Why Religion Matters: The Ground We Walk On

What does it mean to take something for granted? Every day we walk on ground we seldom notice. It’s just there, underneath us, supporting our feet as we go about our days learning, working and worshiping. Though often unseen, the ground of our lives is full of religious meaning. Many of life’s compelling questions tend to be spiritual. How do we achieve our deepest longings? What makes something right or wrong? Whom should we love? How do we overcome suffering? The answers we receive shape our reality. But religion is always contested. Some even imagine a world without faith. What, then, do we stand to lose?
 
The rigors of science and technology open us to many wonders and truths, but they cannot, as one writer explained, “connect with purpose, intimacy, emotion—the stuff that matters most in people’s everyday lives.”[2] The highest in human accomplishment often traces to religious inspiration. Much of the world’s finest art, architecture, music and literature are clothed in the beauty of spiritual longing. Sacred writings provide ethical frameworks that spark deeds of self-sacrifice, integrity and love. Religion gives societies a shared moral aspiration, instils social commitment without legal compulsion, encourages voluntary compliance of the law and reminds us of our inherent dignity. Belief in deity motivates people to overcome the despair of death and turn suffering into good.
The values of society have roots in the ground of religion. Our modern aspirations toward human rights, altruism and humanitarian aid, for example, have religious pedigrees. Behind efforts to feed the poor, house the homeless and treat the sick, a church ministry is likely to be found.[3] Trust in our civic foundation depends on the spiritual disciplines of honesty, empathy and reciprocity. Everyone benefits when we live up to these ideals. Secular journalist Will Saletan wrote: “Religion is the vehicle through which most folks learn and practice morality. In the long run, it’s our friend.”[4]
And then come all the precious, indefinable things. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that human beings are born with a “taste for the infinite” and a “love for what is immortal.”[5] Individuals across time and culture have pondered and sought these intangibles. Identity, understanding, salvation, belonging — the things of the soul — never stray far from our hearts. Agnostic writer Julian Barnes tapped into something profound when he said, “I don’t believe in God, but I miss him.”[6] A world without religion looks flatter, emptier and simpler, yet still craves the God it once knew.
Today people across the globe find refuge in God and their faith communities. Eighty four percent of the world’s population identifies with a religious group.[7] The world is not sinking into disbelief, but that belief is becoming more rich, pluralistic and complex. We are all stewards of society, and our choices determine who we become. The ground of religion needs constant cultivating and nourishing. A garden cannot take care of itself.

 

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[1] Theo Hobson, “The Return of God: Atheism’s Crisis of Faith,” The Spectator, Apr. 19, 2014.

[2] Alasdair Craig, “God Is Dead — What Next?” Prospect, May 1, 2014.

[3] See Robert A. Putnam and David E. Campbell, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (2010).

[4] Will Saletan, “When Churches Do the Right Thing,” Slate, May 8, 2014.

[5] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (2000), 510.

[6] Julian Barnes, Nothing to Be Frightened Of (2009), 1.

[7] Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project, “The Global Religious Landscape,” Dec. 18, 2012.

After 25 years on the job, steelworker Lec Holmes is an expert in his field

After 25 years on the job, steelworker Lec Holmes is an expert in his field. But as he helps construct The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ second temple in Provo, Utah, he admits it’s “not like a typical [construction] job.” Not typical because of its steep pitched roofs (he’s used to square buildings with flat roofs). Not typical because of the unity among the various parties involved in construction (he says “everybody gets along”). Not typical because Mormon temples are built to the highest standards (he notes that workers at the Provo site are “more conscious on the quality of work that's done here”).
Indeed, for those who live near them, the Church’s completed temples are “beautiful” structures, meant to last hundreds of years thanks to their high-quality materials and rigorous building standards.

