So, I saw a lot of threads such as "Ask a Muslim", "Ask a Jew", etc. and thought I'd make one of my own. As far as I can tell, Mormonism is one of the most widely misunderstood religions, so I thought I'd clear a few things up. Now, I'm not like a stake president or anything, but I'll do my best to answer your questions. I can't guarantee I have an answer to all of them. I would prefer it if this thread were not to turn into a religious debate. I've tried debating religion before. As far as I can tell, if you took a recording of a theist's arguments and a recording of an atheist's arguments, stuck them together and played them, you'd get approximately the same amount of actual thinking and listening as what goes into the actual debates. That's not to say atheists aren't allowed to ask questions, of course, just that I'm asking you not to turn this into a debate. I would also request that you keep this civil and polite. I will joke about my own religion sometimes, jokes are fine as long as humor, not malice, is the intent. But I will treat your beliefs with respect and expect you to do the same for mine. Thanks. So now...go ahead and ask.
Oh, sorry. I didn't see the first half of your post.
Is it even acceptable if you're a (future) prophet?
The LDS Church considers all people to be equal. Being that the President speaks for the Church, the President would not be racist, so it doesn't matter. It's unacceptable for members(no matter how high-ranking they are) to be racist.
And why is it the word of God if you're the president but it isn't if you aren't president yet?
Because the Lord speaks to the current President. If you are not yet President, He will speak to the current President, not to you.
How do you become a president of the Church and therefore a prophet? Do you get voted by a commitee or by the last president?
Generally, the most senior Apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve becomes the new President after the old one dies. The President also chooses two counselors to work with him, who are generally senior members of the Church. The current President of the LDS Church is Thomas S. Monson. His first and second counselors(respectively) are Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf. After President Monson dies, Boyd Packer(who is currently the President of the Quorum of the Twelve and the most senior Apostle) will probably be the person who takes his place as President.
You might as well take your knowledge of the Catholic Church from the Penn & Teller episode about the Vatican.
You know, I live in Switzerland where Mormonism isn't really known (although there's a Mormon church in my hometown). And that's why I'm asking you
I'm not sure where you got the height from, but the other part is true. Doctrine and Covenants, Chapter 130, Verse 22: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us."
So God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three different beings in Mormonism or is it the same like on other Christian denominations? And if God the Father is out of flesh and bones, wouldn't his body obey the laws of physics (which would make him not all-powerful)? I also read that mne can becom Gods, is that right? Here's the source:
Mormon leaders have taught that men become Gods in the same manner as previous Mormon Gods have. Joseph Smith stated the following:
"Here, then, is eternal life -- to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you,... To inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a God.... " (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 346, 347)
No. We believe in the lost tribes of Israel, but they are not Native Americans. They remained among the Jews in Israel, and eventually spread throughout the world.
Many Mormons consider Native Americans to be descendants of the Lamanites. Officially, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints appears to accept this position. The introduction to the Latter Day Saint (LDS) edition of The Book of Mormon states, "[T]he Lamanites are among the principal ancestors of the American Indians."[1] However, an alternate interpretation of this text could imply that the Lamanites are only the most notable (religiously) of the ancestors of the American Indians instead of claiming to be the only group of ancestors from which modern-day American Indians descended from.
We do perform baptisms of the dead, but not for those you've listed.
That's what I found on the Internet (I know, it might be wrong, but maybe you're wrong):
Four years after the LDS Church agreed to stop posthumous baptisms for Jewish Holocaust victims, ( more ) perhaps the best - known of death camp martyrs -- Anne Frank and members of her family -- continue to pop up in Mormon temple and genealogical records. Further, the records show temple work has also been done vicariously for the Holocaust's chief perpetrator, Adolf Hitler, and many of his Nazi henchmen.
That one is just plain ridiculous...I have no idea where they got the protection against fire/bullets/knives thing from, unless they were just making stuff up. -.-
The nature of the protection believed to be afforded by temple garments is ambiguous and varies between adherents.[23] Researchers who interviewed a sample of Latter-day Saints who wear the temple garment reported that virtually all wearers expressed a belief that wearing the garment provided "spiritual protection" and encouraged them to keep their covenants.[23] Some of those interviewed "asserted that the garment also provided physical protection, while others seemed less certain of any physical aspect to protection."[23] In Mormon folklore, tales are told of Latter-day Saints who credit their temple garments with helping them survive car wrecks, fires, and natural disasters.[1]
And thanks for your fast answer. But like I said, you don't have to hurry^^
You know, I live in Switzerland where Mormonism isn't really known (although there's a Mormon church in my hometown). And that's why I'm asking you
Oh, I don't mind.
So God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three different beings in Mormonism or is it the same like on other Christian denominations?
Yes: we believe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate entities.
That's what I found on Wiki:
Can I just say that Wikipedia is not exactly the most reliable source of information? Yes, we do believe that Native Americans are descendants of the Lamanites. But the Lamanites are not one of the Ten Tribes of Israel.
