by paulah | Apr 5, 2013 | About Mormons
A recent Gallup poll named the Provo and Orem area of Utah the most religious metropolitan area in the United States.
In the poll, 77 percent of the residents in the area considered themselves “very religious,” which means they said they attend religious services every week or nearly every week and consider religion an important part of their daily living.
The large population of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—often mistakenly called the Mormon Church—that live in the area certainly influenced the ranking.
“‘We currently have about 90 percent Latter-day Saints in this area,’” said Richard Bennett, Associate Dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University. “‘You have BYU here, with 32,000 students—most who go to church—and UVU, a public university with many who also attend church.’” (more…)
by paulah | Mar 28, 2013 | Mormons in the News
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the Mormon Church, was recently afforded a rare opportunity to weigh in on the issue of immigration with United States President Barack Obama, as he moves forward on his commitment to pass an immigration reform bill this year.
President Obama held an immigration meeting with 15 faith leaders from across the United States in the White House on March 8, 2013. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was one of the invited leaders.
Most of the leaders in attendance at the meeting endorsed President Obama’s proposals. President Uchtdorf said the proposals were “in harmony ‘with the values of our church.’”
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ, often mistakenly called Mormons, who are in favor of President Obama’s plans to reform immigration were pleased with President Uchtdorf’s statements. Those Mormons who oppose Obama’s plan were not, and many voiced their opinions through Internet blogs. “Some were respectful of President Uchtdorf’s views, even as they maintained a different position, but others expressed anger with his statement,” noted Robert Bennett, a former U.S. Senator from Utah who browed the blogosphere “to see how this statement was received.” One Mormon wrote, “We were taught to respect the law—to uphold and sustain it—but this shows that the church no longer believes in that.” (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Mar 26, 2013 | Mormons in the News
There are some people, including some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (mistakenly referred to as the Mormon Church by the media and others), who perhaps feel that women should be more at the forefront in the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Latter-day Saints are taught and understand that everything that is associated with the LDS Church is under the authority of the Priesthood. That includes organizations and auxiliaries that are prominently placed under the care of the women such as Primary, Nursery, and the Relief Society. With that understanding, it is to also be understood that women are by no means subservient, or of lesser importance than the Priesthood. Both male and female members of the Church of Jesus Christ serve in vital capacities, and each is strengthened by the help of the other. There are, in fact, female leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, just as there are male leaders.
On 6 and 7 April 2013, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will conduct its 183rd Annual General Conference with speakers selected from the General Authorities and auxiliary leaders. Those speakers will include both men and women. As a general rule, it has been customary that one of the male leaders would give the invocation and the benediction for each session of the Conference. As of this writing, that may change with this General Conference as women may be invited to give both invocations and benedictions. For Mormons yearning to see women take on a more visible role in the LDS Church, this may well be an answer to their prayers. (more…)
by byustudent | Mar 26, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
Tithing is a principle that I follow as a Latter-day Saint. We give 10% of what we earn to the Lord. I’ve had people tell me that what I do is crazy; why would I give up that much of my money and why does it even matter? I’ve even asked myself that a few times. Why does the Lord need my money? He doesn’t, but that’s not the point of paying tithing. Tithing is there to show the Lord that we are willing to give up something we value a lot, especially when we have to struggle a little bit by giving it up. By giving something we value most, money in our case, we are showing the Lord that we love Him more than we love our worldly possessions.
There is a sort of parable about a mother cat. A hunter in the woods saw some boys throwing little kittens into the river. When he asked them why they were doing this, they said they had to because they couldn’t afford to keep all of the kittens. The man asked them if he could buy the cats from the boys, and they agreed. The mother cat followed the man because he now had her kittens. The man took care of the kittens. To show her appreciation, the mother cat brought a big, dead mouse to the man. The man accepted the mouse, knowing that the mouse meant so much to the cat.
When we are willing to put the Lord in our lives, above all worldly things, we are truly blessed. Recently, I struggled with paying my tithing. I had set aside the money to do so, I just never gave it to my Bishop. In my mind I kept justifying that I didn’t have to do it, that it wasn’t a big deal, and that since I didn’t get the money from work I could keep it. I wasn’t seeing the principle of tithing. I was just trying to find a way to keep the money so I could spend it for myself. Then we had a lesson on tithing in my Book of Mormon class, and I heard the parable of the cat. I realized the meaning of tithing and that no matter what, I needed to show the Lord that I love Him enough to put Him first in my life. Since then, I’ve been blessed with knowing that I am following the commandments of the Lord. I also found out that I received a scholarship, something I desperately needed to make my goal to go on a mission more attainable. (more…)
by byustudent | Mar 26, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
To those who wish they could do more for God:
Confession time: One of my greatest weaknesses is the fact that I constantly feel unworthy. It’s something that has pressed my mind for as long as I can remember. As I read the account of Christ’s ministry in the Americas this time around, though, I felt I was learning a lot more than I ever have. I felt myself feeling down as I thought, “I’m glad I wasn’t there, because there is no way on earth that I could ever come face to face with Jesus Christ without either fleeing to the darkest corners of the earth with thoughts of inadequacy haunting me for the rest of my days or bursting into flames because of my unworthiness.” Then we learned about the Parable of the Grateful Cat. Now take note: This is not a biblical parable, nor is it even a scriptural one. Rather, it was given by a Latter-day Apostle named James E. Talmage. The gist of the story goes like this:
A man was talking a walk near a pond when he saw two boys with a basket. He then realized that the basket was full of kittens and that the boys intended to drown them. The mother cat was running on the bank, clearly in distress. Upon inquiry, the boys told the man that their family’s cat just had the kittens, but the family couldn’t afford them – hence the drowning. The man paid the boys and took the kittens under his arm, touting them back to his home. The mother cat followed him, occasionally emitting grateful yet mournful purrs. The man made a comfortable place for them to stay in his house. The mother cat, seeing her kittens were taken care of, left with much joy. The next day, the man was having a party with notable company. During the party, the mother cat returned. In her mouth was a fat, still slightly alive mouse. She walked up to the man and dropped it at the feet of the man, then turned around and left. (more…)
