This quote is from the 13^th Article of Faith.    The Articles of Faith were written in 1842 by Joseph Smith at the request of John Wentworth who was the editor of the Chicago Democrat.  Mr. Wentworth asked Joseph Smith for information about Mormonism.  Joseph Smith sent a letter that gave a history of the church and 13 fundamental doctrines of Mormonism, known as the Articles of Faith.

Click to read the 13 Articles of Faith

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. 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.
5.  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.
6.  We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7.  We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8.  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.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. 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.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping 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.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. 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.

Answer:  Thanks for the question.  I haven’t seen the Book of Mormon musical and I don’t know if any of the other What do Mormons Believe authors have either.   I currently live in Iowa, which is an awful long way from Broadway.  Additionally, I’m a student, which financially makes me a long way from affording Broadway too. 

I have read a number of reviews on the musical.   Here is a review that was well written.   Here is another article from the Washington Post on the musical.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints have issued the following statement regarding the Book of Mormon musical:

“The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people’s lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ.”

Today in church, the young children went up to the front and sang some songs about fathers that they have been practicing for the last couple of weeks.  It was fun to hear and see them sing.  I also watched with great interest as my oldest son, who is 3 years old, sang along.

I haven’t been a dad very long and I’m still learning a lot.  Some things I’ve learned so far are just little things, like how to get marker out of the carpet or how to make the tastiest Mac and Cheese, but some of the things I’ve learned are on more of a deeper level.  Maybe fatherhood and ageing has given me a different perspective.

As I watch my two toddlers, I often think about our Heavenly Father watching over us.  I think of the love that He has for us.  When my son works on a puzzle, gets stuck and asks for help, I’m willing to help him out with it.  I also think about God being eager to help us if we come to him with our problems.  The scripture in Matthew 7:9-11 fits well:

“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask of him?”

My wife shared with me an experience she had when she took our son to get his immunization shots.  Our son has always been really trusting.  Even when he’d cry as a baby, he’d just call out and then wait for us to take care of him.  He just wasn’t a big crier.  Well, as the shots were administered, a look of pain and shock overcame his face.  He looked up with an expression of “how could you let this happened to me?”  My wife admitted she started crying too.  She felt so bad for him and wanted to somehow tell him that the shots were to help him.  It would only hurt for a little while.  Later, she realized that Heavenly Father must feel the same way when we go through our trials in life.  They may be painful or seem really hard at the time, but they really help us learn and become stronger people.

What are some insights that you have gained that demonstrate our relation, as children, to our Heavenly Father?

Like other Christian churches, we celebrate his birth, especially around Christmas time. Usually my family would read the Christmas story from the New Testament, in Luke 2. Sometimes while growing up, we would even act it out.

This link is a great little summary video of the Christmas Story.

What would happen to people who didn’t have the chance to hear the gospel, such as people in third world countries? Even if they’ve lived good lives, but never even heard the name of Christ, do they still end up in hell? What about small children who die?

The reason that these comments caught my eye is because I’ve asked these very same questions myself. Now in this article, I will share the answers I have learned with you.

Sadly, there are still places in the world, where the name of Christ is foreign and his teachings are not taught. Think of a tribe of people in sub-Saharan Africa, where they’ve never even heard of Jesus and where there are no scriptures to learn from. But they are still good people. They help their fellow men, they look after their families. They respect the earth and work hard to improve life for themselves and those around them. These are the types of people who would accept the Gospel of Christ if it was presented to them and would strive to follow Him. Is it fair that because they were born in Africa, instead of another part of the world, that they are doomed to Hell?

The answer to this question is No. We know that God is a just God. Where would the justice be if these people were assigned to eternal damnation by no act of their own?

But we also know that in order to return to God, we must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost through confirmation.

How can God be fair, while having faith, repenting, baptism and confirmation are required?

In the scriptures we learn that everyone will have the chance to be taught and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. For some people, it will take place in this life. But for others, it will occur after they die.

