Here is a neat infographic on Mormon temples and chapels.
Here is an excerpt from an article about Mitt Romney and the spotlight that his candidacy has put on the practice of paying tithing.
That point was emphasized by Givens, who was also contacted by CNN's Dan Gilgoff about the subject.
"Mormon children are expected to begin tithing from their very first allowance," Givens told Gilgoff. "And there's never any variation on the 10 percent, whether you're on welfare or you're a millionaire."
For members of the LDS Church, Givens continued, "tithing is an article of faith, not an economic principal." He went on to call it "an important differentiator between devout Mormons and nominal Mormons."
Michael Otterson, director of Public Affairs for the LDS Church and a frequent guest contributor to the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog site, used the sudden interest in LDS tithing to talk about the history, the doctrine and the uses of tithing in the church.
"The principle is simple to understand and administer," Otterson wrote. "Each member, knowing their accountability to God, decides for themselves what 'one tenth of their increase' means, when and how to pay it. For people on regular salaries, it is usually a tenth of their income and paid weekly or monthly. It is an honor system that works very well, because each member has a sense of consecrating a portion of his or her means to God's work."
He quotes the late LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, who once observed that "the Lord's plan for financing the church is captured in just 35 words of modern scripture."
"We know that these funds are sacred," President Hinckley said. "We have a compelling trust to use them carefully and wisely…. I keep on the credenza in my office this genuine widow's mite …. I keep it as a reminder of the sacrifice it represents, that we are dealing with the consecration of the widow as well as the offering of the wealthy."
Otterson outlined some of the ways in which tithing dollars are used, pointing out that simply providing for the needs of 30,000 LDS congregations worldwide — including meetinghouses and temples — required a large part of the church's tithing income.
"In addition to their tithes," Otterson said, "most faithful members make other voluntary contributions to humanitarian aid and to the monthly 'fast offering.' Fast offerings are the result of fasting for two successive meals on the first Sunday of each month and donating the cost of the meals. Local bishops then use these funds to help the poor and needy."
Otterson concludes by saying that "tithing and other financial offerings are less about finances and more about personal attitude and commitment."
"It is difficult to pay tithing and be selfish at the same time," he writes. "For the millions of people who participate, there is something in the act of voluntary giving that is innately enriching to the human soul."
Read the rest at the Deseret News. Mormon tithing under national media microscope after Mitt Romney releases his financial data
That point was emphasized by Givens, who was also contacted by CNN's Dan Gilgoff about the subject.
"Mormon children are expected to begin tithing from their very first allowance," Givens told Gilgoff. "And there's never any variation on the 10 percent, whether you're on welfare or you're a millionaire."
For members of the LDS Church, Givens continued, "tithing is an article of faith, not an economic principal." He went on to call it "an important differentiator between devout Mormons and nominal Mormons."
Michael Otterson, director of Public Affairs for the LDS Church and a frequent guest contributor to the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog site, used the sudden interest in LDS tithing to talk about the history, the doctrine and the uses of tithing in the church.
"The principle is simple to understand and administer," Otterson wrote. "Each member, knowing their accountability to God, decides for themselves what 'one tenth of their increase' means, when and how to pay it. For people on regular salaries, it is usually a tenth of their income and paid weekly or monthly. It is an honor system that works very well, because each member has a sense of consecrating a portion of his or her means to God's work."
He quotes the late LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, who once observed that "the Lord's plan for financing the church is captured in just 35 words of modern scripture."
"We know that these funds are sacred," President Hinckley said. "We have a compelling trust to use them carefully and wisely…. I keep on the credenza in my office this genuine widow's mite …. I keep it as a reminder of the sacrifice it represents, that we are dealing with the consecration of the widow as well as the offering of the wealthy."
Otterson outlined some of the ways in which tithing dollars are used, pointing out that simply providing for the needs of 30,000 LDS congregations worldwide — including meetinghouses and temples — required a large part of the church's tithing income.
"In addition to their tithes," Otterson said, "most faithful members make other voluntary contributions to humanitarian aid and to the monthly 'fast offering.' Fast offerings are the result of fasting for two successive meals on the first Sunday of each month and donating the cost of the meals. Local bishops then use these funds to help the poor and needy."
Otterson concludes by saying that "tithing and other financial offerings are less about finances and more about personal attitude and commitment."
"It is difficult to pay tithing and be selfish at the same time," he writes. "For the millions of people who participate, there is something in the act of voluntary giving that is innately enriching to the human soul."
Read the rest at the Deseret News. Mormon tithing under national media microscope after Mitt Romney releases his financial data
Here is an interesting article from the Washington Post about an area in Washington DC, known as "Litttle Provo," because it has the largest concentration of single Mormons outside of Utah.
