Turn yer brains on!

Ok people, this is a rant, but a purposeful one.

I was at my new job today (cashier at No Frills, woohoo!) and I had a customer who said "you're a hard working girl!" I thought that was a pretty nice thing to say. And then he handed me a little flyer that had "What do Jehovas' Witnesses Believe?" written across the front.

I thought that was a pretty nice gesture. I, as most of you know, am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Some of us call ourselves "Mormons" but I prefer to stay away from that term because of all the negative connotations related to it.

As an LDS person, I don't like to bash with other religions, so when someone hands me information on their church, I take it with a smile because I like to share my beliefs with others as well as learn about other religions out there, especially Christian religions. Well, not "christian" by definition, (the "proper" definition sucks) but any religion that believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Redeemer of mankind.

Anyway, back to the pamphlet. On my break I read it just to find out exactly what the JW people believe. It was all pretty basic but then I read a part that had to do with 144 thousand select people who will be set aside for a special task after this life. I'm not about to bash, so don't get your back up. Latter-Day Saints also have a belief about 144 thousand souls.

The reference comes from the New Testament, Revelation chapter 7. (To view the KJV online click this URL http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/rev/7?lang=eng). I couldn't quite remember what this scripture said or what it meant. So while I was still on my break, I pulled out my iPhone and googled "lds 144 thousand."

What I found is what this rant/blog is about.

Almost the entire first page were links with false claims that LDS people believe 144 thousand people will receive exaltaion or eternal life or get to live with God. They said we don't say that anyone is going to hell, but that we do claim that only a certain number of people will "make it".

This made me so mad!

First of all, it's not true. Second of all, these people obviously didn't do ANY research about our beliefs. We have another set of scriptures called The Doctrine and Covenants, which is a set of revelations received in these last days by our prophets. In Section 77, the prophet Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord about certain scriptures and what they meant. In verse 11, he specifically asks about the 144 thousand mentioned in Revelation, and written immediately after the question is an answer! (To view this scripture online click this URL http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/77.11?lang=eng#10) And it has absolutely NOTHING to do with ANY of the heresay listed on the links I found on Google.

Come on people. Turn yer brains on! What is the point of spreading totally false information all over the dang place? What is the point of telling the world what you THINK you know? In stead of "informing" everyone about everyone else, why don't we do some real research first. If you want to know something about Latter-Day Saints, ASK ONE! If you want to know something about apples, find someone who's made it their business to know everything about them.

Get it?

Don't believe just anything you see or hear or read. Find the truth for yourself.