Jews and Mormons: Similarities and Differences

(Above is the Latter-day Saint Assembly Hall in Salt Lake City, Temple Square featuring the hexagram, a sign of the Jewish faith)

Introduction

        To a large extent, Jewish awareness of Mormonism, however minimal, remains negative, due mainly to Latter-day Saint practices widely regarded as offensive in the Jewish community: Missionary work(or proselytizing) and baptism for the dead (namely, posthumous baptism by proxy of non-Mormons, usually ancestors of someone who is LDS). Most Jews are unlikely to be aware, however, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has attempted to respect Jewish sensitivities on both these issues, which are, after all, fundamental practices of Mormonism. In an agreement submitted to Israeli authorities when the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies was opened, the president of the church (President Ezra Taft Benson) and the president of Brigham Young University (Elder Jeffery R. Holland) signed a solemn commitment forbidding Latter-day Saints proselyting in Israel, and threatened any student, member of the faculty, or staff violating that commitment with immediate expulsion from the Jerusalem Center and from the country. Similarly, respecting Jewish sensitivity, especially after the Shoah (holocaust), the church agreed in 1995 to stop the practice of baptism for the dead applied in a wholesale manner to Jews (although reaffirming the right of individual Latter-day Saints to baptize their own direct ancestors).

        Therefore, given that Mormonism in not a significant factor in the concerns of most Jews. why do I believe that Jewish-Mormon dialogue is important for both sides? My answer is given on three levels: general, Jewish, and Mormon.

        First, in general, many people of diverse backgrounds today increasingly recognize the urgent need for increased inter religious dialogue and understanding, all the more so in our era of the 'global village' and at a time when the whole world is threatened by fanatical and fundamentalist religiopolitical terror. as radical Catholic theologian Hans Hung has said, without peace among the world's religions, there will be no peace among the nations. In my part of the world in particular, it is an unfortunate fact that religion is rarely a force for peace and is usually used (or abused) to exacerbate conflicts that are basically national and political, and not theological, in nature. we need, therefore, to encourage inter religious dialogue wherever possible, and with whomever possible.

        Second, looking at inter religious, specifically Jewish-Mormon relations, from a Jewish perspective, the Jewish people in general and the State of Israel in particular do not have many friends in the world. Some of the decades-old Jewish alliances with mainline and liberal Christian churches over domestic American agendas such as civil rights and civil liberties are now increasingly strained due to some of these churches' involvement with overt criticism of Israel, support for Palestine's, and calls for divestiture and even boycotts of Israel, of Israeli universities and academicians, or of companies doing business in Israel. Moreover, given the resurgence of European anti-semitism, it seems to me an obvious Jewish interest to foster relations with Churches, like the Church of Jesus Christ, that have extended their hands in friendship to the Jewish people and the state of Israel and that have no history of consistent anti-semitism. Various Christian churches are struggling with, or overtly repudiating, the supersessionist theology that typified so much of their historical attitudes toward the Jewish people and Judaism. The Latter-day Saint record is far more positive. For Example:

        Ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor any of the remnant of the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn (3 Nephi 29:8)

        Specifically, given the diminishing numbers of Jews in America (in absolute terms, and all the more as a proportion of the American population ), and in light of the fact that-contrary to Arab propaganda-the Jewish-Israeli lobby does not control the American congress and has never been able to stop sales of advanced weapons to Arab countries (like Saudi Arabia) hostile to Israel, it seems clear that the only true power the American Jews posses is the power of moral persuasion. Persuasion, however, requires reaching out in dialogue to a broad spectrum of communities with whom the Jews have not previously had extensive dialogue, including the Latter-day Saints, who are growing in numbers and influence.


