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 paulah | Mar 7, 2013 | About Mormons
According to a recently released study, Utah has the highest rate of “family belonging” in the United States. The high ranking could be attributed in part to the dense population of Mormon families in the state. The study also found that it would be an “error of historical proportions” if a state neglected the importance of marriage and family intactness.
The health of the family is a priority for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called Mormons. In 1995, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” a declaration detailing the eternal nature of the family and the responsibilities of family members. Mormon families strive to fulfill the responsibilities outlined in this proclamation, including one that applies to this study: “Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.” (more…)
by byustudent | Mar 2, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters 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 byustudent | Mar 2, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters 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 | 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…)
