What do you think when you see people breaking all of your rules?

This question was posed in Las Vegas, where all ten commandments are apparently suspended.

You know, it is remarkable how many self-professing Christians participate in all that the devil has to offer. But then, hypocrisy is not a new accusation against any religion.

The question is fair, but it has a certain edge to it - the person asking may have been accusing me of being judgmental. The truth is, right or wrong, sometimes I am. I'm not perfect either.

But often I'm not, and so I want you to understand what I feel when I see people 'breaking my rules' and I am in a proper, Christian frame of mind.

First, understand that the Mormon Philosophy of Obedience is not centered on a mathmatic equation of "break x commandments equals y time in z degrees of hell." Of course we believe that nothing unclean can live in God's presence, but the Savior's Atonement can make that happen.

Instead, we are concerned with the whole of who we are, and who we will become if we continue to engage in our current behaviors. We believe that the commandments help us tailor our behavior to get the best benefit of the natural laws of the universe, bringing about peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come. And becoming who we ought to be qualifies us for the blessings of the Atonement, including cleansing from sin.

So what do I feel when I observe the debauchery of Las Vegas?

Sorrow. Sorrow that in an attempt at gaining some fleeting happiness, people are breaking themselves against natural laws, multiplying their problems, and creating entanglements that they do not understand, whether it is in the visible scar of a tattoo, or the less visible scars of immorality, substance abuse, and gambling, they are incurring both the negative consequences of physical universal laws, and the displeasure of an otherwise loving God.

Sola Scriptura and The Book of Mormon

Now, regarding the 'other' book:  Many denominations struggle with the idea of 'another Bible'.  Some try to define Christianity on this sole point; a Christian being someone who accepts only the Bible as scripture.  (Oddly, I would think the definition of Christian should have something to do with accepting Christ, which is not an issue for Mormons at all).  

The concept of 'sola scriptura' is based in a couple of passages in the Bible that prohibit adding to or changing scripture.  An understandable prohibition, as altered scripture would probably alter belief and behavior and undermine any religion with a text as its manifesto or constitution.  The prohibition is found in the early Old Testament (ironically, before several thousand years of scripture is appended) and in the Old Testament (again, ironically several thousand years after the first dictation of this rule). 

In a further irony, even after the canon was 'closed' chronologically, books were added and removed and sorted through centuries of revision, translation, and re-compilation.  Even today the re-translations continue, modern seminarians are required to study ancient greek in order to be qualified to interpret scripture, and no two Protestants carry the same version of the otherwise 'infallible' Bible.

So, the Mormon answer is: God still has the power to speak to man, still loves man, and man still needs God to speak. (Take a look around you.  Clearly we are lacking God).  And his word should be written and published.  And, as the the Bible states, no one should alter or revise the part of the written word that is His word.  But man is fallible, and so is often the written word, and so are all of the extant human languages used to write his word. So we continue to receive revelation until it is perfectly aligned with the will of God, and until God has no more to say to man.

The Book of Mormon has been criticized as a text designed to lead Christians astray, or created by the devil to create confusion, or as the work of a charlatan trying to sell a religion to oppress gullible followers. Then amusingly, the other criticism that comes frequently from our friends in other flavors of Christianity is, once they have actually read the Book of Mormon, is that the Book is 'too close to the the Bible', and that it has 'too many similarities to portions of the Old and New Testament', (it actually quotes them outright in many places). 

Most of the 13 million+ members of the LDS Church would tell you that while they find contradictions and ambiguities throughout the Bible, the Book of Mormon clears them up, agreeing with itself and simultaneously reconciling ideas in the Bible.  Not a bad piece of literary work for a young farm boy in rural New York in the early 1800s.

The Church of Mormon?

A recent article in the paper about a local businessman who had been called to serve as Bishop of his congregation attempted at the same time to give some background on the church.  The article was fair and kind, but had some unique phrasing to it - clearly the work of someone who has not had a lot of exposure to the LDS Church.  

One particular oddity was referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this manner:  "commonly known as the Church of Mormon".  

I have heard us called by our full name as above, abbreviated as the LDS Church, and nicknamed the Mormon Church, but never as the "Church of Mormon".  

Members have been called Mormons since, as far as I can tell, the church was organized, because of our acceptance of "The Book of Mormon" as canon (scripture), one of the factors that most clearly distinguishes us from other Christian denominations.  But Book of Mormon is named for its compiler (not even its primary author, or the Savior it testifies of).  Mormon is a relatively minor character, aside from his contribution as the book's finisher.  

