Archive for the ‘LDS Doctrine’ Category
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: Religious Freedom At Risk (Full Interview) 10/13/09
Sunday, October 18th, 2009Eamonn McCann: What if Mormons are right and Catholics and Protestants wrong?
Friday, February 20th, 2009From The Belfast Telegraph (Northern Ireland):
Given Christian teaching, does it make more sense to baptise dead adults rather than live babies?
Why are the Catholic bishops so concerned about Mormons baptising dead parishioners? The Mormons didn’t invent baptism of the dead. The practice has a significant history within mainstream Christianity. The decision to order its abandonment was taken only after heated debate, and was a close-run thing.
What’s the difference, anyway, between baptising the dead and baptising babies? A tiny infant will have as much understanding as a dead person — none at all — of the complex philosophical belief-system it’s being inducted into when baptised, say, a Catholic. Transubstantiation? There’s daily communicants go to their deaths without any clear understanding of the concept. So what chance the mewling tot?
Indeed, given that all Christian Churches believe that the soul lives on after death and retains understanding and consciousness of self, doesn’t it make more sense to baptise dead adults than live babies?
Apart from which, if the Catholic bishops hold that the beliefs of the Mormons are pure baloney (as they must), and their rituals therefore perfectly meaningless, how can it matter to them what mumbo-jumbo Mormons might mutter over Catholic cadavers?
The current controversy has been prompted by Archbishop Dermot Clifford and Bishop Bill Murphy complaining to the National Library in Dublin about records handed over by the Church being made available to all and sundry. The Mormons are believed to have taken advantage of this facility to comb through parish records and baptise the souls enumerated therein, a batch at a time.
The bishops stepped in after the Vatican warned all national churches earlier this year about Mormons misusing diocesan records. I have heard it suggested that the alarm of the Holy See had escalated after reports that Mormon multiple baptisms were regularly breaking the official record set by General Liu Kung Lee who, in one afternoon, baptised seven regiments of Chinese soldiers into Christianity with a fire-hose.
Let’s look at the facts as understood by the early followers of Christ. For more than 300 years after the Crucifixion, baptism of the dead was widely accepted, its biblical basis located in 1 Corinthians 15, 29: “Otherwise, what shall they do who are baptised for the dead if the dead rise not again at all? Why are they then baptised for them.” In other words, a deceased person could be baptised by proxy: otherwise, how could such a person be included in the Resurrection? A good question.
The radical Cerinthians and the Marcionites were especially energetic baptisers of the dead. It was to wrong-foot these sects, seen as competitors with the official Church at a time when it was consolidating its position as the State religion of the Roman Empire, that the Synods of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) voted, after bitter debate, to condemn the practice.
Interestingly, a clear trace of baptism of the dead has lingered in official practice to the present day, in the form of prayers for divine intercession on behalf of the unbaptised souls. Prayers for intervention were encouraged in Catholic schools in the 1950s. For all I know, this remains the case.
Baptising the dead might be seen as analogous, too, to the Jewish prayer of intercession. Which serves as a reminder that US Jews put a halt to galloping post-mortem Mormonism a couple of years ago by arguing that deJudaising those who’d perished in the concentration camps constituted a profound insult to Holocaust victims. Following talks in New York between leaders of the two religions, the Mormons backed off.
The key point is, surely, that all religions believe that the soul, after death, at last knows what’s what — whether Hinduism, Free Presbyterianism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Catholicism or whatever is the true religion. What if it’s Mormonism? What if it’s an everyday occurrence on the other side that Catholics and Protestants are left standing dumbstruck at the Gates, gasping: “Mormons! Who’d have believed it?” And maybe a wife berating her husband: “There! I told you it would be the Mormons! But would you listen?! Now it’s eternal hellfire for the two of us, I hope you’re satisfied.”
In that scenario, shouldn’t all members of all other religions be literally eternally grateful to the Mormons for sharing their saving grace even unto and after death?
