Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes informally referred to as Mormons. He said,

“Dear friends, future happiness and even the future of nations is linked to children. Families with children need to be re-enthroned as the fundamental unit of society. We simply must value children more than we do! Without a new generation to replace the old, there is no wealth; without families, there is no future.”

The traditional family is a fundamental principle of Mormonism. Mormon beliefs center around Jesus Christ as the head of the church, and the family as the fundamental building block of society. Children learn their first values from their parents, and parents should always be the primary teachers of values. Churches and other organizations can only support the family in this process, not replace it.

Mormons have many programs to support families. Some involve practices carried out in the home. A practice that has received much attention and has been emulated by many who are not Mormon is the Family Home Evening program. Every Monday night, Mormon families turn off the telephone and close the doors to outsiders. This evening is devoted entirely to strengthening the family. Generally, the family-only meeting begins with a song and prayer and the conducting of family business. Then a lesson on an essential spiritual or moral lesson is taught. Following the lesson, families play games and enjoy treats before closing with a song and family prayer.

A unique feature of Family Home Evening is that each family member participates in the program. Most families have a chart that rotates assignments, often pairing young children with someone older. In the security of the home, children learn to lead a meeting, conduct a song, offer a public prayer, and teach a lesson. The meeting gives parents an opportunity to share sacred beliefs with their children and for children to learn and share their own beliefs. It also serves to strengthen the family bonds, which increases the ability of the parents to influence their children over the years.

The prayers offered in this meeting are only two of many given in the home. Mormon families gather for family prayer twice a day, in addition to their personal prayers and the prayers of the husband and wife together. Generally, the morning prayer includes a brief devotional, in which family members read the scriptures together and discuss them. Once again, parents have an opportunity to demonstrate how important Jesus and His gospel are to them, and to spend time with their children.

On Sundays, families attend the main worship service together. Even babies and small children are welcome and the increase in noise and movement from the little ones is accepted without complaint by church members because they understand how critical this meeting is for children. Even though the toddlers and babies do not understand much of what is said, they are experiencing church snuggled in a parent’s arms or playing quietly beside them, making their first memories of church pleasant. As they become a little older parents are able to begin training their children to be reverent in the church setting, rather than leaving it to teachers. All learning begins in the home.

The Mormons value their children. They have worked to create programs that support parents in the challenging work of training children to live the gospel. Organizational leaders and teachers understand they do not replace or come first before the parent, but only support them in their efforts by being an additional witness of the truth.

Formal classes begin at eighteen months. After attending the main worship service, known as Sacrament Meeting, as a family, families split up for various classes. The toddlers, ages eighteen months to three years of age, attend the Nursery Class. Here, although there is some playtime, children learn in age-appropriate and fun ways about Jesus Christ and His teachings. Older children have more structured classes, but which also teach through activities and music. Children ages eight to twelve have a weekday program as well. In most areas, boys belong to the Cub Scouting program through the church and girls belong to Activity Days. In areas where Boy Scouting isn’t approved, the boys use the girls’ program.

In these programs, children learn to set and achieve goals, to put gospel principles into action in the real world, master practical life skills, and serve others. For instance, girls might learn to hand sew and then make hand-sewn toys for needy children after learning that Christ taught us to serve others. A group of young boys might learn to cook simple meals for themselves and then make cookies to take to a retirement home. The gospel taught on Sunday is put into practice during their weeknight activities.

Mormon families are regularly counseled to put their families first, making certain employment and civic activities don’t get out of balance and deprive children of active parents. The Church offers parenting classes and many lessons include help for parents. Church men and women can turn to other parents for support and mentoring on an informal basis as well, because congregations are assigned by geographical boundaries and normally include a wide range of ages and experiences.

These support systems are one reason Mormon families are noted for their lower divorce rate. Both marriage and parenting are considered priorities in a Mormon home. Because marriage that takes place in a Mormon temple is forever, and not just until death, Mormons have a strong motivation to create strong loving families that can continue into eternal life. Husbands and wives can continue to be married after death, and children can continue to belong to their parents.

Society has a vested interest in the well-being of its families. At the same conference, Sheri L. Dew, also a Mormon, said, “We all know that every nation is ultimately at the mercy of its families. If families are riddled with problems, society eventually collapses under the weight of problems too vast for any government to meet. If families are strong, society is strong.” (See Sheri L. Dew: The Power of Virtue.)

In order for our society to succeed, we must begin to put families first and value the work of the parents who care for children. We must treat the children as if they matter.

Those who read the Bible remember that there was a day when Jesus had been working long, hard hours. A group of parents showed up late in the day with their children, but the apostles turned them away. However, the Savior summoned the children to Him, instructing His apostles to never turn away children. He demonstrated for His followers that day that He made children a priority, even during times of exhaustion. He understood that what children learn as children they generally take into adulthood. For this reason, we can’t wait until we have time to take care of the children of our world. As Elder Nelson said in the statement at the start of this article, “Families with children need to be re-enthroned as the fundamental unit of society.”

