The Logic of It...

I love structure. I love things that make sense. I love when things behave in a way that I understand.
Perhaps this is why I have an affection for all studies engineering and physics. I am serious when I say I loved my electrical, civil, and structural engineering classes. I was truly excited to go to my physics classes and to master the homework problems. If I could justify the expense, I would really want to get degrees in all of these studies, just for the understanding it would signify that I had. I also enjoy accounting and math. Numbers make sense.
This is why, spiritual affirmations (of which I've had many) aside, I really love the restored gospel.
It makes so much stinking sense!

It makes sense to me that if God created man, he loves us.
If God loves all men, his creations, how fair is it that only those who know of his plan can be saved. Millions who have lived and millions more who do live do not know of the divine plan.
Are they permanently lost, they just "luck of the draw" had no chance of salvation?
No, I find that theory to be unacceptable and unreconcilable with the assumption that God loves all man.
And yet, the scriptures clearly quote Jesus as saying that baptism is the gate that everyone has to pass through to be His. Even He had to be baptized, "to fulfill all righteousness".
This is why the doctrine of baptism for the dead makes so much sense.
Now, I can somewhat see where some people get all upset over the idea, but I think it comes from a misunderstanding of what it actually is. I mean, the practice does actually say "dead" in the title, creepy right? Brings up the really sick image of baptizing dead people, and people have this instinctive reaction of "not my dead people, don't you dare".
Well, lets clear up some of those misconceptions right here.
1) dead people stay firmly in their graves, no worries.
The actual baptism is done by proxy, which means someone does it for them, in their name. Phew, ix-nay on the reepy-cay.
2) the intended baptizee on the other side, has a choice of whether or not to accept this baptism.
Just like a baptism does close to no good if a person does not choose to follow Christ after baptism here in mortality, it does close to no good if someone after dying still is not going to follow Christ. But on the flip side, if someone learns about this wonderful plan and loves it with all their heart, how awful and unfair would it be if there was no way to be baptized in the flesh?
3) this is not a new thing.
The early, pre-apostate Christian church also performed these baptisms for the dead.
See 1 Cor 15:29, 1 Pet 4:6, John 5: 25, Malachi 4:5-6
4) I wonder why this is not an glaringly obvious gap to those other Christian religions that believe in a just and fair God.

Well, here I have explained why I think the gospel is logical in regards to just one small piece of the plan, but in respect for time and space I am going to have to define the logic of many other things (missionary work, sealing together families, priesthood authority, the Book of Mormon, etc...) in later posts.

Word of Wisdom

Another thing that sets practicing members of the church apart from mainstream Americans is our scripture called the "Word of Wisdom" and its affect on our lifestyle.
We don't drink alcohol.
We don't drink coffee or tea.
We don't smoke.

This advice/commandment was given in 1833. I would say that from that time period up until very recently the learning of man would have labeled this as foolishness, but I find it interesting that over 150 years later "groundbreaking" scientific evidence continues move in the direction of falling in line with this divine revelation.

The general public drinks, that is a fact. In fact, I continue to be amazed at how much the average person does. (Please excuse my naiveness, but it still surprises me when our waiter gives us a look of "why do you even bother to go out to eat if you're not drinking"). It is generally recognized that extremes in drinking are bad: alcoholism and all that is associated with it, drinking and driving, and the continual clubbing and rehab stints the young celebrities seem to be doing. But the personal line of "too far" or "too much" seems fuzzy. Beyond my belief that drinking is against my religion, I just plain think that it is smart to not even start down that road. I would not enjoy the loss of control or inhibitions. I am a happy person without having to "take the edge off the day".

Everywhere you turn there is a Starbucks. I cannot tell you how many of the fun housewives I've met through blogger say they are a wreck without their morning coffee. That I've never had coffee is something that I'm pretty sure make me downright weird to a "normal" person. I get that. I think that it's kind of funny. I think on some level most people get why a religion would take a stand against alcohol and smoking, but to take a shot at something as innocent as coffee....oh my gosh, you are a cult :)
Well, I have read a couple preliminary findings on different studies of caffeine that peak my interest. The first said that, though they couldn't figure out why, they found in a study that women who had a high intake of caffeine were at significantly higher risk of miscarriages. The second noticed (and again, they did not know why) that after caffeine intake diabetics sugar levels after eating were higher than if they didn't.
As I said, these are preliminary, but I do trust that in the future (close or far, I cannot tell) science will start to see more solid findings in this category. For now, I am content to not drink coffee and tea for religious reasons.

