Mormon history is full of breakoff groups, splinter groups, divisions, and all kinds of off-shoots. Most of them have been failures. Tell me why you think this new movement will be different.
First, let’s be clear I’m no spokesperson for this movement. I’m not even sure you can classify it as a movement. There is no leader. This is no organized church. It is simply a group of believers.
But you base your beliefs on Mormonism.
Yes, the majority of what we believe was at one time taught in Mormonism.
Okay, so you’re a group of former Mormons…
No, we believe we’re still Mormons – even those who have left the LDS Church.
Fine, so you consider yourselves Mormons. What sets you apart from other groups who have left the Mormon Church – the fundamentalists for example? Do you believe in Polygamy?
I’ll bet some do, but I don’t. Even though I accept section 132 as doctrine, I have no intention of practicing plural marriage.
Why is that, especially if you accept section 132?
If there’s any one thing that unites this diverse group of believers, it’s a message that was delivered throughout the Mormon corridor over the past year or so (Sep 2013 to Sep 2014) in a series of lectures.
You’re referring of course to Denver Snuffer and his teachings.
Yes. One of those lectures – delivered in St George – was aimed particularly at the subject of polygamy. Included in the message was the mandate that plural marriage be abandoned.
So you don’t consider yourself a fundamentalist movement.
I suppose it depends on how you define fundamentalism. If you’re referring to the multiple groups who practice polygamy, mainly based in Utah, you are correct. We don’t feel the need to keep polygamy alive as they do. In fact, most of us are still members of the LDS Church.
Really … but you aren’t.
No, I resigned.
Why is that?
I had been accused of apostasy by my local leaders. It was only a matter of time before I would have been excommunicated. In fact, many of my friends, individuals who have studied and accepted the message delivered by this man we consider the Lord’s servant in the last days have been excommunicated for apostasy.
The Lord’s servant …How do you know this? I mean, how do you communicate?
Come on. We live in the information age. We have websites, blogs, Facebook groups, email lists and cell phones. We keep in touch with each other. Many are organized in small groups.
Are you a member of a group?
Only on the Internet … There are simply not enough people who believe as I do here in Southern California to meet on a regular basis. We are spread too far out. However, I can tell you there are many groups in Utah, Idaho and Arizona who meet each week, and sometimes during the week.
Is there a directory of these groups?
Yes. But as you can imagine, many wish to keep their groups secret and private.
Why is that?
Hello. They are still members of the LDS Church.
Okay. So this is a clandestine movement. They are afraid of the Mormon Church.
Yes, I believe that’s an accurate statement. Some are afraid, some aren’t. Many more are coming out in the open about their beliefs. They are inviting their family members, friends and neighbors to join them.
You say they meet on a regular basis. Why?
… to partake of the sacrament, to pray, to study the scriptures, to strengthen each other.
Just like a church…
I suppose. Small fellowships or communities would be a better description. Remember, there’s no hierarchy. They – we – consider ourselves seekers desirous to be members of the Church of the Firstborn, the Church of the Lamb of God.
I’m certain you don’t mean one of the groups that use those names, especially in Utah.
Correct. We refer to the Church of the Firstborn as used in the scriptures. There is no earthly organization to this movement. No leader.
So you meet in homes to take the sacrament, read the scriptures, pray and do all the things that new churches do when they are getting started. Yet, you say you are not a church. I don’t get it.
The problem with a formal church organization is that it can be hijacked, taken over by a strongman, if you will. A legal organization can be controlled by government intervention. Our main focus is to come unto Christ through baptism, and prepare ourselves for Zion.
Okay, now this is getting weird. Do you know how extreme that sounds?
What part, performing baptisms or getting ready for the return of Zion?
Both… So you practice baptisms?
Yes. I was baptized September 21st. I’m aware of hundreds of LDS people who have been baptized again just in the past month or so.
Really … What does the LDS Church think about that?
I think you know the answer. Its grounds for excommunication, just like participating in the Sacrament in your home or praying in your home the way we do in the temple. The LDS Church wants to control these things.
