Finding Happiness

Why doesn’t God stop suffering and evil? I have asked myself this question many times not only because of my own personal challenges but also due to witnessing many around me suffering in despair. Within the social work profession, I’ve worked with many people who have been taken advantage of and suffered heart breaking stories. I have advocated for immigrants, mentally ill adults, and truant teenagers and seen them endure harsh circumstances that were out of their control.

Jesus Christ Bobby (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recently, I spent the past two years researching public awareness of human trafficking (modern slavery) and was shocked to discover that almost half of these victims were children and millions of kids are working in hazardous conditions (International Labor Organization [ILO], 2000, November 17. ILO worst forms of child labour Convention comes into force. ILO News, pp. 1A, 2A. & ILO, 2011. International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor: Europe and Central Asia.) My heart weeps in despair when I think of the families split across different countries, children enduring abusive relationships, and those living on less than a dollar a day.

I’ve heard many people say God could not exist or He would not allow such despair and adversity. I admit I’ve sometimes wished that He had ended some of my personal trials and that I didn’t have to be hearing impaired, endure multiple surgeries, or watch my mother slowly die. However, there is something that has changed the way I view suffering and evil. The plan of salvation has brought me hope, peace, and security even when it seems like the rain won’t stop pouring. Continue reading →

Gaining a Body and Being Testest

Written by Frank, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the “Mormon Church” by friends of other faiths).

What is the meaning of life? People have been asking this question for ages. The material written below helps us answer this question.

To start off I will take you to the scriptures where it is recorded by Abraham on a scroll in his own hand (Found in The Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:22-28). It began in the spirit world, before the earth was made and was presented to us by our Heavenly Father at a Grand Family Counsel. Continue reading →

by Nora

Mormons believe in happiness. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, inadvertently called the “Mormon Church” at times by the media, believe that the purpose of life is to learn how to live so we can experience true happiness and joy. The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, contains the following scripture, in which a father counsels his son that

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy (The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:25).

Joy: The Purpose of Life

Every human being is a spirit child of Heavenly Father. We lived with Him before we came to earth. During our pre-earth life, we learned and progressed in our understanding. More than anything else, we loved and wanted to be like God, and He loves and wants us to be like Him. But there were some things He has that we could not understand. God possesses a physical body, and we were beings of spirit. We could not interact with the physical universe, or experience physical sensations. God also knows fully the difference between good and evil. Because He understands evil, pain, sickness, and death, He is able to fully experience goodness, health, life, and joy. He wanted us to also have the chance to experience a fullness of joy. So God presented to us His great plan of happiness, whereby we could come to earth, and through the experience of earth life, grow to be more like Him.

Our Life on Earth

We have been sent to earth to obtain physical bodies like God’s, and to choose between good and evil. By learning to choose good, we can eventually become like God and live with Him forever. Earth life is both a school and a test. We experience the consequences of evil either through our own choices or through the choices of others, and thus learn to fully understand the importance of choosing good. Although difficult at times, we grow to be more like God every time we choose good over evil. Even when we suffer through no fault of our own, we grow in our capacity to rejoice. As Kahlil Gibran once said, “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”

The Role of Our Savior, Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is essential to our Heavenly Father’s plan. We all make mistakes and choose evil sometimes, and because we are truly free to act for ourselves, the consequences of our sins can be devastating. Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, is the Firstborn of God in the Spirit and the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh. He came to earth to show us by example how to live, to teach us to love God and to love one another, and to atone for us. Jesus has taught us God’s commandments, which, if followed, can lead us to much joy in this life. Through His atonement, Christ broke the bands of sin and death. We will be resurrected just as Jesus was, with immortal physical bodies. And even though we all have sinned, if we repent, we can be forgiven because Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins.

Eternal Life and a Fullness of Joy

After our earth life we will return once again to our Heavenly Father. Because of Jesus Christ, we will then possess immortal physical bodies like God’s. If we have chosen good, our experiences on earth will have taught us to truly understand good and evil. We will have experienced suffering, so we will be able to at last experience a fullness of joy. With our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, we will dwell forever in happiness and peace. Eternal life is God’s life, a life of greater joy and glory than we can now comprehend. May we all return to dwell with God in love and joy forever.

