Chartered 1984 
yourselves 'Mormon', you still are. And how can this be? It is because Mormons are a people!
Chartered 1984
By the Benevolent Fund For Mormon Widows And Orphans Founded 1838 - Reconstituted 1983
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Is Mormonism a religion? A cultural heritage? Both! Mormons are a people! This article has been re-worked and heavily edited since the story was originally posted in ldsrss.org in June 2008. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/who-are-the-mormons While it is normal for churches to help the poor, most do not have formal welfare programs for their members, even non-LDS churches. The Mormon program of the LDS Church was organized during the Depression when over 30 percent of members were unemployed. LDS Church leaders knew they had to help but didn't want to give people a handout. They therefore created a system to provide for basic needs while teaching self-reliance. The worldwide charitable efforts of the LDS Church are often carried out in partnership with other faiths and organizations of goodwill. In the year 2007 alone, the LDS Church responded to major earthquakes in five countries, massive fires in six countries, hunger and famine in 18 countries, and flooding and severe storms in 34 countries. In total the Church and its members responded to 170 major events, nearly one every two days for the entire year. The motivation behind this vast global work centers on the simple charge given by Jesus so many years ago to "love thy neighbor as thyself." SEPTEMBER 2009 Mormons can be found at every level of society. They are in business and agriculture, education and the sciences, political parties and government, the entertainment industry and news media. Most Mormons are not Americans, and most are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. About half as many again are Mormon believers who belong to other Mormon churches or just believe in Mormonism. Describing the character of Mormons, Newsweek magazine wrote: "No matter where Mormons live, they find themselves part of a network of mutual concern; in Mormon theology everyone is a minister of a kind, everyone is empowered in some way to do good to others, and to have good done unto them: it is a 21st century covenant of caring." This caring is not limited to LDS Church members alone (although they consider themselves the only Mormons) but extends far beyond. According to LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson, "As a church we reach out not only to our own people but also to those people of goodwill throughout the world in that spirit of brotherhood which comes from the Lord Jesus Christ." Here are some things that for you to read further. Values Education Worship Family Lay Leadership LDS Church Membership More than 13 million people now constitute the LDS Church’s membership, a majority of whom live outside the United States. And within the United States, it has the fourth-largest membership of any church and approximately half of all believers in Mormonism. Since the faith's humble founding in 1830 with a mere six people in a log cabin in upstate New York, the Mormon faith has continued to grow in membership and influence, particularly that of the LDS Church.. Core Mormon Values The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and other churches based in the teachings of Joseph Smith) is a restoration of New Testament Christianity as taught by Jesus and His apostles. It is not Protestant, evangelical, Catholic or Orthodox. Nevertheless, the basic values of morality, civility and family espoused by the Mormons are similar to those of most other Christian faiths. Mormons find refuge from the uncertainties of the world in the gospel message of hope and happiness. The reality that life has divine purpose, that God cares for each individual and that everyone has the capacity for improvement through correct choices is a central theme of Mormon thought. Common Mormon Beliefs Mormons believe in a loving, personal God as our Heavenly Father. Since He is the Father of our spirits, all people are His children and thus all people are brothers and sisters. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem mankind from their sins. Church members try to model their lives on the Savior’s teachings. All individuals are entitled to personal revelation. God has called new apostles and prophets in our day through whom He reveals his word, as He did anciently. Thus, God still speaks to humankind. Mormons believe in the Holy Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. In addition, they use other scriptures, including the Book of Mormon, which serves as another witness to the ministry of Christ and His divinity. Used together, these scriptures offer insight into such vital questions as the nature of God, salvation and the Atonement. Education One of the highest values of the Church is education. It is considered a spiritual imperative as much as a secular one. Thus, according to the late LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Lord has laid a mandate upon the people of this Church that they should learn by study and by faith, that they should seek not only after spiritual knowledge, which is most important, but that they should seek after secular knowledge." The Church offers its youth ample educational opportunities: seminary is a four-year program that prepares high school students for the spiritual challenges of life; institutes of religion provide general religious instruction and a social atmosphere for college-age adults. Over 700,000 students are enrolled in these programs, which are established in 132 countries. In addition, the LDS Church has created the Perpetual Education Fund to provide young men and women of the Church in developing nations with the means to gain education and training. This fund, which comes largely from the contributions of Church