I have heard throughout my life at different times people say, in essence, “I believe in God, but not organized religion.” “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Or some variant thereof. There is a natural inclination of people to seek for a higher purpose in life, to seek for some meaning in this life beyond accumulating […]
When Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior, was walking the earth in this mortal existence, He had a mission to fulfill, a task set before Him by Our Heavenly Father. To help fulfill His purpose He called certain men, Apostles, to assist Him. These Apostles were not men of stature in their communities, and were not […]
During the Christmas break when I was in the first grade our family moved to Bratenahl Village in Ohio. Bratenahl’s main street, Lake Shore Boulevard, snakes along Lake Erie on a little sliver of land about 4 miles long north of Cleveland’s Collinwood and Glenville neighborhoods. Bratenahl is best known for the mansions along Lake […]
We can think of fools as those who are ignorant. People who lack wisdom and understanding. Few, very few, people like to be called a fool. Just as few like to think of themselves a fool. But we all act foolishly at times, whether we realize it or not. No one can be wise in […]
A narrative about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints exists, among its critics and among those with only a casual acquaintance, that it is a rich white man’s religion from Utah. The Church has been working hard to counter that narrative for a number of years. Church produced videos with a target audience […]
John the Baptist, a messenger sent from Our Heavenly Father, eating locusts and wild honey, wearing camel’s hair and a leather girdle around his waist, cried out in the wilderness, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John preached the baptism […]
The word commandment, even in the religious context, has for many a certain harsh connotation to it. For many Christians, the first thing that comes to mind when the word commandment is uttered is the Ten Commandments, a wide ranging list of “thou shalt nots.” “Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou […]
In Christianity, the word “Christ” refers to the title bestowed upon Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph and Mary, born in Bethlehem during the reign of Herod the Great, perhaps between 6 BCE and 4 BCE. The honorary title Christ refers to the Christian belief that Jesus of Nazareth was the anointed one, the […]
The story of Adam and Eve is well known, even to many who have never read the Old Testament account of their life together in Genesis. Adam and Eve where the first man and the first woman, the beginning of humanity’s journey. A literalist’s interpretation may say that if we followed each of our family […]
I was asked recently to give a lesson in my ward’s Elder’s Quorum on one of the talks from the October, 2020 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was given the opportunity to choose which talk and chose, basically at random, a talk called “Eyes to See” by the […]