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If you are not aware, you probably will be pleased to know that one of the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is: "We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the
same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." Consequently, I do not feel judgmental toward those who may call
themselves agnostic. They have their reasons of beliefs, and I am happy to share my perspective on why we believe the way we do.
You asked what happens to agnostics after death. Our belief is that like all of Heavenly Father’s children, when they die, their spirits
leave their physical bodies and return to the spirit world. There, they will rest from the cares of the world, and in that setting, they will
have the opportunity to hear and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness. They will have the opportunity to accept or reject
that gospel message. They will, like all of Heavenly Father’s children, eventually be resurrected; that is, their spirits will be reunited with
their physical bodies, just as Christ and His apostles taught. Their bodies will come forth in their "proper and perfect frame." They will
subsequently have the opportunity to meet the Savior and account for the quality of their lives when they were on the earth. From that
point, they will receive an eternal reward commensurate with the way they lived their lives based on the things they knew. Our Heavenly
Father and our Savior Jesus Christ are very loving, very fair, and very merciful.
You said that you found it difficult to believe in a Bible that was written so long ago, because stories and information passed down over
time from one person to another tend to get exaggerated or have information left out. That’s understandable. The difference is that the
writings of the prophets throughout the ages were carefully recorded and kept by succeeding prophets. We definitely believe that the
Bible is the word of God, as far as it has been translated correctly. But we also, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, we have additional scripture that came to us through other prophets in these latter days. One of the great things about this "other
scripture" is that it substantiates the things written in the Bible. It stands as a second witness of Jesus Christ and His teachings.
I’d like to make a suggestion. That second book of scripture is called the Book of Mormon. I would be happy to have one sent
to you, if you wish, so that you can take time at your leisure to study it. If its contents are true, the power of the Holy Spirit will testify
to your heart and mind that these things are true. It is conceivable, even though you are agnostic, that the experience will prove
to be a tremendous personal experience for you to come to know this new information. If I can be so helpful, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
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