by Roy

Many different organizations, sects, and people from all parts of the world continuously praise The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (frequently misnamed the “Mormon Church”) for its high standards when it comes to dealing with family relationships. Mormon women are doing a great job in raising their families as they work together with their husbands to create atmospheres of love, peace, and respect in their homes, carrying out the wonderful Plan of Salvation of God for His children. An old proverb says, “The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue. It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house” (Proverbs 25:23–24).

Mormon women believe that some of the greatest blessings God has bestowed to His children are found in the home. They know that motherhood is the most noble status and act that any woman can achieve. It is in the home where the greatest lessons of life can be learned; it is also the best place to teach God’s plan for us. In the Mormon Church, the home is often likened in sacredness to Mormon temples of God where the Spirit of the Lord can be strongly felt and manifested. With both the husband and the wife equally doing their responsibilities in their family, and their children helping the parents achieve their goals, anyone can say that indeed the home is where the most joy can be found on this earth. It is just like the temple of God; a piece of heaven on earth and a glimpse of what life will be like in heaven.

Mormon women also know that life here on earth is a big test where sometimes unpleasant things happen, even if somebody doesn’t really deserve it. There seem to be a growing disintegration within the family in society. The family unit is being attacked. Satan wants us to believe the family is not nearly as important as a good career and earning lots of money to give a great financial life to your family. Even some Mormon women fall into this trap, but the truth is money does not give happiness. Once a family’s basic needs are provided for, the strengthening of relationships should take far more precedence than earning an increasingly better living. Mormon doctrine teaches these principles, and Mormon women and men are called to accountability for these teachings. True happiness comes through obedience to the commandments found in the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is central to God’s plan of salvation because it contains the authority, ordinances, and teachings necessary to our salvation. It is an essential element and should be the center of every Mormon family. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has put so much emphasis on teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in the home, because children learn life’s lessons from their families. David O. McKay, a latter-day Mormon prophet, said, “No other success can compensate for failure in the home” (Quoted from J. E. McCullough, Home: The Savior of Civilization [1924], 42; Conference Report, Apr. 1935, 116).

Elder Douglas L. Callister, a Mormon General Authority, shared a story about how the husband and the family could at least give something back about the mother’s efforts in their home:

Many years ago an associate of mine decided he would please his wife by sharing with her a specific compliment each night as he arrived home. One night he praised her cooking. A second night he thanked her for excellence in housekeeping. A third night he acknowledged her fine influence on the children. The fourth night, before he could speak, she said, “I know what you are doing. I thank you for it. But don’t say any of those things. Just tell me you think I am beautiful.”

She expressed an important need she had. Women ought to be praised for all the gifts they possess—including their attentiveness to their personal appearance—that so unselfishly add to the richness of the lives of others (“Our Refined Heavenly Home” by Elder Douglas L. Callister, June 2009, Ensign).

Mormon women sacrifice a great deal to be mothers in Zion. Some of the manage to fulfill their own dreams at the same time. How each woman manages this is a personal matter between her and her Heavenly Father. Still, there is no contribution a woman can make to the world which would exceed the importance of her influence on her family.

Additional Resources:

More about Mormon Women

Roy Patrick is currently working as a Call Center Agent in the Philippines. He served a full-time mission in San Francisco, CA. His family is one of the pioneers of the LDS Church in Panay Island, Philippines.

by Kay Cahoon

The “Mormon Church” is actually officially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The term “Mormon Church” is a nickname and its use is discouraged by the Church because it leads people to believe that the Church’s members worship Mormon rather than Jesus Christ.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the same church as laid out by Jesus Christ when He was on the earth, as found in the New Testament. Over the centuries since Jesus has walked on the earth, the fulness of the gospel was lost from the earth as a result of widespread apostasy. Apostasy means the abandonment of one’s religious and moral beliefs and commitments, or a turning away from the truth. This apostasy is evidenced in the history of the church after the death of the Apostles. Men came together disagreeing about certain doctrines, throwing some things out, modifying others, and keeping what they liked. This meant some precious truths were lost, along with the authority to lead God’s church.

Joseph Smith was 14 years old when he wanted to know which of the many churches surrounding him in upstate New York was true, and which he should join. In the spring of 1820, in Palmyra, New York, while in a grove of trees praying, Joseph had two personages—God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ—visit him. He was told to not join any of the churches because none contained the fulness of the gospel.

In 1823, the angel Moroni (a prophet from ancient America) visited Joseph Smith and led him to the Hill Cumorah where the ancient records of the Americas were buried. This record contained the dealings of Jesus Christ with some of the inhabitants of the ancient Americas and was a second testament (along with the Bible) that Jesus is the Christ.

There were three witnesses to seeing these golden plates: David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris. In 1829, the three men signed a declaration that they had seen the plates, and they testified of the plates’ divine origin, having been shown the plates by an angel of God, the same angel Moroni who had first appeared to Joseph Smith. There were also eight additional witnesses that signed a separate declaration saying they had seen the plates as well, on a separate date, and the plates were shown to them by Joseph Smith.

Heavenly Father gave Joseph Smith the ability to translate the record which was written on gold plates. This sacred record is today called the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The book is named after Mormon, a prophet from the ancient Americas, father of the angel Mormoni, and abridger of the original records. This is the origin of the misnomer “Mormon Church.” People over the years have confused the name; it is not the “Mormon Church,” but The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as its foundation.

