The Chosen One/ Faith: Myth or Legend?

As The Chosen One, I shall bring balance to the Farm! I was nominated by the Academy Awards to be a contributer on this amazing blog so here comes the introduction of...The Chosen one!
Name: Jacob Andrew McClellan

Former Place of living: Provo, Utah

Current Place of living: Mapleton, Utah(which has one traffic light and one gas station)

Claims to Fame: Got stuck under a garage door, drove a van by the age of 7, stuck my head between two basketball poles(Bryan knows all about it.) :)
Favorite Color: Green with a hint of sky blue

Favorite Fruit: Kiwifruit

Dreams and Hopes: Grow a kiwifruit farm in Utah. Become a famous business man and sip lemonade out of a twisty, bendy straw that tastes like strawberries.

Social Security Number: If I don't know it, why should you?! :)

I am excited to start contributing to this blog! This is the first post I've ever posted in me whole life, so nobody can criticize without my permission....you have my permission. :) I am of the LDS church and it has been an incredible experience. I have known Bryan since 7th grade so....a lot of years.

Faith is a crucial part of the LDS religion. Even more crucial than kiwis are to the New Zealand culture. That's a lot of crucial! Anywho, let's get down to the basics. Faith is defined by Alma in Alma 32:21 as "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.". I always think of Santa Claus when I read this verse. :) Now faith requires two things for it to work wholeheartedly, action and power. I have a story about a man:

Once upon a time, there was a man. The end!!....just kidding :) And because this man was a rock climber, this man decided to climb up Ayers Rock in Australia. He's strolling all around on this rock, when he decides to look out at the view. It was a gorgeously, blisteringly hotly day in Australia. Something shiny below him caught his eye. He leans out farther to try to see it. Nope, can't see it. So, he leans farther out. Still couldn't tell what it was. So, he leans even farther out, when all of a sudden!!....
Falling....

falling....

falling.....til he snags a tree branch jutting out from the cliff wall! Now he starts praying like never before!

"Lord, please help me off of this cliff, I have a life to live! I have places to go and people to see! I have a wife who I love dearly, I have three children who I hope love me! I still haven't finished my 1000 piece puzzle I started in 7th grade!".

Well, after a time, God answers, "Hmmm...would you let go of the branch if I sent a helicopter with a ladder to save you?"

"Oh yes, Lord! I would let go!"

"Alright, would you let go of the branch if I sent a rescue squad to save you?"

"Yes oh yes! I would ever so let go!"

"Good, good. Now, will you let go of the branch if I told you I was going to send a burst of wind so powerful that it would blow you back up to the top of the cliff?"............

The Official End

Faith requires that we put our trust in the Lord. It is not an easy thing to do. But it is always worth it.

Now put yourself in this dude's position. Would you have enough faith to believe that the Lord would push you back up by wind? Previous to the story, I said the faith requires action and power. God provides the power, the only question is: will you provide the action?

May your kiwis grow ever so large and may your Christmas be merry!
P.S. Another scripture on faith: Hebrews 11:1.

Good or Evil - is there a difference?

This month I would like to open some discussions on the subject of movies. I believe in our culture the movie/tv industry plays a large role in people's lives. One single television show can capture a viewer for a whole season, or more. And one movie can be the topic around the dinner table for months.

In recent years I am very puzzled with the infatuation of all the 'witchcraft' & 'vampire' themes that are out there. I know it's been around a long time - but it seems to have taken a shift. Now the warlocks and vampires are the good guys? Honestly, I don't even understand the attraction to 'horror' flicks. Many Christian families I know and love are thrilled with all these Harry Potter & Twilight movies. Many love the 'dark' characters who somehow have become the 'stars' of the film industries.

On a brief word study I did on the word, 'light', it seems that this is a place or example of who or what we are suppose to be or follow after, instead of pursuing things reserved for darkness. I found several scriptures supporting this belief. (just a few off the top: John 8:12, Matt 5:14, Job 12:22, Psm 18:28) Even God in the beginning of Genesis saw the need to separate the light from the darkness. Now, I know in some of these cases we are talking about physical light and dark, but I believe there is something more here.

