Mormon Beliefs Archives - Mormon Church https://mormonchurch.com/tag/mormon-beliefs Created by average, everyday Mormons Tue, 02 Sep 2014 17:26:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Protecting Traditional Marriage Based on Beliefs, Not Bigotry https://mormonchurch.com/4505/protecting-traditional-marriage-based-beliefs-bigotry https://mormonchurch.com/4505/protecting-traditional-marriage-based-beliefs-bigotry#respond Wed, 28 May 2014 16:35:04 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=4505 The issue of a state’s right to define marriage as between a man and a woman is winding its way through the court system, and it is likely on its way to the U.S. Supreme Court later this year. Proponents of same-sex unions argue that marriage is a “fundamental right.” One justice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit Court hearing arguments compared the ban on same-sex marriage to laws prohibiting interracial marriage decades ago, asking what is the difference between the two? But there are more important questions that must be answered: Why does it take a man and a woman to create a child? Why has marriage been—from our very first parents—the standard for bringing children into the world? What role does marriage play in society at large? And why does traditional marriage deserve a protected status? These are the relevant questions to answer.

Husband and wifeTraditional marriage has a foundation thousands and thousands of years in the making. Same-sex marriage is still in the experimental stage.  If as a society we succumb to the rhetoric that traditional marriage supporters are anti-gay, bigoted and hateful, we turn our backs on the fundamental, rational reasoning that has held societies and nations together for millennia—as well as the democratic ideals upon which our country was founded. The family is the fundamental unit of society. Not just any family unit, but the family unit that provides a stable and protective foundation to bring children into the world. It is our responsibility as adults—the ones who are supposed to protect children—to make the world a better place for future generations. The reality is that the fight to protect traditional marriage is just that: A fight to protect the definition, sanctity and importance of marriage between a man and a woman.

Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Isn’t Bigotry

Defenders of traditional marriage often do so based on their religious beliefs as well as their experience with families. A 53-page so-called “friend-of-the-court” brief filed with the 10th Circuit Court by five religious organizations, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes inadvertently called the Mormon Church), said:

Faith communities like ours are among the essential pillars of this Nation’s marriage culture. With our teachings, rituals, traditions, and ministries, we sustain and nourish both individual marriages and a culture that makes enduring marriages possible. We have the deepest interest in strengthening the time-honored institution of husband-wife marriage because of our religious beliefs and also because of the benefits it provides to children, families, and society. Our practical experience in this area is unequaled. In millions of ministry settings each day we see the benefits that married mother-father parenting brings to children. And we deal daily with the devastating effects of out-of-wedlock births, failed marriages, and the general decline of the venerable husband-wife marriage institution.

Religious leaders shepherd their flocks through times of trial—and see firsthand the devastating effect of the breakdown of the family. They are uniquely qualified to answer the questions of why the traditional family unit is so important. The brief continues:

In truth, we support the husband-wife definition of marriage because we believe it is right and good for children, families and society. Our respective faith traditions teach us that truth. But so do reason, long experience and social fact. … Faith communities and religious organizations have a long history of upholding traditional marriage for reasons that have nothing to do with homosexuality. Their support for husband-wife marriage precedes by centuries the very idea of same-sex marriage.

For The Church of Jesus Christ and other religious organizations, support for traditional marriage stems from their belief in God and in His commandments. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (with the First Presidency, the governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ), said:

Man’s laws cannot make moral what God has declared immoral. … Laws legalizing so-called “same-sex marriage” do not change God’s law of marriage or His commandments and our standards concerning it.

People of faith believe that we are here on earth as part of God’s divine plan for His children—because we are all literal spirit children of our Father in Heaven. Elder Oaks explained:

For Latter-day Saints, God’s commandments are based on and inseparable from God’s plan for His children—the great plan of salvation. This plan, … explains our origin and destiny as children of God—where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. The plan of salvation explains the purpose of creation and the conditions of mortality, including God’s commandments, the need for a Savior, and the vital role of mortal and eternal families. … Our theology begins with heavenly parents, and our highest aspiration is to attain the fulness of eternal exaltation. We know this is possible only in a family relationship. We know that the marriage of a man and a woman is necessary for the accomplishment of God’s plan. Only this marriage will provide the approved setting for mortal birth and to prepare family members for eternal life. We look on marriage and the bearing and nurturing of children as part of God’s plan and a sacred duty of those given the opportunity to do so. We believe that the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.

Because marriage and children are central components of this plan, believers feel obligated to defend traditional marriage for the sake of children. Elder M. Russell Ballard, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, explained:

Church leaders have the responsibility to speak out on moral issues and to counsel individuals and families. The family is the basic unit of society; it is the basic unit of eternity. Thus, when forces threaten the family, Church leaders must respond.

The family is at the heart of Heavenly Father’s plan because we are all part of His family and because mortality is our opportunity to form our own families and to assume the role of parents. It is within our families that we learn unconditional love, which can come to us and draw us very close to God’s love. It is within families that values are taught and character is built. Father and mother are callings from which we will never be released, and there is no more important stewardship than the responsibility we have for God’s spirit children who come into our families.

Elder Neil L. Andersen, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, said:

While many governments and well-meaning individuals have redefined marriage, the Lord has not. In the very beginning, God initiated marriage between a man and a woman—Adam and Eve. He designated the purposes of marriage to go far beyond the personal satisfaction and fulfillment of adults to, more importantly, advancing the ideal setting for children to be born, reared, and nurtured. Families are the treasure of heaven.

Why do we continue to talk about this? As Paul said, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” As Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the responsibility to teach our Creator’s plan for His children and to warn of the consequences of disregarding His commandments.

The Nuclear Family is the Fabric of Human Society

Mixed racial familyThe traditional, or nuclear, family is the fabric that holds society together. The marriage covenant regulates the use of the procreative powers—the ability for a man and a woman to create life—and provides a stable foundation for bringing children into the world. It binds husbands and wives to each other, and the children to their parents. From the beginning, our first parents Adam and Eve were married and commanded to have children. In that order. Their commitment to each other provided the framework into which their children were born, nurtured and taught. They formed the first family on the earth, setting the example for generations to follow and teaching their children the ways of God.  The 2012 State of Our Unions report explained:

Throughout history, marriage has first and foremost been an institution for procreation and raising children. It has provided the cultural tie that seeks to connect the father to his children by binding him to the mother of his children. …

There is now ample evidence that stable and satisfactory marriages are crucial for the well-being of adults. Yet such marriages are even more important for the proper socialization and overall well-being of children. A central purpose of the institution of marriage is to ensure the responsible and long-term involvement of both biological parents in the difficult and time-consuming task of raising the next generation.

Children need both biological parents because mothers and fathers have complementary roles. Husbands are the protectors and providers and mothers are the caregivers and nurturers. Elder Russell M. Nelson, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, taught:

… Parenting is a joint venture. The father exercises his leadership with light and love, never in any degree of unrighteousness. The mother provides the intuition, the inspiration, and the nurture that come from her so naturally.

The late Elder James E. Faust, until his death, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, explained:

For centuries the family was the bedrock of this and many other nations. It was the glue that held society together. Now many families are in trouble, and the glue is coming unstuck. As a result, many children are bewildered: they are growing physically but lack the support system, the disciplined moral framework, and the love and understanding that a strong family can provide.

It is in a home and with a family that values are usually acquired, traditions are fostered, and commitments to others are established. There are really no adequate substitutes. Church, school, and government programs can only reinforce and supplement that which is acquired at home. …

Alternatives to the legal and loving marriage between a man and a woman are helping to unravel the fabric of human society. That fabric, of course, is the family. These so-called alternative life-styles cannot be accepted as right because they frustrate God’s commandment for a life-giving union of male and female within a legal marriage (see Genesis 1:28). If practiced by all adults, these life-styles would mean the end of family.

Traditional marriage is the fabric that holds human society together because it is here where we are taught our values, morals and fundamental beliefs. President Gordon B. Hinckley, until his death, the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ, taught:

A nation will rise no higher than the strength of its homes. If you want to reform a nation, you begin with families, with parents who teach their children principles and values that are positive and affirmative and will lead them to worthwhile endeavors. That is the basic failure that has taken place in America. And we are making a tremendous effort to bring about greater solidarity in families. Parents have no greater responsibility in this world than the bringing up of their children in the right way, and they will have no greater satisfaction as the years pass than to see those children grow in integrity and honesty and make something of their lives.

