Why and What I Believe

I’ll be honest; I’ve always believed that one’s religion and faith is something to be ingrained into the heart and soul of the believer, not onto their sleeve for the masses to view. My religious faith is at the very center of who and what I am. I am certainly not perfect at practicing it, but that is what makes faith so amazing.

So why am I now writing about what I believe and why I believe it? It’s a long story but I will try desperately to sum it all up. In a nutshell, it’s the state of California’s vote on Proposition 8. The vigorous way in which my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons), sought to ensure that Proposition 8 passed has opened it up to vicious attacks on individuals, businesses, and the church in general. I have no problem with the peaceful protests. To be honest, they make me proud of the country that I live in and love. I certainly don’t agree with everyone in this world, why would I expect everyone to agree with me? In fact, I think that a civil discourse about our nations’ differences is healthy and necessary. However, when homes & churches are being severely vandalized, families are forced from their homes, and people become targets of violent attacks, then sitting quietly in my peaceful home is no longer an option.

Rather than fighting fire with fire, and hatred with anger, the only thing I can do as a Christian is explain what and why I believe. My intent is absolutely not to convert or convince the reader, but simply to explain WHY Mormons worked so diligently for the passage of Proposition 8. Then maybe, just maybe, the community we have so obviously offended will offer us the same “tolerance” they fought for these many years.

I am a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as “Mormons”. Having been born and raised in Bountiful, Utah it would be easy to assume that this faith was pounded into my head from birth until I no longer had any choice but to believe. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. I grew up in a family that didn’t actively participate in any religious activities. I was taught that there was a God, and that I was His child, and quite frankly that was all that mattered at the time. I was baptized at the age of 8, but had absolutely no understanding as to what this meant.

At the age of 6, my parents divorced. For a young girl, my world as I had known it seemed to crumble around me. What on earth could I believe in if it wasn’t that my mom and dad would always love one another? If their love could die, was there anything out there that could possibly remain true forever? I obviously didn’t realize it at the time, but this began my quest for truth. My desire to find something that was constant, absolute, and never changing.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I became pretty serious about my “search for truth”. I had a lot of crazy friends at the time (wonderful, yet crazy) and I started to think, “Why am I trying so hard to be good, when all the while I just seem to be missing out on a lot of fun”. I decided to study religion, and if I didn’t find what I was looking for, then to hell with it all – I was going to join in on the craziness. What happened next was completely unexpected. I remember distinctly going up to my bedroom and locking my bedroom door so I could kneel by my bed and pray. Heaven forbid that someone actually find me praying! It certainly was not something I was used to or comfortable doing. After talking to a number of adults that I trusted, I had started reading the Book of Mormon. A book revered as scripture along with the Bible by those of the Mormon faith. I honestly wanted to plead with God to know if it really was what it claimed to be, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. I don’t know if I expected to get an answer or not, but in my heart of hearts I know I got one. This was the moment that my life changed; the first moment I knew what I was reading was true.

Since that day I have done my best to live in accordance with what I believe to be true. And what does this mean exactly? It means that I believe I am a daughter of God, that He knows me and loves me unconditionally, just as He does every human being who has ever lived on this earth regardless of their faith, gender, ethnicity, or any other characteristic that make each of us unique. I also believe that God reveals His will to His people through His prophets. These prophets include those from the Old Testament such as Adam, Abraham, and Moses. They also include what we consider to be “Latter-day” prophets who continue to live on the earth today. The man who I believe to be the Lord’s prophet on the earth today is Thomas S. Monson. He is also the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since I believe these men to be prophets of God, it is vitally important to my faith that I listen to what they say, and pray to know that it is right. Contrary to popular belief, we are not simply “brainwashed” into believing whatever our prophet says. We are strongly encouraged to always listen to his words, ponder them in our hearts, and then pray to know of their truthfulness.

In 1995, the prophet and President of our church introduced a statement to the entire membership that is now considered to be sacred truth. It is titled, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”. It begins by stating, “We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. All human beings - male and female - are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny." The entire document is a powerful affirmation of what God expects of His children regarding their family relationships while they are on this earth. Literally millions of Latter-day Saints read and re-read this statement and prayed to know if it truly was from God. As the membership of the Lord’s church, we accepted it as such.

Little did we know that in 13 short years our belief in this document would be severely tested. With the introduction of Proposition 8 to the ballot in California this year, it surely was. The leadership of our church asked members, especially those in California, to contribute their time, money and talents into making sure that Proposition 8 passed. Did they issue it as a requirement for continued membership in the church? Absolutely not. President Monson did tell us that one of his roles as a prophet of God was to act as a “watchman on a tower”, and that though we may not see the importance of the proposition passing at this time, the Lord certainly did. I have no doubt that hundreds of thousands of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California did exactly what we have always been asked to do. They considered the statement of the prophet, and prayed for direction from the Lord. It is certain that not every member of the church in California voted in favor of Proposition 8. For those who did, I am positive their decision was not based on bigotry and intolerance, but instead on a desire to follow their spiritual leader’s counsel.

With the membership of the Mormon Church making up only 2% of the population in California, and 52% of the entire Californian population voting in favor of Proposition 8, I continue to ask myself why is it that Mormons seem to have taken the brunt of the vicious attacks by recent protestors? The only conclusion I can come to is that for some reason, in this supposedly “progressive” and “tolerant” nation of ours, it is still socially acceptable to rage against the Mormon’s. After all, we are a peculiar people. We have traditions and beliefs that make us stand out even among other Christian faiths. However, we do have the courage and determination to stand firm against accusations that we are somehow prejudiced against homosexuals and others who choose to pursue an alternative lifestyle. How can we do this? Because we know what we believe and why we believe it. We are following the counsel of a man whom we believe to be a prophet of God, nothing more and nothing less. We believe that every single person on this earth, regardless of their beliefs, is a child of God. At the same time, we also believe marriage to be a sacred institution. To those who preach or espouse violence against us for adhering to our religious beliefs, I ask you to please consider if maybe, just maybe, we Mormons are simply doing what we consider to be tolerant and faithful at the same time.

Kristen Ricks