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 an impact on how you live your life and what you do, but also how you feel about your life and what you are doing,” said Michael Purdy of the LDS Church Public Affairs office.

For the vast majority of Latter-day Saints surveyed, those life choices have much to do with their religious beliefs. Eighty-two percent of survey respondents indicate that religion is “very important” to them, 83 percent say they pray every day and 77 percent say they attend church at least once a week. Beyond that, a stunning 69 percent of respondents fit all three descriptions, saying that religion is very important to them, that they pray every day and that they go to church every week.

“By this measure,” the report says, “Mormons exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than many other religious groups, including white evangelical Christians.”

Part of the explanation for these high numbers may be that the survey focused only on those who self-identified as Latter-day Saints.

“The method they used tended to identify people who are strongly committed,” said BYU sociologist Marie Cornwall, who advised the Pew Forum on the new survey. “They don’t have the people who are kind of marginal. But that’s okay; we just have to be careful with the way we interpret the findings.”

One such finding is the relationship between religious commitment and education among Mormons.

David Campbell, a University of Notre Dame associate professor and another adviser on the survey, noted that the more educated respondents were, the higher their levels of religious commitment.

“I was a little surprised by that,” said Campbell, who is LDS and who has extensively studied on the role of religion in the public square. “The more educated a Mormon is, the more likely they are to be wholehearted in their commitment to the church and its teachings.”

That is different from other churches, he said, where more education tends to lead to more religious skepticism.

Pew Research Center officials also noted “a significant gender gap in religious commitment, with more Mormon women than men exhibiting a high level of religious commitment (73 percent vs. 65 percent).”

According to the Pew report, a similar “gender gap” is seen among the general public. A 2007 survey found 36 percent of U.S. women exhibited a high level of religious commitment, compared with 24 percent of men.

One series of questions asked about what it means to be a good Mormon. According to the respondents, in order to be a good Mormon it is “essential” to believe Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ (80 percent), work to help the poor (73 percent), hold regular family home evenings (51 percent), not drink coffee and tea (49 percent) and not watch R-rated movies (32 percent).

Combining those who said “essential” with those who said “important but not essential,” the order changes a little bit: working to help the poor (97 percent), holding regular family home evenings (96 percent), believing Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ (93 percent), not drinking coffee and tea (81 percent) and not watching R-rated movies (79 percent).

“I think that result is rather interesting,” said Cornwall. “Mormons are known for not drinking coffee or tea and not watching R-rated movies. But compared to believing that Joseph Smith saw God and working for the poor, Mormons don’t seem to focus on the coffee and tea as much as people probably think.”

Other manifestations of religious commitment in the survey included:

The number of respondents (65 percent) who say they hold a current temple recommend (a certificate from local ecclesiastical leaders, issued every other year, indicating that an individual has permission from the church to enter LDS temples and participate in temple rites and sacraments)

The number (79 percent) who say they pay tithing (donating 10 percent of their income to the church)

The number (27 percent) who have served full-time missions for the church (this number includes 43 percent of men and 11 percent of women and varies significantly according to the age and education of the respondent, as well as whether or not the respondent was raised Mormon)

The number (82 percent) who keep food in storage for emergencies or disasters, as they have been counseled to do by LDS Church leaders (This number includes 23 percent who say they have three months’ worth, 35 percent who say they have more than three months’ worth and 23 percent who say they have less than three months’ worth)

The percentage who pay tithing is especially interesting to break down. According to the survey tabulations, “tithing is most common among Mormons with the highest levels of religious commitment (96 percent) … fully 91 percent of college graduates say they pay tithing … compared with 66 percent of those with a high school diploma or less education. And among those whose family income exceeds $30,000, 83 percent say they pay tithing, compared with 69 percent of those with incomes of less than $30,000.”

While previous surveys have clearly established LDS agreement with certain key Christian doctrines — 90 percent of Mormons believe in God, 91 percent believe the Bible is the word of God and 98 percent believe in life after death — the new survey explores Mormon confidence in points of doctrine that are unique to LDS theology. And in these points of doctrine, Mormons proved to be unified and believing. They believe overwhelmingly that God and Jesus Christ are separate physical beings (94 percent), that the president of the LDS Church is a prophet of God (94 percent), that families can be bound together eternally in temple ceremonies (95 percent) and that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets and translated by Joseph Smith (91 percent).

Overall, 77 percent say they believe “wholeheartedly” in all of the teachings of the LDS Church. That number increases to 82 percent among Mormons ages 18-49, and to 85 percent among Mormons who are college graduates.

“Ultimately, I suppose other Americans will judge our church — and perhaps all churches — by their relevance in how they touch and improve human lives right here on Earth as well as what they offer in the life to come,” wrote Michael Otterson, Public Affairs director for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in his “On Faith” blog in the Washington Post. “Meanwhile, we welcome the friendship and regard of all groups, even as we retain our commitment to a unique identity. In the end … Latter-day Saints will strive to be good Mormons, true believers, kind neighbors and faithful friends.”

Pew Study Reflects Mormons’ Religious Commitment to Christ, Mormon Beliefs in Tithes and Temples

Mormons in America

By Amy Choate-Nielsen

Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 7:00 p.m. MST

David Letterman knows how to get a laugh.Like most comics, he riffs on the day’s news, deadpans the camera and revels in audacity.”Oh, did you hear about this?” the host of CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman asked his audience recently. “A campaign staffer on the Newt Gingrich campaign was fired because he was making negative comments about Mormons. I thought, now, wait a minute — isn’t Newt in favor of multiple wives?”
Laughter rumbled from the audience followed by applause. The polygamy punch line is a familiar one when it comes to poking fun at Mormons — as though Mormons and polygamy are synonymous in mainstream media. Ironically, the practice that’s most linked to Mormons is a practice most Mormons oppose, according to a groundbreaking new study of Mormons in America released Thursday by the Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion and Public Life.

