| Question |
A friend of mine was in a Christian chat room a few nights ago and came upon
a girl who proclaimed to be a Mormon, but was so empty inside. They chatted
and my friend led her to Christ, and she made a profession of faith. She
said that she felt full inside now. My friend asked if her parents would
allow her to recieve a Bible through the mail, she said no. Then, as she
was signing off, she told my friend that she had planned to commit suicide
as soon as she signed off that night. Is that normal in the LDS religion,
the emptiness? I hope that this is an isolated incident. God doesn't want
this end for anybody. She also indicated that her parents would be upset if
they knew that she had made a profession of faith. Isn't a profession of
faith part of any Christian religion? We all believe in God.
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| Response |
What a sad question you ask. I feel so badly that anyone has to feel empty
inside.
I have found that no one seems to be exempt from problems, some even deep
emotional problems. I am sure that the kind of depression you described in
this young lady is found in the lives of people regardless of their religion
or even lack of it. I strongly suspect that this girl was not actively
involved in her faith, because of the implication that her chat room friend
"led her to Christ".
If this young woman and her family were actively involved in the "Mormon"
faith, she would be well acquainted with Jesus Christ. The official name of
her church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The children
are taught stories and songs of Jesus from the time they can walk and talk
all the way to adulthood and throughout life. Jesus Christ is the center of
our lives and the expressed mission of the church is to "bring souls unto
Christ". If she went to our church, I do not know how she could have missed
that. If she and her family were active in this church, they would each own
their own Bible, and be well acquainted with the teachings found therein.
Members of our church do suffer from depression and even commit suicide, not
at any particular different rate than others, I would guess, but depression
and other problems that lead people to feel low enough to want to end their
lives seems to be found quite broadly in our human society. On the other
hand, I know that a belief in the Lord and a willingness to follow him does
bring peace and happiness into ones life, yet sadly there seems to be some
who seem to have sunk so low, they do not seek or are not receptive to his
love.
One of the motivation of my life and specifically of My Beliefs section is
to share the "good news" of the gospel of Christ the best I can, to share
the joy, the peace and the love that I feel as I do my best to "be an
example of the believers" (1 Timothy 4:12).
Thanks for your email,
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
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