being - just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the birghtness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
"It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound.  When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air.  One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other - This is My Beloved Son.  Hear Him!"
- Joseph Smith History -

Standing in front of young Joseph Smith were God, the Father, and Jesus the Christ.  Having prayed to learn which church to join he then asked the two divine beings which church he should join.  The answer was that none of the churches at the time held the full gospel of Christ and so Joseph was not supposed to join any of them.  But the time would come that the true gospel of Christ would be restored to the world.

That church, formed by Joseph Smith in 1830 and restoring the gospel of Christ, is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

*If you'd like to better understand what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes (what some people refer to as 'Mormonism') visit this post:  "What is Mormonism?"
You can also chat with a missionary about the Church and ask your questions here: Chat with a Missionary.

Missionaries of Mormonism

I am certain that many of the readers of this blog are not only people unfamiliar with or outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but many of the readers may be members of the church.  Maybe some of you have an understanding of what the church explains, of what 'Mormonism' is, and some of you may not.  With that knowledge I do my best to write about these topics in a way that everyone understands.  Coming to mind right now are the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

"With marvelous new methods of communication, ever larger proportions of the audience for our conferences are not members of the Church - yet.  So we must speak to those who know us very well and those who know us not at all.  Within the Church alone we must speak to the children, the youth and young adults, the middle-aged, and the elderly.  We must speak to families and parents and children at home even as we speak to those who are not married, without children, and perhaps very far from home."
- Holland, An Ensign to the Nations, April 2011 -

That message of Elder Holland's was given in explanation to the talks given by General Authorities of the Church, but I feel it also applies to missionaries and even members of the church as a whole.  But in this post I wish to speak specifically on missionary work.

Nearly every Christian religion has missionaries.  Simply put, a missionary is a person sent to an area to teach those people about what they have (religion, education, medical help, etc).  Missionaries are not foreign in this world.  Religious missionaries are not foreign either.  Just like other religions, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has missionaries as well.

There are different types of missions that people can serve in the Church.  The most well-known is called a "full-time" mission.  A full-time mission is a proselyting mission.  The missionaries that serve this type of mission do so for 18 months (for girls) and 2 years (for boys), beginning at age 18 (for boys) and 19 (for girls).  They are often known for the way they dress.  Here is an example:

These missionaries are sent to an area of the world, as an apostle directs them, to live with other missionaries.  In their assigned area they teach people interested in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about what it is that members of the Church believe.

A second type of missionary are the "couple" missionaries.  These missionaries are married couples, that serve in an assigned area like the full-time missionaries, but they serve with their spouse rather than an assigned companion.  Some of these couples teach about the Church in interested people's homes, but some couples do other work for the Church.

And the third type of mission is called a "service" missionary.  In most cases those that service this kind of mission are those that are honorably excused from a full-time mission due to health or other reasons, but still want to serve for the Church.



And finally I will finish with one last question and answer:  Why do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spend so much time and money to serve missions?  I know I cannot answer for all people that do this, but I can give my own answer.  Simply, it is joy.  Lehi taught his kids that "men are that they might have joy," (2 Nephi 2:25) and that is the great push behind missionary work.  The gospel taught by the Church brings us happiness and we simply want to share that happiness with whoever wants it.

If, after this post, you have additional questions concerning The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormonism or missionaries, you can do a couple things:
1. Leave a comment with your question(s).
2. Ask a missionary yourself here.

Trials and Tribulation

Yesterday I went to Institute.  For those that do not know, Institute is a school of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It is a place for those that are not a part of the Church to learn what 'Mormonism' is all about.  And it is a place for those that are a part of the Church to learn even more about 'Mormonism.'  While studying in the Book of Mormon yesterday someone pointed something out to me that I had not noticed before in this way.  We were reading in the book of Mosiah.

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The Background Story:
There are two groups of people at this time, the Lamanites and Nephites.  The Nephites in the north and the Lamanites in the south.  A number of people of the Nephites decided to try and get back one of their cities, called Lehi-Nephi, in the south that the Lamanites had taken over many years previous.  They made a truce with the Lamanites and began to live in Lehi-Nephi.

A generation passed by.  The first king of this small group of Nephites had died and his son, Noah, became the king.  King Noah was against everything religious.  When some of the people in his city began teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ King Noah sent his army to kill them, but they took off into the wilderness.  Just after that time the Lamanites returned to Lehi-Nephi and defeated the armies of Noah.  They agreed to spare the lives of Noah's people if the people would give the Lamanites half of everything they had.