 

This document explains the process of building a Mormon temple from start to finish. It shows that the creation of these sacred structures is much like the construction of any other building (leaders identify a need and select a site, and architects design and contractors build), but it is also unique in many ways because of the significant role temples play in Latter-day Saint theology.
Funding, Identifying a Need and Selecting a Site
First, it’s important to note that Mormon temples are built using Church funds set aside for that purpose and that the Church pays for the costs without a mortgage or other financing. “We’ve had a long-standing practice in the Church for well over 100 years that we don’t take loans or put mortgages on properties to build temples,” says Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the Church’s Temple Department. “So we would not build a temple unless we could pay for the temple as the temple was built.”
The Church seeks to provide opportunities for Mormons across the globe to access its temples. Eighty-five percent of members live within 200 miles (320 km) of a temple, and temple sites are generally located in areas with enough members (there’s no required number) to warrant construction, or where great distances exist between temples. Public announcements for new temples are usually made by the president of the Church at a general conference. 

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A worker applies gold leaf to the exterior of the Church's Kansas City Missouri Temple. The temple was completed in May 2012.© 2014 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Once the decision is made to build a temple in a certain area, the First Presidency then prayerfully chooses the precise spot on which to build — a pattern that has been in place since the Church’s beginnings. For example, soon after entering the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847, Brigham Young identified the block of land on which to build the Salt Lake Temple. And more recently, after the Church announced in 2008 that it would build a temple in Kansas City, Missouri, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency (at Church President Thomas S. Monson’s request) spent several days visiting many possible sites in the area. President Uchtdorf returned to Salt Lake City and recommended to President Monson the spot where the temple was eventually built.
Bill Williams, who has been a Church architect since 2003, says the Church looks for sites “that would have prominence, be in an attractive neighborhood, a neighborhood that would withstand the test of time.”
Design Phase and the Importance of “Sustainable Design”
After the temple site is selected and the Church determines how large the building should be (based on the number of members in the area), a team of Church architects creates potential exterior and interior designs.
While the purpose of each of the Church’s 140 temples is the same, many aspects of each structure’s inner and outer look and feel are unique, tailored to the local people and area. Williams says good architects "want to create something unique, something that has its own personality, and [Church leaders] allow us to do that” with temples. He adds that much can be done to make a temple unique, including “the decorative motifs, the kind of furniture, the interior accouterments, how articulate it is. It could be anything from the modern look that you see in the Washington D.C. Temple to something like the gothic, neoclassical look that you find in the Salt Lake Temple.”
To create a look and feel that is just right for a specific temple, architects solicit a number of sources. For example, as the Church has designed its future temple in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Williams says his team met with locals to “understand the nature of the people, the country that they live in, the Mormons that are there and how we can better fit the temple” to them.
A critical aspect of the planning process is “sustainable design,” a concept that Williams says seeks to reduce a temple’s long-term operational cost. “Whatever we can do to make the environmental systems, the mechanical systems energy efficient, to make the interior materials have longevity so that they don't wear out straightaway, anything we can do to conserve water, it's great for us as the owner because it makes that long-term cost less. That's what it means to be sustainable.”
And with a temple’s complex systems, sustainability is no easy feat. “We’ve got thousands of systems and components that all have to work in harmony,” says Jared Doxey, the director of architecture, engineering and construction in the Church’s Physical Facilities Department. “And getting everything the way it was designed at the highest quality, it's a very complex maze of issues that have to just be 100 percent right.”
In selecting building materials, the Church settles for nothing but the best. The pattern for this, Elder Walker says, is found in the description of Solomon’s Temple in 1 Kings 7 in the Bible. “They used the finest materials and the finest workmen to build the temple. And that’s the pattern we follow,” Elder Walker says. “Not to be ostentatious, but to be beautiful in a wonderful tribute to God.”
And the role of inspiration is most important to temple design, Williams says. “These are His houses, and we would like to make sure that everybody feels that responsibility, so that when we begin design meetings, we start with a word of prayer.”
The design process can take up to two years, and Elder Walker notes that all along the way — “from architectural detail clear down to colors and carpet swatches” — the First Presidency is involved and provides final approvals.