So how large would you say this movement is?
Hard to tell … There were six or seven hundred people at the final lecture in Mesa on September 9th. I’m fairly certain there are thousands of LDS members who have read the books or listened to the lectures of Denver Snuffer. That’s a drop in the bucket of the total membership.
Do you think the Mormon leaders know about it?
Of course they do. Elder Nelson referred to a point from Denver’s book recently in General Conference when he said, “No Prophet has ever been elected.” Brigham Young recorded, “I was unanimously elected President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Just a matter of interpretation. I think Brigham meant sustained.
Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. The local leaders are becoming much more aware of Denver Snuffer because they are hearing about it from their members.
In a good way or bad way?
Both. Some are bringing questions from Denver’s lectures to their Bishops they can’t answer. Some Bishops are calling members in to question them about things they have heard or read.
Such as?
Oh, you know. A home teacher or a neighbor will tell the Bishop someone in their ward is reading Denver’s stuff. Or the Bishop will ask them about their comments on Facebook.
You’re kidding.
I wish I were. Apparently it’s considered an offense worthy of discipline to read Denver’s writings or to talk to anyone else about his stuff. In fact, there’s a whole group of blogs the leaders don’t want you to visit or talk about.
Seriously …
I speak from personal experience.
So you know of people who have been excommunicated for reading Denver Snuffer’s works?
Yep. There’s a website you can visit that used to keep track but it’s not up to date. There was a couple excommunicated just last Sunday evening because they wouldn’t say the words, “The living prophet and apostles hold all the keys of the kingdom of God.”
Let’s get back to the point. Why do you think this movement is different and will last?
I’ve been watching it for two and a half years. I’ve been intimately involved in reading, studying and praying about the material published by Denver, especially the recent lectures. I participate in the email dialogs. I publish many posts on my blog discussing the ideas in the lectures. I see more and more people willing to give up their membership based on their own experiences.
What kind of experiences?
The same kind that brought them into the LDS Church or helped them become faithful, contributing members throughout their lives. For the most part these are good, humble, sincere individuals and families who are convinced – no, converted – by their feelings in prayer, in worship and in service. In other words, they act upon impressions from God upon them.
So they believe God told them the LDS Church is no longer the only true church?
Yep. They see it as an organization of men, not as the church that will bring about Zion.
So, without a controlling organization at the top, these people who are leaving the LDS Chuch to follow Denver Snuffer…
Wrong. To follow Jesus Christ …
Yes, but based on the teachings of Denver Snuffer…
I’ll grant you that. They – and I – believe the message Denver delivered in the lectures over the past year was inspired by, authorized by, and received by revelation from the Lord.
What is so special and different about this message?
I suppose the primary and perhaps key doctrine, if you will, is that the Lord has wrested the authority or the “keys” of the LDS Church away from the men who lead it.
Based on what?
Based on the principles of unrighteous dominion outlined in D&C section 121.
Wow. That is one amazing claim. I assume it has been refuted.
Of course. You can read all about it on the FAIR website. I’m sure they’ll add more.
And intelligent, regular LDS members are willing to resign or be excommunicated because they believe this, this idea that the LDS Church is no longer authorized of God to … to do what?
Officiate in the ordinances of salvation.
Such as …
Baptism, the Sacrament, temple ordinances…
Really, even temple ordinances?
Even temple ordinances.
Do you know how angry this sort of claim will make regular members of the church?
I was one of them. It made me a little angry the first time I pondered the possibility.
Yet you eventually gave up your membership in the LDS Church because you believe this guy.
No, I resigned from the LDS Church because it was the honorable thing to do, at least for me. Others are willing to go through the excommunication process. I had been through enough of those serving in a High council and Bishoprics over twenty-five years.
But you resigned based on the word of a man you hardly know.
No, I resigned because I prayed about this man’s message and felt it was right.
I go back to the same line. Do you know how crazy that sounds?
