by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Mar 22, 2013 | About Mormons
FamilySearch.org, a free genealogy website sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is hosting Rootstech March 21-23, 2013. It is the third annual conference by the Mormons (the Church’s nickname).
More than 4000 people were expected to attend, and thousands more tuned in online for free streaming of portions of the conference. Attendees came from 49 states in the United States and fourteen countries. A touring version is being launched, to take the conference to more locations.
Family history has been rapidly growing in popularity, in part due to social media and the increase of online records. FamilySearch.org places a multitude of documents, including birth, death, marriage, and census records online at no cost. They are transcribed and indexed by volunteers. Two volunteers index each record independently and, if there are disagreements, an arbitrator makes the final decision. This provides greater accuracy in the transcriptions. The program is so popular that the entire 1940 census was indexed in months and was completed well ahead of schedule. (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Mar 11, 2013 | About Mormons
A Canadian newspaper ran an editorial noting that Mormon beliefs about agency were valuable in understanding the importance of freedom in government. While the actual article was too partisan for the scope of this website, the basic premise—that freedom is a God-given gift—is an essential topic in evaluating the intersection of faith and government.
Mormons believe God gave us our agency before we were born and that it plays an important role in the purpose of life. That purpose can be tied into why Mormons—and the Book of Mormon—teach that the United States played a divine role in God’s plan.
Let’s start at the beginning, which was before the beginning, actually. Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) teach that we lived with God before we were born. He created our spirits and we lived with Him in a pre-mortal existence as spirits while we learned the gospel, built a relationship with God, and decided what sort of person we wanted to be, including whether or not God’s plan mattered to us. (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 Terrie Lynn Bittner | Feb 25, 2013 | Mormons in the News
When the Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) tuned in for the semi-annual General Conference in October of 2012, life changed for hundreds of young people. It was announced that the minimum missionary age for young adults was being lowered to eighteen (after high school graduation) for young men and nineteen for young women. The Church anticipated missionary applications would rise, but they rose far more than expected. Many young people were anxious to take advantage of this new opportunity, some texting for appointments with religious leaders moments after the announcement was made. The increase in applications following the announcement was almost 500 percent.
To accommodate the extraordinary number of new missionaries, the Church has made some changes. It has divided a number of existing missions, which will improve management of the missionary force. There will be fifty-eight new missions created. This, of course, leads to a larger number of older adults needed to supervise the enthusiastic core of missionaries, but these adults are also making themselves available. (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Feb 18, 2013 | About Mormons
A 2005 study by the University of North Carolina found that Mormon teenagers outperformed their peers in other faiths in nearly every category. They were less likely to participate in activities that were dangerous, such as premarital sex or drug use, they did better in school, and they had a better outlook towards the future. They were more likely to stay in the faith their parents belonged to and they were better able to discuss the doctrines of their religion and to express their testimonies of it.
These results are not surprising when we evaluate the way Mormonism treats teenagers. The Church provides guidelines for parents that help them overcome the challenges of adolescence and also offers many unique support programs for them. The skills and values taught the teenagers provide the best possible outcome for keeping teens safe while teaching them to be contributing members of society.
Mormon is a nickname sometimes applied to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormon teenagers are considered important and contributing members of their religious community and play a critical role in its success. They are given many opportunities to serve others, to lead, to teach, preach, and pray. While they have their own programs, they also play a role in the congregation. (more…)
