Out of all of the churches to review on my list, I’ve never felt as intimidated by one as this. People hear horror stories of how Mormons react if you ridicule their beliefs, how secretive they are on some matters, and how they can sometimes be very intimidating, or aggressive, or even annoying. The most common criticism: “they always knock at the worst times”. I don’t know if this is true for Mormons as a whole, but I had nothing but the most positive experience when I visited their church. I have to say that right off the bat in case any Mormons are reading – I won’t dismiss you for your faith if you extend the same courtesy to my lack thereof. And while this review could be marred in what I think about Mormon beliefs, I’m here to discuss my experience in the church.
When one mentions “the Mormons”, there are a lot of pre-conceived notions that come to mind. Some write them off quickly: “oh, they believe in magic underwear, and God is from another planet, etc.” If one considers the current political climate with Mitt Romney as an open Mormon, the situation is one where Mormonism has lately received a larger degree of attention. What I have heard from critics won’t factor into this review. For me to comment on the theological beliefs of the Mormons based on how I’ve always heard them mocked would be doing them a disservice. They’ll be more than happy to speak with you and set some of those matters straight. We all know, though, that Mormons are infamous for seeking out people, and some folks view their proselytization efforts as a form of harassment, but out of all the churches I have been to, they’re the most accessible and open about what they believe, as interesting or odd as outsiders may believe.
So, in an interesting game of role-reversal different from what I have experienced in the past, I went knocking on their door. Like Gilligan, the Skipper, and all the rest – I had no idea what I was getting into on my three hour tour, but I was curious nonetheless. In reality, I had no idea that the worship services lasted for three hours, so I didn’t know I was going to be touring for that long…but because of the length of the service(s), this review might be a bit longer.
Before I jump into my experience with the church, I want to lay some groundwork that represents the basics of Mormon belief. Mormons, for all intents and purposes, are Christians. Relative to Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, or whomever – they’re an updated version of Christianity. However, in a point that few other Christians would admit: they share far, far, far more similarities with other sects of Conservative Christianity than one might think. Mormons are usually misunderstood (and even ridiculed) for the differences, but if one removed the references to the texts in the Book of Mormon or the Doctrine and Covenants that were cited this morning, to me, the scriptures basically all read like what I was raised with. The concepts of salvation, redemption, paradise, damnation – it’s all fairly similar. If one could draw an analogy to each branch of Christianity akin to a row of Christmas trees, Mormonism has quite a few more differing ornaments than other types of Christianity, and it’s those differences that are usually highlighted far more than the similarities. At the heart of Mormonism, though, is the belief that Jesus Christ died for mankind’s sins.
In terms of doctrine, Mormons revere the Bible as God’s word, but they have reverence for three other texts as well: The Book of Mormon, which is a complementary Testament of Christ alongside the Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, containing wisdom texts and other varied pieces, and the Doctrines and Covenants, which describes Joseph Smith’s on-going revelations. Of course, Mormon’s believe that Joseph Smith received a revelation from the angel Moroni Americas
With this basic understanding in hand, I would have to describe my experience as quite different in relation to my previous ones. Saturday afternoon, I attempted to call the church several times, and looked for a website – I couldn’t find worship times, schedules, or anything like that. A chance encounter with a Mormon Elder/Missionary (same thing) as I was driving was how I found out what time to show up.
So, I came in Sunday morning and it would be fair to describe this church as big and bold on the outside, and somewhat modest on the inside. The church is located near 164 and it’s a large building. It houses two separate congregations, or wards. Each ward services two different parts – the 9:00 a.m. ward services the north/west sides of Evansville 11:00 a.m. services the east/south sides of Evansville Newburgh
Upon entering, I had a fifteen minute wait before the service began, and I was greeted by about ten people overall. There would have been more, but these folks and I conversed for a few minutes each. I was welcomed by the presiding Bishop Paul Daines (the only name I’m going to give in this review), as well as the Elder I ran into on Saturday. These people, I can’t emphasize enough, are very friendly, especially if you let them know you’re new…and curious. They retrieved a bulletin for me, were eager to answer questions, and the Elders volunteered to sit with me and guide me to alleviate confusion. The bulletin itself was pretty simple, mass produced from a printer, and included very few announcements. The information provided was somewhat sparse, but the worship service was structured enough to easily follow.
Some general comments on the parishioners: they were conservative in their dress and appearance. The men were well-shaved with short hair in suites and ties; the women wore a wider variety of clothing, but all were what one would typically describe as “Sunday best.” I wore a black dress shirt and black slacks; I was underdressed and stuck out. Most folks appeared to be of middle and upper class economy. In this case, I believe this church reflected national Mormon demographics.
During worship, I found it interesting what was not included: tithing, meet-and-greet, special music, and preaching. Instead, we had a welcoming, some announcements, and a number of hymns (some I recognized, most I did not). My overall impression of the worship service is one I’ve had from churches I grew up in: some folks were interested, some looked really bored, and the children, if they weren’t coloring or drawing, were trying to keep from falling asleep. Some points to mention: any motion placed before the church is agreed upon with a show of hands; the singing was really sustained, and this worship service was, overall, relatively conservative. There was a communion of sorts, called just “the sacrament”, and it included chunks of bread and little plastic cups of water (Mormons abstain from alcohol). Mormon worship services are typically led by the laity with the Bishop taking a very passive role. There were three speakers – one of the Bishop’s family members, another woman, and an older gentleman. All three used children as their topical theme. The first spoke very fast and I didn’t catch much of what was said (and I certainly couldn’t write it down). The second spoke quietly, was very emotional, and I caught most of what she was saying. Her message can be summed up as “children have an inherent reverence for God, and we must protect them” (at least, that’s what I extrapolated).