In time the Lamanites came across the religious group of Nephites that had fled into the wilderness.  They then began to rule over these Nephites.

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And now to the point of it all:
Here are two groups of people that are now in bondage to the same people.  So let's now read the account as found in the Book of Mormon.  First one group, and then the other, and then we'll compare.

Group 1:
"And it came to pass that the people began to murmur with the king because of their affliction; and they began to be desirous to go against them to battle.  And they did afflict the king sorely with their complaints; therefore he granted unto them that they should do according to their desires.
"And they gathered themselves together again, and put on their armor, and went forth against the Lamanites to drive them out of their land.
"And it came to pass that the Lamanites did beat them, and drove them back, and slew many of them."

This account makes me think of the "fight or flight" theory.  They couldn't run because of the Lamanites surrounding their city, and so they fought back.  But in fighting back they lost many lives.  But their story continues.

"And it came to pass that their continual cries did stir up the remainder of the people of Limhi to anger against the Lamanites; and they went to battle, but they were driven back again, suffering much loss."

They decided they had to fight again.  They were desperate to get out of here and thought it must be done through war.  But they lost many lives again.  And now the story continues again.

"Yea, they went again even the third time, and suffered in the like manner; and those that were not slain returned again the the city of Nephi.
"And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies."

*This account was taken from the book of Mosiah chapter 21 verses 6-13.

Group 2:
"And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.
"And Amulon [the wicked ruler over them] commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.
"And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.
"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying:  Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage."

*This account was taken from the book of Mosiah chapter 24 verses 10-13.

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Now the comparison:
Group one took the "fight or flight" state of mind, and because they couldn't run they attacked.  But the attacking did more harm than good for them.  The second group realized that there is a third option.  It is not simply "fight or flight," but "fight, flight, or pray."  The very same thing that happened to the first group happened to the second group.  But they prayed first and then went out and worked.

And now we must consider the outcomes, not just the way they went about things.  The first group lost many lives, possibly thousands, because their reaction was to fight against their oppressor.  The second group was saved from their situation by the hand of the Lord because they prayed for God's assistance and then did what the Lord told them to.

That is what this is all about.  These two great stories in the Book of Mormon show how to deal with rough situations.  We can fight back and face the damage that may happen to us, or we can pray for help and then do what the Lord tells us to do to get out of there.

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Do you have any questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, prayer, or any other gospel topic?  Ask someone here.

Learn more about The Book of Mormon or request a free copy.

Mormonism: The First Presidency

The First Presidency is the name given to the highest governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This governing body is made up of three apostles.  And so one must ask what an apostle is.  The dictionary's definition of 'apostle' is "any of the early followers of Jesus who carried the Christian message into the world."  But how does Mormonism define an apostle?  LDS.org defines it as follows:

"An 'apostle' is an ordained leader in the Melchizedek Priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Apostles are chosen through inspiration by the President of the Church, sustained by the general membership of the Church, and ordained by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by the laying on of hands.  In addition to serving as witnesses of Jesus Christ to all the world, as Jesus' apostles did, members of the current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles hold the keys of the priesthood - that is, the rights of presidency."

When Christ lived on earth he chose twelve of his followers to be apostles.  These twelve helped watch over the disciples and teach them the gospel.  When the Lord visited those in the Western Hemisphere after his resurrection he did the same thing, choosing twelve to be apostles to watch over the church with the prophet.  And again, in the 19th century, when Christ was restoring his church on the earth he chose those to lead it.

In this dispensation fifteen apostles are chosen to watch over the church.  The senior apostle, the one who has served the longest in the calling of apostle, is also prophet of the church.  Of the remaining apostles that prophet chooses two counselors.  These three make the First Presidency.  The twelve remaining apostles make up what is called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

During the year 2008 the previous prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away and the next senior apostle took his place as prophet.  That apostle was Thomas S. Monson, having served as apostle since 1963.  His counselors are Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Here is a video with pictures of the First Presidencies, past and present, from Joseph Smith through Thomas S. Monson.  The video, titled "Mormonism:  The First Presidency," plays the song "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet," as played by Spencer Mangum.  Music is used with permission.



For a little additional fun, I have created a couple quizzes on these first presidencies.  When you have watched the video enough and think you know who all the prophets are, follow the link below and take the prophet quizzes.

Name That Prophet!

The second Mormonism quiz on the presidency I created is much tougher.  This set of quizzes asks about the counselors to the prophets.  If you think you know the counselors over the years then follow the link below and see how much you know.