I do. I’m well aware I’m seen as a crackpot, a lunatic, a crazy person, or worse. Resigning or being excommunicated from the Mormon Church is considered losing your eternal salvation.
And you apparently don’t believe that?
I used to. Not anymore.
Why not?
Because I feel I have something better, a more sure word of prophecy.
Wait… that phrase has special significance to Mormons, doesn’t it?
It does.
And you’re saying…
That I know the Lord has accepted of and approved of my actions.
Have you seen the Lord?
I have not.
Have you heard his voice?
I have.
Can you describe it? Tell me about it.
Just like it’s described in the scriptures: quiet, peaceful, powerful, deep in the heart and soul.
Wait, you’re describing a feeling. You said you’ve heard His voice.
I have.
What did it sound like?
It wasn’t an audible voice, although there are those who have heard the Lord’s voice. Actually Boyd K. Packer described it best, or maybe it was Marion G. Romney. I forget. One of them said the voice of the Lord will come into your mind without the use of the auditory channel. In other words, you ask a question, wait and the Lord will answer you in full and complete sentences.
Oh, come on…
It works for me.
How do you know it’s not your own voice or maybe the whisperings of an evil spirit?
You just know, or at least I do. It takes years of experience in reading the scriptures.
Let’s wrap this up. You’ve admitted what you’ve done and what you believe sounds crazy to most Mormons. You seem like an intelligent guy. If someone else wanted to duplicate your experiment, so to speak, I assume you recommend they read Denver’s books and lectures.
Yes, but I’ve found something from another witness that has opened my soul as I have read and studied from its pages. I wrote about it previously on my blog after I read the first chapter. I’ve now read the second chapter and am in the third. I want to put a plug in for this book again.
Okay, go ahead. What is it?
The book is entitled, 77 Truths and the author is Bret Corbridge from Montrose, Colorado.
What’s so special about this book?
Besides the fact it is chock full of quotes, scriptures and commentary supporting powerful truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, many of which are no longer taught in the LDS Church, Bret feels so strongly this book will help people understand truths of the gospel, he is giving it away.
How many pages is the book?
460.
How long did it take him to write it?
Not quite sure. Somewhere between two and four years.
So you’re saying a lot of the ideas taught by Denver Snuffer are in this 460-page book from Bret Corbridge, which he spent years writing and now he is willing to give it away free?
Yep.
That’s crazy.
It’s called consecration. Bret’s a good man. And the book is wonderful. I highly recommend it.
Okay, so how do you get one?
Email bret@77truths.com and ask for a copy. The PDF is free. You can buy the physical book on Amazon for about $15, but he says if you want a physical copy and can’t afford it, email him.
Any concluding thoughts for this interview? I’m still not convinced this movement will last.
I don’t blame you or anyone else for being skeptical. I’m convinced the very last days are upon us. I’m also convinced the events foretold in prophecy about the breakdown of society are about to come to pass. It may be years, but the day will come when society breaks up into tribes. The message delivered by the Lord through Denver Snuffer is a message of preparation. We have been invited to practice consecration in communities to care for the poor among us. That’s one of the signs of a Zion society – no poor among them. We use our tithing for that purpose.
So you pay tithing to this man.
No. We pay tithing to the Lord and use it in our local groups or communities. We don’t build malls.
Do you have a temple?
Not yet. But we will.
Why?
To present to the Lord a list of names of those who have been baptized.
Who will pay for this temple?
I have no idea. I haven’t thought about it.
Sounds familiar to Warren Jeff’s group and the YFZ temple in Arizona.
I know. I know. Lots of Mormon fundamentalists have similar ideas from the restoration.
The LDS Church is the biggest group that came out of Joseph Smith’s visions and dreams.
Yes, and it will probably remain so. I’m grateful to the LDS Church for all it has done for me over the fifty plus years I was a member. I gave a lifetime of service in the LDS Church. I have friends and family whom I love who faithfully serve and give to the LDS Church.
But you left to follow… not this man Denver Snuffer as you say, but what you believe the Lord asked of you. And you don’t think you have been deceived.
