Those Pesty Missionaries

Me in the park in Lugano, Switzerland  © Chad Card

This weekend, I was able to reflect on where I was and what I was doing ten years ago when the tragedy of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Flight 93 occurred on 9/11.  There is a part of me that wishes I was in the United States at the time, so that I could have been a witness to the heroism and great change I heard and read about and so that I could have commiserated with my family, friends, and nation.  The greater part of me, however, is glad I was not in the United States because I feel I was doing something far more important than feeling wounded by an event that was out of my control--I was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in Lugano, Switzerland at the time.

I don't want to get into the feelings I had ten years ago (you can read about them in my other blog), what I do want to discuss here is the type of work I performed as a missionary.  I have heard from some people that they believe the work of a missionary is to recruit people to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but that is not the case.  It would be a lie to say that missionaries don't want people to join the Church, but the goal of missionary work is not to increase enrollment for the mere want of greater numbers.  Although I also have to admit that to some missionaries the number of people they baptize on their missions does seem to be all that matters, the true goal of missionary work is to teach people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and allow every individual the opportunity to come closer to Him.

Franco continues to affect my life even after his passing  © Chad Card

I am actually of the opinion that the missions members of the LDS Church serve are 80%-90% for the spiritual growth of the missionaries and only 10%-20% for helping people come unto Christ.  I say this because it is impossible for a missionary to convince anyone to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make, often major, life changes to become a member of the LDS Church.  Religion is not an academically logical concept and no one can be truly converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through such logic.  If religion is not spiritual it is not true religion.  One comes to a real knowledge of Christ and His teachings through spiritual experiences and spiritual logic.  Humans can argue topics until they are blue in the face, but they are hard pressed to convince anyone to understand things as they do.  However, the logic of the Spirit (Holy Ghost) is so powerful that it is all but impossible to refute it.  People can close themselves off from the Spirit and shield themselves from His teachings, but if one is willing to open oneself to the Spirit, He can alter one's perceptions of life-long beliefs in an instant.  Missionaries know or should know that they do not convert people to the Lord.  The role of a missionary is to help people learn of the Spirit and to allow the Spirit to teach and alter people's lives.  Any missionary that tries to do otherwise will be unsuccessful.

I am a convert to the Church and I first came in contact with the Church through missionaries who knocked on my door one night in September of 1998.  I had no personal use for religion in my life, but I was still interested in different religions and I took this opportunity to learn about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Gospel of Jesus Christ that it taught.  I know from firsthand experience that the missionaries, although really great people, were not responsible for my eventual conversion.  They certainly helped teach me things that were helpful for me in order to learn how to feel and recognize the Spirit in my life, but it was the experiences I had with the Spirit that brought me to an acceptance of the gospel.  Once I joined the Church through baptism and confirmation, which allowed me to receive the Holy Ghost as a constant companion, the things of the Church and the Gospel that didn't make sense to me began to unfold and the gospel became so logical to me.  This is what I mean by spiritual logic--it is not what one can learn from books, but what is taught by the Spirit.

I became a missionary for the LDS Church not because it was forced upon me ( I was already 24 and it was not expected of me,) but because as I began to grow in my understanding of the gospel, I had an overwhelming desire to offer other people the same opportunities I had had to come to a knowledge of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost and the incredible joy this knowledge brings into one's life.  Prior to my experiences with the Gospel, I was a broken young man with many internal scars and an abundance of unhappiness and emptiness in my life.  Through the understanding I gained of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Atonement for me and for all of us, I was able to find healing for my wounds and a pure joy and happiness to fill the void of my life.  I had tried for at least a decade to find such a remedy, but the world and logic could and will never be able to provide it.  It is only through the atoning power of the Savior that this is possible.

Me with Wilma and Petra in Locarno, Switzerland  © Chad Card

I did not become a missionary to add more numbers to the rolls of Church membership, I became a missionary to allow others to experience the same healing and joy in life.  We live in a beautiful world unfortunately full of awful things and the ills of this world will never be solved by man-made means alone.  People need to be able to heal spiritually and rely on the strength that comes from God.  Without this, people become closed, hardened, and vengeful.  Until we as a species can learn to love people who are not related to us, who are different from us, who hail from different lands, speak different languages, and believe differently, we will never be able to have true peace and happiness in this world and have the eyes to really see how beautiful the earth and all of the creations upon it are.

