CURRENT AGE: 17
CURRENT AGE: 18
MORMON YOUTHS DISPEL FALSEHOODS
Misconceptions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church, have abounded ever since the Book of Mormon was published in 1830. Since then, Mormons have suffered not only teasing but also ridicule and persecution as they defended their faith – which was founded when Joseph Smith dug up and then transcribed golden tablets inscribed with an ancient language.
Some observers, such as the TV program “South Park,” have been skeptical about the origins of the faith. Others have taken aim at the now vanquished practice of polygamy, or plural marriage, and say that is reason enough to question Mormonism and the people who believe in it.
However, five Mormon youth in the Indianapolis area say they are unaffected by the misconceptions and criticisms of their religion. To them, their faith gives them joy and peace, and they are happy to abide by some practices that others find inconvenient or outdated.
The youth say they attend services twice on Sunday and youth group one evening a week. In addition, high school students attend Seminary, an early morning Bible study every weekday before school. "It really starts your day on a positive note, and it's happy and it really makes the rest of your day go really well," said Alex Green, 17, of Clayton.
Most Mormon youth aren’t bothered by getting up early to reaffirm their faith. Alex says attending Seminary is a personal choice, not an obligation required by her parents. “My parents don’t push me to do anything I don’t want to do within the church. I go because I feel it makes me happy, so there’s no pressure,” he said.
Mormon youth, like their church, honor and prize their families. Many believe that modern culture downplays the meaning of family and family values, leading to popular depictions of Mormon women as “breeding machines.”
“In today’s world, people don’t put as much emphasis on family as our church does. We believe that family is this really big part of our lives and it’s really important to us. And that’s why we usually reproduce more, because we think that it’s important to have children,” Alex said.
Ben Taylor, 14, Plainfield, explained that Mormons view children as gifts from God. “Lots of people think that it’s important to bring children into this world -- little spirits. That way they can raise them and they can have an opportunity to have a body on this earth,” he said.
Many youth today also would consider the Mormon Church to be too strict regarding personal freedoms. Mormon youth are advised to follow the Word of Wisdom, which instructs them to take care of their bodies. “The church gives you ways to live your life that would make you happy, but it doesn’t like say, ‘You have to do this’ or ‘You have to do that.’ … The church emphasizes that you make the right decisions, but it’s ultimately up to you to make that decision,” Alex said.
For example, dating before age 16 is discouraged, and only group dating is advised until age 18. “If you wait until you’re 16 to date, then you’re a lot less likely to get in trouble and to follow the wrong
The Mormon Church also encourages its congregants to marry fellow Mormons or have their partners convert before marriage so that they share similar beliefs and values. It hosts many dances and socials programs for Mormon singles to meet.
“The church advises you to marry someone of the same beliefs so that they can help support you and they’ll have the same standards and beliefs as you, so that you will be able to continue to prosper,” Alex said.
In addition to remaining chaste, Mormon youth also refrain from consuming food and drink of questionable benefit, such as caffeine. The local youth says this guideline is not a hard one to follow but a personal choice to make. “(Drinking caffeine beverages) is one of those things that the church advises that we don’t do because it’s very addictive and it’s not really doing us any good,” Ben said, adding that his family avoids caffeine but has accidentally consumed it in some brands of root beer.
The youth also clarified that Mormon males, once they turn 19, do not automatically go on mission trips to propagate the faith. “It’s ultimately up to them whether they decide to do it or not,” Alex said. “And they are not just allowed to go; they have to be ready to go. There are special requirements that you have to be able to fulfill to go.”
And it’s not just males that go. Some women also feel the call to serve, but they tend to be older.
Ignorance fuels most of the misconceptions about Mormonism. The youth said by far, the biggest misconception that they face is that Mormons still practice polygamy. “The one that they ask most is, ‘Is it true that when you’re married you have more than one wife?’ I’m like, ‘No!’” said Benjamin Smith, 10, Plainfield.
In fact, the church disavowed the practice in 1890 and currently excommunicates any Mormon who is involved in it. That hasn’t stopped some sects, such as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its prophet, Warren Jeffs, but the students reject the practice and said it has brought them nothing but grief.
