Ask the Upa - Religion
Ernir asked me the following:
Your mother is Catholic and your father is a Mormon, right? And you grew up in a country where the norm seems to be atheism or some form of religious apathy. Tell us how you came to accept your current religion.
(If I managed to tragically misunderstand your situation somehow, can you please talk about your experience of Mormonism in general instead? I do not know a particular lot about it, really. =S )
Yes, Ernir, you got it pretty much right, although my mum did used to be a Mormon, so I was raised in one religion. I don't know when my mother started finding fault in my religion. I remember her getting into religious arguments with my dad since I was quite young, but I also remember a time before that when she taught me those same principles.
Anyway, I find it an interesting question, so I don't mind elaborating on it. This post will probably get very personal, but I'm still going to keep it open to the public.
I've often been asked what makes my church so different from others. In some ways we're not so different, in others we very much are. We truly are "a peculiar people". But rather than swamp you with random information, I'll start at the basics.
(I just realised that those of you who have seen a certain South Park episode, might know some of this already, but whatever.)
Once upon a time there was a young boy named Joseph Smith who lived in the state of New York. A lot of religious debate was going on where he lived, with several different churches, all disagreeing with each other. Even though they all used the same Bible, they all interpreted it in completely different ways. Naturally Joseph was confused. Which was the right church for him to join?
One day he read a verse in the Bible that said the following: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not; and it shall be given him." (That's the Epistle of James, Chaper 1, verse 5, in case you want to know.) This made Joseph realise that he couldn't figure this out by himself, so he needed to ask God.
So, one morning in the spring of 1820, when Joseph was a mere 14 years old, he went into the forest and prayed. Lo and behold, a pillar of light appeared before him, containing God the father and Jesus Christ. He asked Them his question and They told him not to join any of the churches, so he didn't.
A few years passed, and one night an angel appeared unto Joseph. He told him about sacred records that had been hidden for many centuries. Joseph was destined to recover these records, written on golden plates and translate them into English. This translation was later known as The Book of Mormon. Shortly after it was published, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -Day Saints was founded. Due to the long name, we are better known as Mormons, after the Book of Mormon. We are advised to refer to ourselves as Latter-Day Saints rather than Mormons, probably because some idiots believe we worship Mormon.
Joseph became the church's first modern-day prophet. We've had 15 prophets after him. The latest was just put into office this year and his name is Thomas S. Monson.
But, yeah, this was a very simplified version, so if you're really interested, you can read Joseph's account here.
These are our Articles of Faith.
And this is a recent talk by our prophet, Thomas S. Monson.
(No, you don't have to click all these links. These are just in case you want to know more, because I believe they explain things better than I do.)
I know many of you are not comfortable with the idea of organised religion, because you think they tell people what to believe without giving them room for individual thought. My religion is very organised, but we very much encourage individual thought. You're not supposed to believe what Thomas S. Monson tells you, just because he tells you, but you should pray about it and find your own personal answer. Of course, these personal answer will seldom be as dramatic as the one Joseph Smith received to his prayer. Usually you just get a feeling that burns within your heart.
I think the best way to describe it is like the knowledge that you love someone. I can't reason with logic that I love someone. Sure, my friends are nice to me, but lots of people are nice to me and I don't love all of them the way I love my friends. I know I love them, because I feel it in my heart. In the same way I not only believe, but know, that there is a God in heaven, that Jesus Christ atoned for my sins and that the Bible and the Book of Mormon contain the word of God. And just like when you look at someone you've known for a long time and suddenly realise that you're in love with him or her, I watched Thomas S. Monson speak shortly after he was confirmed as our new prophet, and realised that he is a true prophet. You might find it offensive that I claim to know these things, but that's just how I feel in my heart.
Many Latter-Day Saints have powerful stories of conversion. Of a single moment when they suddenly realised it was all true. With me it came gradually. I was raised in the church, was taught all those stories and principles and slowly my faith in it grew. I don't quite know myself how it happened. But by the time my mother left the church and wanted her kids to do the same, my faith was already strong enough to know that I was in the right church and would never abandon it.
While we were in London, somebody (I can't remember who it was, but it might have been Andrew or Nina) asked if I was a Mormon because I'd been raised as one or if it was my own decision. Before I had figured out how to answer that question, Lísa went ahead and answered it for me: "Both."
I was impressed that she realised that this was the right answer. So it seems that my faith is evident enough so that my friends know that I'm not just doing what my Daddy is expecting of me. And face it, I wouldn't be the same Miriam you all know and love if I didn't have that faith. I don't know who I'd be, but definitely not me. And my religion makes me happy. Sure, I feel down often, but if I didn't have my faith, my life would be so much worse in so many ways. I'm so grateful to have been raised as a member of the Latter-Day Saint church, so I got a headstart, rather than having to discover it for myself when I was older.
Once again I apologise if I offended anyone in this post. But I don't apologise for what I know and what I feel.
