Mormon Myths or Rumors.

It just dawned on me that someone reading this blog may not be LDS (a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). For those of you wondering about some things you may have heard about the Church, I offer some (often tongue-in-cheek) explanations.

TIP OF THE DAY: Members of the Church prefer to be called "LDS" (which stands for Latter-day Saint), as in, "Oh, you're from Utah, are you LDS?" "Mormon" is a label given in the early days of the Church because of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. In the 1800's, if someone called you a Mormon, it was usually in an offensive way (bad word). TIP OF THE DAY: Members of the Church prefer to be called "LDS" (which stands for Latter-day Saint), as in, "Oh, you're from Utah, are you LDS?" "Mormon" is a label given in the early days of the Church because of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. In the 1800's, if someone called you a Mormon, it was often in an offensive way (bad word). Well, in modern times, because of the ignorance of some misinformed persons, it can still be used in a derogatory or discriminatory manner.

Myths or Rumors:

1. Mormon's have horns: Check out any person's head who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You will NOT find any horns and, no, they are not retractable if there were any. You may want to ask permission first, though, as Mormon's do have rabies.

2. Mormon's have rabies: Just in case you are unknowledgeable enough to believe every weird thing you hear about Mormons is true and fail to ever check out the facts--they don't have rabies and most Mormons don't bite.

3. Mormon men have many wives: One wife is enough for any LDS man. Mormons manage quite nicely, thank you, with one wife and one husband and sometimes LOTS of children. A good number of the productive Mormon moms look like they've had no children, since, on average, Mormons have a tendency to look healthy, attractive, and not down-trodden in any way. In fact, you'll often see authentic smiles of joy as these women keep track of those many mini Mormons scurrying around doing all the normal things children do. You will also see that these same moms are like any other mom. They can look as worn out as anyone and not have smiles of joy. After all, it IS a lot of work to be a mom and Mormons are normal humans like everyone else.

4. Look Out for the Mormon Missionaries!: Why? They can't hurt you or hypnotize you into being a "follower". Telling people to look out for them is like saying, "Look out for those Christians who are spreading God's dangerous word that might bring marvelous changes into your life?"

Mormon missionaries are simply young men and women, and some senior adults, dedicating two years of their life (paying their own way) to take the message of Christ's atonement and resurrection to all the ends of the earth. Mormon missionaries are focused on one purpose--to bring souls unto Christ. They are doing the Lord's work to assist Him in reaching His goal as recorded in Moses 1:29: "For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

A Mormon missionary brings people the gospel message, as taught by Jesus Christ. They give people the opportunity to hear a true account of the restoration of all things in these last days. The original Church that Christ founded is again established as promised in the Bible and Book of Mormon. This means God has once again given priesthood authority to men on earth to perform the sacred ordinances, such as baptism (by water) and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost(baptism by fire), for people wishing to take the first step to enter into the strait and narrow gate on the path to eternal life (read Acts 19). It is the only way to return to our Heavenly Father and live with Him and, his beloved son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. As He has said, "Let him who has ears let him hear." (Mark 4, 9, 23; Mark 8:18; Luke 8:8)

Mormon missionaries may seem extremely exuberant in their desire to bring their wondrous message to people, but they are not into force, manipulation, or deception. They carry only the message of faith, hope, and joy for all mankind. All people have the choice to listen or to reject. The promise is found in the Book of Mormon, the ONLY book with a promise that you can know the truth of it through the Holy Ghost. The promise is written by an ancient prophet named Moroni, just before he buried the sacred records, written on gold plates by prophets living on the American continent: Moroni 10:3, 4, 5:

3 "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that we shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that you would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

Now, what is so scary about that?

How best to treat the Mormon missionaries (they always come in twos with name tags on) when they show up at your door? Smile, invite them to give you their message, take any gifts they offer you, and promise them you will honestly take the time to search, ponder, and pray to find out for yourself the truth sent from God. It is either true or it is not. What harm is there in finding out for yourself?

So, what sets Mormon Missionaries apart from those caring and earnest other missionaries in the world trying to bring the word of Christ to all? They all have a message they truly believe will save mankind. The difference is the Mormon Missionary will bring you another witness that Jesus Christ lives. The message is, as Paul Harvey used to say, “. . . the rest of the story.”

I think I'll give up on the myth thing. It is impossible to address them all and new ones spring up constantly. People will believe what they choose and if they have not ears to hear, or eyes to see, no amount of evidence will convince them otherwise. Besides, everyone should check out anything they read or hear at the original source (including this blog); in this case, the Bible and The Book of Mormon.