That’s correct. I suppose time will tell, won’t it? I don’t believe a man should be required to accept or acknowledge another living man, even if he claims to be a prophet, in order to come unto Christ. As far as I know, Denver has not claimed to be a prophet. I have written in my blog he has acted as a messenger, a prophet and a servant of the Lord. He has delivered his message. However, belief in and acceptance of a prophet should not be a requirement for membership in Christ’s church.
Well, good luck to you. You have chosen an unusual path for someone with your background.
Thank you. I recognize what I have done would be especially difficult for someone who has multiple generations of Mormonism in their heritage. My family members were converts when I was a child. I have studied and lived Mormonism all my life. I never expected to leave the LDS Church. I still consider myself a Mormon, but more accurately, a disciple of Jesus Christ. I want to follow the Savior. “Follow the Prophet” is not my mantra. It may be for others, but not for me.
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Filed under: Doctrine, Last Days, Mormon culture, Personal Revelation | Tagged: Denver Snuffer, LDS Church, Mormon Church | 97 Comments »
I received an email from a reader (thank you Cecil) and decided to share some of the response here on my blog. I don’t pretend to be anybody important, just someone who wrote an LDS-themed blog for a few years and ended up resigning my membership in the LDS Church. I did so because I wanted to get baptized anew with a clear conscience. I’m not advocating my life choice for you or anyone else. I’m just sharing. You’re welcome to respond in any way you like – ignore this, remove yourself from my email list, leave a comment, positive or negative, or share it with others if you think it would do any good. I express my love for all.
I’ve gone through three Bishops since my baptism nearly four years ago, each experience decidedly different. The first was long-suffering and patient, but simply could not understand my logic or reasoning. The next Bishop pretty much refused to have anything to do with me – never wanted to meet or talk. The current Bishop kindly met with me at the request of the Stake President. He listened patiently but in the end could not or would not consider the possibility of the Lord working through someone other than the fifteen men at the head of the LDS Church. I have no desire to persuade him otherwise. He’s a good man who loves the Lord. Surely the Lord will bless the good bishops of this Church. I believe the Lord still works through good people everywhere, no matter what their religious affiliation. If they love God, He blesses them.
I don’t write in my blog anymore on purpose. I miss the many people with whom I corresponded on a regular basis. I wonder how some of them are doing. I even stopped participating on Facebook (Yikes – over 100 messages). I enjoyed the recent conference in which Denver delivered the most amazing theological discourse on the nature of God I have ever heard or read. I have listened to it and studied it several times. It is an amazing and powerful revelation on our Divine Parents and especially a greater understanding of who they are and their role in bringing about the Great Plan of Happiness. Everything I learned concurs with my study of the subject years ago. Sons of Christ and Daughters of Eve has such a deeper meaning for me now. I encourage you to take the time to watch the video or read the paper. To me, it was satisfying and feeds my soul.
I want to say a word about the Guide and Standard. I have watched this process for well over a year, even before the Answer and Covenant. The Lord said “it is a light thing I have asked.” I recently added my name to a document found on the Recorder’s Clearinghouse. I thought long and hard before asking to have my name added to the declaration. It is a petition to the Scriptures Committee, of which I was a small part for a short time. I was happy with the first document produced by Jeff Savage. I was just as happy with the “Lots” document. I voted for it. Obviously a majority of others did as well. Yet, we are not yet united, are we? I have had long discussions with those who oppose the “Lots” version of the Guide and Standard. They will not be persuaded. “…if your hearts were right and you prepared yourselves you could have finished this work long ago.” Is it so hard to agree with something that, while it may not be perfect, fulfills the Lord’s requirements?
My Interview with Mormon.org
01. Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?
Having grown up with daily prayer, I can’t imagine a day go by in which I don’t communicate with my Heavenly Father in prayer. We start the day in prayer as a family asking for the Lord’s blessing upon us as we work. We end the day in prayer the same way, usually kneeling by the bed, reporting our activities to God and thanking him for his help. We give thanks for the food we eat at mealtimes and participate in public prayers in our weekly worship service. It is through prayer and reading scriptures that I feel close to God and directed in my life.
