Wait...She's a Mormon??

This is the episode I’ve been nervous to record.

For the first time ever, I’m opening up about my faith — what I believe, how I found it, and why I’ve kept it private for so long. I share my journey to becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka LDS or “Mormon”), what that actually means, and the misconceptions I hear most often.

This isn’t about convincing anyone or debating religion. It’s about faith, love, and learning to embrace all the parts of who I am — even the ones I’ve been scared to share.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to Real and Naturalish, the podcast where we evolve and own the glow up in real time. I'm your host, Natasha Pearson. I'm not gonna lie, I am really nervous for today's episode. We are getting into a topic I have never publicly discussed before. And we are doing that today on the podcast. We are gonna be talking about religion, specifically my religion, because you know, when people find out that I'm LDS, they are kind of surprised by that. It's not something I talk about often because it's super sacred to me. But before we get into all of it, we have a little bit of closet catch-up, which honestly, I'm like so nervous about this episode. I don't have much to say right now, except one thing has been on my mind recently. I have been thinking about this a lot. So it's funny because people always say, you know, after you get surgery, like skin removal surgery, whether it is a breast lift or a breast reduction or a tummy tuck, you start to notice other areas on your body that you don't like. And it's not that I don't like them, but things are way more apparent to me. I am realizing how much loose skin I have on my arms and on my legs. Now, when I originally got surgery, I never thought about getting skin removed there just because I didn't feel like I had a lot of skin there. But now that I have a tummy tuck, it is very apparent to me. And even like when I get dressed, there are certain shirts that I can't wear because I have so much loose skin on my arms, like the armholes cut off my circulation. And I was looking at it the other day. I would say probably one-third of my arm is loose skin. And I have been doing some research. I actually have um a couple of friends who have had skin removed on their arms. Both of them have incredible results. They say it's been life-changing, and it is something that I'm thinking about, something that I'm considering. Also on my legs. So here's the thing though. Um, with skin removal on your arms and your legs, you do get a pretty long scar. On your arms, I believe that the scar goes from like around your elbow all the way up to your armpit. It might be a little bit shorter than that, depending on how much loose skin you have. I'm not really sure. I think I probably need to do a consultation. Again, I am still in the very early phases of researching this and seeing if it would even be worth it for me. Um, but that scar is underneath your arm. So unless you're like lifting your arm up, you probably wouldn't see it. Your legs, however, if you get a thigh lift, I do believe that you have a scar from your knee all the way up to your groin. So that is a pretty big scar that you would probably see. And I don't have like that much loose skin on my legs. I mean, it's not hanging on my knees or anything, but when I am dancing or when I am working out, the only thing I see is the skin jiggling on my legs. And I realize just how much loose skin I have. And you can't even really see my muscle definition because I have so much loose skin. So it's been on my mind lately. I'm considering it. I wonder if there's such a thing as like a mini thigh lift, like if the scar wouldn't be that bad. I I don't know. If you are someone who has any experience with this topic, whether you've had it done or you know someone who's had it done, I would love to hear about your experience because it's something that I am considering. And I have never said that out loud. I've really been thinking about it mostly since, I don't know, May of this year. So it's been several months, but it's one of those things where every single time I look at myself in the mirror, it's I it's noticeable to me. Every single time I wave or move my arm or watch a video of myself dancing now, it's like, oh my gosh, I have so much loose skin. Again, this is something that I know is going to take a lot of thought. Uh, I'm gonna have to meet with a surgeon. I have a lot of questions about it, but I just wanted to open up that that's something that I have been considering. I mean, I've lost a hundred pounds. I mean, you heard my weight loss story. I lost the same 50 pounds multiple times before I even lost a hundred pounds. I do have a lot of loose skin. All right, let's get into today's episode. Deep breath. I'm actually really excited about this. And honestly, I'm like really nervous because we are talking about my religion. And I wanted to start by saying this up front. I am not interested in debating anyone about faith. I'm definitely not trying to convince anyone or to convert you. My goal is simply to just answer some of the questions that I get all the time and explain what I actually believe and clear up some common misconceptions. Um, a lot of people are surprised when they find out that I'm LDS. And actually, before we go any further, I want to clear up what that even means because when I have said that before, people don't know what that means. So LDS stands for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So that's the full name of my church. Most people know us as Mormons, and that is a nickname that comes from the Book of Mormon. It's just easier to say Mormon, and honestly, like I still call myself Mormon sometimes out of habit, but recently our prophet reminded us that we should use the name that Christ himself gave the church, which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is kind of a mouthful to say though. So