After more than a few questions about topics I talk about in conjunction with my religion, I thought I might offer up some explanations. When you've been immersed in your religion since birth, you take for granted that not everyone knows what the heck you're talking about.
Mormons believe that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are 3 separate Beings. We also believe that as well as Prophets who lived in Biblical times, we have latter day Prophets who speak with God, who receive council for us today. You can find out more here Mormon.org
First off I am Glenn's only wife. Sometimes it'd be great to have some help around here but NO, NO, NO we as Mormons DO NOT practice polygamy. We are law-abiding citizens.
In the Book of Mormon there is a section titled 'The Word of Wisdom'. This is essentially a health code that we are advised to live by. In a nutshell : no coffee, tea, alcohol, smoking, tobacco, drugs or anything that would harm the body. We are advised to eat meat sparingly and eat plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
'Mormon coffee' is my slang for Pero because I love it and drink it a lot. It is a hot drink that is not sweet but has a good nutty, grainy flavor due to the fact that it is basically milled barley.
We have been advised for decades to keep a Food Storage in case of an emergency such as food shortage, job loss, earthquake or other natural disaster. We are counseled to be self-sufficient and prepared. This is why if you go into a Mormon's garage most likely you will find something along the lines of this:
Each of those boxes contain about 50 lbs of either Wheat kernels that I grind or dried black beans. The white bucket on top is 50 lbs of honey, what else? Did you know honey lasts forever? True. My Mother in law gave us this as a Christmas gift years ago and I am actually almost through it. We use honey a lot.
I also have in cans: white sugar, dried milk and pasta. I also make sure to have have peanut butter, canned tuna, water, and a big supply of things like pretzels and top ramen. Do I like top ramen? No, but it will last forever and a good thing to have in an emergency.
Mormons are advised to dress modestly. Skirts and shorts to the knee, no midriff showing and shirts with sleeves. Some of the youth have coined a term that is so cute, they say "modest is the hottest", I totally agree!
We pay a tithe of 10% to our church. Heavenly Father obviously does not need our money. It is an act of sacrifice and faith on our part.
Every single position in our church, from our Prophet to Primary workers are volunteer. There are no paid positions. Tithing goes to building Temples across the world, building and maintaining church buildings, Education, etc. Our church has their own Welfare system for those in need as well as our own adoption agencies. Any time Aid is needed, anywhere in the world, the LDS church is more than happy to contribute as much time, money or resources as needed.
All Young Men in our church are advised to go and preach the gospel when they turn 19. They represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as Missionaries. If you are worthy you submit papers and wait for your call to come in the mail. You will be sent where needed to serve the Lord from sun-up to sun-down for a period of 2 years. And oh yeah, you have to pay for it yourself.
Glenn served in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1992-1994. As much as he loved his mission, the people and the Lord, Glenn is not one to sugar coat things. It was HARD work, but the absolute best experience of his life. He loves the people of Argentina and we hope to all visit one day as a family.
I feel I have only touched the tip of the iceberg, but will end on this note. Family.
Our religion is centered on the belief that Nothing is more important than your family. Marriage and children are sacred. The family unit is most precious. David O. McKay, our Prophet from 1951-1970, quoted in an address to all Latter Day Saints in 1935 said -
"No amount of success can compensate for failure in the home".
Great explanation! I love that last quote. I just need to always remember it! And you've convinced me to stock up on honey! I never thought to buy that in bulk, but I'll start.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's cystalized over the years and is a workout getting the honey out and transferring it to a smaller jar.
DeleteNice to know more about the Mormon way of life. We have Mormon missionaries here sometimes and they go on bicycles around our neighbourhoods to preach. They're usually cute too ;)
ReplyDeleteYes the are usually on bike or foot. Sometimes if needed the female missionaries are allowed a car for safety reasons.
DeleteIt's hard to wrap our religion up in a nutshell, but you've done it. Well said. I love that quote from David O.McKay...so profound. Take care,
ReplyDeleteShauna
I obviously need to do a follow up because you know there is tons more to be said.
Deleteinteresting to read about other believes. Stocking up on things, a good idea. :) Never heard of Mormon "coffee" before either till this post. Was wondering about it in your last post. :)
ReplyDeleteJust my own slang, didn't mean to confuse anyone.
