May 19, 2004
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I was asked why I am so into the religion, and here is my response . . .
8 years ago I was not so into the religion. I went to Church, was baptized, didn’t do anything bad– but I did not have the . . . passion that I have now. So what happened?
I think it began when I was 12. I went to Nauvoo Ilinois with my scout troop- actually with a whole bunch of scout troops. This was the small Nauvoo- after the thousands of Saints left but before the rebuilt temple and all the hotels and tourist shops. While we were there I went to Carthage Jail and sat in the room where the prophet Joseph Smith was martyred.
In that little room, squished between obnoxious smelly boys and overly enusiastic leaders, I had an epiphany. Like I had never done before, I wondered why Joseph Smith would rather die than forsake his beliefs in Jesus Christ and the restored gospel. When they played “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” (a touching song about Christ that was sung in the cell the day Joseph was killed), I was swept away in this intense emotion that overwelmed my senses.
I am passionately religious today because of that emotion; that sweet euphoria. In that jail cell, I learned for myself that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that Jesus is the Christ. Then I decided to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover, and after that I prayed to discover the truth of the book. Again the feeling filled my heart and I knew that the Book of Mormon is genuine and authentic, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I feel a small portion of that feeling now; even just talking about these experiences makes my heart swell just like taking off in an airplane, only longer, sweeter, stronger. It is a part of me: a knowledge, a memory, a high, an emotion that has made me who I am today.
Why am I so into the Religion? Because the religion is so in me.
Comments (12)
haha…i forgot i was part of that ring. well i don’t know..i might join. thanks for the invite though
Wow. Umm. Yeah. Wow.
Hey hey there. I think it’s amazing that you’ve devoted your life to the church like you have. Keep following Christ with all your might, mind, and strength… I’m sure it’ll be worth it.
~Katrina
thanks for answering my question, good story.
thanks for subscribing to me… makes me feel… important…. haha
hey i was reading through some of your old comments.. you rock dude… ciao
You are an amazing writer. I love that last line. What a gorgeous testimony!
Manda
Martyred? Wasn’t Joseph Smith killed by his own followers?
No, he was martyred. Joseph Smith was murdered in cold blood by a mob of anti-Mormons. He was killed by enemies of the Church when the state of Illinois failed to protect him.
See http://www.illinoishistory.gov
1844 “Anti-Mormons assassinate Mormon leaders Joseph and Hyrum (b. 1800) Smith at Carthage.”
See Also http://www.illinois.gov/pressreleases
You, in this post, attributed your “epiphany” to:
“…and I knew that the Book of Mormon is genuine and authentic, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.”
All I will say, again, is that there is one truth and it’s not the CJCLS church, it’s not my church, it’s not my neighbors church…it’s God. He is the one Truth that you should be seeking, not a church…and I don’t mean to come off as preaching, but you seem very wrapped-up in a church and the religion it holds. God, Christ is not a religion…He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life…No one reaches the Father, except through Him…not a church…
Sweetie, I don’t need the Book of Mormon to tell me that Salvation is free….My Lord, Christ, made that clear in His Word – The only Living Life – The Bible. No offense, but why does there need to be another book to tell me this?
Second, when it comes to Jesus’ apostles, they weren’t all related to Him (yeah, His brother was a follower but the others were of no relation). Joseph Smith and his brother was the founder of this religion called Mormonism.
Third, many experts in translation will and can tell you that whoever forged those items he tried to pass off as ancient writings weren’t even written properly. The history doesn’t match up with archaelogical finds (true Christianity can be matched up with many hard findings…).
I guess my next question will be why is Mormonism so secretive and selective if it’s free to everyone? Or does it mean it’s free, but only to those who believe in the Book of Mormon?
I saw that you deleted my second post….why? Does it offend you?
Your statements that criticize the nature of organized religion are certainly your opinion. There we will have to agree to disagree. I believe that Christ organized His Church, and that the Church should still be organized in the way He organized it.
You also say, “Sweetie, I don’t need the Book of Mormon to tell me that Salvation is free….My Lord, Christ, made that clear in His Word – The only Living Life – The Bible. No offense, but why does there need to be another book to tell me this?”
You may not need the Book of Mormon to tell you that, but there are other truths in the Book of Mormon that are not in the Bible. For example, the Book of Mormon teaches why Adam fell, what the purpose of man is, why there must be opposition in all things, why good things happen to bad people, why we must rely alone on the merits of Christ to be saved, why little children need no baptism, what causes apostasy, what happens when you begin to learn truth, what does a spirit look like, what should our attitude be towards the Lord’s ancient covenant people, and many more things. The Book of Mormon is a beautiful book that speaks plainly and inspirationally about Jesus Christ. Why cast it aside?
Second, Hyram Smith did not found the Church, Joseph Smith did. Involved were Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, David Witmer, W.W. Phelps, and many others who were not relatives of Joseph. I don’t get your point when you criticize Hyrum’s involvement.
Third, “many experts” say a lot of things. Please provide specific experts and state in quotes what they are saying. If you will visit http://www.farms.byu.edu you will find that “many experts” actually verfy the possibility of the Book of Mormon, specifically with tracking Lehi’s treck through the wilderness with amazing archeological precision. Even so, there is absolutely no proof that Moses was a real person, yet I believe that he was. I have two qualms with this arguement of yours: 1. no factual backing is cited. 2. faith is more important than proof.
Lastly, Mormonism is not secretive, nor is it selective. Anyone can freely join or leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at their whim. All of its doctrines are available to the public. Anyone can search Church History archives. I have never asked a question at my Church that hasn’t been answered to my satisfaction.
I also did not delete your second post at all. I was not offened by it, though it was slightly sarcastic. You can still read your comment where it was posted here: March 27.
I hope that I have answered all of your questions. I am happy to answer any question left on Truth_Is_Reason.