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?

Why can only Mormons go inside the Temple?

Most buildings you see from the Mormon church are chappels. These buildings are built for Sunday worship and for events that happen during the week, Like youth activities nights, or parties held within the church.

A Temple is different to a Chapel, in that it is not built for sunday worship, Infact it is closed on a sunday. Inscribed on each temple are the words "Holiness to the Lord, The House of the Lord" This is because it is the house of God. and is a sacred building in which the Holy Ghost is always present.

A common belief is that only certain people can enter the temple. This is both true and false. The reason not everyone can enter into the temple is because they need to be living at a level that God has set. The first requirement is that they must be a baptised member of his church. Second you must be keeping the commandments that He has given you (You don't have to be perfect just living at a level where you are honestly living to a good standard) For example you have to be keeping the laws of the land, The law of chastity, the law of Tithing and the word of wisdom.

In order to enter into the temple, You need to talk to the local Bishop (Or branch president) he than interviews you, and asks you questions about how you are doing, your faith in Jesus Christ and his restored gospel and asks if you are keeping his commandments. He will than sign a recommend to say that you can enter into the temple.

It really is a beautiful place and well worth visiting. Before a temple is dedicated they have an open house, which anyone is welcome to enter into the temple and see what it is like inside, If you are ever lucky enough to have a temple open near you, I would recommend going to the open house as it is very beautiful to look at., After the prophet dedicates the temple, it is than only members of the Church who have one of these recommends may enter. But anyone who keeps these commandments are welcome to have one, and if you want to get one, talk to the bishop and if you are not quite there yet, he can help you get to where you need to be.

Why do Mormons give 10% of their income to the church?

So, Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live a commandment called "The Law of Tithing"  In 1838 Joseph Smith received revelation from God that God's people should live this commandment. (Doctrine and Covenants 119)

In this commandment God has asked us to give "One tenth of all their interest annually" this basically means to give 10% of your income to God.  People have asked me on a few occasions "Why does God need your money?" The truth is, He does not need anything from us, as everything belongs to Him anyway. It is less of God needing money, but more of God seeing if our hearts are putting Him above the things of the world.

This is not a new commandment, For example, in Genesis 28:20-22 Jacob makes a vow to God to pay one tenth of all he has to God.   Jacob saw that the things that God had given him were a gift from God and so he made this vow to God.

Malachi 3:8-12 Teaches us that by keeping this commandment God will "Open the windows of heaven, and our you out a blessing, that there shall be not room enough to receive it" And this is true, As with all of Gods commandments God has promised us blessings for keeping them, we just need to exercise faith in Him in order to receive those blessings. The best way to find out that this is true is to do as God says and "Prove me now herewith" and just try it out.

So what does the church do with this money? The money is gathered together, and is used as the Lord directs by the decision of the leaders of the church (Doctrine and Covenants 120) It is spent on, Building Temples, meeting houses (Chapels), Funding the missionary programme (This does not include expenses  of the individual  missionaries) Preparing materials used in classes IE Books and Hymn Books, Temple and family history work,  and education.

The leaders of the church support themselves from their jobs, and so it does not go to pay people as local ministers. So, the tithing does not go to support local ministers, but to support the organisation of the church as a whole and to support the needs of people who struggle with their lives.

The tithing is paid at the discretion of the individual, You simply put your donation in an envelope and give the envelope to the bishop, There is no tray, nobody will ask you if you have paid tithing, it is simply between you and God. Once a year the bishop will meet with the member of the church to give them a slip of paper with all of the contributions they have made during that year. You are asked if you are a full tithe payer, you can answer yes or no, Nothing more will be asked about it.

People who are not members of the church are not asked to give any donations at all. But if they choose they may donate to specific things like the humanitarian aid programme and other services the church provides.

The Mormon view of Marriage and Homosexuality.

Marriage is one of the most important parts of life, It is ordained of God, and has been ever since man and woman were placed on the earth (Genesis 2:24) As a Mormon I believe that marriage is not only meant for this life, but is to last for all eternity, That the relationship built between a man and a woman in this life, continues in the next.

The ability to be married for time and eternity, happens only within the Temple of God. The couple are sealed together before God by the power of the Priesthood.  Jesus Christ gave this power to his apostles (Matthew 18:18) The ability to bind on earth and in heaven. This same power is found within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and within the holy temple a man and a woman can be sealed together forever.

Having feelings of same sex attraction does not make you evil or any less of a human being. They can still be baptised or even attend the temple so long as they are keeping Gods commandments. What we emphasise however is not to act on such feelings, It is equally as sinful to do this as it is for a man and a woman to have sexual relationships outside of marriage.

Having these feelings is not a sin, anyone who has these feelings deserves the same treatment as anyone else, we should treat each other with the same love that God treats us, people should not discriminate against anyone no matter who they are.

The church has a website dedicated to supporting those who have these feelings and wish to keep Gods commandments.
http://mormonsandgays.org/