by byustudent | Feb 13, 2013 | About Mormons
BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” BYU students take nearly a semester of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.
In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.) (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Jan 30, 2013 | Mormon Beliefs: Christian Values
The actual name of the church Mormons belong to is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although outsiders most often use the term Mormon to refer to the members, Mormons themselves usually shorten the name of the church to LDS and say that they are LDS—Latter-day Saints. Some people find that offensive because they view the term the way Catholics and members of some other churches use it. For these people, the term is reserved for a very small number of holy people.
Mormons use the term because it is the one used in the New Testament. New Testament followers of Jesus did not call themselves Christians. That term is used just three times, and always in a context that suggests it was used by outsiders to refer to them, in the same way it was outsiders who first referred to the Latter-day Saints as Mormons. Eventually, Mormons accepted the name and even used it themselves for the name of their world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. However, they ask that it be used only to refer to the people, not to the Church itself. Christians, likewise, eventually took the name of Christian onto themselves as a way to identify themselves as followers of Christ. However, it was not the name they originally chose. (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | May 23, 2012 | Do Mormons Celebrate Holidays?
Do Mormons Celebrate Memorial Day? Yes, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called the “Morman Church” by others) celebrate local and national holidays. Mormon families (in the United States of America) celebrate Memorial Day, which commemorates and honors all American soldiers, especially those who have given their lives in war. It is also a day to honor the deceased, whether they have been soldiers or not.
Mormon families celebrate Memorial Day in their own way and have their own traditions. Many LDS families enjoy the time off of work. Some Mormon families may reflect upon their religious freedom, visit graves of their ancestors or loved ones, or write letters to soldiers. Youth worldwide have volunteered in activities in preparation for the Memorial Day holiday. Examples include weeding the cemetery (Jeanette Waite Bennett, Service of Sorts, New Era, February 1996) and mapping the “planned roads and sections for the cemetery, so unmarked graves would not be disturbed” (FYI: For Your Information, New Era, July 1982). (more…)
by nora | Feb 22, 2012 | About Mormons
by Mike Taylor
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as Mormons) are called as missionaries. Members of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Orchestra At Temple Square are all volunteer missionaries. They are called to bear their testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, and are blessed in their callings.
My sweet sister, Susan, was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for twenty years. She volunteered to become a member of that group and traveled the world. Once while the choir was on tour she fell and seriously cut her leg. Elder Russell M. Nelson, a physician who was also an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was on tour with the choir at that time and was able to stitch up the gash. She was able to continue on the tour. She said that she had many spiritual experiences come to her as she sang in the choir. (more…)
by brady | Feb 10, 2012 | About Mormons
How can you find out if the Book of Mormon is true? Fist step, read the Book of Mormon. Second step, follow the Prophet Moroni’s promise found in Moroni 10:4-5:
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (more…)
