Wednesday 26 February 2014

What do Mormons believe about other churches?

Articles of faith 11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

God is the loving heavenly father of us all, He wants us all to get along and to love each other. Despite the differences all religions have all religions have some truth to them, Things that they have in common. This truth although not complete is a great thing and we should seek out this truth, wherever we can find it. These truths that people have have come through faithfully searching of Gods word.

Although other churches do contain truth we believe and teach that there is only one place that the entire truth can be found. And logically not everyone can be 100% correct unless they were all united in their beliefs, and our claim is that the original truth that Jesus Christ taught when he was lost and after centuries of people searching faithfully for it, God restored it through a man called Joseph Smith.

When asked what Mormons believe, Joseph Smith produced a news article that we refer to as the 13 articles of faith. The 11th article is about our belief on religious freedom, that we believe we should worship God how we feel, and that other people should be entitled to this same freedom. Despite the differences of belief we have to other christian denominations we do believe that everyone is entitled to follow God the best way they know how,  whatever way of worshiping God it may be.  We simply invite others to take the faith in God that they already have and see if what we have can increase their beliefs in God and help them to form a closer relationship with their heavenly father.

Ultimately God will judge each one of us based on what we know and what we did with the knowledge that he has given us. If we have accepted the sacrifice for sin Jesus Christ offered for us and are trying our best to repent of our own individual sins. God expects us to put in the effort and find truth and when we find truth to act on that knowledge.




Thursday 20 February 2014

Why should I go to church?

When talking to people I sometimes get people say "I don't need to go to church to worship God." This is true you do not need to attend a church to worship God, so why bother? I mean it is 3 hours a week that you could spend doing something else like sleeping or watching TV, so why has God told us to go?

Well there are a few reasons why God has asked us to do this important thing. The most important reason to go is something we refer to as the sacrament meeting, (Also known as Holy communion by other denominations)  This is where we take Bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us. The importance of this is more than just remembering him though, When we take the bread and water each week, we recommit ourselves to following Jesus Christ, we renew the agreement we made at baptism to follow Jesus Christ.

Other than that church is there to help people build on the faith they have, or to help them develop new faith. It is a place for learning and a place for receiving answers and guidance to questions that are on your mind. I regularly feel in the mornings that I just don't feel up for going but when I get there I feel uplifted and strengthened by the end of it. This is because the Holy Ghost strengthens us spiritually so that we can become more prepared for the week to come.

It is also a great opportunity to build friendships with people with similar beliefs as yourself, Although we all are different and have different interests and hobbies it is good for us to have friends who not only believe what we do but help encourage you to continue in faith and lift you at times when you are feeling weak. Or it gives you the opportunity to help others who need encouragement and help build them up into being better Christians. What is most important is that you are encouraging others with faith in God and Jesus Christ our savior.

The Sabbath day is there for us, God wants us to use it the best way we can and that is the way he has told us to use it. As we do this we will develop more faith in God and more strength throughout the rest of the week.

Friday 14 February 2014

What has God done for me?

So, when talking to people on the street and at their houses, I often get asked the question "What has God ever done for me?" As if they were expecting God to snap his fingers at their request and suddenly they are living in a mansion with all the money in the world.

God has done a lot for us, and we should be great full, Here are just a few of the things that God has given us. Firstly, He has created us. Made us all individually and put His love and affection into each one of us. He knows us all by name and if you asked Him he could give you a detailed description of your entire existence from the moment you were made by him.

Second, He has created this world for us all. He didn't have to and it would probably have been much less stressful for Him if he had not but he did He did this so he could show us how much he loves us by giving us all our own physical body and somewhere we can use it.

Third, He has given each of us the freedom to choose what we do. This was a pretty risky move on his behalf with the fact that as soon as we get the opportunity we do something stupid. God could have made us all robots he could have forced us to all get along with each other but instead he has given us all the ability to choose for ourselves what we do. This may lead to some bad things but it also leads to the best things. It gives us the opportunity to show genuine love towards each other, It gives us the opportunity to learn from our own mistakes and discover for ourselves what the difference between good and evil. Something you can only really appreciate when you have been through the bad.

Okay, now think of your favorite pet, imagine how sad life would be if God had not made it for you, weather it is a dog or cat or even a fish that you love to watch swimming around its bowl. God made those and knew the enjoyment you would get out of having such a good pet.

Now think of your friends, your family, everyone you realy care about. God made them too and he knows them by name. Okay these people may not always be the best and they make mistakes just like everyone else God did after all give them the freedom to choose too. But the point is God also made them so we would not be completely lonely in this life.

Most importantly is a verse of scripture that I see on almost every church I go past here in England and that is John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God gave his perfect son, Jesus Christ so that our mistakes could be washed clean through his blood. He did this so that people who are filled with mistakes in life like you and me could come to him and have the terrible things we go through in life taken away from us and so that we could one day become perfect through our savior Jesus Christ.

These are just a few of the things that God has done for us all. There are many many more but the list would be too long...