A Question for Mormon Mamapedia Members

I am not LDS...I hope you get the answers you are looking for....I am interested in learning too!! Don't forget 8KidsDad is LDS so he should be able to give you some good information!!

And whoever would report this? They are just little people..there is NOTHING off-topic here. There are people who don't like religion and politics - that is THEIR problem...they can skip...

I am Mormon.. have been for 30 years. Full tithe payer, been married and sealed in the temple to a returned missionary, hold current temple recommend, have active callings... all of that. Your question is not offensive in the least.

Your friend's claims are all true.

1. You not only have to be morally worthy, you also have to be a full tithe payer for that year. Which is 10% of your income. We do have meetings with our bishop at the end of the year to discuss if we are full or not. The tithes go to build temples, pay for admin costs, utilities for buildings, church budget and program funding. Fast offerings go to the food pantry and towards services for the poor and all that. Bishops (pastor/preachers) teachers and all that are totally unpaid and only serve in a volunteer capacity.

2. You can only be sealed in the temple to your family, so without the temple, you will not be sealed with your family. One reason why Mormons do a lot of baptisms for the dead by proxy, to give their ancestors the chance to accept the restored gospel if they choose. Also we why do a lot of missionary work. We truly want people to be able to be with their families through eternity, not just 'till death do us part'.

3. You can be together with your families in heaven if you are not sealed, but it is unclear in what way. Some religions believe that families will not even know each other, we don't believe that. You cannot achieve 'the highest' rewards with them, such as becoming like God and such with the power to create a new little world and to help create new spirits for that world or whatever it is they speculate. With sealing, moms can still raise their infants and children that died in death and such. Here is a great, short little video on why we believe temples are so important.

https://www.lds.org/church/temples/why-mormons-build-temp...

Frankly, I've been doing ALOT of soul searching these past few months and research of church history (through unbiased resources such as The History of the Church manuals, Discourses of Brigham Young among others), and though I LOVE the modern church and what it stands for today with the emphasis on family values and such, I see there have been a lot of unsavory things in the founding that make me question some of the original requirements, such as the necessity of the temple. It's something I'm still trying to figure out, as it is very hurtful to know that the gospel I know and love and have sacrificed for has been created into something wonderful, even though it was possibly done under false pretenses. Whitewashing of history by the church is confusing and difficult to navigate. But even if those unsavory things are true, I still think the church does offer great things to help people know Christ and to strengthen families. So really, Mormons and the LDS church, aside from founding issues, are really great people and it is sad to hear some of the contemporary criticisms made against them as non-Christians or whatever. As overall, it is a religion that believes in a very loving God, and tries to help it's members and non-members alike in a myriad of ways, both in spirituality and in non-secular ways. We have a vast volunteer force and food supply resources, we are the number one entity to helping in disasters (though we do not advertise it, we frequently provide to the Red Cross and Catholic Charities), we have career and employment workshops, adoption counseling and resources, addiction recovery programs, food pantries....

I was raised LDS, live in Utah, and almost all my immediate family and many of my friends and neighbors are LDS.

Members of the church go to the temple for the following things: weddings, sealings (sealing a husband to a wife or to their children, this is so they can be together in heaven for eternity and is done if the husband and wife were not originally married in the temple first before having kids); baptisms for the dead and doing other ordinances for family members who have passed away. Also just to feel peace and closeness with God. Members attend a chapel or church on Sunday. The temple is not open to everyone. This is due to it being a very sacred place for its members. In order to go to the temple, members have an interview with their bishop to make sure they are worthy of a temple recommend, this would include paying their tithing, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, attending church regularly, etc. You are not expected to be perfect but you are expected to be trying your best and following most of the rules. Basically need to be worthy. Of course, you can lie, and many do. I know, personally, lots of people, that attend the temple when I know for a fact that they are not worthy (according to the rules of the church). But that is on them, and I guess they must have their reasons.

