Mormonism and doctrine
From FAIRMormon
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This page is a summary or index. More detailed information on this topic is available on the sub-pages below.
Mormonism and doctrine
Church response
Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted.
The President of the Church may announce or interpret doctrines based on revelation to him. Doctrinal exposition may also come through the combined council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Council deliberations will often include a weighing of canonized scriptures, the teachings of Church leaders, and past practice. But in the end, just as in the New Testament church, the objective is not simply consensus among council members, but revelation from God. It is a process involving both reason and faith for obtaining the mind and will of the Lord. At the same time it should be remembered that not every statement made by a Church leader past or present necessarily constitutes doctrine. It is commonly understood in the church that a statement made by one leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well considered, opinion not meant to be official or binding for the whole Church. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that a prophet is a prophet only when he is acting as such.
- —The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Approaching Mormon Doctrine (May 4, 2007)
There is an important principle that governs the doctrine of the Church. The doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk. True principles are taught frequently and by many. Our doctrine is not difficult to find. The leaders of the Church are honest but imperfect men. Remember the words of Moroni: “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father … ; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.” (Mormon 9:31)
- — Elder D. Todd Christofferson, April 2012 General Conference, Sunday Morning Session. (April 1, 2012)
- — Elder Neil L. Anderson, "Trial of Your Faith," Ensign (November 2012).
Sub-articles
"Essentials" or Core doctrine
- Official or "core" doctrine—
What constitutes official or "core" doctrine of the Church? Joseph Smith defined our fundamental core doctrine: "The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 121.) (Link)
New doctrine
- Establishing new doctrine—
How is new doctrine established in the Church? (Link) - Changing doctrine—
Is LDS doctrine constantly changing? Critics claim that Mormon doctrine is very elusive - very little is claimed to be official, which makes it easy to repudiate certain doctrines when they become unpleasant or unfashionable. (Link) - Church publications as doctrine—
Are Church publications considered doctrine? Critics claim that anything that is, or ever was, officially published by the Church at any time ought to represent doctrine, thus define what Latter-day Saints really believe. However, just as Brigham Young taught principles that applied to the 19th-century saints, modern prophets teach us what we need for our particular time. (Link) - Official Church publications—
Critics claim that some publications are official Church publications when in reality they are not. Conversely, some critics claim that some publications are not official Church publications when in reality they are. (Link)
Past doctrine
- Statements by past prophets—
Are statements of past prophets considered doctrine? Critics claim that anything that is, or ever was, officially published by the Church ought to represent doctrine. (Link) - Prophets are not infallible—
Are prophets considered infallible? Critics sometimes impose absolutist assumptions on the Church and hold inerrantist beliefs about scriptures or prophets. Critics therefore insist that any statement by any LDS Church leader represents LDS doctrine and is thus something that is secretly believed, or that should be believed, by Latter-day Saints. (Link) - Repudiated concepts—
Some teachings previously considered doctrinal have since been repudiated by the Church. (Link)- Adam-God—Brigham Young taught that Adam, the first man, was God the Father. Since this teaching runs counter to the story told in Genesis and commonly accepted by Christians, critics accuse Brigham of being a false prophet. Also, because modern Latter-day Saints do not believe Brigham's "Adam-God" teachings, critics accuse Mormons of either changing their teachings or rejecting teachings of prophets they find uncomfortable or unsupportable. (Link)
- Blood atonement—Critics claim that during the administration of Brigham Young apostates were secretly put to death. They claim this is in line with the teachings of LDS leaders at the time that apostasy was the unforgivable sin, and that the only thing an apostate could do to redeem himself was to give his own life, willingly or unwillingly. (Link)
- Race—Church leaders have specifically repudiated some ideas about race expressed by some leaders and members. (Link)
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Eschatology
Topics
- Rapture and LDS theology—
What is the "Rapture"? Do Latter-day Saints believe in this or a similar doctrine? (Link)
Miscellaneous doctrinal issues
- Obedience—
