Mormonism and Marriage

In Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that marriage is only between a man and a woman, unchanged since the fall of Adam. They encourage members to marry in the temple, and to be faithful to each other. Sadly, in this day and age, the principle of marriage is being twisted and trampled by many people today. Elder F. Burton Howard talked about marriage in this day and age and he said, "Far too many marriages today end in divorce. Selfishness, sin, and personal convenience often prevail over covenants and commitment." In this day and age, many people, including in the media, say that cheating on your wife is an OK thing to do, and that everybody does it. They don't say however, the consequences of doing that. First of all, it is against the Ten Commandments, (thou shalt not commit adultery) second of all, it can deeply hurt, or even completely destroy your marriage with your wife. I have read many stories about husbands leaving their wives and children because they found another woman, and vice versa with wives leaving their husbands. I have read the emotional and physical pain it brings to the families when one of the spouses leaves them for someone else. The husband's job is to provide for the family (that is to work) and the wife's job is to look after the family (take care of the children) and when one of them leaves, the other has to do both jobs. Far too many times in this day and age, are when both the husband and the wife leave home for work and take the children to day care or something like that. (this does not include families that suffer from poverty, when both husband and wife must work to support the family. This is more directed towards families living in good homes, with a good income as is, and both spouses work out of the house and leave the children to be looked after by someone else) Because both spouses are gone, the children don't get the love and care they are suppose to have, and this actually increases the chances of them ending up in gangs, or doing drugs, dropping out of high school, etc. They don't have parents to keep them in line, or to help them knowing right and wrong, and to help them grow.
For those who have a healthy marriage, continue to keep it healthy, and continue to love your spouse, and your children. For those who have trouble with marriage, try to make it right. Fast and pray, and let the Holy Ghost guide you.

History of Mormonism: The Salt Lake Temple

In the History of Mormonism, after the mob murdered Joseph Smith, they drove the saints from Nauvoo, Illinois. The saints traveled for hundreds of miles, losing some along the way. In July, 1847, the Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Four days later, Brigham Young, who succeeded Joseph Smith as prophet, walked out for a bit and planted his walking stick in a spot where he saw in a vision, saying that this is the place where to build the Salt Lake Temple. Six years later, he would begin the groundbreaking of the temple, and the cornerstone was laid the same year.
Construction was slow, and funds were insufficient. The foundation was made out of sandstone while the walls were made out of granite. A block of granite would take a team of oxen four days to transport and about 150 men at a given time worked on the temple.
Around 1858, during the Utah war, the saints had to cover the foundation with dirt and make it look like a plowed field. When the tension receded, they uncovered the foundation, and noticed there were huge cracks in the sandstone. Brigham Young sadly told them to demolish the foundation, which took nine years to built, and to replace it with quartz monzonite.
The saints continued to build the temple, the progression was slow because of the long trip with the teams of oxen taking four days to deliver blocks of granite. The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad helped speed up the progress significantly.
The capstone was laid on April 6, 1892. Fifty Thousand church members occupied Temple Square, celebrating the event. Within one year, the interior of the temple was complete. On April 6, 1893, exactly forty years from the laying of the cornerstone, the Salt Lake City Temple was dedicated by President Wilford Woodruff. It is the fourth temple to be operational and the sixth temple to be built by the Latter-day Saints. The building of the temple fulfilled a prophesy by Isaiah in the bible:
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it."
That being said, the temple was built in Utah. Utah, is translated by the Ute tribe as, "Top of the Mountains."
Also, the "all nations shall flow unto it," part happened through the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics.

Mormonism: Family History

In Mormonism, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strongly believe in family history. Members volunteer in family history church buildings, categorizing and indexing tens of thousands of names a day, making it so that those who are curious about their ancestors can more easily find out their lineage. Members that do find their ancestors, and the ancestors weren't members, they do temple work for them.
Many non-members also do family history. Some do go to the church buildings to find out their ancestors. In fact, the First Presidency presented Barack Obama in 2009 with an account of his family history.
Doing family history can be exciting, as many members have said. They are interested in what their ancestors did in their time, where they lived, what they did for a living, and if they were related to anyone famous. Doing family history and work for the ancestors not only helps you fell good in the spirit, but it also gives you knowledge of what you did for those who passed on before you.