Anziano Bennett, Muyiwa, and I at Muyiwa's baptism  © Chad Card

As a missionary, I had two years in which I was able to forget myself and my needs and focus on the needs of others.  Sure, I had a directive to bring the Gospel to others and I wanted to do this for the reasons I have already explained.  However, I was the one who was transformed by this experience, because I learned what it means to have compassion for those around me and to love people unselfishly.  There is only one way to gain this and that is through service.  There is a reason we call it missionary service and not recruitment in the Church, because that is what it is--it isn't service to the Church, but service to God's children on this earth.  It is through service to others that we come to know how magnanimous God's love is for us and we learn that we have the same capacity to love others as He loves us.  The people I served in Italy and Switzerland will forever be etched in my soul and the love I have for them is eternal.  How great would our world be if we could all understand the true power of selfless service and love of which Jesus Christ is the greatest example?!

I apologize if this post seems too preachy, which is not the intent of this blog, but there really is no other way to convey what missionary work is.  It is my hope that this will help others understand why members of the LDS Church decide to serve missions and will help reduce the knee jerk reaction some people have when they see LDS missionaries.  This was not a comprehensive description of missionaries or missionary work, so if you would like further details, please leave a comment.
 

Putting Women in Their Place

UPDATE: I was just reflecting on the title of this blog and when I first started it, I was referring to the ignorance of others. I did not expect that my own ignorance would also be included. When I wrote this post, I was in a different place emotionally and spiritually. I was angry with the positions I was hearing about the Church that did not conform to what I had been taught and had come to believe and so I began this blog from a position of defense and anger and that is never a good place to begin trying to share truth with others. I must first apologize for any hardships I may have caused with this blog in general and this post specifically. I have recently come to understand, and I'm sorry I didn't recognize this sooner (although maybe I did, as I explain a little in this post, and I just got caught up in what the Church and the Gospel had to offer me), that the Church is full of mixed messages. For the purposes of this post I will just focus on women and the priesthood. Church leaders teach that women are the greatest of all of God's creations and that they are to be protected and honored. This sounds great and I don't think that anyone disbelieves the sentiment that is intended by these teachings, however, the reality is the structure of the Church does not reflect the teaching. Women are reminded at least on a weekly basis that men are the leaders and even the Relief Society remains under the purview of a man. I am only writing this to share my new understanding and not to bash the Church, but the institutionalized prejudice that exists in the Church is a constant reminder to those who are aware, that women are not appreciated as much as is taught. Whether the structure is divine or not does not change the fact that women see the same biases, with which they are confronted everyday, in the one place they are supposed to be able to find peace and rest from the storms of the world. I still believe in the divine nature of the priesthood because I have witnessed its power firsthand. I have no answers to what needs to change to make things better, because I am not about to dictate to God what He should do. However, it seems to me an all loving Heavenly Father would be able to recognize and alleviate the pains that His Church causes many of His children on a daily or weekly basis. When the sanctuary becomes the oppressor, it can no longer be called a sanctuary, no matter how divine!


I apologize for the outrageous title, but I like it because it can be interpreted in very different ways.  I have a feeling that many people think the LDS Church and Mormon men are out to put women in a position of lesser status and subjection. In myth #4 of the article that urged me to start this blog, which is entitled Mormon women are second-class citizens, the author writes: "It is true that mainstream Mormonism does not accord women equal status with men."  She proceeds to demonstrate this by referring to the hierarchy of the Church and claiming that all "clerical, institutional and fiscal authority" is completely male.  She also discusses how women cannot hold the priesthood that boys, once they turn 12, and men in the Church can possess.  If you look at the Church as a corporation that should legally offer equal opportunity to all those who apply, work, and are promoted there, this author is correct in assessing that women are not treated equally.  Luckily, the Church is not a corporation as it pertains to the spiritual nature of the organization.  The Church certainly has a business side to it and both men and women are employed by the Church. There are also many women that have supervisory positions over men in this capacity.  However, since the Church as an employer is not the focus of the article or of what people think about the Church when considering the role/place of women within the Church, I will stop here with any further mention of employment.

