What do Mormons believe? Mormon opinions preferably.?

Question

I"ve heard a lot of things about your religion, and while I'm sure many of them are true, I'd like to hear it from Mormons, just so I know for sure what you believe.

Is Jesus the son of God?

Did Jesus die for our sins?

What is Satan's relationship to Jesus and God?

Where do we go after we die?

Do you believe in the trinity (ie. Father, Son, Holy Spirit = one deity)?

What happened to the plates?

What Weasle says about heaven is what I have also heard that LDS believe, anyone care to elaborate, true, false?

Sorry, I forgot one:
Why do you not drink caffeine?

Answer 1

You can go to www.mormon.org and get the answers to your questions. Mormons do drink caffeine; just not coffee or alcohol.

Answer 2

Most young mormons don't know a damn thing about what they 'believe', since they don't read much besides their sunday school manual. This is a result of years of being told that only the church has the correct material, and non-mormons, ex-mormons and (yikes) anti-mormons are doing satan's work by spreading lies (while the lies of the church leaders are okay).

1. Jesus is the literal son of god, not conceived by the holy ghost, but by the regular old-fashioned way.

2. The story about calvary is taken as a literal account.

3. God, Jesus, Lucifer, and you and me and others attended a mandatory meeting in heaven to discuss "salvation" for us spirit chillun. Lucifer proposed his plan, Jesus proposed his plan, and the rest of us voted, mostly for Jesus. Obviously nobody listened to MY plan except maybe Walt Disney. A War in Heaven ensued, Lucifer convinced 1/3 of the rest of the meeting attendees to go with him (and he changed his name to Satan, after some garage band) - the rest 2/3's remained on Jesus' side, although some weren't valiant enough and were to be born as black or indian, or chinese. God's funny that way.

4. When you die, if you were a scoudrel or murderer, you get sent to the Telestial Kingdom. The Holy Ghost visits there. If you were an okay person, but never became a mormon, you go to Kingdom #2, the Terestial Kingdom. Jesus visits occassionally. Mormons go to the Celestial Kingdom (mostly) which is also subdivided. The very top tier is reserved for those married in the temple, and must enter into polygamous relationships in order to become gods and godessess. Note the the gods get to make planets and stars and stuff while godessess get to make babies forever. Isn't that a wonderful promise?

5. God the Father is really the Father, Jesus the Son is really the Son and the Holy Ghost is unnamed, but all three are the corporation of the Godhead.

6. Moroni took them back to wherever since Joseph never actually looked at them for translation. He simply peered into his hat with his peepstone. Moroni said, "Verily I say unto you, use it or lose it!"

Amen

Answer 3

Jesus is the Son of God. (First born if we're being Technical)

Yes, Jesus died for our sins. Aren't we grateful!

God is the father of all of us (Us, Christ, and Lucifer). Lucifer exercised his agency and rebelled against God and "became" Satan (a bit like Darth Vader I suppose).

To clarify weasels opinion: We do believe in a "Hell", as well as being punished for unrepented sins. However, this is different than the traditional interpretation of "Hell". Read on...

After we die: Before the "final judgment" we go to (1) Paradise If we've been baptized and have been "righteous" (not sure where the exact cut off will be for that) or (2) to Hell (aka spirit prison) if we haven't been baptized and righteous. However, Hell won't be "fire and brimstone" for most of us (I'll be optimistic and say "them"). For the wicked it will be a bit like "hotel hell" as they pay for their sins through their own suffering. For the good, but unbaptized, it will be more like a doctors waiting room. In both places we'll be spirits only, no flesh and bones.

At the final Judgment (about 1000 years from now) all will be resurrected by then and go to one of 3 kingdoms (with "levels" within each kingdom). All are places of glory. All are good. However the "eternal damnation" is the inability to progress from one kingdom to another (damned = "stopped"). If you won $100,000 you'd be happy. However if you won $100,000 instead of $10,000,000,000 dollars, you'd be kicking yourself for a very long time. That's similar to the "eternal torment" that those individuals will feel who didn't make it to the highest kingdom. D&C describes

1. The Celestial kingdom as the Sun
2. The Terrestrial kingdom as the Moon
3. The Telestial kingdom as the Stars.

All give light, all are brilliant, however vary in order of magnitudes.

The "Trinity" is a definition that emerged from a voting body of Catholic men in the Nicaean council several hundred years after Christ. It was a hotly debated topic then and has been since. If you read their definition, it raises more questions than answers. According to Mormons, God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit make up the Godhead (aka trinity). They are perfectly unified in their purpose, however they are separate beings. After all, why would Christ pray to himself? Why would he bother calling himself 3 different things? Why would he and himself have 2 different "wills" (in Gethsemane he prayed that he wouldn't have to follow through with the atonement, but said "not my will, but thy will be done". Doesn't make a lot of sense if they are one and the same. On the cross he cried to God saying "Why hast thou forsaken me". If they were the same person, how could he leave himself? In my opinion, the "traditional" Trinity is a real tough sale. And just because it's "traditional" doesn't make them right.

