Xploring Our Heart Links

The Christian Schools

The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints

- HISTORICAL BACKGROUND -
(Click on above for historical information)

 - SPIRITUAL MESSAGE -

God's Love Extends to All

by John Billings
Copyright © September 1999 Heart Links / All Rights Reserved

I want to give a personal perspective on my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe and know that there is a God. I believe that God, our Heavenly Father, loves all of his children here upon the earth. That includes all children born from the time of Adam and Eve through the present and all children yet unborn. I believe that we lived before we came to this earth (Jeremiah 1:5) and that this life is important to our eternal experience.

There is a scripture that says, "Adam fell that man might be; and men are that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25)  We came to this life to have and know joy, but there is no joy without pain. Without the bad that happens to us we would not understand or know what joy was. Joy comes by choosing truth and doing what is right. An ancient prophet said "....wickedness never was happiness." (Alma 41:10)  As we choose the right and that which is true we come to understand and know joy.

Our Heavenly Father desires all of his children to return home to him. The problem with our returning to our Father in Heaven is that we all will die both physically and spiritually. Physically because our body becomes separated from our spirit. Spiritually because we become separated from God. The process that we need to go through to gain joy, this earth life, also requires that we become separated from our heavenly home and the knowledge of it. Because of our spiritual death we are powerless to save ourselves. Paul said, "For we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)  Our Father in Heaven provided a way for us to overcome both the physical and the spiritual deaths. Paul stated that "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (I Corinthians 15:21-22)  Through the resurrection of Christ, physical death is not an end but rather all people that have existed in this life will be resurrected. Through the Atonement of Christ, or through Christ paying for the sins of all those that believe on his name, all may live again with God which overcomes spiritual death. Christ has also given us the Gospel which shows us the way to return.

There are two things that I believe with all my heart. First, the Gospel through Jesus Christ, is simple enough and powerful enough to save all that have ever lived, who now live, and who will yet live. I know this to be true, for God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) meaning that any person who applies the Gospel to their lives and chooses that which is right and true will have the blessings the Gospel promises. Second, God has provided a way for all of his children to have access to the Gospel. Not just those that have lived since Jesus lived. Not just to the Israelites. But to every person, for does it not say that "...every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess..." that Jesus is the Christ. (Romans 1:9 and Philippians 2:9-11)

How will God accomplish this? Let me share with you five ways that I believe this is accomplish. First, God has given to every individual that has come into this life "...the Spirit of Christ... that he may know good from evil." (Moroni 7:16)  As the person chooses truth and to do that which is good he is rewarded by the consequences of his choices. He is then led to more truth and light. In addition, every person has a direct channel to God through prayer, for God "...knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Alma 18:32; Hebrew 4:12)  Second, through the faith, good works, and prayers of ordinary everyday people God works miracles in the lives of his children. Third, God has given the truth to his holy prophets. "Surely The Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)  These prophets then teach and testify of the truth to the children of man. Fourth, the prophets have written down what God has revealed to them and these truths are contained in scripture as a testimony to us that God is interested in us and wants us to return to him. Fifth, the Gospel is preached unto those who have died without the Gospel. Peter testified that Christ, between the time of his crucifixion and his resurrection, had taught the Gospel unto those spirits who were in prison. (1 Peter 3:19)  Every person that has lived on this earth will be without excuse whether they be Jew or Gentile, Christian or Non-Christian. All will have been given the opportunity to choose in this life good or evil and all will know and understand the Gospel before the great day of judgment.

How do I know this? I have studied the scriptures and I have prayed for a knowledge of the truth. I have also tried to live by the truth I have learned and by so doing I have reaped the fruits of my efforts. Christ said, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:17)

I have worked with a wide variety of people of many different beliefs and traditions. I can say as did Will Rogers that I have never met a person I didn't like. I have difficulty with the notion that my Father in Heaven would restrict any of his children access to him in this life. I cannot believe that there are any of his children that will not be given the opportunity to return to his presence. I know, and I am grateful, that he has provided a way for all of his children to know the truth. It is important that we love one another and help each other to make good decisions based on truth. I believe that God has spoken to prophets in ancient times and we have records of that communication contained in the scriptures. As we read and ponder the scriptures we gain truth and understanding. I believe that God has spoken to prophets in our own time to teach us the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they bear witness that God, our Heavenly Father, and his son Jesus Christ live. May God bless you all in your efforts to know and understand truth and to be diligent in sharing that truth with others that we all may have Joy. "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! (Doctrine and Covenant 18:15)

