So what is this all about. I consider myself a devout Mormon - a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I served a full time mission was married in the Salt Lake Temple to a wonderful woman whom I love deeply. We have a large family ranging in age from young to returned missionary. I am a current temple recommend holder and go to church every week with my family.
I have faith in Jesus Christ and his saving power. I believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I believe the Book of Mormon is from God, as is the Bible and the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.
That being said - I do not consider myself a typical Mormon. As I have aged and come to understand others who call themselves Mormons - I find that on many things I have a very different viewpoint. Just to give an example. With regards to where the Book of Mormon comes from - I believe that it could be the writings of the men that it purports to be. That Nephi, Alma, Mormon, Moroni and all the others actually existed as real people at some point on the earth. However, my love and acceptance of the Book of Mormon is not conditioned upon that. I accept that it could be possible that Joseph Smith made it up, I don't believe that he did - but I accept it as a possibility.
I am aware of many, if not all, of the problems with church history and practices and yet I choose to remain an active member of the church.
My purpose with this blog is not to try to convince anyone of anything. I simply share my thoughts as I try to understand them. I am trying to learn everyday. I think about things constantly - my wife says too much. I examine my own motivations and beliefs often. In reality I'm a pretty self absorbed person that likes to hear myself talk.
Please comment if you desire. I love to learn from other people and love getting their perspectives - even if it is the polar opposite to mine. However, I will not tolerate name calling or mean behavior. That applies equally to broad generalizations of groups and specific individuals. (If you want to say something like, "Some men are pigs" - that's OK, because it is true. You just can't say "All men are pigs" or "John Doe is a pig"). As it is my blog - I get to decide what is mean.
I'm not a very good researcher and I don't like writing in the research style. It is something that I hope will improve as I go along. If you have a correction for me - please let me know. It is not my intention to share bad information. If you disagree with my conclusions based on something - by all means let me know. Maybe I hadn't considered your viewpoint before - but maybe I have.
Most of what I will be writing about is about my own personal journey and how it relates to some of the broader patterns I see as I interact with people. It will mostly focus on issues of faith and religion - but may also touch on other issues and areas of social interactions.
Musing Fool
