I think this is a fantastic article that was written by Mike Jensen back in 2013. My parents have taught me many of the same things, but it is fascinating to hear it from someone who is not a Mormon.
The Mormon Effect
Showing posts with label Mormon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mormon. Show all posts
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, December 22, 2013
A Sunday citation
This is a quote from last October's General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Edward Dube said it in his talk, Look Ahead and Believe.
"Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who sees from the beginning to the end, knew very well the road He would travel to Gethsemane and Golgotha when He proclaimed, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In the sight of the Lord, it is not so much what we have done or where we have been but much more where we are willing to go."
"Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who sees from the beginning to the end, knew very well the road He would travel to Gethsemane and Golgotha when He proclaimed, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In the sight of the Lord, it is not so much what we have done or where we have been but much more where we are willing to go."
Sunday, December 15, 2013
A Sunday citation
This is a great quote from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow:
"As to [Joseph Smith] being a man of truth and honor I, nor any one else that knew him, have any reason to question for a moment. But then I never went forth to preach the principles of this Gospel depending entirely upon any information I received through him or any other man; but I believed on his words, coming as they did to me as the words of truth, from an inspired man of God. ... The Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost which all men may receive and enjoy, ... confirmed the truth of what he had told me, and it became knowledge to me of that nature which no man can give nor take away." (23:268.)
"As to [Joseph Smith] being a man of truth and honor I, nor any one else that knew him, have any reason to question for a moment. But then I never went forth to preach the principles of this Gospel depending entirely upon any information I received through him or any other man; but I believed on his words, coming as they did to me as the words of truth, from an inspired man of God. ... The Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost which all men may receive and enjoy, ... confirmed the truth of what he had told me, and it became knowledge to me of that nature which no man can give nor take away." (23:268.)
Sunday, November 3, 2013
A Sunday citation
This long quote (sorry it's so long, but it's so good I didn't want to cut it down!) is from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow:
"It is the business of those who profess to be engages in His work to move on, to go forward, ... without murmuring or having to be urged; so long as there remains a step forward to be taken, that step should be taken. ...
"This is the work of God, and He is directing its course and progress in the earth, and this work should ever be uppermost in our mind; and so long as we are found in the path of duty we can surely remain fixed and unmoved and determined in our purpose, and thus exhibit to the world our faith and devotion to the principles of truth which God has revealed. ...
"The Lord very possible may cause a heavy pressure to bear upon us, such as will require great sacrifice at the hands of his people. The question with us is, will we make the sacrifice? This work is the work of the Almighty and the blessings we look for which have been promised, will come after we have proven ourselves and passed through the ordeal. I have no special word to this people that there is, or that there is not, before them a fiery ordeal through which they will be called to pass; the question with me is, am I prepared to receive and put to a right and proper use any blessing the Lord had in store for me in common with His people; or, on the other hand, am I prepared to make any sacrifice that He may require at my hands? I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for any religion that was not worth living for and that was not worth dying for; and I would not give much for the man that was not willing to sacrifice his all for the sake of his religion."
"It is the business of those who profess to be engages in His work to move on, to go forward, ... without murmuring or having to be urged; so long as there remains a step forward to be taken, that step should be taken. ...
"This is the work of God, and He is directing its course and progress in the earth, and this work should ever be uppermost in our mind; and so long as we are found in the path of duty we can surely remain fixed and unmoved and determined in our purpose, and thus exhibit to the world our faith and devotion to the principles of truth which God has revealed. ...
"The Lord very possible may cause a heavy pressure to bear upon us, such as will require great sacrifice at the hands of his people. The question with us is, will we make the sacrifice? This work is the work of the Almighty and the blessings we look for which have been promised, will come after we have proven ourselves and passed through the ordeal. I have no special word to this people that there is, or that there is not, before them a fiery ordeal through which they will be called to pass; the question with me is, am I prepared to receive and put to a right and proper use any blessing the Lord had in store for me in common with His people; or, on the other hand, am I prepared to make any sacrifice that He may require at my hands? I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for any religion that was not worth living for and that was not worth dying for; and I would not give much for the man that was not willing to sacrifice his all for the sake of his religion."
Sunday, October 27, 2013
A Sunday citation
These are a couple of quotes from the book, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow.
"Mormonism, a nickname for the real religion of the Latter-day Saints, does not profess to be a new thing, except to this generation. It proclaims itself as the original plan of salvation, instituted in the heavens before the world was, and revealed from God to man in different ages. That Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and other ancient worthies had this religion successively, in a series of dispensations, we as a people, verily believe. ... Mormonism, in short, is the primitive Christian faith restored, the ancient Gospel brought back again--this time to usher in the last dispensation, introduce the Millennium, and wind up the work of redemption as pertaining to this planet."
