Mormon Monday: 10 Facts to know when meeting a Mormon

Last week, I found a few pretty sweet facts about Mormons in this book. I found myself giggling at some of them and even nodding my head in complete agreement due to questions that have been asked before. Here they are.

 1. Mormons are normal people.
We don't secretly live in a compound, and won't arrive at your house in a horse and buggy. We aren't a part of an antisocial group. We will be regular people who follow our beliefs, just like you follow your beliefs.

2. Mormons believe in salvation through Jesus Christ.
We believe in Jesus Christ and in His saving grace, and we center our worship on Him. Having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of our religion, and our religious desire is simply to try to follow Jesus' teachings as best as possible. Don't be afraid to talk about Jesus or other Christian principles. As a matter of fact, most Mormons would probably love it if you asked his/her feelings on Jesus' divinity.

3. The Mormon Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
We basically have four names. Mormon, LDS, Latter-Day-Saint, and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They aren't four churches, they're all the same thing.

4. Mormons don't worship Joseph Smith.
This is a huge one! People are always asking me that question and I truly wish people would truly know the whole thing. We believe Joseph Smith was a prophet just like other prophets in biblical times. We believe Joseph Smith was the Lord's servant who helped reestablish and restore Jesus' authorized Church, but we don't worship Joseph Smith any more than a Catholic worships Peter or a Jew worships Moses.

5. Mormons are nicknamed after one of their books of scripture, the Book of Mormon.
We believe in a book of scripture called the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ's divinity. It is a prophetic record translated by Joseph Smith about people who lived in ancient America. We are commanded to study the Book of Mormon and the book of Joseph Smith's revelations called the Doctrine and Covenants. We also believe to read & study the Old and New Testaments.

6. Mormons have a living prophet.
The church has a living prophet, a man currently on earth that we believe to be God's authorized spokesperson, just like Abraham, Moses, or Isaiah were in their day. We respect and look to the prophet as a servant of Jesus Christ.

7. Modern Mormons are not polygamists.
Men don't have more than one wife. Faithful Mormons haven't entered into polygamous marriages since the 1890's. It has as much modern-day meaning to our faith as Benjamin Harrison does to our current American patriotism.

8. Mormon women are not subordinate to Mormon men.
Contrary to what Shakespeare advocated in The Taming of the Shrew, Mormon women aren't considered inferior to Mormon men. Mormon women are independent, highly honored in their role as mothers, have professional careers, think for themselves, serve in leadership positions and in councils in LDS congregation, and if they are married, they are equal partners with their husbands in governing their families.

9. Mormons don't drink alcohol, coffee, or tea.
Mormons have a code of health that we live by. We try to abstain from anything that could damage our health, impair our judgment, or be addictive or habit-forming -- especially tobacco, alcohol, coffee & tea. But Diet Coke is definitely another story :)

10. Mormons serve as lay ministers in their local congregations.
 Most Mormons have what we call a "calling" within our congregation . A calling is basically something we have been asked to do voluntarily and without compensation. Many Mormons give a lot of time each week to fulfilling these assignments.

Did you get a kick out of some of these like I did?
If you're not Mormon, were you already aware of each fact?

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