WELL, may I first say that I am seriously impressed. You are one articulate, well read woman. I also get the impression that you're not trying to criticize anyone; you’re just trying to sort out all the stuff you’ve heard. In an effort to hopefully simplify, let me say this:
Mormons believe in Jesus Christ. We believe he is the son of God, and we believe in the Holy Ghost. We believe that the Bible is scripture about the old world in Europe and Africa and Asia, and that the Book of Mormon is scripture about groups that came to the Americas around the same time. We believe Christ lived, died, and was resurrected. We believe that his sacrifice made it possible for everyone to be resurrected. We believe that when Christ left the earth, we were told he’d be back. After he left, his Church was taken from the earth for a time, a period we call the dark ages.
In the 1820’s, there were lots of different views, just like today. One young man wanted to know how he could best be forgiven his sins, so he went to ask God which Church to join. Mormons believe God and Jesus Christ appeared to him, in person, and told him that it was time their authority was restored to the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the organization created by God in the final days before Christ comes again. It is a complete Church, meaning it has God’s authority, a prophet that he speaks through, and modern day teachings that help us better understand past and present scripture.
At that, let me stop. The ONLY way to understand all the questions you have is to get those basics out of the way. Notice I didn’t say anything about the nature of God and Jesus, or how the Book of Mormon came to be, or any other details that might be discussed. The bottom line is Christ, God, Bible, Book of Mormon, restored Church with Priesthood authority, and modern day revelation. If you can believe that, the rest of it ends up really not meaning much. There are still answers, but when you believe those basics, they become just details versus the overall picture.
How do you believe the foundation I talked about? Only through prayer to God can someone truly know if it’s true. Only through the peace the Spirit can bring can you feel for yourself if it’s right. No one on here, where you are, or any person anywhere can explain the details enough to you to MAKE you believe.
I hope you know that I think it’s really cool that you’re so interested. Like I said before, you’re pretty intelligent, and I think it’s great you’ve got so many questions. I hope I’ve been some kind of help in your search.
Scott
