Letters in response to a former Critic and Member
I grew up within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was not until my early twenties that I had left the Church and remained absent for about 15 years. Part of this was a very real and true spiritual experience I had one night at an independent Charismatic Church. Soon, I found myself studying teachings and doctrines outside of the purvey of the LDS Faith. Ultimately, it led me to embrace Reformed Theology and Realized Eschatology (Partial Preterist).
As time went on – I began having some serious questions, reflecting back on the faith of my youth, and realized I had never fully had a true testimony of the Book of Mormon. And it so happened that when I was living in the University District of Seattle, Washington – I came upon a clean copy of the Book of Mormon that was left at a bus stop. I picked up and headed home.
While I had read through the Book of Mormon multiple times in my youth – there was something quite different reading through it this time. I began to hunger for what it said, the message it contained, and thirsting for more. After a couple of days reading it (for it was over the weekend) I had prayed for the first time with true sincerity and real intent and was flooded with the same spiritual experience I had that night many years ago at that independent charismatic Church. It was no visionary or burning in the bosom. It felt more like a lifting of my soul and a sense of relief. Like a weight being taken off my shoulders. Still, it took me some time to resolve some of the questions I had and become acquainted with the basic principles of the Gospel.
After this time, I slowly came back into the faith and started attending Church again. However, life always happens and facing additional challenges, fracturing of a marriage, and being out on my own – I had left. Not because I had issues with the Church. More of processing and dealing with what happened and where I am at in life.
It was at this point in my life that I started a personal and true spiritual journey of living a more mindful Christian life based on the message and truths of the Restored Gospel. As I began to learn more about how to reach individuals suffering substance use related disorders, introducing them to ways to manage their emotions, gain a different perspective and learning how to discover who they truly are – I was on my own road of self-discovery.
The questions I asked had nothing to do about what teachings were true or not. It was more of discovering for myself who I am as a person, what my sense of purpose and meaning is, and what my own personal destiny was to be. Through this process, the Spirit guided me and helped me uncover the richness and precious truths of the Gospel of Christ, the truth of God’s graciousness and mercy that is boundless, and how it all is for our own nurturing to become fashioned in the image of Christ.
This particular journey took about 6 years of processing and unfolding. And today I am grateful for all the experiences I have, for what I have studied and learned, and the personal revelations that have come along the way. It is one of the main reasons for this website – to help people find who they are in Christ. Understand they have a sense of purpose and meaning in this life. That it is not arbitrary. That there is promised blessings in store when we walk faithfully according to our Heavenly Father’s wisdom and counsel. And it is about gaining a true eternal perspective of our own personal destiny unto immortality and eternal life. A deep-rooted understanding that most Evangelical, Protestant, and Roman Catholic Christians are unable to comprehend.
To this end – I happened upon a website dedicated to writing letters to a Mormon regarding the LDS Faith, the doctrines, and teachings. As I read through some of them, I felt a need to provide a platform in responding to those letters. Based on the understanding of the person’s website:
Born and raised a member of the LDS faith. As a teenager, I began to have questions about Mormonism that no seminary teacher could answer satisfactorily, so I turned to the scriptures to find truth. After years of study and prayer, I feel God has led me to concrete, logical answers based on the truth of His Word, as well as a personal, saving relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. If my experience and thoughts help you in your journey for truth at all, I’m grateful.
Dear Mr. Mormon – About
I love discussing, learning, and helping others find truth and hope in the scriptures. If you’d ever like to suggest a letter topic, follow up on something I said, or ask questions, please reach out to me in the comments.
There appears to be 11 letters addressed to an individual of the LDS Faith. I am not sure if this is someone the writer knows personally, or he wrote these letters in general. Either way – I feel compelled to respond in kind and share my own thoughts, perspectives, and understanding.
Therefore, my hope is that people read these letters and gain a greater insight and understanding to what the Restored Gospel is truly about. Those who are struggling with their faith gain confidence and assurance in their own personal testimony and witness of the Truth. And for those who left the faith – to return and embrace the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ restored in these last days.
Furthermore, these letters are responses to encourage Evangelical, Protestant, and Catholic Christians to mindfully and thoughtfully consider regarding the teachings of the LDS Faith and come to terms with what we truly believe as opposed to what certain ministries and individuals attempt to sway individuals into believing.
Mindful Latter-day Saint Apologetics 