The Mormons have had a fascinating and turbulent history. Its founder was Joseph Smith (1805-1844), a resident of Palmyra NY. His family of origin were called "Seekers" - Christians who were not affiliated with a church, but which respected the teachings of all denominations. In his teens, his mother and most of the rest of the family converted to Presbyterianism. However, Joseph was deeply troubled by the multiplicity of Christian sects; he wondered which was the "true" Christian religion. He received his First Vision at the age of 14. God and Jesus Christ appeared before Joseph and told him that all of the Christian sects and denominations were in error and that he should not join any of them.

At the age of 17, he received three visitations from Moroni (some texts say Nephi) at the time of the Autumn Equinox. The angel revealed to Joseph the location of golden tablets on which was written the history of two early American tribes. He went to the site and found:

• a breastplate, such as might have been worn by an ancient Israelite.

• golden plates upon which ancient American authors Ether, Mormon, Lehi and Nephi had recorded additions to Biblical history.

• the Urim and Thummim. These were two "stones in silver bows" which appear in Numbers  27:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6 of the Hebrew Scriptures. They were apparently devices (perhaps in the form of flat stones) that the high priest consulted to determine the will of God. They might have worked something like a pair of dice. Smith claimed that through the stones "and  by the gift and power of God" he was able to translate the unknown script on the golden plates into English.

• brass plates upon which another author, Laban, had quoted from Hebrew Scriptures and recorded genealogies.

However, he was not permitted to remove the plates at that time. He was instructed to return to the spot at each Autumn Equinox. Four years later, he was finally allowed to take possession of the material.

A friend of Smith, Martin Harris, attempted to authenticate the tablets by taking copies of some of the inscriptions to Professor Charles Anton and is said to have received verbal confirmation that the tablets were written in reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics. No such language exists. Prof. Anton later denied making this statement, and wrote that the symbols that he saw were a combination of Greek, Hebrew, inverted or sideways Roman letters, and elements from a Mexican calendar.

Joseph Smith positioned himself behind a curtain and used the special stones to translate the inscriptions on the golden plates. Emma Smith, Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery served at various times as a scribe. A 116 page Book of Lehi was translated over a two month interval. Unfortunately, Martin Harris showed the only copies to his wife who promptly "lost" them. Lucy Harris was a skeptic, and there is speculation that she believed the book to be a fraud. By forcing Smith to retranslate the book, she hoped to demonstrate discrepancies between the two versions, thus proving that the book was a hoax. God was so angry at this loss that He temporarily took away the special stones. Smith later translated the plates of Nephi which described the same events as the Book of Lehi.

Later, John the Baptist appeared to Smith and Cowdery, investing them in the Aaronic Priesthood showing them how to baptize each other by total immersion in water. Still later, the Apostles Peter, James and John invested Smith and Cowdery in the Melchizedec priesthood and commissioned them as the first two elders of the new church.

Smith and a small band of followers first moved to Kirtland (near Cleveland OH) and later to Jackson County, MO, which he called Zion. The church was heavily persecuted, largely because the non-Mormons believed that the church was promoting the establishment of a religious dictatorship (a theocracy) and polygamy (marriages with multiple wives). They were also distressed at the Mormon's belief that the Book of Mormon was the revealed work of God, with the same status as the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. In spite of the opposition, much of it state sponsored or condoned, the church increased greatly in numbers. Their homes were destroyed; many Mormons died while trying to survive winter without adequate shelter. They were expelled from Jackson County and settled in Far West, MO, in Caldwell County which had been reserved for them.

A public Danite organization was formed in the Mormon community to organize defense, construct homes and obtain provisions. In late 1838, violence broke out again, as the original European settlers attacked the Mormons; they were concerned that the LDS might become a political majority. The attack appears to have started as a method of preventing Mormons from voting. The state militia became involved. Sampson Avard who is believed to have been both a captain within the Danites and an officer in the militia persuaded his men to become a "covert renegade band" and to avenge outrages against the Mormons. When Joseph Smith heard of this group's illegal activity, he removed Avard from command and disbanded his criminal group.

