An Everyday Mormon

Recently I attended a Saturday night session of Stake Conference with members of my local congregation.  This meeting only happens once every six months, when a handful of close by congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meet together to hear direction and counsel from presiding church leaders in the area.  For the special occasion, I decided to deviate from the cultural norm of wearing a white button down shirt with a tie to church meetings, instead opting to wear a purple button down shirt with no tie. You would think this wouldn’t have any effect on me whatsoever.  After all it is just a shirt. Before I even talked to anybody, I felt a bit off.  I’ve always worn a white button down shirt to church events just like everybody else.  I had never worn anything else and rarely did other members of my local congregation here at BYU.  I felt unworthy to be there, matter out of place, and lacking in my faith. Later I had someone jokingly...

God isn’t a word we throw about much these days.  It still places a prominent place on the back of American currency and is occasionally seen on your religious friend’s Facebook post.  Maybe we can blame the ever decreasing number of religiously minded people. Many are worried about offending those that do not believe in a higher power and avoid the word, aiming to be more inclusive. While surveys have shown over the past fifty years Americans’ belief in God has declined, I think just as important is how people view God.  Our usage of the word “God” has changed because people’s view of God has diversified. God for one person might be a more traditional Christian one that gave Moses the Ten Commandments or may be an animistic, supernatural force.  Some may not be too concerned with who and what is God but belief in a vague higher power to provide hope for a better life. A Pew research poll conducted in April of 2018 showed that 56% of Americans believe in the God of t...

If you have ever come across the Latter-day Saint (commonly referred to as Mormon) missionaries, you are probably familiar with their most common invitation.  “Will you read the Book of Mormon?” Translated by Joseph Smith from an ancient Native American record given to him by an angel of the Lord, the Book of Mormon stands as the keystone of our religion.  In order to believe in the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one must first read, study, and come to know that this book of ancient scripture is the true word of God. As far as how Latter-day Saints fall into the broad community of religions, this complicates things a bit.  Because of our reliance on the Book of Mormon as a theological foundation, other Christians have labeled us as non-Christian while others claim we are a cult.  Those largely unfamiliar with our faith claim that because of our focus on the Book of Mormon and neglect of the Bible, we do not follow the teachings of Christ....

Top Ten lists are pretty pointless.  Whether it’s a respected artist detailing their favorites in their profession, an academic listing the most influential works in their field, or simply a phantatic with a blog ranting, it is impossible to reach a definite, objective top ten list in anything.  Ironically, there was a list, a top 100 list in fact, that changed my life. I watched the American Film Institute Top 100 Tenth Anniversary list on T.V. when I was twelve upstairs on a Friday night with my older sister.  I don’t know what it was but I remember seeing commercials for it for about a month and every time I saw it I desperately wanted to watch it. I don’t know if it was because of the dozens of VHS’s my family owned and the hundreds of hours I had watched those movies growing up.  I’d like to think it was a calling from God to spread my love of film to others but that might be a stretch. I had never really seen many of the movies on the list but somehow as ...

It is weird coming to such a foreign place and feeling at home.  As I walked up the stairs to the room I would be staying in, all these memories and feelings from last year’s field school rushed over me.  It seemed like nothing had changed except for maybe I knew a little bit more than last time and knew what to expect.  It doesn’t feel like America is halfway around the globe or that I spent a whole day just to travel here but here I am in Jordan again excavating.  I hope that there are many more times to come and that this isn’t the last one. We are working outside of the same tomb as last year and just expanded the two by five-meter square we dug last field season.  We are finding some water channels that the Nabataeans used to probably drain the run-off water away from the façade into a nearby cistern.  It did rain the first full day we were here and there is currently plenty of water now pooled in the water channel, which hasn’t been used like tha...

This is the first article in a three-part series on dating with the second and third post to follow. Dating.  There isn’t a more confusing word in the English language, or at least here up at BYU, especially around Valentine's Day.  For some the definition may be a bit fuzzy.  What is a date?  How serious does a girl think one date is? Or how about two dates?  Three?  For others the way to carry it out may be the cause of concern.  Is taking the effort to actually call someone appreciated or seen as too old fashioned by girls?  If it went great should I end it with a kiss, a hug, or settle for an awkward handshake?  For others, all they need is to hear the word spoken by their friends, grandmother, or bishop and it’ll send them into cardiac arrest. As a 22-year-old, single male BYU student, I myself have had many different reactions and experiences with this thing we call dating.  I’ve been through my ups and downs like everyone e...

Repentance.  The word seems to have a certain sting to it.  Confessions to a priest, the past deconstructed in a bishop’s office, silent tears shed in despair.  This is what we think of when we hear this word.  Disappointments, fears, regrets, all held in tight to our chests.  We spend our entire lives trying to avoid it.  It is only something, in our minds, that is done by sinners, the unholy, the ungodly, the guilty.  When our own choices bring it upon us we shrink from it, avoid it at all costs.  We shouldn’t have to be going through this, we are the good ones.  I don’t need this right now, I can’t deal with it with all the things going on in my life. Recently I’ve been thinking about this.  A new year with its new expectations always is followed by its unique disappointments.  Failed goals and deflated determination plague the once hopeful soul.   Winter is always the time that guilt creeps up on me.  Sometimes it is warranted and sometimes it isn’t but the cold settles in just as ...