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Church Teachings Articles
Repentance in Mormonism
Repentance is a wonderful gift from a loving Heavenly Father. Mormons believe that repentance should be viewed in a positive light as an opportunity to improve. The root of the word repentance in both Hebrew and Greek refers to a turning from sin toward God and a change of heart. Repentance is not synonymous with penance, but refers rather to the inner spiritual change. The Book of Mormon refers to it as a change of heart. Repentance is therefore the act of trying to bring one’s life more in accord with God’s teachings.
To repent we must acknowledge our mistakes and weaknesses. We must take responsibility for our own actions and recognize that what we have done has hurt others and offended God. Second, we must forsake the sin. This means we must stop doing it and never return to it again. We must, if possible, make restitution. This means that if we stole something, we should return it or pay the person for what we took. If we lied or hurt... Read the rest of this article »
Mormon Prayer and Fasting
What is prayer?
Our God, though all powerful and all knowing, the creator of all things, is also a personal God, who knows each of His children intimately and cares for their welfare. He desires us to approach Him in personal prayer and promises that those prayers are always heard and answered.
Prayer is perhaps the most important aspect of worship, both public and private. Many people pray, but some people find it difficult because they do not understand its purpose or who it is to whom they pray. When we realize that God is our Father, we will realize that prayer is way of talking to our Heavenly Father. In our prayers we can share our burdens with God, thank Him for His goodness to us, and seek answers or help from Him.
How should I pray?
Jesus taught us the basic outline for prayer. He said:
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto... Read the rest of this article »
Health and Morality in Mormonism
Mormons believe that spiritual and physical things are linked. If we abuse our bodies, we are abusing our spirit. You may have noticed that when you are physically ill, you tend to feel emotionally and spiritually ill as well, and when you are sad, you may feel its effects physically. In this way it is obvious that the spirit and the body affect each other. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created” (Doctrine & Covenants 29:34). Thus, Mormons believe that all commandments and everything we do affect both our spirit and our body, and whatever influences one, affects the other.
The Word of Wisdom
Mormons believe that the body is sacred and should be taken care of. The most famous aspect of... Read the rest of this article »
The Scriptures, the Word of God for Men
The Prophet Joseph Smith once wrote, “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. 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” (Articles of Faith 8 and 9).
Mormons believe that the words of God are spoken and written down by prophets. The Apostle Peter said that “prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). Modern revelation echoes this:
And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation (Doctrine and Covenants 68:4).
For Mormons, scripture... Read the rest of this article »
Primary in the Mormon Church
The Primary program of the Mormon Church is the Church’s program for children from ages 4 through 11. For children over 18 months and under 4 years old, the Church provides nurseries for members during Sunday School and Relief Society meetings so that members can focus on the gospel. The Primary program has Sunday School classes and activities for children geared toward their level and toward helping them learn the basics about God and Jesus Christ.
The Primary is divided into pre-baptism and post-baptism groups. In the Mormon Church, children are not baptized until they reach at least the age of eight. A couple times a month, the Primary hosts activity days during the week to give the children a chance to befriend one another outside of Church. Also, once a year the Primary presents the entire sacrament meeting and presents music and short talks by the Primary children.
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Primary", url: "http://www.meetmormonmissionaries.org/81/primary"... Read the rest of this article »
The Family in God’s Plan
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the... Read the rest of this article »
Relief Society in the Mormon church
Relief Society:
The Relief Society is one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the world and is the Mormon Church’s main organization for women. The Prophet Joseph Smith founded it in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, with the motto “Charity Never Faileth.” Today the Relief Society has over 5 million members in over 170 different countries. All Mormon women age 18 and older are members of the Relief Society.
The Relief Society Declaration states:
We are beloved spirit daughters of God, and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction. As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:
Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ through prayer and scripture study.
Seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Dedicate ourselves to strengthening marriages, families, and homes.
Find nobility in motherhood... Read the rest of this article »
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Because searching out one’s ancestors and performing temple ordinances on their behalf is important to Mormons, many Mormon chapels have Family History Libraries open on certain days throughout the week to assist members and the local population in doing genealogical and family history research. These libraries have computers, microfilm, and microfiche which enable a person to examine census data, baptism, and death records, and many other types of records to help locate and organize one’s personal genealogy. The staff are all volunteers who donate their spare time each week to helping those who have run into problems or do not know how to begin their genealogical research. The Family History library and its resources are free to the public. The hours it is open should be posted on the door to the library.
Visit Familysearch.org, the Mormon Church premiere family history search site, to begin your research or locate the nearest... Read the rest of this article »
The Godhead: God, [block]0[/block], and the Holy Ghost
The very first Article of Faith of the Mormon Church is very definitive and quite simple in stating our belief concerning God: We believe in God, the eternal Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
God our Heavenly Father
Mormons believe that God is all-powerful (Alma 26:35, pg. 275), all-knowing (Mosiah 4:9, pg 155), and that His Spirit can be felt by all people, everywhere (Psalms 139:7-12). He possesses an absolute perfection of all good attributes; He is merciful, loving, patient, truthful, and does not judge us by our outward appearance. While Mormon Church members look to the scriptures for instructive information about God, their primary knowledge concerning His nature comes from revelations given to modern prophets like Joseph Smith. In a vision, Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. They are separate personages, but are both united in perfection and purpose.
Mormons... Read the rest of this article »
Seminary and Institute in the Mormon Church
Seminary and Institute:
The Mormon Church believes that education is very important. That is why it runs schools like Brigham Young University. However, not everyone can go to a Church-owned school, and so the Church has established the Seminary and Institute programs.
Seminary
Seminary for Mormons is not a school where people go to become ministers; it is instead a program to provide weekday religious education for high school students. In places where there are lots of Mormons, the Church is able to sponsor release-time seminary during school hours, though students do not receive school credit for their religious study. In these places Mormon youth meet at special seminary buildings or local chapels to study the Gospel together and to learn how it can be used in their everyday lives.
Most Mormons, however, don’t live in places where this can happen. Instead, they have early-morning seminary. In these places, high school students... Read the rest of this article »