In 1829, the priesthood (or power and authority to act in God’s name) was restored to the earth through a visit from John the Baptist to Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith. The same men were later visited by Peter, James, and John, who restored the higher (or Melchizedek) priesthood. In 1830, Joseph Smith organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction and authority of Heavenly Father.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in the Bible as far as it has been translated correctly. Through many centuries, the Bible has been translated from one language to another. When this happens, often the meaning behind the words doesn’t translate correctly. Latter-day Saints also believe in the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is the history of some of the people of the ancient Americas as written originally by ancient prophets. Now the true gospel of Jesus Christ, with all of its priesthood authority—including a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson—stands once again on the earth. Latter-day Saints have the blessing of having modern-day revelation to strengthen and to guide and direct us here on the earth today.

Latter-day Saints believe in baptism by immersion and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. They believe in being law-abiding, honest, hardworking, and charitable people. Church humanitarian efforts are widely known and renowned worldwide. Often The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is amongst the first to respond to disasters with food, clean water, clothes, or whatever is needed, to people around the world, regardless of their religious affiliation.

Through the prophet Joseph Smith, Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, restored the gospel in its fulness. Joseph Smith was beaten, tarred and feathered, falsely imprisoned, and ultimately martyred because he would not deny the truth. Thousands of members of the Church also saw their homes and businesses burned, family members murdered, and mobs chase them out towns and states, all because they would not renounce Joseph Smith as a prophet or deny the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. In spite of persecution, these Saints believed; they persevered, and their faith never wavered. Now all the ordinances necessary for eternal progression and salvation are available to those who choose to participate in them and receive them. The true church has been restored to the earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth again in its fulness and glory.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

Mormon People

Mormon View of Jesus Christ

Kay Cahoon is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), a wife, a mother of six, a grandma of many, a traveler and a genealogist.

By Amy Choate-Nielsen

Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 7:00 p.m. MST

David Letterman knows how to get a laugh.Like most comics, he riffs on the day’s news, deadpans the camera and revels in audacity.”Oh, did you hear about this?” the host of CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman asked his audience recently. “A campaign staffer on the Newt Gingrich campaign was fired because he was making negative comments about Mormons. I thought, now, wait a minute — isn’t Newt in favor of multiple wives?”
Laughter rumbled from the audience followed by applause. The polygamy punch line is a familiar one when it comes to poking fun at Mormons — as though Mormons and polygamy are synonymous in mainstream media. Ironically, the practice that’s most linked to Mormons is a practice most Mormons oppose, according to a groundbreaking new study of Mormons in America released Thursday by the Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion and Public Life.

According to the study, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unequivocally reject polygamy — only 2 percent said the practice is morally acceptable — evidence of a yawning gap in what Mormons believe and how they are perceived. Mormons’ opinions are overwhelmingly conservative, the study shows, but in many ways, their views are also surprising — especially when it comes to opinions on moral issues, divorce, homosexuality and polygamy.

Morality

Mormons also take a significant stance on moral issues in other areas, such as divorce, sex outside of marriage and consumption of alcohol.

Although teachings from the LDS Church emphasize the importance and eternal nature of the family, only 25 percent of Mormons surveyed said divorce is morally wrong, according to the study. That means Mormons are slightly less morally opposed to divorce than the general public.

“For Catholics, divorce does not exist. They think it is not only wrong but it is impossible,” said Matthew Bowman, member of a board of expert advisers to the Pew Research Center for the study and author of “The Mormon People,” a book on the history of the LDS Church. “That has not been true for Mormons. There is theological space for divorce within Mormonism. It is undesirable, but Mormons recognize it is sometimes necessary and sometimes the right thing to do.”

Other moral views revealed in the survey — 54 percent said drinking alcohol was morally wrong, compared with 15 percent of the general public — set Mormons apart, Bowman says. The assumption on the part of non-Mormons is that if Mormons think drinking alcohol is wrong, then they must think everyone who imbibes is morally flawed. That apprehension can make people suspicious of Mormons, and wary of an elitist attitude, he says.

Differences in moral viewpoints can create a stumbling block for Mormon acceptance — not only in high-profile arenas, such as a presidential election, but also in communities.
“What you find throughout the report is a tension,” said David Campbell, assistant professor at Notre Dame and an adviser on the study. “Mormons like to use the phrase, ‘Be in the world but not of the world.’ They are certainly living their lives in the world. They are active and involved in their communities, but they have these beliefs and practices that set them apart a little bit, and sometimes there is conflict.”

Homosexuality

Mormons have some of the most conservative opinions when it comes to homosexuality. The survey asked Mormons if homosexuality should be accepted by society or discouraged by society, with an option for neither, both or “don’t know.” The response — 26 percent said homosexuality should be accepted, 65 percent said it should be discouraged — puts Mormons as the least likely to say homosexuality should be accepted by society. But a 26 percent acceptance rate, with roughly 1 in 4 Mormons saying homosexuality should be accepted, might be surprisingly high to some.

Of particular interest is the fact that only 8 percent of Mormons surveyed identified themselves as liberal, and 66 percent said they were conservative. That means some of those who said homosexuality should be accepted also identify themselves as politically conservative, Bowman says. That distinction illustrates the complexity of Mormons’ opinion on sexuality — that it is rooted more in religious precepts than politics.
Still, it’s difficult to draw a conclusion about Mormons‘ views on homosexuality based on the study, says Pew Research Center adviser Terryl Givens, professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond.

“Results need to be viewed cautiously,” Givens says. “Official LDS pronouncements insist there is a distinction between (sexual) orientation and behavior, but the survey blurs that difference, probably leaving many Mormons unsure how to answer that question. What is clear, however, is that Mormons are trending toward greater acceptance of same-sex relationships, just as society as a whole is, although by a much smaller percentage.”

