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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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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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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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 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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What is the basis that many mainstream Christian groups justify labeling groups like the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses as Non-Christians?
If there is no clear definition stemming from the Bible of what makes one a Christian, how does mainstream Christianity justify labeling groups like the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses as Non Christians?...
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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 ...
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In Mormonism, how is the doctrine of Adam & Eve inability to have children prior to the Fall explained?
Inspired by this answer to a previous question, in which the answerer stated:
"For example, the Book of Mormon adds the belief that Adam and Eve could not have children before the Fall."
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Latter-day Saint understanding of James 1:13-15, God's omnibenevolence and God's free will?
In my previous question How do proponents of the “free-will defense” against the problem of evil explain that God can be free and immune to moral evil at the same time?, I presented the following ...
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How do Latter-day Saints answer the question of why human beings are not created with a perfect character from the outset?
This question is a spin-off of the previous discussion How do proponents of the “free-will defense” against the problem of evil explain that God can be free and immune to moral evil at the same time?.
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What has the LDS Church (Mormons) historically taught about the Curse of Cain and dark skin?
I have heard that people with black skin had been denied certain things in the Mormon Church until the past 30 years or so and that this has something to do with the Curse of Cain. What has been the ...
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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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Does LDS teaching hold to a multi-universe theory or an infinite universe theory in order to account for the doctrine of eternal progression?
I recently read about the doctrine of eternal families in the LDS Church. As I understand it, the LDS church teaches that men on this planet have the potential to become gods themselves, who then ...
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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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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 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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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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History of the age restrictions in the Priesthood in the LDS Church
In the LDS Church, some offices in the Priesthood have minimum age requirements:
A deacon must be at least 12 years old
A teacher must be at least 14 years old
A priest must be at least 16 years old
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What does the LDS Church teach about Jesus being married, having children, and His position on polygamy?
In the Journal of Discourses, LDS apostles suggest that Jesus Himself was married, that He had children, and that He and His disciples endorsed polygamy.
It will be borne in mind that once on a time, ...
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Are prospective Mormons allowed to be baptized during their menstruation periods?
A simple Google search turns up conflicting answers. One source says that some temples have no restrictions on menstruating Mormons, require menstruating Mormons to wear tampons, or bar menstruating ...
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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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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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What is the basis of the LDS/Mormon prohibition of facial hair for men?
I have read in a few places the LDS Church has at least a general practice, if not an official teaching, that prohibits men from growing facial hair--at least for men in any position of leadership. ...
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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, ...
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How do Latter-day Saints explain testimonies of profound experiences with the Holy Spirit in other denominations?
Note: I'm afraid that this question might make some cessationist readers uncomfortable, but given that Latter-day Saints are continuationists, I'll just go ahead with it.
It's my understanding that ...
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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 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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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 ...
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According to Latter-day Saints, what are the strongest apologetic arguments for the divine inspiration of the Book of Mormon?
Inspired by my previous question on the divine inspiration of the Bible, I would like to ask a similar question on the Book of Mormon:
According to Latter-day Saints, what are the strongest apologetic ...
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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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What is the archaeological evidence for the events in the Book of Mormon?
I have read several books that identify archaeological evidence in support of hundreds and hundreds of biblical places, cultures, and historical events. What is the archaeological evidence for the ...
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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 ...
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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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Do other Christian denominations/groups have an equivalent to the "burning in the bosom" of Mormonism?
In the question How is one supposed to "know" whether or not the Book of Mormon is true?, the accepted answer affirms:
But the witness of the Holy Ghost is testimony from God's spirit ...
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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 ...
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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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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 ...
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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):...
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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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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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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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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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What is the LDS understanding of Deut. 4:35?
I have copied these following quotations from a study section of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints website explaining the identity of the God of the Old Testament:
Elder James E. ...
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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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According to Latter-day Saints, Jesus is Jehovah in OT. Therefore do they view all the occurrences of the Tetragrammaton as referring to Jesus?
Lesson 5 in the "Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel Teacher Manual" (link) has the title Jesus Christ Was Jehovah of the Old Testament.
In the introduction this lesson says that:
In ...
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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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