According to the study, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unequivocally reject polygamy — only 2 percent said the practice is morally acceptable — evidence of a yawning gap in what Mormons believe and how they are perceived. Mormons’ opinions are overwhelmingly conservative, the study shows, but in many ways, their views are also surprising — especially when it comes to opinions on moral issues, divorce, homosexuality and polygamy.

Morality

Mormons also take a significant stance on moral issues in other areas, such as divorce, sex outside of marriage and consumption of alcohol.

Although teachings from the LDS Church emphasize the importance and eternal nature of the family, only 25 percent of Mormons surveyed said divorce is morally wrong, according to the study. That means Mormons are slightly less morally opposed to divorce than the general public.

“For Catholics, divorce does not exist. They think it is not only wrong but it is impossible,” said Matthew Bowman, member of a board of expert advisers to the Pew Research Center for the study and author of “The Mormon People,” a book on the history of the LDS Church. “That has not been true for Mormons. There is theological space for divorce within Mormonism. It is undesirable, but Mormons recognize it is sometimes necessary and sometimes the right thing to do.”

Other moral views revealed in the survey — 54 percent said drinking alcohol was morally wrong, compared with 15 percent of the general public — set Mormons apart, Bowman says. The assumption on the part of non-Mormons is that if Mormons think drinking alcohol is wrong, then they must think everyone who imbibes is morally flawed. That apprehension can make people suspicious of Mormons, and wary of an elitist attitude, he says.

Differences in moral viewpoints can create a stumbling block for Mormon acceptance — not only in high-profile arenas, such as a presidential election, but also in communities.
“What you find throughout the report is a tension,” said David Campbell, assistant professor at Notre Dame and an adviser on the study. “Mormons like to use the phrase, ‘Be in the world but not of the world.’ They are certainly living their lives in the world. They are active and involved in their communities, but they have these beliefs and practices that set them apart a little bit, and sometimes there is conflict.”

Homosexuality

Mormons have some of the most conservative opinions when it comes to homosexuality. The survey asked Mormons if homosexuality should be accepted by society or discouraged by society, with an option for neither, both or “don’t know.” The response — 26 percent said homosexuality should be accepted, 65 percent said it should be discouraged — puts Mormons as the least likely to say homosexuality should be accepted by society. But a 26 percent acceptance rate, with roughly 1 in 4 Mormons saying homosexuality should be accepted, might be surprisingly high to some.

Of particular interest is the fact that only 8 percent of Mormons surveyed identified themselves as liberal, and 66 percent said they were conservative. That means some of those who said homosexuality should be accepted also identify themselves as politically conservative, Bowman says. That distinction illustrates the complexity of Mormons’ opinion on sexuality — that it is rooted more in religious precepts than politics.
Still, it’s difficult to draw a conclusion about Mormons‘ views on homosexuality based on the study, says Pew Research Center adviser Terryl Givens, professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond.

“Results need to be viewed cautiously,” Givens says. “Official LDS pronouncements insist there is a distinction between (sexual) orientation and behavior, but the survey blurs that difference, probably leaving many Mormons unsure how to answer that question. What is clear, however, is that Mormons are trending toward greater acceptance of same-sex relationships, just as society as a whole is, although by a much smaller percentage.”

Polygamy

At one point 120 years ago, some Mormons practiced plural marriage, hence the association between Mormons and polygamy. The practice was discontinued in 1890, but the cultural association persists, perhaps in part because Mormons are sometimes confused with members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church, a polygamist group not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the October-November 2011 study of a national sample of 1,019 Mormons, 86 percent said polygamy is morally wrong. That’s a number that surprises Bowman.

Were it not for the confusion surrounding Mormons and the FLDS Church practice of plural marriage, Bowman says that statistic might not be as high.

“It’s my experience that Mormons have a fraught relationship with polygamy,” Bowman said of the study results. “There is a sense that rejecting polygamy identifies a member of the LDS Church and distinguishes us from the fundamentalists. That is a cultural signifier as much as a theological statement.”

Some who responded to the survey, 11 percent, said polygamy is not a moral issue.
Email: achoate@desnews.com

SMITHFIELD — After dinner, three baths, four bedtime stories and a half-a-dozen goodnight kisses for 2-year-old twins Brock and Isaac and 6-year-old Ellie, Erin and Brian Thompson finally sink into the couch with weary smiles.

Being parents is just what they always wanted. And they love it.

“Of course we have our crazy moments,” Thompson says, “but for the most part we just try to find the good things in the day and remember that they’re only going to be little for so long.”

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Thompsons believe that maintaining a strong marriage and raising and teaching children are essential keys to happiness and their most important responsibilities on earth.

In fact, 81 percent of Mormons say being a good parent is “one of the most important things in life,” according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life — the first survey of Mormons about Mormons, by a non-LDS research organization.

The survey of more than 1,000 self-identified Latter-day Saints from across the country asked how accepted Mormons feel in American culture, as well as their thoughts on religious practices, political issues and family roles.

The survey showed that Mormons are more likely to be married than the general population, 67 percent of the sample size compared to 52 percent of the general public.

And 85 percent of married Mormons married other Mormons. Protestants marry other Protestants 81 percent of the time and Catholics marry each other 78 percent of the time.

With an emphasis on marriage, it should come as no surprise that the Mormons surveyed also had, on average, more children (2.6) than the general U.S. population (1.8).

Thompson grew up wanting to have a large family and be a good mother, but she and her husband have struggled with infertility for nearly nine years — a trial punctuated by the joys of two different adoptions, Ellie, then the twins.

“We said when we finally get to be parents, we’re going to actually sit down and take a little more time to focus on our kids,” Thompson said, who lives in northern Utah. “I’m not saying that other people don’t do that — the perspective we have is just a little different.”