members, offers loans to students, enabling them to attend school and find employment opportunities in their own countries and communities. Mormon Worship On any given Sunday, Latter-day Saints gather for worship services in more than 27,000 congregations in 177 countries, nations and territories around the world. Adapted to the local needs of the various congregations around the world, these worship services are held in more than 180 languages and welcome visitor participation. Missionary Work The worldwide growth of the Mormonism is mostly due in part to the service of more than 50,000 full-time, volunteer LDS missionaries, who teach the gospel wherever they can, in the streets and in the home. But this tells only half the story. The openness and caring of the members toward their friends and acquaintances is the real catalyst for growth, as the restored gospel provides answers to life’s deepest questions. Family The current LDS Church President Monson recently described the ideal home: "Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries; they should also be places where God's Spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells. The world can at times be a frightening place in which to live. The moral fabric of society seems to be unraveling at an alarming speed." But, he continued, this is a struggle that families and individuals "can and will win." Thus, in an increasingly fractional society, the importance of strengthening the family is paramount. The values essential to the prosperity of any civilization are first instilled in the family, the fundamental unit of society, where a husband and wife work together for the betterment of the whole. The Church’s teachings and programs are designed to fortify the family. The time-honored virtues of charity, sacrifice, patience and forgiveness enable society to prosper. They are most effectively learned at home. Organization The typical Mormon denomination is organized much the same way that Christ organized His church in New Testament times. It is led by a prophet who serves as president of the Church. He has two counselors, and these three leaders constitute the First Presidency. The First Presidency is assisted by twelve apostles, who are special witnesses of Jesus Christ to all the world. Leaders called seventies assist the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and serve in various areas throughout the world. Local congregations are led by bishops. The main organization for women in the LDS Church is the Relief Society, which was founded in 1842. Today this organization includes more than 5.5 million women ages 18 and older in over 170 countries. Other Mormon churches may allow woman into the priesthood and men serve together with women in relief or 'safety' societies to accomplish charitable works. Lay Leadership The local leadership of a Mormon church is composed of qualified lay members, not a paid clergy. Chosen through prayer and inspiration, these leaders do not aspire to pastoral positions but respond to “callings” in a spirit of service. Individual members in turn are called by their leaders to serve in various positions in their congregation. This cooperative enterprise means that lay members alternately preach sermons and listen to sermons, lead music and sing music, give advice and receive advice. Their service blesses others and leads to personal growth. In addition to strengthening the family, this organizational structure fosters a profound sense of community within the congregation and satisfies the human desire for connection through mutual responsibility to each other. Community Every Mormon is actively involved in the civic affairs of the communities where its members live. It has an obligation to take stands on moral issues facing society. In the arena of partisan politics, however, the LDS Church has adopted a strict policy of neutrality. That Church’s mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, not to elect politicians. It does not endorse, promote or oppose political parties, candidates or platforms, recognizing that its values can reside in each of them. Nevertheless, the Church does encourage its members to be responsible citizens in their communities, including becoming informed about issues and voting in elections. Further, it expects its members to engage in the political process in an informed and civil manner, respecting the fact that members of the Church come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The same can be said of all Mormon denominations. Respect and Tolerance In that same spirit of civility and respect, Mormon leaders recently made a plea to the faithful for more religious understanding and tolerance: "[We] ...encourage Mormons wherever they may be to show kindness and respect for all people everywhere. The world in which we live is filled with diversity. We can and should demonstrate respect toward those whose beliefs differ from ours." Humanitarian Service and Mormon Welfare By The LDS Church While the nation struggles with welfare reform, the LDS Church promotes its own welfare program as a model system for those in need. Mormons who fall on hard times don't need to rely on the federal or state government to support them. Instead they can turn to their church. For more than six decades, the LDS Church has been running its own welfare program without any federal assistance. In fact, the system is entirely supported by volunteers, private donations and money collected from church businesses. The Mormon welfare system is quite simple. A Mormon in need goes to their bishop, whose main job is to organize and oversee church services such as the welfare program. Once the Bishop determines the person in need can't get help from their extended family and there is no alternative, he assesses their needs and refers them to the appropriate church agency and may also allocate money to help them