A new and important study of religion in America has, among other things, a good deal to say about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Recently published under the title American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, the sociological study was conducted by scholars Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell and yields valuable insight to the nature and social effects of American religion. Drawing from in-depth new surveys, the study’s authors affirm that in many respects, religion in America exerts a healthy influence upon American society — one that typically promotes generosity, trust, neighborliness, and civic engagement. And while Mormons are a relatively small component of American society, the study data reveals that they play a conspicuous part in American religious life.


Among the study’s findings related to Latter-day Saints are the following:

*Mormons are among the most devout religious groups in the country.
The American Grace study assessed a composite measure of “religiosity” that measured individuals’ levels of religious observance, the strength of their religious convictions about God and their faith, and the degree to which they feel their religion is personally important. As a group, Mormons registered a high level of “religiosity” (American Grace, 23-24).

*Mormons are among those most likely to keep their childhood faith as adults.
In an age of American religion where people often depart from the religion of their upbringing and where switching between religions is becoming more common, the study indicates that individuals raised as Latter-day Saints are among those most likely to keep their faith (137-138).

*Mormons are unusually giving.
Among the study’s larger conclusions is the fact that, in general, religion in America contributes to civic virtue, altruism, and good neighborliness. Study data, meanwhile, indicate that collectively Mormons are among the most charitable of Americans with their means and time, both in religious and nonreligious causes (452).

*Mormons are relatively friendly to other religious groups.
The study also reports that Mormons are among those most friendly toward those of other faiths. Relatively speaking, the United States has not been the scene of deep religious conflicts; it is and has been a place of remarkable religious tolerance and pluralism. Nevertheless, the study’s authors point out that Americans are divided by religion, and hence, American society is susceptible to religious discord. Indeed, American religious (and nonreligious) groups have various feelings about one another. While data suggest that Mormons are among those viewed least positively by many American religious groups, they themselves hold relatively positive views toward members of other faiths, including those outside of Christianity (505-508).

*Mormons are among the most likely to believe that one true religion exists, but also that those outside their faith can attain salvation or reach “heaven.”
The scholars behind the study conclude that while many American religions make claims to being exclusively “true,” few religionists in the United States actually believe that “one true religion” exists. Of all American faiths, Mormons are most likely to affirm that there is a “true” faith (546). However, in what might seem a paradox to those unfamiliar with Mormonism, study data also indicate that while many Mormons believe that there is a “true” religion, Mormons are also the most convinced of any group that those outside their faith — including non-Christians — can “go to heaven” or gain salvation (535-537). While this belief is general among American believers, it is, according to the study, strongest among Latter-day Saints.

Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010).

The Temple is My Solace

"But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come."  ~ Doctrine & Covenants 59:23

"In that spirit I invite the Latter-day Saints to look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of your membership. It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple. It would please the Lord if every adult member would be worthy of--and carry--a current temple recommend. The things that we must do and not do to be worthy of a temple recommend are the very things that ensure we will be happy as individuals and as families.

"Let us be a temple-attending people. Attend the temple as frequently as personal circumstances allow. Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children may see it. Teach them about the purposes of the house of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and to remain worthy of that blessing" (Ensign, November 1994, p. 8).
~ Howard W. Hunter

A Prophet Said it....very well...

My New Life

It's been almost a year since my last post. 
In this last year I have been closer to my Heavenly Father, I think, than at any other time in my life. 
I have been constantly on my knees in prayer and supplication.
He has guided me to this, my new life.

How desperate is a woman who would leave her home, her family, her friends, her job, her reputation in the community she spent decades grooming?  How miserable must she be?  How much anguish can one person take within her body, mind and soul?

That was my ride each day, to new heights of ignominy, embarrassment and humiliation.  I prayed, "Father, what should I do?" 
Each day he sent the Holy Ghost to strengthen me and lead me, seemingly by the hand, to find even more reasons to be aghast with my husband's behavior(s). 
I needed a kick in the head.  He was giving it to me.  I was naive.  He helped me see the light in the situation. 

Despair, misery and anguish are all emotions perpetrated by the adversary.  These are all sentiments that presented themselves to me in the past year as I discovered my husband's dirty little secrets.  At times, I was all-consumed with these negative feelings.
"What could I have done differently?"  "How could I have changed his actions?" were questions I constantly kept asking myself.  Alas, a person suffering from addictive behaviors deserves the credit himself.

Blame was something I had to take off my plate.  I slowly came to this realization, with the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  "Father, I can't do this anymore.  Please help me?!"
Help came in the form of our Savior and Redeemer.  He already went through what I was going through.  He was the antidote to all the shame and bewilderment.

After a priesthood blessing, I realized my decision to get a divorce and move to be near my children, to remove myself from my home, in a state where I lived my whole life, was the right thing to do.  The blessing confirmed it--mightily! 

