Hi, I'm Zachary

I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I first thing people usually find out about me is I love Vespas, I currently am working on a Rally 180. I enjoy all things Vespa, scooter camping, talking scooters with my scooter friends and non scooter friends, and wrenching on them. But most of all I love to travel the back roads of Utah and surrounding states, it may take longer to get there, but life isn't just about reaching your destination as quick as possible, it is about the journey there.

I also enjoy most kinds of music to some degree. I also love travelling, I have been fortunate to have traveled to Germany on two occasions, both to attend school. I have also been to Switzerland, Italy and France. My favorite place is a toss up between Erstfeld, Switzerland, or Baltrum, Germany.

Why I am a Mormon

My conversion was a fairly long process, from the time that I started attending a LDS church to my baptism was over three years, but it was worth the wait to know for sure what I was doing.

My main testimony is of Joseph Smith, many argue that he was a good conman, but I believe that he could have escaped his fate if he so desired. But he stuck with it until the end and so sealed his faith in God, Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, his calling and the divinity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

How I live my faith

In my ward I am on the comity for Home Evening in a Young Single Adult ward.

Home Evening, or Family Home Evening, as it is known by for those that have families, is time set aside usually on Monday evenings for families to learn of the Gospel of Christ, and to have time to bond with one another. For people in the Yong Single Adult wards it holds a similar function, just on a wider scale than the family unit.

Outside of church, the main thing I strive for is living a Christ-like life. There is still much for me to learn, and there are ups and downs of the process, but as long as my path points towards this it is worth the struggle and strife to continue onward.

Who founded Mormonism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Mark answered...

The most direct answer to the question is a group of six men who signed their names to a founding document on April 6, 1830. The room was filled with believers, but six signed to fulfill New York state law. Preeminent among them was Joseph Smith, Jr. who was designated the first elder and apostle by revelation. It is Joseph Smith, Jr. who is most often referred to as the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Joseph, as a young man of eighteen years of age, was visited by an angel, the one mentioned in Revelation 14:6, who told him where an ancient record was buried which contained a history of a group of ancient, American Christians, and which also contained the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This record was translated by the gift and power of God by the young man with the aid of others as scribes and witnesses of the translation.

During translation they learned of the need of further organization, and this tiny group sought out God who sent additional angelic messengers which conferred authority from God to organize His Church again upon the earth, as it was in Biblical times. This group and those who believed their stories of miraculous events met in a farmhouse on April 6, 1830 in upstate New York to create an officially recognized organization that could hold the copyrights to the record that was translated as the Book of Mormon as well as other rights granted to religious societies.

It is called the Mormon church because of the book revealed from heaven, which is unique from all other Christian churches.
Joseph answered...

I went on a bicycle ride one day with a friend of another faith. He was a believing Christian but told me as we rode that he believed churches and organized religion are unnecessary and that the best way to find truth is to look everywhere. He bought into the notion that there are "many ways to the top of a mountain."

I think there's truth in that view, too. I believe that God wants us to find truth everywhere we can get it. And yet something nagged at me about his view. As we hit the steeper part of our ride, I said, "I think that's a cop out." (We have a pretty comfortable relationship - we talk pretty bluntly with each other). "If there is a God, don't you think He'd have an opinion about what's right and what's wrong? And don't you think He would have a plan for His children? And finally, don't you think He'd want us to know the truth about that plan? If so, how can you believe He would not create some credible and organized way to help us figure out what is true?"

Throughout history that way has been to reveal the truth through prophets. As my friend and I spoke he saw more clearly that there was no reasonable argument for why God would say, "2000 years ago prophets were a really good idea. But today I changed my mind."

Joseph Smith did what prophets always do. He revealed new scripture that confirms all that we had before. He restored God's full Gospel. And he pointed us to Christ. I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. And now my friend does, too.

Why do you have 12 Apostles? They were just meant to be around for the time of Jesus Christ, not to be replaced with new apostles.

Becky answered...

Our church is the same church that Christ instituted while he was here on the earth. It is Christ's church and is called after him. Just as he had 12 Apostles, we have 12 Apostles and, as Peter was President of the Church after Christ ascended into heaven following His ressurection, we have a living prophet. Christ is the head of the church, but the prophet and apostles act for him and in his name. They have the same Priesthood power that Christ gave to Peter and the other apostles at that time. The prophet and apostles today are also called as seers, revelators, and special witnesses of Jesus Christ. Theirs as in the time of Christ is the duty to handle the affairs of the Church, to travel to different countries and bear testimony of and administer in the name of Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity every 6 months in a General Conference of the Church, broadcast over television, radio, and internet all over the world, to hear them speak about Christ, and to teach us how to become more like Him. They are important in their ministry as well as in the organization of our large, worldwide church membership.