I Understand, Now I Ask the Same of You.

Disheartened from the events with my family yesterday I decided I would try and fill my mind with positive thoughts and began reading the conference talks, which have now been placed online. As I was reading the entire Saturday morning session, I paused to think and put myself in the shoes of others, those that really don't know or understand what I believe. I started to think about when I get sick and have some symptom. Before consulting with a doctor, I am quick to google everything I can about my symptoms and diagnose myself. By the time I am done with the search, I have given myself cancer and 2 hours to live. It always seems that way, the extreme.

With the internet at our fingertips, everyone tends to use it for knowledge, which in some cases can be very beneficial, and in other cases, can be misleading. Obviously, the only way to find out for sure what is wrong with you when you are sick, is to seek the professional advice of a physician. Likewise, the only way to find out the truth about a subject or a question, would be to go straight to the source. Ironically, my mother, along with other friends and family, never want to know about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from me, or a reliable source like Mormon.org, they would rather obtain their evidence from somewhere else. When I have asked why, the most common answer is that MY site, or MY response, will be convoluted and biased. I beg to differ. I do not tell people to join the church, or push my beliefs on another, rather, I speak what I believe and let others form their own opinion.

At any rate, I decided to google about the Mormon temple and see what comes up.
Shock.
Disgust.
Sadness.
Nauseous.
Hurt.

Those are among the range of feelings that came to me as I read the entire session that occurs in the temple. I had heard that the session was online, so I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for however, was the false commentary. Why not, if you are going to post stuff in the first place, post just that, the facts, and let someone else make their own assumptions from it. I was accused of being hypnotized, practicing in Satanic and witchcraft practices as well as being told that Sex, not Jesus, is at the heart of Mormonism. Well, if you know ANY Mormons, you know we are prudes :) all joking aside, that could be the FURTHEST thing from the truth! I now understand why my mother or family, or any person outside of the church may have the hesitance or assumptions they have however ignorance is not bliss, it is hurtful and false.

I often wonder why we as a church receive so much criticism and that fact along concludes how true the church is. No one lets Satan worshipers or agnostics, or Scientologist, or any other religion, consume the amount of time people spend on trying to prove that Mormons are a cult and worship the devil. If we worshiped the devil, wouldn't we do more things OF the world, like drink, and do drugs, and have sex with random people? We are living in a world where ethical and moral values are becoming extinct, but those that strive to keep them (Latter-Day Saints) are persecuted. Sure, we are all human, and no one is perfect, but if you were to think of a Mormon you know, most would say they are kind, family-oriented, service-giving, and well-rounded individuals. The fact is, nothing adds up, nothing makes sense when it comes to the "facts" people have about the church. Here is a suggestion- go to the source, ask a Mormon what they believe, I promise you they will tell you! Unless of course, you that afraid of hearing the truth.

Ask me what I believe rather than telling me what I believe.