Need some information on Mormons ... Lately - on TV...?

Question

Ive been watching weirddd things about Mormons like on " Engaged and Underaged " there was a woman and man who were getting married the woman was a Mormon .. and so was her whole family ... the man converted to be a mormon .. but his family was Christian - so for the wedding mans Christian family ... couldnt come and watch the wedding... why is this?


alsoo on Greys Anatomy they were talking about how a Mormon who is baptised or something ... cant talk to any other Mormon that is not baptised or something .. i dont know! There was word for it - but i cant think of it. If anyone knows what im talking about please help! lol It was those 2 girls who were best friends ... it was liek a couple episodes ago..... it was very confusing ... can someone explain some things to me about Mormon ... i am very interested in learning new things about different religions.



any information is good!

Answer 1

I am surrounded by Mormons...people hold their beliefs at different intensities.

If you leave the faith you can get severely shunned by family and community. You can also be expelled from the faith forcibly .

Jack Mormons (slang...ugh) are, Mormons that are casual or somewhat disassociated from the flock not really following the beliefs, but may be living in a less hard core community and are not necessarily shunned.

Having not seen the show...did the parent of the unbaptized person leave the church? That could do it by extension. I didn't see the show so I cannot really comment on that further.

I found the explanations of the wedding aspect posted informative. Not all Mormons have the choice of who they mary. Many churches are closer to Christian churches than others. I have had a book of Mormon in my hands and choose to make that distinction.

Mormons at the extreme end of things, have walled themselves off literally from the rest of society and it becomes very, very difficult for even the most sympathetic to not see it as a very destructive cult faith. These groups in particular are the ones that practise incest, polygamy and extreme sexism towards women. They are also very hard on their young males.
It's heartbreaking.

Some of your contributors here, that are Mormon, sound a bit naive. Please remember they go through a great deal of training and develope almost a conditioned response to people of a different view. Their primary goal is your conversion.

Their missionary training is very intense. I have experimented with a wide variety of responses to Morman missionaries that have come to my door. I find their responses very interesting.

The site exmormon recommended is very good. I checked it out and it appears to be a place of insite and healing. Very good.

It is interesting that an individual above refered to hate sites. OK you sons of Satan! That's enough! LOL.To him I say, if you can't take it, don't dish it out.

I have to aggree with one of your Mormon contributors on a very important point though. It is very important to get factual information. But ask, whose facts?

I will add from many perspectives because as with stats and survays, context can change the readings and conclussions dramatically. Be informed and research a broad range of sources. Never give up your right to think for yourself.

Peace and good will to all.

PS Of course Mormons, the average Mormaon will talk to non-Mormons,, we work together, form friendships and besides how would they be able to convert us if they could not talk to us!

Also reagrading shunning, I have know aand or met people that have experienced it so it is real. Let people talk for themselve sand read anecdotes from that recommended site.

Answer 2

When my nephew was married in the Denver Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (mormons) he and his bride also had a ring ceremony and a lovely, elaborate reception. The only people in the Temple were the immediate famlies and very close friends, about a dozen people total for the brief, sacred ceremony. It's not a big thing to come and view anyway, and you can only go inside the Temple if you are a member of the church. The ring ceremony was every bit like a regular wedding, so the mom of the kid on Underage and Engaged got to see her son get married just as much as if he had been married outside of the Temple. the only thing she couldn't see was the Temple ceremony, which if she isn't a member of the Church wouldn't have meant much to her anyway.
I thought it was really sweet that her new daughter in law gave her the heart shaped necklace that she wore in the Temple, so that her mother in law could have something that had been in the Temple at her son's wedding that day. It was a very nice gesture, and reading the "behind the scenes" kind of things, you realize that there really weren't that many hard feelings about the Temple wedding as they might have portrayed on the show. Also, that young couple has a better chance of actually staying married than some of the other young couples, because they have made vows that they consider to be eternal in nature.

Answer 3

Hey, I am LDS, so let me give a shot at answering your question.

1) The wedding - most likely this was a temple wedding, which is different from a standard Mormon chapel wedding, or civil wedding. We believe temple marriages can last forever instead of just "til death do you part" so it's a really big deal. However, temples are considered extremely sacred, and not even all active Mormons can come into one. We first have to be found "worthy" to enter by showing we are living several gospel principles first -- because we see keeping the temple as a place of purity as also a very big deal.

However, most couples in situations like this family you saw, will get married in the temple, and then have a public ring exchange ceremony - where you can do the whole bridesmaid thing and all that - so I don't really know why they didn't do that at also for his side of the family.

2) Greys anatomy thing - I didn't see the episode, and maybe I'm misunderstanding what you wrote, but that seems really weird, and not true about our religion.

Anyway, I love learning about other people's beliefs too- it's lots of fun. If you want to know more about our basic beliefs you can go to the official church website here: http://www.mormon.org/welcome/0,6929,403-1,00.html

Thanks

Answer 4

On "Engaged and underaged":

First, Mormons ARE Christians.

Second, what they didn't bring out is that there was a goodly part of her family that were not, or would not, be able to go see her temple marriage, either. First, no one under age 19 can take their endowments, and you have t have your endowments to witness a temple wedding. So, his sisters wouldn't have seen it even if they were Mormon.

