Why Latter-day Saint Christian?

WELCOME! I hope you enjoy considering the thoughts, experiences, and opinions I share on this site. More importantly, I hope this site becomes one of the "safe places" in your spiritual journey. I envision a place where you are free to have and ask (and are appreciated for having and asking) sincere questions in faith, to have and express unique opinions, and to unashamedly acknowledge that there are many things you don't "know," fully understand, or totally agree with even though you are exercising your agency to choose to believe. I wish the same for those who currently are choosing to not believe but are willing to engage in respectful dialogue regarding important topics.

I want to acknowledge something extremely important at the outset: I am completely imperfect, and my understanding on every subject is limited and inherently flawed because of my human nature and my inaccurate paradigms about life and the world we live in. Therefore, please understand that whenever I share an opinion on a given topic, I do so with the clear understanding it is simply my current opinion or interpretation on the topic, and with the hope that my opinion will continue to evolve as I continue to learn of and understand additional truth.

As an introduction, I want to answer the question "Why Latter-day Saint Christian?" To do so, I'll give a brief answer to three related questions: (1) Why am I a Christian? (2) Why am I a Latter-day Saint? and (3) Why did I decide to start this site?

Why am I a Christian?

As far as religious affiliation is concerned, I identify as a Christian who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have genuine faith in the doctrinal assertions and tenets of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I happily acknowledge that I do NOT "know" that Jesus Christ actually taught the things we currently find in the Bible or that He lives as a divine, resurrected being today. Additionally, I unashamedly admit that I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God and the Savior of the World, and that I strive to prove by my daily actions that I accept Him as my Lord and Savior.

Why?? Because as I have experimented on the word during the last few decades of my life, I have experienced many times what I believe to be divine influence and intervention in my life. Based on my understanding of the experiences I have had, the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped me be a much better person, to experience the power of godliness (the ability to be transformed into a new, more Christlike creature), and to achieve a degree and quality of joy that I have not been able to achieve by simply living the good life principles without including Christ in the equation. I have experienced what I understand to be God increasing my abilities beyond what I could achieve on my own as I have diligently yet imperfectly attempted to prove my discipleship with my thoughts, words, and actions. I choose to give God and Jesus Christ the credit and the glory for what has taken place inside of me. I also cherish the Christian principles of selfless love, the pursuit of unity, and the reservation of hypocritical human judgment. Living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ always yields wonderful fruits.

Why am I a Latter-day Saint?

In addition to identifying as a Christian, I deliberately choose to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints despite the fact that I am aware of legitimate questions regarding its truth claims as well as mistakes made by the church, its leaders, and its members during its nearly 200-year history. I acknowledge that I do not "know" if the truth claims of the church are legitimate or if The Book of Mormon is historically accurate. However, I do choose to have faith that God was involved in the formation and evolution of the church.

Why?? Because the teachings in The Book of Mormon include some of the most inspiring, ennobling, inclusive and unifying principles I have encountered. Because my life has been blessed in incredible ways by striving to follow the counsel of the church leaders despite their imperfections. Because the church has wonderful programs that effectively help me to incorporate the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ into my daily life. Because of multiple undeniable spiritual experiences I have had while striving to learn and live the principles taught in writings accepted by the church as scripture, including The Book of Mormon. And because, in my opinion, none of the questions or mistakes mentioned above rise to the level of disproving the church's truth claims. I should clarify that, while striving to be a Latter-day "Saint," I embrace the definition provided by Nelson Mandela and Elder Dale G. Renlund: "A sinner who keeps on trying."

Why Did I Start This Site?

In a 2019 devotional, Elder Renlund related a fictional account of a young man stranded in the ocean. After the young man was rescued by a passing boat and regained his composure, he began to recognize various legitimate flaws with the boat (i.e., peeling paint, a dented rudder that caused the boat to veer to the right, stale drinking water, etc.). Eventually, the young man became so bothered by the boat’s flaws he elected to jump back into the ocean and take his chances with the elements.

Elder Renlund compared the boat in this story to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He encouraged the members of the church to respond in faith when they become aware of the church’s peeling paint, dented rudder, and stale drinking water. I hope this site can help people better understand how to do this. I also hope this site might help leaders and members in the boat realize how inappropriate it is to throw others overboard, or make others feel like they are sinning or apostatizing, simply because they don't ignore the boat's deficiencies and want to be a part of the solution.

I am a question-asker, an analytical thinker, and a ponderer. I love engaging in the spiritual learning process, although I acknowledge I have nowhere near perfected the process. I have learned through personal experience that the promises extended by President Russell M. Nelson in his April 2018 talk, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” will be honored by the Lord if we act upon those promises in faith.

Many of the ideas I will share on this site are the fruits of seeking to embrace President Nelson’s invitation to “grow into the principle of revelation” and to “stretch beyond [my] current ability to receive personal revelation.” They are the fruits of having pondered on topics I have felt an urgent need to know or understand; having turned repeatedly to Heavenly Father about my questions, concerns, fears, weaknesses, and the very longings of my heart; having listened for hours and hours to try to hear and discern the whisperings of the Spirit; and having acted upon promptings and recorded the sacred lessons God has provided.

One of the truths God has taught me as I have engaged in this process is that He has frequently been limited in His ability to lead me to the answers I have sought because of my incorrect doctrinal assumptions based on my own inaccurate views or inaccurate traditional narratives circulating among church members. Each time God has helped me recognize an incorrect doctrinal assumption, or a flawed personal paradigm, and replace it with a more correct truth, my ability to work through questions and strengthen my faith has been fortified and deepened. It's as if God has helped me clear the sludge from the stagnant surface waters and allowed me to discover the beautiful, clean, and refreshing waters of truth that have been with reach all along despite my inability to see and enjoy them.

The lessons I have learned (and continue learning) have blessed my life tremendously, and I have seen many other lives blessed as I have shared these lessons with friends and with those I have tried to serve in leadership positions. My desire is to stand as a witness of what I believe to be the reality of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to help in the process of preparing the world for the Savior’s long-awaited return. My sincere motive in making my thoughts public is to share a perspective that might possibly help even one who has struggled with sincere questions, apparent inconsistencies, and the fallibility of human leaders despite the divine nature of their call. I want to demonstrate that it is possible, and even spiritually healthy, to acknowledge and address these things rather than ignore them or pretend there is no reasonable basis for such struggles.

Another underlying purpose of this site is to inspire those who read or listen to the material on this site (1) be spiritually awake enough to discern truth; (2) be spiritually sensitive enough to discern when traditional narratives embraced within the church are inconsistent with truth; AND(3) to be spiritually strong enough to respond to those situations with faith and in a way that sustains church leaders and actually helps strengthen the church.

If any of this resonates with you, I invite you to allow me to be a part of your personal faith journey. It can be a bumpy ride at times, but it is possible to find joy in the journey. I hope this site helps you do so!