"Mormons in America" Pew research survey explores what it means to be a good Mormon

The following statistical information is taken from today's Deseret News.  This essay will focus on the results, and the opinion of The Mormon Eagle as to said results.  It will focus on doctrine and theology where rebuke and proper teachings are needed.  The Pew Research Center's Forum of Religion and Public Life survey details results taken from more than 1,000 people who identify themselves as Mormons.

Beliefs and Practices
According to the results published in today's Deseret News*, 77%  attend Church at least once a week; 91% believe the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets; 79% fully pay their tithing; 94% believe the President of the Church is a Prophet of God, believe God the Father and Jesus Christ are physically separate Beings, and believe families can be united for eternity in the House of the Lord; 83% pray daily; and 98% believe in the Resurrection of Christ.  However, this means, on the other hand, that at least: 23% do not attend Church at least once a week; 9% do not believe the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets; 21% do not pay a full tithe; 6% do not believe the President of the Church is a Prophet, believe God the Father and Jesus Christ are not separate Beings, and do not believe family relationships can extend beyond the grave; 17% do not pray daily; 2% do not believe in the Resurrection of Christ.

To those who do not believe the things stated above, have ye not read the scriptures, both ancient and modern?  Do they not testify of these things?  Have not the Apostles and Prophets, both ancient and modern, born sufficient witness that only active Mormons will go to Heaven, and not inactive ones?  The scriptures fully state, "Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly [not follow the teachings of the President of the Church] in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever" (1 Nephi 10:21).  Thus it is so, for the word of God must be fulfilled.

Education
In regards to education:  12% received a post-graduate education; 19% are college graduates; 33% attended some college; 29% are High School graduates; and only 7% did not graduate High School.

Social Issues
Concerning Polygamy:  86% of those surveyed find it morally wrong, and 2% find it morally acceptable.
Premarital Sex:  79% think it is morally wrong, but 7% find it OK morally.
Abortion:  74% believe it morally wrong, and 4% do not.
Drinking Alcohol:  only 54% believe drinking is morally wrong, and 6% do not.
Divorce:  25% think it morally wrong, and 16% do not.

To those who find premarital sex and the drinking of alcohol acceptable in Mormonism, ye are deceived by the wiles of Satan.  Has not the Lord expressly stated, "Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2).  Indeed He has.  The truth is that the Lord did actually raise up Joseph Smith the Prophet, and did command him to teach that drinking alcohol (D&C 89) and premarital relations (D&C 42:22-24) are wrong in God's eyes, and those found so doing will not only lose the Spirit of God, but be cast out of His Sheepfold!  Therefore, repent of your wickedness, and come fully back into Mormonism, which is God's one and only truth.


To be a good Mormon
Certain things are essential to being a good Mormon, which means worthy to go into the House of the Lord, and therefore, live with God again:  Only 32% said not watching R-rated movies was essential (which means more than half said it was not)  Less than half (49%) said staying away from coffee and tea is essential within Mormonism, whereas an alarming 51% (at most) said breaking the Word of Wisdom in that manner was OK.  51% said regular Family Home Evening was essential; 73% said helping the poor is mandatory for good-standing Mormons; and 80% said believing in Joseph Smith as a Prophet was essential.

In regards to R-rated movies, at most 68% watch them.  This must stop, for the Prophets and Apostles in modern times have warned against it.  Said President Ezra Taft Benson in his first General Conference after becoming President of the Church and Prophet to the world, "We counsel you, young men, not to pollute your minds with such degrading matter, for the mind through which this filth passes is never the same afterwards. Don’t see R-rated movies or vulgar videos or participate in any entertainment that is immoral, suggestive, or pornographic" ("To the 'Youth of the Noble Birthright'", May 1986 General Conference).  Also, the Lord Christ hath said to "let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly" (D&C 121:45).  Is not this clear enough?

