Latter-day Saints are encouraged to do their personal family history, tracing their lineage back as far as they possibly can. People not associated with the “Mormon Church” are suddenly also finding a burning desire to know more about their roots. This is an exciting time. Millions of records—birth certificates, death certificates, wedding licenses, census documents, etc.—which the LDS Church has access to are being digitized so they can be made even more widely available. This will enable people in one country to access whatever information the LDS Church has available in other countries without the expense of travel. This is very exciting.

Why is such an emphasis placed on Latter-day Saints doing their family history? The answer lies in an ancient prophecy found in the Old Testament: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5–6). Latter-day Saints have learned through further revelation that this prophecy means that Elijah held the priesthood keys to bind families together forever, that these keys will be restored, and that they are essential to the salvation of the world.

Joseph Smith was called of God to restore the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth in 1820. He organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, under the direction of Jesus Christ and with His authority, on April 6, 1830. Previous to the organization of the Church, Joseph was given the keys of the priesthood from those who last held them on the earth: John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood (or lesser priesthood which was given to the children of Israel), Peter, James, and John restored the Melchizedek Priesthood (or higher priesthood), and Elijah restored the keys of the sealing power.

The keys of the sealing power are only used in temples. Thus, today, Mormon temples are the only places where the sealing powers can be accessed. When a couple is married in a Mormon temple, they are sealed together, binding them together for eternity (depending upon their faithfulness in keeping God’s commandments), rather than ending with the death of one of them. If the couple is faithful, any children born to them after their sealing are also sealed to them. This means that families can be bound together, across generations, for eternity.

Temples have not been widely available across time. Billions of people have been born who never had the chance to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, all ordinances must be performed on the earth, and the participant must have a body. This is impossible for all those who died without baptism. This is why Latter-day Saints do work by proxy in Mormon temples for those who died without the opportunity to receive sacred ordinances.

Latter-day Saints are encouraged to do the work for their personal family members for as far back as they can find records. This allows deceased ancestors the opportunity to choose for themselves whether or not to accept those ordinances. If they do accept them, they can continue in their eternal progression. If they reject them, they will not be able to continue in their progression, but at least they have a choice. No person whose work is done for them in a Mormon temple are forced to accept that work.

Mormon genealogy, or Mormon family history, has many benefits. In addition to being able to serve deceased family members, individuals also learn of sacrifices made for future generations. They can also connect to people in their history they may not have had an opportunity to meet, but who still had an influence in their lives.

Additional Resources:

Find a Family History Center near you

Mormon Families

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.

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

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.

This comes on the heels of earlier surveys indicating that 32 percent of non-LDS U.S. adults say the LDS Church is not a Christian religion, and an additional 17 percent are unsure of LDS Christianity. The theological and semantic reasons for this can be complex, but for the 1,019 self-identified Mormons who participated in the Pew survey, their theological position is clear: Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and they consider themselves to be Christian.

“Certainly in Latter-day Saint theology is this idea that if you understand who you are, you understand that there’s a purpose in life, you understand your connection to God, that certainly has an impact on how you live your life and what you do, but also how you feel about your life and what you are doing,” said Michael Purdy of the LDS Church Public Affairs office.

For the vast majority of Latter-day Saints surveyed, those life choices have much to do with their religious beliefs. Eighty-two percent of survey respondents indicate that religion is “very important” to them, 83 percent say they pray every day and 77 percent say they attend church at least once a week. Beyond that, a stunning 69 percent of respondents fit all three descriptions, saying that religion is very important to them, that they pray every day and that they go to church every week.

“By this measure,” the report says, “Mormons exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than many other religious groups, including white evangelical Christians.”

Part of the explanation for these high numbers may be that the survey focused only on those who self-identified as Latter-day Saints.

“The method they used tended to identify people who are strongly committed,” said BYU sociologist Marie Cornwall , who advised the Pew Forum on the new survey. “They don’t have the people who are kind of marginal. But that’s okay; we just have to be careful with the way we interpret the findings.”

