Jeff, you are amazing a very easy to listen to. I have been a member of the church (LDS) since the early 80’s. Having been born a Jew and raised in the Methodist church, I am always very appreciative of someone such as yourself who is so well versed in the Bible. While I have read the Book of Mormon several times, I find it difficult to completely affirm that it is the “most accurate” of any book ever written. For me I find it a bit odd that you can pull almost any verse from the BOM and find the exact wording in the KJV….No doubt there will be many who will push back on my statement, as it has happened in the past. When I ask questions about this there is always a “well you see” answer that follows. Keep on with your quest, I enjoy you very much. Thanks
@@chucklambooy8457 The reason it is the most correct book is because there are things in the BOM which aren't stated in the Bible, such as the Fall of Adam being a good thing or the doctrine with regards to infant baptism. So, it is "more complete" than the Bible. So yes, they teach so many of the same things but there are just a few key things in the BOM not explicitly states in the Bible. That's what I understand about it, anyways.
I love how you answered the epistemology question, that third option (the thing about the bosom...), we call it personal revelation, in other words, God revealing His truth directly to those who seek it with real intent, and like you said it's not just a burning in the bosom, people experience personal revelation in many different ways and over different lengths of time, but the result is the same: a deep impact at the soul level, a mighty change of heart, and greater faith in God.
I have loved your videos and told many of my member friends about you I find you so respectful and I’m learning lots . One thing that I picked up is your emphasis on statements like We as Christians maybe I’m jumping to conclusions or being overly sensitive but I feel like your emphasizing that we are not Christian but we are ❤
The reason we in the LDS church are so grateful to you is that many many people are malicious and hostile towards us. It can be really hard for us sometimes, so it feels like a blessing when someone like you goes through so much effort to respectfully and lovingly engage with us. So once again, thank you so much for what you’re doing. I’m sure that you’re an answer to someone’s prayers.
@@pauletteforeman2194 They call us cultists and it's pretty depressing hearing questions like: “How many wives do you have??„ Here's the answer: 0 (yet); YES, I'LL ONLY HAVE 1.
@@pauletteforeman2194 we got a history of hostility towards us. We've been prosecuted and sometimes murdered out of New England in the 19th century and many present day Latter day saints have ridicule thrown at them from every corner, including me. It's not fun when Satan targets us, but, on the bright side, our power and faith is greater than Satan's temptations and brainwashing
@MyKidsKKD Anyone could say that about their sect. In reality, having a cordial attitude is what allows us to explore other worldviews. With a closed attitude, you're stuck believing the same thing which unreasonable to think you know all knowledge.
@@whocares6517trust Jesus Christ alone seek Him do not believe in Joseph smith teaching read the Bible not the book of mormons if you truly seeking for truth God will open your eyes
I’ve been sucked into your videos and I really love them! I’m born and raised LDS, but I’ve always had a fascination with other religions and why they believe what they believe. I think it’s so cool learning about how people show their devotion to God in different ways than me. I did have a question for you. In the LDS church, there is heavy emphasis on “sharing our testimonies” or sharing our belief in God and what has lead us to where we are (we devote one Sunday a month to just that in fact! ) I was wondering if you could share your testimony in a video. What made you want to be a pastor? What experiences have you had in life that show you that God is real? I love hearing the structure of your faith in these videos, but I’m so curious how youve personally come to know God. Thank you so much for your respect for my church and best of luck!
@MyKidsKKD My understanding of studying the Bible is that satan wanted to be like God. He no longer wanted to lead others in worship of our Creator, so he led a rebellion instead. Those that want to be their own God have no interest in worshiping One. I don't see anything in the person of these videos encouraging the worship of self over the worship of God. There might be a difference in our views on whether worship of a church structure/culture is equal to that of worshipping God. Jesus had some pretty choice words for those who did the former.
Pastor Jeff, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, l find you to be a breath of fresh air. Tolerance in action is amazing! During the time Jesus was in the flesh in the Holy Land other civilization existed of which we now find the ruins or historical references. South America, Central America, South Pacific Islands, Australia and of course China. The KJV of the Bible was never part of these geographic areas mentioned above. "Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess Jesus is the Christ" "Other sheep l have that are not of this fold".(Words of Jesus) " Upon this rock l will build my build my Church " (Words of Jesus) The inhabitants of the geographic areas mentioned are also Children of Heavenly Father. Jeff , my question is how will knees bend if the gospel has not been taught in the geographic area where these Sons and Daughters of Heavenly Father were born, lived, and died ? Lucifer/Satan has done an amazing job of destroying much of the words uttered by the Savior while in the flesh. Martin Luther was correct with his list of "errors" in the contemporary thinking of his day . Luther nor the authors of the "Creeds" had the abilities to restore the teachings of Jesus! What say ye? Leland McGee
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I just want to point out that you do an EXCELLENT job at referring to members of the Church in a respectful manner. Obviously you have a mixed audience watching this channel, and not everyone outside of the Church is going to know about our preference to be referred to as members of the Church of Jesus Christ rather than “Mormons” or “latter-day saints”. Just know your efforts are seen and appreciated! Love this channel.
Its not YOUR preference. Its your CEO who you blindly follow. Whatever happened to the "I am a MORMON" campaign??? All of this WE'RE NOT MORMONS shit just proves how TBMs have no thoughts or beliefs of their own. Whatever CEO says...
your own prophet put out the campaign "I'm a Mormon" a decade ago. This new prophet has "new light" and made you guys blindly follow the leader in a 180 degree manner. Its really sad.
As a Christian some of the LDS friends I have thought I was LDS. That is because in fellowship talking about Jesus together our thoughts and references were the same and lifestyle also. That was a nice complement and testament that we all love Jesus and try to live as he would.
Hi Helen, Do you believe Jesus is God and does not have a beginning? Does Jesus have brothers and sisters in the physical sense? Is He really our elder brother conceived by the same father? I too have close LDS friends so I understand the Christian terms and lifestyles we all share... I really do. I have had many in-depth discussions but never argue on definition differences because friendship mean so very much to me. On the surface, the terms are the same, but the understandings are fundamentally different. I remember President Hinkley stated back in the late 90s: "The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. He together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages.”
Sadly, they love a different Jesus. Christians and LDS use the same terminology but use a different dictionary so to speak. As Christians, we are not loving LDS friends when we do not tell them the truth.
@@wilburwilson1034 Thank you for all that thoughtful insight. I was just saying it was nice we have love for God. I don't pretend to know about the LDS religion, as I only know about the Christian religion I was brought up with. Thanks.
I'm a Latter Day Saint from the UK (converted from the Roman Catholic church when I was 21). I just want to say that I love your channel and videos. You are so respectful in the way you present your views and understanding of our faith, and your channel provides a safe environment for people to express their view points - both for or against. I think the one key thing you have done for me personally, is that you have helped me feel that I too can be more inquisitive and respectful about the faith and beliefs of others, without feeling that I have to be on the defensive or overly protective about my own faith. Thank you for your example and for these great videos 🙂
@@melissasonntag347 the one where Joseph Smith wrote himself in as a prophet. What’s reformed Egyptian? Sounds like something in a sci fi novel). Like where does Egypt come into play in this book it’s so random and not related to anything else. Reminds me of that show Ancient Aliens on the history channel.
@@AlexMiddleton111 You realize the Iseralites they spend multiple generations in Egypt right? I don't think it is too far fetched that it was passed down and changed a little, hence the reformed.
I typically try to stay away from engaging in the conversations about religion among people I'm not familiar with because they can often become argumentative in nature when there are differences in opinions. I feel like differences could and should be used as a tool for building everybody up instead of tearing people down. That said, stumbling on this channel is a breath of fresh air. You are respectful and kind in your approach and I think it's a great example of how people should reach out regardless of the topic. I firmly believe that God blesses a sincere search for truth.
as a latter day saint from Georgia it does not bother me if people use Mormon as long as they don’t say it in a way that’s aggressive or meant to degrade us. you are definitely NOT doing this so I see no problem especially since you are curious and trying to share your curiosity and kindness. love your channel so much! keep doing what your doing :) ❤️
It's refreshing when members have this outlook, in my opinion, thank you! I also appreciate what Pastor Jeff said about the importance of using the term a bit here and there so that others know who he's referring to; just a few years ago, the church was still proudly using the term in their Meet The Mormons movies and FB page, which is how most of the world still identifies members. So I believe that when most people use the term, they're not doing so to be rude or dismissive; they got the name from the church itself. :) And of course, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a mouthful, so people will probably continue to use them synonymously for that reason as well. Glad you understand that. :D
The amount of people I have met, mentioned I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and they asked if that was Seventh Day Adventist or Jehovah’s Witness are countless. Once I say Mormon, they understand. I prefer the complete name, especially in Spanish. Not only do I appreciate all your respect behind your studies, but I appreciate you are simply trying to help others know your topic. Great work, Pastor. God bless, brother.
It is surprising and sometimes shocking what is taught about the LDS church to other Christians. I honestly don't know where some of it comes from. My favorite is when the conversation starts somewhat hostile to me or the church, but then I explain what I honestly believe about Jesus Christ. We share scriptures. We share stories. And many times I find we share a love of our Savior who is Jesus Christ. Sometimes it even ends in a hug and a few heartfelt tears. Those are some of my very best memories. Thank you for this channel. Thank you for your commitment to lead with love and curiosity.
As a Pastor in Utah for 20 years, it’s amazing to see how many people are taken with your tone. Jesus came full of Grace and Truth (John 1) and you are embodying that in your approach. This is something I believe is of the utmost importance as we minister amongst the wonderful people who are members of Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. Thanks Jeff! I appreciate you brother!
As someone who was raised LDS and now born again I appreciate your love and sincerity towards the LDS. We can absolutely have respectful conversations . ❤
Amanda, exLDS here and born again. Love this channel as I want to learn what Christianity teaches as Mormonisn but don't want to deal with someone bashing. This channel is it!
Pastor, let me start by saying I genuinely appreciate your efforts! Your channel is fascinating and it's encouraging anytime other religions are willing to discuss and engage the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints instead of just writing it off. I believe all religions, whatever my personal inclination, at least deserve a seat at the table to defend their faith. Your work here is crucial in tearing down barriers between the many strands of Christianity. As an inactive member of the LDS church myself, I want you to know that your videos are helping me to dust off the scriptures and restore my curiosity and passion for the truth. Thanks!
Love this Q&A!! As invited, I want to clarify a little bit about Latter-day Saint epistimology. I appreciate your attempt to answer this side of the question, and your willingness to acknowledge that this isn't a process that you've fully studied and understood yet. I hope to clarify some of this. :) In the LDS Church, we believe very strongly in ongoing revelation -- what you call Special Revelation. You mentioned revelations that are revealed through scripture, through apostles and prophets, through Christ, and through the Holy Ghost can reveal truth that helps us to better understand the character of God. I agree with all of that!! I think the only difference is that we believe that any person can receive this revelation. As you said, the Holy Ghost can testify of truth. If I'm understanding your theology correctly, you believe that this truth is given to selected people in authoritative roles in Christ's gospel (such as apostles). We believe that the Holy Ghost can and does testify to anyone who is seeking that inspiration. When you described the "burning of the busom," we would call that feeling the Spirit -- feeling the Holy Ghost testifying of truth. When we talk about "feeling strongly that it is true," as you mentioned, we're speaking of having the Holy Ghost testify of truth. We don't always make this clear in our terminology, which obviously breeds some confusion, but that's our main epistomological way of knowing -- to receive revelation from God via the Holy Ghost. It's not just a thought or feeling that something is true, but a testification from a higher being. Now, how do we know it's from the Holy Ghost and not our own thoughts or physiological reactions? That's a whole other topic, and it's one that Latter-day Saints grapple with as well. We spend a lot of time in personal contemplation and scripture study and prayer trying to learn to be more perceptive and receptive of the Holy Ghost. We all feel the Spirit in different ways -- the scriptures mention a "burning in a bosom" (D&C 9:8) as one way, some may perceive it as a "still small voice" (a Kings 19:11-12) or a "stupor of thought" (D&C 9:9) or a sudden "remembrance" (John 14:26). There are many ways of feeling the Spirit references throughout the scriptures, but the ways of feeling the Spirit are as varied as the people who feel it. I believe strongly that God knows us personally and knows the ways to communicate with us that will be most effective and influential for us. I also believe that receiving revelation from God changes us -- and I think that would be my way of describing what you've described with people turning from sin and putting their faith in Christ. We often describe that as putting of the "natural man" (1 Corinthians 2:14, Mosiah 3:19). That is something that we would look at as a type of personal revelation and committment to Christ. One other caveat to add here, which might be way over-complicating this whole explanation. We also believe that we can receive revelation within our jurisdiction. With this, I can receive personal revelation for myself (e.g., a confirmation of the truth of the gospel, an answer to a question of which career path I should pursue, etc.) or people who are under my protection, for lack of better words -- such as my children, if I had any, or people I've been called to serve (e.g., if I was called to be a Sunday School teacher, I can receive revelation of what the people in my class most need to hear). I can't, however, receive revelation for the Church as a whole or even for another person -- I haven't been given the authority for that. That's why we care so much about Prophets and apostles and even local leaders like our Bishops -- they have been given authority to receive revelation for a wider scope of the Church. Man, sorry!! I just kept going! tl;dr: Latter-day saint epistomology (ways of knowing) focuses on receiving personal revelation from God through the Holy Ghost. We believe this revelation harmonizes with the general revelation that has been given already -- through the scriptures, through the observable world, through past prophets, etc.
This is a very well written explanation and is true to everything that I understand as a life-long member of the LDS church. Thanks for contributing this :)
That feeling you describe about conversion is the exact feeling I felt when I read the book of mormon for the first time and prayed about it. It literally changed most thing about me in that very moment. I got off my knees and felt like a absolutely new person. I was living in California, packed my stuff up in 30 mins, got in my car and drove all night to get home to Utah. I met with my bishop, put my life and eventually served a mission back in California.
@@λιμινιλ ha, how in the heck could you know that? Funny you would even suggest that you would. There has got to be a name for a person like that:) but you would probably know that as well:)
Im thinking of joining the LDS will i be forced to go on a mission or will it be when im ready ? im 29 and have a full time job so I would not be happy if I was told i had to do a mission for 2 years and quit my full time job.
@@TylerDaSaint no, missions are 100% voluntary. And the opportunity to service a missions for young people ends at 26. At this point you wouldn't qualify to go. So you definitely wouldn't be expected to serve a mission.
Love you so much. As a Jesus follower and Bible student for over 40 years (and a mix of all sorts of denominations over that time) I'm still learning from you on both the LDS issues and the Christian ones. You are obviously gifted to teach complex ideas in understandable ways, and with respect and humor. I've enjoyed the depth of knowledge of the commenters, too, to help us continue to get answers to our curious questions. Thank you so much, Jeff. I'm so glad you are doing these videos and the manner in which you are doing them. Continuing to pray for you, and all those of us who are looking for, and following the Way, the Life, and the Truth. Jesus Paid It All, All to Him I Owe. Sin Had Left A Crimson Stain, He washed It White as Snow.
Video suggestion here: I've binged watch all of your videos, I am loving this series. The amount of respect you have for my beliefs amazes me and I'm so grateful for the opportunity you've given fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ to learn about other Christian faiths without feeling attacked. As I've watched all of them, though, I've noticed that you have yet to explicitly address the differences between our views on the Fall. The Book of Mormon teaches that the Fall of Adam was a good thing, and a necessary thing, and I known that the rest of Christianity teaches that it was a detriment to humanity. I'd be curious to see your reaction to these teachings. Again, love the content, please keep up the good work, always love seeing your videos.
Yes, I’d be interested in that topic too. As a non-LDS Christian, I think about verses like Romans 5:18 where it says, ‘Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.’ Do LDS have a different view of the fall? I’d be interested to hear your insight.
@@gtf5392 Yes, I'd love to share! We believe that the Fall was an essential part of the Plan of Happiness. In Heavenly Father's Plan we were supposed to come to Earth to experience mortality, and without the Fall, we could not have become mortal. God even gave contradictory commandments to make sure that it would happen-commanding Adam and Eve to procreate (but they couldn't, as they were not yet mortal) AND to not partake of the tree (which would allow them to procreate). As 2 Nephi 2:25 in the Book of Mormon puts it: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
@@gtf5392 While most of Christianity outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes the Fall was exclusively a bad thing for humanity, we believe there were some elements that are positive and that it ultimately was necessary for us to come to earth to learn and progress. Here's one of the best summaries from the Book of Mormon. Hope this sheds some light on the differences. "And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore, they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
I think Latter-Day Saints also believe in the born again experience! We sometimes refer to it as conversion or "a mighty change" which is wording from the Book of Mormon. "And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." - Mosiah 5:2
It feels great to be respected and feel understood! I'd think that's true for most everyone. So I'm kind of disappointed with the recent conversations at church that come up occasionally talking about how people outside the church keep calling us Mormon. But how likely is it that we keep up with the names of the members of other churches and what they want to be called? Heck, most of us don't bring up other churches unless it's to make a comment talking about how other churches have deceived people, or that they don't have all the truth and mix it with corrupted teachings even to the point of referring to a church like the catholic church as some really horrible names. I would absolutely love it (and maybe there already is a channel like this) if there was a Latter Day Saint doing what this pastor is doing but for other churches. A channel dedicated to trying to deeply respect other church's and understand what they believe
No disrespect here. i agree that this is the kind of discourse we should all be having. i just want to point out that Saints have historically been disrespectful to other denominations as well. for example, i think just last year Brad Wilcox gave a talk where ge said all other denominations were “playing” church and part of the founding story of the LDS church is that Joseph Smith called all other church’s “an abomination.” So i just want to say that this channel is a good model for everyone, and that i hope both saints and other Christians can learn to be as respectful to one another as this pastor.
@@ky4864 Very well said! It's something I've been thinking about a lot as I watch this channel then read the comments. Overall it's great but I have been very surprised that there is still so many comments mentioning how he didn't get everything perfectly right as if not only he but everyone else should know about it and get it right. And all I can think is what do we know about other churches?!
@@michaelbarker6460 You are absolutely right! I would love to see a channel like that also. And I'm not sure about all church members, obviously, but I grew up in the Utah bubble and I have been disappointed at how little church members seem to know about other religions. But want others to know a lot about us. That door swings both ways. Which is what I'm loving about this channel too, I'm learning so much! And I think learning and appreciating each other's similarities AND differences with love would make the world a nicer place :)
@@michaelbarker6460 but also there was the early 2000s ad campaign “I am Mormon” most of us non LDS won’t know about the change with the current prophet of your church, so it can be confusing to many when LDS members are offended by the term
I'm a latter-day saint and I love this guy! Such an example of kindness, and understanding others and I am deeply honoured by his respect for other beliefs and perspectives. Thank you!
I really appreciate what you’re doing with this series. It was really challenging me to approach different faiths with an open heart. I have heard so many negative things about the LDS church that it’s hard to not be defensive, opinionated, even a little scared. Your approach is showing that we don’t necessarily have to feel that way.
Thanks for another great video Jeff. I just wanted to point out that at the end of the video when you talk about being born again and experiencing a spiritual transformation, that is certainly something that we as Latter-day Saints also believe.
You’re very respectful in the way you speak about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know a lot of people outside the church have little knowledge of who we are, so the way you interweave different terms makes sense and is done well. Even though the church name is long, it is my greatest desire is to be associated with the name of Jesus Christ and not a nickname that has been used in good and mean spirited ways in the past. I think sometimes it’s easier for people to be cruel and intellectually lazy when arguing about my faith when they can disassociate us from the name of Jesus Christ. Thanks for your great efforts to be civil and kind even when you don’t understand or agree with our faith. Thanks also for sharing more about your own religious belief.
As an inactive Mormon, I think you are being very respectful. I think that's made apparent by the guy asking if you are Mormon. Anyway, it wasn't too long ago that the LDS/Mormon's had a HUGE ad campaign saying "I'm a Mormon". In that light I totally understand that they now ask that people refer to them as Latter-day Saints, but given that it's a recent change I feel the guy saying you weren't respectful was a little harsh.
@@davidjanbaz7728 I'm not demanding or asking that you refer to me as anything, as you may or may not have read in the comment I no longer attend or am active in that church. I don't care what you call it, my point was that until recently LDS/Mormons had an ad compaign dedicated to telling people all about the "MORMONS", so it's a little rich for them to suddenly expect everyone to be aware of the request to refer to the church by it's registered name as apposed to the nickname which until recently they have been fine with.
@MyKidsKKDPerhaps... but many, if not all, of those qualities can be attributed to leaders of the LDS Church as well and pretty much every religion. Would you rather he present things in a disrespectful manner?
I was raised LDS but I was also partially raised by a verbally abusive grandfather who made me feel worthless and inadequate in all things. As a result I hated church even more than I hated school because I was often asked out of nowhere to answer a question in Sunday School or offer a prayer and it stressed me out so much. So I left the church for almost 20 years but then I began studying Russian history and was hooked by someone who is considered a saint in the Orthodox Church and I reached out to her for help during a potentially fatal health crisis and I was healed that night. Now I go to the Eastern Orthodox Church and it's a relief to go to church happy and excited rather than anxious and stressed.
I am Orthodox, but I find pastor Jeff's videos fascinating. With you, I have found peace in Christ in the Orthodox Church. My background is Baptist, and I have LDS relatives. May God bless Pastor Jeff's efforts to reconcile Christians.
@@bobburroughs7490 To be honest, as a very traditional Catholic, I have seriously considered, moving over to the Orthodox church.However, I have found "peace in Christ" in very traditional Thomist Catholicism, and have had a very good experience of it. Iconsider the Prthodox church to be my "close cousins". Reconciling Christians is a goodthing but with Mormons it ;'s hopeless. I still wish for some kind of basic reconciliation between us Catholics and the Orthodox church, as that stand a good chance of working out.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I so enjoy hearing Pastor Jeff. He is a great example of how to love, respect and appreciate others despite differences. You should run for President :)
I agree that you have done an amazing job with being respectful and using the churches full name as much as possible. With a name as long as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it can be difficult to say that all time. I think the main point is that we want to be recognized as the Church of Jesus Christ since he is the central focus of our faith and not Mormon or anyone else.