Redefining marriage would reform America’s homes by weakening the foundation upon which they are built. And if a nation will rise no higher than the strength of its homes, we owe it to ourselves to strengthen our homes, defend our families and protect the sanctity of our marriages. Marriage does matter—and it matters how it is defined. Why does traditional marriage deserve a protected status in our society? Because it is the only union capable of producing offspring—and it is the children, not the adults, who need to be protected.

Marriage Between a Man & Woman is Good Public Policy

Families are the treasures of HeavenIn addition to benefiting children, traditional marriage, frankly, is good public policy. It is economically beneficial for both spouses, and it eases the economic burden on society when both parents work together to provide for their children. The 2012 Report State of Our Unions found:

The institution of marriage itself provides a wealth-generation bonus. It does this through providing economies of scale (two can live more cheaply than one), and as implicitly a long-term personal contract it encourages economic specialization. Working as a couple, individuals can develop those skills in which they excel, leaving others to their spouse. Also, married couples save and invest more for the future, and they can act as a small insurance pool against life uncertainties such as illness and job loss. …

Beyond the economic advantages of marriage for the married couples themselves, marriage has a tremendous economic impact on society. … Research has consistently shown that divorce and unmarried childbearing increase child poverty. In recent years the majority of children who grow up outside of married families have experienced at least one year of dire poverty…. The rise in child poverty, of course, generates significant public costs in health and welfare programs.

Marriages that end in divorce also are very costly to the public. One researcher determined that a single divorce costs state and federal governments about $30,000, based on such factors as the increased use of food stamps and public housing as well as increased bankruptcies and juvenile delinquency. The nation’s 1.4 million divorces in 2002 are estimated to have cost the taxpayers more than $30 billion.

Traditional marriage binds husbands and wives to their children, providing a stable foundation to bring children into the world. The financial costs alone of the breakdown of the family are staggering. Elder Oaks said:

Few measures of the welfare of our rising generation are more disturbing than the recent report that 41 percent of all births in the United States were to women who were not married. Unmarried mothers have massive challenges, and the evidence is clear that their children are at a significant disadvantage when compared with children raised by married parents. …

We should assume the same disadvantages for children raised by couples of the same gender. The social science literature is controversial and politically charged on the long-term effect of this on children, principally because, as a New York Times writer observed, “same-sex marriage is a social experiment, and like most experiments it will take time to understand its consequences.”

These are all very compelling reasons for the courts to uphold the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. As eager as the courts seem to be to break new ground on the marriage front, they owe it to the nation as well as to future generations to slow down and really listen to those who are on the front-lines of the marriage culture—religious leaders who are dealing with the aftermath of the breakdown of the family.

Traditional Marriage is Different and Deserves Protection

The government’s role is to protect the common good. History has proven that this is best done by preserving and protecting traditional marriage and the family unit. The amicus brief concluded:

Marriage, understood as the union of one man and one woman, remains a vital and foundational institution of civil society. The government’s interests in continuing to encourage and support marriage are not merely legitimate but compelling. No other institution joins together two persons with the natural ability to create children for the purpose of maximizing the welfare of such children. No other institution strives to ensure that children have the opportunity of feeling a sense of security and being raised in a stable household by the mother and father who conceived them.  Undermining the husband-wife marital institution by redefining it to include same-sex couples will, in the long term, harm vital child-welfare interests that only the husband-wife definition can secure. The result will be more mothers and fathers concluding that the highest end of marriage is not the welfare of their children but the advancement of their own life choices. We know, from personal experience over numerous decades of ministering to families and children, that more focus on satisfying adult needs will not benefit vulnerable children. The societal ills caused by the deterioration of husband-wife marriage will only be aggravated if the State cannot reserve to marriage its historic and socially vital meaning.

Traditional marriage deserves protection and its own unique status because it is different. Traditional marriage has a power that no other relationship does. It was ordained of God from the beginning of the world. Elder Boyd K. Packer, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, taught:

I have seen and heard, as you have seen and heard, the signals all about us, carefully orchestrated to convince us that marriage is out of date and in the way. … Marriage is the shelter where families are created. That society which puts low value on marriage sows the wind and, in time, will reap the whirlwind—and thereafter, unless they repent, bring upon themselves a holocaust!

The same warning applies to those who would make a mockery of marriage in same-sex unions. Elder Packer also warned:

There are both moral and physical laws “irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world” that cannot be changed. History demonstrates over and over again that moral standards cannot be changed by battle and cannot be changed by ballot. To legalize that which is basically wrong or evil will not prevent the pain and penalties that will follow as surely as night follows day.

Opposition to same-sex marriage isn’t based on bigotry—it’s based on belief in God, His commandments and His plan for His children. It’s based on a fundamental desire to preserve and protect the family and its place as the foundational unit of society. Those who would redefine marriage to include same-sex unions would replace the strength of the family with a counterfeit replica.

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/4505/protecting-traditional-marriage-based-beliefs-bigotry/feed 0 Mormons Are Staying on Top of Technology https://mormonchurch.com/4003/mormons-staying-top-technology https://mormonchurch.com/4003/mormons-staying-top-technology#respond Thu, 21 Nov 2013 14:54:23 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=4003 Brick-and-mortar churches are emptying in many communities. People–especially millennials–just aren’t attending church the way their counterparts did fifty years ago. But one church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church), continues to add members to its ranks. How is this possible? Several factors contribute to the Church’s continued successful growth — membership exceeded 15 million in October 2013 — not the least of which is its use of modern technology.

User-friendly access

The Church of Jesus Christ has a whole network of websites dedicated to making its message of the Savior accessible and easy to understand. LDS.org is the primary site for members and contains access to canonized scripture, lesson manuals, General Conference messages, church magazine articles, and web-only featured content. Church members can register at the site and then gain access to online notebooks for personal study as well as congregation directories and calendars. The site has evolved over the years to be more user-friendly and interactive, and it continues to improve in the richness of its content, adding streaming of conferences, audio files, and video.

LDS-org-Jesus-ChristIn addition to LDS.org, The Church of Jesus Christ maintains several other websites. Mormon.org is a site directed to those who aren’t Mormons and who are looking to learn more about the faith and teachings. Through Mormon.org, users can read profiles of Mormons (submitted directly by members), read concise content about beliefs, order their own free copy of the Book of Mormon, and even live-chat with missionaries.

In addition to several other sites, The Church of Jesus Christ also operates FamilySearch.org, a family history and genealogy website; Mormonsandgays.org, a site for openness and dialogue regarding the Church’s standing on homosexuality and gay marriage; and Overcomingpornography.org, a website to foster support and recovery for those struggling with pornography addiction.

The Church of Jesus Christ officially manages the following sites:

Faith on-the-go

The Church of Jesus Christ has jumped on the smart-device bandwagon and has developed apps for both phones and tablets. Especially for millennials, these technological adaptations make scripture much more accessible. You can literally carry thousands of pages of scripture in your pocket and access it at any time. The app enables access to canonized scripture, General Conference messages, church magazine content, hymnbooks, and dozens of lesson manuals. The app also has highlighting, note-taking, and bookmarking tools; you can even create specific “notebooks” to store specific content. (For example, I have an in-app notebook for my personal goals and one for my Sunday lessons.) And unlike the log-in access on LDS.org, the Gospel Library app doesn’t require a username and password. It’s free and available for anyone.

man-reading-book-of-mormon-on-phone

With the Church adapting to technology by harnessing it, the organization ensures that its methods of spreading the word are still relevant. Some religions are having a hard time keeping up with the trends, and some are even being left behind. The Church of Jesus Christ knows how important its message is–that the Savior is the only and ultimate source of peace and redemption–and will use every honorable method it can to enable people to connect with God.

For members, The Church of Jesus Christ has also developed a practical app called LDS Tools. This allows members access to congregational and local leadership directories as well as local congregational calendars.

The YouTube presence

mormon-org-youtube-channel

Mormons have staked out a clear spot on YouTube with the Church’s official channel, the Mormon Channel. The Church of Jesus Christ continues to produce short videos to spread its message and to help bring the faith out of the margins. Mormon Channel produces video series like Mormon Messages, Bible Videos, and the  I’m a Mormon campaign. These videos are able to be shared on social media platforms and are a great way to both introduce people to the faith and support and edify existing members.

