One True Church

"And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of the church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually." (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30)

On the surface, the claim of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to be "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" appears arrogant and elitist. And without an understanding of LDS doctrine, it seems to set up a terrible scenario: Mormons go to Heaven and the rest of the world goes to Hell. But this is not at all true.

First, let's take a look at why such a claim would be made. Latter-day saints believe that Jesus Christ, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament, founded His church through an ancient prophet, Adam. Adam was given the two things necessary in order to have the church--the truth (the gospel), and the authority (the priesthood). When Adam's descendents became wicked, they stopped teaching the gospel as it had been revealed from God through prophets. And they were no longer worthy of the priesthood. And so the church was lost and had to be restored when the people were again ready for it. This was done through another prophet. This happened several times throughout the Bible. Although the church was restored through different prophets in different eras, it was always the same church because Jesus Christ was at its head.

How can two churches, one founded by men and one founded by Jesus Christ, that both teach completely different doctrines both be true? If one church teaches that the priesthood is passed down by the laying on of hands and one church teaches that such an ordinance is not necessary, they can't both be right! If one church teaches that baptism is necessary for salvation and another church teaches that it is optional, they can't both be right! Any argument to the contrary is simply illogical.

We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was restored by Jesus Christ through a modern day prophet. Because the church is led by Jesus Christ, it contains the fullness of the gospel. No church that teaches doctrine contrary to that revealed by Jesus Christ can be true. And no church that is missing the authority to act in God's name can be "true and living." Many churches have in their possession the revealed word of God--the Bible. And so they teach many true principles of the gospel. But the fact that there are so many different Christian sects teaching so many different doctrines is evidence of the need for a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ by Jesus Christ Himself.

When combining the idea that there is only one true church with the "mainstream" Christian teaching that Christians will go to Heaven and non-Christians will go to Hell, it is easy to assume that LDS church members believe Mormons will go to Heaven and non-Mormons will go to Hell. This is NOT the case. If a little boy in the jungles of Africa never hears the name of Jesus Christ, will a just and merciful God condemn him to Hell for not being a Christian? Of course not! Similarly, God will not condemn people who have not had a chance to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet, Jesus Christ teaches, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) So how does a person who has never had an adequate opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and be baptized escape Hell?

In 1 Peter 3:18-19 we read, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison..." And in 1 Peter 4:6 we read, "For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." And so we learn that this life is not the only chance mankind has to hear the gospel. But what about those who accept the gospel after death? How can they be baptized?

"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:29) Paul makes reference to an ordinance forgotten by mainstream Christianity--baptism for the dead. Latter-day saints believe that our ancestors, those that never had a chance in mortality to accept the gospel but accepted the gospel when it was preached to them after death, can be baptized by proxy. This is one of the ordinances performed in LDS temples.

In summary, we believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth," and that every person will have a chance in this life or the next to accept Jesus Christ as their savior, and to exercise their faith in Him by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.