Meet Some Mormons
Have you ever met a Mormon? We've collected stories from some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and posted them. Come meet a Mormon!
I am going through a divorce, shattered my foot a week ago--had surgery which resulted in a titanium plate and five screws--and just had my largest client let us go due to the economy. So in a matter of 30 days, I was alone, injured, and lost 70% of my income. And then the final straw after using every ounce of energy to keep myself together--my ex-wife called just to re-iterate how I have destroyed five peoples' lives.
And as I broke into a billion pieces wondering if I could endure all these trials, an angel called. Out of nowhere a true friend felt the promptings of the Spirit to call me for some reason. He built my soul back up and restored my walls of faith in overcoming trials. The last time we talked was over five months ago. I know God hears and answers prayers--especially pleas for help.
Then, amongst the pain of getting around--I mustered up the energy to go to church and exercise my faith. During the sacrament meeting, a speaker discussed Proverbs 3:5-6--an answer to my prayers.
God lives--He loves each and every one of us, and I bear witness to this.
-Brandon
Q: Do Mormons ever think for themselves? Don't they always blindly follow their leaders?
A: Some people do think that we Mormons are like sheep--mindlessly following our leaders. That is not the case for a number of reasons.
If I have strep throat and go to a doctor, she will prescribe the appropriate medicine. If I were to go to a different doctor, that doctor would prescribe the same medicine for my sickness. Are those two doctors "blindly obeying" the textbook or are they acting the same based on the knowledge they each personally gained?
Imagine an un-anchored sailboat on water. Now imagine a flock of sheep following a shepherd. Which is more free? Which has more power over what happens to them?
The sheep are walking along in a field. The shepherd leads them to food, to water, around the pasture. The sheep choose to follow the shepherd because they trust him.
Now picture that sailboat on the water, now caught in a violent storm. Waves crash against the boat. Wind pushes the boat this way, waves beat it back the other.
Which is more free--the sailboat or the sheep?
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are taught that they should study issues out on their own (see here, here, and here). Joseph Smith, the founder and first Prophet of the Church in modern days, taught that the Church teaches correct principles and lets its members govern themselves (quoted here). This is the real power of the Church. Members learn what the leaders teach, learn the consequences of actions, and then make their own decisions.
And that is why I am a member of the Church. I have decided that I want to follow the Shepherd. Turns out that He knows the way.
Q: What do you have to "do" to get into Heaven
A: We believe that no matter what we do, there is no way we would ever make it into Heaven without the help of Jesus Christ. Christ's suffering in the Garden and on the Cross make the impossible possible.
Our knowledge of Christ's suffering comes from the truth restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. We believe that through baptism (at age 8) we enter into a sort of "deal" with Christ. We promise to do our best at keeping His commandments and following His words, and he promises to make up the difference. Because of this deal we have a chance at Heaven. Without it, we'd all be toast.
I understand this doctrine best as it is illustrated by this short example:
A man is stumbling along in the desert. He is sunburned and his tongue is so dry it sticks to the roof of his mouth. He can barely see, his eyes bloodshot and blurred from lack of water.
He is about to collapse and give up when he sees a signpost on the next dune. It reads: "Water Here" with an arrow pointing just over the dune. The man summons all his strength and heads for the sign.
When he reaches the sign, a hair's breath away from fainting, he sees a water pump at the bottom of the dune. He smiles as wide as his chapped lips allow and hurries to get a drink. He cranks the handle and lets the water splash into his mouth and over his face.
What saved the man? Was it the sign? Was it the man's faith in the sign? Was it all the man's work getting over the dune to the pump? Was it the pump?
It was the water. Jesus Christ is the Living Water, the quencher of all eternal thirst, the only One who has the power to save us.
