by dwhite | May 14, 2012 | About Mormons
by Dallin
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often misnamed Mormons) believe that God is the father of all of our spirits. Each of us lived with God, our Heavenly Father, before we were born. Paul wrote, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16). We are all spiritual children of God and are, therefore, brothers and sisters to each other. This is what Mormon missionaries go out to the world to teach.
One reason Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) build temples is to help each of us, the children of God, to commune with our Heavenly Father and to ultimately qualify ourselves to return to Him after this life. Mormons believe that we can speak to God through prayer and that He answers those prayers by communicating feelings to our hearts and thoughts to our minds, as well as through the actions of others. The reality of our relationship with God and our ability to speak with Him as our Father are two major messages The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shares with the world, sometimes through Mormon missionaries. (more…)
by brady | Mar 15, 2012 | About Mormons
Mormon Beliefs: Living Frugally, Being Prepared, and Avoiding Debt
Living frugally is not a strictly Mormon belief or concept, but it is one that is heavily stressed and taught within the Mormon culture and is included in several instructional books for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called the Mormon church by friends of other faiths). Members who follow the advice and counsel of church leadership to live frugally are often considered thrifty and prepared.
A big part of frugal living is emergency preparedness, and there are often seminars, classes, and activities dedicated to learning how to prepare 72-hour kits and food storage. Such preparedness offers peace-of-mind should there ever be a natural disaster, and we believe it is also an important part of preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ. However, this isn’t the only benefit. Such preparations leave members prepared to handle smaller personal “disasters” such as facing unemployment in these hard economic times. My parents went through a short period in which my father was unemployed between jobs, and they became heavily reliant on their year supply of food storage. (more…)
by dwhite | Feb 6, 2012 | Mormon Beliefs: Christian Values
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often misnamed the “Mormon Church” by the media, does believe in the practice of what most Christian denominations call “Holy Communion.” Latter-day Saints, or “Mormons,” however, call this practice the Sacrament. Below are three responses to the question of “What do Mormons practice in regard to Holy Communion,” by three practicing Latter-day Saints:
Melissa says:
Mormons (as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often called by those of other faiths) believe that the sacrament is an important ordinance that gives partakers an opportunity to renew their baptismal covenants. When we are baptised, we are cleansed of sin and declare ourselves members of Christ’s church, and the sacrament gives us an opportunity to “refresh” this commitment. Other Christian denominations typically refer to the partaking of bread and wine as “Holy Communion,” and that is basically what our sacrament is. There are, however, some very obvious differences in how we go about our communion. (more…)
by brady | Jan 27, 2012 | Mormon Reflections
Connie is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon” woman).
Mormon Women and the Relief Society
The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (which church is often mistakenly referred to as the “Mormon Church”) is the women’s organization of the church. It was organized in 1842, by the Prophet Joseph Smith. The mission and purpose of the Relief Society is to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help those in need.
Being a member of the Relief Society as a Mormon woman has been a great blessing in my life. We meet together every Sunday to discuss the principles of the gospel of Christ. We meet at other times, usually once a month, to help and encourage each other in strengthening ourselves, our families, and the other members of our ward (the people in our local congregation). We provide service in our neighborhoods and communities; we also serve each other. The Relief Society has a visiting teaching program where the women visit with one another on a very individual basis to build friendships and encourage each other to live the gospel. Relief Society is a great boon to all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (or “Mormons”). Those of other faiths who wish to belong to this sisterhood of service are welcome and invited to attend. (more…)
by brady | Jan 17, 2012 | About Mormons, Mormons in the News
We have all heard the statement “proof is in the pudding.” In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life, ‘Mormons in America,’ many great topics were addressed and a better understanding gained of what Mormons think about those topics. The Deseret News has taken a look at this research and has created a five part series discussing different aspects of the survey. In their piece “New Pew survey reinforces Mormon’s top goals of family, marriage” they take a deeper dive into the findings surrounding these critical beliefs of those who are Mormon.
The article references a very important statistic that was found through the Pew survey, “81 percent of Mormons say being a good parent is ‘one of the most important things in life.’” I guess from one perspective you could ask the question, based on what Mormons are taught about the role and importance of families, why this number is not 100%… but 81 is a good number. There are probably a number of reasons that number is not higher which may lead to some good follow-up research. (more…)
