Article of Faith # 3

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

(Pearl of Great Price Articles of Faith 1:3)

President Hinckley gives a beautiful testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

For commentary on, "by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel," Please see my post on Thoughts on Grace vs. Works: http://thoughtsonlds.blogspot.com/2008/01/thoughts-on-grace-vs-works.html

Article of Faith # 2

2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

(Pearl of Great Price Articles of Faith 1:2)

Prior to partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. They were completely innocent, not knowing the difference between good and evil. I’ve heard many good people exclaim something along the lines of, “If only Adam and Eve hadn’t eaten that fruit, we’d all be living in paradise right now.” It seems readily apparent to me from the account in Genesis that if Adam and Eve hadn’t eaten the fruit, that you and I wouldn’t be here. They’d still be living in paradise…alone. Read carefully:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

(Old Testament Genesis 3:3 - 11)

A couple of interesting points:

1. They were immortal in the Garden of Eden – see verse 3.
2. Prior to eating the fruit they did not know good from evil – see verse 5.
3. In the garden, they walked around naked, and didn’t think anything of it – see verses 7,10, & 11, and Gen 2:25, i.e. they did not procreate.

22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

(Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 2:22 - 25)

Please note that it wasn’t until after the fall that Adam “knew” his wife and had children. See Gen 4:1.

Adam’s transgression brought mortality into the world. It also brought into the world the opportunity for you and me to exist. Here we are mortal and live, “by the sweat of (our) brow…” Moses 5:1.

What about “Original Sin?” Do I carry around the sin of what Adam did?

As stated above, the Fall of Adam, brought with it consequences. Specifically, mortality:

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

(New Testament 1 Corinthians 15:22)

As can be seen above, Adam brought death through the fall, but that is taken care of by Christ. Will I be punished for what Adam did?

6 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

(Old Testament Deuteronomy 24:16)

20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

(Old Testament Ezekiel 18:20)

3 And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.
4 And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame—mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on one hand, the other on the other—
5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.
6 And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.

(Book of Mormon Alma 41:3 - 6)

In Summary, Adam transgressed God’s law by partaking of the forbidden fruit, and death, or mortality, was brought into the world. However, in this life, you and I will be judged based on what we do, not on what someone else does.

How can you know if this is true? In the scriptures, (Since I’m LDS, I’m including the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) the word “pray” is used 415 times. The word “prayer” is used 183 times. The word “prayers” is used 81 times. The word “seek” is used 355 times.

I do not believe that Heavenly Father would be that emphatic on the concept of praying to Him, if He was unwilling, or unable to answer. I testify that He has heard and answered my prayers on many occasions. If you humbly ask, He will answer yours as well. If you’re real lucky, maybe He’ll send a couple of missionaries in your direction.

Dan Olsen

The Articles of Faith

In 1842, Mr. John Wentworth, the editor of the Chicago Democrat, wrote to Joseph Smith to request information about the church. The “Wentworth Letter,” as it came to be known, was written in response to this inquiry. The letter concisely described the early history of the church and finished with 13 basic articles of the church. These articles have since been called the Thirteen Articles of Faith.

It is these Articles of Faith that I choose to discuss now, as they will give the reader an insight into LDS views and beliefs.

Article # 1 – We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

Much of traditional Christianity gets their understanding of the Godhead from the Nicene Creed, and the later Athanasian Creed. The Nicene Creed was initially written in AD 325. Several leading bishops were gathered together by the decree of Constantine, the Roman Emperor. The council of Nicaea was called to settle disagreements of various doctrines. The Nicene Creed was a compromise, as the participants of the council could not all agree on the nature of God, and Jesus Christ.

To read the Nicene Creed go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed

In addition to the Nicene Creed, the concept of the Trinity came into existence about 500 A.D. according to Wikipedia probably in Gaul. The Athanasian Creed can be found here: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02033b.htm

For me personally, the creeds are confusing and difficult to understand. Part of the Athanasian Creed states: “The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Uncomprehensible.”

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we believe that a boy named Joseph Smith read in the Bible:

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

(New Testament James 1:5)

Afterwards, he stated,

12 Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.
13 At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to "ask of God," concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

(Pearl of Great Price JS-History 1:12 - 13)

Subsequently, he retired to a grove of trees near his family’s farm and asked God, which of all the churches was true. In response, he received a glorious manifestation of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. From this experience he learned for himself that God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, His Son, were separate and distinct persons.

He had a similar experience to Stephen in the New Testament:

55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

(New Testament Acts 7:55 - 56)

Other scriptures from the New Testament, that support the view that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate and distinct include:

13 ¶ Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

(New Testament Matthew 3:13 - 17)

Here, we have all three members of the Godhead, the Father – whose voice was heard from heaven, the Son, who was in the water with John, and the Holy Ghost – who descended like a dove. Ventriloquism would’ve been required, if Jesus and His Father were the same entity.

While in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said:

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

(New Testament Matthew 26:39)

If He and the Father were the same person, then this request becomes illogical, doesn’t it?

