This has bothered me for quite some time. Mormons always talk about how they teach that families will be together forever while other Christian denominations do not. Isn't this a load of BS? Don't other Christians believe that they will go to heaven and meet their Earthly family at the pearly gates?

Short answer: Yes, they do teach that.

Long answer: Mormonism is different because it has the whole 'own your own world' aspect.

Historically speaking, at the time Smith created his religion a lot of Christian sects were pretty big into the hellfire and brimstone. Because of that, his offer of heaven was pretty enticing.

Actually, JS was quite capable of preaching a "hellfire and brimstone" sermon which he wrote about giving during Zion's Camp! Yep. good ol Joe knew what some folks wanted to hear. BTW, hell was for non-believers not Methodists and Presbyterian church-goers. That portion of the History of the Church was written by JS before he died.

I know he also taught that, but you're missing my point. My point is that he was offering an afterlife that others weren't.

anoninnv Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Short answer: Yes, they do teach that.
>
> Long answer: Mormonism is different because it has
> the whole 'own your own world' aspect.
>
> Historically speaking, at the time Smith created
> his religion a lot of Christian sects were pretty
> big into the hellfire and brimstone. Because of
> that, his offer of heaven was pretty enticing.

These are very good points. I hadn't thought of JS' heaven as being enticing due to the focus of contemporary Christian sects being hellfire and brimstone.

Even though I wasn't married when I joined the Mormon Church I liked the concept/emphasis of being with family forever and everybody being "saved" rather than "non-believers" going to some kind of hellishness. (Whether it's real or not is another story).

As for what "other Christians" believe, as a post below references, mainstream Christians/BACs that I have encountered teach that "there is no marriage in heaven", based on the biblical scripture that apparently states that. Therefore, they vow "til death do us part" in their marriage ceremonies and apparently accept that they will not be married to their earthly partner in the afterlife but still believe that somehow they will be eternally blissful. Most of them just leave the "details" up to God to sort out and I must say, I have had the same attitude. What we can't know there's no point in obsessing over.

To answer the OP, yes, the Mormon Church emphasizes how special it is compared to other faiths but scratch the surface and it's highly flawed, a mutt of a religion, borrowing heavily from other belief systems, with a "peculiar" twist of Mormonism added in to the mix.

Many exmos, religious and non-, have said how much they enjoy holy days/holidays at other churches, such as the month of Advent prior to Christmas, and notice how other churches seek to serve the individual rather than demanding service from you. That is a wonderful difference, in my book. It doesn't mean we're selfish but rather that we long for our faith to give us peaceful moments and good relationships in this turmoil of a world and hopefully in the world to come.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2013 01:40PM by Nightingale.

I know a lot of people (and churches) that do believe you will be a family unit in heaven, but that no marrying will take place.

I'd say that the alternative is often preached is that we will be so overcome by being in God's presence that we won't put the emphasis on family relationships that we do on earth.

The needing to be sealed thing is a Mormon scare tactic (IMO) and a part of the whole "we have more authority than other Christian sects" that LDS preaches. Personally, I think it all comes down to $.

If that particular doctrine were to be removed from LDS, than the temples hold little/no significance. Why get married/sealed in the temple without that doctrine? I suppose they would still have baptisms for the dead, and endowment both for the living and for the dead, but they need that family aspect to keep people paying and obeying. Not just because of the temple sealing ceremony, but b/c everything comes back to being worthy of and having your eternal family.

I don't know if Smith could have even imagined how important that doctrine would end up being in the cash flow of the church, but I think it's responsible for A LOT of the income.

Of course they do. I would wager that most ever religion on earth -- Christian and otherwise -- believe that families will be together in the afterlife.

Mormons are just so special, that they have to make up bogus stuff about the church being "true" and that families can only be together if they go through some creepy temple ceremony.

Christians believe you will be together in heaven with your family.

Only Mormons believe that your Dad will still be bossing you around.

I dunno, the one time I asked a christian about this, she said she vowed 'till death do us part' and that she was happy with that, cuz she couldnt put up with a man for eternity.

You are correct in that there are various opinions including some people who think we will all be singing and playing harps. I always believed that we will be with our families in heaven and I never bought into the white robes. I also believed we would meet those people we knew and those we would like to meet.

Of course other faiths believe we will see our loved ones in heaven. And for Mormons to say otherwise is just a lie. And one thing we don't do is tell our relatives that "sorry, you may be in a different level of heaven than me....the perfect one". The death do us part thing deals only with THIS life.

Other churches don't make it such a big deal because it's considered to be an accepted and understood expectation.

Mormons probably don't realize they look foolish by not knowing EVERYONE already expects to be with loved ones in the afterlife.

I guess some converts to Mormonism have never before been exposed to this idea.

Of course, as most people do expect to be with their families in the afterlife. The phrase "till death do us part" only applies to this life we're living now, and not about whatever comes next. The idea of eternal families is not just a Mormon thing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2013 03:52PM by adoylelb.