Other Latter-day Saints share the Thompson’s enthusiasm to put family first.

“Family is at the core of our faith,” says Jane Clayson Johnson, a Latter-day Saint and former anchor of CBS’s “The Early Show” who prefers the title of mom to two young children and stepmom to three older ones. “There are so many distractions today that all force us outward, away from core relationships. What our faith does is turn us back toward deep, rich, meaningful relationships in families.”

“It teaches us that families are where we find meaning,” continued Clayson from her home in Boston. “The work I do in my family is the most important work that I’ll ever do.”

Among the general public, 50 percent list being a good parent as “one of the most important things in life,” with 44 percent listing it as “very important but not most important.”

That shouldn’t be taken to mean that the average American doesn’t value marriage or family, just that they don’t “go to church every week and get told that’s what they’re supposed to do,” says Marie Cornwall, a professor of sociology at Brigham Young University. Cornwall advised the Pew Center for this survey.

“There’s nothing to suggest that family life is less valued in the United States over time,” she said, “but there’s more that suggests that people are feeling like it’s not possible for them to attain that.”

The pressure comes when a “successful” marriage is defined as having a good job, a hefty retirement account and a lovely home with a white picket fence, Cornwall said. So when people can’t achieve that in today’s tough economy, many feel like they’ve failed.

“For Mormons, there’s a spiritual aspect brought to that (definition of success),” she said, “an effort, in terms of sermons, to try and downplay the material and place more emphasis on the relationships.”

When the survey asked Mormons about working arrangements in families, nearly six out of 10 Mormons indicated they would prefer a marriage where the man works and the woman stays home to care for the home and the children.

LDS college graduates liked this marital structure more than any other subgroup, with 71 percent of them preferring the man to work and the woman to stay home.

In the general population, only 30 percent of Americans would prefer a marriage where the husband works and the wife stays home. Among religiously unaffiliated Americans, it drops to 15 percent who would pick such a scenario.

Almost four-in-10 Mormons would prefer that both parents work and both parents help with child rearing and housework.

For American Fork mom Ruth Ann Dupaix, 37, it’s not a black-or-white decision. Throughout her marriage she has both worked and stayed at home.

“The way we look at it, we try to make it a partnership,” Dupaix says. “It’s more who’s able at the time to do it best. It’s working together, a give and take.”

When she and her husband, Geoff, were first married, her job helped pay for his school. When he finished, she kept working because her employer would pay for her to complete her degree, and education was important to both of them.

Dupaix stopped working when her sixth child was born but has recently gone back to work at a local grocery store three nights a week to help fulfill a family goal to reduce their debt load.

It’s a big pay cut from the job she used to have at a bank, but it’s a more family friendly schedule.

“As part of a family you make sacrifices,” she said. “I’m gone when the kids are asleep, but I’m still here during the day when they need me.

Additional Resources:

For original source Deseret News article: Mormon family marriage focus Pew.

Mormons in America Pew Study.

”

As the “Mormon moment” extends into 2012, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life today released a groundbreaking new survey, the first ever published by a non-LDS research organization to focus exclusively on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their beliefs, values, perceptions and political preferences.

Entitled “Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society,” the survey was conducted between Oct. 25 and Nov. 16, 2011 among a national sample of 1,019 respondents who identified themselves as Mormons. The results validate a number of long-held stereotypes (most American Mormons are white, well-educated, politically conservative and religiously observant) while providing a few interesting surprises (care for the poor and needy is high on the list of LDS priorities, while drinking coffee and watching R-rated movies aren’t as taboo among the rank and file as you might think).

“While this survey comes amid a contentious election campaign, it is not solely or even chiefly about politics,” said Luis Lugo, Pew Research Center director, in the published survey’s preface. “Rather, we hope that it will contribute to a broader public understanding of Mormons and Mormonism at a time of great interest in both.”

For example, in one very interesting section of the new survey, respondents were asked several questions about what is essential to being a good Mormon. According to the survey, 80 percent said “believing Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ” is essential to being a good Mormon, 73 percent said “working to help the poor,” 51 percent said “regular Family Home Evenings,” 49 percent said “not drinking coffee and tea” and 32 percent said “not watching R-rated movies.

“To be honest, I found the strong sentiment that ‘working to help the poor’ is essential to being a good Mormon refreshing and a little surprising,” said David Campbell, an LDS Church member who is an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame and who consulted with the Pew Research Center on the new survey. “As a Mormon, I would hope it would be that way, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s good to see the church’s genuine compassion for the poor and needy reflected in these numbers.”

People outside the church may or may not be aware of the LDS propensity for compassionate service and other . According to the survey, 62 percent of Mormons think that Americans are generally uninformed about Mormonism, and 68 percent feel that they are not viewed as part of mainstream American society. But they remain optimistic, with 63 percent expressing the belief that Mormonism will eventually become part of mainstream society and 56 percent saying that the American people are ready for a Mormon president.

In fact, optimism is one of the themes to emerge from the survey relative to Latter-day Saints. Some 87 percent say they are satisfied with the way things are going in their own life, and 92 percent say their respective communities are excellent (52 percent) or good (40 percent) places to live (this is especially true among Mormons in Utah, of whom 71 percent say their communities are excellent).

But evidently, optimism only goes so far with Mormons.

“I think it is interesting that the respondents are overwhelmingly positive about their communities. They love their communities and everything’s fine there,” said Marie Cornwall, professor of sociology at Brigham Young University and another advisor to the Pew Research Center on this study. “But when you ask them about the way things are going in the country today, they are overwhelmingly (75 percent) dissatisfied. You would think that their satisfaction with their personal lives would factor into their feelings about how things are going in the country, but there seems to be a total disconnect there.”

