Well, seeing as this blog is entitled "Ethan's Freshman Fifteen" and is supposed to be me documenting my weight gain throughout the year, I guess I'll go ahead and give y'all a quick update.
It's actually been a few days since I've weighed myself, so I don't know how accurate this is. But, as of 10/17/11, I weigh: 130 lbs. That's like a 4 lb gain. Wow...that sure is a lot (sarcasm). Seriously, I eat like a pig every meal, how am I not gaining weight? Doesn't make any sense...
Anyway, I've got like 3 exams to study for a paper to finish so I'm gonna head out.
God be with you 'till we meet again.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Mormons: Who We REALLY Are
Okay, so I'm sure most of y'all (seriously, who reads my blog?) have heard the story: a Rick Perry-endorsing pastor (Robert Jeffress) bashed Mitt Romney and claimed he was not qualified to be our president because he is part of a "cult" and "non-Christian."
Now, this blog is in no way political. To be honest, I really don't care about politics. That's not what this is about. I'm just here to clear the smoke. Instead of learning about Mormons from a Baptist preacher, I think it would be better if you learned it from an actual Mormon.
1. Are Mormons Christians?
Jeffress: "A lot of people say they're Christians but they're not... [Mormons] do not embrace historical Christianity...[teaching faith and good works] is contrary to teachings of the New Testament."
Real name of the church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, our King and Master, our Leader and our Comforter. "Each of these titles points to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way we can return to our Heavenly Father (mormon.org)".
Revelation 20: 13: "...and they were judged every man according to their works."
Matthew 16: 27: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and he shall reward every man according to his works."
...Last time I checked, the books of Revelation and Matthew were in the New Testament.
2. Is Mormonism a cult?
This claim is almost as outlandish as calling Mormons "non-Christian." The definition of cult, as defined by dictionary.com is:
The Gospel that is taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the exact same Gospel Christ himself taught when he was here on the earth. After Christ left the earth and his disciples were killed, the fullness of His gospel was lost. Joseph Smith simply restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ here on the earth. Some people believe that we worship Joseph Smith. That is false. We only worship Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. Some people believe that our Prophet is the "head of our church." That is also false. "Jesus Christ stands at the head of the Church...The Lord guides His covenant people today through the President of the Church, whom we sustain as prophet, seer, and revelator (lds.org)"
In short: Jesus Christ is the head of our church, the prophet just tells us His will.
I hope y'all found this enlightening. If you have any more questions, just ask me, and I'll be happy to answer you. God be with you 'till we meet again.
In case you missed it, here it is:
Now, this blog is in no way political. To be honest, I really don't care about politics. That's not what this is about. I'm just here to clear the smoke. Instead of learning about Mormons from a Baptist preacher, I think it would be better if you learned it from an actual Mormon.
1. Are Mormons Christians?
Jeffress: "A lot of people say they're Christians but they're not... [Mormons] do not embrace historical Christianity...[teaching faith and good works] is contrary to teachings of the New Testament."
Real name of the church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, our King and Master, our Leader and our Comforter. "Each of these titles points to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way we can return to our Heavenly Father (mormon.org)".
Revelation 20: 13: "...and they were judged every man according to their works."
Matthew 16: 27: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and he shall reward every man according to his works."
...Last time I checked, the books of Revelation and Matthew were in the New Testament.
2. Is Mormonism a cult?
This claim is almost as outlandish as calling Mormons "non-Christian." The definition of cult, as defined by dictionary.com is:
noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies. (you mean...ceremonies like baptism? rites like sacrament? Weren't those done in Christ's church?)
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers. (veneration?...like...towards Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Is that supposed to be a bad thing?)
3. the object of such devotion. (devotion to our Father in Heaven and our Savior? Again, is that wrong?)
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the samething, person, ideal, etc. (the Church as a whole, being bound together by our love of Christ? Oh no! We're horrible people!)
