Monday, March 3, 2014

Introducing Gospel Principles Monday!! Have questions? Ask!

Over here at Being Martha, Becoming Mary, we understand that people have questions about our faith. While awareness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is increasing in the world today (thanks to the examples of everyday members in our communities as well as prominent members of our faith), there are still lots of questions, misconceptions, and downright lies out there about us, what we believe, and who we worship.

One of our goals here is to open the conversation a little bit. To provide a place where questions can be asked and honest answers are given. Honestly, I didn't think our faith and practices were odd or different until I moved to Tenneessee for a bit. I met many really neat people there, and was asked a lot of weird questions. Mostly about polygamy and how I feel about it (I don't believe it appropriate).

So, in response to questions people may have, we're going to start doing Gospel Principles Mondays! We'll focus on a different topic each week, include our feelings about it, and direct to further resources if interested. Ok? Ok.

Our topic for the inaugural Gospel Principles Monday seemed an obvious one, and one that seems hotly contested.

Q:Are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) Christians?

A. Yes!

As Latter Day Saints, we worship our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus Christ is the center of our faith. This is His gospel, and we strive daily to be like Him. We focus our efforts on living Christ-like lives and serve as He did.

We recognize Jesus Christ as our savior, the only way through which eternal life can come. We are eternally grateful for His sacrifice and atonement. All of our teachings are based on His teachings. He is the center of our belief and we are nothing without Him.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, prior president of our faith (and one of my personal favorites!) said it best:

"We are Christians in a very real sense and that is coming to be more and more widely recognized. Once upon a time people everywhere said we are not Christians. They have come to recognize that we are, and that we have a very vital and dynamic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. We, of course, accept Jesus Christ as our Leader, our King, our Savior...the dominant figure in the history of the world, the only perfect Man who ever walked the earth, the living Son of the living God. He is our Savior and our Redeemer through whose atoning sacrifice has come the opportunity of eternal life. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pray and worship in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the center of our faith and the head of our Church. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and witnesses of His divinity, His life, and His Atonement.”

I couldn't have expressed it better. I know that, personally, Jesus Christ is my friend as well as my Savior and the person on whose teachings I try to base my life. I have a personal relationship with Him and our Heavenly Father through prayer and personal revelation and know that He loves us infinitely. We consider our faith to be His gospel, and include His name in the name of our faith to make sure the world knows we have our eyes single to the glory of God.

Please visit www.mormon.org for more info on this topic and more!

Well, that's it! I hope you enjoyed the first installation of Gospel Principles Monday, and I hope we answered the question for someone dying to know. If you have suggestions, questions, comments or concerns, please let us know in the comments section or email us at beingmarthabecomingmary@gmail.com!!

Have an awesome week.

-Christi


          (Photo credit unknown, if you know, please reach out so we can give credit where it's due!)

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