A few things: love as always how respectful you are - I saw someone else mention that the reason so many of us church members thank you is because people are often impolite, unrespectful, or even cruel, and I agree. It's a bit sad, but it makes me all the more grateful for people like you. Secondly, I myself still use LDS and Mormon sometimes, if mostly for the sake of the understanding of others. I really don't think it's too big of a deal, especially since you are aware of it and doing your best to be successful, but everyone feels differently. Lastly, you don't have to, but I'd love to see you do a video on Mormon culture. There's so many good things about growing up in the church, and they often get overlooked in favor of the flaws. Things like food, events, the community that comes with being queer and a member (kind of a subset of culture), and even how supportive people are as long as you're in a good ward (I have many memories as a kid of when my mom was sick or something similar and members would be offering meals, rides to school, whatever). Again, you don't have to at all, I just think it's a really interesting part of the community.
I love listening to you about the Church of Latter-day Saints. Recently I had an experience with them and, being on all denominational Christian I am open to listening to them. I didn't write off tell me they were Mormon or studied the Mormon bible. They led me to believe for a while I was talking to people that would study Bible study with me with KJV Holy Bible. 3 weeks later they handed me their Bible. I read it and, no not all of it. But enough. Enough to make me do research on their history. And believe me I did get talked into possibly getting baptized not realizing they were trying to get me baptized into their Church. Which I had no such desire to do. I am baptized yes. So right before the baptism I really started digging in to have these paperwork about. And you're right what Jesus do they study? Who are these people that call themselves Prophets. I don't understand why they need all the temples, and I love listening to prophet President Nelson. A couple of the other prophets, in there word would, yes, sometimes throwing a line that was questionable to me. And just cause me basically to do more research. You really helped me to understand, and talk to God deeply about my situation. I believe He told me I did not have to be baptized again. And I believe he's threw me to you. Because after that I was getting information on videos on TH-cam left and right on what they were all about. Some are good some are bad. Definitely what really affected me was I saw a clip man was in there giving his testimony I had moved away from the church. They welcome back him for a testimonial, and as soon as he said something that was a little derogatory I'm taking wrong, they basically pulled him off the platform up there. Since he was almost done I might as well let him finish. Another man out in the hallway explain to him that he was upsetting the Innocence and peace in the church. I'm sending you a link I found that told me from the very beginning what their videos that they gave me AKA little movies of Joseph Smith, and all the little Jesus crucifixion movies that left so much out. They were some of the sweetest people that I've ever met. But I don't like him agendas. I didn't like the fact when I saw the main Temple that it looked like a palace. I also in this video study on American greed, they were included, which surprised me.. but it was about their financial system banking. Check into American grade on Latter-Day saints and you will find out a lot of stuff that goes on at the top of the ladder. So I'll send you this link on Cold Case Christians where they study the Mormon church and Joseph Smith. A lot of information in it that just walking around and talking and visiting the church you don't see. I think they just show you a superficial part of them. I'm not saying they aren't good people. But the higher ups and the political part of it, and I do say it reminded me a lot of the political parties. God bless you and all you do. I really enjoy your videos. Where is the link, I pray you will read it if you haven't already, and then we can have some even better videos from you possibly. I'm sorry I didn't answer sooner. Have the same problem not getting back with my daughter as I've been running pretty busy with my dog. I hope you can understand about my not wanting to be baptized now as I feel God had told me I didn't need to be. I also do not plan on becoming a Mormon, and I didn't to my dumbness understand that that's what you were expecting. There's too many questions about Mormon for me, that are getting answered day today. I highly respect your faith you have for Jesus and I hope you feel God is the head of everything. I can say I have no respect for Joseph Smith. But I have the utmost respect for your President Nelson. He is a very intriguing speaker. And I hold him in high regard as I do you and his belief. I am a Christian and I am 72 years old and a more familiar with Christianity that I am Mormonism. Well I'm a couple months out from being 72. Actually three more months until 72. I am very comfortable with my relationship with our Holy Father and his son our Savior, Christ Jesus. But God is who we glorify as Jesus said himself. Everything Jesus did was from the Father, he said that himself also, though I probably paraphrased it. I know how strong your faith is and I hold high respect for that. But I tear apart everything before I try it when it comes to my heavenly Father. It's the teaching of Jesus I believe in and his teachings came from the heavenly Father. I am going to give you a link to a page, one of many that I've read, that I hope you'll read all the way through. The rest is up to you. I am sorry, but unless I study out of a Christian Bible I don't think our meetings are going to be of much use. At least not to the Mormon faith. I pray God's blessings for the both of you and your whole church. I know your hearts are true. You are some of the best people I have met in a long long time. I know Jesus lives within you, but we must be aware of false teachings also as He said. Have a wonderful day, and I hope you understand our meetings are canceled and I pray you'll have a good life ahead of you. Be blessed in every way, and Christ Jesus is Holy name. Amen. coldcasechristianity-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/coldcasechristianity.com/writings/how-the-book-of-abraham-exposes-the-false-nature-of-mormonism/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16659372948619&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fcoldcasechristianity.com%2Fwritings%2Fhow-the-book-of-abraham-exposes-the-false-nature-of-mormonism%2F If you would rather answer me on my email it is serenitysings.lee@gmail.com
Wow, I'm impressed so far! I grew up in this faith but now I'm more in the christian camp, it's been a wierd five years or so developing how to interact with people I am now different from, I've made some real blunders and still are growing, I really like your approach, not as a strategy but just openness to truth, keep going and I will be rooting for you.
❤❤ God bless you brother! I love the work that you’re doing with this channel, helping Christians like me to learn more about our LDS brothers & sisters in a respectful way. 🙏
I've been meeting with missionaries the past four months. Challenging their church with skepticism, to see if what they teach is true. And they convinced me to go to the Stake Conference today. It was a lot. At the end I got to meet all of the presidents. I haven't seen all of you're videos, but I'm going to try to catch up. Because I started this journey a few months after you did, and I know significantly less about religion and the Bible than you do. But im glad we're both on this journey
It’s not the testimonies you should listen to, but how the spirit makes you feel when you listen to them. That will tell you what is true, not some random commenters on TH-cam who have no interest in your well-being other than their own self reassurance.
I really appreciated your response at the end to the epistemology question. Your explanation was beautiful. I found so much in common with your explanation of the personal redemptive experience with Jesus. Faith is an essential part of personal knowledge. Thanks for all you are doing.
I love your videos. My husbands family are Mormon and choose to call themselves Mormon. Most Mormons up here in Alberta seem to still use the term Mormon for themselves and don't take offense to the name 🤷
It's not that you're suppose to "take offense" to the name, it's more of a move to focus ourselves on Jesus Christ. There's the point of showing others that we also believe in Jesus Christ by referring to ourselves by the full name, yes, but the biggest point is that it is His Church and we ought to focus on Him. Personally, I've noticed a difference in my life ever since I stopped using the term "Mormon" to refer to myself and instead make specific mention of His name. I feel closer to Him, and I appreciate the counsel of the Brethren to use His name.
yeah. beyond just the religion, the word “Mormon” refers to a history and a people. thats why there are still “Mormon studies” programs/classes in colleges and why some branches will still call themselves mormon. of course, its fine if members want to identify and be identified more with Christ. But given the history and context, i dont think its fair to jump to saying “Mormon” is a disrespectful term. especially since they just changed it after years of use.
As a Latter-Day Saint, it really depends on who and in what context the term Mormon is used. The reason we were told not to use the term Mormon is hate groups us it, to attack us. Plus other groups who claim to have come from Us like the RLDS and the FLDS use the term in attempt to legitimize there connection to LDS idiology, History, and authority. Needless to say the term Mormon often has a negative and ungodly connotation these days.
I am an Evangelical,a member of a church in association with the Assemblies of God. I only know about President Nelson’s campaign to steer away from the label “Mormon” because I keep up with the LDS church. As a teenager I thoroughly studied a handful of organizations that claim to be Christian’s but fall outside of traditional Christian theology. I still continue to read,watch and listen to material put out by these organizations. One of such organization happens to be the Church of Jesus Christ of a Latter Day Saint’s. I have also been to Palmyra to experience for myself the history of the LDS church. I have my favorite leaders within the LDS church such as Jeffrey R. Holland. So anyways, this was a lengthy explanation as to why I, as an Evangelical/Pentecostal know better than to use the label “Mormon”. However, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saint’s need to show the same grace that they want in return. A vast majority of the world know’s absolutely nothing about this campaign. So a little patience and a little grace by everyone, no matter their faith tradition, goes a very long way.
The topic of epistemology is one of the most important for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because we often end up basing our entire lives around personal revelation, which is specific revelation given to an individual for their life rather than to everyone through a prophet. I would be interested in seeing a video about our beliefs on revelation.
Interesting take on angels. Generally we think of Angel as more of a role than a species . Cherubim are definitely a different species that is often conflated with angels as a species, but angel is just a ministering role of messenger from God to me. A lot of what you said about angels helping others towards salvation would then work in this context.
Can anyone tell me if any of the heavenly creatures from Ezekiel and Revelation are described as angels in the actual text, or is that just inference? It's also impossible to tell if their appearances are symbolically significant but literal OR just purely symbolic.
@@purpleboye_ There are "biblically accurate" depictions of angels on the internet. Rings with lots of eyes. Animal heads. Multiple pairs of wings. Looks pretty freaky. There's different rankings of angels, and jobs they have. Plenty of video essays on the interesting topic.
@@purpleboye_ Ezekiel 1 talks about 4 living creatures with 4 faces and 4 wings each. Ezekiel 10 talks about cherubs or cherubim and describes them as having 4 faces and wings. Revelation 1 talks about angels of the 7 churches. Then John is commanded to write to them. (Which comports with my thought that angels are ministers of God, but could be humans, even living humans (ministers, pastors, anyone taking on that kind of comforting and helping WWJD kind of role). Later it talks of angels near the throne of God by the Lamb of God who opened the sealed book. In Revelation 7 it talks of angels holding the 4 winds and the seal of the living God. There are angels sounding trumpets and flying in the midst of heaven pronouncing woes in chapter 8. The angels are given divine powers and messages from heaven to the inhabitants of the earth. In chapter 12 it talks of Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon and his angels. (It clarifies as Satan and his angels that were cast out with him) In 14 angels declare the reaping of the world. In 15 angels hold vials of plague that they pour out on the world. So they are consistently powerful messengers or servants of heaven in revelation.
Love your stuff Pastor, it’s a real breath of fresh air. I’m seeing so many similarities in our beliefs which is awesome! Your thoughts on epistemology really rang true with me. Look forward to when you sincerely read the Book of Mormon my brother in Christ. Kia Ora from New Zealand 🇳🇿 and God bless you.
Pastor Jeff, in the church of Jesus Christ or Latter Day Saints we put a big emphasis on “bearing testimony” or speaking truth we feel. I feel you’ve done a great job of stating the Protestant beliefs. I would love to hear from you how YOU found Jesus was your savior. How YOU came to know the Bible was true. Etc I think that could be a powerful video.
This is a little unrelated to the questions. But a good book for you to maybe look into is Jesus The Christ by James E. Talmage. A former LDS general authority. It's a long book (around 500 pages)but it essentially takes a deep dive into the prophecies/life/teachings/divinity of Jesus Christ. You may enjoy it.
I'm not sure if you have done a video on this yet, but I would love to see a video of you going over The Articles of Faith. The creeds you mentioned kind of reminds me of them.
When reading your Articles of Faith I have so many issues with them 1. If God is the Eternal Father, how was he once a man? 2. We are not punished for Adam's sin but we inherited his capability for sin, since Adam introduced sin into the world. 4. Faith, baptism and repentance. 5. We are all capable of preaching the gospel, even without the laying of hands. 6. The original church had the apostles until they died. To qualify as an apostle you had to have walked with and witness Jesus' resurrection. 8. If the bible is God breathed, and it is, then it cannot be translated incorrectly. And if so, then the BoM could very well be translated incorrectly! 10. God has already revealed all we need to know. Period. Peace be with you!
After hearing your brief thoughts on how the Bible was compiled, I would love to see how you would explain the Bible as being sufficient Especially considering that there are references to other letters from Paul, that we do not have (among other lost books)
My late grandmother was an angle while she was alive. I love to think of her as a beautiful angle up above, in the heavens. I don’t know what else we would be. What else would we be? Where else would we go (other than a place to await our resurrection), as angles, or disembodied spiritual beings? Some things are just common sense to me. Of course the spirits of the evil people wouldn’t be doing any of God’s work in heaven or on earth. But the good ones would be doing what they have always done, serving God, and their fellow man.
Thank you so much for for this! This video was great! And yes you do generally do a great job being respectful of our desire to use the full name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints & refer to us as its members, most of the time! So thank you!
I'm trying to remember how I even came across your videos to be honest. But. I'm glad I did. So far. I have been cautious and surprised, pleasantly, watching your videos. Thank you for your honest insight. It's refreshing to see unashamed, sincere faith, searching and coming to Christ. This is a beautiful journey you're taking. Thank you for sharing. Keep seeking truth. I can't wait to see what you learn. Keep it up! This will be the first of your videos I share on my social media. You made some great observations I think will be helpful for others. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I appreciate your example, of respect for others faith. It's a great prompt, that I'm going to think a little more about today, and try a little harder to follow in the future. Thank you. ❤️ #GiveThanks
All modern prophets encouraged all members to respect others in their beliefs Christians or Islam denomination groups because their members are also His sons and daughters. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day-Saints, I’m so happy that God giving the opportunity become a member in His Church having four sacred books: 1. The Holy Bible, Old and New Testament 2. The Book of Mormon, Another testament of Jesus Christ 3. The Doctrine and Covenants 4. The Pearl of Great Price I hope you have a chance to study all scriptures (The 4 standard books) and have the chance to help us explain the beauty of all these scriptures to all the world through your channel . Your help is highly appreciated thanks.
Pastor Jeff, I appreciate your explanation of the importance and necessity of the cross in Christian Churches. Since I didn't know about nor join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints until I was 36/37 years old, before marrying my husband and joining the Catholic Church, I attended the Friends Church. So growing up, I had different teachings about the cross, I don't remember any teaching of Gethsemane or the Atonement. As I began to study the Bible as an adult, here are my thoughts on both the Garden of Gethsemane and the Cross... It was in the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ suffered for our sins. He suffered so intently in the Garden for all mankind's sins that He sweat "great drops of blood", later in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints in Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19... I learned this about His suffering...verse 18... which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all , to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pure, and to suffer both body and spirit-- and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--- verse 19. Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. .. In the Garden, He took upon Himself the sins of all mankind.. something only He could do because, He was PERFECT! As He left the Garden, Judas and the lawbreakers met Christ and took Him to be tried and sentenced. In my own personal testimony what He did in the Garden, He did for all mankind who ever lived or will live, what we could not do for ourselves.! From the time He left the Garden until he was taken down from the cross, is what mankind did to Him! While on the Cross, He felt that same pain and agony that He first endured in the Garden of Gethsemane! These are my own thoughts and feelings. I'm so grateful that He was willing to atone for us, quietly accept the horrible suffering as he left the Garden and until was removed from the cross and continued to do His work while His body lay in the tomb, and then He was Resurrected! Again, these are my thoughts and feelings of His compassionate service and gift to mankind. I didn't include that those who do not repent must suffer for their own sins, but it is there in D&C 19:16-19.. I hope you can see why I feel so grateful for the Atonement but my heart breaks at the horrible treatment he recieved at the hands of ungrateful mankind! Thanks for reading this...I know it is long, but I speak from my heart!
Round of applause. I didn’t know other religions thought angels were separate species. I will say I found your verses for that very unconvincing, but I appreciate the enlightenment
Hi Noah, do you by chance have any Biblical scriptures that support the Latter Day Saints view on angles? The Christian perspective, is that angles are messengers or are there to comfort. Like the angle that comforted Jesus at the garden of gethsemane.
Not particularly. Most of the LDS belief is based in BoM, D&C, etc. and that affects our interpretation. I will point out though Matthew 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. Essentially, we believe angels are people at a different stage in the eternal plan from where we currently are. We believe angels are spirits who have yet to come to this earth, or those who have already passed away, and some have already been resurrected. Here is the full entry from the Bible Dictionary we use if you want something comprehensive. Angels These are messengers of the Lord and are spoken of in the epistle to the Hebrews as “ministering spirits” (Heb. 1:14). We learn from latter-day revelation that there are two classes of heavenly beings who minister for the Lord: those who are spirits and those who have bodies of flesh and bone. Spirits are those beings who either have not yet obtained a body of flesh and bone (unembodied) or who have once had a mortal body and have died and are awaiting the Resurrection (disembodied). Ordinarily the word angel means those ministering persons who have a body of flesh and bone, being either resurrected from the dead (reembodied), or else translated, as were Enoch, Elijah, etc. (D&C 129). There are many references to the work of angels in the Old Testament. In some passages the “angel of the Lord” speaks as the voice of God Himself (Gen. 22:11-12). The word angel is also sometimes used to designate a human messenger, as in JST Gen. 19:15 (Appendix), and may have some application also in Matt. 13:39-42. There is evidence of nonmortal beings who serve God in heaven (1 Kgs. 22:19; Alma 36:22) and also of some who do God’s will and minister to men on the earth (Gen. 28:12; 32:1; 2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Kgs. 19:5-7; 2 Kgs. 1:15; 19:35; Ps. 91:11). We find angels mentioned by name in Dan. 8:16; 9:21; 10:13, 21; 12:1; Luke 1:19, 26. In latter-day revelation we learn that the angel Michael is Adam, and the angel Gabriel is Noah (HC 3:386). In the New Testament there are many references to the ministry of angels but no clear statement as to their nature or their relation to mankind in general. Angels attended on our Lord throughout His life on earth (Matt. 1:20; 2:13, 19; 4:11; 28:2-8; Luke 1:11-20, 26-30; 2:9-15; 22:43). Jesus often spoke of angels (Matt. 13:14-30, 37-41; 16:27; 18:10; 22:30; 24:36; Luke 15:10, etc.). The Sadducees did not believe in supernatural beings, but the Pharisees believed in both angels and spirits, which fact Paul used to his advantage when brought before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:7-9). Other New Testament references are Acts 7:53; 1 Cor. 4:9; 6:3; 11:10; Gal. 1:8; 3:19; Col. 2:18 (where we are warned against worship of angels), and throughout the Revelation of John. There are references to fallen angels in 2 Pet. 2:4 and Jude 1:6. The scriptures speak of the devil’s angels. These are those spirits who followed Lucifer and were thrust out in the war in heaven and cast down to the earth. See Rev. 12:1-9; D&C 29:36-38; Moses 4:1-4; Abr. 3:27-28; and as alluded to by Peter and Jude cited above. Latter-day revelation contains much about the nature, ministry, and identification of angels. See 2 Ne. 32:2-3; Alma 12:28-29; 13:24-26; Moro. 7:29-31; D&C 7:6-7; 13; 27:16; 76:21; 110:11-16; 128:21; 129; 132:16-18. Angels do not have wings (HC 3:392). The word angel is used in various ways. A person who is a divine messenger is called an angel. Thus Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah, and Elias all ministered to Joseph Smith as angels. These all shall be exalted and inherit celestial glory. The scriptures also speak of another class of persons who, because of failure to obey the gospel, will not be exalted and will become angels in eternity. These are spoken of as angels in Matt. 22:29-30 and D&C 132:16-18. This latter designation should not be confused with the use of the term angels having reference to the heavenly messengers sent forth to minister to the inhabitants of the earth. Hope this gives you something to look through!
@@GadiantonsRobber wow Noah, thank you for that thorough reply. I never realized there was such a difference in how we look at angels. I can see how using the additional scriptures makes the position more clear that angels are humans either before we were born or after we have died. I wouldn't get that from the Bible only. I would look at Matt 22:30 and say ,"...but are AS the angles" not ARE the angels. So similar to, but not the same. Just my thought on it. I don't want to get on a tangent here, but Matt 22:30 seems to imply there isn't marriage after this life. My guess is that there is other LDS scripture outside of the Bible that would support that narrative?
@@BGCflyer I'm not sure if you're talking about the concept of angels as a different species or marriage in the afterlife? So I'll address both. LDS belief is Matt22:30 should be interpreted as “In the resurrection, there are no marriages performed.” However, we believe marriages performed on this earth continue to be married in heaven. Matt. 19:6: “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” We also believe there will be a chance for those who didn't get the opportunity to marry before the resurrection. As far as the concept of angels being our same species, yes that is widely assumed throughout lds cannon. For example, D&C 129 talks about the nature of angels. "1 There are two kinds of beings in aheaven, namely: bAngels, who are cresurrected personages, having dbodies of flesh and bones- 2 For instance, Jesus said: Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not aflesh and bones, as ye see me have. 3 Secondly: the aspirits of bjust men made cperfect, they who are not resurrected, but inherit the same glory."
Even with the increased effort to refer to church members by the full name, I don’t know ANYONE who is offended by being called a “Mormon” !:-) Soooo appreciate your respectful investigations and videos!! Great work!!!
With all due respect, at 8:20, I do not read Hebrews 1:13-14 the same; when it sass "to which of the angels ... are not all angels ministering spirits", this is talkinga bout us. In other words, just as Christ is both judge and advocate, we are also angels and beings needing to be saved, because we who believe in Christ all must answer the same commandment, exhorting all to come unto Christ, even if we need this salvation ourselves. Same thing at 9:05, with 1 Peter 1:12. The term "angel", from Greek angelos, literally "messenger, envoy, one that announces." The interpretation that angels are a different species is a subjective one. As for departed spirits returning as "angels", this is not isolated to Moroni but also found in Matthew 17:3, where both Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus, Peter, James and John. To give but one example.
There are at least 7 levels or types of angels in heaven. For instance, guardian angels. ministering angels, healing angels, messenger angels and I recall guide angels, cheering angels and recording angels. At every religious meeting at least two angels are present, recording in a book the thoughts and feelings of those present and the events. Some angels are giants, more than 30 feet tall, some are quite small. Angels are not spirit children of our Heavenly Father, but rather they are ''created beings.'' Some of our deceased loved ones can have charge over us as guardian angels or to bring us messages, Most angels do not have wings, some do. The Adversary also has his 7 classes of dark angels to do his bidding. The Law of Opposition grants that this is so.