It should be noted that the Mormon view of how things are going in the country today closely resembles the view of the American public as a whole, among whom 78 percent said they were dissatisfied in an October 2011 Pew Research Center survey.

Generally speaking, the new survey looks at Mormons and their perspectives in four key areas: politics and ideology, religious beliefs and practices, cultural and moral issues and family life.

Politically, there are few surprises. Most Mormons (66 percent) describe themselves as politically conservative, and 74 percent of Mormon voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party. Philosophically, 75 percent of respondents said they prefer a smaller government providing fewer services to a bigger government providing more services.

Among a number of politicians currently in the spotlight, Mitt Romney is a favorite, being viewed favorably by 86 percent of all Mormons and 94 percent of Mormon Republicans. Even among Mormon Democrats, 62 percent rate Romney favorably.

The other Mormon running for president, Jon Huntsman, is viewed favorably by 50 percent of Mormon voters, while President Barack Obama is viewed favorably by 25 percent — slightly ahead of the rating Mormons bestowed upon another one of their own: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (22 percent).

Interestingly, Latter-day Saints seem to be somewhat divided on the issue of immigration. They are fairly evenly split on whether immigrants strengthen the U.S. because of their hard work and talents (45 percent) or burden the U.S. by taking American jobs, housing and health care (41 percent).

Campbell, who is an expert in the field of religion, politics and civic engagement, said he wasn’t surprised by that result.

“Although Mormons are caricatured as being really right wing, on the issue of immigration they are not,” he said. “The church itself has been quite a voice of moderation on this issue, and that has resulted in Mormons being more positive toward immigrants than other conservative religious groups tend to be.”

Campbell suggests that the LDS Church’s missionary program has something to do with that, with Latter-day Saints tending to develop a broader worldview as a result of their missionary service around the world. In any event, he said, “this result really does cut against the stereotype.”

In terms of religious beliefs and practices, the survey makes it clear that Mormons are highly religious — again, not a big surprise. Eighty-two percent say that religion is very important in their lives, and 77 percent say they believe wholeheartedly in all of the church’s teachings. Fully 83 percent say they pray every day, 79 percent say they donate 10 percent of their earnings to the church in tithing and 77 percent say they attend church at least once a week. According to Pew, “Mormons exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than many other religious groups, including white evangelical Protestants.”

Looking at basic, core religious beliefs, 98 percent say they believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 94 percent believe the president of the LDS Church is a prophet of God, 95 percent believe that families can be bound together eternally in temple ceremonies, 94 percent believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate, physical beings and 91 percent believe that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets.

Clearly, Mormons are believers.

But are they Christian? Ninety-seven percent of Mormons think so. And when asked to volunteer the one word that best describes Mormons, the most common responses were “Christian” and “Christ-centered.” By way of contrast, a November Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half (49 percent) of non-Mormon U.S. adults say that Mormonism is NOT Christian or that they are unsure whether or not it is Christian. In that same survey, when respondents were asked for one word that best describes the LDS Church, the most commonly offered response was “cult.”

Culturally, Mormon conservatism extends to a wide variety of moral issues. Polygamy (86 percent), sex between unmarried adults (79 percent), abortion (74 percent) and drinking alcohol (54 percent) are viewed as morally wrong. Divorce, on the other hand, is largely considered “not a moral issue” by respondents (46 percent).

Similarly, 65 percent of respondents said that homosexuality should be discouraged by society, compared with 58 percent of the general public who say homosexuality should be accepted by society.

“Mormons like to use the phrase, ‘Be in the world but not of the world,’” Campbell noted. “They are active and involved in their communities, but they have these beliefs and practices that set them apart a little bit, and sometimes that creates conflict or tension. [Homosexuality] is one of those issues where, rightly or wrongly, Mormons just have a different position than most of the rest of America.”

The survey also illustrates how important family life is to most members of the LDS Church. Among life’s priorities, being a good parent (81 percent) and having a successful marriage (73 percent) place higher than career concerns, having free time or even living a religious life. Some 67 percent of Mormon adults are married (compared with 52 percent of the general public), and 85 percent of them are married to another Mormon.

“As the Church and its members are increasingly the focus of media attention, we’re eager to participate in conversations that help the public get to know us better,” said LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy. “Even though the recent Pew study did not survey any of the Church’s eight million members who live outside the U.S., it highlights some important aspects regarding who we are and what we believe.

“For example,” Purdy continued, “the study found that Church members subscribe to traditional Christian beliefs, have high moral standards, are overwhelmingly satisfied with their lives and communities, are active in serving others and have a profound dedication to family. These results reflect the Church’s message that a deep commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ brings lasting happiness.”

Speaking for the Pew Research Center, Lugo said the idea for the survey was born last summer, “around the time that a Newsweek cover story and a New York Times article declared that the United States was experiencing a ‘Mormon moment.’”

“That got us thinking,” Lugo said in the survey’s preface.

Over the years, numerous polls have gauged public attitudes toward Mormons, who make up about 2 percent of all U.S. adults. But what do Mormons think about their place in American life? With the rising prominence of members of the LDS Church in politics, popular culture and the media, do Mormons feel more secure and accepted in American society? What do they think about other religions? What do they believe, how do they practice their faith and what do they see as essential to being a good Mormon and to leading a good life?

An advisory panel was recruited to help the Pew Forum staff create the survey. The panel featured a number of Latter-day Saints who have professional experience in Mormon studies and research, including Campbell, Cornwall, Matthew Bowman of Hampden-Sydney College, Terryl Givens of the University of Richmond and Allison Pond of the Deseret News.

“We helped them to formulate the questions, and to frame them in the kind of language that Mormons use,” Campbell said.

