Why Is Family Life So Central To Latter
- about genealogy and the Mormon archives.
Mormons believe that the family is an eternal unit and central to God’s plan. In fact, eternal progression toward Godhood is limited to those who marry for time and eternity in a ceremony conducted by a properly ordained member of the LDS priesthood in a Mormon temple. Church President Hinckley has also stressed the importance of the family during mortal life, saying, “If you want to reform a nation, you begin with families, with parents who teach their children principles and values that are positive and affirmative and will lead them to worthwhile endeavors. That is the basic failure that has taken place in America. And we are making a tremendous effort to bring about greater solidarity in families. Parents have no greater responsibility in this world than the bringing up of their children in the right way, and they will have no greater satisfaction as the years pass than to see those children grow in integrity and honesty and make something of their lives, adding to society because they are a part of it.” To strengthen families, many Mormons observe “family home evening.” This is one night a week — generally Monday — that a family spends together praying, learning about scripture, sharing things from their lives, and playing games or engaging in other fun at-home activities.
Brigham Young Universitys Connection To Mormonism Explained
Under the Banner of Heaven episodes 1 and 2 frequently mention Brigham Young University, the real-life private university named after Brigham Young, the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in Provo, Utah, the university is notable for being sponsored by the official LDS Church, with almost all students subscribing to the religion. BYU also has a notably strict honor code that mandates the behavior of students to align with the teachings of the LDS Church. This is why Brenda is subject to jokes by Under the Banner of Heavens characters about her not getting into any trouble at Brigham Young University, where the real-life woman was a student at the time of her death. In order to graduate, BYU also requires that all undergraduate students complete a curriculum in LDS religious education regardless of their major.
Myth : Mormons Wear ‘magic Underwear’
This one is only half mythical. Mormons who have gone to an LDS temple do wear special undergarments, but they aren’t magical.
Large and ornate LDS Temples are different from the smaller, plainer chapels where Mormons hold their Sunday services. At 168 Temples around the world, worthy church members over 18 years old can receive essential ordinances for salvation. When someone goes to the temple for the first time, they receive the temple “garment,” which is a pair of special underwear top and bottom with religious significance.
For Mormons, the garment is supposed to act as a daily reminder of important covenants made in the temple. It’s not supposed to have any magic powers, even though Bowman says Mormon folklore is full of such stories. The hotel magnate Bill Marriott, a member of the church, once told “60 Minutes“that his sacred undergarments had saved his life in a freak boating accident.
“The boat was on fire. I was on fire. I was burned. My pants were burned right off me. I was not burned above my knee. Where the garment was, I was not burned,” said Marriott. “My undergarments were not singed.”
Bowman gets why non-Mormons think it’s weird to wear special underwear, but in the context of world religions, Mormons aren’t odd at all.
“Most religious traditions require some sort of special clothing,” says Bowman. “Yarmulkes in Judaism, headscarves in Islam, some Hindus have a spot on their forehead, Turbans for Sikhs. Mormons are more typical than not.”
Recommended Reading: How Do You Get Coffee Out Of Carpet
Succession After Smith’s Death
Smith left ambiguous or contradictory succession instructions that led to a crisis in the early church. Several church members claimed rights to leadership.
An August 8, 1844 conference that established Brigham Young’s leadership is the source of an oft-repeated legend. Multiple journal and eyewitness accounts from those who followed Young state that when Young spoke regarding the claims of succession by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he appeared to look or sound like the late Smith. Although many of these accounts were written years after the event, there were contemporary records.
Most Latter Day Saints followed Young, but some aligned with other various people claiming to be Smith’s successor. One of these was Smith’s own son, Joseph Smith III, who in 1860 led the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now called the Community of Christ church. Many of these smaller groups were spread throughout the Midwestern United States, especially in Independence, Missouri. Reverberations of the succession crisis continue to the present day.
Why Do You Baptize For The Dead
Jesus Christ taught that except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God . For those who have passed on without the ordinance of baptism, proxy baptism for the deceased is a free-will offering. According to Church doctrine, a departed soul in the afterlife is completely free to accept or reject such a baptismthe offering is freely given and must be freely received. The ordinance does not force deceased persons to become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor does the Church list deceased persons as members of the Church. In short, there is no change in the religion or heritage of the recipient or of the recipients descendantsthe notion of coerced conversion is utterly contrary to Church doctrine.
Proxy baptism for the deceased is nothing new. It was mentioned by Paul in the New Testament and was practiced by groups of early Christians. As part of a restoration of New Testament Christianity, Latter-day Saints continue this practice. All Church members are instructed to submit names for proxy baptism only for their own deceased relatives as an offering of familial love.