02. Which of the Savior’s teachings have influenced you in your life?
The most powerful admonition of the Lord that has helped me find happiness in this life is his commandment that we love one another. I remember this whenever I feel that I have been misunderstood or hurt by someone else, either intentionally or not. It is so easy to take offense in this world but the end result is that we only hurt ourselves when we do that. To love others is to trust in the Lord that he will help make everything all right, even if it doesn’t appear that way at first. He also requires us to forgive others since we all make mistakes and errors in judgment. We show our love by forgiving.
03. Please share your feelings/testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel.
Even though I grew up hearing the Joseph Smith story I am still amazed as an adult to realize just how powerful his history really is. Think about it! Angels, gold plates, visits from God, Jesus Christ and ancient apostles and prophets – these are all miraculous events that we just don’t hear about everyday. It is truly a marvelous thing to learn all that the Lord did through Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God. I am especially grateful for revealed doctrines that clarified and corrected the errors of man in the many religions of the world.
04. Please share your feelings/testimony of Joseph Smith.
I have read at least a dozen biographies of the life of Joseph Smith, and continue to be amazed that the Lord was able to accomplish so much through this one man. He was a prophet in every sense of the word in that the Lord revealed his will for us through him and continues to do so through the prophets that have followed. But it was Joseph who paid so dearly with his life even though he did what the Lord told him to do in bringing forth the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I hold Joseph Smith in high regard and look forward to meeting him in the world to come. I want to thank him for his faithfulness in translating the Book of Mormon.
05. Why do Mormons go on missions?
I went on a mission because I watched a video of the prophet asking all worthy young men to serve the Lord as missionaries. As he shared his vision of how the gospel would go to all the world, I deeply felt a desire stirring within my soul to be a part of that great army of missionaries. It was a major sacrifice for me to leave my studies and spend two years in Central America seeking out those who would respond to the Lord’s invitation to come unto him through baptism. I loved my mission experience and found joy in testifying to the world that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. We go on missions because we are commanded to share the gospel and feel the desire to seek out and bring the message of the truth to all who will receive it.
06. Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?
Besides being a commandment to seek out our ancestors, we do family history research because we feel a desire to know and appreciate the story of those to whom we are indebted for our very lives. I am a product of all those who came before me. My parents were influenced by their parents and they were who they were because of their parents and so on back as far as we can discover. Once we have the basic facts of their lives such as names and dates, we are privileged to go to the temple and perform proxy ordinances for them so that they too may meet the commandments of the Lord to be baptized and enter into covenants of exaltation. We do family history work so we can be saviors on Mt Zion (Obadiah 1:21).
07. How has attending Church services helped you?
One of the highlights of my week is to attend church services each Sunday. I serve in a leadership capacity in my church, and attend a few more meetings besides the regular three-hour block of Sacrament, Sunday school and Priesthood meetings. I love the interaction with others who believe as I do and feel as I do about trying to follow the teachings of the Savior. I say try because nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes each week. That’s another reason why I love to go to church each Sunday – I get to renew my baptism covenants by taking the Sacrament each week. I learn more of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these church services and feel a unity with God and with my fellow saints as we worship God and Jesus Christ together.
08. What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?
Like everyone else, I have experienced moments of argument and disharmony in my home which leave me feeling frustrated, resentful, hurt or angry. I do not like such feelings, especially in my home where I want to relax and feel happy, safe and secure. So over the years, I have made a greater effort each day to promote harmony and unity by not arguing and not finding fault with my family members. I was not very good at this as a youth and so I appreciate the blessings that have come to me as an adult as I try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ to love others, especially members of my own family, who need and deserve my love the most. We can have a harmonious home by practicing kindness and forgiveness.
