Is there a God?

Is there any more important question to humankind than this?   Do you believe in God?  And if so, what do you believe He is like?

Most beliefs about God are that He is a supreme being, all-knowing, perfect, a father of our spirits.  What many religions disagree about is what form He takes on.  Is He a spirit, have a body, or reside in all things at once?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS church) teaches that God is our Heavenly Father and that we are His spirit children.  He has a body of flesh and bone that is glorified and perfected.  He loves us and weeps with us when we suffer and rejoices with us when we make good choices.  We can communicate with him through sincere prayer.
(Preach my Gospel, 31-32).

How can the LDS church claim to know the truth? 

To answer this question is going to take a whole post in and of itself but to answer briefly; it is because the truth has been revealed to prophets in our day.

Why is it important that I believe in God?

If there is no God, than there is no good or evil.  If there is no good or evil than why be kind or help anyone besides myself?  Throughout our history civilizations have gone through cycles where the people become agnostic followed by their destruction.  That's what we're headed for unless we start to think more seriously about God and our relationship to Him.

Why are we here on earth?  What's the purpose?

We chose to come here so we could have the opportunity to learn from our trials and grow spiritually, showing whether or not we would trust in our Heavenly Father and obey His commandments.  Disobedience   creates distance between us and God, making it more difficult to receive spiritual promptings.  We all make mistakes, however, so Jesus Christ chose to come to earth and be our redeemer from sin because He loves us.  His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross provided a way for justice and mercy to exist together, allowing us to repent and return to live with our Heavenly Father.  How beautiful is the truth that we can be free from our burdens of sin!  Without that load to carry we can have the faith and strength  to face our everyday trials.

Why does God allow horrible things to happen?

Our earthly existence is not easy to say the least.  There is much sorrow and grief that we must pass through.    Does God joy in our pain?  No.  He sorrows with us.  However, this life is like a refining fire. It either strengthens or breaks us.  If we turn to God we will be strengthened and be able to pass through our trials and be stronger because of them.  Also important to note is that a lot of suffering we go through is the natural consequence of sin, or disobeying God's commandments.  So you can make life a lot easier on yourself and just be obedient...even if it means denying yourself of something you want.  It's hard, but it will be far better for you in the end!

To learn more about the nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ you can study these scriptures from Latter-Day scriptures the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, from the Bible, watch a video and listen to inspirational songs:
1 Nephi 17:36
2 Nephi 9:6
Mosiah 4:9
3 Nephi 12:48
3 Nephi 14:9-11
3 Nephi 27:13-22
D&C 38:1-3
D&C 130:22
Moses 1:39
Matthew 5:48
John 3:16-17
Acts 17:27-29
Romans 8:16
Hebrews 12:9
1 John 4:7-9

For God so Loved the World Bible video

God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son
I Stand All Amazed

Or study more beliefs from these websites: Mormon.org and Lds.org.

Pray about these things to know if they are true, and have faith that God will answer you.  He will help you feel if it is true.  My three year old son says it feels like his heart is fluffy :)  Others say it's a burning within, or a peaceful feeling.

Please share your thoughts about God, especially if you have an experience in your life where you have felt God's power and love.  

If you would like to learn more you can:
Meet with missionaries.
Find a meetinghouse.  Everyone is welcome to attend.
And stay tuned for upcoming blogs each Saturday morning :)

Thanks for reading!