That's what I found on the Internet (I know, it might be wrong, but maybe you're wrong):
I don't really have access to temple genealogical records, and I'm not particularly inclined to go through them even if I could, so I really can't prove or disprove this. But note that it does not say definitively "The LDS Church performed baptisms for so-and-so". It says "Mentions of so-and-so pop up in LDS records in ways that we will not state here". In addition, note the word "vicariously" in the bit about the Nazis. That means "indirectly", as in, we never actually performed a baptism and/or the LDS Church was not directly involved. It doesn't say what exactly it means by "indirectly". I mean, it's all just rather vague and it seems to me that whoever wrote that article wanted to write about the LDS Church baptizing people it shouldn't have, and distorted the truth a little bit to do that.
The nature of the protection believed to be afforded by temple garments is ambiguous and varies between adherents.[23] Researchers who interviewed a sample of Latter-day Saints who wear the temple garment reported that virtually all wearers expressed a belief that wearing the garment provided "spiritual protection" and encouraged them to keep their covenants.[23] Some of those interviewed "asserted that the garment also provided physical protection, while others seemed less certain of any physical aspect to protection."[23] In Mormon folklore, tales are told of Latter-day Saints who credit their temple garments with helping them survive car wrecks, fires, and natural disasters.[1]
Yes, and there are Christians who see the face of Jesus Christ in their toast. It's a personal thing, and a one-time thing that depends on the person. It was probably just a coincidence that they survived those crashes, and they decided to credit their garments. It is not part of the official LDS beliefs, it's just something that those people in specific believe. It's a sweeping and inaccurate generalization to say that just because of these people, the whole LDS Church and every Mormon believes that their sacred garments protect them from fire, bullets, and knives. It's sad, but some religious people see miracles everywhere they go. One shouldn't assume that they speak for the entire faith, because they most likely don't.
And if God the Father is out of flesh and bones, wouldn't his body obey the laws of physics (which would make him not all-powerful)?
No, the Lord's body does not obey the laws of physics unless He wants it to, because He is all-powerful.
I also read that mne can becom Gods, is that right? Here's the source:
Yes, that is correct.
We believe that all humans are children of God, and that they lived with the Lord as spirits before being sent to Earth. Our lives(the lives of all humans, not just Mormons) did not begin at birth, nor will they end at death. After death, no matter what you believed, you will spend some time in a limbo or spirit-world type of place, where you will be instructed and prepared for the next step in the afterlife. When you are ready, you will undergo the Resurrection, at which point your body and your spirit will be forever reunited. If you are a Mormon who has been sealed, you will also be reunited with your family after the resurrection. Faithful Mormons who kept to the Commandments, accepted the word of the Lord, etc. in their life will be rewarded by getting to live in the presence of the Lord. Mormons live in the presence of the Lord as deities in our own right. I suppose this may be the source of the "Mormons think that they get their own planet" myth. As deities, we can create our own universes and edit our own afterlives just as the Lord did with ours. Non-Mormons will experience a temporary Hell while undergoing instruction in the spirit world, but after the Resurrection and the reunification with their bodies, they will be judged solely by what they did in their life. So they will be rewarded or punished based on their deeds, not beliefs. However, people who were non-Mormons in their life will never get the opportunity to live in the presence of the Lord.
No, the Lord's body does not obey the laws of physics unless He wants it to, because He is all-powerful.
Hmm... If his body would be out of flesh and bones, then it surely would be out of electrons, neutrons and protons, which all obey the laws of physics.
that is true, but god is made of a different composition. maybe a better way of putting it is like while we are made of matter, he is made of super matter, matter's more powerful cousin (I'm not really stating fact, so I don't know if super matter is really real, I'm just using that as a way to clarify).
that is true, but god is made of a different composition. maybe a better way of putting it is like while we are made of matter, he is made of super matter, matter's more powerful cousin (I'm not really stating fact, so I don't know if super matter is really real, I'm just using that as a way to clarify).
My problem with the "Super matter" (I realize you stated it's not a real thing, but i get what you mean) is that it makes God unchangeable.
My problem with the "Super matter" (I realize you stated it's not a real thing, but i get what you mean) is that it makes God unchangeable.
I mean is that if he wants to he can break our laws of physics if he so wishes. he was still once a man, which means he can still change like you or me.
he would, but the problem was that one of the people who saw the gold plates, martin harris his name was, decided to take a look at them before he was ready and show it to his wife so she would finally accept his belief. that is the part when some parts were taken by a mob who showed up at his house a little bit later.
Ah, -facepalm- Mormons believe God himself was once a man ! I apologize. I was flinging my Christian knowledge at you.
Yes and No. No:We believe that Jesus Christ, God's son, was once a man. God himself has never walked on this earth in human form. Yes: Because Jesus Christ is a perfect being and was also on the earth.
Hmm... If his body would be out of flesh and bones, then it surely would be out of electrons, neutrons and protons, which all obey the laws of physics.
Well, I can't really argue physics and religion with you. I'm just saying that the Lord is all-powerful and He wouldn't be confined to the laws of physics unless He wanted to.
No:We believe that Jesus Christ, God's son, was once a man. God himself has never walked on this earth in human form.
That's technically correct but the Lord God was originally a man, too. Just not on Earth.
In Doctrine and Covenants chapter 130 verses 22-23 it reads: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him."
