What Do Mormons Believe?
Throughout my life, I have been asked many questions about my religion and what I believe. Always willing to explain and stand up for my beliefs, I have been amazed by some of the questions that I have received. My hope is that this post will help clarify what Mormons do and do not believe and practice. I have been studying about other religions in my World Religions class at BYU and while trying to learn more about Islams, I found an article formatted very similar to this one about the Islamic faith. It a great help to me as I tried to understand what they did and not believe. I am a firm believer that the best way to understand any religion is to ask questions to somebody who practices that religion. Though I am not a perfect Latter Day Saint, I have grown up going to the Mormon church since I was a little child and feel that I have a good enough understanding of my religion that I should be able to answer these questions just as any other Latter-Day-Saint would.
- Do Mormons practice polygamy?
- Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?
- Are Mormons Christians?
- Are all Mormons Republicans?
- Do Mormons believe in the trinity?
- Do Mormons believe that they can become Gods?
- Do Mormons hate gay people?
- Do all Mormons live in Utah?
- Are Mormons are racist?
- Do Mormons believe in the Bible?
- Can Mormons drink caffeine?
- Can Mormon women lead in the church?
- Do Mormons baptize corpses?
- Are Mormons against science?
- Do Mormons believe in miracles
1. Do Mormons practice polygamy?
NO.
“The Bible and the Book of Mormon teach that the marriage of one man to one woman is God’s standard, except at specific periods when He has declared otherwise. In accordance with a revelation to Joseph Smith, the practice of plural marriage—the marriage of one man to two or more women—was instituted among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1840s. Thereafter, for more than half a century, plural marriage was practiced by some Latter-day Saints. Only the Church President held the keys authorizing the performance of new plural marriages.2 In 1890, the Lord inspired Church President Wilford Woodruff to issue a statement that led to the end of the practice of plural marriage in the Church. In this statement, known as the Manifesto, President Woodruff declared his intention to abide by U.S. law forbidding plural marriage and to use his influence to convince members of the Church to do likewise. In 1904, the Church strictly prohibited new plural marriages.5 Today, any person who practices plural marriage cannot become or remain a member of the Church.”
https://www.lds.org/topics/plural-marriage-and-families-in-early-utah?lang=eng&old=true
2. Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith?
NO.
Mormons do not worship Joseph Smith. We are monotheistic and worship only God the Father. We believe that Joseph Smith was the first prophet called of God in the Latter Days and that he received revelation from Heavenly Father on how to start the church. He faced lots of persecution and we look up to him for his courage and perseverance. We are extremely grateful for the sacrifices that he made so that we could practice this religion today.
https://www.lds.org/topics/joseph-smith?lang=eng&old=true
3. Are Mormons Christians?
YES.
There is only one requirement to be a Christian and that is to believe that Jesus Christ lived, died, and was resurrected. This is a doctrine of our church. We believe that without Jesus Christ there is no way that we could make it back to live with our Heavenly Father. He was the perfect example to all and we try to follow in his footsteps and develop the qualities that he possessed.
https://www.lds.org/topics/jesus-christ?lang=eng&old=true
4. Are all Mormons Republicans?
NO.
Though many Mormons are have republican views, not all Mormons are, and there is no religious requirement or expectation that members side with one party or another.. Our church leaders leave our political beliefs completely up to us and see that there are valid arguments for both the Republican and Democrat platforms.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/political-neutrality
5. Do Mormons believe in the trinity
NO.
Mormons do not believe in the trinity. We believe that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three separate beings and that they are one in purpose.
https://www.lds.org/topics/godhead?lang=eng&old=true
6. Do Mormons believe that they can become Gods?
YES.
Mormons do believe that one day they will have the opportunity to be Gods. We do not believe that we will ever overtake or become greater than our God. “Several biblical passages intimate that humans can become like God. The likeness of humans to God is emphasized in the first chapter of Genesis: “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. … So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” After Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” God said they had “become as one of us,” suggesting that a process of approaching godliness was already underway. Later in the Old Testament, a passage in the book of Psalms declares, “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”
New Testament passages also point to this doctrine. When Jesus was accused of blasphemy on the grounds that “thou, being a man, makest thyself God,” He responded, echoing Psalms, “Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded His disciples to become “perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” In turn, the Apostle Peter referred to the Savior’s “exceeding great and precious promises” that we might become “partakers of the divine nature.” The Apostle Paul taught that we are “the offspring of God” and emphasized that as such “we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” The book of Revelation contains a promise from Jesus Christ that “to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”
These passages can be interpreted in different ways. Yet by viewing them through the clarifying lens of revelations received by Joseph Smith, Latter-day Saints see these scriptures as straightforward expressions of humanity’s divine nature and potential.
https://www.lds.org/topics/becoming-like-god?lang=eng&old=true
7. Do Mormons hate gay people?
NO.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that ‘the experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is. Even though individuals do not choose to have such attractions, they do choose how to respond to them. With love and understanding, the Church reaches out to all God’s children, including those with same-sex attraction”
https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/church-teachings
8. Do all Mormons live in Utah?
NO.
