Mormon Bloggers

The first from a young woman, age 15, who was baptized a few months ago. She was the first in her family to be baptized, and was followed by her mom a few weeks later. The young woman was speaking about standards and the value of living them. Her quotation: “Peer pressure is for losers.” The second was in a great talk about tithing by a long time member of the church. She spoke of her family’s own struggle with church contributions years earlier – no miracle promotion, no pot of money to replace the contributions made; instead her husband lost his job! But here’s the quotation she used: “Things cheaply purchased are seldom appreciated. Attitudes which cause us to look for bargains in some areas of life will carry over into more important things” (F. Burton Howard, “On Giving And Getting,” New Era, October 1985). Her point was that the blessings of paying tithing or making other contributions in the church do not come cheaply; it does not pay for us to seek bargain blessings. Yesterday... Read the rest of this entry »

Congratulations! You’re married! All that chastity has paid off with a beautiful temple wedding. But virtue doesn’t stop at the altar—modesty in all areas continues in marriage. Clothing: Wives, just because your husband now can admire you physically guilt free doesn’t mean all men should. Remain modest in respect for your husband and temple garments. On pool days and date nights, you can still dress attractively without attracting other eyes. Bedroom: The Church has no official rules on what is and is not allowed in the bedroom, except for obvious behaviors that break covenants, such as infidelity, pornography, and abuse. However, President Kimball advised, “If it is unnatural, you just don’t do it. That is all, and all the family life should be kept clean and worthy and on a very high plane. There are some people who have said that behind the bedroom doors anything goes. That is not true and the Lord would not condone... Read the rest of this entry »

In all the modesty talks, the focus is usually on women. But men can be immodest too. Extremes: The most obvious immodesty for men is sporting extreme or offensive hairdos, clothing, and accessories. As stated in a previous post, modesty is about being moderate. Being moderate also includes not showing off costly apparel. Set aside pride and don humility, especially at church or in the temple. Tight Clothing: Men are just as guilty as women for wearing tight clothing, revealing their toned chest (or even gut sometimes) and rear end. Although women for the most part are not visual creatures like men, an immodest attractive guy can be a temptation to many women. Then there’s women like me who are turned off and for that reason would like you to be modest! Revealing Clothing: If what you are wearing doesn’t cover garments, whether or not you are endowed, then it is immodest. This rule applies to athletic wear as well. Of course some sports require certain clothing that may not... Read the rest of this entry »

We may think we are dressed modestly when really we aren’t, even if we are following all the written rules. Modesty is just as much about the spirit of the law as it is about the letter of the law. Here are some ways to check for accidental immodesty before heading out the door. Sneaky Skin: You may not realize areas of skin that are showing because you cannot see them. Stand in front of a mirror and bend over in all directions. Check for skin showing on your backside, tummy, and chest. If you can see down your shirt, so can anyone else taller than you. Tight Clothing: Modesty not only means covering skin, but also covering curves. Men are just as interested in tight clothing that show off every line of your body as they are in clothes that reveal those curvaceous body parts. Your clothes are too tight if you can’t pinch them, move around comfortably in them, or put them on easily. Glamour: Flashy, big, and too much jewelry; heavy,... Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve all heard the modesty talk so many times, we could recite it in our sleep. And most of us already dress modestly, so it feels like they’re preaching to the choir. But this time it’s not about the clothes—modesty extends beyond fashion to all aspects of your life. Conversation: What we talk about with our friends and boyfriends is just as important as what we wear. If you have nonmember friends who like to share their sexual conquests, tell them that’s private information you aren’t interested in. When on dates, especially when engaged with the honeymoon night on the horizon, don’t talk about sex. Of course, guys are guilty too, usually for crude humor. Let them know it’s not funny to you—sex is a sacred topic. Photos: We all have Facebook pages through which we share our everyday lives, vacations, and fun times with the rest of the world. We need to be careful, though, of what photos we post of ourselves. What may seem... Read the rest of this entry »