Polygamy

At one point 120 years ago, some Mormons practiced plural marriage, hence the association between Mormons and polygamy. The practice was discontinued in 1890, but the cultural association persists, perhaps in part because Mormons are sometimes confused with members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church, a polygamist group not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the October-November 2011 study of a national sample of 1,019 Mormons, 86 percent said polygamy is morally wrong. That’s a number that surprises Bowman.

Were it not for the confusion surrounding Mormons and the FLDS Church practice of plural marriage, Bowman says that statistic might not be as high.

“It’s my experience that Mormons have a fraught relationship with polygamy,” Bowman said of the study results. “There is a sense that rejecting polygamy identifies a member of the LDS Church and distinguishes us from the fundamentalists. That is a cultural signifier as much as a theological statement.”

Some who responded to the survey, 11 percent, said polygamy is not a moral issue.
Email: achoate@desnews.com

SMITHFIELD — After dinner, three baths, four bedtime stories and a half-a-dozen goodnight kisses for 2-year-old twins Brock and Isaac and 6-year-old Ellie, Erin and Brian Thompson finally sink into the couch with weary smiles.

Being parents is just what they always wanted. And they love it.

“Of course we have our crazy moments,” Thompson says, “but for the most part we just try to find the good things in the day and remember that they’re only going to be little for so long.”

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Thompsons believe that maintaining a strong marriage and raising and teaching children are essential keys to happiness and their most important responsibilities on earth.

In fact, 81 percent of Mormons say being a good parent is “one of the most important things in life,” according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life — the first survey of Mormons about Mormons, by a non-LDS research organization.

The survey of more than 1,000 self-identified Latter-day Saints from across the country asked how accepted Mormons feel in American culture, as well as their thoughts on religious practices, political issues and family roles.

The survey showed that Mormons are more likely to be married than the general population, 67 percent of the sample size compared to 52 percent of the general public.

And 85 percent of married Mormons married other Mormons. Protestants marry other Protestants 81 percent of the time and Catholics marry each other 78 percent of the time.

With an emphasis on marriage, it should come as no surprise that the Mormons surveyed also had, on average, more children (2.6) than the general U.S. population (1.8).

Thompson grew up wanting to have a large family and be a good mother, but she and her husband have struggled with infertility for nearly nine years — a trial punctuated by the joys of two different adoptions, Ellie, then the twins.

“We said when we finally get to be parents, we’re going to actually sit down and take a little more time to focus on our kids,” Thompson said, who lives in northern Utah. “I’m not saying that other people don’t do that — the perspective we have is just a little different.”

Other Latter-day Saints share the Thompson’s enthusiasm to put family first.

“Family is at the core of our faith,” says Jane Clayson Johnson, a Latter-day Saint and former anchor of CBS’s “The Early Show” who prefers the title of mom to two young children and stepmom to three older ones. “There are so many distractions today that all force us outward, away from core relationships. What our faith does is turn us back toward deep, rich, meaningful relationships in families.”

“It teaches us that families are where we find meaning,” continued Clayson from her home in Boston. “The work I do in my family is the most important work that I’ll ever do.”

Among the general public, 50 percent list being a good parent as “one of the most important things in life,” with 44 percent listing it as “very important but not most important.”

That shouldn’t be taken to mean that the average American doesn’t value marriage or family, just that they don’t “go to church every week and get told that’s what they’re supposed to do,” says Marie Cornwall, a professor of sociology at Brigham Young University. Cornwall advised the Pew Center for this survey.

“There’s nothing to suggest that family life is less valued in the United States over time,” she said, “but there’s more that suggests that people are feeling like it’s not possible for them to attain that.”

The pressure comes when a “successful” marriage is defined as having a good job, a hefty retirement account and a lovely home with a white picket fence, Cornwall said. So when people can’t achieve that in today’s tough economy, many feel like they’ve failed.

“For Mormons, there’s a spiritual aspect brought to that (definition of success),” she said, “an effort, in terms of sermons, to try and downplay the material and place more emphasis on the relationships.”

When the survey asked Mormons about working arrangements in families, nearly six out of 10 Mormons indicated they would prefer a marriage where the man works and the woman stays home to care for the home and the children.

LDS college graduates liked this marital structure more than any other subgroup, with 71 percent of them preferring the man to work and the woman to stay home.

In the general population, only 30 percent of Americans would prefer a marriage where the husband works and the wife stays home. Among religiously unaffiliated Americans, it drops to 15 percent who would pick such a scenario.

Almost four-in-10 Mormons would prefer that both parents work and both parents help with child rearing and housework.

For American Fork mom Ruth Ann Dupaix, 37, it’s not a black-or-white decision. Throughout her marriage she has both worked and stayed at home.

“The way we look at it, we try to make it a partnership,” Dupaix says. “It’s more who’s able at the time to do it best. It’s working together, a give and take.”

When she and her husband, Geoff, were first married, her job helped pay for his school. When he finished, she kept working because her employer would pay for her to complete her degree, and education was important to both of them.

Dupaix stopped working when her sixth child was born but has recently gone back to work at a local grocery store three nights a week to help fulfill a family goal to reduce their debt load.

It’s a big pay cut from the job she used to have at a bank, but it’s a more family friendly schedule.

“As part of a family you make sacrifices,” she said. “I’m gone when the kids are asleep, but I’m still here during the day when they need me.”

Additional Resources:

For original source Deseret News article: Mormon family marriage focus Pew.

Mormons in America Pew Study.

