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Speaking out about Mormonism
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Steve Anderson (right), president of the Slave Lake Branch of the Mormon church, poses near the entrance to the church with Jason Thompson and Thompson’s children Brigham (next to Thompson) and Ben.
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Theresa Seraphim
For Spotlight
It’s not about polygamy.
That’s the message from Steve Anderson, president of the Slave Lake Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Anderson and Jason Thompson, the branch’s first counsellor, stressed that although many people associate Mormons with polygamy, the church – which began with revelations on gold plates from the angel Moroni to 14-year-old Joseph Smith in 1838 – outlawed the practice in 1890.
Neil Forsyth, president of the High Prairie branch, said groups such as the one in Bountiful, B.C. or the one led by Warren Jeffs are not allowed to be church members.
“They have created their own apostate groups,” he said.
The religion is so much more than the multiple-wives scenario, said Anderson.
“We try to centre our lives on the teachings of the Saviour Jesus Christ,” he said.
One important way in which members do this, is family.
“Family’s a big focus for this church,” he said citing the example of family home evenings (each Monday) and family prayer, which the church encourages twice a day.
“It brings the family together.”
This ties in with the church’s belief about marriage.
“Marriages are built to last. They can endure into the life hereafter,” said Anderson.
About 45 members, on average, show up for Sunday meetings in Slave Lake, and about 40 at the branch in High Prairie.
Meetings can last up to three hours and are divided into three parts: the sacrament meeting, in which all members come together to partake of the sacrament (bread and water), Sunday School and the priesthood and relief society meeting.
“We don’t have any paid clergy,” but such roles are seen in terms of service, said Anderson
“They call it lay clergy,” added Thompson.
Most people are familiar with outside pictures of Mormon temples (of which there are 128 around the world), but no outsiders are allowed in.
Even a church member must be deemed worthy enough to enter, by living a life as prescribed in the Doctrines and Covenants and by receiving a temple recommend, a document signed by the member and by the bishop (local president) and members of the stake presidency (one step up from the local branch).
“We don’t want people to think temples are secretive things, but they are special places,” said Thompson.
“Our objective is to keep them as clean and pure as they can be,” Forsyth explained.
Every effort is made to help those not quite worthy of the temple, to go through the process of becoming worthy.
The steps include attending church meetings, tithing, and being willing to serve in the church.
“We want everybody to share the blessings of the temple,” said Thompson.
According to the church, the gold plates found by Smith were a record of people in the Americas from 600 B.C. to 400 A.D., including Jesus Christ’s appearance to those people shortly after His resurrection.
“Interestingly enough, He taught them the same things as in Jerusalem,” said Forsyth.
Smith translated the plates, which were written in the Hebrew language in reformed Egyptian, and those revelations became The Book of Mormon, which the church calls Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
(The book is named after one of the prophets in it, who collected and condensed the sayings.)
“We consider the Book of Mormon to be the keystone of our religion, but it is not the only text that we have,” said Anderson.
Mormons also use the King James Version of the Bible (with some changes in translation having been made by Smith). So is the Book of Mormon the more important text?
“I don’t necessarily think it’s more important, but here is another testament of Jesus Christ,” said Anderson.
Those two books, as well as the Doctrines and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price (a collection of Smith’s writings) are the references for church members.
When it comes to Mormons, many people are also familiar with the missionary pairs – duos of elders – who go door to door talking with people and sharing their faith.
Anderson stressed young men are encouraged, but not forced, to go on these two-year endeavours – in which they work full-time, bearing all expenses – and nobody they talk to is arm-twisted into joining the church.
“We don’t try to force people to do anything. We invite people to find out for themselves.”
Each person in the church, from about the age of 12, participates in some form of service to the church, said Anderson.
“When we’re called to do something in the church, we believe we’re called by God,” he said.
Mormonism, which is the fourth largest church in the United States, currently has 14 million members worldwide, with the Hispanic population the fastest-growing ethnic group.
“Now there are more members outside of North America than there are inside North America,” said Anderson.
“The church is growing in many areas of the world,” said Forsyth.
Anderson said that is happening because people are seeking the truth, and finding it in Mormonism.
“We’re just tools in the hand of the Lord…We don’t convert people – the Spirit does.”
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