About Being a Mormon Christian: Facts about Mormons
Although academicians are usually mute on issues of faith, I have created this entry for two reasons: (1) I have recently received more questions than usual about being a Mormon, and (2) I have been surprised by how much confusion and misrepresentation there is about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (both on the Internet and in mainstream media) – sometimes by those with malicious intent, but usually (I believe) by well-meaning yet misinformed individuals.
One thing that makes these discussions tricky is that faith is usually not anything that can be proven with the tools of “reason” and “logic” traditionally used in Western society (e.g. scientific method, etc.). I don’t want to get hung up on this, for fear of making the entry too long, but I have put three initial responses to this issue in the first comment (on this post), for anyone interested.
I also think people of any denomination might be hesitant to speak about their faith because they recognize it is a sensitive issue (and a source of far too much conflict). Often, people of faith seem to have an automatic defensive response – waiting for someone to attack (usually on the basis of some obscure part of history or scripture that isn’t really central to who they are or what they believe). My feeling is that although I can not know every minute detail of history, or perhaps even speak very accurately for what happened in the past (because obviously I wasn’t there), I can simply speak briefly about my personal experience growing up and living as a Mormon, what I have seen in the mainstream beliefs/teachings of my faith, and what I have respected so much in the leaders and teachers that I have had.
I have personalized some thoughts into four categories that were originally suggested by a leader of the Church.
Facts:
- First, “Mormon” is a nickname for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members are often referred to as “Mormons,” “Latter-day Saints,” or “LDS.” The term “Saint” means “member.” (Why that nick name? What “Mormon” means - which quite honestly would sound strange to me if I was not a member - is explained in the last point about faith.)
- Second, the Church was restored in 1830 in rural
- Third, there are now over 13 million members in 176 countries and territories. [Source] I have attended Church
meetings in over a dozen countries and consistently am amazed by the strength and faith of the local leadership and local members, the instant warmth and welcome that I feel, and how much I have learned about what it is to live like a Christian from people with vastly different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. - Fourth, about 6 million members live in the
- Fifth, local congregations are led by volunteer, unpaid members. Both men and women serve in assigned leadership positions.
- And sixth, Mormons are not told what political party to vote for but they are encouraged to serve in the communities which they live according to their conscience and talents. As a result, they are increasingly represented in politics and government (in the
Faith:
- If I was going to summarize the purpose of our faith, I would say it is to help each individual develop a personal
relationship with God, so much that you can feel His presence, His love, and His guidance in your life. All aspects of the religion (prayer, baptism, scripture reading, church attendance, service, education, code of health, etc) assist with getting people to that point, and/or come as a result of feeling His love. - We believe in the eternity of the soul, that God is the Father of our spirits, and that we can return to Him after death.
- We believe that Jesus Christ is our personal Savior, and we try to model our lives after Him and His teachings. We commemorate Christ’s atoning sacrifice in our Sunday worship services, similar to taking communion in other churches. We accept as fellow Christians all who believe Jesus Christ to be the Savior of mankind. Many Christians do not understand that we have much common ground with them. Joseph Smith taught that Jesus Christ is the core of our belief, and everything else is an appendage to it (see Elders’ Journal, July 1838, 44). The name of the Church is “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”.
- We believe that shortly after the death of Jesus and his original apostles, the original church structure that Jesus established was lost (and many beliefs such as baptism, priesthood, nature of God, etc were altered) and that these have been restored again in our day. The priesthood, the authority given to man to act in behalf of Christ’s Church, with apostles and a prophet, has been restored as have all necessary principles by which man can draw near to Heavenly Father and accomplish our unique purposes in life.
- We believe in and we use the Holy Bible, both the Old and New Testaments.
