A friend asked whether I was aware of any good collections of testimony or “Why I Believe”-type posts in the Bloggernacle. Nothing really sprung to mind, so I thought I’d issue a call for people to share their favorites here. I’ll compile a running bullet-point list below of the suggestions. |
Tracy M: http://bycommonconsent.com/2009/11/16/pillars-of-my-faith/
Steve Evans: http://bycommonconsent.com/2009/11/16/tesserae-of-my-faith/
Brad: http://bycommonconsent.com/2009/04/09/elder-christofferson-the-power-of-covenants/
I really liked Nate Oman’s “Grace in the Morning” post.
I also liked the raw honesty of Kaimi Wenger’s “Why do I believe and what do I believe” post from a while back.
I also remember very well a comment that J. Stapley once made in response to a “Why I Stay” post — it was just a couple lines, but it resonated with me at the time and so I still remember it:
“I have written elsewhere that one of the fundemental aspects of the Mormon narrative is to remain, to stay when others walk away. It has been that way from the beginning, though the details have changed.
I stay because there I have had some experiences that I feel are real and these experiences affirm my faith in Jesus Christ and a belief in the restored gospel. The restored gospel is beautiful.”
Also have to add Jim Faulconer’s “What if…” I didn’t believe in God post.
T&S did a series in November 2005 for the week of Thanksgiving. I posted the links in the comments but it looks like the T&S spam filter ate it. Admins?
In a previous dynasty, T&S did a series of conversion posts that fit the bill:
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2005/11/wilfried-my-conversion/
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2005/11/my-conversion-story-2/
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2005/11/adam-greenwood-my-conversion/
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2005/11/gordon-my-conversion/
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2005/11/ginas-conversion-story/
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2005/11/my-conversion/
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2005/11/more-thankful-every-day-conversion-week-on-ts/
It’s not in the usual form of a testimony, but here’s mine: http://bycommonconsent.com/2007/07/08/three-kinds-of-wards/
mraynes: http://the-exponent.com/2010/02/01/to-some-it-is-given/
Caroline: http://the-exponent.com/2006/05/17/why-i-stick-with-the-church/
Linda: http://the-exponent.com/2006/07/12/minimalist-theology/
http://the-exponent.com/2009/11/01/a-simple-testimony/
MormonScholarsTestify.org is a great new website (an initiative of Daniel Peterson, Scott Gordon, and Tanya Spackman) with new testimonies coming up almost daily. It has a WordPress backbone but the site looks like a regular web site. I don’t know if all the scholars there participate in the Bloggernacle, but I do recognize many of them from here and there online.
Mine: http://the-exponent.com/2006/11/07/sacrament-talk-do-you-see-this-woman/
Kent (MC),
that is great.
Adam,
Wow, what a great set of posts. Thanks.
check out this great new site of personal testimony:
http://www.hopefullymormon.blogspot.com
From bycommonconsent:
My Mormon thanks, by M. Norbert Kilmer
http://bycommonconsent.com/2009/11/25/my-mormon-thanks/
My Mormon thanks, Part II, by Mark Brown
http://bycommonconsent.com/2009/12/10/my-mormon-thanks-part-ii/
DKL’s testimony republished in Mormon Mentality is still the gospel conversion and testimony that is the most relevant and affirming for me.
http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/07/07/what-next.htm
Although it won’t give Marc another bullet point for his OP, may I please put in a word for the many of us who may not have borne a standard “I know the Church is true” testimony, who nevertheless bear testimony in idiosyncratic ways? I may have spoken directly of parts of my testimony in only three or four posts, but my entire blog stands as my testimony, from the posts where I bear other people’s witness through reporting their lives on down to the seemingly silly advertisements and puzzles that point to the lighter side of who we have been as a people. I think no one could read Keepa very consistently without recognizing that a seldom-directly-voiced testimony is the common thread.
I think that without any effort I could name two dozen commenters and bloggers for whom the same is true.
Just wanted to put that out there. Don’t want anybody thinking the ‘nacle can boast only the handful of testimonies bulleted above.
Still, maybe Joseph Smith, Again for the First Time does belong on your list, Marc.
How about My Boat from a few years back? Can’t remember where it was, but that is one of my all time favorite bloggernacle posts.
Here are a few interesting testimonies:
Why I quit Times and Seasons
Whose woods these are I think I know
A Critical Look at LDS Blog Portals, Part 1A Critical Look at LDS Blog Portals, Part 2
And here are a couple that I wrote (which aren’t quite so negative):
My Testimony, Christmas Morning 2007
My Testimony, March 31, 2007
In shameless self-promotion, here is a guest post I wrote: Becoming Like Christ
http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=2912
My conversion story
More of My conversion story
The Boat Post
Here’s my best shot from DMI: Does Blogging Make You a Better Person?
http://www.mormoninquiry.com/2009/04/does-blogging-make-you-a-better-person.html
All – Fantastic links. Keep them coming. I’ll try to keep the list above updated.
