Many people I've talked to are often confused about why we are so anxious to share our beliefs with others, and what makes us different from other churches. Hopefully I can clarify a little here:
We believe that there are many good people
and good churches in the world that are not our own. We believe they can
have the spirit and that they are coming to know God through their
sincere efforts. And we invite them to bring all the good and truth and
allow us to add to it.
Here is why. When Christ was on the earth, he organized his church.
He called 12 apostles (Matthew 10) and gave them power to act in his
name. We call this priesthood authority. Following his resurrection and
ascension to Heaven, the apostles led the Church, traveling to the
saints in surrounding areas to teach and lead them. One by one the
apostles were killed and eventually the priesthood authority was lost
from the earth. Then came the dark ages, and rather than the one church
Christ established, many churches arose. While many tried to do good
things, they lacked the priesthood authority from Jesus Christ.
This is why there had to be a restoration of that priesthood
authority. God is a god of order and truth, and He wants His children to
be organized under his priesthood authority. God wants to speak to us
and guide us just as He did in biblical times, but it had to be through
someone who was given that authority to speak for God. Thus the
restoration of Christ's church through Joseph Smith.
As Christ's church upon the earth, this is why we are so proactive
in inviting all to take part. The blessings are available to all, and we do our best to make it available to all people.
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