Hi, I'm Tyler Moroni

I'm a missionary, reader, writer, drawer, cinephile, the oldest of ten boys, and surprise, I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I grew up in the small town of St. Anthony, ID. I have nine younger brothers, which makes things quite... interesting. Although it is fun. I am currently serving as a full-time missionary in the West Virginia Charleston Mission, which is one of the greatest experiences of my life thus far.
I enjoy reading and movies, especially fantasy, action, and science fiction. I am also an aspiring author. I really enjoy creating stories, characters and concepts, and putting it all together in an interesting way. My mind seems to constantly be coming up with new ideas and developing new story concepts, especially as I learn new things, and I'm (hopefully) improving at it. I've written a "practice book," (http://lithra.wordpress.com/) which was a great help, and have ideas for many more to tackle when I improve.
Other interests include: computers and tech, animals, webcomics, computer-assisted illustration, 3-D modeling, film-making, science, drawing (also improving), my family, the gospel, mock combat, and food.
I'm fairly easygoing, but I'm not generally very social, although being on a mission has helped open me up. I try to be impartial and open to new ideas. I like to learn and try to make all my projects as professional as I can. I am sometimes rather random and strange, but I hope in a good way.
In short, I'm me. I love to learn and create, and I'm a Mormon.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born and raised of goodly parents, who taught me the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, I still had to come to find out for myself that it was true. In my teens, although I was still attending church and doing everything a "good Mormon" does, I was very unsure of myself, the church, and the existence of God. I can sympathize with atheists, as I found those viewpoints very persuasive.
Eventually, I exercised faith to come on a mission, even though I wasn't completely sure. I believed, but I did not know for sure. But doubt and faith cannot coexist, and I soon saw the gospel come alive for me. When I really wanted and needed to know for myself, I examined, studied and applied the principles. I came to know for myself that it is true.
I know that this church is true. I know Joseph Smith and Thomas S. Monson (and everyone in between) are true prophets of Almighty God. I know beyond doubt that the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, is exactly what it says, another Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ, and has brought me closer to Him. The more I learn about it, the more I know it is true. It is impossible for this book to have come from another source than God, or in any other way than Joseph Smith testified it did.
Most importantly, I know that Jesus Christ lives. I have had the witness of the Holy Ghost to these truths, and I have felt His power and influence in my life. I have experienced the power of the Atonement in my life, both in forgiveness of my sins and also His divine grace in helping me to overcome my weaknesses and become a better person, especially in my service as a missionary. I invite you to test for yourself these truths and experience these things for yourself, because they will bring you peace and happiness, now and in eternity.
I bear witness of these truths in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Personal Stories

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

Growing up, my parents always made an effort to be the best examples they could. They hold consistent family prayer, family scripture study, and are usually pretty good with the Family Home Evening program. With so many kids in the family, things rarely go smoothly, but they do go. And although we are far from perfect, we are very close. Because of these practices, and the eternal perspective that come from being sealed for time and eternity in the temple, the trials that we had only served to bring us closer together. Divorce and seperation were never even thought of in our home. We have had financial problems for some time but we are still close together.
One incident in particular that I remember is when my youngest brother contracted infant botulism and nearly died. He was life-flighted down to a children's hospital and was on intense care for several weeks. One and often both of my parents were gone for weeks. During this time our family ran more smoothly than ever before. I still find that very remarkable, especially with having seen how many families let these kinds of trials drive them apart.
As I said, my family is far from perfect, but I love them. I don't think I can really fully comprehend how different my family would be without the gospel. It's helped me and my family immeasureably.

How I live my faith

I have served in a couple of church callings as a teenager, and have had to exercise faith throughout my life when difficulties affected our family.
Currently I serve voluntarily as a full-time missionary for the Church, sharing the truths of the gospel with the people in the West Virginia area. It is a privilege to serve the Lord and I have seen His hand in the work here and in my personal life.
When I first came out on my mission, it was mainly because examples set by others, and to set a good example for others. Having served, that motive has changed. I now do it because it is the right thing to do. Because helping other experience the cleansing and healing effects of the gospel is one of the greatest of all of life's experiences. Because I love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ enough to serve them. It is amazing, it is true, it is "a marvelous work and a wonder," and I'm blessed to be able to participate in it.

What is faith?

Tyler Moroni answered...

Faith and Belief are often used interchangeably these days. But in our view, faith is not merely belief. Faith is something deeper and more powerful. Faith is to belief as wisdom is to knowledge. Simply put, faith is belief put into action, belief that has been internalized and applied. True faith also implies confidence and trust, even when we don't know all things. As Martin Luther King Jr. expressed it, "Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase."
As an abstract principle, faith is useless and has no real bearing on our lives. Believing that a parachute will save you does no good if you do not pull the cord. It is acting on that which we cannot see, but believe and have hope for. True faith can change lives, perform miracles and save souls.
In order to have that kind of power, our faith must be centered in Jesus Christ. Any other thing or person can and eventually will fail us. Since faith implies trust in that which we cannot see, Jesus Christ is the only being that we can have true and perfect faith in. If we truly believe that Jesus Christ loves us and will help us, we will endure trials knowing they are for our good. We will seek to keep his commandments, to love our neighbor, and seek that which is good, noble, and uplifting. And no matter how dark things appear, we can have hope of a bright and glorius future.
That is faith that moves mountains and changes lives.
Show more of my answers Show less of my answers One Moment Please
Cary answered...

Faith is a huge topic, rarely fully understood even by people who talk about it a lot. In the Mormon conception, it's a step of confidence between mere belief and full knowledge. It's perhaps best described by contrast with these two extremes on the continuum on which they all lie. First, faith is not that passive thing we call belief because it's a principle of action. So for someone to have faith, they have to be motivated to put a belief into practice, not merely be content with keeping it in their mind. For example, we believe that Christ is the Savior, but because we have faith we ACT as if this were true, and follow His example as best we can. In fact, "acting as if..." is a fairly good phrase to define faith. On the other hand, faith is not "perfect knowledge" either. There is enough of an element of uncertainty about the thing we have faith in, that it takes an effort of conscious decision-making to test our faith's hypothesis. If we had a full knowledge of a thing, that whole test, and the faith to find out if it's true, wouldn't be necessary. Atheists will argue that faith is mere belief (and baseless, at that), but what I have described for faith here leads to a more "scientific" approach that Atheists would like to admit is operable in the minds of the faithful. The proper response to a scriptural assertion, then, becomes not blind obedience, but rather careful thought, hypothesis forming, and testing. As tests come back proven or unproven, faith will grow in the right direction until it approaches "perfect knowledge".

How can we increase our faith in Jesus Christ?

Jason answered...

Simply by trying to. If you have a desire to increase your faith in Jesus Christ, try to do it. Start by praying. Read his words in the Bible. Try to put them into practice. For example, he told us to "love one another." Try and follow that teaching. Be nice to others, help people who might have less than you, smile... As you do so, you will notice a change come over you. You might feel more peace in your life, a calm enter your mind, or a warm feeling that seems to say you're doing the right thing. These things help you realize your faith is growing. Faith is an action word. If you put action behind your belief, I have found that it will grow.