        Third, though of course i cannot speak for the church officially, it seems to me from my encounters as a member of the church and a Jew, that there is a growing interest among the church for a duologue with Jewish people, who occupy a special place in Mormon thought. Latter-day Saints, seeing themselves as physically descended from ancient Israel (primarily from the house of Ephraim), often feel a special kinship Jewish whom they sometimes refer to as "cousins" of "the house of Israel" of the tribe of Judah, leading them to regard themselves and Jews as "two houses of Israel". In many respects this sense of kinship is reinforced when latter-day Saints portray themselves as a new Israel, suffering persecution and wandering on the "great trek" in the wilderness until they came to an American Zion. we shall return later to this LDS topic of physical lineage. But what is no less important for Jewish-Mormon dialogue is growing :LDS effort to relate to Jews, not as an Old Testament tribe but as a living religious community.


        So for different and legitimate reasons, Latter-day Saints and Jews can recognize not only the general need for religious encounter, but also a specific common interest in a special dialogue with each other, a dialogue that will not eliminate the fundamental differences between them, but will, rather, enhance those differences with greater mutual understanding and respect.


        That special dialogue suffered a setback some years ago, when the security situation in Israel led to the closing, for the time being, of the Jerusalem Center for near Eastern Studies, despite valiant efforts of the BYU administration in Jerusalem and Provo to keep it open under difficult circumstances. The center was a major focus for Jewish-Mormon dialogue. To the best of my knowledge, no other university in the world brought some 850 young people annually to study in Jerusalem over of years. Indeed, few, if any, Israeli universities have programs for oversees students coming from all over the world that can approach that number. In fact, few colleagues in Jewish studies around the world, who are often lucky to teach a few dozen students a year, taught, as I did, 850 students every year, all of whom were potential ambassadors of goodwill in the relationship between Jews and Latter-day Saints.


        Having explained why I think Jews and Latter-day Saints need to engage each other in dialogue, I would now like to describe some examples of the similarities and differences, on a general level, and then deal with two specific issues, each exemplifying both similarities and differences between the two communities. Understand each other's terminology and frame of reference in an obvious requirement for effective communication.

(Above is the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center in Jerusalem)

Polygamy – Now and Then

Introduction to the Author

A warm welcome, friends, colleagues, associates, and passersby! I’m Jared, or if you will, Teleo (tell-LAY-oh), a native of the Salt Lake Valley in north-central Utah. While born into an LDS family, I didn’t care much about it until by age 17 I began to experience a sensation I can only call “soul hunger.” My search for solutions led me to investigate my family’s beliefs, and over a three year period I came to know and love God my Heavenly Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, who is my Savior, and their teachings—which literally include the entire universe (and likely beyond). Any answer to life’s questions, comfort for pained souls, a savory feast for souls similarly hungering, can be found in the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Polygamy – Now and Then

Perhaps the most controversial topic I’ve investigated in LDS doctrine is polygamy. Due to a lengthy Western history of monogamous tradition on the political side, and classical Christian teaching about sexual purity and faithfulness on the religious side, surprise and indeed concern may well be expected and even validated concerning a plurality of spouses. Without a theological context, and integrating the practice with other Christian principles, the practice may easily be misunderstood and abused.

However, thanks to the first, and most important LDS doctrine—that people can go to God in prayer, and expect divine teaching (James 1:6, Matthew 7:7, Moroni 10:3-5, D&C 9:7-9)—many so-called mysteries of divinity have been clarified, including the doctrine of polygamy.

Joseph Smith’s earliest religious experiences show that he was a seeker of truth and enlightenment. However, long before Joseph prayed about polygamy, he began with far more basic concepts that built, line upon line, precept upon precept, into more advanced topics. Beginning with an overview of a few of these foundation stones will allow for context as well as clarity in this essay.

Like many sensitive and self-aware people through the ages, Joseph wanted to know his standing before God. Turning to the religious societies that surrounded him for guidance, (a logical enough step), Joseph found that they didn’t always agree on the methods of salvation. As a result, he was left confused, dissatisfied, and turned to one thing that they usually shared in common: belief that the Holy Bible contained God’s teachings.

