Category: A-Z Glossary
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Kingdom of God (Defined)
Kingdom of God. Mormonism teaches a three-fold meaning for the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God on earth is the Mormon Church. First Presidency member Marion G. Romney said, “Let us understand that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the literal kingdom of God in the earth; that neither defectors from…
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Judging (Defined)
Judging. Typically, anything that is said contrary to another belief system. Thus, Matthew 7:1 (“Judge not, lest ye be judged”) is used to say that nobody has a right to tell another person that his faith is based on falsehood. However, Jesus did not that His followers ought to “make righteous judgments” (John 7:24) and…
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Joseph Smith, Jr. (Defined)
Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1830). The founder of the Mormon religion. He claimed that he was visited by God and Jesus Christ in 1820, and later by the angel Moroni in 1823. In 1830, he published the Book of Mormon and founded the Mormon Church with six members. According to LDS scripture, “Joseph Smith, the Prophet…
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Judgment (Defined)
Judgment. Every person will be judged based on their conversion to Mormonism, whether in this life or the next, and the good works that they performed. According to one church manual, “At the Final Judgment we will be assigned to the kingdom for which we are prepared. We will be sent to one of four…
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Journal of Discourses (Defined)
Journal of Discourses. A twenty-six-volume set of books containing sermons from various Mormon leaders until 1886, including General Conference addresses. Most of the volumes were published under the direct supervision of an LDS General Authority. According to the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, “In all, the collected Journal of Discourses contains 1,438 speeches given by fifty-five people,…
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Jesus (Defined)
Jesus. Known in the pre-existence as Jehovah. One of three gods in the Mormon godhead. The spirit brother of Lucifer and elder brother of the human race, Jesus was the literal firstborn (the Only Begotten) son to Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. He became a God in the pre-existence prior to experiencing mortality. He worked…
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Jehovah (Defined)
Jehovah. The name given to the premortal Jesus, the son of Elohim. Apostle James Talmage said, “It is to be remembered that the Personage most generally designated in the Old Testament as God or the Lord, is He who in the mortal state was known as Jesus Christ, and in the antemortal state as Jehovah” (Articles of Faith,…
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Jaredites (Defined)
Jaredites. A group of people who supposedly came to the Americas around 2247 B.C. The Book of Mormon details their exploits in the book of Ether. Apostle Robert D. Hales told a General Conference audience, “The book of Ether gives a history of a civilization, the Jaredites, who left the Old World at the time of the…
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Jack Mormon (Defined)
Jack Mormon. More commonly a term that describes a lukewarm Mormon who does not fully practice his faith. However, it has also been used to describe non-Mormons who showed kindness and/or sympathy to the Mormons.
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Investigator (Defined)
Investigator. A person who is being visited by the Mormon missionaries and is considering the LDS religion. Typically potential converts are asked to read the Book of Mormon and pray according to the fashion of Mornoi 10:4.
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Intelligences (Defined)
Intelligences. Mentioned in the Standard Works only in Abraham 3:21-22. It can refer to either the pre-existent spirit offspring of God or individual eternal entities that existed before the pre-existence. At one time every person existed as an intelligence. Joseph Smith stated, “Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth,…
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Institute of Religion (Defined)
Institute of Religion. An LDS school offering college-level classes on various subjects of Mormonism, often found on or near major university campuses.
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Inspired Version (Joseph Smith Translation) (Defined)
Inspired Version. Also known as the Joseph Smith Translation (JST). According to Doctrine and Covenants 73, Smith was commanded by God to work on a new translation of the Bible. It is said this was accomplished by way of revelation. While Mormon leaders have argued that the translation was not finished, the History of the Church reports that Smith finished his…
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Immortality (Defined)
Immortality. Living forever in the resurrected state. According to tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith, “Now there is a difference between immortality and eternal life. Immortality is the gift to live forever. It comes to every creature” (Doctrines of Salvation 2:9). Apostle Russell M. Nelson told a general conference audience, “Resurrection, or immortality, comes to every man and…
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Hosanna Shout (Defined)
Hosanna Shout. Done at temple dedication ceremonies. Each member takes a white handkerchief and waves it while shouting “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb” a total of three times, sealing it each time with “Amen, Amen and Amen.” If a person has no handkerchief, then a palm raised is sufficient. This was first…
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Humility (Defined)
Humility. Accordingto Alma 5:27-28, this means being “sufficiently humble” as well as “stripped of pride.” Joseph Smith boasted, “I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole…
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Homosexuality (Defined)
Homosexuality. Strongly prohibited in the LDS church. A person who is a practicing homosexual is not allowed to get a temple recommend. Twelfth President Spencer W. Kimball explained, “In this context, where stands the perversion of homosexuality? Clearly it is hostile to God’s purpose in that it negates his first and great commandment to ‘multiply…
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Home Teachers (Defined)
Home teachers. Members of the LDS Church who are given the responsibility of visiting the homes of assigned members once a month. Their job is to encourage members to grow spiritually through prayer, study, and performance of their church duties (D&C 20:42-54).
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Holy Spirit (Defined)
Holy Spirit. According to Apostle John Widtsoe, “The agent, means, or influence by which the will, power, and intelligence of God, and the Godhead … may be transmitted through space” (Evidences and Reconciliations, 76). Apostle Parley P. Pratt taught the Holy Spirit was a “divine substance or fluid,” which filled Jesus Christ (Key to the Science of Theology, 1855…
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Holy Ghost (Defined)
Holy Ghost. Third member of the godhead sometimes described as the Holy Spirit and sometimes described as distinct from the Holy Spirit. Mormon Apostle John Widtsoe stated, “The Holy Ghost, sometimes called the Comforter, is the third member of the Godhead, and is a personage, distinct from the Holy Spirit. As a personage, the Holy Ghost…