Death

Death is a separation. The scriptures speak of two kinds of death: physical and spiritual. Physical death is the separation of the body and spirit, while spiritual death is the separation of humankind from the presence of God because of sin. Thanks to Jesus Christ, all mortals will overcome physical death and all who obey the Gospel will overcome spiritual death.

The Fall of Adam and Eve brought both kinds of death into this world (2 Nephi 2:22; Moses 6:48). Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ overcame physical death so that all mortals, regardless of how they live, will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:21-23). After being resurrected, our physical bodies can no longer die (Alma 11:45).

Jesus also provided a way for all people to overcome spiritual death and receive eternal life. Through His atonement and by obeying His teachings and commandments, we can become free from sin and become spiritually "alive" once again. Those who are spiritually "alive" will continue to make mistakes during mortal life, and will need to repent of those mistakes through sincere prayer, asking forgiveness, righting wrongs that may have been done to others, and trying to live better lives.

Those who refuse to repent of their sins will someday suffer a permanent spiritual death, being forever cut off from God's presence. This type of spiritual death is often referred to in the scriptures as the "second death."

Receiving Comfort after the Death of a Loved One

The death of a loved one often brings such questions as "why this?" or "why now?" Many times, the grieving process takes many months for a person to begin to trust God again, because we do not understand God's purposes and we may feel that He did not listen to our prayers. He does listen, and promises to comfort us as we approach Him in prayer. The Savior's promise as recorded in John 14:27 is true: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Mormons believe that life after death is a place of happiness, joy, and being with loved ones. This belief is not only about those who have joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but about all good people who have lived or are living on earth, and all children who have died in infancy or young childhood. After this life, the learning process that is a part of mortal life continues in a loving environment where we prepare for our own day of resurrection, when our spirit will be joined with an immortal physical body that lives on forever.

Because of these beliefs, a Mormon funeral expresses feelings of peace and comfort for close family members, friends and loved ones of the deceased, knowing that there will be a future reuniting that will be joyful. Also, it is a great comfort to know that the person who has died is able to be with other loved ones who have already died.