I was baptised in the church years ago. Went inactive within the year. Its always been on my mind and in my heart to go back and do it right. So for the last 6 weeks I am attending services, studying the BOM and tithing. I am happy. I feel good about this. But people keep telling me there are things about the LDS church I do not know. Its hard to explain. The insinuation is In the Celestial realm there are mutiple wives and lots of reproduction going on. I am not going to ask a missionary about that. I cannot ask you what other people think. Where in the scriptures does it talk about this?
2 Responses to “I was baptised in the church years ago. Went inactive…”
Manuel Castro
2013-06-09 16:33:09
Hi brother. I'm happy you've decided to come back to the church! The gospel of Christ has been a great blessing in my life, and I"m certain it will bless yours as well. God bless you during this important transition back to full church activity.
As you have been inactive for a while, I'm sure there are still things for you to learn. I've been a member for over 30 years, and I still learn new things! However, there are no secret doctrines or teachings in the church. What does happen, unfortunately, is that people like to speculate, and they sometimes don't distinguish between speculation and official church doctrine. I've recently compiled a list of the essential practices and beliefs Mormons should embrace to help people differentiate between speculative folklore and essential teachings.
In cases where God authorized multiple marriages, families will not be divided after death. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Old Testament, for example, married several righteous women. However, the Book of Mormon makes it clear that monogamy is the norm, not polygamy. That's how it will be in the Celestial Kingdom as well, since the Bible teaches that there will be no additional marriages after the resurrection (Matthew 22:30).
It's true that those who are faithful may have the opportunity to one day participate with God in the creative process. However, we just don't know a lot about life after death. Will this creative process involve something akin to biological reproduction? Many have commented over the years, but in the end it's clearly something that no one really understands.
I hope this answer helps!Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Pamela Bonta
2013-06-06 07:00:39
Hello friend. How wonderful that you came back to the church! God bless you as you become an active member of your ward again.
The Eternal Marriage course has a whole section called 'Eternal Marriage' that discuses this topic. If you don't have a copy of the book, you can read it online or download it for free from the church website. The section you are looking for begin on page 167.
Remember that just because you don't know something yet doesn't mean it is hidden or sinister. I, for example, know very little If anything about quantum mechanics. It doesn't mean that it is secret or being hidden from me, since I can easily read about it in a book or even look up videos about it on youtube. I would hardly think that our church can be accused of anything sinister on the topic of the nature of eternal marriage when our beliefs about it are freely posted online for anyone who wants to read about it.
As you have been inactive for a while, I'm sure there are still things for you to learn. I've been a member for over 30 years, and I still learn new things! However, there are no secret doctrines or teachings in the church. What does happen, unfortunately, is that people like to speculate, and they sometimes don't distinguish between speculation and official church doctrine. I've recently compiled a list of the essential practices and beliefs Mormons should embrace to help people differentiate between speculative folklore and essential teachings.
In cases where God authorized multiple marriages, families will not be divided after death. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Old Testament, for example, married several righteous women. However, the Book of Mormon makes it clear that monogamy is the norm, not polygamy. That's how it will be in the Celestial Kingdom as well, since the Bible teaches that there will be no additional marriages after the resurrection (Matthew 22:30).
It's true that those who are faithful may have the opportunity to one day participate with God in the creative process. However, we just don't know a lot about life after death. Will this creative process involve something akin to biological reproduction? Many have commented over the years, but in the end it's clearly something that no one really understands.
I hope this answer helps!Let me know if you have any additional questions.
The Eternal Marriage course has a whole section called 'Eternal Marriage' that discuses this topic. If you don't have a copy of the book, you can read it online or download it for free from the church website. The section you are looking for begin on page 167.
Remember that just because you don't know something yet doesn't mean it is hidden or sinister. I, for example, know very little If anything about quantum mechanics. It doesn't mean that it is secret or being hidden from me, since I can easily read about it in a book or even look up videos about it on youtube. I would hardly think that our church can be accused of anything sinister on the topic of the nature of eternal marriage when our beliefs about it are freely posted online for anyone who wants to read about it.
Welcome home!