As you may know, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as a Mormon. There is a lot of misconceptions about my religion. One you may have heard recently is that we are not Christians. You would think since Christ’s name is right there in our name of our religion, it would tip people off that perhaps that statement isn’t true. Yet, this notion persists.
I wanted to take a brief minute to share with you that I believe in Christ. I believe He came to save the world from sin. I believe that through his atoning sacrifice, all can be saved who believe on Him.
He lived and He died for us, and as we celebrate Easter, we are reminded that He arose from the dead and ascended to heaven. He literally broke the bands of death.
I am so grateful for a loving Savior who was willing to take upon my sins. I’m an idiot. I’ve made some really dumb choices throughout my life. Ones that have caused me pain and suffering. He suffered those mistakes for me. I have been hurt by the actions of others, I have mourned for loved ones, I have felt sick and physical pain in my body and Christ took all of that on as well.
He did it because He loves me. He did it for all of us. While I’m super glad he did it for you and for all the world, what matters most to me is that He did it for me. Suesan.
Knowing and believing that has changed my life. It gives me hope that even though I am weak and make mistakes, I can keep trying and I can be forgiven. It helps me to know that there is one person who knows everything I have experienced or will experience because He took that on himself.
I wanted to share this Easter message with you. If you want to know more about what I believe, you can click my "I Believe” button on my sidebar.
That link will take you to my profile on Mormon.org where I share some of my beliefs and feelings about the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can find other information about what Mormons believe on Mormon.org, too, by clicking on the first picture in this post.
During this Easter weekend, we invite you to go to Mormon.org, or Mormon.org Facebook Page to share your testimony of Christ with the world. You don’t have to be a member of our church to share your witness of Christ on either page.
I encourage you to watch this bible video which shows the final days of Christ’s life. It is a good video to remind us of the hope and joy that comes from the atonement and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Happy Easter.
Suesan
Happy Easter, Suesan! He is risen indeed!
ReplyDeleteThough I'm not a mormon, I lived in Utah and have studied the teachings of the LDS church for a decade. I feel I can understand why people believe the church is not christian- the teachings of who the 'traditional' (Bible-only) Christ is and the LDS Christ are are different when you get down to details. (I'd be happy to dialogue with you about that, if you're interested).
I by no means write that to cause dissension or to start a fight! Quite the opposite. This very subject came up with one of my dear friends (who is LDS) a few days ago, and it's been heavy on my mind. I have a deep love and respect for mormons and am fascinated by church history and teaching!
Thank you so much for your response. I appreciate your willingness to comment. Religion is a personal and sacred subject for many people. I welcome thoughtful discourse and the respectful sharing of opinions and beliefs.
DeleteI do understand the "traditional" view of Christ is not the same of Mormons. In fact, I am quite comfortable in the differences between those interpretations. I respect that there are many ways that people believe in Christ and have absolutely no complaint with that at all.
My only concern is that I would hate for people to not understand that we truly do believe in Christ. He is central to our religion, even if our beliefs about him differ from other Christian religions.
Thank you Suesan! What a beautiful post! I am not a judger of religions. I respect everyone's right to worship as they please or not. I am a Christian, I love my God and I am thankful for the sacrifice of His Son. I shudder to think where my life would be without forgiveness. His as well as others.
ReplyDeleteThanks Suesan-- it's really ironic, 'cause I just finished reading an article on Mitt Romney's run for president and how his being Mormon will most likely cost him the election, because many people believe it's a cult.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? After almost 200 years? A cult?
I think a little understanding on Mormonism goes along way-- you're awesome to take a stand and share your testimony. I ought to do the same.
Just beautiful Susan. Thank you for posting this. You stated so eloquently that we as members of the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" are truly Christians. In that, everything in our lives points to the Atoning Sacrifice of our Savior and how eternally grateful we are that He has indeed been resurrected. Have a beautiful Easter. -K
ReplyDeleteA beautiful post -- I appreciated your comment on my blog today. - Suzanne
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