Mormon Lifestyles Archive
Hartman Rector, Jr. and his wife Connie were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February of 1952. Seventeen years later, he was called as a General Authority into the First Council of the Seventy for the Church. He has spent his life in devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and wrote a book compiling many conversion stories. Each story is unique and compelling. One story he recounts is of Clifford J. Barborka, Jr.
Material wealth, social position, worldly pleasures-these things have always been a threat to righteousness. Clifford Barborka almost succumbed to them.
His wife, the talented singer Melva Niles, accepted the gospel first. His resistance to it caused much conflict between them, and this tension was not eased by his health impairments caused by his heavy smoking and drinking. How was God going to reach down and lift a life like this?
The Lord’s hand is indeed evident as the story unfolds. Today, many thousands... Read the rest of this entry »
Of all the numbers in the Pew Research Center’s recently released survey of “Mormons in America,” the highest, most overwhelming numbers are these: 98 percent of respondents said they believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 97 percent say their church is a Christian religion.
This comes on the heels of earlier surveys indicating that 32 percent of non-LDS U.S. adults say the LDS Church is not a Christian religion, and an additional 17 percent are unsure of LDS Christianity. The theological and semantic reasons for this can be complex, but for the 1,019 self-identified Mormons who participated in the Pew survey, their theological position is clear: Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and they consider themselves to be Christian.
“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... 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 »
Brigham Young University, also called BYU, is a university in Provo, Utah. It is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are also known as Mormons.
BYU Honor Code helps students live a Christ-like life.
Although a student does not have to be Mormon to attend BYU, most students are LDS (Mormon.) Any student, whether or not they are Mormon, must sign the honor code and then live what it says. For BYU, unlike some universities, the honor code is not a PR tool or a suggestion, but a serious way of life. Students know about the honor code before agreeing to come to the university and they have given their word to live it. Not doing so results in suspension. The university puts this code above all other considerations and will enforce it even when the person who violates it is the star of a sports team. Some newspapers have noted that most schools who suspend a student for violating an honor code or even for breaking a law... Read the rest of this entry »
At the World Congress of Families V in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Aug. 12, 2009, Russell M. Nelson spoke to the delegates about the importance of the traditional family. Elder Nelson is an apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of
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.” Read the rest of this entry »
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The Mormons are sometimes seen as having a great many restrictive rules. Mormons themselves know that within the rules are many opportunities for freedom, and that these rules actually make them freer than those with no rules.
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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On August 10, 2009, Sheri L. Dew, CEO of Deseret Book and a former General Relief Society President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke before the World Congress of Families V in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She offered this warning to nations and their families:
“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.) Read the rest of this entry »
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Personal Response by Natalie
Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) have quite a few activities for youth. All activities sponsored by the Mormon Church are designed to provide youth with a fellowshipping base, or friends who are upholding the values of the Church. Activities are also fashioned to encourage maturity and self-reliance, increase testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and teach skills while providing wholesome fun. All youth ages 12-18 belong to either of the Young Women or Young Men organizations. On Sundays during the three-hour block of meetings, youth meet for about an hour in their respective classes. There they are taught lessons about the scriptures and gospel. Within each of the organizations, there are three sub groups. For example, in the Young Women organization, 12- and 13-year-old young women meet in what is called the Beehive class, 14- and 15-year-old young women meet in the Mia Maid class,... Read the rest of this entry »
Personal Response by Karim
I’ve always enjoyed romantic movies. Both in film and in real life, there are those married in big cathedrals decorated with gorgeous flowers; others exchanging vows at sunset by the beach. But regardless of the glamour or setting, there is something these versions of a wedding all lack: a union for eternity. Civil marriages claim that the couple will be together until death. A Mormon temple marriage guarantees that if you honor each other and the promises you made in the temple, you will be together forever- even past death–to enjoy a fulness of life and joy, and an increasing posterity. Read the rest of this entry »
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