Speaking of coffee and tea, numerous Prophets have stated what is wrong and what is right.  President Brigham Young stated concerning those breaking the Word of Wisdom through drinking tea and coffee, "Darkness and blindness of mind with regard to the things of God will be their lot; they will cease to have the spirit of prayer, and the spirit of the world will increase in them in proportion to their disobedience until they apostatize entirely from God and his ways" (DBY, p. 183).  Also, he informs us what "hot drinks" mean within the text of D&C 89: "I have heard it argued that tea and coffee are not mentioned therein; that is very true; but what were the people in the habit of taking as hot drinks when that revelation was given?  Tea and coffee.  We were not in the habit of drinking water very hot, but tea and coffee—the beverages in common use" (DBY, 182).  Also, Presidents Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith taught this as well.  Said President H. Smith, "There are many who wonder what this can mean. . . . I say it does refer to tea and coffee" (Times and Seasons, 1 June 1842, p. 800).  President Joseph Smith taught, "Tea and Coffee . . . are what the Lord meant when He said 'hot drinks'" (Voice from the Mountains [Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1881], p. 12.).

I know what I have stated in regards to doctrine is true.  The results of the survey are shocking at times, but if we keep the laws of God, He will bless us.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

*"Landmark survey explores beliefs, attitudes of LDS", Deseret News, Thursday 12 January 2012, A9

From the Heart and Soul of a Mormon

I feel it needed that my witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ be written down for generations to see.

I, Clark LeRay Herlin, know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, my Savior.  I know that the Bible is true and teaches of the need for Jesus.  I know that Jesus Christ came down as God's Only Begotten Son and atoned for my sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross of Calvary.  I know he was resurrected after three days in the tomb.  I know He has a body of flesh and bone, like His Father's.  I know They live with bodies of flesh and bone.

I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God.  I know that Joseph Smith received the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods from John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John respectively.  I know that Joseph Smith gave the Priesthood Keys he held into the hands of the entire Quorum of the Twelve Apostles before he and Hyrum were martyred.  I know those Keys are with the LDS Church today.

By knowing that the Book of Mormon is true, I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Joseph Smith was the Prophet called of God to restore His Church, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living Church upon the face of the earth.  I know that the Priesthood Keys are vested within said Church, and no other church.

I know the Authority to bind families together forever can only be found and used in the Houses of the Lord built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I know that I will have my wife in the eternities in the marriage relationship because of the Sealing Authority, which Authority is only within the LDS Church.

I know that the Word of Wisdom was given by God through Joseph Smith, and that by abiding within it's principles our temporal salvation is secure.

I know that Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God today - the only man authorized by God to use all the Priesthood Keys.  I know that the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles now living are prophets, seers, and revelators and speak God's will for us today.

I know that the calamities spoken by ancient and modern prophets will be poured out upon those who do not follow God's servants.  I know all I have previously written within The Mormon Eagle is true, and is my witness, forever given to the world through the medium of the Internet.

I know God lives, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that the LDS Church is true - the only true Church - through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mormon Theology no. 26 - Fear, Doubt, and Discouragement

This morning I unexpectedly awoke with anger within my heart.  I yelled at my wife Alicia for no apparent reason.  Deep down, I knew the reason: I had a test I wasn't prepared for (I failed, anyways).  Compounded therewith was the anxiety of knowing I do not have a job, yet I must and still am struggling with school.  What am I to do?  What are these emotions suddenly placed in my head, and how do I dispel them?  In this essay, we will find answers.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, while serving as President of Brigham Young University, once said, "a problem that is universal and that can, at any given hour, strike anywhere . . . is a form of evil. . . . I speak of doubt—especially self-doubt—of discouragement, and of despair" ("For Times of Trouble", BYU Devotional Address, 18 March 1980).  The scriptures speak of hope as an anchor to the soul.  I submit that if hope is an anchor to the soul then doubt and despair and discouragement is an anchor limiting one's progression in this life; none will accomplish anything while despair rages.

I feel impressed to mold the remainder of this essay on a talk given by President Ezra Taft Benson.  It is titled "Do Not Despair" and can be found in the October issue of the 1986 Ensign magazine.  He writes, "To help us from being overcome by the devil’s designs of despair, discouragement, depression, and despondency, the Lord has provided at least a dozen ways which, if followed, will lift our spirits and send us on our way rejoicing."  We will next examine, from both historical accounts and from scripture, some ways to eliminate fear, doubt, despondency, depression, and self-loathing.