Twice a year, General Conference can also be streamed live on YouTube (as well as through the LDS.org website and other internet channels), and the individual talks are promptly published in video, audio, and text formats just days after their initial broadcast.

Curriculum adapted for technology

The Church of Jesus Christ has also started adapting its curriculum to include more technological content. This weaving in of technology with curriculum has started with the content for the Church’s youth ages 12 – 18. The messages are the same, but the method of delivery has been updated. Lessons now include interactive PDFs and links to related video content. This new curriculum allows for teachers to better adapt the lessons to the needs of their students, because while the ultimate message of The Church of Jesus Christ doesn’t change, the needs of youth are so varied that the teachers need greater flexibility in presenting the curriculum.

Online missionary work

More and more Mormons are participating in online missionary work. Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), said in a 2007 BYU – Hawaii commencement speech, that members should be doing more to share the gospel via blogs and social media. (Read this article by M. Russell Ballard, one of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.)

Mormon-org-profile-missionary-work

In addition to an increase in “civilian” missionary work, the rise of online media has allowed for more full-time missionary service. Many more missionaries with disabilities who aren’t able to proselyte on the streets in foreign countries are able to spread the gospel officially through the internet. This is a wonderful advancement that is also more inclusive to all church members who want to participate in the “Great Commision,” that of taking the gospel to the world.

Technology is important

Technology is important in the work of God. While almost all technologies can be used for degenerate purposes, these same tools can also be harnessed to spread the joyful message of Jesus Christ. Mormons have been asked by their leadership to learn these new technologies and use them to help in the worldwide missionary effort.

The Church of Jesus Christ wouldn’t be advancing the way it has been without the use of valuable and advanced technology. The message Mormons have to share is relevant to everyone, and they’re using the new tools available to make a mark and spread the word.

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/4003/mormons-staying-top-technology/feed 0 Elizabeth Smart: We Can Know That God is With Us https://mormonchurch.com/3941/elizabeth-smart-can-know-god-us https://mormonchurch.com/3941/elizabeth-smart-can-know-god-us#respond Thu, 07 Nov 2013 16:34:43 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=3941 Elizabeth Smart, we are defined by our choices.

Elizabeth Smart has a story to tell: hers. But it’s not just a story of tragedy and despair and the depths of human depravity. Rather, it is hope when things seem hopeless, strength and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds, and the knowledge that no matter what, God is always with us.

The now-25-year-old became a household name in the summer of 2002 when she was kidnapped from her affluent home in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 14. For 9 months, her parents, family and community prayed, searched and clung to the hope that she would be found safe and alive. Her family—members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes inadvertently called the Mormon Church—worked hard to ensure that Elizabeth’s name and picture were not forgotten in the hopes that someone, somewhere would recognize her and bring her home. And through their faith, prayers and dedication, miracles happened. Elizabeth was brought home.

In the ensuing decade, Elizabeth Smart has refused to look back at her traumatic ordeal—only looking forward. She wants to show the world—and other victims—that you can move past your circumstances and find happiness. You do not need to be defined by your tragedy—but by the stronger person you become afterward. Elizabeth’s memoir, “My Story,” was released Oct. 7 in hopes that it might help others move forward after tragedy—and know that God will never abandon us in our darkest hours.

Elizabeth is Telling ‘My Story’

Elizabeth Smart My Story book cover

The Elizabeth Smart story is every parent’s worst nightmare—putting your child safely in her bed for the night and waking up to find her gone. But her rescue also brought hope to other families with missing children. In the days, months and years following Elizabeth’s return home, the Smart family asked that the public respect her privacy and allow her time to heal. She became a motivational speaker and advocate for change related to child abduction, but she held tight to the private, horrific details of her days in captivity. Now, 10 years later, Elizabeth is ready to tell her story in intimate detail—100% of what happened to her. She said:

I didn’t just want to go 10% and sugarcoat the rest. I wanted it to be really what happened and what it was like every single day I was there, because I don’t think I’m doing anyone any favors by sugarcoating it. [1]

Why now, so many years later, is she opening up? She said that people don’t often acknowledge the “just staggering” number of children who are sexually abused before the age of 18—one in 4 girls and one in 6 boys. She said:

I want to reach out to those survivors and those victims. I want them to know that these things do happen, but that doesn’t mean that we have to be defined by it for the rest of your life. You can move forward and you can be happy. [1]

Elizabeth’s advice to other victims speaks volumes as to the reasons that she waited to write a book. She said:

To have so many people speculate on what happened and what I must be going through, and just so many lies being told. It was hard. I didn’t like it. I don’t think anybody likes having people guess at what they’re going through. Privacy is so sacred and any time a victim is returned, a survivor is found and rescued, privacy is one of the greatest gifts we can give them because if they decide to share, that’s up to them and they will come forward. [2]

So Elizabeth is coming forward with her story, in her own time, and in her own way.

Faith in the Face of Fearsome Foes

Elizabeth Smart’s terrifying ordeal began on June 5, 2002, when she was taken at knifepoint from her bedroom by a bearded transient street preacher named Brian David Mitchell. She said:

To me, in my bedroom is the ultimate place in safety. I mean, I felt like that was the safest place in the world for me, so waking up in the middle of the night in my own bedroom having this strange man standing over me, someone I didn’t recognize, not only that but having a knife being held to my throat, I was terrified. I had grown up in a very happy home and I really didn’t know what the definition of fear was until that moment. That brought whole new meaning. [1]

As the street preacher, who called himself “Emmanuel,” led her out of her house and up the steep mountain trail above her home, Elizabeth said she prayed for a way to escape. She said, “All I could think was, if he could part the Red Sea for Moses, He can part some of the scrub oak for me and I can escape…[But it] didn’t happen.” [3]

Instead, she was held captive and endured unspeakable abuse at the hands of her two captors—the street preacher and his wife, Wanda Barzee. Mitchell forced her to act as his second wife, telling her that God told him to do this to her. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, Elizabeth was taught differently. She said:

When I was kidnapped and he was telling me all of these things, I remember what my parents said: “You’ll know a person by their actions.” And so even though he was sitting there telling me that he was a prophet, that I should be thankful for what was happening to me, I was really a lucky girl—I realized that he wasn’t a good person. He was hurting me. He made me feel terrible. And growing up believing that I have a kind and loving Heavenly Father, I couldn’t believe that God had called him to do what he was doing to me. [4]

Throughout her ordeal, Elizabeth never lost faith in God nor in His goodness. She held tightly to her parents’ teachings and remembered the words of her mother: “I may not always love your choices…but I will always love you, and I will always be your mother, and nothing can ever change that.” [3] Elizabeth said she knew one thing: “My family was still there. And because of that, because I had that and because I knew that, I was able to make the decision to do whatever it took.” [5] No matter what it took, Elizabeth was going to find a way to get home to her family.

Ice-Cold Water and Other Tender Mercies from God

Elizabeth said that although “God won’t make the evil go away,” He will visit us in our afflictions. [6] She recounted one experience when the camp’s water supply ran out and she became severely dehydrated. One morning, Elizabeth said, she woke up to an ice-cold cup of water. She said she never knew where the water came from—but she knew that it was a gift from God. She said:

I could just feel the cold water running down inside of me and just how grateful I was for it. And just feeling like it was God telling me that I wasn’t forgotten, that He still knew I was there. And that He wasn’t abandoning me. [5]

Elizabeth also described how she prayed nightly for shoes, and then found a perfect-fitting pair under a bush. Other blessings include a rainstorm when her throat burned with thirst and a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal prepared by volunteers. She also said that she could feel the presence of her late grandfather. Elizabeth writes that those “tender mercies literally kept me alive.” Elizabeth says that she “never felt closer to God than I did throughout my nightmare with Mitchell.” [6]

What-Ifs and Missed Rescues— Don’t Second-Guess What Might Have Been

The armchair quarterbacks who speculate on what she and others could have or should have done need to know one thing, Elizabeth said:

You can never judge a child or a victim of any crime on what they should have done, because you weren’t there and you don’t know and you have no right just to sit in your armchair at home and say “Well, why didn’t you escape? Why didn’t you do this?” I mean, they just don’t know. That’s wrong. And I was 14. I was a little girl. And I had seen this man successfully kidnap me, he successfully chained me up, he successfully raped me, he successfully did all of these things. What was to say that he wouldn’t kill me when he’d make those threats to me? What was to say that he wouldn’t kill my family? [1]

And Elizabeth had heartbreakingly close near-rescues throughout her 9-month ordeal. There was the time that she heard her uncle calling for her. The time that the helicopter was just above them—so close that the trees were bending from the blades—but never saw the hidden campsite. The Salt Lake police detective who saw them at the public library—but never lifted the veil that covered her face because Mitchell said it would violate her religious beliefs. Of that incident, she said:

When he turned around and walked away, being 100% convinced that it wasn’t me, I mean, it felt like I was being kidnapped all over again. I mean, it felt like I was being stolen from my family again and being ripped away from my life and my happiness. [2]

And there were others, but ultimately, Elizabeth herself outwitted Mitchell at his own game.

