Recently, I shared this video on Facebook. It is a simple explanation of what we - members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (nicknamed "Mormons") - consider to be sacred and holy clothing. Like symbolic robes or garments worn in many other religions, they serve to remind us of our covenants and commitments to God.
Note: the one thing they didn't include that I wish they had is that
when we are in the Temple, we wear the Temple Robes OVER other white
clothes - women white skirts or dresses and men white shirts, tie, and
pants. We don't wear just the robe.
THEN I was asked this great question from an extended family member, born, raised, and proud of being Catholic. The question was: Hearing that the Mormons think they r the only ones to go to heaven is that true??
I tried to give a simple but full answer. It was later requested that I post my answer to my blog for future reference. So, here is my answer to her question - do Mormons believe only they go to heaven?
Not even close to true. But it is a good question, so here's my best attempt at a simple answer.
Our
faith actually doesn't believe in hell in the traditional sense. We
believe there are three "degrees" of heaven, like the difference between
the stars, moon, and sun. Depending on our faithfulness and acceptance
of Christ's gospel and atonement (which can also happen after death -
everyone gets an equal opportunity to hear and accept or reject Christ's
gospel), we will go to one of the three heavens. The highest degree of
heaven is where Heavenly Father and Christ live - so that is our
ultimate goal. But no matter what we do in this life or the next, we all
get to go to a heaven that is better and more beautiful than the world
we live in now.
It
is true that we believe the "keys" we need to enter the highest degree
of heaven are given in our temples, and we keep them sacred (not secret -
we want everyone to have a chance to receive them, which is why we send
out so many missionaries to share our faith).
Because
our temples are literally houses of God, we believe we can only enter
when we are our best selves (not perfect), doing our best to keep God's
commandments, and, yes, active and believing in the LDS faith. There
would be no point in entering an LDS temple unless you believed in its
purpose,
which is to give us those keys to heaven, and seal the bonds of family -
husband, wife, parent, child - together eternally. No 'til death do us
part - the promise is forever.
Finally,
because God is perfectly just and perfectly merciful, he allows every
single person the opportunity to gain these keys and eternal family. That is why we perform
the ordinances like baptism by proxy (in physical place for someone who's passed on)
in the temples for ancestors and others who have lived and died before
us. They do not have to accept these ordinances, God will never force
anyone to do it, but we do our best to ensure everyone gets the chance
to make their own choice.
Don't
ever be afraid to ask me about my faith. I am so happy to answer
questions, and I always try to do it respectfully and simply. And I will
never put any pressure on you to change your own religious beliefs and
practices. I just think it's always best when we know the truths about
each other.
Leave your thoughts and comments please!
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