when you hear people say LDS, that means Latter-day Saints. So that's what we are talking about. We simply want to say a name that includes Jesus Christ. So I'm not one of those people that's going to get offended if you call me Mormon. I know some people do, but personally I don't. I know what you mean, and I know most of the time, almost every time I've ever heard anyone say that, they're not doing it in a derogatory way. I just wanted to clear that up from the start so we are all on the same page before we dive in. Like I previously mentioned, this isn't a topic I talk about very often because every time I mention that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I get met with a lot of resistance and people saying things like, you're not a Christian and attacking me. And I don't want to open myself up to that. But here's the thing: to me, being a Christian simply just means that you believe in Jesus Christ and that you follow him. And as Latter-day Saints, we absolutely do. So we read and we believe in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon, which we see as another testament of Jesus Christ. And I'll get more into that in a minute because I think that's one of the most misunderstood parts of our faith. What's wild to me though is there's so much contention around this topic. Like there are people who have literally written books about why Mormons are not Christian, but the Bible itself warns us against leaning on the wisdom of man instead of seeking revelation directly from God. Because ultimately, it's the spirit, not scholars, not preachers, not authors, that testifies of the truth, the Holy Spirit. And honestly, I just don't understand how me identifying as a follower of Christ affects anyone else. Okay, so I want to be clear. I'm not saying every Christian is like that. In fact, one of my best friends, she's actually a different denomination than I am, and we have some of the most amazing conversations about faith. We literally study the Bible together. It's one of my favorite things too, because we can ask each other hard questions, we can challenge each other in love, and it's helped me grow so much, not just in my own studying, but in my faith and my testimony too. And people will sometimes just go on and on and on and on about how Mormons aren't Christians. But if you ever ask any Latter-day Saint about the Book of Mormon and whether or not it's true, they're not gonna argue with you. They're not gonna try to debate you on it. Almost every single time, you will probably hear the same exact answer, which is read the book for yourself, pray to God, ask him if it's true, and let the spirit tell you. Because that's what we believe that truth comes directly from God through the spirit, not from the opinions of man. So honestly, I just don't understand why people argue about this. Because what if instead of fighting about who's a Christian or not, we all just focused on being more like Jesus Christ. Now, I want to say this too, because I know that most people don't have a problem with me being LDS. Most people are super respectful and kind, but every time I have mentioned this publicly, I get at least 10 DMs, usually from people who have in their bio, like follower of Jesus, tearing me down for what I believe. That is why I am so nervous about this. But again, today I am just sharing my beliefs. I am not trying to convince anyone, and I am not trying to convert anyone. But I know that's not everyone that does this. So if you are listening to this right now, I know you are one of the real ones, someone who can actually have a conversation about this in love, who can respect my beliefs for what they are without trying to change them. And that's why I'm sharing this today. For me, religion isn't something I actually want to debate, which is why I don't talk about it a lot. It's deeply personal for me. My relationship with God is my own. Not even my husband could change that. It's not something I want to argue about, but it's also not something I want to hide anymore. Faith is a huge part of my life, and on this podcast, I've promised to share all the parts of me, even the ones people haven't really seen before. So I hope you'll just listen with an open heart. If you don't agree, that's okay. I still love you. Just please be respectful in your comments the same way I would be respectful to anything that you believe. And I know so many people who believe very different things than I do, and that's okay. God commands us all to love our neighbors, and that means everyone, even if you live differently than I do, even if you make different choices, or even if you don't even believe in God. In fact, one of my good friends, she doesn't believe in God, and we're still amazing friends. We respect each other. She's my neighbor, actually. When we're on vacation, we'll take each other's trash cans out, our kids play together. Whenever we make dessert, we make extra for our neighbors, we hang out at the pool together, and we just love to help each other. And honestly, I think that's what Christ wants for all of us. When people start debating religion, it is so easy to lose sight of that love. That's why honestly I'm nervous about this episode. I don't know how people are gonna take it, but at the end of the day, I just hope that you can respect my beliefs and not think any less of me as a person just because I might think something differently than you. All right, now that we have that all cleared up, I want to start this episode with, well, not start this episode because we're already like 10 minutes into it. Um, I want to talk about how I actually converted to being a Latter-day Saint because I did not grow up with religion. In fact, I didn't even get baptized until after I graduated college. And I am the only member in my family that is Mormon. So looking back now, I realized that my conversion story actually started when I was about eight years old. My best friend growing up was