What do Mormons believe about the Virgin Mary? - the fact and myth cheat sheet

Latter-day saints believe that Mary was a virgin when Christ was born and that it was by the power of the Holy Ghost that he was conceived. Latter-day saints believe that the Holy Ghost is a spirit without a physical body.

Related Bible verses:

• Mathew 1:18, Mathew 1:20, Luke 1:35

Related verses in the Book of Mormon:

• Alma 7:10, 1 Nephi 11:19-21

Latter-day saints believe that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit separate and distinct from both the Father and the Son. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead, and is also known as the Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, and the comforter.

Related Bible verses:

• John 7:39, John 16:13-14, 1 Corinthians 12:3-4, 1 Corinthians 6:11

Related verses in the Book of Mormon:

• Moroni 6:9

Related verses in the Doctrine and Covenants (part of the Mormon canon of scripture):

• D&C 130:22

As found in current teachings of the LDS church:

• Marion G. Romney, The Holy Ghost, General Conference, April 1974:

"The scriptures all teach about the Holy Ghost. They frequently refer to him as the Comforter, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, or the Spirit of the Lord.

"According to these scriptures the Holy Ghost is a person. [...]

"Jesus referred to the Holy Ghost as a male person."

• Gospel Principles, Chapter 7: The Holy Ghost, (2011), 31–33:

"The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead (see 1 John 5:7; D&C 20:28). He is a 'personage of Spirit' (D&C 130:22). He can be in only one place at a time, but His influence can be everywhere at the same time."

As found on the LDS website lds.org:

• Gospel topics: Holy Ghost

As found on the LDS website mormon.org:

• Mormon FAQ: What do Mormons believe about the Holy Ghost? Who is the Holy Ghost?

As found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism:

• Holy Ghost:

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the Holy Ghost is a spirit man, a spirit son of God the Father. It is fundamental Church doctrine that God is the Father of the spirits of all men and women, that Jesus is literally God's Son both in the spirit and in the flesh, and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit separate and distinct from both the Father and the Son. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Eternal Godhead, and is identified also as the Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, and the comforter.

As defined by the members of the LDS Church:

• Mormon FAQ: What do Mormons believe about the Holy Ghost? Who is the Holy Ghost?

Related Bible verses:

• Mathew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14

Related verses in the Book of Mormon:

• 1 Nephi 11:19-20, Alma 7:10

As found in current teachings of the LDS church:

• Robert L. Backman, Jesus the Christ, General Conference, October 1991:

"Who is this Jesus whom we worship? Above all people on earth, we Latter-day Saints should appreciate the vital significance of Jesus of Nazareth—his role in the plan of salvation, his virgin birth, his immaculate life, his powerful teachings, his selfless death, his glorious resurrection, his guidance of his Church."

As found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism:

• Mary, Mother of Jesus:

"[Latter-day saints] affirm the virgin birth but reject the traditions of the immaculate conception, of Mary's perpetual virginity, and of her 'assumption'. Mary, like all mortals, returns to the Father only through the Atonement of her son Jesus Christ."

Latter-day saints address their prayers to God the Father, and close them in the name of Jesus Christ. Latter-day saints believe God is all knowing, so Latter-day saints believe that God answers any sincere prayer regardless of how it is addressed, but also believe that addressing the prayer to Heavenly Father is the most respectful way to approach God in prayer.

As found in current teachings of the LDS church:

• Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Why the Lord Ordained Prayer, Ensign, January 1976:

"We are commanded to pray to the Father (Elohim) in the name of the Son (Jehovah). The revelations are perfectly clear on this. “Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name,” the Lord Jesus said to the Nephites. (3 Ne. 18:19.) [...]

"It is true that when we pray to the Father, the answer comes from the Son, because 'there is ... one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Tim. 2:5.) Joseph Smith, for instance, asked the Father, in the name of the Son, for answers to questions, and the answering voice was not that of the Father but of the Son, because Christ is our advocate, our intercessor, the God (under the Father) who rules and regulates this earth."

As found on the LDS website lds.org:

• Gospel Topic: Prayer

As found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism:

• Prayer:

"Although few set prayers occur in their worship, Latter-day Saints follow a pattern when praying. Prayers are addressed to the Father in Heaven, following the example set by Christ when instructing his disciples how to pray (Matt. 6:9; 3 Ne. 13:9). His prayer serves as a pattern: Disciples are to praise and thank God, ask for daily physical needs, and plead for the spiritual power to forgive, be forgiven, and resist temptation. Jesus used simple, expressive language in his prayers, avoiding vain repetition and flowery phrases (Matt. 6:5-13; 3 Ne. 13:5-13;19:20-23, 28-29; cf. 3 Ne. 17:14-17;19:31-34). More important than the words is the feeling that accompanies prayer. Christ reiterated a clear, prophetic warning: 'This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me' (Matt. 15:8; cf. Isa. 29:13). In praising God, in offering thanks, in asking for needs-remembering to pray that God's will be done-language is to be reverent, humble, and sincere. President Spencer W. Kimball commented, 'In all our prayers, it is well to use the pronouns thee, thou, thy, and thine instead of you, your, and yours inasmuch as they have come to indicate respect' (p. 201). Unnecessary repetition of God's name is avoided, as are idle clichés. Prayers close by stating that the prayer is offered in the name of Jesus Christ, concluding with amen."

Latter-day saints believe that children are not responsible for their parent's sins. While they may suffer the consequences from poor decisions of their parents, Latter-day saints do not believe that children are guilty of their parent's transgressions. This includes the Original Sin or transgression of Adam.

Related Bible verses:

• 1 John 2:12

Related verses in the Book of Mormon:

• Mosiah 3:16, Moroni 8:11, Moroni 8:22

Related verses in the Doctrine and Covenants (part of the Mormon canon of scripture):

• D&C 29:46-47, D&C 74:7

Related verses in the Pearl of Great Price (part of the Mormon canon of scripture):

• Moses 6:54

As found in current teachings of the LDS church:

• Bruce R. McConkie, The Salvation of Little Children, Ensign, April 1977:

"There is no such thing as original sin as such is defined in the creeds of Christendom. Such a concept denies the efficacy of the atonement. Our revelation says: 'Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning”—meaning that spirits started out in a state of purity and innocence in preexistence—“and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God' (D&C 93:38)—meaning that all children start out their mortal probation in purity and innocence because of the atonement. Our revelations also say, 'The Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.' (Moses 6:54.)"

• Daniel C. Peterson and Stephen D. Ricks, Comparing LDS Beliefs with First-Century Christianity, Ensign, March 1988:

"The notion of original sin as it is usually understood today in traditional Christianity is a distinctly late invention that evolved from the controversies of the fourth and fifth centuries. Tertullian (second century A.D.), who was very concerned with the idea of sin, says nothing of the doctrine of original sin. Indeed, very few of the Church Fathers up to the fourth century show any interest in it at all. It was not clearly enunciated until Augustine (fourth/fifth century) needed it in his battle with the Christian Pelagians, who denied the doctrine, and it came to be associated with the Council of Carthage in A.D. 418."

As found on the LDS articles of faith:

• Articles of Faith 1:2: "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression."

As found on the LDS website lds.org:

• Gospel Topic: Original Sin

As found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism:

• Original Sin:

"While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the transgression of Adam and Eve brought death into the world and made all mortals subject to temptation, suffering, and weakness, it denies that any culpability is automatically transmitted to Adam and Eve's offspring. All mortals commit sin, but they will be punished "for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression" (A of F 2)."