Faced with diminishing supplies, the approach of winter, an aggressive militia and an anti-LDS extermination order from the Governor, the Mormons surrendered. The church moved again. Their destination was Commerce IL, which Smith renamed Nauvoo. It was in Nauvoo that the polygamy was introduced - the concept of a man taking more than one wife. It has been variously called the Law of Abraham, or the Patriarchal Order of Marriage, or Celestial Plural Marriage. Associated with these was the Law of Sarah, that women must stoically accept plural marriage. Joseph Smith himself assigned women to some of the Mormon men.

Avard, now a Mormon dissident, became the star witness at a court of inquiry into the conflict in Missouri. Under oath, he wove an fanciful tale, stating that it was the Mormon Church that had organized a secret band to commit atrocities. He blamed the entire Danite service group for the outrages. From his testimony, the legend of the Danites was created. Over the next 60 years, more than 50 novels were published in English about the Danites - including works by Arthur Conan Doyle, Zane Grey and Robert Louis Stevenson. The legend of the Danites became imbedded in the public consciousness.

At the age of 38, Smith decided to run for the presidency of the US. A local newspaper (the Nauvoo Expositor) was critical of his political platform, and revealed to their readers that Mormons were practicing polygamy (a practice that Smith denied at the time). In order to silence the opposition, he ordered his followers to destroy the presses. Smith and his brother Hyrum were arrested for the crime. A mob later broke into the jail and killed them both.

As with many religious organizations, the death of the founder provoked a crisis. The Twelve Apostles of the church prayed about a successor. They received a revelation from God that a reluctant Brigham Young (1801-1877) should be the second President of the church. A minority split from the main body and created the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Leadership was provided by Joseph Smith III and Emma Smith (the son and wife of the founder). Other smaller splinter groups were the Bickertonites, the Strangites and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).

Young led most of the church on a long and difficult trip to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, where they established Salt Lake City. Mormon anger against the Gentiles (non-Mormons) remained justifiably high for many years. They had been continually persecuted and even massacred by state governments and by non-Mormons wherever they had settled. This state of tension continued in Utah between the settlers and the Federal Government. It was during a time of particularly high tensions that a massacre occurred: In spite of a message from Brigham Young that a wagon train of emigrants from Arkansas be left alone, a group of Mormons and Paiute Indians deceived and attacked the train. All 137 were killed except for children under the age of 10. This act triggered an even greater federal presence in Utah. Many sources blame this atrocity on an underground Danite group; this appears to be a hoax since no such group existed in Utah.

The Mormon practice of polygamy was countered by the federal government's Edmunds Act of 1882. Multiple attempts to have Utah recognized as a state failed because of that practice. In 1890, the Church received a revelation from God that changed church beliefs and practices. The fourth president of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, issued a manifesto (called the "Great Accommodation") in 1890 which generally disallowed the solemnization of plural marriages. In special cases, a few such marriages were sealed as late as the 1920's. Utah became a state six years after the manifesto. Many small Mormon splinter groups formed at this time; they were excommunicated from the Church because of their practices. Some groups in Utah and British Columbia still engage in polygamy. (Polygamy is against the law in theory but legal in practice in British Columbia; the Attorney General of the province recently decided to not pursue a charge of bigamy because it would probably conflict with the religious freedom provision in Canada's constitution).

During the 20th century, the church maintained a dominant role in the state of Utah.

More federal political pressure was felt by the church in the 1970's over the church's institutionalized racism. The Pearl of Great Price limited the advancement within the church by blacks or by persons with black ancestors. (Higher levels in the priesthood were permitted for Australian aboriginal males, Polynesian men, etc.). In Brazil, it was often quite difficult or impossible to determine the racial origin(s) of many members. Many men of who were probably of African descent were ordained into the priesthoods. The US Internal Revenue Service threatened LDS's tax exempt status. There was a groundswell of opinion against racism by many Americans who recognized the centuries of injustice against Afro-Americans. Additional opposition came from sports groups which threatened to cancel events with Brigham Young University. Anti-Mormon religious groups promoted boycotts of church businesses and of Utah tourism. The church received a new revelation from God in 1978-JUN which abolished racism within the church.

The Articles of Faith are thirteen concise statements that give some of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint's basic beliefs.

• We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

• We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

• We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

• We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

• We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

• We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles,  prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

• We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

• We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

• We believe all that God has revealed, all the He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

• We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

• We claim the privilege of worshiping the Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

• We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

• We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.  - Joseph Smith