If, on the other hand, it isn’t the Mormons at all, those who turn out to have been right can wave a merry farewell to the crestfallen followers of Brigham Young as they trundle downwards to their eternal comeuppance.
What’s the problem?
The Mormon Temple
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009From Culture11.com:
Yesterday, we discussed the deep ahistorical nature of religious rites around the New Year. Today I want to detail a set of religious rites in the Mormon faith centered around the temple.
A few years ago I picked up a friend from Baltimore Washington International Airport and we drove into DC. Coming down Interstate 95 and onto the Beltway you can’t help but notice the dramatic rise of a large palace-like structure on the horizon. Known as the Washington D.C. Temple, the windowless building sits dramatically against a wooded hilltop in Kensington, MD. The temple, built in 1973, boasts an exterior of marble (translucent at some points within the temple), six gold layered spires (the highest rising 288 ft) and a 200 ft stain glass window.
“What the heck is that?” he literally shouted. (I think he used the non-Mormon version of “heck”) . I chuckled as we drove under a footbridge, which until recently, bore some humorous graffiti: “Surrender Dorothy!” A cute joke that even Mormons enjoyed until it was painted over. We had a hour in traffic to kill so I gave him the whole story. Here’s a short version:
Among Mormons the temple is viewed as a foundational element of the faith. Teenagers are encouraged to keep themselves morally clean to enter the temple. New converts wait a year after their baptism to prepare to enter the temple. Eternal marriages are solemnized in the temple. All that genealogy buzz you hear so much about culminates with a specific ordinances in the temple. Whole cities in Utah were laid out around the temple. It is one of the apex symbols of the Mormon faith.
Mormonism is all about renewal and restoration. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Christianity fell into disrepair and that the authority of God (the Priesthood) was taken from the earth. Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was chosen as a prophet to restore the true Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth based on the same foundation that was laid by Christ with the same authority. One point of this restoration is practice of temple worship.
Rather than dwell on the deep religious parallels to ancient faiths I want to describe to you some of the cultural aspects of the temple today:
- All about the Family - Temples are all about the family. Families teach their children from an early age to revere the temple. Children sing: “I love to see the temple, I’m going there someday, to feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray.” My children have drawn pictures of the temple since they could pick up a crayon. As a family we go each year to the Washington, DC temple to see the lights and listen to music in the Visitors’ Center. My eldest daughter has gone into the temple to partake in Baptisms for the dead. My wife and I were “sealed” in the Oakland Temple in a beatiful ceremony surrounded by our families. The promise of the temple to families is an eternal promise, namely, that if you keep the temple covenants you are promised to live with your familiy forever and not just “until death do you part.”
- Baptisms for the Dead - There are various ordinances which take place in a Mormon temple. Kids 12 and older can participate in “Baptisms for the Dead.” A baptismal font in the lower level of the temple rests on the backs of twelve oxen carved from stone symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel. Baptisms are performed by proxy on behalf of ancestors who did not have the opportunity to receive the Gospel in their lives.
- Endowments - Next to marriage, the “endowment” is one of the highest ordinances you can obtain in the temple. The endowment is a “coming-of-age” ritual for many of the Mormon faith. You receive your endowments before your go on your mission or before your are married. Essentially, the endowment is a ritual where Mormons are taught about the foundation of the world and deep doctrines of their faith in a symbolic rite that mirrors many ancient New Year acts. When Mormon adults “go to the temple” this is the ritual which they partake in. After your first endowment you can return to the temple to participate in the ritual however many times your want.
- Marriages - When a child is blessed (in a regular chapel setting at about 2-3 months old) one phrase you commonly hear from the father: “I bless you that you may find that special son of God and with him be sealed for all eternity in the temple.” Like any other family, marriage is a culminating event which ties the ages together. Doubly so in the Mormon faith as the act of “sealing” binds you to your spouse, your parents, and the parents which have been sealed before you. Children born to you after you are sealed are born “in the covenant”. Families who are converts can take their entire families into the temple to be sealed together.
