Saints Unscripted

In today's episode we have an awesome guest, Jeff Roundy. Jeff has his own YouTube channel called, Latter-Day Saints' Q&A. 😱   He started the page after attending the FairMormon conference,  to help better promote online content about the church, and to also answer any critical questions.   David and Jeff discus  why it is critical for church members to produce content, rather than relying on the church to produce its own content.

At what point are you actually clean from your sins? In most christian religions, members of the religion are encouraged to ask Christ or God for a remission (or cleansing) from their sins. They are taught to repent and be made whole. But what if you pray and you still feel guilty?   In this video, Justin, Kwaku and David talk about what it means to be made clean from your sins and how you can tell if you are clean. We, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church or LDS Church) believe that we can be made clean through Jesus Christ who has already suffered for us and has taken upon himself our sins. We believe that we can be made clean AND able to move forward through his infinite atonement.   

In this episode, Robert joins us to share his unique conversion story. Robert talks about being raised in the church, his mission, which gave him heavy depression, leaving the church and slowly making his way back to the gospel.   However it took a while for him to recover his feelings towards the church. Faith crisis, heavy depression and leaving the church have all been obstacles in his path. But nothing has been able to stop Robert from over coming everything in his life so far. Now he feels like he is, 100% a disciple of Christ.   Robert also teaches us, that it is possible to get out of the friend-zone. 😉

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormon Church, members are given 'callings.' But what in the world does that mean??   A few examples of callings are Bishop, Sunday School Teacher, Relief Society Counselor, Mission President, etc. Callings are extended by someone holding authority and are given to those who want to accept the calling. Ultimately, callings are to help the people in your community gain a better understanding of Jesus Christ and to help the Church run smoothly. Callings are valuable!! Do you have to accept a calling? Nope.

Today we have Jimmy on the show to talk about his conversion story. Jimmy recently joined the Mormon Church despite some major difficulties, which you'll hear about in the episode :) We had the BEST time filming with him and are ever inspired by his story. We know you'll be inspired too!   Jimmy was raised Catholic and became disillusioned with his religion. He lost his believe in God and for a few years, was scrutinized for his lack of belief. He was in an awful depression that led to thoughts of suicide. However, by God's hand, Jimmy eventually found the LDS Church and was baptized, despite disapproval from his family.  Jimmy says to the audience, “If I could tell anyone who is considering joining the Church anything it’s this: If you’re scared because of how your parents or your friends may react and you go through with it, don’t give up on them.”

In this episode, Dan joins us to talk about epistemology! Epistemology is a fancy word for determining what is belief, justified belief, and knowledge. Ultimately, it's how we determine what is true.   Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church or the LDS Church) are sometimes accused of being 'brainwashed,' yet Dan illustrates the ways in which we come to discover what is true for ourselves.   Have you ever wondered if what you believe is actually true or if you're just convincing yourself of its validity? When discovering truths, we will (and should) frequently question our methods by which we are determining what is true. In this episode, Dan lays out the important methods by which we can determine truth by using an example of a courtroom. He says that each method (each person on the jury) shouldn't be neglected (that each should have a seat at the table) because of the impact they have on our thought processes to determine truth. A few of the 'seats' include: Logic, Witness Testimony, Intuition, Ecclesiastical Authority, Personal Revelation, Beauty, Scholarly Authority, and Experience

Because families are a HUGE element of LDS doctrine, young Mormons often think about the kind of person with whom they want to have a family.   Do Mormons only look to date and marry other Mormons? This is hard to answer, Kwaku says. While he doesn't necessarily only date Mormons, he does want to marry someone who is a Mormon. David says that it's important to have similar values and core beliefs with those whom you date, though religion should not pull the two of you further apart. Mimi agree with Kwaku and David. She also makes a jab at David's nerdy-ness, which we always love ;)

Have you ever been so hurt by someone that you find it ludicrous to forgive them? Have you ever felt so broken that you just don't know if you can ever forgive them? Have you ever done something you knew was wrong and now don't feel like you deserve forgiveness?   As you might recall, Jesus Christ told us to forgive EVERYONE. In Doctrine and Covenants 64:10, the Lord says, "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."   Justin talks about how it's okay to feel pain and to be hurt. But we need to avoid dwelling on the pain if it is negatively affecting our thoughts and actions on a day to day basis. There comes a time when we must forgive. We need to forgive because we love Christ and his desire is for us to forgive. Forgiving will allow us to love God's children and in doing so, come closer to Him.   True forgiveness isn't always easy! And, as Kwaku mentions, might take years to finally feel like you've fully forgiven or been forgiving. But the progress is the most important element in becoming more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ preformed many mighty miracles when he walked the earth. And since the time of Christ, miracles continue to take place day after day. Today we talk about 3 miracles since the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church).   Members of the Church ('Mormons') believe that the power of Jesus Christ is on the earth and that His power is actively used to perform miracles every single day. Miracles of healing, restoring, and fulfilling happen more often than we can keep track.   Mimi, Justin, and Kwaku talk about their favorite miracles from the past 200 years.

General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon Church or the LDS Church) has just ended and seems to elicit a common question: Can prophets be imperfect? And when is a prophet wrong?  In this episode, David talks about how God uses imperfect people to carry forth his perfect work. He talks about how just as well all make mistakes, being human, the prophet is prone to making mistakes as well. Mimi and Kwaku both agree that we need to cut each other some slack when it comes to making mistakes. Mimi further emphasizes that God will never allow the prophet to put us on the wrong path where God can no longer direct His Church. It will always be directed by him.