After you join,then what?

[markwinfield1]

How does Membership actually work?And what is exspected?

[BenRaines]

We work like crazy. Helping people move in, move out. Taking meals to those in need. Camping once a month with the Boy Scouts. One week for Girls camp, a week for Scout camp. Home teaching, visiting teaching.

I am sure I left a bunch out.

What is expected? Work at keeping the commandments. The two great commandments are the most important. Keep them and you keep the rest.

Ben Raines

[markwinfield1]

So you don't work a normal job.Attend churches every sunday.Live a rugular american life.Like Christians?I'm pretty much a Loner...Based on the fact...I don't know anyone thats Mormon!Do they give a Job.Within the Church?

[BenRaines]

Mark, we do work normal jobs. Go to work, take care of family, do all those things that everyone else does and then we also serve our fellowman and woman. Mormons also belong to community support groups such as Big Brother, Big Sister, Boy Scouts, Heart Association, Lions Club, Elks Club and on and on.

Ben Raines

[susieSA]

Mormons are Christian....

We live regular lives - live our religion every day, not just one day a week...

We work normal jobs, attend church every Sunday etc...

Some Mormons do work for the Church outside of Sunday Church...

[Misshalfway]

After a person is baptized they are introduced into the ward. Home teachers as assigned to the person or family. And their spiritual education continues as they attend church and participate in how the church functions.

The church is a lay leadership which means everything the church does is handled from an all volunteer effort. Lots of tasks in this church. We call them "callings" and a new member will no doubt be offered a responsibility if they choose.

It is expected that you will live your life according to the commandments of God. Covenants are made a baptism that commit us to such a lifestyle. But it isn't anything extreme. It is about living a Christlike life thru clean living and service oriented actions. And then we all work together to make Sunday service work and to make each congregation a place for all sorts of activities.

[markwinfield1]

1.How often do Mormons have dress up?Ouside of service.I always see Mormon's in standard church attire...

2.Can you hang out with peaple.That aren't Mormons?

[Misshalfway]

Oh gosh. We dress up for church and the rest of the time we wear regular clothes.

Of course we can hang out with anyone we want to! Where did you get the idea we couldn't????

[Mykdiver]

1.How often do Mormons have dress up?Ouside of service.I always see Mormon's in standard church attire...

Maybe you are talking about the Missionaries, they wear Church clothes all the time. They are members called to serve a mission for the Church spreading the Gospel.

[Truegrits]

markwinfield1

1.How often do Mormons have dress up?Ouside of service.I always see Mormon's in standard church attire...

2.Can you hang out with peaple.That aren't Mormons?

Outside of Church Services, I wear regular clothes...jeans, T-shirts, shorts, etc., but still maintain Church Standards.

Actually ALL of my best friends are non-LDS. I am friendly with my Ward family, but I do not "hang" with them. We really are "normal" people...

[mnn727]

Mark, different people have different commitment levels, what is required after baptism is that you try to follow a Christ-like life. Some people do it better than others.

After joining you will continue attending Church - learning more, eventually you will get a "calling" (like teaching, leading singing, librarian, member of the EQ Presidency, secretary, clerk) these are all duties that need to be done to keep a ward functioning, they are all non-paid positions and usually don't take more than a few hours a week (athough there are more demanding callings usually a newbie won't be assigned to them).

We all work real jobs and work with and hang out with other people, life goes on as normal, except you should hopefully be trying to live a Christ centered life 24/7.

Eventually you will (if male) be given the Priesthood, assigned a partner for home teaching (newbies are normally assigned with experienced partners). You will be expected to visit your assigned families usually 3 or 4 families, once a month and take a brief gospel message to them and also find out how they are doing, if they need help with anything. You will also be assigned home teachers who will do the same with you. We usually spend about a half hour a month with each family we are assigned to - but if you or they like to talk, it can go longer.

