And what was the response of the Jews of the day? They are sufficient. And so it is today. We had read several of his books and had enjoyed his preaching over the years. As a part of an outreach effort to better understand those of other faiths and to assist them to understand us a little better , we have visited such institutions as Notre Dame, Catholic University, Baylor, Wheaton College and various religious colleges and seminaries.
We met this particular pastor and then attended his church services on both Sunday morning and Sunday evening and in both meetings were impressed with the depth and inspiration of his preaching. The next day we met for lunch and had a wonderful two-hour doctrinal discussion. I explained that we had no set agenda, except that we had admired his writings and wanted to meet him. We added that we had several questions we wanted to pose in order to better understand Evangelical theology.
I mentioned that as the dean of religious education at that time , I oversaw the teaching of religion to some 30, young people at Brigham Young University and that I felt it would be wise for me to be able to articulate properly the beliefs of our brothers and sisters of other faiths. I hoped, as well, that they might make the effort to understand our beliefs so as to represent accurately what we teach.
We compared and contrasted, we asked questions and we answered questions. In thinking back on what proved to be one of the most stimulating and worthwhile learning experiences of our lives, the one thing that characterized our discussion, and the one thing that made the biggest difference, was the mood that existed there — a mood of openness, candor and a general lack of defensiveness. We knew what we believed, and we were all committed to our own religious tradition. But we were eager to learn where the other person was coming from.
This experience says something to me about what can happen when men and women of good will come together in an attitude of openness and in a sincere effort to better understand and be understood. Given the challenges we face in our society — fatherless homes, child and spouse abuse, divorce, poverty, spreading crime and delinquency — it seems so foolish for men and women who believe in God, whose hearts and lives have been surrendered to that God, to allow doctrinal differences to prevent them from working together.
Okay, you believe in a triune God, that the Almighty is a spirit and that He created all things ex nihilo. I believe that God is an exalted man, that He is a separate and distinct personage from the Son and the Holy Ghost. He believes in heaven, while she believes in nirvana. She believes that the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday, while her neighbor feels that the day of corporate worship should be on Friday.
This one speaks in tongues, that one spends much of his time leading marches against social injustice, while a third believes that little children should be baptized. One good Baptist is a strict Calvinist, while another tends to take freedom of the will quite seriously. And so on, and so on. Most or[S1] all of these ills have moral or spiritual roots. In the spirit of the brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind, is it not possible to lay aside theological differences long enough to address the staggering social issues in our troubled world?
My recent interactions with men and women of various faiths have had a profound impact on me; they have broadened my horizons dramatically and reminded me — a sobering reminder we all need once in a while — that we are all sons and daughters of the same Eternal Father.
We may never resolve our differences on the Godhead or the Trinity, on the spiritual or corporeal nature of Deity or on the sufficiency or inerrancy of the Bible, but we can agree that there is a God; that the ultimate transformation of society will come only through the application of moral and religious solutions to pressing issues; and that the regeneration of individual hearts and souls is foundational to the restoration of virtue in our communities and nations.
One need not surrender cherished religious values or doctrines in order to be a better neighbor, a more caring citizen, a more involved municipal. In addition, we can have lively and provocative discussion on our differences, and such interactions need not be threatening, offensive or damaging to our relationships. What we cannot afford to do, if we are to communicate and cooperate, is to misrepresent one another or ascribe ulterior motives.
Such measures are divisive and do not partake of that Spirit that strengthens, binds and reinforces. Hinckley said of the Latter-day Saints:. We want to be good neighbors; we want to be good friends. We feel we can differ theologically with people without being disagreeable in any sense. We hope they feel the same way toward us. We have many friends and many associations with people who are not of our faith, with whom we deal constantly, and we have a wonderful relationship.
It disturbs me when I hear about any antagonisms. I hope that we can overcome them. There is, to be sure, a risk associated with learning something new about someone else. New insights always affect old perspectives, and thus some rethinking, rearranging and restructuring of our worldview are inevitable.
He is the Redeemer. We acknowledge Jesus Christ as the source of truth and redemption, as the light and life of the world, as the way to the Father John ; 2 Nephi ; 3 Nephi Jesus is the promised Messiah, the resurrection and the life John , literally the light of the world John Everything that testifies of His divine birth, His goodness, His transforming power and His godhood, we embrace enthusiastically.
