Jesus was baptized because God has commanded everyone to be baptized by one who is in authority to do so. Even though Jesus had no sins to be forgiven of, He knew baptism was required. In addition, our baptisms are a time to make a covenant with our Father in Heaven.

Jesus was baptized by full immersion. John put him completely under water for just a moment.

Mormon Baptism

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nicknamed Mormons, follow the example of the Savior and are baptized by full immersion by a priesthood holder who has authority from God to perform baptisms. Today this happens when a child is at least eight years old, the age of accountability. People who join the Church at an older age are baptized just prior to becoming a member of the Church, even if they were previously baptized in another religion.

Infant Baptism

Children under the age of eight do not require baptism. They are incapable of sinning. Nor can they understand the process of repentance. While they may make mistakes, they are too young to be held accountable for what they do. The atonement of the Savior covers them, because our Heavenly Father, who loves us completely, does not punish us for the sins of others, including those of Adam and Eve. We are accountable only for what we ourselves do of our own free will. The Book of Mormon refers to infant baptism as an abomination committed by those who do not have faith in the saving power of the atonement.

Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy.

And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption.

Wo unto such, for they are in danger of death, hell, and an endless torment. I speak it boldly; God hath commanded me. Listen unto them and give heed, or they stand against you at the judgment-seat of Christ.

For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing-

But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works (Moroni 8, Book of Mormon).

Children who die before they are eight years old are covered completely by the atonement and die in a state of perfection, returning to their Father in Heaven without judgment. Members of the Church trust God to be kind, loving, and fair, and this teaching is one demonstration of that great love. Those who do not reach a mental age of eight through disability are also not held accountable for their choices. Baptism is for those old enough to understand right from wrong when it’s taught to them.

In the same respect, those who do not have an opportunity to hear the gospel in this lifetime will not be held accountable for this. How could a loving God punish someone for not living what He didn’t even know he should live? These people will be given the opportunity to hear the gospel after they die, and to choose whether or not they want to accept and live it. People are held accountable only for what they had the opportunity to know.

What This Tells Us About God

These teachings on baptism are proof that God is a fair and loving Father. It also accepts our agency, the right to choose for ourselves when we’re able, how we want to live.

God knew that we would not be perfect, even after baptism. He created the ability for us to repent of our sins, continuing to renew our baptismal covenants throughout our lifetime.

Covenants

When we’re baptized, we make a covenant. A covenant is a two way promise between ourselves and God. If we keep our part of the promise, God is bound to keep His part. Our part is a promise to live the gospel to the very best of our ability, to always remember Christ, and to take upon ourselves His name. His part is to then forgive us of our sins and to welcome us back into His kingdom when our life ends. These promises from God are contingent on our own efforts to keep the promise we made to God. The gospel requires us to do our part, and not to live any way we want, expecting God to do everything with no effort on our own part. “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” the Savior taught. Our obedience is a measure of our love for the Savior. Our baptism is the first step to demonstrating that love.

As we begin our search for eternal truth, we will be faced with many conflicting ideas. One church will tell us God and Jesus are the same person. Another will tell us they aren’t. One will say baptism is essential. Another will say it is not. How do you know who is right?

We can learn to recognize the Light of Christ as it guides us through our life. The Light of Christ can tell us what is true and can help us remember what we once knew when we lived with God. You may already have had experience with the Light of Christ. Have you ever done something wrong and felt something deep inside telling you this was wrong? Have you ever had an odd premonition you were making a dangerous choice or that there was something important you needed to do? Most of us call this our conscience or intuition. In reality, it is the Light of Christ, given to you as a gift from your loving Heavenly Father to keep you safe. The more you listen to it and react to its promptings, the more clearly you will recognize it when you feel it or hear it.

When you first meet with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you will hear doctrine that may be new to you. And yet, sometimes, a little flicker in your heart will tell you this seems somehow familiar. This is the Light of Christ, testifying to you that you once knew all of this without doubt.

