What we believe about God

One way to teach what Mormons believe is to share the Articles of Faith. Today, I would like to share the First Article of Faith.

"We ^abelieve in ^bGod, the Eternal Father, and in His ^cSon, Jesus Christ, and in the ^dHoly Ghost."

I have included the text below which came from a talk given by Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008), given in October 1998. I hope it helps.

Question 1: What is the Mormon doctrine of Deity, of God?

Since the time of the First Vision people have raised this question, and they continue to raise it and will do so for so long as they believe in the God of their tradition, while we bear testimony of the God of modern revelation.

The Prophet Joseph declared, “It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 345).

“We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost” (A of F 1:1). This first article of faith epitomizes our doctrine. We do not accept the Athanasian Creed. We do not accept the Nicene Creed, nor any other creed based on tradition and the conclusions of men.

We do accept, as the basis of our doctrine, the statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith that when he prayed for wisdom in the woods, “the light rested upon me [and] I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:17).

Two beings of substance were before him. He saw them. They were in form like men, only much more glorious in their appearance. He spoke to them. They spoke to him. They were not amorphous spirits. Each was a distinct personality. They were beings of flesh and bone whose nature was reaffirmed in later revelations which came to the Prophet.

Our entire case as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rests on the validity of this glorious First Vision. It was the parting of the curtain to open this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. Nothing on which we base our doctrine, nothing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration. I submit that if Joseph Smith talked with God the Father and His Beloved Son, then all else of which he spoke is true. This is the hinge on which turns the gate that leads to the path of salvation and eternal life.

Are we Christians? Of course we are Christians. We believe in Christ. We worship Christ. We take upon ourselves in solemn covenant His holy name. The Church to which we belong carries His name. He is our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer through whom came the great Atonement with salvation and eternal life.

So, we believe in 3 separate beings but one Godhead with the same purpose which is "to bring to pass the ^cimmortality and ^deternal ^elife of man" (Moses 1:39).

They each have a part in that purpose. It was Heavenly Fathers plan to let us come here to experience earth life and prove ourselves worthy to return home to Him being successful in that plan. He wants us to come home successfully so in order for that to happen we needed a Savior, which is His son ,Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for us to return home through the Atonement. And then, last but not least, is the Holy Ghost which is a comforter and helper for us while we are here on the earth so we can live our lives successfully and gain the knowledge we need to be able to return home to Heaven. That is the purpose of God for us here at this time.

There are three different beings and three different roles with one purpose, us!!!

Arguing with others over this point is of no use because its something that we can't scientifically prove. It is what we believe through our studies of scripture and experiences (testimonies) that we have gained while living life here. No one can change what you know. And I personally think as long as we believe and acknowledge that God exists then we are on the right path. The rest depends on what we learn and act upon  as we move ahead in life. These are my thoughts,

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Life Link day, it's finally here!

Well, tomorrow is Life Link day for my daughter Chay. That means she goes for her first evaluation for a kidney transplant. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I hope that all goes well so that she can have this transplant.

But I think we are going to be a little disappointed because I have heard from two medical professionals that she probably won't be able to have her kidney transplant until she can have a liver transplant, which she needs too; that's disappointing.

But we will see, once we talk to them we will know more how everything works in this process and if she is a candidate for a transplant. I just want her all better so she can move on with her life. She has been through so much already and she was on a good path before all this came to light.

We will just have to keep praying and know that whatever happens is what is meant to be. God has our back and we have faith that he is always there for us. I know it will all be good.

The Kirk Cameron influence

So, I have been a fan of Kirk Cameron ever since I saw him in Christian type movies. I know he is a good person and I admire his willingness to share his talents to build the Kingdom of God. He made the "Left Behind" Trilogy and "Fire Proof" to name a few. I like what he is doing and I hope he will continue to do more in the future.

This morning I was looking for an older video called "Man's Search for Happiness", that was produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for a class I was teaching at church. I found it but in the same area there was a picture of Kirk Cameron so I clicked on it to see if there was any other Christian movies coming out that I could support. But I was surprised at what I did find instead.

The video was anti-mormon. He was teaching that Mormons were not Christian. He was teaching that our doctrine was against what the Christian world teaches. Its not the first time I have heard this, it was just the first time I had heard Kirk teach it. It makes me sad that others do not see us as Christians but I realize that they are deceived by those who try to teach what the Mormons believe and not ask God for the truth.

If you have questions about what someone believes then shouldn't you ask the person who believes it instead of going to someone else who doesn't really know or thinks they know? If people don't want to believe what you believe that is their choice but to promote hatred towards another people is not a very Christian act. How does one say they are followers of Jesus when they do things against what He teaches us, to love one another, no matter what?

We will never be able to stop things like this nor should we because some good can come from this. People hear it then become curious and find out what we really teach and why. One thing some people have forgotten is to do is the research to find the truth themselves; to ask God if its right, not another man. God can not lie, He will tell you the truth. You just have to listen for it. If you find that becoming a Mormon is not for you then that is your choice but you will know what we really believe and why if you do the research.

I know that I am in the right faith because of the experiences I have had in my life and my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. No one can take that away from me. I have a clear understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through my studies of scripture, yes, that would include the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants, along with the King James Version of the Bible. It also includes modern day revelation from our living Prophets.