Ardis – Most definitely. Never meant to suggest that this would be anything more than a sampling of the goods available in the bloggernacle. Clearly, we’re missing much by overlooking all the stellar comments that get thrown around week in and week out.
John C. – Your first few aren’t quite what I had in mind for this post, so I won’t be linking to them above. Thanks for the last two though.
http://bycommonconsent.com/2007/12/30/be-not-afraid/
Irony
& Grace
I just read through a few of these testimonies. I just wanted to say I am thankful for all you people here. You are a remarkable group, and you buoy me up and inspire and entertain and sustain me sometimes. I rarely comment, but wanted to thank you all for sharing what you do on these blogs.
I also remember being very touched by fmhLisa’s story
http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=222
After recent discussions, I am not sure if MM counts but I am gonna put this out there:
Adam F – http://mormonmatters.org/2009/06/03/what-bothers-me-and-why-i-still-believe/
Arthur H – http://mormonmatters.org/2008/12/04/keep-pedaling/
Jordan put up a strong testimony at ABEV a couple of years ago:
http://abev.wordpress.com/2007/12/30/bomb-my-first-time/
Marc–
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this post. The testimonies I’ve read so far have made my day.
Our testimony is a gift from God, our gift to Him is the love we show one to another (Mosiah 18:21).
The greatest day of my life was when the Savior left the ninety and nine and found me. I’m looking forward to entering His presence in a coming day!
Marc,
I really enjoyed this post which I think Times and Seasons recently linked to:
Patheos: Frau Ruster and the Cure for Cognitive Dissonance (by Roger Terry).
http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Frau-Ruster.html
Most of my blog is various aspects of my testimony. It’s why I blog.
“John C. – Your first few aren’t quite what I had in mind for this post, so I won’t be linking to them above. Thanks for the last two though.”
Amen. Bloggernacle is high school enough without claiming that the Holy Ghost made us do it.
?
Guest post on FMH by Kristine: http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=1047
Guest post on FMH by LisaB: http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=302
Shelah’s Mormon history (in two parts): http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=2088
http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=2093
Shelah’s Mormon history on FMH (in two parts):
http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=2088
http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=2093
Guest post by Kristine on FMH: http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=1047
Guest post by LisaB on FMH: http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=302
A possible addition: my “This I believe” talk, at http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2009/04/this-i-believe/
http://www.ourthoughts.ca/2007/10/24/my-faith-crisis-story-jm/
http://www.ourthoughts.ca/2007/10/21/my-faith-crisis-story/
http://www.ourthoughts.ca/2007/10/25/my-faith-crisis-story-sally/
.
Mine from 2005.
.
I reverently stand by every word and gratefully report joys I hadn’t imagined then.
.
I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell. – 2 Nephi 33:6
Here are a couple more:
http://www.ourthoughts.ca/2007/10/25/my-faith-crisis-story-sally/
http://www.ourthoughts.ca/2007/10/24/my-faith-crisis-story-jm/
http://www.ourthoughts.ca/2007/10/21/my-faith-crisis-story/
The primary reason I spend time in the ‘nacle and write a blog is to increase awareness and understanding about the doctrine of Christ as taught in the Book of Mormon.
I would like to include my my experience with the Savior with the hopes it might be helpful to others.
http://www.ldsaliveinchrist.com/jareds-my-experience-with-the-savior/
Cough – note to Marc, in a post where you encourage folks to post links, check the Akismet filter every so often. :)
I just freed three or four comments. Sorry, commenters, if our spam filter thought you were a spammer. You’re free now.
(Weirdly enough, mixed in with the usual spam for porn, gambling, and drugs, we got spam comments for among other things a crane repair site. Crane repair. Who knew?)
Thanks Kaimi and sorry anyone who got filtered. I think I’ve updated the list to reflect everything shared up to this point.
It is so wonderful to see testaments of faith being spread throughout the world by way of the internet. Bless these writers for seeking to shed truth and light on a medium that is so clogged with false doctrine. What worries me, though, is to see our doctrines cast like pearls before swine on sites by people who have left the church. Isn’t there anything the church can do to keep our doctrines, such as the temple ceremony, from being published for the world to see? [] Can anyone stop this?
-G. B. Hatch
In that case, Kaimi, I apologize for my duplicate comment.