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Hi I'm Andrew

I'm an actor, an English major, and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am currently going to a prestigious University, studying to become an English teacher one day. I grew up in Nevada, and served a full-time two-year mission in Iowa. Some of my hobbies include inventing my own board and card games, reading, writing, and assembling jigsaw puzzles. I really enjoy acting, and took four years of theater in High School. We would perform many plays during the school year, and I won best actor two of my four years from a local academy.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because the Book of Mormon is true. It's as simple as that, really. The Book of Mormon is a record of some Native American people who lived over 2,000 years ago, and was translated by a prophet living in these last days named Joseph Smith. If the Book of Mormon is truly that ancient record as Joseph Smith says it is, then he is a prophet, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's church on earth. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that it is the word of God, to go hand in hand with the Holy Bible. Because of this testimony, I know that the Mormon Church is the only church on earth today that's lead by Jesus Christ the Savior Himself. And because I want to follow my Savior and be as close to Him as possible, I am a member of this church. Of His church.

How I live my faith

I live my faith by doing what Christ would have me do. "Every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." I have found that all that the Mormon church teaches is to bring people closer to God. I live my life as one constantly improving. When I discover something I'm doing that brings me farther away from Christ, I strive to stop doing that. I don't: watch R-rated movies, do homework on Sundays, cuss, drink, smoke, have pre-marital sex, tell dirty jokes, gamble, steal, nor many other degrading habits. I do: go to church every Sunday, pay tithes, do community service, treat everyone with respect, read the scriptures daily, pray daily, fast monthly, and many other uplifting habits. I have found that by doing these things the Lord has blessed me abundantly.

What do Mormons believe about the Bible? Do they regard it as Holy Scripture and the word of God?

Andrew
We believe the Holy Bible is Holy Scripture and the word of God. Which begs the question, what on earth is scripture? Where does it come from? Scripture is the inspired writings of God's prophets. For example, Moses was called by God to be a prophet. When he was moved upon by the Holy Spirit (also known as the Holy Ghost) the words he wrote were from God, i.e. the word of God, i.e. scripture. Men such as David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were also prophets. One of the many roles our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ had which on the earth was to be a prophet. All of these men wrote down scripture, until there was quite a lot of it. Several hundred years after Christ's earthly ministry, a bunch of Christians got together to decide which of all the many books of scripture floating around they should put into their "cannon of scripture." This collection, which was named "Bible," which is Greek for "the books," became the common cannon for Christian scripture. All the other works of scripture that weren't included in the Bible? They were thrown out and forgotten. We as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (i.e. Mormon) recognize that not ALL of God's Holy Word is contained in the Holy Bible, which is why we have additional scripture from God, including the Book of Mormon, which we use hand in hand with the Holy Bible. Show more Show less

Who wrote the Book of Mormon?

Andrew
In about 600 B.C, a prophet over in Jerusalem named Nephi decided to start writing down some spiritual experiences he had. Then Nephi's dad, a prophet, was warned by the Lord to get out of Jerusalem because it would soon be destroyed. The Lord led them over to the American continent. Nephi writes about all of this and then gives the sacred record he's been writing to his brother, who writes some more down before giving it to his son, who writes some more before giving it to his son. Fast forward about 1,000 years and you get these large volumes of sacred writings, just like the Holy Bible is a large volume of sacred writings. So now this prophet named Mormon gets the records given to him, and he sets to work abridging them. He names the record after himself (The Book of Mormon) and then gives it to his son, who finishes abridging it before burying it in the earth. Okay, so now fast forward a little over another thousand years, and you have Joseph Smith being led to the record and told to translate it into English. So he sets to work, and pretty soon we have this awesome spiritual account, filled with testimonies of Christ and visions and miracles, in our own language. So, to recap: the Book of Mormon was written by many ancient prophets who lived on the American continent thousands of years ago; and about 200 years ago it was translated into English by Joseph Smith. Show more Show less

Do you really believe there is a prophet like Moses alive today?

Andrew
Yes. Adam was a prophet, and so were men like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel, etc. Throughout history, God has called and chosen these men to speak on His behalf. These prophets were able to warn the people of upcoming dangers, tell them to repent, and give additional commandments from God. We are right now living in the last days, with threats that no one else in history has faced before. Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8) and so he still works through living prophets. There are also fourteen other men living today that are prophets, seers, and revelators as well as the main Prophet. Twelve of these men make up the quorum of the twelve Apostles, just as Christ had his quorum of twelve Apostles. The leadership of God's church has not changed; those who say it did forget that Christ is "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday, and forever." Show more Show less

What do Mormons believe is the purpose of life?

Andrew
The purpose of life (and existence) is to be happy. God knows everything, so He knows how we can be happy. Not only that, but He also loves us infinitely. That is why He gave us Jesus Christ and allowed Christ to be sacrificed on our behalf (see John 3:16). In fact, "He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world" (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 26:24). This includes giving us commandments and telling us to follow Christ. EVERYTHING God commands us to do is for our happiness and benefit. That's why free will exists. But what about those who don't make it to Heaven, you might ask yourself, why aren't they happy? Well, they are. "Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell" (Book of Mormon, Mormon 9:4). Everything God does for us is to help us find and have joy. The purpose of this life and the purpose of our existence is to have everlasting happiness, and we can only do that through Jesus Christ and following His gospel. Show more Show less