One such finding is the relationship between religious commitment and education among Mormons.

David Campbell, a University of Notre Dame associate professor and another adviser on the survey, noted that the more educated respondents were, the higher their levels of religious commitment.

“I was a little surprised by that,” said Campbell, who is LDS and who has extensively studied on the role of religion in the public square. “The more educated a Mormon is, the more likely they are to be wholehearted in their commitment to the church and its teachings.”

That is different from other churches, he said, where more education tends to lead to more religious skepticism.

Pew Research Center officials also noted “a significant gender gap in religious commitment, with more Mormon women than men exhibiting a high level of religious commitment (73 percent vs. 65 percent).”

According to the Pew report, a similar “gender gap” is seen among the general public. A 2007 survey found 36 percent of U.S. women exhibited a high level of religious commitment, compared with 24 percent of men.

One series of questions asked about what it means to be a good Mormon. According to the respondents, in order to be a good Mormon it is “essential” to believe Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ (80 percent), work to help the poor (73 percent), hold regular family home evenings (51 percent), not drink coffee and tea (49 percent) and not watch R-rated movies (32 percent).

Combining those who said “essential” with those who said “important but not essential,” the order changes a little bit: working to help the poor (97 percent), holding regular family home evenings (96 percent), believing Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ (93 percent), not drinking coffee and tea (81 percent) and not watching R-rated movies (79 percent).

“I think that result is rather interesting,” said Cornwall. “Mormons are known for not drinking coffee or tea and not watching R-rated movies. But compared to believing that Joseph Smith saw God and working for the poor, Mormons don’t seem to focus on the coffee and tea as much as people probably think.”

Other manifestations of religious commitment in the survey included:

The number of respondents (65 percent) who say they hold a current temple recommend (a certificate from local ecclesiastical leaders, issued every other year, indicating that an individual has permission from the church to enter LDS temples and participate in temple rites and sacraments)

The number (79 percent) who say they pay tithing (donating 10 percent of their income to the church)

The number (27 percent) who have served full-time missions for the church (this number includes 43 percent of men and 11 percent of women and varies significantly according to the age and education of the respondent, as well as whether or not the respondent was raised Mormon)

The number (82 percent) who keep food in storage for emergencies or disasters, as they have been counseled to do by LDS Church leaders (This number includes 23 percent who say they have three months’ worth, 35 percent who say they have more than three months’ worth and 23 percent who say they have less than three months’ worth)

The percentage who pay tithing is especially interesting to break down. According to the survey tabulations, “tithing is most common among Mormons with the highest levels of religious commitment (96 percent) … fully 91 percent of college graduates say they pay tithing … compared with 66 percent of those with a high school diploma or less education. And among those whose family income exceeds $30,000, 83 percent say they pay tithing, compared with 69 percent of those with incomes of less than $30,000.”

While previous surveys have clearly established LDS agreement with certain key Christian doctrines — 90 percent of Mormons believe in God, 91 percent believe the Bible is the word of God and 98 percent believe in life after death — the new survey explores Mormon confidence in points of doctrine that are unique to LDS theology. And in these points of doctrine, Mormons proved to be unified and believing. They believe overwhelmingly that God and Jesus Christ are separate physical beings (94 percent), that the president of the LDS Church is a prophet of God (94 percent), that families can be bound together eternally in temple ceremonies (95 percent) and that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets and translated by Joseph Smith (91 percent).

Overall, 77 percent say they believe “wholeheartedly” in all of the teachings of the LDS Church. That number increases to 82 percent among Mormons ages 18-49, and to 85 percent among Mormons who are college graduates.

“Ultimately, I suppose other Americans will judge our church — and perhaps all churches — by their relevance in how they touch and improve human lives right here on Earth as well as what they offer in the life to come,” wrote Michael Otterson, Public Affairs director for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in his “On Faith” blog in the Washington Post. “Meanwhile, we welcome the friendship and regard of all groups, even as we retain our commitment to a unique identity. In the end … Latter-day Saints will strive to be good Mormons, true believers, kind neighbors and faithful friends.

