What do Mormons believe about Heaven? - 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 Heaven.
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 Heaven
"Mormons believe they can become like God":
This is true. Otherwise why would a test be so important?
Mormons believe that mankind can become joint heirs with Christ. Mormons interpret this to mean literal heirs, meaning that mankind can inherit all that the Father has with Christ, but that this is something that will happen long after the work on the earth is complete. However Mormons believe that God will continue to be God forever.
"Mormons believe that God will not always be God":
This is false.
Mormons believe that God will always be God. They believe that no other will replace him no matter what happens to mankind. He will always be God forever.
"Mormons believe that they do not get to go to Heaven with Jesus Christ":
This is false.
Mormons believe that only the most wicked will not be in the presence of Christ.
"Mormons believe that they get their own planet":
This is false. Besides, I'd get something like pluto... Oh wait... That's not a planet anymore. See Do Mormons believe they get their own planet?
Mormons do not believe that heaven includes getting your own planet. This claim originates from the God Makers which is a publication and movie that was deemed as "sensationalism" and "offensive" by the National Conference for Christians and Jews;[1] a group not affiliated with the LDS church.
"Mormons believe you must be a Mormon to get into Heaven":
This is false.
Mormons believe that all of mankind will have the same opportunity to receive a fullness of the gospel, whether you were a Mormon or not. Mormons believe it is dependent upon your faith and works, not your religion. Latter-day Saints believe that those who would have accepted the gospel on earth if they had an accurate understanding of it regardless of when or where they lived will get to receive exaltation.
"Mormons did not believe that the blacks could get into Heaven until 1978":
This is false.
Mormons have always believed that blacks could get into Heaven. It has been in their scripture since the Book of Mormon was published in 1830, and blacks have always been able to be members of the church. The difference is that they could not be ordained to the priesthood until 1978, which means they could not be bishops or stake presidents. Even as early as Brigham Young it was being stated that the time would come when they would receive a fullness of the priesthood in this life and that those who did not would receive it at some point in the next life.
"Mormons believe that those who were neutral in the council in Heaven were born with black skin":
This is false.
The Mormon church has stated on several occasions that there was no neutral ground in the decision to come to Heaven. This claim originates from the God Makers which is a publication and movie that was deemed as "sensationalism" and "offensive" by the National Conference for Christians and Jews;[1] a group not affiliated with the LDS church.
"Mormons believe that they need to talk to you about becoming Mormon to get into Heaven":
This is false.
Mormons do not believe that talking to you about their religion is a requirement to get into heaven. They believe that they should share the gospel, and that they may regret some of the times where they did not, but it is not a specific requirement that allows entry into Heaven.
"Mormons believe that Heaven is near someplace called Kolob":
Um.. Ok. Kind of. We believe God created ... like ... everything, so is it really that far fetched that he created and named a star somewhere?
Kolob is not of any specific significance within LDS church doctrine. The term Kolob is only briefly mentioned in one chapter in the book of Abraham to teach the hierarchy of celestial bodies (meaning planets) and their relation to one another. Kolob is identified as a star near the throne of God. Whether this is a literal star within our time and space has not been doctrinally stated. Mormons tend to believe that it emphasizes that God did not just create the earth alone, but that he created everything, just as the Bible states. Most Mormons find it fairly simple to believe that a God who created all things could also create and name a star.
"Mormons believe that they become a highly evolved humanoid":
This is false. Again, my guess would be that more illicit drugs may have been to blame here.
Mormons believe that they can become like God, but not through evolution and they do not believe they get to become space aliens. Mormons believe that God created all things including the heavens and the earth, not that he evolved within them. This claim originates from the God Makers which is a publication and movie that was deemed as "sensationalism" and "offensive" by the National Conference for Christians and Jews;[1] a group not affiliated with the LDS church.
References