Questions tagged [lds]
Use for questions about the history, teachings, doctrine, or practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called Mormons. The LDS faith recognizes as canonical several books (such as the Book of Mormon) that are not generally accepted among most other Christians and believes in modern-day prophethood and revelation.
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Foreordination - based on choices in premortal or in mortal life?
I am slightly confused about foreordination.
What I thought I had understood was that foreordination is happening in the premortal life retro-causally because of the faith and good choices in this ...
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How do Latter Day Saints interpret the Bible verses saying that all things were created by God?
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:3
There are also Book of Mormon verses saying that God created all things as well.
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Do LDS believe in Original Sin after all?
On the one hand, it seems LDS reject the concept of original sin.
See for example Articles of Faith 1:2:
We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for
Adam’s transgression.
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According to LDS, is the Apostle Paul wrong that remaining unmarried is spiritually better than being married?
Kingdoms of Glory contains the following which I have taken from the accepted answer to this question:
From another revelation to the Prophet Joseph, we learn that there are three degrees within the ...
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How does LDS creation doctrine explain so many different words for the creation process in Isaiah 45:18?
This comment below from an answer to this question
The very, very short answer is YES, all spirit/intelligence (and matter) is self-existent, and the act of creation is forming them, not creating ...
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According to LDS can an unmarried person be exalted equally with a married person or at all?
From an LDS article on marriage:
The covenant of eternal marriage is necessary for exaltation. The Lord revealed through Joseph Smith: “In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; and ...
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According to LDS what is the Biblical basis for commending Adam's disobedience in the Garden of Eden?
Joseph Fielding Smith wrote ( https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/1998/01/in-the-beginning-a-latter-day-perspective?lang=eng):
In contrast to most readers of the Bible, we believe that Adam and Eve both ...
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According to LDS, if the Fall was a positive thing why would God condemn sin in the flesh?
This answer to a question asking about the relationship between LDS and Catholicism contains the following as one of 3 main doctrinal differences between Mormonism and Catholicism:
belief that the ...
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What is the relationship of the Mormon Church to Catholic Church?
A few years ago I met a few Mormon missionaries plying their mission in deepest, darkest UK.
I went along to a few of their meetings. In one of them, a senior 'cleric' - I say cleric, because they all ...
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Do Baptists who believe in a witness of the Holy Spirit distinguish their experience from that of Latter-day Saints?
Many non-LDS Christians ground their belief in Christianity in what they refer to as the witness of the Holy Spirit. For example, Christian apologist William Lane Craig, of Baptist confession, ...
user50422
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According to LDS is there a fixed and finite number of human beings?
D&C 93:29 Man was also in the beginning with God.
It has been presented in the comments here that one LDS belief is that "there was never a point where we did not exist. We grow & ...
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How do non-LDS Christians respond to the stylometry argument for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon?
Multiple sources have put forward this argument.
For example, the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies article Stylometric Analyses of the Book of Mormon: A Short History (link) affirms:
Abstract
The ...
user50422
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Between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, which one has a more plausible alternate account of its invention? [closed]
This question is inspired by comments from this post:
https://christianity.stackexchange.com/a/92394/35508
In this question, I am referring to the Bible as the 66 books of the Old Testament and New ...
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How does the LDS view of achieving godhood compare with the early church view of Theosis?
Many church fathers, from Justin Martyr to Tertullian, preached Theosis. For an example, take St. Clement of Alexandria, who says:
"Yea, I say, the Word of God became man, that thou mayest learn ...
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According to Latter-day Saint epistemology, do Latter-day Saints perceive the witness of the Holy Ghost as an intrinsic defeater-defeater?
From https://iep.utm.edu/defeaters-in-epistemology/:
According to Plantinga (1986), some beliefs can, by virtue of their own degree of warrant, defeat defeaters that come their way. When a belief has ...
user50422
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How do Latter-day Saints respond to the claim that the Book of Mormon is based on "Manuscript Found" by Solomon Spaulding? (aka the Spaulding Theory)
This topic has come up occasionally in other posts, but I found no question on the site asking about this specifically.
