by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Oct 9, 2013 | About Mormons
I became a “Mormon girl” (a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which church is often inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon Church”) just after my seventeenth birthday. I had spent a lot of time observing the Mormon girls I knew so I could figure out how to be like them. Some things were obvious, although it took time to understand just why they did them.
For instance, the girls dressed modestly. They were fashionable and many were popular. One was prom queen and one was the captain of the drill team. They didn’t look stodgy or old-fashioned or out of touch at all. Their clothes were cute, but modest. I learned that both Mormon boys and girls were taught to be modest to show respect for themselves and for their Heavenly Father. God created them in His own image. Their bodies were gifts from Him. Those two facts motivated them to be respectful of that gift by not using it to gain inappropriate attention.
Mormon Girls Set High Standards
I also noticed that Mormon girls had standards and they lived up to them—even when no one was watching. That was particularly interesting to me. Most of the girls had thought it over, prayed about it, and decided they wanted to live to a high moral standard. One eighteen-year-old who taught my daughter the summer after her graduation told her students that she had been homecoming queen and the head cheerleader and had never once found it necessary to lower her standards in order to be popular. She wanted to be liked for who she really was, not someone who did whatever it took to be popular—even if it made her feel awful inside. Instead, she kept her standards and was popular while feeling great about herself. (more…)
by Gale | Feb 20, 2013 | About Mormons
A Gallup Poll has found that for the second straight year, Utah is the second most religious state in America, following #1, Mississippi. Eight out of ten of the most religious states in the Union are in the South, while the most irreligious states are in the northeast. Oklahoma is tenth on the list and is considered part of the American mid-West.
The poll determined religiosity by asking how often people attend religious services and whether they consider religion very important. Fifty-eight percent of people in Mississippi attend church nearly every week and consider themselves very religious. The study was based on interviews with nearly 350,000 people. [1]
This 2012 Gallup study showed little change from 2011 — within one percentage point.
There are a number of explanations for the substantial differences in religiousness across the states of the union, but analysis included in the recent book God Is Alive and Well shows that the differences are not accounted for by state demographics such as race and ethnicity, or — with the exception of Utah — by the type of religion that predominates in each state. More likely the differences reflect regional cultural traditions. [2]
Some of the comments on the Deseret News article reporting on the study asked if Utah really wanted to be equated with the states in the deep south of America, where education and economic levels are lower than elsewhere in the country. Other polls and studies have shown, however, that Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is unlike virtually all other religions in the world, in that the most religious are also the most educated. Utah is also at the top of the list for volunteerism and general giving. It is also the one religious state with a very low rate of teen pregnancy and other ills associated with low-income populations. Gallup’s “State of the States” Series investigates well-being in each of the fifty states. (more…)
by | Feb 10, 2012 | About Mormons
Eric, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called “Mormon Church” by friends of other faiths) shares his testimony of the Savior, how he gained that testimony, and how he continues to strengthen that testimony of Jesus Christ. Watch Eric’s video below: (more…)
by brady | Nov 18, 2011 | About Mormons
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon Church”) are most importantly, devoted followers of Jesus Christ. As a people we believe in “in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men” (Articles of Faith 1:13). We believe in following the Savior Jesus Christ’s example in word and in deed.
Mormon beliefs include a belief in continuing modern revelation through living prophets and apostles of God just as there was in Biblical days. Living prophets and apostles speak the Lord’s will and His gospel to us. The Church of Jesus Christ, as it was when Christ was on the earth, has been restored to the earth through a living prophet, Joseph Smith, whom God called by revelation. By the power of God, Joseph Smith brought forth an ancient record of scripture titled, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, that gives an account of God’s dealings with people who lived in the America’s anciently.
In this talk given by a prophet of God, who has since passed away, President Gordon B. Hinckley addresses some of the questions that many people have about Mormon beliefs. He gives clarifications, explanations, and helps clear up misperconceptions about the Church. (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Sep 28, 2011 | About Mormons
Mormon is a nickname sometimes given to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most Mormons trying to shorten the name use LDS instead of Mormon, although the term is found within the church, including in the name of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
The term comes from the Book of Mormon, a book of scripture Mormons use along with the Bible. It does not replace the Bible and is, in fact, a book that testifies of the Bible’s truthfulness and of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Mormons study the Bible two out of every four years. The Book of Mormon is studied only one year, with the fourth year covering church history and modern revelation.
Mormon was an actual person who lived in ancient times. He was one of the authors of the Book of Mormon. If you’ve read the Bible, you know it is a collection of books written by a variety of people. The Book of Mormon is the same type of book. Prophets over a long span of time wrote sections of the book. It was handed down from prophet to prophet. Eventually, Mormon, who was a prophet in what is today the American continent, where the majority of the book takes place, knew the time was nearing when the book must be completed and hidden. (more…)