Elizabeth Manipulates the ‘Master Manipulator’

After the close call with the Salt Lake police detective, Mitchell and his wife took Elizabeth to Southern California—where she encountered a few more near rescues. Although only a 15-year-old, self-described naïve child, Elizabeth soon realized that her best chance of escape lie in Salt Lake. She said that Mitchell started talking about going the East Coast—New York or Boston. But, she said her thinking was:

We have to get back to Salt Lake. There’s no way anyone was going to find me if I don’t. But there’s every reason for them not to want to go back to Salt Lake, every reason in the world for that to be the last place for them to ever go. [2]

Elizabeth said that she knew her captors wielded religion as a tool for manipulating others—and that it was wrong. But she prayed that if just once, God would let this idea work—she would never ever do it again. She knew the only way Mitchell would take them to Salt Lake was if he thought the idea was his. [3] She said:

I remember turning around and facing my captors and just telling them, “I just have this feeling and I know that God would never speak to me, but I know he’ll speak to you because you’re his servant. You’re practically his best friend. Could you please ask him if we’re supposed to go back to Salt Lake, because this feeling, it just won’t leave me and, this is just crazy coming from me, but if you ask him I know he’ll tell you.” And so he did end up asking. And that was how it was decided we’d go back to Salt Lake. [2]

‘Are You Elizabeth Smart?’

Soon after the trio’s return to Salt Lake City—on March 12, 2003—they were walking down State Street in the nearby suburb of Sandy. They had just been in Walmart, where Mitchell shoplifted hiking shoes and other items. Elizabeth said:

I remembered all these cars pulled up and then the policemen jumped out of their cars and they came over and surrounded us and started asking questions. And my two captors, they kept giving the answers and the officers started to ask me questions. [2]

Initially, Elizabeth gave the officers the back story that Mitchell had prepared for her. She said, “I was scared. I was petrified.” [2] Elizabeth writes in her book:

“She’s scared,” one of the other officers whispered from the back. “She doesn’t dare say anything.”

The officers huddled together, a couple of them keeping their eyes on Mitchell and me. Barzee seemed to have melted into the background. It was as if no one cared that she was even there.

“She’s scared of him,” the officer said to the others. “She’s too scared to even answer. You’ve got to get her by herself.” [7]

So the officers separated her from her captors. Elizabeth said:

At first, I was still really scared. I kept giving the answers that I had been told to give, and then finally one of the officers said, “Well, if you’re Elizabeth Smart, your family misses you so much and they love you so much and they have never given up hope on you the entire nine months you’re gone. Don’t you want to go back home to your family?” And it was just at that point that I felt like, well, no matter what the consequences are, I don’t care, I want to go home. [2]

Then, she said:

I told them that I was Elizabeth Smart. It was scary because I didn’t know if they thought I had done something wrong or if they had thought I had run away. I didn’t know what they were thinking. [2]

The officers took Elizabeth to a Salt Lake City police station and put her in a room by herself.

Elizabeth Smart with father, after being rescued.

Not long after that, the door flew open and her dad ran in. Elizabeth said:

I knew in that moment that nobody would ever be able to hurt me again in the way my captors had. No matter what lay in front of me, it was going to be okay, because my dad was there. [3]

Hope and Healing After Tragedy

Elizabeth Smart with her father and mother after being reunited.

The trauma of Elizabeth’s captivity sets the stage for the miracles that happened after her rescue. Not long after Elizabeth returned home, her mom gave her the best advice she ever received:

My mom said, “Elizabeth, what this man has done to you is terrible, and there aren’t words to describe how wicked and evil he is…but the best punishment you could ever give him is to be happy. Move forward and follow your dreams and do exactly what you want to do. You may never feel like justice has been served, but you don’t need to worry about that because in the end, God is our ultimate judge, and He will make up every pain and every suffering that you’ve gone through. Those who don’t receive their just reward here will certainly receive it in the next life, so you don’t have a reason to hold on to that. If you relive it, you’re only allowing him to steal more of your life away from you.”

That’s the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given, and I have tried to live it every single day. We always have a choice to move forward, to make a difference. I like to think that we’re not defined by what happens to us…because so many times they’re beyond our control. I like to think that we’re defined by our choices and our decisions. [3]

Elizabeth said:

Healing takes a lot of different forms, and it’s different for everybody. There’s not a wrong way, there’s not a right way. And for me, I’ve had a lot of different therapies. [8]

For Elizabeth, who plays the harp, her therapy included music as well as riding horses, her family and her faith. [8]

Life is So Good: Elizabeth is Choosing Her Happily Ever After

Elizabeth Smart with a friend.

Elizabeth Smart took her mother’s advice to heart—and has lived it to the best of her ability. She served a proselytizing mission for The Church of Jesus Christ. She got married last year. And her book is expected to be a best seller. She said:

It couldn’t get better than that, right? I’ve got great dogs. I’ve got a great family. I mean, I couldn’t be happier. …That happened to me. But I’m so much more than that girl that was kidnapped. [2]

Chris Stewart—with whom Elizabeth wrote her memoir, which was published by St. Martin’s Press—said:

She is one of the most compelling people I have ever met in the sense that she absolutely refuses to view herself as a victim who is going to let this unbelievable experience define her ability to be happy for the rest of her life. It’s inspiring. I think one of the main reasons she wanted to write this book was to show people that. …

Some people have challenges that the rest of us look at and wonder how they endure, and yet Elizabeth will tell you that life is always good, that there is always hope that life will get better, and we decide whether we are happy or not. [9]

Elizabeth’s captors are in prison for their crimes, and she has moved on with her life. She is working as an advocate on children’s issues, using her experience to help others. She said:

I have let go of the past. I have let go of what they have done to me. And I’ve let go of them. They no longer have a part in my life, and I have no desire to see them. I have just moved on….

Although I never asked to be kidnapped or for something like that to happen to me, I can find that goodness can still come out of it, and that I can be grateful for the opportunities that it’s opened up to me that otherwise wouldn’t have been. [4]

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/3941/elizabeth-smart-can-know-god-us/feed 0 Elizabeth Smart – We Can Know that God is with Us https://mormonchurch.com/3933/elizabeth-smart-god-with-us https://mormonchurch.com/3933/elizabeth-smart-god-with-us#respond Wed, 06 Nov 2013 21:49:35 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=3933 By Lisa Montague.

Elizabeth Smart has a story to tell: hers. But it’s not just a story of tragedy and despair and the depths of human depravity. Rather, it is hope when things seem hopeless, strength and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds, and the knowledge that no matter what, God is always with us.

my-story

The now-25-year-old became a household name in the summer of 2002 when she was kidnapped from her affluent home in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 14. For 9 months, her parents, family and community prayed, searched and clung to the hope that she would be found safe and alive. Her family—members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes inadvertently called the Mormon Church—worked hard to ensure that Elizabeth’s name and picture were not forgotten in the hopes that someone, somewhere would recognize her and bring her home. And through their faith, prayers and dedication, miracles happened. Elizabeth was brought home.

In the ensuing decade, Elizabeth Smart has refused to look back at her traumatic ordeal—only looking forward. She wants to show the world—and other victims—that you can move past your circumstances and find happiness. You do not need to be defined by your tragedy—but by the stronger person you become afterward. Elizabeth’s memoir, “My Story,” was released Oct. 7 in hopes that it might help others move forward after tragedy—and know that God will never abandon us in our darkest hours.

