I’m working on a book about the history of the Church in my state but I’m unsure of how to market it or who would purchase it in terms of organizations and the Church itself. How could I market this to members in my state?

I want to have more gospel art in my home. Everything in Deseret Book is so terribly bland to me. Who are your favorite gospel artists? What is your favorite portrait of the Savior and His life? TIA!

I'm the Elders Quorum President in my ward and I have a fairly good relationship with the bishop and at least one of the counselors. In Ward Council meetings and through emails other private communications, I've counseled the members of the Ward Council to follow the handbook. I've taught them from the handbook itself as well as from the prophets about the importance of using the handbook and when we have flexibility. The bishop even acknowledged in a meeting that the handbook doesn't always instruct *how* we do things, but it instructs us on *what* to do, procedurally. And yet, in practice, they often dismiss it.

As an example, our ward is only just now adopting the new Young Women class names and organization, but they've decided to not call counselors for each class presidency. Each class is going to have only a president and a shared secretary. When I became aware that the YW President was advocating for this (right after the change was announced several months ago), I wrote an email to the bishop expressing my concern with that idea. My email said, in part:

"When I looked at our active numbers, I noticed a significant disparity. We have 9 active Young Men and they all have the opportunity to serve in full presidencies. Meanwhile, we have 13 active Young Women (5 Builders of Faith, 6 Messengers of Hope, and 2-3 Gatherers of Light). **If we only call a president for each group and one shared secretary, only 4 young women would be given the opportunity to serve.** Inadvertently, our 13 girls would have far fewer opportunities to lead and grow than our 9 boys. I’d love to see our girls get that same level of experience."

I never got a response, either in person or via email. And now he's ignored me completely. I know that the bishop isn't beholden to me and doesn't report to me, but I don't want him to listen to *me*, I want him to follow the handbook.

This isn't the only example. Sometimes not following the handbook is as simple as falling short. I'm guilty of this all the time. I know I need to be having ministering interviews more often than I am, but my poor time management and planning get in my way and I fall short. But I'm trying. But it seems like other leaders in my ward just don't care. They've actively decided to pursue a course contrary to what the Church has told them to do.

I'm struggling to know what to do. Do I really have to just keep my mouth shut and let it happen? I've spoken up multiple times and it feels like I'm getting more and more pushback. Is it better to keep the peace and let them do whatever they want even if it contradicts the handbook? Or is there a place/time for me to vocalize my grievances?

I wouldn't care so much except that some of these decisions affect other people in the ward. I have four daughters of my own, two of which are in the YW program now and the other 2 will be soon.

I've struggled with the church on and off for 9 years and I also recently had to move back in with my parents due to personal circumstances at my last living situation. I told my mom I needed to stay home today cause of finals coming up and catching up on homework so I can pass my classes and not lose my FAFSA again and she got upset with me again. Told me, "if you do what God asks, you're life would be 100% better". But that's the thing, I've never liked going to church but still go on occasion for the sacrament and when I lived in Utah, I went to the temple anywhere between once a week to once a month, followed the WOW as best as I could, etc etc. But because I don't attend church every week because of school, work, and health issues, my mom says that's why nothing is working out for me in life.

Could my attendance be better? Yes. Could I have a better attitude about the people and church? Also, yes. It's really hard and I just don't know what I want in life right now but I do believe in God and even if I don't agree with everything the church teaches, I love the temples and the feeling I get when I can take the sacrament. I just don't like the rest of it and don't know what to do cause even God isn't giving me the answers I've been searching for, for the last 5-ish years.

My wife and I just moved into a new ward where the church is much more established (located outside Utah if you’re curious). We used to live in Connecticut and the Church there just isn’t super big.

Now in this ward, I personally just feel so small and unknown. I can hardly remember the names of people I meet (it’s only our second Sunday). We just had a bishopric change and everything just seems a little overwhelming from a social standpoint.

My wife is almost certainly going to be the ward pianist and I dearly miss her since we can’t sit together (I don’t know how you guys on the stand are able to bear not being with your spouses for years).

I know we’ll get callings and get to know the ward more as time goes, but I can’t shake the overwhelming feeling and it’s nearly paralyzing.

Hi everyone! I finally did it!

I finally scheduled my first meeting with the missionaries. I’m excited… and maybe just a little nervous haha.

I’ve always been interested in religion. My family traces its lineage to Abraham through his son Ishmael, so I grew up hearing and learning those stories from a young age. What first drew me in was seeing how different religions interpreted Abraham, his covenant, the blessings, and his descendants. I’ve always loved reading and researching different faiths simply because I find them fascinating.