- And we believe in the Book of Mormon and other books of scripture which support and authenticate the Bible and testify of the ministry and divinity of Christ and of God’s ongoing revelation to man. Mormon was the name of the man living around 400AD who compiled the record of his people, known as The Book of Mormon. As it is a record of God’s dealings with them and their faith in Christ, the subtitle of the Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”
Family
Most people already know how family-centered our theology and our lifestyles are, but here are a few facts:
- Mormons place particularly strong emphasis on family as the basic unit of the Church and of society. We have a deep
commitment to marriage (defined as a union between one man and one woman), and believe it need not be “till death do you part” – but can continue for eternity. Polygamy, a limited practice in the early pioneer days of the Church, was discontinued in 1890, a long 117 years ago. - Families and individuals, whether members of our faith or not, can attend Sunday meetings in our chapels, where we share and learn about living a Christ-like life.
- Latter-day Saint families are encouraged to hold family home evenings weekly, usually on Monday nights. Although in my home (with 8 kids) they were a little chaotic at times, they were great times for my family to learn together and just have fun. Even many people not of our faith are beginning to adopt this practice with their own families.
- The Church has special organizations for men, women, youth, and children. These programs provide such things as religious instruction, opportunities for Christian service, sports, drama, music, and Scouting.
- And there is also much focus on extended family, genealogy, and personal family history, providing young and old with a stronger sense of roots, identity, and belonging. The highest and most sacred practices of our faith relate to our families, both living and dead, and some of these ordinances take place in our temples.
Fruits
It was Jesus who said “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20; emphasis added). A church, or any way of life, should be judged by the fruits or the results that it generates. Here are a few examples based on 
- A $4 million dollar study conducted at UNC –
- One of the fruits is a longer life. Studies show that practicing Mormons are healthier and therefore live longer than the national average. [Source] In 1833 Mormons believe the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith the Word of Wisdom, as a way to live in order to enjoy a long and healthy life.
- Those who are married in and attend the temple regularly have a divorce rate far below the national and world average. [Source]
- Members of the
- Self magazine has repeatedly ranked
- Over 70,000 members volunteer each year at their own expense to serve for 18 to 24 months in humanitarian efforts, Church service assignments, and full-time missionary service throughout the world. [Source]
- There is strong emphasis on self-reliance and a solid work ethic. We encourage active involvement in our communities and in providing service to others. The Church continues to donate substantial money, goods, and services to humanitarian causes around the globe [Source], including untold hours of labor donated by members to assist in disaster cleanup [e.g. Source about hurricane Katrina] and relief [e.g. Source about working with Muslims in the Middle East crisis relief].
- In March 2001, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the creation of the Perpetual Education Fund to provide members in developing countries with opportunities to gain education and training which lead to employment opportunities in their own countries. Within months of being announced members had donated millions to fund this effort. [Source]
- I have found so much to respect in most (all though not all) of the Mormon’s that I have met. I am amazed by the time and interest that so many of my teachers and leaders have spent in service to me and others. [Link to listen to recent talks given by leaders of the Church]
Well, I hope this entry came across as I intended. It represents some of my personal observations and experiences. I have spent some time studying many religions, and I am fascinated by the topic. For anyone interested in a safe, non-confrontational discussion about any religion, I am open to it.
Some additional links for anyone who is interested:
- A non-Mormon scholar’s view of the religion (from University of North Carolina)
- A Speech from a Professor at the University of Richmond Virginia on the impact of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon on the world
- An excerpt: “In Sydney, Dr. Kazi Islam, a Muslim and chair of the Department of World Religions, Dhaka University, Bangladesh, explained that he introduced Mormonism as a compulsory part of the master’s degree in his department “because of [his] profound love and respect for the ideals” of that tradition Joseph Smith founded.2
- Dr. Jason Lase, a director general in the Indonesian Department of Religious Affairs, affirmed his belief that Joseph Smith was “a modern religious genius” who created what he called “one of the most stable and well-organized religious organizations” he has ever known.3
- A few months later, Arun Joshi, a Hindu journalist from India, gave a remarkable talk at the Taipei conference in which he related the experience of the First Vision to the conflicts in Kashmir and the Middle East, concluding, ‘The message of Joseph Smith is more relevant . . . today than ever before.’4″
- Ordinary Church members answer frequently asked questions (short video clips)
- Church apostle answers frequently asked questions (short video clips)
- Recent Articles in the News about Mormons
- An insightful letter to the editor about the Church by a non-Mormon (to a newspaper in Santa Clarita, California)
- Evidences of the Book of Mormon authenticity
- Other background information
- The following video, Myths & Reality was developed as a primer on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was shown to a large gathering of NBC producers and reporters before the 2002 Games to help orient them to Mormon beliefs, practice and culture. NBC was the official media sponsor of the Olympics in 2002 and invited the Church to make a presentation to its large Olympic Games team.