pay bills. Recipients of the Mormon welfare program are referred to a Mormon aid center. The center there includes the Bishop Storehouse, where the needy can use vouchers to buy food, clothes and other essentials. There is also an employment office, where resumes are perfected and jobs listed, and a 40,000 square foot cannery, where many welfare recipients volunteer to work. The complex also boasts a thrift store where low skilled workers are trained to prepare them for the workforce. There are nearly 200 of these Mormon-run stores across the country and, the LDS Church program has assisted over more than 135,000 people alone in California. The goodwill, however, comes with a stipulation: the needy are expected to work in return. Those in need of aid might help the church transport handicapped people or work in one of the LDS Church’s stores or canneries. LINKS Mormons.org offers a wide array of information about the Church of Latter-day Saints. Stories reprinted here do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of our members, employees or friends. Coalition Asserts: “Fundamentally, we are Mormon!” As the LDS Church tries to distance itself, other Mormon groups stress their common roots. From a brief news story by Brooke Adams reporting for The Salt Lake Tribune. Some editing to provide for space in this column is acknowledged with full resposibility for any errors. Last Updated: July 10, 2008 A coalition that represents non-LDS Mormons has issued a statement objecting to the LDS Church’s effort to deny their claim to a shared heritage. The Principle Voices Coalition, based in Utah, said in its statement released Wednesday that "the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sent a letter to media outlets asking that the term 'fundamentalist Mormon' not be used. In the recent past, the Church has wrongfully insisted that all non-LDS Mormon religions be defined as 'polygamous sects', even though most of us are not (and do not refer to ourselves as) polygamists." The Coalition's statement strenuously objected to any efforts to deprive non-LDS Mormons and others of the freedom to name and describe themselves by terms of their own choosing. The Coalition pointed out that fundamentalist Mormons have been referred to by that name since the 1930s, often by the LDS Church itself. "We are proud of our Mormon heritage." In its conclusion, the statement read: "Ironically, the LDS Church has been justifiably uncomfortable with repeated assertions by members of some Christian denominations that Latter-day Saints are not Christians. In many ways, we consider ourselves to be adherents to Mormonism (and Christianity) no less than were Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and John Taylor. What distinguishes us from the modern, mainstream Church is that we have endeavored to understand the original, fundamental precepts of the restored Gospel, while the Church itself has, since the early 1900s, repudiated many of them." This statement comes two weeks after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched a media campaign to distinguish its own Mormonism from the other denominations. The LDS Church said the education effort intensified since April following a raid on a west Texas ranch that is home to members of a polygamist Mormon sect. The church reiterated in a June 26 statement "as it has done many times" that it "has nothing whatsoever to do with any groups practicing polygamy." But a poll conducted by the LDS Church shows confusion persists. More than a third of those surveyed thought the FLDS sect was part of the Mormon Church based in Salt Lake City. On Wednesday, LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter reiterated the church’s view that "there is no such thing as a Mormon 'fundamentalist' or Mormon polygamist. Regrettably, those who suggest otherwise only add to the confusion we are trying to clear up," Trotter said. Principle Voices Coalition says it objects to any attempts to limit the right of fundamentalists to identify as Mormons, and claim to be unfairly portrayed as polygamists for not accepting all modern doctrines of the LDS Church. "[We] have always been referred to as fundamentalist Mormons since the 1930s, often by the LDS itself," the coalition said. "All of us are proud of our Mormon heritage, the tenets of our religion, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through Joseph Smith." The LDS Church disavowed polygamy in 1890 and 1904 and excommunicates members who engage in or promote the practice. But in this century it is an "untruth" to say all Mormons do not have the same roots, said Ken Driggs, an Atlanta attorney and historian who studies fundamentalist Mormonism. "They are different evolutions of the Joseph Smith tradition," he said. Smith founded the LDS Church in 1829. Newell Bringhurst and John Hamer, co-editors of Scattering of the Saints: Schism Within Mormonism, say there are currently 80 active groups that trace their religious roots to the faith founded by Smith (and very few are polygamists). The LDS Church has asked that media refer to those who follow the original beliefs set down by Smith as "polygamous sects."
But the coalition said most fundamentalists are not polygamists and do not use that term to describe themselves. "We don’t feel we have rejected Mormonism in any way," said Mary Batchelor, a co-founder of Principle Voices. She said some philosophically fundamentalist Mormons, who do not practice polygamy, continue as active LDS Church members. There are only about 37,000 fundamentalist Mormons, most living in the American southwest but an estimated 14 million LDS Mormons worldwide. Another 5 million non-LDS Mormons, or more, made up of former LDS church members and unbaptized Mormon converts are expected to help swell the number of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon believers to 30 million in the near future.
