Ten Things I love about Mormons

This morning, as I told you in my last post, we woke up at 4:30 and drove in the dark across Highway 80 to Salt Lake City, hoping to arrive in Temple Square in time to catch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performance.  We just barely made it; a friendly man in a suit offered to unlock the doors for us if we were locked out.  After the breathtaking choir concert, we spent six hours looking around Temple Square, watching videos, exploring the Temple virtually (of course we couldn’t go into the actual building; that is for baptized LDS Church members who have a recommendation from their bishop), talking with the lovely missionary sisters, and generally gaining an even greater appreciation for this very American religion.  Everything we saw today was a true Vision of America. I left Temple Square moved and uplifted by these folks. So what do I love about Mormons?  Oh, so much!

1)  Like I said above, they are so very American.  According to their beliefs, Jesus came back down to our continent, after he had ascended into heaven from the Palestinian area.  He had to visit the people who were living here, and talk to them as well. He did not want to overlook America. Later on, John the Baptist, as well as the three main apostles, Peter, James and John, all came to America as well, to restore the ancient priesthood by anointing a couple of red-blooded Americans to be successors to Aaron and Melchizedek.  In fact, I think each of the items on the rest of my list reflects this unique American-ness as well.

Peter, James and John restore the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith

2)  They are super brave.  They, like the first Christians, were willing to suffer and die for their beliefs.  Joseph Smith was imprisoned and later killed.  His people suffered beatings, imprisonment, torture, and humiliation for the sake of their religion. The early Mormon pioneers were willing to keep moving west until they found their new Jerusalem in Salt Lake City.  They never gave up.  Today, kids are willing to leave their families, their first names, their friends, their families and their video games for a year and a half to two years of selfless service to God and to others to go on their missions. 

Brigham Young leads the first of 70,000 pioneers west

3) They celebrate the living Christ, not his death.  Like another great American religion, Jehovah’s Witnesses, they find the symbolism of the cross distasteful.  Unlike Catholics who “proclaim the death of Jesus,” Mormons prefer, like the optimistic Americans they are, to focus on the fact that they believe Jesus is alive!  They like to look at pictures and statues of the Risen Lord, much more than the dead one.

The Mormons actually copied this statue from a Danish Lutheran Church

4) They consider the physical body to be sacred.  God’s punishment for Satan, who was also one of His children, was that he could never have a physical body.  Mormons believe that after we die, we will have perfected, beautiful bodies (kind of like Stephenie Meyer’s vampires).

5) They consider themselves brothers and sisters of Jesus, and believe we can all become like him.  Jesus is the beloved Son of God, but he is not God.  He is a spirit, like we are. We are all sons and daughters of God and can become like Jesus if we follow his example.

6) They are fiercely dedicated to service, to helping others so that they can in turn be of service themselves.  Mormons work hard to help others in so many ways. 

7) They are super friendly!  You never have to be afraid of a Mormon. (Well, unless you were a Blackhawk Indian or a Swedish wagon train dude, but that was in the 19^th century)

8)  They believe that when you die, you get to be with all the people you love on this earth, that those bonds remain forever and ever, through Time and all Eternity.  As I heard one lovely missionary sister say today, “Isn’t that romantic?”

9)  They believe in the continuing revelation of God.  Prophets are not oldy moldy dead guys   from ancient times; they are oldy moldy LIVE guys in suits who get inspiration from God and can reveal it to you.  Even better, God speaks to each of us if we sincerely ask Him for guidance.  God hasn’t stopped speaking to people.

10)  They believe in a Mrs. God.  Yes, God has a wife and I think that’s great.

The Magnificent Temple

I know there are some problematic areas.  I know.  We all know what they are without my even mentioning them here.  But just for today, let’s be quick to see where religious people are right.  Just for today, let’s not criticize the Mormons.  Let’s try to appreciate their good side.

Okay?