The prophet Joel saw that prophecies and dreams would happen in the last days when he said, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. (Joel 2:28)” It’s the scope of such revelations that I’d like to talk about.

It’s true that the gift of prophesy can be given to any worthy individual, one must be careful giving these propehecies as doctrine to other people. The Lord does not run His kingdom based on revelations to one man, telling his neighbor to do something. The kingdom of God is a house of order and everything is done in order. Commandments and divine guidance are recieved and given under the proper stewardship. An individual may recieve revelation for him or herself. A husband and wife may receive revelation for their family. Bishops for their wards, stake presidents for their stakes, and the prophet is chosen to receive revelation for all the world.

At each of these levels, the revelation is given to someone who has the responsibility to care for someone else. Even then, it must be given righteously, as spoken in D&C 121:41-42.

No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

For example, if a person were visit with his or her bishop concerning a personal problem, the bishop is authorized to receive revelation to counsel that individual. A bishop of another ward or a former bishop cannot recieve such revelation. That person can then receive personal witness that the bishop’s counsel is of God by praying to Him.

So concerning your dreams, I cannot judge how it may affect others but I can encourage you to study out the matter in scripture and in prayer and find what is required of you to prepare for these calamities.

The LDS sacrament is known to other Christians as the Eucharist, Communion, or generally, the Lord’s Supper.  Two priesthood holders, usually young men, bless first the broken bread and then the water, which have been placed in trays. After the respective prayers, these trays are passed to the seated congregation.

When it comes to you, you can either take one and pass it, or just pass it.  Either way, no one will fuss.

In my personal opinion, there is no harm in taking the Sacrament without being a member. No one is going to look at you like you’ve blasphemed their faith by partaking. I, along with many other members, allow my children to take the Sacrament and they haven’t been baptized as members yet.

However, it is important to understand why we take the Sacrament: 1) It reminds us of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and His great sacrifice on our behalf.  2) It serves as a renewal of the covenants we made at our baptism.

Regarding the first, I feel that most visitors would have no problem viewing the  bread and water as symbolic of the body and blood of our Redeemer.  The second reason just doesn’t apply though. Without having been baptized, you can’t renew those covenants.

Essentially, it’s up to you. You’re certainly under no obligation to take the Sacrament. If you feel more comfortable passing the tray along, that’s perfectly acceptable. If you’d like to take it, you’re welcome to do so, though it will mean far more to you after baptism.  This weekly ordinance allows baptized and confirmed saints to maintain the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, the greatest gift we can have in life.

First of all, what should you wear? Well, dress for success, my friends. While you’d be welcome regardless of your attire, you’d stick out if you showed up in, for example, jeans and a t-shirt. Mormons believe that wearing “Sunday best” shows respect to the Lord. For women, this means either a dress or a skirt and blouse. For men, a suit or nice slacks, white shirt and a tie is appropriate. I’ve personally found that the clothes I wear affect my behavior. Being a little more dressed up serves as a good reminder of a more reverent and respectful attitude.  However, if your best clothes happen to be jeans and a T-shirt, don’t hesitate to come anyway: sometimes a financial situation may be keeping someone from having a semi-formal wardrobe. Remember “the lord looketh on the heart“.

Now that you look respectable, what else should you know? Be prepared: LDS church meetings are three hours long. Three awesome hours of uplifting gospel instruction, but three hours nonetheless. (If you can only attend for one of those hours, that’s fine – come anyway!) So, what exactly happens during those three hours?

Well, each hour is a separate meeting and sometimes the schedule is arranged differently but usually the first of the three meetings is the Sacrament meeting. The congregation gathers in the chapel, preferably a bit early so you can have some quiet time and enjoy the prelude music. Now, let me introduce some basic terminology. The congregation is known as a “ward”. The men who lead the ward consist of the bishop and his two counselors, also known as the “bishopric”. When church commences, the conducting member of the bishopric begins the meeting by welcoming everyone and announcing what’s coming up next: who will give the opening prayer, what hymn we’ll sing, and so on. (This information can also be found in the program that is usually handed out at the door to the chapel on your way in.) We’ll have ward business, which includes calling and releasing various members of the congregation.

