Hunt 1

James Hunt

K. Field

LNG 406

25 March 2011

“Mormonism”

We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are

casually referred to as “Mormon” or “LDS.” We are mistakenly confused with those of

Evangelical Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and even the Amish for outlandish reasons.

While we whole-heartedly respect all other religions, our beliefs, behaviors, and values

are in many ways distinct from these other various creeds. One of the foremost fallacies

is that Mormons are not Christian, but what is a Christian? A Christian is defined as a

follower and believer of Jesus Christ; in the title of our church, we clearly and explicitly

state that we do believe in Jesus Christ and follow His teachings. Aside from confusing

us with those of other faiths, many subscribe to the misconceptions and myths about

Mormon doctrine that abound on the internet and in mainstream culture, including

polygamy, outrageous restrictions, and abnormal traditions or customs; we see, along

with the Bible, the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ and additional

scripture; we focus on families and ensure they remain together through eternity; in

thirteen articles, we sum up nearly the entire religion in somewhat simple terms.

Perhaps the most prevalent mistaken belief about Mormons is the inexactness of

polygamy; Mormons are infamous for previously participating in, not polygamy, but

plural marriage. I refer to this as “plural marriage” because those who participated in it

were called and ordained to do so by the leader, the prophet, of the church. First and
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foremost when dealing with plural marriage, it was done away with in the 1890’s and

those who practice it are polygamists and are not affiliated in any way with the Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We Mormons are never going to be able to rise above

the harsh criticism of society, and it will never be able to fathom by any measure why

plural marriage was instituted in the church. The practice of plural marriage was not

instituted at a time when children died and a family needed several women to procreate to

keep the family line. Among the church, the family line is not as important as it may be in

other various religions. Oddly, people are often-times misinformed when trying to inform

others of their misconceptions of the church. I have heard numerous times that plural

marriage was started because women immensely outnumbered men in areas of the

church, but factually, men outnumbered women somewhat substantially. There is much

evidence in the theory that it was instituted at the founding of the church in order to

increase the number of population. This increase in members would help to fight off the

heavy, tremendous, and intense persecutions from those who did not understand the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The most important and indisputable reason

as to why it was introduced is because it was revealed through the prophet and leader of

the church through divine, latter-day revelation. The church advocates abidance to the

laws of the lands that they are in, so the prophet decided to revoke his decree about plural

marriage because it so blatantly contradicted the laws set in place by the government.

Alongside polygamy, there are numerous and various absurd and unexplainable

assertions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that are very popular

among those who know little to nothing about the church and what it truly is. Those who

strive at all to learn about what Mormons do would quickly find out that the allegation
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that we are not allowed to sing or dance is explicitly and overtly false. For the youth of

the church in this area from ages 14-18, there are dances for enlightening, wholesome

entertainment; also, Mormons sing hymns at least 3 times in an average church meeting.

Using the internet is a large part of how I connect with people other than personal

interaction and cellular communications, but yet I have been informed of a misconception

that Mormons are not allowed to use the internet; I heard this from a friend that I

personally have on a social networking website-Facebook. Need I say more? Mormons

are able to watch television, contrary to what some misinformed people would have

others believe. I spend a lot of my time procrastinating on and avoiding homework, and

instead, I decide to watch television and lose my self in what I am watching. If luck was

on the side of the members, the accusation that fast food was not allowed would be true.

There would certainly be a few pounds that were never put onto this body. A common

topic among the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is something known among

the Mormons called the Word of Wisdom. It, in a nutshell, is a set of brief guidelines that

instruct members to be careful about what they put into their bodies. One of the guiding

principles includes no drinking tea, coffee, or any other strong drinks. On one regard, this

keeps Mormons away from the temptations to gain addictions that can be avoided

relatively easily. Also, some of the ingredients used to make tea are also used in the

process used to make leather; so in essence, those who drink tea could subconsciously be

turning their stomachs into an unhealthy leather material. People assume that because we

have rules as to what we should and should not drink, caffeine is automatically and

strictly prohibited. However, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaves the

top of caffeine as a personal choice among the members. The church may seem to
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outsiders as extremely and overly strict, but the reality is the antithesis. A regular analogy

used when dealing with the members and the rules is by comparing the people to kites.

