Mormonism

Most Mormons have big families and have many children. However, this is not always the case for some Mormons. The determining factors between whether or not a woman is able to have children due to health issues, whether or not the husband and wife can provide for many children, and perhaps a prayerful decision on how many children a husband and wife should have. The ultimate decision basically places the decision in both husband, his wife, and God. However, not all Mormons have big families, some Mormons might only have one child, others might have six or seven children. Mormons are not unlike other religious denominations when it comes to how many children a husband and wife should have.

However, most doctrinal considerations when it comes to family comes from a 1995 deceleration which is primarily based on the Mormon scriptural canon titled. The Family: A Proclamation to The World

The text goes into detail about the obligations between what the obligations of what goes into rearing a family, etc.

It states:

The first commandment

that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3). 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. Husbands and wives---mothers

and fathers---will

be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

LDS Doctrine also goes into the concept that the only way that mankind may be exalted and obtain God's Kingdom is through marriage.

D&C

Section 131

States:

1 IN the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.

D&C

section 132

Also goes into what this entails and states:

15 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.
16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.

From these scriptural verses, they highlight the importance in LDS doctrine about marriage and family. The importance of family in an LDS mindset is not just for this life but for the life to come. This concept could be considered and perhaps is fundamental in LDS teachings and doctrines.

Opinion

I have learned over time that the church does not follow the bible I was taught, the one where people are instructed to love their neighbors before themselves. Everyone may have their own opinions but mine are that if there is a god (which I do not think is possible), then as long as I am a good person in this life she will honor me. It is my experiences that shaped my beliefs and those of my friends. Everyone should make their own choices so think carefully and look into many religions before you decide which one is best for you. The right question would be: "Why are you a Christian?". If you knew why you are a Christian, it would become very easy for you to understand why most people on Earth are not.

Opinion

Because reading the Bible made it more and more apparent to me that this could be no more the word of God then anything else written. It has too many statements to prove that it was written by a group of people that simply had no concept of modern Science and therefore should not be trusted as the word of a God. If one understands this to be true of any part of the Bible then an intelligent person must become skeptical of other parts as well. I later came to terms with the fact that there is nothing more to religion, in general, than just trying to believe something because life can make a complex and lonely. We are the only animal in existence that is this complicated so we often wish for another life form that we can relate to so we start making things up to deal with this fact.

Opinion

My mother decided it would be wrong to baptize me, so she left me to decide for myself later in life. I was later taught Christian values in school, but although I could sympathize with some values, I came to the conclusion that I would not be part of the system surrounding Christianity, a system which I hold responsible for endless evils.

I am also appalled by the way some shady creatures seek shelter in that religion, drawn in by a notion of being able to be forgiven for all sorts of misdeeds. I have concluded that there is no god, and that there is no afterlife. Sometimes this is a very lonely and scaring thought that make me feel like an infinitely small speck in the universe, but it is also a great freedom. I also find comfort in the views of Sami shamanism, which states that all things are connected in some sense.

Opinion

I remember the day i stopped being a Christian. The church decided to show a video about how you can only get in to heaven if you know of Christ. it basically boiled down to that it was the guy's best friend's fault he could not get in because his friend never told him about Christ. it made me so angry! how could a supposedly loving god, forsake a good person over some thing SO trivial. so i asked "what about the people who do not have a chance to hear of him, or the ones where it is not a viable option?" and the response? "every one hears of Jesus" so i said "that is impossible" and they replied "no, every one hears about him!" that was the day i started looking at things my own way. as i got older i came to the conclusion that humans wrote the bible, and even if it was originally dictated by God, humans messed it up. i will never be a Christian again.

Opinion

My reasons for steering clear of Christianity are many, but three predominate:

• Firstly, the Abrahamic god is rather harsh, and yet we are supposed to believe He is kind and loving. In the Bible, what are called the hard passages, God is unyielding in the atrocities He commits, from commanding genocide to nuking entire cities. By comparison, the Geneva Convention, demonstrates the morality that humankind can conceive is at a higher standard than is held by the biblical deity.
• Secondly, the Bible, often considered the divinely inspired literal word of God, is frequently confusing and contradictory, which explains why there are so many denominations, and yet almost all of them dictate Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus (No salvation outside [their] church) which is an absurd standard by which a god would judge His creation. I have yet to encounter a ministry that does not make liberal use of parsing and interpretation to mold the word of God to its own end, i.e. of all the abominations in the Old Testament, homosexuality is the only one that continues to be recognized. Similarly, Jesus advocates prayer in private: on the mountain, in the field, in the closet. Not one church acknowledges this, as it is contrary to organized religion.
• Thirdly, and I must admit this is rather prejudicial of me, but contemporary Christians as they conduct themselves in the media and online are not folks on whom I would want to model my own behavior. This is partly due to the increased visibility of obnoxiousness, but the frequency by which I see judgment and damnation to hellfire and the ferocity with which I see pundits and politicians try to breach the wall of separation and inflict their Procrustean values upon the rest of society, frankly, makes me cringe even to be wished Merry Christmas, or God Bless. I'd rather not have the holiday at all, and have Evolution taught in schools, and the rights of gays and women honored.

Opinion

Not only am I not Christian but I am increasingly worried how Christian fundamentalism closes many people off in their own minds from accepting obvious scientific findings. It may not be absolutely obvious to the layperson how old the Earth is, but to dismiss the fact that tectonic drift takes place - to determinedly ignore the glaringly obvious fit between South America and Africa (as some do) is to deny one any logic. To have the idea that preconceived religious ideas better scientific breakthroughs shows an unwillingness to accept logic itself, which is very worrying.