REPENTANCE
God only answers prayers that are sincere; for a prayer to truly be sincere the person praying must have evidently endeavored to right his life, or to repent of his sins.   Moroni 10:22 tells us that despair comes because of iniquity - and only because of iniquity.  Whether that iniquity is an actual sin (such as pornography), or a sin of omission (such as skipping school), despair eventually comes.

Let me illustrate.  According to President Oliver Cowdery in Messenger and Advocate, July 1835, p. 157, when Joseph Smith was walking to the Hill Cumorah, he thought much about the Gold Plates and how they could alleviate his family from abject poverty.

President Cowdery explains that Joseph Smith tried three times to lift the Plates from their burial grounds, but was literally shocked each time.  Joseph Smith then exclaimed "Why cannot I obtain this book?"  The Angel Moroni then appeared and said, "Because you have not kept the commandments of the Lord" (Messenger and Advocate, Oct. 1835, 198).  In other words, even Joseph Smith, the Lord's chosen Prophet to the last Dispensation, had need to repent.  Now, the above event described by Oliver Cowdery occurred when Joseph Smith was just 17.  Apparently it took Joseph four more years to fully repent, receive tutoring from the Lord, and prepare himself before he could receive the plates.  We must therefore ask ourselves, as the Apostles did at the Last Supper, "Lord, is it I?"  What must I change in order to more fully gain thy Spirit back?  Truly repentance prevents doubt!

PRAYER

This one is a little more obvious.  The prophet Nephi wrote, 

If ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.  But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will concecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. (2 Nephi 32:8-9)

When the Savior was burdened with the sins of the world, He prayed and was strengthened by Micheal the Archangel, also known as Adam.  As the Perfect Example, Jesus has truly set down prayer as a means to lift fear.

SERVICE

King Benjamen said in his remarkable address, "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17)"  President Lorenzo Snow taught, "When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated. (Conference Report, 6 Apr. 1899, pp. 2–3)"

People volunteer so often because it naturally lifts people to a higher plane of thought and action, making Earth a better place.

WORK

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said it best.  In the May 1979 issue of The Ensign, he said,

We are here on earth to work—to work long, hard, arduous hours, to work until our backs ache and our tired muscles knot, to work all our days. This mortal probation is one in which we are to eat our bread in the sweat of our faces until we return to the dust from whence we came.  Work is the law of life; it is the ruling principle in the lives of the Saints. We cannot, while physically able, voluntarily shift the burden of our own support to others. Doles abound in evils. Industry, thrift, and self-respect are essential to salvation.

Indeed, thus said the Lord to our Father Adam, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Gen. 3:19)"  In the Lord's eyes, work is fundamental to not only care for oneself, one's spouse, and one's children, but also for the preservation of self-respect.  All know that millions ended their own lives in the height of the Great Depression because they were out of work and had no self-respect.  Let us work at working harder, is my prayer.

HEALTH
The Lord gives some specific guidance on health, and how it can counter despondency and depression.  "Cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated. (D&C 88:124)"  When one sleeps either to much or too little, it is harder to find the desire to be up and doing at the start of the day; plus adequate sleep stems off sickness and disease, and therefore, despondency.  Joseph Smith the Prophet was a model of physical health:  he loved physical exercises, like wrestling and pulling sticks.  Because of his physical stature and physical fitness, he was also able to escape his enemies from time to time.  Elder Parley P. Pratt wrote, "President Joseph Smith was in person tall and well built, strong and active; of a light complexion, light hair, blue eyes, very little beard, and of an expression peculiar to himself" (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 45-46).  President Joseph F. Smith said of his uncle the Prophet Joseph that the Prophet had fun "in playing ball, in wrestling with his brothers and scuffling with them, and enjoying himself" ("Joseph, the Prophet,” Salt Lake Herald Church and Farm Supplement, Jan. 12, 1895, 211).  Thus was the Prophet an example of good health to all who knew him.

