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Patrick Loss by staff
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Ott Dameron: becoming a member of the Mormon Church by staff
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Nombuso by staff
I would like to share my testimony by telling anyone who’s going to read this that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter – Day Saints is true. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ did appear to the young Joseph Smith and that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. I know that Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us and that He knows us by name. I love the Savior because I know that He sacrificed His life for you and me. I know that the more we read our scriptures, its the more we will draw closer to Heavenly Father.I know that Gordon B. Hinkcley is the True Prophet of God and that the church is directed by God and His only Begotten Son, even Jesus Christ. I love the Savior so much. I say and write all these words in the Mighty Name Of our Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ. Amen. -
Mormonism answers questions of the soul. by staff
In May 2007, Time magazine had a cover story on Mitt Romney, and PBS ran a four hour special on Mormons. Although both purported to be ‘fair and balanced’, I didn’t quite find that to be so. Time had the following quote, in regards to Mitt Romney and his Mormon beliefs:Slate editor Jacob Weisberg threw down the challenge after reviewing some of Joseph Smith’s more extravagant assertions. “He was an obvious con man,” Weisberg wrote. “Romney has every right to believe in con men, but I want to know if he does, and if so, I don’t want him running the country.”
I wanted to tell you briefly why I believe in Mormonism. When I was a boy of about 11-13 , I had a singular experience. I went to church, and the lesson was on how everyone must be baptized to go to heaven. It seemed true, but at the same time deeply disturbing. What about the billions of people in India and China that haven’t even heard the name Jesus Christ, let alone had the chance to be baptized. How could God be fair if this was true? With this on my mind, it was either the same day or the week after, my two older brothers expressed similar doubts. One said something like ‘if God is God of the whole earth, why did he only speak to people in Israel?’, and the other said ‘what bothers me is, in the Old Testament, God is a vengeful god, even ordering the extermination of entire cities, while in the New Testament, he is described as a God of Love. That sure doesn’t sound like he’s an ‘unchanging god.
Over the next several years, I became an agnostic as a result of these doubts. When I came in contact with Mormonism years later, I found it had plain and simple answers to these questions. If you are interested in what I believe those answers to be, I have links below which explain my beliefs.
I agree somewhat with Mr. Weisberg: either Joseph Smith was a con man of the first degree, perhaps the greatest on record, or he was who he purported to be. There can be no middle ground. Jesus said ‘beware of false prophets’, then went on to say ‘by their fruits, ye shall know them’. Most, if not all churches interpret this to mean that there would be no more prophets at all, but clearly, this is not what he said. The Book of Mormon is the fruit by which we can know the truth of Joseph Smith. It is convincing evidence that he was truly a prophet of God.
There are many, many criticisms of Mormonism, but it all comes down to whether the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be, or if it is a fake. It is the keystone of our religion – if it is a fake, so are all of our beliefs. The opposite is also true. I encourage people to be as skeptical as humanly possible when reading it. I tell them to ask themselves with every page, whether Joseph Smith, or anyone else could have made up the book, then ask God if it is true, and that somewhere between the first and last page, they will come to know with absolute surety that it is a true record. There are many theories as to the origin of the Book of Mormon. Had Joseph or anyone else written the book from ‘whole cloth’, it would have been infinitely more miraculous than the account of its divine origin, as given by Joseph Smith. As one man said ‘A wicked man couldn’t write such a book. A good man wouldn’t write it, unless he was commanded to do so.’
If you are interested, here are the answers to my questions:
What about the requirement that you be baptized to enter heaven? (Mormons believe in baptism for the dead, which is performed in our temples. Everyone will have the chance to hear and accept the gospel in the next life, and accept or reject these ordinances done in their behalf. See 1 Cor. 15:29 )
Why did God only speak to people in Israel ? (This is the message of the Book of Mormon , a record of his dealings with people in the Americas – see http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/15/14-17,21#14 )
How can God be the same yesterday, today, and forever, yet order the extermination of cities in the Old Testament, and be a God of Love in the New Testament. (see http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/17/32-45#32 , When nations ripen in iniquity, the Lord destroys them. ( 1 Nephi 17:37-38, 2 Nephi 1:7 , Alma 45:16 , Ether 2:8-12 ). Before destroying them, he sends prophets to warn them ( 2 Nephi 25:9 see also Amos 3:7). In the case of the Canaanites, parents were sacrificing their own children to false gods, and there was no hope for breaking this cycle. God is a gardener, of sorts, and he sends prophets to weed those gardens, but when the weeds totally overcome the garden, he uses Roundup. The same principle applies in our day, especially with reference to the Second Coming. )
If there is a God, would He be a fair and just God if he wouldn’t provide a way to prove that He existed? Likewise, if the Book of Mormon is scripture, wouldn’t God provide a way to know of a surety that this was truly scripture? (see http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/10/3-5#3)