Mormonism: The Ten Commandments

In Mormonism, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in the Ten Commandments.
Just like other churches, the LDS Church believes completely in the Ten Commandments, leaders of the church saying it is important for members to follow the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are listed, with what it can mean in today's world:
1# Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. (Meaning that We should do all things with an eye single to the glory of God. We should love and serve the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.)
2# Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. (We don't bow and worship before graven images or idols, but we can replace our hearts and thoughts from the Living God, to money and material possessions.)
3# Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. (Sadly, this is one of those commandments that is being broken repeatedly.)
4# Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (This means once a week, you take a break from doing worldly activities, and you spend time resting, time with family, and time focusing on God.)
5# Honour thy father and mother. (Doesn't need much explaining. Although this is a commandment that is being broken more in this generation. Mainly through the use of phones and computers.)
6# Thou shalt not kill. (This commandment does not need any explaining!)
7# Thou shalt not commit adultery. (This also includes fornication, homosexuality, and other sins in that category. This is probably one of the most broken commandments today, behind taking the Lord's name in vain.)
8# Thou shalt not steal. (This commandment does not need explaining. You take something, whether from a store, neighbors house, or even from the internet (pirating) and you did not pay for it, then you broke this commandment.)
9# Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (This means pretending to be a witness to get gain. This is happening a lot in lawsuits.)
10# Thou shalt not covet. (This means that if you see someone with something, and you want it, as in can't stop thinking about it, it can hurt you spiritually and even financially.)
These commandments are all important to follow. However, in the bible, some pharisees asked Jesus which is the most important commandment. He told them the first is the most important, to love the Lord with all thy heart, might, mind, and strength. He also told them to love thy neighbor as thy self is second most important, and is similar, because if you love your neighbor, you love God.

Mormonism: Jesus is Tempted

In Mormonism, we learn about when Jesus began his Father's work, and is tempted by the Devil. After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus goes into the wilderness where he fasts for the space of forty days. While he was fasting, Satan visits him and asks, "If you hunger, why not change these stones into bread?" Jesus rebukes him by saying, "It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
When we are fasting, we can be tempted as well. We can follow Jesus' example to resist temptation and to continue fasting. If we do, I know that we will be blessed because of our faith and our diligence. The Holy Ghost took Jesus to the top of a large temple. Satan appears and tempts Jesus again by saying, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." Jesus replies, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
We should already know that we cannot receive signs, guidance, or protection unless it is for a just cause and we have faith to receive it. I know in my heart and from past experiences that if we have enough faith, and if it is for a righteous cause, then we will be blessed with the guidance and/or protection that we need. The Holy Ghost takes Jesus to the top of a very tall mountain. Satan shows him all of the glorious kingdoms of the world and tells him, "You can have all of these kingdoms, and the riches thereof, if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus tells Satan to get thee hence and told him that the Lord God is whom he will only serve. After Satan departs, Angels come unto Jesus and ministered unto him, and Jesus begins his glorious works.
We can overcome temptation, serve the Lord, and be blessed for it. I know that if we carry out our duties, and put our best effort into serving others, we can be blessed eternally for it.

Mormonism: Fasting

In Mormonism, members of the LDS Church have been blessed with the opportunity to fast. Fasting is going without food or drink voluntarily. We can fast for many purposes. Fasting is one way of worshiping God and expressing gratitude to Him. We can fast as we ask Heavenly Father to bless the sick or afflicted. Fasting may help us and those we love receive personal and spiritual revelation and become converted to the truth. Through fasting we can gain strength to resist temptation. We can fast as we strive to humble ourselves before God and exercise faith in Jesus Christ. We may fast to receive guidance in sharing the gospel and magnifying Church callings. Fasting and sincere prayer gives us an extra "spiritual boost," when we are in need of that boost.
Jesus told his disciples when they could not cast an evil spirit from a child, that they should have fasted and prayed to receive enough spiritual power to cast the spirit from the child. He then told the disciples that if they had the faith of a single mustard seed, then they could move mountains.
Another thing about fasting is fast offerings. At the beginning of every month, we fast, and the money that would have gone into the food and drink that we fasted from, goes to the church. Fast offerings are used to feed the poor, and to help the sick and needy.
One interesting thing that links religion to science, is that scientists actually did some studies on fasting. Here is some results that they found:

- Fasting gives people the opportunity to lose weight easily if done properly. Many people even take it on as a dieting technique
- Fasting makes it easier to stop mental obsessions, addictions and bad habits
- Fasting gives the digestive system a much-needed rest
- Fasting slows elderly phases crawling to the brain cells
- Fasting quiets allergic reactions, including asthma and hay fever
- Fasting corrects high blood pressure without the use of drugs. It normalizes blood pressure in the vast majority of cases and the blood pressure will remain low after the fast, if the person follows a health-supporting diet and lifestyle
- Fasting promotes detoxification. As the body breaks down its fat reserves, it mobilizes and eliminates stored toxins
- Weak and sick cells collapse when deconstruction prevails over construction during fasting; and the body cells are renewed in the process of construction
- He also said that a long term temperate fast that followed a certain regime could treat many diseases
- Discontinuous fasting is accountable for increasing the likelihood healing among people who suffer from damages to their liver tissue
- Fasting is used in the Western World to treat arthritis, including joint inflammations and backaches
- Discontinuous fasting helps in delaying the phases of the brain’s cells to become old, and it assists in slowing the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s

There are many good reasons to fast, and the blessings and reward can be great, both physically and spiritually.

Mormonism: Baptisms for the Dead

In Mormonism, many people ask members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints why they do baptisms for the dead. I am here to tell you why.
Jesus Christ taught us that baptism is essential to the salvation for everyone who has ever lived on earth. Many people, however, have died without being baptized, or have been baptized without proper authority. God, being merciful, prepared a way for everyone to receive the blessings of baptism. By performing baptisms in behalf of those who have died without baptism, Church members offer these blessings to the deceased. Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf. This is called doing baptisms for the dead. Church members willingly sacrifice some of their time to baptize for the behalf of the deceased person. Some people might think, "Why not just have one person just be baptized for all of those without baptism?" The reason is that the work must be done for each individual separately. Though tens of thousands of members are doing baptisms for the dead each week, around an average of five to fifteen each, there are hundreds of millions of names that need work done for them. Those in the next life whose names have been baptized for, can choose whether or not they accept being baptized and receive the gospel.

Mormonism: Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

In Mormonism , many churches, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe in keeping the Sabbath day holy. The Sabbath day is a day of rest; rest from work, from play, and rest from worldly problems. Now I know that many people don't have a choice in keeping the Sabbath day holy, namely people in the medical realm, soldiers in the army, navy, and marines, security, and many other professions that require people to work. They work to save lives, and protect the country.
A lot of people go shopping on the Sabbath  There are a few good reasons why people either shop or get gas on the Sabbath because: Someone needs medication, the person(s) are going on a long drive to maybe their relatives or something like that, an accident happened, whether they lost their home due to fire/flood and they need to get some food and clothing. There are a few good reasons, but many shop because they feel like it. Former Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley stated in a talk;
“There isn't anybody in this Church who has to buy furniture on Sunday. There really isn't. There isn't anybody in this Church who has to buy a new automobile on Sunday, is there? No. There isn't anybody in this Church who, with a little care and planning, has to buy groceries on Sunday. No. … You don’t need ice cream to be bought on Sunday. … You don’t need to make Sunday a day of merchandising. … I don’t think we need to patronize the ordinary business merchants on the Sabbath day. Why do they stay open? To get customers. Who are those customers? Well, they are not all nonmembers of this Church. You know that and I know that." (Gordon B. Hinckley, 1996)
I think that both members and nonmembers of the Church should keep the Sabbath day holy. I am seeing quite a few cities where businesses are pushing to have their stores be opened on a Sunday. What are the benefits of being opened on a Sunday? A little more income? So what; I bet employees will be unhappy if they are asked to work another day. There are benefits to keeping the Sabbath  Some benefits include a day to look forward to to rest from work. They can rest from worldly troubles and from stress. It also gives families a chance to be together and to strengthen family relationships. It gives fathers a chance to see their children and not worry about work. It also gives people the chance to feel the Holy Ghost more strongly. The Sabbath is a day of rest from worldly things, and a day of repentance, church, and family.

