Mormonism. Just the word often evokes strong emotions. But often, it also carries a lot of misconceptions. As a Mormon who lived in the “Buckle” of the Bible Belt, I had a lot of people admit: “I don’t know anything about Mormons.” So here are 10 things most Americans don’t know about Mormons!
1st. There Is No Such Thing As “The Mormon Church”
People all the time refer to the “Mormon Church.” But there is no such thing as the Mormon church. Mormon is a nickname given to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, that’s right, we don’t follow Mormon, but we are followers of Christ. The First article of Faith in reads: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” But because most of the world is familiar with our nickname, we respond and use it. For more info see https://www.mormon.org/about-us.
2nd. The Book Of Mormon Is Meant To Support, Not Replace, The Bible.
The purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Christ. One of the other main purposes of the Book of Mormon is to support the Bible’s testimony of Christ. In the words of Russell M. Nelson “Love for the Book of Mormon expands one’s love for the Bible and vice versa. Scriptures of the Restoration do not compete with the Bible; they complement the Bible.” One of the Church’s largest missionary efforts is their free bible program. For more about how Mormons view the bible see https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/the-bible
3rd. There Are More Mormons Outside The USA Than Inside.
Whereas the LDS Church was started in upstate New York on April 6th, 1830; since then it has become a global faith. Of the 16+ million members, less than 50%, or 6.6 million, of the members of the Church live inside of the United States. Also, there are more members of the Church in Africa than in Europe! And more in Asia than both Africa and Europe combined.
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Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
