Based on the definitions of words like faith, believe, know, truth, wisdom and testimony and our understanding of what those words mean - we are more likely to have a worthwhile discussion on terms that we all understand.
What are my some of my beliefs?
I was raised in the Southeast with parents who said that they believed in God, but whom were not very outwardly religious. My parents had good morals and a good work ethic and we attended a protestant church up until my early teenage years. So, I believed in God - as much as a teenage boy could believe without having any particularly overt religious upbringing. I was never baptized in the baptist church because I was too embarrassed (mortified really) to go up in front of the entire 2,000 member congregation, in a white robe, behind the preacher's pulpit - where the baptismal font was - and subject myself to that kind of attention. My parents never told me I would be damned if I didn't do it - it was my personal decision. I respect them for that approach. Looking back now, I see God's hand even in that decision NOT to be baptized or else later on in life I may have never felt the need to actually go through with it.
In my teenage years and into college I was a pretty straight arrow except for the typical foibles of youth, but I never really had any desire to formulate a deep relationship with my Creator. A couple of times during high school and college I had either a personal friendship with a Mormon or a chance encounter with a member of the LDS Church on a vacation (a pretty face) or the typical proselyting attempt from the Mormon Elders which was always rebuffed. In those experiences I never really gave the Mormons a chance to teach me. Although, during my senior year of high school I went on one date with an LDS girl who was a few years older than me. We both worked at a local grocery store. She was attending a university in the state and I was about ready to graduate high school. We only went on one date and that was it.
Four years later, I had graduated from college and it was New Year's Eve and I was having a beer with my cousin at a local chicken wings place when in walks this same LDS girl with her parents to pick up their order of wings. I am a pretty shy person, but something kicked me off my chair and told me to go say hello. It turns out that she had ended up transferring to BYU, getting engaged and then dis-engaged while there and graduating right around the same time that I had. It's as if God orchestrated events to put the right person at the right time in my life to provide the right timing for me to finally get properly introduced to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I got her phone number that night - which was pretty bold for me - and we went on our first date about a week later. Within a few weeks I began taking the missionary discussions and sincerely reading The Book of Mormon.
That Book spoke to me on a personal level - even though I didn't really understand what it was. I felt as though God were speaking to me about things that only I could know. It was hard to explain because I had never really read the scriptures before. Within 3 months of re-meeting this member of the LDS Church I was baptized by immersion for the remission of my sins in my friend's swimming pool. After being baptized I was confirmed a member of the LDS Church and felt the power of the Holy Ghost strongly during the confirmation. I was thrilled to be part of something big and important. I instantly had a Ward family that really, truly cared about me and I had new purpose in life. I met a few new lifelong friends and was set on a path towards God. I am still learning on that path.
My relationship with this girl didn't last too long - the Lord had other plans for me. Although if you had told me that I would have to go on a mission before I was baptized, I never would have joined the LDS Church. Although life's experiences take us to places that we never thought we would go, I am grateful for this experience which changed the trajectory of my life and has put me on the path of seeking truth and trying to find the true path to relationship with God.
After surviving a pretty bad roll over car accident where I was a passenger, I decided that God had saved my rear end for a reason and so at an older age, I decided to serve an LDS mission. I served a faithful 2 year mission and ended up meeting my wife while on my mission and both of us have been on quite a journey of discovery, pain and hope. My parents are not LDS but continue to be involved in our life. I have two wonderful teenagers and a very cute dog. I am a seeker of truth.
I believe that God lives. I believe that He/She does speak to us by a still, small voice. I believe that the scriptures teach that there is one true God and He is Christ - Yeshua - the Holy One of Israel. I don't KNOW these things yet, but I strongly believe it. I am exercising faith unto the end of having a personal relationship with God - even hopefully a visitation by the risen Lord Himself.
I believe in the Bible, in as much as it has been translated correctly over the many millennium and through the hands of multiple scholars and councils - each with their own unique biases and political purposes. I still believe much truth miraculously came through that translation process.
I believe that massive, ancient civilizations of Christians inhabited North America after coming from the middle east and that elements within the US government, back in the 1800s, sought to destroy and eliminate evidence of these ancient Native American civilizations - and did a pretty good job of it.
I believe that the risen Lord, Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth) visited some of the people in ancient America after He left His disciples in Jerusalem. He referred to these eventual visitations all around the world in John 10:16. Ancient America was just one of them.
Due to this knowledge I believe that the Book of Mormon reflects God's teachings to the people in Ancient America with a message that would be intended for the Last Days. Due to these things that I have learned and through deep study and observation, I believe that the Book of Mormon's 2 Nephi chapter 28 and Mormon chapter 8 are specifically describing to the modern, corporate LDS Church - the people that Moroni saw and knew our doing. What other people has the Book come to besides the Gentiles of the Latter-days. Things are NOT hunky dory in Mormonland. The vast knowledge available via the internet now has changed things, forever. I'm sure you have been sifting through all of that as well.
I desire to discuss in more detail as time goes on many Christian doctrines and beliefs and interpretations - all in seeking THE truth. I believe that God may have indeed inspired Emanuel Swedenborg in the 1700s and that many others today have connected with the Most High. Truth is knowledge of things as they were, as they are now and as they really will be. There is only one GOD over all the earth and I believe He loves ALL of His children. However, I also believe that it's possible that False Prophets and False Christ's can and have appeared to deceive the very elect. We must take the Holy Spirit as our guide so we will not be deceived.
What about politics?
Actually, I hate "politics", but I love to study correct principles and the effect upon societies who either follow pure principles or do not. I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat and I believe that the two-party system is a Hegelian Dialectic established by powerful men as a tool to control society. I believe both major parties represent two wings of the same bird of prey - the WAR Party.
I believe the Book of Mormon gives specific knowledge from God regarding secret combinations (conspiracies) set up to overthrow the world's freedom and also gives specific details regarding how these powerful men seal themselves to each other in order to maintain power over one another (See Moses chapter 5).
I believe that the Founding Fathers of America were inspired of God to set up a free society and that they established the Constitution FOR the united States in order to put limits ONLY upon the government. I believe that one of the reasons that this free government was established was so that there would be just enough freedom for God to raise up a Prophet in the Last Days to restore the knowledge of God and His desire to have a personal relationship with Him and to re-establish a Covenant with us. Again, I believe these things. However, I also recognize that because I am human, I can also be in error and I've learned not to have so much hubris as to think that I could never be deceived. We know that the very elect will be deceived due to the precepts of men.
I lean Libertarian, but still recognize that for us to remain free and happy that we must be a moral and religious people. I'm glad that we are free enough that we can still post our ideas and thoughts online.
With that, you know a little about what I believe and not much about what I KNOW - because I think that is still being determined. Please join me.