Mormonism: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

In Mormonism, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strongly believe in the Atonement of Christ.
The Atonement of Christ started in the pre-earth life, when both Jesus and Lucifer offered to be the savior.   Lucifer wanted power, and did not care about the plan.  Jesus loved the people and did not want power like Lucifer.  God chose Jesus instead of Lucifer, which on a side note caused Lucifer to lead a third of the Lord's children away from Him.
Later, after Jesus was born and raised, he preached to the people, established and ordained disciples, and later on, while Judas Iscariot went to the Priests to betray Him, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, and went through excruciating pain, bleeding out of every pore, and feeling every sin that was ever committed.  He did not want to do this, saying to the Lord, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."  He loved us, and he atoned for everyone's sins.  He sealed this and the prophecies of the prophets by dying on the cross.  He was able to overcome physical death and spiritual death, and allowed everyone a chance to come back to him and Heavenly Father, our God.

Mormonism: Beliefs of the LDS Church

In Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith Jr. in 1830, starting out with only six members. Today the number reached over 14 million members. Though a very small amount in comparison to over 7 billion people, the church continues to grow, and faster than ever. Many people though wonder what the church believes, many say false things about them, and many just believe false ideas about them from rumors. This article is the truth about what these members (many call them "Mormons") believe and practice in their daily lives.
Attending Church: Every Sunday, (except for General Conference) Church members go to their assigned ward and they go to three sessions. Priesthood Session, (for elders. The women go to Relief Society) Sunday School, and Sacrament Meeting.
Sacrament Meeting is when all of the members of the ward go to the main room of the chapel, and partake of the sacrament, which was first established by Jesus Christ, in the Last Supper.
Daily Lives and Beliefs: After the sessions, and for everyday of their lives, members can choose to follow God's commandments, but when they commit a serious sin, they will be excommunicated (expelled) from the church. God's commandments include the Ten Commandments, the Word of Wisdom, and the knowing of right and wrong.
The Church also believes in the Book of Mormon as well as the Holy Bible. The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith Jr. from the Gold Plates; a collection of ancient writings from ancient prophets in the Americas. The Book of Mormon is what the members refer to as, "The keystone to our religion."

Apostles, Prophets, Pastures, and Teachers: The Church is organized by a prophet which holds all the keys to the Priesthood. The prophet is accompanied by a first counselor, and a second counselor, and that makes up the First Presidency. The First Presidency leads the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This consists of twelve chosen men each holding some keys to the priesthood, all of them together hold the same keys as the prophet. They in turn lead the Quorums of the Seventy. Right now, there are eight quorums each consisting up to seventy members. They lead quorums of High Counselors, which are in charge of stake centers. They in turn lead the Stake Presidency, who leads the bishops who are in charge of the wards.