Pew Study Reflects Mormons’ Religious Commitment to Christ, Mormon Beliefs in Tithes and Temples

Mormons in America

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.

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.”                                                             Pew Study on Mormons in America

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.

The Apostle Paul, in one of his epistles (letters) to Timothy, mentioned that “in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1–5).

There is such a great need today to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people—greater than ever before. The sermons and warnings of Paul and other holy men of God are real and literal. and are being fulfilled in our day. The admonition of the Lord to preach the gospel is still as important in the times past as well as in our time. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15–16). One of the Lord’s greatest commandments unto His disciples in the ancient days as well as today is to preach the gospel to all people.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known to many people as the Mormon Church—as it has been nicknamed, has put a huge emphasis on missionary work. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that every individual is precious to the point that God has given His Only Begotten Son to save mankind. The Lord said, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–13).

The “Mormon Church” believes that the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was taken from earth for a time when men rejected, cast away, stoned, or killed the Apostles and Prophets. But the fullness of the gospel was brought back when God again called a prophet, Joseph Smith, and restored the plain and precious truth that was lost for centuries. That is why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sending missionaries everywhere in the world where religious freedom is granted to all people; to preach the fullness of the gospel and to teach the absolute truth about God’s love and His incomparable Plan of Happiness for His children.

The LDS Church is encouraging its members, especially the able young men ages 19 to 25, to serve a full-time mission. This means dedicating all of one’s efforts, time, and attention to focus only on preaching the gospel for two years. Young women are also welcome to serve a full-time mission, if they wish to do so, for a period of 18 months. Older couples who wish to serve a mission are also given the opportunity to serve, as well persons with handicaps, depending on the level of capacity they can tackle.

Mormon missionaries teach the gospel to those investigating the Church not just once, but rather in a sequence of lessons. Topics included in the missionary discussions include: the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Plan of Salvation, the basic elements of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the commandments. These lessons are essential for everyone to know, and they are God’s straight and narrow path which leads to eternal life.

The LDS Church provides trainings for new missionaries in facilities called Missionary Training Centers (or MTCs), which are located in different parts of the world. Which MTC a missionary attends depends on his or her assigned area. The LDS Church takes care of housing accomadations for missionaries, though missionaries generally pay for their own missions. These expenses cover housing, food, transportation, and other basic needs. The ”Mormon Church” provides all teaching materials to missionaries.

Missionaries serve in pairs, called companionships, though occassionally there are three members to a companionship. Companionships are all of the same gender, unless a senior couple is serving. Then they serve as each other’s companion. Mormon missionaries have a strict schedule to adhere to, rising at about 6:00 a.m. to have scripture study, and arriving at home by about 9:00 p.m.

Missionaries also have additional trainings once a week in the area of their assignments and monthly training with their mission president on a certain day of each month to ensure the purity of the doctrine being taught to the people.

Preaching the gospel ensures that all men, women, and children learn of God’s love for His children. God wants all of His children to be with Him again someday, so every effort of saving His children is taken to ensure as many as choose to can participate in His choicest blessings through obedience. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites people everywhere to listen to the missionaries and to ponder the teachings of Jesus Christ. “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5).

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.

History is important, and a lot can be learned from the history of an organization. This article gives a brief overview of Mormon History and highlights some important people and events.

The Church of Christ (the original name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, casually called the “Mormon Church”) was organized with six members on April 6, 1830, in Fayette, New York. It only got its complete name as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 1838, when a revelation was received to change its name. It can be noted that the original members of the Mormon Church were relatives and friends of the prophet Joseph Smith (known as the “prophet of the restoration,” because through him Christ founded the Church, and by him the Book of Mormon was translated). The Church faced a lot of persecution during its early years, so that it was moved from New York to Ohio to Missouri, Illinois, and then on to the other side of the Rocky Mountains. Although the Church has faced a lot of adversity and persecution, it has still continued to grow and progress through the years. This progress still continues today.

Below are some important matters pertaining to the history of the Mormon Church.

Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Gospel

Joseph, (believed to be the first modern prophet and the first prophet of the Lord in the latter days by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), was called of God at the age 14, as an instrument for many marvelous things to occur. God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Him and taught him more about the nature of God than had been known for centuries. Ancient prophets and apostles bestowed sacred priesthood power upon Joseph, making him a new, authorized witness of God in this last dispensation of time before the Second Comin of Christ. An incomparable outpouring of knowledge and doctrine was revealed through the Prophet, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Through him, Christ restored the Lord’s true Church once again upon the earth. Indeed, as the scripture states: “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it” (D&C 135:3).

The First Vision

“For Latter-day Saints (sometimes called Mormons) the First Vision is foundational—God’s declaration, unequivocal and utterly authoritative, of the results of the Great Apostasy and the need for a restoration.”

In 1820, as many Christian churches vied for converts, Joseph’s mother and 3 of his siblings joined the Presbyterian Church, but Joseph, his brother and father held back. Joseph was confused about which church he should join.

When he was 14, he came across a passage from the Book of James while he was deeply studying the scriptures, the verse states:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

He was inspired by the passage and then went into the woods near his home and prayed, offering the real desires of his heart to God. At first, he was seized upon by powers of darkness, which made him fear that he would be destroyed. Nevertheless, in response to his sincere prayer, the heavens opened wide, delivering him from the power of darkness. In a pillar of light brighter than the sun, he saw two Personages standing above him in the air. One spoke, calling the boy by name, and said, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17).

The brightest glory filled the sky that instance and in glorious manifestation, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared in person to Joseph Smith. During His conversation with Them, he was told not to join any of the churches because “they were all wrong” and “all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; … they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof” (Joseph Smith—History 1:19). Joseph was also promised “that the fullness of the Gospel should at some future time be made known unto [him].”

Visitations of Moroni

Joseph’s Smith declaration that he had seen God and Christ was only treated with scorn by other people. Since he had seen two separate beings in the form of men, his vision went completely against the accepted doctrine of the Trinity. Three years passed, and at the age of 17, on the evening of September 21, 1823, he prayed earnestly for direction and for forgiveness of his youthful “sins and follies” (Joseph Smith—History 1:29). After which, a heavenly messenger named Moroni appeared to give him an answer. Joseph recalled:

“[He] proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the joyful tidings that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the Gospel in all its fullness to be preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the Millennial reign. I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of His purposes in this glorious dispensation.”

Moroni also told Joseph that a compilation of ancient writings, engraved on gold plates by ancient prophets, was buried in a nearby hill. This sacred record described a people whom God had led from Jerusalem to the Western Hemisphere 600 years before Jesus’s birth. Moroni was the last prophet among the people who wrote it and had buried the record, which God had promised to bring forth in the latter days. Joseph Smith was to translate this sacred work into English.

For the next four years, Joseph was to meet Moroni at the hill each September 22nd to receive further knowledge and instructions. He would need these years of preparation and personal refinement in order to translate the ancient record. He had to be equal to the task of bringing forth a work whose purpose was to convince “Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations” (title page of the Book of Mormon). Joseph Smith then started translating the Book of Mormon and together with his scribe Oliver Cowdery, they finished it. At the same time, they also received the Aaronic Priesthood from John The Baptist (a heavenly being) when they went to the banks of the Susquehanna River, near Joseph’s home in Harmony, to pray. Later, as promised by John the Baptist, the ancient Apostles Peter, James, and John also appeared to Joseph and Oliver and bestowed upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood and ordained them Apostles. Later, Moses, Elias, and Elijah gave them further keys through which these bretheren could further use this priesthood power and authority of God necessary to establish His Church and to perform the ordinances of salvation.

The Church was later established on April 6, 1830. Then Joseph Smith formally organized the Church, later designated by revelation as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church of Jesus Christ was once again established on the earth.