Though Utah is highly populated with Mormons and is well knoen for its high Mormon population, Mormons live all over the world. There are more than 15,600,000 members of the LDS church in the world and only 2 million of them live in Utah.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics/country/united-states/state/utah
9. Are Mormons racist?
NO.
When the church was first established, there was great racial tension and many Christian churches were racially segregated. The LDS church allowed baptism and attendance of blacks from the beginning of its exitance. What it did not allow was priesthood ordination for blacks. Today, things are very different and we embrace people of all different races with love and complete inclusion.
“The structure and organization of the Church encourage racial integration. Latter-day Saints attend Church services according to the geographical boundaries of their local ward, or congregation. By definition, this means that the racial, economic, and demographic composition of Mormon congregations generally mirrors that of the wider local community. The Church’s lay ministry also tends to facilitate integration: a black bishop may preside over a mostly white congregation; a Hispanic woman may be paired with an Asian woman to visit the homes of a racially diverse membership. Church members of different races and ethnicities regularly minister in one another’s homes and serve alongside one another as teachers, as youth leaders, and in myriad other assignments in their local congregations. Such practices make The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a thoroughly integrated faith.”
https://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng&old=true
10. Do Mormons believe in the Bible?
YES.
“The Church reveres the Bible as a sacred volume of scripture. Latter-day Saints cherish its teachings and engage in a lifelong study of its divine wisdom. Church members believe that during the centuries-long process in which fallible human beings compiled, translated and transcribed the Bible, various errors entered the text. However, this does not override the overwhelming predominance of truth within the Bible.”
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/reverence-for-the-bible
11. Can Mormons drink caffeine?
YES.
There is no direct counsel from living prophets or in the scriptures that says anything about not being able to drink caffeine. “Doctrine and Covenants 89:9 says we shouldn’t drink “hot drinks.” The only official interpretation of this term is the statement made by early Church leaders that it means tea and coffee. Caffeine is not specifically mentioned as the reason not to drink these drinks.” On the other hand, there are many things that can be inhaled that are not good for the body and not specifically mentioned in the Word of Wisdom. Even though they are not specifically mentioned, these things should not be inhaled if they will do harm to the body. Whether you believe caffeinated sodas are bad for your body is up to your own interpretation.
12. Can Mormon women lead in the church?
YES.
Though women are not able to have the priesthood or serve as a bishop or stake president, it does not make them any less important or take away their ability to lead. Mormons believe in the importance of women leadership and organization in the church. They serve as teachers, relief society presidents, and many women are invited to counsel with the bishop and other members of the ward each Sunday.
https://www.lds.org/topics/women-in-the-church?lang=eng&old=true
13. Do Mormons baptize corpses?
NO.
Mormons believe that in order to make it to the kingdom of God, certain ordinances must be performed. Some of these ordinances include baptism, confirmation, and sealings to spouses and families. Many people are unable or unwilling to get these ordinances performed while on earth and it would not be fair for them to lose their opportunity to make it to the highest degree of heaven simply because they didn’t get these ordinances done. We give them a second chance to accept our religion and these ordinances by doing these ordinances for them by proxy. A member of the church will stand in their place while the ordinance is done for the deceased. Once baptized, the deceased are not automatically members of the church. They have the choice to accept or decline these ordinances in heaven.
https://www.lds.org/topics/baptisms-for-the-dead?lang=eng&old=true
14. Are Mormons against science?
NO.
Many people believe that Mormons are against science because they think that it questions the validity of God. Contrary to those opinions, we believe that science increases the validity of God and we want to learn as much about it as we can. We are on earth to learn, and part of that learning includes scientific laws.
http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Science_and_Religion
15. Do Mormons believe in miracles?
YES.
“We have seen in this dispensation no parting of the Red Sea. We have seen no feeding of 5,000 from a few loaves and few fishes. But we have had our thousands in England join the Church in response to Wilford Woodruff’s preaching. We have had a visit from the Father and the Son in a New York grove. God blesses with major miracles only according to need, and then to fit the time. Most miracles today occur privately, and are kept privately within the heart, or within the family, or are shared only with a few close friends who will understand.”