Mormon Beliefs and Attitudes on Immigration

Mormon Beliefs and Attitudes on Immigration

A recent The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted an in-depth survey of Mormons in the United States. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fourth article in a series that appears in Deseret News is evaluating the results of this survey and providing context for the results.

Immigration is a controversial topic in the United States. The survey asked one question on this topic. They were asked which of two statements most closely matched their view, even if they didn’t completely agree. They were asked whether immigrants strengthen or burden the nation. No distinction was made between legal and illegal immigration, leaving those polled to decide for themselves what the question meant.

Mormon Immigration views from Pew StudyIn the general U.S. population, 45 percent of Americans feel that immigrants strengthen the country, while 44 percent burden it. 12 percent feel that neither or both are true or they have no opinion on the subject. Mormon views closely mirror these statistics. 45 percent of Mormons also believe immigrants strengthen the nation, although a smaller number, 41 percent, consider them a burden on society. The number of Mormons who accept both or neither or who have no opinion is higher, at 14 percent.

These numbers put them at odds with evangelical Christians, one of the few political areas in which they disagree. Within the white evangelical population, 59 percent believe immigrants are a burden, and 27 percent believe they strengthen the country. Like Mormons, 14 percent answered both, neither, or no opinion. (more…)

About Mormons: Mormon Scriptures

About Mormons: Mormon Scriptures

Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) use a few more books of scripture than most other Christians. Their set of “standard works” (books of scripture) are the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

The Bible

About Mormons: Mormon scriptures testify of Jesus ChristMormons use the King James translation of the Bible in English-speaking congregations and other translations for other languages. They use both the Old and New Testaments and in a four-year rotation of scripture study in formal classes, the Bible receives two of these years. Adults study the Bible for two years in Sunday School. Teens also study it for two years in Sunday School, but in addition, they study the Bible for two years in a class called Seminary. This is an academic and spiritual class taught five days a week during the school year and is an in-depth study. College students and some adults have a similar college-level study in a program called Institute of Religion. Older children ages eight and up study the Bible for two years and younger children study it every other year. Of course, families and individuals also conduct personal and family study of the Bible.

Mormons believe the Bible to be the word of God as it was first written by the original authors. However, the translators were not necessarily always perfect and we know portions of the Bible are missing, since some writings are mentioned that we do not have. For this reason, they add a caveat that it is the word of God insofar as it is correctly translated. This is a necessary notation since there are many, many translations of the Bible and all differ from each other. They cannot, of course, all be correct, particularly in areas in which they conflict. (more…)

What is Mormon?

What is Mormon?

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.

What is Mormon? He was an ancient prophet.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…)

About Mormons: Mormon Lifestyle

About Mormons: Mormon Lifestyle

Learning about Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) includes learning about the Mormon lifestyle. After all, doctrine is meaningless unless it’s put into practice. Someone once told me they didn’t understand why anyone would want to live by the strict rules of Mormonism. A look at the Mormon lifestyle will help make it easier to understand some of the reasons Mormons choose to live as they do.

The Mormon lifestyle is very family-oriented.Have you ever studied sonnets or tried to write one? They have a strict set of rules that have to be followed, and yet there are millions of completely individual sonnets in existence. This is because the form only sets the pattern for the sonnet. The content can be played out in as many different ways as there are writers. While Mormons have a strict framework, that framework leaves open so many variations there is no duplication. If you visit the I’m a Mormon campaign on Mormon.org, you’ll see how those variations play out in real life.

Mormons live all over the world and they tend to live as their neighbors do, in many ways. They live the culture of their nation. They live in ordinary communities, not Mormon-only complexes, have jobs in the general world, and educate their children any way they choose. They wear ordinary clothing and live in ordinary families. However, there are some differences and people often notice those differences. (more…)

About Mormons: Mormon Worship

About Mormons: Mormon Worship

Mormons believe the gospel should be something we practice all day, every day, not just during the worship service. Because of that, our worship takes a variety of forms, both in church and at home. One important aspect of learning about Mormons is learning about Mormon worship.

Mormon worship helps Mormons learn about Jesus Christ.In this article we’re talking about Mormon worship in church. Every Sunday, Mormons gather for three hours at their chapel. You may have heard about Mormons and their temples. However, these temples are not used for regular worship and are not even open on Sundays. On Sundays, Mormons head for a chapel, found in neighborhoods all over the world. These are open to the public and visitors are welcome.

If you decide to visit one day, you can ask a Mormon friend to take you or you can just show up. If you decide to come on your own, you’ll enter into a hallway or foyer from the parking lot. Just stop anyone you see and let them know it’s your first time in a Mormon church. They’ll be happy to help you through your day. If you see men or women wearing black name tags, they’re the best people to ask for help. They are missionaries and are trained to help you understand what you are seeing. (more…)

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This website is not owned by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org.