Im writing this post mostly because I've recently been seeing some antimormon things on the internet. I also really wanted to write down what being a Mormon means to me and for those non-lds folks out there, what it is exactly I/we believe. Every week I'm going to choose a new topic to touch on and maybe it'll help someone or myself understand.
First off I want to start off with of my least favorite assumptions. This is something that when ever I hear it I get a little frustrated because the answer is so obvious...at least to me. This is the assumption that Mormons are not Christians. When I hear some say this I always think that it's ridiculous that anyone could believe that but then I have to remind myself that most people have not ever been to a church meeting or even met a Mormon so I have to calm myself down. Now let me explain what we really believe. The obvious answer the this question is that yes, of course Mormons are Christians. The actual name of our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The name "Mormons" is a nickname for the people of the church. How we got that nickname I have no idea, it may have to do with The Book of Mormon but I really have no idea. Back on topic though, Christ is right at the center of our religion. If you ever go to one our meetings you will immediately see that Christ is pretty much the center of all that we believe. In my opinion I feel that one of the reasons in this misunderstanding is that we don't have crosses on our building, nor do we wear crosses. I have to be honest as a kid I didn't understand the reasoning behind this but as i've grown older I feel that i have a little better perspective on this. Now correct me if I'm wrong (because im still learning also) but I think that the reason that we don't have crosses is because we rejoice in the resurrection and the fact that Christ is a living being today. We believe that Christ was resurrected after he was crucified. Sure a lot of other religions believe this as well but we believe that he is still living and teaching today. This subject is something that I'm still trying to figure out for myself, like I said im still learning and I will always be learning. I don't know.
Something that people question us on is the reason why we don't drink, smoke, etc. We have been given a commandment called the Word of Wisdom. In this commandment it states that we are not to partake of substances that are harmful to our body. It lists many things including drugs, alcohol, hot beverages, and others. It also states what we should partake of. It also states that we are to go to bed early and arise early. We believe that our body is like a temple. Since our bodies are an amazing gift from God we have been commanded to treat it with respect and to not put harmful things into it or on it. An image that I have always had in my mind is that you would never go up to a temple, or any other beautiful building, and write all over it, or destroy it in some way. At least I wouldn't. This is what I think of as my body. If i wouldn't destroy the temple than why would I destroy my body? One thing that is very unclear in the subject is that many think that we are forced to abide by these rules. We are never forced to do anything. It is ultimately our choice to do what ever we want. When we came to earth we were all given free agency to do anything we pleased, whether it be good or bad. Heavenly Father (God) gave us the Word of Wisdom as a guideline on how to treat our bodies but it is ultimately my choice to abide by them.
Now, what does being a Mormon mean to me? It means a lot of things. I guess I'll have to start with how it has affected me in my life. I have no idea where I would be if I didn't have this amazing church in my life. It honestly scares me to wonder what I would be like without the church. I am so grateful and feel so blessed every day for having been born into the church. Being a member has greatly affected my life. It's helped me make certain decisions. I have chosen not to swear and to dress modestly. I have had to stick up for myself with this but I dont know how I could've done with my testimony of the Gospel. I live my life the way that I live it so I can become a better person. I live my life because I know that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father. I have struggled a lot with finding a testimony. My testimony is definitely still growing and it grows everyday. I haven't any amazing experiences of feeling the spirit tell me the church is true but when I pray I always get this overwhelming feeling that this is right. Being a member of the church is something that just feels right. That is enough right now for me. I know that the church is true and try to believe and understand everything that is taught to me. I have to admit that I honestly don't understand everything that I hear. I don't know why I some of the things I do. I don't know all the answers. One thing I do know is that God has a plan for me and if i stay faithful and strong He'll be there for me. I don't know why I have to go through the things that I have to go through but I do know that God has a greater plan and eventually I'll understand it all. I don't know but I'm just going to keep enduring through it and hopefully I make.
There are so many ways that being a Mormon has affected me. Way to many that I can't list them all. I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today with out the church. I am who I am today because of all the things that I have been taught.
Having those little reminders that it's all going to be worth it and feeling that warm fuzzy feeling of the spirit bearing witness of something Gives Me Hope and keeps me going everyday.
"Testimony—real testimony, born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost—changes lives." -M. Russel Ballard
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