Sara Wallman, our beautiful bonus daughter from Sweden,.wrote me the following letter. In the letter she asks questions that address current social issues. Her questions are important. So are my answers. I appreciate her interest in knowing where I stand, Hoping that you are interested too, I am posting both letters. [To better distinguish between the two letters, Sara's is in italics.]
Hello my beautiful bonus mother!
In our Religion class at school we have an assignment to compare two religions and my group have chosen Mormons and Muslims. The assignment is about religion in relation to identity. I would be so grateful if you wanted to share some thought about these 4 points, how they affect your identity as a Mormon.
Your answers will not be presented to anyone but the people in my group. We will just use your thought, and other things we've managed to find, to write an analysis during class
1) Social and economical background
- ex. What's important about it in your own live and how it makes you act towards people with other social and economical backgrounds
2) Ethnicity
- ex. How are other ethnicities view in your religion and how has your ethnicity in combination with your religion affected your identity
3) Gender
- ex. How your gender affects your identity (and if this is because of your religion)
4) Sexuality
- ex. How has your view on this been affected by your religion.
You are free to not answer any of these questions or to answer how much or how little you feel like.
Thank you in advance,
Sara
MY RESPONSE:
Sweet Sara,
Here are my responses to your questions. Feel free to ask follow-up questions if anything is unclear.
Christ’s teachings center on love.
John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Christ answered: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)
As a follower of Christ I sincerely strive to live a love filled life and to view others through eyes of love. As you well know, I am not perfect in my endeavors. More often than I like, I fail to act lovingly. However, treating others--ALL others, no matter their social or economic background--with love is what I try to do.
2. ETHNICITY
I am a literal daughter of God who loves me and I love Him. Long before I came to Earth I lived with and loved and was loved by my Father in Heaven. This is my identity. As a daughter of God I have a divine destiny.
We are all children of God. All of us. Long before coming to Earth we all lived with and loved and were loved by our Father in Heaven. Every person on Earth is a child of God; all of us have a common heritage and a divine destiny. This is my ethnicity and I share it with everyone. We are all brothers and sisters, children of a loving Father in Heaven who wants us to return to Him and who has prepared a way, via his Son Jesus Christ, for that to happen. As brothers and sisters, we have a divine responsibility to watch out for each other, to help each other, and to love each other. All of us.
3, GENDER
4. SEXUALITY
I am addressing these two together because both are very much affected by my religion---EVERYTHING about me is affected by my belief in Christ--- and both are addressed in the document below. Rather than attempting to use my words, I refer you to the words of our prophet, written as a proclamation to the world about our beliefs concerning the sacredness and sanctity of the family. Gender and sexuality are linked to family life and are addressed in the document. I fully embrace every word of this inspired document.
THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.
HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
Good luck with your paper my friend. Please ask follow up questions as needed.
Love YOU,
Teresa
Hello my beautiful bonus mother!
In our Religion class at school we have an assignment to compare two religions and my group have chosen Mormons and Muslims. The assignment is about religion in relation to identity. I would be so grateful if you wanted to share some thought about these 4 points, how they affect your identity as a Mormon.
Your answers will not be presented to anyone but the people in my group. We will just use your thought, and other things we've managed to find, to write an analysis during class
1) Social and economical background
- ex. What's important about it in your own live and how it makes you act towards people with other social and economical backgrounds
2) Ethnicity
- ex. How are other ethnicities view in your religion and how has your ethnicity in combination with your religion affected your identity
3) Gender
- ex. How your gender affects your identity (and if this is because of your religion)
4) Sexuality
- ex. How has your view on this been affected by your religion.
You are free to not answer any of these questions or to answer how much or how little you feel like.
Thank you in advance,
Sara
MY RESPONSE:
Sweet Sara,
Here are my responses to your questions. Feel free to ask follow-up questions if anything is unclear.
- SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUND
Christ’s teachings center on love.
John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Christ answered: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)
As a follower of Christ I sincerely strive to live a love filled life and to view others through eyes of love. As you well know, I am not perfect in my endeavors. More often than I like, I fail to act lovingly. However, treating others--ALL others, no matter their social or economic background--with love is what I try to do.
2. ETHNICITY
I am a literal daughter of God who loves me and I love Him. Long before I came to Earth I lived with and loved and was loved by my Father in Heaven. This is my identity. As a daughter of God I have a divine destiny.
We are all children of God. All of us. Long before coming to Earth we all lived with and loved and were loved by our Father in Heaven. Every person on Earth is a child of God; all of us have a common heritage and a divine destiny. This is my ethnicity and I share it with everyone. We are all brothers and sisters, children of a loving Father in Heaven who wants us to return to Him and who has prepared a way, via his Son Jesus Christ, for that to happen. As brothers and sisters, we have a divine responsibility to watch out for each other, to help each other, and to love each other. All of us.
3, GENDER
4. SEXUALITY
I am addressing these two together because both are very much affected by my religion---EVERYTHING about me is affected by my belief in Christ--- and both are addressed in the document below. Rather than attempting to use my words, I refer you to the words of our prophet, written as a proclamation to the world about our beliefs concerning the sacredness and sanctity of the family. Gender and sexuality are linked to family life and are addressed in the document. I fully embrace every word of this inspired document.
THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.
HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
Good luck with your paper my friend. Please ask follow up questions as needed.
Love YOU,
Teresa
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