Having read the article, I began to ponder on some of the things that were said. The more I thought about it, the more I found myself having a desire to... how to put it? Speak my mind, I suppose.
I am not comfortable voicing my spiritual beliefs in such a broad forum, as a rule. This blog is semi-anonymous and uses a pseudonym for the author specifically for the sake of protecting the privacy of myself and my family. After all, with such wide and open means of communication in this day and age, anything you say can have a nasty habit of coming back to bite you in the behind later. Whether that be by way of someone checking up on you and then acting in a discriminatory or evenly possibly outright hostile way toward you, or for the risk of being quoted out of context and having your words twisted. I don't like either option. Who would, really?
I admit on a semi-regular basis to anyone who knows me that I am religious, and that I am of the LDS faith, though with most people I know, I follow it up by saying "but I'm not what I'd call a 'good Mormon.'" I say that because I hate the idea of people using me as a judge of what the LDS faith stands for. Seems a very unfair comparison. After all, I sometimes do things that are not in accordance with what I believe to be best. Or in other words, I'm a normal, in most respects average, and regular old sinner. Human as the next man.
I realize further that it is something of a cop-out to say all that, as it sounds - to those unfamiliar with me - like I'm trying to make a quasi-complex legal document for my behavior and the justification thereof. Yep, I could agree that is possible.
But I think it is fair that I state some things, seeing as this blog is my forum to say what I think, and if you came here and bothered to read this far, you must have enough curiosity to want to know what I think on this matter. You could have flipped to another browser page by now, or turned on the TV instead, or went to YouTube and watched a Sad Cat Diary video or something. But you didn't. So what comes next, you gave tacit consent to. Spare me your complaints about my beliefs in any pejorative terms. You chose to read this far. That's on you, as the people say.
For the record, I believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have what we Mormons call a testimony (see the third definition for clarification on the term, if you are unfamiliar) of the things I believe in, due to experiences in my life too private and sacred to disclose to the entire world. But through my experiences, some while participating in church activities and some through what can only be described as simple inspiration while attending to day-to-day life, I have felt the reassurance that the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are true.
Though the LDS Church is oft-maligned for being "not Christian," the teachings of the Church have led me to a firm faith in the birth, ministry, death, resurrection and divinity of the Savior Jesus Christ. I know there is a God above who sent Christ to this world, and someday I will have to stand before God, the Father of all mankind, and account for the life I have lived.
I have studied for myself the life and writings of the man Joseph Smith. I have read the Book of Mormon. I have exercised faith and prayed to know if the one was called of God and if the other was His holy word. I feel that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I feel the Book of Mormon to be scripture. I have lived almost four decades on this planet, and have never felt as though anything I was asked to do or to believe in from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was in any way unholy, incorrect, impure or misleading.
Say what you will of me and my faith. Perhaps you think I am misguided, or perhaps you can point to a fault in me directly and say that it is the reason I would follow a "cult" like the Mormons. Say what you want. Certainly if you do, we can both agree on one thing, and that is that man has the ability to express himself (in my way of thinking it's a God-given ability), no matter what anyone else thinks. It is fundamental to our existence as human beings. We think, we speak, we are.
And furthermore, I invite anyone who can do so to try for themselves, in a genuine spirit of inquiry, as tho whether the LDS Church is right or wrong, good or bad. I believe that if a person takes the time to learn of the Church from a fair source, the very least they will do is come away feeling that it is just another religion, trying to do good, and perhaps sadly misguided in all the effort, but without malicious intent or wickedness. People do make mistakes, ALL of us, but to me, the Gospel is sublime.
On the other hand, if true effort is made, and a desire to know whether the Church is true or not is there, I am sure answers will be found. Whether the inquirer has the personal fortitude of character to live up to that knowledge once they have discovered it, is... well that's on them. But anyone can receive a Divine witness of these things for themselves, if they so wish.
As for those who would spend effort to malign The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, its members, its leaders - past, present or future - its teachings, and its status in the world, I say two things: First, if you have so much time to waste against the "Mormons," what does that say about the foundation upon which you stand?
And second, I say we should set aside enmity and do our best to get along. For I know this as well: the world is a rough place. I am ignorant of so much of the bad in it - thankfully, I might add - and yet what I know of it... if you have the ability to do good, then for heaven sake, DO IT.
There are so many people out there right this moment who are being hurt or are hurting others, and many of them just don't know much better. There is so much depravity, and it is probably beyond our ability to stem the tide. But like in the story of the man who was walking along the seashore covered in starfish, and saw the little boy tossing one starfish at a time back into the water, and told the boy, "What good are you doing? You can't save them all," to which the boy tossed another starfish into the sea and then repli, "I helped that one," we can do something.
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life. - Buddha
Since many of you do not belong to the Catholic Church and others are non-believers, from the bottom of my heart I give this silent blessing to each and every one of you, respecting the conscience of each one of you but knowing that each one of you is a child of God. - Pope Francis
I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is. - Albert Camus
Our lives are the only meaningful expression of what we believe and in Whom we believe. And the only real wealth, for any of us, lies in our faith. - Gordon B. Hinckley
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you - Jesus Christ
The parting comment:
Having mentioned the Sad Cat Diary video in my post, I just had to include it here. Kudos to my sweetheart for showing it to me a few months back. Coincidentally, the cat who resides at our home (there is some debate as to whose cat he is, as he was originally my wife's but seems to prefer me for some crazy reason) has been doing his fair share of mopping lately, since my wife decided it is too cold for him to go outside at night anymore. The yowling and door scratching would be humorous.. if it didn't happen so much overnight.
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