Comments on: Why I Choose to be Religious

By: Brenda LaTorre

Brenda LaTorre — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:26:31 +0000

I really enjoyed this. How beautifully done! Love it!

By: Ann

Ann — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:27:54 +0000

Wonderful. Was just passing by this morning and found this post , heard the music and maybe my day all the nicer.
Thanks for sharing.

By: Joan

Joan — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:09:25 +0000

Well spoken and written.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:27:20 +0000

I was having a similar conversation with the missionaries when I had them over for dinner the other evening. We were talking about faith when it comes to understanding the whys of the gospel and the church. Often we hear answers to questions that seem insufficient explanations, and we would like to know more. It is not doubt that makes those answers seem insufficient, and it is our faith that can help us fill in the holes in our understanding. We have faith that there ARE good answers, even if we don’t know what they are.

It is an important principle of faith to realize that there will ALWAYS (at least in mortality) be things that we do not know or understand. Faith is one way to deal with those things.

As far as the church being perfect… Perhaps we should take a page from Joseph Smith when he wrote about the Book of Mormon. The church is the “most perfect” church. However, to state that it is absolutely perfect is either a re-defining of ‘perfect’ or a misunderstanding of the doctrine.

By: Karri

Karri — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:32:08 +0000

Thank you for sharing a part of your testimony. It has strengthened mine.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:56:22 +0000

Singing and recording all the parts yourself- ya you are crazy. Sounds awesome though. I’ve got to differ with you on one point. The church is perfect- the perfect knowledge and truth is there. It is we, the people of the church, that are not perfect. You may have meant that. For me it did take a while to differentiate between the two, though, and before my testimony was strong, the imperfections of the people swayed my beliefs about the church. You’re right, though, that doubting brings about the questions that make us dig deeper and find the truth for ourselves. I was at a dinner one night for single women and the bishop (who was actually my dad) asked which of us were converts. Although I was raised LDS, I truly see myself as a convert because I did have to find out for myself.

Thanks for this post and I commend you for your choice to be religious.

By: Rhia Jean

Rhia Jean — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:50:36 +0000

You should try out for American Idol…either that or create your own choir. You could sing all
parts AND be the director.

By: Corey Walker

Corey Walker — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:10:16 +0000

I would like the sheet music as well. Do you have to General Conference recording as well? I had it at one point but don’t anymore and have search high and low for it.

By: Stallion Cornell

Stallion Cornell — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:26:41 +0000

Great post. Great song, too. Although I hear the Methodists are nice.

By: tamara

tamara — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:51:04 +0000

Sam, you are way too talented for your own good. Thanks for that post. It made for good Sunday reading and great any day reflection. I’ll be thinking about what you said for many days to come, I’d imagine. It’s nice to be given something real, important and actually relevant to the weightier matters in life to think about. It gives perspective to all the other junk the media shouts in our ears so incessantly.

By: Tony Brown

Tony Brown — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:01:49 +0000

I love this phrase: “asking that I become an active participant in my own salvation and in the salvation of others.” That really is what it is all about. This religion really is all about community (family specifically).

By the way, I LOVE that song. I have the copy from the BYU Men’s Chorus from a few conferences ago and listen to it all the time. Could you send me a copy of the music? I would love to get that sung in my ward.

By: Erica

Erica — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:38:55 +0000

Hmm. I was listening and thinking to myself……I hear Sam. Wait. What part is he singing? I hear more than one that sound like him. WAIT are they ALL him? And then I read the rest of the post and was all….duh. Nice job. Maybe I should recreate some of the singing nightmare for everyone’s enjoyment on my blog.

I also agree with you about the mix of shadows and light and how faith and doubt can mix. It is only by not being afraid to poke and prod at our own faith that we can grow. Sometimes overcoming a doubt doesn’t mean that you get a perfect reason to explain it away, but that the Lord fills you with faith and the feeling of doubt goes away and a feeling of assurance and the truth that the Lord loves you and is aware of you takes it’s place.

By: Annike

Annike — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:08:12 +0000

How awesome that you sang all parts so well – that was fantastic!!

Thanks for this post; I read it when I needed to be reminded why I also choose my religion!

By: Miranda

Miranda — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:39:55 +0000

That’s you on all parts! Crazy.
I love what you said about faith a doubt. I agree that we go through constant cycles of both, that should be leading to greater growth. It’s like seasons of pruning and sprouting. Sometimes we hurt and sometimes we stretch, but each makes the other more ‘exquisite.’