While reading a portion of that book that explained how one gained wisdom (James 1:5), Joseph felt that this counsel was sound, and its promise true. Once he determined to follow it, he exercised his faith in God, and prayed with a sincere heart and pure intent. The answer he received was far more than he’d ever anticipated. He experienced what the Latter-day Saints (LDS) now call the “First Vision,” in which God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son appeared to Joseph and provided him with a few basic instructions to prepare for important things yet to come.

Following this first epiphany, and now certain of the reality of God, the distinction between the Father and the Son, and this clarification of their “oneness” and disposition toward humanity, Joseph continued to pray about core parts of the gospel, and further answers came. A few examples, or “foundational building blocks,” as I will call them, include: clarifications on the doctrine of repentance, including our responsibility and God’s promises in this process (see D&C Section 19); questions about priesthood governance (see D&C Sections 84, 88, and 107); and conditions of the afterlife, eternal justice, and rewards for faithful obedience (John 5:29, Revelation 22:12, 1 Corinthians 15:41,42, and particularly D&C Section 76).

Detailed revelations about God’s preferred methods of leadership over His kingdom ultimately led to the breadth of the cosmos, and then focused back here, on Earth, to the family circle. The culminating aspiration of a priesthood holder, it was discovered, is not the fulfillment of self by living the gospel teachings. Rather, this was a preparation, a purification, designed to help humanity understand God by working with Him to bring about the improvement of His children. Only by living gospel principles ourselves could we be enabled to perpetuate the work of God and His followers. No position, title, or assignment, therefore, is more vital and far-reaching as father and mother.

Joseph learned that when parents have prepared themselves as faithful followers of Christ, their marriage is strengthened by promises between each other, as well as with God. Marriages enriched by hearts and hands that are practiced in faith and loyalty, honor and benevolence, hospitality and service, virtue and chastity, brotherly kindness and charity, unquestionably will be more godlike and worthy of God’s favor, than those that do not. Due to the aforementioned revelations about the afterlife (esp., D&C 76), the importance of eternal marriage as a help for eternal order in God’s kingdom began to be realized.

With these preparatory steps, or foundation stones, in mind—repentance and gospel living, priesthood preparation and administration, and working toward eternal goals that continue into the afterlife—the wisdom and order of polygamy in eternity can start to be understood.

A Christian legacy of concern about marriage relationships continuing into the afterlife, largely stemming from Matthew 22:30, led the curious Joseph Smith to pray for understanding. The official doctrine about eternal marriage and polygamy, found in D&C 132, was the answer he received. Where Jesus was more restrictive in His teachings to an unreceptive New Testament audience, He could give a much more detailed explanation to a willing and receptive audience among the Latter-day Saints.

It is important to consider both parts of Section 132 in order to appreciate the function and potential of eternal marriage and polygamy. Verses 1-33 focus on basic eternal marriage (monogamous or polygamous), with verse 16 being perhaps the most important to remember: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide in my law ye cannot attain to this glory.” In short, because marriage is complex (as any married couple will witness to, in or out of our faith), if we have not effectively learned and practiced the aforementioned gospel basics, our foundation will be unfit for continued building as eternal parents. And just as surely, if we faithfully discover, experiment, solidify, and plan, our family can effectively and securely build forever, generation after generation.

In this fashion, we realize that it is not our foundation upon which we build, but the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). It is God’s Church; we are only pillars, supporters for future generations to build upon. If we through our unfaithfulness to God’s instructions fail to build securely on God’s framework, our children will have so much more difficulty securing their lives upon His teachings. And again, if we through our faithfulness learn wisdom, learn obedience, learn how to love, correct, and guide as God does, our children may not only build with confidence, but even expand upon our anchors, worlds upon worlds. This works with monogamous or polygamous eternal marriages.

