Hi, I'm Jef

The life and teachings of Jesus Christ are the center of my faith. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am currently a statistician for a large, fully integrated healthcare system in the Western United States. In addition to my career responsibilities, I am attending school part-time to obtain a Master of Public Administration degree.
I am a father, husband, and an avid enthusiast of anything outdoors especially with my wife and children. I enjoy mountain biking, alpine skiing, hiking, camping, and boating.
I love listening to music, especially indie rock. More than anything, I enjoy discovering new bands that have not made it 'big time' yet.

Why I am a Mormon

More than anything, I am a Mormon because of the answers to life that Mormonism offers. The purpose of life, life after death, and the existence of God are all topics that can be answered through the teachings of Jesus Christ found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

How I live my faith

In my congregation we call them 'wards', I am part of the hometeaching program. Each LDS family is assigned a set of hometeachers that make monthly visits, provide uplifting messages, and offer assistance when needed. The beauty of this program is that all members are accounted for and the needs of each member can be accommodated through the efforts of common, everyday members of the church.

Why was a Restoration of the Gospel needed? Haven’t we always had the Bible?

Jef answered...

In order to organize and run a church, an individual must have authority to do so. After Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected, he gave Peter the authority to officiate the Church that He organized during His ministry. Soon after Christ left, many of the original 12 apostles were killed and the authority to run Christ's church was lost. In order for Christ's church to be organized a restoration was needed. This means that Christ's teachings have been restored to their original intent and purpose. Though the Bible has always been around, the restored teachings of Jesus Christ help people better understand the Bible.
Daniel answered...

When Jesus was on the earth he established his church. To guide it, 12 apostles were called by God and had priesthood authority to act in his name. When an apostle died, he was to be replaced so that there would always be 12 “special witnesses” of Christ (this is shown by the calling of Mathias as a member of the 12 in Acts:1)
The early years were troublesome times for Christians. The greatest antagonist to the church was the Roman Empire. During this era of persecution, apostles were killed and priesthood authority was lost. Centuries after Christ was crucified Rome pulled a 180 and adopted its own form of “Christianity” as the mandated state religion. To conform to previously held pagan traditions, ordinances like baptism were changed and creeds of faith, not found in the bible, were established.
Recognizing the discrepancies between this church and New Testament Christianity, righteous people protested and many of their followers formed new churches. This era of protestant reformation was critical in advancing religious liberty. But simply recognizing the errors of a church, does not give one God's priesthood authority (see Hebrews 5:4) Even those with the best intentions of following Christ’s teachings need proper priesthood authority to be baptized. The world needed a Restoration of Christ’s original church, not a reformation of an apostate version of it. And as soon as a nation was established with the religious freedom to allow it, the Lord did restore his church!

Why do some call Mormonism a cult?

Jeff answered...

I think some call Mormonism a cult mainly because they don't understand what it's about. Before I was a Mormon, I used to believe that Mormons did not believe in the Bible, in Jesus Christ and a good deal of other things. I didn't realize how incorrect I was. There have been some pretty amazing things that have happened in conjunction with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and if you don't get the whole picture, then some of the stuff can sound pretty odd, and I think that's where I was before.
An example I sometimes use is: if someone told you that he had cut a man with a knife, from that limited piece of information, you'd probably report him for stabbing someone. But if you found out that this someone was a Doctor, and that he was preforming a surgery to save a man's life, having the full story completely changes your perspective on the situation.
In regards to the church I belong to, once I did have the whole story, I could see that Mormons were not cultish, but that they really are in fact Christians. I've even found that I have a stronger love of the the core things I believed before I was a Mormon, like the Bible and Jesus Christ.