Mormon Helping Hands Volunteers Participate in Arkansas Tornado Cleanup

Jason Rowland owns a tree service in central Arkansas and was among other Mormon volunteers who showed up in western Pulaski County over the weekend to clean up debris from a devastating tornado that hit the region on 27 April 2014. In fact, Rowland has spent the past two Saturdays and two Wednesday evenings helping out his neighbors.

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Volunteers clean up downed trees in central Arkansas, which was hard hit by a recent tornado, Saturday, 10 May 2014.© All rights reserved.

Volunteers gathered on 10 May in the Ferndale and Pinnacle Mountain areas where the tornado first touched down with chainsaws, tractors and tree service equipment.  Much of the damage in the rural area was from downed trees. Rowland is known for volunteering his services during disasters, including storms such as Hurricane Katrina and service projects. Local leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say cleanup efforts will be ongoing. 
UPDATE (6 May 2014):
Hundreds of Mormon Helping Hands volunteers gathered in central Arkansas on Saturday, 3 May 2014, to help clean up debris in communities devastated by recent tornadoes. Storms tore through the area on 27 April, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses in the communities of Vilonia, Mayflower and surrounding towns. Local Church leaders estimate it will take weeks to clear all of the tornado debris in Arkansas
Fifteen people were killed and more than 150 people were injured when the deadly tornadoes hit the southeastern United States, including a 31-year-old Latter-day Saint father who died when he was struck by some wood while shielding his daughter. His wife and two daughters survived. The twister was a category EF4, with winds of at least 180 mph.  
About 1,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their neighbors who were wearing yellow Mormon Helping Hands shirts joined the American Red Cross and Team Rubicon, a national organization that coordinated the volunteer efforts, to sort through debris. “We were unprepared for the type of recovery we were going to face,” explained George Wing, a spokesman for the Church’s North Little Rock Stake (similar to a Catholic diocese), who said the tornado hit with such a velocity that there were no walls standing and the structures were reduced to “bits and pieces that needed to be sorted.” Wing said not a single piece of wood was salvageable. “We didn’t see a single 2-by-4 worth saving. This was not your typical chainsaw operation.”
Some of the personal items recovered by volunteers include a girls’ soccer picture, a Mormon missionary badge, a Primary child’s Faith in God award and some food storage cans and buckets. One man was overjoyed to find his wife’s purse and remarked that everything was going to be all right now.
Renee Carr of the new Searcy Stake in central Arkansas said the tornado hit one day after members of the congregation participated in its first “Day of Service” to clean hiking trails around Heber Springs, an annual event organized by the Church worldwide in which local congregations gather to render service in their communities.
Carr said members from local congregations in the Searcy Stake, including women and children, gathered to tie more than 50 quilts and put together office kits for the tornado victims. “Our first Relief Society stake activity got converted into a relief effort at the building, tying quilts and assembling kits,” added Carr, who lost her home to a tornado in 2008. The women were originally planning to collect food for local food pantries and recipes for families for their already scheduled Saturday meeting, but they switched their activity to relief efforts. The office kits contain paper, stamps, envelopes, scissors and other items and can be helpful when families are working with insurance companies and rebuilding their lives.
Some regular Church activities, such as an upcoming father and son campout, have been canceled while local congregations focus on helping their neighbors recover from the disaster.

The Life Of Jesus Christ LDS Full Movie

Bible Verses About Jesus Christ

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Hebrews 4:10 - For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his.

Song of Solomon 1:1-17 - The song of songs, which [is] Solomon's.   (Read More...)

Hebrews 4:3 - For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Acts 1:1-26 - The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,   (Read More...)

John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Matthew 16:25 - For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Isaiah 1:1-31 - The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.   (Read More...)

Proverbs 8:35-36 - For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.   (Read More...)

Proverbs 8:22-36 - The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.   (Read More...)

1 Timothy 2:5 - For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Matthew 24:44 - Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Revelation 19:7-9 - Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.   (Read More...)

Revelation 17:14 - These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful.

Hebrews 9:27 - And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Hebrews 2:14 - Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Colossians 2:9 - For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:   (Read More...)

