Day 3 - 21 Questions for the LDS church

Well, I had written out this post last week and Blogger chose this ONE TIME when I wrote a post in advance to go ahead and dump all my posts for the past three days. They restored 2 out of 3 parts, so I figured I would just re-write the third part.

Q: Does the Mormon Church believe Jesus appeared in North America after his crucifixion and resurrection? If so, when did this happen? And under what circumstances?
A: The appearance of Jesus in the Western Hemisphere shortly after his resurrection is described in the Book of Mormon. Mormons believe that when Christ told his disciples in the Bible He had other 'sheep' who should receive his message he was referring to those people in the Western Hemisphere.

Joni's Addition:
This is important! I can't believe they didn't go into more detail. Not only did he "appear" in North America, but he stayed around and hung out for a while, giving people instructions.

Michelle's Story - becoming who I am. Mormonism

I happened upon Michelle's blog, Becoming a Queen, a few months ago and was struck by her thoughts on becoming: "In recent months, I have been fascinated with the idea of becoming. By that, I mean the idea of changing and evolving into my full potential. Into something greater than I currently am. I have felt a need to find out what I am really doing here...I realize that just knowing something doesn’t mean I am really living up to my potential and purpose. What is it then, that must be done for me to become who and what I am meant to be? Is it more about changing myself, or is it more about remembering myself? Most likely some of both. Becoming is simply about choices. Every choice we make sends us down the path of becoming. The question is what am I becoming?...I am excited to learn and...become. ((C) Michelle Iverson, Becoming a Queen).

I hope you enjoy hearing her story and I hope you make time to check out her blog. Thank you, Michelle, for your insights and honesty!

This is Michelle's Story.

My name is Michelle Iverson, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  We are probably more well known as the Mormons, but that name is not the actual name of our church.

My religious story begins at birth, when I was brought into a warm and loving home.  Both of my parents were already members of the church at that time, my father being a convert at age 17, and my mother having been born into the faith as well.  From the time I was born I was taught the truth about who I am....a child of God.  I was taught of Jesus Christ and his love for me.  I was read to from the Bible, as well as The Book of Mormon, which is another volume of ancient scripture written by the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.  It is another testament of Jesus Christ and his divine role as our Savior and Redeemer.

Mormonism - I have a lot to learn

((The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have a long and complicated history in their Book of Mormon that is so completely different from any religion I have been exposed to, I fear I will not do it justice, so I definitely encourage you to do your own research, read the Book of Mormon, visit with the sweet Mormon missionaries who knock on your door, ask questions, and read other literature related to the Mormon church and Mormon history.))

Mormonism began with Joseph Smith. He was, much as Muhammed (peace and blessings be upon him), a prophet to a specific group of people: Americans. In this way, the Mormon religion is very much an American religion, although it competes with Islam for the fastest growing religion worldwide.

Intro to Mormonism - special underwear, marketing, and how they relate to Christianity

Mormonism. Or, more “correctly” put, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or LDS. It is one of the fastest growing religious groups in the world, and is it any wonder? Who among us hasn’t had a missionary stop by to tell us the gospel of Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith? Who hasn’t teared up during an LDS commercial featuring a sweet family and a touching situation?

I would have to say, of all the religions I’ve studied and continue to study, that the LDS church has, by far, the most advanced and pervasive marketing team I’ve ever seen in a religion! Heck, they even have a website, http://www.mormon.org/, where you can search for people just like you (by age, gender, ethnicity, previous religion, and continent) who are Mormon. You can read their stories and look at videos. Fascinating.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You...

I have a few more interviews to wrap up for the bloggy part of my Protestant Christian experience (as opposed to the book part - those interviews will continue for a while on ALL religions) and then, on Monday March 11, I'm on to Mormonism! I'm pretty excited about Mormonism because I have some fabulous women to interview and I'm even having a couple of guest post-ers who (I think) you'll find relevant and inspiring, not the least of which is Lindsey Parker Williams of Nuclear Family Meltdown, Emily of Lioness at the Gate, and a couple I'm saving for a surprise! (Oh, goody! I love surprises!)