This is for Kodie Jenings, The Mormon concept of God is very different(radical maybe) from the traditional Christian view. One of our Prophet, Lorenzo Snow said, "As Man is now, God once was. As God is now, Man might be." We believe your life didn't begin at birth.. In order to tell you want i want you to know i must first talk about the Plan of Salvation
With the Restoration of the Gospel we learned that many things were lost(1 Nephi 13:26-27) in the Bible and that Knowledge of plain truths were lost after the apostle's deaths. We believe that God is the the Father of our spirits(Souls). Before you came to earth, your spirit lived with Heavenly Father who created you. You knew Him, and He knew and loved you. It was a happy time during which you were taught God’s plan of happiness and the path to true joy. But just as most of us leave our home and parents when we grow up, God knew you needed to do the same. He knew you couldn’t progress unless you left for a while. So he allowed you to come to earth to experience the joy—as well as pain—of a physical body.One thing that makes this life so hard sometimes is that we’re out of God’s physical presence. Not only that, but we can’t remember our pre-earth life which means we have to operate by faith rather than sight. God didn’t say it would be easy, but He promised His spirit would be there when we needed Him. Even though it feels like it sometimes, we’re not alone in our journey.(http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/plan-of-salvation)
God’s plan for you is beautiful and simple. He wants you to have joy and to become more like Him. That doesn’t mean He expects you to be perfect. He knows you won’t be. But He does expect that while you’re here on earth you try to the best of your ability to be more like Him and that you learn and grow from your mistakes. Each time you make a poor choice with painful consequences, that decision leads to unhappiness—sometimes immediately, sometimes much later. Likewise, choosing good eventually leads to happiness and helps you become more like Heavenly Father.
Why do bad things happen to you? Why would God let bad things happen? Watch this video of a man who had some bad stuff happen to him.
God’s plan for you is beautiful and simple. He wants you to have joy and to become more like Him. That doesn’t mean He expects you to be perfect. He knows you won’t be. But He does expect that while you’re here on earth you try to the best of your ability to be more like Him and that you learn and grow from your mistakes. Each time you make a poor choice with painful consequences, that decision leads to unhappiness—sometimes immediately, sometimes much later. Likewise, choosing good eventually leads to happiness and helps you become more like Heavenly Father.
Why do bad things happen to you? Why would God let bad things happen? Watch this video of a man who had some bad stuff happen to him.
It’s comforting to know that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, suffered all things. He understands your pain and can help you through your trials. When you have faith in God and His plan, you can be assured that there’s a purpose to all that happens to you here on earth. Our time here is short compared to our eternal life. As the Lord told Joseph Smith during a period of intense suffering:
"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-8).
"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-8).
Your mistakes might be as simple as hurting your friend’s feelings, or a sin far more serious. Seeing the pain we’ve caused and feeling the misery of remorse, shame and guilt can sometimes be overwhelming and devastating. We wonder if we can ever overcome our mistakes and feel the peace of being forgiven. We unequivocally can, because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the process of repentance. We can confess our sins to God and ask His forgiveness. And he’s promised that He’ll "remember them no more" (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42). It works because Heavenly Father sent his son, Jesus Christ, to voluntarily suffer and pay for our sins and sorrows by atoning for them Himself. We can’t fully understand how Jesus suffered for our sins. But we know that in the Garden of Gethsemane, the weight of our sins caused Him such agony that He bled from every pore (Luke 22:39-44) . Later, as He hung upon the cross, Jesus willingly suffered painful death by one of the cruelest methods ever known (Alma 7:11).
However, His mental and spiritual anguish went well beyond the pains of the cross. The Savior tells us, "For behold, I . . . have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer . . . even as I" (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–17).
Those that say you are going to Hell are wrong, Kodie. When you were talking about how mad you were at them and God, I'm sorry I did not say much to help you. I'm one of those guys who needs a while to write out his thoughts and make a strong come back. Here is my final and last video about the afterlife.
However, His mental and spiritual anguish went well beyond the pains of the cross. The Savior tells us, "For behold, I . . . have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer . . . even as I" (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–17).
Those that say you are going to Hell are wrong, Kodie. When you were talking about how mad you were at them and God, I'm sorry I did not say much to help you. I'm one of those guys who needs a while to write out his thoughts and make a strong come back. Here is my final and last video about the afterlife.
"WILL YOU GO TO HEAVEN?" Yes! God will judge all men fairly and reward them appropriately with a place within His kingdom. They are not God! They do not decide your future and eternal destiny! God will Judge men righteous and reward them with want they sowed in their earthy life. Accusing people that they will be going to hell is not what God wants. I hope this letter helped you with your trials.
Your Friend,
Zachary Bowie
Your Friend,
Zachary Bowie