Mormonism: Missionary Work

Since the beginning of Christianity, there have been missionaries. They spread the gospel (In Hebrew, it means "Good word") throughout the world, in countries that will allow them to share their message and testimony.
In Mormonism, Prophets in biblical and Book of Mormon times would preach unto the people to repent. What they did, which was preach unto the people, heal the sick and afflicted, and bless those who are righteous. Well know missionaries in the bible include the Apostles of Jesus, John the Baptist, and Paul of Tarsus. They worked hard, not only just preaching the gospel, but they helped those in need. They cared about people. Paul for example, traveled from Jerusalem around the Mediterranean Sea three times, preaching to thousands of people, performing many miracles, jailed and escaped multiple times, he is a prime example of what a missionary does.
There are missionaries today as well as in biblical times. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has around 65,000 to 70,000 missionaries today, sent to all parts of the world. There are quite a few countries that will not allow missionaries to preach, mainly the middle east (Turkey, Iran, Iraq, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Syria) for both religious reasons, and safety reasons. There are a few countries in other areas that won't allow missionaries due mainly to safety reasons but sometimes as religious reasons as well.
Just this year, the First Presidency of the Church announced that the set age to go on a mission went from 19 years old to 18 years old. This was well received and many youth were excited to spread the word. Age is not the only thing that restricts someone to go on a mission, the standards set by the First Presidency mainly include being worthy of serving a mission. That includes confessing to any serious sins you have committed, including breaking the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity. They set standards so that they have as many youth strong in the spirit as possible. It allows those who really have it in their hearts to spread the gospel and baptize those who want to become members of the church. There are many testimonies that I have alone heard, including my father, talking about how going on a mission was the best thing that they ever did.

History of Mormonism: Samuel Smith

In the History of Mormonism, Samuel Smith, born March, 1808, was Joseph's younger brother. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on May 25, 1829, at the age of 22. He was the third person to be baptized in the church, and receiving the priesthood. Joseph then asked Samuel to be the first missionary. His first day of being on a mission, Samuel walked 25 miles, carrying only a knapsack full of Book of Mormons. Samuel visited four houses along the way, but none of them wanted to buy a copy. Tired, hungry, and discouraged, Samuel stopped by an inn to rest. He asked the innkeeper if he wanted to buy a Book of Mormon. He told the innkeeper about his brother receiving revelation from an angel where the plates were buried. Angry, the innkeeper called Samuel a liar and threw him out of his inn. So Samuel had to sleep under an apple tree on the ground.
The next morning Samuel stopped by a widow's house. In return, the widow gave Samuel some breakfast. He gave her a Book of Mormon in return. Then he walked eight miles and shared the Book of Mormon with John Greene, a Methodist minister. He only took it see if others he knew might be interested in buying a copy. Mr. Greene’s wife, Rhoda, was Brigham Young’s sister, but Brigham did not know about the church yet.
Two months later, Samuel returned to the Greene's home. When he arrived, Mr. Greene wasn't home, but Mrs. Greene told Samuel that she had read the book. The Spirit prompted Samuel to leave the book with her, and he did. Later, Mrs. Greene convinced her husband to read the book, and the couple was later baptized.
Samuel also sold a copy of the Book of Mormon to Brigham Young’s brother: Phineas Young, a Methodist preacher. Samuel told Phineas about the book, including how he is one of the witnesses of the Golden Plates. Phineas thanked Samuel for his time, and had it in his mind to find errors in the book and expose it to the world. A week later, and after reading the book twice, Phineas told his congregation that he believed the Book of Mormon. Later in the summer, the Young family read the Book of Mormon, including Brigham Young.
Even though Samuel baptized no one, and would feel like he didn't succeed in his calling, his efforts would later convert many church members, including Brigham Young who would be the next prophet of the church, and Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle to the church.
Samuel died a month after Joseph did in 1844, from gunshot wounds received from the mob while he was fleeing on horseback.

Mormonism and Tithing

In Mormonism, tithing is something that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in, is when someone earns, lets say $100. He or she gives $10 to the church and keeps the rest to him or herself. Generally, you pay 10% of your income to the church.
Tithing was first introduced after Joseph Smith first established the church. It wasn't heavily enforced, recommended, nor up kept until when the Prophet Lorenzo Snow came around. The Latter-day Saints were forced out of Illinois in 1846 and they migrated to a territory which is now known as Utah. They were able to live there for a while, after afflictions from the government about polygamy, the church became in debt. In the 1890's, the church was $2 million in debt, and the saints crops were dying because of a drought. Lorenzo Snow received a revelation about tithing, and he began to preach to the church concerning tithing, and promised them that if everybody pays a full tithe, the Lord will bless them with rain. A month after the saints began paying an honest tithe, they were blessed with heavy rains.
Tithing money is used in building new temples, church office buildings, family history centers, and church stake buildings and chapels.
Today, Utah is a florishing state, and many members in the state, the country, and in the whole world, are paying a full tithe so they can receive blessings and help in their troubles. I myself pay a full tithe and I have a testimony that you will be blessed if you pay an honest tithe.

