I'm a MORMON

When you have a problem/lack of understanding with something like a computer or school assignment or car... etc... who do you go to in search of a solution? The person who created it, right? Of course. Well then who better to answer questions about yourself and life than the person who created it?

That's right---- God.

I'm about to attempt explaining my religion and why I believe in it. I know I won't say everything the way I want to and it will probably come out disjointed but please, try to understand what I am trying to to explain. I know mormons have a lot of lingo that only they use but I will try to not use those phrases.

And ASK QUESTIONS. Seriously-- please ask questions. I want to hear what everyone has to say. I want to understand how other people see religion. Especially the LDS religion. I won't be offended. Promise.

To start off-- "mormon" is a nickname based off of The Book of Mormon. The church is actually called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So for short I am LDS or Latter-day-saint.

We (LDS) believe in the godhead- God (or Heavenly Father), Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. We believe that they are 3 separate people who work together as one. We also believe that God and Christ have the bodies of men- that they are not just a spirit or presence.

We believe that we are responsible for our own personal sins and not for the sins of Adam and Eve or any past ancestors. We are each judged individually and are not responsible for the choices that others make.

We believe in what we call The Atonement- that Jesus Christ suffered every sin and pain and heartache and loneliness and died for everyone in order that if they have faith in him and act on those beliefs in righteous obedience they will be reunited with God in heaven. The Atonement is so much more than that too though. Because of what Christ did for me- I do not have to dwell on my pains because he has paid their price. If I sin- I can repent and move on. If I am heartbroken- I can let it go. If I screw up- I can be perfect again. If reading this you don't understand how big of a deal that is-- please, give it some thought.

We believe in what we call "the first principles and ordinances": 1- the principle of faith in God. 2- the principle of repentance. 3-the ordinance of baptism by immersion (being immersed by water) for the purpose of the remission (cancellation of a debt or charge) of our sins. 4- the ordinance of receiving the Holy Ghost- this is done by those who have the Holy Ghost already bestowed upon them passing this on to you. It's not that you have to have had the Holy Ghost passed to you in order to feel its presence- its the idea that once this is done you can have the Holy Ghost with you at all times as a comfort and guidance in your life if you are righteous rather than only some times.

We believe that men are specifically called of God to lead his church and that having the priesthood is required for men to prophesy the things of God and perform his ordinances. The priesthood is the power of God given to men in order that we may act for him.

We believe in the same church that existed in the Bible- prophets, apostles, pastors, teachers, evangelists.... We have the same church that existed in Bible times.

We believe that the power of God is on this earth. That people can "speak in tongues" and "interpret tongues" which often means that even though one doesn't speak a language they can miraculously speak it or understand it. I believe that this power is displayed in missionaries that go through training to learn new languages-- no other program has had the success in learning a new language as the missionary training centers have. We believe that men with authority can prophesy, receive revelations, have visions, and perform healings all through the power that God has given us.

We believe that the Bible is the word of God as long as it has been translated correctly. We also believe in the Book of Mormon which is an additional book of God in addition to the Bible that is a record of the righteous (and wicked) people that left Jerusalem starting in 600 B.C. and moved to the Americas.

We believe all that God has revealed to us, all that he is now revealing to us, and all that he will in the future reveal to us and that he will indeed reveal things in the future pertaining to our righteous efforts in returning to heaven.

We believe that the tribes of Israel spoken of in the Bible will some day be reunited, included the lost 10 tribes. We believe that a new Jerusalem known as Zion will some day exist in the American continent and that there Christ will return and rule. We also believe that the earth will be transformed back to its full perfection and become a part of heaven.

We claim the privilege of worshiping God how, where, and when we like and believe that all men may do the same (worship how, where, or what they choose) according to their own beliefs.

We believe in following, obeying, and sustaining (supporting or strengthening) the leaders that reign over us and the laws and rules given to us.

"We believe in being honest (free of deceit), true (loyal or faithful), chaste (abstaining from sex outside of marriage), benevolent (well meaning and kindly), virtuous (having high moral standards), and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say we follow the admonition of Paul-- We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things"

And why you may ask do I believe in all of this and more?

Well, I've asked myself that on several occasions. I've wondered if I am brain washed. I've wondered if I stay "mormon" because it is all I've ever known and I am too scared to walk away from such a huge part of my life.

I'll be honest-- there are a lot of things in my religion that I absolutely do not understand. One day though, I realized that was okay. I don't have to know and understand everything because I know and understand enough.

The thing I believe in the most-- temples. You know those beautiful white buildings that only select people can go into? Yeah those. Why? Because one of the things that takes place in temples are sealings. Sealings are when a family is joined together through the power of God forever as long as they remain righteous. Can you even imagine that? The people that you love more than anything else get to be with you forever. FOREVER. That's why LDS funerals are more fun than other funerals- because we know that some day we will see those people again. It's never goodbye. And ya know what? I KNOW that such a thing is possible and that it exists though the ordinance of sealing performed by those who have the priesthood.

I also believe in the Book of Mormon. I don't know how anyone who reads it can say it is not good and is something that Joseph Smith made up. That's just not possible. It is such an in depth book that contains so much. And its purpose? To testify of Christ. To aid all who read it in understanding and believing in Him.

The LDS religion holds so many answers and logically makes so much sense. But that's not how one knows if it is the correct religion or not. You have to put forth the effort in educating yourself in all it contains and then ask God if it is correct. And you'll feel something and understand and be at peace. It is not something that can be convinced of purely through logic and reason.

God exists. The world is filled with people who follow his example both in the LDS church and outside of it. It's a beautiful thing-- understanding your purpose and knowing that something so wonderful and perfect exists. It's more perfect than anything we could every truly understand.

Believe in miracles. I do.