Returning back to the claims made by Joanna Brooks, the author of the article I'm referencing, she doesn't understand the structure of the Church in my opinion.  It is true that the hierarchy of the Church is based around the priesthood and that priesthood offices are held by men.  I understand the issue for those who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because to them the organization is man made and under such direction there is clear sexism at play.  However, for those who believe in the doctrines of the LDS Church, the organization is divinely appointed by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I have to admit, when I was learning about the Church, one of the issues I had was the inability of women to hold the priesthood.  I think women are more spiritually in tune and far stronger than men in most aspects of life.  However, I witnessed the priesthood in action and had an indescribable experience that convinced me of the power of the priesthood and I no longer doubted its organization or its origin.  What I have come to understand is women in general are closer to spiritual things than men and women are able to bring to pass great things based on their faith alone, where as men require the priesthood to bring them closer to spiritual matters and to accomplish similar things as women.  Unfortunately, people consider the priesthood the ultimate prize or status and distort what it is all about.

The priesthood is not about obtaining glory and fame through possible callings in the priesthood.  The sole purpose for the priesthood is to come to the aid of others.  Of course there are men in the Church who aspire to what one might consider a great calling like bishop, stake president, mission president, or apostle, but these men as misguided and do not understand the priesthood.  There is no higher glory that one can receive if one is an apostle as opposed to a greeter at the door to the chapel.  Those who think differently are deluded and will probably fall away from the Church at some point in their lives.  Those men and women who don't understand that the priesthood is solely a power of service will never grasp why both sexes don't hold it.

The Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the oldest and largest women's service organization in the world.  The plain truth is that women in general have a greater disposition to provide service to others and they don't require the priesthood to motivate them in this manner.  Men have the priesthood so that they have to be of service and learn of the spiritual blessings that come from selflessly giving of one's time and talents to help those in need.  Are men and women created equal?  Of course not, but that doesn't make one gender better than the other.  There is no disputing that there are fundamental differences between men and women, both physical and emotional.  This world would be a horrid place if we were all the same.  The gospel of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the prophets and apostles inform us that woman, not man, is God's greatest creation.  President Gordon B. Hinckley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints described women as follows:  "Woman is God’s supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good."

Ms. Brooks also mentions how men "preside" over their families and believes this to be sexist.  What she has clearly misunderstood, is that presiding does not mean that the man has the final say on all issues in the family.  When a man and a woman are married in the temple they are both joined together in the patriarchal order of the priesthood, which is the highest level of priesthood that anyone on the earth can obtain.  It is impossible to receive it alone, it must be received as a man and a woman are sealed together in matrimony in the temple.  The woman shares in this priesthood, which is used to govern and bless one's household and family.  Both husband and wife are to discuss all the issues of the house together and to come to a decision on how to proceed.  The husband's role of presiding is to make sure that this counseling with his wife occurs and that what they decide through discussion and prayer is implemented.  Again, there are men who believe that because they hold the priesthood and are to preside over their families that they can do whatever they want and make their wives and children submissive to their own will.  This is a direct violation of the priesthood and in the Doctrine and Covenants (one of the books in the LDS scriptural cannon) section 121:34-46 we read:

34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—

36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.

39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.

40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen.

41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

Ms. Brooks and her "Mormon feminists" reject the priesthood as it is constituted, but then she must reject the entire Church for the priesthood is the power and authority of God used to organize the Church.  There is no Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without the priesthood and there is no point in treasuring up aspects of the Church that are pleasing to one's conscious if one flatly rejects the fundamental principles of its doctrine.  I have a feeling Ms. Brooks needs to study her religion more carefully before she makes more comments that actually negate her beliefs.  I would also entreat anyone who reads this and questions what I have said about the priesthood to seek out opportunities to see the priesthood in action and find out if it is truly divine, which I believe it is, or if it is another oppressive creation of man.  Finally, I would like to reiterate that a woman's place in the Church and in life is at the highest station, because she is a daughter of God and she should be treated as such!

Quick Comparison: Who Is Jesus Christ

I realize that my last post in response to the question "are Mormons Christians?" may have been too convoluted to give anyone a clear picture in order to determine the answer to this question.  I decided to put together a brief synopsis of the basic beliefs about Jesus Christ of different Christian churches to allow you to compare them with the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This is not an exhaustive list, but I hope this helps anyone that may have found my last post hard to follow.  I am not an expert on all religions, so I went to different websites sponsored by the religions listed below in order to make each summary.  If you click the title of each belief system, you will be taken to the page from which I extracted this information.


Roman Catholic Beliefs
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second member of the Trinity, and He is eternal.
Jesus was a real man possessing a body and a soul. He became man in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He was like all of us except that He was sinless.
Although Jesus is one person he has two natures-one divine and one human.
He came to this mortal life to free the rest of us from sin and provide us with a way back to God and everlasting life.