Mormonism: The Nativity and Christmas

In Mormonism, members of the LDS Church believe in the birth of Christ. Many members have traditions in the church, like singing carols door to door, do a secret santa, (give a gift to someone in a way like leaving a gift on the porch) visit sick and afflicted people, both old and young, and old. Some members also read out loud stories that were shared by members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (one of them is now President of the Church). Two books that I know of that are read every year are "Christmas Oranges," and "A Christmas Dress for Ellen." Both of these stories are really heart touching and are great to read out loud to the family.
Leaders and members of the Church believe not so much in getting, but more into giving. I have been a witness countless times in which members gave homemade treats, gift cards, thank you cards, and other gifts to other members. I also witnessed many times deacons, priests, and elders have taken their time and energy in shoveling snow, cutting wood, and doing services to others and for even the whole community. I have felt the spirit many times, in both seeing this, and doing service myself.
Members of the LDS Church believe in the birth of Christ (also called the Nativity), how he was lain in a manger, (fancy name for a feeding trough) and the new star shining brightly over him. This is what Christmas is about; celebrating the birth of Christ and giving gifts and doing good services to your neighbors. It is also a time to relax, spend time with your family, and take a break from worldly problems. Sadly though, in this day and age, many people don't care much about the Nativity, the miracles that occurred, and many people even don't say, "Merry Christmas." Instead, the replace it with, "Merry xmas," or, "Happy Holidays!" It happens all around us, mainly on shop windows, signs overhead, and even in movies and television. Many people also ignore the meaning of Christmas, like serving others and giving gifts. Instead, they spend much time, energy, and money in meaningless things, like lights contests, black friday, (really big one, because of the violence and profanity that goes on there. I have never went to a black friday opening, and I know people that have and their experiences.) and anything that could draw away the spirit.

Mormonism: Parenting

In Mormonism, It is both a gift and a blessing to have the chance to raise a child to maturity. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asks married couples who have children to raise them, teach them, and nurture them. Gordon B. Hinkley wrote the Proclamation to the World. In it, it says, "Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live."
Parenting isn't easy. They have to raise children, from newborn babies to adulthood. They have to change diapers, bath them, feed them, clothe them, tell them to clean their rooms, give them money for dates, etc. Parenting is tough work, but if both spouses work hard, they will be successful and see the fruit of their labours. If they did their duty in raising their children right, they will be blessed forever.
In this day and age however, many people see parenting as abnormal, and ridicule large families. They don't want to work hard to raise children. They don't want to be burdened with the responsibilities of raising children. Instead, they either want to be married and not have kids, and do the stuff they want to do, or they want to be single and to enjoy life.
The Church leaders asks young couples to be worthy and ready to raise children and to be good parents.  They ask them not to raise them in the ways of the world, but to raise them in the ways of the gospel. 
For young couples to raise children, it is very difficult; most couples still need to finish college, most don't have a lot of money, and most couples don't live in a house that is paid off completely.  There are many blessings though that come with raising children.  Sometimes, it comes through extra money that couples receive, many times, it comes through service and charity from other members and non-members.  Sometimes, the child they are raising can be more "behaved," (not staying up all night, cry very little, etc.)  than others.  
Having a child in the home can bless you with a stronger spirit in the home.   It can help you in troubles and in tough situations (medically, financially) but in the long run, many families say it is worth having a child in the home for these blessings. 