The apostle Peter spoke of this in 1 Peter 3:18-19

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirt:

By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison”

And in 1 Peter 4:6

“For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”

These people will get a chance to learn and accept the gospel while in this “spirit prison”. They can develop faith in Christ and repent of their sins. They will also be able to receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation by proxy. Here is a link to further explain that.

The last question was about small children who die. Some babies are born with severe conditions that only allow minutes of life to them. Other children pass away at an older age, but are still too young to have really understood who Christ was.

These children are also not punished for their brief lives, but are saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ. We learn from the scriptures that “children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.” (D&C 137:10) What a truly comforting promise to those who have lost young loved ones.

God is a just and loving God. He loves and cares for his children. That is why he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to make it possible that we can return to live with him someday. And that is why he has given everyone a chance to learn of Christ, have faith in him, repent of their sins, be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Good question.  You could ask any local Mormon missionaries in your area and they would be happy to help.  Or you could request a copy online.

Here is a link for a free Book of Mormon

And here is a link for a free Bible (the King James Version)

You can also read or listen to the scriptures online.

Yesterday, I was thinking about being able to listen to a modern-day prophet, so I e-mailed a few of my friends about it.  I asked them a couple of questions, and below I’ll share some of their responses.

Do you believe there is currently a prophet of God on the earth?

Yes

Yes, I do.

Yes.  I believe it’s an act of God’s love.

Is it important for there to be a prophet today?  If so, why?

Yes, because the world is ever changing and while principles may remain the same, applications are varied.

Yes.  We need God’s direction today more than ever before.  People that want to do the right thing don’t know what the right thing even is, or even if there IS a right thing, because of all of the false ideas (that are often combined with some half-truths) that are so widely propagated. As a result, too many good people wander around and get lost in life because they have no direction. A prophet of God can teach us what is right and what is wrong, and help us avoid dark paths and find the true way to happiness.

Yes.  I picture him as the liaison between God and us in a more literal sense, than just by prayer and personal revelation alone. He directs the world as a whole because they are all under his care

What does it mean to you to be able to listen to a modern day prophet?

It means so much more to me the older I get.  They give council and advice that applies to my modern day problems.  The older I get the more problems I get.  I love listening to the modern day prophet to see what the Lord wants me to do today.

I probably do not appreciate it enough.  Sometimes hindsight shows me that I should have listened better.

Any other thoughts or comments?

I know that God lives, and that He loves us. He is our Father. We can return to live with Him again after this life. This is possible because Jesus Christ atoned for our sins, which enables us to repent and become better people when we make mistakes. I know that Jesus lives today.

I know that there is a modern day prophet and that he is called of the one true God.

The Prophet directs us to follow Jesus Christ, who is our Savior.  If you are interested in hearing what the Prophet of God has to say, take a look at the following website.

www.generalconference.lds.org

While I was growing up, each year we’d gather the family and we would read the nativity story from the Bible together.  Sometimes my father would read and the children would act it out.  In this picture, we are the wise men bringing gifts. (I’m the littlest wise man in the back)  By taking time to read and think about the birth of Christ it helps us think about the greatest gift that was given.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  – John 3:16

I am truly grateful for the birth and life of Jesus Christ.  Through his suffering in Gethsemane, death on the cross and his resurrection, he has made it possible that we can repent and receive forgiveness of our sins and that we can live again after death.  What a wonderful Christmas gift.

My test strategy is to go through the whole test and answer all the questions, and then go through again and double check them as I transfer my answers to the scan-tron.    I came to a particular question where I was able to narrow it down to two answers.  Initially I had marked “e” being pretty confident with my choice.  But when I came upon it for the second time, I had a distinct thought, “No, that’s not correct”.  Then I suddenly remember the things I learned when I studied the topic earlier.   I changed my answer to “d” and I got the question right.

I thought about my experience throughout the day.  I know that God does answer our prayers.  We believe to receive answers for our questions, we must do our part.  We must study it in our minds and then ask God if it’s right.  If it is, we will feel that in our hearts and in our minds that it is right. (see D&C 9:8 & Moroni 10:3-5)