Creatures or Children of God?

I must claim ignorance as to the specific beliefs of all other religions as it pertains to the existence of man’s soul before birth. From what I gather generally, most religions recognize the creation of the soul at some point here on Earth either in the womb or at birth. I am open to be enlightened by those of other faiths as to their beliefs on the existence of the soul before life begins. It is not so much my intent to define other’s religious beliefs as it is to explain and clarify mine. 

Mormons believe that all of us existed together as spirit children of our Heavenly Father before coming to this Earth. We co-existed as literal brothers and sisters and interacted with God. God knew us as he knew Jeremiah before he was “formed in the belly” (Jerimiah 1:5). Details of day to day life in this pre-earth state aren’t readily available, but some of the major events of that life have been revealed through prophets. 

John teaches in Revelation that there was a great battle between good and evil before the Earth was (Rev 12:7). Mormons believe that this “battle” was a battle for our souls even before the world began. We believe that two plans were presented to bring us back to our Heavenly Father. One plan was presented by Lucifer. His plan was to force all mankind to choose good so that not one soul would be lost. In return for saving all of mankind, Lucifer wanted all glory. The alternative plan was that of Jesus Christ. He presented a plan of free will and offered Himself as a sacrifice for those that used free agency to sin. Christ returned all glory to The Father (Abraham 3:27-28).  When Christ’s plan was chosen, Lucifer rebelled and fell from heaven (Luke 10:18; 2 Nephi 2:17). 

Because we are here on Earth, we know we accepted Christ’s plan to come to Earth and be tested (Abraham 3:24-26). Job even tells us that we all “shouted for joy” (Job 38:7) when we accepted the plan. Here, we do not remember the events that happened before we were born. We must rely on the revelations given to prophets and the promptings of the spirit. These promptings tend to be very strong and lead people to ask, “Where did I come from?” Others wonder what it means to “return” to our Heavenly Father (Eccl 12:7). 

As Mormons, we happily share that we came from a Heavenly Family. We are literal spirit sons and daughters of a Heavenly King! Great happiness come from the knowledge that we are not mere creatures of a foreign God, but rather we have a loving Heavenly Father anxiously awaiting our return.

Where Did All These Mormons Come From?

Thirty years ago Mormonism was perceived as a strange cult out of Utah. Over the past two decades you’ve probably seen more and more Mormons all over the place. You see their missionaries, you hear about them on the news, or perhaps your neighbor or a co-worker is a Mormon. At this point you might be asking yourself, “Where did all these Mormons come from?!”

In the spring of 1820, a 14 year old farm boy named Joseph Smith from upstate New York was confused about the religious uprising in his town. He and his family read the Bible regularly, and after reading from the Epistle of James he decided to pray to God and ask Him what religion to join. Joseph went to a grove of trees to vocally pray. Upon praying, Joseph describes his experience this way:

“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. […]When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Pearl of Great Price, JS-H 1:16-17).

In answer to Joseph’s prayer, he received a visit from God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. After this initial visit, Joseph received divine instruction to not join any of the churches established at that time. Over time he received the authority to organize a church. The church he organized is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or more commonly today as the Mormon Church.

The church was organized on April 6^th, 1830 with only 6 members. Immediately, revelation was given to the church to send proselytizing missionaries throughout the world. Starting with only a few missionaries, the restored gospel was taken to any country that would allow missionaries. The commandment to share the gospel is still in effect today for members of the Church of Jesus Christ. Today there are over 330 missions with nearly 60,000 missionaries worldwide. Those missionaries continue to find people seeking the truth. 

The church continues to grow each year as missionaries talk to new people every day. Mormons still find themselves in obscurity when it comes to their beliefs, but not when it comes to the name of their church. If you have a question about their beliefs, track down those pesky missionaries or ask one of your Mormon friends right away, they’ll love it. 

And that is where all those Mormons come from.