Your mother is Catholic and your father is a Mormon, right? And you grew up in a country where the norm seems to be atheism or some form of religious apathy. Tell us how you came to accept your current religion.
(If I managed to tragically misunderstand your situation somehow, can you please talk about your experience of Mormonism in general instead? I do not know a particular lot about it, really. =S )
Yes, Ernir, you got it pretty much right, although my mum did used to be a Mormon, so I was raised in one religion. I don't know when my mother started finding fault in my religion. I remember her getting into religious arguments with my dad since I was quite young, but I also remember a time before that when she taught me those same principles.
Anyway, I find it an interesting question, so I don't mind elaborating on it. This post will probably get very personal, but I'm still going to keep it open to the public.
I've often been asked what makes my church so different from others. In some ways we're not so different, in others we very much are. We truly are "a peculiar people". But rather than swamp you with random information, I'll start at the basics.
(I just realised that those of you who have seen a certain South Park episode, might know some of this already, but whatever.)
Once upon a time there was a young boy named Joseph Smith who lived in the state of New York. A lot of religious debate was going on where he lived, with several different churches, all disagreeing with each other. Even though they all used the same Bible, they all interpreted it in completely different ways. Naturally Joseph was confused. Which was the right church for him to join?
One day he read a verse in the Bible that said the following: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not; and it shall be given him." (That's the Epistle of James, Chaper 1, verse 5, in case you want to know.) This made Joseph realise that he couldn't figure this out by himself, so he needed to ask God.
So, one morning in the spring of 1820, when Joseph was a mere 14 years old, he went into the forest and prayed. Lo and behold, a pillar of light appeared before him, containing God the father and Jesus Christ. He asked Them his question and They told him not to join any of the churches, so he didn't.
A few years passed, and one night an angel appeared unto Joseph. He told him about sacred records that had been hidden for many centuries. Joseph was destined to recover these records, written on golden plates and translate them into English. This translation was later known as The Book of Mormon. Shortly after it was published, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -Day Saints was founded. Due to the long name, we are better known as Mormons, after the Book of Mormon. We are advised to refer to ourselves as Latter-Day Saints rather than Mormons, probably because some idiots believe we worship Mormon.
Joseph became the church's first modern-day prophet. We've had 15 prophets after him. The latest was just put into office this year and his name is Thomas S. Monson.
But, yeah, this was a very simplified version, so if you're really interested, you can read Joseph's account here.
These are our Articles of Faith.
And this is a recent talk by our prophet, Thomas S. Monson.
(No, you don't have to click all these links. These are just in case you want to know more, because I believe they explain things better than I do.)
I know many of you are not comfortable with the idea of organised religion, because you think they tell people what to believe without giving them room for individual thought. My religion is very organised, but we very much encourage individual thought. You're not supposed to believe what Thomas S. Monson tells you, just because he tells you, but you should pray about it and find your own personal answer. Of course, these personal answer will seldom be as dramatic as the one Joseph Smith received to his prayer. Usually you just get a feeling that burns within your heart.
I think the best way to describe it is like the knowledge that you love someone. I can't reason with logic that I love someone. Sure, my friends are nice to me, but lots of people are nice to me and I don't love all of them the way I love my friends. I know I love them, because I feel it in my heart. In the same way I not only believe, but know, that there is a God in heaven, that Jesus Christ atoned for my sins and that the Bible and the Book of Mormon contain the word of God. And just like when you look at someone you've known for a long time and suddenly realise that you're in love with him or her, I watched Thomas S. Monson speak shortly after he was confirmed as our new prophet, and realised that he is a true prophet. You might find it offensive that I claim to know these things, but that's just how I feel in my heart.
Many Latter-Day Saints have powerful stories of conversion. Of a single moment when they suddenly realised it was all true. With me it came gradually. I was raised in the church, was taught all those stories and principles and slowly my faith in it grew. I don't quite know myself how it happened. But by the time my mother left the church and wanted her kids to do the same, my faith was already strong enough to know that I was in the right church and would never abandon it.
While we were in London, somebody (I can't remember who it was, but it might have been Andrew or Nina) asked if I was a Mormon because I'd been raised as one or if it was my own decision. Before I had figured out how to answer that question, Lísa went ahead and answered it for me: "Both."
I was impressed that she realised that this was the right answer. So it seems that my faith is evident enough so that my friends know that I'm not just doing what my Daddy is expecting of me. And face it, I wouldn't be the same Miriam you all know and love if I didn't have that faith. I don't know who I'd be, but definitely not me. And my religion makes me happy. Sure, I feel down often, but if I didn't have my faith, my life would be so much worse in so many ways. I'm so grateful to have been raised as a member of the Latter-Day Saint church, so I got a headstart, rather than having to discover it for myself when I was older.
Once again I apologise if I offended anyone in this post. But I don't apologise for what I know and what I feel.