http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1/13#13
What exactly does this phrase mean? It obviously isn't "literally" true, since the LDS Church doesn't believe in the Trinity (or, at least, hasn't since 1834). When you hear the prase "we believe all things," what does that mean to you?
2007-10-01 05:21:52 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To me, this phrase means they willingly swallow all church doctrine and dogma hook, line and sinker.
The reason for this is that they use associative logic.
For example, if you believe that Joseph was a prophet then everything he said is true, no matter how far fetched or illogical his statements might be.
Same with the church itself, if you believe that it is the "true church," then you are obliged to believe all church teachings and even testify to the fact in public.
Why can't they take each point on its own and examine and put each principle to the test of reason and logic?
Because to do so, to take a more scientific approach, would ultimately lead to becoming skeptical about the church, which one should be when faced with so many inconsistencies and fabrications.
Another example is that the Book of Mormon claims that the original inhabitants of the Americas, which they call the Nephites (light skinned) and Lamanites (Dark skinned) came out of Judea, and that eventually the dark skinnned people killed off the light skinned people in what is now America.
Not so long ago either if you accept the suggested time-frame of the book of Mormon storyline.
Bottom line - this means that DNA tests would show Jewish mitochondrial DNA in present day Native Americans. DNA testing shows absolutely no Jewish DNA in any present day Native American groups.
So despite substantial LDS efforts to try to prove this, from a scientific perspective the B of M claims of Jewish origins of the native Americans has turned out to be untrue.
A critical scientific-minded person would then wonder what else in the B of M was untrue or just made up. This might lead to (God forbid) people thinking for themselves and believing what they feel is most accurate rather than just swallowing a standard line of church propaganda, hook.....line....and sinker.
Joseph was an amazing person with great charisma and potent spiritual skills but he was not infallible.
In his youthful quest to do "God's Will," he might have made a lot of stuff up, with very good intentions mind you, but made up none the less. Then millions of people who come along scores of years later are expected to accept his writings without question or criticism, just as many Bible believers do with the Bible. They have bumper stickers that say,
"God said it, I believe it and that's that!"
Not very open minded.
Joseph attempted to do what Muhammad did, and he was somewhat successful at it. Like Muhammad, Joseph used existing scripture as companion books to his Book of Mormon in order to lend it an air of legitimacy. Muhammad used the Old and New Testaments to back up and corraborate his Quran for the exact same reasons.
God doesn't show up and just speak to people, at least not very often, and when He does do it, there really shouldn't be a lot of confusion about what God intended~
Look at some of the names in the B of M.
Zarahemla? Gadianton Robbers, Bountiful? C'mon. If this were the case then we should be able to find these places or some evidence of these people, their settlements, their battlefields, their burial mounds etc.
God knows we have found almost everything else.
Joseph wanted to see and experience God. I can sympathize. I want this too. Where reality ends and fantasy begins is the realm of creative esoteric mysticism or Tantra. If you want God badly enough, your mind will create a verson of God for you to meet and talk to.
Back in Joseph's day they did not have medication to deal with his delusions. They had no way of understanding or dealing with this kind of zealous, well-intentioned story-telling and pathological believing.
Hook.........line......and sinker -
We believe all thing (as put forth in the B of M and the D and C)
2007-10-02 04:00:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It was a beautifully written addition that is in the Articles of Faith and examined closely, its fluff. Beautiful fluff. However, I believe that it means we don't have all the answers, we will find out the truth one day, and if its easy and accpetable to belive that God doesn't approve of dancing(southern baptists) and that churches can have keggers (Aiken's St. Mary's Help Of Christian Church BYOB party, yeah, that's right!) then its just as easy to believe that there is a prophet of god on the earth today. It also probably means that we shouldn't judge people of other faiths. Live and let live. I believe that I should never ask a southern baptist to dance, and I would keep some alcohol in the house for my non-mormon guests.
2007-10-01 07:15:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
The Gospel of Christ encompasses all truth whereever it is found. Truth is as determined by the Holy Ghost through direct inpiration. That which leads toward Christ is good and that which doesn't isn't. We believe all things that are true. We hope all things that lead to Christ. We have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things that would get in our way of returning to Christ. This is all in accordance with the admonition of Paul as found in the New Testament.
For your information, we do believe in the trinity inasmuch as God, Christ and the Holy Ghost all belong to the Godhead, an eternal presidency with the task of bringing God's children back home. They are three beings unified in purpose, having an eternal goal to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Christ taught that we all should become one as He is one with the Father. He prayed that His apostles should become one as He and the Father are one. That obviously doesn't mean that they or we are all to jump into the same bodily entity. Rather, it means that we are to become unified in purpose. Husband and wife become one in their family goals. This is not a hard concept.
2007-10-01 10:55:42 · answer #3 · answered by rac 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmmmm. Interesting question. If we take believe to mean faith then to have faith in something it has to be true (Alma 32:21) So we believe all things that are true.
I've always understood it to mean that we know that we don't have all the answers (although I try to act like it most of the time) and that we are open to truth regardless of the source, or at least we should be.
2007-10-01 10:26:16 · answer #4 · answered by Senator John McClain 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well not ALL things...for example, I'm not really sold on the moon being blue cheese, and I'm not sure about melding penguins with Chuck Norris, but then there IS a picture of it, so maybe I DO believe all things! lol!
Seriously, this phrase means to me that I should keep an open mind and heart, remembering that I, in my puny humanity, do NOT have all the answers, and that the ways of God are much, much bigger and broader than I can understand.
I might be wrong...I have before...just ask Cheese and Rice!
2007-10-01 05:28:05 · answer #5 · answered by Fotomama 5 · 8⤊ 0⤋
You've gotten some good answers on here, and once again you make me think. When I hear We Believe All Things, I do believe that in Gods time He'll give us the knowledge that we need. He'll restore the knowledge that was ours before the veil was drawn across our minds.
Everything comes to us in Order, as God's house is one of order, and no one should run faster than they have strength.
2007-10-02 04:21:30 · answer #6 · answered by Storm Duck 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,..
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
If we are not literally true, then niether is Paul. I don't think he beleived in "the trinity" either since even the word is not in the Bible.
We don' believe in something that we don't believe in. Just because lots of other people believe in it does not make it truth.
2007-10-01 10:19:08 · answer #7 · answered by mormon_4_jesus 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was thinking about this today. And of course we don't believe ALL things...like we don't believe in pink unicorns...
The 13 articles of faith were actually written by Joseph to be published in a news paper so people could know what the Mormons were all about...
Maybe it means they believe all things in the Bible, Book of Mormon, what the prophets reveal, etc...maybe just a poor word choices?
2007-10-01 06:48:12 · answer #8 · answered by Love Yahoo!!! is a prince 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
We believe all things in regards to the truth of the gospel. That article of faith is sort of a way of saying we are seeking for the truth and the beauty and the goodness of all things and of the word of God. It might not just be within a church setting to be good or truthful or beautiful.
2007-10-01 05:26:55 · answer #9 · answered by cadisneygirl 7 · 8⤊ 0⤋
Truly understood and properly practiced, faith is one of the glorious powers of eternity. It is a force powerful beyond comprehension. “Through faith … the worlds were framed by the word of God.” (Heb. 11:3) Great works are made possible through faith. Faith is the foundation upon which our spiritual lives rest. It should be the most important resource of our lives. Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.
Remember the words of the Savior: “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mark 9:23) “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.” (John 14:12)
.....but that's just my understanding
2007-10-01 05:35:10 · answer #10 · answered by phrog 7 · 9⤊ 0⤋