Let me explain something here that I know has been mentioned in other articles. The LDS church does not have a paid clergy. The Bishop, his counselors, the brother or sister passing out the program, the organist, the conductor: everyone is “called” to a position and chooses to volunteer his or her time fulfilling that calling to support and contribute to the benefit of the entire ward (1 Corinthians 12:15-30). Everyone in the ward gets the opportunity to sustain the brothers and sisters to these callings and thank those who are released from a given position.

After the ward business is concluded, we’ll sing a sacrament hymn and have the blessing and passing of the sacrament. You shouldn’t be alarmed to find that we use water instead of wine, since Mormons don’t drink wine.  The bread and water are symbolic of Jesus Christ’s flesh and blood, and it makes no difference what medium is used for that symbolism. (see D&C 27:2)

After the sacrament, we’ll get to hear from a few members of the congregation who have been asked by the bishopric to speak on a given topic. After listening to their addresses, we’ll sing another hymn and have a concluding prayer. Then we’ll separate for the next hours’ meetings.

For most of the adults in the ward this second hour will be Sunday School. The lessons are taught from the book of scripture we’re studying for the year, which rotates between the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants. You can often find alternative Sunday School meetings which address more specialized topics, such as family history, marriage & family, temple preparation, etc.  One class, Gospel Essentials, is for new members and investigators (i.e. people who are investigating the Church — perhaps someone like you).  It covers all the basic principles of the gospel.

For the third hour the adults separate into the Priesthood (men) and Relief Society (women) meetings, where we study the teachings of the various presidents of our church.  This year we are studying the teachings of Joseph Smith.

Children are usually plentiful in LDS meetings, so don’t be surprised to see a number of babies, toddlers, and assorted aged young ‘uns in Sacrament meeting. For the second and third hour, children and youth (18 months to 18 years of age) attend their own age appropriate classes.

So you see, we’ve got all the bases covered here. There’s something for everyone. I’d be willing to bet you’ll find many smiling, welcoming faces as well, so don’t be intimidated. Now go find out for yourself what the church meetings are like. The Spirit you’ll feel when you attend is special. I could try to describe it, but it’s one of those things that’s really best experienced first-hand.

To find an LDS meetinghouse in your area click here.

Heavenly Father has prepared another chance for them to hear the gospel and choose to accept or reject it.

The official Church website explains:  “Jesus Christ taught that baptism is essential to the salvation of all who have lived on earth (see John 3:5)  Many people, however, have died without being baptized.  Others were baptized without proper authority.  Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism.  By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors.  Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf.”

Baptism is the first ordinance of the gospel.  It is so important that even Jesus Christ asked to be baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness.  Because Heavenly Father desires for us all to return to Him, He has made it possible for the dead to have the same opportunities as the living through the temple ordinances.

Some have the misconception that this temple work forces the deceased persons into covenants against their will.  This is entirely false.  All spirits maintain their free will after death and can opt to accept or refuse the ordinance of baptism.  When a living person is baptized and receives the Gift of the Holy Ghost in behalf of a deceased person, it is only to give the deceased person the opportunity – the option of redemption.

LDS.org also reveals:  “Many in the spirit world embrace the gospel. However, they cannot receive priesthood ordinances for themselves because they do not have physical bodies. In holy temples, we have the privilege of receiving ordinances in their behalf. These ordinances include baptism, confirmation, Melchizedek Priesthood ordination (for men), the endowment, the marriage sealing, and the sealing of children to parents. The Lord revealed this work to the Prophet Joseph Smith, restoring a practice that had been revealed to Christians shortly after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:29).

Part of the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to Redeem the Dead.  Because of this, we participate in genealogy/family history work to find our ancestors who were not able to hear and accept the gospel while on earth.  Many in my family are involved in this work because of our desire to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to their fathers as mentioned at the very end of the old testament.

I love going to the temple.  There is such a special feeling that accompanies me when I’m in the House of the Lord.  Doing the physical ordinances for my ancestors who have passed on is an amazing experience because I know that many of them have been waiting for hundreds of years to finally have their baptism performed.  Being a part of their spiritual progression is remarkable.  I know that God is merciful and mindful of each of us because He gives everyone a fair chance at accepting or rejecting the message of the gospel.

