An Example to the Believers

Christ taught that we, his disciples, are “the salt of the earth.” “Ye are the light of the world,” he continued. “A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:13-16).

The True Church and the Plan of Salvation

Modern religious people are increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of there being “one true” church. As we associate more and more with people of other faiths, whether they be friends, family, or acquaintances, we are uncomfortable with the idea that God would send them to everlasting fire and torment just for checking the wrong box on the heavenly multiple choice test. I read a quote expressing this discomfort in an article by Peter J. Boyer entitled “Frat House for Jesus” (originally published in the New Yorker, but I read it in the collection Best Spiritual Writing 2012). In it Doug Coe, a quasi-religious leader of a loose group, known to its members as the Fellowship, claims that if only Christians can go to heaven, then “Isaiah could never go to Heaven, Mary could never go to Heaven, Jesus could never go to Heaven. It’s crazy.”

Mormons, Non-Mormons, and Heaven

I recently finished reading the book American Grace by Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell (you can read my Goodreads review of it here). The book gives an overall snapshot of the nation’s religiosity by presenting the results of the authors’ extensive Faith Matters surveys. In the last chapter, they give some very interesting, and seemingly contradictory, data about Mormons and our beliefs.

First, they report the percentage of respondents from different faiths who said that they agreed with the statement, “People not of my faith, including non-Christians, can go to heaven.” The authors interpret this data point as the tolerance that a given faith engenders. The higher the percentage, the more accepting the people in the religion are of others and their beliefs. Mormons, surprisingly enough, had the highest percentage of all at 98 percent; almost all Mormons believe that non-Mormons, and even non-Christians can make it to heaven. I was very happy when I read this. Apparently, most Mormons understand Mormon doctrine. In light of this, though, the next statistic presented could be perplexing to a person unfamiliar with Mormonism.

Next, the authors present the statistics for what percentage of people agreed with the statement, “One religion is true and others are not.” They describe those that agree with this statement as “hard-core, deeply moralistic [and] less tolerant.” Mormons scored highest in this category as well with almost 30 percent of Mormon respondents agreeing. (I am a little disappointed that the percentage is so low. Yes, there are truths taught in other religions but if I had to definitively say that I agree or disagree with this statement, as a Mormon, I would have to agree.)

How is it possible for Mormons to be, at the same time, the most tolerant and least tolerant religion in America? The answer lies in understanding two important points of Mormon doctrine.

Baptism for the dead: What Mormons and non-Mormons should understand about each other

Baptisms for the dead are currently stirring up some media attention. While a lot has been said on the topic, and a lot more can be said, I thought I would respond to a debate that I read on Slate.com about the topic. What struck me most is that there are misunderstandings on both sides of the debate and I would like to do what I can here to clear at least some of them up.

First, I’ll start with misunderstandings that non-Mormons have about Mormons. While we Mormons do believe that ours is the one true church, that doesn’t mean that we believe that all others are eternally damned. We don’t believe in an afterlife consisting of two catch all divisions of heaven and hell, but in an afterlife with three “Degrees of Glory.” While the highest degree, or the “Celestial Kingdom,” is what we aspire to as Mormons, even the lowest degree, or the “Telestial Kingdom,” does not fit the common description of hell as a place of endless agony. Basically, while we believe that the ultimate purpose of our life is to live with God again in the Celestial Kingdom, those who do not will be content with their eternal reward.