LDS, and her family honestly felt like my second family. She lived about 45 minutes away from me though. So whenever I stayed over, like whenever we would have sleepovers, I would stay the whole weekend with them, which meant I would go to church with them on Sunday. I would pray together with their family and I would just be a part of their routine. But no one ever tried to convert me. They never pressured me or even asked if I wanted to get baptized. They just welcomed me and loved me and treated me like I was a part of their family. And that example has always stuck with me my entire life. But fast forward a little bit. So after college, I joined Teach for America and I spent the summer in Mississippi training. And two of my closest friends in Teach for America were both LDS. And it was totally random. I mean, now looking back, I'm like, was it random or was it a part of God's plan? Um, when we were in Mississippi, they invited me to go to church with them. And there was there are not a lot of LDS churches in Mississippi. We drove, I think it was like 90 minutes to church every Sunday. Um, and I decided to go with them. Um I mean, it just felt familiar. It felt good. And later, all of us moved to North Carolina. We were all teaching in the same school district, and I decided that I wanted to keep going to church. Even when my friends went home for the summer and I was still in North Carolina, I kept going by myself because I noticed that when church was a part of my life, my life was better. Eventually, I started meeting with the missionaries, and I'll be honest, I asked them every single question. I was not shy about anything. I challenged everything that they said because I wanted to understand. But what really stood out to me most was their humility. There were actually a lot of times that I asked them questions they didn't have answers to and they didn't pretend to know the answers. They would go home, they would study, pray about it, and come back and talk, talk me through it. And I actually built a really strong friendship with both of my missionaries. I mean, 14 years later, I still text them sometimes and I'll ask them questions. We're in a group text together, actually. Um, but they were never pushy either. I mean, even after all of our lessons, they never even asked me if I wanted to be baptized. They were just teaching me and talking about God and Jesus. And it was me that said, I think I want to get baptized. And they were really, really excited about it. Um, so during that time, I also became really close with a woman named Barbara. She is my spirit sister. I love her so much. Um, and we still text. She was also a math teacher. We have we just have so much in common. And when I started going to church in North Carolina, she was just so loving and kind and always invited me over to her home for dinner. I mean, you might have heard me talk about southern cooking before. When I talk about southern cooking, I am referring to everything that Barbara has made. It is so good. Like shrimp and grits. Um, she gave me a recipe for this tomato pie. Maybe I'll share that. Oh my gosh. And then I make this butterscotch cake that is so good. I will share the recipe for it this Christmas. We we make it every single Christmas. Um, but that recipe is actually from her. It's just amazing. But everyone in the ward just made me feel so welcome. There was never any judgment, never any pressure, just genuine goodness. And honestly, I really think that's what confirmed it for me. I felt the spirit so strongly around those people, and I could just tell they were trying their best to live like Christ. So I got baptized in August of 2011. I was 22 years old. Um, a lot of times people will just assume that I got baptized because David is Mormon. He did grow up in the church. He also, Dave uh served a mission in Mexico, the Leon mission. So yes, he is fluent in Spanish, but I didn't even know Dave when I got baptized. It was after the fact that I met him. Um actually, I'll tell you how I met Dave. Uh, but first, before I do that, I have to explain. So in our church, you don't pick which church you go to. So it's based on boundaries and where you live. So sort of like school districts. Um, that's actually something I really love because no matter if you walk into a church in Honolulu, Hawaii, or Beijing, China, you're gonna be learning the same thing. Our church teaches a unified message. Um, and that's actually one of the things I love most. Our doctrine is unified because we believe the church is led by a living prophet and apostles, just like in the Bible, um, which we'll get more into that later. So, okay. Instead, um, but instead of every congregation or pastor interpreting scripture differently, we all receive the same inspired guidance through our prophet. So that's what keeps the message consistent, no matter if you're in Arizona or Africa. Okay, anyways, back to how I met Dave. Um, how our churches are organized, we have boundaries, and we call our congregations wards, uh, like W-A-R-D, and you go to a ward based on where you live. So we have like ward boundaries and things, and then a couple of different wards together make up a stake. So we have like ward activities sometimes, and then sometimes we have stake activities. So if you ever hear that terminology, that's what we're referring to. Um, so most of our wards are family wards. So kids go, grandparents go, parents go, but we also have young single adult wards where young single adults go. I think the age limit is like 30 or 31. But if you're between 18 and 30 or 31, I'm I don't remember which one it is. Maybe it's 30. It doesn't matter. Anyways, if you are single, you go to a ward with other people who are around your age who are also single. So you can make friends, or in my case, you might meet your future spouse. Um, we also have like Spanish wards. So if you want to like worship in a different language that you're more comfortable with, you can. We