Author: Eric Johnson
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Fire and Brimstone (Defined)
Fire and Brimstone. A sympbolic description of where the wicked will spend eternity. Joseph Smith said, “A man is his own tormenter an his own condemner. Hence the saying, They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake…
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What Does “Unpaid Ministry” Look Like? A Look at the Compensation of Mission Presidents
One of the criticisms many Mormons have about Evangelical Christian churches is their perception of a “paid” clergy. However, Bible and even the D&C are very specific that leaders, such as bishops, ought to be paid. However, an LDS Mission President’s Handbook was released on the Internet by a private individual. In this current handbook,…
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Family (Defined)
Family. Meant to be a unit into eternity. One church manual said, “Only in and through the family unit can we obtain eternal life” (Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual Religion 231 and 232, 1986, p. 78). First Presidency member James Faust explained to a general conference audience, “The Savior’s supernal gift to mankind gave us the…
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First Estate (Defined)
First Estate. The premortal life.Return to dictionary here.
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Fast and Testimony (Defined)
Fast and Testimony. Practice of members sharing their personal testimonies at church services on the first Sunday of each month. They are encouraged to refrain from two consecutive meals, donating the savings to the church.
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Family Home Evening (Defined)
Family home evening. A recommended gathering for families on Monday nights, with the primary activity to study the Mormon gospel. Church activities do not happen during this time, as church buildings are closed. Families often use this time to strengthen relationships and have fun together. Return to dictionary here.
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Fast Offering (Defined)
Fast Offering. An offering designated to be given to the poor, contributed during a fast and testimony meeting. “These contributions come from members of the Church, who abstain from two meals per month and pay the equivalent amount of these meals in cash to the bishop. The bishop uses these funds to provide for the cash…
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Fall of Adam and Eve (Defined)
Fall of Adam. According to the Book of Mormon, “Adam fell that men might be” (2 Nephi 2:25). According to Apostle Mark E. Petersen, “The fall of Adam and Eve was no tragedy. It was a blessing in disguise, for without it none of us would have been born, since Adam and Eve, in their original state,…
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Damnation (Defined)
Damnation. Two possible definitions:
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Excommunication (Defined)
Excommunication. The severing of a member’s membership record. According to twelfth President Spencer Kimball, “Excommunication is a complete severing of all ties. One loses membership, the Holy Ghost, priesthood, sealings, and all church privileges. If the transgression is generally and widely known and is a public scandal, the individual is sometimes permitted to make a…
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Exaltation (Defined)
Exaltation. Godhood achieved by complete obedience to all the commandments and complete repentance of sins. Those who are exalted earn the right to etenral life in the celestial kingdom with their families. Those who are exalted will create worlds and populations, receive the worship of those people, and rule as Gods and Goddesses over their creations.
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Eternal Progression (Defined)
Eternal Progression. Composed of three stages of development, which are the first estate (premortality or preexistence), the second estate (mortality), and the third estate (immortality or eternal life). Eternal progression had no beginning and has no end; all Gods that ever were or ever will be must achieve their exalted state in this way.
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Eternal Life (Defined)
Eternal Life. Gaining exaltation in the highest level of the celestial kingdome and living forever in the family unit. Apostle Bruce R. McConkie explained, “Only those who obey the fulness of the gospel law will inherit eternal life … Thus those who gain eternal life receive exaltation; they are sons of God, joint heirs with Christ, members…
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Eternal Increase (Defined)
Eternal Increase. The ability to procreate throughout eternity. This is reserved for Mormon couples who have complied with all the requirements for exaltation. This will give them access to unlimited spirit children. According to Joseph Smith, “Those who are married by the power and authority of the priesthood in this life, and continue without committing the…
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Enduring to the End (Defined)
Enduring to the End. Remaining faithful until death to obtain exaltation. As Apostle L. Tom Perry explained on the lds.org website, Enduring to the end requires faithfulness to the end, as in the case of Paul, who told Timothy, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”…
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Ensign (Defined)
Ensign. The official monthly magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its predecessor before 1971 was the Improvement Era. Members are directed to use the material as a basis for curriculum in Sunday morning talks. Twice a year (May and November) the publication contains reports of General Conference, a semiannual meeting where Mormon…
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Endowment (Defined)
Endowment. Ceremony in a Mormon temple in which the temple patron learns about creation, the garden of Eden, and the telestial and terrestrial worlds. According to Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, “Certain special, spiritual blessings given worthy and faithful saints in the temples are called endowments, because in and through them the recipients are endowed with power from…
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Elohim (Defined)
Elohim. God the Father. The literal father of Jesus Christ. According to Apostle James Talmage, “Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh …” (The Articles of Faith, pp. 466-467). Elohim was once a mortal man who progressed…
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Elder Brother (Defined)
Elder brother. Jesus Christ. Mormonism teaches that Jesus was the firstborn to Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. Since all humans are God’s literal offspring, He is by birth our Elder Brother.
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Elder (Defined)
Elder. The lowest ordained office of the Mormon Melchizedek Priesthood (Priesthood and Church Government, p. 111). Only male members are allowed to hold this position. By this office Mormons feel they have the authority to teach, expound, exhort, baptize, and watch over the church, etc. This is also the official title used by male missionaries.