Elizabeth is Telling ‘My Story’

The Elizabeth Smart story is every parent’s worst nightmare—putting your child safely in her bed for the night and waking up to find her gone. But her rescue also brought hope to other families with missing children. In the days, months and years following Elizabeth’s return home, the Smart family asked that the public respect her privacy and allow her time to heal. She became a motivational speaker and advocate for change related to child abduction, but she held tight to the private, horrific details of her days in captivity. Now, 10 years later, Elizabeth is ready to tell her story in intimate detail—100% of what happened to her. She said:

I didn’t just want to go 10% and sugarcoat the rest. I wanted it to be really what happened and what it was like every single day I was there, because I don’t think I’m doing anyone any favors by sugarcoating it. [1]

Why now, so many years later, is she opening up? She said that people don’t often acknowledge the “just staggering” number of children who are sexually abused before the age of 18—one in 4 girls and one in 6 boys. She said:

I want to reach out to those survivors and those victims. I want them to know that these things do happen, but that doesn’t mean that we have to be defined by it for the rest of your life. You can move forward and you can be happy. >[1]

Elizabeth’s advice to other victims speaks volumes as to the reasons that she waited to write a book. She said:

To have so many people speculate on what happened and what I must be going through, and just so many lies being told. It was hard. I didn’t like it. I don’t think anybody likes having people guess at what they’re going through. Privacy is so sacred and any time a victim is returned, a survivor is found and rescued, privacy is one of the greatest gifts we can give them because if they decide to share, that’s up to them and they will come forward. [2]

So Elizabeth is coming forward with her story, in her own time, and in her own way.

Faith in the Face of Fearsome Foes

Elizabeth Smart’s terrifying ordeal began on June 5, 2002, when she was taken at knife-point from her bedroom by a bearded transient street preacher named Brian David Mitchell. She said:

To me, in my bedroom is the ultimate place in safety. I mean, I felt like that was the safest place in the world for me, so waking up in the middle of the night in my own bedroom having this strange man standing over me, someone I didn’t recognize, not only that but having a knife being held to my throat, I was terrified. I had grown up in a very happy home and I really didn’t know what the definition of fear was until that moment. That brought whole new meaning. [1]

As the street preacher, who called himself “Emmanuel,” led her out of her house and up the steep mountain trail above her home, Elizabeth said she prayed for a way to escape. She said, “All I could think was, if he could part the Red Sea for Moses, He can part some of the scrub oak for me and I can escape…[But it] didn’t happen.” [3]

Instead, she was held captive and endured unspeakable abuse at the hands of her two captors—the street preacher and his wife, Wanda Barzee. Mitchell forced her to act as his second wife, telling her that God told him to do this to her. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, Elizabeth was taught differently. She said:

When I was kidnapped and he was telling me all of these things, I remember what my parents said: “You’ll know a person by their actions.” And so even though he was sitting there telling me that he was a prophet, that I should be thankful for what was happening to me, I was really a lucky girl—I realized that he wasn’t a good person. He was hurting me. He made me feel terrible. And growing up believing that I have a kind and loving Heavenly Father, I couldn’t believe that God had called him to do what he was doing to me. [4]

Throughout her ordeal, Elizabeth never lost faith in God nor in His goodness. She held tightly to her parents’ teachings and remembered the words of her mother: “I may not always love your choices…but I will always love you, and I will always be your mother, and nothing can ever change that.” [3] Elizabeth said she knew one thing: “My family was still there. And because of that, because I had that and because I knew that, I was able to make the decision to do whatever it took.” [5] No matter what it took, Elizabeth was going to find a way to get home to her family.

Ice-Cold Water and Other Tender Mercies from God

Elizabeth said that although “God won’t make the evil go away,” He will visit us in our afflictions. [6] She recounted one experience when the camp’s water supply ran out and she became severely dehydrated. One morning, Elizabeth said, she woke up to an ice-cold cup of water. She said she never knew where the water came from—but she knew that it was a gift from God. She said:

I could just feel the cold water running down inside of me and just how grateful I was for it. And just feeling like it was God telling me that I wasn’t forgotten, that He still knew I was there. And that He wasn’t abandoning me. [5]

Elizabeth also described how she prayed nightly for shoes, and then found a perfect-fitting pair under a bush. Other blessings include a rainstorm when her throat burned with thirst and a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal prepared by volunteers. She also said that she could feel the presence of her late grandfather. Elizabeth writes that those “tender mercies literally kept me alive.” Elizabeth says that she “never felt closer to God than I did throughout my nightmare with Mitchell.” [6]

What-Ifs and Missed Rescues— Don’t Second-Guess What Might Have Been

The armchair quarterbacks who speculate on what she and others could have or should have done need to know one thing, Elizabeth said:

You can never judge a child or a victim of any crime on what they should have done, because you weren’t there and you don’t know and you have no right just to sit in your armchair at home and say “Well, why didn’t you escape? Why didn’t you do this?” I mean, they just don’t know. That’s wrong. And I was 14. I was a little girl. And I had seen this man successfully kidnap me, he successfully chained me up, he successfully raped me, he successfully did all of these things. What was to say that he wouldn’t kill me when he’d make those threats to me? What was to say that he wouldn’t kill my family? [1]

And Elizabeth had heartbreakingly close near-rescues throughout her 9-month ordeal. There was the time that she heard her uncle calling for her. The time that the helicopter was just above them—so close that the trees were bending from the blades—but never saw the hidden campsite. The Salt Lake police detective who saw them at the public library—but never lifted the veil that covered her face because Mitchell said it would violate her religious beliefs. Of that incident, she said:

When he turned around and walked away, being 100% convinced that it wasn’t me, I mean, it felt like I was being kidnapped all over again. I mean, it felt like I was being stolen from my family again and being ripped away from my life and my happiness. [2]

And there were others, but ultimately, Elizabeth herself outwitted Mitchell at his own game.

Elizabeth Manipulates the ‘Master Manipulator’

After the close call with the Salt Lake police detective, Mitchell and his wife took Elizabeth to Southern California—where she encountered a few more near rescues. Although only a 15-year-old, self-described naïve child, Elizabeth soon realized that her best chance of escape lie in Salt Lake. She said that Mitchell started talking about going the East Coast—New York or Boston. But, she said her thinking was:

We have to get back to Salt Lake. There’s no way anyone was going to find me if I don’t. But there’s every reason for them not to want to go back to Salt Lake, every reason in the world for that to be the last place for them to ever go. [2]

Elizabeth said that she knew her captors wielded religion as a tool for manipulating others—and that it was wrong. But she prayed that if just once, God would let this idea work—she would never ever do it again. She knew the only way Mitchell would take them to Salt Lake was if he thought the idea was his. [3] She said:

I remember turning around and facing my captors and just telling them, “I just have this feeling and I know that God would never speak to me, but I know he’ll speak to you because you’re his servant. You’re practically his best friend. Could you please ask him if we’re supposed to go back to Salt Lake, because this feeling, it just won’t leave me and, this is just crazy coming from me, but if you ask him I know he’ll tell you.” And so he did end up asking. And that was how it was decided we’d go back to Salt Lake. [2]

‘Are You Elizabeth Smart?’

Soon after the trio’s return to Salt Lake City—on March 12, 2003—they were walking down State Street in the nearby suburb of Sandy. They had just been in Walmart, where Mitchell shoplifted hiking shoes and other items. Elizabeth said:

I remembered all these cars pulled up and then the policemen jumped out of their cars and they came over and surrounded us and started asking questions. And my two captors, they kept giving the answers and the officers started to ask me questions. [2]

Initially, Elizabeth gave the officers the back story that Mitchell had prepared for her. She said, “I was scared. I was petrified.” [2] Elizabeth writes in her book:

“She’s scared,” one of the other officers whispered from the back. “She doesn’t dare say anything.”

The officers huddled together, a couple of them keeping their eyes on Mitchell and me. Barzee seemed to have melted into the background. It was as if no one cared that she was even there.

“She’s scared of him,” the officer said to the others. “She’s too scared to even answer. You’ve got to get her by herself.” [7]

So the officers separated her from her captors. Elizabeth said:

At first, I was still really scared. I kept giving the answers that I had been told to give, and then finally one of the officers said, “Well, if you’re Elizabeth Smart, your family misses you so much and they love you so much and they have never given up hope on you the entire nine months you’re gone. Don’t you want to go back home to your family?” And it was just at that point that I felt like, well, no matter what the consequences are, I don’t care, I want to go home. [2]

Then, she said:

I told them that I was Elizabeth Smart. It was scary because I didn’t know if they thought I had done something wrong or if they had thought I had run away. I didn’t know what they were thinking. [2]

The officers took Elizabeth to a Salt Lake City police station and put her in a room by herself.

