Hi, I'm Allie Elisabeth

I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I love music, poetry, art, and writing; I've been playing the piano since I was 5 and I used to work as a singer. At college I studied environmental science, and now I do political stuff: campaigning, media analysis, policy things. I love being involved in my community because I love the people around me and I love America.

Why I am a Mormon

I'm a Mormon because I know this church is true--the truest church on earth. To not be a practicing member would deny my faith in Jesus Christ.

I know this church is true because I have prayed about it, and I have experimented with it. In the Book of Mormon, the word "experiment" comes up a lot--way more than you would probably think. But the prophets from the Book of Mormon have challenged us to test the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as explained in the Book of Mormon, and see for ourselves if they're not true.

So I've tested. I've tried living the principles. I've tried tithing regularly, and I've tried giving selfless service. I've thought deeply about the ideas behind baptism and I've repented of my sins. Trying all those things, and thinking about all these things, gives you a deeper perspective on the Gospel. And above all, praying about these things after you've tried and studied them can give you a true testimony of the Gospel.

I have friends out there who flat-out deny the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ this church claims to have--and you know? They've never read the Book of Mormon. They won't bother praying about it. The ones who have read the Book of Mormon don't ask God Himself if it's true or not--they'd rather trust their own pride than just ask God.

It always bothers me because, really, if it's true, then why wouldn't you do anything it took to find out for yourself? And if it's not true, then no harm done. You just learned about another person's religion. But if it is true--if Christ leads a church today, and if we have modern-day prophets, and if the heavens are open and the fulness of truth is on the earth--then why wouldn't you want to know it for yourself? Why wouldn't you read the book, and ask God with all your heart to tell you if it is or isn't true? Maybe He'll tell you it's not true, but you'll never know for yourself unless you ask God, with faith in Jesus Christ, having studied the Book of Mormon.

I've done those things, and that's how I know for myself that it's all true. I have felt the warmth of the Holy Ghost testifying to my heart. I have heard the still, small voice whisper to me that Jesus is the Christ and that He has a plan for me, and for all of us. I have felt the Spirit witness to me of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I know it is true.

God can't lie. And He wants to answer your prayers. I testify to you that if you read the Book of Mormon, and ask God with faith in Jesus Christ if it's true, God will tell you what you need to hear--if you have an open mind and heart. You really don't have to take my word on anything here; but you should be taking God's word on it. Remember James 1:5: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." That's from the Bible. I urge you to trust it. If you lack wisdom when it comes to whether or not Christ's truths have been restored, ask God. He can tell you as He has told me: this church is true.

Personal Stories

What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

My family is pretty unique. My older brother is dying of an undiagnosed disease, and it makes our family life pretty hard.

I'm married now, so I have a family of my own to balance out, but I'm doing my best to make both my old and my new family successful. My husband and I take turns caring for my older brother, so my younger brother can serve his mission, and my younger sister can go to college, and my parents can still have moments to themselves. In turn, my parents help us so my husband and I can get out of the house sometimes.

Caring for my brother is only part of it, though. That is the outer manifestation of something far more important: our spiritual strivings. We read our scriptures and study them, and try to apply them in our lives. I don't know if we could care for my brother as much as he needs, if we didn't have Christ's example and leadership to guide us. And also if we didn't have the strength from our friends at church. In a lot of ways, our congregation is a big family, and basically everyone in the ward has helped my family at one point or another when we needed it--and sometimes when we didn't. Their love has really gotten us through some hard parts, but I know too that their love is just a reflection of Christ's love. I don't think they could have shown such compassion for us in our situation were it not for Christ's example.

Strengthening our family comes down to Christ: seeking Him, loving Him, trying to be like Him. We couldn't do it without Him.

Can you think of a specific challenge in your family that Gospel Principles helped overcome?

I feel like all I do on here is write about my brother! But he's so important to me. My older brother is a pretty big challenge in my family. He can't walk, or talk, or eat, or use a restroom. We do everything for him. Every day. Last year when he broke his hip, it wasn't just a matter of caring for him all day every day; my mother and I had to take turns staying up with him all night, too, to make sure he didn't hurt himself while he was sleeping.