After a period of testing, the survey was conducted among respondents who identified themselves as Mormons (it also included qualifying questions that made it clear that respondents were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as opposed to other churches whose members may refer to themselves as Mormons).

“Since Mormons represent about 2 percent of the population, you’d have to call 98 people before you’d get a Mormon, and that would be very expensive,” said Cornwall, who is also editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. “But they had a fancy way of finding Mormons, including going back to Mormons they had found in the course of doing previous surveys, so they were able to get their sample in a cost-effective way.”

Care was also taken to make sure the survey included those who had land lines as well as those who have only cell phones — a growing area of concern among those who conduct public opinion research today.

• 71 percent of respondents reside in the American West, including 53 percent who live in the Mountain states and 34 percent who live in Utah;

• 88 percent are white, 7 percent Hispanic, 1 percent black and 4 percent other racial and ethnic backgrounds;

• 50 percent say that evangelical Christians are generally unfriendly to Mormons;

• 54 percent say that the way their religion is portrayed on television and in movies hurts society’s image of Mormons;

• 57 percent of Mormons said that most or all of their close friends are other Mormons (this number was significantly higher in Utah, where the number climbed to 73 percent);

 
Pew Study on Mormons in America

• 65 percent of respondents say they hold a current temple recommend;

• 27 percent say they believe in yoga not just as exercise but as a spiritual practice;

• 11 percent say they believe in reincarnation;

• 74 percent were raised in the LDS Church;

• 59 percent of converts cite the church’s beliefs as the main reason they joined the church;

• 59 percent of converts joined the church between the ages of 18 and 35;

• 27 percent have served a full-time mission, including 43 percent of men and 11 percent of women;

• 82 percent say they have a supply of food in storage, and 58 percent keep at least a three-month supply.

The margin of error for the survey is =/- 4.5 percentage points.

“I think this survey is a really good summary of the hyper-committed Mormon community that shows up at church every week,” Cornwall said. “I’m not sure it captures Mormons on the margins very well, but that’s OK — hopefully we can do that the next time. Meanwhile, this is a pretty good picture — and an interesting picture — of Mormons

By Joseph Walker, Deseret News

Additional Resources:

Full original source Deseret News article: Pew Study on Mormons in America.

Learn more about the results of this survey of Mormons in America.

See infographic from the Deseret News article.

Pew Mormon Study Highlights Christianity.

We are not left alone on this earth. Jesus Christ was sent to this earth to give us the strength to overcome challenges, problems, and sin. To overcome sin. He asks us to look to Him with faith that He knows what is best for us. There is a pathway that the Lord Jesus Christ has provided for us so that we might be able to find peace in this life and eternal life in the next life. He has given us the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord prospers all those who follow the gospel of Jesus Christ. In The Book of Mormon, a record of the teachings of Jesus Christ that God gave to the ancient inhabitants of the American continent, it says:

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

In the Holy Bible Jesus Christ said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another (John 13:34).” I have found that some of my greatest joys in life come from serving other people. As I try to show the love for others as the Savior did for me, He blesses me with peace, and He helps me love others even more. I know that true happiness only comes to those who seek to love and serve God and all His children. Listen to these words of a modern day apostle of Jesus Christ.

Additional Resources:

Get a free copy of the Holy Bible.

Read a modern apostles words on becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ at the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths, the “Mormon Church”).

Learn about how a belief in Jesus Christ can help you.

In this world full of trouble, sin, hardship and challenges, it would seem that there is no hope. That there is nothing to hold on to or rely on. But I testify that this is not true. The Lord Jesus Christ came down to this earth and took upon himself our pains, sins, sufferings and death. He made it possible for all wrongs to be made right. Because of Him we will all be resurrected from the dead. Because of Him we can find peace even in the most difficult and distressing times of our life. It is through the gospel of Jesus Christ that we can find safety for the soul and peace. In the Book of Mormon, a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the American continent, it testifies of Jesus Christ and His mission. It says:

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

I testify that Jesus Christ lives and that because He lives, we don’t need to be afraid. When we turn our lives to Him we can feel of His love and power and strength. I have felt this strength when I put my trust in Him and follow the gospel that He has given to all of us so that we might find peace.

Additional Resources:

Find a church meetinghouse.

Learn more about the peace that Jesus Christ has to offer us at an official website for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths, the “Mormon Church”).

Learn more about God’s plan of happiness for us in this life and the next life.

Tinsel, garland, gifts under the tree, smells and scents that connote a beautiful time of year–these all are reminiscent of Christmas, a time for the joyous celebration of Christ’s birth.

The first real gift of Christmas is the Baby Himself, Jesus Christ.  He is ours to receive, to know, to love, to worship as Savior of the World, the Only Begotten in the flesh, the Son of God.  The second real Christmas gift, intimately connected with Himself, is the key to the knowledge of  Him which has been restored to the earth through the re-establishment of His own Church on the earth–The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths, the “Mormon Church”). These are two gifts in one: the Savior, and His Church in our day! These are the real gifts of Christmas!

Christmas Message: Jesus Christ Established His Church & Restored It In Our Day

From the creation of the world, the prophets foretold and the children of God anticipated the coming of the Redeemer, the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ.  As He had promised, our Heavenly Father, the Father of our spirits, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth over 2,000 years ago.

Jesus Christ, now diluted, de-throned, sidelined by many pundits and blanched naysayers, lives! He is resurrected! He is real. He is the perfect, sympathetic, just, merciful, omniscient Savior who stooped in agony and hung in great condescension, to be able to lift us back into His presence. This is not a fable, as Paul said, who was one of many eyewitnesses, both of His suffering and of His glory. For those in doubt, we witness to you that He lives! Please read on, to learn more about the second gift of Christmas.

Jesus Christ lived a sinless life. He established His Church, taught His gospel, and performed many miracles. He chose twelve men to carry His authority, to be His Apostles, including Peter, James and John. He taught them and enabled them by the laying on of hands to perform certain ordinances or rites of salvation, such as baptism.