have ASL wards. Uh, but I met Dave at church. So it's really funny. I was home from North Carolina for the summer, and I was only home for a couple of weeks. And I remember like I wanted to go to church on Sunday, and I was thinking to myself, well, if I'm gonna go to a singles ward, maybe I'm gonna drive down to Seattle because there's probably like more eligible, better guys in Seattle. That was the thought in my head. But I woke up on Sunday and I was like, uh, I'm tired. I'm probably not gonna meet anyone anyway. I'm just gonna go to the ward right by my house. And it was only like 15 minutes away. And I am like super introverted. So I was just planning on going to sacrament meeting and then leaving afterwards, so I didn't have to talk to anyone. And so I went and one of the girls giving a talk, her name's Emily, and Emily is now my sister-in-law. Um, and that's another thing. Like, we don't have any paid clergy. Our members are the ones that give talks at church. Like, we don't have pastors, we don't have preachers. Um, sometimes, like, I've given talks at church before, our bishop will assign you a topic and have you study it, have you apply it to your life, and then you will go at church and for 10 to 15 minutes get up and talk about what you've learned, um, which I think is actually really cool. So, anyways, Dave's sister was giving a talk, and then after that meeting, I was like about to piece out. So, I was walking out of the building, and as I was walking out, I ran into Emily and I said to her, I was like, Oh, you did you gave a really great talk today? I really liked it. And at that moment, Dave started walking around the corner and he was like gonna give his sister a hug. And he's like, Emily, he was like being really weird. Um, and he did not see me. And all of a sudden, like he noticed me and he stopped there like a deer in headlights, like literally all of the words left his brain, and he was just like staring with his mouth open. It was really, it was really funny. It was kind of weird. But his sister Emily like looked at him. Like, I literally, this is burned into my brain. Emily looked at him and she was like, uh, this is my brother David, just because he was being kind of weird. And he like introduced himself. And looking back at that now, I had two thoughts when I first met Dave. My first thought, like, literally, the second I saw him, the first thought that went through my head was that person seems like they would be my best friend. Like, I think I just found my best friend. I that was the first thought that went through my head. The second thought that went through my head is why is this old man still in the singles award? Because at the time, Dave had a mustache. And it's funny because Dave's actually younger than I am, only by like nine months. Um, but he's younger than me. At the time, he was growing out a mustache because they were doing like a church dance and it was a Western theme or something, and he wanted to like ironically have a mustache. But because he had one, I thought he looked way older than he was, and so I was like, why is this old man still here? Um, but that was after I thought, like, oh, he would be my best friend. Anyways, looking back now, I can clearly see how God's hand guided every step of my conversion, every friendship, every moment, every little nudge that led me to where I was supposed to be. And Dave and I started dating, I think a week after that day. I had actually gone on a couple dates with a different guy, and then I started dating Dave, and I think we only dated in person for like a week, maybe two weeks, but we spent every single day together, and then we dated long distance um for several months, and then I moved back and we ended up getting married. But I knew, I think Dave knew too, and it actually scared me. I knew, I would say maybe like the second time I went out with him that I was gonna marry him. I just knew it. I I knew it. Um, and it freaked me out to the point where I almost dumped him, but I didn't, and I'm so grateful. I mean, we have been happily married now for 12 years. We have four beautiful children. I love my husband so much. I mean, we have such an incredible relationship. This is also something I don't talk about very often because it is so sacred to me. I mean, people don't believe me when I say this, but Dave and I, like, we have never fought. Like, we don't raise our voice to each other. We never not once in our entire marriage have we ever yelled at one another. Like, yes, we have had disagreements. Um, yes, we have been upset with each other, but we have always respected one another. And I just I think we have the most amazing marriage, and I love him so much. And ever since I've had the gospel in my life, my life has only gotten better. It doesn't mean it's perfect, but to me, it's just the ultimate confirmation that Jesus Christ really is the savior because I know when I study my scriptures, when I try to live like him, my life just becomes more and more blessed. Okay, so let's dive into the Book of Mormon because I feel like there is a lot of confusion around this. And I can say that honestly, because when I got baptized later in life, like I didn't really know what it was either. I was really confused about it too. I mean, I didn't really have a lot of religion growing up either. Um, but when it comes to the Book of Mormon, to really understand what it is, we actually need to go all the way back to the Old Testament and talk about Israel. And just to be clear, I am not talking about modern-day Israel. I'm not talking about politics. I'm talking about Israel in the Bible, the person Israel. Um, and I want to explain this in the way that I learned it, just in case there's anyone out there listening who maybe you don't know anything about the Bible or Book of Mormon. Maybe you were like me. So I'm just gonna kind of explain it from the beginning. So in the Old Testament, you have Abraham, Abraham had a son