Mormon Beliefs: Life’s Purpose & Meaning
Have you ever wondered whether there is a purpose to your life? Do we just live here on the earth for a time and then die? Do we live on only in the memory of others? Are we, at the end, alone?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) has a message for you. You do have a purpose, and the purpose of life is more glorious than you have ever imagined. What you see around you—life on this earth, that begins with birth and ends with death—is only a very small part of your existence. You existed for eons of time before you were born. You are a spirit-child of God, and you lived with Him in heaven.
When the time came, your spirit entered a physical body, and you were born on earth. A physical body was essential for your personal progress. You forgot your heavenly existence and centered your attention on your current life. You arrived with a personality, talents, and gifts meant to touch the people near you, help you learn compassion, and bring you joy. You also arrived with a longing to find deeper meaning than what material life offers, and to discover your personal purpose for being here. That longing is a desire to believe in a Creator, the desire to connect with your Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and to accept His sacrifice for sin. From that longing, faith is developed. From faith can come a personal communication with Father in Heaven, who knows you and loves you.
God sent you here for a purpose, and that is to learn and do what is necessary to become more like Him. He also sent you to accomplish certain things that only you can do. Life on earth is a training ground and is meant to be challenging. Opposition helps us grow spiritually. Death is the portal to an eternal existence, where you will be resurrected to a perfect, immortal state. Those faithful to Jesus Christ can be reunited with worthy loved ones forever. As God Himself said, “For this is my work and my glory ─ to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39 The Pearl of Great Price; see also 2 Timothy 1:10).
Mormon Beliefs: Jesus Christ
There is a plan for your life called the “Plan of Salvation,” or the “Plan of Happiness.” This plan encompasses the purpose of life. The desire of God the Father was and is to help you reach your full potential and attain the glorious existence that He enjoys. Part of the plan began in a pre-mortal existence where we lived as spirit children of God. In order to become like Him, it was necessary that we gain physical bodies, and dwell on earth, where we could overcome challenges, gain knowledge, develop relationships, and attain faith. The goal of the Father has always been to exalt us in a kingdom of glory after our death and resurrection.
However, only the pure can dwell in God’s presence, and all men and women have sinned. Jesus Christ, who created this earth and was the only perfect man to live upon it, offered Himself as an eternal sacrifice and suffered for our sins, so that if we would only repent, or strive to change our ways through His power, we could be purified and enter God’s kingdom. The atonement of Jesus Christ guarantees that all men and women will be resurrected, that they will gain perfect, immortal bodies in the afterlife.
The Plan of Salvation teaches that Jesus Christ, Savior and Redeemer, has overcome the grave, that death is a portal just like birth. Death is the door to eternal life, and after death, we can be eternally reunited with all worthy friends and loved ones in eternal relationships and families. (The gospel teaches that infants and little children are innocent and need no baptism or repentance.) Life on earth is difficult, and for many, it is even brutal, but God has prepared a plan for us which in the end will heal us and bring us happiness. Jesus Christ beckons us to come unto Him and receive peace, healing, and comfort. God said, “…Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25 The Book of Mormon; see also John 15:11).
Mormon Beliefs: Families
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly abbreviated as the”Mormon Church”) have a saying, “Families are Forever.” This is because the Lord has revealed through ancient and modern prophets that families are meant to be reunited after death. In other words, the bonds of love that we form during our mortal lives can last eternally, as family members keep certain promises to the Lord Jesus Christ and strive to honor the right. This is why marriages performed in Mormon temples are said to be sealed for “time (earth life) and all eternity.” Mormons make eternal covenants that have the potential to bind their families together forever.
These promised blessings exist for everyone on earth who will pre-qualify through Jesus Christ’s prescribed path for entrance to His kingdom and into His House, the holy temple (“Mormon temples). Blessings are conditional upon the continued faithfulness of each husband and wife to the marriage covenant. This doctrine of Jesus Christ (Mormon doctrine) brings great comfort to those who have lost faithful loved ones. The separation from our loved ones through death need only be temporary. This is why Mormon funerals are so hopeful and spiritually uplifting. It is because the hope of being reunited someday is real, and it brings great comfort to those who mourn.
