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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How do the LDS confirm the first vision/Moroni without having anything to test it against?
I've been looking more and more into the Church of later day saints. I'm obviously not a member, but I am curious about them all the same.
My question is about how it appears as if the majority of ...
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How do Christians of the church of Jesus of latter day saints reconcile the teaching that no man has ever seen or can see God? [duplicate]
I was approached yesterday by a lady with a very beautiful western accent who gave me a booklet about the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. In the booklet I was introduced to a prophet ...
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Why does the church of latter day saints not recognize the obvious sin of the angel Moroni according to the account of Joseph Smith's own words?
While having a conversation with a member of the Latter day saints. I did some independent research regarding their official account of the origin of their Faith. I did not see any similar question, ...
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How do the LDS Church reconcile their teaching that the Lord withdrew the authority of the Priesthood from the earth with the book of Hebrews?
When individuals or groups of people turn away from the principles of the gospel, they are in a state of apostasy. One example is the Great Apostasy, which occurred after the Savior established His ...
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If Mormonism is true and the apostasy started after Jesus' ascension why did God take so long to do something about it when Smith showed up in 1820?
Close to 2,000 years elapsed after the ascension of Jesus Christ and the death of His Apostles until Joseph Smith had his first vision in 1820. In that vision Smith was told by two personages (...
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The LDS church teaches that the universe has no beginning... thus no original god creator [closed]
If this is so... how do we arrive at today? Without a starting point, time cannot begin to move forward and we would never come to exist. An eternal future is possible but an eternal past is not. ...
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BoM says of itself it is comparable to the Bible and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. Why is not Mormon doctrine taught in the BoM?
Many people assume that if they read the Book of Mormon they will get a good idea of LDS beliefs. However, the Book of Mormon teaches one God, not plural gods as in Mormonism. It mentions heaven and ...
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How does LDS understand omnipresence and Psalm 139?
Psalm 139:1-12 are typically understood throughout traditional Christianity as referring, at least in part, to God's omnipresence as well as His omniscience and omnipotence:
To the chief Musician, A ...
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What are the main beliefs held by Latter-day Saints that are contrary to the beliefs of Christianity from at least Nicene Creed 300 AD to 1800 AD?
I know very little about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints other than that in general they reject traditional Christianity, and think only through their new teaching, can people ...
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Has the LDS Church established a list of essential attributes defining a "personal relationship" between a human and God?
Scope: I'm seeking answers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The concept of a "personal relationship" is fairly natural and intuitive when we think of the interactions ...
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Do members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in self-defense?
As the title asks, what does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teach its members about the responsibility to defend themselves and others?
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According to LDS, why doesn't omniscient God know about the existence of any other Gods?
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) has taught that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are separate persons, three divine beings.
Thus, there ...
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What are the claimed instances of contradictions and omissions in the Bible the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has identified?
This official Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints source asserts:
As the Bible was compiled, organized, translated, and transcribed, many errors entered the text. The existence of such errors ...
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How do Latter-day Saints determine which manuscripts should be considered Scripture? [duplicate]
The New Testament makes several references to "Scripture" or "the word of God", but without specifying a concrete canon:
Passage (ESV)
Content
Acts 17:11
Now these Jews were more ...
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The BoM says of itself it is a true account of true events of people who lived in actual places and received through divine revelation by Smith [duplicate]
The BoM records locations, people and events in an account of what can only be recognized as what must have been the single largest, most powerful and most technologically advanced civilization in ...
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Does Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claim membership of deceased persons?
Those familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint beliefs, may have heard of baptisms for the dead, maybe while going through a LDS temple open house (where baptism fonts are part of ...
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RLDS: Why Was Kirtland Temple Holy?
When Joseph Smith dragged his feet on building the Kirtland Temple, the Lord rebuked him saying,“Ye have sinned against me a very grievous sin in that ye have not considered the great commandment” in ...
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RLDS/CofC Keys of the Kingdom
The Keys of the Kingdom are keys of authority given first to the apostle Peter (Mattew 16:18) and the Twelve (Matthew 18:19). Then, as part of the Restoration of All Things (Acts 3:19-21) they were ...
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What Biblical prophecies were fulfilled in or by the LDS Kirtland Temple?
In the final session of the April 7, 2024 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson discussed the recent acquisition of the Kirtland Temple1 ...
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Reconciling the Bible with the LDS 1st Article of Faith and select quotes about God from the Book of Mormon [closed]
The LDS Church believes in more than one God. This is brought out in my first two statements below. Yet the Book of Mormon contradicts these statements (see quotes below).
From an official LDS page ...
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Did Joseph Smith go to heaven according to Protestant Trinitarians?
According to the Mormon Doctrine written by Bruce McConkie,
If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus ...
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According to Christians not affiliated with the LDS Church, is the LDS doctrine of salvation inconsistent with the Bible?
The following is an excerpt from pages 471 and 472 of Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie:
1. Unconditional or general salvation, that which comes by grace alone without obedience to gospel law, ...
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What is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' perspective on gaining a testimony through prophecies, dreams, and visions?
Latter-day Saints often claim to gain a personal witness of the truth of their beliefs through the Holy Ghost. Sometimes this has been described as a "burning in the bosom":
A Latter-day ...
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What is the biblical basis for the Holy Ghost revealing truth privately and personally in an absolute and unmistakable manner?
I understand this belief is held by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as indicated by the following quote:
This is the true, solid evidence of religious faith. Millions upon millions ...
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How do Christians outside of the LDS faith interpret the reported spiritual encounters of Latter-day Saints with the Holy Ghost?
Latter-day Saints believe in the concept of 'gaining a testimony'. I provide supporting quotes in my previous question How crucial is it for Christians in general (not only LDS) to “gain a testimony” ...
