耶穌基督後期聖徒教會在灣區也許是因在山頂上引人注目的聖殿而眾所周知。奧克蘭聖殿是在六十年代建立的，但是此宗教是從什麼時候開始的呢？

My name is Thomas. I’m originally from the Bay Area but grew up in Utah. I speak Spanish, I’m a jazz trombonist and runner, and I love hiking and camping. Above all, the best part of my life is being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

為了更好地解釋耶穌基督的教會是從哪裡來的，基本了解一下我們的信仰會有所幫助。一切都基於神是我們慈愛的天父這個事實。

神是誰？

I know God is real. I know He is aware of you and your situation and wants to help you. He knows your name, speaks your language, hears your prayers, shares your hopes and worries, and most importantly, wants to strengthen His relationship with you. Gaining an understanding that someone so powerful cares about me so personally has changed my life— and my family’s lives—forever.

What is your relationship with God like? Maybe you were once close to Him, but have drifted far away throughout the years. Maybe you’ve never really known who He is and what He means to you. Maybe you simply feel like something is missing in your life that you can’t quite describe. I wish I could get to know you face-to-face and hear your story. No matter where you are spiritually, I know that God loves you and is ready to show you how much He cares. You are His precious son or daughter and He wants to be close to you. So, how do you get closer to Him?

神通過先知與我們說話

縱觀歷史，神有通過先知來幫助他的孩子們——持有權力地透過教導和解釋神的話語來激勵人們。

您可以在聖經中讀到亞伯拉罕，諾亞和摩西等先知的故事，每一位都是神召喚來帶領祂的子民的。他們都教導關於天父以及如何回到祂身邊的知識。每個跟隨這些先知的人都有福了。不幸的是，很多人都不願意聽他們的話以及悔改。他們拒絕相信神，並選擇與神保持距離，因此失去了上神所應許的祝福和保護。他們發現自己處於靈性混亂和黑暗狀態之中，稱為“叛教”。

在這一生中，很容易會因為要面臨的許多選擇和考驗而變得不知所措，沮喪或困惑。有時，我們對已經已做出的決定感到內疚。我們可能會因某種個人背道而感到與神分離。值得慶幸的是，基督使我們有這個可以從過去的每一個傷口中得到治愈，並重新開始的可能。

耶穌基督，世界的救主

After a long period of disbelief, or “apostasy,” Heavenly Father sent His son, Jesus Christ, to represent Him here on the Earth. During Christ’s life, He was baptized, established His Church by choosing twelve Apostles, served others, performed miracles, and showed us the true path to return to heaven.

Most importantly, Christ suffered and died to give recompense for our mistakes and offenses, giving us an opportunity to repent—which means to change our thoughts and actions to become more like Jesus Christ. That sacrifice is called the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He compensated for our shortcomings. Even the spelling of “Atonement” suggests that we can be “at one” with Heavenly Father. Thanks to Jesus Christ, all of us can repent and become at one with God again. We can be freed from the guilt, sadness, and pains of the past. That’s why Jesus Christ is the Savior—He lovingly provided a way for you and me to be 救恩。.

當我們選擇按照祂所要求的來調整自己的生活方式時，我們在生活的方方面面都會蒙福。我們承諾，只要我們真誠地悔改，我們就會得到原諒。

我遠非完美,每天都要悔改，努力製止不良習慣，養成良好的。這是一個令人滿意的，愉快的改進過程。即使我搞砸了，我也知道我可以再試一次。

大叛教

Sadly, just like before, many people rejected Christ as the Son of God. After His death, they killed many of His followers. Over time, the authority to lead God’s Church was lost from the Earth entirely. Lots of different opinions got mixed in with the true teachings of Jesus regarding crucial topics such as His sacrifice, baptism, Church organization, and prayer. Thousands of churches were formed, each with its own perspective on God. The centuries afterward are known as the Great Apostasy because the complete truth didn’t exist anywhere on Earth.

在那幾個世紀的混亂中，許多好人都在尋求接近神，卻不知道應該怎麼找。很多聖經中的記載也逐漸被改變或丟失。最終，為了澄清祂的教導和幫助他的孩子們進步，神通過一個現代的先知提供了進一步的光和見解。

基督教會的複興

As said in the beginning, God loves us. He wants each of us to know how to come back home to Him. As a loving Father, He would not let His children be confused forever. After many years, a young man named Joseph Smith prayed for truth and wisdom, and God answered his prayer. Through Joseph Smith, God restored His one true Church and later called Joseph to be His prophet.