I have learned that the reason why these incidents happened to me, meaning the finding of secrets, was because "God will not be mocked."  (D&C 63:58)
I feel blameless because I have helped in revealing what was happening that was making a mockery of my God and my whole belief system.

The opposite of despair is hope. The opposite of misery is joy.  The opposite of anguish is contentment. 

These opposites are what faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ brought to me as I now seek my new life. 
I'm away from the abuser, so I have hope in Christ that I will find my way. 
I am joyful because I can now stand on my own two feet and be my own me.  (see Psalm 35:9)
I am content each day as I awaken and realize that it is a new day in my new life and I make of it what I can, with the help of my Heavenly Father, who loves me. 

Now...on to healing.

ME AND MY BEST FRIEND

It's Not a Hard Concept

"God is the one sure source of truth. He is the fount of all inspiration. It is from him that the world must receive direction if peace is to come to the earth and if goodwill is to prevail among men. This earth is his creation. We are his children. Out of the love he bears for us, he will guide us if we will seek, listen, and obey." (The Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 555).

I love this quote. I remember one time, when my kids were younger, I asked my oldest two to clean up the family room so we could have Family Home Evening. "And don't fight!" I added as I started doing the dishes from dinner.

It didn't take long until I heard the screaming and contention and, probably, pillow fights that were going on in the family room. I called over to them, "I asked you not to fight. If you would just listen to me and obey what I say, we would have perfect peace in this family!"

At that moment I straightened up with wide eyes, mouth dropped open, and looked at my reflection in the kitchen window at the sink. It dawned on me so rapidly that Heavenly Father must say that every day!!

"If you would just obey my commandments, you would have perfect peace and harmony in your world."

As a parent, I wonder what He must be thinking all the time. He gave us the Plan to be happy and to make our way back to Him. It's not a hard concept.  The mercy of the Atonement of Jesus Christ acknowledged, we should be nice; do good; pray; go to church; go to the temple; love one another; ask; seek....What's so hard about that?

"...Out of the love he bears for us, he will guide us if we will seek, listen, and obey."  What a concept!

Truths about the LDS church

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktOwomCAy8

GRACE

From the BIBLE DICTIONARY
A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.
It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.
Divine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the fall of Adam and also because of man’s weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Ne. 25: 23). It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible. This principle is expressed in Jesus’ parable of the vine and the branches (John 15: 1-11). See also John 1: 12-17; Eph. 2: 8-9; Philip. 4: 13; D&C 93: 11-14.

Are You Saved?

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through His gracious and blessed Atonement, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

This article of faith seems to suggest we 'may' be saved, but I know we 'will' be saved, according to the definition of other Christian religions. My religion teaches of many heavens and many different blessings of exaltation, but we 'will' be saved from eternal destruction through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. All we have to do is accept his gift.

One of the prophets in the Book of Mormon wrote, "And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen." (2 Nephi 31:21)

We are all sinners, but there is hope; hope in the Atonement of our Savior and Redeemer.
One of our apostles, Boyd K. Packer, stated, " . . . there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ."

Even though we are sinners, we are loved by our Father in Heaven and by His Son, Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is another one of the many blessings they freely give us, if we repent and are truly sorry for our sins, and continue on the right path.

Another prophet in the Book of Mormon taught, "And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness." (Alma 38:9)

If someone asks you if you are saved, please testify that you ARE saved, by the grace and mercy and love of our Savior Jesus Christ who atoned for our sins; only in and through Christ, and by obedience to His laws (commandments) and ordinances (covenants).

Now...on to exaltation....

THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE; I KNOW IT

This account, written by Larry Barkdull, rings so true to me. I hope you will read this, then pray about the Book of Mormon. I testify it was written by a prophet through revelation from God.

"I read the Book of Mormon with a continuous string of questions flowing through my mind. For example, I asked myself if anyone, even the greatest literary genius of all time, could have written such a book—within 60 days! One would have to have had a fabulous knowledge of the Jews and the Law of Moses. One would have to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible in order to mesh its teachings with this new volume. One would have to have the skill of assuming the voices and styles of multiple people, and one would have to accurately explain three separate civilizations that existed from the Tower of Babel to 400 A.D. One would have to forward geographic locations and archaeological data that would only be proven correct a hundred or more years later. Then the book would have to hold up to criticism at every level for nearly two hundred years. Finally, the book would be bold enough to carry a one-of-a-kind guarantee that the truth of it could be known by honest seekers by a direct answer from God…and millions would then attest that the guarantee was valid. Who would dare says such things? Who but a prophet could write it? People could criticize it, but who has ever duplicated it?"

I'm Thankful I Live in a Free Nation

Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:12. Italics added.)