named Isaac, and then Isaac had a son named Jacob. And Jacob was given the name Israel by God. So when you read in the Bible and you see Israel, it's really important to know that it can actually mean a few different things. Originally, Israel was a person, it was Jacob himself because he was renamed Israel. But over time, the name came to represent his descendants. So you'll also hear about the 12 tribes of Israel and eventually the nation that those descendants formed. So when I talk about Israel, like I'm talking about the covenant family, the people who came from Jacob who were chosen by God to carry his promises forward. So God made a covenant or a promise with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and said that their descendants would be his covenant people, that he would bless them, he would guide them, and that through them all nations of the earth would be blessed. So Jacob, aka Israel, had 12 sons, and each of those sons became the head of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. So some of those names you might actually recognize, like Judah, Ephraim, Benjamin, Levi, and so on. So each tribe had different roles in land, and it can get a little bit complicated because technically, like the Levites didn't have their own land because they were priests. Um, but basically, the main thing to understand is that these 12 tribes made up the house of Israel, which was God's covenant family. So over time, part of the lands were conquered, and some of the tribes were carried away captive, others were scattered all over the world. And a lot of this actually happened centuries before Jesus' time. So even though they blended into other cultures, they didn't disappear. And we believe that they didn't disappear. They're still part of God's covenant family, which I think is so cool because when you look back at God's original promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about blessing all the nations of the earth through their descendants, that could have never happened if the tribes of Israel were never scattered. So now, the Book of Mormon, in very simple terms, is another testament of Jesus Christ. So it's a record of some of those descendants of Israel who left Jerusalem and eventually came to the Americas. The people in the Book of Mormon left about 600 years before Jesus was born. So God warned a prophet named Lehi that the city was going to be destroyed. So Lehi and his family left and eventually made their way to the Americas, and their descendants became the civilization that we read about in the Book of Mormon. And one of the most powerful moments in that record is after his resurrection, Jesus Christ visits these people and teaches them the same gospel he taught in Jerusalem: love, repentance, faith, service, the exact same things he taught in the New Testament, which is why we call the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ. He reminds them that they are still God's covenant people as they are descendants of Israel, aka Jacob, through the line of Joseph, and that he still loves them and that he knows them and that his gospel is for all of God's children, not just those who lived near Jerusalem. So that's what the Book of Mormon is. It's not a Mormon Bible, it is not a replacement for the Bible. It is just another witness of Jesus Christ, another record testifying that he lived, that he died, and that he was resurrected. Now, one of the biggest misconceptions is that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, and that is not what we believe at all. We believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, like Peter, James, and Paul, or any of the prophets in the Bible. He didn't write the Book of Mormon, he translated it. So it was an ancient record written by prophets who lived long ago, and God called Joseph forward to bring it forth into modern times so that people today could have it again. And the reason that we believe this happened is because after Christ's death, his apostles were eventually killed. And over time, the original church fell into what we call the great apostasy, which basically means that key truths and authority were lost. So teachings changed, new traditions were formed, the structure of Christ's original church was scattered. In the early 1800s, there was a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith. So this is the story of Joseph Smith reading the Bible, and he was wondering, what church is true? You know, I hear all of these people talking about different things. Which one should I join? And Joseph read in the book of James that if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. And so he took that literally. He went into a grove of trees and prayed. And this is what we call the first vision, where he asked, you know, God, what is the true church? What church should I join? And God, the Father, and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him not to join any of the churches because their teachings had drifted so far. Instead, God had a plan to restore Christ's original church to the earth. So that's why we don't call it a new church. We call it the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because we believe that it is the same church that Christ originally established, but it is just restored in our time. So what that means when Jesus Christ was on earth, he organized his church with apostles, with prophets, with priesthood authority. So the power to act in God's name, to baptize, to bless, and to teach. But after Christ and his apostles were killed, that authority was lost. Over time, people still loved God and did their best to follow him, but a lot of truth and structure became fragmented. So different denominations formed, each teaching slightly different things. That again, that's what we call the great apostasy. So when we say that the church was restored, we mean that God called Joseph Smith as a prophet to bring back that same organization and priesthood