The plates were returned to Moroni by Joseph Smith. I'm not sure where he put them, but I'm confident that they are safe and that someday (in the afterlife) we'll all get to see them. In the mean time, we'll have to settle for the Smithsonian for seeing old stuff and the Book of Mormon to read what was on them. Frankly, producing the plates wouldn't exactly convert the world. The skeptics would continue to have questions and arguments, and the believers wouldn't need to see them. Many believe in Christ, even though we can't shake his hand. Faith is required to be both a "Christian" and a Mormon (Christian...we are Christian after all).

Good questions. Just so you know, a lot of people will post things that no Mormons believe. I'm telling you, I'm Mormon, this is what I believe. I hate it when people post saying that I as a Mormon believe something completely differently.

You can be 100% in accordance with the Mormon faith and drink caffeine. We have a health code known as the "word of wisdom". This is sort of the do's and don'ts to stay healthy. It was presented in a day when physicians were telling people that smoking was good for you. It makes no mention of Caffeine, Twinkies, or battery acid. We're encouraged to take care of our bodies. We're not commanded in every detail of our lives. Some Mormons choose to drink caffeine, some don't. Even among Mormons this topic can get very heated. Some will argue that we've been commanded not to, but it's never been clearly stated either way (much like Twinkies).

Good questions. Please ignore the answers from the Mormon haters. They clearly don't want you to understand what we really believe.

Answer 4

They do believe Jesus is the son of god, but not that he was concieved by the holy ghost in the virgin birth as we know it, Brigham Young said that Jesus was not begotten by the holy ghost and the conception of Jesus was just like any other conception. The only difference is the the God of Mormonism slept (had a sexual relationship) with Mary. See Journal of Discourses Vol 1 pp 50 -51
and Vol 8 p 115.
They believe in Jesus Dying for our sins but they don't believe Jesus Blood can atone for all sins, as Brigham Young taught the doctrine of blood atonement where a sinners blood must be spilled in order to atone for some sins . Journal of Discourses Vol 3 p 247

Satan is a son of god and the brother of Jesus, (the Ensign Spencer W Kimball 1980 p3 and also Jesus the Christ by talmage)

Mormons do not believe in eternal Hell, even though the book of mormon teaches about it, they believe in Baptism for the dead so the dead may be saved and bought out of hell into the three levels of heaven telestial, terrestial and celestial.Doctrine and covenant 76

These are some answers that I have backed up with mormon scripture, just because I keep getting accused of Mormon bashing, but seeing as the Mormons do not like to acknowledge some of their doctrines then I thought I would put them up for you to at least consider. I would like to write more but there is a whole wealth of theology that can be found at exmormon.org, again all backed up with mormon scripture. I am not a Mormon, so therefore I know I was not asked to answer the question intially, but I thought it important to add these facts.

EDIT I have been called a liar because I said God had a sexual relationship with Mary, so I thought I would add the passage that is written, just as it was taught - "The birth of Jesus was a natural as any other birth and was a result of a natural action" - i.e sexual relations. See also the SEER by Orson Pratt 1853 Page 158 which says "Mary must have been the lawful wife of God"

Answer 5

>>Is Jesus the son of God?

Yes, Jesus Christ is the only BEGOTTEN Son of God.

This means that our Heavenly Father is the Father of Christ's mortal body as well as His spirit. The rest of us are only spirit "children".

>>Did Jesus die for our sins?

Yes, He did. In the Garden, He took our sins on Himself, He died for them on the cross, and then rose again the third day so that we, too, can have eternal life. We must accept His sacrifice.

>>What is Satan's relationship to Jesus and God?

LUCIFER was a spirit "son" of God, the same as we all were. He WAS a beloved of God, until he wanted to be the saviour; but he was rejected, because Jesus was meant to be the Saviour all along, never mind that Lucifer's plan was wrong. When he fell and became Satan, he was no longer able to become exalted. He will never go anywhere but Outer Darkness.

>>Where do we go after we die?

We go where God wants us to go.

>>Do you believe in the trinity (ie. Father, Son, Holy Spirit = one deity)?

They are the Godhead. They are not one being. They are all God, but not one being. As Paul said, we have ONE God, our Father in Heaven; ONE Lord, Jesus Christ.

>>What happened to the plates?

Don't know. God has them somewhere.

>>What Weasle says about heaven is what I have also heard that LDS believe, anyone care to elaborate, true, false?