We're still dealing with this challenge, but the only way we can deal with it is with Christ. Christ's love and example has sustained us through it all. Every time I feel like I can't keep going, I read my scriptures or pray and remember that Christ would do it. Christ loves my brother, and He loves me, and I need to do His will. Christ can't be here to physically lift my brother into his wheelchair, or massage his hands or feet, but aren't we the body of Christ? Am I not His hands?

Caring for my brother has really helped me develop my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and I don't know what I would do if I didn't have the full Gospel of Christ to help me out day by day. So I guess I can't pinpoint one specific principle that has helped me overcome my challenges, beyond this one: Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Helper. Without Him we are nothing, but with Him, we can do anything.

How does making right choices help us make more right choices?

When I make correct decisions, I know that I've done the right thing--because a lot of times, the Holy Ghost testifies of it to me. I feel that calm peace, or I hear that still small voice literally whispering to me that I've done the right thing. When I make choices that lead to experiences like that, I only want to feel that more. Feel like I've done something right. It's infinitely better than making a wrong or stupid choice, and then regretting it afterward. Even though through the Atonement we can repent, I'd rather just not make bad choices in the first place.

How has your knowledge of the Plan of Happiness changed/benefited your life?

My older brother is severely handicapped--every day of my life, he's been dying, of a disease so rare that doctors have never been able to diagnose it. It has been heartbreaking to watch him, since the day I was born, struggle just to live. He can't walk, or talk, or eat, or use a bathroom. He lives in a hospital bed in our living room.

If I thought that this life was the end for him, I don't think I could do it. Do any of it. Take care of him every day, pull myself out of bed in the morning, or even smile. It's only the knowledge of the Plan of Happiness that has made my life bearable. It means the world to me to know that someday, my brother will be made whole. Someday, he'll be able to talk and laugh with me, and we can be brother and sister forever and rejoice in that relationship, and in our relationship with Christ. Someday every thing we've suffered together, both physically and mentally, we'll be rewarded for. We will be healed and we will be rewarded for sticking with each other and with Christ through it all.

But not only is my life bearable because of this--it's joyful. I can truly, honestly say that I am happy, even though I come home from work every day and clean body fluid off the floor and chair and hospital bed, and deal with drool and feed my brother through a hole in his stomach. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve him in this life, and so grateful that someday, through Jesus Christ, we can all be healed. Some days I have to cry, and mourn for the sorrows of this life, but at the end of the day, I am so grateful for the knowledge that it's all worth it. There is a better tomorrow, and I know it with all my heart.

What have you done successfully to shield your family from unwanted influences?

In my family, I can't think of anything specific that we've done, necessarily, to shield ourselves from unwanted influences--it's all been about who we are. Who my parents raised us to become.

In my family, we don't watch bad movies because we don't want to. We read good books because we want to. We take care of our bodies with exercise and good nutrition because we like to. We keep the commandments because we want to.

But I do think that any family can make themselves a family that wants to be good. Every day of my young life, my mother read to us from the scriptures. We prayed and read together as a family. We went to church every week. Every night my mother would teach us to love being good. She would teach through example, and she would teach with stories from the scriptures. And I know that on a personal level, I have always prayed to want to be good. I think that is a more powerful prayer than asking to just plain be good--because wanting to be good changes your heart.

Whenever I struggle with wanting to do something that would be bad for myself or my family, I ask God to change my heart, to change my desires. If I don't want to do bad things, the chances are higher that I won't do them. And if I actively desire to read my scriptures daily, and tithe regularly, and keep the commandments, what could possibly stop me? I know that God has the power to change our hearts--but we need to want it and we need to ask for it. And then we need to let Him change us, even if it's hard.

Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?

I've never served an official mission for the Church, but my husband, brother, and father have.

From my perspective, missions are fantastic. They turn wimpy boys into spiritually and physically self-reliant men. Every day I see boys who didn't serve missions, and the girls who have to deal with them: my friends' boyfriends, and guys they hang out with. It's amazing what a difference two years serving God makes. These 19-year-old boys--and girls too--give their whole lives to the Lord during their missions. They even pay for the opportunity. They don't get to contact home very often, and they don't get a vacation. Every day, it's the Lord's work. And only the Lord's work, if they're doing it right.