I get the impression of a general decline in smoking in this country. It is (now) generally recognized as unhealthy, so there are many campaigns (from government, to company insurers, etc.) to have people quit. I think less people are starting to smoke, and more are successfully quitting. This is a great thing. I worry about a large portion of the world though...they are gearing up to have an epidemic of the health problems associated with this habit.

So there you have the "thou shalt nots", but what about what the Word of Wisdom says we should eat. This is where church members get into discussions and it seems like it's more of a gray area. Here's my interpretation:

It says grains, fruit, and vegetables are good. These are to be the staple of your diet. Atkins diet be hanged :)
Meat is good, but "use sparingly". OK, don't be a carnivore.

Voila, the Mormon secret keys to being healthy!

*now, take this with a grain of salt, I am in no way "preaching" to all those non-members out there. There are plenty of us church members who could improve their health. This is more my humble expression of what I think the Word of Wisdom says.

My Take on Work Ethics

In my opinion, the quality of work ethics today have declined and continue to decline.
May I insert here that I know many good people who would be excellent employees; in fact these are the people that I like to make friends with.
But in spite of that I do sense a trend in the wrong direction.

My feelings are as follows:
1) Give a full and honest days work every day.
Many people try to find that line of what is expected of them and are satisfied with hitting right above it. Whenever I have had reviews with employers they usually express their surprise at the sheer quantity of what I get done. Maybe being organized and having an ability to effectively prioritize what needs to be done helps this, but honestly I can't claim to be that special. Its just that most people aren't giving a full days work.

2) Be the best you can be.
Besides the volume of work output, there is something to be said for the quality of that work.
Bring all your skills to the table. If there is an additional skill that would help you produce better work or to be able to bring in new things, is it the end of the world to spend some of your non-work time developing or learning that skill? Its a win-win situation. You would be adding quality to your work and value to yourself.

3) If you say you are going to do something...follow through.
I want to be the person that people can take my word at face value. If I make a promise I will get it done. This goes beyond the work place. So many people find it simple arithmetic to decide to file for bankruptcy or to foreclose on something. What is wrong with this picture!?!
They are leaving someone completely slapped in the face, they have broken their word that they were going to pay something back. This is wrong on so many levels; just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.

4) Be cheerful.
"How does this correlate to work ethics?", you might ask.
So great, you do good work. Is it still that great if people don't want to be around you because you are grumpy or are whiny? I would argue not.
If I were an employer I would want my employees to represent me well. Being cheerful and friendly is involved in that.


I'm sure this is not the only post that will reference my thoughts on this subject, but this is the basics for now. Just be honest and happy. I love to work.

No Sex Before Marriage

So, I have been thinking about some of the things that set practicing members of the church apart from mainstream American society, and this one is a biggie.

It has become an assumption in this day and age that you move in together when you are dating, and if not then at least when you are engaged. People are really, genuinely surprised when they find that was not the case before Curt and I got married.

We get asked "how did you do that?", bringing in the question of self control; or "why would you want to do that?", bringing in the question of motivation.

Well, I can only answer those questions from my own view, but here goes.
First, as to the why.
1) I believe this is a commandment from God.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20

President James E. Faust: “The responsibilities involved in the divine life-giving process, and the functions of our body, are so sacrosanct that they are to be exercised only within the marriage relationship. Those who do not accept and meet those responsibilities, for any reason, as well as those who do, should never depart from the law of chastity if they wish to be truly happy. All members of this Church seeking eternal joy and peace are expected to and will wish to come to the marriage altar free from sexual transgressions chaste and pure” (“The Sanctity of Life,” Ensign, May 1975, 27).

Jeffrey R. Holland:"Secondly, may I stress that human intimacy is reserved for a married couple because it is the ultimate symbol of total union, a totality and a union ordained and defined by God. From the Garden of Eden onward, marriage was intended to mean the complete merger of a man and a woman—their hearts, hopes, lives, love, family, future, everything. Adam said of Eve that she was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, and that they were to be “one flesh” in their life together. 13 This is a union of such completeness that we use the word seal to convey its eternal promise. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said we perhaps could render such a sacred bond as being “welded” 14 one to another.

But such a total union, such an unyielding commitment between a man and a woman, can only come with the proximity and permanence afforded in a marriage covenant, with solemn promises and the pledge of all they possess—their very hearts and minds, all their days and all their dreams.

Can you see the moral schizophrenia that comes from pretending you are one, pretending you have made solemn promises before God, sharing the physical symbols and the physical intimacy of your counterfeit union but then fleeing, retreating, severing all such other aspects of what was meant to be a total obligation?