Church, school, home—we are modest where and when expected. However, are we using the following situations as excuses to dress immodestly? Beach/Pool: Summer sunshine and warm water beckon bare skin. It’s great to feel the sun, wind, and waves after being covered all winter. But only give in so much. Choose your swimsuit by how much it covers, not by its name—even one-piece suits can be immodest with overflowing cleavage and no backs. Athletics: Sports, dance, and exercise all require flexible, proper-fitting clothing. It’s possible to find such clothing in modest styles, such as longer shorts and looser clothing, or to wear spandex shorts underneath. Even sports with mandatory uniforms can be worked around; it all depends on how much you’re willing to try. For example, a girl in my stake ordered her high-school cheerleading skirt longer than required with no problem. If you do face problems, cover up when you aren’t... Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Ricardo Chahad The symbolism and powers of light and darkness are no coincidences. A 2010 study found that people were more likely to be dishonest in dim lighting or when wearing sunglasses than in bright lighting or when wearing clear glasses. I believe it is more than just a result of feeling unwatched or hidden. Darkness is not only the absence of physical light, but also the absence of spiritual light. Darkness is the devil’s domain, his prime time for work, which is why we associate all things evil with the dark: sinful places are barely lit; terrible crimes happen at night; criminals usually dress in dark, concealing clothing. I think that is why we are often more shocked and offended when something wicked occurs in “broad daylight.” The findings of this study should prompt us to evaluate our own behavior in darkness and to eliminate it if it affects us. If we find that we are just as likely to commit the sin in light, then we need to take even... Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Jason Morrison When we think of judging, we usually think of condemning others, not being compassionate and understanding, and jumping to conclusions. We usually judge others who we think are sinning or wrong. However, there is another type of judging: condemning the righteous. We’ve all labeled someone a Molly Mormon or Peter Priesthood. That label is not a compliment. Why do we view people’s decisions to be strict or spiritual as negative? Simply because we think they are extreme or weird or uptight doesn’t mean we have the right to judge them, make fun of them, or treat them unkindly in any other way. As brothers and sisters in the Church we are supposed to uplift and encourage one another. We should applaud others’ efforts to have high standards and do what they feel is necessary to stay close to Christ, not make it harder for them to do so. We should also seek to understand them. As a former Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, I can tell you that most... Read the rest of this entry »

photo by Matt Cook It is known news that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) contributed much to stop gay marriage from becoming legal in California. However, most people do not understand fully why we are against it. I will address common questions concerning Mormons and their opposition to gay marriage. Are Mormons against gay people?No. As the expression goes, we “hate the sin, not the sinner.” That creed applies to any person struggling with sin, not just gay people. What we disapprove of is the homosexual lifestyle. There are members of our Church who are homosexual yet as worthy as heterosexual members because they do not participate in that lifestyle. Elder Holland said, “Let me make it clear that attractions alone, troublesome as they may be, do not make one unworthy. The First Presidency has stated, ‘There is a distinction between immoral thoughts and feelings and participating in either immoral heterosexual or any homosexual... Read the rest of this entry »

In a recent sacrament meeting someone mentioned the idea of making the standards our own. The context was the 13th article of faith, the new Mutual theme for the year. By making standards our own, the speaker was not suggesting that we each develop our own set, but that we adopt the Lord’s standards as ours. As I thought about making the standards our own, I thought about something Sister Allred mentioned in a Relief Society leadership meeting my wife attended a few months ago. She suggested a better title for For The Strength of Youth (the standards pamphlet) would be For The Strength of You because it has value for all church members, not just the youth. (Our local RS president must have taken this to heart. This month’s mid-week RS meeting is one in which our ward’s young men and young women presented For The Strength of Youth to the Relief Society.) In John, 17:7 we read, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God,... Read the rest of this entry »

 ldsclipart.com  Sacrament meeting is the most important hour of the week. It is the reason we attend church. And yet, it seems to be when we are the most irreverent. During sacrament meeting, people are talking, texting, sleeping, eating, preparing lessons, reading scriptures, and playing with babies. What’s worse is when these things go on during the actual passing of the sacrament, the time we should be thinking of Christ, His Atonement, and the covenants we made. It is the time to reflect on our week, repent of our mistakes, and promise to improve. We should also be reverent during the talks. You all know how daunting it is to go up there. We should give the speakers our respect and attention, no matter how boring or “bad” the talk is. As John Bytheway notes in his talk “The Best Three Hours of the Week,” we decide what we get out of church. There is no such thing as a bad talk; we can always come away with something if we are listening... Read the rest of this entry »

This is the first of a few essays that will be broadly linked. In this one, I explore the idea that we need to align ourselves with God instead of trying to make Him into what we want Him to be. Have you ever met anyone who said, “I could never believe in a God who _____________,” and then filled in the blank with the thing they could not tolerate. This attitude strikes me as odd. Perhaps it’s my father’s voice in my head that causes my discomfort. My family joined the church in the late 1960′s; I was the youngest of my parents’ four children and we were all baptized together. My parents had been very active in their protestant church prior to our joining the Mormons, but my father had expressed his concern about our church’s changing because of social changes at the time. My father’s view was that if God is God, and if He does not change, then the church should not vote about what was true this year or not. For my father, God was a... Read the rest of this entry »