My belief on life/afterlife etc. - A Mormon

Some of my beliefs for what they are worth, comment as you will, it's all well and good.

I believe that life is a learning/proving ground.

I believe that God created spirits from a material we refer to as the "Light of Truth". The Light of Truth was not created or made, but always was. He then gave us the option of getting a body or not. Satan and his devils chose not.

He then created the Earth. Man was placed on it.

Man's purpose here:

1) Show that he'll do what has been commanded by God willingly
2) Learn how to express love in the charitable sense of the word.
3) Learn how to control the body so as to inhibit its drives if they are in conflict with God's commands
4) Learn parental concepts
5) Gain a physical form

Why?

Because, due to my religion, God is literally Man's father in respect to the Spirit as well as the "creation" of the physical form. This means that as any father would, God would like us to be the most that we can be. Also, like a father, he wants us to be like him. So following this life we, if we have proved ourselves capable of handling the responsibility by accomplishing the above purposes, are capable of being more than just Man in the sense that Man is now.

So. Afterlife for me.

Upon death the spirit enters either Paradise or Purgatory (a prison of sorts.) I believe that this is the heaven and hell refered to by many religions. Christ broke the bonds of purgatory and made it possible, if those in purgatory would accept him, to leave purgatory. I believe that those in heaven make attempts to convince those in purgatory to accept Christ. Following the coming of Christ at some point in our future paradise and purgatory expel the spirits as a literal resurrection occurs.

During this time a final judgement occurs as Satan and his devils are bound in some way, unable to exert any influence on man for a period of time that may be relative (Bible says one thousand years.) During this time man is able to have his freewill tested without unknown influences interfering. This will allow man to make decisions based on the level of control of his physical form he has and his capabilities for love (charity reference) as well as knowledge and understanding of the Gospel (which may or may not depend on understanding in this life, I don't know.) The results of this "Judgement" will result in the next portion of my beliefs

There are differing degrees of life at this point. We label three, but there is a statement that for every level of law there is an existence to match.

Telestial - A state very similar to life as we know it, only eternal.
Terestrial - A little more possibility than is available in the Telestial realm.
Celestial - High level of possibility.

Now in these realms there are varying degrees of possibility. We believe that being saved by grace refers to the ability granted to all to enter these realms and not have their spirits just disperse. We also believe in a literal resurrection, which occurs prior to entering these realms.

There is also what is called Outer Darkness, hell for those that use the term. This is reserved for Satan and the aforementioned devils. It is very difficult to achieve this realm. To achieve it a man would have to have absolute knowledge of God and deny him, as such there are a relatively small number of people that go here.

These are my views. I am a Mormon, all the same these are my interpretation of what I believe as a Mormon and not necessarily official doctrine. If you have questions I will answer them, but if it is an attack I may simply ignore you because I don't care about your comment.

Answer these please

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Question if you go..Hey God 😱 If I do this then you do this 😱 as a deal and if I fail to do this then you could make what I wanted go horribily wrong...then 5 days later you don't do it 😐 so is something going to go wrong now 😈 ... I am afraid cry

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Ok, what was that religion site that answers everything ? I say we debate with them 😖hifty: It was questions something, ahh I forget.

Anyway on a side note, is the only way to be forgiven for a sin or w/e you want to call it, is to confess it in a church with strangers 😐 so they have something to talk about with friends ?

So tell me how else you can be forgiven without doing this 😖hifty: What ever religion you are, just say it in that view

Oh, and breathing is a sin

Also how can thoughts be a sin when you grow up in todays world and have stuff all around you ? It is not like you can stay in a corner to protect yourself.

Thanks 😱

Love to all human kind along with our earth and all it's gifts is the ultimate THANK YOU...........

Hi Regret,

Do you believe the Bible and the Book of Mormon are both inspired by God's Holy Spirit?

Do you believe it is impossible for God to lie?

Just curious... 😉

Yet the devil is deceiving as an angel of light........so who's to say who you are following?

Originally posted by debbiejo
Yet the devil is deceiving as an angel of light........so who's to say who you are following?

People who work at a bank and have handled money for some time are fast to identify a counterfeit. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior are also guided by His Holy Spirit who is not capable of deception. We are deceived by our own lusts and by the devil as you already stated above.

Originally posted by Justbyfaith
People who work at a bank and have handled money for some time are fast to identify a counterfeit. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior are also guided by His Holy Spirit who is not capable of deception. We are deceived by our own lusts and by the devil as you already stated above.

