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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is unique among Christian churches in its belief that there is a modern prophet of God on the earth today. The first prophet in this last dispensation was Joseph Smith. Jesus Christ restored the fulness of His gospel through Joseph Smith. Since Joseph Smith there have been fifteen prophets, with today’s President Thomas S. Monson being the sixteenth prophet of this dispensation. Each prophet is the mouthpiece of God on the earth during his time of service and has absolute authority in God’s name.
- Angelic Visitations
- The Authenticity of the Mission of Joseph Smith
- The Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith
- Joseph Smith’s Search for Truth
Continuing Revelation and the Open Canon of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
I’m so confused on what to believe please help me to understand the Mormon Beliefs.Thank you.
I would love to help you! What are you specifically confused about?
Thanks for visiting our website, Michele.
May I ask, “What is your question specifically?” We believe many things–first and foremost in Jesus Christ and His atonement and resurrection. We believe that God lives and that He loves us and that we are His children. We believe that the pure truths of the gospel the Savior taught while on earth, have been restored in our day, along with His full authority and power, and that those are contained within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Let me know what you are seeking and I’ll be happy to try to address that. God bless you in your spiritual journey.
Karen
Doesn’t your understanding of the “godhead” directly violate both the Old and New Testament understanding of God being one? To quote a bit of Scripture, when Christ said that “I and the Father are One,” and not “I and the Father are one in purpose” doesnt this suggest a trinitarian view? I’m curious and thank you for the reply
Ashley, The Father bore record of the Son on many occasions. Moreover, Joseph Smith bore witness unto death that He saw them, in this dispensation, in answer to prayer about which Church was the Savior’s and what the truth about them was. In his day, the conception of the godhood was confused and amorphous. The vision and the appearance of the Savior and the Father to Joseph was the end of the confusion and confirms truth–that they are separate Beings with glorified immortal Bodies, loving, perfect, and personal. We are in their image. I witness this is true though we are happy to disagree should you believe differently and respect your right to choose.
God bless you on your spiritual journey.
I read some of your info but, I did not see anything about the Mormons believing that there is a universal church outside the Mormon religion. The universal church meaning, all who believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven and have asked for forgiveness and for Christ to be Lord of their lives.
Thank you.
Delisa, Thanks for approaching us with your question and for visiting our sites. We love our brothers and sisters of faith who recognize the Savior as the only way to heaven, and those who’ve sought forgiveness through His atoning sacrifice. We believe that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life as well, and that no one may return to the Father but through Him, as you do. I think what you are asking, and correct me if I’m wrong, is if we believe in both a larger universal body of faith as a “Church” as well as “The Church of Jesus Christ.” I’ll email you with a longer response, but essentially, we believe that Christ literally re-established His original Church–pure doctrines and his authority–to the earth once more in 1820 through one He foreordained to be His instrument for that restoration–Joseph Smith. We don’t believe that anyone can claim Christ’s authority by virtue of a degree or by virtue of claiming belief in Christ. The apostleship and the calls to witness for Christ came by laying on of hands by one in authority anciently. That authority was lost after the death of the Savior and his apostles. It has been restored to the earth. The apostles, Peter, James, and John, actually appeared to lay hands on and deliver the keys to the kingdom to those in our day and through that succession, it exists and it exists only in one place, in the Savior’s true Church which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m happy to share more and will email you in case you have further questions. Kindest regards, Karen