Here is the part I talked about in the post, that I took out because I thought it made it too long. Of course, maybe it ended up too long anyway
One thing that makes these discussions tricky is that faith is usually not anything that can be proven with the tools of “reason” and “logic” traditionally used in Western society (e.g. scientific method, etc.). Three initial responses:
First, although I do hope people understand the Mormon faith a little better, in this post I am not actually trying to prove anything to anyone. If I find something makes me happy or has helped me in some way then I naturally want to share it, but I firmly believe each person should have the freedom to live according to their own conscience (whether atheist, Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Bahai, etc). Obviously, it is preferable for everyone to adhere to a certain universal morality (that keeps people from doing violence to others, etc). But beyond that, I believe that matters of worship are a personal decision.
Second, anyone who has thought about it long enough can see that there are many more ways of knowing than deductive reasoning alone (for example, there is learning and knowing how to build something well – implicit “praxis” knowledge, there is learning and understanding feelings and relationships – intrapersonal and interpersonal knowledge, there is learning and understanding how to design or create something beautiful – aesthetic knowledge, and so on). Philosophers have debated epistemology for centuries and will continue to do so. I could talk a lot more about that, but maybe some other time.
Third, although I do see evidence of faith in God through observing the way people live, it is ultimately unwise to base faith on the acts of others. The most compelling proof is of a very personal nature – something I couldn’t prove to anyone else, only something people can discover on their own as they develop their own relationship with God. In my experience, this recurring and poignant proof has come into my heart and soul as a result of trying, even though admittedly imperfectly, to live by the teachings of Jesus.
“It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thanks for sharing and documenting such a wide variety of articles about your church. I’m really impressed.
Very interesting post, Clint! Your post surely corrected some vague ideas I had about Mormons. But just for curiosity: you mention the numerous positive things about being Mormon. What, in your opinion, are the downsides of being a devoted Mormon?
Fair question Matti. I think there are some downsides that come from being a religious person at all (believing in God), and there are some that come specifically from being a Mormon.
And then, in my case, when I fail that test and choose to do “something else” I have to figure out some way to deal with my conscience. But those have ended up being some of the times when I have learned the most about what it means to believe in the role of Jesus Christ, both in being able to forgive myself and to forgive others - helping me move beyond my (embarrassingly painful) screw-ups and empowering me to put energy towards creating a better future instead of dwelling on the past.
Here’s just a few examples.
1 - In an academic settings I have found it interesting that if it becomes known that I have a belief in God, the reaction of some colleagues indicates that I have almost automatically lost a degree of credibility in their eyes (although for other colleagues I suppose it might increase some credibility with them). But to be honest, it hasn’t come up all that often, and when it has it hasn’t been that big of a deal. Plus, for people who have a witness of God, the factor of what others think of it seems like a relatively less significant issue.
2 - Another difficult thing is that I don’t think it is always easy to live according to my ideals. It seems like one of the tests of faith is to act according to what you know is most likely the right thing to do in the moment, even if you really are tempted to do something else.
3 - Specifically about being a Mormon, one example of a downside is struggling with the idea that - even though it was over a hundred years ago - why did plural marriage ever happen at all? Having traveled around the world now a few times I have visited several societies (some tribes in Africa and some parts of Asia) in which polygamy is still common (even recently talking with people in a part of China that practice polyandry - women having more than one husband, partially due to the shortage of women there) - but still to my Western mind polygamy is a difficult concept to understand or accept. There is even a scripture in the Book of Mormon that says marriage is intended to be between one man and one woman (a few verses later allowing for the exception of the very few times when God might command differently in order to bring forth more children - which I imagine is why it was practiced at times in the Bible, but I don’t know). But it is something that still is difficult to understand.
