After All That Has Been Said

After All That Has Been Said

Posted on 7:20 PM by Unknown | 1 comment

The post this week was written by James Hinkson:

“After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel.”

-The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. 

I’ve been called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Often when people hear about Mormon missionaries their natural first question is something along the lines of, “why do they do it?” It can be hard to understand why so many young men and women give up two years of their lives to go and teach others about Christ. I hope to speak on behalf of many, if not all of those missionaries. 

We serve because we know our Father in Heaven. We know that He lives, and that He loves us. That He sent His son to this earth to die for us. We serve because we love Him, and we are grateful to Him for all He has given us. We serve because as we have grown to love our Father in Heaven, we also have grown to love all of His children, and we hope to invite as many as possible to come and know of Him, and of His goodness. 

The purpose of missionary work is simple and straightforward. Our purpose as missionaries is to invite others to come to Christ. What does it mean to come to Christ? Ultimately it means to receive the saving ordinances, such as baptism, and to become like Him, or in other words to become “perfect in Christ.” (Moroni 10:32-33)

Becoming perfect in Christ is a process. It begins with Faith in Christ. Faith is a belief in things unseen which are true (Alma 32:21), so faith in Christ means believing that He lives, believing that He loves us, and believing that He suffered on the cross for our sins so that we can repent. 

Repentance is the second step in coming to Christ. We don’t receive forgiveness by relying on our own works or merits, but we receive forgiveness by “relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.” (2 Nephi 31:19). As we repent, we are changed by the merits of Christ. His grace is able to change us, and as we change we become more like Him. In other words, we draw closer to Him. 

The next step in coming closer to Christ is to receive the ordinance of baptism by one who has authority of God. It must be a holder of the Priesthood who has been commissioned of Jesus Christ to baptize. After the baptism of water comes the baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost. As Nephi said, “I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.”

The Holy Ghost, as the third member of the Godhead, has the divinely specific role to testify of truth. (Moroni 10:5, [3-5]), and in filling that role He acts as our personal guide as we strive to endure to the end. 

As for myself I want to serve a mission because I know God lives. I have prayed to know if He is there, whether or not He knows me, and if He loves me. The Lord has answered all of my prayers. He has told me that He is there, that He does know me, and in experiences more powerful than anything else I’ve ever experienced on this earth, He has shown me that He loves me.

These are all things that all men and women everywhere can come to know as well. If you read the Book of Mormon, and if you search it looking for the truths and doctrines it contains, I promise you that those truths will begin to change your soul as they have changed mine. If you have the courage to sincerely pray and ask God, I promise you that He will bear the truthfulness of these doctrines to you through His Holy Spirit. 

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

-The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. 

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Mormons and Gay Marriage

Mormons and Gay Marriage

Posted on 4:40 PM by Unknown | 12 comments

I believe in marriage between a man and a woman. I do not support gay marriage. No, that does not mean that I am hateful or prejudiced in any way toward individuals with same-sex attraction. I love them like anyone else. But there seems to be a lot of talk about Mormons hating gays or being discriminatory toward them in some way. I understand there are a lot of beliefs out there, but the truth is that the Mormon church is against gay marriage, not gay people. I don't mean to cause contention or arguments by this post, but rather to reach an understanding of Mormon beliefs as they pertain to homosexuality.

Facing personal, sinful tendencies in life.

A key doctrine taught in the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints concerns our purpose in life, and is called the Plan of Salvation. This plan is God's plan for us to come to earth into families, gain bodies, experience learning and growth, and then to one day return to live with Him again. Linda S. Reeves, a well-known leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, further explained, "One reason we are here on earth is to learn to manage the passions and feelings of our mortal bodies." I would like to refer to these feelings we need to manage as "sinful tendencies".

Sinful tendencies include the cravings for alcohol, or tobacco, or the impulses to lie, cheat, steal, or kill. These sinful tendencies are a natural part of being mortal—everyone on this earth deals with them. Having these feelings is not sinful, but how we choose to respond to them can be. God has given us "agency", the power and privilege to decide for ourselves how we will respond when facing temptation (Doctrine and Covenants 58:28). When we give in to a sinful tendency, we are choosing sin, and we remove ourselves from God. But when we resist and choose obedience to God's commandments, we are blessed with peace, happiness, and added strength to withstand future temptations. Therefore, the tendency is not what matters, but rather how we act on it.

I don't mean to be simplistic with this example, but let's compare to gluttony. I have a sinful tendency to eat way too much. Sometimes I think to myself, “Just one more cupcake… that would only be like what, eight of them tonight? And I only had two cookies during lunch… these are just really yummy…” I confess, I struggle everyday; desserts are so good! But I certainly don’t feel close to God when I am lying on the floor in agony, completely sick to my stomach. Obviously, my friends who experience same-gender attraction are facing a very different issue, but regardless of circumstances, we are children of a loving, unbiased God who expects us to keep his commandments. He sees our potential to rise above our imperfections and resist our personal, sinful tendencies.  

Devotion to God and obedience to His laws.

