My Faith

The past couple of days, I have felt like I needed to post a few things about what and why I believe. I don't know how it is in other areas of the world, but the LDS church has taken some nasty hits in the newspapers here in Utah for a variety of reasons. Misinformation and downright lies have been spread and told and unfounded accusations have been alleged against Joseph Smith, other church leaders, and members in general. So, here's my little attempt to defend myself and my faith against those accusations.

I feel much the same about my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as I do about the privilege I have of being an American citizen- I count them as two of the choicest blessings in my life.

I love my country and I love my religion. I recognize and acknowledge that there are things in the past of both of them that may not square with our current ideas of decency and fairness. But I also know that those things were done in a different time, when ideas of right and wrong were different and what we shudder at now was considered normal and proper. Further, I know that they were done by men and women who were trying to do their best to bring about something greater than themselves. While they may have been inspired by God to do what they did, they were mortals, subject to the weaknesses and temptations we all are and, like all of us, they made mistakes. Their imperfections did not denegrade the goodness or rightness of what they were trying to accomplish- rather, it was part of the bumps and bruises along the way of becoming something great.

I love my religion for what it teaches me to be- a good, decent, charitable follower of Christ who sees the value of others in all circumstances. It teaches me to do more for others than what I want done for myself. It teaches me that I am eternal, that marriages and families are eternal. It teaches me to be a law abiding citizen, committed to my country. Mostly, it gives me hope- hope that each day, I will do a little more and be a little better.

I know that there is much good and right in all faiths and in all people. While I may believe that the LDS church has the fulness of the gospel, in no way does that mean I believe we have a monopoly on the truth. In fact, the more I learn about other religions, the more I am convinced that they are not as dissimilar as we may make them out to be. The core principles are much the same in Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Judiasm and other religions throughout the world.

I believe that people of all faiths have an obligation to stand up for goodness and rightness at all times and to defend those principles they hold most dear. I know it is usually unpopular, but I believe it is part of being Christlike- understanding a need for compassion and tolerance without sacrificing core beliefs.

Like I said before, I believe in my religion like I believe in my country- not for mistakes of the past, but for hope in the future- hope for a brighter day and for the comfort each gives me when I lay my head down at night.