I struggled this week about my next happy topic. I have another post written, but when I went to read it over and edit it, I felt like I should write about something else this week. After looking online for some inspiration, the idea came to me that I needed to bear my testimony of my belief in Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. After all it is this testimony and belief that forms the foundation of everything that makes me happy.
Recently on my Facebook page I posted a Mormon video about Jesus Christ and asked the question "After watching this can anyone explain to me how or why Mormons aren't Christian?" Now only two people gave me a response. The one response that made the most sense was, "if we do not accept Christ in all his roles within the Trinity, then we do not accept the fullness of Christ and cannot be considered Christians." So here are my two cents of why I am a Christian according to this definition.
I did some research online about what the Trinity is, because I didn't want to sound ignorant when referring to it. The Trinity started in 325 when a bunch of religious scholars came together in Nicaea, called The council of Nicaea. So this council formed to come to an agreement about the nature of God. Christianity is a monotheistic religion, but the Bible sort of names three "gods": God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. Now in a monotheistic religion there can't be three Gods, especially when you have the Commandment that says "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." So to appease this, they wrote the Nicene Creed, which in a nutshell, says that the three are one and the same being. "Consubstantial" is the word used. Meaning the one god, one substance, in three forms. From my own ideas, Jesus is "the son of God,"so in Luke it says that Mary was visited by the Holy Ghost and conceived. So the Holy Ghost is God because Mary got pregnant by the Holy Ghost, and God through this act came to earth as Jesus. Just as a side note, the first Creed was revised by a council in 381 at Constantinople, which is the version commonly used, but it says the same thing. One scripture among many that would probably be used to support the creed John 17:21-22. Disclaimer, I am not an expert on this at all. These are my own understandings from my own research.
I believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost as three separate and distinct beings. This distinction came when Joseph Smith as a mere boy of 14 prayed. His prayer was answered in the form of a vision. That vision was of two, I repeat, two personages: God, the Father, and His son, Jesus Christ. Read the story here (verses 14-17). That being said. I know Heavenly Father lives, and I know Jesus Christ lives. Christ is literally the son of God (John 3:16). Christ died for us on the cross for our sins, and was resurrected. These things were done so that we could return and live with God. Part of the Plan of Salvation is to have us return to live in Heavenly Father's presence. This is the will of God. Christ did his Father's will. So to return to John 17, Christ and The Father are "one" in purpose, one goal, for us to be with Him. So Christ is part of God, the Father. Christ is essential to the Father's plan. Without Christ we could not be saved. This fulfills the first and second role of Christ. Now to the other role of Christ and the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost has many many "roles", but the one most pertinent to my testimony is the Holy Ghost's role as a teacher.
You know those feelings you get when someone is talking about Christ, or the Gospel in any way? Some people might call them "warm and fuzzy feelings," and you believe, and you know that what you are hearing is right and true? I think you know what I am talking about. That is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost testifies of both Christ and Heavenly Father. The Holy Ghost reveals the truth. John 14:26 says "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things[...]." John 15:26 says "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the father, he shall testify of me." And looking through my topical guide, I could reference so many biblical scriptures that say that the Holy Ghost testifies the truth of Christ. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that I know these things. I know that they are true. That Jesus is the resurrected Christ. I have felt God's and Christ's love through the Holy Ghost. Without the Holy Ghost, there would be no sure witness of the truth of Christ, the Savior of the world. Without Christ, I doubt there would be a need for the Spirit. So this fulfills the stipulation of Christ's role in the third member of the Godhead.
So to my own conclusions Mormons are Christian according to the stipulation of "accepting Christ's roles within the Trinity" or Godhead, as us Mormons call it. And I bear my testimony with the help of the Holy Ghost that God lives, Christ lives, Christ suffered through the Atonement for each and every one of us. Through Him we are saved. I know that the three members of the Godhead are separate individuals. How glorious they are! How magnanimous! I am a Christian. I am a monotheist. There is only one god, God the Father. Christ is His literal son, born of Mary, and the Holy Spirit lets us know. Thank you for bearing with me through this long post, and I hope it helped some people understand, that yes, I really do believe that. The knowledge of these things do and will make me happy, but it would take another post to say why. I pray, whatever religion you are, that your testimony of God, Christ, and The Holy Ghost makes you happy too.
Feel free to respectfully ask me questions, I will do my best to answer.
lds.org and mormon.org are great sites to ask questions and seek answers about Mormon beliefs.
Some more reading material of a man who knows more than I do. Robert D Hales
Click on this link to read my church's testimony of Christ.
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