I thought I would add my piece to the debate and I would
like to start by Quoting Mathew 7:15-17
15 Beware of false prophets,
which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
I know that I am a better person
because of my Mormon faith and this is only one of the many reasons why I know
that the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints is true.
I have been a member of the Church all my life and have taught many
people about our Church I have traveled around the world and have always tried
my best to be a representative of Jesus Christ in everything I say and do. Although I have made many mistakes in my life, I know Jesus Christ suffered and died for
each of us and that through that suffering we can be forgiven of our sins and
shortcomings. I also know that God our
Eternal Father loves us and he has given us the scriptures in order to show us
His nature and the type of God He is.
Because of the scriptures I know that God calls Prophets to testify of
truth and to lead his people, this is what was done in times of old and it is the same for our
time. I know that God has called a
Prophet for our time. His name is Thomas
S. Monson, I’ve stood in the same room with him and felt of his spirit and love, my
daughter had an opportunity to shake his hand and I know without a doubt that
he has been called of God.
We can debate the scriptures until
the end of time, and many religions seem to be doing just that. But I know that God loves us and he has
provided a way that each of us can know for ourselves whether or not the
Mormons are Christians or any other question about the Mormon faith. It’s called prayer and if you really want to
know anything, all you need to do is ask our Father in Heaven.
James 1:5 – If any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him.
This challenge is also given in the
Book of Mormon where it says:
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.”
I have done this and my faith no
longer depends on the words and interpretations of men but my faith has come from firsthand answers
to my prayers from God himself. I know
that Jesus Christ lives and still governs His Church on this Earth through his
living Prophet.
If you ask me if Mormons are Christians and I would ask you,
how do you define Christianity? If it is anyone who believes in, teaches about
and tries to emulate Jesus Christ than I would argue that Mormons are indeed
Christians. If however you define Christianity
as those who belong to religious groups that follow the Nicene Creed and the
Athanasian Creed which were creeds formulated by politicians and religious
leaders including the Roman Governor Constantine over 300 years after Jesus was
Crucified, where they dictated and debated the nature of God and how their
Church should be governed. If this is
how you define a Christian then I would say that Mormons do not
believe in these Creeds, rather they go back to what Jesus Christ taught.
Here are a few questions about the Mormon Church I would
like to clear up:
Is Jesus God?
The first article of Faith of the LDS (Latter-day Saint)
religion states “We believe in God the Eternal Father and in His Son Jesus
Christ and in the Holy Ghost.”
We believe Jesus when he said in John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
This is only 1 example of the relationship between Father
and Son so here are a few other examples:
John 12:27–30; John 14:26; Romans
8:34; Hebrews 1:1–3; John 5:19; John 14:10; John 6:38; John 15:24; Matthew
19:17; John 14:28.
Do Mormons believe in
modern day Prophecies?
Yes we believe that God continues to speak to his children
through living Prophets. We do not
believe that God has finished with us and no longer cares about us, but that he
will continue to speak until Jesus Christ comes again. God is the same yesterday and today and
continues to call prophets.
Amos 3:7 – “Surely the
Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
Do Mormons Believe
they can one day be like God?
We believe that “this
is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent.” We not only strive to know more about God and his Son
Jesus Christ but we also desire to be like them. We know that we are imperfect beings now but
God has called us his sons and daughters.
In 1 John 3:1-2 – “Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth
us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
So yes Mormons do believe, as did John, that we can one day be
like God.
Are Jesus
and Lucifer Brothers?
We believe that all men lived with God before we came to this
earth as spirits.
Jeremiah 1 : 5 - "Before I
formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I
sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (See also Rom 8:29; Rom
9:23-24; John 9:2; Titus 1:2)
In this pre-existence we believe
that Satan rebelled against God and was therefore cast down and became a fallen
angel, we believe angels are the spirits of men temporarily separated from
their bodies.
Do Mormons
believe we are saved through God’s grace?
We do believe that all men are saved through the grace of God,
however we also believe there is more that is required in order to be exalted
and live with our Father in Heaven again, baptism being chief among these
ordinances that must be performed.
Acts 2:38 – “Then Peter said
unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Are
Families forever?
Yes families are forever, if you look closely at the scripture you
quoted it says “For
when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this
respect they will be like the angels in heaven.”
Marriages will not happen in heaven that’s why we need to be
married while we are on this earth. This
is also why we have Temples to perform ordinances for those who cannot perform
them for themselves.
In Mathew 16:19 it says “And
I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
We believe this power has been restored and that those with the
proper authority can “Bind” families together both on Earth and in Heaven. I for one could not imagine a heaven without
my family, it wouldn’t be heaven for me if they weren’t there.
Please if you have any questions about the Church of Jesus Christ please ask us and we will happily tell you the good news.