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From an LDS perspective, what is a key?
In the following verses (and many others), the word "key" is used in an untraditional way. Typically you would use a key to unlock a lock. The supposed "lock" is highlighted in ...
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Do Mormons allow contraception, what forms do they allow, and what are their arguments for it?
Questions specifically on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) faith on contraception:
Does LDS church allow contraception?
What forms do they allow?
What are their arguments for ...
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Differences in Missionaries Between Denominations
I've searched through most other missionary threads and have not found a decent answer to this. I am familiar with LDS/Jehovah's Witness' definitions of missionaries, usually as proselytizing ...
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According to LDS, does Joseph Smith contradict Jesus saying to the thief on the cross you will be with Me this day in Paradise?
The text is from Luke 23:43,
And He/Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be
with Me in Paradise.
The following are the words of Joseph Smith:
There has been much said by ...
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The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus Christ is God the very Eternal Father so from the LDS perspective how do they reconcile this with the Bible? [duplicate]
From the BoM at Alma 11:38-40,
Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God THE VERY ETERNAL FATHER?
And Amulek said to him; Yea, he is the VERY ETERNAL FATHER of heaven and of earth, and all ...
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Is there a list of verses from the Bible which the Joseph Smith Translation has modified/restored?
Rather than busting out a KJV and a JST and comparing them verse by verse I am lazily hoping that there is, somewhere, a list which has already been generated providing all of the verses from the ...
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How do Latter-day Saints address the claim that all unique teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints depend solely on Joseph Smith?
Several times in recent weeks the suggestion has been made on the site that all of the teachings and scriptures unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are dependent on one source - ...
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If the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neither Catholic nor Protestant then what authority is their Church based upon
I realise there are some significant theological differences between LDS, Catholicism and Protestantism, mainly to do with the Trinity and the person of Jesus Christ. LDS doctrine recognizes Jehovah ...
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How crucial is it for Christians in general (not only LDS) to “gain a testimony” validating the truth of their beliefs?
The idea of “gaining a testimony” is a key aspect of Latter-day Saint teachings, suggesting a special kind of revelatory spiritual experience serving to establish the truth of specific doctrines.
...
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Do Latter-day Saints recognize Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Saints?
Contemplating the idea of saints existing outside the recognized boundaries of the Latter-day Saint church, Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Saints immediately came to mind. Notably, the Eastern Orthodox ...
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According to Latter-day Saints, should every honest, rational, and well-informed individual be able to reach the conclusion that Mormonism is true?
I have two questions actually for Latter-day Saints:
If a person is rational, honestly interested in the truth, and well-informed (by studying as much of the available evidence as humanly possible), ...
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Would a Latter-day Saint ever be comfortable (or is it allowed) to refer to one of their other scriptures as the Bible?
This question is important to an on-going topic on CSE-Meta as to whether the biblical-basis tag has become obsolete. I understand that Latter-day Saints, in using the term Scripture, include not ...
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What is the current, official LDS doctrine regarding the state or condition of God's knowledge, whether it be perfect and complete or ever growing?
This well referenced article chronicles the history of a 12 year long contention which arose in the early days of the LDS Church between Apostle Orson Pratt and (then) first president Brigham Young. ...
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Do Latter-day Saints believe in an infinite regression of Gods?
The claim can be found in the article Mormonism’s Infinite Regression of Gods:
Tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith seems to have understood that Joseph Smith was teaching what is known as an “...
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How do Latter-day Saints respond to the claim that Latter-day Saints are not monotheists?
There has been recent discussion on the site regarding monotheism, henotheism, and polytheism. A recent question sought to clarify who or what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
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Who or what does LDS worship that qualifies them as monotheist?
Polytheism is the belief in, and often worship of, multiple deities or spirits, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. ...
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Mormonism teaches that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and they both volunteered to be the Savior of mankind. Where in the Bible is this taught?
They base this teaching on Job 38:7, "When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy."
The LDS prove this plan based on their own writings, not from the Bible. ...
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What is the Biblical basis that Mormonism is the only true and living church upon the face of the earth?
This revelation was given to Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831 and can be found here in Doctrine and Covenants 1:30.
I ask this question because the entire body of Mormonism, 100% of its "scriptural&...
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What is the significance of the LDS claim that apostolic succession was lost till Joseph Smith was granted divine authority
I was recently in conversation with a lady who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She said they are the "true" church because apostolic authority was lost after ...
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According to Mormonism, how does God manifest and interact with Christians?
I'm interested in understanding the specific ways in which God's presence and intervention are consciously experienced by Christians in their daily lives. In this question, I'm narrowing the scope to ...
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Is the veil ever lifted, and if yes, when?
In LDS theology, what makes us forget our premortal existence is called the "veil of forgetfulness". Is there any indication in LDS doctrine when, if ever, this veil is lifted again?
It ...
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Does a history exist of the origin and development of the Latter-day Saint teaching of a premortal existence?
Growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I'm very familiar with the LDS Church's teachings of a premortal existence. I'm interested in the development of that teaching though.
...
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How do members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reconcile an unchangeable God with the concept of eternal progression?
Book of Mormon 9:9-10 states,
9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?
10 And now, if ye have imagined ...
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How do Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter Day Saints view the seven churches in Revelation and interpret the ten days of tribulation in Revelation 2:10?
Recently the church I attend has been studying the Apostle Peter’s first letter to various churches in Asia (what is now Turkey). Peter warns the elect of God that they will face trials and ...
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Why do so many Christian religions claim The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are not Christian? [duplicate]
What does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lack in Christ oriented teachings or doctrine to be considered a Christian church for those who claim otherwise?
Maybe it's not what they lack ...