I find it interesting, however, that most Mormons do not think about or talk about polygamy often in the context of their daily faith - and even when they occasionally do it is usually only in the context of responding to some misinformed stereotype or anti-Mormon comment. But in my experience it is not a core part of the community or faith system. So actually more difficult than even making sense of it myself is recognizing that many other people assign a bias to me that hasn’t been a part of my life or personal faith at all.
I think one funny thing about the issue is related to a comment you made on another post (about people comparing their own ideals with the actions of others). For many people, they think of polygamy simply in terms of “sex with a lot of women” - and equate that with Mormons being extremely horny or something. That is funny, because Mormons are some of the only people in the world who still teach and practice abstinence before marriage and fidelity after. Sex with multiple women (either with multiple divorces and marriages or simply sex without marriage) is a whole lot more likely to occur in today’s world if you are not a Mormon than if you are. So I suppose in one sense, that is another difficulty of being an active Mormon.
But to be honest, even though society looks more and more on abstinence before marriage as either impossible or silly, call me crazy, but I really am still a big believer in it. I don’t ever condemn or look down at all on anyone who believes or practices differently than me on this issue. But at least in my own mind and heart I feel as if it is one way that I can try to make sure that my love is less selfish and more selfless (because I am unfortunately still a very selfish person in many ways and I think sex could easily become a selfish thing for me) and hopefully make my future marriage stronger. (An interesting book - “Man’s Search for Meaning” - by a holocaust survivor and psychoanalyst named Victor Frankl talks a little about that.) Again, that is my own decision - not an easy choice, but one I’m still glad I made. (Wow - that was a personal thing to post on a blog!)
As a side note, I thought it was an interesting statistic by Self magazine that one of the healthiest places for women to live was in a city that must be 90% or more Mormon - but I think it makes even more sense after having traveled a lot and seeing different perceptions towards women and what they struggle with. (That is kind of a tangent - but here is an interesting interview with a professor who is a Mormon woman: http://www.timesandseasons.org/?p=3093).
The fact that negative stereotypes still exist about Mormons, however, is a big downside and not always easy to live with.
What is interpreted as negative and what is positive varies from person to person. Clint’s post mentions that Mormons pay tithing. Giving 10% of one’s income is often seen as negative. To those who practice it, however, it’s not usually a big deal; in fact, most will tell you that they can’t afford to NOT pay tithing because they need the blessings that accompany obedience to this principle.
Others turn up their noses at the LDS Church saying that the members “aren’t free”. There are too many things Mormons “can’t do”. Once again, to those who believe that God has asked you not to use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, it doesn’t seem like a big loss of freedom. A Mormon is free to drink or smoke if he chooses; he could also cheat and lie. However, a Mormon also understands that there are consequences associated with choices, both for this life and for eternity. So, faithful members of the LDS Church try hard to follow God’s advice on how to avoid negative consequences, particularly those of the eternal variety.
Because the LDS Church is not a break-off from another religion by a reformist, but rather, a restoration of truth initiated by God, it’s tough for a Mormon to look at his or her religion and say, “God kinda messed up on this part, I would’ve done things differently.”
That said, perhaps the hardest part of living the LDS gospel is the fact that even though God leads the Church, humans are still the ones responsible for putting God’s instruction into practice. And humans make mistakes. So members have to help and support each other, and see past each other’s faults. That can be tough.
Some thoughts as I’ve read the other comments…
In regards to abstinence before marriage:
I can’t think of a better and more sacred moment than being able to marry someone who has cared enough about me, even before knowing me, to have saved the most intimate and sacred parts of human life for me and for me to give that same gift to him in return.
In regards to the thought that “Mormons are so restricted”:
I see the “rules” set by the church as real freedom. One can only be truly free by obedience to all of God’s laws.
Anyone who chooses abstinence before marriage is free because they aren’t weighed down with the possibilities and realities of emotional baggage, hurt, disease, or an unplanned child. By being faithful after marriage, one doesn’t have to lie, cover up the lies, deal with the mistrust and hurt, and possibly face divorce.
