Q. I am a Christian and go to the First Christian Church here in town, am I wrong? I was wondering if you believe that I am damned to hell if I don’t switch to your Church.

Will you go to hell for not being a Mormon? Heavens no. You’ll get a heaven very much like the one that is taught in your church—a glorious place, beyond imagination, where Jesus Christ reigns and you live throughout eternity as an angel, singing praises to Him.

So why, you may ask, are you Mormons so insistent that everyone else join your church? I’ll tell you: “In [our] Father’s house there are many mansions” (John 14:2) and the heaven that most of Christianity is yearning for isn’t even all that the Father wants to give us. Even the very lowest level mansion (or kingdom) is beyond our imagination in terms of splendor and glory and beauty and happiness. But what He really intended for us for eternity is exaltation, not just salvation. He wants us to have eternal families—meaning you, your spouse and children will stay together as a family unit for eternity, not just until death. He wants us to return to Him, He wants us to have everything that He has.

Those blessings of exaltation are only available through living the Gospel valiantly, through the ordinances performed by His priesthood here on the earth, (which priesthood was restored through Joseph Smith) and, most importantly, through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to earth to save us all.  Not just the Lutherans or the Baptists or the Mormons. His atonement is big enough to save everyone who will come unto Him and accept His help (2 Nephi 26:23-28, 1 Cor. 15:22).  However, if we reject His sufferings in our behalf, we will have to suffer for our sins ourselves (read about that here). But when all of the suffering is over and Christ’s work is done, salvation will be given to all.

The object of our Church and its doctrines is to make our entire existence joyful. Live on earth more compassionately and wisely, avoid unnecessary suffering and sin, enjoy our time in Paradise before we are resurrected because Christ will have already suffered for our sins, and then return to live with God forever, with our families. The alternative has a happy ending too, but with a lot of unnecessary sadness and misery on the way (and no families forever).

I want these guys forever

“Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation?  Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he that commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.”  (2 Nephi 26:27)

For more information on this incredible topic, read these:

D&C 76 (the vision given to Joseph Smith describing the kingdoms of glory)

D&C 19 (talks about suffering for sins—both Christ’s and what we will have to do if we don’t accept Him)

D&C 45 (Christ talking as our advocate before the Father)

“Salvation and Exaltation” by Russell M. Nelson (talks about the differences between the two)

“Our Father’s Plan – Big Enough for All of His Children” by Quentin L. Cook (talks about how Mormons are different from most other Christians in that they don’t see everyone but them going to hell)

“The Plan of Salvation”

Now think of the best gift you could ever receive–one from a loving heavenly parent with unlimited resources, perfect love, and such an intimate knowledge of who you are and what you need that it often surprises you.  What gift would God give to you on a special day?

I’ll tell you and I want you to know up front that it is honestly the most important gift I have and will ever receive in this life.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost.

The gift of the Holy Ghost comes to you as part of your baptism.  (For more information on baptism, look here.)  It is God’s gift to you for your willingness to make a covenant to follow Him and it is the very thing that will help you receive the greatest gift He has to give: Eternal Life. The Gift of the Holy Ghost is a promise that the Holy Spirit will be  your constant companion, as you live worthily.  Let me belabor this a little bit: a member of the Godhead (and there are only three) is your constant companion, giving inspiration, guidance, protection, comfort, knowledge, reproofs (when needed), and spiritual gifts throughout the rest of your life.

Some of the ways that I have personally benefited from this gift are:

• Protection – Even though this one happens less frequently than the others listed below, it is still important.  If a place is not safe or a person should be avoided, He will communicate that to you.  For me, it is a generally uneasy feeling, sort of nauseous.  At other times, people hear a voice, as in “stop and turn around” or “don’t talk to that person”.  The way the Holy Ghost communicates with each person is tailored to them.  Remember, God knows how to reach each of us perfectly.
• Comfort – This happens often.  At times of tragedy, the feeling is strong and warm, like walking around being hugged all of the time.  (This is why LDS funerals are usually somewhat uplifting and peaceful.)  On my mission, I had a few opportunities, when I felt all alone in the world, to pray and find companionship and comfort.  Even with daily weaknesses and shortcomings, the Holy Ghost provides comfort and reassurance to help you get back on your feet.
• Guidance – I cannot understate how important this is to me.  What should I major in?  What should I do for a career?  Where should I live?  Who should I marry?  When should I have children?  God gives us our freedom to make choices, but it is so nice to be able to consult with Him and receive answers and direction through the Holy Ghost.  As a member of the Godhead, they all work together and are one in purpose and direction, so though you pray to God (in the name of Christ), the Holy Ghost is the one bringing you the answers to your prayers.
• Knowledge – As a student, this was key.  I had to show that my schooling was important to me through studying, attending class, and taking it seriously, but the Holy Ghost sure made it easier for me to retain things, write my essays and take my tests.  I know that it was the Holy Ghost because the times that I wasn’t doing everything that I should have (living all the commandments) and He couldn’t be with me, I was barely able to keep my head above water.  This isn’t just worldly knowledge though–spiritual knowledge is related to us almost exclusively through the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  If you have just been baptized and you feel like you don’t know anything about what you have just covenanted to do, don’t worry.  Just keep studying and asking and the Holy Ghost will teach you.  And it doesn’t take long to understand the gospel as long as you are sincere and dedicated.
• Reproofs – For awhile in my young adult life, I felt like this was the only way that the Holy Ghost was speaking to me, but I am sure glad that He did.  The Holy Ghost is like a warning alarm, letting us know when we are veering off of the path back to Heavenly Father.  He either tells us to straighten up or else He has to leave us until we repent and are worthy again.  Both ways are effective at getting us to seek God again.  If, as a recipient of the Gift of the Holy Ghost, you find yourself feeling unhappy, listless, frustrated and dissatisfied when you used to be happy and satisfied, it may be that He had to leave you.  So repent, get back on the path and you can enjoy His presence again.  Remember how nice that felt?
• Spiritual Gifts – Spiritual gifts follow the true church of Christ.  There are the public gifts like the gift of tongues or of interpretation of tongues, prophecy or healing (which all exist in this Church.  They are just special and sacred so we don’t broadcast them for everyone to see).  But there are also personal, private gifts of the spirit: Faith, visions, discernment, beholding of angels, teaching and learning wisdom, etc.  These gifts aren’t intended to convince anyone that God is there, they are rewards for believing that He is, and for blessing the lives of others (1 Corinthians 12).  And they are wonderful.

So can you see why I say that the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift I have ever or will ever receive?  Even my marriage and beautiful children aren’t going to benefit me if I can’t make it to heaven to live with them forever.  The Holy Ghost is going to help me get there.  God wants everyone to have this gift because He loves us all and wants us to return to live with Him again.  You don’t have to believe me, you can ask Him directly and the sweet answer that will come to your heart is the Holy Ghost.

We Mormons are usually pretty understanding and thick-skinned when it comes to questions about our faith, but it is offensive to us when some of our most sacred concepts are treated lightly.  The holy garment is one example.

When I hear it called “magical underpants” I cringe.  I realize you had no ill-intent; you were probably just repeating someone else’s words, but I hope to convey that sacred things need to be treated with dignity and respect.

The holy garment is clothing worn beneath street clothes of latter-day saints who have gone to the temple.  When we go to the temple for the first time, we enter into an important covenant with the Lord.  We promise, basically, that we will live in obedience to the Lord through sacrifice, purity, and giving.  The Lord promises protection from temptation and physical harm, as well as a place at His right hand (if we honor our part of the covenant).

The garment is provided as part of that protection from temptation and physical harm.  It is also a daily reminder of these promises we’ve made, much the same way a wedding ring reminds a man to devote himself to the vows he made to his wife.

Another part of the covenant is that we keep our covenants and our garments sacred and holy.  There is a reason we don’t display them on the outside of our clothes.  It’s the same reason a Mormon might balk at your question.  Jesus taught on the mount, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6).

And in case you think this is some sort of exclusive secret club, know that we want you to join us and enter into these same covenants with the Lord.  You are invited!

Boyd K. Packer, the current president of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles gave this invitation (emphasis is mine):

“The ordinances and ceremonies of the temple are simple. They are beautiful. They are sacred. They are kept confidential lest they be given to those who are unprepared. Curiosity is not a preparation. Deep interest itself is not a preparation. Preparation for the ordinances includes preliminary steps: faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation, worthiness, a maturity and dignity worthy of one who comes invited as a guest into the house of the Lord.

“All who are worthy and qualify in every way may enter the temple, there to be introduced to the sacred rites and ordinances” (The Holy Temple, Packer 1995).

The garment means a lot to those who wear it, but it isn’t meant to be shown to the world.  Please be one of our few allies in showing respect for our sacred things.

In other parts of this blog, it has been put forward that we are to be like Christ and our Father in Heaven and that is our purpose in this life. What is less clear, is exactly what that entails. What we do know is that our Father has promised us everything He has. John’s revelation shows that here and here.  Modern revelation also confirms this.

Elsewhere in scripture, Christ speaks of the many mansions in His Father’s house and that He has prepared them for us (John 14:2). In the parables of the faithful steward (Luke 12:42-44) and the prodigal son (Luke 15:31), the faithful steward of the first and faithful son of the second are promised all that the Lord has and ruling power over it.