I appreciate this, as a member who no longer believes much the of teachings peculiar to Latter-day Saints (or what I see as more concise way to say it: I no longer believe in Mormonism) I have been apprehensive towards attending other churches since i am used to the culture and traditions I grew up with but also don't know how our faiths really differ. Your videos are a nice way to introduce similarities and differences and is much appreciated 👍
I am in the same boat as you right now. I'm just trying to follow Jesus and what He taught in the Bible. My husband and kids love the LDS church and their friends there, so we still attend, but I focus my teachings on Jesus and the Bible at home. These videos have been so helpful to me!
@@kathryn866 I think there are many staying in the boat as non believers because of the "peer pressure" to conform. Once the shelf gets weighted down, it will eventually break. It gets very difficult pretending and rationalizing away your newly discovered information and subsequent feelings. You feel trapped. It's sad but it's happening to many members. The church is very good at making something that appears evil seem good. I'm reminded of the words, "You can buy anything in this world with money. Armies, navies etc". There is someone else who wants to be like Christ. The scriptures warn us to not be deceived in the later days.
@@kathryn866 You are all welcome to look carefully at Catholicism. It might suit you and you might find what you've always been really looking for there. I did, but it's not for everyone, and I'll admit that. Just might be well worth looking at and giving it a try out. Don't like it? Just walk away.
Jeff, your approach to conversing with lds people is perfect. Respectfully learning and discussing the topics without offending is best. Keep up the good work. You are tearing down walls.
I have always been very happy with how Jeff addresses us. I love it when he calls us LDS Christians :) I actually don't really recall a time he called us Mormon. Maybe he has but I can tell he tries hard not too
It does seem silly to fuss over this, especially if the person is being respectful. I remember not too long ago, President Monson 's "I'm a Mormon" campaign. We were all excited about it. I do realize there can be a negative connotation with this word so I see why President Nelson asked the members not to use it. I agree with you completely that Pastor Jeff has been quite respective.
I care, but not to the point of being mad. I look at it as "They just don't know better, so let me kindly educate them about this". Now If they decide not to care for the correction, then they are just being disrespectful. But then again it depends on the context and the intention. Often it's not what you say, but how you say it. But if they choose to intentionally misrepresent the Church or its members with the use of incorrect names, then it's nothing new, people are gonna be people, so we try our best to give some grace and forgive them, hoping that one day they will get it right. Let's not sugarcoat this, the name of the Church is not negotiable.
@@leslyvevedmc782 Thank you for saying that! The name is non-negotiable. President Nelson has made that very, very clear, along with several of the Twelve.
@@colemanjohnson7056 Funny how prior prophets of the LDS church embraced the term Mormon thou. Go read the book "What of the Mormons?" by Gordon B. Hinckley a prior prophet of the LDS.
@@Anybodyoutthere You see, that stuff doesn't bother me or mess with my faith in the Church at all. For a while there was the "I'm a Mormon" campaign by President Thomas S. Monson a few years back. I know there were certainly a lot of people, including myself, who were embarrassed to admit to people that they were "Mormons" to their peers because of the way that they were talked about or portrayed in pop-culture. The "I'm a Mormon" campaign was a move to remind people they need not be ashamed of their religion. It helped make people more confident. Then, President Russell M. Nelson reminded us all that the correct name of the Church is the Church of Jesus Christ. One reminded people to be confident, the other reminded people who they really were-members of the Church of Jesus Christ. They accomplished two different tasks. Prophets will be inspired by God to focus on different things depending on what the people need in their specific times. That's why it's so wonderful to have a living prophet on the Earth today. I'll add my own personal testimony to this-at first I was in the boat that thought it was kinda weird to make such an effort. But, as I put my faith in the prophet's words, and as I made an effort to correct the name of the Church of Jesus Christ whenever I can, I've seen blessings because of it. I feel more strength with regards to my religion in my day-to-day life, and my testimony has grown with the reminder to focus on our Savior.
Hi Jeff, looking at content only, I've never found the early creeds, especially Apostle's creed and Nicene Creed, useful to draw a circle that puts LDS doctrine on the outside of a boundary from other Christian churches. Indeed, going line by line, I've seen LDS members agree with more of the Nicene creed with fewer asterisks needed than teachers from some of the churches you listed in your excellent video. LDS instead have two primary objections to the old creeds as a whole: 1) we don't accept the authority of a body of men outside the apostleship to define doctrine and introduce extra-biblical language to the doctrine of Christ or the governance of His church. For those who embrace sola-scriptura, I imagine there is here much common ground for mutual understanding. 2) We don't share the confidence attributed by some that the creeds accomplish bringing Christians to a unity of the faith. Indeed, in this important task we would say they have fallen short. I've been enjoying exploring the LDS church through your eyes. Thanks for sharing. --JeffC
So much is a matter of perception. I find that Catholics are closer to the creeds than anyone; they did write them after all. But in looking at the original meaning of the words and the intent of the bishops and emperors who authored the original text of the Nicean Creed, I've found many believe they are closer to the creed than they actually are, and most LDS reflexively believe they are further from it than they actually are.
Do you not believe in the laying of hands and anointing? Jesus did this to his apostles and told them to do likewise. He is the ultimate authority. This is how the priesthood is carried on. Apostleship is defined as those who walked with and witnessed Jesus' resurrection. That is why when the apostles died, there were no more apostles but there were bishops and priests. In the Creed, a crucial belief among Christians is that the Son was begotten, NOT MADE. Christians believe that God himself was never created, which in turn means that neither Jesus nor the Holy Ghost were made. Your church believes that God was once a man who came to perfection. And who CREATED this man who came to perfection? The creeds never fall short. They never change, just like God. Peace!
Hi Windy, I agree with all you said in your first paragraph. I also believe that bishops, as important as they were to their local congregations, are not apostles. The offices are clearly distinguished in the Biblical church. I also believe that Apostles are necessary for any additional revelation to the Church at large. Including extra-biblical philosophy, which many of the creeds introduce into the gospel. However interesting as theory and thought experiment, neither creeds nor reason can supplant revelation. As to your second paragraph, the premise is incorrect. LDS doctrine does not teach that either the Father, The Son, or the Holy Ghost are made beings. By our established doctrine, there was never a time when Jehovah God (Christ) was not. This issue, incidentally, was the primary purpose behind the creed, contra the tiny minority party led by Arius. LDS views would be best categorized with the middle majority group at the conference. Most of the very drawn out conference was spent by Constantine's faction convincing the middle 80% of bishops to accept the non-biblical term consubstantial. 1 There are important distinctions in what LDS believe about God from the rest of Christanity. The irony is those distinctions are not emphasized in the Nicean Creed while the core doctrine that the 80% insisted to preserve are central to LDS understandings about the Godhead: Christ is co-eternal with the Father, of like essence to Him, and subordinate to Him. This was pre-nicean orthodoxy, and has the added benefit of being more biblical.
@@kjcdb8er WHY do you believe that apostles are necessary for additional revelation? And WHY do you think that after Jesus established His church on earth we would need additional revelation. This is why the creeds ARE so important. Jesus gave us all we need. He established a good firm foundation. We, as the faithful ONLY need to maintain that foundation. And NO ONE can give us any better revelation than what Jesus already gave us. If you think so, you are searching for something that is right before your eyes. LDS doctrine tells us that "what man is God once was". Explain that to me. To me and from 25 years of study of the LDS church, LDS always tell us that God was once a man who came to perfection, correct? The Nicean Creed most explicitly, states the essence of God. He was begotten, not made, unlike what LDS believe. Father, Son and Holy Spirit all come from the same being.And if you want to get biblical, then you would believe in the Trinity like all Christians. Your final paragraph makes no sense. It's a gibberish ploy. 80%? Really? which means? Pre Nicean orthodoxy? The orthodox church split from the original church. Keep that in mind. Just as the LDS church split immediately after Joseph Smith died. In fact, Emma and Joseph Smith's son split from JS's original church right after his death.Crazy!!! Peace!
Guess what, I spent my life “Mormon”. It’s driving me nuts that members of the church are treating it like a swear word now. Sheesh. LDS - Mormon. Tomayto, Tomahto.
Another great video, Jeff!! I've often wondered what the Protestant view of the Gnostic gospels is, especially where LDS people believe in additional scripture but not the Gnostic gospels either. Answered my questions!! And you're more than respectful regarding the name of the church, don't worry!! And thank you!!
Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ have studied and read apocryphal testaments, including gnostic gospels. You are correct that they are not considered "canon" but the Dead Sea Scrolls are not canon, either, and have remarkably illustrated many truths in line with Christian beliefs. The possibility of other writings being revealed as witnesses to the truth God has shared with his children coming forth to further strengthen "canon" offers us a glimpse at the breadth of God's love for us all
Thank you for this channel. Whenever I try to search the differences between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and other Christian churches all I find is a bottomless hole of negativity that is not helpful at all. Thank you for being so positive and polite!
Pastor Jeff, your description of how do you know what you know is truth is what we experience as members of the church of Jesus Christ as well. Truth can be revealed in all scenarios of life as in science and religion, in just laws, honestly wrote history, people and cultures and so forth. How can we find truth among so many misleading ideas and opinions out there then? Won’t God always reveal truth to his honesty seeking children? Yes, He will through the power of the Holy Ghost, to those that honestly “seek” for it, because truth is unchanging no matter time, place or people, He’ll do it on His own time and circumstances, but it will be revealed WHEN and IF we truly seek for it, and when we search for it it means we are willing to change and we’ll nurture it. So in other words, all Christians will find truth in the Bible because it is the word of God, however it’s well known all over the world that it was translated multiple times over and over and with that much of the clear teachings where lost, all people that study the scriptures in Hebrew talk about it. Also, it’s well known that the early catholic church - after the death of the apostles - after some time, rearranged the scriptures as they pleased, and more clear teachings were lost. That’s why having another book of scriptures with the SAME gospel is a very wise plan from God to bring his children together in truth, so the first book testifies of the second and the second of the first. Ezekiel 37:16 - to the end is very clear about having two sources (stick of Joseph and stick of Judah) that will be united as one. Read the Book of Mormon if you want to find out if that’s all true.
But the thing is that the BoM is not the same gospel. Mormon theology differs a lot from the Bible. Plus the history of LDS church is very questionable.
@@johndavolta3124 the Book of Mormon has the same gospel of the New Testament. The only difference is how people interpret it all manipulating truth to fit their own understandings and will - interpretations without the full guidance and revelations coming from the Holy Ghost and then, preaching it without the authority of God. That’s why we have over 40,000 different Christian churches out there in the world - not buildings, I’m talking about having over 40 thousand different Christian beliefs about the gospel of Christ - all coming out from the same book - that often conflict with one another inside the same system of belief. And that’s only one reason why a second witness (in this case - book) is necessary. That’s another reason why God still speaks with His children, after all, He always did, why would He abandon us now in the last days - where confusion and sin abide - with an ancient book only to help us on these tasks while breaking down the bonds ever established before as we try to figure out God and His laws by using only our limited minds and carnal mind/heart alone?
@@tatiginattosantana doesn't LDS teach that God the father came down from heaven and had natural intercourse with Mary to have Jesus? Doesn't LDS teach Jesus is not divine and equal to the father? Doesn't LDS teach that God was just a human in an earlier life and became God, therefore we can become gods? That sounds like heresy to me buddy. Why did FLDS split from LDS? Was it because of government pressure (military action) or because of a revelation? There are a lot of holes in Mormonism.
@@johndavolta3124 oh my friend, I’m sorry to inform you, but none of what you said is part of our doctrine and teachings, and that God was once a human is a speculation. The doctrine that we can also become like our Father in Heaven is also in the old and New Testament, Jesus himself said in John 10: 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; And the same message is found in the Old Testament as I mentioned above: Psalm 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. “Mormonism” (actually The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) is the restored gospel on Earth, the church of Christ had to be restored after the great apostasy that the Bible talks about and that we know through history that occurred… and as yourself showed with your comments, there’s a lot of lies about us and about our church out there, usually spread by Protestants preachers and haters in general. Come and see by yourself what this is all about my friend, and find peace and joy in your heart with the truth of God on Earth again.
Good morning Paster/Brother (I am Trevor from Australia). As Church Service Missionaries my wife and I had a beautiful day yesterday serving and partaking of the sacrament. Would like to tell you more about the memories of the day but suffice to say that we are so grateful to the Saviour for this opportunity to serve the Lord together in our retirement years and for the miracles which He has shown us. Along with serving family, nothing seems to bring more joy than service to our brothers and sisters. I could say that it would be fantastic to serve walking side by side with the Saviour by the Sea of Galilee but we feel that we already are. This is my 55th year having made my baptismal convents. I have ‘seen it all’ - people coming full of desire in Christ and then going-sometimes due to personality differences and clashes, insecurities, shattered expectations in themselves and others with struggles to put off the natural man, struggling to live in the world but not of the world. I have become quite aware of those who oppose the faith and Christ in general and am familiar with their reasoning or motives. I could say much more about this! I have also witnessed so many individuals and families united in Christ and richly blessed through drawing close to Him. I have seen thousands of YM and YW who have saved their own money (or supported by family and friends) to serve the Lord wherever they are sent throughout the world as full-time missionaries for a few years. This is one of the many modern day miracles to me. I served as one of those missionaries in Queensland, Australia and my sons in France and Western Australia-my sister in the Phillipines. I also have wonderful friends who are members of other faiths including non-Christian and have served for many years on Interfaith Committees because we strive to love all of our brothers and sisters. I am grateful for the Saviour’s doctrine (which you would be familiar with from Alma 11) teaching that all mankind will be resurrected and judged according to our lives lived-the Atonement being the key. This is beautiful. Whenever I meet Jehovahs Witnesses I greet them with ‘Brother and Sister’ and acknowledge their commitment and faith to ‘Jehovah God’-same with my Muslim or Hindu friends. I look forward to the ‘one faith and one baptism’ spoken of, when every knee will bow before the Saviour. So Brother, I encourage you to read the last chapter of Moroni and then read the entire Book of Mormon right through with an open mind, relying totally on the merits of Christ. (Be sure to continue studying the old and new testaments at the same time). See what you discover. I feel confident that you will feel your already strong faith in Christ increase and that God will bring you to a new and even holier place where you can be an even greater influence for good in preparing this world for the Saviours second coming. I already value your faith in Christ and commitment to Him. If you wonder what my occupation has been. It’s just - Fire/Rescue/Medical First Responder. Formal education - nothing to speak of. 😊 Love, your brother in the gospel Trevor Evans Australia
Hi Trevor. I just read an article about how the LDS believer is assured of salvation. Do you know you are completely forgiven and assured of your salvation? If yes, how do you understand that?
@@janet-Spirit_of_the_Living_God: Just wondering who wrote the article you read? Jesus Christ has made the resurrection a reality and salvation possible for all mankind through His loving Atonement. LDS believe that the Saviour has also made Exaltation (eternal progression) in Celestial realms possible...that the choice is ours to strive for and attain this higher, greater blessing.
@@yunginspirit3162 It's an article based on LDS doctrine compiled by Mark Champneys. The final paragraph reads: ARE YOU READY? Alma 5:27-32 "Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed...? Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless." THE LDS WAY OF SALVATION IN A NUTSHELL Consistent with all the quotes you have just read above, the following summary of the LDS way of salvation in order to dwell with Heavenly Father in his kingdom has been affirmed by LDS Church headquarters to me as an accurate summary. Here it is: “In Mormonism, before you can be forgiven of a particular sin by the atonement, you must successfully stop that sin permanently. So, in order to be forgiven of all sin for time and all eternity, you must successfully stop all sin permanently.” Is that also your understanding of being forgiven so that you would be assured of your salvation?
Good evening from Australia Pastor/brother. I see that someone else has answered your question to me already, in a very similar way to that which i would have answered and I feel prompted to leave it at that. Must be guided by the Spirit. Also, a well intentioned brother has invited me to join Islam or burn in hell. As mentioned, having served on interfaith committees, I am fairly well informed and aware of the Muslim faith, was recently a guest speaker at one of their celebrations (imagine that) and find them to be the most wonderful people. Amongst my closest Christian friends I find many different opinions on topics even like ‘the resurrection’. ie Is it a literal resurrection? etc etc etc. similarly-sometimes well intention members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints misunderstand or develop their own opinions which may not be correct-so if someone genuinely desired to learn LDS doctrine I would encourage them to be careful of their sources. I am most grateful to our Father in Heaven for sending the Holy Ghost and I’m sure like you, I strive to live worthily of it’s promptings. Today I enjoyed a number of chapters of Daniel and chapter 17 of Mosiah. Having or not having the Holy Spirit with us has become so important to me and much clearer to in my stage of life and I am certain that this guidance allows us to determine truth from error as well as best avenues to pursue - or not to pursue. I’m sure that you would agree. I pray that as instruments in the Lord’s hands our united faith in Christ will be a blessing to our brothers and sisters of this world. All the best brother I will offer a pray of gratitude and blessing for you and your family tonight. Regards, Trevor
@@yunginspirit3162 What is so good about "striving for and attain[ing] this higher greater blessing? Jesus taught that the Good News is that He has paid the debt once for all, for all of our sins past, present and future, and that we will spend eternity with Him in a continued fellowship which we begin here on earth when we choose to follow Him. The Presbyterians say that "The chief end of man is to love God and enjoy Him forever." Sometimes I think the LDS motivation is the prize and how to get there, rather than the Person of Jesus now and evermore. I hope you know that you are saved, completely justified in Him, and will be with Him forever at whatever point in your life that your heart stops beating.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS and I love these videos, I'm so glad you're having these discussions and sharing them! I like learning about the other Christian denominations and feel that we all have more in common than we often realize, and we can get a lot more out of connecting on those common beliefs than arguing over differences. I totally understand your reasoning for using both terms so that people can make that connection with who you're talking about (and it is a long name, haha!) Also--we don't believe we all become angels, but are created to become as Heavenly Father. Ask your friend for more on that one, he can explain better in person than I can in a comment :) Thank you for being so kind and respectful about various faiths, and for bringing light to these topics!
thank you Pastor Jeff for your continued search and discussion on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All that you say makes terrific sense. If Jesus were to be on earth today would he not have the same church that he had when He was on the earth? You keep speaking and I will keep listening
I don’t know if you know this, but there are actually a few churches that believe in the Book of Mormon. There are a few branches that broke off from the main church for various reasons such as disagreements over succession when Joseph Smith died or the dissolving of polygamy. I took a class on church history and it’s pretty interesting stuff.
@@unicorntamer2207 this was a great video, but I think it points to a glaring issue with the claim of priesthood succession. It didn't last one prophet before the Mormons couldn't agree on the successor to the throne. I thought priesthood succession was to ensure that never happened again.
@@davidjanbaz7728 It'll splinter with every doctrinal change proposed and upheld. Even if they don't formally break off from the mainstream, there are groups and subgroups within the LDS space that will see change as "the decisions of men" and not revealed by God (which defeats the point of their whole deal).
I served a mission in West Virginia and on our p-day (preparation day) we would attend various churches including Pentecostal, Protestant, Catholic, etc. we didn’t go to try to convert them, but to learn more about the people we were serving. We had some great experiences doing that. The vast majority were very kind. So I appreciate your willingness to learn about our faith. It’s very easy to burrow into one’s own beliefs and become jaded towards those who believe differently.
People outside of Utah don’t know that Mormons are the same as Latter Day Saints? That’s weird. It’s almost like the church spent the better part of the 2010s and millions of dollars being proud of the word Mormon and marketing that name through the church sponsored “I’m a Mormon” campaign.
Hinkley said "Mormon means more good." Nelson said "Using the word Mormon is a win for Satan." I'm scratching my head wondering why one guy's name changed meanings.
The church that is NEVER changing, changed their name, lol. True, there are people confused about the name or the LDS Church's label.when someone asks me, I do as Jeff, use both. Not an issue, covering and educating.
Wow. Such a breath of fresh air. I'm speaking to the honesty which is apparent in this video. This is what keeps me coming back for more. Onward and upward in Christ!
Hey pastor Jeff! I love your channel and what you are doing here! For the man asking about denominations, I would direct him to a channel called Ready to Harvest. Joshua on there does videos about different churches and denominations including my church (Seventh-day Adventist) which started around a similar time in America, but is a Christian church (many like to lump us in with the members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and JWs).
We mostly believe the same things you do about general and special revelation. Though we may phrase things differently, we recognize that all things testify of God, and that through scripture and preachers we may hear his word. Upon hearing that the word is good, this inspires us to open our hearts and to pray for confirmation of these things through the power of the Holy Ghost. After which comes the commitment to lay down our sinful lives and be born again through the covenant of baptism, and to renew this covenant with the sacrament often.
Pastor -- I love your channel and the respectful way you discuss these issues. Allow me to return the favor by respectfully responding to your brief explanation of why you, and the larger Christian world, believe angels are a different kind of being. You cited two scriptures. While I'm sure you could have cited many more, my reaction most likely would be the same: your reading of these scriptures is different than mine. I have read Hebrews chapter 1 numerous times and never came to the same understanding you gave the text. While, having heard your view, I can see how the text can be read to support that view, I do not believe the text requires it. Yes, angels are sent to minister to those who will be (or may become) heirs of salvation, but how does that require that they be a completely different type of being than those they serve? Do you not claim to be called to minister to those who will be heirs of salvation? Yet, the fact you are a minister doesn't make you something other than human. Nor, does it imply that you, too, cannot be saved. Why, then, does the text of the scripture require a completely different result for angels? Isn't my reading -- that the word 'angel' refers to a title, like 'pastor' or 'minister' -- also consistent with the text? I also question how deeply and widely your view is held in the Christian world. Our historic literature is replete with stories of those who die and become angels in heaven. (See, for example, The Littlest Angel.) I'm not suggesting that secular literature is a good source of doctrine. Instead, these stories are evidence that your lay brothers and sisters may hold beliefs that are more similar to mine than your own.
