Hi, I'm Simon

I believe that life is what you make it, and every second counts. I'm a Mormon!

About Me

I am currently serving in the England London South Mission, and will conclude service in September 2012. I plan to attend university after arriving home, though I still have no clue as to what I would like to study nor what I would like to do as a career.

I am passionate about music, and am a keen musician; I play the piano and try with the acoustic guitar and drums. I love writing my own music and like to think of myself as a bit of a songwriter/composer.

I love variety in life; I participate in plenty of sports and other activities, such as football, running and rock-climbing. I also like to slow down sometimes and enjoy reading, walking and taking in the beauty of nature.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born into a home where the Gospel was already present; my father has been a member all his life and married my mother, who joined the Church when she was nineteen. However, regardless of whether you are born into the Church or not, I believe the process of conversion is the same for all. We must each obtain for ourselves that knowledge which man cannot give or take away.

Aged fourteen and wondering about the truth of the teachings with which I had been raised, I decided to embark upon a personal quest for answers. The process is one which continues today as I continue to apply principles of the Gospel and discover their truth. I can honestly say that I've never had a single experience in which I knew the Gospel was true; that knowledge has grown little by little, day by day and continues to do so as I continue to test it. I am still becoming converted to the Gospel and will be for the rest of my life.

I'm a Mormon because I know by the Power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know by this same power that in the spring of 1820, God the Father and his Son appeared to a young boy named Joseph Smith, who was called as a Prophet to restore the truths and the Priesthood authority that were lost after the dissolution of the early Christian Church following the death of Jesus Christ and His Apostles. I know that the fulness of the Gospel and the authority to administer sacred ordinances such as baptism are once again on the earth. I also know that by this same authority, marriages and families can be united beyond death and for eternity. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only organisation in existence in which all of these ingredients are found, and I have personal experience of these blessings in my own life. My conviction is one that cannot and will not be denied, nor can it be by anyone who obtains this witness for themselves.

How I live my faith

I live my faith every moment of every day by striving to make choices that are consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ; not because I feel I have to, but because I want to. Throughout my life I have experienced the blessings of the Gospel on an individual and family level. This has occurred as principles of the Gospel have been implemented and practised in my personal life and in our home. As blessings increase, so does one's conviction and desire to follow the Gospel more closely.

What is the priesthood?

Simon answered...

The priesthood is the authority to act in the name of God. It is the divine authorisation to perform sacred ordinances and bless the lives of God's children here on earth.

Just as a policeman must receive authority from Her Majesty's Government to perform arrests and enforce the law, so a man must worthily hold authority from God to act in His Name and perform His ordinances.

Jesus Christ originally held this authority when He organised His Church on the earth He called His twelve Apostles and bestowed upon them this same authority to teach, perform miracles, baptise and confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. However, when Jesus Christ and His Apostles died, this divine authority was withdrawn from the earth.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that God has once again reached out in love to His children by calling modern Prophets and Apostles, who lead the Church today with this same divine authority held by Jesus Christ Himself the authority was restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith in 1829, shortly before the organisation of the Church in 1830.
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Ethan answered...

I like to approach questions by looking at the words of things

"priest" has reference to either the concept of one who leads, one who is elder, or one who is holy I like to remember that the words 'holy' and 'whole' are linked by a common ancestry. When something is 'holy' it's essentially saying that it's complete, that it's healthy..

And "-hood" makes reference to the state of being, and not just any state of being but a state of being that's worthy or correct for it's placement. That is, that it's done properly.

So one could say the priesthood is leadership or a point of reference that's completely suited to the position in which it's been placed.

Another way to look at it is to say it's God's perfect order. That is, it's God's perfect arrangement.

In our Church we often give a definition of priesthood as being "the authority to act in God's name" and that's exactly what it means to be a part of God's perfect order. If God commands something to be done by you, and you do it, then you are acting under, and with that portion of God's authority that he's permitted you to exercise within his perfect order.

Just as with any instance where someone tries to act in the name of someone else there are bound to be those who try and do so falsely. That's why God has things ordered in such a way that one can know for certain if someone has His God's authority, or not.

What is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' attitude regarding homosexuality and same sex marriage?

Joshua answered...

In the New Testament Paul preaches against homosexual behavior, as does Moses in the Old Testament. In this day, God still speaks against homosexual actions through His holy prophets. Regardless of the good and bad choices we make in this life, we are each beloved sons and daughters of God. We were spiritually begotten of Him before the world was, and He offered the Plan of Salvation to us so that we could return and live with him again after this life. Not one of us here on the earth is perfect. We each struggle with different things on this journey and because of those things we could never return to Gods presence unless a greater power came to our aid. Christ has provided the means whereby we can overcome these things and return to God again. Anything can be overcome, for Christ has already overcome the world Alma 711-14 We strive to love everyone, for everyone deserves that. The Family is being bombarded on every side with the evil influences of Satan, and to stem that tide we must stand for the Sacredness of our Families. We celebrate and honor the Sanctity of the Family, and invite all men and women everywhere to do the same.
In the words of Beloved Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, "We believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. We believe that marriage may be eternal through exercise of the power of the everlasting priesthood in the house of the Lord.