 

Not long after that, the door flew open and her dad ran in. Elizabeth said:

I knew in that moment that nobody would ever be able to hurt me again in the way my captors had. No matter what lay in front of me, it was going to be okay, because my dad was there. [3]

Hope and Healing After Tragedy

The trauma of Elizabeth’s captivity sets the stage for the miracles that happened after her rescue. Not long after Elizabeth returned home, her mom gave her the best advice she ever received:

My mom said, “Elizabeth, what this man has done to you is terrible, and there aren’t words to describe how wicked and evil he is…but the best punishment you could ever give him is to be happy. Move forward and follow your dreams and do exactly what you want to do. You may never feel like justice has been served, but you don’t need to worry about that because in the end, God is our ultimate judge, and He will make up every pain and every suffering that you’ve gone through. Those who don’t receive their just reward here will certainly receive it in the next life, so you don’t have a reason to hold on to that. If you relive it, you’re only allowing him to steal more of your life away from you.”

That’s the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given, and I have tried to live it every single day. We always have a choice to move forward, to make a difference. I like to think that we’re not defined by what happens to us…because so many times they’re beyond our control. I like to think that we’re defined by our choices and our decisions. [3]

Elizabeth said:

Healing takes a lot of different forms, and it’s different for everybody. There’s not a wrong way, there’s not a right way. And for me, I’ve had a lot of different therapies. [8]

For Elizabeth, who plays the harp, her therapy included music as well as riding horses, her family and her faith. [8]

Life is So Good: Elizabeth is Choosing Her Happily Ever After

Elizabeth Smart took her mother’s advice to heart—and has lived it to the best of her ability. She served a proselytizing mission for The Church of Jesus Christ. She got married last year. And her book is expected to be a best seller. She said:

It couldn’t get better than that, right? I’ve got great dogs. I’ve got a great family. I mean, I couldn’t be happier. …That happened to me. But I’m so much more than that girl that was kidnapped. [2]

Chris Stewart—with whom Elizabeth wrote her memoir, which was published by St. Martin’s Press—said:

She is one of the most compelling people I have ever met in the sense that she absolutely refuses to view herself as a victim who is going to let this unbelievable experience define her ability to be happy for the rest of her life. It’s inspiring. I think one of the main reasons she wanted to write this book was to show people that. …

Some people have challenges that the rest of us look at and wonder how they endure, and yet Elizabeth will tell you that life is always good, that there is always hope that life will get better, and we decide whether we are happy or not. [9]

Elizabeth’s captors are in prison for their crimes, and she has moved on with her life. She is working as an advocate on children’s issues, using her experience to help others. She said:

I have let go of the past. I have let go of what they have done to me. And I’ve let go of them. They no longer have a part in my life, and I have no desire to see them. I have just moved on….

Although I never asked to be kidnapped or for something like that to happen to me, I can find that goodness can still come out of it, and that I can be grateful for the opportunities that it’s opened up to me that otherwise wouldn’t have been. [4]

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/3933/elizabeth-smart-god-with-us/feed 0 Mormonism and the Mark of Cain https://mormonchurch.com/3575/mormonism-mark-of-cain https://mormonchurch.com/3575/mormonism-mark-of-cain#respond Thu, 27 Jun 2013 03:31:25 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=3575 Recently a lot of stories have circulated that Mormons believe that when God gave Cain dark skin, it was a curse. This is not canonized doctrine, although you can find a few who believe it or did in the past. Of course, you can find people in any group that believe something that is not true.

Mormonism accepts both the Bible and the Book of Mormon as scripture. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe the people of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the correct name for their church.

The Bible and the mark of Cain

Cain-helpingup-brothers-lfThe Bible is very clear about the purpose of the mark of Cain. Cain killed his brother because he was jealous that God had accepted Abel’s offering but not his own, which had been offered incorrectly. Then, when God asked him about it, he lied. God mentions a curse for the first time in the story:

“And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth (Genesis 4:11-12).

The curse, then, was related to his career, not his skin. Then God prophesied about his future, which would leave him struggling to farm and on the run from angry relatives. Cain was very upset, insisting the punishment was too harsh. In addition, those angry relatives made Cain very nervous. He was suddenly afraid that now that people knew murder was possible, they would decide to use it against him.

God loves all his children, even those who turn against him, as Cain had when he entered into an alliance with Satan. He loved Cain. He had already assured Cain he would be able to produce an offering that was acceptable if he would just try.

However, God’s heart was touched by Cain’s fears and here we learn the purpose of the mark:

And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him (verse 15).

What is the curse of Cain?

It is easy to see, from this verse, that the mark was a gift of love that gave Cain great protection. Anyone harming Cain would have a punishment greater than if he killed someone else. This demonstrates just how much God really loved Cain and also proves the mark was not a curse. Somehow, people combined a few things in the story and failed to note the curse involved farming, not skin. In fact, the Bible does not actually say what the mark is and there is nothing canonized in Mormonism that says. If it is skin, however, then the first darkened skin was a gift. If not, the story has nothing to do with skin color.

Mormons have another book of ancient scripture called the Pearl of Great Price. This repeats the story of Cain and Abel. It is translated and uses essentially the same words as the Genesis translation, demonstrating Mormonism’s acceptance of Genesis’ report:

“And I the Lord said unto him: Whosoever slayeth thee, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And I the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him” (Moses 5:40).

The Pearl of Great Price is canonized scripture, and therefore, it is the official belief of Mormonism concerning Cain’s mark. It was a gift.

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/3575/mormonism-mark-of-cain/feed 0 Why Do Mormons Require Tithing? https://mormonchurch.com/3355/why-do-mormons-require-tithing https://mormonchurch.com/3355/why-do-mormons-require-tithing#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 15:00:52 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=3355 Often articles attacking Mormons focus on their requirement of tithing. One writer said that most churches teach it but don’t require it and many writers assign a negative attitude toward being expected to pay tithing, even those who belong to other religions. This attitude fascinates me because it helps to outline one problem religious people today face—putting God before ourselves.

Mormon tithing slip with a quote about tithing from Jeffrey Holland juxtaposed over it.

While many churches do not require the payment of tithing, God does. In Genesis 14, Abraham paid his tithing to Melchizedek. Malachi also taught tithing.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:8-10).

This verse leaves no room for doubt: refusing to pay a full tithe is to rob God. Therefore, a church has a responsibility to require tithing of its members in order to make certain they are not helping them rob God.

What is a tithe?

The word means a tenth. Tithing, then is a tenth. Mormons teach that your tithe is a tenth of your increase, but do not define what that means. It is left to each person to decide this for himself through prayer, since the scriptures don’t define it any further. It is a voluntary payment, meaning that no one will show up at your home and force you to turn over the money. However, no commandment is consequence—free. From the day Adam and Eve were issued the first commandment, they were warned that their choices would have consequences.

A Mormon must pay a full and honest tithe in order to enter the temple. However, they are on the honor system—no tax forms or other documentation are requested. They are merely asked if they pay a full tithe. God reserves the temple, which is not used for regular weekly worship, for those willing to live the commandments. This is the earthly consequence of tithe paying. As with all commandments, of course, there will be other penalties issued at judgment for non-payment.

Are there blessings for paying tithing?

There are also rewards for paying your tithing. Malachi promised that the payment of tithes would result in so great there is no room to hold them all. Some have mistakenly interpreted that to mean they will become wealthy. However, the scripture does not mention money. It mentions only blessings, and God has many ways to bless us that have nothing to do with money. Gordon B. Hinckley, a former Mormon prophet, warned:

Now, do not get me wrong. I am not here to say that if you pay an honest tithing you will realize your dream of a fine house, a Rolls Royce, and a condominium in Hawaii. The Lord will open the windows of heaven according to our need, and not according to our greed. If we are paying tithing to get rich, we are doing it for the wrong reason. The basic purpose for tithing is to provide the Church with the means needed to carry on His work. The blessing to the giver is an ancillary return, and that blessing may not be always in the form of financial or material benefit. In speaking of opening the windows of heaven, Malachi continues by saying:

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field. …

And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. (Mal. 3:11–12.)