When Jesus Christ established His Church, He received instructions and revelation from the Father for the benefit of all. He then taught His followers and they, in turn, received a witness of the truths He taught, by revelation as well. Revelation–or things shared by the Spirit from God to man–was the rock on which the Savior built His Church.

At the end of His life, Jesus Christ suffered and died for each of our sins and infirmities–those of everyone who has lived or who will yet live on this earth. This sacrifice is called the Atonement. Through His suffering, death, and Resurrection, the Savior made it possible for us to be forgiven and to regain His presence–a presence which brings light, power, glory, joy into our lives, a presence which transforms us.  Those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent, and keep His commandments with His help, receive forgiveness of sins, greater light and truth, increased peace and joy in this life, and eternal life in the world to come.

The Great Apostasy: God and Jesus Christ Knew There Would Be A Falling Away From Truth

Following the death of Jesus Christ, evil schemers persecuted and killed many Church members. Others drifted from the truth by degree. The Apostles themselves were killed or martyred and priesthood authority–the ability to act in the Savior’s name to perpetuate His kingdom on earth–was taken from the earth. Because the Church was no longer led by those the Savior designated as authorities, error crept into Church teachings. The pure gospel truths that Jesus taught were mixed and diluted and changed. This period of religious history is called the Great Apostasy.

The Savior, knowing all things, anticipated this apostasy–or falling away from the truth. Through an Old Testament prophet, He said:

Behold, the days come…that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And people shall wander form sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it (Amos 8:11-12).

This apostasy resulted in the formation of many churches with conflicting and confusing creeds. During this time, many men and women sought the truth but were unable to find it in its fullness. Many good people believed in God and Jesus Christ and tried to understand and teach truth but they had neither the authority nor the complete gospel. As a result, each generation inherited partial and distorted beliefs from the preceding one, and were in a state of apostasy still.

Inspired reformers, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, recognized that practices and doctrines had been changed or lost. They tried to reform the churches to which they belonged and to reconstruct the truth. Without priesthood authority, however, Christ’s gospel could not be returned to its original form. A restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ–not a reformation of the gospel of Jesus Christ–was needed.

The Second Christmas Gift!

Our Christmas message to you is that there are two gifts for you this Christmas, should you choose to accept them–one, the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, as Savior of the World–the One who provides all we need for a full life and for godliness; and two, the additional news that His Church–even the Church of Jesus Christ–has been restored to the earth!  It’s here, with all of the pure doctrines and priesthood authority needed for you and I to be freed from sin and sanctified to become more and more like Him, filling our eternal potential!  We invite you as friends of other faiths, to pray about this message for yourselves and to investigate its truthfulness further.

Christmas Message: The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

In 1820, our Father in Heaven chose a prophet to restore the gospel and priesthood to the earth! That prophet’s name was Joseph Smith. As a young man, Joseph Smith wrestled with questions about the teachings of many churches around his home, each seeking their own followers in a competitive way. Each preacher, moreover, taught something different about the Savior and the path to salvation. Joseph Smith wanted to know which church was right. Knowing he lacked wisdom, he followed James’ counsel in the Holy Bible: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

Joseph took that promise to heart. He found a spot in a nearby grove of trees, knelt and prayed in faith, submitting his question to God. Unexpectedly, Joseph found himself visited by glorious personages–even the Father Himself, who introduced His Son, Jesus Christ.  They instructed Joseph not to join any of the churches, suggesting that they held not the ‘power’ of godliness.

Joseph Smith was called by Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father to be a prophet of this last dispensation or gospel era, through whom the complete gospel of Jesus Christ would be restored.

In his words,

I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me… When the light rested upon me, I saw two Personages whose brightness and glory defy all description standing above me in the air. one of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other, This is My Beloved Son, hear Him!” (Joseph Smith: History 1:16-17).

We invite you to learn more about these two incomparable Christmas gifts this year. Don’t miss Christmas. The real gift is Jesus Christ. He is the Gift–the Author and Finisher of our faith.  He has restored His Church to the earth–that we may have all we need to know Him and to grow in glory to become more and more like Him, until the perfect day, when His glory shall be revealed in full and our joy perfected in Him.

Merry Christmas!

Additional Resources:

Learn more about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ at mormon.org, an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Find a local church meetinghouse

Learn about the restoration from Joseph Smith’s personal account.

Because Christians believe God created everything, they sometimes ask, “Did God create evil?”

A Latter-day Saint woman shares her thoughts on this question of good and evil.

God did not create evil; everything He created was good. However, God believes in agency, considering it essential to our eternal salvation. Agency is the right to choose for ourselves. Some people choose to be evil and so evil was created through the choices of men, not by God. How we choose to use the great gift of agency tells God, the world, and ourselves what sort of people we are.

Mormons believe that we were created as spirits before we came to earth. We lived in that form for a while, and even there we had agency. We had our own personalities and began the process of deciding who we wanted to be. When it was time for us to come to earth to live, God explained the program to us. Since justice required us to be perfect in order to return, and that, of course, wasn’t possible, He planned for us to have a Savior. Jesus Christ volunteered for this position. The atonement had to be a voluntary act. He was willing to live a sinless life, suffer extraordinary pain in the Garden of Gethsemane, and die on the cross for us, to be risen three days later. All this He would do out of pure love for us, and He wanted nothing in return. He asked that we give the honor and glory to God.

Satan, however, hated that plan. He tried to overturn it and to convince us to refuse God’s plan for us. He suggested instead that we come to earth completely controlled by him, making no choices for ourselves. In that way, we would never sin—he would make all the choices for us. This, he assured us, would guarantee we could return to God, and do so in a way that let him suffer no pain. He was willing to work hard, but not to suffer for us, because love had nothing to do with his plan. He explained that in return, we had to promise to worship only him. This idea was all about him, not us and our eternal well-being. His way would have rendered life on earth meaningless and would have overthrown essential eternal truths and requirements. He would have tried to replace God.