Baptist Beliefs
Jesus Christ is part of the Trinity, which is one God.  Jesus has a divine and human nature.
The sacrifice of Jesus--His crucifixion, death and burial--along with his resurrection are important aspects of salvation and were required for us to know salvation and eternal life with God.
Jesus is the Lord of both the church and the individual and our lives are subject unto to Him.

Methodist Beliefs
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, which means that God was in the flesh on the earth.
Jesus was also completely human like us, prone to the same frailties that we are.
Jesus is God's Chosen One, who brings salvation to all.
Jesus is our Lord and has dominion over the world.  We should submit ourselves to Him.
Through Jesus' sacrifice of his life on the cross and His resurrection, we can be freed from sin and find eternal life with God.

Presbyterian Beliefs

Jesus Christ is both divine and human in one person.  God became flesh in Jesus in order to be able to save us. Jesus is the center of everything and the mediator between us and God.

Jesus suffered and gave His life to overcome the sins of the world and as a reward, God raised Him from the dead, which broke the bonds of sin and death and gave us eternal life.

Evangelical Beliefs

Jesus Christ is God the Son, born of Mary, possessing both divinity and humanity.

He died as a sacrifice for our sins.

He was resurrected with a physical body and is our mediator with God the Father in heaven.

Jesus will return in his physical body to the earth and establish His kingdom on the earth.

Latter-day Saint (Mormon) Beliefs

Jesus Christ is Son of God the Father in the flesh. He is divine as the Son of God, but He was also mortal as the Son of Mary.  Working under the direction of God the Father, He created the earth.

The suffering of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross paid the price for our sins if we follow Him.  

Jesus Christ was resurrected and His resurrection not only made Him victorious over death, but ensured that we will all be resurrected and live after death.

He is our mediator with God and through Him we can have eternal life.

Are Mormons Christians?

 From the Book of Mormon: Alma 7:10-13
10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

 13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Are Mormons Christians?  This has been a question that has graced the titles of books and newscasts for many years, especially with the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, Jr.  I understand the public interest and the desire to know the answer to this question, because the US was built upon Christian principles.  Some may argue against this and say that Thomas Jefferson wasn't a Christian (which is not true, he didn't agree with some of the teachings of the Bible or different religious sects, but he still followed the teachings of Christ,) but the bulk of the evidence indicates the Founding Fathers were practicing Christians and the country they helped to shape was built upon moral principles derived from their beliefs.  Even if this is all false, it is what most of us have been taught since we were young and it continues to provide an undercurrent for our perceptions, especially when it comes to electing a president.  If this were not true, candidates would not make such a point to proclaim their belief in God and their strong Christian values.

I'm sorry, this was a long-winded way of saying that although we are a secular nation, we are also a nation that has strong religious beliefs and we as a nation make strong judgments based on what other people believe and how diligently they live according to those beliefs.  From what I've witnessed, Americans are OK with people who are religious as long as they aren't too religious.  They are also OK with people who don't believe in God as long as those people don't try to take God out of everything.  What we have is a nation that hates religious extremes because we find our independence and individuality (that we are taught throughout our lives) challenged by the extremes and we don't like it.  We also find the extremists dangerous and there is plenty of evidence to support our fears.  What we as humans are so good at doing is creating categories by which we organize our world and religion is no exception to this rule.  We have internal checklists that let us know what type of label we place on people, which ultimately determines what type of interaction we will have with the individuals who enter into our lives.

So, what does this have to do with answering the question posed in the title of this post?  It has quite a bit to do with it.  The term Mormon is a label and it conjures up images for us when we read or hear it.  Those who aren't Mormon probably first think of polygamy, missionaries who invade their privacy, those weird Utahans, or any number of things that have little to do with what it actually means to be Mormon.  However, the labels we create, whether right or wrong, are the ones by which we live.  Many have been taught who Mormons are and what they believe and many have also been taught that Mormons are not Christians.  Arguments to support this include the Mormon practice of polygamy during the early years of the Church, the use of additional scriptures like the Book of Mormon, and the most common argument is that Mormons do not believe in the same Jesus Christ as the one in whom Christians believe.  This is the argument on which I am going to base the rest of this post.

