Mormons Say Polygamy Morally Wrong

By Amy Choate-Nielsen

Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 7:00 p.m. MST

David Letterman knows how to get a laugh.Like most comics, he riffs on the day’s news, deadpans the camera and revels in audacity.”Oh, did you hear about this?” the host of CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman asked his audience recently. “A campaign staffer on the Newt Gingrich campaign was fired because he was making negative comments about Mormons. I thought, now, wait a minute — isn’t Newt in favor of multiple wives?”
Laughter rumbled from the audience followed by applause. The polygamy punch line is a familiar one when it comes to poking fun at Mormons — as though Mormons and polygamy are synonymous in mainstream media. Ironically, the practice that’s most linked to Mormons is a practice most Mormons oppose, according to a groundbreaking new study of Mormons in America released Thursday by the Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion and Public Life.

According to the study, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unequivocally reject polygamy — only 2 percent said the practice is morally acceptable — evidence of a yawning gap in what Mormons believe and how they are perceived. Mormons’ opinions are overwhelmingly conservative, the study shows, but in many ways, their views are also surprising — especially when it comes to opinions on moral issues, divorce, homosexuality and polygamy. Read more

Mormon Beliefs and Attitudes on Immigration

A recent The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted an in-depth survey of Mormons in the United States. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fourth article in a series that appears in Deseret News is evaluating the results of this survey and providing context for the results.

Immigration is a controversial topic in the United States. The survey asked one question on this topic. They were asked which of two statements most closely matched their view, even if they didn’t completely agree. They were asked whether immigrants strengthen or burden the nation. No distinction was made between legal and illegal immigration, leaving those polled to decide for themselves what the question meant.

In the general U.S. population, 45 percent of Americans feel that immigrants strengthen the country, while 44 percent burden it. 12 percent feel that neither or both are true or they have no opinion on the subject. Mormon views closely mirror these statistics. 45 percent of Mormons also believe immigrants strengthen the nation, although a smaller number, 41 percent, consider them a burden on society. The number of Mormons who accept both or neither or who have no opinion is higher, at 14 percent.

These numbers put them at odds with evangelical Christians, one of the few political areas in which they disagree. Within the white evangelical population, 59 percent believe immigrants are a burden, and 27 percent believe they strengthen the country. Like Mormons, 14 percent answered both, neither, or no opinion.

The statistics for Mormons shows a strong divide based on age, income, and education, as well as on religious commitment. Only 36 percent of highly committed Mormons see immigrants as a burden, while 50 percent of those who are less committed see them as a burden. This largely correlates with economic status. 84 percent of Mormons who are highly committed to their religion are college graduates. (The church strongly encourages Read more

LDS religious commitment high, Pew survey finds

Of all the numbers in the Pew Research Center’s recently released survey of “Mormons in America,” the highest, most overwhelming numbers are these: 98 percent of respondents said they believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 97 percent say their church is a Christian religion.

This comes on the heels of earlier surveys indicating that 32 percent of non-LDS U.S. adults say the LDS Church is not a Christian religion, and an additional 17 percent are unsure of LDS Christianity. The theological and semantic reasons for this can be complex, but for the 1,019 self-identified Mormons who participated in the Pew survey, their theological position is clear: Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and they consider themselves to be Christian.

“Certainly in Latter-day Saint theology is this idea that if you understand who you are, you understand that there’s a purpose in life, you understand your connection to God, that certainly has an impact on how you live your life and what you do, but also how you feel about your life and what you are doing,” said Michael Purdy of the LDS Church Public Affairs office. Read more

Mormon Wedding

Mormon weddings, when performed civilly, like in churches or other venues, are no different than other denominations’ wedding ceremonies in western cultures. The only difference arises when Mormons are married in Latter-day Saint (LDS) temples.

Mormon doctrine teaches that families are eternal units and have the potential to remain together forever, when they are sealed together by the proper power and authority. Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church) are the only place in the world where these sealings can be performed. In order to be married, or sealed, in a Mormon temple, a person must have been a faithful member of the Mormon Church for at least one year. Then, after an interview with one’s bishop and stake president (which interview is necessary for anyone entering the temple), if a person is found to be living a worthy life, he or she is given a temple recommend which lasts two years.

If a person wants to get married in the temple, this often requires sacrifice. Mormon doctrine teaches chastity before marriage and complete fidelity inside of marriage. This means abstinence from sexual relations before marriage. While the world is saying that sexual activity is normal and acceptable, the Mormon Church maintains that all sexual acts should only be exercised within the bonds of marriage. Thus, if a couple chooses to participate in this behavior before they are married, it will make it much more difficult to be married in the temple, though certainly not impossible. The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible for each of us to repent of our sins and mistakes. If this process is gone through correctly, then individuals may become worthy to go to the temple.

Another sacrifice for those who choose to get sealed in the temple is that only those family members and friends who are also worthy members of the Church may enter the temple to attend the marriage ceremony. This may be particularly difficult for any people who have family members who are not members of the Church or who are not worthy to go inside the temple. This may also exclude many friends from being able to attend the ceremony.  Most family members who cannot enter the temple wait outside and gather for photographs when the wedding party exits the temple.  Since a ring exchange is an optional part of the temple ceremony, some couples schedule a ring exchange at their reception, thus making family members not able to attend the temple feel more a part of the union.

Temple sealings are very simple ordinances. There is no fanfare, no organ playing, no bride walking down the aisle and being given away by her father. The priesthood holder performing the ordinance does just that; he performs the ordinance. He may choose to say a few words to the couple, but the ordinance itself takes only a few minutes. The couple kneel at an altar and look into reflecting mirrors, which cast infinite reflections. This symbolizes the eternal nature of the covenant they make to God and to one another to commit to their spouse forever. It is a unique and wonderful experience.

Reading this, one may wonder what the big deal is and why anyone would choose to get married in a Mormon temple if it would exclude any loved ones from attending such an important event. The answer is simple. Those who have a true understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ recognize that there is no greater blessing than an eternal family. If that blessing can be obtained in no other way and in no other place, it is worth any sacrifice to be the recipient of that blessing. All civil marriages are performed for the balance of this life only. Mormon temple sealings are the only marriages which have the bond placed upon them, by power and authority of the priesthood, for time and all eternity.

When a couple is sealed in the temple, all children born to them afterwards are automatically part of that covenant and are sealed to them eternally also. If a couple decides to get sealed after having been married civilly, any children they had previous to the ordinance must be sealed to them in an additional ceremony in the temple. The blessings which come to those who choose to get sealed in Mormon temples are numerous and powerful. Any family who is sealed has a bond of protection among them, if they are faithful to the covenants they have made. It is easy to see, when one understands the sealing power, why Mormons choose to be sealed in the temple.  Read more…