What do Mormons believe about the purpose of life?
Mormons believe all men and women are children of Heavenly Father. We lived with Him in heaven in a happy state before we came to earth. We could not live like that forever, though, because in order to progress Heavenly Father knew we would need to be tested and experience the joys and heartaches of life on earth. He sent us to the earth to be tested. While on earth, we are born to earthly parents. We get physical bodies and have experiences that help us learn and grow. We make mistakes, though, and when we do we can be forgiven and forget about those sins if we repent. We must feel sorry for the sin and ask for forgiveness from the Lord. We must also strive to never commit that same sin. This process allows the power of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to cleanse us. This is part of the plan our Heavenly Father laid out for us. We come to know our Savior Jesus Christ through trials and through trying our best to live a righteous life, the kind of perfect life our Savior lived.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Savior made it possible for all people who accept His sacrifice to repent and be forgiven of their sins. The Mormon Church teaches that by taking all of our sins upon Himself and by dying for us, He paid the price for our sins, which price is required by justice.
In addition to living righteous lives and repenting of our sins, Mormons believe it is the duty of all to serve and love their fellow men. Mormon missionaries spread the message, contained in scriptures such as the Book of Mormon and Holy Bible, that Jesus Christ loves us all and He has restored His gospel on the earth. This gospel outlines the ways we need to pattern our lives so that we can receive blessings from the Lord. A purpose of this life is also to live in families and help the members of those families to feel loved and to be taught the correct principles of Christ’s gospel.
Mormonism teaches that those living on earth accepted the Father’s plan before coming down to earth. Although we’ve forgotten our pre-mortal life, we should do all we can to live close to Heavenly Father and obey His eternal and divine laws. We are all children of a Heavenly Father and Mother, and we can one day be like them and live with them. This will make us eternally happy.