This blog entry is in no way meant to spark a political debate (regarding Mitt Romney) or to start an argument on whether Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, whether we are polygamists, whether woman are not treated equally or whether we are a cult and believe that we are the only ones who will be in Heaven. OF COURSE we believe in Jesus Christ. Any one who tells you differently is misinformed and ignorant. The name of our church is The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints. We believe in and read the King James version of the Holy Bible. We do not believe in or practice polygamy. Women are absolutely created equally.....men and women have different roles in our church but neither is more important than the other. It's like having two Vice Presidents in a corporation......both have different roles but they are equal and work together for a common purpose. Do you really think I would belong to a church that I was not valued or treated unequally or more importantly a cult? It's laughable......especially if you know
me. I am a self-determined and independent woman with a healthy self esteem and my religion
has a lot to do with that.
I love being a Mormon and I'll tell you exactly why. My religion has made me who I am. I have seen and experienced miracles in my life because of
the personal relationship I have been able to cultivate with Heavenly Father since I was a child. My mother joined the church when she was 16
and my father joined when I was 4 years old. I have been going to church literally since I was born. As a young girl in Sunday School, I learned to pray to God, to know the importance of baptism, the importance of being honest and treating everyone with kindness and respect.
As a young woman, I learned that I was a daughter of God. I learned to live my life by values which were: Faith, Divine Nature,
Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity and Virtue. I learned to study the scriptures and to find answers to my questions within them. I learned about repentance and forgiveness. I had Personal Progress goals that I
worked on and passed off and I attended a religion class every morning BEFORE High School. I firmly believe that the teachings I learned kept me safe and out of trouble. I was not perfect, but I stayed away from the dangerous things that some of my friends were involved in. I learned the importance of service to others and felt the first feelings of true joy when I was doing service for others.
As a young adult, I really began to understand the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for ME and that He is my advocate to the Father and that through Him I could be forgiven of my sins and short-comings. That I truly could lay my troubles at His feet when I had done all I could and know that He would take care of them. I learned to trust in His love for me and that prayers do get
answered.....maybe not how I thought they would, but that it was always for my greatest happiness. I learned that trials can be great learning experiences if I humbled myself and tried to figure out what it was that I was learning.
As an "older"adult (yah....not SOOO old, but old enough) I am learning the greatest lesson of all.......patience. I am learning that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are involved in my every day life and that as I pray and counsel with them, I can receive guidance and answers on how to live my life and that is the greatest realization.....to know that I CAN receive guidance and answers to prayers. I have learned the importance of fasting coupled with prayer and that miracles still happen when you ask and have faith and IF it is the will of God. Most of all, I have learned to trust in God and to believe that He knows what will make me happiest and not to fight against it.....because sometimes I think my way is better....but it NEVER is.
I love that my church teaches that family is the most important thing and that we can be together for ETERNITY. It just makes sense. I love that my church is concerned with my welfare and that I have people who check in on me once a month to make sure everything is ok. I love that there are programs in the church to strengthen the children, young adults and adults and that all of the programs bring you closer to Jesus Christ. As in every church, we are made up of people from all over the world, with different situations, personalities and experiences that have made us who we are. No one is perfect and quite honestly, I can't say that I love every person that I meet at church BUT, I do know that they are there doing the best they can in this life....just like me and that God loves them just the same. I know that I am in charge of my own salvation and although there are people to help me along the way and teach me principles to help me, it is up to me and my decisions and actions ALONE that will determine my eternal progression. I love that I can go to church on Sunday and be uplifted and taught the teachings of Jesus Christ and learn from His example. It helps me focus on the coming week with the knowledge that all I have to do is to pray to receive comfort, guidance and peace in dealing with life.
Yes, I am a Mormon and I love my religion. It has taught me the principles that I need to know to return to Jesus Christ and has helped me to be a better person, a repenting person, a forgiving person and a more patient person with an inner peace and joy even in the midst of trials. I love my Heavenly Father and I know that He loves me. I am his daughter and just like my earthly father did, He protects, guides and teaches me and all I have to do is listen. I look at my nieces and nephews and I am so happy that they have the church at a young age and can have the teachings that I did to help them through their lives. It comforts me knowing that they are armed with a powerful armor against all of the assaults this world will surely bring upon them. Life is hard but that doesn't mean you have to be unhappy. As President Gordon B. Hinckley once said "Life is to be enjoyed, not endured". I love my religion because it brings me true joy.
You can find out anything you want to know about Mormons on www.lds.org. There is a lot of false and ridiculous information on the web about Mormons so if you are curious, go directly to the source.