In 1834, ED Howe published Mormonism Unvailed [sic], claiming based upon the ...
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According to Mormon Church, can "co-parents-in-law" marry?
Same question as here but for Mormons/LDS. I don't see how a married couple's becoming step-siblings is any different from step-siblings' become a married couple. It's just a matter of which comes 1st....
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How do Latter-day Saints reconcile Moroni 10:3-7 with John 20:24-29 and Mark 16:14?
In John 20:24-29 and Mark 16:14, Jesus seems to rebuke unbelief and the request for direct evidence when indirect testimonial evidence has already been provided:
14 Afterward he appeared to the ...
user50422
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Why do Latter-day Saints believe that the US Constitution is divinely inspired and what does that mean?
Recent events have brought more attention to some Latter-day Saints who have referred to the US Constitution as "divinely inspired." When did this belief originate? What scriptures do they ...
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What are examples of Latter-day Saint doctrines that are NOT completely based on the Bible?
What are examples of Latter-day Saint doctrines that cannot possibly be inferred from reading the Bible only, but require additional sources in order to be established?
Note (in response to downvotes):...
user50422
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How do Latter-day Saints respond to the claim that Alma 7:10 contradicts Micah 5:2 regarding the place of Jesus' birth?
Regarding Jesus' birth, the Book of Mormon prophet Alma prophesies:
And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers (Alma 7:10)
Micah 5:2 refers not to ...
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Why has St. John or the three Nephites not come out in support of the LDS Church?
From the official LDS website:
Yes, the Savior granted to John the Beloved and the Three Nephites their desire to tarry on the earth. What they’re doing is bringing souls unto the Lord until He comes ...
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According to the LDS, when did the “true church” cease to exist?
I was recently engaging with an LDS user on this site who said the true church fell away very early. How early was this? Does the church have official teaching on it and why did it happen?
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According to the LDS, why is there large amounts of new revelation if Jesus is the fulfillment?
Matthew 5:17-18 says:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth ...
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The LDS consider God the Father the ultimate creator and they teach that Jesus Christ is the creator. Which of these two Gods is the creator?
The LDS Church has a teaching that God the Father is the "ultimate Creator"
The following has Jesus Christ being the creator: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1988/08/i-have-...
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John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as a resurrected being. When was John the Baptist resurrected?
According to this article on lds.org, LDS believe John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as angel/resurrected being:
When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were translating the ...
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According to the LDS church, how are we justified?
I know the obvious trope is that the LDS believe in "salvation by works", but I am looking for definitive church teaching on the nature of mans justification. Preferably, I'd like it to ...
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For LDS, what does it mean that baptism is "essential" for "salvation"?
https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/baptisms-for-the-dead?lang=eng
Jesus Christ taught that baptism is essential to the salvation of all
who have lived on earth (see John 3:...
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When do adult male LDS converts receive what priesthood?
It's standard for boys growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) to receive certain priesthood offices at defined age milestones.
How does ordination to priesthood offices ...
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How do Latter-day Saints rebut Don Stewart's article "Are There Still Apostles Today?"?
Short version
How do Latter-day Saints (who believe in modern apostles) rebut Don Stewart's article Are There Still Apostles Today? ?
Longer version
I'll enumerate key points and include relevant ...
user50422
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How does the LDS church explain billions of people being saved over almost 2000 years without the church needing to be restored?
"Joseph asked, "which of all the sects was right that I might know which to join." It was Jesus Christ who answered, telling Joseph not to join any of them. The Lord explained that the ...
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How does LDS theology suffer when Book of Mormon historical claims are unsupported?
This article, entitled The Scientific Search for Nephite Remains, from the Institute for Religious Research contains a large number of quotes from Ray T. Matheny. Matheny earned his BA and Master's ...
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Mormons believe in more than one god so how do they reconcile this belief with 1 Timothy 1:17?
