Hi, my name is....

When I was in a high school a new rapper on the scene released the song “My Name Is.” The lyrics got dirtier by verse (thank goodness for radio edits) but man did it have a catchy hook. In more or less words, he told the world his name was Slim Shady.

Funny thing is, over a decade later and that guy is better known as Eminem. As far as I can remember, he’s always been better known as Eminem in the music industry.

The reason that I bring this up is that lately there’s been some debate in the U.S. about ‘Mormons’ (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and whether or not they can call themselves Christians.

I just googled the definition of Christian and the first hit was:

A person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings.

I was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and can say I’m definitely a believer in Jesus Christ and His teachings. I am so far from perfect but I believe in Christ, I love my Savior and I know that He paid the ultimate price so that I might one day have the chance to return to my Heavenly Father. I’ve read the teachings of Christ in the Old Testament, New Testament and Book of Mormon since I was a little munchkin so yes, I believe I fit in the definition of being a Christian.

Really though, what does it matter? Protestant, Baptist, Catholic, Mormon—these terms that define a different type of Christian. We all believe in our Savior. Sure sometimes we have different approaches but at the heart of it, we all believe in Jesus Christ.

Every Sunday as I’ve taken the Sacrament this year, I’ve made it a habit to read out of the New Testament. Today I happened to be in Mark in Chapter 9 where it read:

38 ¶And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one ^acasting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a ^amiracle in my ^bname, that can lightly speak evil of me.

40 For he that is not against us is ^aon our part.

41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not ^alose his ^breward.

John, a beloved apostle of Jesus Christ, shared a legitimate concern of his to the Savior. Somebody was claiming to be performing miracles in the name of Jesus Christ. This person was not one of Christ’s twelve apostles and didn’t follow them so John felt he shouldn’t be using the Savior’s name to perform miracles.

The Savior clarified then what I believe now. If they’re not against us, they’re with us.

Joseph Smith outlined our beliefs in 1842 in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor, and I believe that what he said then rings true today. In this case, it’s the 11^th Article of Faith that applies here:

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

I have great respect for anyone who believes in something. I have greater respect for those who believe in something that helps them want to be better, kinder and more charitable every day—and they actually live it.

What I don’t respect is people trying to put others down for their beliefs. Whether in middle school or religion, it’s never right to blow out another’s candle so yours might grow brighter.

Last week, a religious figure in the U.S. called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a cult. That’s not the first I’ve heard that term used in association with my religion and it probably won’t be the last. To be honest, it doesn’t offend me.

Thanks to another google search, I just found this top hit for the definition of cult:

1. A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.
2. A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.

Um..yeah..I have extreme respect for God and Jesus Christ for that matter. Do they qualify as ‘figures’? For that second part of the definition…does more than 10 million qualify as a small group?

Call me a Mormon, a Latter-day Saint, a member of a cult. Who cares? I believe in Jesus Christ. I know who I am. I know God’s plan. I’ll follow Him in faith.

Marshall Mathers called himself Slim Shady, Eminem and even Jimmy ‘B-Rabbit’ Smith (well, he played him in a movie—loosely based on his own life). Either way he was still a skinny, white rapper from Detroit. What’s in a name?