- Genealogy - As you may know Mormons are big into genealogy and the temple is the reason. We research our ancestors and submit their names to the temple to have ordinances performed on their behalf and we stand in as proxies. This rite calls to mind the discussion yesterday about Mircea Eliade and how religious excercises bring the contemporary and the historical together.
- Prayer, Healing and Faith - After an endowment “session” members of the church are ushered into the Celestial room, typically at the center of the temple. Everyone in the temple ceremony is dressed in white and the Spirit in the room is peaceful and perfect for contemplation and prayer. During the endowment ceremony a special prayer is said on behalf of those who are sick, ill or otherwise afflicted. The faith of those present is seen as a factor to help heal those in need.
A debate: Are Mormons Christian?
Sunday, September 28th, 2008From The Boston Globe:
Catholics and Protestants have long taken a dim view of various aspects of Mormon theology, but the candidacy of Mitt Romney for president brought to the fore (again) the deep suspicion with which some traditional Christians view the Mormon faith. (Mormons have sometimes taken a similarly dim view of the practices of traditional Christians, arguing that those churches lost their way shortly after the events of the New Testament, and that Mormonism is actually a restoration of true Christianity.) The magazine First Things, in its October issue, offers a meaty and interesting point/counterpoint between a Mormon and a Protestant theologian. The two, not surprisingly, disagree.
A key paragraph from Bruce D. Porter, who is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
“Are Mormons Christian? By self-definition and self-identity, unquestionably so. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms that it is a Christian-faith denomination, a body of believers who worship Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who witness that salvation is possible only by his atoning blood and grace. By the simple dictionary definition of a Christian as one who believes in or worships Jesus Christ, the case is compelling. To the title Christian a critic of Mormonism may add any modifiers he deems appropriate—unorthodox, heretical, non-Nicene, different—but blanket assertions that we are not Christian are a poor substitute for informed argument and dialogue.”
And an excerpt from the response by Gerald R. McDermott, an Episcopal priest who is a professor of religion at Roanoke College:
“Mormon beliefs diverge widely from historic Christian orthodoxy. The Book of Mormon, which is Mormonism’s principal source for its claim to new revelation and a new prophet, lacks credibility. And the Jesus proclaimed by Joseph Smith and his followers is different in significant ways from the Jesus of the New Testament: Smith’s Jesus is a God distinct from God the Father; he was once merely a man and not God; he is of the same species as human beings; and his being and acts are limited by coeternal matter and laws. The intent of this essay is not to say that individual Mormons will be barred from sitting with Abraham and the saints at the marriage supper of the Lamb. We are saved by a merciful Trinity, not by our theology. But the distinguished scholar of Mormonism Jan Shipps was only partly right when she wrote that Mormonism is a departure from the existing Christian tradition as much as early Christianity was a departure from Judaism. For if Christianity is a shoot grafted onto the olive tree of Judaism, Mormonism as it stands cannot be successfully grafted onto either.”
(Depiction of Jesus from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
Faith: Rochester couples address Mormon misperceptions
Monday, September 22nd, 2008From The Post-Bulletin:
Gentree and Kale Bodily, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, talk about Mormon misconceptions.Michele Jokinen/Post-Bulletin
This year has been a challenging one in the media for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known colloquially as the Mormon Church or LDS Church.
| Mormons in Rochester
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has a worldwide membership of 13 million people with 124 operating temples. The church has no paid clergy. Members are asked to serve in different areas over different periods in their life. They belong to congregations called wards; the Rochester church has four. Each ward is presided over by a bishop, assisted by two counselors. A stake is collection of wards and is presided over by a stake president. All members continue in their full-time careers while serving in the church. |
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“We didn’t know how many misperceptions about Mormons were out there until Mitt Romney ran for president,” says Jessica Jacobson, a 34-year-old stay-at-home mom.Nathan and Jessica Jacobsen and their friends — Kale and Gentree Bodily, and J.G. and Emily Fletcher — are all members of the Rochester 3rd Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Their ward has approximately 400 members. During an interview, they discussed aspects of their religion as they relate to politics, polygamy and their efforts to debunk the myths of this oft-misunderstood religion.