Even more important than what we receive is who we will become. Christ commanded us to become perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect. As we endeavor to fulfill this commandment throughout our lives, we can indeed progress nearer to godliness. Christ’s atonement makes this possible. This process is the main purpose of our life and to which the majority of the scriptures are devoted.

We also can receive all that is our Father’s (for isn’t infinite power and glory divided a trillion times still infinite?) once we have proven ourselves worthy of such a great responsibility. What specific duties and activities that will entail are currently unknown but since God’s work and glory are to bring to pass our own immortality and eternal life, we ought to work to that end in an ever increasing scope.

As for our Heavenly Father’s origins, there is less clarity in the subject but it does follow that since we are His children and offspring, then our potential is equal to His and our origins similar. My own opinion is that He was more like Christ than any other man of this earth. “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” John 5:19

In the end, God, our Heavenly Father, wishes to foster our growth and happiness.  He has given us unlimited potential, opportunities to take advantage of it and agency to decide for ourselves.  And it is through Jesus Christ that we can overcome our shortcomings to live and to grow.  This is the plan that was created for our benefit and no doubt we will continue to fulfill our potential even after this life.

Longish answer:  Funny you should ask.  Historically there has been some widespread speculation about that, particularly with respect to Mary Magdalene.  Thanks in part to The DaVinci Code, the issue has become more a part of popular culture in recent years.  It’s a fascinating debate, filled with all kinds of gnostic gospels and symbolism and things.

The LDS Church has no official statement about the subject (despite some speculation by early Church leaders in the affirmative).  The Bible doesn’t say He was, the Book of Mormon doesn’t say He was, and neither does the book of Doctrine and Covenants.  But—and I’m hoping I speak for the majority here—I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out He is, especially considering that we believe marriage and family to be a central and necessary aspect of full happiness in the eternities.  So, (purely my own opinion) I personally think He probably is, but I don’t think anyone now living knows for sure.

Incidentally, one of my favorite things about believing in continuing revelation and modern day prophets is that I have a good deal of hope that questions like these will be answered in the future through a prophet.  We don’t have to claim to know everything about everything now because the gospel is living and being clarified and added to all the time. It’s a luxury that’s somewhat unique to being LDS, and I like it.

As I taught the gospel in Russia, however, I understood better that these weren’t three separate entities that we were supposed to divide our time and attention between. These are all part of the main mission of the church:
Bringing people to Christ. This is the ultimate goal of Christ’s church, and it applies to every person on the face of the earth.

Perfecting the Saints is the broad label given to all of the ordinances and activities of the Church. It comes from Christ’s directive both in Matthew and in the Book of Mormon to “Be ye therefore perfect, [even as I] or your Father in Heaven is perfect.” In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believers and members of the Church are called “Saints”. Yes, just everyday people in the grocery store are Saints. In this context, Saints are those who are following Christ’s teachings and trying very hard to live as He has asked them to live. Perfecting the Saints is no easy task, and here are some of the ways that Saints cooperate with Christ in perfecting themselves:

• Sincerely praying and studying the word of God.
• Attending the temple to make covenants with God.
• Attending weekly church meetings
• Volunteering to serve in any number of “callings” in their congregation. From the leader of the congregation right down to the person collecting lesson manuals after class, everyone is donating their time, energy and talents to serve the Lord and each other. We don’t have a paid clergy.
• Striving to have strong families through Family Home Evening, family prayer, family vacations, family meals, family reunions, and just generally supporting and loving each other in the family.
• Living the commandments as found here, here and here.

We truly believe that in doing what Christ has asked us to do, we draw nearer to Him and as we are closer to Him, we are more perfect. That’s what this life is all about.

Proclaim the Gospel addresses the next group of people who need to come to Christ–those who aren’t already members of His church. The LDS Church has thousands of missionaries all over the world, teaching Christ’s doctrines to cossacks, Buddhists, ninjas and pygmies, and everyone else in between. Every single person on this earth is invited to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. This aspect of Church activities is very much tied in with the first mission of perfecting the saints, because when a person is baptized into the church, they are one step closer to Christ.

Redeeming the Dead strikes people as one of the most bizarre of our doctrines. We do temple work for our deceased ancestors so that they can choose to accept the ordinances in the spirit world (if they wish to–our ordinances are not binding on them if they don’t want them). But in the context of bringing every single person to Christ, this practice fits perfectly. The church was restored on the earth in 1830, 1750 years after Christ’s Church and its authority disappeared from the earth. There were a lot of people in those 1750 years, and they are each, individually important to Christ. He atoned for them too, and if they are to benefit from His sacrifice, they need to do what He’s asked them to do to be admitted into His church (baptism by immersion, followed by higher ordinances and covenants). He asks members of His church to reach out to those who have passed on as well as to the living.