In short, it's not Mormon's Church.  It is the church that people nicknamed 'Mormons' attend. And they believe it is Christ's church.

Are Mormons Evangelical?

Some people view us as the most evangelical church around - with over 50,000 full-time missionaries, whose primary role is proselytizing (working to convert people to one's faith), we certainly stand out in some markedly evangelical ways.

So most members of the LDS church see themselves (or at very least their church) as highly evangelical. Certainly the requirement to preach the gospel is a key component of our doctrine. And many people outside the church who know our young, name-tag wearing missionary force have a keen sense of the evangelical mission of the church.

Oddly enough, there seems to be some dissonance between how we and our immediate sphere of influence perceive us, and how most of the world perceives us. In a recent meeting with Elder L. Tom Perry, one of the most senior leaders in the church, leaders in Minnesota learned that the church has studied the question and that most people have little or no perception of who we are - their exposure has been very limited and there are plenty of mis-perceptions about our beliefs.

A recent conversation with an acquaintance provided anecdotal support for this conclusion; she told me that "the difference between Mormons and 'mainstream Christianity' is that we are not Evangelical enough", and that we allowed others to define us. This assessment of the church came across in spite of the fact that the person making it had both received a Book of Mormon from a member of the church, and had received a visit from missionaries on her doorstep. She knows that we have an evangelical bent to us, and yet her perception is that it is not enough.

I think many members of the church are so careful to not offend, or to come across as pushy, or afraid to be perceived as preachy, that we err to the other extreme. What we don't realize is, that by not talking openly about what we believe, we may actually come across as closed off, secretive, or even arrogant.

So, while our doctrine is that the duty to preach the Gospel (evangelize) is key and central to our faith, we have a long way to go in becoming who we ought to be.

So, your Mormon neighbor does want you to ask about their faith. They want to have a chance to invite you to see their church and meet other members. Since you're curious any way, do them a favor and ask. And they'll still be your friend even if you decide not to pursue it any further than that.

What is the difference between Mormons and Catholics?

I think most Mormons prepare for this question, because it's been asked them at least once. Of course it has variants (the difference between Mormons and Lutherans, Mormons and Baptists, etc).

Doctrinal or Belief Differences
May I begin by listing a few of the things that are the same?
Mormons believe in the God, and in the Bible as the Word of God. Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the key to everything in the Gospel. Mormons believe in the importance of families to society, in prayer, and in taking care of the poor and needy. We believe in keeping the ten commandments and following the golden rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you).

Now, what you really want to know are the differences.

I think the departure point for Mormon belief from Catholic or Protestant belief lies in the doctrines of Priesthood and Revelation.

Revelation, to make it simple, is the idea that God still speaks to people, including Prophets, today. Just as he did in the Bible.

And we believe that authority (to baptize, and to marry people, for example) has to come through a specific order that was set in place by God, namely the order of the Priesthood. Priesthood is given by a blessing, with hands laid on the recipients head, and can only be given by someone who received from someone who actually had it. To make it simple, if you can't trace your priesthood ordination back to Jesus Christ, you don't have it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the priesthood to prophets and it has come to us through an unbroken line of ordinations.

So Mormons generally believe that the authority to receive current, modern revelation, and the authority to baptize and perform other ordinances (what my Catholic friends would call 'sacraments') reside in the church.

There are several other doctrines that are unique (eternal marriage, baptism for the dead, etc). But they all stem from the two doctrines above.

Now, perhaps what you really want to know is this:

Worship Service Differences
What is the difference in worship services, or what would be different if I attended church at a Mormon church?

Let me begin by reassuring you that you would be comfortable and welcome visiting a Mormon church. We don't single people out, and the service is passive enough to not be awkward. I will share a few tips with you that will help you to be comfortable visiting.

The primary worship service is Sacrament Meeting. Its format is unique; a prayer and some hymns, the sacrament (like communion, only we use water instead of wine) is distributed, and a handful of talks (short sermons) are given by members of the congregation. If you have satellite, they record one on the BYU channel each Sunday morning so you can see what it's like without going. The only difference really is that the one on BYU TV is kind of quiet - the one's in a 'real' congregation are interrupted by children regularly.

