My Beliefs
“As I’ve traveled all over the world, the fact that I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has caused a lot of interesting questions. I’ve received so many letters and e-mails asking things like, What are the basic beliefs of Latter-Day Saints?”
My Testimony
…Some want to know how Debbie and I have been able to maintain a strong marriage — over all these years — while living in the world of show business. Others want to know how we dealt with the challenges of raising a close and happy family in such difficult times.
How do we maintain a balance between work, and family life? Well, you know it’s not always easy, but the following pages are my attempt to explain a way of life that helps answer these kinds of questions. It gives me stability in a world, and in a business, that can be uncertain, compromising, and stressful. It’s the pattern that gives me direction in my life. And, I hope that this information will help answer some of your questions.
Questions & Answers
Do you have a Question?
Click on a topic below to display a list of questions Donny has answered. If you don't find the answer to your question you can click on the link below to ask your own.
- Atonement of Jesus Christ
- Baptism
- Book of Mormon
- Chastity
- Christmas
- Comparing the LDS Church and Other Religions
- Covenants
- Creation
- Death
- Doctrinal Specific Queries
- Doctrine and Covenants & Pearl of Great Price
- Donny's Testimony
- Faith
- Family
- Forgiveness
- Free Agency
- Genealogy & Family History
- Godhead
- Grace
- Heavenly Kingdom
- Holy Bible
- Jesus Christ
- Joseph Smith and the Restoration
- LDS and Christianity
- LDS Beliefs
- LDS Values & Standards
- LDS View on God
- Marriage
- Miscellaneous
- Missionaries and Missions
- Modern Day Revelation
- Motherhood
- Prayer
- Priesthood & Authority
- Priesthood Blessings
- Procreation
- Prophets & Apostles
- Repentance
- Spirits (Ghosts)
- Temple Work
- Temples
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Trials
- Word of Wisdom
- World Topics
-
Free Agency
I am a Catholic and I have yet to find a priest who can explain free will to me. God knows everything. He knows exactly what you are going to do and when you are going to do it. He knows exactly what decisions you are going to make. Yet we have free will. I know when I have to make a decision/choice about something, I have to think about it and it is MY decision/choice but it seems to me that if God already knew what decision/choice I was going to make, it was already planned. The decision was already made for me. But then, I can’t believe that when someone decides to kill someone, God already made that decision for them.
- Anonymous
This is a great question. I agree with you that it can tend to be somewhat confusing, but the truth remains that freedom of choice is an eternal gift that our Heavenly Father will not violate. I believe it to be true that our Father knows us intimately and knows how we will react under each circumstance in our lives. This knowledge, however, does not take away our right of choice.
Our beliefs are different from that of Catholicism in that we believe that we are spirit offspring of our Heavenly Father and have likely dwelt with him for thousands of years before Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden to begin the mortal family.
The Bible teaches that “… we are the offspring of God…” and that he is the father of our spirits: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:16-17). In another passage is states: “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Hebrews 12:9)
We are definitely sent here to prove ourselves and to see if we will learn and learn to live God’s will. To think that there is no choice would be going against the purpose for this mortal probation. The scriptures that admonish us to follow Jesus explains the eternal consequences if we do or if we do not. Heavenly Father’s knowledge of our character and even an understanding our future, does not overshadow the daily choices we make. We pretty well know how our children will react in given circumstances, but that knowledge does not dictate how they do react. It is a little like praying: Heavenly Father surely already knows our hearts and our desires, but still asks to pray to him and ask. He just does not answer prayers that are not offered nor force us to righteous action.
- Donny Osmond