The Mormon religion proudly teaches that God the Father and Jesus the Son (two separate beings) came to Joseph Smith to assure him that all the Christian religions were corrupt, and to have him restore the "plain and precious truths" that had been lost from the Bible due to a
Great Apostasy.
The religion also teaches that the current LDS prophet (and a few other top church leaders) are god's mouthpieces -- that he gives them new advice, instruction, and revelation for the church body as necessary. In fact, this is something the church believes sets them apart from Christianity (because Christianity has a closed canon of scripture).
The above two teachings are fundamental to the belief that the LDS church is the "one true church" on earth. God's
true GOSPEL was restored through Joseph Smith, and after that time, any additional truth that god wants to share comes down through LDS prophets. Everything outside of the LDS church, while perhaps containing some truth, does not have
all truth people need to know.
It's not always easy, however, to figure out what
current Mormon truth is. It is not necessarily found in LDS scripture because the modern-day prophets may have revealed something newer. It is also not necessarily found in the sermons/writings of past prophets, because there may have been more pertinent, information given since their revelations, as well.
So how do you know for sure what the current doctrine of the LDS church is?
Luckily, the church has an official website. If there is anywhere a person can find consolidated, accurate, up-to-date, Mormon truth, it ought to be there, right? At least, as much of it as can be publicly displayed!
I went to the website to find out what the Mormon "GOSPEL" is, effective
right now, officially. What I found, I'm going to share here, because anyone who is, or wants to be, or knows a Mormon, should know. (Any emphasis added below is mine).
According to www. mormon.org, "The Official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", the
gospel is:
“The ‘good news’ of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind. At the center of His plan is the Atoning sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ, in whom alone salvation is possible.
In its fulness, the gospel includes all of the commandments, principles, ordinances, and
covenants whereby human beings can be forgiven of sin, overcome the world, and
attain immortality and
eternal life in the kingdom of God.”
In Mormonism,
salvation is the ability to be resurrected (which will happen to everyone), and the ability to overcome sin in this life. "Eternal life in the kingdom of God" is the same as eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom, and is the aim of all faithful LDS. This highest degree of heaven can only be achieved through the "gospel fulness" that Joseph Smith restored.
It must, therefore, be of utmost importance to know what is CURRENTLY included in "all the commandments, principles, ordinances, and covenants", of the "fulness of the gospel".
It took a little bit of digging around, but I found the following on the website. I've paraphrased much of it, but included some direct quotes which I thought were interesting.
Ready? Here we go:
The
Commandments:
1- “Obedience to God’s Commandments” -- (you must obey the Ten Commandments)
2- “Pray Often” -- (I believe there is a number/time requirement on this, but I could not find it on the website)
3- “Study the Scriptures” -- (you must study the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price).
4- “Keep the Sabbath Day Holy”-- (you must attend church and take the sacrament to renew your covenants and show “that you are willing to repent of your sins and mistakes”).
5- “Baptism and Confirmation” -- (you must repent of your sins, be baptized into and confirmed a member of the LDS church by someone with the proper 'priesthood authority').
6- “Follow the Prophet” -- (you must “…have faith in God’s chosen prophet, gain conviction of his divine calling, and follow his teachings. You must prepare yourself so that when the prophets and apostles speak, the Holy Ghost can confirm the truths they teach and you can then determine to follow the counsel they give you.” Sustaining new church leaders is also a part of this commandment).
7- “Live the Law of Chastity” -- (“You are to keep your thoughts clean and be modest in your dress, speech, and actions. You must avoid pornography… and treat the God-given procreative power and your body as sacred gifts. You are not to participate in abortions or homosexual or lesbian relations…
those who are married to more than one person at a time may not be baptized.”)
8- “Obey the Word of Wisdom” -- (“In addition to emphasizing the benefits of proper eating and physical and spiritual health, God has spoken against the use of tobacco, alcohol, coffee and tea, harmful, habit-forming drugs.”)
9- “Live the Law of Tithing” -- (“A commandment from the Lord to pay one tenth of one’s annual increase or income for the building of His Church on the earth.” “Tithes and offerings are paid *voluntarily and privately”).
>*(However, you must be a full tithe-payer to receive a "temple recommend", which is needed before you can go through the temple to do some of the ordinances and make some of the covenants required for the Celestial Kingdom).
10- “Observe the Law of the Fast” -- (you must skip two meals once per month and make a “fast offering”).
11- “Obey and Honor the Law” -- (you must obey “the laws of the country… to be good citizens, to participate in civil government and the political process, and to render community service as concerned citizens.”)
12- “Endure to the End” -- (“If you endure to the end of your life
and stay true to your covenants, you will receive eternal life.”)
The
Principles:
“…
include faith in Jesus Christ, prayer, *repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities”, Word of Wisdom, tithing...
*(Repentance is “the process of experiencing sincere regret or sorrow for wrongdoing, confessing one’s sin and asking for forgiveness, making restitution for any damage done, and committing not to repeat the sin).
The
Ordinances:
An ordinance is “a sacred rite or ceremony”
such as baptism, confirmation, administering to the sick, baptism for the dead, marriage in the temple, endowments, and sealings. “
Some ordinances, such as baptism, are essential for salvation”.
The
Covenants:
A covenant is “a binding and solemn agreement, contract, or promise between God and a person or group of persons upon which eternal blessings are based.”
In Baptism and Confirmation, you “
covenant with God to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, to follow Him, and to keep His commandments. In return,
He promises to forgive your sins and let you return to live with Him, provided you keep your covenants”.
Mormon.org did not give a full list of covenants. Some that were not included are listed below.
In the
LDS temple endowment ceremony, you “solemnly covenant and promise before God, angels, and [the] witnesses at the altar that you will…”
1 - “…observe and keep the Law of the Lord and to hearken to the counsel of your husband as he hearkens unto the counsel of the Father”, if female, or “…obey the Law of God and keep his commandments”, if male. (This is "The Law of Obedience”).
2 - “…sacrifice all that you possess, even your own life if necessary, in sustaining and defending the Kingdom of God.” ( This is “The Law of Sacrifice”).
3 - “…avoid all lightmindedness, loud laughter, evil speaking of the Lord’s anointed, the taking of the name of God in vain, and every other unholy and impure practice.” (This is “The Law of the Gospel”).
4 - “…have no sexual relations except with your husband to whom you are legally and lawfully wedded.” (This is “The Law of Chastity”).
5 - “…consecrate yourselves, your time, talents and everything which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he may bless you, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth and for the establishment of Zion.” (This is “The Law of Consecration”).
IN SUMMARY: The LDS restored gospel is all of the commandments, ordinances, principles, and covenants of Mormonism, that, unless you do/keep, you have no promise of eternal life with god. Can you imagine what a faithful Mormon must feel like at this time of year, making up their New Year's Resolutions list?
If you made it through this article, I trust you have seen that the Mormon gospel bears resemblance to the 'heavy load' Jesus spoke of in Matthew 11:28-30.
The Biblical (un-restored, if you will) gospel in it's simplest form is found in 1 Cor. 15:1-4 which says that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again. It would seem that the gospel is all about what Jesus did. That is good news because none of us can be perfect enough (Romans 3:23) to earn our salvation through our righteousness and that Jesus came to give us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:26). We don't work to be better (Romans 4:5, Titus 3:5); we trade in the mess we've made of our lives, and He gives us a new life in Him (2 Cor. 5:17). And we DO have a guarantee, right now (Romans 10:9).
The word "Gospel" means "good news". Which one of the above is good news? I think so too.
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