DeleteI love learning about religions different than my own! And... I love the quote "modest is the hottest!" Couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteBrittnie I agree, I find other religions fascinating.
DeleteWe have our own phrase for dressing modestly in our home - "trashy isn't classy!" Thank you for sharing your faith. We had three Mormon neighbors when we lived in Virginia and I always admired how committed they were to family.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love that phrase too. My daughter found a Hollister shirt at the goodwill and I had to explain how I didn't want her representing that store. Those images, yikes, sometimes it goes beyond modesty.
DeleteLOVEEEEEE that last quote!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good one.
DeleteMarie, this was Wonderful! Such a great intro. I don't know much about your religion but from coming to know you, it produces some terrific people! I wouldn't mind learning more. I think you should make this a regular feature.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fran. Our religion is like any in that we have members of our church at all different levels. Some are so strong while others are struggling. Life is hard and we're all trying our best.
DeleteLove that last quote. :) And I love you explaining this in a simple way that a non-Mormon can understand without feeling stupid. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Please don't ever feel stupid. I feel the same way about other religions, there are so many and there is a lot to know. I feel at this point i my life I should know more, so I always ask tons of questions.
DeleteAs to Honey: I agree it's not fun digging it out after crystallization (but that's how you know it is pure and will last forever) but put it into smaller containers before it crystallizes and those smaller containers might fit into the corners of some of your cupboards for storage! just a thought.
ReplyDeleteYes I do put it into small jars in the cupboard. And by "I" I mean Glenn of course. He does all the dirty work around here.
DeleteMarie you are awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteRight back at ya!
DeleteThanks for answering my coffee question :)
ReplyDeleteAnytime
DeleteI actually knew most of this already! I had a very close Mormon friend in high school who I learned a lot from. But I do have one question - how come females don't go on a mission after they turn 19?
ReplyDeleteThey can and do. My sister Jeannette went to Thailand, 2 Aunts across to Europe and countless friends all over the world. Women can absolutely go if they choose whereas men are strongly encouraged.
DeleteStockpiling, especially in today's world, is essential.
ReplyDeleteIt's helped a lot.
DeleteBeautifully put. And I didn't know that honey lasts forever. It's pretty amazing stuff!
ReplyDeleteYes, so if you ever see a good deal, stock up!
DeleteOk, so this was awesome! I was telling my husband after reading a few of your post that I think Mormons rock! Seriously, you can see your heart everywhere on your blog. I don't know much about the religion so thank you for this very simple breakdown. And modest is the hottest...love it! I wish more of our youth felt that way! It is so nice getting to know you!
ReplyDeleteI so appreciate your sincere comments & compliments. Compared to what many in the world think it is very rigid and demanding, I don't feel that way. It is my choice and choosing to follow these guidelines have brought me a lot of happiness. As far as modesty, you know yourself having girls there will be little battles (I've already had some with my 11 yr. old!), but there will be no exposed bra straps, midriff, or short shorts on my watch.
Deleteagreed! i don't know much of anything about your way of life, but i appreciate the little intro course. :-) i love reading your blog, and now i know a little more about where you're coming from. thanks for being so open to the questions.
ReplyDeleteI haven't always been so open about anything in my life, I used to be extremely shy, I guess my husband, who is an extreme open book, has rubbed off on me. Also with time I've gotten more comfortable in my skin. Life's too short, this is me, faults and all. I have a long way to go but every day I try and take one more step in the right direction.
DeleteHappy Thursday!
ReplyDeleteYou too fancy writer!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by my blog! New visitors make my day! :)
ReplyDeleteMine as well!
DeleteIt's so great of you to share all of this...I think that HBO's show (can't recall the name) has totally perpetuated some myths about your religion. It's great that you can clear up the misconceptions...
ReplyDeleteGreat post my friend. You are such a fabulous person and it comes shining through in everything you write.
Thank you. I have never seen that show but have heard it's good (maybe not accurate, but entertaining). The misconception with plural marriage comes because there were LDS people long ago who didn't like some of the rules and broke off (which is how many religions come to be). We are Latter Day Saints (LDS) and they call themselves Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS). I wish they would get a new name that wasn't so close to ours, too confusing, especially being that the 2 religions are nothing alike.
Deleteyou explain everything so perfectly, just adore!