09. What have you done successfully to shield your family from unwanted influences?
Of all the teachings of the church about family, this idea of keeping out the world has been the most difficult but the most rewarding. Television and the Internet are two of the most challenging types of media to monitor and control. We believe in freedom so we encourage each other to seek after virtuous and uplifting material. So the shield we put into place is not anything controlling such as “thou shalt not!” It is more of making sure that we understand the differences that certain material, music or entertainment can produce, compared to the results of worthy content. We seek out and support worthy entertainment and uplifting media content and pray constantly that we will each desire such material over the worldly offerings.
10. Could you talk about your baptism?
I was eight years old when I was baptized and for me, that is a long time ago. My father, who was a recent convert, had to work the evening of my baptism, so he was unable to perform the ordinance. I was baptized by a young man who was preparing to serve a mission. My father was able to confirm me a member of the church the next day and I remember the special feelings that came to me as he conferred upon me the gift of the Holy Ghost. I remember my primary teacher was there and gave me a picture of the Savior mounted on a small piece of wood. I still treasure that memento and the words of encouragement that she penned on the back. I’m sure I did not understand all the implications of the covenants I was making at eight years old, but I have come to appreciate the blessings of this ordinance more and more each Sunday as I take the Sacrament and remember what the Savior miraculously did for me in taking upon himself the effects of my sins upon conditions of repentance. It is baptism that makes my repentance possible.
11. Why/How do you share the gospel with your friends?
I am not a very outgoing person so I believe that the best way I can share the gospel with others is through providing a good example of following the teachings of the Savior. I have been amazed over the years as I see the influence that my behavior has on others. I feel it brings respect and a kind of trust that can come in no other way. I am sometimes surprised that people, including co-workers, will unsolicited confide in me details of problems they are working out and seek my advice and opinion. I am then able to share my beliefs that following the teachings of Jesus Christ can and does help me deal with problems and that it can help them too. Because I am shy, I find great comfort in sharing my feelings about the gospel online and am an active LDS blogger. I also use modern technology like Facebook and Twitter to share my life. The gospel comes up in the natural course of sharing things online and results in online dialogs in non-threatening and informative way.
12. How does making right choices help us make more right choices?
When we choose the right even when it is hard to do, we strengthen our character and develop integrity. Deciding to do the right thing one time makes it easier to do the right thing the next time. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the added advantage of the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift helps us understand what the right thing to do is in difficult situations. When we decide to follow the impressions of the Holy Ghost in making life’s choices, we show God that we value and appreciate this gift. The impressions of the spirit will then become stronger or easier to recognize and we can grow in always making right choices. Of course, being mortal, we will all make mistakes. The Holy Ghost can also help us repent and make better choices in the future.
13. In what ways have your prayers been answered?
There are so many countless examples over the years that it is hard to share just one or two. Perhaps the most dramatic for me was on the day that I proposed to my wife. After I returned home from my mission, I had been praying for quite some time to find a woman who believed as I did and with whom I could be happy. I was dating my wife’s best friend but the chemistry was just not there. One day my wife invited me to a ball game and I told her about my troubles getting her friend to like me. I could see that her feelings were hurt. The next day I visited her in her home and had a long conversation about life and marriage and family. I had some very powerful spiritual feelings as I was talking to her that I knew were an answer to my prayers. I proposed on the spot and we were married a few months later. The Lord helped me with one of the most important decisions of my life.
14. What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?
My role in the family is to provide security and stability – both financial and spiritual. I enjoy my responsibility to work and earn the money that we need to have a home, food, clothing and other necessities of life. But more importantly, I enjoy my responsibility to provide spiritual direction for my family. We are strengthened by attending church together, by praying and reading the scriptures together and by pursuing worthwhile family goals. For example, my wife and I take classes at the local community college in the evenings in an effort to improve ourselves and keep our minds active. We are strengthened as we work together as a family to accomplish good things with our lives and to provide service in our church and our community. The gospel of Jesus Christ helps us in this endeavor.