Read more on this subject here
Read Also: How To Have Energy Without Caffeine
Criticism Of Joseph Smith
In the 1830s, the church was criticized for Smith’s handling of a banking failure in Kirtland, Ohio. After the Mormons migrated west, there was fear and suspicion about the LDS Church’s political and military power in Missouri, culminating in the 1838 Mormon War and the Mormon Extermination Order by Governor Lilburn Boggs. In the 1840s, criticism of the church included its theocratic aspirations in Nauvoo, Illinois. Criticism of the practice of plural marriage and other doctrines taught by Smith were published in the Nauvoo Expositor. Opposition led to a series of events culminating in the death of Smith and his brother while jailed in 1844.
How Did The Church Begin
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith in New York State in 1830. This era is often referred to as the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant religious revival, in which preachers including Smith called for the restoration of Christianity, which they saw as corrupt.
According to Smiths account, he was visited in the 1820s by an angel called Moroni, who revealed to him the location of a new revelation from God, called the Book of Mormon. It was discovered by Smith in the form of gold plates or tablets, buried near his family farm in New York State.
The Book of Mormon includes stories about the ancient peoples of the North American continent, who had travelled there from Israel, as recorded by the prophet Mormon and his son, the angel Moroni. It claims that Jesus visited the Americas after his resurrection. Smith said it was written in a new language which he alone could translate, and as he gradually converted the texts into English they revealed the structure of a new religious movement which he then established.
Gradually Smith gathered a group of followers, often by converting people who were already interested in restorationist versions of Christianity, and tried to settle the nascent church in several towns.
In 1844 Smith and his brother Hyrum were charged with riot and treason and were shot dead by a mob while being held in an Illinois jail awaiting trial.
You May Like: Does Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Have Caffeine
What Do Mormons Believe
As stemmed from the teachings of Joseph Smith, the Mormons, like Andrew Garfields Jeb Pyre in Under the Banner of Heaven, believe in the basic tenets of Christianity in terms of the testimony of prophets and apostles about Jesus Christ and that he died, rose on the third day, and ascended to heaven. As such, Mormons also believe in the principles related to Jesus Christ of salvation, atonement, and baptisms. However, the Mormons believe in modern prophets, and continuing revelations in that God continues to reveal divine principles, which means they have an open scriptural canon. Mormons also believe that the Book of Mormon is equally important to the Bible regarding scriptural sources.
One tenet that makes Mormons unique is their belief in the second coming of Jesus, as they believe Jesus will return to Earth in order to establish Zion, specifically on the American continent. The Mormon characters in Under the Banner of Heaven also believe that after one dies, their spirit moves to the spirit world to wait for resurrection, where they will be sent to one of three kingdoms of Heaven and reunited with their immortal bodies. Family life, missionaries, modest clothing, and abstaining from harmful substances like alcohol, coffee, and illegal drugs are also important to the religion.
Mormon No More: Faithful Reflect On Churchs Move To Scrap A Moniker
For the Latter-day Saints faithful, a shift away from a longtime name has meant lighthearted screw-ups, logistical complications and reflections on identity.
A statue of the angel Moroni sits atop the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have said that adherents should no longer call themselves Mormons or even use the shorthand L.D.S.Credit…Rick Bowmer/Associated Press
Supported by
-
Send any friend a story
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
Give this article
After finally getting her twin babies to fall asleep in Rexburg, Idaho, Kristine Anderson described herself as a stereotypical, Mormon stay-at-home mom.
Then she sighed loudly, annoyed that a lifetime habit had slipped out.
Ugh, she said. I just said the word Mormon again. I apologize.
Last August, leaders of her faith announced a game-changing divine revelation. Russell M. Nelson, the churchs president, said that God had impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church. Church members should no longer call themselves Mormons, or even use the shorthand L.D.S., the church announced.
The word Mormon has been with the church from the beginning. It comes from the Book of Mormon, the churchs signature text , which adherents believe was recorded on gold plates by the prophet Mormon and his son, Moroni.
Don’t Miss: Can Drinking Coffee Help You Lose Weight
Mormons In America Certain In Their Beliefs Uncertain Of Their Place In Society
With a Mormon candidate among the front-runners for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, a musical about Mormons playing on Broadway and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints running television ads about ordinary Mormons, America is in the midst of what some media accounts have dubbed a Mormon moment. But how do Mormons themselves feel about the media spotlight, the election campaign and their place in America? A major new survey finds a mixed picture: Many Mormons feel they are misunderstood, discriminated against and not accepted by other Americans as part of mainstream society. Yet, at the same time, a majority of Mormons think that acceptance of Mormonism is rising. Overwhelmingly, they are satisfied with their lives and content with their communities. And most say they think the country is ready to elect a Mormon president.
These are among the findings of a comprehensive survey by the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life of more than 1,000 Mormons across the country the first of its kind ever published by a non-LDS research organization. Previous studies, including the Pew Forums 2007 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, have found that Mormons make up slightly less than 2% of the U.S. public.
What Are Some Of The Rituals Of The Faith What Are The Restrictions And Prohibitions
- Read the comments of historians, scholars and Mormons on .
