What a great country we live in, this great United States of America, that we have the freedom to practice our religion.
"Freedom of religion is a guarantee by a government for freedom of belief for individuals and freedom of worship for individuals and groups. It is generally recognized to also include the freedom not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many in many nations and people to be a fundamental human right."
-The freedom of religion as stated by Wikipedia
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Sunday is a day of rest from our weekly schedule of work. Today is a day that we reserve for worshipping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Here is a description of one of our beliefs.
Link To The Below Quoted Information
The Restoration of Truth
Heavenly Father Reveals His Gospel to All
"Why doesn't God call prophets today?
Throughout history God has revealed His gospel through prophets, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter and others, and has endowed them with divine authority, which is priesthood, to speak and act in His name (Amos 3:7). These prophets teach the people the gospel and direct His Church. They teach and testify about the character of God and the special mission of Jesus Christ, inviting all to partake of the blessings of the gospel.
You can find the testimonies of prophets in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and in the Book of Mormon.
Through revelation from God, the Old Testament prophets knew that the Savior Jesus Christ would come to the earth. These prophets knew that the Savior would come to provide the way for all of us to return to our Father in Heaven, and they recorded their witnesses for us to study and to pray about so that we can have faith in Jesus Christ.
The New Testament records the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and contains the words of prophets and apostles who were witnesses that He is the Son of God. John the Baptist was a prophet who prepared the way of the Savior ( Luke 1:76). Peter, James, John, and the other Apostles also testified of Him. As you read the accounts of these prophets and apostles, your understanding and faith in Jesus Christ will grow.
Throughout the Book of Mormon, there are examples of many prophets who testified of Jesus Christ. Among these prophets are men named Lehi, Nephi, Benjamin, Mosiah, Alma, Abinadi, Helaman, Mormon, and Moroni. Book of Mormon prophets bore fervent testimony of Christ so later generations could also develop faith in the Savior and look to Him for redemption. As the prophet Nephi wrote, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins" ( 2 Nephi 25:26).
Those who follow the prophets receive the blessings God has promised, while those who reject the gospel and God's prophets lose those blessings and distance themselves from God—placing them in spiritual darkness, which eventually leads to a condition called apostasy. Widespread apostasy occurs when God's priesthood authority to teach and administer the ordinances of the gospel is withdrawn.
The scriptures record the pattern wherein God repeatedly reaches out to His children by revealing His gospel through a prophet, who in turn teaches the people. Some people follow, then become disobedient; others reject it outright. The Lord then takes away His priesthood and the gospel is lost. When there are those prepared to follow Him again, the Lord reveals anew His gospel and restores His priesthood. Such periods when prophets are commanded to teach the gospel, often involving a restoration, are called dispensations?. The periods of time headed by a prophetic leader, such as Adam, Enoch, Noah, Moses and so forth, are called dispensations.
The divine truths your Heavenly Father desires you to know have been restored by God for the final time—never to be removed from the earth again—through the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith. As Moses and other biblical prophets received revelation from God, so Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ and was chosen to testify of Them and to restore the gospel and His Church.
In June 1844, Joseph Smith, the first prophet of this dispensation, was murdered in Carthage, Illinois. The leadership of the restored Church of Jesus Christ then passed to Brigham Young, who was the senior Apostle? of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He became responsible for leading the Church under Jesus Christ's direction. Throughout the 33 years Brigham Young led the Church, he:
Led the first group of pioneers across 1,000 miles of unsettled plains, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
Supervised the subsequent immigration of more than 70,000 people from the U.S. and Europe.
Founded over 350 settlements, including communities in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Canada, and Mexico.
Brigham Young was called by God as the next prophet after Joseph Smith. Just as Brigham Young was called of God to succeed Joseph Smith, so this pattern of succession of prophets, as directed by Jesus Christ, continues today. The current prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Gordon B. Hinckley. He is assisted by two counselors: Thomas S. Monson and Henry B. Eyring. Together, they make up the First Presidency of the Church (much like Peter, James, and John in Christ's time).
The current Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are:
Boyd K. Packer
L. Tom Perry
Russell M. Nelson
Dallin H. Oaks
M. Russell Ballard
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Richard G. Scott
Robert D. Hales
Jeffrey R. Holland
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
David A. Bednar
Quentin L. Cook
Just as God led the Israelites out of slavery and to a better place through His prophet Moses, He leads His children today into happier, more peaceful lives when they choose to follow Jesus Christ by following His living prophet. You are invited to read or listen to the words of living prophets and consider how knowing God's will can benefit your life."
For more information, including a short video, please click on the following link.
Mormon.org
No comments:
Post a Comment