What does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Believe?

[Mags she/they]

21 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

Double post prevention o7

tanks lol

I think the exact wording I was thinking is from John 10:16:

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

But this is him speaking before he was crucified, and I was thinking he mentioned something similar after he had been crucified that was a bit more context specific, but I can't remember where.

[Through the Living Hope]

1 minute ago, Mag said:

tanks lol

I think the exact wording I was thinking is from John 10:16:

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

But this is him speaking before he was crucified, and I was thinking he mentioned something similar after he had been crucified that was a bit more context specific, but I can't remember where.

I'm just thinking of the Gentile woman rn

Yk, the one whose daughter was possessed by a demon? At first Jesus didn't acknowledge her because 'it is not good for the children's bread to be thrown to the little dogs' and she replied that the dogs ate the crumbs that fell

At this point, Jesus' ministry was to the Jews alone and we can tell by all historical evidence that we have that the Native Americans worshiped nature spirits as well as their Great Spirit, not a good Jewish practice. Also, the disciples were all teenagers and I don't think Jesus would have left them alone for long because... teenagers.

The one fold and one shepherd he's referring to here are, I think, the post-ascension church combined of Jews and Gentiles

[Mags she/they]

1 minute ago, Spark of Hope said:

I'm just thinking of the Gentile woman rn

Yk, the one whose daughter was possessed by a demon? At first Jesus didn't acknowledge her because 'it is not good for the children's bread to be thrown to the little dogs' and she replied that the dogs ate the crumbs that fell

At this point, Jesus' ministry was to the Jews alone and we can tell by all historical evidence that we have that the Native Americans worshiped nature spirits as well as their Great Spirit, not a good Jewish practice. Also, the disciples were all teenagers and I don't think Jesus would have left them alone for long because... teenagers.

The one fold and one shepherd he's referring to here are, I think, the post-ascension church combined of Jews and Gentiles

Right, and it may just be tradition that makes me think of that verse in that context, and I may have misunderstood when it was said which is my bad 

But he goes after he has died, it's not during his ministry when he was only teaching the Jews. It's after, or around the same time he tells his disciples to start teaching gentiles. He leaves for the Americas when he leaves the apostles for the last time in the new testament. It is referring to the post-ascension church, and a part of that is him going to the Americas. I think? I'll be completely honest we don't study the Bible that thoroughly where I live.

[Through the Living Hope]

1 minute ago, Mag said:

Right, and it may just be tradition that makes me think of that verse in that context, and I may have misunderstood when it was said which is my bad 

But he goes after he has died, it's not during his ministry when he was only teaching the Jews. It's after, or around the same time he tells his disciples to start teaching gentiles. He leaves for the Americas when he leaves the apostles for the last time in the new testament. It is referring to the post-ascension church, and a part of that is him going to the Americas. I think? I'll be completely honest we don't study the Bible that thoroughly where I live.

The thing is (and I don't want to sound angry at all saying this or pushy or anything) Jesus told the disciples that He was going to heaven to prepare a place for them. He also said that He needed to leave the world to send the Holy Spirit, and He sent the Spirit on Pentecost because there were millions of Jews in Jerusalem at the time. It was only 20/40 days later

[Mags she/they]

2 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

The thing is (and I don't want to sound angry at all saying this or pushy or anything) Jesus told the disciples that He was going to heaven to prepare a place for them. He also said that He needed to leave the world to send the Holy Spirit, and He sent the Spirit on Pentecost because there were millions of Jews in Jerusalem at the time. It was only 20/40 days later

(No you're good!! it's great to hear another perspective, I'm sorry I'm definitely not the person to be debating this with you lol)

I guess we just believe that while he was working in the spirit world, he also took the time the time to visit the Americas somewhere in there. I want to say that we traditionally believe he goes during the 3 days, but I honestly can't remember and that doesn't make a ton of sense because they touch him during his visit . . . I don't think time is meant to be an issue because as a god he just descends in America, appears a few times there over the course of a few days, and then ascends again.