Did God create evil? No, He gave us agency and then we choose to create it ourselves with Satan as our cheerleader. When evil is in the world, mortals have only themselves to blame, since even Satan can’t make us do evil. We choose to do so.

In response to this reflection, another Latter-day Saint Christian (“Mormon“) wrote:

I have a friend that has suffered a lot because of questions like this one.  Particularly because we often hear that God uses others’ bad choices to teach us.  I have often wondered, “Why would the Lord help me find my keys after I pray to Him, but things like the Holocaust happened?”  After much prayer, this is what I found:

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (errantly called The Mormon Church by the media from time to time), we believe in a God who wants us to use our individual agency.  The logical problem with associating my keys and big disasters, like the Holocaust, is that we put the choice back on God.  By connecting the two ideas as parallel, we are pinning God’s desire for us to use individual agency against our perception of how we think He should use His agency, or free will.

The fact of the matter is that God will help each individual, no matter the circumstances, to make correct choices within our sphere of influence.  If someone is in wonderful, awful, or unlivable circumstances, they still have a range of choices, and God will help them make the right choice, but only if they want to and ask Him to help them.  God did not create evil, nor does he use it as a teaching tool.  However, if we want to use our agency, or free will, to learn from an negative experience, He will guide us in our choice to move forward.

For my friend, this view of God that I presented to him may have made sense—or maybe not.  However, I know that God is interested in my personal development enough that he will not prevent me from making good choices—or sometimes, bad choices.  I can learn if I want to.  I can find God if I want to.  He will not interfere with my life with a miraculous display of power, but rather touch me softly after I’ve sought for His love.

A third Latter-day Saint (“Mormon” woman) affirmed this regard for individual agency, as follows:

Thank you for this thoughtful response, Alex. So true. I think when we remove the divine law of agency–as you said well– and the beauty of God’s constancy in respecting that law so we can grow, we would come to the conclusion that He is missing or AWOL when He could have been there. Instead, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are very much there, as the Savior was on the shores of Galilee during the storms, in the moment for Saul on the Road to Damascus, and eternally for each of us in the garden and on the cross.

If we miss the need for agency–however raw the use or abuse of it is–we can then draw wrong conclusions and think God the Father or Jesus Christ, have betrayed our trust in Them or that They have abandoned us. This is far from true and if we remember Gethsemane, we are reminded that the notion that God doesn’t care or has turned away is not true. His Son, the Savior, suffered for our every hurt personally, so that distorted view of God absent in suffering or disregarding it, can not hold water. He does work the agonies of life into glories over time (as mentioned by CS Lewis & in the Holy Bible: Book of Revelation)–not that the misery and consequences of others’ choices won’t be felt and dealt with by him, but that our suffering for others’ wrong choices as well as for own foibles, will work to ends that are ultimately positive, and only love’s pure joys will remain eternally (as the hymn records).

Additional Resources:

Did God create evil? He does not force us to make decisions. We all have the gift of choice.

Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon.

Attend a local meetinghouse.

Marcus is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths, the “Mormon Church”). Tried by adversity as a teenager, he now shares his story of healing. Marcus has also enjoyed filming a nationally televised commercial and traveling to South America.

Everyone has challenges. It doesn’t matter where we’re from, what religion we are, how much money we have or our status in society. Nothing in this world can make a person immune from the difficulties of life.

Some of the greatest challenges I have faced in my life came at an early age. At 12 I was diagnosed with a hereditary condition which caused my body to not produce enough of a chemical called Serotonin. The result of not having enough of this chemical produced in your body is depression. I was then diagnosed with severe social anxiety and had to drop out of school. My parents divorced when I was 15 years old and by the age of 17, my mother stopped talking to me. Her last words to me were “I don’t want to have anything to do with you anymore” before she moved away without telling me where she was going.

Between the ages of 12 and 18, my life was a mess. Our family physician said that my parent’s divorce would destroy me and the countless psychiatrists I visited gave up on me. Most of the time I wanted to be left alone and I stayed in my room. I felt as though I was a burden to everyone else and I was less then pleasant to be around. When my mom left, I locked myself in my room for 3 days and wept. As sad as this all may sound, it was during these times that my relationship with God and my faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ grew and strengthened.

Looking back on that difficult period of my life I now realize that I didn’t go to the Jesus Christ for help. It was the Lord who came to help me.  As it says in the book of John, third chapter, 16^th and 17^th verses:

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

The Atonement of Jesus Christ doesn’t only apply to the salvation of my soul, the atonement also applies to my life at every moment. I needed then, more than ever, for someone to save me and it was through the Atonement and the love of my Savior that my salvation came. At a time when it seemed as though the world was against me, I felt deep inside of me  knowledge of the truth that even if the entire world despised me, the Lord came into this world with the single purpose of helping me.

Somehow, through the fog of my depression and despite the inexperience of my youth, I was able to feel inspired and strengthened. I prayed to God on a regular basis and asked him for help. It seemed as though the more I talked to the Lord, the stronger I felt. The peace and comfort that came to me began to heal me from the inside and after a few years, I was able to stop taking my medication.

When my mother left I wept but I also prayed. I told the Lord how alone I was feeling and how sad I was. It felt like a piece of me had been removed and now I had a gaping hole in my soul. It was then that I felt like I should go to the scriptures for my comfort. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly misnamed the “Mormon Church”) I read from The Book of Mormon, which is an ancient record of holy scripture that testifies of Jesus Christ. When I went to read, I happened to open The Book of Mormon, to a scripture that I must have read multiple times but constantly overlooked. 1 Nephi, 21^st chapter and 15^th verse states:

“For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.”