@@davidjanbaz7728 David, that's fine. I'm not offended that you and Jeff read Hebrews chapter 1 (or any other scripture) differently than I do. Like most books, many parts of the bible are open to different readings. A particular verse may mean something to you in your youth and something else in your old age. And both readings may be perfectly legitimate. Having said that, I was an English major and have made a very good living by interpreting the written word. Whether it is a passage of scripture or a portion of the tax code, I'm very good at identifying what the text 'means' and at identifying alternative meanings. Does Hebrews chapter 1 teach us that Angels are a completely different kind of being than we are? No. There is nothing in the text that is inconsistent with that understanding, but the text equally supports alternate readings. Which, is understandable. Paul wasn't writing to teach the Hebrews about the nature of angels. He was writing about the nature of Christ and our relationship to Him. Paul's point was twofold. First, Christ is not simply an angel come from God. As proof, Paul points out that the angels are subject to Christ and serve at his direction. Second, we, are very important to Christ. Angels are very powerful, yet they serve us. They serve us, not because we are powerful, but be cause we are important to Christ. Those two points can be true without angels needing to be a different species from us. Jeff serves his flock because the members of his flock are very important to Christ, whom Jeff is trying to serve.
@@davidjanbaz7728 respect to you for your educational pursuits and accomplishments. Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also have degrees in theology and seminary is offered to young people in which the scriptures are studied in-depth. Faith in Christ is key to the conversation at hand. There is no need to base one's faith on the level of education one has received. In fact, Christ was considered by the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders to have no authority because they were scholars and he was the son of a carpenter who was not educated in their manner. Christ taught us to love each other and treat each other as He loves us, not as the world judges our worth. An education does not make one more faithful than another in Christ's eyes. He looks into the heart.
Subscribed to your channel recently. I saw you on a video with Greg Matsen at Cwic media. I am a Latter-Day Saint and really enjoy and appreciate your approach to learning more about us as you teach us the gospel from your perspective. you are very knowledgeable and explain things very well. I really liked this video and believe that we are on the same page, so to speak, on many important truths relating to faith, grace and repentance which ultimately lead us to the Savior and the atonement which I think we can all agree was the single most important event in all human history. Thanks Jeff.
I've been a Latter Day Saint all my life and I really enjoy watching your videos. You're very respectful and I have loved to see your take on LDS doctrine, culture, and many aspects of being a Latter Day Saint. I feel like I speak for everyone when I say THANK YOU for having such a high degree of respect for our differences and not being fixated on slinging mud. I've gone to hundreds of other Christian churches (especially in my 20s) and my intention was never to tear down anyone else's beliefs, but I was told that I was going to hell more times than I can count just for asking questions and wanting to understand. So thank you so much for bridging that gap! :)
@@davidjanbaz7728 My comment wasn't intended to be disrespectful, it was merely just the jest that I'd like to learn more about other religions and it's tough to create a space where you can learn without it becoming distasteful or someone being offended or hostile etc... but I completely respect your opinion, and at the same time I personally doubt that God in his all-knowing and all-loving ways will shun anyone who loves him and follows the teachings of His son Jesus Christ, regardless of their denomination. The most I'd learned of other religions was from one of my friends who was a Catholic but she didn't like to go to church so it was a rare occasion that I got to learn of Catholic beliefs... so the only other opportunities I've ever had to learn of other religions was to go there in person.
@@oshkoshbjosh well, Satan was plessing enough that Adam and Eve did not run from him in the garden. And smooth enough to convince them that if they did what he said they could become like God. Does that sound similar to anything you’ve been taught?
@@AB-xq1kn Satan lied to them because in the garden a veil was over their minds and they did not recognize him as Lucifer because they were as children not knowing good from evil. So yeah he could deceive them. Which has nothing to do with my original comment... merely thanking the video creator for being respectful and not slinging mud because I like to learn about other religions. If it makes you feel good to be condescending I'd ask you to reconsider where those feelings originate from. Cheers.
@@oshkoshbjosh , sorry if it came across as condescending. Pointing out the fact that satan specifically told them a claim that is now a claim of the lds church is my point. I’m not hear to find out about the teachings of Joseph smith, I know them all. I’m here to try and help others to see through the veil that is over their eyes. Please remember this one thing. If the Lord blesses you with sight, as you and the people you care about turn from the lds church please pivot to the God and Jesus of the Bible, away from everything that changed when smith came along. Don’t be like so many lds who leave and completely lose faith that Jesus even exists. It’s just a different God a different Jesus, not remotely the one proclaimed by your church and doctrine.
Great video! One thought on canonized scripture. John 21:25 says that the world can't contain all the books that could be written about the things Jesus did. The bible is tiny in comparison with the size of the world. I know it's not saying other books were actually written & maybe it shouldn't be taken literally, but it stands to reason that there could exist other books which we don't yet have. I'm not a historian, but I believe new potential scriptural writings like the dead sea scrolls were found after the bible was canonized. I think we should be excited to have additional books to learn more about our Savior and His gospel. We actually have additional books besides the Book of Mormon (Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine & Covenants) and we don't have a "closed" cannon. New official statements from church leadership are occasionally canonized. We're also excitedly awaiting new scriptures. For example, the Book of Mormon states that after Christ's resurrection he ministered to the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel and that we will eventually have their writings. - However, I completely understand the hesitancy, there are so many lies and deceptions in this world, we have to be careful to discern if additional information we receive is true or not. There was a portion of the Book of Mormon which was stolen and there was a portion of the Book of Mormon which God didn't permit Joseph Smith to translate. - We're anxiously awaiting the day when God reveals the rest of it. In fact, Moroni abridged the Book of Mormon as a summary into a tiny book from a huge vault of historical records & that's only from 1 civilization. I imagine after Christ's 2nd coming we'll be drinking from a firehose because so much new (& lost) knowledge will be revealed. The reason for the Law of Moses was because the Israelites weren't prepared for the higher law. The Doctrine & Covenants documents a few similar times historically when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was under a degree of condemnation for slothfulness and wasn't allowed to receive certain higher laws - We're still working on improving and hopefully someday we'll be ready.
Hey! I am also a member in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On the question of angels who were once man, I have an Old Testament prophet who was man that was an angel, Elijah. Elijah was a prophet who was taken up to heaven and was brought back to earth as an angel. Just curious on your thoughts on that.
Very good answers, and good selection of the questions Jeff. I appreciate how your respectful to those in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. And yes, that's a lot to write!
@MyKidsKKD So are you suggesting that Jeff is channeling Satan? BTW, I'm not part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in fact attended one of the Bible Colleges that Jeff attended. I grew up around, and have relatives in some of the splinter groups, but I'm not part of Joseph Smith's restoration.
Jeff, I enjoy your videos, which leads to two questions: 1: Why are you so fascinated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?, and 2: Do you believe faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will inherit the Kingdom of God (Heaven)?
The Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed perked up my ears, since we recite it every Sunday in the liturgy here in the Eastern Orthodox Church (sans the filioque). Pastor Jeff, have you ever looked into the Orthodox Church?
Hello! I am liking your videos. I am curious; have you ever read the Book "Saints Volume 1"? It was published by the church. It is a narrative of the events from the first vision until after Joseph was killed. I really liked it and it helped me understand the events and how they unfolded more. Being a non-straight latter-day saint, I am hanging onto every bit of faith that I can
Pastor, my wife and I as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. just finished reading the Old Testament cover-to-cover. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. It was my observation over the last 9 plus months reading the Old Testament that there are several versus that did not make sense and further research I found it was a mistranslation. Several versus had God “repenting”. If God was required to repent who would he repent to? God is glorified and perfected. He would no longer be a God if he sinned and required to repent. I only mention this because you mentioned all you need to know about Jesus is in the Bible. If that was true wouldn’t it make sense a perfect and loving God would provide us a book without multiple MIS-translations leading his children to be confused.
@@rabbithole2015 The full name is a mouth full. You're going to have to compromise. I understand Nelson wants to get away from the nagitive pop culture references, but jumping on every person for stating a former name, isn't going to give you guys a wonderful new reputation. You want to be recognized as Christian? First things first: be Christ-like.
@@rabbithole2015 imma be honest with you: it's super annoying when members get on these comment threads and freak out to everyone about the naming correction. With the level of forcefulness and demand y'all put on everyone about it, you do much more harm than good. It's on you, brother, to live that for yourself and let other people do what they're gonna do. Should we all try better? Maybe. But the judgemental biting doesn't really inspire change.
@@unicorntamer2207 I agree with you. I find this absolutely redicouls that Nelson is trying to remove the use of those names. For years it was encouraged and now it isn't. I'm not a member but I once was and when I was I used Mormon all the time. I was being sarcastic in my comment but I should have made it more obvious.
The LDS church believes at face value the Nicene Creed. Pastor Jeff's interpretation of the Nicene Creed does differ. Protestant churches interpret Bible scriptures MUCH differently between churches. Clearly, the Nicene Creed, states that God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are two separate beings but one in purpose and one God. Christ prayed to God the Father. Christ did not pray to himself.
I agree Christ and the father are not the same persons. But further in the creed and Historical Christianity and the Bible, Christ, the father, and spirit are equally the same God YHWH. One eternal essence revealing himself as a father son and spirit. Hope this helps.
It took me 20 yrs almost to separate the Mormon & Christian of me. I still don't get it completely. I kept my upbringing values most importantly "CTR" choose the right, for me🤩 I didn't really so much leave until 1997 when "the church" sent me a letter 19 yrs after they had a "court" for me which got cancelled because it was set for the date they announced they were allowing "black" men to hold the priesthood. This letter was addressed to my 1st husbands last name after moving 22 times 9 of which were interstate moves. I had been married to my then husband & father of my 4 children we had been together for 16 yrs at the time 😡💢 I didn't know how much "the church" had changed until my mother's funeral in 2010 where her cousin Dallon Oaks spoke. I believe in what I was taught as a child which is NOTHING of what it is now
Hey, Pastor Jeff! I grew up in Utah as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ but have been living in TN for the past few years. Your videos help me understand the people around me better so thank you for that! I heard from another video that you might be heading to Nashville, let me know if you need some connections with members in the area! There is a baptist church near me that is having a Halloween bonfire and burning Harry Potter books and other so called witchcraft/pagan/freemason items. The pastor has been preaching a lot of weird things about witches and demons and that people with autism are possessed by evil spirits. I would assume you do not support this kind of preaching…but would you consider them Christians? They believe in the trinity etc as you have explained categorize one as being a Christian. This church justifies their behavior by backing it up with scripture. If the Bible is the only true source of God’s word how do you get around people interpreting it differently? Especially if used to justify this kind of thinking? Personally, I have used the Book of Mormon and words of living prophets to help to clarify these kind of issues. They are a wonderful gift from God! I would love to hear your thoughts on how you know you are interpreting the Bible correctly.
Once again Pastor, you did a great job. I love learning and relearning from these videos. I love how you share your perspective and see how we are similar and different at the same time. I wanted to share this message with you given by President Gordon B. Hinckley. It has to do with faith and why we don't use the cross. I hope you enjoy it and have a better understanding as to why we don't use the cross, even though we say we're Christians and believe in Jesus Christ. It is titled, "The Symbol of Our Faith" By President Gordon B. Hinckley. Have a great evening.
Thanks for your earnest and respectful approach to my religion. I see that you’re planning on reading the Book of Mormon soon. I would recommend the Maxwell Institute Study Edition (available on Amazon and elsewhere) as the most reader-friendly format, with helpful annotation and appendices. If you would like supplemental materials, I (or no doubt many of your LDS friends) would be happy to provide suggestions. Keep up the good work!
I am REALLY hoping you respond to this. Yes, I came out of this with more questions. I left the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 2 years ago and my experience in the church was both good, amazing, bad, and terrible. Some highlights include our doctrine on eternal families was a nightmare for me as my father emotionally and sexually abused me, I served a full 18 month mission and was sexually assaulted and quieted by my leaders/receiving no help. I am bisexual and was never able to explore my sexuality earlier on because it would keep me out of the celestial kingdom and from all of the blessings of God. I deeply struggled with cognitive dissonance of the loving God I believed in and the same God that would not accept me for my sexuality, for drinking coffee, etc. I developed a lot of toxic perfectionism and decided to leave after Elder Hollands BYU address speaking up for defending the family and not showing any support for LBGTQ+ people. After leaving, I learned that our doctrine and history were not what I taught on my mission or personally believed. That is when I lost my faith, I have been in limbo about my beliefs of God. I have considered myself agnostic as I believe there is something more, but I don’t know if the God I want to believe in is just a fantasy. I don’t know how to personally interpret the Bible as in the LDS church I was taught what everything meant and If I personally felt contrary/ that it meant something different that opposes what the living prophet says, then I am at fault and wrong. For example the Bible teaches about treating our bodies like temples and prophets clarify that means no coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, drugs. I disagree. I think drinking Red Bulls and soda is worse than coffee so why would one keep me from God but not the other? Let’s take it back to the Bible. What happens if I disagree with things the Bible or certain pastors teach, but I still love Jesus and try to be close to him. Is the God I believe in invalid still? And if so, why not just sit back and call myself agnostic? My thoughts are a bit jumbled, but I would love your take on this.
Hi Alex- I know I’m not Jeff, but I came across your comment and I just wanted to respond to see if I could engage in a conversation with you. I’ve been a Pastor in Utah for the past 20 years and walked beside many former LDS people who are searching for God and Jesus. Alex- I’m so sorry for the pain and trauma you’ve experienced! My heart goes out to you and I can appreciate why you are wrestling with the idea of God. The foundation of Christianity and the Bible is that God made “us” humanity for Himself. God created everything good but through Satan and humanities choice to rebel against God sin and the brokenness that sin causes entered the world and human hearts. God seeing how corrupted and sinful humanity became, by the horrific ways we treated each other and continue to treat other, He gave a tiny grew of people His law for how they were to respond to God, themselves, one another, and creation. This provided the guard rails for life so that they could see God’s standard of perfection more clearly and understand what sin is and realize how captivating and corrupting it can be in our hearts, relationships, and communities. What became obvious is that no one had the ability to keep God’s law. Everyone broke it at some point and God put up a system of sacrifice to show the people that death is the only just payment for sins. This was to point everyone to Jesus who was God who came down in human flesh and lived the life of perfection on everyone’s behalf. This uniquely qualified Jesus to die a death to take the punishment of humanity’s sin and rebellion to satisfy God’s holiness and justice. Once Jesus did this God gave Him the right to trade His perfect life with anyone else’s sinful life if they would simply choose to receive by faith. This is what God refers to as His Grace and Mercy. It’s a free gift from Jesus to trade His worth for our incapable efforts. God through Jesus invites you and anyone else to receive this and believe this. This gives us entry to a life with God that gives our souls the satisfaction and rest we crave so deeply. We try to get this for ourselves through all kinds of expressions like religion, careers, social life, sexuality, but they all end up empty because they don’t connect us to the author of life who alone can give us the inner peace we long for. This is the gospel of the Christian faith and if that at all interests you and you want to know more I’d be happy to connect to a church/group near you that teaches this message! I hope this finds you encouraged. Blessings, Nate
Jesus Christ loves us all and asks us to believe in him. The first principle taught is faith. I understand your struggles with how to find an identity in any church if its doctrines do not line up with your personal identity. Know that Christ, above all, knows you and loves you, and that this life is not all that is offered. Your story of abuse is not unusual in our world, even though it is tragic. I have personally suffered through some of the challenges you expressed. It took me some time to realize that my relationship with God and Christ is a personal one and that they can heal my wounds and guide my life. God is not invalid. Find that relationship with him and you will be given what you need to understand and have your faith grow as a result.
@MyKidsKKD I do not believe homosexuality is a sin 😊 Love and affection is a basic human need and asking those attracted to the same sex to just not have that basic need fulfilled is very sad and a big leading cause of suicide in LBGTQIA+ people. Your comment was entirely unhelpful, but I'm glad that you are happy within your religion.
Hello Alex@ I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles. I'd like to take a stab at your last question if that's ok. I'm not a pastor or a bishop or anything--just a dude in his 30's who also loves Jesus. To give you some context for my faith background, I was raised in the LDS church as a child and as an adult have decided, due to sacred experiences, that the best way for me personally to be close to God is in that church. In contrast, my older sister and her husband, my older brother and his wife, and my younger sister and her husband have decided that the best way for them to be close to God is outside of the LDS faith, for many of the same reasons you have described (Sexism, emotional abuse, teaching NOT what Christ said, salvation for LGBTQ+--my sister is queer and her husband is trans--toxic perfectionism, church leaders doing bad things, etc.). I firmly believe that both they and I are correct in our decisions. My personal understanding of God is that, more important than prophets, more important than commandments, and more important than even scriptures, Bible or Book of Mormon or what have you, His love and healing are big enough for all of us. If you love Jesus and are trying to be close to him, you'll be ok. I'll admit some of the things Paul says about women in the New Testament make me feel very uncomfortable, and it's similarly hard for me to reconcile an all-loving God with the same Old Testament god who destroys entire nations for wickedness and idolatry, but when I read the sermon on the mount, Christ blessing the Nephite children, or the account of the garden of gethsemane, the crucifixion, and the resurrection I feel the same strengthening heavenly love I feel when I beg on my knees in prayer for help with my chronic depression, or when I give of myself freely to others, or when I sing sacred music with my ex-lds siblings. Does disagreeing with the Bible or pastors make God invalid? My personal experience and especially my family's experience leads me to say no. Of course, saying that is way easier than it actually is. When I read your comment it reminded me so much of when my older brother called me in tears last year to tell me he and his wife were leaving the LDS church. He was heartbroken that the church that he had loved was no longer a safe place for his family. I've been incredibly lucky that my local congregations have been loving, accepting of LGBTQ+, and open about having imperfect understanding of God, the scriptures, etc. but what if I move to a ward where the bishop is homophobic? I don't know. Given how prevalent homophobia is in America, it's statistically likely. What if I leave the church and go to a different Christian denomination? Again, I don't know. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking since my brother's call, and I've come to realize that while I know way less about religion and the scriptures than I thought I did, I do know what God's love for me feels like. I know it's trite, but I can't come up with any better words for the physical and spiritual sensation of love and warmth that comes not from me, but from heaven than "I felt God's love for me". I wish with all my heart that I could be with you in person to say "That God you want to believe in is NOT a fantasy! God loves you for you!" and somehow share that love I (sometimes) feel with you, but again, I'm just some guy on the internet so that'd be weird and impossible. Again, I'm so sorry for your troubles and I hope you find the answers you're looking for.
I ask all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to please read Lynn Wilder's book "Unveiling Grace" as well as to read Sandra Tanner's research.
Thank you for your videos! And It's true you do have great hair 😂 I noticed it when I first started watching your videos. lol Like so many, thank you for your respectful and sincere research. I've been trying to find more common ground and understanding with my friends of other faiths who love Jesus as much as I do. It's been wonderful hearing faithful friends of other religions express similar feeling and love for our Jesus Christ, that I feel as well and your videos help me understand some of our similarities and differences as well. That being said, I love Jesus with my whole soul and quite honestly love the term born again because I think it describes how we feel when we surrender our will to God and truly let God prevail in our lives. It's hard to feel the sting when I'm told (often disrespectfully) that I'm not christian when I feel so much love for Jesus and believe that his grace is the only way to salvation. Maybe I missed when I looked but will you put out a video explaining why some people don't consider Latter-Day Saints to be christian? Thank you!
I'm really excited to get your thoughts once you've completely read the Book of Mormon, including the testimony of the 3 witnesses. I suggest that anyone reading the Book of Mormon asks: "could an evil person write what is taught?" And, "would a righteous person write this book with intent to deceive?" There's a reason why the BoM is called the keystone of our religion...I personally would have a very hard time believing Joseph Smith's story if not for the BoM.
I do not believe in the Nicene Creed, it is not bibical. The Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. God, the Father and his Son Jesus Christ are two different beings, not one substance.
Did I open a can of worms? Which answer was most helpful... and which answer was NOT helpful?
Could you give us a little info on the the background of the creeds you cited?
Jeff, you are amazing a very easy to listen to. I have been a member of the church (LDS) since the early 80’s. Having been born a Jew and raised in the Methodist church, I am always very appreciative of someone such as yourself who is so well versed in the Bible. While I have read the Book of Mormon several times, I find it difficult to completely affirm that it is the “most accurate” of any book ever written. For me I find it a bit odd that you can pull almost any verse from the BOM and find the exact wording in the KJV….No doubt there will be many who will push back on my statement, as it has happened in the past. When I ask questions about this there is always a “well you see” answer that follows. Keep on with your quest, I enjoy you very much. Thanks
@@chucklambooy8457 The reason it is the most correct book is because there are things in the BOM which aren't stated in the Bible, such as the Fall of Adam being a good thing or the doctrine with regards to infant baptism. So, it is "more complete" than the Bible. So yes, they teach so many of the same things but there are just a few key things in the BOM not explicitly states in the Bible. That's what I understand about it, anyways.
I love how you answered the epistemology question, that third option (the thing about the bosom...), we call it personal revelation, in other words, God revealing His truth directly to those who seek it with real intent, and like you said it's not just a burning in the bosom, people experience personal revelation in many different ways and over different lengths of time, but the result is the same: a deep impact at the soul level, a mighty change of heart, and greater faith in God.
I have loved your videos and told many of my member friends about you I find you so respectful and I’m learning lots . One thing that I picked up is your emphasis on statements like We as Christians maybe I’m jumping to conclusions or being overly sensitive but I feel like your emphasizing that we are not Christian but we are ❤
The reason we in the LDS church are so grateful to you is that many many people are malicious and hostile towards us. It can be really hard for us sometimes, so it feels like a blessing when someone like you goes through so much effort to respectfully and lovingly engage with us. So once again, thank you so much for what you’re doing. I’m sure that you’re an answer to someone’s prayers.
@@pauletteforeman2194 They call us cultists and it's pretty depressing hearing questions like: “How many wives do you have??„ Here's the answer: 0 (yet); YES, I'LL ONLY HAVE 1.
@@pauletteforeman2194 we got a history of hostility towards us. We've been prosecuted and sometimes murdered out of New England in the 19th century and many present day Latter day saints have ridicule thrown at them from every corner, including me. It's not fun when Satan targets us, but, on the bright side, our power and faith is greater than Satan's temptations and brainwashing
@MyKidsKKD Anyone could say that about their sect. In reality, having a cordial attitude is what allows us to explore other worldviews. With a closed attitude, you're stuck believing the same thing which unreasonable to think you know all knowledge.