I say you start a thread on Just ask faith 😈 and I will flood you with God questions so you could help people out 😱 😈

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Question if you go..Hey God If I do this then you do this as a deal and if I fail to do this then you could make what I wanted go horribily wrong...then 5 days later you don't do it so is something going to go wrong now ... I am afraid

I don't know. There is a thread on why not all prayers are answered. I wouldn't know if your prayer would be one that would be answered or not. I view God as a loving father, hence the term Eternal Father. Given this, how would a good loving father treat the situation? God is supposed to be perfect, so he'd behave in a more good and loving manner than most good loving fathers would. There are always consequences for our actions. My kids do similar things with me, I assume God deals with this on a much more grand scale than I do.

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Ok, what was that religion site that answers everything ? I say we debate with them It was questions something, ahh I forget.

Dunno who they were. I figure if you believe that your religion isn't the only way to go, and that a number of them would work just fine, you should choose the most demanding one. That way you will be saved by its standards which cover the standards of the other ones, just in case it's te right one and the others don't really work.

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Anyway on a side note, is the only way to be forgiven for a sin or w/e you want to call it, is to confess it in a church with strangers so they have something to talk about with friends?

So tell me how else you can be forgiven without doing this What ever religion you are, just say it in that view

The steps of repentance according to my beliefs:

1) Recognition. Admittance. Admit to yourself that it was a sin. If something that you have done bothers you, and you believe it to be a sin, do not excuse yourself in any way for it. Don't try to hide it.
2) Feel Sorrow for the sin. You must feel that the sin was wrong. A term used is "humble with a broken heart and contrite spirit."
3) Forsake the sin. No longer do that act.
4) Confession. Personal confession directly to the Lord in prayer is required. Confession to those we have wronged in the sin is required. In my religion sins that have the possibility of great impact on others must be confessed to the proper religious leader (This includes sexual sins.)
5) Restitution. As possible make right whatever wrong we have done. e.g. a thief would give back what was stolen. A liar should make the truth known. A gossip who slandered another would work to restore the good name of the person harmed.
6) We must forgive others. We must forgive those that have sinned against us.
7) We must maintain the lifestyle we believe proper given our beliefs.

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Oh, and breathing is a sin

Who says?

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Also how can thoughts be a sin when you grow up in todays world and have stuff all around you ? It is not like you can stay in a corner to protect yourself.

Thoughts as sins. Do you entertain them or do you push them away? If you think that a thought is a sin and think the thought and dwell on it, then you are sinning in your thoughts. God knows you. And like I said, I believe he is good and loving.

As stated before:

These are my views. I am a Mormon, all the same these are my interpretation of what I believe as a Mormon and not necessarily official doctrine. If you have questions I will answer them, but if it is an attack I may simply ignore you because I don't care about your comment.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Love to all human kind along with our earth and all it's gifts is the ultimate THANK YOU...........

A portion of my beliefs 😉

Originally posted by Justbyfaith
Hi Regret,
Do you believe the Bible and the Book of Mormon are both inspired by God's Holy Spirit?

Yes, for my exact stance refer to our Eigth Article of Faith:

8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

Originally posted by Justbyfaith
Do you believe it is impossible for God to lie?

No.

Originally posted by Justbyfaith
Just curious... 😉

Originally posted by Regret
I don't know. There is a thread on why not all prayers are answered. I wouldn't know if your prayer would be one that would be answered or not. I view God as a loving father, hence the term Eternal Father. Given this, how would a good loving father treat the situation? God is supposed to be perfect, so he'd behave in a more good and loving manner than most good loving fathers would. There are always consequences for our actions. My kids do similar things with me, I assume God deals with this on a much more grand scale than I do.

Dunno who they were. I figure if you believe that your religion isn't the only way to go, and that a number of them would work just fine, you should choose the most demanding one. That way you will be saved by its standards which cover the standards of the other ones, just in case it's te right one and the others don't really work.

The steps of repentance according to my beliefs:

1) Recognition. Admittance. Admit to yourself that it was a sin. If something that you have done bothers you, and you believe it to be a sin, do not excuse yourself in any way for it. Don't try to hide it.
2) Feel Sorrow for the sin. You must feel that the sin was wrong. A term used is "humble with a broken heart and contrite spirit."
3) Forsake the sin. No longer do that act.
4) Confession. Personal confession directly to the Lord in prayer is required. Confession to those we have wronged in the sin is required. In my religion sins that have the possibility of great impact on others must be confessed to the proper religious leader (This includes sexual sins.)
5) Restitution. As possible make right whatever wrong we have done. e.g. a thief would give back what was stolen. A liar should make the truth known. A gossip who slandered another would work to restore the good name of the person harmed.
6) We must forgive others. We must forgive those that have sinned against us.
7) We must maintain the lifestyle we believe proper given our beliefs.