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

John 10:30-33 - I and [my] Father are one.   (Read More...)

John 8:58 - Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 8:24 - I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.

John 4:24 - God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

Luke 16:19-31 - There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:   (Read More...)

Matthew 25:13 - Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Matthew 24:36 - But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Matthew 2:11 - And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Exodus 3:14 - And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Summary of his life (in sequence of events)

• Jesus’ birth and mission were foretold:Luke 1:26–38; ( Isa. 7:14; Isa. 9:6–7; 1 Ne. 11; )
• Was born:Luke 2:1–7; ( Matt. 1:18–25; )
• Was circumcised:Luke 2:21;
• Was presented in the temple:Luke 2:22–38;
• Was visited by the wise men:Matt. 2:1–12;
• Joseph and Mary fled with him to Egypt:Matt. 2:13–18;
• Was brought to Nazareth:Matt. 2:19–23;
• Visited the temple at age twelve:Luke 2:41–50;
• Had brothers and sisters:Matt. 13:55–56; ( Mark 6:3; )
• Was baptized:Matt. 3:13–17; ( Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; )
• Was tempted by the devil:Matt. 4:1–11; ( Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13; )
• Called his disciples:Matt. 4:18–22; ( Matt. 9:9; Mark 1:16–20; Mark 2:13–14; Luke 5:1–11, 27–28; Luke 6:12–16; John 1:35–51; )
• Commissioned the Twelve:Matt. 10:1–4; ( Mark 3:13–19; Luke 6:12–16; )
• Gave the Sermon on the Mount:Matt. 5–7;
• Foretold his own death and resurrection:Matt. 16:21; ( Matt. 17:22–23; Matt. 20:17–19; Mark 8:31; Mark 9:30–32; Mark 10:32–34; Luke 9:22; Luke 18:31–34; )
• Was transfigured:Matt. 17:1–9; ( Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36; )
• Sent forth the seventy:Luke 10:1–20;
• Made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem:Matt. 21:1–11; ( Mark 11:1–11; Luke 19:29–40; John 12:12–15; )
• Instituted the sacrament:Matt. 26:26–29; ( Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:19–20; )
• Suffered and prayed in Gethsemane:Matt. 26:36–46; ( Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46; )
• Was betrayed, arrested, and forsaken:Matt. 26:47–56; ( Mark 14:43–53; Luke 22:47–54; John 18:2–13; )
• Was crucified:Matt. 27:31–54; ( Mark 15:20–41; Luke 23:26–28, 32–49; John 19:16–30; )
• Was resurrected:Matt. 28:1–8; ( Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:1–12; John 20:1–10; )
• Appeared after his resurrection:Matt. 28:9–20; ( Mark 16:9–18; Luke 24:13–48; John 20:11–31; Acts 1:3–8; 1 Cor. 15:5–8; )
• Ascended to heaven:Mark 16:19–20; ( Luke 24:51–53; Acts 1:9–12; )
• Appeared to the Nephites:3 Ne. 11:1–17; ( 3 Ne. 11–26; )
• Appeared to Joseph Smith:JS—H 1:15–20;

Authority

• The government shall be upon his shoulder:Isa. 9:6; ( 2 Ne. 19:6; )
• Jesus taught as one having authority:Matt. 7:28–29; ( Mark 1:22; )
• The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins:Matt. 9:6;
• Jesus commanded the unclean spirits with authority and they obeyed him:Mark 1:27; ( Luke 4:33–36; )
• Jesus ordained twelve to have power:Mark 3:14–15;
• Jesus’ word was with power:Luke 4:32;
• The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son:John 5:22, 27;
• God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and with power:Acts 10:38;
• Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world:1 Pet. 1:20; ( Ether 3:14; )
• Christ has the keys of hell and of death:Rev. 1:18;
• All men become subject unto Christ:2 Ne. 9:5;
• Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning:Hel. 14:12;
• Christ came by the will of the Father to do his will:D&C 19:24;
• Jesus received a fulness of the glory of the Father, and he received all power:D&C 93:3–4, 16–17; ( John 3:35–36; )