The term "mormon" is offensive to Christ but pleasing to satan --- straight from the current LDS prophets, seers and revelators.
@@whocares6517trust Jesus Christ alone seek Him do not believe in Joseph smith teaching read the Bible not the book of mormons if you truly seeking for truth God will open your eyes
I’ve been sucked into your videos and I really love them! I’m born and raised LDS, but I’ve always had a fascination with other religions and why they believe what they believe. I think it’s so cool learning about how people show their devotion to God in different ways than me.
I did have a question for you. In the LDS church, there is heavy emphasis on “sharing our testimonies” or sharing our belief in God and what has lead us to where we are (we devote one Sunday a month to just that in fact! ) I was wondering if you could share your testimony in a video. What made you want to be a pastor? What experiences have you had in life that show you that God is real? I love hearing the structure of your faith in these videos, but I’m so curious how youve personally come to know God.
Thank you so much for your respect for my church and best of luck!
@MyKidsKKD My understanding of studying the Bible is that satan wanted to be like God. He no longer wanted to lead others in worship of our Creator, so he led a rebellion instead. Those that want to be their own God have no interest in worshiping One. I don't see anything in the person of these videos encouraging the worship of self over the worship of God. There might be a difference in our views on whether worship of a church structure/culture is equal to that of worshipping God. Jesus had some pretty choice words for those who did the former.
@MyKidsKKD Lucifer also wanted the power and glory for himself. He was prideful and he wanted to be worshipped.
@tony Oswald I love your comment so much! Would love to see a video like this as well ❤❤
Pastor Jeff, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, l find you to be a breath of fresh air.
Tolerance in action is amazing!
During the time Jesus was in the flesh in the Holy Land other civilization existed of which we now find the ruins or historical references.
South America, Central America, South Pacific Islands, Australia and of course China.
The KJV of the Bible was never part of these geographic areas mentioned above.
"Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess Jesus is the Christ"
"Other sheep l have that are not of this fold".(Words of Jesus)
" Upon this rock l will build my
build my Church " (Words of Jesus)
The inhabitants of the geographic areas mentioned are also Children of Heavenly Father.
Jeff , my question is how will knees bend if the gospel has not been taught in the geographic area where these Sons and Daughters of Heavenly Father were born, lived, and died ?
Lucifer/Satan has done an amazing job of destroying much of the words uttered by the Savior while in the flesh.
Martin Luther was correct with his list of "errors" in the
contemporary thinking of his day .
Luther nor the authors of the
"Creeds" had the abilities to restore the teachings of Jesus!
What say ye?
Leland McGee
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I just want to point out that you do an EXCELLENT job at referring to members of the Church in a respectful manner. Obviously you have a mixed audience watching this channel, and not everyone outside of the Church is going to know about our preference to be referred to as members of the Church of Jesus Christ rather than “Mormons” or “latter-day saints”. Just know your efforts are seen and appreciated! Love this channel.
Ex- Mo here GRATEFULLY!!
Its not YOUR preference. Its your CEO who you blindly follow. Whatever happened to the "I am a MORMON" campaign??? All of this WE'RE NOT MORMONS shit just proves how TBMs have no thoughts or beliefs of their own. Whatever CEO says...
Inactive lds here but love this channel
You go by the long form and not "mormon" because Hinkley is no longer around to keep rusty in line.
your own prophet put out the campaign "I'm a Mormon" a decade ago. This new prophet has "new light" and made you guys blindly follow the leader in a 180 degree manner. Its really sad.
As a Christian some of the LDS friends I have thought I was LDS. That is because in fellowship talking about Jesus together our thoughts and references were the same and lifestyle also. That was a nice complement and testament that we all love Jesus and try to live as he would.
Yes!!! This is exactly how I feel
Hi Helen, Do you believe Jesus is God and does not have a beginning? Does Jesus have brothers and sisters in the physical sense? Is He really our elder brother conceived by the same father? I too have close LDS friends so I understand the Christian terms and lifestyles we all share... I really do. I have had many in-depth discussions but never argue on definition differences because friendship mean so very much to me. On the surface, the terms are the same, but the understandings are fundamentally different. I remember President Hinkley stated back in the late 90s: "The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. He together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages.”
We do NOT worship the same Jesus. Don't be deceived.
Sadly, they love a different Jesus. Christians and LDS use the same terminology but use a different dictionary so to speak. As Christians, we are not loving LDS friends when we do not tell them the truth.
@@wilburwilson1034 Thank you for all that thoughtful insight. I was just saying it was nice we have love for God. I don't pretend to know about the LDS religion, as I only know about the Christian religion I was brought up with. Thanks.
I'm a Latter Day Saint from the UK (converted from the Roman Catholic church when I was 21). I just want to say that I love your channel and videos. You are so respectful in the way you present your views and understanding of our faith, and your channel provides a safe environment for people to express their view points - both for or against. I think the one key thing you have done for me personally, is that you have helped me feel that I too can be more inquisitive and respectful about the faith and beliefs of others, without feeling that I have to be on the defensive or overly protective about my own faith. Thank you for your example and for these great videos 🙂
Really sad to see someone leave the true church for some religious sci fi style novel.
Religious sci-fi style novel? Which novel would that be?
@@melissasonntag347 the one where Joseph Smith wrote himself in as a prophet. What’s reformed Egyptian? Sounds like something in a sci fi novel). Like where does Egypt come into play in this book it’s so random and not related to anything else. Reminds me of that show Ancient Aliens on the history channel.
@@AlexMiddleton111 movie: Dune 🎬
@@AlexMiddleton111 You realize the Iseralites they spend multiple generations in Egypt right? I don't think it is too far fetched that it was passed down and changed a little, hence the reformed.
I typically try to stay away from engaging in the conversations about religion among people I'm not familiar with because they can often become argumentative in nature when there are differences in opinions. I feel like differences could and should be used as a tool for building everybody up instead of tearing people down. That said, stumbling on this channel is a breath of fresh air. You are respectful and kind in your approach and I think it's a great example of how people should reach out regardless of the topic. I firmly believe that God blesses a sincere search for truth.
as a latter day saint from Georgia it does not bother me if people use Mormon as long as they don’t say it in a way that’s aggressive or meant to degrade us. you are definitely NOT doing this so I see no problem especially since you are curious and trying to share your curiosity and kindness.
love your channel so much! keep doing what your doing :) ❤️
Yes! You can hear it in the tone whether it's meant to degrade and I do not like it then. But normally I know they don't mean anything by it
It's refreshing when members have this outlook, in my opinion, thank you!
I also appreciate what Pastor Jeff said about the importance of using the term a bit here and there so that others know who he's referring to; just a few years ago, the church was still proudly using the term in their Meet The Mormons movies and FB page, which is how most of the world still identifies members. So I believe that when most people use the term, they're not doing so to be rude or dismissive; they got the name from the church itself. :)
And of course, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a mouthful, so people will probably continue to use them synonymously for that reason as well. Glad you understand that. :D
I'm 100% with you. Been called way worse than that before 😆
The amount of people I have met, mentioned I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and they asked if that was Seventh Day Adventist or Jehovah’s Witness are countless. Once I say Mormon, they understand. I prefer the complete name, especially in Spanish. Not only do I appreciate all your respect behind your studies, but I appreciate you are simply trying to help others know your topic. Great work, Pastor. God bless, brother.
It is surprising and sometimes shocking what is taught about the LDS church to other Christians. I honestly don't know where some of it comes from. My favorite is when the conversation starts somewhat hostile to me or the church, but then I explain what I honestly believe about Jesus Christ. We share scriptures. We share stories. And many times I find we share a love of our Savior who is Jesus Christ. Sometimes it even ends in a hug and a few heartfelt tears. Those are some of my very best memories. Thank you for this channel. Thank you for your commitment to lead with love and curiosity.
You know a different Jesus, brother
As a Pastor in Utah for 20 years, it’s amazing to see how many people are taken with your tone. Jesus came full of Grace and Truth (John 1) and you are embodying that in your approach. This is something I believe is of the utmost importance as we minister amongst the wonderful people who are members of Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. Thanks Jeff! I appreciate you brother!
He’s not ministering unless he feels he’s doing a service for what he believes is contributing towards his version of the “kingdom.”
Just Amen. I totally agree as a evangelical Christian with family in the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints.
As someone who was raised LDS and now born again I appreciate your love and sincerity towards the LDS. We can absolutely have respectful conversations . ❤
Amanda, exLDS here and born again. Love this channel as I want to learn what Christianity teaches as Mormonisn but don't want to deal with someone bashing. This channel is it!
Dangerous and harmful cults do not deserve our respect.
Someone raised here with lds and with outside of the lds and I am lds now that goodness .m this channel is amazing though
@@jeffs4483 this is not right sir. This is not what Jesus of the bible taught.
@@fredelliott6985
He taught us to expose evil. Read it again.
Pastor, let me start by saying I genuinely appreciate your efforts! Your channel is fascinating and it's encouraging anytime other religions are willing to discuss and engage the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints instead of just writing it off. I believe all religions, whatever my personal inclination, at least deserve a seat at the table to defend their faith. Your work here is crucial in tearing down barriers between the many strands of Christianity. As an inactive member of the LDS church myself, I want you to know that your videos are helping me to dust off the scriptures and restore my curiosity and passion for the truth. Thanks!
Love this Q&A!! As invited, I want to clarify a little bit about Latter-day Saint epistimology. I appreciate your attempt to answer this side of the question, and your willingness to acknowledge that this isn't a process that you've fully studied and understood yet. I hope to clarify some of this. :)
In the LDS Church, we believe very strongly in ongoing revelation -- what you call Special Revelation. You mentioned revelations that are revealed through scripture, through apostles and prophets, through Christ, and through the Holy Ghost can reveal truth that helps us to better understand the character of God. I agree with all of that!! I think the only difference is that we believe that any person can receive this revelation. As you said, the Holy Ghost can testify of truth. If I'm understanding your theology correctly, you believe that this truth is given to selected people in authoritative roles in Christ's gospel (such as apostles). We believe that the Holy Ghost can and does testify to anyone who is seeking that inspiration. When you described the "burning of the busom," we would call that feeling the Spirit -- feeling the Holy Ghost testifying of truth. When we talk about "feeling strongly that it is true," as you mentioned, we're speaking of having the Holy Ghost testify of truth. We don't always make this clear in our terminology, which obviously breeds some confusion, but that's our main epistomological way of knowing -- to receive revelation from God via the Holy Ghost. It's not just a thought or feeling that something is true, but a testification from a higher being.
Now, how do we know it's from the Holy Ghost and not our own thoughts or physiological reactions? That's a whole other topic, and it's one that Latter-day Saints grapple with as well. We spend a lot of time in personal contemplation and scripture study and prayer trying to learn to be more perceptive and receptive of the Holy Ghost. We all feel the Spirit in different ways -- the scriptures mention a "burning in a bosom" (D&C 9:8) as one way, some may perceive it as a "still small voice" (a Kings 19:11-12) or a "stupor of thought" (D&C 9:9) or a sudden "remembrance" (John 14:26). There are many ways of feeling the Spirit references throughout the scriptures, but the ways of feeling the Spirit are as varied as the people who feel it. I believe strongly that God knows us personally and knows the ways to communicate with us that will be most effective and influential for us. I also believe that receiving revelation from God changes us -- and I think that would be my way of describing what you've described with people turning from sin and putting their faith in Christ. We often describe that as putting of the "natural man" (1 Corinthians 2:14, Mosiah 3:19). That is something that we would look at as a type of personal revelation and committment to Christ.
One other caveat to add here, which might be way over-complicating this whole explanation. We also believe that we can receive revelation within our jurisdiction. With this, I can receive personal revelation for myself (e.g., a confirmation of the truth of the gospel, an answer to a question of which career path I should pursue, etc.) or people who are under my protection, for lack of better words -- such as my children, if I had any, or people I've been called to serve (e.g., if I was called to be a Sunday School teacher, I can receive revelation of what the people in my class most need to hear). I can't, however, receive revelation for the Church as a whole or even for another person -- I haven't been given the authority for that. That's why we care so much about Prophets and apostles and even local leaders like our Bishops -- they have been given authority to receive revelation for a wider scope of the Church.
Man, sorry!! I just kept going!
tl;dr: Latter-day saint epistomology (ways of knowing) focuses on receiving personal revelation from God through the Holy Ghost. We believe this revelation harmonizes with the general revelation that has been given already -- through the scriptures, through the observable world, through past prophets, etc.
This is a very well written explanation and is true to everything that I understand as a life-long member of the LDS church. Thanks for contributing this :)
That feeling you describe about conversion is the exact feeling I felt when I read the book of mormon for the first time and prayed about it. It literally changed most thing about me in that very moment. I got off my knees and felt like a absolutely new person. I was living in California, packed my stuff up in 30 mins, got in my car and drove all night to get home to Utah. I met with my bishop, put my life and eventually served a mission back in California.
What you felt was the natural, normal feeling of catharsis. Not a ghost, god, or goddess.
@@λιμινιλ ha, how in the heck could you know that? Funny you would even suggest that you would. There has got to be a name for a person like that:) but you would probably know that as well:)
Im thinking of joining the LDS will i be forced to go on a mission or will it be when im ready ? im 29 and have a full time job so I would not be happy if I was told i had to do a mission for 2 years and quit my full time job.
Like I dont mind donating money for young guys to do it but id rather do it a little later in life once im wiser and know what im talking about.
@@TylerDaSaint no, missions are 100% voluntary. And the opportunity to service a missions for young people ends at 26. At this point you wouldn't qualify to go. So you definitely wouldn't be expected to serve a mission.
Love you so much. As a Jesus follower and Bible student for over 40 years (and a mix of all sorts of denominations over that time) I'm still learning from you on both the LDS issues and the Christian ones. You are obviously gifted to teach complex ideas in understandable ways, and with respect and humor. I've enjoyed the depth of knowledge of the commenters, too, to help us continue to get answers to our curious questions. Thank you so much, Jeff. I'm so glad you are doing these videos and the manner in which you are doing them. Continuing to pray for you, and all those of us who are looking for, and following the Way, the Life, and the Truth. Jesus Paid It All, All to Him I Owe. Sin Had Left A Crimson Stain, He washed It White as Snow.
You have shown great respect towards us Mormons, you are an example of how all religions especially Christians should treat each other.
I love this! Even where I disagree with you, I can see your faith and reasoning. I’m so glad you have this channel and so glad I found it
Video suggestion here:
I've binged watch all of your videos, I am loving this series. The amount of respect you have for my beliefs amazes me and I'm so grateful for the opportunity you've given fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ to learn about other Christian faiths without feeling attacked. As I've watched all of them, though, I've noticed that you have yet to explicitly address the differences between our views on the Fall. The Book of Mormon teaches that the Fall of Adam was a good thing, and a necessary thing, and I known that the rest of Christianity teaches that it was a detriment to humanity. I'd be curious to see your reaction to these teachings.
Again, love the content, please keep up the good work, always love seeing your videos.
I'm really curious about that too.
Yes, I’d be interested in that topic too. As a non-LDS Christian, I think about verses like Romans 5:18 where it says, ‘Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.’
Do LDS have a different view of the fall? I’d be interested to hear your insight.
@@gtf5392 Yes, I'd love to share! We believe that the Fall was an essential part of the Plan of Happiness. In Heavenly Father's Plan we were supposed to come to Earth to experience mortality, and without the Fall, we could not have become mortal. God even gave contradictory commandments to make sure that it would happen-commanding Adam and Eve to procreate (but they couldn't, as they were not yet mortal) AND to not partake of the tree (which would allow them to procreate). As 2 Nephi 2:25 in the Book of Mormon puts it: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
@@gtf5392 Mormons and Christians are not the same...... you being a non-mormon Christian just means your a Christian.
@@gtf5392 While most of Christianity outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes the Fall was exclusively a bad thing for humanity, we believe there were some elements that are positive and that it ultimately was necessary for us to come to earth to learn and progress. Here's one of the best summaries from the Book of Mormon. Hope this sheds some light on the differences.
"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore, they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
I think Latter-Day Saints also believe in the born again experience! We sometimes refer to it as conversion or "a mighty change" which is wording from the Book of Mormon.
"And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." - Mosiah 5:2
Can you tell how NOT used to being treated with respect we are?? 😂 Look how much it means to us when someone is nice!
It feels great to be respected and feel understood! I'd think that's true for most everyone. So I'm kind of disappointed with the recent conversations at church that come up occasionally talking about how people outside the church keep calling us Mormon. But how likely is it that we keep up with the names of the members of other churches and what they want to be called? Heck, most of us don't bring up other churches unless it's to make a comment talking about how other churches have deceived people, or that they don't have all the truth and mix it with corrupted teachings even to the point of referring to a church like the catholic church as some really horrible names.
I would absolutely love it (and maybe there already is a channel like this) if there was a Latter Day Saint doing what this pastor is doing but for other churches. A channel dedicated to trying to deeply respect other church's and understand what they believe
No disrespect here. i agree that this is the kind of discourse we should all be having. i just want to point out that Saints have historically been disrespectful to other denominations as well. for example, i think just last year Brad Wilcox gave a talk where ge said all other denominations were “playing” church and part of the founding story of the LDS church is that Joseph Smith called all other church’s “an abomination.” So i just want to say that this channel is a good model for everyone, and that i hope both saints and other Christians can learn to be as respectful to one another as this pastor.
@@ky4864 Very well said! It's something I've been thinking about a lot as I watch this channel then read the comments. Overall it's great but I have been very surprised that there is still so many comments mentioning how he didn't get everything perfectly right as if not only he but everyone else should know about it and get it right. And all I can think is what do we know about other churches?!
@@michaelbarker6460 You are absolutely right! I would love to see a channel like that also. And I'm not sure about all church members, obviously, but I grew up in the Utah bubble and I have been disappointed at how little church members seem to know about other religions. But want others to know a lot about us. That door swings both ways. Which is what I'm loving about this channel too, I'm learning so much! And I think learning and appreciating each other's similarities AND differences with love would make the world a nicer place :)
@@michaelbarker6460 but also there was the early 2000s ad campaign “I am Mormon” most of us non LDS won’t know about the change with the current prophet of your church, so it can be confusing to many when LDS members are offended by the term
I'm a latter-day saint and I love this guy! Such an example of kindness, and understanding others and I am deeply honoured by his respect for other beliefs and perspectives. Thank you!
@MyKidsKKD my concern also
I really appreciate what you’re doing with this series. It was really challenging me to approach different faiths with an open heart. I have heard so many negative things about the LDS church that it’s hard to not be defensive, opinionated, even a little scared. Your approach is showing that we don’t necessarily have to feel that way.
Thanks for another great video Jeff. I just wanted to point out that at the end of the video when you talk about being born again and experiencing a spiritual transformation, that is certainly something that we as Latter-day Saints also believe.
You’re very respectful in the way you speak about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know a lot of people outside the church have little knowledge of who we are, so the way you interweave different terms makes sense and is done well. Even though the church name is long, it is my greatest desire is to be associated with the name of Jesus Christ and not a nickname that has been used in good and mean spirited ways in the past. I think sometimes it’s easier for people to be cruel and intellectually lazy when arguing about my faith when they can disassociate us from the name of Jesus Christ.
Thanks for your great efforts to be civil and kind even when you don’t understand or agree with our faith. Thanks also for sharing more about your own religious belief.
As an inactive Mormon, I think you are being very respectful. I think that's made apparent by the guy asking if you are Mormon. Anyway, it wasn't too long ago that the LDS/Mormon's had a HUGE ad campaign saying "I'm a Mormon". In that light I totally understand that they now ask that people refer to them as Latter-day Saints, but given that it's a recent change I feel the guy saying you weren't respectful was a little harsh.
@@davidjanbaz7728 I'm not demanding or asking that you refer to me as anything, as you may or may not have read in the comment I no longer attend or am active in that church. I don't care what you call it, my point was that until recently LDS/Mormons had an ad compaign dedicated to telling people all about the "MORMONS", so it's a little rich for them to suddenly expect everyone to be aware of the request to refer to the church by it's registered name as apposed to the nickname which until recently they have been fine with.
@@davidjanbaz7728 I appreciate that. I can see how that would be offensive.
@MyKidsKKDPerhaps... but many, if not all, of those qualities can be attributed to leaders of the LDS Church as well and pretty much every religion. Would you rather he present things in a disrespectful manner?
I was raised LDS but I was also partially raised by a verbally abusive grandfather who made me feel worthless and inadequate in all things. As a result I hated church even more than I hated school because I was often asked out of nowhere to answer a question in Sunday School or offer a prayer and it stressed me out so much. So I left the church for almost 20 years but then I began studying Russian history and was hooked by someone who is considered a saint in the Orthodox Church and I reached out to her for help during a potentially fatal health crisis and I was healed that night. Now I go to the Eastern Orthodox Church and it's a relief to go to church happy and excited rather than anxious and stressed.
The Orthodox churches have a lot going for them. As a Catholic, I dream of the day when we can unite again with our Orthodox cousins.
@@heathermcdougall8023 they can only unite with us once they accept the authority Our Lord put on earth.
I am Orthodox, but I find pastor Jeff's videos fascinating. With you, I have found peace in Christ in the Orthodox Church. My background is Baptist, and I have LDS relatives. May God bless Pastor Jeff's efforts to reconcile Christians.
@@bobburroughs7490 To be honest, as a very traditional Catholic, I have seriously considered, moving over to the Orthodox church.However, I have found "peace in Christ" in very traditional Thomist Catholicism, and have had a very good experience of it. Iconsider the Prthodox church to be my "close cousins". Reconciling Christians is a goodthing but with Mormons it ;'s hopeless. I still wish for some kind of basic reconciliation between us Catholics and the Orthodox church, as that stand a good chance of working out.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I so enjoy hearing Pastor Jeff. He is a great example of how to love, respect and appreciate others despite differences.
You should run for President :)
I agree that you have done an amazing job with being respectful and using the churches full name as much as possible. With a name as long as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it can be difficult to say that all time. I think the main point is that we want to be recognized as the Church of Jesus Christ since he is the central focus of our faith and not Mormon or anyone else.
