The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, referred to as 'Mormons' by their early enemies because of their belief in a second testimony of Jesus Christ called 'The Book of Mormon,' is grounded firmly in the principle of modern revelation. This religion, prominently featured in the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics and this year celebrating its 175th anniversary since its initial formation with 6 members, is now 13+ million members strong and flourishing. It is now the 4th largest religion in America, and is led by modern-day prophets and apostles.

The faith is often misunderstood because its doctrines and principles, although simple when properly explained, can seem complex when taken out of context. If we compare understanding the LDS faith to building a house, we must start with the foundation and work up the walls to the roof. We can't slap the roofing tiles on first, or we don't have a house, and we don't have understanding. Just as complex algebraic formulae cannot be understood without knowledge of remedial math, so the intricacies of the LDS faith cannot be understood without a foundation in its fundamental principles.

This article will attempt to create a basic understanding of what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) believe and why. It will not attempt to change what you believe, but simply lay forth the basics for understanding what the LDS people believe. So let's start with some official doctrines of the Church as found in the "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 and women will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgressions.
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 (see Hebrews 6:1-2).
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. (see 1 Timothy 4:14, Exodus 28:41, Numbers 27:23, Matthew 16:19, Mark 3:14, Luke 9:1, John 15:16, Acts 6:6, Titus 1:5, Hebrews 5:4)
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth. (see Ephesians 4:11)
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues and so forth. (see 1 Corinthians 12)
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. (Note: LDS use the King James Version of the Bible. The Book of Mormon is separate from the Bible and does not replace, add to or take away from it.)
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. (see Amos 3:7, Hebrews 13:8)

So we might ask ourselves a few questions. Does God, who spoke so freely to people anciently now stand mute? Is He asleep? Does He love us any less than He did the people in ancient times? Do we need His direction less? Are the heavens sealed shut? Did He only speak to the Jews (the Bible)? What about the rest of the House of Israel? There were 11 other tribes and the Jews weren't even the birthright people, Joseph was. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that God is "the same yesterday, and today and forever." A living, communicating God does not stop communicating if He is the same yesterday, today and forever. A loving God doesn't play favorites.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints declare that God did speak to other tribes of the House of Israel (namely the descendants of Jacob's birthright son Joseph. See Genesis 49:22-26, Ezekiel 37:15-20). The Book of Mormon is a record of the descendants of the house of Joseph who settled in America in 600 BC. Latter-day Saints declare that God not only spoke to people anciently, but also speaks to prophets and apostles today.

After Christ's death, all of his apostles were eventually hunted down, murdered or died. After a century or so, the Christianity of the day became combined with the philosophies of Plato, Helenism, and Greek Mythology. The diversity we now see in religious faiths is evidence of this mixture. For at least 1600 years there was no church on the face of the earth that could claim authority to speak in the name of God. There were people who were inspired by God like Martin Luther, Wesley, etc. But there were no prophets to speak in His name -- to declare the word and will of the Lord as in the days of Adam, Enoch, Noah, Moses, John the Baptist, or Peter, James & John.

The authority was lost. There was a "falling away." This time period was foretold by the apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. There was a "famine of hearing the words of the Lord" as prophesied in Amos 8:11. This apostasy from the truth began in Paul's day. (See 1 Timothy 1:15, 2 Timothy 4:4, James 4:4, 2 Peter 3:17, Jude 1:4).

A restoration of the original teachings and principles of Jesus Christ was necessary. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claim that this restoration has occurred -- that the Church of Jesus Christ as organized in former days has been restored -- complete with prophets, apostles, and temples. Because the authority and truth were lost, the church could not simply be "reformed." It had to be "restored" in its original state.

Isaiah foretold of a time "that the Lord would set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people." (Isaiah 11:11) Isaiah foretold of our day when the Lord said He would, "proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." (Isaiah 29:14).

Malachi prophesied of latter-day visitations by heavenly messengers: "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 3:1)

He also prophesied that Elijah would appear before the great and dreadful day of the Lord and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers (Malachi 4:6)

Acts 3:21 speaks of the "times of restitution of all things." Ephesians 1:10 foretells of the "dispensation of the fullness of times" in which God would "gather together in

Marnie Pehrson, a mother of 6, has been highlighting truth and talent for 15 years. Whether it's writing a novel that spotlights individuals who've made a difference in the world or helping a talented entrepreneur create a platform for his life's work, Marnie underscores truth and talent in innovative and compelling ways. She is the creator of www.IdeaMarketers.com and helps experts promote their products and services online. For more information on her various projects and books, visit http://www.pwgroup.com. Contact the author, Marnie Pehrson , at marnie@pwgroup.com
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