The newly opened “23rd Street chapel” is unique in the American Mormon church: It is the only worship space in the country devoted solely to unmarried people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It serves the biggest population of single Mormons outside Utah in a neighborhood so thick with church members that it is nicknamed “Little Provo.”
The newly opened “23rd Street chapel” is unique in the American Mormon church: It is the only worship space in the country devoted solely to unmarried people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It serves the biggest population of single Mormons outside Utah in a neighborhood so thick with church members that it is nicknamed “Little Provo.”
A new study coming out of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., indicates that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are predominantly Republican, overwhelmingly white, well-educated, prosperous and have larger-than-average families. The study also found that Mormon women are less likely to work outside the home than other American women.
Surprised?
Probably not.
Read the rest of the article at Deseret News. "New study confirms many LDS stereotypes. Research does not offer startling new info about Mormons."
Surprised?
Probably not.
Read the rest of the article at Deseret News. "New study confirms many LDS stereotypes. Research does not offer startling new info about Mormons."
"I, with you, have witnessed during the past few days and weeks what has become over the years the annual commercialization of Christmas," said President Monson during the annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional. "I am saddened to see Christmas becoming less and less about Christ and more and more about marketing and sales, parties and presents. And yet, Christmas is what we make of it."
Read the rest at LDS Church News
They gather twice each year — once on the Provo, Utah, campus of Brigham Young University and once at the Fuller Theological Seminary main campus in Pasadena, Calif.
Evangelical Christians and Mormons.
Together.
In the same room.
Talking about religion.
And — believe it or not — getting along famously.
"Our meetings are extremely cordial," said Dr. Robert L. Millet, former dean of Religious Education at BYU, who has been participating in the meetings since their inception. "We have great fellowship with one another, and there's a real feeling of brotherhood and affection even though we spend hours discussing our differences."
Dr. Richard J. Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, wrote about the semiannual meetings recently in one of his articles on the Washington Post's On Faith blog site.
"We have talked for many hours about key theological issues," Mouw wrote. "We evangelicals and our Mormon counterparts disagree about some important questions. But we have also found that on some matters we are not as far apart as we thought we were."
This cooperative effort between evangelical Christian scholars and their LDS counterparts is especially noteworthy since the last two months have seen a number of highly placed evangelical Christians making comments about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In early October, Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas, called Mormonism a "cult," and another evangelical leader, Bryan Fischer, claimed that Latter-day Saints are not Christian and are therefore not entitled to First Amendment protections of religious freedom. Since those comments were made in public forums and were directed at presidential candidate Mitt Romney, they generated a media firestorm that has has generated through the ensuing weeks a good deal of public discussion on the LDS Church and whether or not it is truly Christian.
"To a Mormon, the claim that they are not Christian is confusing," said Dr. David Campbell, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame and a leading researcher on faith in American life. "They point to the name of Jesus Christ in the church's official name and wonder how they can be considered anything other than Christian."
Without going too deeply into the theological differences, Campbell, who is LDS, suggests there is a semantic difference at work here.
Read the rest at the Deseret News.
Evangelical Christians and Mormons.
Together.
In the same room.
Talking about religion.
And — believe it or not — getting along famously.
"Our meetings are extremely cordial," said Dr. Robert L. Millet, former dean of Religious Education at BYU, who has been participating in the meetings since their inception. "We have great fellowship with one another, and there's a real feeling of brotherhood and affection even though we spend hours discussing our differences."
Dr. Richard J. Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, wrote about the semiannual meetings recently in one of his articles on the Washington Post's On Faith blog site.
"We have talked for many hours about key theological issues," Mouw wrote. "We evangelicals and our Mormon counterparts disagree about some important questions. But we have also found that on some matters we are not as far apart as we thought we were."
This cooperative effort between evangelical Christian scholars and their LDS counterparts is especially noteworthy since the last two months have seen a number of highly placed evangelical Christians making comments about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In early October, Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas, called Mormonism a "cult," and another evangelical leader, Bryan Fischer, claimed that Latter-day Saints are not Christian and are therefore not entitled to First Amendment protections of religious freedom. Since those comments were made in public forums and were directed at presidential candidate Mitt Romney, they generated a media firestorm that has has generated through the ensuing weeks a good deal of public discussion on the LDS Church and whether or not it is truly Christian.
"To a Mormon, the claim that they are not Christian is confusing," said Dr. David Campbell, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame and a leading researcher on faith in American life. "They point to the name of Jesus Christ in the church's official name and wonder how they can be considered anything other than Christian."
Without going too deeply into the theological differences, Campbell, who is LDS, suggests there is a semantic difference at work here.
Read the rest at the Deseret News.
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