15. How has your knowledge of the Plan of Happiness changed/benefited your life?
Sometimes this life can be a drag on the spirit because of all the disappointments and setbacks that come as a natural part of living in this world. Understanding the Plan of Happiness helps me to realize that such setbacks are temporary. I remain convinced that the Lord is very involved in my life and wants to help me through my journey until I am ready to return to his presence in the life to come. Knowing that I lived before I came to this world to experience mortality helps me to have a bigger picture of things. Knowing that I will live in the world to come and that I will someday be resurrected with a glorious and eternal body give me hope that goes beyond the drudgery and dullness that this life can sometimes be. The Plan of Happiness is just that – a plan for me to find and achieve happiness through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance and enduring to the end of mortality true to what I know.
16. What is hope and what do you hope for?
Hope is the belief and conviction that there is purpose and meaning to this life. Hope is the understanding that even though we pass through trials and troubles, we can have the assurance that our experiences are for our good and will cause us to grow. I hope for a glorious resurrection. I know that this is dependant upon my personal righteousness and my works of faith in this life. Yes, the resurrection is a free gift to all men, but we believe that the quality of our lives in the hereafter is very much dependant on our actions here. This life is a time of testing and proving and we can hope that our efforts in struggling against opposition in this world will be rewarded by a just and merciful God who wants to bless and help us through it.
17. How has the Book of Mormon helped you understand the purpose of life?
In the Book of Mormon we read that “men are that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). I can’t think of any more concise and explicit scriptural reference that helps us understand the purpose of life. Of course, the Book of Mormon provides a lot more insight into how we go about finding that joy and even helps us to understand what true joy is. One of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon is the prophet Lehi’s dream about the Tree of Life (1 Nephi 8). In his dream he partakes of the fruit of the tree which is desirable to make one happy and is sweet above all that he had ever before tasted. Eating of the fruit fills our soul with exceedingly great joy. The fruit of course is the love of God and we obtain it by holding fast to the Word of God that is represented by the Rod of Iron in Lehi’s dream. What a great story!
18. How has the Holy Ghost helped you?
I consider the Gift of the Holy Ghost one of the greatest blessings in my life. There have been so many instances in which I have been helped by the Holy Ghost that it is hard to imagine getting through this life without this wonderful gift. The Holy Ghost inspires me and encourages me to do things that are hard to do but that result in happiness for me and for others in my life. The Holy Ghost has warned me of danger many times, prompting me to stay away from certain things and places. The Holy Ghost has helped me by prompting me to a certain course of action that I otherwise might not have considered. The Holy Ghost has been my constant companion in my work, helping me to remember things that, if forgotten, could have been the cause of much distress or pain. The Holy Ghost has comforted me in times of sorrow and distress, helping me to feel the love of my Heavenly Father and my Savior even when I do not feel worthy of their love.
19. What blessings have come through your faith in Jesus Christ?
It is because of my faith in Jesus Christ that I am able to get through some of the more difficult aspects of my life. For example, it is hard for me to do things in a public setting. But I have been taught and believe that it will be for my good. The Lord has promised me through the scriptures that he will help me through these difficult circumstances as I exercise faith in him. And like everyone in this world, I am no stranger to making mistakes and poor choices, even when I know better. It is through my faith in Jesus Christ that I put into practice one of my favorite little sayings that helps me keep going: “Success is not in never falling, but in getting up each and every time we fall.” I know that I can be a better person than my fallen human nature would dictate, and it is through faith in Jesus Christ that I am willing to make greater effort each day to be the man that I know he would have me be.
20. How can we develop greater harmony in our homes?
One of the best ways I know of to live in harmony as a family is to do all within our power to avoid criticism, cutting remarks or any attempt to make another family member feel less than loved. We do this by sharing the same ideals and goals – to seek happiness in living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Where some family members may not have fully accepted the vision of the gospel, we can provide an example of tolerance and patience with them, just as our Heavenly Father and our Savior do with us. Fighting, arguing, bickering and contemptuous behavior toward any family member is not the way to have peace and harmony in our homes. Thus, we pray each day that such undesirable activities are mitigated by expressing love and kindness in all that we do. We are each at differing levels of maturity in our understanding of this concept, so it is up to those who do, to live it better each day.