Yes, the LDS religion does believe that the only way to be sealed as a family in heaven for eternity is by going to the temple to be sealed (along with living a worthy life).

This is most likely why LDS people tend to proselyte to much and can tend to push religion on ya- they want to be with their loved ones in heaven.

There are a lot of good things about this church and a lot of good people in it. I don't believe in the doctrine and have a hard time with organized religion anyway. But it does hurt a bit when people lambast the LDS religion, even when I may agree with their points, just because it is so close to home for me- those are my friends and family. Thank you for asking this question :)

Pretty sure that is how the jewish religion works also. Jewish people that I know are required to pay.

Momma L-you are right in that there are some extremely unsavory aspects of the early mormon church. Beginning with its founder and immediate kin. That is kind of my 'problem' with it. But I don't really care as it doesn't affect me in the least. Religion should be a personal thing and we all need to respect other religions even though we do not agree with them. For me that stops however when a religion starts a jihad against mine.

@ Jeannie- dues=tithing I apologize for not using the word 'dues' because that is infact what my jewish friends pay and they are actually quite high. I have never heard of $0...but then again maybe I just don't know any of lower income.

I am not LDS, but when we went skiing in Utah last year, we went to the Mormon tabernacle to listen to an organ recital, and then when a snow flurry started as we walked outside, we ran into the visitors' center and chatted with the nice missionary girls there while we waited for it to stop snowing. They did tell us what you mentioned above about sealing together the family (also, a couple is sealed when they get married, and you can only attend the wedding if you have a "temple recommend," meaning you're current with all your financial obligations and active in the local ward/church), they told us about the LDS ideas about the afterlife (same as you mentioned above, and that you get your own planet out in space?? I may be wrong about that part?). Also, an LDS temple isn't like a Catholic Cathedral, for instance. It's not somewhere that they go for normal Sunday services. They go to their local church for that, and the Temple maybe once per month - anyway, that's what the girls told us at the big SLC temple. They do seem to keep close track of all their members from what I gathered!

excellent questions...& I hope you get some responses. I find nothing offensive about your post. :)

To Mallory and Jeanie - I think that part of what Mallory is talking about is paying for their "seat" in temple during the sacred times, like Yom Kippur, when everyone goes to temple. Otherwise, those who don't pay "dues" (whatever you want to call it), don't have a place to sit.

This is how my Jewish friends have explained it to me.

Queen, I went to a Mormom baptizing of a dear friend's son. It was in their church, but was not in the inner temple. Everyone is correct about non-Mormons not being allowed in the temple. So if a Mormom married into a non-Mormom family, the family of the non-Mormon cannot come into the temple to watch that part of the ceremony.

Dawn

The Jewish religion requires tithing to go to the temple? Mallory.... Wow. I sometimes attend services at a Jewish place of worship. I am even a member there. I am over half a century old. I've never tithed. Hmmm. I know people who pay nothing. Ever. Because they have no money. And they go. Their children still attend classes. In fact the temples and synagogues help out many members who have too little money. Some pay "dues" of $0. Some of $30. Some pay whatever the synagogue sets... of course - since we use the facilities, have workers, etc.

I also attend services at a church... and never tithed. Donated some, yes. I know many Christian churches that require tithing, but many do NOT.

In neither place of worship were we "required to pay."

So, NO, "Jewish people are required to pay" is not any more accurate than "Christian people are required to pay."

I'm a Mormon who is currently active in the church. I think Gamma G's response was most accurate. I just wanted to add something about tithing. No one is required to pay tithing to go to our church. We have regular services in church buildings, not temples. The temples are for sacred ceremonies, and do require a temple recommend, which Gamma G gives a good explanation of. How much tithing you pay is between you and the Bishop (equivalent to a priest or pastor). We don't send collection plates around during services. We pay tithing discreetly in an envelope which we give to the Bishop in person or by mail. So, other members of the congregation have no idea what you pay for tithing, or even if you do or not. I hope that clarifies things. Thanks for your questions.