Mormon Beliefs
Parley P. Pratt was one of the early Mormons and his life and writings were shaped by his faith. But what is the Mormon faith and what do Mormons believe? The purpose of this page is to put forth the basic beliefs of Mormonism. Some of the topics should sound familiar to you, even if you’re not familiar with Mormonism. Mormons are Christian and believe in Jesus Christ and baptism – but many Mormon beliefs are different from those of most Christians. Mormons think of these differences as “important additions” that their “doctrines make to the Christian faith” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Apostasy and Restoration,” Ensign, May 1995).
Mormons believe in prophets and revelation – they believe that God still speaks to man. They believe that the original church that Christ set up on the earth was lost – after the Twelve Apostles, who possessed authority from Christ, died. This is called the Apostasy. Although Christian churches (after the Apostasy) contained much truth, they did not have the authority that the Twelve Apostles did. Mormons believe that God restored his Church through Joseph Smith, the first Mormon prophet. Although the Church is often called the Mormon Church, its official name is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Again, many of the restored doctrines are different than those that most Christian faiths are familiar with. This page is very basic, but will hopefully clear up some confusion about some of what Mormonism is, and what Mormons like Parley P. Pratt believed and believe.
Mormon Books of Scripture - The Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. These are the core books of Mormon scripture.
Mormon Prophets - Mormons believe that God still speaks to us through prophets. Joseph Smith was the first. Gordon B. Hinckley is our prophet today.
The Restoration - The Gospel of Jesus Christ in its pure form was lost from the earth. God restored it to the earth through Joseph Smith. Mormons believe their church is the one true Church.
Mormon Temples - Temples are sacred buildings in the Mormon faith, used for sacred ordinances and to come closer to God.