by Keith L. Brown | May 7, 2013 | About Mormons
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church by the media and others) has witnessed a growth rate of 45% in its membership in the United States over the past decade. This increase is due largely in part to the growing number of its Spanish-speaking converts.
According to an article by Jack Rodolico on the Fronteras website titled Mormon Missionaries without Papers, the number of Spanish –speaking members of The Church of Jesus Christ has doubled since the year 2000. Rodolico goes on to point out that many of those Latino members do not have the proper legal documentation for being in the United States, which in turn causes problems for the LDS Church, and especially for those Latino members desiring to serve full-time missions. (more…)
by megan | May 7, 2013 | Mormon Beliefs: Christian Values
Center. Anchor. Foundation. These terms describe the Savior and where He fits in my testimony, and in the testimony of other Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as Mormons. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is the center of my beliefs, everything our faith, and the Church, is rightly called after His name.
Prophets’ Words About Christ
The Bible clearly testifies of Christ, recording His earthly ministry and Atonement for all mankind. In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, he instructs the church members to look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus Christ is the one who authored the Plan of Salvation, as well as the one who completed the Atonement. His doctrine of repentance and baptism is at the center of our faith. (See 3 Nephi 11:32).
In The Book of Mormon, a book of scripture written by ancient prophets on the American continent, Nephi, one of the authors, describes his and his family’s religion: “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ” (2 Nephi 25:26). Nephi lived 600 years before Jesus was born, yet he and his family had faith in Christ. Throughout the Book of Mormon, other prophets do exactly what Nephi describes, rejoicing in and testifying of our Savior Jesus Christ. (more…)
by liviw | May 1, 2013 | About Mormons
It’s probably something most people weren’t expecting. BYU TV is perhaps best known for broadcasting talks from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church), as well as the General Conference of the Church.
It’s known for educational programming and well done mini series on historical topics, like the Bible. But in 2013 BYU TV brought out a new program that puts an entirely new spin on their programming.
Welcome to Granite Flats
‘Granite Flats’ is a new fictional series about a small town in the 60’s near a Colorado military base. Interesting characters begin to be presented immediately in the pilot. Teachers, mechanics, nurses, little kids and parents just to name a few.
The show starts with great mystery. Metal objects are seemingly falling from the sky in all different parts of town – in some cases wreaking havoc. No one seems to understand the connection between these objects right away. Viewers see these different instances mainly through the eyes of children and the town’s sheriff. (more…)
by byustudent | Apr 25, 2013 | About Mormons
One thing I love about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that it teaches us that no one is better than another person.
I was reading this week in the book of James in the New Testament, in chapter 2, where it says that we should not be a respecter of persons. This does not mean that we should not respect them; it only means that we should not rate them based on the silly idea that one person is better than another. It is so easy to think of people on a scale of beauty, wealth, power, athletic ability, etc. But the worth opf each individual is the same.
It does not matter if you are the king of England, a poor college student or the homeless person on the side of the road. We all have the same potential to become like God, because we are all His children. God is only a respecter of righteousness; He loves it when we make good choices that bring us closer to Him, and He is hurt when we choose to reject Him. But He still loves us no matter what! If we wish to become more like God, should we not do the same? (more…)
by byustudent | Apr 24, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
The people of the Book of Mormon teach us many important lessons through their experiences. One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is to help us discover and learn from the mistakes of these people in ancient America.
In Mormon 5:18, the fallen Nephite people teach us a very important lesson. They show us that when we forsake God and neglect to follow His commandments, we fall under Satan’s power. When we fall under Satan’s power, we have no foundation or guiding light. Satan does not love his followers. He does not care about their lives nor does he try to guide them like our loving Heavenly Father does. The path of wickedness is one of loneliness and confusion.
When the Nephites decided not to follow God’s commandments, they made the decision to take this path. The scriptures say they became “as a vessel…without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her.” Choosing wickedness meant giving up their rights to surety and the power to direct their lives. So it is with us today. Satan persuades people to choose wickedness by advertising ideas of absolute freedom and self-government with no rules or restrictions. But this is false advertising. When we choose Satan’s way, we choose the way of bondage and unhappiness. We choose to be tied down with guilt, loneliness and, often, addictive behaviors. (more…)
