Do You Think You Know What Mormons Are?

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Do you think you know what Mormons are?  Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have been called Mormons for over 180 years but do you know what they represent or how they feel about their religion?  Since I’m a Mormon myself, I find this next bit of information very interesting.

The Pew Research Center, a forum on religion and public life, recently released a new survey called “Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain in Their Place in Society .” This non-Mormon research center questioned over 1,000 Mormons around the United States on different aspects of their religion and life and their findings were very intriguing.

The first series of questions focused on what is essential for being a good Mormon as was reported by the Deseret News on Thursday, January 12th. Some answers were surprising. Thirty-two percent said not watching “R” rated movies, forty-nine percent said not drinking coffee or tea, (referring to the Word of Wisdom—a health code written by inspiration from Joseph Smith) fifty-one percent said having regular family home evening, (a weekly family gathering for parents to teach their children) and eighty percent said believing Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, (referring to "The First Vision" which happened when Joseph Smith was fourteen in a grove of trees in up state New York.)  


As a member myself, I feel that all four of those aspects are part of what makes me a member in good standing. It's part of our core belief system and it is important to live the standards we believe God has provided for us.

Read more about the survey here

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The second series of questions focuses on the family and how the members of the church feel about the family. According to the survey eighty-one percent of Mormons say being a good parent is “one of the most important things in life” and fifty-eight percent thinks that the husband should be the provider while the wife stays home with the children. A far cry from what the rest of the world believes. According to the survey the emphasis on family seems to be what is most important in the lifestyle of the Mormons. Seventy-three percent surveyed felt that having a successful marriage was another important thing in life. 


As a member myself, I have been advocating the family for a long time and have always believed that besides my faith in Jesus Christ, my family is the most important possession I have and the need to spend time and get along with my family is the best thing I can do. It's a process and we cannot accomplish it all in one day but as we spend time together and live through the challenges we face, we are laying the foundation for an important work on earth.

For more information on the second part of the survey click here

The third series of questions have to do with the most important part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: whether they are actually Christian.  The numbers are high on this account. Ninety-eight percent of the respondents said that they believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and 97 percent said their church is a Christian religion.

"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 taken from the deseretnews.com.

So there you have it.  Mormons are Christians.  We believe we are and we show it by our lifestyle. We want to do good to all men.  We help our neighbors, get involved with our community and serve our fellow man.  Now not all Mormons live up to this high standard, unfortunately but many do and they know that Jesus Christ is their Savior.

Also know that 83 percent of those Mormons polled pray every day and 77 percent attend church at least once a week.

See more of this poll here:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700215244/LDS-religious-commitment-high-Pew-survey-finds.html

The fourth series of questions deals with immigration issues and politics. U.S. Mormons are more conservative (66 percent) reported in deseretnews.com and 41 percent said that immigrants are a burden to the country. That means 59 percent are more open for foreigners in the LDS religion than other religious groups. One reason cited was that many young adult men travel abroad to other countries to preach the gospel and come to love those people they serve.

Read more about it here:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700215460/Mormons-immigration-attitudes-set-them-apart.html

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The fifth and final series of questions are on social issues.  For example Mormons polled about whether it’s morally wrong to divorce, drink alcohol, have an abortion or sex between unmarried adults or polygamy answered differently in view point than most Americans. Eighty-six percent said they felt polygamy was morally wrong, 79 percent thought that sex between unmarried adults was morally wrong, 74 percent said having an abortion is morally wrong, 54 percent said drinking alcohol was morally wrong and 25 percent said divorce is wrong.

See this link to read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700215181/Mormons-say-polygamy-morally-wrong-Pew-poll-shows.html?s_cid=Email-4

So are most Americans knowledgeable of what Mormonism is all about?  I think some of those answers were surprising for many who read bits and pieces about the church but never studied its doctrines.  The Mormons are an amazing people and are not to be ignored in their ideals of family and church. So the next time you hear something negative about the Mormons, think again.  They are good people to have around.