The Book of Mormon makes the audacious claim that it would contain many plain and precious teachings that were once in the Bible, but were removed, either deliberately, or by error. There is an article on the internet that lists over a hundred of these plain and precious Book of Mormon teachings. (see http://www.fairwiki.org/index.php/Plain_and_Precious_Book_of_Mormon_doctrines )
I know this is the work of God. Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God. The Book of Mormon is convincing evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the Church has been restored to the earth.
Brian Palmer
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Montygoo by staff
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Maxwell J. Drown by staff
I believe in God. I believe He loves us all.I believe we existed in a spiritual form before we were born. I believe in Adam and Eve and in the Garden of Eden.
I believe that God reveals his will to us through revelation and inspiration. I believe the words of the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price.
I believe in Prophets including a living Prophet.
I believe that God answers our prayers. I believe that my prayers have been answered by God many times.
I believe in the Holy Ghost and the Light of Christ which inspire men to do good.
I believe that Jehovah created the Earth under the authority of God. I believe that Jesus Christ is Jehovah. I believe that Jesus Christ walked the Earth and atoned for our sins. I believe that it is through His great atonement that we can be forgiven of our sins and return to God.
I believe that Satan is real and seeks to destroy the souls of all men. I believe that we are in a real and literal war against Satan. I believe that we have the power and ability to win this war.
I believe in the Priesthood, the authority to act in God’s name.
I believe that the family unit (a man, a woman and their children) is sacred and eternal.
I believe that we will continue to exist after we die. I believe that we must perform some physical ordinances in order to prepare ourselves for the next life. I believe in baptism. I believe in temples and in the ordinance work performed in temples.
I believe this life is a test. I believe that we will be resurrected and our life will be judged.
-Maxwell J. Drown (http://www.break-line.net/?page_id=23)
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Karen: Conversion Story to the Mormon Church by staff
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Josué by staff
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Jonathan J. Johnson by staff
Why I believe the Book of Mormon to be true.
It is hard to believe in a book, when we are accustomed to reading fiction, novels, opinions in news papers, or magazines and Biographies of unfamiliar people. We look at the binding of a book, whose pages do nothing but help us pass the time. We look to books more often to help us obtain our selfish desires. They either help us live in a fantasy, or they amplify worldly ambitions, or the desire to increase our own empires.My testimony of the Book of Mormon has been a process. Although I received answers to prayers while seeking and even had events that were profound, mine is a testimony of application. I have seen personally the change in myself. This is the literal testimony of its teachings. For some time the Book of Mormon, for me, was the blue book that the missionaries distributed to those whom they contacted. Although I felt that their efforts were just, I struggled to know just why that blue book was so important. I wondered why so many would give all, including their lives to protect and declare its teachings.
The scriptures below outline in part, why I believe the Book of Mormon is true. It is not the “Book that is True”; it is the collage of true stories that hold personal application. It is individuals or analogies, that I can personalize and like its participants, grow little by little. The Book is substantiated through proven applications. The proof comes when you liken and then apply what it teaches. You will never find fault in this book, if you try to disprove it through the application of its teachings.
Third Nephi 26: 9-10
9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith,(it is not enough just to receive it- we must try it out!) and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater• things be made manifest unto them.

10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater• things be withheld• from them, unto their condemnation.The book of Mormon is not about reading, it is all about trying and applying. As The Savior teaches they should “first try their faith”. If they try their faith and believe these things, then shall the Lord make greater things manifest. If you want to know it is true read and then apply, read and then apply.
Ether 3:10-13
10 And he answered: Nay; Lord, show• thyself unto me.

11 And the Lord said unto him: Believest• thou the words which I shall speak?

12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst• not lie.

13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed• himself unto him, and said: Because• thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.Second Nephi 33:10
10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe• in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words• of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach• all men that they should do good.Moroni 10:32-33
32 Yea, come• unto Christ, and be perfected• in him, and deny• yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love• God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect• in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins•, that ye become holy, without spot.I know the Book of Mormon is true, because I know that I can live better and have lived better when applying its teachings. Change is the visible, tangible testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Jonathan Johnson -
John Hobbs: the Mormon Church and the Book of Mormon by staff
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