A recent The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted an in-depth survey of Mormons in the United States. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fourth article in a series that appears in Deseret News is evaluating the results of this survey and providing context for the results.

Immigration is a controversial topic in the United States. The survey asked one question on this topic. They were asked which of two statements most closely matched their view, even if they didn’t completely agree. They were asked whether immigrants strengthen or burden the nation. No distinction was made between legal and illegal immigration, leaving those polled to decide for themselves what the question meant.

In the general U.S. population, 45 percent of Americans feel that immigrants strengthen the country, while 44 percent burden it. 12 percent feel that neither or both are true or they have no opinion on the subject. Mormon views closely mirror these statistics. 45 percent of Mormons also believe immigrants strengthen the nation, although a smaller number, 41 percent, consider them a burden on society. The number of Mormons who accept both or neither or who have no opinion is higher, at 14 percent.

These numbers put them at odds with evangelical Christians, one of the few political areas in which they disagree. Within the white evangelical population, 59 percent believe immigrants are a burden, and 27 percent believe they strengthen the country. Like Mormons, 14 percent answered both, neither, or no opinion.

The statistics for Mormons shows a strong divide based on age, income, and education, as well as on religious commitment. Only 36 percent of highly committed Mormons see immigrants as a burden, while 50 percent of those who are less committed see them as a burden. This largely correlates with economic status. 84 percent of Mormons who are highly committed to their religion are college graduates. (The church strongly encourages education, which may be a factor in this.) Only 50 percent of those with high school educations are strongly committed to their faith. This statistic is very unusual in the religious world. For most religions, the least educated are the most religious.

49 percent of Mormons under age 50 see immigrants as a strength. 39 percent of Mormons over 50 see it as a strength.

Beyond the study’s statistics, several other factors influence the Mormon view of immigration. Many Mormons serve missions for their church. For two years, they live wherever they are sent, learning the language and living as the people in that community live. They go into the homes, attend the churches, and do service work in addition to their missionary work. Many of those serve in Spanish countries and have a realistic view of the hardships faced by those people. They come home with a compassionate view of the world and an understanding that Americans have much easier lives than most. The love missionaries almost invariably develop for the people they served influences their views on immigration.

Finally, the church has taken very specific stands on the subject of illegal immigration in recent years. Mormons believe God has sent a prophet to lead His church, just as He has always done in ancient times, and so, Mormons are asked to sustain the prophet as the leader of the Church. Official statements from the prophet or the Church are considered to be from God.

The Church officially endorsed the basic principles of the Utah Compact, a law working to create a balanced legal approach to immigration. In November, 2011, L. Whitney Clayton gave an official statement from the church in honor of the first anniversary of the bill. The statement said in part:

The Utah Compact is consistent with three principles we believe should be carefully balanced when considering immigration:

• We follow Jesus Christ by loving our neighbors. The meaning of neighbor includes all of God’s children, in all places and in all times.
• We recognize an ever-present need to strengthen families. Families are meant to be together. Forced separation of working parents from their children weakens families and damages society.
• We acknowledge that every nation has the right to enforce its laws and secure its borders.

We continue to encourage lawmakers everywhere to consider laws that properly balance love of neighbors and the importance of keeping families together, within the framework of just and enforceable laws.” (See Utah Compact One-Year Anniversary Marked by Utah Community Leaders.)

The official Mormon position is to encourage its members to stay in their homelands or to immigrate legally, but once they are here, however they came, they are to be treated with love, dignity, and respect, and laws should not separate families.

For a more in-depth look at the issue of Mormons and immigration, read the Deseret News article: Mormons’ immigration attitudes set them apart, by Eric Schulzke, Deseret News, published: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 8:12 p.m. MST.

As the “Mormon moment” extends into 2012, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life today released a groundbreaking new survey, the first ever published by a non-LDS research organization to focus exclusively on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their beliefs, values, perceptions and political preferences.

Entitled “Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society,” the survey was conducted between Oct. 25 and Nov. 16, 2011 among a national sample of 1,019 respondents who identified themselves as Mormons. The results validate a number of long-held stereotypes (most American Mormons are white, well-educated, politically conservative and religiously observant) while providing a few interesting surprises (care for the poor and needy is high on the list of LDS priorities, while drinking coffee and watching R-rated movies aren’t as taboo among the rank and file as you might think).

“While this survey comes amid a contentious election campaign, it is not solely or even chiefly about politics,” said Luis Lugo, Pew Research Center director, in the published survey’s preface. “Rather, we hope that it will contribute to a broader public understanding of Mormons and Mormonism at a time of great interest in both.”

For example, in one very interesting section of the new survey, respondents were asked several questions about what is essential to being a good Mormon. According to the survey, 80 percent said “believing Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ” is essential to being a good Mormon, 73 percent said “working to help the poor,” 51 percent said “regular Family Home Evenings,” 49 percent said “not drinking coffee and tea” and 32 percent said “not watching R-rated movies.

“To be honest, I found the strong sentiment that ‘working to help the poor’ is essential to being a good Mormon refreshing and a little surprising,” said David Campbell, an LDS Church member who is an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame and who consulted with the Pew Research Center on the new survey. “As a Mormon, I would hope it would be that way, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s good to see the church’s genuine compassion for the poor and needy reflected in these numbers.”

People outside the church may or may not be aware of the LDS propensity for compassionate service and other . According to the survey, 62 percent of Mormons think that Americans are generally uninformed about Mormonism, and 68 percent feel that they are not viewed as part of mainstream American society. But they remain optimistic, with 63 percent expressing the belief that Mormonism will eventually become part of mainstream society and 56 percent saying that the American people are ready for a Mormon president.