I will not stop watching Christian movies because they are uplifting and good for the heart and soul but I will always stand for truth and righteousness for what I know is correct spiritual principles of God, not of man. I will share what I know with others and bare my testimony of what I know, not what I don't know. God has shown me many things through my study of the scriptures, including the Holy Bible. I can't deny what I know is truth, and I won't ever deny it.

I pray that as this world becomes more corrupt that those who are followers of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will come together to fight against the evil and all that Satan represents. I pray that we can put our differences aside and help others to turn to God in what ever way we know how to. I pray that God will forgive us for our weaknesses, as mankind, and help us to look to Him for guidance.

To Kirk Cameron, please keep making those wonderful movies that help uplift those who need to know God but I ask that you will show Christian type love to those who choose to follow the Savior in ways you don't understand. Don't talk bad about followers of Jesus Christ just because they don't worship like you. I hope you will find satisfaction in the degree of salvation that you are choosing here on the earth, you could have more but you limit yourself to what you allow yourself to see.

I know that God lives, and I know that Jesus is the Christ and Savior of this world. I know that Joseph Smith  is a prophet of God, as well as our current prophet Thomas S. Monson. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, as well as the Holy Bible. I know that God loves us and He want us to return home to Him successfully. I know that we are all children of our Heavenly Father and that someday soon we will all know the truth. But until then I know that I will stand for what I know is truth and righteous and nothing will stop me from  saying what I know. I leave this testimony with you, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

California wants what?!!!

So...Friday I was listening to the radio and heard only a small portion of something that almost made me go ballistic...I had to ask myself, if what I heard was true. So I started researching on the Internet. I still can't believe it but it seems California thinks that their children need to be able to use whatever bathroom they like or play sports on whatever team they like.

Ok, let me say this again, California is trying to pass a bill that allows children K-12 to use which ever bathroom they want according to what ever gender they feel they are. And if they want to play on a school sports team as a gender opposite of what their body parts tell them they are they will be allowed to play on the team of their choice.

Gender law

What is wrong with this picture; what problems do you see happening if this is passed; whats wrong with these people?!!! Has this world gone crazy? Do you think this won't happen anywhere else? Because it will or things will get even more wilder than that. How do we stand up against things like that? It's just wrong.

This is a very good time to stand up for truth and righteousness. It's time to stand up for God's plan and not man's. I have a good friend, since childhood, who is gay and she thinks things like this are extreme. She knows who she is and lives her life the way she wants but is bothered by others who take things to extremes like this.

I heard once that California sets a trend for the rest of the country so we have to watch what they do or get away with, so that we can avoid things like this from happening in our states. This is just plain wrong. I do not want to worry about our children having to deal with the selfishness of people who want to prove points. This is not a win for gays, its a win for selfish.

There are better battles to fight for than to put children in uncomfortable situations, perhaps even dangerous. I don't hate people who are gay. I am learning to love all people for who they are but I don't have to love what they do. I feel the same way about people who make choices to live together out of wedlock as I do for those who are gay. And, for sure, I am not perfect, I have situations in my life that others may not like. We all see life differently. But we have to pick our battles and this issue is one I can't ever agree with.

I don't know what I can do about this but I'm not stopping here. I feel like this is one where we have to protect the children. One small step at a time and we will see this becoming something even bigger and out of our control. I would love to hear some suggestions about how we can help protect the children or just stand up for what we know is not God's ways. I would love to help fight against this one. It's time to choose God's ways or Satan's way. I choose God's!

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all who love living in this wonderful country called the United States of America!!!

That is something we have to remember; that this is the United States of America. Its the place where everyone wants to come and live. Its the place where so much controversy is happening over rewarding people with citizenship even when they come in illegally.

I'm all for people becoming citizens but there is a right way of doing it. I don't know why there is such a rush for people to want to come here but I have to admit that I haven't walked in their shoes. Regardless, there are rules for a reason and in order for balance to happen we need to live by those rules.

The other thing that confuses me is when some people fight so hard to get away from their country then come here and and say 3 cheers for (where ever they are from). They even want to change the way things work here to be more like their own country that they wanted to escape from. What is that all about?

We have the best country in the whole world; it is a place established with a Divine purpose. We as responsible citizens need to understand that purpose. We need to know its history and its future. We need to help it along the path it was meant to take. We have to stand up for the principles and morals that was first established in the organization of this country. This land was saved for a special purpose and it starts with its rich history of patriots.

Today is a good day to put things into perspective regarding your part in preserving this nation as it was set up to be. The place to start would be in reading the constitution then doing the research about the history of how it came to be, then search in the scriptures to see the Divine guidance that has made this a place so special.

I love this country and the true history of what makes it so special. This is God' land and we need to honor His wishes for it. We need do our part in preserving the Constitution of the United States of America and keeping this land safe and free from tyrants. Those who surround themselves with evil seek to destroy our heritage but because this land has a Divine Nature then it will be protected as long as its people are righteous.

I say today start your fight against the evil that wants to take over and stand for truth and righteousness. Stand for the principles that are needed to make this country and its citizens strong and proud again. Put on the armor of God and He will help us if we focus on keeping this land free. Fight for freedoms that give us opportunities to grow and become a righteous nation again. We are never alone in our battles for right, God will help us to stand strong. turn your hearts and desires to Him, put Him first in your life and we can maintain that righteousness we need to keep our freedoms.

God bless America!!!