authority that existed in Christ's original church. So LDS church is that same exact structure of Christ's church. We have prophets, apostles, and aspired leaders guiding his people. The term latter days, though, so latter day saint, that refers to the time leading up to the second coming of Christ. So we believe that right now we are living in the latter days. And honestly, like I think a lot of us can probably feel that. I mean, I know, especially over these past five years, things just feel different. I'm like, when is Jesus coming back? Um, anyways, that's also part of why we believe that God gives us prophets today, because in the last days, things are supposed to get really, really hard. More confusion, more chaos, more deception, more evil, more division than ever. And a loving God wouldn't just leave us on our own to figure it all out. He gives us prophets not to replace scripture, but to help us understand it and to apply it to the world that we live in now, to give us clarity, to give us direction, especially when things feel dark or like uncertain. That's actually the best evidence of his love that he still speaks to his children today, just like he did in ancient times. So we actually just had our general conference. This happens twice a year, where we hear from our prophet, apostles, and other church leaders. So you can go on YouTube and you can listen to this right now. Um, and one of the quotes from our last conference from our prophet Dallin H. Oaks, I actually really love this. He said, Our Savior Jesus Christ is our ultimate role model. We will be blessed if we model our lives after his teachings and self-sacrifice. Following Christ and giving ourselves in service to one another is the best remedy to the selfishness and individualism that now seem to be so common. So that's one of the reasons I just have such a strong testimony because it's not about rules or rituals. It's about becoming more like Jesus Christ. It's about learning to love deeper, to forgive more quickly, to serve one another, to listen more closely to the spirit. And to me, the Book of Mormon, it's helped me do exactly that. It has brought me closer to Jesus. It's helped me understand his love and his mercy on a much deeper level. And it's a constant reminder that he's aware of all of us, no matter where we live, no matter what time period we're in or what we're going through. He hasn't forgotten about a single one of his children. Now, before I wrap up this part, I want to touch on something that always comes up when I talk about faith with people, especially when Joseph Smith or church history gets mentioned, because people will say things like, Well, what about Joseph Smith having multiple wives or this, that, or the other from church history? And honestly, like, I get it. Those are fair questions. But what I've learned is not having all of the answers doesn't mean that something isn't true. There are things I still fully don't understand. And I think that's true with any religion. Even the Bible, I mean, God's chosen leaders were imperfect people. Abraham, Jacob, David, all of them made mistakes, yet God still used them to do his work. And that gives me so much peace because prophets are still human. Apostles are still human, even in Christ's time. I mean, one of Christ's very own apostles betrayed him. Nobody is perfect. Only Christ is perfect. And I think that's something we all need to remember. God doesn't choose perfect people, he perfects the people he chooses. Now, you know, a lot of people will challenge the church, especially when it comes to modern-day prophets. And when they do this, they will quote Matthew chapter 7, verse 5, where it says, Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. And I totally get why you'd be skeptical after reading that. But if you go on and you continue reading that same exact chapter, it doesn't start there. It says, Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistle? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. And I'm quoting that from the King James Bible, which is the version that we read. So essentially what that means is you will know whether something is truly from God by looking at the fruit it produces. And when I look at the fruit of our church, I see good fruit. I see the humanitarian work that we're doing all over the world, missionaries giving up 18 to 24 months of their lives to go serve other people. I see families being strengthened, people overcoming addiction, communities being rebuilt after natural disasters. We have a lot of food pantries that feed thousands of people, and members just quietly serving their neighbors every single day. To me, that's not fruit of something evil. That's the fruit of people trying to do their best to follow Jesus Christ and spread his love. And that's why I believe that this church is good. That's part of my faith. I am so proud to be a part of because when I look at the fruit, I see God's hand in it. Okay, so to close this episode, we're gonna do just some rapid fire. Um, I figured this would be a fun segment to do, like rapid fire questions. And and maybe we'll do in the future questions that you submit like what are my favorite snacks? What's the best life hack that I have found recently, or what's your favorite color? I don't know. But today I want to do rapid fire questions about my faith. Some of the things that people are most curious about when it comes to Latter-day Saints and how we're different from other Christian denominations. And if after this you still have questions, the church actually has a really great YouTube channel. It's called Come Unto Christ. It's so amazing. There's like short videos, explanations of things, zero pressure for anything. I mean, you'll even get asked if you want to meet with a missionary online to ask your questions to them. They will answer everything, they'll pray with you, and they'll probably mow your lawn if you have a missionary coming over to your house. I