Because God wants to lift, raise, and improve all of His children, and such dependable disciples have proven the consistent minority, concerns about the millions of children who have been raised with no eternal truths or guiding principles approved by God, the solution of polygamy to raise up more children in the homes of faithful followers easily arises (see Jacob 2:30). Due to the nature of our physical creation, women have been given the ability to produce offspring, and men provide some blueprints. As a result, polygamy—one man with plural wives—will be able to rapidly expand a family, and conform to priesthood governance, as opposed to polyandry—one woman with plural husbands—which serves no such purpose, and requires a dna test to determine the father, confusing the order intended by marriage relationships.

Obviously, in this light, polygamy is easier in theory than in practice. Indeed, history has shown that even when God commanded polygamous marriages, complications and frustrations often followed. In our fallen world, where we are in a learning and testing phase of eternal life, given a measure of freedom, instructions by God, and temptations by Lucifer so that we can learn from the difference between good and evil, we’ve seen abuses of procreation, a horrendous spectrum of emotional abuses, and challenges even in “happy” marriages. It’s easy to see how polygamy can be twisted into lechery. That’s why God taught Joseph the foundation principles first. Without them, marriage, let alone polygamy, can easily fall into chaos.

Perhaps polygamous relationships would be more useful in the afterlife, where God’s work of creating planets and solar systems abounds, and where peopling these planets would benefit from such marriages built upon godly foundations? In any case, it’s easy to see why polygamous marriages have been the exception throughout history, rather than the rule!

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith - Faith in Christ

            Introduction to the Author

           As this is my first official post on this very excellent blog, I’d like to start off with a little bit of an introduction to who I am, how I got here and where I’m going.

            First off, my name is Katie Plett, and I’m from the cities of Langley, Surrey, and Maple Ridge in British Columbia, in the land known as Canada. As a little bit of a background, I first became aware of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 13, when my mother was going through some rough times and was run into by the Sister Missionaries. She was eventually baptized, as was my little brother. My sister was in Manitoba at the time, and when she found out that our mom and brother had gotten baptized, she was enraged. She spoke to me often on the phone and told me not to listen to “the Mormons,” although at the time I didn’t need her to tell me that. I was very angry at my mother’s decision, and I let my anger drive a wedge between my brother and me. I had convinced myself before this that God didn’t care about me, and didn’t listen to my prayers; I decided since He didn’t listen to me, I wouldn’t listen to Him. The way I saw it, God was going back on the bargain I had made with Him now that the Sisters, Elders, and the Church were in my life.

            A pair of Sisters, who I will always consider “my missionaries,” asked if they could teach me, and since I had previously made a connection with them, I agreed. Much to my mother’s astonishment, she would often come home to find the Sisters teaching me – the first few times this happened she thought maybe she had forgotten about a lunch or dinner appointment with them. After a few lessons, one of the Sisters asked me how I felt when we read the Book of Mormon together, and I responded that I felt good. Excitedly, she asked if I would pray about the Book, and I said I would. Well, I didn’t. The next time we met, she eagerly asked if I had prayed, and I told her I hadn’t. It was easy to tell that this upset her, but she would cheer up and again challenge me to pray. I don’t remember how many times this happened, but one night after I went through my bedtime routine and got into bed, I found that I had lacked any ability to fall asleep. It just wasn’t happening. I turned over various thoughts in my mind but eventually came back to the Sisters challenge, and how every time I failed to pray to know whether the Book was true or not, they were actually sad, troubled, and hurt by my failure. 

            I remember staring at my ceiling and finally saying aloud, “What the heck?” So I knelt down and closed my eyes, and tried to think of what to say. It’s hard to explain, but while I was still organizing my thoughts and before really “commencing,” the prayer, I felt exactly what I read I would feel. The Lord says it succinctly: “you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right” (Doctrine & Covenants 9:8). This was a feeling that spread from my chest to the very tips of my fingers and toes, and I felt as though someone had put their arms around me. This was astonishing, because I was fairly convinced God had forgotten about me, and that He didn’t care whether I was troubled, or in pain, or suffering. When I met again with the Sisters, I was again asked if I had prayed. “Yes,” I said, feeling like my feet had been thrown out from under me. The Sister who asked me had a huge smile on her face, “And?” she asked. “It’s true,” I said, or rather mumbled. “So do you want to be baptized?” I felt severely humbled by my experience, but after having a relatively secret baptism (my mother only discovered it when a man in the ward walked up to her after sacrament and congratulated her on my decision), here I am coming up on 7 years.

