Why I am a Mormon
I was not always a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I grew up in a non-denominational Christian family. Throughout my life I have learned about and met with many different religious denominations and groups. I find it fascinating to explore the many different philosophies and expressions of spirituality which exist around the world. There are many different viewpoints and many similar viewpoints too. As an example of similarities, I don’t remember ever meeting with anyone who didn’t hold the pursuit of love as their highest endeavor. The human soul longs for a purpose and meaning in life that is greater and grander than merely living for ourselves. A belief in a benevolent God and in all that He stands for provides purpose and meaning to many lives.
While I was in college, I took a comparative religions class. One of our assignments was to go to a religious meeting with a group that we had never met with before. At the time I had a friend who was Mormon. Mormons were one of the few groups that I had never met with, and so I decided to go with him and see what the Mormon church was all about. The first time you meet with any group it’s a little awkward. There are always new customs and etiquettes you have to learn before you can feel at home. At the time, my friend was teaching one of the children’s classes at the church. I decided to tag along with him in his children’s class rather than go with a bunch of strangers into a meeting I was unfamiliar with. It was a little embarrassing to be an adult sitting in a children’s class, but I would have felt self-conscious anywhere I went.
In the children’s class, my friend taught a lesson on what is called “the plan of salvation”. He drew big circles on a chalkboard which represented different stages of spiritual progression. The circle in the center of the board represented our life on Earth with all of the joys, sorrows, and lessons that we learn here. On the right hand side of the board was a series of circles representing different spiritual worlds which are attained after death. Most Christians lump the afterlife into “heaven and hell”, in the Mormon faith it is a little different. After death they teach there is a temporary stage where those who have not learned about Jesus can have a chance to gain everything they might have missed out on in life. Once everyone has a complete understanding of everything, spirits are reunited with bodies, and given an eternal home in one of three different kingdoms. On the left hand of the chalkboard was a circle representing something that I had never seen taught by a Christian group. Mormons teach that before we were born on Earth, our spirit resided in heaven with God; that we call God our “Heavenly Father” because He is literally the Father of our spirits.
What happened in that class next is hard to describe. It’s one of those things that you have to experience for yourself to really understand. Through my life I had read many accounts of various people having various spiritual experiences. I have climbed mountains to see breathtaking vistas, immersed myself in stirring music, cried, and laughed. Up until this class, I thought that was what spiritual experiences were. Those kinds of things can indeed be spiritual, but what happened in that classroom was of a different caliper than anything I had before experienced. As I sat in the midst of boisterous kids looking up at the circles on the chalkboard, I became aware of another presence in the room. Even though I did not see anything with my eyes, it was very clear that someone else was there with us. You might think me insane, but I felt a power come over me, I was encircled within a warmth. Along with this warmth came the knowledge that the plan of salvation I was looking at on the chalkboard was true. I knew it would be hard to describe. Regrettably in words I am unable to convey the experience. In short, that was the day where God went from being a just a poetic philosophical idea, to being an actual physical reality for me. Strange, it had never really occurred to me that it was real.
Almost twelve years have past since that day with my friend in his children’s class. Since joining the church, I have had many spiritual experiences. Those who read this might feel inclined to suggest that perhaps I have a medical condition, and I realize that there are indeed medical conditions which can produce warm sensations and various other anomalies. After an honest evaluation I have come to the conclusion that medical conditions are unable to warn you of traffic jams, guide you to call the right people at the right time, or help in any of a hundred other scenarios for which my five senses were unable to give me the information I needed. After that class I started noticing other more subtle guiding lights too. Psychologists talk about the id, ego, and superego. Cartoons often depict characters listening to advice from an angel perched on their shoulder, like the Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio. Everyone understands what a conscience is, has felt a wave of guilt over doing something wrong, or felt joy over a good deed. I never thought about where all of those things came from before. Now I know that the still small voice of the Spirit is there with all of us if we take the time to listen.
“Major discoveries are not like the discovery of America, where the general nature of the discovered object is already known. Rather, they are like recognizing that one has been dreaming.” - Paul Feyerabend
It’s truly a new reality, to live with the knowledge that God is real. I can’t help but think that the divisions and contentions between all of the learned doctors of divinity could all be resolved if they had merely gone to the source for their answers. The Mormon church is a place where ordinary people meet together to share extraordinary experiences and wisdom. I am often reminded that the most powerful lessons in the scriptures were taught by humble fishermen and shepherds who held no fancy degrees.
