Tuesday, October 4, 2011

I Belong . . .


I'm a Mormon--a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Shocking, I know.  Maybe you've heard that I have a missionary serving for my Church in NYC.  Check out my sidebar.  Now does it sound familiar?

All joking aside.

On October 2, my Church launched what is being called a "media blitz" in the Phoenix metro area--TV and radio ads, billboards, buses, the works.  It even made the local news.

Why? you may ask.  Is it because Mitt Romney is running for president (who I don't particularly love as a candidate, even though he's Mormon)?  Is it to get people to join the Church? Not at all.  The three reasons for this media campaign are 1) to express our Church's strong foundational belief in Jesus Christ, 2) to dispel any myths people may have about our Church's beliefs and practices, and 3) give people a place to go where their questions can be answered.

Our Church has two main websites:  mormon.org and lds.org.  Either site is accessible to anyone, with lds.org more geared to members of our Church who want to find articles/material published for its members.  Mormon.org focuses on people not of our faith who may have questions about our beliefs, and our Church has encouraged members to create their own profiles on this website.  My husband, Brad, has completed his profile, accessible here, if you're interested.

I thought this was as good a time as any to address my membership in my Church.  So, before I create my profile page, I thought I would ask the people I know who are not of my faith what questions they have about my Church and my beliefs.  Is there anything about Mormons that you've always wanted to know, but were too afraid to ask, or you didn't know anyone who could answer your concerns?  I'm that person. I want to use your questions to help create my mormon.org profile.

Leave a comment or email me, and I'd be happy to address your questions, either in a post, an email, or when my profile is created.

And if you're so inclined, take some time to watch the video profiles on mormon.org.

9 comments:

  1. This is cool that Brad is done with his. I am working on mine, too. Not sure where to go with it yet, though.

    =)

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  2. One of my best friends is Mormon so I bug her with my many questions - mainly why are all Mormon women so gorgeous and talented...

    So I don't have any questions for you. I live in Minneapolis where there has been a HUGE media campaign going on for the last year or so? Anyway - lots of commercials and billboards, etc. Love the stories for sure. I'm anxious to read your profile.

    xoxo,t
    Also - my dear friend's blog if you are so inclined...
    http://scenesfromthewild.blogspot.com/

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  3. LOVE that you are doing this (finally!!!) I think mormon.org is such a cool site, I love the profiles on there. I'll have to look up Brad's I haven't seen his. Big thumbs up for joining the movement

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  4. Bravo, Jen! I need to do that. In the meantime, I just the other day directed a good friend to the site. Bravery beyond words for me. I am inspired by what you've just done, though.

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  5. Couldn't think of any good questions Jen. But I will definitely check out the website if I think of any.
    Dana

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  6. Well, actually I do have a few questions, because (and I'm just being honest here & in a true quest to understand. I don't mean to offend.) as I was growing up in the church (a conservative Protestant denomination) we were taught the Mormonism was a cult.

    As an adult I've tried to understand what would cause people to say that and what the true differences are. From what I have been able to tell there are some theological differences.

    But, since you are willing to answer some questions and possibly clear up some misconceptions here are some of the questions...

    1. Who do Mormons say Jesus Christ is? THE son of God or A son of God

    2. What does the Mormon church teach about the conception and birth of Jesus.

    3. What is the Mormon church's take on the Trinity?

    4. What do they teach about God's plan of salvation?

    5. Do Mormons believe in the inerrancy of the Bible? Are there any other texts they consider sacred or as God's Word.

    6. Are there any other major differences that you can describe/explain?

    Thanks Jen for being willing to tackle this. I really look forward to your answers.

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  7. I know that when you are married in the temple, you are sealed to your husband for eternity. Any children born into that marriage are automatically sealed to you. But what happens when those children grow up and get sealed and have their own children? Are they all sealed to you too? Will everyone in the celestial kingdom just end up being sealed to each other? I have been dying to ask someone about this. Please tell me what you think!

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  8. I think it's so cool that you have such a strong faith and strong ties with your religion. I'm a lapsed Roman Catholic so I truly admire how proud you are to be called a Mormon. I've learned a lot about your religion since I started reading your blog and it's been really interesting :)

    Although I don't have any question about the religion itself, I feel like I have so many questions to ask about missions and missionary work. Sort of like what are the reasons you go through them and if it's required for everyone to do missions?

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  9. I think it's awesome that you're addressing this and that you have such awesome followers who are willing to ask the questions! I'm impressed! I was born into the church as well, so I don't really have any questions for you, but wanted to tell you how impressed I was with your willingness to be a missionary with what you have! I'm sure your missionary son is proud of your effort here. :)

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