Not only Christians believe it - but so do Buddhists (look at reincarnation and how certain people are reborn together)

Not only that, but Buddhists believe that we are ultimately all part of the same thing, essentially, God. So from that aspect we don't "become" gods, we already _are_ God. :)

Yes, they do.

But in Mormonism, you have to go thru a lot of hoop jumping...

Yes, of course Christians believe that they will see their loved ones in Heaven. One poster on here correctly said Christians don't believe they'll be married in Heaven, because Jesus said there wasn't marriage there (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25). So, of course, you see your loved ones, but you don't have to jump through your ass your whole life to make it happen, and like Baura said, you won't have your dad bossing you around for eternity.

Christians think of everyone in Heaven as brother and sister--everyone is the ADOPTED child of God (much as that pisses Mormons off, that's what the Bible says...Adopted. ADOPTED!! Nope, not a LITERAL child of God...but...ADOPTED.) Now, if you don't believe the Bible, I'm cool with that. All I'm trying to do here is stick it in the eye of Mormons, who claim they believe the Bible when they don't really (not, I guess, that many TBMs would see this post).

Since Christianity already promised Heaven, Mormonism made up that crap that well, it won't really be Heaven because your family might not make it. Hell, I'd think it would be a show of God's mercy, in the case of my TBM in-laws at least, if families WEREN'T forever. If families are forever, and I somehow got stuck with my Mormon in-laws for eternity, I'd say the Mormon God is a dick, with a sick sense of humor.

Yes, absolutely -- Christians fully expect to be reunited with their families and other loved ones when they die. They take a lot of comfort from that belief. They tend not to worry too much about whether they will still be "married" or not. If you want to be with your earthly spouse, you will be with that spouse. If not, you will be with whomever you wish to be with. And you don't have to worry about who is worthy or unworthy. You don't have to worry about who is on this level of heaven or that level. Christians expect to be happy in heaven. They expect to find love and acceptance there.

Mormons tend to misinterpret the Christian marriage saying, "Till death do you part." It just means that the surviving spouse is free to remarry, the same way that Mormons do. It doesn't affect what happens in the afterlife.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2013 04:47PM by summer.

Mormons don't teach that families WILL be together. They teach that families CAN be together - contingent on everyone making the cut. Screw up and you're consigned to the lower level while everyone else is being a God over their own planet (men) or being eternally pregnant along with your sister wives (women).

Families CAN be together....except for you....you....and you. Let's face it, not everyone is going to make it so might as well start ignoring them now.

Yes, they do.

Even on an episode of "Little House On The Prairie", the Rev. Alden reassures little Jenny Wilder that she'll be reunited with her deceased parents in heaven. I was watching a rerun of that episode one day, & I was like, "Take that, fucking cult".

If they are right I hope it is optional.

Yaknow?

Christians believe that anyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord will be in heaven AND that we will all know each other because we are brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible teaches WHOSOEVER accepts Jesus will be saved. Not if you are Mormon, or Catholic, or Baptist etc.....but whosoever. That my friends is the true church. The body of Christ is every person who accepts Jesus and their name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. No need to sign any Earthly church's membership card. Thank God.

I have thought about this quite a bit. Assuming that there is opposition in all things, I have wondered who is opposed to the idea of families being together forever? Just exactly who is the foe that the LDS are fighting on this topic?

The only thing that I can come up with is that the LDS are their own worst enemy. It is; yes families can be together forever ... as long as TSCC says so. It turns out the only organization that I can think of that says families cannot be together forever is TSCC itself. Any family that does not follow their rules, fit their mold, and participate in their rituals cannot be together forever.

We will all be together forever. In oblivion. Not seeing, not feeling, not hearing. We are bound for the same place we were before we were born. Nowhere! When you die, you cease to exist in any form we can conceive. I'm not saying it's the end. I'm just saying no one knows. No one. Those who pretend to know and tell you they do are liars. Charlatans

This was a question about the Christian belief system. Your answer seems off topic.

I could care less what they believe. I find evangelical Christians equally as controlling and useless as the Mormon church. I had to accompany an individual to their evangelical service as a professional caregiver to an individual with a disability and I had to stifle a laugh when "the rapture" (for want of a better term), started. Toooo weird.

Ron Burr

I respectfully disagree. Since you took the time and trouble to post, you obviously do care.

and the others congregants.

I was lurking on LDS Babycenter and a poster wrote that she was trying to convert her Christian boyfriend to Mormonism. Everyone encouraged her to promote "eternal families".

I, pretending to be a Christian to Mormon convert, pointed out that it wouldn't work because Christians already believed they would be together with their families in heaven; Mormonism wasn't offering anything unique on that point.

Several TBMs jumped in with, "Christians don't believe that! Name one demonination that believes they'll be with their families in the afterlife."

I named a long list, and said there were more. The TBMs either didn't reply or claimed I was lying.

just because normal Christians don't shout it from the rooftops and use it as a slogan doesn't mean they don't believe in it. I guess TBM's can't see or understand that though. BC is full of idiot morgbots though. Good work with your posts. We know you're not a liar if that helps at all!