It was a beautiful day on the campus of Brigham-Young University. Inside the cafeteria on that afternoon, I found myself in a conversation with a student I’ll call Susanna. Susanna was a freshman student who was gracious enough to have a conversation with us. My partner and I, while sitting and eating with her, were talking to her about some of her beliefs as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “So, how does someone in your faith believe they get the best your religion has to offer after they die?” I asked. Susanna thought for a few seconds and answered: “What the Book of Mormon says is that all you have to do to go to the Celestial Kingdom is believe in Jesus Christ as your savior and try your best to follow God’s commandments, and you will be exalted.”
Now Susanna was very genuine in giving this “gospel” of the LDS faith, but there was just one problem: she didn’t even express her own beliefs accurately! According to the Mormon Triple, which includes the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price, what one has to do to reach “exaltation” (the LDS term for eternal life as a Heavenly Father or Mother) is nothing less than be absolutely perfect. This, of course, is impossible. With care and love, I was able, with the Grace of the Lord, to gently show Susanna what her scripture actually taught. Praise be to God that Susanna walked away with more questions than answers about her faith, and why the true Gospel seemed more attractive. Believe it or not, this conversation was nothing new.
It was more common to find LDS who believed the same as Susanna than it was to find people who knew what their scriptures actually taught.
This, while unfortunate, can’t help but make me wonder: how many people in the modern-day Christian church are living the same lives today? How many people, although self-called Christians, are unable to give an accurate account of what they believe? The answer is probably many more than we want to admit. This is a sad reality, and is the reason why I am at Impact 360. When somebody questions me about my faith, what an opportunity it is to give witness! The greatest commandment, according to Jesus, is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind – Matthew 22:37.”
Part of loving the Lord with your mind means to “Always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in you” as it says in 1 Peter 3:15. Impact 360 has been instrumental in teaching me the foundations of defending my faith, and has enabled me to live the Great Commission, which says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” I encourage you to fulfill this call, so that next time you meet someone hungry for the Word of God, be it in a college cafeteria or anywhere else, you will be ready to give an answer.
Levi DiChiara, Class of 2027
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