In fact, optimism is one of the themes to emerge from the survey relative to Latter-day Saints. Some 87 percent say they are satisfied with the way things are going in their own life, and 92 percent say their respective communities are excellent (52 percent) or good (40 percent) places to live (this is especially true among Mormons in Utah, of whom 71 percent say their communities are excellent).

But evidently, optimism only goes so far with Mormons.

“I think it is interesting that the respondents are overwhelmingly positive about their communities. They love their communities and everything’s fine there,” said Marie Cornwall, professor of sociology at Brigham Young University and another advisor to the Pew Research Center on this study. “But when you ask them about the way things are going in the country today, they are overwhelmingly (75 percent) dissatisfied. You would think that their satisfaction with their personal lives would factor into their feelings about how things are going in the country, but there seems to be a total disconnect there.”

It should be noted that the Mormon view of how things are going in the country today closely resembles the view of the American public as a whole, among whom 78 percent said they were dissatisfied in an October 2011 Pew Research Center survey.

Generally speaking, the new survey looks at Mormons and their perspectives in four key areas: politics and ideology, religious beliefs and practices, cultural and moral issues and family life.

Politically, there are few surprises. Most Mormons (66 percent) describe themselves as politically conservative, and 74 percent of Mormon voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party. Philosophically, 75 percent of respondents said they prefer a smaller government providing fewer services to a bigger government providing more services.

Among a number of politicians currently in the spotlight, Mitt Romney is a favorite, being viewed favorably by 86 percent of all Mormons and 94 percent of Mormon Republicans. Even among Mormon Democrats, 62 percent rate Romney favorably.

The other Mormon running for president, Jon Huntsman, is viewed favorably by 50 percent of Mormon voters, while President Barack Obama is viewed favorably by 25 percent — slightly ahead of the rating Mormons bestowed upon another one of their own: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (22 percent).

Interestingly, Latter-day Saints seem to be somewhat divided on the issue of immigration. They are fairly evenly split on whether immigrants strengthen the U.S. because of their hard work and talents (45 percent) or burden the U.S. by taking American jobs, housing and health care (41 percent).

Campbell, who is an expert in the field of religion, politics and civic engagement, said he wasn’t surprised by that result.

“Although Mormons are caricatured as being really right wing, on the issue of immigration they are not,” he said. “The church itself has been quite a voice of moderation on this issue, and that has resulted in Mormons being more positive toward immigrants than other conservative religious groups tend to be.”

Campbell suggests that the LDS Church’s missionary program has something to do with that, with Latter-day Saints tending to develop a broader worldview as a result of their missionary service around the world. In any event, he said, “this result really does cut against the stereotype.”

In terms of religious beliefs and practices, the survey makes it clear that Mormons are highly religious — again, not a big surprise. Eighty-two percent say that religion is very important in their lives, and 77 percent say they believe wholeheartedly in all of the church’s teachings. Fully 83 percent say they pray every day, 79 percent say they donate 10 percent of their earnings to the church in tithing and 77 percent say they attend church at least once a week. According to Pew, “Mormons exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than many other religious groups, including white evangelical Protestants.”

Looking at basic, core religious beliefs, 98 percent say they believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 94 percent believe the president of the LDS Church is a prophet of God, 95 percent believe that families can be bound together eternally in temple ceremonies, 94 percent believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate, physical beings and 91 percent believe that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets.

Clearly, Mormons are believers.

But are they Christian? Ninety-seven percent of Mormons think so. And when asked to volunteer the one word that best describes Mormons, the most common responses were “Christian” and “Christ-centered.” By way of contrast, a November Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half (49 percent) of non-Mormon U.S. adults say that Mormonism is NOT Christian or that they are unsure whether or not it is Christian. In that same survey, when respondents were asked for one word that best describes the LDS Church, the most commonly offered response was “cult.”

Culturally, Mormon conservatism extends to a wide variety of moral issues. Polygamy (86 percent), sex between unmarried adults (79 percent), abortion (74 percent) and drinking alcohol (54 percent) are viewed as morally wrong. Divorce, on the other hand, is largely considered “not a moral issue” by respondents (46 percent).

Similarly, 65 percent of respondents said that homosexuality should be discouraged by society, compared with 58 percent of the general public who say homosexuality should be accepted by society.

“Mormons like to use the phrase, ‘Be in the world but not of the world,’” Campbell noted. “They are active and involved in their communities, but they have these beliefs and practices that set them apart a little bit, and sometimes that creates conflict or tension. [Homosexuality] is one of those issues where, rightly or wrongly, Mormons just have a different position than most of the rest of America.”

The survey also illustrates how important family life is to most members of the LDS Church. Among life’s priorities, being a good parent (81 percent) and having a successful marriage (73 percent) place higher than career concerns, having free time or even living a religious life. Some 67 percent of Mormon adults are married (compared with 52 percent of the general public), and 85 percent of them are married to another Mormon.

“As the Church and its members are increasingly the focus of media attention, we’re eager to participate in conversations that help the public get to know us better,” said LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy. “Even though the recent Pew study did not survey any of the Church’s eight million members who live outside the U.S., it highlights some important aspects regarding who we are and what we believe.

“For example,” Purdy continued, “the study found that Church members subscribe to traditional Christian beliefs, have high moral standards, are overwhelmingly satisfied with their lives and communities, are active in serving others and have a profound dedication to family. These results reflect the Church’s message that a deep commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ brings lasting happiness.”