Additional Resources:

We Can Find Happiness

“Joy,” from The Encyclopedia of Mormonism

God’s Plan of Happiness

Though this question could be answered a thousand different ways, depending upon whom you ask the question, from the perspective of a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is frequently misnamed the Mormon Church), I think most of the answers would be rooted in the same doctrine: obedience. This may sound strange. How can someone be happy if they are subject to someone else’s will? The answer to that question is rooted in the purpose of God’s commandments to us.

The commandments God has given us are not simply to set up a system whereby He can judge if we are righteous or unrighteous. God is omniscient. He knows already the desires and workings of our hearts. Because He is omniscient, He also knows which actions bring true happiness and which bring heartache. Every single commandment God has given has a purpose. Without exception, obedience to God’s commandments brings us more freedom and more happiness.

I would say that satisfaction is being at peace with oneself, feeling self-worth, and contributing to building the Kingdom of God. I can personally testify to the power of obedience. I have felt the restrictions which sin wraps around me. I can also see these restrictions in other people’s lives. Being promiscuous does not mean you are free. It brings the risk of bringing a child into the world when you are unprepared to have it. It brings emotional stress and the risk of serious disease. If a person waits until marriage to become sexually active and knows that their partner has made the same decision, these risks and confinements no longer exist. That is true freedom.

God wants us to have lasting, eternal happiness. He knows that many choices which bring immediate satisfaction ultimately bring pain. That is not what He wants for us. Developing Christ-like attributes brings us closer to our Savior and to our Heavenly Father. It is obedience to their principles which brings true, lasting happiness.

The world would have us believe that happiness comes from immediate satisfaction. This is why there has been a dramatic increase in divorce and in people choosing to live together without being married. It is easier for two people to go their separate ways when they disagree. This is the easy way out. Though legitimate reasons for divorce (such as abuse) certainly exist, the belief that “I’m not getting what I want right now, therefore, I am unhappy and must search for happiness elsewhere” brings far more unhappiness and discontent than sticking something out, learning from one’s mistakes, and forgiving loved ones when they make mistakes. Lasting relationships are built on trust and forgiveness. People will disagree, feelings will be hurt, mistakes will be made, but it is how we learn from and react to these experiences that gives us the potential to grow closer and help one another.

If a person never faces the fact that he or she is not perfect, that person will likely end up alone and miserable. Accepting your own fallibility, and that of others, along with the true desire to improve, is a key to happiness. Obedience is the next step. If we obey, we will avoid so much pain and sorrow.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

Mormonism

Mormon People

Alan, from Johannesburg, is now a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called “Mormons” by friends of other faiths). But he wasn’t always a Mormon. Alan did grow up in a Christian home where he learned basic Christian beliefs. After two of his brothers died in a car accident he wanted to find greater happiness in the truths from God. He found that happiness after he was introduced to Mormonism from his friend. Watch Alan’s testimony of how he found peace, during his refiner’s fire experience, through the truths found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

Additional Resources:

Chat with Mormons online to find more about how they find happiness through their beliefs

Learn more about God’s Plan of Happiness

By Susan.

Today is a great day for me to write about being happy, because I am not feeling that happy. It is true. I have the best husband in the world, beautiful children, a warm place to sleep at night and food for my Mormon family. I have a knowledge of my Savior, Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. I know that they love me in a way that is beyond my comprehension. Everything that a person could ever want, I have. There is no excuse for me to not feel happy this very moment. However, I think I know why I am not feeling happy. I will explain.

This moment I am focusing on myself and I am being very selfish. I am thinking about how I am a little bit bored and I want to do something entertaining. In this world there are people in the hospital, people literally starving due to famine, people who are fighting in a war and I sit here dressed all pretty with a pouty face because there is nobody around to entertain me. I should be ashamed of myself, and the more I write, I am becoming two things: more grateful for my blessings and more ashamed that I am focusing so much on myself.

As I go through this process of thinking of my many blessings, skills and gifts that the Lord has bestowed upon me, I am beginning to feel less selfish and more interested in doing something useful for somebody else. Perhaps I should contact a local hospital and offer to do some volunteer work. Maybe I should bake something extra good for my family today, instead of throwing together something at the last minute. There are a dozen things that I could do right here and right now for someone else. By doing something for someone else, I know from experience that I will begin to feel better…. and happier.

