by byustudent | Feb 13, 2013 | About Mormons
BYU Students Share Reflections on Scripture
BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” BYU students take nearly a semester of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.
In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these reflections). (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Feb 9, 2013 | About Mormons
Recent discussion concerning whether or not to permit those with same-gender orientation to have an active role in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) organization has become a complex issue as far as being able to make a definitive decision on the matter. The organization had recently announced that it would consider changing its policies and might allow local chapters to decide whether to admit gays as Scouts and leaders.
Further Research Required Before Making Final Decision
On Wednesday, 6 February 2013, after much deliberation on the issue, it was decided to put off making any decisions as more time would be needed for further study. At this juncture, it appears that resolution on the current policy of excluding gay members and leaders will not be voted on by the approximate 1,400 voting members of the national council until the annual meeting which will be held during the week of 20 May 2013 in Grapevine, Texas. GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group, condemned the decision to wait. (more…)
by Lisa M. | Feb 8, 2013 | About Mormons
Mormons, also known as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe in following the teachings of the Savior, Jesus Christ. One of my favorite scriptures is Ephesians 4:32: “And be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.”
The Savior set the example of love and kindness for us to follow.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in April 2005:
Jesus, our Savior, was the epitome of kindness and compassion. He healed the sick. He spent much of His time ministering to the one or many. He spoke compassionately to the Samaritan woman who was looked down upon by many. He instructed His disciples to allow the little children to come unto Him. He was kind to all who had sinned, condemning only the sin, not the sinner. He kindly allowed thousands of Nephites to come forward and feel the nail prints in His hands and feet. Yet His greatest act of kindness was found in His atoning sacrifice, thus freeing all from the effects of death, and all from the effects of sin, on conditions of repentance.
As Elder Wirthlin so eloquently said, “Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others.”
It reminds me of a song I learned in church when I was a child. It’s called “Kindness Begins with Me,” and it says: “I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right, you see. So I say to myself, ‘Remember this: Kindness begins with me.’” (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Feb 5, 2013 | Black Mormon
According to The Birmingham News, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more commonly referred to as the Mormon Church) has named Peter M. Johnson, who served a mission to Birmingham, Alabama from 1987 to 1989, as the Bessemer, Alabama Stake President, the first Black regional leader for Mormons in Alabama. Johnson and his family were living in Utah and have just recently moved back to Alabama.
A stake is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ comprised of multiple congregations – the smaller congregations are called branches and the larger ones are called wards. It may be compared to a Roman Catholic Church diocese. The name “stake” is derived from the metaphor employed by Isaiah, comparing Zion to a tent fastened securely by stakes:
Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken (Isaiah 33:20.) (more…)
by dwhite | Jan 31, 2013 | Mormon Beliefs: Christian Values
In society today there is an indelible line between the spiritual and the scientific, but this was not always so. Though many scientists today may say that in the past, it was only ignorance that bound science and religion together, there are some people involved in both who see no conflicting teachings. Critics of religion often argue that since there is no physical evidence for God, then He must not exist. This argument is flawed because it is assuming that the only evidence for a Supreme Being must be measurable and quantifiable through our five senses. Those who have had meaningful spiritual experiences, though, know with a certainty that modern science scoffs at that there is a God. How can they know? Through another sense just as valid as the five we usually discuss, but one which is personal and spiritual.
Spiritual experiences touch a person’s heart and soul in a very real, very personal way. It is hard to find words to describe these experiences because they are, quite literally, not of this world. This does not mean that any spiritual experience involves visions of angels or divine manifestations; it simply means that the wisdom of men falls far below the wisdom of God. He does not express Himself in the same way we do to each other. (more…)