Although I hurt inside, I knew that the Lord Jesus Christ would always love me and remember me. In that moment, the healing began to take place and I have never felt alone since that time.

We all suffer and feel pain from time to time. Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed that there seems to be no way out of that pit of despair. It’s then that the atonement can serve as a ladder for us to climb out of the dark pit and into the light of day, and it’s the Savior who extends that ladder to us. It will take energy and work but I know that it’s worth the effort and I am so grateful that I chose to make that climb.

Additional Resources:

Learn more about how Jesus Christ is our Savior at an official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Learn more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Get a free copy of The Book of Mormon.

Tiffany Sowby is a mother of five. She tries to find humor, joy and contentment in the little things life has to offer.

How do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) celebrate Christmas? Is it all about Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve night and what presents have been purchased for loved ones? Or is Christmas about remembering the birth of Jesus Christ?

Growing up as a child in England, Religious studies were a part of the daily school curriculum. I spent many Decembers working on art projects and essays depicting what most in the Christian world refers to as ‘The First Christmas’. I specifically recall making a time-line of events with pictures beginning with Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth to Baby Jesus laying in a manger. I remember my third grade class painting gold angels, that I placed proudly on my family’s Christmas tree. One of my favorite parts of December as a school child were joining with the rest of the school and singing the old Christmas favorites, Away in a Manger and Silent Night.

My children now bring home from school Rudolphs made of construction paper, and red and green tissue paper wreath’s that adorn our counters, fridges and doors. Furthermore, any singing my children do at school during the month of December is limited strictly to songs about reindeer, snowmen, and of course, good old Santa Claus himself.

Too often now, the balance of Christmas is left out.

As a child growing up in England my family was (and still are) active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Our personal family celebrations and traditions intermixed with the celebrations of our local church congregation and the school festivities all had very similar tones. We celebrated Christmas. And though we certainly had our fair share of Christmas candy, visits to/from Santa Claus and non-religious Christmas songs, one thing was never neglected, the recognition and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Is it possible to enjoy the traditional parts of Christmas that include Santa Claus, candy canes, and gingerbread houses AND the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth?

Absolutely!

There is much to love about the Christmas season. Christmas music, wrapping presents, garlands on banisters and the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree are high on my list of Christmas favorites. I love the excitement on children’s faces in anticipation of Santa Claus, and I love chocolate in my stocking.

I love the kindness that seems to be in the air at Christmas time. It seems hearts stretch a little more and wallets open a little wider with a turn of the calendar page. Yet even with all the distractions of a commercialized holiday, there is room for quiet moments of reflection about what Christmas is really about.

Though my children may not experience the same balance of Christmas celebrations in school as I once did, they experience both parts of Christmas within our home, our church and among extended family and friends.

Typically Latter Day Saint (Mormon) Sunday meetings in December focus on the true meaning of Christmas, but there are plenty of opportunities to balance the other parts of Christmas within our church buildings. I have participated in numerous Christmas dinners in a church setting that may include a energetic rendition of Jingle Bells as Santa enters the room or it may include young children dressed in robes and sheets re-enacting the scene in Bethlehem on that first Christmas night. I’ve joined church groups making Christmas crafts and decorations, and I’ve joined church groups supplying Christmas to a homeless shelter.

We live in a world that has made Christmas far more than the simplicity of a sacred night more than 2,000 years ago. We’ve even moved on from the simple times of excitment over a single orange left under a tree. We live in a world that fills December with gift exchanges, dinner parties, stocking stuffers and all sorts of anxiety and stresses that result from the search for the perfect gift or celebration.

In my family, despite my best efforts to balance all aspects of the Christmas season, on occasion Christmas Day has come and gone with our full focus on unwrapping presents, Santa Claus’ visit, and answering the repeated question, “What did you get?” The Nativity re-enactments, carols and scriptural readings of the previous night are suddenly forgotten in the whirlwind of toys, gadgets and chocolate on Christmas morning.

Several years ago my grandmother introduced a new tradition into the Christmas afternoon dinner she has always hosted. Sometimes close to 40 people squeeze into her modest front room. Amidst piles of gift bags and hand-wrapped presents, she has a previously assigned person read to us, “And Santa whispered, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas.’ Using a somewhat dated flannel board, we watch and listen as some typically commercialized Christmas symbols are related to Jesus Christ.

It isn’t the piece of writing itself that draws a special spirit into the room, and it certainly isn’t the visual aid. It is the acknowledgment and remembrance of Jesus Christ’s simple birth and what His life means to each one of us. While wrapped presents under a lit Christmas tree sit waiting to be torn into, we are reverently reminded that Christmas is more than the gifts under a tree.

My family has spent many a Christmas season reading from the book of Luke in the Bible. We have spent many evenings dressed up in bath-robes and sheets depicting angels, wise-men and shepherds. We have spent hours in discount stores and shopping malls searching for the right gifts for under-privileged families and children. We’ve dropped loose change in the buckets of Salvation Army’s Bell Ringers.

And yet without fail, every Christmas Eve night we retire to bed with grand hopes that Santa will come while we sleep.

There is without a doubt, room for all sorts of Christmas celebrations within the month of December. While keeping all things in moderation, there is plenty of joy to be felt at Christmas. The kind of joy that stretches even beyond discarded tin-foil angel halos, crumpled wrappings and door-bell ditched Sub-for-Santa gifts. The joy comes from only one place-holding in our hearts the sacred reminder of our Savior’s birth and life.

Additional Resources:

Learn more about the birth of Jesus Christ at the official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon Church”).

The Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ. Request a free copy today.

Jesus Christ is central to Mormon doctrine. Attend a local meetinghouse.