By thinking all of this through today, on a dark and dreary winter day, I am reminded about happiness and what happiness is all about. Happiness does not stay with a person who is constantly focusing only on their own needs. When we turn ourselves inward, we are losing sight of our position in the grand scheme of life. We are a part of this whole human existence. We are not the center of the universe. We have a role to play. We can either step up to the plate and play, or we can flake out and become self-centered and egotistical. This is a sign of pride; and pride is the enemy.

Happiness is Central to the Meaning of Life

Happiness cannot be bought. Spending our money on things that will make us happy eventually shows us that it cannot be done. In my case, I have every single thing that money can buy which I think that I need. Also, spending all of our time on things that are entertaining is fun for a while, but will not bring everlasting happiness. I know it does not seem to make sense. Surely we think that if we buy this SUV or that gorgeous new pair of shoes or whatever it is, that we will be happy. It is fun for a while to have something new and then the novelty wears off, leaving us needing a new “fix”.

Truly, the only way to have an ongoing stream of happiness is to lose ourselves in the service of others. This does not mean that we ignore ourselves. It means that we do what we need to do to feel healthy; then we turn outward to others and their needs.

Christian Parenting Adds to our Happiness

If we have a family, our own family members might need us more than we realize. It would behoove us to focus on their needs individually and as a group.  Late Mormon prophet  Harold B. Lee said, “The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes.”

One of the first questions for serving our family might be, “Are we praying together aloud as a family?” If we pray aloud together, we have an opportunity to hear what is on each person’s mind. We can hear what they are asking for and what they are grateful for. We can hear their sweet tone of voice as they talk directly to Heavenly Father. When they close their prayer by saying “in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen” we can get a sense of how much they respect Our Savior.

Another question about serving our family: Are we learning about raising children? Do we listen to them talk about their day? Do we look directly into their eyes and tell them how much we appreciate them and love them? Teenagers can be particularly difficult to love as they go through that awkward stage. Do we listen to their concerns? Are we taking the time to spend with each individual child to learn their needs?  Also, are we preparing to take care of our elderly loved ones? There are a lot of ways that we can provide Christian service to our family members. They deserve our best effort.

Christian Service Adds to our Happiness

Going back to how I was feeling earlier, I have begun to feel better by just thinking through all of the ways that I can serve my family and community. Late Mormon prophet Gordon B. Hinckley  said

“Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people. . . . Stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The Gospel is the good news of action. It is something we “do”, not just think about. We can let others discuss religion and talk about theology. Let you and I be the ones who do something for someone else and let our religion be seen by our example.

On Twitter today, I saw that someone had posted “Your happiness is your responsibility.” I agree with that person. We need to be in charge of how we live and by serving others we bring happiness to ourselves. Oh, we can easily get confused when we hear others telling us to travel and buy things for happiness. It all sounds so fun! But, rest assured that we need not join the jet-setters to be happy.

A lesson I learned from Mayor Yeah Samake of Ouelesseebougou in Mali, Africa humbled me a lot. He explained that his father had a vision to help his family break the cycle of poverty. Although the whole family had to skip many meals, his father insisted that they attend school and get an education.  At night when the children were going to bed hungry, their mother would tie a cloth around their tummies to alleviate the hunger pangs.  Even though they were in extreme dire circumstances, the good mayor explained that they were very happy. They did not know that they were poor. They enjoyed each others’ company. He and his siblings enjoyed a happy childhood.

Happiness is not bought. Happiness should not be confused with entertainment. We gain true and lasting happiness by reaching out to others and participating as a thread in the great tapestry of life.

Susan Escalante is an active Latter-day Saint who lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

Additional Resources:

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

Mormons and Jesus Christ

Mormons and the Bible

Mormon Charity

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

There comes a point in everyone’s life that one asks the question “Who am I?” Throughout my life I have always asked myself that question. As a Latter-day Saint, I’ve been taught that I am a child of God. I am a spiritual daughter of Heavenly Parents. My entire life, I believed that. But there came a point that not only did I need to believe, but I needed to know. I came to know through prayer.

Christian Prayer is a Great Privilege

Prayer is a bond forged between mortal man and God. It is a form of communication that seems so high and mighty — to communicate with God! But prayer is so perfect. It is a manifestation of the love that our Heavenly Father has with us. He has given us a way to get to know Him, and as we get to know Him, we discover who we really are.

