by Ben | May 14, 2013 | About Mormons
There’s a lot of junk in this world. Pornography, abuse, kidnappings, not to mention each person’s individual trials, including depression and other challenges. And that’s just close to home. Further away, there are wars, government upheavals, famines, outbreaks of various diseases, civil unrest, discrimination; the list could go on. For the most part, though, I am relatively happy.
But why? How can I be happy when I turn on the nightly news and hear about kidnapping victims in Ohio or a tragic building collapse in Bangledesh? Or when I call my family and hear about the cousin whose marriage has failed, just the latest in a long line of family tragedies? The answer is twofold: knowledge and action.
Knowledge of the Truth
The number one reason I am happy is because of what I know. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes inadvertently called the Mormon Church, the things I believe give me the greatest opportunity for peace and happiness. Some pieces of knowledge that bring me the most peace and happiness are as follows (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Feb 28, 2013 | About Mormons
Reporters often note that the Mormons they interview seem generally happy. Sometimes they find this surprising, since Mormons don’t indulge in some of the things people think they need in order to be happy, including alcohol or immoral movies and activities. What makes Mormons happy?
Mormons try to stay focused on the eternal scheme of things and this allows them to happily pass over things that have only mortal significance, particularly those that bring only temporary and often fake pleasure. They find their joy in eternal things such as family, service, and faith.
Mormons believe that this life is just a portion of our eternal lives, and probably the smallest portion. It’s a time to prepare ourselves for Heaven. This isn’t just boring hard work and denial. It means finding out who God knows we can become and then becoming it. It involves building our talents, strengthening our self-control, and serving others. Seeing our progress is exciting and fun. Most of us have talents we enjoy and that are perfectly worthy of eternity. Mormons don’t believe we will be sitting on clouds doing nothing for eternity—how dull! Our talents will go with us, so we enjoy working on them and never find it too late to start a new one. (more…)
by brady | Jan 18, 2012 | About Mormons, Mormons in the News
There should be no real surprise to find out that the majority of those who identify themselves as Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) are politically and morally conservative. After all, they are a religion that teaches things like not to drink coffee or tea, not to smoke, not to date until you are at least the age of 16, that every life counts and that families can be together forever. The recent Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life, ‘Mormons in America’ survey results were recently released, and the Deseret News has put together a five part series looking at different aspects of this research. In this their fourth piece called, “Mormons’ immigration attitudes set them apart,” we find out some of the areas where Mormons are seen as questioning, challenging or supportive in response to the current political cycle.
The article begins by stating, “U.S. Mormons are more conservative (66 percent) compared to the general public (37 percent), and on most issues, they closely track white evangelicals. But immigration is one issue that sets Mormons apart from their evangelical counterparts.” There is some very good information presented and the Desert News presents this hot topic in a way that can help all readers get a clearer picture about what Mormons believe concerning immigration. (more…)
