Ideally, I'll write one blog per day, talking about something I'm grateful for. Some days may be more involved than others, because hey - life happens! But I'll try my very best to write about something every day.
Today, though, I want to start with the most important thing in my life. It's something that has been in the limelight quite a bit lately, thanks to politics, but it frequently is cast in a harsh, sinister light. It frustrates me every time that happens, because anyone who knows anything about this topic knows that there is nothing sinister about it.
Today I'm talking about the gospel; about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Some people make thing I'm crazy, listing my church as more important than, for example, my family. But the fact is, every other good thing I have in this life is a direct blessing from God. He is the center of everything. And, as it says in Matthew 10:37, "He that aloveth father or mother bmore than me is not worthy of me: and he that cloveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
So I don't think there's anything wrong with saying that the Savior (and His gospel) is the most important thing in my life.
With Mitt Romney running for the GOP candidacy at the moment, there has been a lot of examination of the Church. In general, that's not such a bad thing. It gives church members more opportunities to share their testimonies, for one thing. I'm sure there are probably more curious visitors to mormon.org lately, as well. For the most part, I think this spotlight on our faith is a good thing.
The unfortunate part, of course, is when anti-Mormon (and, frequently, anti-religion) "intellectuals" write opinion columns for major newspapers, bashing the LDS faith without a shred of evidence to back up their arguments. Clearly, they have done little, if any, research on the faith. And as far as I'm concerned, I don't think going to an excommunicated, anti-Mormon source is the best way to get a clear picture of what faithful, practicing Latter-Day Saints believe. Call me crazy, but that just doesn't seem like the brightest approach. On the other hand, of course, how can they get the smut they're so eagerly looking for if they talk to someone with a good opinion of the church? So I suppose I can see why they do it. But properly researched journalism it ain't. So let's not pretend that their opinion columns are anything short of bigoted, fallacy-ridden rants.
The problem is, of course, that many people in the country are not familiar with the LDS faith. So, when they read these articles, they assume that they're learning something true. Even in an opinion column, you'd assume that the author got the basic facts straight before forming an opinion on them. But that's very frequently not the case. So, unfortunately, a lot of misinformation is being spread around.
It doesn't surprise me. We're living in the latter days, after all, and Satan is doing everything in his power to lead people astray.
But please allow me to present an alternative view of the Church.
"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." That is our very first Article of Faith. For those of you unfamiliar with the Church, we have thirteen Articles of Faith that give a brief explanation of what we believe. And this is at the very top of the list. We believe in God. We believe that His literal son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, came to earth and atoned for our sins. We believe that He suffered for us so that we could repent of our very human shortcomings, and return to live with Him and our Father again when this life is over. We also believe that they provided a guide for us in this life - the Holy Ghost - to be our constant companion and help us make good choices.
Does that sound like an evil cult to you?
We believe in baptism, and repentance. We believe that we're responsible for our actions. We believe that it's important not only to have faith in God, but to act on that faith. We hold the Bible and the Book of Mormon close to our hearts, as we believe that both are divine scripture. We believe that God is unchanging, and the fact that he gave revelation to people in times past means that He is still capable of giving - and, in fact still does give - revelation. Similarly, we believe that as He spoke to prophets in times past, He speaks to prophets today. We have a prophet who leads our Church, just as prophets guided the church in days of old.
We believe in the very same gospel that Christ himself established when He lived on the earth.
We believe in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and helping those in need. Our Church is always one of the first on the scene to provide relief when disasters strike, all over the world. We have an active faith, one that requires us to go out and do good, and live Christlike lives; not just sit at home and profess faith.
How can you call such a Church "sinister"? Our gospel, just as the Savior's gospel, is all about love.
I can say with absolute certainty that my life is a joyful one. I love the Savior, and my Heavenly Father. I know that the things they ask of me - which sometimes seem restrictive and severe to people outside the gospel - are for my own good. I know from experience that by living my life as I'm asked to, I have been blessed. I have joy. I can't imagine that there are many people in the world who live happier lives than I do.
That doesn't mean that life is pain-free. There will always be trials, there will always be heartache. But those experiences only make me stronger when I'm willing to turn to God and rely on Him to help me through. God gives us trials, yes, but He also provides us with the love and support we need to overcome those trials, and to grow spiritually.
I'm grateful for the Gospel. It is the very best thing in my life. I wouldn't change it for anything. You may call me crazy, and call my faith "weird," "sinister," or even "a cult." But I know the truth. It's Jesus Christ's church here on earth. It's the most beautiful thing anywhere in existence, and those who choose to live their lives as faithful members are blessed beyond comprehension.
If there is anyone reading this blog who is unfamiliar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and would like to know more, I invite you to go to mormon.org and look around.
You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find there. :)
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