How Mormonism Creates Leaders
Lately, the press has been fascinated by how the Mormons manage to produce so many leaders. There are Mormons leading in politics, government, business, and entertainment, and the media has explored what their religion might contribute to the process. Mormon is a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are Christians who accept both the Bible and the Book [Read more]
What is a Mormon Bishop, Stake President, and High Priest?
Filed under: LDS Q&A, Leaders, Political Leaders
Because Mitt Romney has been a Mormon bishop and a Mormon stake president, and is still a high priest, those terms have generated a lot of interest—and a lot of misinformation. In order to understand how those titles affected him in the past and how they affect him now, it’s important to understand what they mean. This is not a political article. It is about explaining Mormonism, not [Read more]
Mormonism on the Rise According to New Census
A religious census released by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies shows that the religion of the Mormons is one of the fastest growing in the United States. Mormon is a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. See story on Mormon membership on rise. At a time when many religions are losing members, the Mormons are experiencing record [Read more]
Do Mormons Think You Have to Be Perfect to be Saved?
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts
A few days ago, I read an article by someone who claimed to know a lot about Mormons. Like so many self-proclaimed experts on this subject, much of his information was inaccurate. One of his claims was that most Mormons don’t believe they will be saved because they aren’t perfect. This is, of course, false. His theory was based on the Mormon teachings about obeying the commandments. Mormons [Read more]
Faith in Christ and Forgiveness of Men
Filed under: Becoming More Christlike, Becoming Perfected in Christ, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, Jesus Christ
By Mei Ding Goh. As I began to write down my thoughts for this article, as I began to type something on my computer, I could feel my chair was shaking, my instinct told me “earthquake”. I was really scared, immediately I knelt down and prayed, “Heavenly father, please forgive us of our sins, please release your grace and mercy, help us soften our hearts, help us repent”. And I was [Read more]
Mormon Easter Initiative
This weekend Mormons are participating in an Easter initiative. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the correct name of the Church) are sharing their testimonies of Jesus Christ in connection with a moving video about the events surrounding the atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many are also choosing to have these testimonies shared on Facebook as [Read more]
Do Mormons Celebrate Easter?
Every year, Mormons meet for a worship service on Easter that celebrates the life of the Savior and honors His atonement and his voluntary death on the cross. From the 18 month old in the toddler nursery who is learning that because Jesus was resurrected, we all will be resurrected, to the adults in Sunday School, Mormons remember what the Savior’s life and death meant for their own lives and [Read more]
New Study Analyzes Mormon Volunteerism
Filed under: Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Service
A University of Pennsylvania professor, with a team of researchers, has released a new study that shows Mormons volunteer more and give more to charity than do other Americans. The study was done by Ram Cnaan, who is the Associate Dean for Research, Professor, and Chair of the Doctoral Program in Social Welfare and the Director of the Program for Religion and Social Policy Research at the [Read more]
Lessons From the Bible: God is No Respecter of Persons
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts
In the early days of Christ’s ministry, the gospel was only preached to Jews. Jews and Gentiles did not generally like each other and it was, in fact, illegal for them to spend time together. Jesus said the gospel was to go out to all men, but the apostles didn’t entirely understand that and they continued, even after Jesus’ death, to preach only to the Jews. God decided to put a stop to [Read more]
Why Don’t Mormons Stop Doing Baptisms for the Dead?
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts
Recent media stories have discussed some Mormon baptisms for the dead that targeted Holocaust victims and celebrities. Many have asked the Mormons to abandon the practice and wonder why the Church has not complied. Certainly, it would seem simpler to stop and end the publicity. In order to answer the question, the reader must understand some background concepts. First, it should be noted that [Read more]