In time, when you choose to be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church, you’ll receive the Holy Ghost, the gift the Savior promised to send us. This gift will be with you every moment of your life if you live worthily of its presence, to guide and protect you.

How can you use the light of Christ to determine if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true? The first step is to trust God to be able to tell you what is true in a way you can recognize. God can do anything, including give you truth. If you trust Him, He will answer your request.

 The next step is to begin studying. God, being a wise parent, wants us to make an effort on our own. He knows it’s always better for us to strive for what we want rather than to be handed it without effort, just as you, if you’re a parent, know this is best for your own children. As you study, keep your heart and mind open, noticing what you feel in your heart as you read.

Next, continuously go to your knees in prayer and ask God to tell you if this is true. Tell him what you think. A warm, comforting feeling in your heart tells you that you are right.

Live righteously as you study, living as closely to God’s teachings as you can. This helps you to be worthy of His help.

Try living what you learn. Notice how you feel as you live a new teaching. You cannot do wrong and feel right, so this is a good test of truth. But in the end, prayer is always the answer.

To learn more, visit Mormon.org and start your own personal course of study.

God has a plan for our lives. This plan includes aspects that affect all people who come to earth, and also aspects that are unique to individuals. These personal plans are possible because our Heavenly Father knows us and loves us in a very personal way.

We weren’t sent here alone. We had the light of Christ to guide as we made choices and sought truth. When we find that truth, and reach the age of accountability, we can choose to be baptized by one who has authority from God and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to be with us always. This gift will guide and comfort us throughout our lives.

We also have the Savior, whose sacrifice made it possible for all to live again. Then, after all we can do, His grace enables us to return to the presence of God after our lives end. He volunteered to make this sacrifice for us because of His great love for us and for His Father in Heaven. He recognized the wisdom in all parts of God’s plan for us.

There was one other who wanted to be our Savior. However, Lucifer had no interest in God’s plan, but instead, wanted to be in total control. He felt we should come to earth with no agency, no right to choose anything. Our every movement and choice would be controlled by him, forcing us to make it back to Heaven perfect, with no need for someone to die for our sins. Can you imagine an earth where you had no control over your own life? What would be the purpose in coming here? And of course, Lucifer wanted all the glory for this “service.”

Jesus, fortunately, offered Himself instead. He would allow us to make our own choices and decide for ourselves how we would live. He would come to earth, live a perfect life, and then take our sins on Himself, atoning for what we could not atone for. Without Him, it would be impossible for us to succeed in our earthly mission. He did not want any credit for what He did, but asked that the glory all be given to the Father. In the Bible, we read often of how He told His followers He came not to do His will, but His Father’s.

Lucifer managed to win over one third of the spirits in Heaven, people who wanted to take the easy way instead of God’s way. Those people were cast out of Heaven, along with Lucifer, who became Satan.  Being cast out, they lost the opportunity to obtain physical bodies, became evil spirits, and now devote their lives to trying to make us miserable.

Fortunately, because God sent us here with gifts that keep us in touch with Him, we don’t have to choose misery. We can choose happiness every day. The Book of Mormon teaches us:

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy (2 Nephi 2:25).

If we spend our earth lives wisely, and turn to the Father for advice when we have choices to make, if we seek out righteousness and truth, we can someday return to live with our Father in Heaven and our Savior. As you explore the pages in the Basic Beliefs section of this site, you can learn more about God’s plan for your eternal happiness.

Some prophets restored lost truths.  Moses, the Lawgiver, led a people who had drifted for 400 years and needed to be trained up in the basics of the gospel.  Jesus gave us new views of the gospel, based on the foundation laid through Moses and succeeding prophets. The apostles who served as prophets after He died also enlarged upon those first teachings, bringing new messages from God as situations changed and people had new needs.

When the apostles were dead, the Church fell into apostasy. Men began altering the gospel, and God withdrew His priesthood. Without priesthood, there can be no prophet. Without a prophet to turn to, people began to interpret and change doctrine to suit their personal beliefs or needs even more.  Soon, confusion existed in the religious world. Many churches sprung up, all with differing doctrine, and all claiming to know the truth. For truth seekers, the choices were overwhelming, with no one church offering the whole truth.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it (Amos 8).

