Since "Mormon's" have been in the news a lot lately, I am writing this post to share my own testimony of what I believe and how I feel about my religion. (Please feel free to pass on this post to others who may wonder about our religion. Also, the link to the church's website is on the top right corner.)
I belong to The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints! We have a book called the Book of Mormon - which is why people who belong to the church were originally called "Mormons". However, the name of our church is the church of Jesus Christ. As the Book of Mormon clearly states in 2 Nephi 25:26 "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."
We know that the Book of Mormon is divine text - just as the Bible - that teaches us about our Savior and Redeemer. This is the reason why we read it, believe it, and use it to better our own knowledge of Christ, who atoned for our sins. We know it is only through this sacrifice that we can even hope to live with God again after we have experienced our tests in this life and have moved on to the next one.
I have always known this. I had wonderful parents who taught me about our Savior and I knew that He loved me and that I needed Him. I remember being baptized at the age of 8 into this church. I remember talking to my parents about why I wanted to be baptized. I knew it was because I wanted to follow Christ. I wanted to follow Christ's example and I wanted Him to know that I was committed to living a life being an example of His light and love. I took that commitment very seriously - perhaps too much so at times, but I knew what I was committing to.
I know I am one of the few who has been blessed to know of the existence of a Savior from an early age. I remember being 5 or 6 years old and having my brother ask me if I believed all this stuff we were learning at church. His question surprised me - I had never questioned any of it. And even after he asked me and the idea of questioning the existence of a God was purposed to me, I knew that what I had learned in church was true and I told him so. For me the knowledge of Christ was just as natural for me to believe as it is for me to breathe. It's not something I had to think about, I just knew it was right.
When I was 11 years old I was struggling with some things and seriously considered taking my own life. The only thing that helped me to hold on to this life was knowing that I would have to meet my God face to face and explain to Him why I took my life. I couldn't handle the thought of looking Him in the face and acknowledging such an awful thing.
When I was a teen, it comforted me to read the scriptures and know that Christ had suffered for me, that He knew me and that He already knew I would make mistakes and He loved me anyway. His tender love and mercy were real to me. So real that I wrote a poem to express how I felt about Him and the love I feel from Him. (See post below this one.)
As an adult, I find comfort in knowing that I can repent because of Him. I guess as an adult I realize more and more how many mistakes I make and how much help I really need.
My life has always revolved around my knowledge of Jesus and His sacrifice for me and for all of us. And, regardless of what other people think about me or about my beliefs, I know that I am a Christian. I know that Christ lives, that He came to earth in the flesh, lived a mortal life and suffered for our sins so that there would be hope for us to return to our heavenly home. I know that, by turning to Him, we can feel peace in this world of turmoil and trouble, and through faith and repentance, we can return to His loving presence again.
The video below is my favorite hymn, which I insisted be sung at my baptism, it says it's "Into the Light", but really it is called, "I Stand all Amazed".
Your testimony is a wondrous beauty to behold and thank you for letting it shine to inspire others.
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