What happens inside Mormon Temples?

So, Inside the temple there are three main things that happen. Baptisms on behalf of those who are dead a ceremony called an Endowment and Marriage for Eternity.

1 Corinthians 15:29 "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they than baptized for the dead?"

Baptisms for the dead is something that was practices in the days of Jesus Christ, It comes from that First Baptism is required for everyone to enter into the Kingdom of heaven, and second that salvation is available to everyone who has ever walked on the earth.

What happens is members of the church go into the baptismal font and are baptized on behalf of those who have died. Members can do this when they reach 12 years old or if they have been baptized a couple of weeks. The people who are baptized are baptized on behalf of someone who has passed on, Usually an ancestor of that person. The person who has passed on than gets to choose, weather they accept Jesus Christ and are washed clean through baptism. Or they can reject Jesus Christ. They still have that freedom to choose. So if they do not want it, they just reject it.

The Endowment is a ceremony that new members of the church take part in after they have been in the church for about a year. Here we learn more about the creation of the world, and make covenants with God in addition to the ones we make at baptism. To Endow someone means to give a gift, And that is really what the ceremony is, It is a gift from God. There to give us guidance and strength to deal with the challenges of life.

After the endowment comes the sealing room. Here couples and families kneel down together at the alter and make a vow to stay loyal to each other and support each other, not just in this life but forever. There are two mirrors on the walls in this room, opposite each other they reflect each other over and over, symbolizing that this is something that lasts forever. It is a very beautiful thing to see.

And that basically is what happens, The temple is God's university, as we go through we learn thing all the time and receive guidance and personal answers from God. I find it wonderful that each temple has on it the words "Holiness to the Lord, the house of the Lord" because this is the house of God on earth.

Do Mormons Celebrate Christmas?

In short, Yes we do celebrate Christmas.

The first Christmas recorded in history was held a few years after the first Nicene creed was established by The Church of Rome (Roman Catholic church) in 325AD. Since it was introduced at about 354AD it has been used to celebrate the birth of our savior up until recent times when the giving of gifts has become the most dominant factor on Christmas.

In the recent years Christmas has drifted very far away from what the original intent was, But to me, Christmas is all about spending time with family and celebrate the birth of the most important and holiest man ever to walk on the face of the earth.

It is a time for people to think of each other and give gifts to those who they love and care for, It causes people to think more on those who do not have as much as they do. It is also something that lifts peoples spirits in one of the darkest times of the year.

Ultimately I believe Christmas brings people closer to God, because it causes us even if it is just for a short period of time to give and to love one another.  Here is a video that I like that teaches what Christmas should be about.

How do I repent?

So, the word Repentance is a Greek word and it means to change your mind, or form a fresh view or something.

In the scriptures we are commanded quite a lot to repent. And this is to change our own views and actions to be in harmony with God's views and commandments. This is what leads us closer to God and brings the Holy Ghost into our lives even more. And there are 4 simple steps in repentance that are easy to follow.

The first step in repentance is actually recognizing that you are doing something that is not in harmony with God's commandments. It would be pretty hard to stop doing something wrong if you did not realize that it was wrong in the first place.

Second, you need to stop doing it. This is the most difficult step, especially if you are addicted to things that are just extremely difficult to turn away from like drugs, alcohol, pornography, even something as simple as swearing can be very difficult to stop doing, If you don't believe me try not swearing for a month see how difficult it is. By turning away from these things you find your life improve and you become more free because you are not tied down by these things, Just as Jesus Christ said "The truth shall make you free" (John 8:32) If you have done something like stealing something than you need to find a way to pay the person back, It can be very difficult, but it is worth it.

Third, you need to apologize. Saying sorry, and meaning it, Are important steps of repentance, It allows you to seek the forgiveness of whoever you have hurt. You can say sorry to God in prayer and you can say sorry to whoever you have hurt other than God, Once you have apologized than you need to learn from what you did wrong and leave it in the past, both you and whoever you have hurt. Apologizing to yourself is also good, saying sorry to yourself for hurting yourself.

The final step is do not repeat the mistake. You have left it in the past, and that is where it needs to stay. You can learn from it and you can warn other people not to do it, but you should not do it again and you should leave it behind, If you don't you will never be free from it because it will always haunt you.

Repenting is something that is very difficult and it would be impossible for us to become perfect without the help of our beloved savior Jesus Christ. Ask God for help in all things you do and than try your best to achieve them, if you have done these two things than there is nothing more really that can be done.

How do I pray?

So, Prayer is basically like sending a letter or making a phone call to God. You can do it when ever you want or where ever you want. Praying is really simple and easy, it has three simple steps.

The first step is address God, So start by saying something like "Dear God" or "Dear Heavenly Father" anything like that, something that shows first that you are talking to God and second that you are showing great respect to God. The example Jesus Christ gave when praying commonly referred to as The lords prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) started with "Our Father, which art in heaven"

After that, the next part is up to you really, Her you can thank God for things, you can ask questions that you don't know the answer to, you can ask God to watch over friends or family really, Anything you like.  An example could be "Are you there?" or "Can you bless my mother <Put your mothers name here> and bring our family closer together." anything really. Be as specific as you can really, because you are than making it clear on what you are asking God.

and than to finish the prayer, ask for these things in the name of our savior Jesus Christ. so say something like "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." or something like that. the use of the word "Amen" at the end is like saying "I agree with this" and means "So be it" or close to that. and so when you hear someone else say a prayer and you say "Amen" at the end you are saying "I ask for this too" and along those lines.

So a quick example here "Dear God, Are you there? and If you are there, can you let me know what I should do? I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen" It is as simple as that really. God loves to hear from you, and has asked that you always keep a prayer in your heart, it does not matter who you are, where you are or how far you have gone away from God, He wants to hear from you, even if you feel because of your mistakes you should not talk to him.

If you have never prayed before, Try it right now, or before you go to bed, By doing so you will find a relationship with God What is the worst that can happen?