Does prayer make a difference? I believe wholeheartedly that prayer makes all the difference in the world, starting with this simple question of “Who am I?” Knowing who we are in this troubled world can be an anchor and source of strength for us. Understanding our divine potential can put everything into perspective.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, member of the Mormon First Presidency said,

“Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.

God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him.”

Prayer Helps us to Understand the Love of God

As we understand that we are important and singular in the eyes of God, there will be more purpose and sustainment in our lives. Prayer makes this difference. Prayer brings us to know of our divine potential. Prayer is the foundation upon which all revelation is revealed. Prayer is the Lord’s precious gift for us to come unto Him. It opens one up to inspiration from the Lord. It opens the mind and heart to the Gift of the Holy Spirit so that the Lord can speak to you. It is our opportunity to come to know our Father in Heaven. It is our means of accessing strength and comfort throughout our day-to-day activities. Prayer takes an ordinary life and turns it into an extraordinary one. Once one realizes that they are in commune with God, and that He does in fact hear and answer their prayers, that person’s life becomes a walk of joy and discovery.

This process of coming to know who we are takes time and faith. It is built upon prayer. When we come to know who we are and who God is, our difference will be made in the world. That faith will sustain us through our trials and we will come out with power and strength.

We are God’s Children

So who are we? We are children of God. We are important in His eternal plan. Each of us has our own plan, where God can be an integral part of that if we communicate with Him through prayer. We have the potential to make a difference in this world.

2 Nephi 32:9 says

“But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.”

The Lord is promising us that if we pray, the trials, challenges, adversities, our performance, everything will be consecrated for us. All that we go through will be for our gain. And that comes to us through prayer. Prayer is that difference. Prayer in faith is what enables the blessings of heaven to pour out among us. Prayer brings us to the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. Companying prayer is the Holy Spirit, which is so vital to our relationship with the Father and the Son. Through prayer we come to know the Godhead and our lives are richly blessed.

I testify that the power of prayer does work. I have seen its effect in my life. My days are sustained as I start each morning with a prayer. I know my days are filled with protection and inspiration. I know that the Spirit will dwell with me as I invite it to come into my life through prayer. I know that I can be a difference in the world as I pray to Heavenly Father to present opportunities for me to do so.

I know that I can come to know my Savior Jesus Christ as I partake of His atonement. I know that His atonement cannot take full affect on me unless I am praying to my Heavenly Father. I have a relationship with my Heavenly Father. He is familiar to me. I have come to know Him. I have tasted of His goodness and I love His Son- my Brother- Jesus Christ. I too, know Him. Through Jesus Christ, I am able to know God. And through God, I am able to know who I am.

Knowing who we are makes all the difference in the world. It instills us with confidence to combat the darts of the adversary. So does prayer make a difference? I know that prayer is the difference.

Mady Clawson is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter-day Saints (“Mormon” single adult), with a zest for the gospel. She currently studies English, with an emphasis in Professional Writing and communications at BYU-Idaho.

Additional Resources:

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

Mormons and Jesus Christ

Mormons and Higher Covenants

Mormons and God

Of all the numbers in the Pew Research Center‘s recently released survey of “Mormons in America,” the highest, most overwhelming numbers are these: 98 percent of respondents said they believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 97 percent say their church is a Christian religion.

This comes on the heels of earlier surveys indicating that 32 percent of non-LDS U.S. adults say the LDS Church is not a Christian religion, and an additional 17 percent are unsure of LDS Christianity. The theological and semantic reasons for this can be complex, but for the 1,019 self-identified Mormons who participated in the Pew survey, their theological position is clear: Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and they consider themselves to be Christian.

“Certainly in Latter-day Saint theology is this idea that if you understand who you are, you understand that there’s a purpose in life, you understand your connection to God, that certainly has an impact on how you live your life and what you do, but also how you feel about your life and what you are doing,” said Michael Purdy of the LDS Church Public Affairs office. Continue reading →

By Amy Choate-Nielsen

Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 7:00 p.m. MST

David Letterman knows how to get a laugh.Like most comics, he riffs on the day’s news, deadpans the camera and revels in audacity.”Oh, did you hear about this?” the host of CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman asked his audience recently. “A campaign staffer on the Newt Gingrich campaign was fired because he was making negative comments about Mormons. I thought, now, wait a minute — isn’t Newt in favor of multiple wives?”
Laughter rumbled from the audience followed by applause. The polygamy punch line is a familiar one when it comes to poking fun at Mormons — as though Mormons and polygamy are synonymous in mainstream media. Ironically, the practice that’s most linked to Mormons is a practice most Mormons oppose, according to a groundbreaking new study of Mormons in America released Thursday by the Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion and Public Life.