Don't misunderstand me, I love a good action or romance film like the next gal, however how did we come to a place where our classic good against evil...and good wins (the important part, lol) get to a place where we don't even know which characters are the good ones or the evil ones. The Lord of the Rings is a good example. My family love these movies and there is much 'evil' in it. But the writer doesn't blur the line between who is good and who is evil. From the beginning it is clear who is the 'good' and who is the 'evil' and the importance that the good is suppose to win, and does, according to the finale of the movies. Great, classic story line. But, more and more movies 'blur' that line and it is getting harder to see the 'light' and 'dark' sides.

Lastly, if we read in 2 Tim 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear.....then why do so many seek after 'fear' as a form of entertainment?

Hmmm, ok, I'm ready for opposition - I think (lol)

Deception

de·cep·tion

1. The use of deceit.

2. The fact or state of being deceived.

3. A ruse; a trick.

de·ceive
1. To cause to believe what is not true; mislead.
2. Archaic To catch by guile; ensnare.

This week in conversation with Michelle, the question came up of "If you could ask President Monson one question and get his answer, what would that question be?" For myself, I'd like to ask him the following question:

How do you know that you aren't being deceived? 

Michelle said she'd love to hear that conversation and I myself would love to hear his answer! Thinking about it, there's really only one answer I can come up with: You don't. 

The whole point of being deceived, is that you don't know about it. Sure you could eventually come to a conclusion that you have been deceived, but at that point you're no longer caught in the deception. To what you were once blind, you can now see clearly. 

How then are we to be sure of anything? Well as far as I can tell, the best way to root out deception, is to ask the hard questions. The awkward questions, the ugly questions. Being skeptical of everyone and everything is healthy in my view. There are far too many people/organizations out there that have scientifically perfected the art of deception, to the point where well meaning followers can deceive others without even knowing they're deceived themselves! 

I know this to be true, just look at the two faiths represented in this Blog. Mormonism and Christianity. Both religions have devout followers that believe spreading their message is one of our greatest priorities. But in the end, only one, if one of these religions can be true. It is easy for me to suspect Joseph Smith as a deciever, and in turn to see every Mormon as a well meaning deceived-deceiver only trying to do what they think is best. It was a little more difficult to try and see my own Christian brothers and sisters in the same light. But I had to, I have to hold myself to the same standard as I hold others. I have to hold Christianity to the same standard I hold Mormonism. 

So how about it: Are you currently being deceived by what you believe to be true? How would you go about trying to make sure that you aren't? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Outer Darkness, Spirit Prison and Hell. Are they Different?

No.

Okay that’s my post. Wanted to keep it short. See ya!

What? You expect more from me then that?? Jeez. High maintenance.

Alright well, first off, what I say is what the LDS church teaches. I'm curious about what other faiths believe though soo... tell me. :)

Something about Outer Darkness and such:

We believe that if you are not baptized in the LDS church before your death you go to spirit prison where you can be taught the gospel in heaven and then someone on earth can do the work for you and you can actually be moved out of spirit prison. Since there’s a post about the different heavens on here, I’ll assume you will know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, read Bryan’s post called “Heaven? Heavens?” There are things that must be completed on earth for you to reach the celestial kingdom so having your baptismal work done for you after you’re dead will not get to you to that state, but you can enter the telestial kingdom.

Something else about Outer Darkness and such (Don’t you love these headings? They’re really helpful.):

This will probably come as a shock to some people. I’m pretty sure it caught me by surprise. You don’t go to Hell for being “bad”. If you murder someone on earth you will be judged by God at the judgment bar and will have to repent and such, but it does not qualify you for Hell. Sending someone to Hell is a serious matter, it’s not just for people who made a wrong decision. It’s saved for the worst sin that can be committed. Denying God. If you know and believe in God and have his spirit with you and know the truth then you actively and knowingly reject Him that is an unpardonable sin. That will bring a path to Outer Darkness. I’m pretty sure my teacher also mentioned that not even Hitler would be sent there…