The Word of Wisdom, a health code that forbids drugs, alcohol, and other drinks such as coffee, is freedom. The freedom comes in various ways–never having to purchase such items, no possibility for embarrassment while under the influence of them, but most importantly, one can never become a slave to a substance that is never tried.
Anyone, not just members of the LDS Church (Mormons), can make these same choices of freedom for their personal life and can testify of their truth.
Last comment–not one of us is perfect. Anyone who feels remorse for past and current actions in any sin can repent and receive forgiveness through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you Clint for sharing your thoughts about being a Mormon. I visited Helsinki Temple in Espoo last autumn during “Open House” week, it was a beautiful place with very calming athmosphere.
That is cool that you went through the open house Minna. I’m glad you got a chance to go. You describe it well “a calming atmosphere”. It is nice to have somewhere calming like it to visit once in a while when life gets hectic.
Clint, I am so blessed to have you as my good friend in so many ways. You also have educated me about your faith over the last couple of years and have been impressed. Thank you for sharing your personal belief with us.
In my case, as a Christian, the downside I am dealing with these days is that I can be easily looked as hypocrite. As my faith gets stronger, I would like to share my personal testaments. It is like when you are in love with someone, you cannot stop talking about him/her to other people. So, that is what I have been doing lately without realizing. However, if I hurt someone’s feeling unintentionally, I could be looked as a hypocrite who talks about God’s love all the time but who does not seem to practice All the time. We are not perfect and it is frustrating to see myself having a hard time keeping up with some Christian standards. I believe this is something I will struggle until the last day of my life on earth. I only hope that the frequency of being viewed as hypocrite will go down.
Thanks for your thoughts Sookyung. Heck yes, it is a difficult thing to live according to our highest ideals, but I sure respect people like you who keep trying. In your particular case, I think that you are harder on yourself than you need to be, which is easy to do, – I find that simply knowing you makes it even easier to believe in a loving God. More than the things you say, I think your life experiences, perspective, and attitude are quite inspiring.
Clint… I wouldn’t want to stir debate here on your blog — you’ve written from your experience and your sentiments. And I applaud you as you openly address such.
However, since our life & eternity rest on our proper relationship & response to the Almighty, I would encourage you to do some further investigation of the foundations of the teachings of this church upon which you’re basing your life & your destiny.
No doubt you’ve heard it all before and dismissed it, and you may similarly dismiss this note. *-But I seriously question the claim of Joseph Smith to be a prophet and encourage you to do more study about it.
I wish you well in your research.
[*–Note from Clint: There were some links attached to a very one-sided web site that uses the rhetoric of calling Mormonism a “cult,” and is filled with other anti-Mormon sentiments of people who are concerned that we are not Christian. I emailed IndyChristian and explained the purpose of this post was to correct negative stereotypes and misunderstandings, not perpetuate them, and he said it was OK to remove the links from his post. Still, if anyone would really like to see them, email me and I will send them to you.–]
First let me again point out that my purpose in this blog entry was not to convince anyone of anything or to stir controversy, but simply to share my personal life experience and hopefully correct some misconceptions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If, at the end of the day, you don’t believe exactly the same as I do, then that is OK, that is part of what makes this world so interesting. I believe we can still peacefully co-exist and ideally even join together in making this world a better place. We don’t need to belong to the same religion for me to wish the best for you and hope you follow your conscience in doing something wonderful with your life that benefits society as a whole and pleases the Father of us all.
The Mormon community I was raised in actually encouraged all of those things, teaching that all people, regardless of religious persuasion, should have the same privilege.
Second, my web analytics indicate that you probably didn’t do much more than briefly scan my blog entry before posting your comment. I’d encourage you to actually read it, even going to some of the included links, as it perhaps could help clear up at least some of the negative stereotypes that it seems like you carry with you? Then again, maybe it won’t, but it is at least worth a try.
But you do seem like a sincere person, I sense coming from a place of concern more than a place of malice (even if your personal approach in this comment honestly came across to me as a bit condescending/ presumptuous), and since I think that your question is shared by many sincere, intelligent, curious people, let me do my best to offer a brief response.