1 Timothy 1:17, "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the ONLY GOD, be honor and glory forever and ever Amen." It should be noted that back in 2017 a question was asked about verse ...
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Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe that God(s) is/are omnipresent?
Omnipresence is generally defined within Western Christianity as:
the property of being present anywhere and everywhere. The term omnipresence is most often used in a religious context as an ...
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What is the Mormon explanation for the origins of Islam?
I think a basic description for origins of both these religions would be "Charismatic prophet claims that pre-existing Abrahamic scripture is corrupt, but an angel has given him revelation that ...
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Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints postulate a multi-verse?
Latter Day Saints will, on the one hand, assent to a multiplicity of Gods with humans being capable of being exalted to the same level of God as God the Father in the Bible. God the Father may have ...
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How do LDS explain the validity of their restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood?
From my understanding, LDS teach that Aaron appeared to Joseph Smith and reestablished the Aaronic priesthood.
The two divisions of priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are ...
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How does LDS interpret Colossians 1:16?
From this answer I gather that LDS teaches that all beings are eternal and that by eternal it is not meant existing timelessly beginning at some point but, rather, not actually having any starting ...
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Are any of the LDS gods without beginning or end, or are they all created at a certain point in time?
I say ‘gods’ because of the LDS doctrine of the plurality of gods. They believe in more than one God.
I’ve now become confused with an LDS answer to this recent question, asking how the LDS view of ‘...
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How is the LDS view of eternity unique?
I was once told by a member of the LDS that the mormon concept of eternity is different, that they believe in "eternal progression" or something to that effect.
Essentially from what I ...
user54757
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What are the primary differences between the Roman Pontificate and the LDS President? [duplicate]
Both the Catholic and Mormon faiths have a sort of hierarchical structure within their respective Churches. At the top we see two contrasting roles, the Mormon President (filled by people such as ...
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Brigham Young said, "Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test."
The following is his whole quote.
I say to the whole world, receive the truth, no matter who presents it to you.
Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if ...
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How do Latter-day Saints rebut GM Skeptic's objection against the epistemic value of personal spiritual experiences?
Who is GM Skeptic
Genetically Modified Skeptic is the name of a very popular YouTube Channel (487K subscribers as of March 2022) and also the alias of his owner, Drew McCoy, an American atheist ...
user50422
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Does LDS doctrine explicitly emphasize the atonement in Gethsemane?
After reading the atonement section on the LDS website, my understanding is that the atonement of Christ was not exclusively fulfilled in the Garden of Gethsemane, but was also partially fulfilled ...
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LDS perspective on the New King James Version?
Sometimes, when I talk with LDS missionaries about passages in scripture, they'll reject some verses I have memorized because they are NLT or NIV, not KJV. I had tried memorizing the KJV first in the ...
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How does the LDS church respond to the similarities between the book of Nephi and the book of Napoleon?
Here is an excerpt from the CES letter:
The following is a side-by-side comparison of selected phrases the Book of Mormon is known for from the beginning portion of the Book of Mormon with the same ...
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Do the Mormons/ Latter Day Saints view of the Trinity and belief in a divine Mother make a practical difference to their ethics & conduct?
I understand that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (popularly known as Mormons) teaches that God the Father has a wife and we thus have a divine Mother as well as Heavenly Father. I ...
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Is there more than one High Priest in the order of Melchizedek?
The bible makes it clear that Christ Jesus' ministry is of the order of Melchizedek and not of Aaron. Christ was born from Judah and not from Levi.
Christ is the High Priest of the order of ...
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Do Mormons agree with the Apostle Paul when he said at Acts 16:31 to the Philippian Jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."
At verse 32 Paul spoke the word of the Lord to him "together" with all who were in his house. Vs33, "And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and ...
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How do Latter Day Saints explained the italicized words in the Book of Mormon?
I have recently been reading through the CES letter. My question comes from this excerpt:
When King James translators were translating the KJV Bible between 1604 and 1611, they would occasionally put ...
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