The best place to go for the answer to this question is a Lutheran pastor.  There could be many reasons he would hold such a position, and I don’t pretend to know the ins and outs of Lutheran doctrine.  However, I will tell you about our beliefs regarding baptism, so that when you talk to the pastor you will be moderately well-informed (in case he doesn’t know the ins and outs of Mormonism).

One thing I want to make clear:  baptism is a covenant between an individual and his Heavenly Father.  It is not a covenant with the rest of Christianity.  Whether any other denomination accepts my baptism is immaterial if I know that it was authorized by God.

But which baptisms does He authorize?  I’ll get to that in a moment; first, I’d like to shed a little light on what baptism means and why we do it.

The purpose of baptism

Baptism is found among the very first principles and ordinances of the gospel:  faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and receipt of the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Baptism is a token of faith in Christ, and a sign that we have repented of our sins.  It is also a prerequisite to receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost as a daily, constant companion.

Like I mentioned above, baptism is a covenant (or contract) with God.  We promise to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, become one of His people, and to serve God and keep all of His commandments.  He promises to forgive us of our sins, to guide us through the Holy Spirit, and to give us eternal life.  After baptism, we must be faithful to the promises we made.

Baptism by water is the gateway to the straight and narrow path leading home to God.  Jesus taught, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).  Being baptized is not optional for salvation.  Even Jesus Christ, the holy and perfect Son of God, made this covenant with His Father when He was baptized by John.  Why?  Nephi, from the Book of Mormon teaches us:

“Notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments” (2 Nephi 31:7).

Baptism must be done in the right way

How can you be sure your baptism was authorized by God?  First, it must be done in the right way.

When Jesus appeared to the people in America (in the Book of Mormon), He very first taught them who He was, followed by detailed instructions on how to properly baptize:

“Behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them.  And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying:  ‘Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.’  And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water” (3 Nephi 11:23-26).

We’ll talk more about that phrase, “Having authority given me of Jesus Christ” in the next section.

Immersion in water is a key component of baptism.  The very word “baptize” comes from the Greek word baptizein, meaning “to immerse.”  Immersion is a symbol of death and burial.  It represents both the death of our old, sinful life and the death and entombment of the Savior.  We come out of the water to symbolize resurrection and rebirth.  We have a new, clean life ahead of us.  Baptism allows us to start with a clean slate.

Another key to proper baptism is accountability.  Baptism must be administered to individuals who understand right and wrong.  They must be capable of making and keeping this important covenant with God.  Baptism of babies is not only unnecessary — because “little children are alive in Christ” (Moroni 8:12), and “of such is the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:14) — it is condemned.  Babies are whole; they are not capable of committing sin.  It is a wicked thought to say that one baby is saved and another condemned because the parents baptized the first and not the second (see Moroni 8).

Baptism must be done by authority

“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” (Article of Faith 5).  We call this God-given authority ‘Priesthood.’  It is what allows a baptism on earth to be counted in heaven.

Not everyone holds the priesthood, though.  After the deaths of the twelve Apostles, the authority to baptize was lost for hundreds of years.

The Lord never intended for it to be lost forever.  When Joseph Smith was translating 3 Nephi 11, where it mentions, “Having authority given me of Jesus Christ…” he and his scribe, Oliver went to the banks of the Susquehanna river to ask the Lord for more information about this authority.

An angel appeared to them both.  He said he was John the Baptist, and laying his hands on their heads, he said, “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins…” (Doctrine & Covenants 13).

The priesthood authority for baptism has been passed down from the prophet Joseph through the laying on of hands ever since.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is today the only church with the power to authoritatively baptize anyone for the remission of sins.  This is the reason we send missionaries all over the world, including to the doors of faithful Christians.  We hope to take the preparation of the gospel they’ve received and supplement it with the restored priesthood power and revelations from a living prophet.

We make baptism available to any who desire it.  Please contact your local missionaries to set up an authorized baptism for yourself and your family.

Answer: Yes. Sadly.

Second: Is the LDS Church a racist organization?

Answer: NO. From the Book of Mormon, “[The Lord] inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile” (2 Nephi 26:33).

