While in Grand Rapids, Michigan this weekend I decided to visit The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints, which is a Mormon church. I selected the Mormon religion to do my observation report because of the countless stereotypes about the Mormon religion and its people and I wanted to find out first hand if they were true. What I found out was that a majority of the stereotypes are not true or people have just exaggerated the Mormon believes to make them sound strange. I also found that although Mormon is a form of Christianity, they have added ideas and beliefs just specific to them and that there are multiple differences between Mormonism and other Christian religions. The Mormon service I attended was a lot different from the church service I typically …show more content…
The first part of the Mormon church service is known as the Sacrament, which took a little over an hour. This is where the Bishop greets the members of the church, hymns are sung and everyone prays together. The most important part of the Sacrament meeting however, is when bread and water is passed around as the sacrament in remembrance of Christ. During this time the church is silent and members are expected to think about their relationship with Christ. The second part of the service is Sunday School, which lasted about 45 minutes. This is when we were separated into groups based on our age group and a teacher teaches scripture stories from the Bible and The Book of Mormon. My sunday school teacher, Vicki, taught us about the story of Moses and Parting of the Red Sea. The final part of the service separates the men and women, because in the Mormon church women do not have the same power as men. For men the final part of the service is known as Priesthood and for the women it is called Relief Society. During Relief society the women of the church talked about the responsibilities they have in order to keep their families
Bitton, Davis & Beecher, Maureen U. New Views of Mormon History. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987.
I am regularly (such as last night) in conversation with well-educated Mormons who struggle when trying to deal with rational concepts related to things like science, investment strategies, politics and other purely secular matters. And I see in their struggles infections likely attributable to the magical thinking at the heart of what is required these days to be a literally believing Mormon. The conversation in which I participated last night that caused this essay had to do with an investment opportunity that a bright, successful young Mormon had been offered. Some Mormons still respect my judgment regarding investments that seem not to require "the Spirit", and he wanted to run by me what had been proposed to him. I was happy to listen for a few minutes and tell him what I thought.
The history of the Mormon Church goes back to 1863 when its founder, Joseph Smith, II, claimed to have a vision of the angel Moroni, who appeared to him in upper New York State and instructed him to interpret ancient writings on gold plates. The Mormon doctrine states that Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared to the Native Americans. The accounts with the Native Americans were transcribed onto the gold plates according to Moroni, the messenger. One doctrine of the Mormon Church, The Pearl of Great Price, shares a lot of the private journals of founder Joseph Smith. Founder Smith recalls, "He called me by name, and said that he was a messenger...and that his name was Moroni...," (Pearl. II:33) This is one of the main cornerstones of the Mormon doctrine. The Mormon Church had its beginnings from New York and traveled to Kirtland, Ohio, then on to Spring Hill (Independence), Missouri, and finally traveled back to Nauvoo, Illinois. It was at Nauvoo where on, Jun 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, III, his brother Hyrum Smith and friend John Taylor were ambushed at the Nauvoo-Carthage Jail. In the course of events that transpired, Joseph and Hyrum w...
The Mormon Church in the nineteenth century was considered strange and isolated by many Americans because of...
Exploring Why the Mormons Settled in Salt Lake City Salt Lake City is located in the west of North America. It was a desolate wilderness, dry, and a place where many people assumed was uninhabitable. So why did the Mormons ‘relocate’ to such an area? unattractive and diverse place? Brigham Young, in 1845 organised the mass movement of 15,000 men, women.
Navajo Tradition, Mormon Life follows the story of Jim Dandy and his family, members of the Navajo Native American tribe, as they adjust to living within the world of their ancestors and the new world of the white Americans. Jim Dandy, through telling his story, is able to show the similarities between the faith of Mormons and Navajo, the value of American education to the Navajo, and the what Mormons learned from the Natives. These recollections are a powerful insight into the life of a Navajo, their relationship with Mormons, and how both cultures have been able to exchange ideas that have enriched both sides.
This experience was really out of my comfort zone. It was hard to be an outsider and not prepared for what was to come and not speaking one of the languages used to understand the entire service. This service learning project gave me the opportunity to try a new church and gain a deeper respect for a different religion. Everyone at the service was very educated on speaking the sacred texts and participating in the rituals practiced. I hope to have gained a better understanding for those who are new to religions and are nervous to come to a worship service. I will make more of an effort to be welcoming and accommodating to those who are new to our church.