An often-used example of freedom within structure is the sonnet. A sonnet is a poem with very strict rules.

Shakespeare’s sonnets each contained fourteen lines. Every line had ten syllables written in iambic pentameter. Despite this very strict structure, Shakespeare managed to come up with 154 sonnets, all different, and many other people have also created sonnets based on this formula. The structure does not prevent people from being creative and writing something close to their heart. Rather, it actually frees the author. By having the structure in place, the poet is free to focus all his attention on the message and wording of the poem, which, after all, is the point of a poem.

In the same way, a Mormon is free to live a life of great variety without breaking any  commandments. Mormons are found in many different careers living very different lifestyles and fitting well into the good parts of their cultures and neighborhoods. They do have similarities, because they have certain values and practices in common, but there are thousands of life patterns within that structure.

The structure provided them by the teachings of the church allow them a greater freedom than is possible for most people. It is a great deal of work to have to decide for oneself what is right or wrong, studying it out, analyzing, and researching and then constantly making course corrections to fit into society’s changing norms. Mormons, although taught to study issues for themselves, know they can turn to God for a final answer, rather than constantly, throughout their lives, having to monitor their choices against the priorities of ever-changing fads and values found in the world.

Truth is unchanging, and once a Mormon has determined what is true, he is free to move on and focus on other aspects of his life, such as building a strong family and serving others. The priorities have been set and they can then structure their lives accordingly. This may be one reason Mormons are often in the forefront of many important movements and services. They have time to do them because they aren’t constantly rebuilding their foundations.

N. Eldon Tanner said:

We must know and understand the doctrines in order to be obedient, and we must be obedient in order to be free. This applies to the laws of God and the laws of the land. Too often we think of freedom only as the quality or state of being free from external restraint or compulsion, and not subject to the will of another, where we have the power of choice with every person free to “do his own thing,” regardless of its effect on him or others.

Brigham Young made this statement:

“There is not a man of us but what is willing to acknowledge at once that God demands strict obedience to his requirements. But in rendering that strict obedience, are we made slaves? No, it is the only way on the face of the earth for you and me to become free, and we shall become slaves of our own passions, and of the wicked one, … and servants to the devil, if we take any other course.” (Journal of Discourses, 18:246.)

N. Eldon Tanner, “‘Ye Shall Know the Truth’,” Ensign, May 1978, 14

A Mormon makes one important choice and that allows some other choices to fall into place. At some point in their lives, whether they are converts or have been attending church all their lives, they each take the time to decide for themselves that the church is true and that God has restored his gospel and provided a prophet to guide us. This is not blind faith, because they have gone to the only source of truth to learn whether or not they are following someone who is receiving his instructions from God. They need not trust the prophet’s word that he is the prophet until God has agreed. At any time in the future, a Mormon may pray about a specific doctrine he isn’t sure about, but he generally finds it unnecessary to pray about each teaching. This is much like when a child learns a hot stove will burn his hand if he touches it. He may test it out a few more times, but after that, he has no need to test it every time he encounters a hot stove, or even a different type of hot item. He simply acts according to the knowledge he has already received and takes precautions each time he encounters heat.

Sheri Dew, a prominent Mormon, said:

I personally know tens of thousands of youth and young adults who are living morally clean lives. They are happy, productive, and anxiously engaged in becoming engaged. Moral purity is not outdated. Admittedly, it is also not easy. But I submit that it is easier than the alternative. Virtuous men and women never worry about a surprise pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. Never agonize over confessing unfaithfulness. Have no emptiness after a one-night stand. No pain in losing one’s family to infidelity. No haunting memories of indiscretions. Quoting C. S. Lewis, “Virtue—even attempted virtue—brings light; indulgence brings fog.”¹⁰  (See Sheri L. Dew: The Power of Virtue)

It is this freedom from fear, negative consequences, and uncertainty that gives Mormons assurance and peace, and the freedom to live a life that is meaningful and joyful.

The study found that every Mormon surveyed believed in God, which was higher than any other religion previously

surveyed. In addition, nine out of ten were absolutely certain of God’s existence. Ninety-one percent of Mormons believe God is someone you can have a relationship with. All these figures are well above the normal for other groups.

What is it about the Mormons that makes them so likely to believe in God in a very personal way? One reason Mormons have a high rate of belief in God is that much time is spent teaching children and investigators of the church about God, and about how to find out if He is real. Those new to the faith, whether due to age or experience, are taught that they can pray to God and receive an answer to their sincere questions. They are taught to recognize how God communicates with His children.

