The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
I wrote this essay for Religion Class in Grade 11. If any of the information in this essay is false, let me know. Also, if you are offended, contact me.
Every person around the world has beliefs. These beliefs can be of religion or culture. The belief of religion has been around since the beginning of time. The beliefs of Christianity have only been around since about 2000 years ago. Christianity is divided into many different sections: Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and many others. They all have the same basic beliefs, all that Jesus Christ existed. But, there is a different part of Christianity that has some different views: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Mormons have many different beliefs. They have another book besides the bible. It is an account written by Mormon. It was written on plates, taken from the plates of Nephi. It was then translated by the founder, Joseph Smith. The Mormon beliefs are far too different from those of other Christians therefore, Mormons are not fully Christian.
Heaven is a place where God lives and those who follow him will go there. Most Christians believe that after you die you will be judged and put into Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. Mormons believe that when you go to heaven you will then again be judged and put into the different levels. There are three levels. The first level of heaven is called the Telestial Kingdom. This kingdom is for those who continue in their sins and so not repent until after they have died. They will receive a place in this kingdom. The second kingdom in heaven is the Terrestrial Kingdom. This is for those who refuse the gospel of Jesus Christ but who lived honorable lives. They will receive a place in this kingdom. The third and final level of heaven is called the Celestial Kingdom. This is where God and Jesus reside. If you live according to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and heave cleansed from sin by the Atonement, you will receive a place in this kingdom. This is where you will live in God’s presence and receive complete joy. The tenth Latter Day Saint President, Joseph Fielding Smith stated that there will be “…no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God” (Doctrines of Salvation). How does this work then? The people who accept Joseph get into the Celestial Kingdom but the people who do not get forced into the Terrestrial Kingdom even though they believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This contradicts what the church teaches about heaven. Heaven is for all those good and that believe in Jesus. It is not about levels and hierarchy.
Mormons believe that Jesus Christ existed and that he was the son of God. They also believe that God exists. These are the basics of Christianity. But, Mormons also believe that they can become gods or become god-like. “As man is God once was: as God is, man may be” (Lorenzo Snow, Millennial Star, Vol. 54). In Mormon theology the people that achieve godhood will have spirit children. Spirit children are spirits in Heaven. They are sent down to earth to inhabit a human body. The Mormons believe that God, called Elohim, and a heavenly mother were sent to earth to create the human race, spirit babies. This would be their equivalent to the story of Adam and Eve. These spirit children will worship and pray to the godlike humans as we pray to God the Father. To achieve this so called godhood, you must be a good Mormon. These human gods can receive planets and become worshiped from the people. They rule their world as our god rules ours. If the humans who are worthy, marry, will be elevated to godhood. They can create what ever they desire, anything on their own planets. This means that Mormons believe in multiple gods, which is not a teaching of most Christians. The Mormons believe that the countless number of planets in the universe is each ruled by its own god. But, the Mormons do not worship the other gods, they just acknowledge them. This would mean they believe in extraterrestrial life.
Christians believe in the Father, Son and, Holy Spirit. Mormons also believe in this but they have different teachings about it. They teach that God exalted from a man of flesh and bone and that he lives near a star called Kolob. God came down to earth and was in the flesh. He is the physical father to Jesus. Mormons teach that the bible is wrong, only the prophets should be trusted on this issue. Mormons believe in the Saviour and the Virgin birth but, they have an alternative definition to it. Virgin, in this case, means that Mary and God had sex, but since God is an Immortal being, Mary is still considered virgin. “For our present purposes, suffice it to say that our Lord was born of a Virgin, which is fitting and proper, and also natural, since the father of the Child was an immortal being” (The Promised Messiah, 466). This means that if Joseph and Mary conceived Jesus, she would not be considered virgin. Therefore, the church teaches that God was once a man who achieved godhood. God was a man, who became God just as any man can become a god, according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Mormons have many different beliefs. They believe that they can become gods, that God was once and human and that he and Mary conceived Jesus. They also believe in multiple levels of heaven. The bible teaches none of these things. The Mormons follow two books, when they should only follow the one true book. The book of Mormon could all be false. God was never human, he sent his son Jesus to the earth, which is the only human god to ever walk the planet. There were never two different Gods on earth. These beliefs of Mormons are very different from any other Christian beliefs, and from these beliefs the Mormons are not fully Christian. They believe in Jesus and God, but it’s not the same as other Christians. Everyone has beliefs and not everyone is going to follow the same beliefs and teachings. But, people need to respect the beliefs of other people. Everyone must be respected, this is what Christianity teaches.