by paulah | Aug 31, 2013 | About Mormons
Like many people, I have a bucket list of places I’d like to visit before I die. I also have a list of places I like to visit now. Some places on my list are unique to me and my personality. I can connect at least eight of them to my heritage or my life as a Mormon woman. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church). These eight places are loved at least in part because the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped me learn to love them. Jesus often used the everyday, common objects and occurrences of life to teach his parables. My favorite eight places are listed (but not ranked) below.
Fabric Stores. Sewing is in my blood. My maternal great-grandmother, Karen, learned the dressmaking and men’s tailoring trades from her father when she was raised in Denmark. She taught her daughter Elsie (my grandmother) to sew. My grandmother, who was mother to nine daughters and four sons, made clothes for each of her children. My mother also learned to sew and taught me basic skills as I grew up. She required me to take a sewing class in high school. I loved to explore the stacks of fabric that she stored in one of her bedroom closets. She regularly let me pick fabric from her stash to make clothes for my dolls or myself. I also loved sifting through her large tin of buttons. (more…)
by Delisa Hargrove | Jun 11, 2013 | Mormon Beliefs: Christian Values
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the “Mormon Church,” advocates abstinence and virtue as basic principles of a moral life. To comprehend why Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) willingly save sexual relations for marriage, one must understand eternal truths.
Why Choose Abstinence and Virtue?
One of life’s great questions is, “Where did we come from”? Mormons believe that mankind existed before this lifetime in the presence of God as His children. “All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and … has a divine nature and destiny” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World).
Instead of physical bodies, each soul lived as a spirit. God the Eternal Father prepared this earth for His children to receive a body, experience mortality, and hopefully choose to return to live with Him again. He chose His Son Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world, for He knew mankind would sin and need a way to repent and return to Him. Part of Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation and happiness includes life after death. A soul determines its eternal destination based on life choices, which includes correctly accepting Jesus Christ’s Grace and Atonement. (more…)
by Delisa Hargrove | Jun 3, 2013 | About Mormons
Why Do Mormons Have Large Families?
“Is she your daughter?” I’ve heard this question dozens of times about my youngest sister Dionna. Technically, she could be my child. After all, her birth occurred after I began my freshman year at college.
I am the oldest of 8 children and one of 240 descendants of my paternal grandparents. Before joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the Mormon Church, my husband, overwhelmed with the magnitude of my extended family, said, “This isn’t a family — this is a nation!”
Large families are one distinguishing characteristic of Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”).
The Family Is Ordained of God
And [Jesus] took a child…in his arms [and] said…Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth…him that sent me (Mark 9:37). (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Oct 22, 2012 | Mormon Beliefs: Christian Values
This weekend I attended the funeral of a friend. As I watched the proceedings, I couldn’t help but note that while there are many similarities between Mormon funerals and others, there are also differences. Those differences are significant because they illustrate the way Mormons view their beliefs.
The first thing a person who isn’t Mormon might notice when he arrived at a Mormon funeral is that most of the people aren’t dressed in black. Mormons see the funeral as a time of sadness for those who loved the person who died, but more in the way we’re sad when a friend or family member moves far away and we won’t be seeing them for a long time, not as a permanent end to life or love. We don’t wear black the day the day a friend or family member moves away.
Mormons believe that through Jesus Christ’s atonement, everyone will be resurrected and live forever. Most people will go on to live in Heaven. Only those who are truly evil or have denied the Savior after being shown for certain He lives would be denied Heaven, although not everyone will live with God. The Bible sets out specific requirements for that special privilege, but Mormons do not believe you have to have been Mormon in this life to go to Heaven or even to live with God, although you will have to accept the gospel once you’ve received a testimony of it. All levels of Heaven are wonderful places to spend eternity. (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Oct 15, 2012 | Mormon Beliefs: Christian Values
Mormon children are often taught their faith through music, which has been shown to help teachings enter a child’s heart in a way spoken words cannot. The songs they sing on Sundays at church and at home teach basic gospel principles that can help the children learn to live their faith. These songs often come to their minds when they have choices to make about how to live their lives.
“I Will Follow God’s Plan for Me” teaches children that God has a plan for their lives and that choosing to follow it will bring them happiness in this life and in the next life. The song was originally called “I Can Follow God’s Plan for Me.” In the October General Conference, a world-wide meeting for Mormons, the international president of the children’s auxiliary, Michaelene P. Grassli, explained that “can” was changed to “will” to reflect the commitment they wanted children to make to living as God wants them to live. Knowing you can do something is not the same as actually doing it.
In this lovely hymn, children learn that their very lives were a choice, a gift from God who loves us and who cherishes our right to make choices for ourselves—not consequence-free choices, but choices. Mormons teach that after God created our spirits, He allowed us to live with Him for a while in spirit form. We learned about God and His plan for us and built a personal relationship with Him by being in His presence and learning from Him. He was able to observe our choices and our growth. We decided how important God really was to us and how much faith we had in His plan. (more…)