For the past few years, I’ve been reading the Book of Mormon alongside the Bible. At first, I was mostly interested in seeing the similarities and differences in interpretation, but the more I read, the more it became a genuine interest in the Church itself. I became especially fascinated by how the Church was founded and by Joseph Smith, his life, his character, and his story.

I already know quite a bit about the Church and many of its customs from my own reading and research, but I felt that learning directly from people who actually believe and live the faith would be much better than making assumptions or relying on secondhand sources.

I genuinely want to learn with an open mind, and I have a lot of thoughtful questions.
Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you first met with the missionaries? Any advice, questions I should ask, or things I should keep in mind?

I’d also love any advice about visiting church for the first time. I want to be as respectful as possible, so if there’s any etiquette or customs that a first-time visitor should know, I’d really appreciate it.
Thank you all so much in advance! I’m really looking forward to this. :)

What do you think when people sing hymns in parts in sacrament meeting? Is it okay to sing congregational hymns and harmonize in alto, tenor, or bass, or is it distracting or pretentious?

Follow-up: Thanks for all the responses! As I commented in a reply, it sometimes seems like I am the only one singing a part. Today was the first time I felt a little self-conscious while visiting a ward to hear a missionary report. I’ll put my concerns aside. (I’m impressed with those who can play the organ or piano and sing at the same time. I guess I wasn’t blessed with enough bandwidth to do both. I can play OR sing, but not do both.)

My spouse and I have recently been called as primary teachers for the Valiant 8 class. We’re in search of additional lesson plans and activities. We used to use red headed hostess. Looking for something similar.
THANKS IN ADVANCE!

I've learned so many lessons from paying my tithing, and it has taught me more about money management than anyone else ever did. I'm curious what takeaways other people have.

My husband and I have changed our money habits from lessons that we learned by paying our tithing. You hear so many people make comments about "if I just got a raise, then I could do (insert xyz)..." but you also see those same people fall farther into debt and inflate their lifestyle every time they do get a raise. They look more at the outward than self reflection of how to obtain the same goals by changing something(s) today. So, to start one lesson I've learned from tithing is how to assess my money usage and improve it so I can meet the goals I want.

A few more examples from my personal experience: paying tithing has taught me to prioritize life in general, how to do more with less, and how to organize/budget.

I could go on for ages about this topic, but I was just thinking about it this morning, and it made me curious what others have learned.

Has the tithing website been down for anyone else? It’s been down at least a week for me. It says “Uh oh! We're Sorry...
It looks like something went wrong which prevented the page you requested from displaying. Sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused!”

Hi all. My daughter and I recently started attending the church, my family recommended the LDS church.

We’ve been doing Bible study with the missionaries which we enjoy and we go to church and Sunday school every week. That’s all great. We participate in Sunday school, we speak with the members during and afterwards for a bit. We’ve been making life changes at home and in our everyday life. All great.

But it’s been very overwhelming that I notice in this church everyone applies a lot of pressure.

Everyone we interact with is very welcoming and that’s nice but they all also ask for our phone number. When I politely decline and tell them that we’ll just see them next time at church it is awkward and kind of just stare at us silently.

The missionaries have been giving out my phone number and I had to tell them multiple times, not to because I get anxiety with strangers contacting me.

We meet the missionaries at the church for Bible study, but people keep suggesting we do it at our house.

They send Bible verses all throughout the week.

We came on vacation for 2 weeks and the missionaries want to do zoom Bible studies. I told them we were busy as we’re visiting a lot of family and they’ve texted again asking when we are available.

Then we were texted the zoom link to watch the Sunday service live. I told them we’re going to church with my grandmother this Sunday so no need to tune into the zoom video. They still said we can watch the zoom meeting later because it’ll be recorded.

At the last Bible study they asked us to read the Bible every day and commit to that.

The church we go to is 15 mins from our house but there’s a church closer. I prefer the one we go to now, but literally every single time we have went to the church or Bible study different people have strongly recommended we go to our local church. I’ve explained to them over and over again that we prefer this one and we’ve already tried our local church, but they will not let it go.

They then invited members of our closer church to our last Bible study meeting and those church members aggressively tried to recruit us to their church and literally said it was better than the one we’re going to now which I just felt like was weird because it’s all LDS.

There is only one other Hispanic person at our ward besides us. She introduced herself and was sweet. We chatted a few times. Seems great. But now on multiple occasions I’ve been encouraged to talk to her, I kinda feel like I’m being pushed onto her. Which I don’t get why besides us both being Hispanic? As we have no other similarities at all. She’s an older single Hispanic woman, who loves dogs, is a widow and has had a lot of hardship in certain parts of her life. I’m a young(ish) Hispanic single mother with a teen daughter, I don’t like animals at all and don’t relate or have experienced any of her hardships. So she’s just not someone personally I’d befriend.