"This Church will stand, because it is upon a firm basis. It is not from man; it is not from the study of the New Testament or the Old Testament; it is not the result of the learning that we received in colleges nor seminaries, but it has come directly from the Lord. The Lord has shown it to us by the revealing principle of the Holy Spirit of light and every man can receive this same spirit."
"Mormonism, a nickname for the real religion of the Latter-day Saints, does not profess to be a new thing, except to this generation. It proclaims itself as the original plan of salvation, instituted in the heavens before the world was, and revealed from God to man in different ages. That Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and other ancient worthies had this religion successively, in a series of dispensations, we as a people, verily believe. ... Mormonism, in short, is the primitive Christian faith restored, the ancient Gospel brought back again--this time to usher in the last dispensation, introduce the Millennium, and wind up the work of redemption as pertaining to this planet."
"This Church will stand, because it is upon a firm basis. It is not from man; it is not from the study of the New Testament or the Old Testament; it is not the result of the learning that we received in colleges nor seminaries, but it has come directly from the Lord. The Lord has shown it to us by the revealing principle of the Holy Spirit of light and every man can receive this same spirit."
Saturday, October 26, 2013
30 day song challenge: Day 22
I hope you love it as much as I do!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
A Sunday citation ... or a few, actually
These quotes about creation and the theory of man's origin from the animal kingdom really struck me. I think they are definitely worth considering.
"It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human being was a development from from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was 'the first of all men, and we are therefore duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to the brother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God; and whether we take this to mean the spirit or body, or both, it commits us to the same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of our heavenly Father." (First Presidency [Joseph F. Smith, John R Winder, Anthon H. Lund,], as cited in Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:205.)
I have often thought that we are just beginning to understand the processes of the earth, and that to think that the theory of evolution is the absolute, whole truth of the beginning of the earth is narrow-minded. We learn more every day in science. Here is a quote that supports my thoughts:
"Any theory that leaves out God as a personal, purposeful Being, and accepts chance as a first cause, cannot be accepted by the Latter-day Saints. ... That man and the whole of creation came by chance is unthinkable. It is equally unthinkable that if man came into being by the will and power of God, the divine creative power is limited to one process dimly sensed by mortal man." (Widstoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, 1:155.)
Here is another fascinating quote:
"I say most emphatically, you cannot believe in this theory of the origin of man, and at the same time accept the plan of salvation as set forth by the Lord our God. You must choose the one and reject the other, for they are in direct conflict and there is a gulf separating them which is so great that it can not be bridged, no matter how much one may try to do so. ...
"Then Adam, and by that I mean the first man, was not capable of sin. He could not transgress, and by doing so bring death into the world, for, according to this theory, death had always been in the world. If, therefore, there was no fall, there was no need of an atonement, hence the coming into the world of the Son of God as the Savior of the world is a contradiction, a thing impossible. Are you prepared to believe that?" (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:141-142.)
"It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human being was a development from from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was 'the first of all men, and we are therefore duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to the brother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God; and whether we take this to mean the spirit or body, or both, it commits us to the same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of our heavenly Father." (First Presidency [Joseph F. Smith, John R Winder, Anthon H. Lund,], as cited in Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:205.)
I have often thought that we are just beginning to understand the processes of the earth, and that to think that the theory of evolution is the absolute, whole truth of the beginning of the earth is narrow-minded. We learn more every day in science. Here is a quote that supports my thoughts:
"Any theory that leaves out God as a personal, purposeful Being, and accepts chance as a first cause, cannot be accepted by the Latter-day Saints. ... That man and the whole of creation came by chance is unthinkable. It is equally unthinkable that if man came into being by the will and power of God, the divine creative power is limited to one process dimly sensed by mortal man." (Widstoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, 1:155.)
Here is another fascinating quote:
"I say most emphatically, you cannot believe in this theory of the origin of man, and at the same time accept the plan of salvation as set forth by the Lord our God. You must choose the one and reject the other, for they are in direct conflict and there is a gulf separating them which is so great that it can not be bridged, no matter how much one may try to do so. ...
"Then Adam, and by that I mean the first man, was not capable of sin. He could not transgress, and by doing so bring death into the world, for, according to this theory, death had always been in the world. If, therefore, there was no fall, there was no need of an atonement, hence the coming into the world of the Son of God as the Savior of the world is a contradiction, a thing impossible. Are you prepared to believe that?" (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:141-142.)
