Author: Eric Johnson
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Citations Concerning the Word of Wisdom
The following citations are documented in Bill McKeever’s book In Their Own Words concerning the Word of Wisdom. Prophets/Presidents Joseph Smith: “No official member in this Church is worthy to hold an office after having the Word of Wisdom properly taught him; and he, the official member, neglecting to comply with and obey it” (Teachings of the…
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Matthew 5:48 and C.S. Lewis
What did C.S. Lewis mean when he wrote “Be ye perfect” is not idealistic gas? In his chapter 9 of “Beyond Personality: Or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity,” which can be found in his masterpiece Mere Christianity, Christian author C.S. Lewis wrote, The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor…
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To Be or Not to Be? That is the Question (About Perfection in Mormonism)
The word perfection has been emphasized in several different ways by LDS leaders over the years. Today, imperatives like “strive” and “do your best” are often used in response to a word that, in this church’s history, has historically been associated with successfully accomplishing the task (i.e. commandment) at hand. Perfection was the focus of…
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Repentance According to Christianity
According to Mormonism and the official church website, repentance is “one of the first principles of the gospel and is essential to our temporal and eternal happiness.” Because “no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven” (Alma 11:37), all people are “unworthy to return and dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father.” To truly…
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Can Families Be Together Forever in the Terrestrial and Telestial Kingdoms?
Check out a two-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series airing August 24-25, 2020. Part 1 Part 2 Not too long ago I spoke to two Latter-day Saint missionaries in northern California. Toward the end of the two-hour conversations, I explained that the two (both admittedly not living according to a celestial kingdom law) would end up…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Outer Darkness
Outer darkness is a place reserved for the Devil, his angels, and the “sons of perdition.” It is an eternal destination, a place where very few (if any) human beings will ever be sent. According to tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith, Outer darkness is something which cannot be described, except that we know that it…
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Why Practically Nobody–Including You, Former Mormon–Will Ever End Up in Outer Darkness
For many years, those who have forfeited their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may have been told by other Mormons that they were “Sons of Perdition” destined for Outer Darkness. Although this is an obvious scare tactic, this accusation is not true according to important LDS leaders. What is Outer…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Exaltation / Eternal Life / Eternal Increase
Exaltation, which is synonymous with eternal life, is godhood achieved through complete obedience to all the commandments of God as defined by the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Those who are exalted earn the right to eternal life in the celestial kingdom with their families. Twelfth President Spencer W. Kimball…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Kingdoms of Glory
After a person dies and the millennium is complete, judgment will take place and all humans will be assigned to one of three kingdoms of glory for eternity. Those kingdoms are the celestial, the terrestrial, and the telestial kingdoms. Telestial kingdom The lowest kingdom is compared in D&C 76 to the glory is that of the lesser,…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith (1805-1844) is the founder and first president/prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While he is not worshiped by followers of the church, he is certainly the most highly esteemed leader this religion has ever had. First Vision According to the official account told by the church, Joseph Smith saw…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Judgment
In Mormonism, final judgment is something that takes place at the end of the millennium. The success in keeping the commandments is what determines one’s final destination: the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, the telestial kingdom, or outer darkness. Seventeenth President Russell M. Nelson stated, One day we will meet our Maker and stand before…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Intermediate State
Leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teach that the spirit of a dead person goes temporarily to one of two possible places, paradise or spirit prison, depending on how righteous the person was in mortality. This is an temporary state, with the soul moving to one of the three kingdoms of…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Temples
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that work must be done by members in one of its hundreds of temples temples located throughout the world in order to qualify for exaltation, also known as eternal life, in the celestial kingdom. Special rites are accomplished for not only the living person but also…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Word of Wisdom
The Word of Wisdom is a special commandment found in Doctrine and Covenants 89 that leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claim was given by God. It teaches, among other things, that no “hot” drinks should be consumed and that alcohol and tobacco should be avoided. As far as alcoholic drinks,…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Sacrament
Similar to the Protestant version of the “Lord’s Supper” or “communion,” the sacrament in Mormonism is passed out weekly at the Sunday service held in LDS chapels. The elements are bread and water. Latter-day Saints are supposed to repent of their sins at the time the sacrament is passed and remember the covenants they made…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Water Baptism
Mormonism teaches that water baptism performed through the authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is necessary for a person to not only become a church member but also to receive salvation. Getting immersed into water–typically at a local LDS building–is what is called baptismal regeneration. Verses from the Bible are often…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Obedience
According to Mormonism, obedience is doing God’s will by keeping all the commandments given by God as revealed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to unique LDS scripture, it is possible to keep these commandments. First Nephi 3:7 in the Book of Mormon says, “I will go and do the things…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Sin / Transgression
Although the two words are similar, there is a difference between sin and transgression in Mormonism. Sin is “willful disobedience of God’s commandments or to fail to act righteously despite a knowledge of the truth.” It is knowing what you ought to do or not do but doing the opposite. Transgression is the “violation or…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Repentance
Repentance in Mormonism describes the process by which a church member receives forgiveness. The goal is to ceasing all sin. As one church manual reports, “Our Father in heaven does not sin, and He does not allow people who sin to live with Him. To live with Him, we must repent of our sins. To…
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Kingdoms of Glory (Defined)
Kingdoms of Glory. The three possible eternal destinations of humankind known as the celestial, terrestrial and telestial kingdoms. A common verse used to support this unique LDS teaching is 2 Corinthians 12:2. Return to dictionary here.
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