Romney campaign
The campaign of Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, cast a spotlight on a religion many know little about and in some cases have given a false impression of the 13 million Mormons worldwide.
“Most of us were surprised by the number and source of anti-Mormon comments and the fact that so many people said they wouldn’t vote for Romney because he was Mormon. I think that Romney’s family life and values would have been a wonderful thing to hit the White House,” says J.G. Fletcher, 43, a radiologist at Mayo Clinic.
Kale Bodily, 31, a radiologist-in-training at Mayo, agrees that bias might have prevented some from looking at Romney as a good candidate. “If they would have just looked at his values, more voters would have found a lot in common with Romney,” Bodily says.
Though the media oftentimes focused on Romney’s faith, the church itself remained politically neutral.
“Our church does not and will not endorse any specific candidate. There was never pressure from the Church to support Mitt Romney,” Bodily says. “The only instruction we receive is to do our homework, be prayerful and make an educated decision about the best choice for a given political office.”
Media missteps
While many Mormons believed that their religion was widely accepted in mainstream culture, the media has continued to cast a spotlight on their lifestyle and pick apart practices, even ones that were abandoned long ago. Though many people associate the word polygamy with the Mormon faith, the Church discontinued polygamy officially in the 1800s and has no affiliation with any polygamous groups. (cont.)
Bridging a Jewish-Mormon rift
Monday, September 22nd, 2008From The Chicago Tribune:
Grandpa’s arms always offered the warmest embrace. But he had an iron fist when it came to being Jewish.
Having watched his parents shun his brother Al for marrying a non-Jew, Grandpa didn’t marry my Christian grandmother until she had converted to Judaism. Later, my grandfather insisted that a rabbi marry my mom and dad. And he boycotted his sons’ weddings when they both married Catholics.
So imagine the shock when I learned that my late grandfather had been posthumously baptized a Mormon.
The news revealed nothing about my grandfather. After all, the baptism wasn’t his idea. Instead, it opened my eyes to the role of free will in the belief system of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called the Mormon Church.
And it gave me a new perspective on a dilemma that generations ago nearly tore my family apart.
For years, the “Mormon side” of the family had been no more than shadowy characters in our genealogical soap opera. The “Mormon cousins,” as they came to be known, were the descendants of my great-uncle Al, who for years supposedly did not speak to his family because of the Christian woman he chose to be his wife.
The whole saga served as a cautionary tale for many of us about placing religious allegiance above family. Moral of the story: Family came first.
Eventually, my great-grandfather made amends with his son Al. But this was late in life, and by this time even my great-uncle had become a grandfather himself. There was something else: Uncle Al had found Mormonism. And so, another faith entered the clan, a faith that valued family and welcomed new converts with open arms.
When I finally met my great-uncle and cousins four years ago, I knew we were related just from the same quirky sense of humor we shared.
We had the same family stories, too, even some of the same photos in the family albums. And it was while flipping through those albums filled with family trees that I learned the news. Next to the names of my grandmother and grandfather were dates of their births, their deaths and their baptisms.
My cousins don’t archive family history for only sentimental reasons. They do so for a theological purpose. The Mormon Church calls on its members to pour their energies into the salvation of all people—including those no longer on earth.
To make sure every human being has a chance to reunite with God and family in heaven, Mormons baptize the dead by proxy, a practice my cousin describes as a sacred “power of attorney.”
Mormons trace their unique custom of baptizing the dead to the New Testament. In one of his letters to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?”
The verse confuses a lot of Catholics and Protestants. But for Mormons it makes perfect sense. They believe Christianity’s intent was restored through their church in 1830. They also believe God would not deny that good news to previous generations. So to be fair, everyone should get another chance in the next life to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that offer is proffered through baptism. (cont.)