Racism in all its forms is disgusting. It is an evil wholly at odds with the gospel of Jesus Christ and has a pernicious effect on society. Those members of the LDS Church and other faiths that have race-superiority issues (which they often try to base on scripture or statements of church leaders) are in sin.

However, such people in the Church are few and far between. My personal experience in the Church has been a wholly positive one. I have attended church services in Brazil, China, Mongolia, Germany, and in various congregations in the United States and have witnessed firsthand the unity that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings as people of varying ethnicity worship together. Growing up I had a black foster sister. Admittedly, Mikayla was in the minority attending church with my family in the predominantly white state of Utah. Naturally, Mikayla would ask questions about it. But not once in the years I sat beside her in the chapel pews did I witness any form of racism against her. I love that. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a multicultural church (more members live outside the U.S. than within) welcoming sons and daughters of God of all ethnicities.

I am willing to admit there are problems. Racism is a resilient poison that people in the U.S. and elsewhere have had difficulty purging. Just because overt acts of racism don’t occur publicly often doesn’t mean it isn’t present beneath the surface. And yet I think the Church is doing well. Plus, we can hardly point a finger at others; are any of us truly free of hurtful prejudice of any sort? Let’s pray we all continue to do better. Do better together.

Next topic: Why was priesthood denied to black male members of the church prior to 1978?

Our age of click-and-publish internet ramblings has brought with it a barrage of ill-supported commentaries which force the modern reader to be a skeptic of everything he or she reads. In light of this, I have tried hard to cut through the haze and get an accurate answer to this controversial and sensitive question. The answer I found: there is no satisfactory answer.

Some clamor that the priesthood ban was a product of traditional racism in early America; that it was a church policy based on unrighteous social norms. They have their evidences. Some insist that it was a divinely inspired command from God. They have their evidences. Still others claim it was a policy implemented by the Church based on correct doctrinal principles. Likewise, they have their evidences. The Church itself hasn’t said anything official and definitive on the subject. A paucity of facts invites a diversity of opinion. As far as I am concerned, it also makes any opinion on the subject mere speculation.

What I do know is that a prophet of God received a revelation on Thursday, June 1st, 1978 that enabled all worthy male members of the Church to receive the priesthood. History shows that it was a day of rejoicing. And it wasn’t the first of its kind. It was reminiscent of the New Testament scene where Peter told the new members of the Church that God had revealed to him that the gospel of Christ was now to be preached to the Gentiles. It was a policy change in the church: a policy change God gave (as He often does) without explanation. Acts 11:18 gives their reaction to Peter’s news, “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God.”

In closing I say to white members of the church: Be careful in how you explain the priesthood ban to yourself and others. Perhaps Alma Allred in his essay “The Traditions of Their Fathers: Myth versus Reality in LDS Scriptural Writings” (found in the book Black and Mormon cited below) was near the truth when he urged white members to, instead of looking for what blacks did to receive the ban, look at themselves to make sure they were not the cause.

And to all members of the Church and other curious truth seekers: if it really bothers you, do the research. Come to your own conclusions. But remember that there aren’t always definitive answers. God moves in mysterious ways. Our Old Testament friend Naaman was confused when he was commanded to go wash in Jordan seven times to be made clean (2 Kings 5:10). God didn’t explain but he had faith and did it anyway. There are plenty of things I don’t understand, yet I can get by with the limited light I have. I do try to learn all that I can-I am not satisfied with ignorance. But I recognize that the ignorance and incomplete understanding that remain with me are mine and not God’s.

This takes you to an official church site touching on the subject.

Suggested further reading:

Bringhurst, Newell G. and Smith, Darron T. Black and Mormon. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004.

Bringhurst, Newell G. Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The Changing Place of Black People within Mormonism. Westport Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1981.

Embry, Jessie L. Black Saints in a White Church: Contemporary African American Mormons. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1993.

Lund, John Lewis. The Church and the Negro: A Discussion of Mormons, Negroes and the Priesthood. Salt Lake City: Paramount Publishers, 1967.

Taggart, Stephen G. Mormonism’s Negro Policy: Social and Historical Origin. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1970.

This is the second half of the same film.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

Heavenly Father will answer your prayers, too.  Ask Him whether Joseph Smith was a prophet.