The current issue of gay marriage is a heated and controversial topic in the world, but not in God's eyes. His standard is set.

My ancestor, Dorcus McBride (interesting name, I know), lived during a time of great discrimination and persecution against her faith. She witnessed the brutal mutilation of her father by corn knife in October of 1838 while living in Missouri. He was murdered solely on account of his being a Mormon. Despite this horrific memory, Dorcus never deserted her beliefs. She continued in the face of great hatred, and eventually made the 1300 mile trek to Utah with other pioneers.

When I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I made the promise to obey God’s commandments. Even when following Him is unpopular by the world’s standard, I cannot break my promise. I cannot support gay marriage. It's against God's law. I know such a defiant stance will bring persecution. But, like my ancestor, I will not desert my beliefs.

Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of the Twelve Apostles in the Church, said recently:

“Even if ‘everyone is doing it,’ wrong is never right. Evil, error, and darkness will never be truth, even if popular… Keeping divine commandments brings blessings, every time! Breaking divine commandments brings a loss of blessings, every time!”

We do not support gay marriage not because we hate or discriminate against gays, but because we believe God only approves of marriage between a man and a woman. We oppose gay marriage because we want to keep God's commandments.

Love and respect towards all of God's children.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:37-39). God wants us to love each other. 

Nobody is perfect. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are certainly not perfect. I have heard mean-spirited, discriminatory comments made by members of my faith. I have also heard unsavory remarks spoken by people of other denominations. In an ideal world, we would all treat one another with kindness, an ideal that members of the Church strive for.

Human nature would have us shun those who act or look differently than ourselves. But human nature is not God's nature. He loves all of His children and has created each of us to be unique. Our opinions, experiences, tendencies, and difficulties in life make us who we are. Despite our differences, I know that we are all, as children of God, more alike than we are different.

So there it is. I don't support gay marriage, and never will because of my belief in God’s unchanging laws on marriage. But God has also commanded that we love one another. Let us put aside our differences and focus on what we have in common!

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I Know Enough

I Know Enough

Posted on 11:55 AM by Unknown | No comments

This week is a guest post from Stephen Anderson:

I have recently pondered a question.  It is one of the most important questions we could ever ask ourselves.  That question is, “Why do I believe the things that I believe?”  Or in other words, “How can I really say I have a relationship with an all-knowing and all powerful being that I have never touched or seen?”

I can’t recall a time where I didn’t believe, or when I seriously questioned my assurance of what was truth.  From the time I was young, I knew there was a God, and I knew I had a personal and tangible relationship with Him.  Even from the time I was a child, I have felt His presence.

Feelings of knowing God and feeling His influence in our lives are both forms of revelation.  Revelation is any form of communication from Heavenly Father to us – His children. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we know that God still speaks.  We also know that God’s voice is not only available to Latter-day Saints.

Approximately a week before I was baptized a member of the church, I met with my Bishop (the leader of my local congregation) to determine if I was ready to be baptized.  Most members who grow up within the church are baptized at the age of eight (the age at which we become accountable to God for our thoughts and actions).  Baptism is essentially a way we show God we are committed to living our lives in harmony with His will.  After the Bishop invited me into his office, he looked at me and asked, “Stephen, why do you want to be baptized?”

I can’t recall seriously pondering that question before that moment.  I responded, “Because I know it’s what God wants me to do.  I love Heavenly Father and Jesus, and I want to do what they want me to do.”  I understood very little as an 8 year old.  But even as a young child I had always known in my heart that God wanted me to be baptized, and I wanted to do what was right.

A week later I was baptized.  As I was lifted out of the water, I felt the presence of God like I had never before felt.  I knew that He was there, and I knew that He knew me.  In that moment of incredible peace and warmth, I remember telling myself, “This is what God feels like.”  As I have lived my life, I have always tried to live in such a way that will allow me to feel the same closeness to God that I felt that day.

In 1820, a young boy by the name of Joseph Smith wanted to know God and to understand His will.  He prayed with a desire to know the will of God and act in accordance with God’s will.  As Joseph prayed, God and the Savior appeared to Joseph.  They knew his name, and they knew what he needed.  This event would lead to the formation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When I was 21, I had the opportunity to go to the very place where Joseph saw God and Jesus Christ.  I cannot describe the peace I felt as I prayed there with a similar desire to understand the will of God.  As I prayed, I was directed to a verse in the Book of Mormon: “O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good” (Alma 32:35).

You can have the same knowledge and assurance that He exists.  If you will ask with a sincere desire to know, you will feel Him in your life.  Your literal Father in Heaven desperately wants to have a personal and tangible relationship with you.  He will speak to you through feelings of love, joy, peace, and understanding. You will know that these feelings come from God.

I don’t know everything.  It is easy to understand why many people have questions and doubts about God.  There probably isn’t a member of the church that doesn’t have questions – myself included.  But, when the doubts and questions come, I rely on what I know in my heart.  I know what is real because I have prayed, I have studied, and I have pleaded with God for understanding.  He has spoken to me.  I have felt the presence of God in my life with such clarity that I can confidently say that I know Him.

And I know that you can know Him too.

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