Who says?

Thoughts as sins. Do you entertain them or do you push them away? If you think that a thought is a sin and think the thought and dwell on it, then you are sinning in your thoughts. God knows you. And like I said, I believe he is good and loving.

As stated before:

These are my views. I am a Mormon, all the same these are my interpretation of what I believe as a Mormon and not necessarily official doctrine. If you have questions I will answer them, but if it is an attack I may simply ignore you because I don't care about your comment.

But oh man, I am going to hell 😆 To many things are a sin now adays and you can't even aviod anything because it is everywhere..It is hard to stop things if thats the way you grew up..heck Movies and Video games are a sin if it has violence in it 😐

Bah, Telling some guy you never met before your sins 😐 not cool and not knowing what they will do with it...Humans are Humanas so even priests will laugh at your sins and have a smoke to it. Ever watch the news on preists gone nad 😐 So you can't trust nobody!!!

Originally posted by debbiejo
Yet the devil is deceiving as an angel of light........so who's to say who you are following?

Our beliefs on the subject, remember we believe devils and Satan to not have a physical form, merely a spirit form.

D&C 129

Instructions given by Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, February 9, 1843, making known three grand keys by which the correct nature of ministering angels and spirits may be distinguished. HC 5: 267.

1—3, There are both resurrected and spirit bodies in heaven; 4—9, Keys are given whereby messengers from beyond the veil may be identified.

1 THERE are two kinds of beings in heaven, namely: Angles, who are resurrected personages, having bodies• of flesh and bones—

2 For instance, Jesus said: Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh• and bones, as ye see me have.

3 Secondly: the spirits of just• men made perfect, they who are not resurrected, but inherit the same glory.

4 When a messenger comes saying he has a message from God, offer him your hand and request him to shake hands with you.

5 If he be an angel he will do so, and you will feel his hand.

6 If he be the spirit of a just man made perfect he will come in his glory; for that is the only way he can appear—

7 Ask him to shake hands with you, but he will not move, because it is contrary to the order of heaven for a just man to deceive; but he will still deliver his message.

8 If it be the devil as an angel of light, when you ask him to shake hands he will offer you his hand, and you will not feel anything; you may therefore detect him.

9 These are three grand keys whereby you may know whether any administration is from God.

Originally posted by Regret
Yes, for my exact stance refer to our Eigth Article of Faith:

8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

No.

Originally posted by Ritoshi
So God lies to us ? or it is possible but he doesn't do it 🙁

We believe that God could lie. We believe he does not, and will not, lie, that by doing so he would contradict himself and cease to be God.

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Thanks

But oh man, I am going to hell 😆 To many things are a sin now adays and you can't even aviod anything because it is everywhere..It is hard to stop things if thats the way you grew up..heck Movies and Video games are a sin if it has violence in it 😐

In my belief system you don't go to hell, just someplace like this life or better. You couldn't do enough to make it to hell 😉

Originally posted by Ritoshi
Bah, Telling some guy you never met before your sins 😐 not cool and not knowing what they will do with it...Humans are Humanas so even priests will laugh at your sins and have a smoke to it. Ever watch the news on preists gone nad 😐 So you can't trust nobody!!!

I figure maybe that's part of the punishment for the sin. Besides if he does he is in need of repentance. Also, if you've admitted it and repented who cares what he does?

Lucifer is a mistranslation from the Bible and Purgatory is a lie made up by the Catholic Church to make money.

Originally posted by Arachnoidfreak
Lucifer is a mistranslation from the Bible and Purgatory is a lie made up by the Catholic Church to make money.

Please do not respond to this type of post in this thread, it is not within the topic I am pursuing.

Originally posted by Ritoshi
I say you start a thread on Just ask faith 😈 and I will flood you with God questions so you could help people out 😱 😈

🙄

How about a Kid thats been traiend to believe one religion from birth...How is God punishing that person when it is not that persons fault on how they were raised ?

Also what was the point of flooding the earth ? You give a person free will then you flood the earth because they didn't chose the right side ?

Originally posted by Justbyfaith
🙄