I am glad that you asked this question. It is apparent that there has been misunderstanding of what we believe. God didn’t wait to give his authority to Joseph Smith. The original 12 apostles had the authority, but it was not passed on after their deaths. We believe that God restored his authority through Joseph Smith.

In answering this question, I first need to define apostasy. According to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, apostasy is “An abandonment of what one has voluntarily professed; a total desertion or departure from one’s faith, principles, or party.” Evidence that there was apostasy happening at the time of the apostles (Acts 20:29-31, 1 Cor. 11:18, Galatians 1:6-7, 2 Tim. 1:15, 2 Tim. 2:16-18, 1 John 2:18-19) and that the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ would be lost over time (2 Thess. 2:1-3, 1 Tim. 4:1, 2 Tim 4:3-4, Amos 8:11-12) is evident from study of the New and Old Testaments.

The priesthood, or the God-given authority to act in His name, is a crucial part of the foundation upon which the Church of Jesus Christ must be built. For instance, In Matthew 16:18-19 we discover that Christ gave unto Peter the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” In other verses of the New Testament we read that conferral of authority to another was marked by the laying on of hands of him who held the authority to do so (1 Tim. 4:14, 2 Tim. 1:6, Heb. 6:2). Furthermore, in Hebrews we read “No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron” (Heb. 5:4). It is clear that there are several things that the early Church had: God-given authority to act in God’s name, this authority gave those men who held it the right to administer the ordinances of the church and it was passed from the prophet/apostles to other men by the laying on of hands.

Good question. The essence of what you’re saying is “if you say you belong to the TRUE church of Jesus Christ, then why isn’t that truth unchanging?” Right?

We’ll get to the “social pressure” in a minute.

Well, the thing is, God commands and His servants obey. Sometimes God tells His servants to do one thing, and then tells someone else to do the opposite. Both things are commandments, though, and both things are right in their context.

Examples?

How about when Jesus came and overturned the ENTIRE system of Mosaic law? It must have really made some people mad when Christ started saying,
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time. . .
don’t commit adultery,
don’t kill,
divorce is okay with the proper documents,
don’t swear by your own self–swear oaths in the Lord’s name,
an eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth,
love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I say unto you . . .
don’t even lust,
don’t even get angry,
divorce isn’t okay unless the reason is fornication,
don’t swear oaths at all,
resist not evil and turn the other cheek,
love your enemies.

Talk about changing policy!

You would respond (as I would) that it was the necessary evolution of the religion–that Jesus came to FULFILL the Law of Moses, as part of the grand design of the earth and our salvation. You would say that it is God’s will that Jesus came and taught us the Higher Law. I agree. I also agree that God can keep doing that. When we tell God that He can’t keep giving us higher instruction, we damn ourselves.

Well, the Church’s position is that women are very capable leaders. The women’s organization (Relief Society) is led by 4 women (president, 1st counselor, 2nd counselor, secretary) with the same organization in the Primary (children’s classes). Women also lead the teenage girls (Young Women Organization) in the same fashion. Women give sermons for the whole church, and they teach Sunday school lessons. However, the main body of the congregation (called a ward, or a branch) is led by men.

As far as women being priests, pastors, or whatevers, that just isn’t women’s job. Okay, that sounds sexist, but it isn’t, just hear me out (and know that I am a woman).

See, God isn’t running a democracy and He doesn’t have to give His power to everyone to be fair. He is running a theocracy; and it works well because He knows everything, understands what we need, and is completely Good.

So He has assigned the worthy men the role of carrying his authority to preside over the church, give Priesthood blessings, and serve as God himself would serve. This is really good for men, in general. It gives them the opportunity and responsibility to take care of others, serve, and become selfless. Men sometimes have a hard time looking outside themselves, and with this responsibility solely on their shoulders, they are solely responsible to God for how they do. If they don’t do what they are supposed to bad things can happen. That’s how apostasy comes about.

He gave women an equally responsible job–they are in charge of raising their children to be God-loving, respectful, and well-balanced. This is a huge job: like the Priesthood, they are accountable to God for how they do; and, like the priesthood, the responsibility helps them take care of others, serve, and become selfless. If they don’t follow through with their duties, and their children grow up without knowing God, or keeping His commandments, bad things can happen. That’s why the earth was flooded.