Last week, as the comments – both good and bad – poured in because of my post on Marriage Equality, I almost didn’t notice this comment that responded to “My Profile”. It was from Tom Nicholas, and it said this:
“I can’t decide if I am viewing the blog of a Christian or a Mormon. Very little is said about “Jesus” on your home page, unless you are referring to the “COJCOLDS” which does very little to reference the Savior of this world.
As a nondenom Christian (I read the Bible, that’s it) my stomach churns every time I hear a Mormon say “I Love my Church.”
…ok, your church….what else? How about the Alpha and Omega?!? How about “I love Jesus Christ” instead? Well, maybe you’re not a Christian, but just a Mormon…hmmmmm.”
My first response was “Harumpf. Another hater.” But as I thought about it, I came to an unexpected conclusion…
Tom was right. *Sigh.* I hate it when my critics make a valid point.
My blog is definitely Mormon-centric.. There are no pictures of Jesus on the homepage, and in over 500 posts, there is not a definitive post containing my testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. (There are about 30 that talk about Him, and some that teach and testify about some aspect of my understanding of Him.)
As I contemplated Tom’s indictment, I tried to sort out why it was somewhat accurate. Here are my thoughts:
1) My blog is sometimes goofy. I think Jesus deserves better than having a picture of Him stuck next to a Photoshopped picture of a pioneer man wearing a Moroni helmet or something equally dumb.
2) I find that when I try and write about the Savior, the words don’t flow. No matter what I write, or how hard I try, the words seems inadequate, or trite, or I find myself stealing from hymns.
3) But I think the main reason is that the Savior is implied in almost everything I write of a serious nature – just as He is implied in my day-to-day life. For example.
• Every time I refer to the Church, Jesus is implicit, It is His Church. It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was restored by Him, and is guided by Him.
• I have testified loudly and often to the existence of modern-day prophets, and the divine call of Joseph Smith. Again, Jesus is implicit in any of these discussions, because these prophets are appointed, and guided, by Him. They are His mouthpiece on this earth.
• Every time I refer to my EC, my Eternal Companion, the “E” is because of my Savior. Because of the plan that He executed, and His divine authority, my EC is indeed, my “Eternal” companion. Without the Savior, my marriage would be like everyone else’s.
• When I blog about doctrine, it is the Doctrine that stems from the teaching of Christ – either from his sojourn on earth, or from modern revelation. I post about anger, or patience implies the teachings of the Savior.
• As Tom pointed out, I do love the Church, but it is really the Lord’s Church – and He allows me membership and the blessings that come through it.
You get the point.
I am first to acknowledge that implying that Christ is my Savior is not enough. My remedy is that today, on Easter Sunday, I have created a new tab at the top of the page called “My Savior”. It is my attempt to put into words how I feel about Christ, and what He has done for me. It is inadequate,and awkward – but sincere. (Link here.) Please forgive my inability to articulate what is most important to me.
Tom, if you are reading, thank you for for pointing out my shortcoming. I am glad you did.
Happy Easter
The central core of temple worship is the great sacrifice of our Savior, but it is such a holy and sacred subject that we shy away from even mentioning it to others. We hold His name in great reverence as well, even to calling the higher priesthood after Melchizedek instead of by the name of our Lord and Savior. I feel an almost physical hurt when I hear His name taken in vain. I feel that many who reject our right to be called ‘Christian’ fail to realize how truly central He is to our religion, but most of them don’t understand that we feel equally strongly about the other individuals in the Godhead, in fact they don’t acknowledge that there are three individuals. The vision of Stephen before his ‘rocky’ death is good enough for me. But it is certainly not the only scripture that confirms my understanding. For me, knowing that these three divine individuals all love and care for me on a personal level is wonderful. As a mother I learned that each new child welcomed to my family did not divide my love but multiplied it. I feel the same way about my relationship with deity. We are rightly warned against contention and too often discussions about our beliefs lead to contention–sigh—-
First, thank you! (more on that later)
Second, you are aren’t the first one to feel awkward about writing down your testimony of Christ (2 Nephi 33:1; Ether 12:23-29)
I am one that feels that we should talk more about Christ, not to be critical of my fellow church members, but because SO many don’t seem to understand the Atonement, the purpose of having apostles and prophets, and the reason why an organized church is essential in fulfilling our purpose on this earth. We get distracted with the applications of our doctrine and need to remind ourselves of the doctrine.
So, while I too appreciate what Tom reminded you of (and all of us), I just wanted to say that in the 30 minutes of reading and exploring your blog before reading this post, I was already impressed with your example of the kind of latter-day saint that you are. You are a true disciple of Christ, one that I plan on adding to my reading list so that I too can be reminded of my commitment to Him.
Thank you.