Just as the apostasy had been foretold, the restoration had also been promised.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:19-22).

Today, we are in the final days of the earth, and it is important that we have a prophet to guide us through them, and to prepare us for the events of the second coming, just as the Old Testament prophets prepared us for the first coming.

God restored prophets and the fullness of the gospel to the earth when Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet. Since that time, the earth has continued to be blessed with prophets to guide us through the challenges of these last days. God has promised he will never again leave us without guidance. We can be assured the truth will always be available to us through God’s chosen prophets. To learn more about prophets, visit LDS.org.

The Savior

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 Ne. 25:26 in the Book of Mormon).

The Book of Mormon talks about the Savior in nearly half its verses, which is more often than He is referred to in the Bible.

The people of the Book of Mormon knew of the Savior, even though they lived far from Jerusalem. The people had come from Jerusalem and brought with them the scriptures that existed in 600 BC. They had prophets who taught them of the Savior to come, and instructed them to look forward to the time when He would visit them in person. The people heard the voice of Christ shortly after His crucifixion, which occurred in the “first month of the year.”  In the last month of that same year, He visited them in His resurrected, glorious state, and established His church among them, with twelve disciples according to the same pattern He used during His ministry.

In the Book of Mormon we learn “that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved” (2 Nephi 25:20). Read the Book of Mormon to find powerful moments in the Savior’s life not recorded in the Bible.

Prayer

And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray (2 Nephi 32:8 in the Book of Mormon).

The Book of Mormon teaches us to pray to God when we need advice or comfort and warns us against those who try to make us afraid to pray. Building on the teachings of the Bible, the Book of Mormon tells us that prayer was created to give us a personal way to communicate with our Father in Heaven, and for Him to communicate with us. Those who know God well will recognize His voice when He speaks to them. Through prayer, an individual can know without question what is true, which church to join, and what God wants of him.

Saved By Grace After All We Can Do

The Bible tells us faith without works is not faith:

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ((James 2, King James Version of the Bible)

The Book of Mormon builds on this theme and explains to us just how this works.

For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25).

The “Mormons” believe nothing is required of us to be resurrected and to live forever. The atonement took care of the requirements that had to be met for this. However, most of us long not to live forever, but to live forever with God. For this, we must demonstrate our faith through our actions, as the Bible teaches. Then, because none of us can live a perfect life, the Savior’s atonement makes up the difference. We’re saved by grace after we’ve done as much as we can ourselves. God wants us to live the gospel and to follow His teachings—that’s why he blesses us with commandments.

These are only three things the Book of Mormon teaches. To learn more, continue to explore the basic beliefs section of this website or visit Mormon.org.

The book, as a story, is the story of a family. There is far more to it than that, of course, but let’s start there. The story begins with Lehi, a prophet in Jerusalem. He was preaching around 600 BC, the same time as the Biblical prophet Jeremiah. You might recall this was when God wanted the people warned that if they didn’t repent, their city would be destroyed, and they would be carried away captive. They didn’t want to repent, however, and they decided to kill Lehi. As we know, other prophets of the time faced similar persecution.

Lehi, following God’s instructions, left his comfortable life of wealth, taking with him only his family and those items essential for survival in the wilderness. Eventually, Lehi would send his sons back just long enough to invite another family to join them, and to provide spouses for Lehi’s grown children. They would also bring with them a man who would become a friend of their son, Nephi. They departed and began a journey of many years which would eventually lead them to the American continent.

Lehi and his wife Sariah had six sons, four when the story begins, and two more born in the wilderness. The first two turned away from the teachings of their parents and God, and became progressively more wicked and violent. The family grew rapidly. After the death of their parents, it became too dangerous for the righteous arm of the family to remain with the others. Nephi, the fourth son and now the prophet of these people, took his family and others who were righteous, and moved away from the two oldest brothers and their followers. Throughout the book, we see conflict between the two groups, and desperate efforts to bring the wicked portion of the family back to the gospel.

