Plan of salvation

1. REDIRECTTemplate:Test3

Plan of salvation

Premortal existence

Premortal existence

Summary: Some Christians claim that the LDS doctrine of a "premortal existence" is pagan, unchristian, or unbiblical, and therefore false.

Mortal existence

Original sin

Summary: Why don't Latter-day Saints believe the doctrine of "original sin" like the rest of Christianity? Do Mormons believe that the Fall of Adam was a "fortunate event?" Is the Church wrong to teach that little children are free from the taint of original sin?

Birth control

Summary: What is the stance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on birth control? The General Handbook of Instructions states: "Husbands must be considerate of their wives, who have a great responsibility not only for bearing children but also for caring for them through childhood…. Married couples should seek inspiration from the Lord in meeting their marital challenges and rearing their children according to the teachings of the gospel."

Postmortal existence

Deification of man

Summary: It is claimed that the doctrine of human deification is unbiblical, false, and arrogant. Related claims include: 1) that Latter-day Saints believe they will 'supplant God', 2) that belief in theosis, or human deification, implies more than one "god," which means Latter-day Saints are "polytheists," and 3) that the Mormon concept of "human deification" is a pagan belief derived from Greek philosophy.

Angels

Summary: Some Christians reject the Mormon concept that angels were once mortal, claiming that angels are a special creation of God and that humans can never become angels. They quote Psalm 148:2 and 5: "Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts...Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created."

Flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven

Summary: Some Christians attempt to use 1 Cor. 15:50 to demonstrate that a resurrected being with a physical body cannot enter into heaven, therefore excluding a God with a body as well as resurrected mortals, however, the early Christians interpreted this scripture to mean something very different than modern traditional Christians do.

The Mormon concept of three degrees of glory

Jump to details:

• Question: What is the Mormon concept of Hell?
• Question: What did the Jews and early Christians really believe with regard to a three-part heaven?
• Question: With respect the the three degrees of glory, what does the word "telestial" mean?
• Question: Do the Latter-day Saint "Three Degrees of Glory" have a basis in the Bible?
• Question: Do Mormons believe that there is there progression between the three degrees of glory?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith derive the idea of "three degrees of glory" from Emanuel Swedenborg's book, Heaven and its Wonders and Hell?
• Question: Do Mormons believe that everyone else will be "damned"?

Salvation of non-members

Summary: Since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to be "the only true Church," does this mean that the LDS believe that everyone else will be damned? And, since the Church teaches that the dead will have the opportunity to hear the gospel preached to them, doesn't this imply that the witness given to those "after death" will be so compelling that virtually everyone will become "a Mormon"?

Sons of Perdition

• Question: What must one do in order to become a son of perdition?
• Question: Will sons of perdition be resurrected?
• Question: Will the sons of perdition be given another chance to achieve celestial glory?
• Question: Are there women who will be among the sons of perdition?

When are children capable of sin?

Summary: The Bible is claimed to contradict the Book of Mormon teaching that children cannot sin under eight years of age. The Bible is claimed to place sin at the point of conception. Critic Walter Martin writes, "Anyone who thinks that children under age eight cannot sin has not visited the classrooms of today's schools."

Mormonism and agency

Jump to Subtopic:

• Free will
• Mormonism and the relationship between grace and works

Free will

Summary: Science demonstrates that all interactions of matter--including all events in the human brain--are sufficiently caused by previous events. If we know enough about the laws that govern these interactions and the current state of the universe, we would be able to exactly predict any future event. Does this mean that the doctrine of "agency" or "free will" is false, since all human choices are predetermined by the laws of physics?

Jump to details:

• Question: Does Jesus already know who will be returning to God's presence?
• Question: Is the Mormon doctrine of "agency" or "free will" false, since all human choices are predetermined by the laws of physics?

Mormonism and the relationship between grace and works

Jump to details:

• Question: How do Mormons see the relationship between works and grace?
• Question: Do Mormons believe that salvation is based upon works?
• Question: What can the writings of early Christians tell us about how to receive salvation in Jesus Christ?
• Question: Does the Bible teach that individual works are unnecessary?
• Question: Do Mormons ignore the doctrine of grace at the expense of "works"?
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Joseph Smith does not reject the efficacy or necessity of grace
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Mormons reject the legacy of Augustine: especially of humanity's corruption due to original sin