But we also rejoice in the additional knowledge latter-day prophets have provided about our Lord and Savior. President Brigham Young thus declared that.
Do we differ from others who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? No, only in believing more. Elder Boyd K. Converts to the Church may bring with them all the truth they possess and have it added upon. Knowing what I know, feeling what I feel and having experienced what I have in regard to the person and power of the Savior, it is difficult for me to be patient and loving toward those who denounce me as a non-Christian. But I am constrained to do so in the spirit of Him who also was misunderstood and misrepresented.
While it would be a wonderful thing to have others acknowledge our Christianity, we do not court favor nor will we compromise our distinctiveness. Scholars believe Young significantly influenced the religious and political landscape of the American West.
Despite moving to a relatively isolated region in Utah, tensions between Mormons and other Americans continued. In September of , a Mormon militia murdered about people who were part of a wagon train from Arkansas. This event became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The exact motive for the massacre is still debated today, and some records show that Mormon leaders attempted to cover up the attack.
Scholars are also unsure who was directly responsible for the violence. Some have blamed Brigham Young, while others say the local leaders in southern Utah were at fault.
The text gives an account of ancient prophets who lived in the Americas. It covers events that occurred from about B. According to the book, some Jews came to America to avoid persecution in Jerusalem.
They divided into two groups who fought each other: the Nephites and the Lamanites. In A. According to the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ appeared and preached to the Nephites in the Americas after his crucifixion.
The book is divided into smaller books that read as narratives. The LDS church states that more than million copies of the Book of Mormon have been distributed as of A young man, 12 years of age or older, can enter into a priesthood known as Aaronic priesthood.
Those over 18 can enter into Melchizedek priesthood. Although the LDS church banned the practice of polygamy in , Mormons have historically wed many wives. In recent years, the church acknowledged that Joseph Smith wed as many as 40 wives, some as young as age Today, Mormons frown upon polygamy and choose to marry just one spouse.
Still, a small number of fundamentalists, who broke from the church, continue to practice plural marriage. Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney brought the religion to the forefront of American politics in According to a Pew Research poll, about 62 percent of Mormons say Americans are uninformed about their religion.
Nearly half said that Mormons face a lot of discrimination. Mormonism is thought to be a fast-growing religion. Some experts believe that if present trends continue, there could be million Mormons worldwide by But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.
An early convert to Mormonism, Brigham Young succeeded founder Joseph Smith as the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in ; he led the church until his death in Mormons regard Jesus Christ as the central figure of their faith, and the perfect example of how they should live their lives. They believe that after the resurrection, Jesus visited America, where he taught and performed miracles. Jesus was the first spirit child of God the Father.
He is the eldest brother of all the spirit children - and thus the eldest brother of all human beings. Jesus created this and other worlds at the direction of God the Father. He did this to make possible the mortal state that is an essential stage in enabling spirit children to achieve eternal life. Jesus was known to the people of the Old Testament as Jehovah. He became Jesus Christ when he was born on earth.
Jesus was born on earth to Mary in Bethlehem, as related in the Bible. He lived his life on earth without sin, and in total obedience to God the Father. Unlike Christians from the unrestored churches, Mormons do not believe that Jesus was "begotten by the Holy Ghost".
They believe the father of Jesus was God the Father. Between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection Jesus' spirit spent time in the spirit world, where the disembodied spirits of the dead wait to be reunited with their bodies. While he was there, Jesus ministered to the righteous spirits, and trained them to teach those spirits that were still handicapped by sin or ignorance. By doing this Jesus extended his ministry on earth into the afterlife.
With his resurrection Jesus began the resurrection of those righteous dead who had lived between the time of Adam and his own time. Jesus now makes possible the bodily resurrection of all who have ever lived, or will ever live on earth. Mormons believe that the resurrected Jesus ministered to the Nephites in America.
He appeared before a congregation in their temple, and allowed them to feel the wounds in his hands and feet. He called and ordained twelve disciples, and gave the people various commandments and the gift of the Holy Ghost. He appeared to Joseph Smith on several other occasions. The Holy Ghost is the third part of the Godhead.
He is a separate being from God the Father, and Jesus Christ. Because he is a person he can only be in one place at a time, like God the Father and Jesus Christ. However the power and influence of the Holy Ghost are everywhere.
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