You are right that I probably have heard all the arguments before, multiple times even, and yes, after listening and thoughtful reflection I have dismissed them, and for good reasons. If all I knew about Joseph Smith were the things selected and shared in anti-Mormon venues (which, as you can imagine, provide a very poor representation of our belief system, and quite frankly usually use materials that are either false or else twisted very much out of context), then I would probably also have serious questions like you, so I can understand your difficulty. Likewise, if my main source of information about Jesus was a group of atheists dedicated to creating and propagating material with the goal of making Him seem like a mad man, then I would probably wonder how intelligent people could believe He was the Son of God. An interesting topic that I have wondered about and could write more on (but not now) is why it was that people, almost from the very begining of His life and ministry, seemed to hate Jesus and tried to discredit Him.
I am grateful, however, that my primary source of information about Joseph Smith is actually having lived in and experienced for over 30 years now the Church and religious community that was established through him, and that my primary sources of information about Jesus Christ are prayer, scripture study (yes that is the Bible too), and personal spiritual witnesses. I have personally seen the positive effects of this belief system in the lives of thousands of individuals and families that seek to live it as well as the positive impact it has in the larger communities in which these people live and contribute.
I also think you and I probably share more in common than we disagree on. And for non-Christians reading this post, I bet both you and I share a lot more in common with them about the basics of what it means to be a good person and live a good life than we disagree on.
In response to your comment, you mention that much of life and eternity rests on proper relationship and response to Almighty, which Mormons generally agree with. As a Christian you probably share with Mormons the belief in a loving God the Father who sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to earth to offer perfect sacrifice and a way for all of His imperfect children to be forgiven of sin, learn and grow from their mistakes and successes, and eventually return to His presence.
Where you and I disagree (or at least misunderstand each other) is when you question the foundation of my faith in Jesus Christ. If you want to go to the foundation of my faith in Jesus Christ, you will need to go much further back in time and history than when Joseph Smith lived.
Maybe it would be helpful to explain that you’ll also have to go back in history beyond the year A.D. 325 when the Roman emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea - one of the results of which is the concept perpetuated in post-New Testament Christianity of the “trinity”, (a concept of an three-in-one abstract God that is incomprehensible) which does not seem to be supported by the Bible or the words of Christ himself (see, for example, John 12:27–30; John 14:26; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:1–3; John 5:19; John 14:10; John 6:38; John 15:24; Matthew 19:17; John 14:28; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 27:46; Philippians 2:5–6; and so on - all of which indicate Christ is the Son of God, a separate being from God the Father). I mention that because I think there are a lot of notions in modern Christianity which do not come from Christ, but rather from alterations of His teachings in post-New Testament years, and one of the most basic and well documented alterations (in the 4th and 5th century church creeds) is the concept of who Jesus Christ is in relation to God the Father.
Along these lines and in defense of the religion established through Joseph Smith being Christian (believing in a Christ that was taught in the New Testament and is taught again in the restored Church of Jesus Christ), here is a recent address by a Church leader that I think you might find interesting:
from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (read) (listen) (watch)
Perhaps I should emphasize at this point again that I really don’t want to get into any argument about specific doctrinal differences (just the thought of it makes me weary), but I’ll just say in response to your comment that while intelligent, thoughtful, sincere people can have questions about Joseph Smith being a prophet and that is fine, there is plenty of evidence for intelligent, thoughtful, sincere people to be grateful for and believe in the peaceful and edifying Christian church that was restored through him.
And I personally am much, much more interested in discussing ways in which people from different faiths can work together despite their differences (a thought which energizes me) - and much less interested in discussing differences in a manner that causes people to try to attack and discredit one another (a thought which quite frankly is repulsive to me).
I have more I could say in response, but unfortunately do not have the time right now as I am traveling back to Finland from Sweden. I will post more tomorrow if I have time…
The Finnish theologian, Heikki Raisanen, said, “Joseph’s teachings provide solutions for most, if not all, of the genuine problems and contradictions of the Bible with which scholars have wrestled for generations.”