            Right now I’m preparing my papers to submit so I can serve a mission, which I get to do in 76 days, but who’s counting, right? Hopefully I can contribute something awesome to this blog before I leave, while still remaining spiritual about it, of course. While I’m here though, I’ll post regularly about various teachings, sermons, doctrines, etc., taught by our first President, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and when space permits, various arguments presented against his teachings by anti-Mormons and the like.

Faith in Christ

Absolutely basic, and essential really, to any Christian religion is the need of faith in Christ. This is because we were not there when Christ was born, we did not hear him teach, and we did not witness his brutal sacrifice. We do not have physical evidence to show that Christ is the Son of God, which is why we cannot authenticate, in the traditional sense of the word, Christ’s divine origin, mission, and resurrection. However, just because it cannot be proven, does not mean it is, or can be disproven. As Christians have faith that Christ existed, so do others need to have faith that he did not.

Faith is not just confidence or trust in something or someone; it is a hope that something which you cannot see is true. Paul said simply to the Hebrews, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

It is not enough to simply have faith that Christ is the Son of God, although that is tremendously interesting, and may help one develop faith that Christ and God exist; it does not help us in our quest to return to their presence. “Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence...” (Moses 6:57). Through the fall of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world. And because all of mankind sins, we are separated from God and Christ.

As Christians, it is not enough to simply have faith that Christ was born, lived, and died. It is not hard to imagine someone existing. It is much harder however, to have faith that someone existed who could remove us from our sins, was resurrected, and enables us to return to God’s presence. But Christ did that, and that is what our faith needs to be based in, the fact that salvation comes to us through the sacrifice, or Atonement of Christ.

By merely telling of his experiences, Joseph Smith showed his faith in, as well as bore his testimony of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith recorded that, “[he] saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description... One of them spake unto [him], calling [him] by name, and said – pointing to the other – “This is My Beloved Son, Hear Him.” (History of the Church, Vol. 1, pg 5). During the early years of Church history, Joseph received revelations from the Lord which have been compiled into what is known today as the Doctrine and Covenants (Explanatory Introduction, Doctrine & Covenants).

As though that is not evidence enough of Joseph Smith’s faith and the importance of Christ’s Atonement and Resurrection, Joseph Smith also lectured much on those subjects. On one such occasion, “to save [himself] the trouble of repeating the same a thousand times over and over again,” Joseph Smith had the following printed in the Elder’s Journal: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (History of the Church, Vol. 3, pg 30).

In what has become known as the “Wentworth Letter,” Joseph Smith reiterated the “rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-day Saints” (History of the Church, Vol. 4, pg 535). Parts of what he wrote then has since become regarded as “The Articles of Faith,” and the first, third, and fourth declare the following:

We believe in God the eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost... We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. We believe that the first principle and ordinances of the Gospel are: (1) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;  (2) Repentance;  (3) Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;  (4) Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

            Joseph Smith taught of the Atonement, Resurrection and salvation afforded us by Christ; the very concepts taught by the Bible are taught in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, by the Prophet Joseph Smith and by every Prophet who succeeded him.

Romans 10:6-11, 13

But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Helaman 14:15-17

For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord. Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual. But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.

            Doctrine & Covenants 76:22-24

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of [Christ], this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father— That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

            To believe that Christ was born, lived and died is just not enough. To lead us to salvation, our faith, as the scriptures teach, as Joseph Smith taught, as we are taught today by our Prophet and the Apostles, needs to be centered on Jesus Christ, that he not only was born, lived, and died, but that he atoned for our sins and was resurrected, because “... if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (1 Cor. 15:14).

