Find Answers to Questions on Church Finances, Temples and Peacemaking

The Topics and Questions section of ChurchofJesusChrist.org now has answers to important questions on Church financial istration, temples, and peacemaking.

These are the latest additions to Topics and Questions. Additional topics covered in that section of the Church website in the past year include the role of prophets, the origins of the Book of Abraham, the importance of the Lord’s Church, the multiple s of Joseph Smith’s First Vision, race and the Church, women’s service and leadership in the Church, and religion and science.

Church Financial istration

This new page includes answers to questions about principles that govern Church finances, why the faith spends so much money on temples, how much it spends on humanitarian efforts, whether Church leaders receive financial , and who manages Church financial reserves.

The page’s introduction notes that the Church of Jesus Christ “was organized to help God’s children come unto Christ and to assist in God’s work of salvation and exaltation.” This divine work is divided into four parts:

1. Living the gospel of Jesus Christ
2. Caring for those in need
3. Inviting all to receive the gospel
4. Uniting families for eternity

“To help accomplish this work,” the page says, “God has commanded His children to live the law of tithing. of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive to be obedient to this law. The Church uses tithing and other donations, along with the Church’s reserve funds, to carry out its divine mission.”

In conjunction with this addition to Topics and Questions, a separate portion of the Church website details how the Church uses donations and financial reserves. Through text and infographics, the page explains how the Church carries out the four core missions mentioned above.

“As we strive to fulfill the Church’s four divine missions, we recognize the sacred stewardship we have to responsibly use donations from our ,” said Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé. “Donations and the Church financial reserves are used with prayerful consideration to best accomplish these eternal purposes and bless the lives of God’s children everywhere.”

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This resource explores things such as what happens in temples, why Church are baptized for deceased ancestors, why worship in temples seems more ceremonial than other Church experiences, how the endowment ceremony compares to Masonic rituals, why temple procedures and ceremonies change over time, and why Latter-day Saints wear garments.

“Throughout time, God has commanded His children to build temples,” the page says. “Each temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a house of the Lord. In the Lord’s house, Church participate in sacred ceremonies, called ordinances, that bring them closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and prepare them to receive eternal blessings.”

Peacemaking

The final addition, Religion vs. Violence, addresses questions such as, “Are religious people more likely to be violent?” and “How do we make sense of instances of violence in the scriptures?”

“As followers of Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints strive to be peacemakers,” the text says. “They aspire to the Savior’s high standard to ‘love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44). In a modern revelation given at a time when the Saints were victims of violent persecution, the Lord commanded them to ‘renounce war and proclaim peace’ (Doctrine and Covenants 98:16).”

The text also says that “while specific situations vary, for Latter-day Saints, peace is always a priority.”

The Church offers five guiding principles to help people find answers to questions on these and other topics.

1. Center your life on Jesus Christ.
2. Be patient with yourself and others.
3. Recognize that revelation is a process.
4. Consult reliable sources.
5. Work to understand the past.

For those helping others with their questions, Church resources encourage you to respond with love, listen with humility, trust in the Lord, nourish your own faith and assist others throughout their journey.

Additional Resources

• Church Financial istration
• Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Peacemaking