Hi, I'm Patrick

I'm a fourth generation member of the LDS Church. I live in the panhandle of Florida. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a father of two children. I have a wonderful wife. I'm a pharmacist in a two-red light town. I enjoy hunting and college football.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a fourth generation member of the church. I'm grateful for the knowledge that Jesus Christ directs His church through a prophet today. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives me peace in the crazy world in which we live. The knowledge that my family can be together forever and the knowledge of knowing what is going to happen after this life is what makes me continue to follow the gospel and what makes my life worth living.

Personal Stories

What is hope and what do you hope for?

I hope to be with my family forever in the presence of God - that is eternal joy and happiness for me.

How has The Book of Mormon helped you understand the purpose of life?

It has given me greater understanding of the mission of Jesus Christ.

How I live my faith

Right now I work with the youth, specifically the young men, ages 12 to 18. I participate in the Church's youth program by teaching them a gospel-based lesson each Sunday and by organizing and participating with them in clean, fun, activities each Wednesday night. I also help the young men by participating in scouting (Boy Scouts of America) activities.

Why did your church previously practice plural marriage (polygamy)?

Clayton answered...

Why did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Solomon practice plural marriage? Because God told them to. So why did Mormons practice polygamy? Because God commanded us to. There is nothing new about the concept of polygamy. It is only a tool that the Lord sees fit to put in place on his own time.

Any other reasons for it are God's reasons and the fact of the matter is that an all knowing, perfected being, who also happens to be the father of our spirits commanded that it should be done. It really all comes down to your faith in God.
James Bowen answered...

At various times, the Lord has commanded His people to practice plural marriage. For example, He gave this command to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon (Doctrine and Covenants 132:1). At other times the Lord has given other instructions. In the Book of Mormon, the Lord told the prophet Jacob “for there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife: and concubines he shall have none... for if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things” (Jacob 2:27-30).

In this dispensation, the Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. Church leaders regulated the practice. Those entering into it had to be authorized to do so, and the marriages had to be performed through the sealing power of the priesthood. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff received a revelation that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage (Official Declaration 1).

The Lord’s law of marriage is monogamy unless he commands otherwise to help establish the House of Israel (see Encyclopedia of Mormonism Vol. 3, pp. 1091-1095).

Why is family so important to Mormons?

Ben answered...

Because family is so important to God. Why do you think God intoduces Christ as His "only begotten SON in whom I am well pleased" and not something more formal like my servant, the Christ? Why in the scriptures is God referred to as "The Father" more than any other title? why is it that naturally we come into this life into a family, whether functional or not? Families are ordained of God. Agency and human nature is what may cause us to believe other wise.
Family ought to be our foundation of education in this life. I've moved around a lot. I've attended many different schools and one thing I've learned is that it is hard to focus on my goals if I don't have a social network providing acceptance and unity. A support group I can lean on and be there to be leaned on at school. It's a miracle that God has provided that support group for the important lessons in life.
If our families aren't what they could be, we can choose individually to be an example and a friend to them as far as possible. practice the principles of repentence and forgiveness. Understanding that our families are meant to be eternal helps us to not allow the small things to obstruct our relationships.