Still uncounted Mormons are out there, embracing the Book of Mormon due to family tradition or education and study. Mormonism is the fastest growing religion in America. There is also the Community of Christ members who do not call themselves Mormons and number about one million, a third of them active members of their church. The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based Christian denomination that grew out of the Mormon theology very early in Mormon History. Principle Voices also said fundamentalists' diversities in worship, dress, holiday observances and educational attainment was being deliberately mis-characterized by the LDS Church. "Fundamentalist Mormons can be found in every level of society and in almost all communities," the coalition said. "They include doctors, teachers and even college professors." The coalition said the statement had been authorized by the Apostolic United Brethren, the Davis County Cooperative Society, The Work of Jesus Christ and numerous independent fundamentalist Mormons. The statement was not signed by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days or several smaller groups. Ivan Nielsen said he declined to sign it because his small group has moved away from the use of "fundamentalist Mormon" in recent years. The term has a negative connotation, he said. "I’m a Latter-day Saint, that is what I like to say," Nielsen said. "Anybody can call themselves what they want, can't they?" Other fundamentalists have described their religious beliefs as "pure Mormonism." John Walsh, a Texas religious studies scholar who testified in April about FLDS beliefs during court proceedings, said fundamentalist Mormons use the LDS Church’s original scriptural canon and worship practices. "The big differences are in daily living, cultural practices," he said, not theology. "If you wrote a book called Mormon Theology, 98 percent would apply to all these groups," Walsh said. Such schisms are not uncommon in young religious movements, said Sarah Barringer Gordon, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who focuses on religious history and law. "There are constant breakaways, betrayals, apostasies," Gordon said. "This is what the Puritans tried to do to Anglicism. . . . It is about who gets to erect the fences and where and it is very hard to control language," she said.
Who Are the Mormons? You may wish to Click on this Wikipedia before reading onward.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Web site offers an overview of the Church's activities.
Stories reprinted here do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of our members, employees or friends.
Religious Americans:
My faith isn't the only way
Survey shows growing religious tolerance when it comes
to different faiths
Associated Press
updated 5:49 p.m. ET, Mon., June. 23, 2008
America remains a nation of believers, but a new survey finds most Americans don't feel their religion is the only
way to eternal life undefined even if their faith tradition teaches otherwise.
The findings, released Monday in a survey of 35,000 adults, can either be taken as a positive sign of growing
religious tolerance, or disturbing evidence that Americans dismiss or don't know fundamental teachings of their
own faiths.
Among the more startling numbers in the survey, conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public
Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attendees said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict
with traditional evangelical teaching.
In all, 70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation shared that view, and 68 percent said there is more than
one true way to interpret the teachings of their own religion.
"The survey shows religion in America is, indeed, 3,000 miles wide and only three inches deep," said D. Michael
Lindsay, a Rice University sociologist of religion.
"There's a growing pluralistic impulse toward tolerance and that is having theological consequences," he said.
Earlier data from the Pew Forum's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, released in February, highlighted how often
Americans switch religious affiliation. The newly released material looks at religious belief and practice as well as
the impact of religion on society, including how faith shapes political views.
The report argues that while relatively few people undefined 14 percent undefined cite religious beliefs as the
main influence on their political thinking, religion still plays a powerful indirect role.
The study confirmed some well-known political dynamics, including stark divisions over abortion and gay
marriage, with the more religiously committed taking conservative views on the issues.
But it also showed support across religious lines for greater governmental aid for the poor, even if it means more
debt and stricter environmental laws and regulations.
By many measures, Americans are strongly religious: 92 percent believe in God, 74 percent believe in life after
death and 63 percent say their respective scriptures are the word of God.
Doubts about God
But deeper investigation found that more than one in four Roman Catholics, mainline Protestants and Orthodox
Christians expressed some doubts about God's existence, as did six in ten Jews.
Another finding almost defies explanation: 21 percent of self-identified atheists said they believe in God or a
universal spirit, with 8 percent "absolutely certain" of it.
"Look, this shows the limits of a survey approach to religion," said Peter Berger, a theology and sociology
professor at Boston University. "What do people really mean when they say that many religions lead to eternal
life? It might mean they don't believe their particular truth at all. Others might be saying, 'We believe a truth but
respect other people, and they are not necessarily going to hell.'"
Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum, said that more research is planned to answer those kinds of questions, but
that earlier, smaller surveys found similar results.
Nearly across the board, the majority of religious Americans believe many religions can lead to eternal life:
mainline Protestants (83 percent), members of historic black Protestant churches (59 percent), Roman Catholics
(79 percent), Jews (82 percent) and Muslims (56 percent).
By similar margins, people in those faith groups believe in multiple interpretations of their own traditions'
teachings. Yet 44 percent of the religiously affiliated also said their religion should preserve its traditional beliefs
and practices.
"What most people are saying is, 'Hey, we don't have a hammer-lock on God or salvation, and God's bigger than
us and we should respect that and respect other people,'" said the Rev. Tom Reese, a senior fellow at the
Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.