READING
I love to read.  Whenever I am downcast, I go to a quiet place and open up the Book of Mormon and begin to read.  Each time I do so, although I may not yet be in the mood, the spirit of doubt, fear, depression, and despair leaves and the Spirit of the Lord enters in.  Truly the scriptures are a great healing balm.

I also read histories whenever I can.  It inspires me to learn of the mistakes and foibles of the past so that I might learn from them and ever increase in wisdom and understanding.

BLESSING

When stress enters our lives, we should call upon the powers of Heaven to dispel those evil feelings.  Proper blessings as laid out in the Bible and the Book of Mormon can only be had in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It is well known that worry brings sickness.  When sickness, whether from stress or being stressed therefrom, entombs us in our beds, we do as James the Apostle directs.  Saith he, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" (James 5:14-15).

FASTING

Isaiah said it best when he wrote, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke" (Isaiah 58:6)?  Fasting gave strength to both Moses and the Lord for 40 days and nights.  Fasting causes us to realize that our ultimate blessings come from the Lord, and that we must rely upon Him to give us both our spiritual and temporal foodstuffs.

MUSIC

In the January 1974 Ensign, President Boyd K. Packer stated, "One of the signs of apostasy in the Christian churches today is the willingness of their ministers to compromise and introduce into what had been, theretofore, the most sacred religious meetings the music of the drug and the hard rock culture. Such music has little virtue and it is repellent to the Spirit of God."  I have never read a more true statement than that.  

I will pull a page from my own life as a testimony here.  I used to listen, for a period of about nine months, to Nirvana - and nothing else.  Literally from the rising of the sun until long past its setting did I listen to them.  I emulated Kurt Cobain and the way he wrote music.  Nirvana's music is very depressing.  As such, I went from staunchly believing in God the Father and in His Restored Church into denying His existence.  I was contemplating suicide.  One day, to make a long story short, I was caught in a lie, and all I had left to listen to was LDS religious music.  Worthy music - and only that - is what began my inner change back into The Church of Jesus Christ.  I fell in love with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  I am a witness that worthy music that is soft and reverent uplifts, and that the loud trash people call "music" literally destroys spiritual life!  I know this!  Readers, please listen to worthy music, and not settle for the noises of the world.

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true - the only true Church on Earth.  I know that Satan is the author of doubt, despair, fear, despondency, and depression.  I know that if we implement into our lives the topics I have spoken of, Christ will more easily enter our lives.  In the Name of Jesus Christ, amen!

Mormon Theology no. 13 - The Word of Wisdom

Those who have met Mormons know, or soon come to a knowledge, that they do not smoke, drink coffee or tea, or use harmful drugs.  The basis and history behind this will be discussed in this essay.

Speaking of the Newel K. Whitney Store in Kirtland, Ohio in the early days of the Church in 1833, Brigham Young recalled,

When [the brethren] assembled together in this room after breakfast, the first they did was to light their pipes, and, while smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom. … Often when the Prophet entered the room to give the school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean so filthy a floor [from chewing tobacco], made the Prophet think upon the matter, and he inquired of the Lord relating to the conduct of the elders in using tobacco, and the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom was the result of his inquiry. (Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, Feb. 25, 1868, p. 2).

The Word of Wisdom was received on 27 February 1833.  In it the Lord states, "That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father (D&C 89:5)".  Later, it states, "And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly (D&C 89:9).  The term "hot drinks" was defined both by President Joseph Smith, and his brother Assistant President Hyrum Smith.  President Joseph Smith said, "Tea and Coffee . . . are what the Lord meant when He said 'hot drinks'" (Voice from the Mountains [Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1881], p. 12.). Assistant President Hyrum Smith said, "There are many who wonder what this can mean. . . . I say it does refer to tea and coffee" (Times and Seasons, 1 June 1842, p. 800).

The Word of Wisdom is a true principle.  I know the voice of the Lord is in it.  I have heard people say God gave no "why" in the Word of Wisdom (or other revelations).  True followers of the Savior need no "why", because just as Joseph Smith once said, when the Lord commands, do it! (History of the Church, 2:170)  This is my testimony, set in order to clarify misconceptions.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.