Satan

Yesterday, I made mention of an article and the subsequent comments that prompted me to write this blog.  Username blert posted a comment that reads:

"The answer to the question of whether Mormons or Christians is by far the worst here. Mormons, including the author here, like to claim that they are Christians because they use the name of Christ. However, I can say that I am a dog-owner because I call my pet a dog, but any actual dog-owner would look upon me with a bizarre expression and note that what I call a dog is actually a guppy. What Mormons call "Jesus Christ" does not remotely correspond with the Jesus Christ that Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant Christians worship. The Mormon Jesus is the brother of Satan and, in essence, of all of us because the "Heavenly Father" begat all of us, with the Mormon Jesus as his firstborn, in the celestial realm, with the job on earth now to give bodies to these celestially birthed beings. Sorry, but this isn't how Christians describe God or Jesus whatsoever. They can use the same names, but this doesn't mean that they are talking about the same thing, and it doesn't make them "Christians" in any orthodox or theological sense of the term." (I made no changes to the post so any errors are those of the original author).


Username blert is right about one thing, Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Protestants do not often teach that Satan was a son of God and a brother to Christ and the rest of us.  Most Christian churches don't teach much or anything at all about what life was like before this earthly life, because the Bible doesn't really say much about it, which makes it hard to teach about.  However, just because it doesn't say much about it, doesn't mean it isn't real or there.  When I was in high school, I was never taught about antimatter in my chemistry and physics classes, because at that time it was not well documented.  Does that make the most recent reports about an antimatter belt around the earth science fiction, because I was never taught it in school? Of course it doesn't, but it does mean I need to adjust my perceptions of the universe.  Just because Mormons propose Jesus Christ had a brother named Lucifer, who later became known as Satan after his rebellion, this does not change the character of Jesus Christ, but adds something that people might not have heard before or considered.  If we look at a few scriptures from the Bible, we will see that their is evidence for this belief.  In Isaiah 14:12 (the King James version) we read: 

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!


I'm sure I will have a post solely about Mormon beliefs on the fall of Lucifer and the pre-mortal life, so I will not analyze the surrounding verses here.  From this verse, we learn that Lucifer was once in heaven.  He didn't infiltrate heaven or attack it from hell, but he actually lived in heaven and was considered the "son of the morning."  Does this mean he was God's son, not necessarily, but reason should tell us this.  Christians believe that Christ was the son of God, they also believe that people on earth are the sons and daughters of God and if they don't they haven't read Romans 8:16-17, which states:


16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children of God, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.


Now, if we are children of God, and Christ is a child of God, it makes sense that Lucifer, who lived in heaven with God and was the son of the morning, was also a son of God, which makes him a brother to Christ and us all.  Revelation 12:8 also tells us that after the war with Michael in heaven, "neither was their place found any more in heaven," which confirms Lucifer/Satan lived in heaven before he rebelled and was cast out.  I think the greatest fear Christians have about believing that Satan is a child of God is understanding how a perfect being like God could create an atrocity like Satan.  People almost have to believe that Satan and God have always existed in their respective forms of evil and good, which these scriptures show is not the case.  Does this delegitimize the the goodness and greatness of God or Jesus Christ? No!  There are many parents and siblings in this world and throughout time that were good, but who had a child or sibling become a person that we might label as evil.  Does this make the parents or siblings evil by association? Again, the answer is no!


Jesus Christ

Username blert never managed to really say what Mormons believe about Christ himself and that is the basis for him saying Mormons are not Christians.  I will share with you what Mormons believe about Jesus Christ and you can answer the question for yourselves.

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the child of Mary--born in Bethlehem in the most humble of circumstances.  We believe he was raised by Mary and Joseph, that he taught scholars in the temple when he was a young boy, that Satan tried to tempt him and failed, that he called people to follow him who later became his apostles, that he healed the sick, the blind, the deaf and cast out demons.  We believe Christ taught the principles of salvation and helped us understand our purpose in the eyes of God.  We also believe that their were many in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas who were threatened by Jesus and did all they could to persecute him and bring him to his death, which happened on a cross at Golgotha on Calvary.  We also believe that after he was entombed for three days, he was resurrected and showed himself unto his followers and he later ascended into heaven.  The death and resurrection of Christ broke the bonds of sin and death and made it possible for all of us to find forgiveness from God for our weaknesses and to return to Him in heaven.  To a Christian and to those familiar with Christianity, this should all sound familiar.  All I have done here is summarized the life of Christ as we read about it in the New Testament of the Bible and THIS is what we as Mormons believe about Jesus Christ.