According to the study, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unequivocally reject polygamy — only 2 percent said the practice is morally acceptable — evidence of a yawning gap in what Mormons believe and how they are perceived. Mormons’ opinions are overwhelmingly conservative, the study shows, but in many ways, their views are also surprising — especially when it comes to opinions on moral issues, divorce, homosexuality and polygamy. Continue reading →

A recent The Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted an in-depth survey of Mormons in the United States. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fourth article in a series that appears in Deseret News is evaluating the results of this survey and providing context for the results.

Immigration is a controversial topic in the United States. The survey asked one question on this topic. They were asked which of two statements most closely matched their view, even if they didn’t completely agree. They were asked whether immigrants strengthen or burden the nation. No distinction was made between legal and illegal immigration, leaving those polled to decide for themselves what the question meant.

In the general U.S. population, 45 percent of Americans feel that immigrants strengthen the country, while 44 percent burden it. 12 percent feel that neither or both are true or they have no opinion on the subject. Mormon views closely mirror these statistics. 45 percent of Mormons also believe immigrants strengthen the nation, although a smaller number, 41 percent, consider them a burden on society. The number of Mormons who accept both or neither or who have no opinion is higher, at 14 percent.

These numbers put them at odds with evangelical Christians, one of the few political areas in which they disagree. Within the white evangelical population, 59 percent believe immigrants are a burden, and 27 percent believe they strengthen the country. Like Mormons, 14 percent answered both, neither, or no opinion.

The statistics for Mormons shows a strong divide based on age, income, and education, as well as on religious commitment. Only 36 percent of highly committed Mormons see immigrants as a burden, while 50 percent of those who are less committed see them as a burden. This largely correlates with economic status. 84 percent of Mormons who are highly committed to their religion are college graduates. (The church strongly encourages education, which may be a factor in this.) Only 50 percent of those with high school educations are strongly committed to their faith. This statistic is very unusual in the religious world. For most religions, the least educated are the most religious.

49 percent of Mormons under age 50 see immigrants as a strength. 39 percent of Mormons over 50 see it as a strength.

Beyond the study’s statistics, several other factors influence the Mormon view of immigration. Many Mormons serve missions for their church. For two years, they live wherever they are sent, learning the language and living as the people in that community live. They go into the homes, attend the churches, and do service work in addition to their missionary work. Many of those serve in Spanish countries and have a realistic view of the hardships faced by those people. They come home with a compassionate view of the world and an understanding that Americans have much easier lives than most. The love missionaries almost invariably develop for the people they served influences their views on immigration.

Finally, the church has taken very specific stands on the subject of illegal immigration in recent years. Mormons believe God has sent a prophet to lead His church, just as He has always done in ancient times, and so, Mormons are asked to sustain the prophet as the leader of the Church. Official statements from the prophet or the Church are considered to be from God.

The Church officially endorsed the basic principles of the Utah Compact, a law working to create a balanced legal approach to immigration. In November, 2011, L. Whitney Clayton gave an official statement from the church in honor of the first anniversary of the bill. The statement said in part:

The Utah Compact is consistent with three principles we believe should be carefully balanced when considering immigration:

• We follow Jesus Christ by loving our neighbors. The meaning of neighbor includes all of God’s children, in all places and in all times.
• We recognize an ever-present need to strengthen families. Families are meant to be together. Forced separation of working parents from their children weakens families and damages society.
• We acknowledge that every nation has the right to enforce its laws and secure its borders.

We continue to encourage lawmakers everywhere to consider laws that properly balance love of neighbors and the importance of keeping families together, within the framework of just and enforceable laws.” (See Utah Compact One-Year Anniversary Marked by Utah Community Leaders.)

The official Mormon position is to encourage its members to stay in their homelands or to immigrate legally, but once they are here, however they came, they are to be treated with love, dignity, and respect, and laws should not separate families.

For a more in-depth look at the issue of Mormons and immigration, read the Deseret News article: Mormons’ immigration attitudes set them apart, by Eric Schulzke, Deseret News, published: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 8:12 p.m. MST.