Mormonism Pop Quiz - The First Presidency

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #1

This post is about the first Article of Faith, mentioned in the previous post about Mormonism.  The first article, as written in the Wentworth Letter by Joseph Smith, is as follows:

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

The significant belief in this is that these three members of the Godhead are three separate beings.  In the Holy Bible we can find examples of this.  One such example is at the baptism of Jesus Christ.  Matthew's record states that Christ was baptized in the river, and then God spoke from the heavens while the Holy Ghost descended.  (Matthew 13:13-17)

However, the knowledge of three separate beings is best seen in Joseph Smith's 'First Vision.'  This vision of his took place when he was a young teenager.  Following the directions of James of the Bible, as found in chapter 1 and verse 5 of his account, Joseph found a private place to pray to ask which religion he should join.  At this time God, the Father, and Jesus Christ presented themselves to Joseph Smith by the power of the Holy Ghost.

L. Tom Perry, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has said, "Our belief does not come from the speculations of men about the existence and nature of God, but from firsthand experience clarified for mankind and the existence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.  Thus to the world came the vision that three personages comprise this great presiding council of the universe and have revealed themselves to mankind as three separate beings, physically distinct from each other as demonstrated by the accepted records of their divine dealings with mankind." (The Articles of Faith, Ensign, April 1998.)

*If you have more questions about Mormonism, the first Article of Faith, Joseph Smith, the Godhead, or something else concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ask the missionaries:
Chat with a Missionary!

What Is Mormonism: Articles of Faith

Many people ask "What is Mormonism?" or "What do Mormons believe?"  These questions have been around since the time of Joseph Smith.  A man named John Wentworth, an editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, asked this very thing to Joseph Smith.  His reply is what is now referred to as the Wentworth Letter.  In this letter Joseph gave a brief history of his own life, and the history of the Church up until 1842 (twelve years after the Church was formed).  Also in this letter are found the Standard of Truth and the Articles of Faith.  It is that last part that I will continue to talk about now.
*If you'd like to read the rest of the Wentworth Letter, click here.

The final portion of the Wentworth Letter is what is now called the Articles of Faith.  These are three key points that help outline Mormonism, just what it is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes.  For those do not know these thirteen articles of faith, I will now list them.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:  first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on [of] hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.  If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

These thirteen points do not contain everything in Mormonism, but the key points are here.  For those wanting further explanation, you can follow the links below (other posts about the Articles of Faith) or you can ask a missionary!

• Article #1
• Articles #2 and #3
• Article #6
• Article #8
• Article #9
• Article #13

LDS General Conference

Tomorrow, October 6th, is the second day of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' 183nd Semiannual General Conference.  The first day was the Relief Society session last weekend.

So what is the LDS general conference?  The answer, as described by LDS.org, is that "General conference is a semiannual gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  During general conference weekend, Church members and others gather worldwide in a series of two-hour sessions to receive inspiration and instruction from Church leaders."

And now one may ask who the Church leaders are that we will hear from.  We will be hearing from the First Presidency of the Church.  The First Presidency is composed of the President and living prophet of the church.  That man is President Thomas S. Monson.  Also in the First Presidency are the two counselors to the president.  These two counselors are Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Also speaking in these conference sessions will be the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  These twelve men also serve as prophets, seers and revelators.  The twelve that make up this quorum are:  Body K. Packer, L. Tom Perry, Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, Richard G. Scott, Robert D. Hales, Jeffrey R. Holland, David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson, and Neil L. Andersen.

In addition to these fifteen men we will have the opportunity to hear from many other leaders in the church, both men and women.

These sessions of conference can be attended live at the Conference Center in Downtown, Salt Lake City, Utah.  For those that do not get that opportunity can listen to these conferences through the radio, or watch them on TV or streaming live on the internet.  Now there are millions of members of the church that will be watching and listening, and many more that are not members of the church that want to hear what is taught by the leaders of the church.

Tomorrow I have the opportunity of taking my little sister to watch one of these sessions live.  She has never had the opportunity before to see a prophet other than on a TV or computer screen.  This is a wonderful blessing and opportunity that we will love and cherish.

For those that are not familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I will provide some links below where you can learn more.

Links

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (official website):
https://www.lds.org/
Watch/Listen to this year's general conference:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/october-2012-landing-page?lang=eng
Mormon Beliefs:
http://mormon.org/
The Current Prophet - President Thomas S. Monson:
http://www.lds.org/church/leader/thomas-s-monson?lang=eng