Hi, I'm Alan

I'm a neurology resident. I love brains. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am a husband and a father. I am a musician, a songwriter, and a Linux user. I am a doctor in training, and I love the nervous system. I am a total geek.

Why I am a Mormon

I grew up in this Church, but that is not why I'm still here.

As a youth I struggled to decide whether I would believe and live the principles of my religion, or whether I would follow some other philosophies I found in the world. I felt intuitively that the gospel gave sound advice on how to live my life: avoid self-destructive behaviors, be nice to other people, etc. But I did not know whether I believed in God, and I felt that if there was no God, then life didn't have any real meaning or purpose.

In the middle of this struggle within my soul I found two verse which nudged me along. The first was in The Book of Mormon, in the writings of a prophet named Alma. He recorded some teachings he gave to a group of people who were a lot like me: interested, but without much faith. He instructed:

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. (Alma 32:27)"

These words appealed to me because they suggested a starting place I could attain; I did not feel like I had any faith, but I did have a desire to believe. Alma also phrased his challenge in the form of an experiment, which appealed to my scientific side. Something moved within my soul, and I decided to "experiment upon the word." This experiment gave meaning and purpose to my prayers, and within a short time I began to recognize the emotions and sensations which are produced by the Holy Spirit. This was evidence to me that God is real, and that he both knows me and cares about me. I felt that he was listening to my prayers, and answering them by sending his Spirit to me. As I continued my experiment I found that Alma's promise was true: "It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. (Alma 32:28)"

The second verse I encountered a few months later, as I was struggling to decide what I was going to do about this change that was happening within me. I found that I was easily distracted from the gospel by many things which competed for my attention, such as work, music, and friends. As I focused my attention on these other things and neglected my personal religious observance, that feeling of being close to God would fade away and I would start questioning again whether I really believed in God. During this time I read a comment made by Joseph Smith about the opposition and ridicule he faced after he told people about his vision where he saw God and Jesus Christ. He said:

"I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation. (Joseph Smith-History 1:25)"

The thing that struck me in this statement was how firmly Joseph stood behind his experience. He knew it was true, and knew that God knew it. As I thought about this statement I began to see myself in it: I was in possession of evidence; I had experienced the reality of God. In short, I had a testimony. It was therefore my duty to act upon this knowledge, and I felt that God would be offended if I denied my witness.

These two important lessons became the starting place for a wonderful journey in the gospel, which I am still enjoying. I believe and know with all of my heart that God is real, that he knows me, and that he cares about me. It requires effort to know God, but that is true of every worthwhile thing in life. I testify from my own experience that God is real, and I promise you that it is worth every effort to know him.

Personal Stories

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

Many of the good things in my life can be tied back to my mission. It was during the serious preparation for my mission that my conviction of the gospel began to blossom, and that is when I really started to love the scriptures. I served in England, and my two years there were a wonderful and life-changing experience for me, one that I wish every person in the world could have. During my mission I faced opposition, many setbacks, and countless rejections, but a few people listened and accepted and believed, and I was able to witness miracles happen in the lives of those people. Not the smallest miracle was the one which happened in my own soul. Serving as a missionary brought focus to my life, which has helped me in countless ways since I have returned home. Without the experience of my mission I could not have been as successful in my education and work, or in starting my own family.

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

My wife and I have scripture time every night with all of the kids. We take turns reading the verses, and the children who are old enough to read have their own books. The ones who are not old enough can repeat their verses a phrase at a time. I remember doing this almost every evening with my family when I was a kid, and it helped me a lot when I struggled through adolescence to have so much experience with and knowledge of the scriptures. I hope that my own children will be strengthened and helped by doing this too.

How I live my faith

I served a 2-year full-time mission for the Church in England starting when I was 19 years old. I have also been involved with teaching teenage boys, working with local missionaries, taking care of very young children during Church meetings, and many other jobs. Currently I am teaching a Sunday school class, which is a great and wonderful challenge. Every time I teach I pray for help to teach with the Spirit, and with the understanding also (1 Corinthians 14:15).

Are Mormons Christians?

Alan answered...

I consider myself a Christian. I define a Christian as a person who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. A Christian is someone who centers their faith on Christ, who worships him and looks to him for salvation, believing that no other person or thing can save them. This is what we believe, and exactly what our scriptures teach. Some people try to say that Mormons are not Christians, and I don't understand this. In order to claim that Mormons are not Christians, you have to employ a meaningless definition of "Christianity."
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Chad answered...

In the truest sense of the word, most certainly yes!
The main belief of the mormon church is that of Christ and His Atonement for mankind. We believe that anybody who wants to can be saved through Christ's Sacrifice for us.
Without Christ, our church would be meaningless, void, and pointless. He is the core of this church. In fact, He is the leader and head of this church.
Some people say we don't believe in Christ, but I wholeheartedly disagree; Christ is everything to us - He rescues us from sin and fear, He is the reason for our being.
We celebrate and rejoice in His life and works and know that He lives today! Christ is risen and is ready to help us in our lives.

Can husband and wife be together forever? Do you believe that families will live together in heaven?

Matt answered...

The Lord would not command us to love each other so much during our lives only to tear us apart in the next life. We are one flesh just as the Lord is one with his church. The scriptures say that we are not to be put asunder.
Christ gave his apostles special revelations on this subject:
Matthew, Chapter 16:
Jesus said to his apostles:
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

What else would his apostles bind, and what else could the Savior mean, if not marriages? Christ put no limit on their binding power to bind relationships and covenants. Their power extends into heaven.
And he continued by saying:
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
– because some things are kept sacred until later times when the world is ready to receive them.
Temple sealing and eternal marriage are primarily the subject of modern revelation through prophets in our time.

In the latter days, according to prophecy, Elijah has returned to join families together. Malachi 4:5-6. We believe that prophets in each age bring new revelation from God. Amos 3:7.
This latter day revelation has finally made clear how families are kept together in heaven—something people have wondered about throughout the ages. (Ephesians 5:32, wherein it says that the subject of marriage in Biblical times was “a great mystery”). In our time, the purpose of marriage and family is clear: ordinances are being performed to unite the whole human family throughout all dispensations of time. It is a unique work for the latter days. These modern revelations free human kind from the depressing, and divorce-promoting idea that the family becomes meaningless in the life hereafter. The Lord would not put us in a world so alien to our heavenly home. In heaven, families are the eternal organizational unit in his kingdom.