The prophets of the Book of Mormon knew of Christ. They had brought the scriptures with them across the ocean, probably a portion that was similar to what today constitutes the Torah, with some additional scriptures we no longer have. Their prophets saw the Savior in visions and taught the people to love Him and to look forward to His coming.

The most important part of the Book of Mormon concerns the Savior. The people of the Book of Mormon knew of his birth and they knew of his death, through their prophets and signs given to them from God. In John, chapter 10, we read:

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

The resurrected Savior visited the Book of Mormon peoples to bring them His word. He spoke to them three days after His death, and then He appeared to them a year after His ascension, teaching them, loving them, and helping them to establish their church in His name.

There are wonderful stories in the Book of Mormon. It can be read for pleasure just from this point of view. However, if this is the only way it’s ever read, the reader will lose so much. After exploring the wonders of the stories of courage, faith, and sacrifice, read it again to find out its true message for you from God.

To learn more, read The Book of Mormon. On this page, you can learn more about its teachings and request a free book of your own.

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I (John 14:28, King James Version of the Bible).

But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence (John 14:31, King James version of the Bible).

In these verses, Jesus is clearly referring to His Father as a different person He loves and looks up to, someone He takes instruction from.

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him (John 8: 28-29).

Jesus said often He came to do not his own work, but the Father’s work in the Father’s way:

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me (John 5:30, King James version of the Bible).

It was not until the first century that the idea of God and Jesus being the same person came into being, and this was decided at a council held to clarify doctrine, since already there were many disputes about what was true. The gospel the Savior taught had already been debated and corrupted. You can see this teaching was not from the Savior Himself, who always spoke of His Father in a respectful, worshipful way. He knelt down often and turned to His Father in prayer for comfort and guidance. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked His Father to remove the cup if possible, but if not, He would do God’s will, not His own. He left the choice to His Father, rather than commanding His Father.

This not only makes the Savior more approachable, but it makes the gift God gave us that much more remarkable. Picture the great love any good parent has for his child. Can you imagine sending your son, whom you love, to face what you know will be terrible and painful? God did, and when Christ faced agony in Gethsemane and on the cross, God didn’t back down and take away the suffering. It must have been horrible for Him to know this was happening, to know He could stop it, and yet to choose not to for the benefit of mankind.

Why did He do this? Because both God and Jesus love us with a love more powerful than we can ever imagine. United in spirit and purpose, they unified to bring us the gift of salvation, the ability to be forgiven of our sins, and to rise again when the day came so we could live forever. Everyone receives the gift of resurrection. Those who love God and the Savior enough to sacrifice for Them also receive another, more extraordinary and wonderful gift: the opportunity to live with Them forever.

How is Christ the Son of God?

The Mormon Church has other scriptures in addition to the Bible that amplify the message that Jesus was and is the Son of God.  He is God’s son in several ways:

1. He was the Firstborn and most intelligent being created before the world was. All things were created through Him.  In the Pearl of Great Price, in the Book of Moses, it says:  “And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me. And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. And worlds without number have I created and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:31-33).
2. He does always the will of the Father and is therefore His son in obedience and glory.  Christ visited the Book of Mormon peoples on the American continent after His resurrection.  “And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Nephi 11:9-11).
3. He was the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh, being the literal son of Mary, a virgin, and God the Father.  Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet was shown a vision by an angel: “And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.  And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh” (1 Nephi 11:13, 18).

Read more about Jesus Christ, the Son of God at Jesus Christ.org.

The Church’s story begins with Joseph Smith, a fourteen year old boy who longed to know which church to join. He went into the woods to pray, and God and Jesus appeared to him to answer his question. You can read more about this in “The Restoration of the Gospel.”

From this event, which would eventually lead to a complete restoration of the church established by the Savior, Joseph learned several important truths about God.

