For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Christmas season is a special time to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Every year, Latter-day Saints gather with family and friends and recall the tender scene of “the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).
Mormons really only celebrate two religious festivals: Easter and Christmas. An additional festival is Pioneer Day, on 24 July. This celebrates the arrival of the first Latter-day Saint pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
It's perfectly okay to give your Mormon friend a Christmas gift, but don't spend a lot of money on it. A lot of Mormon teens like simple gifts or even gift certificates—not to a store, but for time with you or a service from you.
From this viewpoint, Mormonism can be seen to diverge from traditional Christianity in four areas: its views on scripture, the nature of God and the deification of believers; the deity of Christ and the trinity, and finally, salvation.
In keeping with the Mormon belief that heaven is full of millions of spirits awaiting an earthly body, birth control and abortion are also forbidden. Since the female body is regarded as the tabernacle of the spirit and the residence of God's spirit children, a high priority is given to prenatal care.
McConkie's popular book Mormon Doctrine stated that all those using condoms or other artificial contraception are "in rebellion against God and are guilty of gross wickedness." The BYU Honor Code in 1968 stated that "the Church does not approve of any form of birth control." In 1969 the first and only First Presidency ...
Church leaders have stated that outside of marriage "passionate kisses", defined as "more intense and last[ing] longer than a brief kiss", and "prolonged kisses that involve the tongue and excite the passions" are "off limits".
Similarities. Mormonism and Islam each believe in a life after death: belief in the Last Judgment and an Afterlife is one of the Six Articles of Belief of Islam; it also forms an essential element of the Mormon belief system.
The Book of Mormon establishes clearly that “Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself to all nations” (Book of Mormon title page; 2 Nephi 26:12). At the heart of the doctrine restored through Joseph Smith is the doctrine of the Christ.
Not anyone can actually marry in the temple, but only men and women who are faithful members of the Church. Marrying a non-member is allowed, however, the marriage ceremony cannot be done in the temple.
The Christmas dinner traditionally includes turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, rolls, and assorted desserts. There is no coffee, tea, or alcohol served, however, as the Mormon faith does not permit the consumption of these beverages.
Mormons celebrate the holiday like most other Christians—reading from the nativity account in Luke, exchanging presents, and spending time with family and friends. Santa Claus, decorated trees, and the redemptive story of Ebenezer Scrooge all are staples of the winter holiday for Mormons in the United States (fig.
Along with activities and programs during the week, Latter-day Saints gather on Sundays for an approximately hour-long “sacrament” meeting, where men, women and younger members offer prayers and give sermons, sing hymns and partake of the sacrament (similar to receiving communion).
For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Christmas season is a special time to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Every year, Latter-day Saints gather with family and friends and recall the tender scene of “the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognize Sunday as the Sabbath in commemoration of the fact that Christ came forth from the grave on Sunday, and the Apostles commenced meeting thereafter on the first day of the week.
Mormon men can lawfully have one wife. The practice of polygamy (polygyny or plural marriage), the marriage of more than one woman to the same man, was practiced by Church members from the 1830s to the early 1900s.
“Do not date until you are at least 16 years old. Dating before then can lead to immorality, limit the number of other young people you meet, and deprive you of experiences that will help you choose an eternal partner.” For the Strength of Youth, 24. “The Lord has made us attractive one to another for a great purpose.
In the endowment ceremony, introduced by Smith in 1842, the name "Elohim" is used to refer to God the Father. "Jehovah" is used to refer to the pre-mortal Jesus. In public sermons later in Smith's life, he began to describe what he thought was the true nature of the Godhead in much greater detail.
Religious beliefs and practices
Jehovah's Witnesses identify as Christians, but their beliefs are different from other Christians in some ways. For instance, they teach that Jesus is the son of God but is not part of a Trinity.
Many of the converts came from England and Scandinavia and were quickly assimilated into the Mormon community. Many of these immigrants crossed the Great Plains in wagons drawn by oxen, while some later groups pulled their possessions in small handcarts.
Mormons consider themselves Christians, but many Christians don't recognize Mormonism as an official denomination. Mormons believe in the crucifixion, resurrection and divinity of Jesus Christ. Followers claim that God sent more prophets after Jesus's death.
For some reason, many people seem to think that Mormons aren't allowed to dance. While I agree that some Mormons can't dance very well, Mormons certainly can dance! In fact, the Mormon Church frequently sponsors dances for young men and women, ages 14-18.
The policy of companionships staying together at all times serves to discourage these activities. While missionaries may interact with members of the opposite sex, they may never be alone with them or engage in any kind of intimate physical or emotional activity (e.g., kissing, hugging, holding hands, flirting).
In this practice, the couple start in a soaking position, and recruit a friend to jump on the bed beside them. The reasoning behind this is that the couple themselves aren't doing any thrusting, a technicality they believe will still keep their 'chastity' intact.