Expansion of the Church, Continuing Revelation and Continuous Growth

Joseph Smith continued to receive revelation from the Lord, which was later written and used today as the words in the Doctrine and Covenants (one of the 4 standard works of the Mormon Church). The Church also continued to grow under his leadership. The Lord revealed unto him the importance of the presence of holy temples on earth. As a result, the Saints built the first temple in Kirtland, Ohio. The saints also changed their settlements from Jackson County to Northern Missouri, then finally Nauvoo, Illinois, where they built another temple.

Throughout Joseph Smith’s ministry, the Lord continued to reveal the need to preach the gospel. In the early days of the Church, missionaries were being sent to Canada, USA, and later on England. Joseph Smith himself continually preached the gospel. However, Joseph’s life had neared its end, when in June 1844, a riot was charged against the prophet. Although he was not to blame for the riot and he was innocent, he was still incarcerated in the local jail.

On the 27th day of June, the same year, while staying in jail, mobs of men with blackened faces murdered Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. At the age of 38, he sealed his testimony with his own blood.

Brigham Young

Next to Joseph Smith as the president and prophet of the Church was Brigham Young. After the death of Joseph Smith, many wanted to take his place as president of the Church; However, Brigham Young reminded them that the Quorum of the Twelve apostles should lead the Church, since Joseph had given them all the priesthood keys to do so. Young was ordained President of the Church in December 1847, more than two and a half years after Smith’s death.

It can be noted from history that Brigham Young was the longest serving President of the LDS Church in history, having served for 29 years. Repeated persecution led Young to relocate his group of Latter-day Saints to a territory in what is now Utah, then part of Mexico. Young organized the journey that would take the faithful to Winter Quarters, Nebraska, in 1846, then to the Salt Lake Valley. Young arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, a date now recognized as Pioneer Day in Utah. Hundreds of Latter-day Saints died in Winter Quarters and many more on the trails to the Rockies.

Shortly after the arrival of Young’s pioneers, the new Mormon colonies were incorporated into the United States through Mexican Cession, Young petitioned the U.S. Congress to create the State of Deseret. The Compromise of 1850 instead carved out Utah Territory, and Young was installed as governor. As governor and church president, Young directed both religious and economic matters. He encouraged independence and self-sufficiency. Many cities and towns in Utah, and some in neighboring states, were founded under Young’s direction.

During his ministry, the practice of polygamy was made public as the Lord had instructed.

Young died on August 29, 1877, of peritonitis.

Mormon Polygamy

The Church experienced a lot of persecution because of the brief practice of polygamy. That is why although the Mormon Church has not practiced polygamy for more than a hundred years, it still faces a lot of negative remarks attributed to it. Many still think of the LDS Church as a church with members that have multiple wives. The practice of Mormon polygamy from about 1840 to 1890 was commanded by the Lord. The exact rationale and reasoning behind it is uncertain. However, the following may be considered as possible explanations:

First, God restored His Church through Joseph Smith. All things were to be restored – all principles, all knowledge, all parts of the Lord’s gospel. Ancient prophets, such as Abraham and Isaac, practiced polygamy. The practice of polygamy would therefore be part of “all things,” all parts of the Lord’s gospel, and could be restored. In fact, the Lord gave the law to Joseph Smith when Joseph inquired about the ancients. When the Lord reinstituted polygamy as part of the restoration of all things, all of the Church elders, including Joseph Smith, found it difficult to accept and follow.

Second, in the Book of Mormon, polygamy is prohibited unless the Lord needs to “raise up seed unto [Himself]” (Jacob 2:30). Polygamy, or plural marriage, would increase the descendents of faithful Mormon families. And, in fact, the descendents of polygamous families sustained the Church for years.

Third, polygamy taught the people humility, patience, and love; all attributes that Christians strive to attain. Mormon polygamy was not an easy practice to live. It went against societal norms. Husbands had to learn how to divide their time among their wives. Women had to learn how to share their husband and get along with each other. Those who lived the law of plural marriage were refined and became better people because of the difficulty of polygamy.

Fourth, polygamy provided for the plethora of women who had joined the Church, and for widows, and enabled them to have families. Also, at that time, married men were sent off to serve missions, leaving their families behind. Families missing husbands and fathers did better when plural marriage gave women support. With the help of other wives, some women were able to launch out into higher education and professional careers.

