What do Latter-day Saints believe?

As a seventeen year old I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I was questioned extensively by friends and family as to my awareness of what I was doing.  I was told many things about the church I had not heard before.  I was taken to meetings where speakers told people what Mormons did and believed.   I recognized that what they were saying was not the truth.  These allegations made me curious and I have studied the actions and allegations of the Church's detractors ever since. 

Over the years I have studied the differences in the many theologies that that are taught in the modern Christian world. I also studied the reasons why some thought I was making a mistake by joining the church.  I will explain some of what I have learned as I studied the differences between traditional Christian theology and the teachings and doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.  

The key understanding that I gained is that there was a reformation of religious doctrine and practice around the 1500's.  It is documented historically and accepted by modern Christianity. It happened by the choice of men that did not claim to have authority from God.  Even though likely motivated by good intentions and a desire for correct doctrine they acknowledged that what remained of the primary church was in a state of apostasy.  This falling away from truth began with the death of Jesus and the apostles. 

Modern Christian doctrines have for the most part evolved from the Catholic church and ecumenical councils in the first few centuries after Christ. Catholic, Protestant and evangelical churches still adhere to some of those same basic doctrines. While the Christian community today refer to the Bible as their volume of scripture, their doctrines present a substantial variety of disagreement in their teachings. 

The traditional churches and the vast expanse of bible based sects seem to exist because of disagreements over doctrine or theology over the centuries. Scholars, theologians and philosophers claiming no divine authority to define its beliefs have created the various creeds and sects.  They continue to disagree on many things.  With the Bible as a claimed source for their authority the profess no prophetic leadership of which the Bible teaches.   The claim of inerrancy is often invoked then they proceed to decide what it says and means. This is why there are so many Christian sects or denominations.

To avoid the idea that the variances and failure to agree are not contradictory, many theologians simply state that their similarities or fundamental doctrines are what unite them in "true Christianity". These opinions of scholars and theologian/philosophers formulate many teachings in mainstream Christian churches.  They have incorporated into seminaries the fundamental teachings in order educate those that feel that they have been called to be pastors or ministers with credentials they can turn to. There is no divine revelation to the process other than a feeling that one is called.   There is no central authority because it would expose false prophets if they so claimed to be.  The churches are as unique as the character of the person leading them.  The good leader/speakers attract large congregations and those that aren't so charismatic can still make a living preaching the "word" to smaller groups.

The doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints claim that the heavens are open and God reveals truth and doctrine just as in ancient times as when the Bible was revealed in the first place.   Living prophet leaders called by God represent the Lord and his authority in the earth. 

There is no speculating about what something in the scriptures means or an official church practice is.  While not every jot and tittle is defined, the basic doctrines are clearly understood by most of the church membership. We all continue to grow in understanding as we study.  There is no paid clergy. There is only one church and the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of it.

Who is God according to the traditional creeds?

Traditional theology says that God, the father, is an incorporeal spirit being.  Yet he is neither a father in the literal sense or a being as he is incorporeal.  He is referred to as a male yet is either gender neutral or again symbolically so.  He or they are a trinity of beings which include God the son and the holy spirit, but still a solitary God. This ideology comes from a combination of Greek philosophy and ancient Roman church councils.

The three beings that make up God or the "godhead" in most traditional churches is called the trinity.  God is manifest as three persons.  The Son as the savior or God in the flesh.  The Holy Spirit covers all of the spiritual manifestations not covered by the Father or the Son.  Some how the deity of the trinity is self existent with no other being existing like it anywhere in the vastness of infinite space.

This being is powerful, all knowing and everywhere present. He can do at will anything that he wishes without explaining to his creation or his creatures.   Man is simply a creature, no actual relation to deity, and only its likeness in a symbolic undefined sense. God has always existed in a perfect state yet in a seemingly random way introduced imperfections through his creations and yet disavows responsibly for their behavior.  These creations come into existence out of nothing which is called creation ex nihilo, and they are created for no particular reason that can be determined. 

Who is God according to LDS theology?

God the Father is an eternal being.  So are Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.   They have no beginning and no end.  Their intelligence and person are eternal in nature.   Every person's intelligence that comes under their power of their creation likewise has existed forever.  In other words all intelligent creatures are eternal in nature and existed before physical creation and spiritual creation.  This is also the case with all matter.

Through his powers of creation and intelligence God brings the elements and experiences necessary for eternal  beings to find happiness through the existence we now experience.  There are natural eternal laws by which God governs and expands the power of good in an endless universe.  He delegates to the Son and the Holy Ghost different aspects of the processes that allow us to grow and receive the salvation that they offer.  It is a process of love based on actual relationships, not creation our of nothing.

The infinite nature of space and endless quantity of elements have no need of creation as they too have always existed.  The elements and intelligence that exist respond to God's power and commands.  God is literally the pre-mortal father of the spirit of every person born on the earth.   

Our earthly creation is in the likeness and image of our spiritual creation. Our physical creation is in the image of God. We look like our physical mortal parents and our immortal eternal parents, male and female.  There are only two kinds of beings, male and female.

The nature of God long misunderstood over millennia of incorrect teachings was revealed anew with the mission of a young prophet called restore them to the earth.  Joseph Smith described his effort to know the correctness of the  religious sects of his day.  It was inspired by his study of the Bible and led to an effort to pray and ask God or direction. As he continued to seek answers to the questions about the purpose of mortal existence and other "mysteries" of the eternal God and his purposes, these things were explained to him in revelations and recorded for us to study.

The teachings regarding life after death is significantly expanded in LDS theology. 

The most direct way of stating the difference in beliefs is that Latter Day Saints worship the Father to become like him.  This doctrine is frowned upon by the Christian community because they think it humanizes God.  The Bible is however clear that we are like God as we are created in his image.  From the Bible we also learn that Christ is God and he was made flesh.  In the book of John, He declared that he did nothing save that which he had seen the Father do.  

This difference leads to the discussion of image.  How the word image is applied to man's creation.  To LDS we are literally in the image of the Father as is the Son, meaning we look like them with bodies.  Others say this cannot be as they have interpreted the scripture to say that the Father is an invisible incorporeal being and his perfections cannot exist in a corporeal being. 

Traditional doctrines say that God can only create inferior beings of limited capacity and that he is a single parent of the male gender.  LDS teach that we as his creations are his literal children and have unlimited potential similar to his and that men and women are created in in the image of God male and female.  Gender is a part of our eternal identity.  

Through the power of Christ's atonement men and women can unite in eternal covenants with God to enter his kingdom of eternal increase in the family unit. The purpose of creation and marriage in the garden of Eden was the beginning of the formation of our family units. To review what happened in the garden of eden click on this link.

Traditional doctrines of classical theology speak only of a heaven, generic in nature.  They claim no revelation to enlighten them as to what God's true plan for us is.  They only speculate that it will be great and glorious. These doctrines have made it clear that the families we form here on earth end at death and there is no union of man and wife in the hereafter.


Latter Day Saints believe that family ties are eternal if we choose to make them so.  God placed us here to develop as families and intends that we continue in those relationships.  By making covenants in holy temples he recognizes our choices and will seal them upon us if we follow his teachings. 

In the next world we will continue to increase in spiritual creatuib in a similar manner to what we now experience.  Why would God end the precious loving relationships that we labor to form.  They are ordained by him.  What would he possibly replace them with and then not tell us about it? 


http://www.bibleanswerstand.org/philosophy.htm
http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/nicene.htm