AboutCindy Beggs Expertise Although I am not a member of the LDS Church, I can answer most of your general questions re: the LDS faith. Please no LDS bashing. I have a love for the Church's history.
Experience Although I am not a member of the LDS faith, I have been facinated with the Church's history for over 30 years.
Organizations Mount St. Mary's Alumni
Publications Master's Thesis in Mount St. Mary's Library in Los Angeles, CA.
Education/Credentials Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts. Minors: Religious Studies and psychology. Master's degree in the Humanities/Cultural Studies.
Question do u believe in hell, and what is your religion based on?
Answer Hello,
Thank-you for your question. The Mormons believe that there are three Heavens and they are: the Celestial Kingdom, the Terrestrial Kingdom and the Telestial kingdom. The Celestial kingdom is the highest of the Mormon kingdoms and the most desirable. The Telestial kingdom is the least desirable. Most Christians believe that the reason we will go to Heaven is if we believe in Jesus Christ or not. To me, the difference is that one believes that "works" will get you to Heaven and one believes that faith will get you or exclude you from Heaven. You might want to visit the Encyclopedia of Mormonism for more about what Mormons believe about hell and the three levels of Heaven. Another good source is the following website for more about what Mormons believe about hell: www.lightplanet.mormons/basic/afterlife/hell_eom.htm, which is written by one of the elders of the Mormon Church, Elder Bruce R. McConkie. Here is an excerpt from Elder McConkie on hell: "Latter-day scriptures describe at least three senses of hell: (1) that condition of misery which may attend a person in mortality due to disobedience to divine law; (2) the miserable, but temporary, state of disobedient spirits in the spirit world awaiting the resurrection; (3) the permanent habitation of the sons of perdition, who suffer the second spiritual death and remain in hell even after the resurrection."
The Mormon Church is based upon the story of a working-class boy in upstate New York, who inquired of the Lord as to what church to belong to. The boy was Joseph Smith. According to Joseph, the angel Moroni visited him and explained to him that some ancient plates were buried on a hill next to his house and that one day he would be ready to bring the plates and translate them. These plates would later be the inspiration for the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon was published in 1830, the same year that the Church of Jesus Christ, later to be called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was founded. Joseph Smith stated that the Book of Mormon was the "most correct of any book on earth. According to the title page of the Book of Mormon, is to convince all people that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal God, manifesting himself to all nations." Again, the Encyclopedia of Mormonism is a great reference for learning more about the Book of Mormon. If interested, you can get a copy of the Book of Mormon at the library, order it from a bookstore or read it online.
