Mormon News Archive
Although Mormons do not, due to legal restraints, carry out missionary work in China, many Chinese people join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while traveling, working, or going to school in other countries. In addition, many foreigners work and live in China. It can be complicated for Chinese Nationals who become Mormon and for foreigners moving to China to figure out where to attend church and to understand the complex laws regulating religious life in China. To assist with this challenge, the Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) have created a website to help them learn how and where to practice their faith in China. The Church has blocked the website within China out of respect for laws, so it must be accessed while still out of the country.
The scriptures contain the words of the prophets of old, many of whom wrote about our day.
The Mormons have a legal presence in China, but are not... Read the rest of this entry »
Dieter F. Uchtdorf and thirteen other faith leaders met with President Obama at his invitation on March 8, 2013 to discuss immigration reform. President Uchtdorf, second counselor to the Mormon prophet Thomas S. Monson, accepted the invitation after consulting with the prophet and the other apostles. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon counselor is an immigrant himself, making him a valuable resource in the discussion on reform.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Mormon apostle
The faiths invited represented a diverse range of political viewpoints. President Uchtdorf, who attended President Obama’s first inauguration as an official church representative, said that although everyone did not agree on every point, they were all in full agreement that new legislation needed to include respect for the law, protection against dividing families, compassion, and common sense. President Obama... Read the rest of this entry »
Many people have seen the popular “I’m a Mormon” campaign, which outlines the lives of ordinary and diverse members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What you may not know, though, is that more than 120,000 of those profiles are of people with disabilities. Some are written by the members themselves. Others are unscripted videos. Recently, The American Association of People with Disabilities recognized the Church for its outstanding portrayal of people with disabilities in mass media. AAPD President and CEO Mark Perriello said, “They tell the disability experience in a way that is real, no apologies, and it’s absolutely astounding.” He called them a powerful force for changing public perceptions of people with disabilities.
One video includes the amusing story of a man with just one leg. Most of his young martial arts students don’t know that one of his legs is artificial so when a child yanked it off by mistake,... Read the rest of this entry »
Following the presidential election of 2012, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often nicknamed Mormons, issued an official statement. One candidate for the office of president was Mormon Mitt Romney. The other was the sitting president, Barack Obama. The Church has a policy of not endorsing candidates for office and so they had issued no endorsement for this race, despite the presence of a Mormon on the ticket. They deflected all questions about Mitt Romney and questions about his faith were answered only in terms of the religion, leaving him out of the subject.
In the statement, church leaders congratulated President Obama on winning a second term. They reminded members that Mormons have a tradition of praying for our leaders both privately and in public prayers given in our congregations. They called for Americans to put aside their political differences now and to pray for the president, his administration, and Congress... Read the rest of this entry »
A new Sunday curriculum was announced for Mormon teenagers in October, 2012. This curriculum impacts the Sunday School classes for teens as well as the youth auxiliary classes for teenage boys and girls. Each Sunday, after the basic worship service, Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) stay on for two classes. Children attend the Primary program while teens and adults attend Sunday School classes. Then the teenagers continue on to either Young Men’s or Young Women’s while their parents go to Priesthood or Relief Society. Children remain in the Primary the entire last two sessions.
The new curriculum is more flexible, allowing each congregation, called wards, to teach the essential topics in ways that meet the needs of their own youth. Lessons are organized by month, but more lessons are offered than can be taught in that month, so teachers and leaders will select those lessons their students most need.... Read the rest of this entry »
At the October 2012 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the president of the Church made an announcement that caused teenagers in the audience to react with great excitement. Thomas S. Monson said:
“I am pleased to announce that effective immediately, all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19. I am not suggesting that all young men will—or should—serve at this earlier age.Rather, based on individual circumstances, as well as upon a determination by priesthood leaders, this option is now available.
As we have prayerfully pondered the age at which young men may begin their missionary service, we have also given consideration to the age at which a young woman might serve. Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women... Read the rest of this entry »
By Rebecca
An exciting event occurred far away from where I live that shows the Mormons’ global mission outreach. Although Mormon congregations have been organized worldwide since 1830, it was only 10 years ago when the first meetinghouse was built in India and dedicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons by the media). On May 27, 2012, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of Jesus Christ, formed the first stake (group of local congregations) in India called the Hyderabad India Stake. (“Apostle Creates First Stake in India,” Mormon Newsroom, June 1, 2012). I may never get the chance to visit India, but I know that God loves all of His children and will send the truth throughout all nations in the world. I myself was called by a prophet of God to serve as a missionary in Spain and taught people of all faiths and from many nations including Africa, South America, and Asia. Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day... Read the rest of this entry »
As technology continues to advance, making more and more tools and applications available for personal, as well as business use, the technology department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to keep pace, always introducing new and innovative ways to help members gain a better knowledge and understanding of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which in turn better equips them to share the message of the restored gospel with non-member family members, friends, and associates. The advances in technology also provides easier access to accurate, dependable, and reliable information about what the Church teaches and believes, for those who may be curious and want to do research on their own.
New Enhancements to Church Websites
Members and non-members who visit the Church websites LDS.org, Mormon.org, Newsroom, and the Mormon Channel, will notice the addition of a new tab called “Church Websites.” Fernando Camillo at LDS... Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