First, he learned God has a body, like ours but resurrected, glorious beyond description, and perfected. This was demonstrated in the Bible in the story of the creation.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1, King James Version of the Bible).

In order for our bodies to be like God’s, He must also have a body. In Exodus 33, we learn, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

Joseph’s experience also taught us God and Jesus are separate individuals, but unified perfectly in purpose. Jesus taught this great truth during His time on earth: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38, King James Version). This makes it very clear they can’t be the same physical being. Instead, they are one in their work to bring to pass the immortality of all of God’s children.

The Church teaches the concept of a loving Father in Heaven who knows each of His children individually and personally. Each of us lived with God before coming to earth, and knew Him then, and He remembers us today, loves us, and wants to be a part of our lives. If we are willing to trust Him and to make the sacrifices necessary to live His gospel, we can depend on His loving guidance in our lives every day.

Mormons are taught that although they no longer remember the time they lived in God’s presence, they can rebuild that relationship now. God has given us prayer as a way of communicating with Him. We can reach Him any time, in any circumstances, and should reach out to him multiple times each day. We all have the light of Christ to guide us, but can also receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost to reside with us always. This gift allows God to communicate with us as well.

Through the light of Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost, we can understand God’s will for us in solving problems large and small. We can make choices that will please Him, and we can discern truth. When we pray, we can know with certainty whose voice is answering our prayer and so, we can learn for ourselves who God is and who we are-children of God.

The priesthood received by these young boys is called the Aaronic Priesthood. This priesthood is often known as the preparatory priesthood, preparing young men or new converts to receive the higher priesthood. At the age of twelve, young boys pass the sacrament of bread and water to the congregation during services (often known as communion in many churches.) They also serve church leaders in various ways and hold the office of “deacon.”

At fourteen, they can become, if worthy, “Teachers.” In the priesthood sense, this does not mean teaching a class. They prepare the bread and water mentioned above for the service. They can also serve as home teachers with an adult companion, often the boy’s father. A home teacher visits a regular list of families monthly or more often to teach a brief gospel message and to make sure the family is well and not in need of help. When a family needs assistance, it is frequently the home teacher to whom they turn first. The home teacher either provides the service or arranges for someone else to do it.

At sixteen, they can be “Priests.” This is not the equivalent of a Catholic priest. It is another level of service within the Aaronic Priesthood. Now they can actually bless (pray over) the sacrament of bread and water. They can also ordain others to levels of priesthood they themselves have held and can perform baptisms.

Young men are taught that priesthood isn’t something they have only at church. It goes with them every moment. This means they have a responsibility to positively represent the Church and to uphold its moral standards every moment of their lives. They are taught to treat women with respect and to honor their parents and leaders as part of their priesthood duty.

The young men, as they’re called, usually belong to the Boy Scouts of America. This helps them stay very busy doing worthwhile projects and having experiences that help them grow into responsible adults.

They are encouraged to do well in school and go on to college, so they can effectively serve a mission when they are nineteen. This lasts for two years, after which most go on to finish school and marry.

While teenagers certainly have fun, they are taught that the teen years for both boys and girls are meant as a time to prepare for adulthood. Acting under the guidance of wise fathers, leaders, and mentors, the boys learn what will be involved in quality adulthood. They prepare to become husbands, fathers, citizens, and church leaders.

They have multiple adult leaders in their church programs. These adult men serve as role models of men who treat their wives with respect and are involved with their children. The boys often see their leaders teaching a class while cradling a baby in their arms, or watch as a father comforts a crying child. This quiet modeling prepares the boys to become active, nurturing fathers, and loyal, loving husbands in the future.

Amidst the fun of the teen years, LDS boys are learning to be men.

Duality of Roles

When God created Adam and Eve, he assigned them specific roles, and those roles have continued to this time. After all, God is perfect, and if He created those roles for them—Adam to preside in love and righteousness, and Eve to care for home and family in equal partnership with her husband—the roles are clearly perfect. They are designed to create harmony, structure, and efficiency in the home. Presiding doesn’t mean ruling over.