Something more about Outer Darkness including examples (and such):

We have some examples of this in the Bible. (There are also things about this in the Book of Mormon, but I try to not quote from the BOM as much. Since the Bible is the common book of teachings. If you want to hear what the BOM has to say about it though tell me. I’ll post some stuff from it.) Jonah was a prophet of God, right? Well of course right. Jonah had gone against God and was in the “belly of Hell” not literally, but spiritually. In Jonah Ch. 2 it says:

1 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,

2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the

belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed

me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

This next one is from Matthew. I think it’s saying that people who commit sins on the earth, but do nothing to the spirit of people are not those we need to fear. Well… don’t take that to seriously. You might die. Fear them. By all means. But eternally, and spiritually. Don’t. Fear those who tear down your spirit. Because once you lose your spirit and what is true (Heavenly Father and Christ) you will lose your place in Heaven.

Matthew Ch. 10

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Well I don't have anything else to say right now, but I can answer questions! Thank you for tuning in. :) (p.s. the verses were having troubles posting in the right format so they're randomly spaced and on random lines. haha)

Remember Remember the 25th of December?

"Remember, remember the 25th of December,

The Birth of Christ our Lord,

I know of no reason why the Birth of Christ

Should ever be ignored."

Hey Merryamartyr here!

It's my first post so be nice...

Today were gonna talk about religious holidays. Whether Mormon or Christian we share many of the same "Holy Days" and we all put a ton of focus on these occasions. Christmas, Easter, Pioneer Day, Good Friday, Palm Sunday, April 6th, or May 15th; all these days have great importance to our religions and in turn to who we are. What I would like to discuss is whether or not they should play as large of a role as they do.

In Christianity, the attendance of Church meetings double for Easter and Christmas which is great but what is the real cause. Many people feel they need to be better on Sunday because they are nearer to God or maybe he is watching more closely and this is amplified even more on these "Holy Days". I mean should we really treat our neighbors more kindly during the holidays or should we be better Samaritans all year. Should we merely contemplate the wonderful miracle and mystery of our Saviors birth on the 25th of December and his death and resurrection on easter or would it serve us better to keep this Good News on our lips all year long.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with celebrating these days but are they really more important than any other day. Wouldn't we make just that much more of an impact on the world if every day we gave liked Christmas, meditated on God's goodness like Easter, or _______________ like on Pioneer Day! ( Someone explain that one to me :D ) Anyway, these are just my thoughts, I am much more interested in hearing yours!

In the Love of Christ,

Merryamartyr

Misconstrued Much?

Hello, all you funny little internet goblins. Sorry I'm late by a day or so. Here's a quick thought.

When you try to define any religion solely by the contents of their respective scripture, you're going to oversimplify, generalize and assume a dangerous amount of information that may or may not be true. I've seen plenty of books and websites that are devoted to thoroughly refuting the Bible of any credibility it may claim—and come to think of it, the same is true for the book of Mormon.

Now, I'm a Christian, and though I may often be ashamed of the believers, I'm not ashamed of the God I believe in. Furthermore, I believe the Bible to be his own directly inspired word.

But here's the thing—it's not a rulebook, it's a narrative. It's a story about people being people and God being God. Therein lies the potential for enormous conflict and insane amounts of perversion and sin—some graphically depicted, no punches pulled. Let's be honest here—the Bible is chock full of things that kids under seventeen aren't allowed to see at the movies.

<=[Mum and Daddy forgot to fast-forward through the Ezekiel 23 part.]

So what does the Bible have to do with me? It's an inspiration and a conduit for Truth—even if that truth is metaphorical and not literal—and it's a way to open my perception. It's a way for my very finite mind to learn, no matter how vaguely, how to recognize the appearance, movements, characteristics and habits of God. That's the important part.

Are there some literal truths in there? Oh, yeah. You can bet on it—the Bible has proven time and again to be more scientifically and historically accurate than scientists and historians themselves, from things like the existence of King David or the Hittites to the evidence of the universe literally having been created from nothing. Do some research and utilize your friendly neighborhood Google. This info is common knowledge now, but nobody likes to admit the Bible's historical accuracy had one-upped them at any time on any matter.