In matters of human intimacy, you must wait! You must wait until you can give everything, and you cannot give everything until you are legally and lawfully married. To give illicitly that which is not yours to give (remember, “you are not your own”) and to give only part of that which cannot be followed with the gift of your whole self is emotional Russian roulette. If you persist in pursuing physical satisfaction without the sanction of heaven, you run the terrible risk of such spiritual, psychic damage that you may undermine both your longing for physical intimacy and your ability to give wholehearted devotion to a later, truer love. You may come to that truer moment of ordained love, of real union, only to discover to your horror that what you should have saved you have spent, and that only God’s grace can recover the piecemeal dissipation of the virtue you so casually gave away. On your wedding day the very best gift you can give your eternal companion is your very best self—clean and pure and worthy of such purity in return.(“Personal Purity” Ensign, November 1998).

2. Sex stimulates powerful emotions that are hard to be free from.

If you have those strong physical ties how much harder is it to think clearly about your relationship and to decide if this is something you want for forever.

I have a very close friend who has fallen into this trap. She is pretty sure that this one boyfriend of hers is not who she wants to be with for the rest of her life, but no matter how many times she seems to break up with him she never can break free. Now, am I naive enough to think that the only reason this is is because they had sex? No, but I would argue that it's a powerful factor.

3. Did I forever want to be comparing my husband to previous partners? Did I ever want him to be comparing me in his head? The answer is a definite no.
That's a whole can of worms I won't go deeper into.

4. Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
The statistics speak for themselves. If you only have sex with your husband and he does the same, you have almost a 0% chance of getting one of these nasty little buggers.

5. Why did God create sex?
Well, to bring children into the world.
I cannot put enough emphasis on how strongly I feel on this subject. Children are a gift and a sacred responsibility. They are beautiful. They have almost unlimited potential, and how you raise them will play a large part in how much of that potential is realized. I am shaking right now with the effort of trying to put into words how important this is.

That being said, one of the things that makes my heart the most heavy with the way things are today is that the vast majority of people don't seem to feel the same way.
How many abortions took place last year?
How many children will be born to parents whose only tie is their combined DNA in this tiny little being?
How irresponsible. How sad, I feel like crying.
You shouldn't be having sex if you cannot provide a stable, loving environment for a child.
Period.


So after all that doom and gloom, let's get to the how we were able to stay "clean" before marriage.
Motivation was pretty strong, believing as I've outlined in the previous paragraphs, I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I violated these things.
The best ways to avoid the temptation? Date people who have the same values. Don't stay out too late. Keep your wits about you (ie don't get wasted, as I don't drink this one wasn't a realistic problem, but more on that in a later post). Be upfront and honest with the people around you about your goals. Don't be getting all crazy with the kissing (yeah, that's the hard part).

Well, I could probably go on an on about this. but this is long enough (maybe too long already). So, what do you think about this topic? I am curious. Especially if you are not of my faith.

Ha ha, I bet "sex" is mentioned enough on this post that I'll get some pretty different traffic from Google searches.....this is totally not what they'll be looking for. Oh, the irony.

Introduction

In the blogs that I have read I have run across many women who are evangelical Christians. They are so very open about their search for meaning in life and they are very vocal about their prayers and their reliance on Christ. This started me thinking, what makes it so easy for them to be so vocal about these things? Or let me rephrase that, why am I not as vocal about those things?

Well, this blog is my response. This is where I will outline what I believe. I don't know who (if anyone besides my family) will be reading this, but I want people to be able to see what I stand for.

I have a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today. I believe that I have found the truest church there is in existence. I think many other churches hold some truths and bring many good things to the table, but I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the fullness of the Gospel.

I love the scriptures. How wonderful it is to have such a wealth of spiritual knowledge held in your hands. How much more important is it to hold that knowledge in your mind.

Prayer is a mighty thing. I have felt real comfort and have received true guidance in my life. What a blessing.

I believe in a just and loving Father in heaven.
I am loved, I am never completely alone, He wants me to continually progress and be a better person.

He has provided living prophets to guide us in these latter days. I believe that our prophets have been and continue to be the best people that God can find on the earth today. They have been raised up for this purpose. They are kind, they are wise, they sorrow when they see us do wrong, they rejoice and are very adept at seeing the best in us all. I believe that President Thomas S. Monson is God's prophet on the earth today.

And lastly, but most importantly, I believe in Jesus Christ, His teachings, and His supreme sacrifice known as the Atonement. I believe Him when He says if we are to be saved we must keep His commandments, but I also know we cannot get anywhere on our own. His grace is what saves us, after all we can do.

I will probably eventually address all of these topics in more detail here. I have lots of thoughts and opinions and how nice it is that technology has created for me the best outlet I could ask for.