Speaking for the Pew Research Center, Lugo said the idea for the survey was born last summer, “around the time that a Newsweek cover story and a New York Times article declared that the United States was experiencing a ‘Mormon moment.’”

“That got us thinking,” Lugo said in the survey’s preface.

Over the years, numerous polls have gauged public attitudes toward Mormons, who make up about 2 percent of all U.S. adults. But what do Mormons think about their place in American life? With the rising prominence of members of the LDS Church in politics, popular culture and the media, do Mormons feel more secure and accepted in American society? What do they think about other religions? What do they believe, how do they practice their faith and what do they see as essential to being a good Mormon and to leading a good life?

An advisory panel was recruited to help the Pew Forum staff create the survey. The panel featured a number of Latter-day Saints who have professional experience in Mormon studies and research, including Campbell, Cornwall, Matthew Bowman of Hampden-Sydney College, Terryl Givens of the University of Richmond and Allison Pond of the Deseret News.

“We helped them to formulate the questions, and to frame them in the kind of language that Mormons use,” Campbell said.

After a period of testing, the survey was conducted among respondents who identified themselves as Mormons (it also included qualifying questions that made it clear that respondents were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as opposed to other churches whose members may refer to themselves as Mormons).

“Since Mormons represent about 2 percent of the population, you’d have to call 98 people before you’d get a Mormon, and that would be very expensive,” said Cornwall, who is also editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. “But they had a fancy way of finding Mormons, including going back to Mormons they had found in the course of doing previous surveys, so they were able to get their sample in a cost-effective way.”

Care was also taken to make sure the survey included those who had land lines as well as those who have only cell phones — a growing area of concern among those who conduct public opinion research today.

Among other interesting findings of the Pew Forum’s survey of Mormons:

• 71 percent of respondents reside in the American West, including 53 percent who live in the Mountain states and 34 percent who live in Utah;

• 88 percent are white, 7 percent Hispanic, 1 percent black and 4 percent other racial and ethnic backgrounds;

• 50 percent say that evangelical Christians are generally unfriendly to Mormons;

• 54 percent say that the way their religion is portrayed on television and in movies hurts society’s image of Mormons;

• 57 percent of Mormons said that most or all of their close friends are other Mormons (this number was significantly higher in Utah, where the number climbed to 73 percent);

• 65 percent of respondents say they hold a current temple recommend;

• 27 percent say they believe in yoga not just as exercise but as a spiritual practice;

• 11 percent say they believe in reincarnation;

• 74 percent were raised in the LDS Church;

• 59 percent of converts cite the church’s beliefs as the main reason they joined the church;

• 59 percent of converts joined the church between the ages of 18 and 35;

• 27 percent have served a full-time mission, including 43 percent of men and 11 percent of women;

• 82 percent say they have a supply of food in storage, and 58 percent keep at least a three-month supply.

The margin of error for the survey is =/- 4.5 percentage points.

“I think this survey is a really good summary of the hyper-committed Mormon community that shows up at church every week,” Cornwall said. “I’m not sure it captures Mormons on the margins very well, but that’s OK — hopefully we can do that the next time. Meanwhile, this is a pretty good picture — and an interesting picture — of Mormons

By Joseph Walker, Deseret News

Additional Resources:

Full original source Deseret News article: Pew Study on Mormons in America.

Learn more about the results of this survey of Mormons in America.

See infographic from the Deseret News article.

Pew Mormon Study Highlights Christianity.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon” Church) was organized on April 6, 1830, in New York, U.S.A., by a prophet named Joseph Smith. Joseph was a young man of 14 when he prayed to know which church of all the many denominations was true. He received a vision of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. They told Joseph that none of the churches retained the fulness of the gospel which Christ established on the earth during His life. Over the next ten years, Joseph received more visions and instruction to prepare him to restore the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Joseph and other Mormons, as they soon became called (after a book of scripture which Joseph translated from ancient records, called the Book of Mormon), were heavily persecuted. Throughout Mormon history, they were driven from place to place, often violently. They were thrown out of Missouri by Governor Boggs’ famous Extermination Order. They were later kicked out of Kirtland, Ohio, as well. They finally chose a swamp in Illinois to settle in. After much work in draining the swamp, with many Saints suffering malaria and other diseases, Nauvoo, Illinois, emerged as a gem out the formerly inhospitable landscape. Here the Saints built what they thought would be a permanent home. However, tensions continued to rise, and on June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, Jr., and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were martyred at Carthage Jail.

Joseph had been in and out of jail on false charges myriad times, but this time he knew he was going “as a lamb to the slaughter.” He faced his death bravely, and he and Hyrum were both greatly mourned. Brigham Young became the next prophet and president of the Mormon Church. The direction of Mormon history was still governed by Jesus Christ through his prophet, and Brigham Young, following revelations which Joseph had been given before his death, led the Saints out of Illinois and out of the United States, to what later became the Utah Territory. They fled civilization and a beautiful home to seek refuge in a bleak, barren wasteland of desert so that they could be free to practice their religion. Persecution continued to follow them, though, and in some ways, that persecution still exists today. However, the Saints were able to build the Salt Lake Temple, as well as two other temples in Utah. They lived up to the high standards of their religion and were blessed for it. The Mormon Church continued to grow, and missionaries continued to bring people to Utah from all over the world. Utah began to explode with growth, and Brigham Young sent people all over the Great Basin to colonize the area. Finally, the Church had grown so much in Utah, that Church leaders told new converts to stay in their home states and home countries and to help build up the Church where they were. In consequence, Mormonism is now a worldwide religion, with about 14 million members and more members outside of the United States than in.