But I'm not here to prove the accuracy of the Bible and my point remains the same: while I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God himself, it's still only a book. It's only a book because without God's Spirit, it can accomplish nothing and prove nothing. That's why people who try to pick holes in Christianity by way of the Bible think they've already won so solidly—they've reduced the entire movement to the words in a book. Once they experience the movement of God in their life for what it is and can still refute it with logic, then I'll be impressed.

It hasn't happened yet. I don't think it will.

Happy Halloween Almost!

Hi. I’m back! And yes, that's me. Ta-da! I know this is long overdue. To get on with it, I’ve decided to write about abstinence. I’m not actually sure why… It’s not something I’ve been thinking about lately or anything, but I think someone said something about it in church a couple weeks ago and it just seemed like a good thing to write about.

Q: LDS members abstain from everything that isn’t church related and the rest of the world deems “fun”. True or False?

A: You better have said false.

Q: LDS members abstain from everything that isn’t church related and the rest of the world deems “fun” except for Lemonade. True or False?

A: True.

Don’t quote me on that. :P That’s absurd. Of course it’s not true!

I’m going to start with a short story about a boy named Glenn. Chelsea will know who I’m talking about. Haha One night when we were freshman in high school, Chelsea and I were on my computer and I wanted to add a friend from school to my msn messenger. (Yes, this story comes from the days when that was new and huge.) His email address had the word kryptonite in it. So I typed in his email and added him on there only to find the person I added was online so we started talking to him. Chels and I found out soon enough that this was not the right person. We had just added a boy one year older than us who was from Belgium!! He spoke pretty good English though and we actually ended up becoming friends with him. (I later found that my friend I was trying to add spelled kryptonite differently for his email.) I talked to him and he found out I was LDS. He asked me some questions because he’d heard of our church. He asked about polygamy (surprise surprise :P) and about us not drinking alcohol. We talked about not smoking, using any form of drugs, drinking alcohol or coffee, etc. He couldn’t understand it, but after a little while he said, “Wait, so can you just not have anything that your body can become addicted to?” Bingo! I don’t think I’d ever thought of it that way, probably partially because of my age, but it’s the basic reason. As LDS members, we do not use anything that could even remotely bring about the possibility of addiction. Everyone knows that the LDS church has the Book of Mormon besides the bible. We actually have another book of scripture as well called the Doctrine and Covenants which was written by Joseph Smith about the latter day revelations the church was receiving. It’s also a history of the church after it was restored by him. In Section, or Chapter, 89 we have what we call the Word of Wisdom. It’s revelation of what is good and bad for our bodies.

D&C 89:4-9

4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—

5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.

6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.

7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.

8 And again, tobacco is not for the body , neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.

9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

So yeah. Don’t get addicted to things. Besides, usually the things people get addicted to are very harmful for the body. The substances are impure and are not natural. Anyways, that’s one form of abstinence.

Another one … fidelity to your spouse. And clean moral standards. Abstinence from any temptations of sexual behavior. There’s not much to say about this one. It’s not only in the the LDS faith that people have the belief that you “wait until your wedding night”. However, I’ve never heard it stressed more by someone outside of my church. It’s hurtful towards our Heavenly Father to treat his gift to us of our bodies wrongly. They are delicate and are meant to be respected and need to be respected. Choosing to not abstain from this can lead to a lot of heartache, a lot of problems in families and your own personal life and it is not worth the risk.

Since Elder Packer is pretty popular right now I will quote him. Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “Now words can be used as weapons against you. If they throw the word diversity at you, grab hold of it and say, “I am already diverse, and I intend to stay diverse.” If the word is tolerance, grab that one, too, saying, “I expect you to be tolerant of my lifestyle—obedience, integrity, abstinence, repentance.” If the word is choice, tell them you choose good, old-fashioned morality. You choose to be a worthy husband or wife, a worthy parent.”

The end. That’s all. Goodnight. Amen.