ReplyDeletexo TJ
Thanks so much. I try.
DeleteThis was interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteI also believe Modest is Hottest. I wish others around would think the same because some women go out in scary outfits...
I am going to be the scary one once Ethan is older. I will for sure be giving some girls my thoughts on their chosen attire.
DeleteI once had the opportunity to go to my local Mormon "church" to hear members speak about their practice and share about their religion. It was very interesting. It is unfortunate that many associate it still with polygamy or the extremists but that is true for many religions.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. I myself am guilty about not really knowing the ins & outs of other religions. I am always interested, I find religion so fascinating.
DeleteWhat a great post. I'm always fascinated by others' beliefs and lifestyles when it comes to religion.
ReplyDeleteI am not religious, and never have been. My parents both grew up in strict religious households and decided to let my brother and I "choose for ourselves." We were never Christened, but were exposed to several churches and religions growing up. To this day, it's just not a part of my life. I don't feel that I'm missing out on anything, and am very spiritual and have a definite connection with God and nature, without being affiliated with any type of organized religion. For me, this is what works.
And on another note- maybe the next diet craze should be "the Mormon diet." It sounds great to me!
As you know, even healthy eating needs to be done in moderation. And there is absolutely something to be said for having a grateful heart, no matter what religion you belong to.
DeleteI loved reading all the comment responses, being LDS too ;-)
ReplyDeleteAlso, my husband served in Argentina, too! He moved around a lot, but was in/around Buenos Aires...06-08.
Awesome!!!! So cool! Don't you just love hearing him speak Spanish. I am trying to learn and teach the kids. I love the language.
DeleteThat was really interesting! Some of it I knew, and some I didn't.
ReplyDeleteI do have to ask how you manage to keep the varmints out of your long-term food supply!
Everything is canned. I go to a cannery, buy in bulk and have them can it for me. Our church is big into self-sufficiency and they are actually church owned canneries, but anyone can go and use them. Once I open a can I use it within the month.
DeleteSome people like to have their storage for 20 years and never think about it. I like to use and rotate mine.
Thanks for sharing this, I love learning about other religions. I think it's wonderful that the Mormon church provides it's own welfare and adoption agencies. That seems like the right thing to do and something that more religions should do.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am a big fan of honey, too.
I am still learning all that we do. But when you think about the millions of people that can donate their time and money, you can accomplish a lot.
ReplyDeleteMy super awesome neighbor is mormon and when I watched her cat over the holidays I was SHOCKED by her food storage. Of course I didn't snoop but GOONER of course opened like pantry door and stuff like that.;) AND she told me that she always keeps her car at half a tank, JUST IN CASE! We don't agree on everything doctrinally, BUT we have had some great conversations!
ReplyDeleteKeeping your car tank half filled is a good idea. I love having interesting conversations with whoever, I really find every one has great tales to tell.
DeleteThis is the first time I have known something about a new faith. It has been wonderful going through your post. I am totally up for the last point about family being the most important.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think most religions and people in general can agree on this point, it's just remembering to live it.
DeleteI'm really disappointed we can't be sister wives, but I appreciated this elucidation on the Mormon faith. : ) Honestly, I didn't know too much about it despite the fact that my best friend in highschool dated a Mormon for four years! Now I feel so bad for trying to get him to drink coffee with us!!! I wish more people - religious or otherwise - would focus on family and being kind to others rather than focus on differences and starting wars. Thank you for this. I learned something (many things!) today.
ReplyDeleteAh, now I know why Mormons tend to stock food and grind grain. I didn't know if it was actually tied to the religion, or just something that several Mormons I knew tended to do here in the Midwest somehow.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend in college who was Mormon. We talked quite a bit about some theological things (I'm "regular Christian"), but we never much got into lifestyle stuff--probably because the campus apartments aren't really food storage places.
Right, I didn't worry about food storage until after I had kids and had a home. It's nice to have things on hand and be prepared.
DeleteThis is a good post. One point of clarification. The Prophet and apostles do recieve money for living and travel expenses, so they are technically paid by the church.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, everyone is on a volunteer basis.
You're right, the leaders have access to those things that help with their calling such as travel, materials and living. Our prophet has an extremely modest home, one he has lived in for many years. I wanted to simply state (without going into too much detail) that this is not a job but a calling.
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