The Prophets in their Place

Introduction to the Author
           My name is Lynden Jensen. I was born in Lethbridge Alberta Canada but have moved around Canada considerable since then. Subsequently I have lived in Lloydminster AB/SK, Cornwall Prince Edward Island, Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Maple Ridge British Columbia, Las Vegas Nevada, Carlin Nevada, and now Rexburg Idaho. (Map of the Above)

           When I was born both of my parents where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My father had converted when he was in his late teens and had served a mission to Chile. My mother, a Lethbridge native, had been a member of the church her whole life, however her mother had been a convert and subsequent immigrant from Australia after she got kicked out of her home for joining the church.

           Although I was born in a condition of church and some of my most basic memories are related to church I did not receive a testimony of belief of the church until I was 14 years old and in 10th grade. It was at that point that I seriously questioned remaining in activity as I did not believe in the validity of the church.  I ultimately asked in prayer to know if it was true and it was at that point that everything in my life changed.  Since that point I have been rather obsessed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I started researching about the church in my free time. I knew it was true, but I didn’t know what it was. Most of my friends at the time were atheist and had a great influence on my search both positively and negatively. Positively because they were all intelligent about their beliefs which caused me to apply critical thinking to the gospel, but negatively this was the very reason why I finally asked God if it was true, because I really didn’t logically or spiritually think so.

           As a newly converted member I strove to justify my beliefs to my friends, to logically assert the gospel, this had me running through dozens of anti-Mormon site, talking with hundreds of Anti-Mormons, viewing their claims and seeking out the answers. Although I did not find all the answers or definitive proof for God or my religion I came to a much deeper understanding of what my religion really was. As I continued to branch out I sought to understand other religions, their beliefs, their unique beneficial contributions to religion and philosophy on the idea that if my religion was then the viewing of others beliefs would only strengthen my own. I engaged in sincere interfaith dialogue with representatives or faithful member of most of the major world religions.

           When I was 19 years old I served two years as a full time Missionary in Las Vegas, and Carlin, Nevada teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I Am now 21 years and attending Brigham Young University – Idaho.

           I am also the primary founder of this blog which is designed for conceptual religious exposition. I will personally be posting a blog article every month or so; I have chosen to focus on "Questions About Church History" focusing on historical issues relative to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you have any suggestions feel free to comment on this post, E-mail us, E-mail me, or join our forum.

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The Role and Importance of The Prophets

           In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a paramount theme and doctrine is the doctrine of the prophets. Christ’s church has always been founded on the prophets, and always will.  In the New Testament Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ taught this to the newly baptized members of the Church in the city of Ephesus:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone”

(KJV Holy Bible, Ephesians 2:19-20, emphasis added)

           Paul told these people that the foundation of the church that they had just joined, this “household of God” was made of three parts: Apostles, Prophets, and Jesus Christ. Having worked construction in high-rises I can appreciate better the need of a sure foundation; my grandfather died when my mother was sixteen on a construction site because the building was not structurally sound and it collapsed on him, killing him and others. Christ is the master architect and has placed at the foundation of his church Prophet and Apostles with himself, Christ, being the cornerstone or most important piece. This foundation was given, as Paul explains two chapters later for:

“the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”

(KJV, Holy Bible, Ephesians 4:12-15, Emphasis Added)

           The whole purpose of Prophets and apostles is to lead the church towards Christ in unity, to correct errors creeping in, so that the people would not be left on their own to be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. Or going back to the analogy of a building, it is the foundation, the basis, the piece that ensures the changing earth will not destroy the building. This was not a new concept; it has been since the beginning of man. In the Old Testament book of "Amos" it speaks of the importance of the role of the Prophets:

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

(KJV, Holy Bible, Amos 3:7)

           God has always through prophets and always will, it is the foundation of His gospel in the past, in the present, and in the future. As we look through many religious texts in all the periods of time we see a pattern of prophets:

1. A man is called of God
2. The people accept him
3. The people become prosperous
4. The people become prideful
5. The people reject and cast out of the prophets
6. The people lose their prosperity
7. The People are humbled 
8. The People turn to God

           History has shown us that there will always be a time when prophets are rejected and taken away; when the people reject the very stones that support them. When a structure does not have a foundation it is subject to the changes of the world, it will shift with the world, and will eventually fall.