A few things: love as always how respectful you are - I saw someone else mention that the reason so many of us church members thank you is because people are often impolite, unrespectful, or even cruel, and I agree. It's a bit sad, but it makes me all the more grateful for people like you.
Secondly, I myself still use LDS and Mormon sometimes, if mostly for the sake of the understanding of others. I really don't think it's too big of a deal, especially since you are aware of it and doing your best to be successful, but everyone feels differently.
Lastly, you don't have to, but I'd love to see you do a video on Mormon culture. There's so many good things about growing up in the church, and they often get overlooked in favor of the flaws. Things like food, events, the community that comes with being queer and a member (kind of a subset of culture), and even how supportive people are as long as you're in a good ward (I have many memories as a kid of when my mom was sick or something similar and members would be offering meals, rides to school, whatever). Again, you don't have to at all, I just think it's a really interesting part of the community.
I love listening to you about the Church of Latter-day Saints. Recently I had an experience with them and, being on all denominational Christian I am open to listening to them. I didn't write off tell me they were Mormon or studied the Mormon bible. They led me to believe for a while I was talking to people that would study Bible study with me with KJV Holy Bible. 3 weeks later they handed me their Bible. I read it and, no not all of it. But enough. Enough to make me do research on their history. And believe me I did get talked into possibly getting baptized not realizing they were trying to get me baptized into their Church. Which I had no such desire to do. I am baptized yes. So right before the baptism I really started digging in to have these paperwork about. And you're right what Jesus do they study? Who are these people that call themselves Prophets. I don't understand why they need all the temples, and I love listening to prophet President Nelson. A couple of the other prophets, in there word would, yes, sometimes throwing a line that was questionable to me. And just cause me basically to do more research. You really helped me to understand, and talk to God deeply about my situation. I believe He told me I did not have to be baptized again. And I believe he's threw me to you. Because after that I was getting information on videos on TH-cam left and right on what they were all about. Some are good some are bad. Definitely what really affected me was I saw a clip man was in there giving his testimony I had moved away from the church. They welcome back him for a testimonial, and as soon as he said something that was a little derogatory I'm taking wrong, they basically pulled him off the platform up there. Since he was almost done I might as well let him finish. Another man out in the hallway explain to him that he was upsetting the Innocence and peace in the church. I'm sending you a link I found that told me from the very beginning what their videos that they gave me AKA little movies of Joseph Smith, and all the little Jesus crucifixion movies that left so much out. They were some of the sweetest people that I've ever met. But I don't like him agendas. I didn't like the fact when I saw the main Temple that it looked like a palace. I also in this video study on American greed, they were included, which surprised me.. but it was about their financial system banking. Check into American grade on Latter-Day saints and you will find out a lot of stuff that goes on at the top of the ladder. So I'll send you this link on Cold Case Christians where they study the Mormon church and Joseph Smith. A lot of information in it that just walking around and talking and visiting the church you don't see. I think they just show you a superficial part of them. I'm not saying they aren't good people. But the higher ups and the political part of it, and I do say it reminded me a lot of the political parties. God bless you and all you do. I really enjoy your videos.
Where is the link, I pray you will read it if you haven't already, and then we can have some even better videos from you possibly.
I'm sorry I didn't answer sooner. Have the same problem not getting back with my daughter as I've been running pretty busy with my dog.
I hope you can understand about my not wanting to be baptized now as I feel God had told me I didn't need to be. I also do not plan on becoming a Mormon, and I didn't to my dumbness understand that that's what you were expecting. There's too many questions about Mormon for me, that are getting answered day today. I highly respect your faith you have for Jesus and I hope you feel God is the head of everything. I can say I have no respect for Joseph Smith. But I have the utmost respect for your President Nelson. He is a very intriguing speaker. And I hold him in high regard as I do you and his belief. I am a Christian and I am 72 years old and a more familiar with Christianity that I am Mormonism. Well I'm a couple months out from being 72. Actually three more months until 72. I am very comfortable with my relationship with our Holy Father and his son our Savior, Christ Jesus. But God is who we glorify as Jesus said himself. Everything Jesus did was from the Father, he said that himself also, though I probably paraphrased it. I know how strong your faith is and I hold high respect for that. But I tear apart everything before I try it when it comes to my heavenly Father. It's the teaching of Jesus I believe in and his teachings came from the heavenly Father. I am going to give you a link to a page, one of many that I've read, that I hope you'll read all the way through. The rest is up to you. I am sorry, but unless I study out of a Christian Bible I don't think our meetings are going to be of much use. At least not to the Mormon faith. I pray God's blessings for the both of you and your whole church. I know your hearts are true. You are some of the best people I have met in a long long time. I know Jesus lives within you, but we must be aware of false teachings also as He said. Have a wonderful day, and I hope you understand our meetings are canceled and I pray you'll have a good life ahead of you. Be blessed in every way, and Christ Jesus is Holy name. Amen.
coldcasechristianity-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/coldcasechristianity.com/writings/how-the-book-of-abraham-exposes-the-false-nature-of-mormonism/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16659372948619&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fcoldcasechristianity.com%2Fwritings%2Fhow-the-book-of-abraham-exposes-the-false-nature-of-mormonism%2F
If you would rather answer me on my email it is serenitysings.lee@gmail.com
Wow, I'm impressed so far! I grew up in this faith but now I'm more in the christian camp, it's been a wierd five years or so developing how to interact with people I am now different from, I've made some real blunders and still are growing, I really like your approach, not as a strategy but just openness to truth, keep going and I will be rooting for you.
❤❤ God bless you brother! I love the work that you’re doing with this channel, helping Christians like me to learn more about our LDS brothers & sisters in a respectful way. 🙏
I've been meeting with missionaries the past four months. Challenging their church with skepticism, to see if what they teach is true. And they convinced me to go to the Stake Conference today. It was a lot. At the end I got to meet all of the presidents. I haven't seen all of you're videos, but I'm going to try to catch up. Because I started this journey a few months after you did, and I know significantly less about religion and the Bible than you do. But im glad we're both on this journey
Run away. It's a cult.
@@jeffs4483 I've heard, but I've also heard a lot of personal testimonials from them
@@Mr.CandleGuy
It's false. Run.
@@Mr.CandleGuy
Testimonials does not equal Truth.
It’s not the testimonies you should listen to, but how the spirit makes you feel when you listen to them. That will tell you what is true, not some random commenters on TH-cam who have no interest in your well-being other than their own self reassurance.
I really appreciated your response at the end to the epistemology question. Your explanation was beautiful. I found so much in common with your explanation of the personal redemptive experience with Jesus. Faith is an essential part of personal knowledge. Thanks for all you are doing.
I love your videos. My husbands family are Mormon and choose to call themselves Mormon. Most Mormons up here in Alberta seem to still use the term Mormon for themselves and don't take offense to the name 🤷
It's not that you're suppose to "take offense" to the name, it's more of a move to focus ourselves on Jesus Christ. There's the point of showing others that we also believe in Jesus Christ by referring to ourselves by the full name, yes, but the biggest point is that it is His Church and we ought to focus on Him. Personally, I've noticed a difference in my life ever since I stopped using the term "Mormon" to refer to myself and instead make specific mention of His name. I feel closer to Him, and I appreciate the counsel of the Brethren to use His name.
yeah. beyond just the religion, the word “Mormon” refers to a history and a people. thats why there are still “Mormon studies” programs/classes in colleges and why some branches will still call themselves mormon. of course, its fine if members want to identify and be identified more with Christ. But given the history and context, i dont think its fair to jump to saying “Mormon” is a disrespectful term. especially since they just changed it after years of use.
As a Latter-Day Saint, it really depends on who and in what context the term Mormon is used.
The reason we were told not to use the term Mormon is hate groups us it, to attack us. Plus other groups who claim to have come from Us like the RLDS and the FLDS use the term in attempt to legitimize there connection to LDS idiology, History, and authority. Needless to say the term Mormon often has a negative and ungodly connotation these days.
I am an Evangelical,a member of a church in association with the Assemblies of God. I only know about President Nelson’s campaign to steer away from the label “Mormon” because I keep up with the LDS church. As a teenager I thoroughly studied a handful of organizations that claim to be Christian’s but fall outside of traditional Christian theology. I still continue to read,watch and listen to material put out by these organizations. One of such organization happens to be the Church of Jesus Christ of a Latter Day Saint’s. I have also been to Palmyra to experience for myself the history of the LDS church. I have my favorite leaders within the LDS church such as Jeffrey R. Holland. So anyways, this was a lengthy explanation as to why I, as an Evangelical/Pentecostal know better than to use the label “Mormon”. However, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saint’s need to show the same grace that they want in return. A vast majority of the world know’s absolutely nothing about this campaign. So a little patience and a little grace by everyone, no matter their faith tradition, goes a very long way.
More people probably remember the very widely publicized “I’m a Mormon” ad campaign from 2010-2018.
The topic of epistemology is one of the most important for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because we often end up basing our entire lives around personal revelation, which is specific revelation given to an individual for their life rather than to everyone through a prophet. I would be interested in seeing a video about our beliefs on revelation.
I appreciate how respectful you always are about our faith. I really enjoy following you on this journey of our faith
Our Tenants are called the Articles of faith .It is.the Statement of our Beliefs
13 Statements of Our Faith.
Interesting take on angels. Generally we think of Angel as more of a role than a species . Cherubim are definitely a different species that is often conflated with angels as a species, but angel is just a ministering role of messenger from God to me. A lot of what you said about angels helping others towards salvation would then work in this context.
Can anyone tell me if any of the heavenly creatures from Ezekiel and Revelation are described as angels in the actual text, or is that just inference? It's also impossible to tell if their appearances are symbolically significant but literal OR just purely symbolic.
@@purpleboye_ There are "biblically accurate" depictions of angels on the internet. Rings with lots of eyes. Animal heads. Multiple pairs of wings. Looks pretty freaky. There's different rankings of angels, and jobs they have. Plenty of video essays on the interesting topic.
@@purpleboye_ Ezekiel 1 talks about 4 living creatures with 4 faces and 4 wings each. Ezekiel 10 talks about cherubs or cherubim and describes them as having 4 faces and wings. Revelation 1 talks about angels of the 7 churches. Then John is commanded to write to them. (Which comports with my thought that angels are ministers of God, but could be humans, even living humans (ministers, pastors, anyone taking on that kind of comforting and helping WWJD kind of role). Later it talks of angels near the throne of God by the Lamb of God who opened the sealed book. In Revelation 7 it talks of angels holding the 4 winds and the seal of the living God. There are angels sounding trumpets and flying in the midst of heaven pronouncing woes in chapter 8. The angels are given divine powers and messages from heaven to the inhabitants of the earth. In chapter 12 it talks of Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon and his angels. (It clarifies as Satan and his angels that were cast out with him) In 14 angels declare the reaping of the world. In 15 angels hold vials of plague that they pour out on the world. So they are consistently powerful messengers or servants of heaven in revelation.
Love your stuff Pastor, it’s a real breath of fresh air. I’m seeing so many similarities in our beliefs which is awesome! Your thoughts on epistemology really rang true with me. Look forward to when you sincerely read the Book of Mormon my brother in Christ. Kia Ora from New Zealand 🇳🇿 and God bless you.
Pastor Jeff, in the church of Jesus Christ or Latter Day Saints we put a big emphasis on “bearing testimony” or speaking truth we feel. I feel you’ve done a great job of stating the Protestant beliefs. I would love to hear from you how YOU found Jesus was your savior. How YOU came to know the Bible was true. Etc I think that could be a powerful video.
This is a little unrelated to the questions. But a good book for you to maybe look into is Jesus The Christ by James E. Talmage. A former LDS general authority. It's a long book (around 500 pages)but it essentially takes a deep dive into the prophecies/life/teachings/divinity of Jesus Christ.
You may enjoy it.
th-cam.com/video/MInCwkMMTkA/w-d-xo.html
I'm not sure if you have done a video on this yet, but I would love to see a video of you going over The Articles of Faith. The creeds you mentioned kind of reminds me of them.
When reading your Articles of Faith I have so many issues with them
1. If God is the Eternal Father, how was he once a man? 2. We are not punished for Adam's sin but we inherited his capability for sin, since Adam introduced sin into the world. 4. Faith, baptism and repentance. 5. We are all capable of preaching the gospel, even without the laying of hands. 6. The original church had the apostles until they died. To qualify as an apostle you had to have walked with and witness Jesus' resurrection. 8. If the bible is God breathed, and it is, then it cannot be translated incorrectly. And if so, then the BoM could very well be translated incorrectly! 10. God has already revealed all we need to know. Period.
Peace be with you!
After hearing your brief thoughts on how the Bible was compiled, I would love to see how you would explain the Bible as being sufficient
Especially considering that there are references to other letters from Paul, that we do not have (among other lost books)
My late grandmother was an angle while she was alive. I love to think of her as a beautiful angle up above, in the heavens. I don’t know what else we would be. What else would we be? Where else would we go (other than a place to await our resurrection), as angles, or disembodied spiritual beings? Some things are just common sense to me. Of course the spirits of the evil people wouldn’t be doing any of God’s work in heaven or on earth. But the good ones would be doing what they have always done, serving God, and their fellow man.
Thank you so much for for this! This video was great! And yes you do generally do a great job being respectful of our desire to use the full name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints & refer to us as its members, most of the time! So thank you!
I'm trying to remember how I even came across your videos to be honest. But. I'm glad I did. So far. I have been cautious and surprised, pleasantly, watching your videos. Thank you for your honest insight. It's refreshing to see unashamed, sincere faith, searching and coming to Christ. This is a beautiful journey you're taking. Thank you for sharing. Keep seeking truth. I can't wait to see what you learn. Keep it up! This will be the first of your videos I share on my social media. You made some great observations I think will be helpful for others. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I appreciate your example, of respect for others faith. It's a great prompt, that I'm going to think a little more about today, and try a little harder to follow in the future. Thank you. ❤️ #GiveThanks
All modern prophets encouraged all members to respect others in their beliefs Christians or Islam denomination groups because their members are also His sons and daughters.
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day-Saints, I’m so happy that God giving the opportunity become a member in His Church having four sacred books:
1. The Holy Bible, Old and New Testament
2. The Book of Mormon, Another testament of Jesus Christ
3. The Doctrine and Covenants
4. The Pearl of Great Price
I hope you have a chance to study all scriptures (The 4 standard books) and have the chance to help us explain the beauty of all these scriptures to all the world through your channel .
Your help is highly appreciated thanks.
You’re genuine, truly love God and your fellow man. Truly enjoy your channel.
Pastor Jeff, I appreciate your explanation of the importance and necessity of the cross in Christian Churches. Since I didn't know about nor join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints until I was 36/37 years old, before marrying my husband and joining the Catholic Church, I attended the Friends Church. So growing up, I had different teachings about the cross, I don't remember any teaching of Gethsemane or the Atonement. As I began to study the Bible as an adult, here are my thoughts on both the Garden of Gethsemane and the Cross... It was in the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ suffered for our sins. He suffered so intently in the Garden for all mankind's sins that He sweat "great drops of blood", later in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints in Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19... I learned this about His suffering...verse 18... which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all , to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pure, and to suffer both body and spirit-- and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--- verse 19. Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. .. In the Garden, He took upon Himself the sins of all mankind.. something only He could do because, He was PERFECT!
As He left the Garden, Judas and the lawbreakers met Christ and took Him to be tried and sentenced. In my own personal testimony what He did in the Garden, He did for all mankind who ever lived or will live, what we could not do for ourselves.! From the time He left the Garden until he was taken down from the cross, is what mankind did to Him! While on the Cross, He felt that same pain and agony that He first endured in the Garden of Gethsemane! These are my own thoughts and feelings. I'm so grateful that He was willing to atone for us, quietly accept the horrible suffering as he left the Garden and until was removed from the cross and continued to do His work while His body lay in the tomb, and then He was Resurrected! Again, these are my thoughts and feelings of His compassionate service and gift to mankind. I didn't include that those who do not repent must suffer for their own sins, but it is there in D&C 19:16-19.. I hope you can see why I feel so grateful for the Atonement but my heart breaks at the horrible treatment he recieved at the hands of ungrateful mankind! Thanks for reading this...I know it is long, but I speak from my heart!
Round of applause. I didn’t know other religions thought angels were separate species. I will say I found your verses for that very unconvincing, but I appreciate the enlightenment
It’s just a different interpretation
Hi Noah, do you by chance have any Biblical scriptures that support the Latter Day Saints view on angles? The Christian perspective, is that angles are messengers or are there to comfort. Like the angle that comforted Jesus at the garden of gethsemane.
Not particularly. Most of the LDS belief is based in BoM, D&C, etc. and that affects our interpretation. I will point out though Matthew 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Essentially, we believe angels are people at a different stage in the eternal plan from where we currently are.
We believe angels are spirits who have yet to come to this earth, or those who have already passed away, and some have already been resurrected.
Here is the full entry from the Bible Dictionary we use if you want something comprehensive.
Angels
These are messengers of the Lord and are spoken of in the epistle to the Hebrews as “ministering spirits” (Heb. 1:14). We learn from latter-day revelation that there are two classes of heavenly beings who minister for the Lord: those who are spirits and those who have bodies of flesh and bone. Spirits are those beings who either have not yet obtained a body of flesh and bone (unembodied) or who have once had a mortal body and have died and are awaiting the Resurrection (disembodied). Ordinarily the word angel means those ministering persons who have a body of flesh and bone, being either resurrected from the dead (reembodied), or else translated, as were Enoch, Elijah, etc. (D&C 129).
There are many references to the work of angels in the Old Testament. In some passages the “angel of the Lord” speaks as the voice of God Himself (Gen. 22:11-12). The word angel is also sometimes used to designate a human messenger, as in JST Gen. 19:15 (Appendix), and may have some application also in Matt. 13:39-42. There is evidence of nonmortal beings who serve God in heaven (1 Kgs. 22:19; Alma 36:22) and also of some who do God’s will and minister to men on the earth (Gen. 28:12; 32:1; 2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Kgs. 19:5-7; 2 Kgs. 1:15; 19:35; Ps. 91:11).
We find angels mentioned by name in Dan. 8:16; 9:21; 10:13, 21; 12:1; Luke 1:19, 26. In latter-day revelation we learn that the angel Michael is Adam, and the angel Gabriel is Noah (HC 3:386).
In the New Testament there are many references to the ministry of angels but no clear statement as to their nature or their relation to mankind in general. Angels attended on our Lord throughout His life on earth (Matt. 1:20; 2:13, 19; 4:11; 28:2-8; Luke 1:11-20, 26-30; 2:9-15; 22:43). Jesus often spoke of angels (Matt. 13:14-30, 37-41; 16:27; 18:10; 22:30; 24:36; Luke 15:10, etc.). The Sadducees did not believe in supernatural beings, but the Pharisees believed in both angels and spirits, which fact Paul used to his advantage when brought before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:7-9). Other New Testament references are Acts 7:53; 1 Cor. 4:9; 6:3; 11:10; Gal. 1:8; 3:19; Col. 2:18 (where we are warned against worship of angels), and throughout the Revelation of John. There are references to fallen angels in 2 Pet. 2:4 and Jude 1:6.
The scriptures speak of the devil’s angels. These are those spirits who followed Lucifer and were thrust out in the war in heaven and cast down to the earth. See Rev. 12:1-9; D&C 29:36-38; Moses 4:1-4; Abr. 3:27-28; and as alluded to by Peter and Jude cited above.
Latter-day revelation contains much about the nature, ministry, and identification of angels. See 2 Ne. 32:2-3; Alma 12:28-29; 13:24-26; Moro. 7:29-31; D&C 7:6-7; 13; 27:16; 76:21; 110:11-16; 128:21; 129; 132:16-18. Angels do not have wings (HC 3:392).
The word angel is used in various ways. A person who is a divine messenger is called an angel. Thus Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah, and Elias all ministered to Joseph Smith as angels. These all shall be exalted and inherit celestial glory. The scriptures also speak of another class of persons who, because of failure to obey the gospel, will not be exalted and will become angels in eternity. These are spoken of as angels in Matt. 22:29-30 and D&C 132:16-18. This latter designation should not be confused with the use of the term angels having reference to the heavenly messengers sent forth to minister to the inhabitants of the earth.
Hope this gives you something to look through!
@@GadiantonsRobber wow Noah, thank you for that thorough reply. I never realized there was such a difference in how we look at angels. I can see how using the additional scriptures makes the position more clear that angels are humans either before we were born or after we have died. I wouldn't get that from the Bible only. I would look at Matt 22:30 and say ,"...but are AS the angles" not ARE the angels. So similar to, but not the same. Just my thought on it. I don't want to get on a tangent here, but Matt 22:30 seems to imply there isn't marriage after this life. My guess is that there is other LDS scripture outside of the Bible that would support that narrative?
@@BGCflyer I'm not sure if you're talking about the concept of angels as a different species or marriage in the afterlife? So I'll address both.
LDS belief is Matt22:30 should be interpreted as “In the resurrection, there are no marriages performed.” However, we believe marriages performed on this earth continue to be married in heaven. Matt. 19:6: “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” We also believe there will be a chance for those who didn't get the opportunity to marry before the resurrection.
As far as the concept of angels being our same species, yes that is widely assumed throughout lds cannon. For example, D&C 129 talks about the nature of angels.
"1 There are two kinds of beings in aheaven, namely: bAngels, who are cresurrected personages, having dbodies of flesh and bones-
2 For instance, Jesus said: Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not aflesh and bones, as ye see me have.
3 Secondly: the aspirits of bjust men made cperfect, they who are not resurrected, but inherit the same glory."
Even with the increased effort to refer to church members by the full name, I don’t know ANYONE who is offended by being called a “Mormon” !:-) Soooo appreciate your respectful investigations and videos!! Great work!!!
With all due respect, at 8:20, I do not read Hebrews 1:13-14 the same; when it sass "to which of the angels ... are not all angels ministering spirits", this is talkinga bout us. In other words, just as Christ is both judge and advocate, we are also angels and beings needing to be saved, because we who believe in Christ all must answer the same commandment, exhorting all to come unto Christ, even if we need this salvation ourselves. Same thing at 9:05, with 1 Peter 1:12. The term "angel", from Greek angelos, literally "messenger, envoy, one that announces." The interpretation that angels are a different species is a subjective one. As for departed spirits returning as "angels", this is not isolated to Moroni but also found in Matthew 17:3, where both Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus, Peter, James and John. To give but one example.