Mormonism: The Consequenses of Gambling

In Mormonism, Gambling is when someone tries to earn money by doing nothing, and it has been around for thousands of years, causing many people to lose hard earned money. The LDS Church teaches about the evils and consequences of gambling. Gordon B. Hinckley stated, "Gambling is to be found almost everywhere and is growing. People play poker. They bet on horse races and dog races. They play roulette and work the slot machines. They gather to play in bars, saloons, and casinos, and, all too often, in their own homes. Many cannot leave it alone. It becomes addictive. In so many cases it leads to other destructive habits and practices." People who are addicted to gambling, and are in debt, start committing crimes, like theft, burglary, embezzlement, scamming, drug trafficking, and fraud. Many people who end up doing these things pull themselves deeper in the hole. Not only are they in debt to loaners, but now they go to prison, and often pay a big fine, causing them to go even further in debt. Gambling seems like fun, playing poker with friends, spinning the roulette machine, throwing dice, placing bets on events, and seems like every body's doing it, but in the long run, it can absolutely ruin your marriage, your lifestyle, your reputation, your credit score, and even your will to live.

Another popular form of gambling is the lottery. It is when a gambling company, or even just an event sells tickets with numbers on them. They have prizes, ranging from small prices of tokens, toys, items cash, to grand money prizes of millions of dollars. How these companies make their money however, is that they have prizes that total to lets say, $120,660,500.  If you include around fifty million people paying an average of ten tickets worth a dollar each, then the company will still get a profit of  $379,339,500, and there will be millions of people who end up with nothing but a worthless piece of paper.  I know that this is just a random number of the prizes and the amount of people purchasing an x amount of tickets, I have never done lottery and never will.

Even if the winner of the grand prize is excited from paying only five dollars to get ten million, the winners troubles are far from over. There are many true stories of people winning the jackpot, and saying it was one of the worst things that happened to them. People they don't know come begging for money. One letter said, and it's a true story, "I need that money more than you." Other winners end up losing all of their money in more gambling, scammy or faulty investments, honest investments that turned sour, stolen from them, or mostly due to mindless spending. There are a lot of better things to do in your life than gambling, and more profitable too.   There are many stories and tales of people who sell everything; cars, jewelry, possessions, etc.  They would even spend their rent, insurance, taxes, and food bills to satisfy their gambling habit.  There are many children who go hungry, divorces filed, and even suicides occuring.  It is a continuing problem that is rising dramatically.  In 1965, the total spent was around $2 billion.  In 2006, the number raised to a dramatic $986 billion.  This includes all types of gambling; lotteries, casinos, slot machines, etc. 

Mormonism and Music

In Mormonism, the LDS Church repeatedly tells members to be careful of music that they listen to.  In some talks, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles talk about how music affects us.  They tell us the power of music, for example how your foot can tap to the beat without you realizing it.  One good example is a true story about a teenager listening to a heavy metal song, the lyrics talk about someone shoplifting and getting away with it.  Guess what happened down the road.  You guessed right, he was caught by security shoplifting (and listening to the song).  This is one out of many stories about someone doing something wrong with the aid of music.  I am not saying that people commit crimes because music caused them too, it is because music influenced them, gave them an idea.  It is no different than someone playing mature video games like Call of Duty enough that they get the idea that shooting people is a game, and there have been cases of people shooting or hitting others (with weapons) because they were influenced by playing on violent video games.  Same thing also goes towards driving under the influence of alcohol.  What I am trying to say, is that it is still your fault for hurting someone, or commiting a crime (or both).  Not the music, video games, or alcohol.  I have heard many cases in which the defence attorneys complained against the judge that it wasn't their clients fault that they committed theft, vandalism, or even murder, because of the said influences.   Yes, it is their clients fault.  There are many examples that can relate to how music can affect your actions.  If you don't listen to clean music, it can have a similar negative effect on you as drugs. 
The Church repeatedly asks both young and old, but mostly towards the youth to listen to clean, uplifting music.  It can bring the spirit into your lives, it can influence positively, and it can even help you cope with problems positively. 

