Hi, I'm Charlotte

I'm a mom of 5. I am a fitness fanatic. I'm a writer. And I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I like to tell people that the purpose of my life is to serve as a cautionary tale to others but really it's because I'm all about learning and to learn you have to make mistakes. Sometimes very public ones. Good thing I'm not easily embarrassed!

Why I am a Mormon

Wife. Mother. Friend. Fitness Junkie. Author. Sister. Writer. Spaz. Recovering disordered eater. Daughter. Teacher. Activist. I have many titles that I wear proudly in my life but the one that means the most to me is Latter Day Saint, or Mormon. This distinction is so important to me because the religion, and the knowledge I have gained from it about our Heavenly Father's plan for His children, informs every other choice in my life. Before I am anything else, I am a daughter of God, a servant of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I was born LDS but I have had to find my own testimony of what I believe. I struggled for many years chasing an ideal of perfection - beauty, achievement, fame - that I was told by the media and others would make me happy but instead it only made me hate myself. I never felt good enough. Ultimately I have come to discover that the more I follow what the Lord tells me, the happier I am, no matter what the circumstances in my life. The closer I come to Him, the more I have been able to feel the redeeming power of His love, the strength of His vision for me and the saving grace of the greatest gift I have ever received: The Atonement of Jesus Christ. It's hard living in this world and being bombarded with negative messages about myself, who I am, what I do and what I look like but there is an answer, a refuge, a relief from the barrage. It is the Plan of Salvation. It is knowing that I am of intrinsic worth not because of anything I do but because of who I am and who I've always been and always will be. I'm me. I'm created, beloved and treasured by my Heavenly Father.

I am a Mormon because here is where I have found peace and happiness and safety.

How I live my faith

I try to live my faith in everything that I do! I'm very open about who I am and what I believe and why I choose to be a Mormon. I've adored working with teen girls both in church and in the community at the schools and as a volunteer at a battered women's shelter. Currently I teach the women's group at church which is awesome and often hilarious. I also love being active in the community whether it's on a smaller scale like bring soup and socks (I love socks! Doesn't everyone?) to a sick friend or on a larger scale like helping to organize a fundraiser for a friend in need of a bone marrow transplant. Right now I'm competing in a fitness-blogger challenge for charity.

Are Mormons Christians?

Charlotte answered...

Living in a place where Mormons are a small minority, this is probably the question I get asked the most. For me, nothing is more sacred and personal than my relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe he was born of Mary and is the Son of God. I believe he suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross on Calvary so that all of us might be saved by the gift of His atonement. I believe he was resurrected three days later and that he will come again. I absolutely whole-heartedly believe in and love Jesus and am teaching my children to do the same.

Generally though, I've found that when people ask me this question more often they are asking what makes Mormons different from other Christians. There are 3 major differences: 1) We believe that God, the father, Jesus, his son and the Holy Ghost are distinct beings (the first two having a body of flesh and blood, the third being a spirit) that are united in purpose. So, we don't believe in the concept of the "Trinity." 2) We believe in an open cannon, meaning that God still reveals scripture. We believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God but we have companion scriptures as well that we believe are holy and inspired, most notably "The Book of Mormon." It is another testament of Jesus Christ, in addition to the Bible. 3)We believe that God still talks to man. Revelation didn't stop with the prophets in the Bible. When Christ's church was restored through Joseph Smith, prophets once again returned to the earth. We having a living prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson, to whom God speaks. In addition, we believe in personal revelation. Rather than telling people they must follow unquestioningly like sheep, Mormons are encouraged to ask God themselves about doctrine, actions and anything else they are concerned about. He answers prayers.
Richie answered...

Yes. We believe Jesus Christ is our Savior and we follow His teachings. We believe He is essential for salvation.

Do Mormons practice polygamy?

Doug answered...

The short answer: no.

The fun answer: I am always a bit surprised when I get asked whether Mormon's practice polygamy, especially since it is a point of pride among Mormons that we tend to be more "monogomous" than the general population - the divorce rate among Mormons is much lower than it is among non-Mormons, hence marriage to a second, third, or fourth husband or wife is much less likely.

The informative answer: In the first half of the 19th century and beginning with Joseph Smith, the founding Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Lord commanded certain men to take more than one wife for reasons that are known in full only to God himself. These men and women sought in faith to live the commandments of God as they were taught by the Prophets of God. The practice of plural marriage continued in a highly organized and church-sanctioned fashion until the Lord commanded that the practice be discontinued in the year 1890.

I am a descendant of the fourth wife of one such man. I have read his journals and heard accounts of his day to day interactions with his family and friends. He was a good and an honest man, as were most if not all of the men to whom the command was given from the Lord to take more than one wife, both in the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in Biblical times.