LDS Church Releases Statement on Alcohol
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008From LocalNews8.com (ID):
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A new statement from Mormon church leaders is being viewed as positive sign by Utah politicians who want to make sweeping changes to state liquor laws.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posted the statement Monday on its Web site.
It says church leaders believe Utah can write laws that allow for both individual choice and regulation of alcohol consumption for health and safety reasons.
The church counsels its members against drinking.
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has called for a change in state law to eliminate a requirement that makes bars private clubs that require a paid memberships. He says that will make Utah more tourist friendly.
Former resident says ‘sorry’ decades later
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008From The Times-Republican:
Forty to 50 years after a former Marshalltown resident made rounds stealing fruits in vegetables from yards on the city’s northeast side, Jerry Kerr decided it was time to make it right.
Kerr recently took out an ad in the Times-Republican, trying to make good for the petty larceny he committed those many years ago.
“If you lived in the northeast part of Marshalltown during the years 1957-1967 … there’s a good chance I took some of your produce and ate it without your permission,” the ad reads. “If this caused you stress or angered you in any way, I wish to apologize.”
Kerr a devout Mormon, said it was his personal faith and belief in doing the right thing that motivated him to purchase the ad.
“As I live my life, I try to become a better and better person and as things come to me that I need to repent of, I do that,” he said. “It’s a personal, spiritual thing.”
Kerr said he would have been between the ages of 6 and 16 when he took the produce from vegetable gardens and fruit trees. He came from a family with 10 children who did not always have enough money, even for the basics.
“I’d carry a salt shaker around and any yard back then was prey for me,” he said.
If he saw something he liked, he’d salt it and eat it, then go on his way.
Kerr returns to Marshalltown every year for a family reunion and decided to place the ad before leaving town at the end of July. He said he had been thinking about it for months.
“There’s a French proverb that says the softest pillow is a clean conscience,” Kerr added. “Over the years, my pillow has gotten softer.”
Why fewer Americans believe in hell than in heaven
Sunday, July 20th, 2008From DallasNews.com:
The prospect of hell, for the nonbeliever as well as the sinner, has been of particular importance for evangelizing faiths – that is, those that place a major emphasis on the conversion of new members – and missionaries often cited the avoidance of hell as one of the enticements to conversion to a faith such as Christianity or Islam.
But in a large multicultural society, such as the United States, people are likely to encounter others whose faiths are different from their own, and that, scholars say, has led to a decreasing willingness to accept the notion that a particular faith offers an exclusive ticket to heaven. The Pew poll found that large majorities now say they do not believe their religions provide the only path to salvation, regardless of what their religious leaders tell them.
“People are increasingly less willing to say, ‘I have the truth, and you either have my truth, or you’re going to hell,’ ” said Nancy Ammerman, a professor of the sociology of religion at Boston University.
The survey found that about three-quarters of Americans – 74 percent – believe in life after death. This belief is most pronounced among Mormons, 98 percent of whom believe that there is life after death – a stunningly high number for any survey, but reflective of Mormon teaching that the bodies and spirits of its adherents will be reunited – resurrected – sometime after their physical death. Atheists, not surprisingly, are the least likely to believe in life after death, followed by agnostics, Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses. (cont.)
Mormon Studies and Apologetics-10th Annual Conference Announced
Thursday, July 17th, 2008Press Release:
Mormon scholars to gather for 10th annual conference on defending Mormon beliefs.
Redding, California, 16 July 2008-Mormons-members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-have received a lot of attention lately; some of it unwanted such as the mistaken association with the FLDS polygamous groups that have made recent headlines. A group of Mormon scholars, however, hope to focus positive attention on unique LDS issues in an upcoming conference sponsored by the grassroots, volunteer organization FAIR.
FAIR-the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research-is an all-volunteer grassroots organization that was created to dispel myths about the Church, to answer criticisms about Mormon beliefs and scriptures, and to help Mormons who struggle with their religious convictions because of critical material. The word “apologetics” means to defend one’s faith or beliefs.