The great Russian author, Count Leo Tolstoy said about Mormon beliefs that, “their principles teach the people not only of Heaven and its attendant glories, but how to live so that their social and economic relations with each other are placed on a sound basis. If the people follow the teachings of this Church, nothing can stop their progress–it will be limitless. There have been great movements started in the past but they have died or been modified before they reached maturity. If Mormonism is able to endure, unmodified, until it reaches the third and fourth generations, it is destined to become the greatest power the world has ever known.”
Although I didn’t end up having the time I hoped to write what I wanted to today, these are two quotes about Joseph Smith that are representative of perspectives from non-Mormons who have spent sincere time seeking to understand his work.
Contrary to those who use as their main source of information anti-Mormon sources, most scholars who really seek to understand what Joseph Smith did and what the resulting faith is, even if they still do not join the Church, they have a profound sense of admiration for it. They are frequently astonished that so many facets of Mormonism reflect authentic biblical teachings which modern Judaism and Christianity abandoned thousands of years ago (mainly due to Greek philosophical influence). [e.g. one source: www.josephsmith.com]
I’ll try to post again to finish my response to your comment early this week (with some of my favorite quotes from Joseph Smith) - and then I hope we can move the discussion on to a topic that I am much more interested in (and which comments like yours poignantly impress on my mind): how can people with very different beliefs more effectively live peacefully with each other and join together in collaborative, productive efforts towards creating a better world?
Just a few quotes from Joseph Smith, Jr. that I was taught growing up and which I felt helped me at different times:
“Never be discouraged. If I were sunk in the lowest pits of Nova Scotia, with the Rocky Mountains piled on me, I would hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, and I would come out on top.”
“It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God.” “I want you all to know Him, and to be familiar with Him.”
“Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”
“When you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.”
“That they (the powers of heaven) may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved”
“One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may…We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true Mormons.”
In response to a member of the Legislature, who asked Joseph Smith how it was that he could govern so many people and with such remarkable order, Joseph Smith remarked that it was very easy to do that. “How?” responded the gentleman, saying “to us it is very difficult.” Mr. Smith replied, “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.”
I can’t speak for another man, especially one that lived over a hundred years ago, but from what I read of Joseph Smith, I see someone who felt very inadequate in the responsibility he had been given. As a man, he never claimed he was perfect or that he could save anyone, but consistently pointed people to a living God and Jesus Christ. Sure there are some statements attributed Joseph Smith, quoted often by anti-Mormon sources, which strike me as strange – and I agree with anti-Mormons that they do seem silly and I disagree with them too. But I do not define either Joseph Smith or the religion founded through him by those statements. I’m sure he had bad days and made mistakes, and that he began with an imperfect view of himself and the gospel of Jesus Christ (which was only revealed a piece at a time in response to questions and trials), but any fair look at him clearly indicates he was always learning from his own mistakes throughout the whole process.
On the whole I find a man whose life and work is inspiring. Joseph Smith is an example to me of someone who learned from his mistakes and sought divine help in his life, and it is interesting that both of these aspects are reflected in the religious system restored through him. Church members today and even the Church as a whole continues to learn and evolve as we become more and more like Christ would have us be (even if individual members like me seem so far from it at times).
It seems to me to be a great thing that it is a “living” and growing Church, founded on the teachings of Christ who lived two thousand years ago, yet still led by the teachings and guidance of a living Christ through a prophet today. You might disagree with the idea that there is a prophet and apostles alive today (saying that God only spoke through Bible prophets and now he is done), and that is totally your choice and fine, or you might say that you need to be wary of false prophets (which is also something Mormons also believe and teach), I have no problem with that. Instead of filling your mind with negative stereotypes and false information and then quickly passing judgement, however, I would suggest that you might get a better representative idea of the actual substance of Mormon belief and practice from actually listening to some of the most recent addresses these Church leaders have made to the Church and the world.
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There was a world-wide conference of the church in October 2007, and all the things taught there can be found at this link.