Because Mormons (more accurately, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) view the family as an eternal unit, family life is central to Mormon practice. The most important work we do is within the walls of our own homes, building loving relationships and serving each other. Where there is neglect or abuse, addiction, or broken homes, the Savior has prepared a way for the return of the lost, the recovery of the individual and family, or the forging of faithful bonds that ultimately will endure forever.
What is Mormon?
A Mormon is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Mormon” is a nickname given to Church members, after the name of a prophet in a book of modern scripture in which Mormons believe, called The Book of Mormon. It is a second witness of Jesus Christ and upholds the Bible. It is a record of the Lord’s dealings with His children in the New World, and contains His teachings and His plan of happiness. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are also called “LDS,” or “Latter-day Saints.”
Why Latter-day Saints?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (whose members are commonly referred to as Mormons) is a modern-day restoration of the Church that Christ Himself established while He was on the earth. We are called the Church of Jesus Christ because we follow the same pattern that existed in the Church at the time of Christ and after His crucifixion. But why “Latter-day Saints?”
As recorded in the New Testament, people who accepted the teachings of Christ as taught by His Apostles became known as saints, or followers of Christ. The word “saint” implied that they had chosen to consecrate or give their lives to the teachings of Christ, were baptized, and were administered to by prophets and apostles. In Ephesians 2, Paul the Apostle speaks to the “saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus” (vs. 1). Paul explains that the apostles came and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Ephesus, and that their acceptance of the gospel made them “no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and with the household of God; And [they] are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” (v. 19-20).
The Church of Jesus Christ today has the same pattern of baptism, apostles, and prophets that Christ established. Thus, by entering into it, we become the followers of Christ, or His saints. To differentiate ourselves from the saints at the time of Christ, we are called Latter-day Saints, meaning saints or followers of Christ in modern times. We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ (“Mormons”) can actually say that we are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets” because God has called a Prophet and Apostles in modern times to teach us the way and to testify of Christ. Those today who accept the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles and are baptized become “fellow citizens with the saints…with the household of God.” By being baptized, we show that we are willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and exemplify His teachings in our own lives. It is for this reason that we call ourselves Latter-day Saints in the Church of Jesus Christ.
There are over 13,000,000 Mormons in the world today. They are in every field of business and every walk of life. They live in the islands of the sea and in most countries of the world. They strive to be good citizens and to serve their families, communities and countries. They follow a code of health and are a prepared people. They believe in following after all that is good, virtuous, lovely, or of good report. Their lives are centered in faith in Jesus Christ.
Mormons are Christians
Mormons are Christians, but theirs is not a Protestant church. Mormons are not protesting orthodoxy. And Mormons are not to be confused with the Amish. Instead, the Lord Himself appeared to Joseph Smith in order to restore Christ’s original church, as Christ had organized it in the meridian of time. The Church has a true prophet at its head, and twelve apostles. The Church has the restored authority to act in God’s name and seal covenants on earth and in heaven. All the spiritual gifts of ancient times are manifest daily in the Church (1 Corinthians 12:1-12). It is God’s living Church, with Jesus Christ at its head.
Mormon missionaries: Representatives of Jesus Christ
God said, “… And [my disciples] shall go forth and … proclaim these things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets—that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world; That faith also might increase in the earth; That mine everlasting covenant might be established (Doctrine and Covenants 4, 5, 20-22; see also Mark 16:15).
Mormons have been commanded to share the Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. The gospel contains the plan of happiness for each of us as recorded by God in scripture and revealed to us in revelation. Mormon missionaries donate their time and pay their own expenses to do so. They leave their schooling, their work, their hobbies, and their loved ones behind to labor in bringing souls unto God. Often, they must learn a foreign language and struggle to communicate. They do this, because they love the Lord Jesus Christ, they love the gospel, and they love the people they serve. They are empowered by Christ to fill their callings and teach beyond their own capacity. They are His authorized ambassadors and teachers of truth.
Mormon missionaries are not sent out to “sell” the gospel. Instead, they seek out those who have been prepared by the Holy Spirit to search for the truth, to search for a personal relationship with God. While they teach the gospel, they also do what they can to serve in the communities where they are sent. Mormon missionaries are kind and good. They dress according to Western styles, often in suit and ties, and look like they are dressed for church. They might be young men, aged 19-23; or young women, aged 21-26; or they might be pensioners, who have raised their children and now desire to serve the Lord. If you meet a Mormon missionary, you will notice that he or she is happy and light. This is the light of Christ.