The other services are classes; Sunday School for adults, Primary for Children, Relief Society for Women, Priesthood Meeting for men. They will be similar to the classes you have experienced in other churches. They start and end with a prayer, a teacher offers a lesson from a manual, and questions and discussion abound.

Now, to be comfortable showing up at a Sacrament meeting, there are two things that will make it easy on you.

1. Mostly everyone dresses up. Men wear a white shirt and a tie, women wear dresses. They will still welcome you if you show up in a t-shirt and shorts, but if you want to blend in, put on a white shirt and tie.

2. When the sacrament ('communion') is distributed, usually by young boys, you don't have to participate. No one will be offended whether you choose to or not. Since you aren't a baptized member of the church, the rite has no meaning for you anyway. So, when they come to your row, simply take the tray from whoever hands it to you and pass it to the next person in your row without taking any. Or, if you are alone (there is no one to pass it to), just wave the tray away and shake your head 'no' quietly. They'll move on to the next person.

By the way - on the first Sunday of each month, the Sacrament Meeting is called 'Fast and Testimony Meeting'. The members of the church fast for twenty-four hours to save food for the poor. Then they hold a sort of 'open mike' meeting where they share their feelings at the pulpit in short 'testimonies'. You are under no obligation to participate - just go and listen. You will hear heartfelt declarations of how certain teachings in the Gospel have blessed the lives of members.

You will also likely hear some wierd things. Don't stress- every congregation has at least one nut job. In my congregation, I suspect I am the nut job.

In that respect, we are entirely like the Catholics and the Lutherans.

Does DNA prove the Book of Mormon wrong?

No.

You can't prove scripture true or false with a genetic test. Or the bible would be out too.

The DNA argument seems to have been reignited recently, but it hasn't shaken any faith that I am aware of. Perhaps a few opponents have decided to rest their objections on it, but it is an inexact science that cannot 'prove' veracity of a prophetic text.

Yes, I've read the arguments. But I've also read the counterarguments. And there are plenty, and they are convincing.

I'm not a geneticist, so I won't take on the task of a detailed refutation. You can find that elsewhere. Suffice it to say I still accept the Book of Mormon to be exactly what it claims to be. Science's arguments have done little to dissuade Christianity in general from our belief in the flood or the creation as told in Genesis. And science's 'proofs' have failed before.

My question is, how do these scientists explain the things in the book that 'prove' my faith? Historical, linguistic, and so on? It can't possibly be the product of a boy's mind.

What's with the sign on the plaza in Salt Lake City?

A coworker e-mailed me a link to this news story this week - the church has put up a sign on the plaza next to Temple Square warning that we have the right to ask people to leave.

The action has a lot of people in a tizzy. It was taken after a male couple was asked to leave. According to the security people involved, the couple was drunk, loudly profane, and kissing on the property.

Of course, it's private property adjacent to a place of worship. But that hasn't stopped the activist mormon-hater community from firing off thousands of articles and web posts about the evil mormon church.

Many of them argue that since the church doesn't pay taxes, and the property is owned by the church, it's technically (or should be) public property. I'm not a lawyer, but this doesn't seem like an argument that would stand up in court.

The real reason for the outpouring of anger is tied to a bigger issue: The church has lent heavy support against pro-gay measures and for measures that protect the traditional family. And many people feel this is a 'political' issue, so the church should be banned from commenting on it.

The church has not endorsed a platform or candidate, but it has given its specific opinion with regards to laws and amendments being offered on the topic. The opinion is this: Marriage is between a man and a woman. Marriage was instituted by God, not the Government.

The so-called 'separation of church and state', which I've not found yet explicitly stated in the constitution, is at least based in some constitutional ideas that are supposed to protect the people from the abuses of a state-sponsored religion. But it is not designed to muzzle speech rights, which actually do exist in the first amendment to the Constitution.

The debate is not going away any time soon. The church is not softening its stance - political pressure simply forces us to define it even more clearly and sharply.

Regarding our stance on the deeper issue:

Our intention is not to be hateful or fear-mongering; it is simply to advocate for the path that we believe (and experience has proven) will bring the most happiness to individuals and families.

People are being misled to believe that there are not consequences for their choices, especially those related to emotional and physical intimacy, and the use of the powers of procreation.

Much of the social misinformation is being propagated institutionally, lending it academic or even governmental credibility. And people are being trapped in behaviors and lifestyles because there is very little support for the other position.

Someone's got to be the champion for truth and values.