Well said. I agree, it can be hard to talk about the Savior since anything we say isn’t enough. Even the words of the greatest poets don’t do him justice. I think quoting the scriptures is the best any of us can do and always testifying that he lives and is the Savior of mankind when appropriate.
It does all tie together, but it never hurts to talk more about Christ. In case I haven’t mentioned in my comments before, I believe in Jesus Christ – that He lived and resurrected, and that He paid for my sins so that I can repent and live with Him again. He is a very real person, and I have a real and personal relationship with Him. I owe every good thing in my life to Him. I know that I am blessed when I keep His commandments and model my life after Him. His Priesthood blesses my family on a daily basis, and I’m humbled and honored to carry it, and I am very grateful to be a member of His Church. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Your blog’s not a Church website, you don’t write it to teach church doctrine, or to share the gospel with non-members, you talk about thoughts and ideas that pertain to our common culture and beliefs.
It’s just not a vehicle for instructing people in the basic doctrines of the gospel. So I think it’s appropriate that it’s not about Christ specifically. But we can all be more Christlike and implicit about what we’re really talking about.
-Paige
When I was recently called to teach RS again, the counselor specifically requested that I be sure to talk about Jesus Christ during the lesson. At first I was confused that she would feel a need to say that, but then I thought–what a good reminder…
Elder Halstrom said, “I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sometimes we use the terms gospel and Church interchangeably, but they are not the same. They are, however, exquisitely interconnected, and we need both. I loves that talk last conference. This post reminded me of it. I can tell by your posts how much you love the Savior, but I can also understand Tom’s comment. Thanks for another thoughtful post.
MMM, you and your critic describe a common “problem” for LDS church members. When we speak among ourselves, we are able to speak the “code” that implies all that you describe; we understand our love for the Savior and the recognition of His presence in so much of what we do. But when our communications our outward-facing, those who are not fluent in LDS-ease may not pick up on the same cues.
Kudos for finding a way to do both.
I have a “regular” blog where I write all of the goofy things. But like you, I didn’t like posting my testimony of the Savior right along side of those dumb things. I also didn’t like that my fervent testimony would be quickly pushed off the page by other posts I wrote. Therefore I started my “religion” blog. That is where I really testify in full force. I have learned so much from the conversations I’ve had there. I hope that I have been able to be an influence on some of my readers there.
I am always impressed by the fearlessness of non-mormon Christians in the testifying they do. They are a good example to me. I also am impressed by how they are willing to pray, even in public. A friend of mine here in China called an American OBGYN that she heard of to make an appointment. As they discussed her health over the phone, the American doctor asked my friend if she could pray for her. My Mormon friend was happy about the request, and thanked her. Suddenly the doctor began to pray over the phone! My friend was pleasantly surprised. Then when she went to the first appointment, the doctor once again prayed for her during the appointment. I love that unabashed sharing of the love of God.
I think sometimes we Mormons are too cut off from other Christians. Admittedly, some of that is because many Christians in the world today do not accept us as Christian. Some mistakenly think that we are a cult. On the other hand, we are often so busy in our own religion that we don’t take time to associate with those of other religions. But I do think we can learn much from each other.
I want to say too, that I have always felt that your blog is written more for members of the Church, who already understand the underlying doctrine. This isn’t a typical informational blog about our religion. So that could be why there appears to be a lack of specifics about the Savior and His doctrine. But those of us who are members understand the testimony behind the posts.
thank you for this post.
I like the way you think, MMM! You are a fine example to me and I appreciate it.
I feel the same about my relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I love them so much that it is hard to explain or put into mere words. But you know what – I always read your implied messages of them and their plan for us. I get that your are talking about them because we are all trying to live the same plan. Christ is pivotal in our daily lives, in our thoughts and decision making, in every second of the day. It is just a matter of perspective and where one is standing at the moment. Happy Easter to you too. Lissa Huysmans
Thank you for this post. One of the most difficult things for me to do is to express my love and affection for my Savior vocally. Maybe because it’s too close to my heart or I don’t want to seem sanctimonious to some. I’m going to try harder to say it-that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and how extremely grateful I am for the Atonement.
Thanks for the reminder…
Well said!
One gift I wish I had is the ability to communicate orally as well as written…the seeds seem to be slow germinating.
I appreciate this blog of today because I too often have a difficult time relaying directly my Love of Jesus Christ and the Gospel in casual settings. Maybe because of the great value I place on them……… Thanks for your words.
I love you, MMM.
Well done, and the perfect response. Thanks for not getting your feathers ruffled but for seeing the opportunity to explain further and clarify.
perfect for this Easter morning.
Thanks. And thank you to Tom for challenging or rather questioning. Makes us all think a little harder about being clear in our testimonies and belief’s.