mean, our missionaries do a lot of service work. We actually have, um, I don't know if people know this, but I'm sure you've seen Mormon missionaries. We have different types of missions that you can serve. You actually could do a service mission where that's all you do is service work. Okay, let's jump in. And I'm gonna answer all the things. Okay, question number one. I've heard Mormons talk about the plan of salvation. What is that? So basically, that is God's plan for our happiness. We believe that we lived with God before we came to earth, and that this life is our time to learn and grow and to make choices, and that after we die, life continues. And because of Jesus Christ's atonement and the resurrection, we can return to live with God again. Okay, next question. This was one that I also had and I thought was weird, so I am just gonna address it head on. What is baptism for the dead? Okay, because yes, we do baptisms for the dead. I know it sounds a little different at first, but here's what it means. And we do this in the temple. So we believe everyone deserves the chance to either accept or reject the gospel, even people who died without ever hearing about Jesus Christ. And I mean, you see this today. We have a lot of missionaries that serve in Africa. In fact, one of my missionaries was serving a mission in Africa and got sick and had to go home, and then he finished his mission in North Carolina, which is how we met. Um, but he even told me, he's like, Yeah, I would meet hundreds of people who have never even heard the name Jesus Christ before. So the Bible teaches us that baptism is essential, but what about the people that never had the chance to be baptized or learn about Jesus? So that's what baptisms for the dead are. It's a way to make that opportunity available for everyone. It does not mean that we are making dead people Mormon. It simply offers them a choice on the other side of the veil to either accept or reject the gospel. And to me, this is honestly one of the most loving and inclusive doctrines we have because it means that no one is forgotten. Okay, next question. So, what do you actually do in the temple? So, the temple, we do sacred ordinances. Um, so we do baptisms for the dead for those who've passed on, we participate in marriages, um, sealing families together. That's actually one of our beliefs is that families will be together for time and all eternity. Um, and we make personal covenants or promises with God. So it's just really quiet and peaceful. And we don't share every detail about it publicly because it's sacred. I mean, kind of like you probably wouldn't go on the internet and write out word for word everything that you're praying to God. Um, also, before a temple is dedicated, it's actually open to the public. So if you ever have a temple near you or an LDS temple being built, they will have what's called an open house. So anyone, regardless of your religion, you can go walk through the temple and see all the rooms and learn about what happens inside. And if you ever have the chance to do that, I would highly recommend it. Next question: Do you really believe families can be together forever? So, yes, this is actually one of my favorite parts of our faith. So when David and I got married in the temple, it was not until death do us part. We got married for time and all eternity. And we believe that the relationships that we build here with our spouses, with our children, with our parents, they can continue forever through Christ's power. And as a wife and a mother, this is literally one of the most comforting things to me. And I did mention earlier that I am the only member in my family. So, yes, you do have to have a temple recommend to go into the temple. My parents were not present at my wedding. It was me, it was David, it was David's family. I had that friend that I grew up with that I told you that was LDS. She was at my wedding, um, and some of her family, which was very special to me. Her whole ceremony, I think it was only 10 minutes. We got married on August 22nd. Um, my mother was at the temple, actually. She was waiting in the waiting room. We got married in Canada actually, uh, because the Seattle temple was closed for cleaning. So we drove up to Surrey, Canada, which is by Vancouver, and that is where we got married. And then two days later, on August 24th, we had a ring ceremony. So that was where we invited all of our families to come. Um, we did a ceremony together where we exchanged rings. Um, I had a different dress for that wedding. We had dinner and dancing, and it was just a big celebration. But our actual marriage ceremony was two days before that in the temple. Okay, next question. How is your view of God different? And do you believe in the Trinity? So, this is actually one of the biggest differences of from our religion to other Christian religions, is most Christians believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost being one being in three forms. We believe that they are three distinct beings. Um, so God the Father, his son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, they are separate, but they are perfectly united in purpose and love. That is what we believe. So we call that the Godhead. Even in the New Testament, you'll see moments where Jesus prays to the Father or stands beside him. So to us, it just makes sense that they are distinct individuals working together as one. Okay, I love this one. This is a question I had too. What about that special underwear that Mormons wear? What's that all about? And why don't you wear crosses? So I included that one in this question because they're kind of to get kind of together. Um, so yes, quote unquote Mormon underwear. I love this question. Um, so members who have made certain covenants in the temple, we wear what are called temple garments. So it's just simple underclothing. It is, yes, it's like underwear. Um, like think a shirt and shorts or boxers or