Where Did Latter-day Saints Get Their “Weird” Beliefs
Mainline and Evangelical Christians think some of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ doctrines are bizarre. They sound even more unusual when they are misunderstood or communicated in a corrupted form. Many were well-known in very early Christianity and even in Old Testament times but have been generally lost in the many years since, so they can seem strange in today’s religious landscape. Also, when Protestants rebelled against the orthodox church, they kept the orthodox creeds in whole cloth. Those creeds were fashioned by vote and not by revelation through prophets. Latter-day Saints reject these creeds, so some people think that disqualifies us as Christians.
Because apostolic authority was not passed down by Christ’s original apostles, the idea formed that Christ had done His work—that there would be no more prophets or scriptures and no more priesthood. On the other hand, the idea of “sola scriptura”—that the Bible is the highest authority—has led to confusion since people have derived all sorts of ideas from their own interpretation of the Bible, leading to tens of thousands of unique Christian denominations.
The message of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that the heavens are open—both for revelation through prophets and personal revelation through the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The Last Dispensation of Time began in the early 1800s and will continue until Christ comes again to establish His millennial rule. This dispensation demands a “restoration of all things,” including those parts of His gospel that have been lost. New scriptures have been revealed through modern prophets that include “lost” teachings. Even if you are unwilling to open any of those scriptures, let’s see if any ideas found in them seem logical or inspiring to you.
God’s Word Has Never Ceased
The thing that sometimes crosses my mind is that the Bible foretells the return of the 10 lost tribes—those that were separated by God and hidden ever since. When they return, they will bring the scriptural record of their history. Will all of Christianity except for Latter-day Saints reject their record out of hand because there can be no more Bible? Why limit God in this way? Here’s what our scriptures say:
The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 29
And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.
But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?…
Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.
The Jews Who Recorded the Book of Mormon Taught of Jesus Christ Long Before His Birth
It’s hard to find prophecies of Christ in the Old Testament because the biblical record has been altered. The Book of Mormon peoples were Jews whom God delivered from Jerusalem just before the Babylonians attacked. They were instructed to keep the Law of Moses, but their prophets continuously prophesied of the coming of Christ. They saw visions of His coming birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection.
The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25
And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.
For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.
And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.
Christ Visited the Book of Mormon Peoples
The Book of Mormon prophets during Old Testament times prophesied that they would see signs of Christ’s birth and death and that after His resurrection, Christ would appear to them. The Book of Mormon account is a second witness of Christ.
The Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 11
And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.
And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.
And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.
And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:
Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.
And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:
Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.
Christ Showed the Book of Mormon Peoples Great Miracles
In the Americas, to the Jews God had led there, the signs of Christ’s death included earthquakes, storms, and three days of utter darkness, during which the wicked were destroyed. The remaining people were more righteous than the people He taught in the Holy Land. Therefore, Jesus was able to show them some amazing things that are thrilling to read about.
The Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 17, 26
And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.
And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.
And it came to pass that he did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude of whom hath been spoken, and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that they could utter.
God Has Created Worlds Without Number Through His Son
Sometimes, people say that Latter-day Saints diminish God by saying we can become Gods (which is an idea prevalent in the New Testament—that those who overcome the world through Christ can become co-heirs with Him. When Joseph Smith was working on a new translation of the Bible, he received more of the experiences of Moses through revelation. What he received expands the soul of anyone who reads it. At the end of this scripture, God talks about “eternal life,” which we know to mean more than salvation. It is the exaltation to the presence of God forever.
The Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1
And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?
And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.
Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth.
And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.
And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.
And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.
And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.
For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
We All Are Eternal. We Lived With God in Heaven Before Our Earthly Birth
There is only a little bit in the Bible, in Genesis, about how God created everything spiritually before it came to exist physically. This pertains to the earth and everything that would live upon it, including us. We are eternal. We existed as intelligences, and God created our spirits. He is literally the Father of our spirits, and we are all brothers and sisters, children of God. We were all there in heaven with Him during the War in Heaven, and we all chose Christ. Satan and those who followed him were cast out. Many in the pre-mortal world were noble and righteous, and they were foreordained (not predestined) to serve God during mortality.
The Pearl of Great Price, Moses 3, 4; Abraham 3
And now, behold, I say unto you, that these are the generations of the heaven and of the earth, when they were created, in the day that I, the Lord God, made the heaven and the earth,
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.
…
Satan,… is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.
…
And the Lord said unto [Abraham]: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all.
Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
Where People Go When They Die/ Why We Perform Ordinances for the Dead
Latter-day Saint Prophet Joseph F. Smith, a son of Hyrum Smith, was the sixth prophet of the Church. He was familiar with death. It was the end of World War I, and we not only lost so many people from the war but from the terrible flu epidemic, too. He had lost several family members, including the martyrdom of his father. A beloved son had just unexpectedly passed away, and the prophet’s own health was failing. In his sadness, President Smith was praying and pondering on 1 Peter 3:18-20, when he experienced a vision of the Spirit World (where we go to await resurrection). We learn that those who did not accept Christ in mortality or never had a chance to learn about Him will be taught in the Spirit World. This is why Latter-day Saints perform earthly ordinances for our ancestors.
Doctrine and Covenants, Section 138, a vision of Prophet Joseph F. Smith
As I pondered over these things which are written [in 1 Peter 3: 18-20], the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both small and great.
And there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality;
I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand.
They were assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their redemption from the bands of death.
Their sleeping dust was to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they might receive a fulness of joy.
While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful;
And there he preached to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of mankind from the fall and from individual sins on conditions of repentance.
But unto the wicked, he did not go, and among the ungodly and the unrepentant who had defiled themselves while in the flesh, his voice was not raised;
Neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets behold his presence, nor look upon his face.
But his ministry among those who were dead was limited to the brief time intervening between the crucifixion and his resurrection;
And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them;
But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.
And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel.
Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.
These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands,
And all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Do any of these ideas ring true for you? If so, find out more: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
