My Beliefs (Parts 8-11)

These are the eighth through eleventh questions from the Belief-O-Matic. My answers, and why I chose them, follow.

Question #8
Worship:
-The Supreme Power, God or Gods.
-God - three persons of one essence.
-God the Father, His Son, the Holy Spirit - each a distinct essence.
-Not applicable.

I have been taught all my life that God the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are separate from each other, but make up the Godhead together. When I pray, I pray to God, in the name of Jesus Christ, and listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
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Question #9
Baptism (or initiation) ceremonies:
-Required
-Not required
-Not applicable

I was baptised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when I was eight years old. I suppose that, were I to choose to join another religion, I'd like to have some sort of formal welcome, be it through a baptism or another form of initiation. I think it would make me feel as if I were really a part of that particular community.
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Question #10
Regularly confess or repent:
-All sins/wrongs to a cleric
-All sins/wrongs, but not neccessarily to a cleric.
-Not applicable.

I don't think that you need confess every little slip-up to a cleric. With some things, a confession between yourself and God/the Universe is enough to suffice. I think it's the bigger sins you need to think more about bringing up to whatever clergy person you look to for guidance.
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Question #11
Doing good works/deeds and acting compassionately is:
-Necessary
-Not necessary
-Not applicable

I think it's absolutely necessary to to good things for others. The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", is one of the most quoted and universal commandments out there, no matter the religion or society. Then there's the parable told by Jesus in the New Testament, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my bretheren, ye have done it unto Me." We have to remember that every person on this earth is a child of God, no matter what kind of person they are.

My Beliefs (Part 7)

This is the seventh question from the Belief-O-Matic. My answer, and why I chose it, follows.

Question #7
Why is there so much suffering in the world? Choose ALL that apply.

-The originl disobedience of Adam and Eve caused all minkind to inherit mortality, which includes bodily imperfection, illness, and decay.
-Suffering is part of God's divine will, plan, or design (to discipline, test, challenge, strengthen faith, strenghten character, promote moral growth, or for reasons that we cannot or may not know).
-Suffering is a state of mind (or illusion); only our spiritual nature is real.
-Spiritual or cosmic imbalance and disharmony may result in suffering.
-Unwholsome thoughts and/or deeds (greed, hatred, and violence) in this or prior lives return as suffering (karma).
-None of the above; human suffering has nothing to do with the supernatural or karma.

I chose the first two options because they're closest to what I was taught, and they make sense to me. I felt a little tug towards the karma option, but I can't quite make myself choose that option.

There are consequences to the actions we take each day. If you jump off the roof of a two story building, chances are you are going to be injured and have to suffer for it. Sometimes just one thing can happen to you, say develop an infection, and you can suffer for years because of it. (You can ask my husband about this, as it's something that has happened to him.) In the first case, you have to learn from your mistakes and either never do it again, or take better precautions before doing it again. In the second case, this bought of suffering could be a lesson in patience (which this certainly has been).

I know there are infinitely more cases of suffering in the world besides broken bones and chronic pain. The phrase, "or reasons that we cannot or may not know" tends to be my main thought when something bad happens to someone else. I don't see why my husband has to go through the pain and suffering he's going through. I don't know when he'll be free of the pain, or whether it will be through a cure, management, or death. I have to believe that there's a reason he's going through this, and that I just have to wait it out and see.

(Okay, I didn't set out to make this personal, but I can't think of another way to end this post at the moment. If I do, I'll be sure to update it.)

My Beliefs (Parts 5 and 6)

These are the fifth and sixth questions from the Belief-O-Matic. My answers, and why I chose them, follow.

Question #5
Why is there terrible wrongdoing in the world? Choose one.

-Humans inherited sinfulness, or a damaged nature, or tendency to yield to Satan's temptations from Adam and Eve, who commited the original sin against God.
-Wrongdoing results from God-given free will plus a weak side, or a drive to satisfy personal needs, which sometimes results in wrongful choices (and/or vulnerability to Satan's temptations).
-Ignorance of one's true existence as pure spirit and as one with the Universal Truth (or soul, mind, etc.), can lead to wrongdoing.
-Not listening to the voice of God, who resides within all, can lead to wrongdoing.
-Egoism (self-importance) leads to desire, craving, and attachments, which can lead to unwholsome thoughts and behavior, i.e., greed, hate, and violence.
-No supernatural or spiritual reasons. Human nature, psychology, sociology, criminology, etc., explain wrongdoing. Or not sure. Or not important.
-None of the above.

