I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as the "Mormon" church. I will use both names for the Church interchangeably, and will refer to its members as either "latter-day saints (LDS)" or "mormons," and maybe sometimes "saints." I was born into an LDS family and grew up attending church every Sunday (for three hours, mind you). This obviously had a strong impact on my religious/social/political formation. I spent two years in Paraguay serving as a full-time proselytizing missionary, teaching and baptizing. I now attend church at my local congregation and serve there as a youth leader. For those unfamiliar with the LDS church and its teachings, I will devote an occasional post to laying out the basic beliefs, organization, and programs of the Church. However, this is not the main purpose of this blog.
The main purpose of this blog is to lay out rational (i.e. non-"blind faith" based) reasons for belief. Too many people dismiss religion as a "the opium of the masses," and think that those of us who believe in "such nonsense" do so only because we lack the capacity to think. I intend in this blog to dispel this myth. Most believers I know are intelligent, thoughtful people who seriously consider and frequently discuss the tenets of their beliefs. I have participated in many such discussions, with members of my own faith, members of other faiths, and even with non-believers. I will bring forth here many of the arguments hashed out in these discussions, in the hope that it will help bring clarity and enlightenment to sincere seekers of truth.
While I am, as stated, a Mormon, it is not my intent to convince my readers to join the LDS church. If any are touched and wish to learn more, I will be only too delighted by the outcome and will happily point them to sites like http://mormon.org where they can learn more. However, my primary focus will be on rational reasons for belief in fundamental principles, such as faith in God, judeo-christian moral values, etc.
It is my sincere hope that all who read this blog may be uplifted and enlightened. For that reason, I will moderate all comments (and may choose to disable them entirely) to filter out the venom that hate-filled atheists (or even disagreeing believers) are certain to attempt to post.
May God bless and keep you, my esteemed readers.
--Bob
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