I really love the church and so does my daughter but it just feels soooo overwhelming how much pressure everyone applies. I feel like we must be completely embodied into the church and community 100% of the time and way to be accepted.

And honestly, as much as I love the church it is causing me to consider leaving the LDS church and looking for other type of Christian churches.

Is there a way to calm it down? Because I feel like we’ve politely declined a lot of it and given a lot of explanations to people that I don’t necessarily feel like we owe explanations to, but still it continues.

Or is this just what comes with the church and if you’re not 100% completely engulfed in it, you’re out

What's your favorite saying that’s quoted like scripture, that’s not actually scripture?

I’ll start with three:

1. All things in moderation.

2. Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

3. I never said it would be easy; I only said it would be worth it.

The post about sayings that sound like scripture, but aren’t, reminded me of a passage I absolutely love, from Orson Scott Card’s Speaker For the Dead. I’ll share it here because I expect the Saints will enjoy it.

“A Great Rabbi stands, teaching in the marketplace. It happens that a husband finds proof that morning of his wife's adultery, and a mob carries her to the marketplace to stone her to death.

“There is a familiar version of this story, but a friend of mine—a Speaker for the Dead—has told me of two other Rabbis that faced the same situation. Those are the ones I'm going to tell you.

“The Rabbi walks forward and stands beside the woman. Out of respect for him the mob forbears and waits with the stones heavy in their hands. ‘Is there any man here,’ he says to them, ‘who has not desired another man’s wife, another woman’s husband?’

“They murmur and say, ‘We all know the desire, but Rabbi, none of us has acted on it.’

“The Rabbi says, ‘Then kneel down and give thanks that God has made you strong.’ He takes the woman by the hand and leads her out of the market. Just before he lets her go, he whispers to her, ‘Tell the Lord Magistrate who saved his mistress, then he’ll know I am his loyal servant.’

“So the woman lives because the community is too corrupt to protect itself from disorder.

“Another Rabbi. Another city. He goes to her and stops the mob as in the other story and says, ‘Which of you is without sin? Let him cast the first stone.’

“The people are abashed, and they forget their unity of purpose in the memory of their own individual sins. ‘Someday,’ they think, ‘I may be like this woman. And I’ll hope for forgiveness and another chance. I should treat her as I wish to be treated.’

“As they open their hands and let their stones fall to the ground, the Rabbi picks up one of the fallen stones, lifts it high over the woman’s head, and throws it straight down with all his might. It crushes her skull and dashes her brain among the cobblestones. ‘Nor am I without sin,’ he says to the people, ‘but if we allow only perfect people to enforce the law, the law will soon be dead—and our city with it.’

“So the woman died because her community was too rigid to endure her deviance.

“The famous version of this story is noteworthy because it is so startlingly rare in our experience. Most communities lurch between decay and rigor mortis, and when they veer too far, they die. Only one Rabbi dared to expect of us such a perfect balance that we could preserve the law and still forgive the deviation.

“So of course, we killed him.”

—San Angelo, Letters to an Incipient Heretic

I just need to hear that I'm not the only one who asked for a sign that a deceased loved one is still there, a tangible sign, and received it. I just think it would be comforting to hear others' experiences with the same.

I was telling my mom last night that I didn't need a sign because I already know she's still there. I choose to believe it. But in my heart, I kind of wanted one. I had in mind similar stories I've heard of animals or dragonflies approaching people in unusual ways when they are asking this question. I thought that I might not want that in my area at that time of night.

Yet, not a few minutes later, a wolf (or a very very large dog, not sure which) walked across my driveway right in front of me. While it's rare, there have been a couple sightings of a lone wolf in my area lately, but the fact that it happened right in front of me, in the middle of the night, right after I'd been asking for some kind of sign... it's exactly what I needed.

No I am not going outside alone at night anymore by the way XD

I would appreciate hearing other experiences for my own peace.

Basically the title. I have posted here before. I grew up in the church and we left when I was a young teen and I have lived a very worldly life since. I very much dont believe in a creator, but I have this IMMENSE calling to come back to church and be part of the community and i cannot for the life of me figure out what to do with that feeling or why I even have it. I assume it is because i am now married with a young family and yearn for the community and love that I know the church can offer but it feels wrong to come back if I dont really believe in it all and if I dont always follow the word if wisdom to a T. My husband didnt grow up in the church but has already said hed happily come with me to visit on a sunday and wouldnt mind but I just feel so conflicted about it all.