The Mormon Church has developed amazing welfare and humanitarian aid programs, it continues to build temples all over the world, and its missionary program is unsurpassed. The success of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lies in its doctrine and foundation on principles which were given (and continue to be given) directly to modern-day prophets who have the authority of the priesthood directly from Jesus Christ.

For more information on Mormon history, visit historyofmormonism.com

A Word about Polygamy

The media has done a lot lately about polygamy and the Mormon Church. This is not surprising, since Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) has been arrested for bigamy. In addition, two popular TV shows, “Big Love” on HBO and “Sister Wives” on TLC, have brought the issue to the front.

The fact is, however, none of these things is associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The FLDS broke off from the Mormon Church more than 100 years ago, when leaders of the Mormon Church were instructed, by God, to discontinue the practice of polygamy. After this declaration, the Church stated it would excommunicate any members who continued to perform new polygamous marriages. “Big Love” claims to be about Mormons, but no faithful Mormons today are involved in the practice of polygamy. Members of the TV show “Sister Wives” are part of a sect that is also not a part of the Mormon Church. It is interesting to note that those who do continue the practice of polygamy are small and reclusive. They separate themselves from mainstream society. Faithful, practicing Mormons, however, are everywhere and are a large part of society today.

The practice of polygamy in Mormon history began with the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith. He was commanded by God to practice polygamy and to give the principle to the members of the Church. Joseph and other leaders struggled mightily with this principle. Not a single one of them wanted to live it. They were commanded by God, however, so those who were called (which was a very small percentage of faithful members of the Church—the commandment was never given generally to the members) agreed to live this law. Some members of the Church actually became disaffected and left the Church over the practice of polygamy.

Though Joseph Smith did have more than one wife, his were mostly spiritual. The understanding was that they would be sealed to him in heaven, but he only had children with his first wife, Emma Smith. Brigham Young and other Church leaders did have children by more than one wife, and this practice continued for several decades.  Persecution was great, and the Saints were stripped of many of their rights. Some of them had to go into hiding. After several years of this, the Lord revealed to then-prophet Wilford Woodruff that if the Saints continued to practice, the government would invade their temples and they would no longer be able to worship how they chose. The order to stop practicing polygamy did not come from President Woodruff because of worldly pressure. God revealed to President Woodruff when the time came that He no longer required it of His people.

Some members defied this revelation and believed that President Woodruff had succumbed to worldly pressure. They left the Church and began to practice polygamy on their own. From the time they chose to not follow the prophet any more, they cut themselves off from the Church.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, fifteenth president of the Mormon Church, made the following statement at a General Conference of the Church in October of 1998:

“I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They are in violation of the civil law. They know they are in violation of the law. They are subject to its penalties. The Church, of course, has no jurisdiction whatever in this matter.

“If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church. An article of our faith is binding upon us. It states, ‘We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law’ (Articles of Faith 1:12). One cannot obey the law and disobey the law at the same time.

“There is no such thing as a ‘Mormon Fundamentalist.’ It is a contradiction to use the two words together.”

For more information on Mormon polygamy, see mormon-polygamy.org.

As part of the Mormon Church’s welfare program, their humanitarian aid program is internationally recognized. Over the past 25 years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (as it is officially known), has helped in 201 major disaster relief efforts, including the following: Haitian earthquake, 2010; Chilean earthquake, 2010; Pakistani flood, 2010; Samoan tsunami, 2009; Filipino typhoon, 2009; Indonesian earthquake, 2009; Ethiopian famine, 2008; and the Peruvian earthquake, 2007–2009.

Since 1985, the Mormon Church has donated $1.3 billion in humanitarian assistance efforts. These efforts are for more than natural disasters. They also include programs which strengthen the self-reliance of individuals, families, and communities. These programs are made possible by hundreds of full-time volunteers with skills and experience in such diverse areas as education, agriculture, social work, business, and medicine. More than 178 countries and territories have benefited from the service of relief or improvement efforts. Food (63,377 tons), medical supplies (14,345 tons), and clothing (93,196 tons) have all been donated, as well as 11.1 million hygiene, newborn, and school kits. These are truly staggering numbers. In fact, the Mormon Church’s humanitarian aid program is so well organized that it is often one of the first groups allowed in to help in natural disasters.

Some of the other programs the Mormon humanitarian aid effort includes are: clean water, neonatal resuscitation training, vision care, wheelchairs, food production, and immunizations.

The clean water program helps communities with no access to clean water build wells or other water systems to ensure they all have clean drinking water.

The neonatal resuscitation program trains individuals in countries with limited medical resources to help newborns revive. Since 2002, more than 193,000 health care workers have been trained in these life-saving techniques.

The vision care program has helped more than 550,000 people worldwide get vision treatment since 2003. The Church has provided training, equipment, and supplies to assist local eye care professionals and programs.

The wheelchair program provides wheelchairs for rough terrain, hospital wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, and canes. Since 2002, more than 415,000 people have received one of these devices.

The food production program provides training and tools for home food production, food storage, nutrition training, and preparation techniques to help families become more self-reliant. Since 2002, nearly 40,000 people have been helped through this program.

Through the vaccination program, the Mormon Church has contributed financially to, and 59,000 of its members have volunteered in, 35 countries since 2003 for a combined effort with other worldwide programs of a 92 percent reduction in measles deaths in Africa and a 78 percent reduction of measles worldwide. An estimated 4.3 million lives have been saved.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to contribute on an international level to humanitarian aid efforts because Mormon doctrine teaches that each person is a child of God and has divine worth and potential.