Among the topics being presented at this year’s conference are: Book of Mormon Geography, Philosophy and Mormonism, Joseph Smith’s DNA Revealed, The White Horse Prophecy, the Book of Abraham, the Joseph Smith Papers, and Shaken Faith Syndrome (based on the newly released book of the same title).
This two day event-on August 7-8-will be held again at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah and is open to the public. More information can be found at http://www.fairlds.org.
FAIR, or the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (http://www.fairlds.org) is a tax exempt 501 (C) 3 Corporation staffed by faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seeking to defend the Mormon Church, its leaders, teachings, and practices from inaccurate or deceitful claims of critics. Staffed almost exclusively by unpaid volunteers, FAIR seeks to provide scholarly researched answers in an easily understandable way.
Contact: Scott Gordon (FAIR President)
Phone: 530-356-2070
What the Latter-day Saints believe
Saturday, July 12th, 2008From The Morning Call (PA):
The print and broadcast news organizations provide a wonderful service to our society, helping inform and educate.
Yet, with tight deadlines, competition for column-inches in papers, and precious few broadcast-seconds on TV, even the best stories can contain some information that is unclear, incomplete or inaccurate. I face this challenge myself as I try to be clear while being concise in my occasional contributions to this brief column.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also referred to as the LDS church, or Mormon church, recently has been in the news. I hope that a few statements regarding the LDS Church may help correct any misperceptions.
We are Christians. We teach that Christ is the son of God, the savior of the world. We believe in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible and teach from its pages. We believe that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and shows that the Bible is true.
We believe all people are sons and daughters of God, no matter their religious beliefs. We do not impose our beliefs on anyone. Because of the joy we feel in the church, we want to share our beliefs with others, but respect their right to disagree.
Membership in the LDS church is available to all, as long as they are willing to make continual efforts to live in accordance with the commandments and teachings of Jesus Christ.
We believe that all people are free to choose to obey or disobey God’s commandments. We are blessed for our obedience. If we disobey — which we all do to one extent or another — we can repent and be forgiven.
If we choose not to repent, we cannot expect to avoid the consequences of our disobedience. Like any church, the LDS church has the right to remove from its membership any who willfully refuse to live according to the teachings of the church. (cont.)
When most Americans say salvation isn’t limited to one religion, is it progress or a crisis of faith?
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008From The Beaumont Enterprise:
Choir children wait to sing during services at the First United Methodist Church in Beaumont earlier this year. More than 90 percent of Americans said they believe in a higher power. (Tammy McKinley/The Enterprise)
When the Rev. M. Kassapa of the Buu Mon Buddhist Temple in Port Arthur was a boy, he remembers most people sticking to their own religion and their own house of worship.
“You didn’t go to anyone else’s church,” he said. “It was taboo.”
A recent survey of 35,000 Americans conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, however, shows that that 7 out of 10 Americans with a religious affiliation believe that many religions, not just their own, can lead to salvation.
This view is shared by the majority of believers of all religious traditions, including evangelical Protestants (57 percent) and Roman Catholics (84 percent).
Only among Jehovah’s Witnesses (80 percent) and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (57 percent) do majorities say that their own religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life, the survey said.
Only one-third of Muslims responded that they believe their religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life.
Muhammad Q. Humayun, imam of the Islamic Center in Beaumont, said the survey can be interpreted in two ways.
“You can see it as the world coming together,” he said. “You can say that it shows that people have more respect for each other and one another’s beliefs, but it may also indicate that people are getting away from religion, whether they are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, etc.”
Eric Petersen, president of the Beaumont Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, echoed Humayun’s sentiments, saying the survey shows people are less passionate about religion than they were in the past.
He also said political correctness might have something to do with it.
“We live in an ‘everything is OK’ society,” Petersen said.