One final passage, though many more could be used, as Jesus hung on the Cross he said:

34 ¶ Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…

(New Testament Luke 23:34)

It would stand to reason that if He were the Father, He would’ve said something like, “I forgive you because you know not what you do.” Instead, He asked His Father to forgive them.

And yet, there are passages in the scripture that suggest they are the same. How can this be, and how can I know what is right?

One example that could be confusing is:

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

(New Testament John 14:9)

Here Jesus intimates that if you have seen him, you have seen the Father. Confusing?

26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

(Old Testament Genesis 1:26 - 27)

In this passage we learn that Adam was created in the image of God. On a side note, this passage in the Old Testament shows a plural concept to God, when it uses pronouns like “us” and “our.”

From modern revelation we learn:

26 And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. And I, God, said: Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.

(Pearl of Great Price Moses 2:26 - 27)

This shows that God, the Father, and His Only Begotten, Jesus, had the same image, as did Adam for that matter, i.e. they looked the same. To look at one was like looking at the other. In the citation of John 14:9, shown above, Jesus is telling Phillip, that if you’ve seen one of them, you know what they both look like.

One of the most enlightening passages of scripture on this subject can be found in the 17th Chapter of John. It is referred to as the Intercessory Prayer, where Christ is praying to His Father (a strange thing to do if He and His Father are the same person) on behalf of His apostles and disciples. In part it reads (emphasis added):

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

(New Testament John 17:11)

And:

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

(New Testament John 17:20 - 23)

Obviously, Jesus wasn’t asking that all of his disciples be turned into the same person. Rather, He asked that they be one, in the same sense that He and His Father are one. That is, one in purpose, one in thought, one in action, and one in righteousness.

The Godhead was not intended to be “Incomprehensible,” as Jesus said:

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

(New Testament John 17:3)

How can you learn if these things are true? Don’t believe them just because I wrote them, even though I seem to have tied together several different passages of scripture. Instead, follow the admonition of James 1:5, and go ask your loving Father in Heaven. If you ask sincerely, with real intent, the truth will be given to you.

I have put James’ challenge to the test for myself. I know that God lives, and that Jesus is the Christ.

3 Nephi 6: 18-21

18 Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully rebel against God.
19 And now it was in the days of Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus, for Lachoneus did fill the seat of his father and did govern the people that year.
20 And there began to be men inspired from heaven and sent forth, standing among the people in all the land, preaching and testifying boldly of the sins and iniquities of the people, and testifying unto them concerning the redemption which the Lord would make for his people, or in other words, the resurrection of Christ; and they did testify boldly of his death and sufferings.
21 Now there were many of the people who were exceedingly angry because of those who testified of these things; and those who were angry were chiefly the chief judges, and they who had been high priests and lawyers; yea, all those who were lawyers were angry with those who testified of these things.

(Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 6:18 - 21)

My comments:
When the people return to their wicked behaviors, they are not doing so in ignorance. They had had the gospel preached to them, they had accepted it. But because their love for money was greater than their love of God, some of them fell away in just a few years. Verse 21 teaches us that it was the chief individuals, and even the high priests, or in other words, the leaders of the people, that dissented from the church.

When those the lead fall into wickedness, the people follow. It is important to have honest and moral people as your leaders. That point is rather salient as we are currently in a presidential campaign. All of the candidates are saying, vote for me. Some call their opponents dishonest, but I question their honesty as they do so.

If we choose leaders that are simply driven by the lust for power, We the people, will not be well served.

3 Nephi 6:14-17

14 And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the *thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.
15 Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world.
16 And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years.
17 And thus, in the commencement of the thirtieth year—the people having been delivered up for the space of a long time to be carried about by the temptations of the devil whithersoever he desired to carry them, and to do whatsoever iniquity he desired they should—and thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness.

(Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 6:14 - 17)

My comments:
As the people became affluent, they wanted more riches. Some people can never have enough. I can see it in the lives of people around me. They work hard, they make a lot of money, and they only want more. They forget the poor and the less fortunate. Satan whispers into their ears they like to be wealthy, and they start listening to him. Soon he tells them to ignore others, and focus only on making themselves happy. Listening to him, is a slippery slope that is hard to overcome.

When we give away a portion of our agency to the adversary, it becomes more difficult to make right choices. He is subtle and patient, but we can see here, that in only a few years, he was able to get a hold of the hearts of many good people, and caused them to commit all sorts of iniquity.

If Christ is always first and foremost in our lives, we will not go astray, whether we have great wealth, or are in abject poverty. He is the rock, that we need to build on.

Thoughts on Grace Vs. Works

With a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints currently running for president, Mitt Romney, there have been many articles and questions I have heard regarding what does my religion teach on various subjects. I will strive to answer some of these questions to the best of my ability. Please note, the following are my views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church), but they do reflect my opinions as a member of that church, and my understanding of the scriptures.

One issue I have often heard is that that we are not Christian because we do not believe that we are saved by grace. The argument seems to go that we believe that we are saved by our works. Let me preface my thoughts with, I do not know a single Mormon that understands his/her religion that believes we are saved by our works. The church is very clear in its teachings that we are saved by the grace of Christ. I will provide ample passages of scripture to support that view in a bit.

