Merry Christmas!!!

my favorite question that always comes up around this time of year is: wait, do you celebrate christmas?? this is normally followed with: of course, I'm Christian. which then is followed with: but i thought you were mormon?? i just laugh. Yes, but Mormon's are Christians too. I always give the example of: a flower is a plant, but not all plants are flowers. catholics, mormons, protestants, are all christians, but not all christians are catholics, mormong, portestants. But that question always makes me laugh.
I love Christmas. It is just such a wonderful season. Full of love, joy, happiness. I wish that everyone could just stop for a moment in their lives and realize just how wonderful life really is. We are always so caught up in our lives, that when Christmas comes, we take a second to breath, wish each other a Happy Holidays, and then keep on rushing on with our pointless lives. They are only pointless if we can not appreciate the love that is in them, or the people. Sometimes we really do need to stop and smell the roses. This is a reason why God had to create the Sabbath Day, in Order to stop us. We rush around in our lives, going from store to store, job to home, work to bed, all in the hope that we will be successful, but we can't seem to see that the only way we can become truely successful is by working hard, but being able to rest and play just as hard. Look around the mall at this time of year, and everyone is so stressed: finding the perfect present, what if they dont like it, how much money do i have, can i afford this. I get stressed just by thinking about it. I beg you, just stop. It shouldn't matter what is under the tree, but who you are spending time with, Not what is on the table, but who is around the table. we get so caught up in the technicalities of STUFF, that we just can't seem to wrap our heads around the idea that, it really doesn't matter. They don't need the present you are giving them, but the love that should be behind it. Everyone just needs someone to love, and be loved in return. I think that is the important part. Reminding each person that they are loved back. it is so disappointing giving someone a gift, and then not receiving anything in return, not because of the gift, but because your love was not returned.
Love someone this holiday, because you might be the one returning the love.

Californication

Why do people have to persecute others? Why can't we just accept everyone for what they believe and who they are? I am sorry if homosexuals are not permitted under Christian teaching to get married. I beleive that if you find the person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, and they happen to be of the same sex, then good for you. Then you are lucky and should be allowed to love that person. But just as you ask for respect, I ask for mine. I am mormon, and while I have different views on things, the Church teaches certain things. Persecuting them for something that they believe is not correct. If you are upset, and anger, then deal with it in other ways then desecrating a Holy Religious place. Freedom of Speech....and Freedom of Religion.....Freedom of Assembly. We enjoy all of these freedoms as Americans. But we should not abuse them. All should be used in peaceful manners. You can public speak out against my religion and my church, but you take it too far when I have to see writings and signs on my temple. the House that I believe is God's House. It breaks my heart. I again apologize if the Christian teachings are not in accordance with your lifestyle, but that is no reason to hate us. I do not hate you. Personally, I believe that those who are not married are called to a life of abstinence and chastity. That applies to everyone. So, it only makes sense then that you too wish to marry. and legally, yes, you should be allowed to get married as well. But you can not expect religion to accept your marriage. I guess that is where the problem lies. seperating church and state, but church effects people's opinions which are then reflecting in the laws. I don't understand it, I am just trying to live my life the best way that I can. I am just desturbed when my religion is singled out. and protested. and desecrated. It reminds me of the angry mobs of the early days of my church. This religion is personal for me, I love it dearly, so it pains me when I see it slandered.

R.I.P. Gordon B. Hinckley

A great man of our times passed away in January. The man touched many lives, including mine. He was a strength, a guide, and a wonderful example. He was an instrument in the Lord's hands and was able to accomplish many wonderful and beautiful accomplishments. He was a father, a grandfather and great grandfather. Not only was he a family man, but a man of the Church. He had faith and a strong testimony which many people could hold on to for support. I saw him once, pretty up close, and he was so happy. He was such a joyful man. His name was Gordon B. Hinckely. the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was not afraid to talk with the media or talk about our religion openly. He encouraged it, if anything else. He encouraged the education of women, and loved the youth. I will miss this man, but he is in eternity with his wife, whom he loved and missed dearly. He is at peace, with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

God Head

one of the most controversial parts of Mormonism, beside the plural wives thing, is the First Vision, as we "cult" members call it. So, as we believe it happend, from a first hand writting of it, was that Joseph Smith (the founder of the religion) had questions about religion (and not to offend anyone here) he went into the woods to pray to God because of a scripture that he had read in James 1:5: if any man lacks widsom, let him ask of God. So Joseph, who was only about 14 at the time, went to ask God about religion. he wanted to know which church to join, which I think shows a lot of maturiy.
The contraversial part comes in the next part: Joseph claims that he personally saw not only Jesus Christ, but also God the Father. this totally debuncks the whole trinity theory of the Catholic, along with the "God is love" theory. This (if believed, of course) shows that God has a body and that He and Jesus Christ are two different personages. If this is not believed by people, then the whole religion seems like a cult, or a scam. I believe it. and here are some reasons of why I believe it:
Prophets of old, such as Abraham, Jacob, and Moses, were able to talk face to face with God, if the Bible is to be believed. It is also said in the scriptures that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and forever. so, if he is so constant, then why would he change this basic principle of having not only a prophet, or a leader, on the earth, but one that He personally talks to and gives direction to.
Another reason is during Jesus Christ's baptism, how can God the Father talk from Heaven and be in the form of a dove AND be present as Jesus Christ all at once? That would be defying the laws of nature, and since God created the laws of nature He also has to abide by them.

In the Beginning...

I'm kinda tired of all the anti-Mormon stuff coming out with Mitt Romney running for the Republican nomination. So Mormons, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, (LDS for short, not to be confused with lsd) have to defend themselves in public circles and clearify to people that "no, we are not a cult. we do not worship Joseph Smith. We do believe in Jesus Christ, it is kinda in our name. We are Christian, hence beliving in Christ." There is so much anti- stuff out there, and even if people do do their research, they will get stuff about how LDS do not believe in Christ or take our beliefs and twist them around to make them sound really bad.
So, with this blog, Im going to try and clearify some of the misconceptions that there are about the LDS religion. Cause, yes we are a religion, not a cult. Even when you look up 'cult' in the dictionary, you get a lot of different definitions, one being "the members of such a religion or sect" (dicionary.com) so from that definition, then everyone who belongs to a religion is part of a cult. that would include just about 1/2 of the human population probably. But other ones do say that a cult is a group of people, normally a religion or sect, that are isolated basically from society and do things that are not genearlly accepted conventional society. Well, I am pretty sure that LDS are not isolate. well, not in the present day at least. In the early days of the LDS Church, they moved over to Utah, not to purposly isolate themselves, but because the rest of the United States kinda pushed us out of all the rest of the states. Yeah, I can see how that could be called 'exculsive.' I really do not understand why LDS is considered a cult. Just cause LDS are not as public with their religion does not mean that we are all secrets. Just ask, and I am sure someone (an LDS someone) will fill you in.