There are at least 7 levels or types of angels in heaven. For instance, guardian angels. ministering angels, healing angels, messenger angels and I recall guide angels, cheering angels and recording angels. At every religious meeting at least two angels are present, recording in a book the thoughts and feelings of those present and the events. Some angels are giants, more than 30 feet tall, some are quite small. Angels are not spirit children of our Heavenly Father, but rather they are ''created beings.'' Some of our deceased loved ones can have charge over us as guardian angels or to bring us messages, Most angels do not have wings, some do.
The Adversary also has his 7 classes of dark angels to do his bidding. The Law of Opposition grants that this is so.
I appreciate this, as a member who no longer believes much the of teachings peculiar to Latter-day Saints (or what I see as more concise way to say it: I no longer believe in Mormonism) I have been apprehensive towards attending other churches since i am used to the culture and traditions I grew up with but also don't know how our faiths really differ. Your videos are a nice way to introduce similarities and differences and is much appreciated 👍
I am in the same boat as you right now. I'm just trying to follow Jesus and what He taught in the Bible. My husband and kids love the LDS church and their friends there, so we still attend, but I focus my teachings on Jesus and the Bible at home. These videos have been so helpful to me!
@@kathryn866 I think there are many staying in the boat as non believers because of the "peer pressure" to conform. Once the shelf gets weighted down, it will eventually break. It gets very difficult pretending and rationalizing away your newly discovered information and subsequent feelings. You feel trapped. It's sad but it's happening to many members. The church is very good at making something that appears evil seem good. I'm reminded of the words, "You can buy anything in this world with money. Armies, navies etc". There is someone else who wants to be like Christ. The scriptures warn us to not be deceived in the later days.
@@davidjanbaz7728 Thank you! I will check him out!
@@kathryn866 You are all welcome to look carefully at Catholicism. It might suit you and you might find what you've always been really looking for there. I did, but it's not for everyone, and I'll admit that. Just might be well worth looking at and giving it a try out. Don't like it? Just walk away.
@@heathermcdougall8023 Thank you! I have actually been reading some of the Catholic Catechism recently.
This is a very helpful series and I am learning so much about both faith traditions. Thank you.
Jeff, your approach to conversing with lds people is perfect. Respectfully learning and discussing the topics without offending is best. Keep up the good work. You are tearing down walls.
I have always been very happy with how Jeff addresses us. I love it when he calls us LDS Christians :) I actually don't really recall a time he called us Mormon. Maybe he has but I can tell he tries hard not too
It does seem silly to fuss over this, especially if the person is being respectful. I remember not too long ago, President Monson 's "I'm a Mormon" campaign. We were all excited about it. I do realize there can be a negative connotation with this word so I see why President Nelson asked the members not to use it. I agree with you completely that Pastor Jeff has been quite respective.
Most people don’t care if you call us Mormons or Latter Day Saints
I care, but not to the point of being mad. I look at it as "They just don't know better, so let me kindly educate them about this". Now If they decide not to care for the correction, then they are just being disrespectful. But then again it depends on the context and the intention. Often it's not what you say, but how you say it.
But if they choose to intentionally misrepresent the Church or its members with the use of incorrect names, then it's nothing new, people are gonna be people, so we try our best to give some grace and forgive them, hoping that one day they will get it right. Let's not sugarcoat this, the name of the Church is not negotiable.
@@leslyvevedmc782 Thank you for saying that! The name is non-negotiable. President Nelson has made that very, very clear, along with several of the Twelve.
@@colemanjohnson7056 Funny how prior prophets of the LDS church embraced the term Mormon thou. Go read the book "What of the Mormons?" by Gordon B. Hinckley a prior prophet of the LDS.
@@Anybodyoutthere You see, that stuff doesn't bother me or mess with my faith in the Church at all. For a while there was the "I'm a Mormon" campaign by President Thomas S. Monson a few years back. I know there were certainly a lot of people, including myself, who were embarrassed to admit to people that they were "Mormons" to their peers because of the way that they were talked about or portrayed in pop-culture. The "I'm a Mormon" campaign was a move to remind people they need not be ashamed of their religion. It helped make people more confident. Then, President Russell M. Nelson reminded us all that the correct name of the Church is the Church of Jesus Christ. One reminded people to be confident, the other reminded people who they really were-members of the Church of Jesus Christ. They accomplished two different tasks. Prophets will be inspired by God to focus on different things depending on what the people need in their specific times. That's why it's so wonderful to have a living prophet on the Earth today.
I'll add my own personal testimony to this-at first I was in the boat that thought it was kinda weird to make such an effort. But, as I put my faith in the prophet's words, and as I made an effort to correct the name of the Church of Jesus Christ whenever I can, I've seen blessings because of it. I feel more strength with regards to my religion in my day-to-day life, and my testimony has grown with the reminder to focus on our Savior.
Hi Jeff, looking at content only, I've never found the early creeds, especially Apostle's creed and Nicene Creed, useful to draw a circle that puts LDS doctrine on the outside of a boundary from other Christian churches. Indeed, going line by line, I've seen LDS members agree with more of the Nicene creed with fewer asterisks needed than teachers from some of the churches you listed in your excellent video. LDS instead have two primary objections to the old creeds as a whole: 1) we don't accept the authority of a body of men outside the apostleship to define doctrine and introduce extra-biblical language to the doctrine of Christ or the governance of His church. For those who embrace sola-scriptura, I imagine there is here much common ground for mutual understanding. 2) We don't share the confidence attributed by some that the creeds accomplish bringing Christians to a unity of the faith. Indeed, in this important task we would say they have fallen short. I've been enjoying exploring the LDS church through your eyes. Thanks for sharing. --JeffC
Excellently put.
So much is a matter of perception. I find that Catholics are closer to the creeds than anyone; they did write them after all. But in looking at the original meaning of the words and the intent of the bishops and emperors who authored the original text of the Nicean Creed, I've found many believe they are closer to the creed than they actually are, and most LDS reflexively believe they are further from it than they actually are.
Do you not believe in the laying of hands and anointing? Jesus did this to his apostles and told them to do likewise. He is the ultimate authority. This is how the priesthood is carried on. Apostleship is defined as those who walked with and witnessed Jesus' resurrection. That is why when the apostles died, there were no more apostles but there were bishops and priests.
In the Creed, a crucial belief among Christians is that the Son was begotten, NOT MADE. Christians believe that God himself was never created, which in turn means that neither Jesus nor the Holy Ghost were made. Your church believes that God was once a man who came to perfection. And who CREATED this man who came to perfection?
The creeds never fall short. They never change, just like God.
Peace!
Hi Windy,
I agree with all you said in your first paragraph. I also believe that bishops, as important as they were to their local congregations, are not apostles. The offices are clearly distinguished in the Biblical church. I also believe that Apostles are necessary for any additional revelation to the Church at large. Including extra-biblical philosophy, which many of the creeds introduce into the gospel. However interesting as theory and thought experiment, neither creeds nor reason can supplant revelation.
As to your second paragraph, the premise is incorrect. LDS doctrine does not teach that either the Father, The Son, or the Holy Ghost are made beings. By our established doctrine, there was never a time when Jehovah God (Christ) was not. This issue, incidentally, was the primary purpose behind the creed, contra the tiny minority party led by Arius. LDS views would be best categorized with the middle majority group at the conference. Most of the very drawn out conference was spent by Constantine's faction convincing the middle 80% of bishops to accept the non-biblical term consubstantial. 1
There are important distinctions in what LDS believe about God from the rest of Christanity. The irony is those distinctions are not emphasized in the Nicean Creed while the core doctrine that the 80% insisted to preserve are central to LDS understandings about the Godhead: Christ is co-eternal with the Father, of like essence to Him, and subordinate to Him. This was pre-nicean orthodoxy, and has the added benefit of being more biblical.
@@kjcdb8er WHY do you believe that apostles are necessary for additional revelation? And WHY do you think that after Jesus established His church on earth we would need additional revelation.
This is why the creeds ARE so important. Jesus gave us all we need. He established a good firm foundation. We, as the faithful ONLY need to maintain that foundation. And NO ONE can give us any better revelation than what Jesus already gave us. If you think so, you are searching for something that is right before your eyes.
LDS doctrine tells us that "what man is God once was". Explain that to me. To me and from 25 years of study of the LDS church, LDS always tell us that God was once a man who came to perfection, correct?
The Nicean Creed most explicitly, states the essence of God. He was begotten, not made, unlike what LDS believe. Father, Son and Holy Spirit all come from the same being.And if you want to get biblical, then you would believe in the Trinity like all Christians.
Your final paragraph makes no sense. It's a gibberish ploy. 80%? Really? which means? Pre Nicean orthodoxy? The orthodox church split from the original church. Keep that in mind. Just as the LDS church split immediately after Joseph Smith died. In fact, Emma and Joseph Smith's son split from JS's original church right after his death.Crazy!!!
Peace!
Guess what, I spent my life “Mormon”. It’s driving me nuts that members of the church are treating it like a swear word now. Sheesh. LDS - Mormon. Tomayto, Tomahto.
Not all of those members are. I'm not
Another great video, Jeff!! I've often wondered what the Protestant view of the Gnostic gospels is, especially where LDS people believe in additional scripture but not the Gnostic gospels either. Answered my questions!! And you're more than respectful regarding the name of the church, don't worry!! And thank you!!
Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ have studied and read apocryphal testaments, including gnostic gospels. You are correct that they are not considered "canon" but the Dead Sea Scrolls are not canon, either, and have remarkably illustrated many truths in line with Christian beliefs. The possibility of other writings being revealed as witnesses to the truth God has shared with his children coming forth to further strengthen "canon" offers us a glimpse at the breadth of God's love for us all
Thank you for this channel. Whenever I try to search the differences between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and other Christian churches all I find is a bottomless hole of negativity that is not helpful at all. Thank you for being so positive and polite!
Pastor Jeff, your description of how do you know what you know is truth is what we experience as members of the church of Jesus Christ as well. Truth can be revealed in all scenarios of life as in science and religion, in just laws, honestly wrote history, people and cultures and so forth. How can we find truth among so many misleading ideas and opinions out there then? Won’t God always reveal truth to his honesty seeking children? Yes, He will through the power of the Holy Ghost, to those that honestly “seek” for it, because truth is unchanging no matter time, place or people, He’ll do it on His own time and circumstances, but it will be revealed WHEN and IF we truly seek for it, and when we search for it it means we are willing to change and we’ll nurture it. So in other words, all Christians will find truth in the Bible because it is the word of God, however it’s well known all over the world that it was translated multiple times over and over and with that much of the clear teachings where lost, all people that study the scriptures in Hebrew talk about it. Also, it’s well known that the early catholic church - after the death of the apostles - after some time, rearranged the scriptures as they pleased, and more clear teachings were lost. That’s why having another book of scriptures with the SAME gospel is a very wise plan from God to bring his children together in truth, so the first book testifies of the second and the second of the first. Ezekiel 37:16 - to the end is very clear about having two sources (stick of Joseph and stick of Judah) that will be united as one. Read the Book of Mormon if you want to find out if that’s all true.
But the thing is that the BoM is not the same gospel. Mormon theology differs a lot from the Bible. Plus the history of LDS church is very questionable.
@@johndavolta3124 the Book of Mormon has the same gospel of the New Testament. The only difference is how people interpret it all manipulating truth to fit their own understandings and will - interpretations without the full guidance and revelations coming from the Holy Ghost and then, preaching it without the authority of God. That’s why we have over 40,000 different Christian churches out there in the world - not buildings, I’m talking about having over 40 thousand different Christian beliefs about the gospel of Christ - all coming out from the same book - that often conflict with one another inside the same system of belief. And that’s only one reason why a second witness (in this case - book) is necessary. That’s another reason why God still speaks with His children, after all, He always did, why would He abandon us now in the last days - where confusion and sin abide - with an ancient book only to help us on these tasks while breaking down the bonds ever established before as we try to figure out God and His laws by using only our limited minds and carnal mind/heart alone?
@@tatiginattosantana doesn't LDS teach that God the father came down from heaven and had natural intercourse with Mary to have Jesus? Doesn't LDS teach Jesus is not divine and equal to the father?
Doesn't LDS teach that God was just a human in an earlier life and became God, therefore we can become gods? That sounds like heresy to me buddy.
Why did FLDS split from LDS? Was it because of government pressure (military action) or because of a revelation?
There are a lot of holes in Mormonism.
@@johndavolta3124 oh my friend, I’m sorry to inform you, but none of what you said is part of our doctrine and teachings, and that God was once a human is a speculation. The doctrine that we can also become like our Father in Heaven is also in the old and New Testament, Jesus himself said in John 10:
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
And the same message is found in the Old Testament as I mentioned above:
Psalm 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
“Mormonism” (actually The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) is the restored gospel on Earth, the church of Christ had to be restored after the great apostasy that the Bible talks about and that we know through history that occurred… and as yourself showed with your comments, there’s a lot of lies about us and about our church out there, usually spread by Protestants preachers and haters in general. Come and see by yourself what this is all about my friend, and find peace and joy in your heart with the truth of God on Earth again.
Good morning Paster/Brother (I am Trevor from Australia). As Church Service Missionaries my wife and I had a beautiful day yesterday serving and partaking of the sacrament. Would like to tell you more about the memories of the day but suffice to say that we are so grateful to the Saviour for this opportunity to serve the Lord together in our retirement years and for the miracles which He has shown us. Along with serving family, nothing seems to bring more joy than service to our brothers and sisters. I could say that it would be fantastic to serve walking side by side with the Saviour by the Sea of Galilee but we feel that we already are.
This is my 55th year having made my baptismal convents. I have ‘seen it all’ - people coming full of desire in Christ and then going-sometimes due to personality differences and clashes, insecurities, shattered expectations in themselves and others with struggles to put off the natural man, struggling to live in the world but not of the world. I have become quite aware of those who oppose the faith and Christ in general and am familiar with their reasoning or motives. I could say much more about this!
I have also witnessed so many individuals and families united in Christ and richly blessed through drawing close to Him. I have seen thousands of YM and YW who have saved their own money (or supported by family and friends) to serve the Lord wherever they are sent throughout the world as full-time missionaries for a few years. This is one of the many modern day miracles to me. I served as one of those missionaries in Queensland, Australia and my sons in France and Western Australia-my sister in the Phillipines. I also have wonderful friends who are members of other faiths including non-Christian and have served for many years on Interfaith Committees because we strive to love all of our brothers and sisters. I am grateful for the Saviour’s doctrine (which you would be familiar with from Alma 11) teaching that all mankind will be resurrected and judged according to our lives lived-the Atonement being the key. This is beautiful.
Whenever I meet Jehovahs Witnesses I greet them with ‘Brother and Sister’ and acknowledge their commitment and faith to ‘Jehovah God’-same with my Muslim or Hindu friends. I look forward to the ‘one faith and one baptism’ spoken of, when every knee will bow before the Saviour.
So Brother, I encourage you to read the last chapter of Moroni and then read the entire Book of Mormon right through with an open mind, relying totally on the merits of Christ. (Be sure to continue studying the old and new testaments at the same time). See what you discover. I feel confident that you will feel your already strong faith in Christ increase and that God will bring you to a new and even holier place where you can be an even greater influence for good in preparing this world for the Saviours second coming.
I already value your faith in Christ and commitment to Him.
If you wonder what my occupation has been. It’s just - Fire/Rescue/Medical First Responder. Formal education - nothing to speak of. 😊
Love, your brother in the gospel
Trevor Evans
Australia
Hi Trevor. I just read an article about how the LDS believer is assured of salvation. Do you know you are completely forgiven and assured of your salvation? If yes, how do you understand that?
@@janet-Spirit_of_the_Living_God: Just wondering who wrote the article you read?
Jesus Christ has made the resurrection a reality and salvation possible for all mankind through His loving Atonement. LDS believe that the Saviour has also made Exaltation (eternal progression) in Celestial realms possible...that the choice is ours to strive for and attain this higher, greater blessing.
@@yunginspirit3162 It's an article based on LDS doctrine compiled by Mark Champneys. The final paragraph reads:
ARE YOU READY?
Alma 5:27-32 "Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed...? Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless."
THE LDS WAY OF SALVATION IN A NUTSHELL
Consistent with all the quotes you have just read above, the following summary of the LDS way of salvation in order to dwell with Heavenly Father in his kingdom has been affirmed by LDS Church headquarters to me as an accurate summary. Here it is:
“In Mormonism, before you can be forgiven of a particular sin by the atonement, you must successfully stop that sin permanently. So, in order to be forgiven of all sin for time and all eternity, you must successfully stop all sin permanently.”
Is that also your understanding of being forgiven so that you would be assured of your salvation?
Good evening from Australia Pastor/brother. I see that someone else has answered your question to me already, in a very similar way to that which i would have answered and I feel prompted to leave it at that. Must be guided by the Spirit. Also, a well intentioned brother has invited me to join Islam or burn in hell. As mentioned, having served on interfaith committees, I am fairly well informed and aware of the Muslim faith, was recently a guest speaker at one of their celebrations (imagine that) and find them to be the most wonderful people.
Amongst my closest Christian friends I find many different opinions on topics even like ‘the resurrection’. ie Is it a literal resurrection? etc etc etc. similarly-sometimes well intention members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints misunderstand or develop their own opinions which may not be correct-so if someone genuinely desired to learn LDS doctrine I would encourage them to be careful of their sources.
I am most grateful to our Father in Heaven for sending the Holy Ghost and I’m sure like you, I strive to live worthily of it’s promptings. Today I enjoyed a number of chapters of Daniel and chapter 17 of Mosiah. Having or not having the Holy Spirit with us has become so important to me and much clearer to in my stage of life and I am certain that this guidance allows us to determine truth from error as well as best avenues to pursue - or not to pursue. I’m sure that you would agree.
I pray that as instruments in the Lord’s hands our united faith in Christ will be a blessing to our brothers and sisters of this world.
All the best brother
I will offer a pray of gratitude and blessing for you and your family tonight.
Regards, Trevor
@@yunginspirit3162 What is so good about "striving for and attain[ing] this higher greater blessing? Jesus taught that the Good News is that He has paid the debt once for all, for all of our sins past, present and future, and that we will spend eternity with Him in a continued fellowship which we begin here on earth when we choose to follow Him. The Presbyterians say that "The chief end of man is to love God and enjoy Him forever." Sometimes I think the LDS motivation is the prize and how to get there, rather than the Person of Jesus now and evermore. I hope you know that you are saved, completely justified in Him, and will be with Him forever at whatever point in your life that your heart stops beating.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS and I love these videos, I'm so glad you're having these discussions and sharing them! I like learning about the other Christian denominations and feel that we all have more in common than we often realize, and we can get a lot more out of connecting on those common beliefs than arguing over differences. I totally understand your reasoning for using both terms so that people can make that connection with who you're talking about (and it is a long name, haha!)
Also--we don't believe we all become angels, but are created to become as Heavenly Father. Ask your friend for more on that one, he can explain better in person than I can in a comment :)
Thank you for being so kind and respectful about various faiths, and for bringing light to these topics!
thank you Pastor Jeff for your continued search and discussion on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All that you say makes terrific sense. If Jesus were to be on earth today would he not have the same church that he had when He was on the earth? You keep speaking and I will keep listening
I don’t know if you know this, but there are actually a few churches that believe in the Book of Mormon. There are a few branches that broke off from the main church for various reasons such as disagreements over succession when Joseph Smith died or the dissolving of polygamy. I took a class on church history and it’s pretty interesting stuff.
There's a lot of branches. Saints Unscripted did an episode about them.
@@unicorntamer2207 this was a great video, but I think it points to a glaring issue with the claim of priesthood succession. It didn't last one prophet before the Mormons couldn't agree on the successor to the throne. I thought priesthood succession was to ensure that never happened again.
@@davidjanbaz7728 It'll splinter with every doctrinal change proposed and upheld. Even if they don't formally break off from the mainstream, there are groups and subgroups within the LDS space that will see change as "the decisions of men" and not revealed by God (which defeats the point of their whole deal).
I served a mission in West Virginia and on our p-day (preparation day) we would attend various churches including Pentecostal, Protestant, Catholic, etc. we didn’t go to try to convert them, but to learn more about the people we were serving. We had some great experiences doing that. The vast majority were very kind. So I appreciate your willingness to learn about our faith. It’s very easy to burrow into one’s own beliefs and become jaded towards those who believe differently.
People outside of Utah don’t know that Mormons are the same as Latter Day Saints? That’s weird. It’s almost like the church spent the better part of the 2010s and millions of dollars being proud of the word Mormon and marketing that name through the church sponsored “I’m a Mormon” campaign.
lol true
Hinkley said "Mormon means more good."
Nelson said "Using the word Mormon is a win for Satan."
I'm scratching my head wondering why one guy's name changed meanings.
Those two never cared for each other. You can see it through the years.
The church that is NEVER changing, changed their name, lol. True, there are people confused about the name or the LDS Church's label.when someone asks me, I do as Jeff, use both. Not an issue, covering and educating.
Wow. Such a breath of fresh air. I'm speaking to the honesty which is apparent in this video. This is what keeps me coming back for more. Onward and upward in Christ!
Hey pastor Jeff! I love your channel and what you are doing here! For the man asking about denominations, I would direct him to a channel called Ready to Harvest. Joshua on there does videos about different churches and denominations including my church (Seventh-day Adventist) which started around a similar time in America, but is a Christian church (many like to lump us in with the members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and JWs).
I can vouch for this. Ready to Harvest is awesome! Love Joshua and his content.
We mostly believe the same things you do about general and special revelation. Though we may phrase things differently, we recognize that all things testify of God, and that through scripture and preachers we may hear his word. Upon hearing that the word is good, this inspires us to open our hearts and to pray for confirmation of these things through the power of the Holy Ghost. After which comes the commitment to lay down our sinful lives and be born again through the covenant of baptism, and to renew this covenant with the sacrament often.
