What do Mormons believe about the purpose of life and the Plan of Salvation? - the fact and myth cheat sheet
This is part of the Mormon fact and myth cheat sheet on this website. The main list of Mormon facts and Myths can be found here. This section specifically discusses Mormon belief about the purpose of life and the Plan of Salvation.
This is a compilation of facts and myths about Mormon beliefs compiled from comments and other resources. I add things to this list as I run into them so this list has more information on it than I have had time to write about in detail. Some of these can be uncommonly random.
Some of these comments may have been collected from someone that is trying to imply that Mormons won't tell you about these things. This is partially accurate simply because we don't actually believe in many of these things. On a similar note, I have pulled some of this information from several "campaigns" which claim that they just want to help us Mormons realize the error of our ways. However, most of these campaigns are not actually targeted to Mormons. They are targeted to those who are not Mormon and may be curious about what we really believe. In war and politics it is known as a "disinformation" campaign and it's used to keep other people in the dark or doubtful of factual information. If these campaigns were intended to target Mormons, they would talk to us directly, instead of referring to Mormons in the third person as "they," and they would use our real teachings to try and convince us of our error.
You may notice that after the first sentence, these descriptions are written in a way so that anyone can quote them if they need to. The disadvantage to this is that there are some things that get repeated in the explanations more than once. It should be noted that this site is not an official source for Mormon doctrine, so if you're going to quote from this site I would recommend that you point out the sources or link back to this page so readers can verify accurate sources for themselves. I have also bolded some things in each statement to help identify the key points.
Speaking of repeating stuff, this introduction is fairly standard on the other fact and myth pages so you can probably skip it on the next one without missing much.
Editing and referencing is still an ongoing process for this page.
Mormon belief about the purpose of life, plan of salvation and other related doctrine
"Mormons believe that mankind existed before this life":
This is true.
Mormons believe that mankind existed as spirits before they came to this earth. Latter-day saints believe that the purpose of life is to receive a physical body, set the foundations for eternal relationships, and receive experiences that we could not receive in any other way. Latter-day saints also believe that this mortal life is a test of faith, which required mankind to be here without a memory of their previous state.
"Mormons believe that life is a test":
This is true.
Mormons believe that this mortal life is a test of faith, which requires mankind to be here without a memory of their previous state. Latter-day saints also believe that the purpose of life is to receive a physical body, set the foundations for eternal relationships, and receive experiences that we could not receive in any other way. Latter-day saints believe that the purpose of this test is to see who can wisely handle being joint heirs with Christ, receiving all things of the Father, and becoming like the Father.
"Mormons do not believe that mankind is responsible for the Original Sin":
This is true.
Mormons believe that all of mankind is responsible for their own sins and not for Adams, any of their parents, or anyone else's sins. Latter-day saints do not believe that mankind is held responsible for Adam's transgression. Latter-day saints believe that Adam's transgression was necessary for the plan of salvation to progress, and does place mankind in a state separate from God and subject to death.
"Mormons do not believe that mankind is fallen":
This is false.
Mormons believe that mankind exists in a fallen state because of the transgression of Adam and Eve. However, Latter-day saints do not believe that mankind will be held accountable for this transgression. Latter-day saints believe that each person is responsible for their own sins. Latter-day saints believe that Adam's transgression was necessary for the plan of salvation to progress.
"Mormons believe that all of mankind will be resurrected":
This is true.
Mormons believe that all of mankind will be resurrected into one state or another.
"Mormons do not believe that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone":
This is false.
Mormons believe that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ and through no other means. Latter-day saints believe "that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." Latter-day saints believe that all mankind will be saved because of the atonement of Christ, but that both faith and works are an integral part of the final judgment and are required for exaltation. Even with the greatest faith and works, Latter-day saints believe that the only way to be saved is through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
"Mormons do not believe that faith is required to be saved":
This is false.
Mormons believe that all mankind will be saved because of the atonement of Christ, but that both faith and works are an integral part of the final judgment and are required for exaltation. Even with the greatest faith and works, Latter-day saints believe that the only way to be saved is through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.