You should continue to attend the Gospel Principles class long enough to go through the entire manual which will give you good knowledge of the basics of the gospel and how the Church works. Yes as the first poster alluded to we do have special projects that come up (like helping people move, campouts, etc) but they are all voluntary - it is a good way to get to know people though.

You will see the missionaries less that you did before, and hopefully the ward members more, although that depends on the people you get to know. Eventually the Missionaries that taught you will be transferred out and the new missionaries will know very little about you - for some people this is a hard thing, but if you continue to go to Gospel Principles class and participate you will get to know the new ones. You can even go out with them basically driving them to appointments and sitting in with them if you want to - they may or may not ask you to particpate - depends on what you know and how well they know you.

As far as dressing up, the only time I am in Church clothes is during Church. Otherwise I am in jeans or shorts and a T-Shirt, or in business casual while at work because that is what my employer requires. As far as hanging out with non-LDS, my best friends are non-LDS and I hang out with them, I guess if they are the type of people that get into trouble you may have a hard time living a Christ-like life hanging out with them, but then again you could be a good example to them too. Basically we are friends with whomever we want to be friends with.

Edited August 18, 2008 by mnn727

[mnn727]

We work like crazy. Helping people move in, move out. Taking meals to those in need. Camping once a month with the Boy Scouts. One week for Girls camp, a week for Scout camp. Home teaching, visiting teaching.......

Mark, we do work normal jobs. Go to work, take care of family, do all those things that everyone else does and then we also serve our fellowman and woman. Mormons also belong to community support groups such as Big Brother, Big Sister, Boy Scouts, Heart Association, Lions Club, Elks Club and on and on.

Ben Raines

While there are certainly people with Bens commitment level, most of us don't do all those things all the time. Everything we do is voluntary.

Ben, I commend you, but you wear me out just reading your list

[fannyfran]

Hello markwinfield1

To make it clear for you about being a L.D.S. faith we are no different then any other faith that believes in Christ ,we live normal lives like every other christian we dress like any body else,we do have strict rules we should obey and live by that other faiths don't have but if you believe in the L.D.S. faith you will want to live my all the teachings and be very happy doing so we are very caring and loving people now their are some members that may not live by all the teachigs just as people do in other faiths,but if we do ''not'' obey the teachings that are given to us we will not recieve all the blessings from God . Come visit our faith and see what you think about it no one will force any thing on you they will give you the lession of the TRUTH of Gods word and how we know and where it all came from but then it's left up to you to exsept it as Gods true faith or not and that can be done through your personaly prayers with our Heavenly Father and in the name of Jesus Christ.

Hope I have helped you with your question God Bless you Markwinfield1

Fannyfran

[Brenton]

Work at keeping the commandments. The two great commandments are the most important.

I actually have no idea which the two greatest are? I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me. :)

[Connie]

I actually have no idea which the two greatest are? I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me. :)

The 2 greatest commandments comes from Matthew 22:36-40 when Christ was asked what was the greatest commandment. He answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." And then he said, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Therefore, if you keep these 2 commandments, you will keep the rest.

[Brenton]

Oh, well I actually did know them then. :)

Thankyou.

[fannyfran]

The 2 greatest commandments comes from Matthew 22:36-40 when Christ was asked what was the greatest commandment. He answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." And then he said, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Therefore, if you keep these 2 commandments, you will keep the rest.

This is the true answer

[MarginOfError]

Since no one has mentioned it, we also expect you to give your first born child to the Church. You'll have to report to the Church when your child is about to be born, and men in black suits with black shirts and black ties (and neon green socks) will show up at the hospital to collect your child. I'd hate for you to get blind-sided with that one.

[mnn727]

Come on people, it was a serious question, do we have to give silly answers?

Edited August 20, 2008 by mnn727

[pushka]

Come on people, it was a serious question, do we have to give silly answers?

LOL @ MOE's answer..I'm sure the OP will take it in the way it was intended, comically!! Though, to be honest, there probably are people out there who wouldn't be surprised if we did do what MOE suggested, even more surprised that a member was admitting to doing it..lol!!