Utah and the Mormon Culture In 1820, Joseph Smith had a vision in Palmyra, New York, of God and his son, Jesus Christ telling him to reorganize the church of Jesus Christ. During the next 10 years, Joseph was visited by other heavenly messengers, translated the Book of Mormon and established the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. Many years thereafter, the Mormons relocated from Nauvoo, Illinois because of religious persecution (PBS Online). In Illinois, Joseph Smith had succeeded in establishing a religion which brought together its followers both sociologically and economically.
Actually, “Mormon” is just a nickname for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (Another nickname is the acronym LDS) A cursory glance at the church’s full name contains Christ’s name. By the very name of their church, members state their belief in Christ.
The church is a hierarchy that is lead by the priesthood. In order to receive the priesthood, one must be male. In The Proclamation, it says about men “By divine design fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families” (lds.org). The word preside means to have authority over something, in this case the family. Since the church is a similitude of the family, almost all the leaders are men. The only general leadership positions held by women are in the individual youth and children organization, and Relief Society, the leading women’s organization in the church. When The Proclamation talks about mothers its say “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children” (lds.org).To many, this is a negative claim and sits as a point of opposition from feminist groups. Till this day, the gender roles of men and women continue to be debated in the Mormons church, and society.
The Mormon population holds true to their unique religious beliefs. Most Mormons are similar to those who practice Christianity, however there are some differences. Over the past two centuries that Mormonism has been founded by Joseph Smith, this faith has expanded across the United States. Even though the faith has been powerful to many believers it is becoming less frequently practiced. This religion not only practices God and Jesus as separate people but also believes that God is seen in everyone. Since, Mormons are very religious and godlike we have to be competent to these differences when working with this population. There is very little information about how to perform Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with a child that is practicing
Oftentimes, societal gender roles shape and form the culture within which they lie. Regardless of origin, such gender roles typically work to reinforce religious values and norms. Additionally, consideration for change and growth within these roles must be weighed in on. Whether or not the historical gender role remains completely relevant in the modern context must be assessed. In order to understand the gender roles and to determine if change or progress has occurred, the interrelationship of culture, society, and religion must not only be referenced, but critically analyzed for detailed explanations and evidence. In order to illustrate said concepts, I plan to survey two common and influential religious communities in the American Southwest; Roman Catholicism and Mormonism. There is a large pop...
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints utilize more personalized methods to intrigue and entice new members as opposed to simply running commercials in promotion of their beliefs. By utilizing its existing member-base as missionaries to teach non-members the values and beliefs held and taught by the church there is a ‘real’ person who follows and believes in the faith for non-members to talk to providing a foundation of trust. Furthermore, giving non-members the option of saying that they do not believe/ do not want to believe- exercising their free agency- is providing the opportunity for non-members to decide for themselves whether they logically agree with the teachings and lifestyle followed by the LDS church. Lastly the use of pathos in swaying investigators by connecting to them emotionally; i.e. eternal families, is a key tactic used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in its effort to convert new members. In essence the LDS church deploys multiple methods to entice new members to convert to the faith which are widely
Every Sunday, I attend church where the worship band plays. They play contemporary Christian music in the front left corner of the church. It is a well lit room, where the sunlight shines through the stained glass windows from either side of the church. The worship band was set up in the regular fashion of a band set up. The worship singers stood in front, while the pianist sat off to the right side. Meanwhile, the acoustic guitar and electric guitar players sit off to the right, as the bass player and percussionists are placed behind everyone else. The worship team plays on a slightly raised sage. Their sound projects through the church due to the speakers and overall design of the church. As the worship team plays their music, the projection
On September 6, 2015, I attended a 7:30 a.m. service at Titus Harvest Dome. Before that time there are people who come in early to pray. I did not choose the best seat to observe my church, but it had to do for the time being. As the service began with praise and worship, I noticed that not many people participated in it until the Pastor came onto the stage. R.J. Washington is the founder and Pastor of THD. As a usual practice before the Sermon would begin, we would go around greeting each other, to make each other feel comfortable. Since it was an early morning service it is understandable that many were still tired. There was a variety of genre sets being used to focus on the Sermon. Most of them were written genres, either already written