           At the time that Paul wrote the previous letters he was one of the twelve Apostles and was also a Prophet. He fulfilled this calling as was he was supposed to; we have great evidence to that as we look at his epistles or letters, they are combating those philosophies of men that were entering into the church, he was trying to keep the Saints unified without deviation or division so that they would not go the natural way of things and pervert the doctrine of the Lord as had happened with the Jews.

           The Latter-day saints believe that we still do need Apostles and Prophets. Have persecutions and divisions ceased? Have men’s philosophies become less persuasive or prevalent? Has Christ’s church remained the one church that prophets and apostles established in Christ’s day? The answer is a clear ‘no’. We need prophets and apostles more than ever, to bring us back into the unity of faith, to stop our wandering eyes diverting from the image of the fullness of Christ. We need prophets.

           Having established the basic role and importance of the prophets, particularly in Latter-day Saint theology I have found most Latter-day Saints alarmingly, if not surprisingly, ignorant of what a prophet is.

           As a missionary I found many Saints confused in their definitions of what a prophet was. So the first Question is:

What is a Prophet?
           I believe the most common response to this question from a Latter-day Saint perspective would be something like this:

“A prophet is a chosen mouth piece of God to deliver his message to the whole world. He is an authoritative spokesman speaking with will of God and is given proper authority and power to do on earth what God himself would to do if he himself were there.”

           This definition of a prophet is not entirely correct, what the above answer is portraying is the cultural use of the word in relation to the President of the Church, or the presiding prophet.

           The word “Prophet” literally means “Speaker” in the Greek root, it is a person who speaks in behalf of God but it is not nearly as narrow or constricting as many Latter-day Saints may think. Furthermore in relation popular belief that a prophet is a foreteller, or soothsayer figure, a prophet does not need to foretell events or condemn anyone to be classified as such, the role of a foreteller would be that of a seer, which will be discussed later.

           Harold B. Lee, the 11th president of the church taught:

“In a broad sense, a Prophet is one who speaks, who is inspired of God to speak in His name.”

(Lee, Harold. “The Place of the Living, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator,” in Charge to Religious Educators, p. 107)

           Moses lamented for the hardheartedness and individual incapacity Israel saying:

“Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!”

(KJV, Holy Bible, Numbers 11:29, Emphasis Added)

           John the Revelator tells us in his book of Revelation that a messenger of God came to him, as John knelt down to worship him the messenger forbade him and taught him the true meaning of a prophet saying to him:

“See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

(KJV, Holy Bible, Revelation 19:10, Emphasis Added)

           We all, members and non-members, ought to be prophets. Being a prophet does not give us authority over anyone else; it does not give us power or influence but only is a reflection of our testimony of Jesus, and our relationship with him. You are a prophet inasmuch as you believe and obey Jesus Christ.

           Being a prophet allows us to speak authoritatively from God, but it does not give us authority to speak on behalf of God to others, but only for the jurisdiction that God has given us. If we are a parent, we are a prophet for ourselves and for our children in which we are entitled to receive revelation, or divine guidance, for the family. If we are properly ordained and authorized servants of a group (such as Relief Society Presidency, Deacons Quorum Presidency, Bishop, Stake President, ect) we are entitled to revelation for that group. Thus the president of the Church is often called “The Prophet”, meaning “The Prophet with the authority to receive revelation in behalf of the whole world”.