“Many people have misconceptions about polygamy and why it was practiced in our religion at one point. And because of that, they don’t see how our church really is and that we don’t practice it anymore,” Alex said. “So they totally reject our church.”
Some of the rejection has taken the form of teasing or mocking. Spencer Hunt, 12, Plainfield, told of one of his classmates who bragged that he “farted on a Mormon.”
He also said his father had similar experiences. “My dad actually, when he was young, woke up with a kid feeling his head because his parents said that Mormons had horns or something,” he said.
Overall, the youth are dedicated to their faith because it is the most important facet of their lives. They would like others to view them as any mainstream religion, not as an oddity or cult.
“Don’t listen to all the stereotypes or the common misconceptions about our church,” Alex said. “Find out your own personal opinions about our church.”
However, the youth cautioned about turning to the Internet for information, saying that there are plenty of Mormon hate sites online. “Go to lds.org. That’s the only reliable Web site that I know of that tells the truth about Mormons,” Benjamin said.
REPORTER: William Andrews, 11.
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By Rachel Smith, 16
“Do you worship Joseph Smith?” “Are you a Christian?” “Why don’t you drink Coke or coffee?”
These are just a few of the questions a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must often answer.
Plainfield Bishop Shawn Hunt and prominent church historian Jan Shipps, professor emeritus of history and religious studies at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, answer some of the most common questions about the faith.
Are Mormons Christians?
HUNT: the quick answer to that is that the name of our church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. … Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, and he died and atoned for our sins. We love him and we seek to be like him.
Who was Joseph Smith?
SHIPPS: Joseph Smith was the son of a farmer, and he was born in Vermont. By the time he was 11 years old, his family had moved to New York state. He found the golden plates on which were recorded the text of the Book of Mormon. He was not only the translator of the Book of Mormon, but he was a prophet. Joseph Smith said God was telling him what to say, and all kinds of people gathered around him and were convinced.
HUNT:Our attitude towards Joseph Smith is we're thankful for him. But we don't, as some would suggest, worship Joseph Smith. We recognize him as a prophet like Moses or Abraham, who established God's word to their people of their time. Joseph Smith did that for us.
What is the Book of Mormon?
HUNT: The Book of Mormon is the record of a people who left Jerusalem around 600 B.C., just before the Babylonian captivity, and came to the Americas and established a great civilization here. While they were here, they recorded those things that account their relationship with their heavenly father, just like the Old Testament is an account of the Lord's dealings with those people. We believe that Jesus Christ made reference to it in the New Testament when he said, “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold,” in John, Chapter 10. We hold it up just like the Bible as profitable for our learning and instruction and helping us to become more like our heavenly father.
SHIPPS: The Book of Mormon was published in 1830. ...When (Smith) looked at what was on the plates, he dictated the text of the Book of Mormon. Sometimes he didn’t even look at the plates; he just was dictating it out of his head.
How do Mormons view polygamy?
SHIPPS: There are many efforts to explain why polygamy was practiced. My own belief is that Joseph Smith had a revelation that the Mormons should create a world that is very much like the ancient order of things. So the Mormons have temples and they have ordinances in the temples that they believe are the same kind of ordinances they had in ancient Israel, because they understood themselves as the chosen people.
HUNT: The practice served the Lord's purposes for a time (approximately 50 years) and was then discontinued, also by revelation. The Lord has made it clear to his servants that the default standard in regards to marriage is that it be between one man and one woman. Accordingly, anyone engaged in the practice today is excommunicated from the church.
How does the church view women?
HUNT: We believe that the raising of children really shouldn't be delegated to others, that it really needs to fall on the shoulders of the parents. Our emphasis is not just that moms be home with the kids, but that dads be home as much as they can be home too, and that they be careful about how much work takes them away. A common statement in the church is that no success in the marketplace or in the business place compensates for a failure in the home.
Why do Mormons typically have such big families?
HUNT: In our society, there’s been a great emphasis on the role of the breadwinner instead of the role of the nurturer and the raising of children, so that we have limited the number of children we have in the first place.
ASSISTANT EDITORS: Julie Kippenbrock, 16; Genna Yedlicka, 16
REPORTER: William Andrews, 11.
Copyright 2009 Y-Press