We will be rewarded according to our works. Not all will be rewarded the same. Some will go to live with our Heavenly Father, some will live with Jesus Christ, and some with the Holy Ghost. A few will go to Outer Darkness.

>>Sorry, I forgot one:
Why do you not drink caffeine?

We have one section of the Doctrine & Covenants, 89, we call the Word of Wisdom. In it, it says that we are not to use alcohol, tobacco, and hot drinks. Later prophets determined that "hot drinks" meant coffee and tea. We don't know that it's because of the caffeine. I was told, by many bishops, that drinking caffeinated soft drinks and hot cocoa was between me and God, but will not keep me out of the temple. But coffee and tea will.

Answer 6

In response to Weasle...

In Revelations, John talks about not adding to the book. He was NOT refering to the Holy Bible. If you know your history, you'll remember that the Bible is a bunch of individual books compiled and abridged into what we now think as one book. So he wasn't talking about the whole Bible.

Second...Members of the LDS church absolutely believe in accountability. We believe in the freedom of choice. And it's consequences, for good or bad.

Third...Hell is a state of being, not an actual place. If you, as an individual KNOW that you could have done better, that you did not do your best to follow God here in this life, and as a consequence are unable to live with Him for eternity, that would be Hell. When we sin and remove ourselves from His presence, we are "in hell".

Answer 7

If Mormons do not believe in the Triune God, then they do not accept Jesus as the Son of God or accept him as God. They are not, therefore, Christians, but a non-christian cult.

Answer 8

Meatbot is way off. I, as well as most members of the LDS church, are completely honest with people and answer their questions. That being said, can any one argue it is easier to understand something complex if you have a foundation first? e.g., it's easier to learn algebra if you first no basic addition, division, multiplication, etc.

Now, answers.

Yes, Jesus is the Son of God.

Yes, Jesus died for our sins (the main focus in the LDS church).

Mormons believe in the preexistence, before the creation, Jesus and Satan resided with God, they were spritual children of God, as were all of us. As the Bible states, because Satan desired to get all glory and to rise above God he was cast out of heaven (he was fallen).

Where we go after death is a tough one, for any religion, because all information we find in the Bible is pretty broad. Mormons do believe that after judgment they will go to a place according to that judgment. Meaning, there are all sorts of levels based upon obedience. To obtain the presence of God one must partake in ordinances, such as baptism, and be obedient (understanding we all sin and can repent because of Christ).

Mormons do not believe in the "Trinity". They do believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but not that they are one being. One can interpret the Bible to support the theory they are one, but also that they are seperate. Does not Jesus pray to the Father on many occassions?

The plates, after many witnesses were shown them, were taken away. Would I like to see them? Certainly. But does it affect my belief? Of course not. All religion is based on faith and is personal. If you require to see or to have quantifiable evidence, then you will leave every Christian faith out there. What evidence do we have that God exists? Right. It comes down to your personal witness or findings (spriritual or not).

I understand people may disagree with the Mormon teachings, and also that there are things that can't be proven, but that is the case with all religion. Do we tear people down because they can't prove it or do we respect someone because they have personal conviction and have found something that is meaningful to them? I choose to do the later.

Now, if Mormons were bad people, caused tension intentionally or committed illegal acts I would be concerned, but that is not the case. You can usually tell if something is good by its fruits. For the most part, Mormons are good people (of course you have bad seeds in all relgions). Hope this helps and always willing to give you as straight of answers as I can.

Almost forgot, caffein is not forbidden, but some choose not to drink it. Mormons, similar to Buddhist, believe we need to overcome the self in order to have complete freedom and happiness. Caffein is addictive and therefore can take away some of that freedom.

Lastly, what weasel said about accountability, he is wrong. Mormons actual get a lot of slack from people because they believe we are not saved by grace alone, but also by our acts. Of course, without Christ we could not be saved, but we must also be obedient and repent, often. If one does not accept Christ they will be judged accordingly, just as they will for not following His teachings.

Answer 9

Thanks for including specific questions. There's a lot of info on us, and a lot of info out there by less than friendly sources too.

Is Jesus the son of God? Yes, the ONLY literal Son of God.

Did Jesus die for our sins? Yes, absolutely. He's the only that ever could.

What is Satan's relationship to Jesus and God? By this question you've probably heard that we believe that Satan is Jesus' brother. He is, in the same way that we are ALL God's children spiritually. God created everything that ever was created, ever will be created, ever can be created. If He created EVERYTHING, then He is the Father of EVERYTHING. Lucifer was an angel before he was kicked out of Heaven. Since he exists then God must have created him too. Since God created him, then he is OUR spirit brother too. It can be a hard concept to wrap your mind around. Just know that because he doesn't have a body, he can not be ressurected. If he can't be ressurected then he will be sent to Outer Darkness once resurection has been completed. Those sent to Outer Darkness can NEVER return their Heavenly Father, so once resurrection is over, we're done with him.

