The Mormon Community

The premier of Big Love Season 3 , an HBO series based on Hollywood's depiction of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is airing tomorrow night. Coincidentally, I have chosen this church, located on Pump Road in the West End of Richmond as my second one to attend. I must admit, the only perspective I've ever had of the Mormon community has been through this HBO hit series. I can only imagine that this representation of Mormons is not welcomed by the Church.

While doing some research on the Latter Day Saints website (www.lds.org) a commentator described some members reaction to the show as: "...members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding." While the website states that the church does not condemn individual members for boycotting Time Warner, the production company responsible for Big Love, the LDS institution does not encourage boycotts as it is believed to generate the type of controversy that would just give the show higher ratings which would continue to misrepresent it's people in a wildly inaccurate way.

The show is riddled with stereotypes of the Mormon people. It depicts them as self-righteous, polygamists who lie, cheat, steal and even kill all in the name of God. Without even attending the Sunday service yet, I have a sneaky suspicion that this image couldn't be further from the truth. The message coming from the mouth of the Mormon people on www.mormon.org is this: "God is your Father in Heaven. He knows you personally. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and your Savior. His life and teachings are the way to peace and happiness." Doesn't sound so unfamiliar and self-righteous to me. It actually sounds right in line with what most Christians core fundamental beliefs are.

While the beliefs that the LDS church holds are not so unfamiliar, the way the church was founded is certainly unique. I'll give you the short version as I understand it.

In September of 1823, a Prophet named Joseph Smith had an angel visit him name Moroni. This angel told Joseph to go to a hill in New York and in 4 years, dig up these metal scrolls that have information about Jesus Christ as it relates to the ancient inhabitants of the American continent. He instructed Joseph to translate these words into the English language and when the time was "right" tell people what they said. Joseph Smith claimed that these records were another testament of Christ in addition to the Holy Bible. The Book of Mormon is not meant to compete with the Bible, but instead be another source of God's Word about the divinity of Jesus Christ. It was finally published in 1830 and it has now been read by millions. Actually, according to the National Council of Churches, Mormons are the 4th largest denomination in the US based on memberships. http://www.ncccusa.org/news/080215yearbook1.html

When I first read the story a week ago about Joseph Smith, the tablets, and his visit from an angel surrounded by a bright white light, I must admit, it sounded like hocus pocus. In an attempt to be open-minded, I analyzed why I instantly passed judgment on these Christians.

I had always been taught that anything that claims to be the Word of God, outside of the 66 books of the Traditional Protestent Bible, is not rooted in Truth, but instead, the work of the devil. An attempt to deceive Christians into believing lies in an attempt to move them further away from God.

While part of me thinks all too often many churches have used this fear to their advantage as a manipulation tactic, I do cautiously proceed when new ideas about spirituality conflict with the Bible. Maybe my childhood church succeeded by instilling that fear, but I know the awesome power of the Holy Bible, so of course if something were to conflict with it, I'd wonder if it was indeed the truth.

However, the more I read about the Mormon religion, the more open minded I become, the better I understand it, and the more it makes sense to me. Why is it so insane to think that Joseph Smith was a prophet? There are several Prophets in biblical times, why would God just stop talking to us? I mean, I myself just claimed to hear God's voice a few days ago! Joseph Smith could have been a Prophet. That's not so hard for me to believe. And maybe God did command him to share more of His story. Who knows? God just commanded me to write this blog!

I still have some investigating about the foundation of this church before I take it in as "gospel". For instance, where are these tablets now? Did anyone else see them? I read that there were about 10 witnesses who vouched for them, but is there any explanation as to why the tables aren't available for other people to see? But I guess that's what faith is, believing in something you can't see, touch, or feel. I do continue to wonder about the peculiarity of the story since it is so different than anything I have ever understood. That's not to say it's Wrong--I mean, that'd be awfully self-righteous of me to think because I hadn't heard of something like this that it must not be true, but I do have more questions. For instance, why are Mormons associated with polygamy? And of course, most importantly, I'd like to read the Book of Mormon and see what it says and if there is anything in my heart that is telling me that this is not the Word of God.

Finally, I have already developed an immense amount of respect for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When asked WHY we should accept this story of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormons as truth, their reply is the same, "Ask God to show you whether these prophecies belong to Him. If you ask in Jesus name, He will reveal the Truth to you, if He says that it is not His words, then do not believe."

Unlike many God-fearing Christians, I know that my God would never lead me into temptation when I have asked with an open heart to know and understand Him. He just doesn't work that way. He would never allow the strength of some "devil" to be greater than His desire for me to Love and experience Him. So I ask God to show me the Truth about the Book of Mormon. I will learn about this new faith without caution. I will not judge it. I will not fear it. I will trust and allow the Spirit of God to show me the Truth. I am confident after learning more about them, I will have my answer.