Hi, I'm Ryan

I'm a grad student and a Mormon.

About Me

First off, I'm a husband and a father. My son is awesome. I'm also a grad student in Information Systems, so a lot of my interests are in technical things. I enjoy playing with computers and learning pretty much any new computer-related skill.

Why I am a Mormon

I grew up going to this Church. My dad joined the Church when I was about 3 years old (I think, it was a long time ago). That doesn't really explain why I still go, though.

I continue to go to Church and do what I do because I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. God has called prophets today in the same way he called them in ancient times. These prophets receive inspiration from Heavenly Father to help us through the difficult times today.

I also firmly believe that the Book of Mormon truly is scripture. It witnesses of Christ and was written by his prophets on the American continent. This book was translated to English by Joseph Smith, who was given direction and revelation from God to do so.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that only through his atonement can we be cleansed of our sins and be permitted to live with God again.

Personal Stories

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

I served a mission from 2004-2006 in the Texas McAllen Mission. I spent time in Sinton, Brownsville, Laredo, McAllen, Port Isabel, and Harlingen teaching people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a wonderful opportunity for me as I learned more from daily scripture study. Just like with any subject, you learn the Gospel better when you teach it to others.

How I live my faith

I've done a lot of different things for Church. We currently help other people get more out of their time at church by watching the little ones during the last two hours of church. It's fun to teach the littlest kids about the Gospel, even though I'm sure most of them don't remember any of it after about 3 minutes.

Who wrote the Book of Mormon?

Ryan answered...

The Book of Mormon is sort of like the Bible, but it was written on the American continent. It was written by the spiritual leaders, or prophets, of people living here from about 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. It also contains the account of a group of people who came to America during the time of the Tower of Babel. It provides a history of the people who lived here, but most important it teaches of their belief in Jesus Christ. It is a complement to the Bible that serves as another witness of Jesus Christ.
Casey Dickson answered...

The Book of Mormon is a record of the ancient inhabitants of America, and their dealings with God; namely, the native Americans. God is no respector of persons; He loves all His children. He wants us all to make it back to live with Him; the Book of Mormon is proof to me that God loves all people of all nations; why would he only give His Word to just the Children of Israel?
The Book of Mormon was written by the prophets that were called of God on the American Continent; they too testifed that Jesus is the Christ, and he would surely come to redeem us from our sins. The book gets it's name from the prophet Mormon, who collected the individual records kept by prophets throughout the centuries, and complied them into one volume, written on gold plates. He gave them to his son, Moroni, who buried them in a hill by what is now known as Upstate New York. Centuries later, a young man named Joseph Smith, who wanted to know which church was true, had a vision of God the Father and His Son, who told him the truth was lost over the years, and he would be a tool in the Lord's hands to restore what was lost. A few years later, that same Moroni who buried the plates, visited Joseph as an angel of the Lord, and directed him to the ancient record. Through the gift on power of God, he was able to translate the book into English. The Book of Mormon helps us understand the fullness of the Gospel; with the Bible, we can discover God's will for us.

Why do some call Mormonism a cult?

Elizabeth answered...

It's funny, I used to call the Mormon Church a cult too. I just didn't understand it.

Mormonism isn't weird or strange. Its members don't perform satanic rituals or brainwash teenage boys into walking around from door to door in suits and name tags (nor is anyone forced to -- everyone who chooses to serve a mission does so out of their own free will and choice).
I used to call Mormonism a cult because it seemed foreign and unfamiliar, which I deemed scary. The same thing happened to Jesus' first followers as well: they were accused of cult worship too! Others who understood little of what Mormons truly believe told me lies about so-called "practices" in the church which, in reality, were just made-up stories and falsehoods intended to give the church a bad name.
When it comes down to it, a lot of people just don't understand this church, and lies about it spread like wildfire. Mormons believe that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world, plain and simple.
Is that so weird or cultish?
Today, there are close to fourteen million members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide, and more live outside of the United States than inside. That doesn't seem very cult-like to me!