The Mormons (Part One)

Mormonism is in the news today because of Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for president. Because Mormonism is getting national attention it is important to know who the Mormons are and what they believe. Are they just another Christian denomination or are they a cult? You decide.For the next few weeks we will take an objective look at this unique American faith. It is one of the few religions that actually did originate right here at home. I am going to present the positives and negatives as objectively as one human can. Just the facts as Sergeant Friday would say.

In these articles I will focus on the Salt Lake City based Church of Latter Day Saints (The Mormons) and not the much smaller strain located in Independence, Missouri.

First, the Mormon faith does offer a lot of good things that should be emulated by others. They have one of the best missionary outreaches in the world. Many young people, after graduating from high school go directly into missionary work for two years. The Mormon Church strongly encourages this commitment. Their dedicated efforts have been rewarded because the faith is growing by hundreds of thousands of new converts each year. The current membership is over fourteen million.

Mormons exhibit great discipline in living clean, moral lives. They generally do not smoke, drink alcohol or caffeine drinks, or engage in other questionable behavior. We could all learn from their example.

The Mormons take seriously the Dominion Mandate found in Genesis 1:28 which says:

God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

Their birth rate is nearly double that of the general population. Last time I checked they have already taken over Utah. The idea of bringing godly souls into the world and taking dominion is a biblical concept and they understand that. Doing this ensures the future for upcoming generations.

Mormons are generally tithers to their Church. They have a biblical charity system that our government should look to copy. They take care of their own while requiring responsibility of those who use the resources. It is personal and effective.

Mormons believe in a strong family unit and assess homosexuality as a sin. Again, Mormons have a strong sense of right and wrong.

Mormons are very generous people. They give to others and share their faith freely.

We can understand from what we learn why so many people are converted to the Mormon faith.

In the upcoming articles, I will share about the origins of the Mormon faith and its theology. I will also share about the controversial founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith. Was he a prophet or a conman? Again, you must decide.

As Mormonism is discussed during this election cycle, it will behoove us all to know more about the faith of Mitt Romney who could be our next President.