It is time for a primer on Mormon culture and thought. The recent and potential future presidential runs by former Governor Mitt Romney exposed a continuing lack of understanding of who the Mormons are, where they came from and what they think. This easy-to-read narrative is the story of one Mormon missionary that gives the reader clear insights into the mechanics of a Mormon mission and also touches on many Mormon doctrinal points set in practical terms. A Mormon mission is also one of the core cultural experiences of a mormon's life.

History

The American-born Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established on April 6, 1830 with six original members in the state of New York. As it grew in numbers and crystallized its philosophy and doctrines, the church and its members were persecuted and driven from New York to Ohio. Then, the church and its members were driven out of Ohio and into Missouri where they suffered tar and featherings, rape, murder, state sponsored theft, and threats of extermination before the Mormons finally left Missouri and tried to settle in Illinois. Ultimately, some 10,000 members of the church were also driven out of Illinois when Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob while in jail on trumped-up charges. They walked from the Midwest, over the Rockies, and then finally settled in what later became the state of Deseret (now Utah and parts of Idaho, Nevada and Arizona).

The Mormon Church Today

In isolation, the Mormons grew in strength and numbers. Now the church is some 13 million members strong with approximately half of those members living in the United States and the other half spread out around the world. Members include Mr. Harry Reid (U.S. Senate Majority Leader), Mr. Mitt Romney (former Presidential candidate and Governor of Massachusetts), Ms. Gladys Knight (singer and entertainer), Mr. Nolan Archibald (Chairman, CEO and President of Black & Decker Corp.), Mr. Steve Young (Super Bowl winning quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers), Ms. Katherine Heigl (actress), and Mr. Glenn Beck (radio and television commentator) among many others.

These people are not a single stereotypical type. The Mormons are mainstream America. By and large, they work hard, love their families and try to follow the God of the Bible.

Continuing Misunderstanding/Bigotry

The recent presidential campaign of Mr. Mitt Romney showed that various uninformed and sometimes bigoted people still hold ill will towards the Mormons, with some of their feelings based upon totally false suppositions.

Political pundit and actor, Mr. Lawrence O’Donnell, on the “McLaughlin Group” television talk show, spoke ill of the Mormons as if he actually knew something about the church, its culture, and its members. He called the Mormon church's founder, Joseph Smith, an anti-American, pro-slavery, rapist. When asked to apologize, he said that everything that he had asserted was true.

When Joseph Smith ran for President of the United States, he ran on an anti-slavery platform. Mr. O’Donnell claims that Mormons teach that “black

people are inferior” because “in heaven they turned away from God”, this shows at best, total ignorance of the church’s beliefs and at worst, absolute bigotry on Mr. O’Donnell’s part. His rant about racism was just plain wrong. Further, how do you call someone running for president, anti-American?

Recently, the State of Missouri generated a written apology to the Mormons for their Governor’s Extermination Order and other abuses directed against the Mormons. I suppose Mr. O’Donnell simply forgot about or never knew the facts. Unfortunately, he is not alone. The bottom line is that the Mormon culture, its beliefs and its people are still quite misunderstood by the world at large.

One thing that people do know about the Mormons is that they have a strong young missionary force. Currently, more than 50,000 Mormon missionaries are serving at any one time. It is one of the core principles and practices of the Mormon culture. Mormon missions include 19-year-old young men and 21-year-old young women (along with a growing number of retired couples) volunteering to dedicate anywhere from one year to two years of their lives teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and providing good works to people around the world.

The missionary experiences recounted in this book will stay with each missionary for the rest of his or her life, coloring thoughts, attitudes and actions. The book therefore gives great insights into who the Mormons are and how and what they think.

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