How is “The Prophet” any different than any of us?
           When we as a cultural church say “The Prophet” we are referring to the current “Prophet of the World” (As discussed above) who is also known as “The President of the Church”. We see him as the chief administrator of Gods kingdom on earth with power and authority delegated to him from Jesus Christ. We sustain him as the president and head on earth of the Prophets Seers and revelators; he being the only one of such that independently holds all the keys and authority to administer all ordinances and rites therein.

           We have above discussed the role and definition of prophets and “The Prophet” in relation to being a prophet, but what is a Seer or Revelator?

What is a Revelator?
           The world Revelator comes from the root “reveal” meaning the Latin revelare meaning to un-veil, or to make known. This is the role of a revelator of God, to make known a previously unknown truth from God. To be a Revelator you must first be a prophet, or in other words you must first have a Testimony of God and Jesus Christ. This makes a lot of sense as it would be rather bizarre to receive knowledge from a being you neither knew nor believed in.

           From the acclaimed apostle John A. Widtsoe comes the following definition:

“A revelator makes known, with the Lord's help, something before unknown. It may be new or forgotten truth, or a new or forgotten application of known truth to man's need. Always, the revelator deals with truth, certain truth (D&C 100:11) and always it comes with the divine stamp of approval. Revelation may be received in various ways, but it always presupposes that the revelator has so lived and conducted himself as to be in tune or harmony with the divine spirit of revelation, the spirit of truth, and therefore capable of receiving divine messages.”

(Widtsoe, John. Evidences and Reconciliations. Bookcraft, 1997. Print. P. 258)

What is a Seer?
           The word seer come from the root “See” meaning one that does see., in particular one who does see the things of God, things that most men do not. He is a foreseer, and fulfills the role of what many consider prophets to be.

           In the Book of Mormon Ammon teaches us:

“…a seer is greater than a prophet… A seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.”

(The Book of Mormon, Mosiah 8: 15-16)

           To be a seer is the panicle quality which man can obtain. As was said “A seer is greater than a prophet . . . and a gift which is greater can no man have . . . “.

           John A. Widtsoe defines seers as:

“…one who sees with spiritual eyes. He perceives the meaning of that which seems obscure to others; therefore he is an interpreter and clarifier of eternal truth. He foresees the future from the past and the present. This he does by the power of the Lord operating through him directly, or indirectly with the aid of divine instruments such as the Urim and Thummim. In short, he is one who sees, who walks in the Lord's light with open eyes. (Book of Mormon, Mosiah 8:15-17)”

(Widtsoe, John. Evidences and Reconciliations. Bookcraft, 1997. Print. P. 258)

Conclusion
           The role of “The Prophet” or “The President of the Church” is to be the head of Gods organization on earth; to lead and the church in this latter-day. He is the chief Prophet, Seer, and Revelator on earth; the only one such that independently holds all the keys and authority to administer all ordinances and rites therein. Through the power and authority that has been delegated to him from God, it is in turn delegated to us to bless our families.

           Just as Paul defined in his letter to Ephesus it is His job, and the job of those chosen to the holy Apostleship of the Lord to keep the course steady, to warn and forward, that the Children of God may have a banner to follow, that they be no longer children tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, but be an established nation of God; to be built upon the ancient architectural foundations of Prophet and Apostle, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. That when, as Helaman proclaimed to his sons,:

“…the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. “

(Book of Mormon, Helaman 5:12)

           It is only once we start rejecting the stones upon which we are built that we fall. God is faithful and will not leave us alone, but gives us these righteous men to lead us to receive our own revelation and assurances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We do not follow any prophet blindly but have a responsibility to be a prophet unto ourselves and receive conformation and revelation in regards to Gods truth.

           God is there and he does care, he never forsakes us, but we may forsake him.

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. “

(KJV, Holy Bible, Isaiah 49:15-16)

           "For thousands of years there have been constant broadcasts from heaven of vital messages of guidance and timely warnings, and there has been a certain constancy in the broadcasts from the most powerful station. Throughout all those centuries there have been times when there were prophets who tuned in and rebroadcasted to the people. The messages have never ceased.”
(Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, p. 121.)