“A man who holds the priesthood accepts his wife as a partner in the leadership of the home and family with full knowledge of and full participation in all decisions relating thereto. Of necessity there must be in the Church and in the home a presiding officer (see Doctrine and Covenants 107:21). By divine appointment, the responsibility to preside in the home rests upon the priesthood holder (see Moses 4:22). The Lord intended that the wife be a helpmeet for man (meet means equal)—that is, a companion equal and necessary in full partnership. Presiding in righteousness necessitates a shared responsibility between husband and wife; together you act with knowledge and participation in all family matters. For a man to operate independent of or without regard to the feelings and counsel of his wife in governing the family is to exercise unrighteous dominion” (Howard W. Hunter, “Being a Righteous Husband and Father,” Ensign, Nov 1994, 49).

Many people misunderstand this concept and believe women in traditional homes are subjugated and of lesser importance. Nothing could be further from the truth. God doesn’t favor one gender over the other. He loves His sons equally with His daughters and gave them each critical roles to fill. Eternal Marriage One unique aspect of LDS marriage  is the eternal nature of it. The Church teaches that marriages performed under the proper priesthood authority can last forever. We won’t be asked to divorce our spouses at death and somehow turn off the powerful love and connection we were commanded to develop on earth. Eternal marriage between a worthy man and woman has always been part of God’s plan for us. Adam and Eve were married for eternity and told to work together in partnership to care for their children and to raise them well. The Savior, during His earthly ministry, said in Matthew 19:4-6, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Latter-day Saints are known for their temples, where eternal marriages are performed. Temple-building was an important part of the restoration of the gospel. Members of the Church were taught that their worthy earthly marriages could, when the temple covenants were restored, become eternal marriages. This was, for those who were happily married, one of the greatest privileges that came with the restoration. Those who had children could have the security of knowing their children were theirs forever.

Joseph Smith  didn’t teach about eternal marriage until several years after the Church was established, and he did so to small numbers of people at first. Parley P. Pratt, one of the leaders of the Church, first learned of it in Philadelphia, from the prophet himself, while they were there together. The realization of what this meant, that he didn’t, as he’d been taught in other churches, have to learn to fall out of love with his wife someday in order to be of Heavenly quality, was an extraordinarily exciting idea to him. Here’s what he wrote in his journal about that day:

“It was Joseph Smith who taught me how to prize the endearing relationships of father and mother, husband and wife; of brother and sister, son and daughter.

“It was from him that I learned that the wife of my bosom might be secured to me for time and all eternity; and that the refined sympathies and affections which endeared us to each other emanated from the fountain of divine eternal love. It was from him that I learned that we might cultivate these affections, and grow and increase in the same to all eternity; while the result of our endless union would be an offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, or the sands of the sea shore. …

“I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved-with a pureness-an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling, which would lift my soul from the transitory things of this grovelling sphere and expand it as the ocean. I felt that God was my heavenly Father indeed; that Jesus was my brother, and that the wife of my bosom was an immortal, eternal companion; a kind ministering angel, given to me as a comfort, and a crown of glory for ever and ever. In short, I could now love with the spirit and with the understanding also” (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979, pp. 297-98).

It’s interesting that no other church teaches about eternal marriage. People claim, when speaking only doctrinally, that they believe marriage is only for this life-time and that the family relationship won’t matter in Heaven. They claim to be completely comfortable with this. And yet, what do you hear when their second parent dies? “Mom and Dad are together again. I’m so glad.” What do you hear when a child dies? “He’s in Heaven waiting for me there.” When a child loses a parent, he is often told, “Mommy is in Heaven watching over you and you’ll be with her again someday.” Many people have brains that refuse to believe in eternal families, and yet, our hearts know it’s true. People long to have their families with them forever.Marriages are the heart of the eternal gospel of the Savior and God. With a properly performed marriage and a commitment to create a loving home, the family begins, and the family is the center of the gospel as it’s practiced on earth.