I Believe

That many of the problems in our modern world stem from the disintegration of the traditional family and the absence of strong fathers in the home appears to be beyond debate.   Being a strong father, like being a strong mother, is an exhausting responsibility.   Not characterized by a string of glamour and fame, but more appropriately by consistent, loyal service (frequently unrecognized and unappreciated). It was not until I was an adult living on my own that I realized I lived in a magic house as a child.   The garbage was always taken out; the furnace filter always changed; the bills always paid; the cars always registered; the mortgage always paid (the light were not always turned out but that is a different issue J ); the doors always locked at night; the temperature appropriately regulated; the dead light bulbs always replaced; the yard always maintained; and not a weed in sight. While I have always appreciated my father, it is only now that I try to maintain a home

      I had a disturbing experience with a long-time colleague that has caused me to spend some serious time reflecting on the roles of both tolerance and religious truth in our society.   After working together and being friends for nearly five years, I was surprised one day with a very hostile encounter.   My colleague confronted me with the assertion that he was no longer interested in being friends with me because he had discovered I was a practicing Mormon (not sure why it took five years for him to learn this).        He explained that because the Mormon Church did not support homosexual relationships that he was no longer willing to tolerate and respect me as a friend.   In response, I reminded him that I had always known of his sexuality and had always treated him with respect.   I was confused:   I had always tolerated and respected him and his beliefs, why was he no longer willing to return to me the same tolerance and respect.   He acknowledged that his issue was no

LDS Women Don’t Hold the Priesthood:   A Professional LDS Woman’s Perspective on Equality, Gender Roles and the Family Over the course of my professional career, my colleagues have inquired, with respect and concern, how I could be a member of the LDS church.   They wonder how a women who is intelligent, educated and successful embraces concepts of gender roles that they view old fashion or demeaning to women.   These questions allow me to correct fundamental mis-understandings regarding LDS doctrine and LDS families. Not only do I live and work in a man’s world, I work with some very rough men in a tough industry.   The experiences solving business problems with them, knee to knee, have caused me to embrace rather than reject my femininity.   As I sit around the table, a decade younger than anyone else in the room and in a brightly colored dress and heels, nobody is going to mistake me for one of the guys.   Nobody is going to seek me to be their next drinking buddy or to wat

What Is the Atonement of Jesus Christ? With the approach of Easter and the Christian world beginning to celebrate and remember the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, a few notes to explain the concept of the Atonement and the Easter celebration of the marvelous resurrection of Jesus Christ. What Does “Atonement” Mean?   The word “atonement” is actually a combination of three words that mean, respectively, “at” “one” “with.”   In Christian faith, man is estranged from God as a result of his sin.   The purpose of the Atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin. Why Do We Need the Atonement?”   The process by which mankind became separated from the presence of God is recorded in Genesis 2-4.   With the eating of the “forbidden fruit,” Adam and Eve became mortal, sin entered, and death became a part of life.   As a result of man’s estrangement from God, a way for man to return to God was necessary.   As Paul taught the Corinthians, “For as in Adam all di

Do Mormons Celebrate Easter? A good friend of mine asked me this question the other day.   It is a question that deserves a thorough answer.   Yes, Mormons celebrate Easter.   Not only do we celebrate Easter, but we believe that Easter, the day that Jesus Christ rose again after suffering for our sins and being crucified is the single most important event in history: The atoning sacrifice of our Lord is the most important single thing that has ever occurred in the entire history of created things; it is the rock foundation upon which the gospel and all other thing rest. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine . What Is Easter? Easter Sunday is the day on which Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, on the third day after His crucifixion.   On Easter Sunday, we are especially reminded of the Atonement of Christ. We recognize that the events of the Atonement were motivated by Christ’s love for us and that Easter is a special time to remember Him.   “Chris