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, Mag said:

(No you're good!! it's great to hear another perspective, I'm sorry I'm definitely not the person to be debating this with you lol)

I guess we just believe that while he was working in the spirit world, he also took the time the time to visit the Americas somewhere in there. I want to say that we traditionally believe he goes during the 3 days, but I honestly can't remember and that doesn't make a ton of sense because they touch him during his visit . . . I don't think time is meant to be an issue because as a god he just descends in America, appears a few times there over the course of a few days, and then ascends again.

If he just appeared, what convinced the natives to believe him?

[Mags she/they]

1 minute ago, Spark of Hope said:

If he just appeared, what convinced the natives to believe him?

They had prophets there who prophesied of his coming, and the church existed in different levels of belief throughout the past before his coming. There was also a lot of destruction like floods and earthquakes there marking his death, which was a sign from their prophesies.

[Immortal Platypus]

4 hours ago, Spark of Hope said:

Fully God and fully man means that Jesus was a human like us and simultaneously God on Earth.. He was born, from His mother and He lived a life as a human until His death. However, He was fully God because the Spirit of God was in Him. He worked miracles because the Father worked through Him, and He didn't sin once in his life though he was tempted in every way that we are.

Are you sure you pinged the right person? which specific part were you responding to?

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, Immortal Platypus said:

Are you sure you pinged the right person? which specific part were you responding to?

You said you didn't know what fully God, fully man meant, so I was explaining it

[Immortal Platypus]

1 hour ago, Spark of Hope said:

You said you didn't know what fully God, fully man meant, so I was explaining it

I did look for that, turns out I'm just blind.

Quote

Fully God and fully man means that Jesus was a human like us and simultaneously God on Earth.. He was born, from His mother and He lived a life as a human until His death. However, He was fully God because the Spirit of God was in Him. He worked miracles because the Father worked through Him, and He didn't sin once in his life though he was tempted in every way that we are.

yep. we do believe that. 

[Immortal Platypus]

57 minutes ago, LittleNipper said:

Do you all believe that anyone can become a god and why?

Yep! D&C 132:20: "20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them." The rest of D&C 132 gives some context to that, talking about what you need to do in order to achieve that, but they're things that anyone can do.

[Duxredux he/him]

I think one of the core components of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that all are invited to come and see for themselves if it improves their life, enlarges their soul, and enlightens their mind. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not claim a monopoly on truth and goodness - those attributes can be found throughout societies and cultures including those not founded in Christianity. Members simply believe that they are under a divine mandate to invite others to learn more of God and to communicate with Him. Try and see if the patterns of faith, lifestyle, and beliefs enrich your life. In the same way that studying the myriads of exercises and diets on the internet won't improve health and fitness, it takes more than simply intellectually or academically studying the tenets and beliefs to "test" their validity. Yes, faith is foundational to this religion, but experimentation and observation are welcome - encouraged even. It is not wishy-washy hopeful positive thinking unprovable by science, it is faith in a leader who sees and understands beyond your capacity and has shown through repeated successes that they can be trusted with high-stakes, even life-or-death decisions. It is not blind faith, is tried and tested faith - but to start it has to grow from somewhere. That start may require that initial leap of faith - not unlike scheduling an appointment with a new therapist after reading testimonials from their patients. Live as if it is true for a week or a month and then see if it has improved your life. Distrust and half-hearted attempts can undermine results when testing religious doctrine as thoroughly as they would for a world acclaimed personal trainer. You cannot receive the full benefit without full participation, which is why there is so much effort put into inviting everyone to come and see for themselves by studying it out themselves, attending the meetings, in part living it, and then directly asking God the Father to manifest the truth to you, believing that a divine answer will be given. We believe that such answers will be given because we believe that God has promised as such and always keeps promises.