The rituals of the Mormon faith include ceremonies performed in the temple — endowment, baptism of the dead, celestial marriage and family sealings — plus several ceremonies that take place in Mormon chapels. The naming and blessing of infants — performed by a priesthood holder, often the baby’s father — takes place in the chapel. Baptisms are held in the chapels when Mormon children turn 8 years old or when an adult converts to the faith. Family and friends generally attend both of these rituals. The Latter-day Saints also have a practice of annointing and blessing the sick if an ill individual so desires.
Like other Christians, Mormons celebrate Christmas and Easter as their two most important religious holidays. The Latter-day Saints also observe Pioneer Day on July 24, marking the date the first Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley in 1847. It is around the time of this holiday that the church presents its elaborate history pageant at the Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, N.Y., where Joseph Smith found the golden plates.
Mormons are advised not to get tattoos and to limit body piercings to a single pair of plain earrings for women. They also follow a general dress code that teaches that modest dress not only shows respect for one’s own body and for God, but also has a positive effect on spirituality and behavior.
Recommended Reading: Is Coffee Good For Gout
Myth : It’s Called The ‘mormon Church’
Since the church was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, the official name has always been The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Bowman says that from the start, detractors and critics began calling the controversial new sect “Mormons” or “Mormonites,” an insult directed at the “Book of Mormon,” an ancient book of scripture translated and published by Smith.
But what started as a derogatory slur was soon embraced by church leaders like Brigham Young, who said that church members should be proud to be called Mormons.
“There’s a long history of Christian denominations being tagged with a name by outsiders and then eventually adopting it,” says Bowman, including Methodists who were criticized as “overly Methodical” in their piety and Baptists who were ridiculed for their belief in full immersion.
In recent decades, though, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has distanced itself from terms like “Mormon,””Mormon Church,””LDS Church” and other nicknames, because it says they detract from Jesus Christ as the true center of Mormon belief.
Restorationism And Prophetic Leadership
The LDS Church teaches that, subsequent to the death of Jesus and his original apostles, his church, along with the authority to act in Jesus Christ’s name and the church’s attendant spiritual gifts, were lost, due to a combination of external persecutions and internal heresies. The restorationas represented by the church began by Joseph Smithrefers to a return of the authentic priesthood power, spiritual gifts, ordinances, living prophets and revelation of the primitive Church of Christ. This restoration is associated with a number of events which are understood to have been necessary to re-establish the early Christian church found in the New Testament, and to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus. In particular, Latter-day Saints believe that angels appeared to Joseph Smith and a limited number of his associates, and bestowed various priesthood authorities on them.
Don’t Miss: Can I Have Coffee While Pregnant
Mormon Emphasis On Family Strengthens Ties
Theres no better illustration of this emphasis than family home evening. The church introduced this officially sanctioned weekly event in 1915 with the goal of strengthening family ties and engaging children in religious and spiritual activities, such as prayer, singing hymns, and reading Scripture. Sociologist Vern Bengtson, author of Families and Faith: How Religion Is Passed Down Across Generations, described family home evening as among the most successful programs fostering intergenerational connections.
Its no accident that Mormon families tend toward traditional two-parent households with children. A 2015 Pew Research report shows that Mormons are more likely to be married and to have larger families than other Christians. Roughly two-thirds of Mormons are married, compared to only about half of Christians overall.
Even more importantly, Mormons are more likely to marry within their faith than members of most other religious traditions: 82 percent of married Mormons report that their spouse is also Mormon. And Mormon families are large even compared to other Christian traditions, averaging 3.4 children compared to 2.2. children for all Christian households.
A recent poll by College Pulse of students currently attending four-year colleges and universities found that the most common response among students about the ideal age to be married was 28. However, the response among Mormon students was 24.
Difference Between Mormons And Christians
Categorized under Religion | Difference Between Mormons and Christians
Mormons vs ChristiansMormons and Christians both believe in Jesus Christ. Though Mormons consider themselves to be Christians, they are not considered so by the Protestant and Catholic Christians. Both the Mormons and Christians share many things in common but there are also many differences between the two groups.
Mormons, as a religious group, were formed by Joseph Smith, who is regarded to have restored the church. It was in the 1820s that Mormonism developed. Official name of the Mormon church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Regarding the differences between Mormons and Christians, the former sect believes in the Book of Mormon, otherwise known as the Mormon bible as well as the Holy Bible The Pearl of great Price, and Covenants and Doctrines. Christians believe in the Holy Bible.
Regarding their belief in God, the Mormons believe in a heavenly father who has a physical body. On the other hand, Christians believe in Trinitarian God, who has no physical body. For the Christians, they have one god, the Trinity with Jesus as Messiah. Christians also believe in salvation. Mormons do not believe in the Trinity or one God. But they have three Gods The Father, Son and Holy Ghost. All the three are distinct from each other in all ways.
Summary
Recommended Reading: Who Sells The Best Coffee Beans