I appreciate your educated and empathetic approach to your videos
Love your videos, shows respect to be able to chat about things
Pastor -- I love your channel and the respectful way you discuss these issues. Allow me to return the favor by respectfully responding to your brief explanation of why you, and the larger Christian world, believe angels are a different kind of being. You cited two scriptures. While I'm sure you could have cited many more, my reaction most likely would be the same: your reading of these scriptures is different than mine. I have read Hebrews chapter 1 numerous times and never came to the same understanding you gave the text. While, having heard your view, I can see how the text can be read to support that view, I do not believe the text requires it. Yes, angels are sent to minister to those who will be (or may become) heirs of salvation, but how does that require that they be a completely different type of being than those they serve? Do you not claim to be called to minister to those who will be heirs of salvation? Yet, the fact you are a minister doesn't make you something other than human. Nor, does it imply that you, too, cannot be saved. Why, then, does the text of the scripture require a completely different result for angels? Isn't my reading -- that the word 'angel' refers to a title, like 'pastor' or 'minister' -- also consistent with the text?
I also question how deeply and widely your view is held in the Christian world. Our historic literature is replete with stories of those who die and become angels in heaven. (See, for example, The Littlest Angel.) I'm not suggesting that secular literature is a good source of doctrine. Instead, these stories are evidence that your lay brothers and sisters may hold beliefs that are more similar to mine than your own.
@@davidjanbaz7728 David, that's fine. I'm not offended that you and Jeff read Hebrews chapter 1 (or any other scripture) differently than I do. Like most books, many parts of the bible are open to different readings. A particular verse may mean something to you in your youth and something else in your old age. And both readings may be perfectly legitimate.
Having said that, I was an English major and have made a very good living by interpreting the written word. Whether it is a passage of scripture or a portion of the tax code, I'm very good at identifying what the text 'means' and at identifying alternative meanings.
Does Hebrews chapter 1 teach us that Angels are a completely different kind of being than we are? No. There is nothing in the text that is inconsistent with that understanding, but the text equally supports alternate readings. Which, is understandable. Paul wasn't writing to teach the Hebrews about the nature of angels. He was writing about the nature of Christ and our relationship to Him.
Paul's point was twofold. First, Christ is not simply an angel come from God. As proof, Paul points out that the angels are subject to Christ and serve at his direction. Second, we, are very important to Christ. Angels are very powerful, yet they serve us. They serve us, not because we are powerful, but be cause we are important to Christ.
Those two points can be true without angels needing to be a different species from us. Jeff serves his flock because the members of his flock are very important to Christ, whom Jeff is trying to serve.
@@davidjanbaz7728 respect to you for your educational pursuits and accomplishments. Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also have degrees in theology and seminary is offered to young people in which the scriptures are studied in-depth.
Faith in Christ is key to the conversation at hand. There is no need to base one's faith on the level of education one has received. In fact, Christ was considered by the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders to have no authority because they were scholars and he was the son of a carpenter who was not educated in their manner.
Christ taught us to love each other and treat each other as He loves us, not as the world judges our worth. An education does not make one more faithful than another in Christ's eyes. He looks into the heart.
Subscribed to your channel recently. I saw you on a video with Greg Matsen at Cwic media. I am a Latter-Day Saint and really enjoy and appreciate your approach to learning more about us as you teach us the gospel from your perspective. you are very knowledgeable and explain things very well. I really liked this video and believe that we are on the same page, so to speak, on many important truths relating to faith, grace and repentance which ultimately lead us to the Savior and the atonement which I think we can all agree was the single most important event in all human history. Thanks Jeff.
I've been a Latter Day Saint all my life and I really enjoy watching your videos. You're very respectful and I have loved to see your take on LDS doctrine, culture, and many aspects of being a Latter Day Saint. I feel like I speak for everyone when I say THANK YOU for having such a high degree of respect for our differences and not being fixated on slinging mud. I've gone to hundreds of other Christian churches (especially in my 20s) and my intention was never to tear down anyone else's beliefs, but I was told that I was going to hell more times than I can count just for asking questions and wanting to understand. So thank you so much for bridging that gap! :)
@@davidjanbaz7728 My comment wasn't intended to be disrespectful, it was merely just the jest that I'd like to learn more about other religions and it's tough to create a space where you can learn without it becoming distasteful or someone being offended or hostile etc... but I completely respect your opinion, and at the same time I personally doubt that God in his all-knowing and all-loving ways will shun anyone who loves him and follows the teachings of His son Jesus Christ, regardless of their denomination. The most I'd learned of other religions was from one of my friends who was a Catholic but she didn't like to go to church so it was a rare occasion that I got to learn of Catholic beliefs... so the only other opportunities I've ever had to learn of other religions was to go there in person.
@MyKidsKKD He wanted to exalt his throne above God's... I don't see how one could be pleasant in doing so.
@@oshkoshbjosh well, Satan was plessing enough that Adam and Eve did not run from him in the garden. And smooth enough to convince them that if they did what he said they could become like God. Does that sound similar to anything you’ve been taught?
@@AB-xq1kn Satan lied to them because in the garden a veil was over their minds and they did not recognize him as Lucifer because they were as children not knowing good from evil. So yeah he could deceive them. Which has nothing to do with my original comment... merely thanking the video creator for being respectful and not slinging mud because I like to learn about other religions. If it makes you feel good to be condescending I'd ask you to reconsider where those feelings originate from. Cheers.
@@oshkoshbjosh , sorry if it came across as condescending. Pointing out the fact that satan specifically told them a claim that is now a claim of the lds church is my point. I’m not hear to find out about the teachings of Joseph smith, I know them all. I’m here to try and help others to see through the veil that is over their eyes. Please remember this one thing. If the Lord blesses you with sight, as you and the people you care about turn from the lds church please pivot to the God and Jesus of the Bible, away from everything that changed when smith came along. Don’t be like so many lds who leave and completely lose faith that Jesus even exists. It’s just a different God a different Jesus, not remotely the one proclaimed by your church and doctrine.
Great video!
One thought on canonized scripture. John 21:25 says that the world can't contain all the books that could be written about the things Jesus did. The bible is tiny in comparison with the size of the world. I know it's not saying other books were actually written & maybe it shouldn't be taken literally, but it stands to reason that there could exist other books which we don't yet have. I'm not a historian, but I believe new potential scriptural writings like the dead sea scrolls were found after the bible was canonized.
I think we should be excited to have additional books to learn more about our Savior and His gospel. We actually have additional books besides the Book of Mormon (Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine & Covenants) and we don't have a "closed" cannon. New official statements from church leadership are occasionally canonized. We're also excitedly awaiting new scriptures. For example, the Book of Mormon states that after Christ's resurrection he ministered to the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel and that we will eventually have their writings. - However, I completely understand the hesitancy, there are so many lies and deceptions in this world, we have to be careful to discern if additional information we receive is true or not.
There was a portion of the Book of Mormon which was stolen and there was a portion of the Book of Mormon which God didn't permit Joseph Smith to translate. - We're anxiously awaiting the day when God reveals the rest of it. In fact, Moroni abridged the Book of Mormon as a summary into a tiny book from a huge vault of historical records & that's only from 1 civilization. I imagine after Christ's 2nd coming we'll be drinking from a firehose because so much new (& lost) knowledge will be revealed.
The reason for the Law of Moses was because the Israelites weren't prepared for the higher law. The Doctrine & Covenants documents a few similar times historically when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was under a degree of condemnation for slothfulness and wasn't allowed to receive certain higher laws - We're still working on improving and hopefully someday we'll be ready.
Hey! I am also a member in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On the question of angels who were once man, I have an Old Testament prophet who was man that was an angel, Elijah. Elijah was a prophet who was taken up to heaven and was brought back to earth as an angel. Just curious on your thoughts on that.
Very good answers, and good selection of the questions Jeff. I appreciate how your respectful to those in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. And yes, that's a lot to write!
@MyKidsKKD So are you suggesting that Jeff is channeling Satan?
BTW, I'm not part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in fact attended one of the Bible Colleges that Jeff attended. I grew up around, and have relatives in some of the splinter groups, but I'm not part of Joseph Smith's restoration.
Jeff, I enjoy your videos, which leads to two questions: 1: Why are you so fascinated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?, and 2: Do you believe faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints will inherit the Kingdom of God (Heaven)?
The Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed perked up my ears, since we recite it every Sunday in the liturgy here in the Eastern Orthodox Church (sans the filioque). Pastor Jeff, have you ever looked into the Orthodox Church?
Hello! I am liking your videos. I am curious; have you ever read the Book "Saints Volume 1"? It was published by the church. It is a narrative of the events from the first vision until after Joseph was killed. I really liked it and it helped me understand the events and how they unfolded more. Being a non-straight latter-day saint, I am hanging onto every bit of faith that I can
Pastor, my wife and I as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. just finished reading the Old Testament cover-to-cover.
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
It was my observation over the last 9 plus months reading the Old Testament that there are several versus that did not make sense and further research I found it was a mistranslation.
Several versus had God “repenting”.
If God was required to repent who would he repent to?
God is glorified and perfected. He would no longer be a God if he sinned and required to repent.
I only mention this because you mentioned all you need to know about Jesus is in the Bible. If that was true wouldn’t it make sense a perfect and loving God would provide us a book without multiple MIS-translations leading his children to be confused.
You can initial it with LDS. I see that all the time. Thank you so much for all your efforts, I enjoy all the info and leadership.
President Nelson said that LDS isn't to be used either. No more Mormon, no more LDS.
@@rabbithole2015 The full name is a mouth full. You're going to have to compromise. I understand Nelson wants to get away from the nagitive pop culture references, but jumping on every person for stating a former name, isn't going to give you guys a wonderful new reputation. You want to be recognized as Christian? First things first: be Christ-like.
@@rabbithole2015 imma be honest with you: it's super annoying when members get on these comment threads and freak out to everyone about the naming correction. With the level of forcefulness and demand y'all put on everyone about it, you do much more harm than good. It's on you, brother, to live that for yourself and let other people do what they're gonna do. Should we all try better? Maybe. But the judgemental biting doesn't really inspire change.
@@DannyAGray LOL! I was being sarcastic. I'm not even a member and I agree with you. I should have clarified that in my comment.
@@unicorntamer2207 I agree with you. I find this absolutely redicouls that Nelson is trying to remove the use of those names. For years it was encouraged and now it isn't. I'm not a member but I once was and when I was I used Mormon all the time. I was being sarcastic in my comment but I should have made it more obvious.
Great response... Some people need to chill... Doesn't matter... I still use the name, cause that's what non-lds members recognise.
It was also fine to call Mormons "Mormon" for over 100 years.
The LDS church believes at face value the Nicene Creed. Pastor Jeff's interpretation of the Nicene Creed does differ. Protestant churches interpret Bible scriptures MUCH differently between churches. Clearly, the Nicene Creed, states that God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are two separate beings but one in purpose and one God. Christ prayed to God the Father. Christ did not pray to himself.
I agree Christ and the father are not the same persons. But further in the creed and Historical Christianity and the Bible, Christ, the father, and spirit are equally the same God YHWH. One eternal essence revealing himself as a father son and spirit. Hope this helps.
It took me 20 yrs almost to separate the Mormon & Christian of me. I still don't get it completely. I kept my upbringing values most importantly "CTR" choose the right, for me🤩 I didn't really so much leave until 1997 when "the church" sent me a letter 19 yrs after they had a "court" for me which got cancelled because it was set for the date they announced they were allowing "black" men to hold the priesthood. This letter was addressed to my 1st husbands last name after moving 22 times 9 of which were interstate moves. I had been married to my then husband & father of my 4 children we had been together for 16 yrs at the time 😡💢 I didn't know how much "the church" had changed until my mother's funeral in 2010 where her cousin Dallon Oaks spoke. I believe in what I was taught as a child which is NOTHING of what it is now
Did you have a CTR ring? I did. I’m not a Mormon anymore either.
Hey, Pastor Jeff! I grew up in Utah as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ but have been living in TN for the past few years. Your videos help me understand the people around me better so thank you for that! I heard from another video that you might be heading to Nashville, let me know if you need some connections with members in the area!
There is a baptist church near me that is having a Halloween bonfire and burning Harry Potter books and other so called witchcraft/pagan/freemason items. The pastor has been preaching a lot of weird things about witches and demons and that people with autism are possessed by evil spirits. I would assume you do not support this kind of preaching…but would you consider them Christians? They believe in the trinity etc as you have explained categorize one as being a Christian.
This church justifies their behavior by backing it up with scripture. If the Bible is the only true source of God’s word how do you get around people interpreting it differently? Especially if used to justify this kind of thinking?
Personally, I have used the Book of Mormon and words of living prophets to help to clarify these kind of issues. They are a wonderful gift from God! I would love to hear your thoughts on how you know you are interpreting the Bible correctly.
Once again Pastor, you did a great job. I love learning and relearning from these videos. I love how you share your perspective and see how we are similar and different at the same time. I wanted to share this message with you given by President Gordon B. Hinckley. It has to do with faith and why we don't use the cross. I hope you enjoy it and have a better understanding as to why we don't use the cross, even though we say we're Christians and believe in Jesus Christ. It is titled, "The Symbol of Our Faith" By President Gordon B. Hinckley. Have a great evening.
Thanks for your earnest and respectful approach to my religion. I see that you’re planning on reading the Book of Mormon soon. I would recommend the Maxwell Institute Study Edition (available on Amazon and elsewhere) as the most reader-friendly format, with helpful annotation and appendices. If you would like supplemental materials, I (or no doubt many of your LDS friends) would be happy to provide suggestions. Keep up the good work!
Hey, as a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, I want to say thank you for everything you do on this channel
I am REALLY hoping you respond to this. Yes, I came out of this with more questions. I left the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 2 years ago and my experience in the church was both good, amazing, bad, and terrible. Some highlights include our doctrine on eternal families was a nightmare for me as my father emotionally and sexually abused me, I served a full 18 month mission and was sexually assaulted and quieted by my leaders/receiving no help. I am bisexual and was never able to explore my sexuality earlier on because it would keep me out of the celestial kingdom and from all of the blessings of God. I deeply struggled with cognitive dissonance of the loving God I believed in and the same God that would not accept me for my sexuality, for drinking coffee, etc. I developed a lot of toxic perfectionism and decided to leave after Elder Hollands BYU address speaking up for defending the family and not showing any support for LBGTQ+ people. After leaving, I learned that our doctrine and history were not what I taught on my mission or personally believed. That is when I lost my faith,
I have been in limbo about my beliefs of God. I have considered myself agnostic as I believe there is something more, but I don’t know if the God I want to believe in is just a fantasy. I don’t know how to personally interpret the Bible as in the LDS church I was taught what everything meant and If I personally felt contrary/ that it meant something different that opposes what the living prophet says, then I am at fault and wrong.
For example the Bible teaches about treating our bodies like temples and prophets clarify that means no coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, drugs. I disagree. I think drinking Red Bulls and soda is worse than coffee so why would one keep me from God but not the other?
Let’s take it back to the Bible. What happens if I disagree with things the Bible or certain pastors teach, but I still love Jesus and try to be close to him. Is the God I believe in invalid still? And if so, why not just sit back and call myself agnostic?
My thoughts are a bit jumbled, but I would love your take on this.
Our faith journeys have many things in common. You're not alone.
Hi Alex- I know I’m not Jeff, but I came across your comment and I just wanted to respond to see if I could engage in a conversation with you. I’ve been a Pastor in Utah for the past 20 years and walked beside many former LDS people who are searching for God and Jesus. Alex- I’m so sorry for the pain and trauma you’ve experienced! My heart goes out to you and I can appreciate why you are wrestling with the idea of God.
The foundation of Christianity and the Bible is that God made “us” humanity for Himself. God created everything good but through Satan and humanities choice to rebel against God sin and the brokenness that sin causes entered the world and human hearts. God seeing how corrupted and sinful humanity became, by the horrific ways we treated each other and continue to treat other, He gave a tiny grew of people His law for how they were to respond to God, themselves, one another, and creation. This provided the guard rails for life so that they could see God’s standard of perfection more clearly and understand what sin is and realize how captivating and corrupting it can be in our hearts, relationships, and communities.
What became obvious is that no one had the ability to keep God’s law. Everyone broke it at some point and God put up a system of sacrifice to show the people that death is the only just payment for sins. This was to point everyone to Jesus who was God who came down in human flesh and lived the life of perfection on everyone’s behalf. This uniquely qualified Jesus to die a death to take the punishment of humanity’s sin and rebellion to satisfy God’s holiness and justice. Once Jesus did this God gave Him the right to trade His perfect life with anyone else’s sinful life if they would simply choose to receive by faith. This is what God refers to as His Grace and Mercy. It’s a free gift from Jesus to trade His worth for our incapable efforts. God through Jesus invites you and anyone else to receive this and believe this. This gives us entry to a life with God that gives our souls the satisfaction and rest we crave so deeply. We try to get this for ourselves through all kinds of expressions like religion, careers, social life, sexuality, but they all end up empty because they don’t connect us to the author of life who alone can give us the inner peace we long for.
This is the gospel of the Christian faith and if that at all interests you and you want to know more I’d be happy to connect to a church/group near you that teaches this message!
I hope this finds you encouraged.
Blessings,
Nate
Jesus Christ loves us all and asks us to believe in him. The first principle taught is faith. I understand your struggles with how to find an identity in any church if its doctrines do not line up with your personal identity. Know that Christ, above all, knows you and loves you, and that this life is not all that is offered.
Your story of abuse is not unusual in our world, even though it is tragic. I have personally suffered through some of the challenges you expressed. It took me some time to realize that my relationship with God and Christ is a personal one and that they can heal my wounds and guide my life.
God is not invalid. Find that relationship with him and you will be given what you need to understand and have your faith grow as a result.
@MyKidsKKD I do not believe homosexuality is a sin 😊 Love and affection is a basic human need and asking those attracted to the same sex to just not have that basic need fulfilled is very sad and a big leading cause of suicide in LBGTQIA+ people.
Your comment was entirely unhelpful, but I'm glad that you are happy within your religion.
Hello Alex@ I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles. I'd like to take a stab at your last question if that's ok. I'm not a pastor or a bishop or anything--just a dude in his 30's who also loves Jesus. To give you some context for my faith background, I was raised in the LDS church as a child and as an adult have decided, due to sacred experiences, that the best way for me personally to be close to God is in that church. In contrast, my older sister and her husband, my older brother and his wife, and my younger sister and her husband have decided that the best way for them to be close to God is outside of the LDS faith, for many of the same reasons you have described (Sexism, emotional abuse, teaching NOT what Christ said, salvation for LGBTQ+--my sister is queer and her husband is trans--toxic perfectionism, church leaders doing bad things, etc.). I firmly believe that both they and I are correct in our decisions.
My personal understanding of God is that, more important than prophets, more important than commandments, and more important than even scriptures, Bible or Book of Mormon or what have you, His love and healing are big enough for all of us. If you love Jesus and are trying to be close to him, you'll be ok. I'll admit some of the things Paul says about women in the New Testament make me feel very uncomfortable, and it's similarly hard for me to reconcile an all-loving God with the same Old Testament god who destroys entire nations for wickedness and idolatry, but when I read the sermon on the mount, Christ blessing the Nephite children, or the account of the garden of gethsemane, the crucifixion, and the resurrection I feel the same strengthening heavenly love I feel when I beg on my knees in prayer for help with my chronic depression, or when I give of myself freely to others, or when I sing sacred music with my ex-lds siblings. Does disagreeing with the Bible or pastors make God invalid? My personal experience and especially my family's experience leads me to say no. Of course, saying that is way easier than it actually is.
When I read your comment it reminded me so much of when my older brother called me in tears last year to tell me he and his wife were leaving the LDS church. He was heartbroken that the church that he had loved was no longer a safe place for his family. I've been incredibly lucky that my local congregations have been loving, accepting of LGBTQ+, and open about having imperfect understanding of God, the scriptures, etc. but what if I move to a ward where the bishop is homophobic? I don't know. Given how prevalent homophobia is in America, it's statistically likely. What if I leave the church and go to a different Christian denomination? Again, I don't know. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking since my brother's call, and I've come to realize that while I know way less about religion and the scriptures than I thought I did, I do know what God's love for me feels like. I know it's trite, but I can't come up with any better words for the physical and spiritual sensation of love and warmth that comes not from me, but from heaven than "I felt God's love for me". I wish with all my heart that I could be with you in person to say "That God you want to believe in is NOT a fantasy! God loves you for you!" and somehow share that love I (sometimes) feel with you, but again, I'm just some guy on the internet so that'd be weird and impossible. Again, I'm so sorry for your troubles and I hope you find the answers you're looking for.
I ask all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to please read Lynn Wilder's book "Unveiling Grace" as well as to read Sandra Tanner's research.
Would be fun if you made a video of you going over the CES letter.
Thank you for your videos! And It's true you do have great hair 😂 I noticed it when I first started watching your videos. lol Like so many, thank you for your respectful and sincere research. I've been trying to find more common ground and understanding with my friends of other faiths who love Jesus as much as I do. It's been wonderful hearing faithful friends of other religions express similar feeling and love for our Jesus Christ, that I feel as well and your videos help me understand some of our similarities and differences as well. That being said, I love Jesus with my whole soul and quite honestly love the term born again because I think it describes how we feel when we surrender our will to God and truly let God prevail in our lives. It's hard to feel the sting when I'm told (often disrespectfully) that I'm not christian when I feel so much love for Jesus and believe that his grace is the only way to salvation. Maybe I missed when I looked but will you put out a video explaining why some people don't consider Latter-Day Saints to be christian? Thank you!
Are you still planning on reading the Book of Mormon? It's a very important part of understanding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I'm really excited to get your thoughts once you've completely read the Book of Mormon, including the testimony of the 3 witnesses. I suggest that anyone reading the Book of Mormon asks: "could an evil person write what is taught?" And, "would a righteous person write this book with intent to deceive?"
There's a reason why the BoM is called the keystone of our religion...I personally would have a very hard time believing Joseph Smith's story if not for the BoM.
I do not believe in the Nicene Creed, it is not bibical. The Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. God, the Father and his Son Jesus Christ are two different beings, not one substance.