In addition, the Lord sanctioned plural marriage in ancient times. Christians generally accept that Abraham and Israel, or Jacob, had more than one wife and that this was not condemned of the Lord. Indeed, both Abraham and Jacob were blessed beyond measure. Although having multiple wives was a societal norm of the time (in a way it isn’t in the modern United States), idol worship was also a societal norm and soundly forbidden of the Lord. Most Christians do not accept the idea of modern, and Christian polygamy, and Mormons still draw criticism for the practice, even a century after it was discontinued.

Furthermore, Mormon polygamy was practiced for about fifty years, although only about fifteen to twenty-five percent of the members of the Mormon Church were involved in the practice. Polygamy was practiced by choice by the men of the Church, and women were also never forced to enter into a polygamist marriage. They also had the right to divorce.

During the latter half of this fifty years, more specifically, during the 1870s and the 1880s, the United States government took action against polygamists. They revoked voting rights, seized Church property, and imprisoned polygamist men – about 1,300 total.

In September of 1890, then Mormon prophet Wilford Woodruff received a revelation of the Lord to stop the practice of polygamy.

The Lord explained His reasoning in Doctrine and Covenants 124:49,

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings.”

Continuing Revelation

When the Lord reveals His will to the Church, He speaks through his prophet (Latter-day Saints believe that at each period of time, the Lord calls prophets, seers and revelators to govern His Church in His behalf). Indeed, today the Lord continues to guide the Church by revealing His will to His chosen servants. From the time of the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith up to the ministry of the living Prophet today (who is Thomas S. Monson), the Church continues to receive revelation from the Lord. Indeed, history has shown that the Church has continuous access to revelation from the Lord.

Church Growth

Today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has over 14 million members all over the world, nearly fulfilling the prophecy of Joseph Smith that the restored gospel would be taken to every nation, tongue, and kindred. The Church has a remarkable welfare program, a perpetual education fund to help returned missionaries from impoverished countries, a vast and efficient humanitarian aid program, and adoption services and addiction counseling. There is no more well-organized church on earth, as the Lord’s house is a house of order. Because of the restoration of Christ’s priesthood authority, all the charismatic gifts are found in abundance in the Church, and the members are greatly blessed because of that. Families are at the center of the Church, and all programs are geared to strengthen the family unit. The women’s organization of the Mormon Church is the oldest and larget sisterhood in the world, with 5 million members. The Church has a lay clergy, so Mormons are more liable to volunteer than any other people. The LDS Church has at least 50,000 full-time Mormon missionaries serving at any given time all over the world. The Mormon Church also sponsors institutions of higher education, especially Brigham Young University, with campuses in Utah, Idaho, Hawaii, and study-abroad programs; LDS Business College, and schools in the South Pacific.

References:

“Apostasy, Restoration, and Lessons in Faith,” Andrew C. Skinner, December 2005

“Lesson 2: The Apostasy and the Need for the Restoration of Jesus Christ’s Church,” Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants: Church History, (1997)

http://lds.org/manual/primary-5-doctrine-and-covenants-church-history/lesson-2-the-apostasy-and-the-need-for-the-restoration-of-jesus-christs-church?lang=eng&query=apostasy+restoration

“The Wondrous Restoration,” Neal A. Maxwell, April 2003

“Chapter 47: “Praise to the Man”: Latter-day Prophets Bear Witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007)

“The Life and Ministry of Joseph Smith,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007)

Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the First Vision, Richard L. Anderson

“Chapter Two: Joseph Smith’s New England Heritage,” Church History In The Fulness Of Times Student Manual, (2003)

Have you ever seen a building that looks so marvelous, or that is historical and of great importance? How did it feel when you were able to behold the beautiful rooms of the building and had the chance to enter every room? What then do you think you would feel when given an opportunity to enter a the temple of the Lord?