Example of Jesus Christ

• I have given you an example:John 13:15;
• I am the way, the truth, and the life:John 14:6;
• Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:1 Pet. 2:21;
• Unless a man follow the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved:2 Ne. 31:16;
• I would that ye should be perfect even as I:3 Ne. 12:48;
• This shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done:3 Ne. 18:6;
• I have set an example for you:3 Ne. 18:16;
• The works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do:3 Ne. 27:21, 27;
• True followers of Jesus Christ shall be like him:Moro. 7:48;

Glory of Jesus Christ

• The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle:Ex. 40:34–38;
• The whole earth is full of his glory:Isa. 6:3; ( 2 Ne. 16:3; )
• The glory of the Lord is risen upon thee:Isa. 60:1–2;
• The Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father:Matt. 16:27;
• Glorify thou me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was:John 17:5;
• The Holy One of Israel must reign in great glory:1 Ne. 22:24;
• We had a hope of his glory:Jacob 4:4;
• The Son of God cometh in his glory:Alma 5:50;
• He did expound all things, from the beginning until he should come in his glory:3 Ne. 26:3;
• Mine Apostles shall stand clothed in glory even as I am:D&C 29:12; ( D&C 45:44; )
• We beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father:D&C 76:19–23;
• John saw and bore record of the fulness of my glory:D&C 93:6; ( John 1:14; )
• His countenance shone above the brightness of the sun:D&C 110:3;
• His glory was upon me, and I beheld his face:Moses 1:1–11;
• This is my work and my glory:Moses 1:39;

Head of the Church

• Christ is the head of the Church:Eph. 5:23; ( Eph. 1:22; Eph. 4:15; )
• He is the head of the body, the Church:Col. 1:18;
• This is my Church:Mosiah 26:22; ( Mosiah 27:13; )
• Christ was the author and the finisher of their faith:Moro. 6:1–4;
• This Church have I established:D&C 33:5; ( 3 Ne. 27:3–8; )

Judge

• He shall judge the world in righteousness:Ps. 9:8; ( 3 Ne. 27:16; )
• He cometh to judge the earth:Ps. 96:13;
• God shall judge the righteous and the wicked:Eccl. 3:17;
• He shall judge among the nations:Isa. 2:4; ( Micah 4:3; 2 Ne. 12:4; )
• With righteousness will he judge the poor:Isa. 11:2–4;
• The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son:John 5:22;
• If I judge, my judgment is true:John 8:16;
• He was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead:Acts 10:42; ( 2 Tim. 4:1; )
• God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ:Rom. 2:16;
• We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ:Rom. 14:10; ( 2 Cor. 5:10; Alma 12:12; Morm. 3:20; Morm. 7:6; Ether 12:38; D&C 135:5; )
• All men come unto God to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him:2 Ne. 2:10;
• Stand before God to be judged according to deeds:Alma 5:15; ( Alma 12:15; Alma 33:22; 3 Ne. 27:14; )
• God and Christ are the judge of all:D&C 76:68;

Millennial reign of Christ

• The government shall be upon his shoulder:Isa. 9:6; ( 2 Ne. 19:6; )
• I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord:Zech. 2:10–12; ( Zech. 14:9; )
• God shall give unto Jesus the throne of his father David:Luke 1:30–33;
• Christ shall reign for ever and ever:Rev. 11:15;
• The Saints shall reign with Christ a thousand years:Rev. 20:4; ( D&C 76:63; )
• Because of the righteousness of the people, Satan will have no power:1 Ne. 22:26; ( Rev. 20:1–3; )
• I will dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years:D&C 29:11; ( D&C 43:29–30; )
• Be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign:D&C 58:22; ( 1 Cor. 15:25; )
• Christ will reign personally upon the earth:A of F 1:10; ( Isa. 32:1; )

