The Digital Age of Missionary Work
The task of the Christian today, as in the past, is to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, the methods used today are different from those of the past, as the world has changed and the tools have also changed with it.
Christ and the Spirit of Ubuntu
The following was originally posted March 17, 2018
“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” -John 17:22
The early Christians were different than what people see Christians as today. They were pacifists, they enjoyed communal living, and their focus was on love. One might say they embodied the spirit of ubuntu.
What Is Zion?
At the heart of Zion is self-governance, the inward discipline to align your life with truth and love. It is not about external control, it is about Christlike maturity.
Taking the Book of Mormon at Its Word
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” -Joel 2:28
We, as Latter Day Saints, claim to be living in the last days. When we look at the life of Joseph Smith Jr., his visions and revelations, it does appear to be the case. Before, during, and after the translation of the Book of Mormon he received numerous dreams, visions, and revelations. And it wasn’t only him. Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith Sr., Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and other also received dreams, visions, and revelations. Truly the Spirit of God was poured out, and Joel’s prophecy was coming true! (See Joel 2:28)
A Broken or Pierced Heart, and a Contrite Spirit
There seems to be a duality between a hardened heart and a broken heart. The hardened heart is egoism, thinking and feeling as if we are separate from everything else, alone, and creating a need to compete, fight, and save ourselves. The open heart is when we can see that we are connected to everything and everyone else, creating a need to fulfill a bigger picture. A hard heart likens us to a single celled organism, while a broken heart makes us a functional cell in an entire body.
Tearing Down Social Walls
“God, the Eternal Creator, weeps for the poor, displaced, mistreated, and diseased of the world because of their unnecessary suffering; such conditions are not God’s will. Open your ears to hear the pleading of mothers and fathers in all nations who desperately seek a future of hope for their children. Do not turn away from them. For in their welfare resides your welfare.” —Doctrines of the Saints 2e:25-26 (Community of Christ Doctrine and Covenants 163:4a)
Fear has no place in worship, and only succeeds in expanding the divide between cultures and beliefs. Are there places where Christians could be stoned to death for their beliefs today? Yes. But there are still plenty of places where racism, anti-semitic, anti-Islam, and homophobic thinking is so prevalent that lives have been lost. The only way to improve the status quo is to teach our children to understand the differences we all share, and teach them to love and care for all people, as Christ did.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s message was one of social and economic equality. Today it is easy to underestimate the complexity of this issue. His message, his dream, was one of true equality–not just racial equality. Race and gender are parts of this much larger and very complex puzzle.
Why I am a Mormon
“Mormonism is the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ; of which I myself am not ashamed.” – Joseph Smith Jr.
My name is David Ferriman, and I am a Mormon. What does that mean? The Latter Day Saint movement is very different from our sister Christian movements in that our view of Matthew 16:18, what the rock is that the Church will be built upon. The Church, of course, is you and me—all Christians.
A Shared Sense of Purpose
To be successful, faith communities typically create a shared sense of purpose and unity through worship and devotion. In the Fellowship of Christ, our goal is to ensure that all members of the community feel included and valued, regardless of their background or beliefs. This means that standardized forms of worship and devotion will not always be used. Each congregation will find what works best for them. And what works for them should not get locked down as if written in stone. They should work to offer a variety of worship styles and programs that cater to different local interests and needs, always evolving and moving forward.
This can become problematic as there may be those who do not want to support every type of service. It becomes important then to encourage regular attendance to help to build a sense of collective identity and belonging, so that no one left out, and none left behind.
What is Faith, and Why is it Important?
There is more than one answer as to what faith is. It means different things to different people.
Conference 2025 (Video)
“I have spoken through my prophets and my prophetesses from the beginning of these things, and I shall speak of them again through you this day, for the time is ripe, and the sun is setting.” -Doctrines of the Saints 133:6
Moving Forward in Christ
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. -1 John 5:13-15
If we believe that we are bad people, or that we can’t change, or it’s too late to change, or if we think we have sinned too many times and are far away from God, then I just want to tell you that you believe totally wrong. If you believe any of those things then please understand that those beliefs and feelings are from Satan, who is the great accuser.
Lo Here, and Lo There
“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong, and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight: that those professors were all corrupt; He said: They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men: having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” -Avahr 6:33-36
When Joseph Smith Jr. walked into the grove to pray, after reading James 1:5, he had a miraculous experience. We do not know exactly what occurred, but we do know that he had a revelation. The different versions of this vision or revelation may be studied in Appendix 1 of the Book of Avahr. The thing they all have in common is that he was told not to join any of the denominations he had explored. Why not? And does this revelation mean that all churches were evil? And if they were, are they still today?