whatever. Um, but it is to remind us, the purpose of it is to remind us of our promises with God. So kind of like you wear a wedding ring to remind you of your marriage vows, this is a way to remind us of our covenant with God. Um, and about the crosses, that's another thing. Sometimes people wear crosses to remind them of God. Um, it's not that we're against crosses, but it was a tool used to kill Jesus and we honor the cross um as the place where Christ died, but we follow more of his resurrection. So instead of wearing a cross, our personal reminder is wearing a garment under our clothes. And do you have to wear them? No. Everything in our faith is about agency and the ability to choose. Not every member lives exactly the same way. We all are able to make our own choices, and that's okay. Just like in any religion, there are different levels of observance and personal choice. Okay, next question: What is the word of wisdom? And do you actually follow it? So, yes, I follow the word of wisdom. The word of wisdom is basically our health code. So, guidance from God on how to care for our bodies and treat our body like a temple. So it teaches us to avoid alcohol, illegal drugs, coffee, um, black tea, green tea. It teaches us to eat meat sparingly, um, to treat our bodies like the gifts they are. And I'll be honest, this was a tough one for me at first. I did drink coffee before I got baptized, and I remember thinking like this feels so restrictive. Like this was something that I talked to the missionaries about, and they really helped me see it differently, which I was like, oh, I have never thought about it that way. Um, but it's not a punishment, but more of a protection. Like when you really think about it, the word of wisdom kind of warns against things that can be highly addictive and take away your agency, your ability to choose freely. I mean, people who are addicted to alcohol or addicted to drugs, like you are not in control of your life at that point. So I see the word of wisdom now more as a blessing of God's way of helping us live with clarity, with discipline, and with peace. Next question What is tithing? Do you really give 10% of your income to the church? Yes, as members of the church, we are told that we should tithe 10% of our increase, is what they say. So it's not about money, it's more about faith and gratitude. And that money goes towards building temples, building meeting houses, funding humanitarian work, helping people in need. It goes to supporting missionaries. Honestly, I have seen so many blessings in my life from paying tithing. It was something I didn't want to do in the beginning, and it has actually been really amazing. Okay, I love this one. Do Latter-day Saints believe they get their own planet? This one like cracks me up. Um, I think this is just one of those like internet myths that won't die. Um, we don't get our own planets. Um, what we actually believe though, so we believe in different degrees of glory in heaven or like levels, kind of like how Paul talks about the glory of the sun, the moon, and the stars. So we we believe that God's mercy is so big, bigger than we can even comprehend. So everyone will be judged by what they knew, what they did, and the desires of their heart. So, no, we're not out here like planning on running our own planets. We're just trying to live good, Christ-centered lives and trust God's plan. Okay, I'm gonna do two more questions. Um, next, I've heard Christians say that Mormons don't believe in grace. Is that true? So, no, that is actually not true at all. We 100% believe that we're saved by the grace of Jesus Christ, and without him, none of us could be saved, period. Um, so where people sometimes get confused is that we also believe that our choices matter. Some Christians will say, you are saved by grace alone, which can sound like, well, I'm saved, so I can just live however I want and do whatever I want, but that's not how we see it. So to us, grace isn't permission, it's power. It's what helps us change, it what it's what helps us repent, to forgive, and to become better. So it's not grace or works, it's both. Works meaning that we do repent, that we do try to live a life like Christ. So grace is what saves us, and our works are how we show our love and faith in Christ. Last question. Do you really believe your church is the one true church? So yes, but maybe not in the way that people think. So we don't believe that we're the only good people or that others don't have truth. We believe every religion that brings people closer to God has goodness and light in it. And we do believe that Christ restored his original church with prophets, apostles, and priesthood authority through Joseph Smith. So it's not about exclusion, it's about the restoration of Christ's original church. So that's what we mean when we say we believe in one true church is that this is Christ's church. Okay, there you go. You got your rapid fire crash course on Latter-day Saints and what we believe. And hopefully, if nothing else, you can just hear that it's maybe not as weird or secretive as you thought. And it's all centered on love and service and following Jesus Christ. And if you want to learn more, you can go check out that YouTube channel. So it's called Come Under Christ. I think it's like an orange little circle with Jesus in the middle. Um, or you can go talk to a missionary. Or if you want to talk to a missionary and you're nervous about it, heck, email me. I will hop on Zoom with you and missionaries if you want. Um, but again, like not trying to convince or convert anyone. This is just what I believe. And as always, I want to thank you for listening today with an open heart. And you made it to the end, which means you're officially one of the real ones. Don't forget to follow, leave a five star review, and text this episode to your bestie. And if you want the unfiltered behind the scenes, make sure to get on the email list. The link is in the show notes.