Postmortal appearances of Christ

• When Jesus was risen, he appeared first to Mary:Mark 16:9; ( John 20:11–18; )
• Jesus walked and talked with two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus:Luke 24:13–34;
• Jesus appeared to the Apostles, who felt his hands and feet:Luke 24:36–43; ( John 20:19–20; )
• Jesus appeared to Thomas:John 20:24–29;
• Jesus appeared to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias:John 21:1–14;
• Jesus ministered for forty days after his resurrection:Acts 1:2–3;
• Stephen saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God:Acts 7:55–56;
• Jesus appeared to Saul:Acts 9:1–8; ( JST, Acts 9:7; Acts 26:9–17; )
• Christ was seen by more than 500 people:1 Cor. 15:3–8;
• Jesus Christ showed himself to the people of Nephi:3 Ne. 11:1–17;
• 2500 people saw and heard Jesus:3 Ne. 17:16–25;
• Mormon was visited by the Lord:Morm. 1:15;
• Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw Jesus:D&C 76:22–23;
• Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw the Lord in the Kirtland Temple:D&C 110:1–4;
• Joseph Smith saw Jesus on the right hand of God:JS—H 1:15–17;

Premortal existence of Christ

• The Lord appeared unto Abram:Gen. 12:7; ( Gen. 17:1; Gen. 18:1; Abr. 2:6–8; )
• The Lord spoke unto Moses face to face:Ex. 33:11; ( Deut. 34:10; Moses 1:1–2; )
• I saw the Lord standing upon the altar:Amos 9:1;
• In the beginning, the Word was with God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us:John 1:1, 14; ( 1 Jn. 1:1–3; )
• Before Abraham was, I am:John 8:58;
• Glorify thou me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was:John 17:5;
• Isaiah verily saw my Redeemer as I and my brother Jacob have seen him:2 Ne. 11:2–3;
• On the morrow come I into the world:3 Ne. 1:12–14;
• Christ was before the world began:3 Ne. 26:5; ( John 6:62; )
• As I appear unto thee will I appear unto my people in the flesh:Ether 3:14–17;
• Enoch saw the Lord and walked with him:D&C 107:48–49;
• My Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning:Moses 4:2;
• The Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me:Abr. 3:27;

Prophecies about the birth and death of Jesus Christ

• A virgin shall conceive and bear a son:Isa. 7:14; ( 1 Ne. 11:13–20; )
• Out of Bethlehem shall come forth a ruler in Israel:Micah 5:2;
• Samuel the Lamanite prophesied a day, a night, and a day of light; a new star; and other signs:Hel. 14:2–6;
• Samuel the Lamanite prophesied darkness, thunderings and lightnings, and shaking of the earth:Hel. 14:20–27;
• The signs of Jesus’ birth were fulfilled:3 Ne. 1:15–21;
• The signs of Jesus’ death were fulfilled:3 Ne. 8:5–23;

Taking the name of Jesus Christ upon us

• There is no other name whereby we must be saved:Acts 4:12; ( 2 Ne. 31:21; )
• The Apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name:Acts 5:38–42;
• This is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ:1 Jn. 3:23;
• Witness that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ by baptism:2 Ne. 31:13;
• I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ:Mosiah 5:6–12; ( Mosiah 1:11; )
• Whosoever was desirous to take upon them the name of Christ did join the Church of God:Mosiah 25:23;
• All those who were true believers in Christ took upon them the name of Christ:Alma 46:15;
• The gate of heaven is open to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ:Hel. 3:28;
• Blessed is he who is found faithful unto my name at the last day:Ether 4:19;
• They are willing to take upon them the name of the Son:Moro. 4:3; ( D&C 20:77; )
• Take upon you the name of Christ:D&C 18:21–25;

Testimony borne of Jesus Christ

• Paul testified that Jesus is the Christ:Acts 18:5;
• Even the evil spirits testified that they knew Jesus:Acts 19:15;
• No man can say that Jesus is the Lord except by the Holy Ghost:1 Cor. 12:3;
• Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord:Philip. 2:10–11;
• We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ:2 Ne. 25:26;
• The Book of Mormon is to convince the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ:2 Ne. 26:12; ( title page of the Book of Mormon; )
• The prophets and the scriptures testify of Christ:Jacob 7:11, 19;
• Seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written:Ether 12:41;
• We saw him and heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten:D&C 76:20–24;
• This is eternal lives—to know God and Jesus Christ:D&C 132:24;
• We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ:A of F 1:1;
• We believe that Christ will reign personally upon the earth:A of F 1:10;