Kassapa also noted that the world is becoming small through communication, whether it’s working or going to school with a person of a different faith or by turning on the television and watching the world news.
“The borders of the world have opened,” he said.
Only 5 percent of Buddhists said their religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life, a statistic that did not surprise Kassapa.
“In the Buddhist faith, it is taught that every faith has its own way,” he said. “We believe that if you want anyone to respect you in your walk of faith, you have to respect theirs.”
For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, however, the question can be interpreted in different ways, Petersen said.
Members of that church believe there are different levels of heaven, so to speak.
“We believe virtually everybody would receive some sort of heavenly glory, but only some receive the ultimate glory, celestial glory,” he said.
Petersen said that difference often causes confusion.
“We get pigeon-holed,” he said. “Many people say we believe we are the only ones who will end up in heaven, but that’s just not true.” (cont.)
Meha: ‘With God, nothing is impossible.’
Thursday, June 19th, 2008From Ke Alakai (BYU-Hawaii student news):
Arapata Meha, Dean of Admissions at BYUH, encourages students to trust in the Lord. Photo by Ryan Bagley.
BYU-Hawaii students said they were inspired to overcome their trials by living the simple principles of the gospel taught at the devotional June 10. Through the stories told by Dean of Admissions Arapata Meha about his own and his family’s lives, students said they were reassured that they are children of God and that He truly is in charge.
Meha shared five principles that he said can help people gain the assurance and knowledge that Heavenly Father is there for His children and with Him, all things are possible.
The five principles include:
1. Believe in God, that He loves you and has a perfect plan
2. Fulfill all that He requires of you
3. Take Him at His word
4. Endure the daily challenges of life
5. Look to God and live
Toya Tumurgev, a BYUH student who is a Buddhist and an English teacher from Mongolia, attended the devotional. He said he “liked the talk very much. Brother Meha told us very interesting experiences from his family. I remember the five principles. I liked how the young people were listening and taking notes. Everything was so interesting and useful for young people to follow.”
Tumurgev continued, “You have to believe in God, do your best for God. The talk was very interesting.”
Having shared her impression on the devotional, Tumurgev added, “I’m a Buddhist, but I attend the church here. I just listen to them. The principles are almost the same. You are close to your family, and you support them.”
Another principle of the gospel Meha talked about during his devotional address is that people can discover what is expected of them by reading the scriptures and through sincere prayer.
“I cannot recall every passage I have read, but I will always cherish the feelings of gratitude and peace that confirm to my soul that Heavenly Father loves me,” said Meha.
Geralyn Ty Chico, sophomore in IBM from the Philippines, said she met Meha before coming to Hawaii, Meha was one of the individuals who encouraged her to attend BYUH. (cont.)
Best of the Blogs: Mormon Times
Thursday, June 12th, 2008
PROVO — The only way Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, could have written the Book of Mormon is the way he said he did, Daniel C. Peterson said in a lecture at the Olivewood book store Thursday.
To have created it any other way would have required scholarly instincts and experience the young, uneducated farm boy did not have, Peterson said.
Yet critics claim the church’s first prophet may have copied another manuscript or memorized passages to appear he was translating as he dictated to a series of scribes, including his wife, Emma. To do so, he would have had to memorize some 5,000 words daily, day after day, an impossible feat, Peterson said.
Making up the book “on the fly” would have also been impossible for the unlearned young man, Peterson said.
The Brigham Young University professor of Islamic studies and Arabic also sought to dispel some of the myths surrounding the Prophet’s translation of the scripture.
Peterson said the Book of Mormon was revealed to Smith through a seer stone. Smith never went through the golden pages of the ancient record, but instead put the seer stone in a hat, then buried his head in the hat to shut out ambient light. The stone lit up a line of text, about 30 words at a time, which Smith then dictated to his scribe. Once the text was transcribed correctly, the line disappeared and a new line came into focus, Peterson said, quoting eye witnesses who were 19th Century farmers associated with Smith. (cont.)
