Some Notes On Religion
In the hopes of avoiding any misunderstandings, I would just like to state here clearly, and for the record, that Mom and Pop and family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (abbreviated “LDS” and sometimes nicknamed “Mormon”). As such, we believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who is our divine Savior and Redeemer, and in the Holy Ghost. We accept the Bible as the Word of God, and we also accept the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price as God’s Word, and holy scripture. We strive to live by all of God’s teachings. Learn more about our beliefs here.
Over the past several years I’ve participated in several internet forums. I find that they give me a place to “get out” a little while staying at home, and engage in a little intellectually stimulating conversation with other adult human beings–which I quite enjoy. I’ve made some good friends and met some really interesting people this way. Some of these forums have been geared specifically toward the discussion of religion, but more often they have been more general and eclectic in subject matter. Inevitably, regardless of the primary purpose of the forum, though, religion does occasionally arise in the conversation. For me, this has proven to be slightly problematic at times.
When I first began participating in online discussions, I generally chose screen names that reflected my chosen profession–motherhood (ex. “KookieBakr”). I met other women who also had motherhood as one of their major priorities, and we had many good discussions about parenting, homemaking, relationships, and so forth. Because the conversation was not about religion, it did not occur to me to mention that I am LDS. I don’t generally walk into a room and announce, “Hi everyone, I’m LDS” in real life either. Just like I don’t introduce myself by saying, “Hello, I’m Mom, and by the way I’m 5 foot 4 and like cheesecake, and did I mention that I brushed my hair this morning?” Generally I try to keep to a more socially accepted flow for the conversation by staying on topic. Details like my dessert preferences, personal hygeine habits, what I like to read, where I shop for clothes, and my religion, are just part of the scenery of my life; I’m not ashamed of them, I don’t try to hide them, and when they come up in conversation I’m very frank and open about them–maybe a little too open sometimes. But honestly I’m so used to them just being part of me that I forget that there are some “parts of me” with which other people might be very uncomfortable. I’m very comfortable with me. 
(I don’t currently own any colored nail polish, btw, just so you know. This rather surprised an acquaintance recently, but I hope nobody is too shocked or offended by this revelation.)
What I discovered, though, was that some of my internet buddies felt rather startled and a little betrayed when they found out I was a Mormon. I had seemed so “normal”! Several times I was accused of deceitfully worming my way into someone’s affections, or into an online community, on false pretenses in order to lull them into a false sense of security so I could lure them into my evil cult. I have to admit I found this accusation hurtful. They’d never mentioned to me which church they attended either. But Mormonism is different, and in some of these places, Mormons were evidently unwelcome. (It would have been nice to know this in advance as well.)
After this happened several times, I began using screen names that made my religious affiliation clear up front, such as “MormonMom”, so as to avoid such “suprises”. I try very hard to be honest and up front in all aspects of my life, and it really bothered me to be accused of intentional deceit. I didn’t want it to happen again. Unfortunately, this approach was equally unacceptable. I was accused of intentionally using a “controversial” screen name in order to draw attention and incite contention on the board.
It’s one of those catch-22 things. If I say I’m LDS, I’m trying to make trouble, and if I don’t say I’m LDS I’m being deceitful.
That’s where this statement comes in for this blog. I want to just make sure that nobody who comes here is caught off guard by our faith. I also want to be clear about the fact that I am not trying to convert anyone here, and I am NOT looking for a fight. One of the tenets of my faith is that “We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” (AOF 11) If someone is interested in knowing more about our beliefs, I’m more than happy to discuss them with you. If someone wants to join the church, I’m very excited for you and would like to be supportive. But I’m not here to throw anyone in the baptismal font against their will. It doesn’t work that way. By all means, talk about what you believe. I will certainly be mentioning what I believe–as I say, it’s an integral part of who I am. All I ask is that such topics be discussed with common courtesy and respect for one another as fellow human beings. We may disagree, but we don’t have to be disagreeable. I’ll respond to polite questions as I have time, so feel free to ask, even if you think it’s a “dumb” question. There are lots of misconceptions about us floating around out there, and I’d love the opportunity to clarify what we “really” believe. I’ll be happy to discuss why I believe what I do about particular topics. But I’m not going to argue with you about which of us is right, so please don’t go there. That’s not the purpose of this blog. If you’re looking for a “debate”, I suggest www.fair-lds.org, www.shields-research.org, or a similar venue, Both of these sites have lots of links to other people who will be happy to argue with you. I won’t.
Ok, so now that we all know where we stand, welcome to our blog! Come in, sit down, and make yourself at home.