Aside from the talk I already recommended in the previous post, here are two other talks/sermons I would recommend from this conference by men that Mormons consider to be living apostles:
Have we not great reason to rejoice? from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, formerly a chief Lufthansa pilot before his calling to serve as an apostle in the Church (read) (listen) (watch)
O Remember, Remember from Elder Henry B. Eyring, formerly an educator before his calling to serve as an apostle and now in the Church presidency (read) (listen) (watch)
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[…] and Russia) and from 5 different religious backgrounds (Islamic, Buddhist, Presbyterian-Christian, Mormon-Christian, and no religion) - we ended up having some very interesting conversations about what holidays each […]
I regularly hear LDS defenders state, as you did, that “[p]olygamy … was discontinued in 1890 ….” While it is true that it was officially discontinued, it was not rejected. And this is what makes the LDS claim disingenuous in my eyes. Sect. 132 of the D&C is still accepted as scripture, and despite the modern attempts to explain it away, it sanctions polygamy as a religious principle. I suspect this is why you chose the word “discontinued,” rather than rejected. Furthermore, the LDS have not fully discontinued polygamy. Males who have been sealed “for time and all eternity” in the temple and whose wives precede them in death are regularly and routinely allowed to marry and be sealed to a new, second wife. In LDS eyes, this means that these males have two wives, since these marriages are not “till death do us part” but continue on. While it is true that such males don’t have two wives with which they are currently living, they will once they pass over. This fact proves that the LDS church still believes in and practices polygamous sealings. It just doesn’t do so where all spouses are currently living. This is no technicality. It demonstrates that polygamy remains an active, viable concept and practice in the LDS church. Any statements that attempt to sidestep this reality are disingenuous and misleading at the very least.
Thanks for leaving the comment, Rick. Thanks for telling me what is on your mind, as it triggered a few thoughts. The first thought is that the purpose of my blog entry was to highlight what the core parts of growing up and living as a Mormon were like for me – and the fact is that polygamy was not a core part of that experience. The most frequent time it was brought up was by anti-Mormon sources who often still try to define the faith by polygamy. That is not how Mormons define themselves, and for good reason.
You say you feel it is misleading to say that the LDS Church does not practice polygamy? And then you cite several sources. You failed to also mention that we believe the Bible to be scripture, and the Bible contains examples of prophets who practiced polygamy. Perhaps you would argue that all people who believe in the Bible are being disingenuous and misleading when they say that polygamy is not a part of their faith? The fact is that polygamy is not a daily part, or even a core part, of the LDS Church or spiritual life of its members. You also fail to mention the LDS scripture (in the Book of Mormon) that encourages marriage to be between one man and one woman. There are seeming contradictions in every faith, and those of faith just come to trust that God will work it all out in time (and having a Church that is open to continuing revelation makes it a lot more possible). The larger view of the purpose of life makes these seeming conflicts much more manageable to most people of faith.
And the reality is that many people still label the Church with polygamy in a way that actually is a lot more misleading (perhaps thinking of the HBO’s series called Big Love, or about news articles referring to splinter groups that have names similar to the LDS Church, but which have either left the Church or been excommunicated for their practice of polygamy). Because of these misrepresentations, the image most people have in their minds about Mormons is about 100 years outdated. In my opinion, one reason why the LDS Church can grow as fast as it does (now almost 13 million members) is because it gave up polygamy so long ago. (of course there are better reasons for its growth too, but I think the discontinuation of polygamy sure has helped)
The last thing I will mention is that (as mentioned in a recent article) “so often the debate about Mormonism centers around the peculiar and controversial on the one hand and the banal and unimaginative on the other… [People] often ask what differentiates Latter-day Saints but rarely investigate what inspires, motivates and moves them.” In my opinion, most of the debates about polygamy really are simply distractions from the core part of the faith, and I find the core part a whole lot more fascinating.
I have now embedded a short video at the bottom of the main blog entry (see above) that deals with myths and realities about the LDS Church (created for NBC before the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake). Some of the other resources I list there also do a better job of focusing on core parts of the faith.
I have now posted an entry describing some of the effects of these beliefs:
http://www.clintrogersonline.com/blog/2008/04/15/what-do-mormons-believe/