Soon after I turned 8, I was baptized. I remember the day pretty clearly. It was a beautiful summer day. I wore an outfit my mom made for me, a shirt and skirt that matched with a beautiful pink flower pattern. My mom French-braided my hair.
We were in a brand-new ward, and I remember that another person was baptized that day. I wore a white jump-suit, and my dad baptized me by immersion.
That night, my grandparents gave me my own set of scriptures with their testimonies written inside.
The next day was Sunday, and my Grandpa Holmes confirmed me (which means that he laid his hands on my head to bless me, officially joined me to the Church, and conferred upon me the gift of the Holy Ghost).
Even though there isn't a whole lot to say about the actual day, it was truly significant to me.
I am a Mormon. In fact, most of my ancestors go all the way back to the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Regardless of my heritage, I have come to know the truthfulness of the gospel through my own study and prayer.
How are Mormons different than mainstream Christianity? I won't attempt to be exhaustive in my answer, but I will name a few significant differences.
We are not Protestants. We did not break off from any other church. We believe that Christ restored the gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith.
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. We believe they are three separate members of the Godhead. They have different roles, but They are unified in Their purpose (to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man).
We believe the Bible, and we believe the Book of Mormon is also the word of God. The Book of Mormon is a history of two groups of ancient people who inherited the American continent as their Promised Land. God called prophets from among those people, who taught them the gospel just as it had been taught in Jerusalem. When Christ resurrected, He came to visit the people on this continent. Throughout the Book of Mormon, the people went through cycles of wickedness and righteousness. Eventually, they became so wicked that they destroyed one another. The prophet Mormon abridged the records of the two peoples, and gave them to his son before he died. Moroni added a few writings, then buried them in the Hill Cumorah in what is now Palmyra, New York. When the boy Joseph Smith was 14, he prayed to know which church was true. The answer he received was a visitation from God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. He was instructed that no other church had the fullness of the gospel, and that he was to be an instrument in restoring it. Joseph Smith later received visitations from the angel Moroni, who showed him where the plates were buried. Through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated the plates.
We believe in modern revelation. We believe that our prophet President Thomas S. Monson receives revelation for the Church. We also believe that we can study and pray, and receive personal revelation through the Holy Ghost.
We believe that when the gospel was restored, that the priesthood (the authority and power of God to act in His name) was also restored. President Thomas S. Monson holds all the authority, but he delegates that authority how God directs him to.
We also believe in eternal families. We believe that through the priesthood authority and temple ordinances, a man and woman and their children can be linked, or sealed, together forever.
We believe that we are saved by grace, after all we can do. In other words, the Atonement of Christ is the only way we can return to heaven. But we have to keep the commandments, and repent if we make mistakes.
http://mormon.org/eng/ has more thorough explanations of what we believe. What I believe.
I love the gospel. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for everything He has done for me.
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