An online dictionary defines an open house as a social event in which hospitality is extended to all. It could also be an occasion when an institution is open for visiting and observation by the public. Before a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is dedicated, it is opened for public viewing. It gives a chance for friends of other faiths, and local government officials to behold what is inside. A Temple Open house is then a great chance and an awesome experience both for members and non-members of the Church. Indeed, it is an event that is worth waiting for.

Reservations for entry into the temple are often required and tickets are available and are free of charge. Oftentimes, Latter-day Saints (also called Mormons) invite people they know to tour the temple with them when an open house is held. Missionaries of the Church can also extend the invitation.

Since it is open for the general public, anyone is allowed to come, once he or she has secured a ticket. Guests will then be taken on guided tours in the temple. Even though the temple is not yet dedicated at the time of visit during an open house, all are still asked to be reverent and respectful of the building, as it is the house of the Lord. Even if it is still to be dedicated, the Spirit can still be felt while in there.

Some who have attended a Mormon Temple open house bear witness of the feeling they had. Some even have borne a testimony that the Spirit testified to them that the building is truly a house of the Lord. It is a chance to share the restored gospel, and sometimes an opportunity that leads the people to want to be baptized members of the Church.

A missionary shared his experience about the open house of the Kyiv Temple. “People are saying, “Wow! If I had known you had such a beautiful building, I would have invited ALL of my family and friends to see it!” Some have said they plan to make a second trip to do so.
Miracles are happening, and it’s only day two of the public open house.”

A simple open house can also lead to a great opening of the heart. Below is an experience shared by Sister Wendy Kenney:

Eternal marriage just felt right to me.

I was 14 years old when I moved from California to the Salt Lake Valley, and I was more than a little worried about how I was going to fit in with all those Mormons I had heard about. One of the few things I knew about Latter-day Saints was that they didn’t let people from other churches into their temples. That had been a big disappointment to me when my family stopped at Temple Square on our way through Salt Lake City on vacation. My parents had warned me that we wouldn’t be allowed inside the temple, but I thought maybe they had changed the rules. “Sorry. Because the temple is so sacred, only people with a current temple recommend can go inside,” the missionary told me.

A couple of years later the Jordan River Temple was nearing completion, and my LDS friends were excited to have a new temple close by. I didn’t pay much attention to it until a man my father worked with invited our family to the temple open house. I hadn’t realized that during an open house, the temple is open to the public and that anyone could go inside. It felt like, in a way, the rules had changed for me, at least until the temple was dedicated.

From the moment I stepped into the Jordan River Temple, I could tell there was something special about this new building. It was more than the physical beauty of the exterior or the lovely decor inside. Instead, it was the unique work that went on inside that most intrigued me.

At one point our guide led us into a sealing room and showed us an altar where couples would kneel across from each other to be married for time and all eternity. As I gazed into the mirrors hanging on opposite walls in that room and saw countless images of my face, I knew in my heart that God intended for marriage to last forever. I was at the age when I was beginning to envision my future as a wife and mother, but I had never even considered that marriage could last longer than “till death do you part.” My whole philosophy of marriage changed that day, and I decided then and there that I would marry someone for eternity.

There was one small problem. I didn’t belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fortunately, my LDS friends recognized a “golden opportunity,” and began slowly teaching me about the Church. Though it took me a few years to feel comfortable meeting with the missionaries, I eventually overcame my anxiety, took the missionary lessons, and was baptized.

As I look back on the many people and events that led to my conversion, one event stands above the rest—the tour of the Jordan River Temple. That open house opened my mind to the sacred sealing ordinances performed in the Mormon temple and opened my heart to the dream of eternal marriage. A few years later when I went to the Salt Lake Temple to be married, I looked again into the endless succession of mirrors and knew my dream had become a reality.

It is important to realize that an open house is not just a simple event meant to let others see the building and just appreciate its beauty. It is meant to let others feel the Holy Spirit and give them a testimony that what they are beholding is a true house of the Lord. An open house can change lives, even as a dedicated temple of the Lord helps people go back to his presence.

References:

“An Open House Opened My Heart,” Wendy Kenney