Home Front Mormon videos on Google Video
The “Home Front” TV commercials sponsored by the Mormon church are now available on Google Video. My favorite is “Lasting Marriage”:
Celebrating 200th birthday of the Prophet Joseph Smith
It was 200 years ago today that the Prophet Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, was born. To celebrate, the Church held a televised event with president Gordon B. Hinckley speaking from Joseph Smith’s birthplace in Vermont. Our family watched the event on the Internet, and it was very good. Here are a few thoughts from various speakers:
Elder Ballard — We should be grateful for Joseph Smith’s family. Imagine if Joseph had come back to his parents to tell him about the visions he had seen, and hadn’t received any support. He came from good blood.
President Faust — Every person that calls him or herself a member of the Church should have a conviction of the Joseph Smith account. While Joseph Smith has friends and enemies, no one can dispute the success of what he started.
President Monson — By any account he was a remarkable individual.
President Hinckley — “He was the living prophet of the living God.” To celebrate Joseph’s 100th birthday, a granite tower was built at his birth place. The tower was 39 and 1/2 feet tall, one foot for every year of his life. It was made from one solid piece of granite and weighed 40 tons. Getting it from the quarry, to the shop, to the birthplace was a monumental task in 1905.
The building of that monument goes along well with a quote by Joseph about himself: “I am like a huge, rough stone… and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force…. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty.”
During this Christmas time we should remember that no man bore a stronger witness of Jesus Christ than the Prophet Joseph Smith.
The result of Mormonism
During priesthood meeting last Sunday, we studied the last chapter of the David O. McKay manual. I came across a couple paragraphs that I liked:
Husbands, be true to your wives, not only in act, but in thought; wives, be true to your husbands. Children, be true to your parents; do not [assume] that the are old-fashioned in their beliefs and you know more than they do…. Strangers, seeing such homes, will say, “Well, if that is the result of Mormonism, I think it is good.”
Let the sincere investigators who believe more from what they see than from what they hear, find, upon investigation, that “Mormons” prove by example in the home, by devotion, and in their service to God, that they believe and know that God is their Father. [Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, David O. McKay, p. 230]
Mormonism sets high standards for its members, and though no Mormon is perfect (and hopefully no Mormon implies that he or she or any member of the Church is perfect), the high standard is worth striving for. It brings purpose and peace into your life. If you’re interested in being challenged to love your family more, do more service, and be more kind, the teachings of Mormonism may be able to help.
Welcome to Mormonism & the Mormon church
I’ve decided to create a blog about my religion — Mormonism. Mormonism is the branch of Christianity practiced by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That’s the official name of the church, but it’s of course called the Mormon church by a lot of people. On this blog I’ll write about what it was like growing up as a Mormon, what it was like being a Mormon missionary for two years, and why I’m still a Mormon and a Christian. I’m sure I’ll touch on various topics that are unique to Mormonism like the temple and celestial marriage. I’ll be glad to entertain questions if anyone has them. If I don’t know the answers I’ll try to help you find them, though I won’t pretend every question has an answer.
I look forward to having an outlet for my thoughts about my religion. It’s infinitely important to me, and I hope that will come across in my writing.