[breeb]

Since no one has mentioned it, we also expect you to give your first born child to the Church. You'll have to report to the Church when your child is about to be born, and men in black suits with black shirts and black ties (and neon green socks) will show up at the hospital to collect your child. I'd hate for you to get blind-sided with that one.

I was going to say we bite the heads off chickens. Some of you may recognize that from Steel Magnolias........but not on your 1st visit.

[Rico]

I was going to say we bite the heads off chickens. Some of you may recognize that from Steel Magnolias........but not on your 1st visit.

Yes, you'll be expected to do that one on your first fast and testimony meeting after joining the church.

Seriously though, my wife had a lot of fears about what they did in the Mormon church. She grew up Catholic and she can remember when the Mormon church first came to her village. The priests made it very clear what someone would expect in the Mormon church and giving up your first born and biting the heads off of chickens wasn't far off from what they were warning against.

She was honestly scared the first time she went into an LDS church and she begged me not to go. In fact, the only reason why she went is that I took myself and the kids two times when she was away on work. The kids loved the primary so she begrudgingly agreed to go for one time only as long as she was allowed to leave the church as soon as she felt uncomfortable and that I would never ask her to go back. She hasn't missed a single Sunday since that first Sunday.

Back to the OP, I think being a member of the church means being a member of a family. Not everyone sees eye to eye but people act out love, just like a family. Just like in an family, there are chores to do and every job is important. I remember my stake president saying that the most important job in the church is the one who hands out the hymnals on Sunday morning. I think he's right about that.

You can hang with anyone you want to and have friends who are non-members, you just need to remember who you are. Maybe that's important. I used to feel like an orphaned child who never knew who his father was until I realized that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and that He wants me to rejoin my family.

[fannyfran]

Yes, you'll be expected to do that one on your first fast and testimony meeting after joining the church.

Seriously though, my wife had a lot of fears about what they did in the Mormon church. She grew up Catholic and she can remember when the Mormon church first came to her village. The priests made it very clear what someone would expect in the Mormon church and giving up your first born and biting the heads off of chickens wasn't far off from what they were warning against.

She was honestly scared the first time she went into an LDS church and she begged me not to go. In fact, the only reason why she went is that I took myself and the kids two times when she was away on work. The kids loved the primary so she begrudgingly agreed to go for one time only as long as she was allowed to leave the church as soon as she felt uncomfortable and that I would never ask her to go back. She hasn't missed a single Sunday since that first Sunday.

Back to the OP, I think being a member of the church means being a member of a family. Not everyone sees eye to eye but people act out love, just like a family. Just like in an family, there are chores to do and every job is important. I remember my stake president saying that the most important job in the church is the one who hands out the hymnals on Sunday morning. I think he's right about that.

You can hang with anyone you want to and have friends who are non-members, you just need to remember who you are. Maybe that's important. I used to feel like an orphaned child who never knew who his father was until I realized that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and that He wants me to rejoin my family.

This is ''NOT'' funny at all and some people would beleive this to be true their is so much lies told about what we beleive I thought I had heard them all but this one is sick.

[Connie]

I agree, these "silly" comments are not funny. No wonder many people still have horrible ideas about Mormons when we keep adding to it in this way. Some people will take these comments seriously even if they arn't meant that way. Christ would not respond to a legitimate question such as this in a sarcastic way, let's just keep that in mind. What ever happened to the LDS people and the question, "What would Jesus do/say?"

[Rico]

I think making the comments are a way of showing just how ridiculous they are. I think keeping a positive attitude about it all is important. It's incredible the kind of lies that are being said about the Church and church members these days and in the not so distant past. My mother-in-law attended church with us after my wife and I got baptized just so she could see for herself what went on in during sacrament meeting. Her own faith was shaken when she realized just how wrong the priests had been.

But maybe you are right connerific, maybe people like that renown Russian religion expert are coming on this forum to get their indepth research on the truth about Mormons. Maybe we need to rethink some of the threads where people talk about CIA operations.