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
30 day song challenge: Day 7
A song that reminds of an event? Scripture Power!!! I loved that song as a kid!
Every year, Primary, the LDS organization that I belonged to as a child, had a program in the fall. We would perform the program for sacrament meeting. We sang songs, gave little recitations and had fun.
The last couple of years I was in Primary we sang "Scripture Power." It was so much fun! Every time we sang that phrase, we lifted our scriptures on the air. It's something I'll never forget. Click on the link below to hear it.
Scripture Power music playlist
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Sunday citation from General Conference!
I love General Conference! It's one of the best times of the year because the we get to hear the words of God through his prophet and apostles. I learn more at General Conference, sometimes, than I do in a whole year of daily gospel study.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
A Sunday citation
Women's conference last night was beautiful! So much of it touched my heart and taught me. For the Sunday citation today, I chose a quote that particularly struck me:
"My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you're sad or happy; discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you deserve love. It is simply always there.
"As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God's love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone.
"I promise you, that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that he was always there beside you. I know this to be true in the passing of my eternal companion, Francis Beverly Johnson Monson."
Those were the closing remarks of President Thomas S. Monson, our prophet. He knows that what he says is true, and the Spirit testified to my heart that what he said is true. I hope you can understand how very important it is to begin to understand these things.
"My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you're sad or happy; discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you deserve love. It is simply always there.
"As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God's love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone.
"I promise you, that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that he was always there beside you. I know this to be true in the passing of my eternal companion, Francis Beverly Johnson Monson."
Those were the closing remarks of President Thomas S. Monson, our prophet. He knows that what he says is true, and the Spirit testified to my heart that what he said is true. I hope you can understand how very important it is to begin to understand these things.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Some thoughts on motherhood ...
Being a new, first-time mom, I have been thinking a lot about how I viewed motherhood before and after the birth of my beautiful baby girl. I knew kids would be hard, but I didn't think one kid would be hard! :) Little did I know. It makes me nervous to have more!
But I have to remember something that sometimes I lose sight of among the dirty dishes, piles of laundry and spit-up spots on the couch. I think it is best illustrated by a conversation I had with a friend in one of my college classes ...
This friend wasn't a member of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But she was attending BYU-I. Being surrounded by Mormons, she was naturally curious about our faith. She learned that we believed in having lots of children, and that children are important. Why? she asked. Why would we want to have lots of children? It's hard to take care of a couple and to give them everything they need, let alone eight or nine. Wouldn't that make it so you couldn't give the children proper care and attention?
I feel like the Lord inspired me in my answer. "That's where faith comes in," I told her. "If the Lord is really there, and He really wants us to have children, then we can do it all."
This story came back to my mind because these last couple of days I've seen some miracles that have helped me do the most important things for my family. I guess I've begun the journey, and I can't lose sight of my Strength ... and the importance of what I am doing.
This isn't to say that we as members of the LDS church believe that women are baby machines. A mother is only supposed to have as many children as she can physically, emotionally and mentally handle. This is different for every woman. We see women as the heart of the home, where the family is the central unit of society. To know more about what our church believes regarding the family and parenthood, click here to read The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It is a wonderful declaration of our belief.
But I have to remember something that sometimes I lose sight of among the dirty dishes, piles of laundry and spit-up spots on the couch. I think it is best illustrated by a conversation I had with a friend in one of my college classes ...
This friend wasn't a member of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But she was attending BYU-I. Being surrounded by Mormons, she was naturally curious about our faith. She learned that we believed in having lots of children, and that children are important. Why? she asked. Why would we want to have lots of children? It's hard to take care of a couple and to give them everything they need, let alone eight or nine. Wouldn't that make it so you couldn't give the children proper care and attention?
I feel like the Lord inspired me in my answer. "That's where faith comes in," I told her. "If the Lord is really there, and He really wants us to have children, then we can do it all."
This story came back to my mind because these last couple of days I've seen some miracles that have helped me do the most important things for my family. I guess I've begun the journey, and I can't lose sight of my Strength ... and the importance of what I am doing.
This isn't to say that we as members of the LDS church believe that women are baby machines. A mother is only supposed to have as many children as she can physically, emotionally and mentally handle. This is different for every woman. We see women as the heart of the home, where the family is the central unit of society. To know more about what our church believes regarding the family and parenthood, click here to read The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It is a wonderful declaration of our belief.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Tragedy turned into a blessing
This is one of the most incredible stories I've ever heard. This man lost half his family to an accident, but by relying on God he came to know Christ through this tragedy. And then he was able to forgive and help the teenager who had caused the accident.
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