Do we believe that Christ also appeared to people in other parts of the world after his resurrection and ascension into heaven? The answer to this is yes, but does that mean we believe in a completely different Christ?  If people can be considered Christians, who see an image of Christ on a Walmart receipt or a statue of Mary crying, I don't understand why it is so impossible to consider people, who believe Christ appeared to other people around the world as we read in the Book of Mormon, Christians.  I understand the information might be new, but it doesn't change the character of Jesus Christ.  If He is really the Savior of the World, which I believe He is, doesn't it make sense that He would manifest Himself to the world once He was no longer constrained by a mortal body?  It makes perfect sense to me.  I have heard many people say that the ways of God are mysterious and we can't understand them.  This is often used to describe the idea of the Trinity--God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost as three entities encompassed in one being.  Because Mormons believe that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are individual and separate beings, we are considered heretics and obviously do not worship the same God or believe in the same Christ.  Again, I don't understand how this is so.  I know personally, when I was a Congregationalist, I could never understand how three beings could be one and the same, especially when the Bible often refers to them separately at the same time.

Now, are Mormons right because our concept of God, at least to me, is more logical? Or are Catholics and Protestants right because the inability to comprehend God's nature proves that He is far greater than us all?  My real question is: Is it worth getting caught up in these technicalities to the exclusion of possibly being able to help each other learn more about God, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost?  I hope not!  We are all in this mortal journey together in one way or another and I think what truly makes someone a Christian is if one lives by the principles Christ taught.  Do the small technical differences of my beliefs disqualify me as a Christian even if I live according to the teachings of Christ?  If we look at an analogy we can find the answer.  Our differences don't make us more or less human than another, it is both our differences and our similarities that make us human.  Certain core elements have to exist for us to be considered scientifically human, but once an entity is found in possession of those elements, no differences can disqualify one from being human.  The same goes for being a Christian--there are certain core elements that are required to be a Christian.  Someone who doesn't believe in God or Jesus Christ for example cannot be considered a Christian even if one lives by Christian principles, because a belief in God and Christ are fundamental aspects of Christianity.  However, does it make someone not a Christian if one believes Christ turned water into wine, but didn't drink it as opposed to one who believes he did both?  I don't actually believe Christ didn't drink wine, but I am using this example to make a point and I hope my point is clear.

I have to apologize for my ramblings.  I could have based this entire post on scriptural comparisons and entered into a detailed analysis proving the concept of Jesus, in which Mormons believe, is accurate according to scripture, but that would also require me to prove other people wrong.  My purposes again for this blog are not to attack or belittle the beliefs of other faiths, but to clarify and eradicate the ignorance I believe people have about Mormons, our doctrines, and our beliefs.  I also ask that you don't take offense to my use of the term ignorance.  I use it not as a pejorative, but with its original meaning--lacking knowledge about something.  I would like to hear what you think about anything I mentioned in this post.

In the Beginning . . .

. . . there was a Mormon man sitting at his desk reading what a Mormon woman had written in the Washington Post concerning the five myths about Mormanism.  This man, I, found many of the things this woman wrote perplexing and maybe this can be explained by what has been the topic of many books, songs, poetry, talk shows, and even reality TV--the differences between women and men.  Unfortunately, I don't believe this to be the case.  It would not bother me if it were just a lack of being able to understand what this author really meant because my man genes couldn't decipher her communication cues.  Initially, I was hopeful that someone was finally going to give a balanced description of my religion, but I didn't need to read much to be disappointed again.  I don't doubt that Joanna Brooks believes everything she wrote and it is not my intent to dispute her beliefs since her article was an opinion piece.  She has every right to her opinion and to how she decides to live her religion, but she did not do her and my religion any justice on a broader scale.

The evidence of this is the comments left behind in response to her piece.  I got a little agitated while reading the article, but it wasn't until I started reading the comments that I decided it was time to start another blog to hopefully dispel the ignorance that I have consistently found on the internet coming from non-LDS, former LDS, and LDS people.  I am aware that some might feel the same way about the things that I will write on this blog and I encourage anyone who has a question or differing opinion to post a comment.  I will not post malicious comments though, so please keep your comments free of personal attacks or malicious intentions.  I don't know everything and I don't make any such claims, I don't even claim to know much of anything.  However, I do believe I am capable of providing a more balanced perspective of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than I have witnessed over the years on the web, on TV, on the stage, and in person.

Tomorrow I will begin with the topic "Are Mormons Christians?" using some of the comments from the above mentioned article as a resource for the perceptions other people have concerning this question.  It is my hope that people will find this blog helpful and worthwhile.