Types or symbols of Christ

• Abel offered the firstlings of his flock:Gen. 4:4; ( Moses 5:20; )
• Take thine only son Isaac, and offer him for an offering:Gen. 22:1–13; ( Jacob 4:5; )
• The Lord commanded the children of Israel to sacrifice lambs without blemish:Ex. 12:5, 21, 46; ( Num. 9:12; John 1:29; John 19:33; 1 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 5:6; )
• This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat:Ex. 16:2–15; ( John 6:51; )
• Smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people might drink:Ex. 17:6; ( John 4:6–14; 1 Cor. 10:1–4; )
• The goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities:Lev. 16:20–22; ( Isa. 53:11; Mosiah 14:11; Mosiah 15:6–9; )
• Moses lifted up a serpent of brass to save those who look at it:Num. 21:8–9; ( John 3:14–15; Alma 33:19; Hel. 8:14–15; )
• Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days:Jonah 1:17; ( Matt. 12:40; )
• This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father:Moses 5:4–8;

Bible Verses About Charity

Acts 20:35 - I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Hebrews 13:16 - But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

1 John 3:17 - But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Luke 21:1-4 - And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.   (Read More...)

Luke 12:33 - Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Matthew 6:1-4 - Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.   (Read More...)

2 Corinthians 9:7 - Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Hebrews 13:2 - Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

John 13:34-35 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.   (Read More...)

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 - If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:   (Read More...)

1 Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:9 - But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1 Corinthians 13:13 - And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.

Luke 6:38 - Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

James 1:27 - Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Hebrews 13:5 - [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Ephesians 5:11 - And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].

Luke 4:4 - And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Galatians 6:1-10 - Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.   (Read More...)

2 Corinthians 8:12 - For if there be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to that a man hath, [and] not according to that he hath not.

2 Corinthians 6:14 - Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

1 Corinthians 13:8 - Charity never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away.

John 3:17 - For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Matthew 20:28 - Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Matthew 16:26 - For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 5:43-48 - Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.   (Read More...)

Proverbs 19:17 - He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

James 2:1 - My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons.

Ephesians 6:11 - Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

1 Corinthians 13:4 - Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.   (Read More...)

1 Corinthians 5:11 - But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

Romans 16:17 - Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Acts 4:32-35 - And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.   (Read More...)

John 4:19-21 - The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.   (Read More...)

Matthew 25:31-46 - When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:   (Read More...)

Matthew 21:1-46 - And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,   (Read More...)

Matthew 7:21-23 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.   (Read More...)

Matthew 7:12 - Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Matthew 6:24 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 5:42 - Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

1 Kings 2:3-6 - And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:   (Read More...)

1 Corinthians 13:5 - Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Luke 18:9-14 - And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:   (Read More...)

Mark 12:31 - And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Matthew 22:34-40 - But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.   (Read More...)

Matthew 18:21-35 - Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?   (Read More...)

Matthew 5:17 - Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Isaiah 1:1-31 - The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.   (Read More...)

Psalms 91:1-16 - He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.   (Read More...)

Leviticus 19:18 - Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD.

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Revelation 2:14 - But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

1 John 4:1-21 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.   (Read More...)

1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

James 1:1 - James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Hebrews 13:1 - Let brotherly love continue.

2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 - Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman.   (Read More...)

Romans 13:8-10 - Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.   (Read More...)

John 14:1-31 - Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.   (Read More...)

Luke 16:13 - No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Luke 16:2 - And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

Mark 12:28-30 - And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?   (Read More...)

Matthew 6:14-15 - For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:   (Read More...)

Acts 2:1-47 - And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.   (Read More...)

Matthew 5:32 - But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

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