by Lisa M. | Feb 8, 2013 | About Mormons
Mormons, also known as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe in following the teachings of the Savior, Jesus Christ. One of my favorite scriptures is Ephesians 4:32: “And be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.”
The Savior set the example of love and kindness for us to follow.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in April 2005:
Jesus, our Savior, was the epitome of kindness and compassion. He healed the sick. He spent much of His time ministering to the one or many. He spoke compassionately to the Samaritan woman who was looked down upon by many. He instructed His disciples to allow the little children to come unto Him. He was kind to all who had sinned, condemning only the sin, not the sinner. He kindly allowed thousands of Nephites to come forward and feel the nail prints in His hands and feet. Yet His greatest act of kindness was found in His atoning sacrifice, thus freeing all from the effects of death, and all from the effects of sin, on conditions of repentance.
As Elder Wirthlin so eloquently said, “Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others.”
It reminds me of a song I learned in church when I was a child. It’s called “Kindness Begins with Me,” and it says: “I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right, you see. So I say to myself, ‘Remember this: Kindness begins with me.’” (more…)
by Gale | Feb 4, 2013 | About Mormons
Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) hope to be worthy to marry the “right person, at the right time, in the right place” (late Mormon prophet Spencer W. Kimball). That means marrying a person of whom the Lord approves, when both bride and groom are well-prepared, in a Mormon temple where eternal covenants can be made. Couples throughout history in various places of the world have married for various reasons. Sometimes marriages were arranged, and partners had little hope of being soul-mates; some marriages were essentially business arrangements, and husbands expected to dally with other women to find emotional happiness. Nowadays in America, a single person searches for a soul-mate with whom he or she may be compatible in all aspects of married life. American couples tend to divorce when that simpatico element wears off or a partner disappoints in some way. Cohabitation and “starter marriages” are meant to qualify partners to make sure they are perfect.
“You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.” – Sam Keen
The Mormon view of marriage is quite different. God is interested not only in our salvation, but in our exaltation, which means joining Him in the very highest kingdom of heaven where He dwells, a place of utmost glory and goodness. The highest of the highest kingdom of heaven is reserved for those who have entered into the eternal marriage covenant and kept those covenants, enduring to the end with faith in Christ. These expect to dwell with their families forever. Mormons who are considering marriage are privy to personal revelation to validate their choice. This important decision, especially, concerns Heavenly Father, and He is ever ready to help. (more…)
by Lisa M. | Jan 25, 2013 | Do Mormons Celebrate Holidays?
Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His victory over the grave. Mormons, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe that the Savior’s victory over death extends to all of us— thus the “sting of death is swallowed up in Christ” (Mosiah 16:8).
President Ezra Taft Benson, then prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also mistakenly called the Mormon Church, said in 1992:
“The greatest events of history are those that affect the greatest number of people for the longest periods. By this standard, no event could be more important to individuals or nations than the resurrection of the Master. The literal resurrection of every soul who has lived and died on earth is a certainty…. Nothing is more absolutely universal than the resurrection. Every living being will be resurrected.”
Mormons believe that we are spirit children of our Heavenly Father, that He has a plan for us and that we lived with Him before we were born. Jesus Christ’s resurrection is an essential component to Heavenly Father’s plan.
“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22, online Bible). (more…)
by anitas | Jan 24, 2013 | Through a Mormon's Eyes
It’s now been more than seven years since I lost my brother to suicide. Some memories have become much easier with the passing of time, partly because I have trained my mind to simply not think about certain things that can’t be changed, and therefore they have no purpose. Some memories will always be completely fresh when they come into my mind even against my strongest efforts to hold them back. But whatever my mind might hold onto, the peace I have come to feel over losing my brother so tragically has deepened with my ever-growing and certain knowledge that all is well with him, and therefore I can think of him and feel nothing but peace.
I find it strange to note how I have very clear memories of things that happened for hours preceding my being made aware of his death—as if the trauma of getting the news created a reverse effect in holding onto the time that led up to it. It had been a day busy with mostly trivial things, and in the evening I sat down with my laptop to work on my current novel. My young daughter came in at one minute after seven to tell me that someone was at the door for me. I know the time because I saved the file at that very moment. Of course I was surprised to come down the stairs to face two police officers. I quickly tallied the whereabouts of my children and knew they were alright, so I couldn’t imagine what they might want. When they mentioned my brother’s name, I first wondered if he’d gotten into some trouble. When they told me his body had been found, that he’d apparently taken his own life, I wasn’t surprised at all. But shock made me weak and unable to fully take in what this meant. (more…)
by Lisa M. | Jan 11, 2013 | About Mormons
Young men and women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are still responding in unprecedented numbers to the call to serve missions after the Church’s October 6, 2012, announcement lowering the age of eligibility to 18 for men and 19 for women — and bringing the number of Sister missionary applications since October to equal that of the Elders, according to an LDS Newsroom article.
“I’ve never seen anything affect a generation of young people like what President Monson announced the Saturday morning of General Conference,” says Elder David F. Evans, executive director of the Church’s Missionary Department and member of the Seventy. “What we’re seeing is just an absolute overwhelming response from this generation to the invitation of the Lord and His Prophet to rise up and go and serve your fellow man and preach the gospel.”
Following the announcement there was a surge in the number of missionary applications from 700 per week to 4,000, according to the article. More than half of these applicants were women, whereas before the announcement only 15% of Mormon missionaries were women. The number of applicants is still double what it was before the announcement, and the total number of men and women who have applied for missionary service since October is now equal, according to the article. (more…)