We don't believe that it was a terrible thing for Adam and Eve to eat the fruit. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have been able to have children, and would never know good or evil. We believe that we came here to Earth with free agency: to choose for ourselves what we'll do in life.
I can also agree with the fourth statement. While I don't necessarily believe that God Himself is in all of us, I do believe that the Holy Ghost is always with us, who is known as the spirit of God.
I also agree with the fifth statement. We know the difference between good and evil, and can choose between the two. One of the most well-known scripture in the LDS church is in the Book of Mormon. Mosiah 3:18 starts out by saying that "the natural man is an enemy to God". (In that sense, I can agree with that particular portion of the sixth option.) Even at a young age, children are greedy, they lie, steal, hurt others. If we let our negative emotions get in the way, we can choose to do wrong instead of right.
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Question #6
Satan's presence results in much suffering.
-Agree
-Disagree
-Not applicable

Admittedly, this is something I've been taught as a child, though I can't say for sure that it does, having not being in a position to personally experience it. Nevertheless, I can't help but believe that this is true.

My Beliefs (Part 4)

This is the fourth question from the Belief-O-Matic. My answer, and why I chose it, follows.

Question #4
What happens to humans after death? Choose one.

-Souls are judged immediately for a foretaste of heaven or hell. At the final judgement, God (or Christ) will ressurect and judge all for heaven or hell. (Or souls may also be judged for punishment and/or purification before heaven.)
-Death results in unconsciousness until, at the final judgement, God (or Christ) will raise the living righteous to heaven; resurrect and destroy the wicked on earth; return the righteous paradisal earth for eternity.
-Souls don't survive death. God (or Christ) will resurrect the righteous at the final judgement for eternity in heaven or on a paradisal earth; the wicked will remain dead.
-The soul's spiritual development continues after death so that all may eventually experience the indescribable closeness to God. Hell is not a place but the tormented state of remoteness from God.
-Rebirths occur (continually, or until all life's lessons are learned and one merges with the life force, or until complete enlightenment and eternal bliss are obtained).
-There is definitely an afterlife, but the specifics cannot be known or are unimportant--most important is one's conduct in life.
-No afterlife; no spiritual existence beyond life; noliteral heaven or hell. Or not sure. Or not important.
-None of the above.

I chose the first answer because it's closest to what I've been taught. I also would have included the fourth option if I were given the opportunity to choose more than one. I've heard it said that we can continue to better ourselves once we get to the other side, and I think that being out of God's presence could be miserable.

I love to read near-death experiences and about what people have seen when they pass through the veil of mortality. The ones I've read all seem to include the same things: being greeted by loved ones, sometimes seeing deity or an angel, the life review, and all that. Yes, I know that out-of-body experiences have been induced, but some NDEs are so complex, I can't believe that they're just something that happens, or that they're all rubbish. Plus, I don't believe that we just cease to exist after death. I and many others I know have had too many experiences to believe that there is no afterlife.

My Beliefs (Part 3)

This is the third question from the Belief-O-Matic. My answer, and why I chose it, follows.

Question #3
What are the origins of the physical universe and life on earth? Choose one.

-As in the book of Genesis, God created a mature universe and mature life forms from nothing in less than 7 days, less than 10,000 years.
-As in the book of Genesis, but "day" is not 24 hours, possibly refers to thousands (or even millions) of years, or to creation phases.
-God is creating and controlling the phenomena uncovered by scientists. Or there are other spiritual explanations, not in conflict with scientific discovery.
-Al matter and lifeforms are manifestations (or illusions) of the eternal Absolute (Ultimate Truth, Universal Soul or Mind, etc.)
-Only natural forces (like evolution) and no Creator or spiritual forces. Or not sure. Or not important.
-None of the above.

This particular question asks you to pick only one answer, but I would have picked two if I could. I also would have picked the next answer: "God is creating and controlling the phenomena uncovered by scientists. Or there are other spiritual explanations, not in conflict with scientific discovery." I also think that evolution works itself in there somewhere, but since I don't agree with the rest of the answer, I didn't choose that one.

I'm not quite sure where else to go with this, but if I think of something later, then I'll add on to this post.

My Beliefs (Part 2)

This is the second question from the Belief-O-Matic. My answer, and why I chose it, follows.

Question #2
Are there human incarnation(s) of God (or of gods/goddesses)? Choose one.

-God is (or gods/goddesses are) supreme, and no incarnations.
-One incarnation.
-Many (or countless) incarnations.
-No particular incarnations because God is all and all are God (or God is in all).
-No incarnations as there is no God. Or not sure. Or not important.
-None of the above.

I had to think about my answer to this question. I would have gone with "God is supreme, and no incarnations" because I don't believe in the Trinity and don't believe that God took on the form of Christ on earth and went back to heaven after His death to be part of the formless mist that is God.

But at the same time, Jesus himself (seperate from God the Father) took on a mortal body, died, and returned again to heaven. I've also been told that Jesus was, more often than not, the God (Jehovah) mentioned in the Old Testament. That makes me believe there was one incarnation of God, just not in the way that most of Christendom believes.