Mormons teach that prayer is an intensely personal experience. Although prayers are offered in public and family settings, each member is also encouraged to have individual conversations with God several times a day. No recited prayers are taught; members are instructed to use their own words and to speak the deepest, most personal thoughts of their hearts. They greet God by name, thank Him for specific named blessings, and ask for those things they need. They close in the name of Jesus Christ. However, within the basic pattern of prayer, they are also taught to make prayer a conversation. There are many times when a Mormon simply wants to talk to God about an experience or a concern, and this too is encouraged. With practice, a person who prays soon becomes familiar with the ways God communicates with His children and learns to trust what he is experiencing.

This emphasis on prayer is one reason ninety-one percent of Mormons feel they can have a relationship with God. Another reason is based on the specific ways Mormons view God. They believe God knows them personally because He created their spirits and then, before the earth was created, they lived with Him for a time. During this time, everyone was becoming a real person, with talents, personality, and interests. Each person was deciding who they were and how obedient they were. God was there, as our literal Father, watching over us and guiding us. For this reason, His love for us is very personal.

Mormons view God as a literal Father, loving but strict. Good fathers understand they must make rules with rewards and consequences, and God is always a good Father. Mormons accept the rules and the natural consequences because they see them in the light of a loving Father, not a strict, uncaring, and distant ruler.

With this information in mind, it is easy to understand why Mormons who have a strong testimony of the principles of their religion have a nearly perfect rate of belief in God and a personal relationship with Him.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square

Brigham Young, the second president and prophet of the church, knew the Saints, as Mormons are often called, would need to keep their spirits up as they moved west after being forced from their homes in Illinois. When he put together the small group of people who would make the initial trek to Utah, he included musicians. In fact, every wagon company included at least one musician. Twenty-nine days after the first Mormons settled in Utah, a conference was held on August 22, 1847. A small choir sang at this conference, and the church has actually had a standing choir even before this, since the earliest days of the church in Ohio and Illinois. The first large choir was organized in 1829 under conductor George Careless.

In 1987, the church built a beautiful tabernacle that required four years to construct. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir took its name from the building and has performed there since it was built. This popular attraction has been named both a historic landmark and an engineering landmark, due to its amazing acoustics.

When at home, the choir is accompanied by the world-renowned Tabernacle organ. This amazing creation has more than 11,000 pipes. The original organ was built in Australia and shipped to California. It was then carried by twelve mules to Utah. When the Tabernacle was built, Joseph Ridges, who had built that first organ, built a new one that was even larger. It has been enlarged five times since then. Five organists, three men and two women, currently play this organ.

Since the choir’s beginnings as a local group, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has become popular around the world, and is loved by both Mormons and non-Mormons. They have won an Emmy and a Grammy, and have performed for ten American presidents, including four inaugurations. They have five gold records and two platinum records.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this choir is that it, and the orchestra that accompanies it, are entirely made up of volunteers. The audition process is arduous, and only the most talented and dedicated performers are accepted. They rehearse one or two evenings each week and perform each Sunday morning during the broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. Every other summer, they go on tour somewhere in the world for a few weeks. Most have full-time jobs with companies willing to accommodate the demands of the choir and all must live within 100 miles of Salt Lake City.

The audition process consists of a lengthy set of tests which are sometimes daunting even to trained singers. It includes a questionnaire concerning moral worthiness, age, body size (due to costuming needs), health, and church membership. Applicants must also submit a very complex audition tape. Those accepted for the next step are brought in for a music skills inventory test and a music theory exam which is very challenging, but does not necessarily require formal training if one prepares at home and has innate musical talent. Passing this leads to an in-person audition. At this audition, they sing—alone—a hymn of their choice and a complicated choral piece assigned in advance. They are also required to do some sight reading. If a student is rejected at this point, he is given advice about how to train for the next year’s audition.

If a student makes it this far, he is accepted not into the choir, but into The Temple Square Chorale and Choir Training School. For three months, he will receive formal musical training. Established members of the choir also participate in this choral in rotation, to upgrade their skills and renew their formal training. They will do a concert and participate in a television broadcast. This allows staff to see if a candidate can cope with the pace, schedule, and pressure, and is able to perform well as a disciplined member of a choir. Most people accepted into this stage become members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but some do not. This strenuous process is the reason the choir is so highly respected.

It may be difficult to imagine in this day of glitzy, immoral celebrities, that a church choir could win the hearts of Americans who may know little of the choir’s faith. However, in 2007, they filled Denver’s Pepsi Stadium to capacity—15,000 seats. Three days later, the Rolling Stones sold only 13,000 tickets to the concert they played in the same stadium. Certainly that’s a statistic that would surprise most people, but testifies to the power of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to capture America’s attention and respect.