History of Mormonism: The Kirkland Bank

In the History of Mormonism, in 1836, Joseph Smith established the Kirkland Safety Society, a joint stock company that also worked as a bank in Kirkland Ohio.  He was able to obtain the funds to start the bank.  He told the saints that if they follow the Lord's commandments, not to steal from the bank, and not to purchase items with money they don't have, then the bank would be one of the most prosperous banks in the country.  They were able to print notes, and sold stock to the saints.  The saints bought shares of stock, say that one certificate of stock was worth $50.  The saints didn't pay fully for the stock, mostly not even 10% of the stock value, even though they were suppose to.  Many saints then, confident that this stock was technically worth more since it belonged to the church, the began spending the stock on expensive clothes and furniture, something that Joseph told them not to do.   The teller of the bank, Warren Parrish, began secretly embezzling money from the bank, something that would sum up to $25,000.  
The "Panic of 1837" hit, many banks failing all across America.  Out of 850 banks opened in the country, 343 of them closed.  The Kirkland bank was one of them.   What contributed to the failing of the bank was first, They started out bigger than they were supposed to.  That somewhat contributed to the failing bank.  What really contributed was the embezzling, and the saints not paying for the stocks in full. 
The failing of the bank really hit the Church hard.  Many saints left the Church, thinking the Joseph wanted to start this bank to personally benefit, when they didn't realize that Joseph was more at risk from the failing of the bank than the rest of them.  Half of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles blamed Joseph for their plight and went in open rebellion against the prophet.  Heber C. Kimball would later say, "The bank's failure was so shattering that afterwards, no more than twenty would claim Joseph was a Prophet of God.
In the aftermath, Joseph was hounded by creditors and lawsuits, around 17 suits to be exact.  He would do his best, sending what little money he earned to the creditors.  He wasn't able to pay off the debt before his death. 

Mormonism: Before the Old Testament

In Mormonism: In the Pre-Earth life, everyone lived with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  The earth wasn't created yet.  
In a particular time, Heavenly Father gathered us around, and told us that we will go into a world and be tested.  He needed someone to be the one to atone for every one's sins. (no unclean person who sinned, even once could come back to Heavenly Father unless someone atones for the sins)  One of His son's, Lucifer, said that he will be the one.  He will force everyone to be perfect, and make sure that everyone will come back.   Lucifer only wanted Heavenly Father's power, he did not care about the others.   Another one of His sons, Jesus Christ, said that he will atone for their sins, and allow everyone to have free agency.   Heavenly Father chose Jesus to be the one.  Lucifer was angry, and stirred many souls to join him.  Heavenly Father had to cast out Lucifer and his followers, around 1/3 of His children.  Today, Lucifer is known as Satan, and he and his followers were cursed by not allowed to enter earth with a body of flesh and blood.  They work endlessly, trying to ruin and destroy Heavenly Father's Plan. 
Jesus Christ, instructed by Heavenly Father, created the Earth and the Heavens in six "days." (probably much longer in human time)

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Mormonism: The Bible, and the Book of Mormon

In Mormonism, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  Leaders talk about how the Book of Mormon is the "Keystone" of their religion.  They also talk about how both books are not overpowering one another, but contradict each other.  They said the the Book of Mormon is "Another testament of Jesus Christ." 
The Bible, one of the most published books in American history, gives an account of Jesus Christ and the prophets in the Middle East, mainly Israel.  In the Bible, it talks about Jeremiah preaching to the people of Jerusalem to repent.  In that time frame, there was another prophet.  His name is Lehi.  He also preached to the people of Jerusalem to repent.  They wanted to kill him, so he and his family fled.  That account is recorded in the Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon gives an account of Prophets in the America's.  It talks about many battles, and the destruction of two peoples, the Nephites, and the Jaredites.   It also has an account of Jesus Christ coming to the America's, ordaining disciples there.  
Many People think the the Book of Mormon is a fraud, or is even a cult of some kind.  There are many testimonies of many people who read the book for the first time, and converted to the Church. 

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