Blake Snow

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Why converting to Christianity is better than “being converted”

There is a one in three chance that new babies will be born into Christianity, according to global statistics. This is the highest of any faith. In the United States, there’s a 70% chance that new babies will be born into Christianity. When I was born in 1979, the odds were even higher.

But being born into Christianity and converting to Christianity are two very different things. Today I’d like to talk about both. By the end of my remarks, I hope to convert you to the idea that “converting” to Latter Day Christianity (as I call it) is far superior than being converted.

So how did I convert and how am I still converting?

1. I was lucky. Depending on which faith rules the afterlife, I was either lucky or unlucky being born into the most popular faith in the world. Let the record show I believe I was lucky. Like Nephi, the great second prophet in the Book of Mormon, I was born to goodly, devoted, and Christian parents named Brent and Cathy Snow. My mother was a homemaker of six and award-winning entrepreneur from Arizona. My father was a distinguished college professor from Idaho with the kindest eyes you’ve ever seen.

Love, laughter, books, intellectual discussion, entrepreneurship, and the near daily presence of The Holy Ghost dominated my childhood home. I knew early on that my house was different, in a good way. Some friends said I was lucky, which is only partly true. The bigger reason is that my parents lived their religion seven days a week. They upheld and instilled latter day Christianity, from baptism to daily worship, into almost everything. We often prayed together over breakfast, dinner, and bedtime. We sometimes studied the scriptures together. And we usually attended church together.

Like many Christians before me, I was a rebellious teenager. My parents didn’t force me to attend church on Sunday. But if I didn’t, I would be grounded the following weekend. Guess who showed up to church every Sunday? This wise policy exposed me to bonus amounts of the Holy Ghost that I would have otherwise missed but would later play an instrumental role in my eventual conversion.

In fact, everything I believe about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I owe to the Holy Ghost. All of us do, really. I don’t think it’s sacrilegious to say the Holy Ghost is the most underrated member of the godhead. To this day, his heart-touching and ever present influence is the reason I’m Christian.

2. I accepted Moroni’s challenge. In the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni says: “[After reading] these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” I took this challenge to heart and was overcome by a warm and radiating sensation in my chest that extended into my limbs after I asked God as an 18 year old young man if the book was true. I interpreted that “burning bosom” as an answer to my prayer and witness of this church’s truthfulness. A year later I had an even more powerful experience as a missionary in Brazil after asking God if Joseph Smith was a prophet. Those two experiences are the anchor of my conversion to Latter Day Christianity.

Side note: Faith is hard! Be kind to yourself and any who have doubts or have lost their way or chosen a different path. Jesus died to not only save everyone, he died to allow each of us the freedom to choose how we want to live, even if that means we don’t believe in him. We should be just as kind to the nonreligious or those from different faiths as those who share our beliefs.

That said, how do we stay converting?

1. We show up! We do this with regular prayer, scripture reading, and Sunday worship. This is what I call the holy trinity of Latter Day Christianity. I wish I had a more elaborate, sophisticated, and profound answer, but there isn’t one. To stay converting, each of us must invoke God in prayer, heed his word through scripture, and enter his chapels at least a couple of times a month.

Three church hacks: drop to your knees as the first and last thing you do every morning and night. Read your scriptures on the toilet instead of playing games or social media (like my brother Brooks taught me). And find a friend or family member to accompany you to church. If you don’t have one, ask me and I’ll go with you.

2. We follow Christ’s two great commandments. “After His fast and His encounter with Satan, Jesus began His public ministry. He came to earth not only to die for us but to teach us how to live. He taught that there are two great commandments: first, to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength; and second, to love others as we love ourselves. If we love God, we will trust and obey Him, as Jesus did. If we love others, we will help them meet their physical and spiritual needs, as Jesus did.”—Gospel Principles

If you haven’t loved God in a while, tell him you want to strengthen your relationship and ask what you can do to draw closer to home. If it’s been a while since you did something nice for someone else, do it today. That’s how you remain Christian. That’s how you change the world.

I’m honored to be part of the one third of the world who identifies as Christian. I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the restored church of Christ spoken of in the New Testament, and the only one with a fullness of priesthood authority, ongoing prophecy, and Christianity. Although I don’t believe my religion grants exclusive access to God, I do believe it provides more spiritual tools and answers than any other faith. Thanks for reading.