Mormons believe in being obedient to God and His servants. Critics sometimes characterize such obedience as the product of authoritarianism, or intrusion of leaders into members' lives. This misunderstands the doctrines of agency and obedience. (Link) - 17 Points of the True Church (Link)
- Angels—
What is the LDS understanding of the nature of angels? (Link) - Animal sacrifice taught by Joseph?—
Critics claim that Joseph Smith favored "Old Testament practices" including "teaching animal sacrifice." (Link) - Anti-Mormon—
Some critics of the Church object to the use of the term "anti-Mormon." They do not like to be referred to as "anti-Mormons," and deny that their books, speeches, blogs or videos are "anti-Mormon." Such critics often insist that the term "anti-Mormon" is unfair because they are not "against" Mormons, but only write and act as they do because they "love" Mormons or Mormon investigators and want to bring them to the truth. (Link) - Apologetics—
Many people are not familiar with "apologetics," and raise a variety of questions. (Link)- Does the Church discourage reading critical material?—Does the Church forbid the reading of "anti-Mormon" criticisms, or discourage its members from considering such matters? (Link)
- Mormon Church is a cult—
Critics claim that the Church is "a cult." (Link) - Graven Images—
Critics claim that the Church violates the Biblical command against "graven images" because it displays sculptures of Christ, statues of the angel Moroni on the spires of our temples, or paintings showing scriptural scenes, within temples, chapels, visitors' centers, and publications. (Link) - Deification of man / theosis—
Critics claim that the doctrine of human deification is unbiblical, false, and arrogant. (Link)- Downplaying the King Follett Discourse—Critics claim that, in an effort to appear more "mainline" Christian, the Church is downplaying the importance of some doctrines taught late in Joseph Smith's lifetime. Prominent among these is the doctrine of human deification. To bolster their argument, critics usually quote from a 1997 Time magazine interview with President Gordon B. Hinckley. (Link)
- Excommunication and Church discipline (Link) [needs work]
- Sons of Perdition (Link)
- Eventual fate—Today in our Sunday School class an individual expressed the belief that the sons of perdition would be given another chance to achieve celestial glory. Could you direct me to any specific reference on this topic? (Link)
- Will Sons of Perdition be resurrected?—Will sons of perdition be resurrected? (Link)
- Women as "sons of perdition"?—Are there women who would be among those cast into outer darkness? Are there female 'Sons of Perdition'? (Link)
- Feelings and emotions as the basis of a testimony—
Critics complain that the LDS appeal to "revelation" or a "burning in the bosom" is subjective, emotion-based, and thus unreliable and susceptible to self-deception. Sectarian critics also belittle appeals to spiritual experiences, comparing them to "warm fuzzies," or merely something "felt by simply watching a Hollywood movie." (Link) - Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven—
Critics attempt to use 1 Cor. 15:50 to demonstrate that a resurrected being with a physical body cannot enter into heaven, therefore excluding a God with a body as well as resurrected mortals. (Link) - Free will and science—
Science demonstrates that all interactions of matter--including all events in the human brain--are sufficiently caused by previous events. If we know enough about the laws that govern these interactions and the current state of the universe, we would be able to exactly predict any future event. Does this mean that the doctrine of "agency" or "free will" is false, since all human choices are predetermined by the laws of physics? (Link) - Government during the Millennium—
During the millennium, will there be a secular government in addition to Christ's reign? It seems that I had heard that there will be a "government headquarters" in a different location to the "church headquarters". Do we know where they will be located? (Link) - Location of Lost Ten Tribes?—
Can you tell me something about the location of the lost ten tribes of Israel? I heard they might be under the polar ice cap. (Link) [needs work] - Myths about Mormons (Link)
- Progression between kingdoms of glory—
Is there progression between the three degrees of glory? (Link) - Prophets don't prophesy—
Some critics say that Latter-day Saint prophets aren't really "prophets" because they don't prophesy by foretelling unknown events. They commonly issue challenges such as, "If Gordon B. Hinckley is a prophet, tell me one event that he's prophesied." Do LDS prophets "prophesy"? (Link) - Sabbath changed to Sunday—
The Old Testament commands men to rest on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Why do Mormons then follow the practice of most Christians by resting and worshiping on Sunday? (Link) - Satan's dominion over waters—
I know I was told in the MTC that missionaries were not to ever swim because Satan had dominion over the waters. So what is the actual Church doctrine on this subject? (Link) - How is tithing calculated?—
I've been told by critics of the Church that the Church expects or teaches its members to tithe on gross income. What can you tell me about how tithing it taught in the Church? (Link)
