Moderately Religious: believing in a secular world

Latest posts

Asking questions is not a problem for Mormons

In Believe
29/06/2014
6' reading time
V

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by a 14-year-old boy who questioned which of all the churches operating in the United States was the true church. The First Vision and the Restoration of the gospel are now history in our church. Lately it has been said quite often that Mormons are not allowed to be critical, that they are not allowed to ask questions. That in itself would be hypocritical for a church founded by a boy who...

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The decline of the C

In Opinion and ideas
28/06/2014
4' reading time
H

Two weeks ago, the ACW announced that it would change its name to Beweging.net. This blog is separate from any political considerations as to why they do that. However, I would like to reflect on the fact that this association that has been standing up for the interests of the workers for centuries based on Christian concerns, has now chosen to deliberately ditch the C for Christian. I think that the vast majority of all members of Beweging.net...

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A special protection for our home

In Believe
15/06/2014
4' reading time
E

Last week, Knesselare was hit very hard by a supercell-type thunderstorm. In six minutes it was as if a hurricane had passed through the streets. I made a video of it to give you an idea: [jwplayer player=”1″ mediaid=”1833″] We had a really bad time. First of all, we reflected on the damage we had: both cars had more than 40 impacts, cracked windows and lights; there is not a single plant in the garden...

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Faith and science

In Believe
22/02/2014
1' reading time
G

It remains one of my pet peeves: faith and science are two views on the same truth. I wrote about my view on this apparent contradiction a year and a half ago. Today I saw the following video of a scientist who has enough merit not to be portrayed as a shady scientist. Listen to his story. I completely agree with that; after all, I feel the same way. Especially his statement of...

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Valentine's note to God

In Believe
14/02/2014
3' reading time
V

Dear Heavenly Father, Today we celebrate Valentine's Day here on earth, a day on which we reflect more than on other days on the people we love. That's why I don't want to forget you today and I'm sending you this note to say that I love you. You are my father who never abandons me and I know that you love me immensely. The love you feel for us has brought you so far that you allowed your Son to die for us so that we could return to you. You like...

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Plea against child euthanasia

In Opinion and ideas
06/02/2014
4' reading time
P

In recent days there has been a lot of commotion about the following video: To clarify: in our country, a bill by Jean-Jacques De Gucht is about to be approved that would allow euthanasia on minors. This would make us the first country in the world and has therefore already received quite a bit of attention in the foreign press. In Canada, this inspired doctor Saba to make the above video. Personally, I am against euthanasia...

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Self-reliance is central

In Believe
21/01/2014
5' reading time
Z

Friends of mine sometimes comment that they've been hearing more and more about Mormons lately. Now I think they are more sensitive to the subject first of all because they know it is so important to me, but on the other hand it is true that you hear about Mormons more often, especially in the business world. Indeed, Mormons are often successful in what they do, no matter how big or how small. This is primarily because we have a clear command in our Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation...

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The meaning of Christmas

In Believe
18/12/2013
2' reading time
D

As a Mormon and as a Christian, this is a special time of year. Next week, billions of people on our planet will commemorate the birth of our Savior. Even those who don't believe feel something special at Christmas. Unfortunately, Christmas has become a commercial event for many. Getting becomes more important than giving. I have found two videos that reflect on this and say so much more than words: For us, Christmas is first and foremost about...

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Why I disapprove of euthanasia

In Believe, Opinion and ideas
28/11/2013
4' reading time
W

In recent days, the subject of euthanasia has been clearly in the picture again due to the proposal of Senator Jean-Jacques De Gucht. For the sake of clarity, I hereby give the definition of euthanasia as I see it: “Euthanasia is defined as the intentional termination of the life of patients who are terminally ill or suffering unbearably.” I've always had a hard time with this concept. I can understand that for people the suffering is hopeless if you...

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A fair choice

In Believe
11/10/2013
4' reading time
E

I'm still amazed at how, as a Mormon, I keep discovering things that make me think “wow, this makes sense.” For example, I have often wondered about whether you can have doubts as a true believer or not. Because believe me (sic), I have doubts every now and then. It's just my nature to doubt everything and everyone. Doubt is sometimes called the mother of science, or so I thought. But as a believer you sometimes feel that doubt is not...

