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Frequently Asked Questions
Are Mormons Christians?
Yes. We believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and that he died on the cross so that we may repent of our sins. Through his ressurection he overcame physical death so that we may be able to live again with our Heavenly Father.
Who is Joseph Smith?
Joseph Smith was the prophet who restored the Gospel onto the earth in the early 1800's, by way of revelation from our Heavenly Father. Confused at the many multitudes of churchs, he prayed for guidance as to which church was true. Through a vision, Heavenly Father and Jesus descended unto him and told him that none upon the earth at that time were true. They told him of a set of Golden Plates which contained records of His church, which Joseph was then commanded to bring forth onto the earth to restore the church. For more about Joseph Smith, see The History of the Church.
What is "The Book of Mormon"?
The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, a companion to the Bible. Many people are mistaken in thinking that the Book of Mormon is our Bible. I will quote this from the Introduction of the Book of Mormon:
"The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting Gospel.
The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came from much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were detroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the prinicpal ancestors of the American Indians."
There is much more to the story. Too much to go into here. If you would like to read for yourself, you may call this toll free number and receive a free copy of the Book of Mormon, without obligation. 1-888--537-7111.
Aren't you the church who believes in polygamy?
No. There was a time over 100 years ago that we did do this, but it wasn't as many people think. The reason was simple: when the Mormons were forced by a misunderstanding society to flee to the west, many men died during the nearly 2000 mile migration. Also, even though the United States looked down upon Mormons, when the war broke out with Mexico they came and asked for 500 of our strongest men to volunteer for the Army. Both situations left many broken families. Men who took more than one wife had to be able to provide for each of them and each family. After the population grew, we abolished polygamy altogether.
What is the main difference in Mormon beliefs?
The one thing that stands out in our belief is that we have the gift of a modern-day prophet to give us revelations from Heavenly Father. We believe that after Jesus and the 12 Apostles died, the gift of revelation was broken from the earth. This is what Mormons refer to as "The Apostacy". When Joseph Smith restored the Gospel onto the earth in the early 1800's, the gift of prophecy was restored along with it. We believe in modern day revelation and believe it to be the word of God given through our modern day prophet. The name of our living prophet at this time is Gordon B. Hinckley. At the time of his death, there will be another, as there have been in the past since the time of Joseph Smith. Our prophet is also the President of our church, receiving no compensation for his calling.
If you have a question on something that is not covered in this site, please feel free to ask! I have provided a form for your use.
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