As for the concept that man can become like God, we believe that when the apostle Paul spoke to the Greeks in Athens, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device" (Acts 17:29) that he spoke literally. He reiterated this concept when speaking to the Romans when he said "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:16-17). When we talk of Jesus Christ as savior and redeemer, it is not merely that He saved us from sins, sickness and death, but that there was grand purpose in what He saved us for. How else could we follow Jesus's direction in the Sermon on the Mount to "be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is Heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)? In effect, the whole purpose of the "good news" of the gospel is that Jesus not only enabled mankind to be freed from the effects of sin, both our own and others, but also that we can become like Him. God the Father's relationship with humanity is not mere favoritism or vanity in placing beings created in the image of God as stewards over the beasts of the field and fish of the sea; we believe the familial term chosen as the term of address for deity was deliberate and descriptive.

Moving to my personal feeling on the matter, I think the Beattitudes taught on the Sermon on the Mount are what you might call the "job qualifications" for becoming like God - I don't think anyone on 17th Shard would have a hard time imagining the conflicts that would occur if humanity elevated to divinity were not peacemakers, merciful, pure in heart, slow to anger, willing to go the extra mile for another, willing to not only love neighbors but enemies as well, and more. Obedience to the Beattitudes and other commandments is not "earning" heaven or godhood, it is learning heaven and becoming more like God in chatacter. Not surprisingly, anyone who has done a significant study of life of Jesus Christ and the kind of man he was knows just how far of a gap there is between his character and mankind, using the Beattitudes as the criteria - I do not think anyone can change or make restitution to cover every human flaw without relying wholly on the merits and mercy of Christ. In effect, the belief that man can become like God is hinged on believing that Christ can change man to have godly character contigent on man willingly submitting to the change. Continued obedience after baptism is like finally deciding to enroll with the personal trainer and continuing to do the daily actions and behaviors that are the means by which humanity changes.

[Ookla she/her]

On 5/13/2025 at 10:28 AM, Mag said:

(No you're good!! it's great to hear another perspective, I'm sorry I'm definitely not the person to be debating this with you lol)

I guess we just believe that while he was working in the spirit world, he also took the time the time to visit the Americas somewhere in there. I want to say that we traditionally believe he goes during the 3 days, but I honestly can't remember and that doesn't make a ton of sense because they touch him during his visit . . . I don't think time is meant to be an issue because as a god he just descends in America, appears a few times there over the course of a few days, and then ascends again.

If I understand correctly, I think Jesus didn't actually appear in the Americas until about a year later. If you read carefully in 3 Nephi 7-11, it looks like all the thunderings and lightnings and such that occurred at the time of Jesus' death in Israel was happening at the end of the thirty-third year after the sign in the heavens indicating Jesus' birth (as we'd expect given the timeline in the New Testament). However, though the Nephites did hear Jesus' voice a few times in the first few days afterward, Jesus didn't actually appear to them until the end of the thirty-fourth year. So that time crunch isn't an issue, because Jesus only spoke to the Nephites in those three days, and then went and finished up with the Apostles in Israel, and then a year later came back to show Himself to the Nephites.

[Mags she/they]

55 minutes ago, Ookla said:

If I understand correctly, I think Jesus didn't actually appear in the Americas until about a year later. If you read carefully in 3 Nephi 7-11, it looks like all the thunderings and lightnings and such that occurred at the time of Jesus' death in Israel was happening at the end of the thirty-third year after the sign in the heavens indicating Jesus' birth (as we'd expect given the timeline in the New Testament). However, though the Nephites did hear Jesus' voice a few times in the first few days afterward, Jesus didn't actually appear to them until the end of the thirty-fourth year. So that time crunch isn't an issue, because Jesus only spoke to the Nephites in those three days, and then went and finished up with the Apostles in Israel, and then a year later came back to show Himself to the Nephites.

Thank you for clarifying! I couldn’t really remember lol