So that sums up all of the Church’s activities and programs. Christ wants us all to come unto Him and be perfected in Him. For members of the church, that involves living His commandments and serving others. Some of that service is directed at helping other people join His church also to come unto Him and be perfected in Him–living and dead.

In 1832, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had been studying the bible and thinking.  Joseph wrote that they came to a realization: “It appeared self-evident from what truths were left, that if God rewarded every one according to the deeds done in the body, the term ‘Heaven,’ as intended for the Saints’ eternal home, must include more kingdoms than one.” (Preface to Doctrine & Covenants 76, see also John 5:29) Subsequently, they beheld a vision in which the three degrees of glory were revealed to them. (Doctrine & Covenants 76)

There is the Celestial Kingdom, the Terrestrial Kingdom, and the Telestial Kingdom. These are likened to the sun, the moon and the stars in their comparative glory. (Paul also spoke about these in 1 Corinthians 15:40-42) These kingdoms are varying degrees of “salvation”: everyone will receive salvation in some form or another, meaning all will be resurrected and placed in one of these kingdoms. The term “exaltation” however, is the highest form of salvation, reserved for those in the Celestial Kingdom.

Reserved for the most wicked is what is known as Outer Darkness. Those that will be cast into outer darkness and eternal damnation are those who deny the Holy Ghost. They are called “Sons of perdition” and this is not a title I would consider lightly. I do not believe it belongs to your “average” sinner. These are the baddest of the bad; they know the goodness of God and still choose to rebel.

Those in the Telestial Kingdom do not accept Christ as the Savior in this world or the Spirit World. I would say these are “bad” people. As verse 103 says, “These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.”
Those in the Terrestrial Kingdom are good, decent people: people who are half-hearted, or complacent in their testimony. They are described as “honorable men of the earth who were blinded” and “not valiant in the testimony of Jesus.” (D&C 76:75,79)

Those in the Celestial Kingdom are those who accept Christ as the Savior, those who are faithful in their testimony and continuously strive to do the will of the Lord. These are those who endure to the end and follow Christ’s admonition to “be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48) This is the goal to strive for and it requires a life of faith, obedience, and dedication as we grow into the divine role for which we are intended.

I believe the things we should take from this knowledge are: 1) God has a plan, and 2) While it is a simple plan, it accommodates the complexities and ranges of His children and their faithfulness. We will be rewarded according to our steadfastness in keeping our covenants as we attain our divine potential.

See “The Plan of Salvation“

The intent of the word is ‘rescue from some kind of harm or destruction,’ and when Mormons use it, salvation means both deliverance from the effects of Adam’s fall (mortality and death), and from the effects of our own sins (spiritual separation from God–including the influence of the Holy Ghost).
In our most recent general conference, an Apostle, Elder Russell M. Nelson said this:

To be saved—or to gain salvation—means to be saved from physical and spiritual death. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected and saved from physical death. People may also be saved from individual spiritual death through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, by their faith in Him, by living in obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel, and by serving Him.
Salvation and Exaltation, Russell M. Nelson

Note in his last sentence he emphasizes our role goes beyond faith in Christ. I see little difference between ‘having faith in Christ’ and ‘living in obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel, and serving Him,’ because my definition of faith (see Faith, below) includes such loyalty and devotion. (I believe Paul’s did, too).

I think Elder Nelson included these added elements for those who associate ‘faith’ with ‘belief,’ to be clear in his meaning. The ancient Apostle James did, too, when he said, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:17-18) Merely believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God is insufficient for salvation. The devils also believe, and tremble (see James 2:19).

Mormons also use another word, closely related to salvation: exaltation. This represents the highest potential we can reach (with God’s grace). It’s relationship to salvation is illustrated best through analogy:

We grow in two ways—removing negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers. The Savior’s grace blesses both parts—if we do our part. First and repeatedly we must uproot the weeds of sin and bad choices. It isn’t enough just to mow the weeds. Yank them out by the roots, repenting fully to satisfy the conditions of mercy. But being forgiven is only part of our growth. We are not just paying a debt. Our purpose is to become celestial beings. So once we’ve cleared our heartland, we must continually plant, weed, and nourish the seeds of divine qualities. And then as our sweat and discipline stretch us to meet His gifts, “the flow’rs of grace appear,” like hope and meekness. Even a tree of life can take root in this heart-garden, bearing fruit so sweet that it lightens all our burdens “through the joy of his Son.” And when the flower of charity blooms here, we will love others with the power of Christ’s own love.

Christ’s Atonement is at the very core of this plan. Without His dear, dear sacrifice, there would be no way home, no way to be together, no way to be like Him. He gave us all He had. Therefore, “how great is his joy,” when even one of us “gets it”—when we look up from the weed patch and turn our face to the Son.
The Atonement: All for All, Bruce C. Hafen