Humanitarian Work Archive
A recent study done out of the University of Pennsylvania found that Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) do more volunteer work than any other segment of society. Previous studies have shown that 30-50 percent of people in the United States volunteer and the average time of service is about three to four hours per month. Mormons, on the other hand, donate about 430 hours a year. 242 hours a year were devoted to religious activities. 96 hours were spent on volunteer work done to meet social needs of Mormons. They spent 56 hours a year helping people who were not Mormon but working through their church. An additional 34 hours per year were spent volunteering outside the church completely. This averaged to 8.2 hours per week, meaning Mormons did twice as much volunteer work in a week than most people do in a month.
This far exceeds the level of volunteerism found in other religions or in other groups. The researcher,... Read the rest of this entry »
When Mitt Romney released his taxes, it showed large donations to charity, including to his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of this church are sometimes called Mormons. Three million dollars was donated to charity, with about 1.5 million dollars going to his church.
Mormons follow the Biblical commandment to tithe, so Romney, as a practicing and believing Mormon, pays at least ten percent of his income in tithing. The word tithe means a tenth, and so, to be fully practicing the law of tithing, a person who believes in and follows the Bible must pay a full tenth of his or her income. In addition, the Bible requires believers to pay offerings.
“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... Read the rest of this entry »
About 300 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints heeded the call to be their brother’s keeper in Minot after the flooding there damaged many homes. So far, the Mormons have helped gut 200 homes, and 600 other families have requested their help. Their selfless service is especially helpful to people who otherwise would have to hire contractors who charge anywhere from $8,000 to $20,000 for the same service.
These volunteers, who all wear yellow shirts to identify themselves, make a seven hour journey from Winnepeg and sleep in tents on the front lawn of the Minot Mormon Church while they work on the houses. They provide their own food and supplies. Their twelve hour work day starts at 6:30 AM. They have made incredible progress and will be continue their work for many weeks to come.
Service is an integral part of the Mormon faith. Many members all over the world go out of their way to help others by assembling hygiene kits... Read the rest of this entry »
The media has spent a lot of time on the Book of Mormon Musical, a Broadway production people either love or hate. The reviews have often demonstrated the biases of the reviewers. One rejoiced that the musical showed that religion believes in a lot of silly things (not just Mormonism, but all religion). Another suggested the message was that blind faith is a sin, with his unspoken message being that religious faith is always blind. A Jewish writer argued that Jewish people, with their great knowledge of the dangers of religious persecution, should speak out loudly against the musical. Other writers have noted that the musical attacks all religions, even though it focused on only one. Some have noticed it is an inherently vicious portrayal of Africans, mocking their poverty and suffering.
The official statement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a single sentence:
“The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening,... Read the rest of this entry »
Did you know that almost a billion people don’t have access to clean water? This extremely serious problem leads to dangerous health conditions for the people in the affected areas. Since 2002, the Mormons have been reduced the number of people without access to clean water by about seven million through clean water projects in 5,000 communities. Bringing in clean water reduces the threat of cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid. Depending on the needs of the area, the projects include digging wells, creating water storage, building delivery systems, or developing ways to purify existing water.
One way the church’s programs differ from many others is that one goal is self-sufficiency. Some charities go into an area, create projects, and do all the work themselves. Then they have to stay forever to keep it running. The Mormons know that if they can get a project running and then leave, they can do far more work and they can also create self-sufficiency and... Read the rest of this entry »
Recently an article appeared on AOL News that reported a Mormon chapel in Haiti was not allowed to be used for refuge during the flooding from Hurricane Tomas. The author portrayed the church as unwilling to help anyone but themselves, entirely neglecting to note the Church’s exemplary humanitarian work in that nation.
The Church issued a statement of context to help readers understand the full story. While most Mormon buildings were being used as hospitals and shelters, the particular building mentioned was taken by the government to use as a command center. The leader of the congregation did not realize he might have been able to convince the government to allow them to also set up shelters. Once the building was taken over by the government, he appears to have felt it was entirely under their control. Mormons use lay leadership and many leaders in Haiti are new to the church themselves and have minimal experience in dealing with these types of situations.... Read the rest of this entry »
The Mormon Church in the Seattle area of Washington State in the United States is helping the Red Cross with a special project known as “Yes, We Can.” This project makes use of surplus produce that would otherwise be thrown away. The Red Cross has no way to store or preserve this food and can’t give it away quickly enough. Now, the Mormons are helping them to can it so it can be stored for up to three years.
Mormons have canneries they use for their own membership. Members can come in, and for the cost of supplies, can food to be stored for emergencies like unemployment or a natural disaster. In addition, the Mormons can foods to be given to church members who are in need of a little help in hard times. Surplus food is given to community food banks.
Mormon beliefs state that they should do whatever they can to be self-sufficient. They store food for emergencies, avoid debt, build savings, and live modestly. However, even a person’s... Read the rest of this entry »
Many areas have canneries operated privately by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often called Mormons. You won’t find their output on grocery store shelves, however, despite the extremely high quality of the food. The food canned in these canneries serve two purposes. The first is to allow church members to can large quantities of their own food for home storage. This allows them to be self-sufficient in the event of unemployment or illness, and to be able to buy only in season, on sale, and in bulk by having sufficient quantities tucked away. Read the rest of this entry »
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On January 22, 2010, the leadership of the Mormons appealed to their members around the world to assist in the humanitarian work in Haiti. The church has been an active participant in the work being done there, but they expect to be working there for at least a year, and more funding will be needed.
“Our hearts are filled with sadness as we have watched the suffering in Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake. We turn to the example of Jesus Christ, who reached out to “lift up the hands which hang down” and “strengthen the feeble knees.” We are keenly aware that many in America are dealing with economic challenges caused by the recession. However, we are appealing to members to donate to Church Humanitarian Services as their means allow in order to help our Haitian brothers and sisters. Many have already contributed and others are anxious to do so.” (First Presidency Statement on Haiti) Read the rest of this entry »
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