The highlight for me, though, was the last speaker. He spoke on the subject of children as well, and his presentation was quite structured and easier to follow. He made two main points that I caught: children have fewer inhibitions, thus they’re more open to Christ; and children’s cognitive developments impact their susceptibility to Satan’s influence. He commented on how these factors can influence and dictate how children view the world, and how these are spiritually significant to children (and subsequently ourselves). He was very well-spoken, but this particular speaker hit a milestone in my church rotations. He was the very first to mention Satan. Listening to him had me harking back to my Baptist roots because this gentleman was not shy in discussing Satan’s role in leading believers astray. He made a comment that would rub a lot of secular folks the wrong way but it’s something many churches teach: “we must train up our kids from a young age to avoid Satan’s influence”. Some of my readers may automatically hear “brain washing”, but I have no opinion on the matter worth mentioning here. He also is very much for the “child-like” attitude that Christians should have, and made a point to mention that children are protected against Satan because of their lack of cognitive abilities. Satan attacks through one’s thoughts, those thoughts become behavior, and that behavior defines character.
We concluded with another hymn and moved on to the second hour: Sunday School. Latter-Day Saints typically divide their Sunday School by age and spiritual maturity (a.k.a. how long one has been a member). I, accompanied by my two elders, was placed in a class with adults who were newer. I took a whole page of notes on the Sunday School lesson, but I’ll try to be brief in what we discussed. The topic of the day was Atonement – one of the core concepts revolving around Christ dying for man’s sins. Again, like the worship service, some folks were into it, some looked bored. I rather enjoyed it. The general lay-out of the lesson is as follows, and for those with even a passing familiarity with Christianity, it should be easy to understand:
- Why is Atonement necessary for our Salvation?
- Mankind is fallen.
- Scripture References: Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) 76:41-42;
- Why was Jesus Christ the Only One who Could Atone for our Sins?
- Because he was ordained by God to do so; he was perfect, sinless.
- Scripture References: John 10:17-18
- Christ Suffered and Died to Atone for our Sins
- Description of Christ’s death and the spiritual significance.
- D&C 19:18-19; John 3:16
- The Atonement and Resurrection
- Physical and Spiritual Resurrection; gives man hope for reconciliation with God.
- 1 Corinthians 15:21-22;
- The Atonement Makes it Possible for Those Who Have Faith in Christ to be Saved from Their Sin
- Parable of the Creditor – Basic story: A man falls into debt with a creditor. When it is time for accounts to be settled, the man cannot pay his debt. The man in debt requests mercy, but the creditor, demanding justice, throws him in jail. Both parties are justified in their actions on the principles of justice and mercy, but with the parties involved, both concepts cannot yield to one another to the man’s detriment. However, a third party (symbolizing Christ), steps in to pay the creditor for the man’s debt, fulfilling the element of justice, while he becomes the new creditor for the man, with much easier terms to fulfill, thus extending mercy.
- Articles of Faith 1:3; 3 Nephi 9:21-22; Parable from Boyd K. Packer of the Council of Twelve.
Once the third hour rolled around, I joined my Elder guides to another meeting, where the Bishop’s parents both spoke on their experiences in working with the Louisville Temple Temples
With the conclusion of the last hour, I thanked the Elders. I didn’t give them any contact information (for obvious reasons), but I did obtain their business card and names. One of them commented that I looked “moved” by the spirit…but I neglected to mention to him that I drank about ½ a pot of coffee this morning, and I was really just jittery, complimented by the usual symptoms of overdosing on caffeine (including frequent trips to the bathroom).
In order to complete this review, I do want to make some very general observations. I enjoyed my time at the church, and out of all the places I’ve been to, here I felt the most intimidated (at first), but also very welcomed. The Mormons, like I mentioned earlier, get a bad rap for having “whacky beliefs” and for being aggressive in their missionary work, but they’re just doing what the Bible commands them to do. I think most Christian sects could actually learn a lesson from one of the fastest-growing denominations in the United States
Now…for the criticisms…which I don’t have many. The worship services are long. I admire their dedication for those who sit through all of it. I mentioned to them that it tested my strength to a degree, as I was used to services that last for about an hour. I was raised in a church where people fidgeted around the 45-minute mark, so if you last the whole time, kudos to your depth of spirituality (or curiosity). The theology of Mormonism can be really overwhelming to someone who isn’t familiar with it, and I was able to understand it only because I was raised Christian, and I research Mormonism independently. The services were too conservative for my taste, and I felt the services were essentially an 1850s spin on the old-time religion. Doctrine aside, this felt like I was going to a Baptist church in Kentucky
- Congregation
- Friendliness (1/1)
- Message
- Topic Interest (.7/1)
- Inspirational/Educational Value (.8/1)
- Clarity (.7/1)
- Applicability (.5/1)
- Worship
- Content (.6/1)
- Audience Participation (.5/1)
- Outreach
- Community Involvement (.9/1)
- Variety of Activities (.7/1)
- Information
- Accessibility (.5/1)
Total = 6.9
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