Opinion

I am not Christian or any other religion because I use logic and critical thinking skills.

I have read the entire Bible, most parts of it several times, and have sought explanations for everything that could be proof of a God. When carefully studied, the Bible itself becomes proof that God does not exist ,rather than proof that he does.

Opinion

Because I am an American and I have the right to choose whether or not to believe in anything, and frankly I think it is infuriating that people are so easily willing to demean other people that don't believe in, "ALMIGHTY GOD".

Opinion

I am not a Christian because I am incredibly indecisive, and would like a half-hour chat with any god or gods I end up devoting myself to, in order to clear up some points.

Opinion

Because I am part of another religion.

Opinion

Because [the Christian] god is a propagandist figure someone or a group created before history can remember.

Opinion

Because I choose to not believe in imaginary things.

The same reason why I don't believe in Santa Claus and Spiderman; they are both the creation of men.

Opinion

Because God is just a character from ancient times.There is too much going against Christianity. I'm not just going on faith.

Opinion

Because I believe that Christianity is just an idea and belief that people support in order to seek comfort form their ignorance of the unknown. It is natural for human beings to be afraid of the unknown due to survival instincts and therefore to try and seek safety in the form of false or pretense knowledge.

Opinion

I made up my own mind about what I believe because what the Catholic church was teaching just didn't sit quite right with me. I researched other religions, found one that better reflected what I believe to be right as well as making more sense to me, and I'm now a happy pagan with no intention of going back. And for the record, religious and the ability to use logic, reason and critical thinking skills are not mutually exclusive.

Opinion

The real question should really be why are you not any of the other thousands of religions out there. Christianity is only one religion one that many are born into. This many religions all claiming that they are the one true religion is one of the strong reasons I am not Christian.

I was born that way. I think most of us are... but some of us succumb to teaching and/or training.

The proper question is not "why am I not a Christian", the question is "why are you?"

Opinion

Any and all religions are a matter of personal conviction, that is, of 'being convinced' of it's truth. A religion does not necessarily have to be true in reality in order for a person to be convinced in his or her own mind that it is true. People who are not Christians are not convinced to their personal satisfaction that Christianity is true. Rather they are convinced of the opposite.

Opinion

I was never given a good reason to be a Christian. Every time someone tried to give me a reason to become a Christian it only further convinced me that that was not who I was.

Opinion

I have read the "holy bible" cover to cover. It is flawed is several hundred places, contradicts itself at least 30 times, and it was just flat out wrong in at least 25.

The more I read it, the more I doubted it. I can think for myself, and like the person above me said, i don't need an invisible friend to control my life and my actions for me. I don't believe it's right to condemn people of other religions (Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, etc) because they don't believe in the same invisible avenger that you do.

Opinion

The question,"Why are you not a Christian", is basically the same as asking,"Why do you not worship Zeus" ? Or any other of the thousands of gods that have ever existed. Clarence Darrow, who defended John Scopes in the Dayton Tennessee "monkey trial" for teaching evolution said, "I don't believe in God because I don't believe in Mother Goose". Every Christian is an atheist when it comes to all the other gods that have ever been worshipped. The dyed-in-the wool atheist just goes one god further.

Opinion

Because I'm sticking with my tradition, which is the original: Judaism.

The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints (commonly called the "Mormon" church) was organized in 1830 by Joseph Smith. The Mormons later moved to the Midwest, where they often made their neighbors uncomfortable. Their dogma and rhetoric threatened many of their neighbors, and the Mormons found themselves unwelcome in places like Independence, MO and Nauvoo, IL. Smith was assassinated by some bigoted people, and the Mormons left Nauvoo and moved to Utah where they hoped for religious freedom.

The above is true but failed to adequately convey the extent of the persecution the Mormons endured. They were mobbed, murdered, chased out of cities, etc. There were actually official government extermination orders in some areas, making it lawful to chase Mormons out of the city. The New York Times article cited below provides a very good synopsis. It was written by the estimable Noah Feldman, who is a law professor at Harvard University and adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He writes frequently on religion and public life.

Joseph Smith was a prophet and was called to restore the gospel on earth. He converted many people into the church. Thousands of people were converted. Now days, there are millions and millions of people that are Mormons.

TRADITION= A specific practice of long standing.

The meaning of the word Tradition is far more applicable than the word itself. I will therefore attempt to mention a few traditions:

Baptism, Sacrament, attending church, Hymn singing, Paying of tithes, Temple attendance, Family History, Christmas, Prayer, Fasting, Blessing the sick, Service, Teaching, Visiting every member each month, Weekly Family Home Evening, Weekly Youth Activity Nights, Interviewing family members, Serving in the church whatever the calling, wholesome entertainment, having a supply of food in case of disasters.

Some semi-peculiar Mormon activities include:

• Ice blocking (sliding down a hill on a block of ice)
• Monthly singles dances
• The gallon challenge (chugging an entire gallon of milk)
• Scavenger hunts (mostly on dates)
• Youth Priesthood camps
• Basketball programs
• Mud cave exploration

Another answer

Mormons also celebrate traditions such as; Christmas, Easter, Mothers Day, Fathers Day. Each family has their own family holiday traditions like; maybe decorating the Christmas tree with special ornaments, preparing certain foods, cookies, breads etc. or reading special family books.