Tithing is used to carry out God’s work. Although Mormons do not receive salaries for their church positions, costs are incurred for buildings, teachings supplies, missionary work, and other church requirements. In addition, the Mormons, like most churches, carry out humanitarian work and this too costs money. There are strict rules about how tithing can be used and needs outside those rules are paid for from the Church’s for-profit businesses. Unlike most churches, the Mormons do not wrap their businesses into their ministry and maintain a small number of businesses which do not bring in enough funds to sustain the church for any significant length of time. However, they do allow funds to be paid out for things that cannot be covered by tithing. For instance, Mormon apostles and prophets, unlike other volunteers, must serve fulltime until death. While most have other sources of income, such as pensions, those who do not can receive a modest stipend to sustain them. These cannot be paid for out of tithing, so they come for businesses are that taxed.

It should be noted that Mormons believe tithing is a gift to them from God. It allows them to minimize the importance of money in their lives. While money is necessary to live, it should not be so important that we can’t give some of it back to God. Mormons remember that God gave them everything they have and to return just ten percent of it to Him for His work is a small price to pay for the blessings they have received. Many Mormons have experienced God’s concern for both their temporal and their spiritual needs and feel they cannot afford to not tithe—they want those blessings Malachi promised. However, the most important reason Mormons tithe, and all others should as well, is to demonstrate that we recognize the source of everything we have and are happy to share it with God and with others.

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/3355/why-do-mormons-require-tithing/feed 1 Does the Bible Show a Need for Continous Revelation? https://mormonchurch.com/2631/does-the-bible-show-a-need-for-continous-revelation https://mormonchurch.com/2631/does-the-bible-show-a-need-for-continous-revelation#respond Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:41:56 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=2631 Today, many people have decided that when the Bible ended, God closed down the process of revealing His gospel and thus, no prophets are needed and continuous revelation is unnecessary. Many say it is no longer necessary because people can just pray to know what is true and what God wants, rather than going through an intermediary. But is this a Biblical teaching, or merely one devised to explain the lack of prophets in a person’s own religion?

Mormon Prayer QuoteMankind has always been taught to pray for truth. After Adam and Eve left the Garden, they needed to pray to God for what they needed and for wisdom. The first specific mention of prayer is found in Genesis 20, when Abraham prayed for Abimelech.

We know, then, that prayer is found in the Bible. Throughout the Bible, we learn of people praying for wisdom and truth—and prophets still existed. The ability to pray did not alleviate the need for prophets at any time in the Bible.

Individuals have always had the ability to seek God’s wisdom for anything within their own sphere of influence. They can pray to know what is true, what to do, how to care for their families, how to carry out their employment, and how to do their church work. They cannot, however, pray to learn how to do someone else’s job. If a Mormon, for instance, is the Primary president over the children, she can pray to learn how to be a better Primary president and to learn how God wants the Primary run. However, she cannot pray to find out how the Relief Society (women’s auxiliary) is to be run, because that isn’t her responsibility.

Mormons, a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe the only person who can pray to learn how God’s entire church should be run and what doctrines are true for the entire church is the prophet. This has been so since the beginning of time.

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, abut he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).

The Bible demonstrates just why we need continuous revelation. Each prophet added new information to the gospel of Jesus Christ—every word after God’s first instruction to Adam has been continuous revelation. It has added to our knowledge of eternal truths, enlarged our understanding, or changed practices. God adapted what was to be practiced at any given time based on the specific needs and abilities of the people.

Moses Ten Commandments MormonAn example of this is found in Matthew 19. Jesus was asked by the Pharisees why Moses allowed men to divorce their wives. He explained that God allowed it due to the hardness of men’s hearts, but that in the beginning, it was not so. Divorce has not initially been allowed. God had made a change because of the limited capacity of His children at that time. Then Jesus added a new level of requirement to this practice. He taught that if they divorced for any reason other than adultery, they could not remarry. Again, the practice changed to meet the capacity of the people.

Without prophets, God could not have made these changes. He didn’t reveal them to each person individually. He revealed them to Moses and then to Jesus Christ, who then took the information to the people.

We can see, as we look around the world, that the idea of individual revelation only has not really been effective. There are thousands of different religions, even within the Protestant tradition, all disagreeing with each other on essential issues such as marriage or baptism. If individual prayer was all that was needed, there would be just one faith and everyone would agree. However, the role of individual prayer has always been to confirm the truths revealed to the prophets, not to turn each of us into prophets, something God has never done in the history of the world. The Bible shows us only certain people are called to be prophets—we cannot call ourselves to that role and it has never been given to everyone to receive new revealed truths. New universal revelation has always come through God’s chosen prophets.

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/2631/does-the-bible-show-a-need-for-continous-revelation/feed 0 Are Mormons Saved? https://mormonchurch.com/2574/are-mormons-saved https://mormonchurch.com/2574/are-mormons-saved#respond Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:16:31 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=2574 The answer to the question, “Are Mormons saved?” is yes, but a simple yes doesn’t really answer the question. Mormons use the term “saved” a little differently and the answer might depend on your definition of the term. The Bible uses the word “saved” to mean many different things, all of which the Mormons, a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accept. To understand the Bible, we have to consider the way the scriptures fit together and not look at single scriptures in isolation.

The atonement of Jesus Christ mormonMormons believe that we cannot save ourselves. No one can live a perfect life—only Jesus Christ was able to do that. He met all the requirements of a Savior and was the only One who could save us. What does it mean that He saved us?

Mormons teach that the atonement has two aspects. Some portions of it are given freely to all, regardless of the choices they make on the earth. For instance, because Jesus atoned for our sins, died on the cross, and was resurrected, we all are resurrected and live forever—even the wicked receive that particular gift.

Others require action on our part to activate. To receive the full measure of the atonement, one must accept Jesus Christ as his or her Savior (an act), be baptized (an act), and keep the commandments of God. Most Christian religions accept that certain acts are required to be saved. They accept that one must accept Jesus Christ as the Savior, and many also require baptism.

Baptism is so important and essential that even Jesus insisted on being baptized by immersion, despite having no sins to be forgiven of. He taught his disciples that both faith and baptism is required for salvation: Baptism is an act. We are not saved by our actions, but actions are required as part of the process—and must, as this Bible verse makes clear, be accompanied by faith:

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16).

Peter also taught this doctrine: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:37-38).

Jesus warned us that while confessions of faith are an important part of our salvation, they must be accompanied by righteousness:

“9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10)

These verses tell us that we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, but also have that confession of faith be sincere and life-changing enough to cause us to obey the commandments and to become righteous. A confession of faith that doesn’t change our lives is meaningless. The mouth says the words, but the heart obeys God.

Many scriptures emphasize the importance of keeping the commandments in order to return to God. This is where the confusion about Mormon beliefs concerning being saved come from. Many people misinterpret the Mormon emphasis on keeping commandments as being a belief that we can earn our way into Heaven. This is not actually what Mormons teach. In fact, the true Mormon belief is not that different from traditional Christianity, except that we emphasize it more, making certain our members understand that love must be accompanied by action:

If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

The Bible is emphatic in its teachings that faith without works is dead. If we say we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, but spend our days harming others and committing sins, we clearly didn’t really mean it. Our works are a manifestation of our faith—if, and only if—they are done for the right reason, which is love for Jesus Christ. Jesus consistently condemned the Pharisees for carrying out their faith for show, but then sinning privately, and He condemned those who obeyed for all the wrong reasons. For this reason, the claimed differences between Mormon beliefs and Protestant beliefs on this subject is really just wordplay. Mormons believe our works will develop out of our love. A former Mormon prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, once said, “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” Our attitude toward obedience is a direct measure of our love for Jesus Christ, and it is for this reason Mormons spend a lot of time talking about commandments. Mormons want their members to live the way God has asked them to live—and to do so joyfully and for the right reasons.

Are Mormons saved? They have faith, they are baptized, and they receive the Holy Ghost. They repent of their sins and work to keep the commandments of God. They trust in the atonement of Jesus Christ to do for them what they cannot possibly do for themselves. They are saved as far as they can be saved in mortality, but no one completes the process until the final judgment. At that time, the Savior, and no one else, will determine their final status. Only Jesus Christ may say who is saved and who is not.

