A few months before I left on my mission there was an internet phenomena that blasted the nation. I prefer to call this craze the "Infinite Number of Highly One Sided Things You Should Do Before You Hit a Certain Age" lists. Bloggers from across the nation responded to one another about the most important things people should do in their 20's. A firestorm of disrespect mounted on Facebook news feeds from Baltimore to Berlin as individuals argued for responsibility or frivolity during one's early adulthood. In the short 6 weeks I've been out on a mission I have decided that a blog post needs to be dedicated to the 6
Things You Should Do Before Assuming Mormons are Crazy:
6. Get to know a Mormon in your community.
If you don't know much about Mormonism chances are your perception of an average Mormon is skewed. I imagine a creature that is 1 part Mitt Romney, 2 parts quiet Mennonite kid (for some reason people think we're the same), and 1 part Donny and Marie Osmond sprinkled with a few sister wives is what springs to mind when you think of a Mormon (or a citizen of Utah). While entertaining, that simply isn't what most Mormons are made of. There are approximately 6 million members of the Mormon faith in the United States. Though most of them live West of the Rocky's, chances are if you look hard enough you can find one in your community. They most likely have a front yard, a small SUV or minivan, hobbies, a grill, and some children; just like you.
5. Learn the real name of their church.
Mormon is actually just a nickname that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) have been given. Often individuals of the LDS faith will call themselves Mormons because it is more recognizable, but at the end of the day the most politically correct term for these individuals is Latter-day Saint. When you take the time to recognize that the name of the religion actually bares the name of Christ and not Mormon, it is easy to see that Jesus Christ is at the center of everything we do.
4. Learn more from a reliable internet source.
Check out www.mormon.org. It's run by the LDS church and has a lot of valuable information. You can see member profiles (like mine) and chat with missionaries in Salt Lake City.
3. Meet with some missionaries.
Maybe this point is a little selfish. As a current full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I am eager for people to teach. I want to answer people's questions and I know that any other good missionary will want to do the same. We're not out to baptize you. We're out to teach you of the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Would you ask Miley Cyrus to help you with your biology homework? No. Then don't ask your Baptist minister to tell you about my faith.
2. Attend a church meeting.
Latter-day Saints respect Sunday as the Sabbath day and worship in congregations across the globe. Every chapel has a three hour block of meetings that includes a sacrament meeting (akin to mass), Sunday school, and another gospel related class geared toward specific age and gender demographics. I hate to disappoint right off the bat, but there will be no sacrificial goat killings, awkward chanting, or Kool-Aid. Find out where your closest meeting house and meeting time is here.
1. Read the Book of Mormon
Beneath the title of every Book of Mormon is listed the sentence, "Another testament of Jesus Christ". Many people don't know anything about the Book of Mormon, let alone that it is literally another book to testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ. It is a companion to the Bible, not a replacement. No one threw a fit when J.K. Rowling decided to write Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, because Harry Potter is awesome and everyone wanted another book that testified of his awesomeness. The same is true for the Book of Mormon. Why wouldn't you want another book that proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ?
I know that I often rely on wit and humor in life, but I can be serious as well. I know that the Book of Mormon isn't a book that some mere man wrote. It was written by prophets in ancient times for our day. Though the messages are old, they are universal and apply to each and every person that has been, will be, or currently is on earth. Jesus Christ is our savior and the Book of Mormon testifies of that on almost every page. The message of the Book of Mormon is centered on Jesus Christ and is of great value and importance. It will enable you to improve the quality of your life and will help you face the problems and challenges that we all face. We all have agency in life and no one can make someone read the Book of Mormon, but I can promise you that if you sincerely read with a desire to learn more, you will find happiness. So stop googling Mormonism, watching HBO shows about polygamous families, and singing songs from a blasphemous Broadway show about my faith, and find out about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the right way.