"Some people are like butterflies that go from flower to flower, going from religion to religion undefined and
frankly they don't get that deep into any of them," he said.
Beliefs about eternal life vary widely
Beliefs about eternal life vary greatly, even within a religious tradition.
Some Christians hold strongly to Jesus' words as described in John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me." Others emphasize the wideness of God's grace.
The Catholic church teaches that the "one church of Christ ... subsists in the Catholic Church" alone and that
Protestant churches, while defective, can be "instruments of salvation."
Roger Oldham, a vice president with the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, bristled at
using the word "tolerance" in the analysis.
"If by tolerance we mean we're willing to engage or embrace a multitude of ways to salvation, that's no longer
evangelical belief," he said. "The word 'evangelical' has been stretched so broadly, it's almost an elastic term."
Others welcomed the findings.
"It shows increased religious security. People are comfortable with other traditions even if they're different," said
the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance. "It indicates a level of humility about religion that
would be of great benefit to everyone."
More than most groups, Catholics break with their church, and not just on issues like abortion and homosexuality.
Only six in 10 Catholics described God as "a person with whom people can have a relationship" undefined which
the church teaches undefined while three in 10 described God as an "impersonal force."
"The statistics show, more than anything else, that many who describe themselves as Catholics do not know or
understand the teachings of their church," said Denver Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput. "Being
Catholic means believing what the Catholic church teaches. It is a communion of faith, not simply of ancestry and
family tradition. It also means that the church ought to work harder at evangelizing its own members."
Stories reprinted here do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of our members, employees or friends.
========================================================================
We found it here: [
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T5GGLL_en___US257&q=Vatican+regarding+Baptism+for+the+dead
]Catholics, Genealogy and Baptism for the Dead
The Millenial Star - May 21st, 2008 - by Clark Goble
[ Editor's Note: use this link for original piece and unbroken links
http://www.millennialstar.org/2008/05/21/catholics-genealogy-and-baptism-for-the-dead/
]There was an interesting
show today on Radio West. (The MP3 should be up later today) It was on last month'sreaction by the
Vatican regarding baptism for the dead. As you may know the Vatican sent a letter to all diocesestelling them to not give parish records to the Church for genealogy. That was primarily over the baptism for the
dead.
What really surprised me as I listened to the show was just how upset many people were with vicarious
ordinances. I'd never have called people being that concerned. I could understand Jews upset about holocaust
records entering the Church's genealogical records and leading to baptisms. But it seems to me that is a much
different situation.
It seems to me that the last guest of Doug Fabrizio made the best point. I think a lot of people don’t understand
that at best the practice is preparatory. That is you aren’t really baptizing them as Mormons. Rather you’re
performing a baptism such that if they ever decide to become Mormon in the next life the opportunity of baptism
is available. That's a crucial difference but one I suspect most don’t quite see.
Anyway, listen to the podcast as it was quite interesting. The interview with Kathleen Flake was probably my
favorite part.
I should note that it’s interesting that
Peggy Fletcher Stack has many genealogists suggesting that this will causemany problems and perhaps mainly affect Catholic attempts at genealogy.
The Vatican's recent ban on Mormon microfilming and digitizing of Catholic parish records out of concern they
will be used for the LDS practice of baptizing the dead may have a wide-ranging and chilling effect on the whole
family history enterprise, some professional genealogists say.
"It’s going to close off a great many countries and even Catholic dioceses in America whose records haven't
been microfilmed," says Jim Petty, past president of Utah's chapter of the Association of Professional
Genealogists. "This makes it difficult for genealogists of any religion."
[…]
But Kathy Kirkpatrick, another past president of Utah's professional genealogist association, says the irony is
that the prohibition will be felt most by Catholics who want to pursue their family history back beyond civil
records.
"Most parishes can't or don't answer letters because they are understaffed and their highest priority is the living
(as it should be)," Kirkpatrick, a member of the Society of Friends (Quaker) said in an e-mail. "Most folks don’t
have the resources to visit a parish in person (or send an agent) and sometimes even a personal visit doesn’t
get access to the records if the priest is busy and can’t delegate supervision to another or if the priest isn’t
agreeable to family research (for whatever reason)."
My sense is that it will have correspondingly less effect on Mormons. That's because most of the records are already
digitized and those that aren't are more contemporary records that individuals could fairly easily access anyway.
For other takes check out this
Ancestry Magazine article. (It is from 1995 but the points are relevant) Also checkout this
T&S post by Wilfried on the issue.=====================================================================
Stories reprinted here do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of our members, employees or friends.