Archive for the ‘Questions & Answers’ Category

Mormon.org Launches

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Mormon.org–a newly redesigned site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons, LDS) has launched today!

A rich, lucid venue through which thousands of voices of genuine, everyday Mormons, address questions often asked by friends of other faiths in snippets and testimonies, with photos and personal text, opens up dialog and communication with online seekers and curious onlookers.  An initial group of 2,000 have not only already posted profiles visible to the public, but have added explanations of their beliefs and shared glimpses into their own applied faith and lives.

The site offers live chat options and frequently-asked questions, selectable even by gender, age, and location. So friends of other faiths can narrow down their communiques to those in their own socially relevant or preferred demographic.

Share this with your friends of all faiths, and with members of the Church! Tweet about it and visit us on Twitter.

  • Share/Bookmark

New Years’ Goals: Reflections. . .

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

poohEver see yourself as Adda in A Bug’s Life …the up-and-coming queen bee–frenetic, anxious, and breathless–trying to be in control of her destiny and never quite feeling so? Or how about Rabbit in Pooh Party? Let’s rewind the tape on that one for a moment. Here’s Rabbit–preparing for a party, following a predetermined “schedule”–an air-tight list of things to do which he believes to be the guarantee to a successful party. He seems to be stressing over his lengthy list, tacked up by the bathroom mirror, as he pours over it while brushing his teeth! Poor Rabbit–In the process of striving for the perfect outcome, he completely destroys any chance of it! Over-focused on the end, he is unsurprisingly oblivious to the immediate–and intermediate–needs of those around him.

We watch Pooh standing at the kitchen table, assigned to bake a cake, struggling to decipher the recipe, dumping salt in the bowl instead of sugar–his pleas for help drowned out by Rabbit’s pacing and the incessant ticking of his watch. After blindly egging Pooh on, Rabbit chastises Piglet for innocently putting up Halloween decorations instead of birthday-party-appropriate ones–missing any opportunity to teach or encourage the sensitive party novice.

Moreover, we observe Tigger reprimanded for having just a little too much fun, not wiping windows to just the right rabbit-cadence. Funny, Rabbit is so intent on micro-managing yet, in more ways than one, he’s not “managing” at all! And then we’re hit with Rabbit’s telling remark, when challenged by Piglet for his synchronized behavior: “Fun? Who said anything about having fun?” Trying desperately to be in control, Rabbit forfeits it, and loses joy in favor of a miserable but all-too-comfortable mindset and mania.

(more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

Question: Why do you believe/What made you believe?

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Question from a seeker:

I honestly want to believe in God, but I have not found anything to convince me that it’s not just a story. I really do want to believe in God. I have a Grandmother who is extremely religious and has been trying to get me to be so for a while. My parents believe in God but aren’t extremely religious. I just can’t figure out what makes people just believe… I know you’ll say “faith” and there’s no need to explain it when you have faith or something along those lines, but for somebody who really wants to know why you believe, that’s not a good answer.

How about this – What made you believe? Or are you one of those people who was raised being taught it and then continued believing it because you were taught it was true? If not, what changed your mind and made you believe? I need to know, because I need to know if it’s possible for it to happen to me. I’m a very logical person and just can’t convince myself that it’s all true when we have scientific proof of how we came into being. I can’t just ignore science.

Why do you believe/What made you believe?

Answer:
Thank you for raising an honest question. I can tell you how I came to believe. I didn’t always know there was a God but drifted independently in life, stuck with my own resources which eventually get depleted and prove woefully inadequate for a rich and meaningful life. I wanted to quit. I didn’t realize that God and truth had anything to do with each other, but I found that as I listened and looked around and read, certain truths about life’s purpose would surface, and would catch my attention. I wondered if the pieces would ever come together in a way that made sense. I seemed to have the ends and middle of the puzzle but not the entire finished product. A series of experiences led me to the truth. If you’re interested in viewing those experiences, they are recounted in this two-part video clip.
The quest for God is the most rewarding of all, and if you are seeking Him, as you are, you will find Him. He has the power to make Himself known to you. There are evidences and assurances of His reality–it’s not a blind faith that leads to belief but a spiritual knowing that comes through His revelation of His love and purposes to you. This comes through asking Him if he lives in prayer, pondering, and receiving an answer for yourself.
I hope this helps you in some way. Please ask any additional questions you may have as you move along in your journey.
  • Share/Bookmark