I haven't served an official mission, but on another level I believe that I am as much of a missionary as my brother on his mission. I don't have a nametag, and I'm not knocking on doors every day, but I give service. I testify to my friends about Jesus Christ, and I try to live my life in such a way that people can see Him through me. In the Church we have a saying: "Every member a missionary." I love it. And I think it's true. If you truly have faith in Christ, you are automatically a missionary, because who can have true faith in our Savior, and not share His Gospel with the world?

Could you talk about your baptism?

I was baptized when I was eight. I guess I'm unusual, because ever since that day I've always remembered the date. A lot of people I meet can't tell you exactly when they were baptized. But that date is important to me.

I remember feeling loved. More than anything else, I knew I was loved. My family was around me, from my grandparents to my brothers and sister, and my little friends from church. My grandparents spoke about the Holy Ghost, and what it means to have the Spirit of the Lord with you whenever you're living worthy of it. I think I sang a song about getting baptized--I Love to Look for Rainbows. It's a song about how baptism is like a rainbow: after the rain, the world is washed clean, and in response the world displays a rainbow. To me, baptism was really like that. I went into the water as one person, and came out clean. I felt like a little rainbow; I felt God's love for me. Just writing about it makes me feel it all over again. It is a miraculous feeling, to walk into the water as a sinner, and come out clean and forgiven of your sins, a beautiful rainbow in God.

How I live my faith

I live my faith every day. At church, I help take care of the young women, ages 12-14. I teach them about Jesus Christ and try to be a good example for them.

At home and at work, I am honest in all my dealings. I try to be kind to others so they can feel God's love for them through me.

I am politically active, because I know that religious freedom is always under attack. I do my best to stay involved in current events so that I can protect my and others' rights to believe in and worship God as we see fit. I do everything I can to protect the Constitution, which according to LDS beliefs, is sacred and was inspired by God. I believe it is my obligation to myself, to God, and even to you, to do my best to keep our rights protected and our Constitution upheld.

Everything I am, though, I credit to Jesus Christ. Without His sacrifice for me, I would be nowhere. Without my relationship with Him, I would be lost. He is my Savior and my Redeemer, and every day I try to find a way to serve Him. I know that every good thing in my life today, comes straight from Him and my Heavenly Father. Knowing this makes me live my faith--because faith isn't just a belief, it's an action.

Why are Mormons asked to donate 10% of their income to their Church?

Allie Elisabeth answered...

Mormons donate 10% of their income to the Church for the same reason any God-fearing, Bible-reading Christian does: God has told us to in the Bible. Most notably, in Malachi 3:8-10. Will a man rob God? Well, not if he's a Christian. Bible-reading believers understand that tithing is essential for two reasons: 1) because if we don't pay tithing as outlined in the Bible, we are "robbing" God, and 2) God has challenged us to test him and see that if we pay tithing, He will bless us so much there will not be room enough in our lives to receive all our blessings.

I know for myself that the law of tithing works. I challenge you today, whoever you are, to try it. Pay 10% of your last paycheck to God--however that means to you. Send it to your pastor, your priest, your local animal shelter or whatever, however you think God would want you to spend that money. And see how God pours out the blessings on you. Great blessings await anyone who shows faith--and tithing is an easy way to show your faith. All it is is money. And God wants to bless you. You just have to live by His laws.
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Kristen answered...

This is nothing new, nor is it exclusive to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Many faiths practice alms or a tithe, including Islam and Sikhism.

A voluntary religious contribution of 10% is a tithe or tithing. This type of offering is mentioned many times in the both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the book of Genesis, chapter 28 verse 22, the ancient patriarch Jacob covenanted with the Lord, "and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."

Everything we have, our lives, the earth and everything in it, have been given freely to us by a loving Father in Heaven. He asks only a small portion in return to help build his kingdom on the earth.

When my husband and I were first married, we decided to make paying a 10% tithe a top financial priority, and it has been a great blessing to us through the years. In Malachi, chapter 3 verse 10 it states, "Bring yea ll the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you thei windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." This has certainly been the case with us.

I realize that 10% of one's income can seem like a large sacrifice. However, when the law of the tithe is kept, it serves as a portal through which great blessings (both tangible and intangible) can flow. The Lord always finds a way to bless those who do what He asks them to do.

What is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' attitude regarding homosexuality and same sex marriage?

Miriam answered...

We believe that all sexual activity should be reserved for marriage and that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

We do not deny anyone the right to choose. Hate has no place in our church.