The principle of charity discussed in Matthew 25:35–36 tells us that we should clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and visit the sick and those in prison is held close to the heart of Mormon doctrine. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church), has an outstanding welfare program to help its members, and often those who have no affiliation with the Church at all. The underlying principle is that people should be helped to help themselves. Idleness is a sin, and work is an eternal principle of Mormon doctrine. Therefore, handouts are almost as sinful as not giving anything at all because that practice is not, in fact, truly helping the individual. On the other hand, Mormon doctrine teaches that we are not to judge those who stand in need, but should give freely (Mosiah 4). Also, each person should work hard to provide for him- or herself.

Mormon doctrine teaches that the responsibility for an individual’s temporal and spiritually welfare lies principally upon the individually, secondly upon the family, and lastly upon the Church. If a family is doing all they can and are still failing to provide the necessary help, the bishop’s counsel and guidance is sought. To assist bishops in meeting the needs of those in their congregations, The Mormon Church has established storehouses, projects, thrift stores, employment centers, and family services offices. These are run largely by the donated time, talents, and skills of other Church members.

The following statistics were released by the Mormon Church in 2010 and include just a few of the elements which comprise the whole welfare effort:

• Days of labor donated to Church welfare facilities: 777,381
• Employment an dtraining placements: 168,713
• Total number of:
  • Storehouses 143
  • Storage and distribution facilities 36
  • Employment resource centers 326
  • Deseret Industries thrift stores 43
  • LDS Family Services offices 79

Welfare Square is the main center of the Mormon Church’s welfare program. “Since its humble beginnings in the midst of the Great Depression, Welfare Square has emerged as a powerful example of what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints does throughout the world to care for the poor, foster self-reliance, and provide meaningful opportunities for work and service. Welfare Square is a modern facility composed of a 178-foot-tall grain elevator, a large storehouse, a bakery, a cannery, a milk processing operation, a thrift store, and an employment center—all designed to help people help themselves.” Mormons are invited to donate their labor to welfare square, where the Church produces vast quanitites of food at minimal cost.

In addition to donating time and labor, Mormons are invited to fast the first Sunday of every month, which means they refrain from eating or drinking for two consecutive meals. They are then encouraged to donate what money they would have spent on these meals in the form of fast offerings to the bishop of their ward, or congregation. These funds are then used to help members of that congregation. If there are no members in need, the bishop sends excess funds to church headquarters, where they are redistributed as necessary.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been internationally recognized for its immense humanitarian aid efforts as well, which fall under the umbrella of the welfare program.

Why is an education important?

There are a variety of reasons why Mormons believe so strongly in obtaining a good education. One of our most important callings as parents is to teach our children. Teaching children goes beyond helping them to speak, read, write, do math, etc., though all of those things are very important. The Mormon Church (officially The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) tells parents that they are chiefly responsible for the spiritual teaching of their children. Thus, gaining an education encompasses both temporal and spiritual learning.

People who are ignorant, who have never learned because they were never taught, can be easily led astray. This is most often because they lack the skills to assess complex situations.  We need to be able to think for ourselves, because we will be held accountable for our actions and our choices. If we make sure that we gain an education, and do all we can to ensure that education is available to everyone around us, the world will continue to grow and people will be freed from their ignorance. Mormons believe strongly in educating everybody.

Latter-day Saints also believe there are more basic, practical reasons one should gain an education. While money is not everything, it is important to provide for our families the best we can and to make sure they have the basic necessities of life. While one does not have to have a college education to make money, and while it is also true that having a college education does not guarantee one a good living, it is generally true that a solid education and college degree will allow one to obtain and maintain a good job to support a family.

Mormon doctrine teaches that it is a father’s primary responsibility to provide for the needs of his family financially, temporally, emotionally, and spiritually. Mothers have unique skills which make them the ideal figure to stay home and raise children in a loving environment. However, circumstances may arise where both parents need to work or single mothers need to enter the work field. If these women have gained good educations, they will be more likely to find jobs which will require a minimum physical contribution, hopefully allowing them to spend as much time at home as possible.

Since mothers tend to spend the most time raising children, any education they have gained will likely enable them to be better teachers to their children in all areas. Mormon Church leaders encourage all individuals to continue learning, even after they have graduated from whatever school they attended. By keeping informed and continuing to expand one’s knowledge, men and women can increase self-respect and self-worth, while also increasing their ability to help those around them.

Mormon doctrine teaches that knowledge is one of the only things we can bring with us to the next life after we leave this earth. Whatever wisdom we gain here, we will have with us there (Doctrine and Covenants 130:18).

Mormon Schools

The Mormon Church considers education so important that it funds many schools and programs. The Church owns and operates three universities, including: Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah; BYU–Hawaii in Laie, Hawaii; and BYU–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho. In addition, the Church has a two-year college, LDS Business College, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mormon Church also places a high priority on religious education and has seminary and institute programs all across the world, all free, for those who wish to attend. A four-year seminary program, focusing on the scriptures, is held for youth ages 14–18 (high school age), while institute programs continue on different subjects for any who wish to attend.

Perpetual Education Fund

In 2001, Mormon Church leaders founded the Perpetual Education Fund (modelled after the Perpetual Emigration Fund from the 1800s) to help those who cannot afford an education still get one. The intent of the program is to assist Church members and their families to rise out of poverty through education and hard work. The student can borrow necessary funds with the understanding that they will pay that money back when they can, to ensure the fund continues to help others.

Education is very important to Latter-day Saints. We should all continue striving to increase our own knowledge and understanding.