I’m a Mormon, So…

Chel Owens

I’m a Mormon, so I know that God speaks to us, His children.

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It’s called revelation.

Revelation is communication from God to His children. This guidance comes through various channels according to the needs and circumstances of individuals, families, and the Church as a whole. When the Lord reveals His will to the Church, He speaks through His prophet. Prophets are the only people who can receive revelation for the Church, but they are not the only people who can receive revelation. According to our faithfulness, we can receive revelation to help us with our specific personal needs, responsibilities, and questions and to help us strengthen our testimony.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints instructional manual

God speaks to the current president of the entire LDS church (currently, President Russell M. Nelson) for official commandments or policy changes. God speaks to every. single. person about his or her own needs through personal revelation. This can be in answer to a prayer, warning of danger, providing comfort, giving direction, helping another, etc. The way one receives personal revelation often comes through feelings, a leader’s talk, or reading passages of scripture.

Personally, this means that I pray to our Heavenly Father, in the name of His son Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Ghost for my revelation. -More on the Trinity, later. For now, know that they are distinct and separate.

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We receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, specifically, after baptism. Thereafter, we are promised His help in our lives if we are living righteously. Following the commandments and reading scriptures helps maintain a feeling of spirituality daily, and I use that to ask for help or direction or healing or answers.

I hold no monopoly on this phenomenon. Everyone else can receive personal revelation, too, although it’s not a constant, promised companion like when you are officially blessed with His Spirit. I do not always get answers to questions nor do I always feel direction for all decisions. I do not avoid life challenges or painful experiences. I don’t hear a voice responding to my concerns, Monty Python-style. I have, however, had impressions, guidance, healings, and help finding lost objects or children.

It’s like walking in a bubble of goodness; a mental aura to which I refer as necessary.

©2022 Chel Owens

……

Technically, we Mormons are officially members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are to drop any name but that. Since many still run with the nickname of ‘Mormon,’ however, I will keep pace.

My other note is that I will keep to official doctrinal practices. I will add my own application of them, especially in response to comments.

My final note is that I LOVE discussing anything I write. Don’t be rude, obviously, but any and all queries or responses are welcome.

My final note beyond the final note is that I do not seek to convert anyone. I ought to, but am motivated by forming connections, answering curiosity, and straightening pictures. So, you’re safe.

41 thoughts on “I’m a Mormon, So…”

      2. LOL! Now I’m the one with the crossed wires! When I read your comment about confusing I had thought it was a comment on the recipe I’d just posted on my blog! I thought “What’s confusing about that?”!! I never clicked that your were commenting on your own posting!

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  5. I worked, very briefly, for the Mormons – or, more particularly for The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and found them to be, for the most part, very hospitable and welcoming. I must say that some of their beliefs came across as a bit on the bizarre side – but that is the nature of belief when viewed from another perspective – no doubt they would have found my beliefs bizarre too (though they were disinclined to ask).
    My main issue with your post, Chel, is the use of the term ‘I know’. Nobody actually knows (that doesn’t mean that nobody’s right).

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    1. How intriguing. What was the job you worked that involved the choir?

      And, fair point to comment on. “I know” is a second- or third-degree edit from what I originally wrote. This needs a post on its own, but I’ve explored varying levels of religiosity and belief. ‘I know’ is not an exaggeration; I meant it honestly and sincerely.

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      1. Yes, I understand the ‘knowing’ thing in religious terms (although even in religious terms there are a couple of meanings) so, yeah, fair enough …. but being literal by nature I tend to go by literal meanings.
        I was involved in a choir tour (a lifetime ago it seems) in moving them from Utah to Hawaii to Auckland to Sydney for a series of concerts. It was a pleasant deviation for me from what I was doing at the time.

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        1. Believe you me, I am literal by nature as well. ‘Know’ is the most accurate word to describe my experience with personal revelation.