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Mormons in Flanders, part 1

In Book reviews, Believe
03/09/2013
2' reading time
M

I just finished part 1 of the series “Mormons in Flanders” by George Tuffin. I recommend it to my Mormon brothers and sisters. Please do not expect extensive academic work. George writes with the heart and that makes the book pleasant to read. Most of the news is about the Antwerp municipality, the place where George grew up, but he also tries to provide news about other places in Flanders. I got through quickly...

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We miss God

In Believe
22/08/2013
4' reading time
W

A contribution appeared on RKNieuws.net this week that I read with great interest. It's about an observation I made years ago. Apparently everyone is happy that we live in a secularized society. That observation is largely correct, but no one thinks about the reason why we are so happy with it. That article nicely points out that we miss God. We are not happy to be rid of Him. It always strikes me that if you...

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75,000 missionaries in the field

In Believe
15/08/2013
4' reading time
7

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an active missionary church. We are one of the fastest growing Christian churches worldwide. We now have approximately 15 million members. One of the reasons that contributes to this is that we call young men and women to serve a mission at the ages of 18 and 19, respectively. For boys it is a duty on behalf of God to serve a mission, for girls it is more optional (although no boys...

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Book of Mormon Reading Plan

In Believe
01/08/2013
1' reading time
L

Reading the Book of Mormon together as a family remains a constant challenge. That is a challenge given to us by our leaders, but I also know that many families are always trying to figure out how to plan it. Several missionaries have confided to me that sometimes they only really discover the Book of Mormon during their missions. That reassurance that our family is not the odd one out doesn't change the fact that I really want to do my best and...

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A lesson about missionary work without words

In Believe
22/07/2013
1' reading time
E

As a mission leader in the municipality of Ghent, I am always interested in good examples of how to do missionary work. Personally, I always prefer to work in a gentle manner. Knocking on doors is no longer a thing of the past; we can be a much better example by simply living truly as Christians.

In this video you will see some beautiful examples, which are so striking that you don't need any words:

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The power of symbolism

In Believe
10/05/2013
4' reading time
D

I cannot imagine a religion without symbolism. After all, anyone who believes in an all-powerful God must immediately recognize that we as humans do not have the capabilities to unravel and understand all the mysteries of the heavens. Heavenly Father's ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Symbolism should help us understand things that are otherwise difficult to put into words. Parables are a wonderful example. So are the ordinances in our church. FYI...

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A week in the temple

In Believe
19/04/2013
6' reading time
E

Isabel and I spent this week in the Stockholm temple. That's not the closest; Normally we go to the temple in The Hague. Or rather in Zoetermeer, because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has set a standard on how they name their temples. They are always given the name of the nearest major city. So although “our” temple is located in Zoetermeer, it is officially called the The Hague Netherlands Temple. The same for Stockholm: the temple...

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Are the Mormons a sect?

In Believe
13/04/2013
10' reading time
V

Today, in my calling as a mission leader, I was confronted with the direct question “are you a cult?”. My first instinctive reaction is to answer “bwa no thou”, but I wanted to be able to give a well-founded answer, as objective as possible but based on the knowledge I have as a Mormon myself. Finding a simple definition of “what is a cult” turned out not to be really possible. I have consulted various sources and have come up with some...

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Living with Mormons

In Book reviews, Believe
09/04/2013
4' reading time
W

Last night I read the free ebook “Living with Mormons” by Hanneke Koppers. Interesting to see the world through the eyes of an exchange student, how she struggles with herself and her new environment. She clearly ends up in a family that is not open to the world. Her first host family clings desperately to their own world. OK, when you host a guest student, the idea is for her to be part of your family, for you to encourage her and...

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Dare to advertise

In Believe
08/04/2013
2' reading time
D

A few weeks ago I was in London and one evening I went to see the musical “The Book of Mormon”. For those who want to know more about it: it is a satirical piece by the makers of South Park. What I found special was that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England had set aside a budget to advertise in the program booklet. Slogans such as “the book is always better” and “you've seen the show, now read the...

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Moderately Religious: believing in a secular world