Also, the temples ask that the couple keep the number of people who witness the wedding to a minimum. 20 people would be a LOT!! Usually, it would be the parents, grandparents, siblings that have had their endowments, and one or two really close friends that mean a lot, and have also had their endowments.

If you didn't see what it was that she gave her mother in law, it was a beautiful diamond pendant, with five diamonds, that the bride wore in the temple during her wedding.

As for Grey's Anatomy:

I didn't see that episode, But, Mormons are definately NOT forbidden to associate with non-Mormons! We are encouraged to make many friends among non-members. We are a MISSIONARY church, and it's sort of hard to get new members if no one knows you. Or to make friends among non-members so that they know that Mormons are not weird or whatever.

Answer 5

I saw the Engaged and underage episode, simply because I heard about it and was curious. The reason that the family of the groom could not enter the temple was because to enter the temple, you need to be an endowed, member of the church. It isn't like it's a prejudice thing either, even some Members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints (aka Mormons) cannot enter the temple. First, one needs to get a temple reccomend through an interview by an authorized priesthood holder. The ceremonies that occour in the temple are sacred to us. When we get married in the temple, we are married for "time and all eternity" as opposed to "until death do you part." We take marriage very seriously, as we believe that familes are eternal and can be together forever, in this life and the next. The sealing ceremony that takes place in the temple is very sacred seals you to your spouse, making them your eternal companion. It is not a quick or casual thing.

As for the Grey's Anatomy episode, the information on that is false. An LDS member is allowed to speak to anyone, baptized or not. I was baptized at eight, and I have many friends who are not members!

If you would like some further information, clarification, or have any other questions, please check out these websites, as all the information on here is correct and accurate: http://www.lds.org

Hope this helped!

Answer 6

That Grey's Anatomy episode was not talking about Mormons. It was an Amish community I believe, where they live seperate from society and didn't use electronics and all that. There are over 12 million memebers of the Mormon church, and we are like other religions, as far being part of normal society. You probably know a bunch but just dont know it. There are some sects that broke over 100 years ago and segregate themselves from society, but they aren't Mormon anymore. The mainstream church is just a regular church, We work and go to church on Sundays to worship the Lord, and we center our lives like Jesus Christ our savior.

As far as the wedding ceremony, if you choose to have it done in the temple then no one outside our church is allowed to be there because our temples our sacred to us. Nothing crazy goes on or anything. The reception would be like everyone's elses though (minus the drinking) and anyone could go to that.

Answer 7

There are two official websites (check the sources below) one is more for members of the church and the other is more to help others learn about the church, but they both offer excellent information.

You may get some other responses, and I'd advise you to be cautious since a lot of sources just offer hate material and are often quite inaccurate.

Mormons can definitely talk to other people who aren't baptised, in fact a lot of people who aren't baptised wish they wouldn't do it so much (just check the R&S section). They're really just passionate about what they believe and they actually believe it and want to share it.

Mormons are often criticised for getting married too early in life. And the wedding ceremony is performed in the temple where only members of the church who have made special preparations may enter. The man's family couldn't go into the temple because they weren't members that made those special preparations. When studying the topic of the mormon temple please be respectful since this is a very sacred topic.

Answer 8

First of all, the TV show Grey Anatomy is not exactly the best place for any info other than its a TV show. What they wrote on the script can not be taken as facts.

There is no such teaching in the LDS church that we do not talk with unbaptized people, on the contrary, the church encourages member to spread the gospel, so if we do not talk with unbaptized people, that would be pretty hard to do missionary work.

As for the Temple marriage you refering to, LDS do have a requirement that only LDS memeber with a valid recommend is permitted to enter. To the LDS, the Temple is sacred, only faithful believers are worthy to participate in temple ordinances.
It may sound strict, but would you let someone who do not keep your house rule to enter into your home?

Answer 9

Don't look to FICTIONAL TV shows to get correct info. Don't listen to Hollywood - they don't know anything. For example, their was a show about polygamy and people think that LDS people still practice it - WE DON'T!

The reason a non-Member isn't allowed to be in the Temple for a wedding is the fact that they wouldn't understand the symbolism and things that happen there. Because they don't understand they would make it hard for God's spirit to dwell in that holy place. (My in-laws didn't see us get married.) I

I really get tired of people claiming that we are a cult and that we aren't Christians. Hey, dude, the name of the church isn't the "Mormon Church". We are the "Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints." Notice - JESUS CHRIST!

Answer 10

On Engaged and Underaged they had two ceremonies performed. The first one was a sealing performed in the Temple. As has been said the Temple is a sacred place fit for only those who have displayed themselves to be worthy of entering it. Later in that episode, they had a large ring ceremony where the entire family participated.

I was baptized a Mormon, and I have a lot of non Mormon friends. There is a lot of anti-Mormon propaganda circulating the Internet, almost all of it is lies. It really makes me wonder why so many lies have been put forth my non members. It is as though Lucifer has a hold of their tongue and gives pleasure to them in spreading such non sense.

If you want to sort through the lies and the truth, I would suggest that you speak with missionaries. Read the Book of Mormon and pray to God.

Answer 11

I'm ex mormon. Your need temple recommed to enter the temple. Only members can enter the temple. If you aren't member you can't enter temple. It long process you have to be interview by your wards bishop. He ask your questions like
Do you smoke or drink or use drugs. all so personal questions. If think you are worthy to go to the temple.