What is a Mormon Wedding Like?
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Basic LDS Beliefs, Families, Finding Happiness, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, LDS Practices, LDS Q&A, Relationships, Temples
It is a central part of Mormon beliefs that families are meant to last forever. Although many religions teach that death also leads to forced divorce, Mormons believe that God created families and counseled against divorce. Therefore he would not force people to get divorced at any time, even after death, without a chance to keep their families forever.
Eternal marriages are performed in Mormon temples.
Mormons refer to being married forever as being “sealed.” In other words, they are joined together forever, along with their children, parents, and other family members. This sealing can happen only in a temple, which is different from an ordinary Mormon meetinghouse. Read more
Why People Become Mormons: Mormon Family
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Basic LDS Beliefs, Blessings, Contentment in Motherhood, Counsel from Church Leaders, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Families, Family Traditions, Family Unity, Finding Happiness, Finding Truth in Family, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, LDS Practices, Parents/Leaders, Relationships
In this series, we’re looking at the reasons people first start looking into Mormonism. By the time they are ready to be baptized they have deeper reasons, including a testimony, but initially, they normally begin searching for a church to join because their lives are lacking something they feel a church might be able to provide. In this article, we’re discussing how Mormon beliefs about family appeal to many searchers. The Mormon family has a unique focus.
“In the Church, our belief in the overriding importance of families is rooted in restored doctrine. We know of the sanctity of families in both directions of our eternal existence. We know that before this life we lived with our Heavenly Father as part of His family, and we know that family relationships can endure beyond death.
If we live and act upon this knowledge, we will attract the world to us. Parents who place a high priority on their families will gravitate to the Church because it offers the family structure, values, doctrine, and eternal perspective that they seek and cannot find elsewhere.” (M. Russell Ballard, “What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest,” October 1, 2005). Read more
Why People Become Mormon: Helping Their Children
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Children, Choosing the Right, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Finding Happiness, Finding Truth, Fruits of gospel living, Gospel & Doctrine, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, LDS Practices, LDS Q&A, Parents/Leaders, Teens & Seminary, Youth Programs
Part one of a series
A new report from the Council of Churches states that while most church membership numbers are declining, Mormon membership is growing. Mormons are the fourth largest religion in the United States and the church with the highest growth among the top ten this year and second among all churches reporting numbers.
Mormonism has a lot to offer teens and children.
Mormonism isn’t an easy church to join. You have to participate in a series of “discussions” about the church first and complete assignments designed to help you learn what you’re signing up for and to help you find out if the Mormon Church is true. To this end, you are required to pray and ask God to tell you, since God is the one source you can always trust when you want the truth. You are then asked to commit to living specific Gospel principles and to live a moral lifestyle.
Then, if that’s not enough, you’ll probably get put to work. The Mormon religion is a lay church, so we don’t have paid ministers, organists, or other workers. This means everyone pitches in to help with one or two tasks. For instance, I assist a toddler with a disability in the toddler nursery each week.
Mormon Q and A: Do Mormons Take Communion?
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Jesus Christ, LDS Practices, LDS Q&A, Repentance
Mormons do take communion, although they call it the sacrament. Each Sunday, a basic worship service is held at which the Sacrament, or Communion, is offered.
Becoming a Disciple of Jesus Christ
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Becoming More Christlike, Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Doctrine & Covenants, Finding Happiness, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon, Service
A church near my house has a sign saying their sermon for this week is “From Volunteer to Disciple.” Since Mormon beliefs say that the Church should be a lay church, that topic caught my attention. Mormons need a lot of people to do all the work that needs doing, especially since we’re all volunteers with other jobs and responsibilities. That means pretty much everyone has at least one “calling,” which is how we refer to our volunteer jobs.
Although we’re volunteers, in that we don’t get paid, we don’t actually volunteer for the jobs in most cases. Leaders pray about whom to invite to take the jobs. Of course, we’re free to refuse, but most of us don’t unless there is a really good reason because we know that God has a good reason for wanting us to do a calling, even if it might be outside our comfort zone. I’ve often found myself accepting callings I felt unqualified to carry out, only to discover I am capable of so much more than I ever gave myself credit for. Callings are one way to help us become everything God planned for us to be. Read more
The Light of Christ
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Finding Happiness, Finding Truth, Jesus Christ
Christmas has many symbols, but one of the most powerful is that of light. We put lights on our Christmas trees, lights on our homes, and lights on our tables. The lights often represent the star that led the way to the baby and then the child Jesus for those who knew what the star meant.
The light of Christ is another way for us to know how to follow Jesus, to find Him, and to recognize His divinity. LDS.org describes the light of Christ in this way:
“The Light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ influences people for good and prepares them to receive the Holy Ghost. One manifestation of the Light of Christ is what we call a conscience.” Light of Christ Read more
Christmas is a Season for Giving
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Becoming More Christlike, Bible, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Family Traditions, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, Jesus Christ
Why Do Mormons Know The Scriptures So Well?
Filed under: Bible, Book of Mormon, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Gospel & Doctrine, LDS Practices
A recent Pew Forum study showed that Mormons know their religion and the Bible better than do Protestants. Only atheists, agnostics, and Jews scored higher, and statistically, each of those groups was a tie. This is one of a series of studies that have demonstrated Mormons know their religions better and practice them more, both in adulthood and in the teen years.
Does Obeying God Seem Too Hard?
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Choosing the Right, Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps, Finding joy within the gospel, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, Jesus Christ, Obedience, Plan of Salvation
The people who built the Tower of Babel were trying to get into Heaven without following God’s plan for getting there. They wanted to build a name for themselves and to avoid being scattered. Some have suggested they also wanted to avoid having to make covenants with God and to avoid keeping the commandments.
Making Personal Covenants With God
Filed under: Basic Beliefs of Mormons, Becoming More Christlike, Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price, Fruits of gospel living, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, Jesus Christ, Obedience, Teachings
Mormons are a covenant-making people. When they are baptized, they covenant that they are willing to take on the name of Jesus Christ and to keep the commandments. In the temple, as adults, they make additional covenants with God, promising to keep the commandments at an even higher level.
Baptism is the first formal covenant Mormons make.
A covenant is a two-way promise between God and man. God sets the terms, but if we keep our part of it, God will always keep his part. They’ve been a part of God’s relationship with mankind from the earliest days. The Old Testament is filled with stories of covenants God made with His people and the results that came about when people chose to obey or disobey the covenant.
You don’t have to be Mormon to make a covenant with God. Throughout the Bible, we find many places where God has asked us to do something and told us what He will do for us if we obey. As you read the Bible, begin marking those verses and recording them in a notebook. Be sure to record both the commandment and the promise. Then, as you pray, make a personal covenant with God to honor His request. Read more
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