Where do we go after we die? The dead go to what we call the Spirit World. The Spirit World consists of two areas (which Christ divided into two areas when He went there during the three days He was dead), one area is called Paradise and is for those who have accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The other area is called Hell and is for those who have not. There is a purpose in this. The ones who are in Paradise are able to do missionary work for those who are in Hell. However, things/ordinances must be performed for them to go from Hell to Paradise. These ordinances must be done by a physical body, hence the work we do in the temple for our kindred dead. There's a few more details, but all in all that's what we believe happens when we (human race, not just LDS) die. It's sort of a holding place prior to the day of resurection. After resurection then we are seperated into one of four areas for eternity. Area 1 - Outer Darkness: Only for those who are considered Sons of Perdition, and Perdition himself (aka Satan) Area 2 - Terrestrial Kingdom: The lowest level of heaven. Area 3 - Telestial Kingdom: The middle level of Heaven. Area 4 - Celestial Kingdom: The highest level of Heaven. (see link for more about the levels of heaven)

Do you believe in the trinity (ie. Father, Son, Holy Spirit = one deity)? No and Yes. We believe that God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are three seperate and distinct persons. That God and Christ each have seperate bodies of flesh and bone. The Holy Spirit is of course a Spirit and does not have a physical body. However, we believe that they are one in mind and purpose. That one would not and could not do something the other wouldn't do. For example if Christ said something, it would be the same thing that God would say. But no, we do not believe in the Trinity as defined by most Catholic and Protestant churches where there is some spirit cloud floating around somewhere and one of the forms it can take is that of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit can only be in one place at a time, but has angels who are his helpers so that more than one person can be helped at a time.

What happened to the plates? When the Book of Mormon was translated, they were shown to three then eight witnesses. They were then taken up by the Lord.


Thanks again for your specific questions.

UPDATE: I suppose you could consider the Terrestrial, Telestial and Celestial Kingdoms, Heaven, mega Heaven, and double mega Heaven, in that there is a good, better, best meaning behind them.
However, we do have accountablility. We believe most people are at least good people, therefore we believe almost everyone will eventually accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and attain SOME level of eternal glory. Levels of glory correspond to the level of heaven you receive. Those who do not accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ will not recieve ANY glory and will be removed as far away from Heaven as possible. But this is done after the world ends.

Caffiene: The Word of Wisdom does not mention caffiene specificly. It does mention "hot drinks" which back when it was given ONLY included tea and coffee. This clarification (of no tea or coffee) was later given by Church leaders. Still later it was expanded to include anything not good for you. For example, I'm diabetic, so sugar isn't good for me so I should avoid it if I'm following the Word of Wisdom. For someone else, that isn't diabetic sugar is fine for them, but by using some common sense you know not to JUST eat sugar. Some people think that caffiene is not good for you, is addictive, makes you jittery, etc so they do not consume caffiene. I on the other hand am not that strong - I still need my Diet Dr. Pepper.(Word of Wisdom reference is the second link)

Also, I wanted to mention the Articles of Faith are a wonderful way to sort of summarize our beliefs. (Articles of Faith is the third link)

Answer 10

It is very difficult to explain all our beliefs at one time, but I can answer a few of your questions.

1. We believe Jesus is the Son of God. We believe that He is our Brother, Savior, Redeemer, Christ, and The true Son of Our Father in Heaven.

2. Jesus Atoned for our Sins on The Cross. He did what we, as human beings, could not do for ourself so that we could return Home to our Father Above. He knew that we would commit sins that could interfere with our testimonies, life, and salvation, and so He died that we may overcome them. We must repent for our Sins, and this only happens through the Atonement of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

3. Satan is God's son, as we are all children of our Heavenly Father. In the Premortal life, God presented a plan for us but Satan did not want to follow, So Christ was sent to show men the righteous way.

4. We believe that through the Atonement of our Redeemer, we can return to Our Father in Heaven again and live for eternity with Him. We must be righteous and follow His commandments in order to recieve Celestial Glory.

5. We believe that the members of The God Head are three separate beings.

I do not quite understand your last question, but I hope that everything else made sense to you. It may be difficult to understand my answers without the knowledge I have of The Church, but I challenge you to look deeper into this religion if you are interested. Please visit www.lds.org for more information. The answers I gave were only a base of what we believe in....I could go on for hours! Visit that site, and you will be able to find answers in a more complete way than I can give myself. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you find what you are looking for!