5. Sociology . a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols. (sacred ideology? That does sound bad...)
Man...this "cult" stuff sure sounds bad! Wait a second...didn't that definition just describe most all religions? It basically said that a cult is: "a group of people bound together by a common set of beliefs." Isn't that what all religion is, basically? Don't Christians as a whole share a common set of beliefs? Pretty sure we do. Unfortunately, the world "cult" has taken on a very negative connotation. When we accuse other religions of being a "cult" we normally imply things like poisonous Kool-Aid or sacrificing people. Well, I've been a member of this Church for almost 18 years, and I haven't seen any of that around.
In short: Mormons are not a "cult" by the world's definition. We are a "cult" if you mean "group of people that share a set of beliefs." But is that really a bad thing?
Jeffress: "Joseph Smith is the founder of Mormonism"
The Gospel that is taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the exact same Gospel Christ himself taught when he was here on the earth. After Christ left the earth and his disciples were killed, the fullness of His gospel was lost. Joseph Smith simply restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ here on the earth. Some people believe that we worship Joseph Smith. That is false. We only worship Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. Some people believe that our Prophet is the "head of our church." That is also false. "Jesus Christ stands at the head of the Church...The Lord guides His covenant people today through the President of the Church, whom we sustain as prophet, seer, and revelator (lds.org)"
In short: Jesus Christ is the head of our church, the prophet just tells us His will.
I hope y'all found this enlightening. If you have any more questions, just ask me, and I'll be happy to answer you. God be with you 'till we meet again.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
BYU: A love/hate relationship
Well, I'm sitting here in psych, and I would be paying attention, but I can't focus. Let me tell you why I can't focus. This reason is #1 on my pet peeves list.
1. PEOPLE WHO TYPE OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD.
-I cannot put into words how much this ticks me off. I mean, what are you writing that makes you type so angrily?!
2. People who talk at inappropriate times.
-This includes, but is not limited to: the library, church, class, or any other time that involves me trying to focus.
3. Babies. In. The library.
-Only at BYU. I understand that you love your little angel, but please, for the sake of my grades, DO NOT LET YOUR BABY CRY IN THE LIBRARY. IT IS A LIBRARY, NOT A NURSERY!!
4. PDA
-Pretty much goes without saying. Dear couples, stop making out and making googly eyes at each other, ESPECIALLY IN THE LIBRARY. I AM TRYING TO STUDY.
5. PEOPLE WHO SMACK THEIR LIPS WHEN THEY EAT.
-Unfortunately, one of my close friends is one of these kind of people (won't name any names, of course...). Dude, I love you, but please stop smacking your lips. O_o
To conclude this post, I'm going to end on a positive note with a little something I like to call:
"Things That Make My Life Easier!"
1. My white-noise machine.
-Seriously, that thing is amazing. I sleep like a baby every night.
2. My sunglasses
-Utah is really sunny, and I walk everywhere, so sunglasses are definitely a must-have.
That's all for now, I'll add more if I can think of anything. I'm gonna try to pay attention to class now. God be with you 'till we meet again.
1. PEOPLE WHO TYPE OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD.
-I cannot put into words how much this ticks me off. I mean, what are you writing that makes you type so angrily?!
2. People who talk at inappropriate times.
-This includes, but is not limited to: the library, church, class, or any other time that involves me trying to focus.
3. Babies. In. The library.
-Only at BYU. I understand that you love your little angel, but please, for the sake of my grades, DO NOT LET YOUR BABY CRY IN THE LIBRARY. IT IS A LIBRARY, NOT A NURSERY!!
4. PDA
-Pretty much goes without saying. Dear couples, stop making out and making googly eyes at each other, ESPECIALLY IN THE LIBRARY. I AM TRYING TO STUDY.
5. PEOPLE WHO SMACK THEIR LIPS WHEN THEY EAT.
-Unfortunately, one of my close friends is one of these kind of people (won't name any names, of course...). Dude, I love you, but please stop smacking your lips. O_o
To conclude this post, I'm going to end on a positive note with a little something I like to call:
"Things That Make My Life Easier!"
1. My white-noise machine.
-Seriously, that thing is amazing. I sleep like a baby every night.
2. My sunglasses
-Utah is really sunny, and I walk everywhere, so sunglasses are definitely a must-have.
That's all for now, I'll add more if I can think of anything. I'm gonna try to pay attention to class now. God be with you 'till we meet again.
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