First, let me start with what I believe are some passages in the Bible that create confusion for some.

In Ephesians 2:7-9 it states, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast. (King James Version)

This passage is often used by those that espouse an “all I have to do is say that I believe in Jesus Christ, and I am saved,” mentality. Have you ever seen those bumper stickers that read, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven,” ? I have a friend that follows this philosophy. He professed that he knew he would be saved, despite fornicating with his girlfriend on a regular basis. He knew that it was a sin, but he believed that since he “accepted Jesus as his personal Savior,” that whatever sin he committed, was acceptable to God, since he was a believer.

My response: I absolutely believe that I will be saved by grace, my works, in and of themselves, can not save me. However, the passage above in Ephesians needs to be kept in context with other scriptures. So where I believe Ephesians 2:7-9 to be true, I also believe 1 John 2:4 to be true when it states, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Christ taught, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15

In the 2nd Chapter of James we read: (emphasis added by me)

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
And verse 24 where it states,
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Verse 24 clearly shows that, “faith only,” isn’t sufficient. If a person has honestly “accepted” Jesus as his personal Savior, then that belief will manifest itself in the works performed by the individual.

What’s more, even though I hope to eventually be saved by grace, I will be judged according to my works.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

(New Testament Revelation 20:12)

Additionally, Paul himself warned the Hebrews to remain steadfast/endure to the end, lest they fall. See Heb. 2:1-3, Heb. 3:12-14, and Heb. 4:1 & 11.

Christ Himself taught that not everyone espousing His name would be saved:
21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Q: If I am to be judged according to my works, then what is grace about?

A: Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

That means, it doesn’t matter how good my works are, I will sin and therefore fall short. Sin makes me unclean. Christ however, suffered for my sins, so I can repent of them. As I repent of my sins and, “endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Mark 13:13

The Book of Mormon states:
For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

(Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 25:23)

One final thought on belief in Christ not being sufficient to inherit heaven (though there are plenty more) can be found in Matthew 19:16-22

16 ¶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

(New Testament Matthew 19:16 - 22)

Here, a rich young man, “believes” that Christ is the Master, but that wasn’t sufficient. In fact, when he asks what he needs to do to earn eternal life, Christ doesn’t say, “profess my name, and accept me as your Savior.” The young man already did that by calling Him Good Master. Rather Christ tells him to keep the commandments (works). The young man said he did keep the commandments, but he wasn’t completely pure, and Christ knew what his weakness was and told him. Unfortunately, the young man wasn’t ready to do everything that was required to inherit eternal life.

Another passage of scripture that can be confusing is found in Luke 23 where Christ is being crucified between two thieves.

39 ¶ And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

(New Testament Luke 23:39 - 43)

I can see where a well intentioned person could interpret that passage to suggest that the thief was in heaven with Christ that day. However, will a little more research; we can see that is not what Christ meant. Christ said, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” However, three days later when he was resurrected he told Mary:

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

(New Testament John 20:17)

So on the day he was crucified he was with the thief in paradise, but three days later he still hadn’t ascended to His Father. Clearly, heaven and paradise, as used by Christ in Luke 23:43, is not the same place. Perhaps I will expound that subject in greater detail in another post, but for now, we can see that they are not the same place. Therefore it would be inaccurate to state that the thief obviously made it into heaven by merely claiming a belief in Jesus as he was being put to death.

Salvation only comes through the Lord. Consider these passages:

And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

(Book of Mormon Mosiah 3:17)

And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

(Book of Mormon Mosiah 5:8)

Therefore in summary, I am saved by grace, because I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I can repent of my sins however, and if I do, and then keep the commandments, I can be saved at the last day.

Please feel free to comment on what I have posted whether you agree or disagree. Many of the anti-Mormon posts I have read recently state how we try to hide our beliefs. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have over 50,000 missionaries world-wide trying to answer any question they can about the church. On the side of my blog, I have links to the Church’s official web site, and other sites by the church devoted to answering questions about our beliefs. Finally, I will answer as many questions as time allows, but if you want to know more about the church, find two of those well dressed young men, frequently on bikes, with white shirts and ties on. Tell them I sent you. ;-)

Dan Olsen

The Passing of Shadow

One of our family dogs passed away last night. His name was Shadow. He was a Black Lab. I loved that dog. He was the most friendly and easy going dog I have ever met. When we lived in Park City, UT he frequently shared his dinner with a fox that came down from the foothills.

He was afraid of the Moose that wandered by, but was never angry with anyone or anything. He loved cats, dogs, birds, and as just mentioned, foxes.

His favorite game was fetch, though he didn't play by the standard rules. His version included him putting his football in his mouth and then trying to get you to try and get it away from him. My youngest son, was the only one in the family that could chase him down and get the ball.

He loved to play catch at the side of the pool. The game was played with us having a small basketball in the pool, and he would try to catch it standing next to the pool. The ball was too big for him to catch, but he loved to play the game. We would try to throw the ball to him in just such a way, that it would bounce back and make a basket in the pool backboard.

Shadow, you were truly man's best fried. You will be sorely missed. Hopefully, you'll find someone in heaven to play "fetch" and water basketball with you until we get there.