21. Can you think of a specific challenge in your family that Gospel Principles helped overcome?
Like most families, we have experienced our share of challenges that have tested our faith and caused us to lean deeply on our understanding of the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ to overcome. For example, my wife and I have both lost parents to death, have had our share of serious health problems, including cancer, and have suffered through multiple seasons of financial stress due to unexpected unemployment. In addition, we have been pained as not all family members have accepted our faith in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. But it is because of the teachings of Christ that we are encouraged to be patient, that we are comforted when discouraged, that we are inspired when distressed and that we are given strength when we feel weak. We go on and we press forward, believing that it will all work out for our good, either in this life or in the life to come. We meet those challenges with strength knowing that we are not alone and that God has promised to help us through them if we will but exercise our faith in Jesus Christ and remain true and faithful to him.
22. How can your talents and gifts bless others?
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that God gives gifts to each member for the purpose of blessing and supporting each other in this life. Some of those gifts and talents are more obvious, such as singing, musical ability, acting, performing or even a talent to be able to speak with confidence in front of the congregation (trust me, not all members have this talent). But the scriptures teach that God gives some gift or talent to every member. Perhaps one is blessed with the ability to be a good listener, another to share heart-felt testimony of how they know the church to be true, others with the gift of teaching children or even just the talent of being able to live peacefully among their neighbors. When we share our talents and gifts with others, God blesses us and we are “magnified” or made more effective so that others can receive the same benefits that we enjoy.
23. Think about your everyday activities. What are things you act upon each day where you cannot see the end results? How does faith move you to action?
A very simple everyday activity for me that is an act of faith is prayer. I have never seen an angel or heard a voice in response to my prayers, but I continue to pray each day, believing that God does hear and answer my prayers. And indeed he has – by sending the comforting feelings of the Holy Ghost to bless and confirm to me that he loves me and wants me to know the truth for myself. My faith in God and my trust in the words of his prophets as found in the scriptures causes me to continue to pray both as an individual, with my family, in my congregation and in the homes of other members of the church that I visit. The end results of my prayers are not always evident right way but are just as certain as if I had seen the effects at the time of the prayer. I am confident; yes I can say that I know, that God hears and answers our prayers that are offered in faith and with real intent.
24. How has the Book of Mormon brought you closer to God?
I first read the Book of Mormon when I was very young – probably 5 or 6 years old. I read it out loud with my mother, who was a schoolteacher. Our family had recently joined the Mormon Church so this was also my mother’s first time reading the Book of Mormon. I remember the special feelings I had as we read it together. I felt a warm and comforting spirit as I read. I have read the Book of Mormon many times in the many years since I first read it. In fact, there is not a year that goes by in which we do not read from it either individually or as a family. No matter how many times we read the same passages, we always seem to learn something new or have our faith in the truthfulness of the book reaffirmed. The same warm feelings always return. But it is by following the principles of the gospel that are written in the Book of Mormon that we draw closer to God. It is in the pages of the Book of Mormon that we learn more about the purpose of life and God’s plan of happiness for us. The Book of Mormon teaches us to study things out and to pray about them that we may know of their truthfulness for ourselves.
25. Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?
Up until recently, we as members of church recited the mission of the church as follows: to preach the gospel, redeem the dead and to perfect the saints. Within the past year, a fourth mission has been added: to care for the poor and the needy. We now call these four areas of focus simply the purposes of the church. In my life, I have participated in each of these areas by serving a mission and continuing to share the gospel, by doing family history or genealogy work and by magnifying my callings to serve in the church as a teacher, leader or whatever I’m asked to do. I’m grateful to be able to assist in caring for the poor and the needy by contributing money to the fast offering funds of the church and by volunteering to serve food at the local homeless shelter on a regular basis. These missions or purposes of the church help me as an individual member focus on what is really important to our Heavenly Father – to save his children, both temporally and spiritually.
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