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/2574/are-mormons-saved/feed 0 Mormon Funerals https://mormonchurch.com/2522/mormon-funerals https://mormonchurch.com/2522/mormon-funerals#respond Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:44:11 +0000 http://en.elds.org/mormonchurch-com/?p=2522 Mormon funerals are a time for family and friends to gather to share in their sadness at a temporary separation from someone they love, as well as to celebrate the life and future of the person who has died.

Mormon ChurchMormons believe life is a three-stage process, the first beginning before birth, the second during our mortal life, and the final stage our eternal lives. For most people, eternity will be spent in Heaven. Mormons know Heaven to be a wonderful place. While not everyone will live with God (because the Bible outlines the rules for returning home to God), God has prepared a wonderful home for all but the most evil. Mormons don’t believe only Mormons go to Heaven—they don’t, in fact, believe only Christians go to Heaven. You do, however, have to accept Jesus as your Savior and agree to live the principles He taught in order to live in the presence of God. Those who die without the opportunity to do so will be taught the gospel after death and be permitted to make their choice then. Those who die too young to make a choice—children under the age of eight, return directly home to God without the need for baptism. The atonement of Jesus Christ covers them. The atonement also allows everyone to be resurrected, to live forever, and to repent. It makes salvation possible.

This means that a funeral is a cause for celebration for nearly everyone and is viewed as a graduation and going away party. Of course, it is held in the chapel, so it is reverent and respectful. However, while you will see plenty of tears, you won’t see hysteria, anger, or uncontrollable grief.

When someone dies, they are buried in white. If they had a temple recommend (permission to enter a Mormon temple as a result of personal worthiness) they are buried in the white clothing they wore in the temple, which includes a white dress for women and a white shirt, pants, and tie for men.

After the viewing, the family prays together and the casket is closed. When the casket is brought to the Mormon chapel (not the Mormon temple), the guests are already seated. The casket is displayed at the front of the chapel, usually to the side by the door located at the front of the chapel. The family enters and is seated in the front rows.

Visitors will notice most people are not dressed in all black clothing. They wear church clothing if they have it—dresses or skirts for women, and sports suits for men—and the nicest thing they have if they don’t have those items. All black clothing is not required because Mormons know that death is only a transition, not the end of existence or even the end of the family. Mormons believe you take your relationships with you. Mormon marriages that occur in the Mormon temples are forever, not just this life and their children are also theirs forever. This means that while Mormons will miss the person terribly, the farewell is not forever and does not signify the end of a happy marriage or family. Who would want to live forever without their families?

The funeral begins with an opening hymn and prayer. A priesthood holder conducts the meeting—often the bishop, who is a lay pastor. There will frequently be a musical number as well, since most congregations have many skilled singers.

Rather than a single sermon, there are usually several speakers at a Mormon funeral. One will remind—or explain if some guests are not Mormon—Mormon beliefs on life after death. Since Mormons believe life after death is nearly always wonderful, this is a reassuring and upbeat talk about family reunions and eternal joy.

Following this, the focus is on the individual who died. At a recent funeral I attended, a long-time family friend shared for the young adult children of the woman who had died the story of how the parents met and the miracles, prayers, and longing that led to the births of the children. They were reminded just how much they had been wanted. Another speaker, a sibling of the deceased, gave the eulogy. Throughout the talks, there was laughter over the humorous moments of a life joyfully lived, smiles at the successes of the life, inspiration in the courage of someone who faced many trials with courage and a smile, and longing for the loss of the daily influence of this person in our lives. However, there was also joy as we pictured her life now, in the final stage, and anticipation in our future reunions with her.

For Mormons, funerals are a sad time because our friend or family member has moved far away, but joy in knowing the challenges of life are complete and the person now knows only happiness and the peace of Heaven. The video below features the current president of the Mormons (before he was the president) talking about the death of a childhood friend and what he shared with the friend’s mother about eternal life many years ago.

 

]]> https://mormonchurch.com/2522/mormon-funerals/feed 0 Christ’s Church Established in India https://mormonchurch.com/2470/christs-church-established-in-india https://mormonchurch.com/2470/christs-church-established-in-india#respond Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:02:14 +0000 http://mormonchurch-com.en.elds.org/?p=2470 By Rebecca

mormon-church-meetingAn exciting event occurred far away from where I live that shows the Mormons’ global mission outreach. Although Mormon congregations have been organized worldwide since 1830, it was only 10 years ago when the first meetinghouse was built in India and dedicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons by the media). On May 27, 2012, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of Jesus Christ, formed the first stake (group of local congregations) in India called the Hyderabad India Stake. (“Apostle Creates First Stake in India,” Mormon Newsroom, June 1, 2012). I may never get the chance to visit India, but I know that God loves all of His children and will send the truth throughout all nations in the world. I myself was called by a prophet of God to serve as a missionary in Spain and taught people of all faiths and from many nations including Africa, South America, and Asia. Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) was established by the Lord in 1830, in the United States, there are now “more members outside the United States than inside.” [1]

Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? (See 2 Nephi 29:7 as recorded by ancient prophets in the Americas in The Book of Mormon.)

Christ’s Church Restored

mormon-jesus-christ

Missionaries worldwide share the wonderful message that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored. The apostle Luke taught that God “spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Luke 1: 70). We know that God still speaks to prophets today and began the true restoration of Christ’s Primitive Church in 1820 when he called Joseph Smith to be a prophet. This prophet translated the scriptures (known as The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ) which contain the writings of ancient prophets in the Americas:

The prophet Nephi taught, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:26).

History of Christ’s Church in India

Since the restored gospel of Jesus Christ was first introduced in India (1850), missionaries struggled learning the native language and taught their important message in English. Then, in 1981, The Book of Mormon had been translated into the Telugu language and more missionaries began teaching in the native language Telugu. However, many converts emigrated and India lacked strong local leadership. Fortunately, in the 1990’s missionary work was successful and there are presently about 10,000 members living in India. [1] For more information, read the below timeline of missionary work in India: [2]

mormon-missionaries

1850 First messages of restored gospel shared by British sailors visiting Calcutta, India.

1851 First baptisms and converts called as missionaries by Elder Joseph Richards & small branch established and small meetinghouse built but most members emigrated.

1853 First messages of restored gospel shared by missionaries in Madras, Bombay, Rongoon, Karachi, Poona, and other areas.

1858 Missionaries returned to Utah and several converts emigrated.

1903 India Mission has not been successful and at least one branch existed.

1981 The Book of Mormon translated into Telugu & the government allowed a missionary couple to establish a branch.

1993 Bangalore Mission created & native of India (Gucharan Singh Gill) served as President. India had 1,150 members in 13 branches.

1998 India had 2,000 members in 18 branches.

2002 First meetinghouse dedicated in India for the Rajahmundry Branch (small local congregation).

2012 First LDS stake in India organized & named the Hyderabad India Stake (a stake is a group of “wards,” or congregations with over 200 members and good leadership).

Watch a short video about the LDS Mormon church global growth by stake:

Why Visit Christ’s Church?

Everyone is invited to attend services in local wards or branches (areas where there are fewer Church members [3]). These congregations are organized into stakes and there are currently 2,946 stakes worldwide. “A stake is an administrative unit composed of numerous congregations (called wards and branches) within a geographic area (similar to what other faiths might call a diocese).” [1] In the Mormon book, the missionary Ammon taught, “God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth…”(Alma 26:37). The modern prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said:

This Church is true. It will weather every storm that beats against it. It will outlast every critic who rises to mock it. It was established by God our Eternal Father for the blessing of His sons and daughters of all generations. It carries the name of Him who stands as its head, even the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. It is governed and moves by the power of the priesthood. It sends forth to the world another witness of the divinity of the Lord. Be faithful, my friends. Be true. Be loyal to the great things of God which have been revealed in this dispensation (“Keep the Faith,” Ensign, September 1985, 6).

I invite you to prayerfully consider this message and ask God of the veracity for yourself. I know that the current prophet (Thomas S. Monson) is led by God to guide the Church of Jesus Christ today. (See Prophets and Apostles Speak Today: Special Witnesses of Christ.) Everyone is invited to listen to him when he addresses the world during General Conference (broadcast biannually via satellite, LDS.org, and Ensign magazine publications).

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