I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church also known as the Mormon Church.  I don’t claim to be the most learned of people, even about my own religion (though I try).  I am, however, very concerned with how the church is perceived among some people who have heard false portrayals of our beliefs.  I merely want to lay out the basic doctrines of our church in a logical order so that all who read it might better understand what “Mormons” are. This is a continuation of a blog that I posted entitled "Appreciating the Whole Picture".

Let’s start with some basics.  Knowledge of the nature of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost is essential to understanding our relationship with them and thus our salvation in them.  God is our Father in Heaven and we are his children and as such receive his loving mercy and guidance to help us return to live as families again with Him (see John 3:16-17).  Thankfully, God our Heavenly Father has provided a pattern of Prophets and Apostles who hold His priesthood (the power and authority given to man to act in God’s name for the salvation of His children), scriptures, and the Holy Ghost to reveal His truth unto us.  For example, the Old Testament is a record of the prophets from Adam down to Malachi who testified of Christ as the Savior and Redeemer.  Those prophets were God’s mouthpiece on the earth to the people (Amos 3:7) but they weren’t the only method for them to learn God’s will for them.  Writings of current and past prophets, a.k.a. the scriptures, were another source of God’s word that guided those humble enough to seek them.  And last, but not least, the Holy Ghost confirmed truth to them as they searched for, attained and followed it.

As we know from reading the scriptures, despite having all of these testaments, people often chose to reject the Lord’s gospel and in time distanced themselves from the truth/light and began to live in spiritual darkness.  Eventually this lead to a condition called apostasy.  And when enough people chose this condition, the prophets were by various means removed from them.  This was the case in the times prophesied of that we now know as the Dark Ages. 

During this time there were many who recognized this apostate condition and sincerely desired to restore the Church of Jesus Christ.  In 14^th century England, John Wycliffe recognized that Christ’s priesthood lineage was lost from the earth.  He also made attempts at making the scriptures accessible to the common man.  After he died, the Pope ordered his bones exhumed and burned.  In 1517 Martin Luther wrote 95 theses and nailed them to the door of the Castle Church.  These theses defied many of the teachings of the period’s Roman Catholic Church and pushed for the reformation of Christianity more akin to the original.  William Tyndale was driven by the Spirit to translate the New Testament into English and subsequently distributed it, thus exposing the false doctrines and corruption of oppressive religious leaders of the time.  He was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536 as a martyr for the cause of spreading the word of God among the common people.  All of these “reformers” played an important role in preparation for “a marvelous work and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:13-19, 24).

God, our Heavenly Father is loving and merciful and desires all to receive the gospel which is the saving power of the Atonement of His Son Jesus Christ.  Displaying that love and in His wisdom, He prepared a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ by calling more prophets and providing them with the priesthood authority to restore and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness.  Key to this was the physical restoration of the same priesthood authority that Christ gave to the ancient Apostles (John 15:16; Matt 16:19).  With that authority His Apostles preached the gospel and performed miracles and ordinances such as baptism.

The prophet who God called in this dispensation was Joseph Smith and, like the reformers, was called to translate ancient scripture previously unknown to the people, namely, The Book of Mormon:  Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  The Book of Mormon, like the Bible, is a compilation of records kept by prophets who testified of Christ.

We whole-heartedly believe in the Bible yet the Book of Mormon is known as the “keystone” of our religion.  The keystone, being the stone at the top-center of an arch, is what keeps the arch from falling.  Because we have this book and know of its validity, we also can have a testimony that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God and the Church he restored was done so under the direction of Jesus Christ, thus making it the only true Church of Jesus Christ.  The name of the church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, distinguishes between the church that Christ set up during his ministry in the first century and the church that Christ set up in the 19^th century.

I know with complete certainty from personal experience that anyone who wishes to know whether the Book of Mormon is true need only to read it, ponder it, and ask God having faith in His ability to answer.  This is a promise given to us from God that is found in the book’s last chapter (Moroni 10:3-4).  James is also inspired to make the promise that any who “lack wisdom” can directly ask God and the answer will be given (James 1:5-6).  The answers usually come through the Holy Ghost who gives us peaceful assurance of truth.  Some explain it as a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) but it can come in many undeniable ways.  Many millions of people have begun their testimony of the Book of Mormon in this way and God will continue to hold true to His promise and answer countless more who ask. 

That’s probably long enough for this blog posting.  More to come.  For anyone wanting more information, or even a free copy of the Book of Mormon, the church has a very helpful website with topical searches, online scriptures, and resources found at www.lds.org and www.mormon.org.  I welcome any feedback and would be happy to answer any questions.  Please post your comments.

We be all equally created and formed of one God our Father, and indifferently bought and redeemed with one blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Which two points, I say, if they be written in thine heart, are the keys which so open all the scripture unto thee, that no creature can lock thee out, and with which thou shall go in and out, and find pasture and food everywhere.  And if these lessons be not written in thine heart, then is all the scripture shut up as a kernel in the shell, so that thou mayest read it, and commune of it, and rehearse all the stories of it, and dispute wittily, and be a profound sophistry, and yet understand not one jot thereof.

                -William Tyndale, “Prologue to the Prophet Jonas”