The rules are the strings which allow the kite to fly high in the bright blue sky. Without

rules, or the string, the people fall to utter destruction, or the ground.

On contrary to the church wanting the public to know the truth about various false

topics, there are certain aspects of the church that are purposefully remaining in privacy

from the ordinary public. In order to perform sacred, not secret, ordinances here on earth,

there must be a place that is set apart and, in a way, secluded from the rest of the world

and all its material desires. These holy buildings are called temples and are essential in

the church’s strong focus of family. Many aspects of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-

day Saints revolve around the family unit, and the church diligently teaches its members

to cherish their personal families and the families around them. Through these

ordinances, performed in holy temples, families have the ability to be sealed together for

all time and eternity. Since marriage has the potential to be never-ending, it is commonly

referred to within the church as “the new and everlasting covenant.” After worthy

members complete their progression through the holy temple, they receive specialized

undergarments-not “magic undies”- that constantly remind them of the sacred covenants

they made and the ordinances they passed through. These garments serve more purposes

than just creating a layer between the skin and your normal clothes. As the wearer of the

garments thinks about what he wears, he is encouraged and reminded that he must live

how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would have him live. It is no secret that these

garments are by no means fashionable, so anyone with common style-sense would try to

cover them up with an article of clothing that may be more attractive. Modesty is an
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important principle among Mormons, and if they have the desire to cover up their special

garments, they will haphazardly fall upon an outfit that is modest.

One of the most considerable parts about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints is the fact that we have and believe in the Book of Mormon. The Book of

Mormon, as stated on the title page, is another testament of Jesus Christ. While the Bible

was being recorded and written in the Middle East area, the Book of Mormon was being

documented in the Americas at approximately the same time. This book is not used in

disempowering the Bible. On the contrary, the Book of Mormon enforces its teachings

even further. If God so loved the world-emphasis on world-that He sent His Son, would

there be a reason that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would not manifest Himself to the

inhabitants of the Americas? He loves all his children equally and beyond any mere

mortal’s mind’s capacity. God is fair and just, so He gave an opportunity to all mankind

to know of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints, was martyred. Joseph Smith had numerous occasions where he could

have denounced the Book of Mormon and what he knew to be true. Instead, he was

martyred in Carthage Jail, and as he fell from the second story window after being shot,

he exclaimed, “Oh Lord, my God!” Would a man stand by a fictitious book when it

results in death? No. Also, we do not worship Joseph Smith; we recognize him for his

immovable nature and steadfastness in Christ.

When the church was questioned of its doctrine by ignorant outside sources, the

prophet, Joseph Smith, took time to try and cover the whole religion as simplistically as

possible in a mere thirteen sections. This resulted in thirteen articles of faith, or beliefs,

that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is based on. We believe in God, the
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Eternal Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost; we believe them to be three

individual beings with one unified purpose. We believe that men will be punished for

their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression. We believe that through the atonement

of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the

gospel. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in

the Lord, Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission

of sins; fourth, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost as a constant

companion and guide. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy and by

the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer

in the ordinances thereof. We believe in the same organization that existed in the

Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and other

similar positions. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing,

interpretation of tongues, and so forth. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far

as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to complement the

Bible as the word of God. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now

reveal, and He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom

of God and the salvation of mankind. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in

the restoration of the Ten Tribes; we believe that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built

upon the American continent; Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and the earth

will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. We claim the privilege of worshiping

the Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and we allow all men

the same privilege: let them worship how, where, and what they may. We believe in

being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates and in obeying, honoring, and
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sustaining the laws of the land of which they inhabit. We believe in being honest, true,

chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we

follow the admonition of Paul; we believe all things; we hope all things; we have endured

many things, and we hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything honorable,

lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been under tremendous

criticism by those who do not care about what the members believe or stand for.

Throughout the many persecutions and the infinite misconceptions and myths about

Mormons, the religion and church have been able to withstand until this time and will

continue to prosper for many years to come. This has only happened because of the

diligence of consecrated disciples of Jesus Christ that persevere and thrive in hardships.

This church has carried on and persisted throughout time while receiving harassment that

is reinforced with false information. It is about time that those not educated about the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints get educated promptly. We Mormons are a

peculiar and unique people, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.