約瑟·斯密於1820年居住在紐約。他研究了多種宗教，但對教義之間的差異感到困惑。兩位傳道人可以閱讀聖經中的同一段落卻對神對人類的要求得出相反的結論。他們怎麼可能同時都是對的呢？哪個版本才能讓他回歸與神同住呢？

約瑟在這些和其他問題上苦苦掙扎，擔心今生過後會發生什麼。他想確保自己按照神想要的方式生活，而不僅僅是跟隨別人想要的。有一天，他讀了聖經中的一段經文，得到了不可思議的諾言：

“你們中間若有缺少智慧的, 應當求那厚賜與眾人, 也不斥責人的神, 主就必賜給他。” （雅各書1:5，欽譯本聖經）

約瑟·斯密決定這樣做。他去了一個僻静的地方，跪了下來，向天父祈禱，求問他到底應該加入哪個教會。因為他以謙卑和信心祈禱，所以得到了一個非同尋常的答复。他用自己的話描述了這個經歷：

“我看到了一道光柱，正在我頭上，比太陽的光還亮，緩緩地降落下來，直到落在我身上...當光停留在我身上時，我看見兩位人物，其光輝和榮耀無法形容，站在我上面的空中。其中一位對我說話，叫著我的名字說，指著另外一位，“這位是我的愛子，聽祂說！ ” （約瑟斯密 -歷史 1:16–17；也請閱讀 1-15） （約瑟夫·斯密——歷史 1:16–17;另見第 1-15 節）

God and Jesus Christ visited him in person and told him that none of the churches in that time had the complete truth. The religious leaders of the day didn’t have the authority to direct God’s Church, baptize, or interpret the scriptures. They called Joseph Smith as a prophet to 來復興 the true Church of Jesus Christ—the same one that He established while He was here. They authorized him to baptize people, call twelve Apostles, and translate God’s word found in the Book of Mormon.

改革和復興的區別是什麼？

To reform means to modify an existing organization. To restore means to reestablish the original exactly as it was before. God has restored His Church—the same one that Christ set up—on Earth once again.

摩爾門經：耶穌基督的另一本約書

The Book of Mormon is a book of God’s word, similar to the Bible. Each book’s primary purpose is the same: to testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that all people can be saved through Him. The Bible tells of God’s dealings with people in the Eastern hemisphere, and the Book of Mormon tells of God’s dealings with people in the ancient Americas. It doesn’t replace or contradict the Bible in any way—in fact, the Book of Mormon supports and clarifies the Bible’s teachings, and encourages all to read it. The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith from the original record, written thousands of years ago, and preserved until now.

My favorite part is towards the end (page 427), when Jesus Christ visits the people of the Americas after His resurrection. Just like He did in Jerusalem, He taught, healed, and prayed with the people. He knew their names. He listened to their heartaches and invited them to be baptized. I know Christ does the same for me. He loves 每一個人， 不管他們是誰，住在哪裡，或者在哪裡出生。

摩爾門經改變了我的人生。當我閱讀它時，我充滿了喜悅和安慰。我知道這是真的。當我研究它並運用它的教義時，我比我生命中的任何時候都更加接近基督。它使我度過了最艱難的時期。我知道您可以閱讀並了解神對您和您家人的計劃。就像我一樣，當您知道您正在做神想您做的事情時，您也會感受到那種直到難以形容的平安。

那接下來呢？

您可能會對我們在這裡談論的內容有所疑問或擔憂。我衷心的邀請很簡單：來看看。如果您感覺很好和很對，那就來看看吧！您是神的孩子，有著無與倫比的才能、能力和潛力。有很多好的事可以做，並且我們需要您的幫助。

With all of my heart, I invite you to come and stay. Come join this joyful family of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You will find a sense of belonging and happiness that you’ve never considered possible.

You don’t have to wonder if this is God’s only true Church, or if the Book of Mormon is true. You don’t have to wonder what God expects of you. You can know for certain that He loves you and all of His children.

在摩爾門經中，一位名叫摩羅乃的古美洲先知邀請我們自己找出答案。他說：

“當你們蒙得這些事，我勸告 [邀請] 你們要奉耶穌基督的名求問神，

Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:4-5, Book of Mormon page 529).

向天父祈禱，真誠地求問祂我所說的是否是真的。我向您保證，如果您願意聽，祂會跟您說話的。祂會用聖靈的力量來回答您。注意您的想法和感受，聆聽祂的聲音。我知道您會感受到祂的愛。您將會像我一樣知道，祂為您準備了一個永恆的計劃，並且已經透過祂的兒子耶穌基督而提供了一個方法來完成它。