          Arranging the tour sounds fun! Thank you for telling me about it. I understand they have been having unprecedented issues with a European tour originally planned for the ill-fated summer of 2019…

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          1. And fair enough that is too. In my own way I treasure my own religious. ‘belief’ likewise, although it is based rather more upon what I don’t know (virtually everything) rather than upon what I do.
            My strongest recollection of the choir was a fellow named Smoot, who was in charge (or thought that he was). Somehow his name and personality reminded me of a Dickens character – he was a very unpleasant person to deal with. I can’t remember the name of another fellow who took me on a bit of a tour of Salt Lake City, the tabernacle, and some other church facilities who, in contrast, was quite charming.

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            1. I ran the names by Kevin and they don’t ring a bell. I think I’d heard others didn’t like Smoot, either. I’m not very familiar with the choir but do know some current members. Their main purported purpose is to be one of the faces of the LDS church so a Dickens character seems out-of-character. 🙂

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  6. I have always found lost items whenever phrasing “God please help me find this” including lost keys in the grass of a park, as soon as I uttered that phrase after essentially giving up after a 20 minute search, I stepped on them. The Lord does work in mysterious ways.

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    1. Thank you. I know little about Anglican and Quaker, although I remember learning some about Quakers because of early American history. They’re a group in favor of peace and acceptance, yes?

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  9. I don’t know much about any religious practices, so this may sound stupid, but do you know when you’ve received a revelation, or is it more an instinct thing. That suddenly something makes more sense? Sorry if that’s not too clear.

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    1. Perfectly clear, and an extremely common question. For one thing, how do you know it’s not just you wanting something?
      In answer, I can only answer for myself. There’s a distinct difference in feeling when I receive an actual answer or direction; it’s a very happy, filling comfort. I’m naturally a pessimist, rational, and a skeptic so like to be very certain before committing to things.
      I’ve heard and read stories of people having a very clear warning to not do something (like, “Stop; now!”) but I can only think of a handful of times that’s happened to me -which is more of the instinct idea you describe.

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        1. I’m sure some people have had amazing miracles and/or turning points in their lives. For me, the personal revelations of my childhood were most often comfort for imagined fears or for the very real sadness at the loss of my grandmother.

          We’re delving into a subject I didn’t know how to explain succinctly, but people receive The Spirit in ways that resonate with them. I’m sure I’d die of shock if a crystal ball filled with smoke or if my dead ancestor spoke to me in a vision. 😀 Almost all of the time, my answer is a clarity of thought much like an epiphany.

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            2. I realize you were following up on what I said about having a distinct time of warning. Once, Kevin and I were all set to sign a temporary lease agreement on an apartment. We had to sign since we’d sold our house and hadn’t even found another yet. We’d just been outside to look at the units and were walking back when I felt, very clearly, that we should not go in and sign. So, we didn’t. Very soon after, we found and bought a house. We packed everything into a movable storage shed and lived with my parents for a few weeks in the interim.

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  10. In some faiths there is a direct connection to the Higher Being, a single entity, which as time goes by I tend to not define by mascline or femine. Even argument and questions are encouraged. Though answers seem to me to be very indirect most of the time.

    In my own experences with other organized faiths, I find human politics to be sufficating. I do believe everyone has the ability to reason good and use intition, ‘angelic’ or perhaps ‘other worldly’ guidence.

    And I am very happy for those who are extrememely comfortable with where they are – at any given time in regards to their own beliefs. Open conversation and the willingness to learn from both our similarities and our differences is, I believe a true blessing.

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    1. You and I are more aligned than you’d think. The most important part of religion is connecting to the spirit that makes up all of us. That’s going to mean kindness, empathy, spirituality, and service. Politics is just selfish and short-sighted.

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  11. Does revelation include things like “This great parking space just opened up, so I guess God is giving me a sign to park here” sort of stuff? Or is revelation *just* dreams/obvious prophecy things?

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    1. Both. I had a religious instructor who told this great story about praying whether they should get donuts or not; if a parking space right up front was available he’d take it as a sign that they were supposed to get donuts -with enough circling around the parking lot, the miracle happened.

      Joking aside; yes, it can include that. There are so many small miracles in life. I don’t personally see that all of it is inspiration or revelation but many do.

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