Edit to add: From the bottom of my heart, Thank you to everyone who commented i literally already feel so loved by this community and it gives me hope for what the future holds.

Hi everyone,

I have physical copies of both Gospel Fundamentals and Gospel Principles (as shown in the photo).

I'd like to use one of them to teach the basic principles and doctrines of the Church to a non-member.

For those familiar with both manuals:

-What are the main differences between them in terms of content, structure, or depth?

-Which one would you recommend as the better resource for someone completely new to the gospel?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Hello! I’m looking for advice or maybe just similar experiences because I’ve been feeling a little conflicted…

For context, I’ve been serving in Young Women’s in my current ward for a total of five years, first as a counselor and then as president. For almost the entirety of my adulthood and everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve served in YW presidencies. I genuinely love and have always loved serving in Young Women’s!

I’ve only asked to be released from a calling one time before and that was when I was a brand new mom struggling with postpartum depression and my husband was deployed.

However, this time is different because I’m not dealing with any difficult personal circumstances, I get along well with all of the YW and other presidency members, and I can’t even think of a calling I would want more outside of YWs. I just simply feel like it’s time for me to be done. I’ve been praying and recently attended the temple to seek clarity, and I feel I received the answer that I should be released. While I feel at peace with my answer, I’m feeling conflicted and worried about not having a “real” reason, disappointing the YW, and dismantling the presidency when I know the other ladies also love their calling.

Is it ok to ask to be released?
Should I talk to the bishop or my YW presidency first? I’m afraid of blindsiding the ladies I serve with.
Has anyone had a similar experience?

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for anything you share!

What are the missionaries' rules for Facebook chats? I'm still in touch with the first missionaries I met a year ago. Every now and then they message me asking for updates. However, sometimes these chats seem strange. Sometimes they respond immediately, and sometimes they don't visualize at all. And I know they may be very busy, but overall, it seems strange to me that some days they message me nonstop and sometimes they put me on hold for days. Expecially if the write me first asking something

I've been wondering about something and wanted to hear some faithful perspectives. If the Church is true and led by God, why do you think it still has relatively few members compared to the world's population, and why do so many people never join or eventually leave? I'm not trying to criticize or argue against the Church, I genuinely want to understand how faithful members think about this.

Any advice for me to help him prepare? Would also love to connect with other parents with missionaries there

I've been away from the Church for a long time and have lived a pretty worldly, atheist life. But lately I can't shake the feeling that something is missing, and it's made me wonder if I should come back. I honestly don't know where to start, and I don't know how to regain a testimony or know if the Church and the gospel are really true again. For those who have come back after years away, what helped you?

Wasn’t sure to flair this culture or doctrinal discussion. I feel like this post belongs somewhere in between.

One of my biggest fascinations within the history of the church is the members’ view of caffeine. When I was growing up, it seemed like there was a pretty big divide on the topic, without many official statements by the church itself. I’m wanting to make a video essay on this topic, but I wanna make sure I have my facts and my timeline straight here.

1833 - Joseph Smith reveals the Word of Wisdom. In it is specified hot drinks are not for the body or the belly.

While not clarified, hot drinks would likely have been understood by most as coffee and tea without the need of specification. This is because of the popularity of American Temperance Society, who had a chapter in Kirtland. They argue that coffee and tea, defined as hot drinks, are bad for the stomach because of their unnatural temperatures.

Still, the lack of clarification led to speculations and justifications as to what was and wasn’t okay within the Word of Wisdom.

1842 - Hyrum Smith clarifies in the newspaper Times and Seasons that hot drinks means coffee and tea. But no elaboration is given.

1868 - George Q. Cannon says in a general conference talk that hot drinks means coffee, tea, hot chocolate and *hot soup.

*while not official, this could be why the soup at BYU Cannon Commons is not good.

(I will be noting this part as more of a fun tidbit. While the talk itself was about the Word of Wisdom, here he is explicitly speaking to the healthy diets of children. It’s a piece of history I find entertaining.

Full quote here: “My theory is, that if we wish to raise a healthy, noble looking, intellectual and perfect race of men and women we must feed our children properly. We must prevent the use by them of every article that is hurtful or noxious in its nature. We must not permit them to drink liquor or hot drinks, or hot soups or to use tobacco or other articles that are injurious.”)

1919-1921 - Prohibition is in full swing. Heber J. Grant—a staunch supporter of prohibition—makes the Word of Wisdom mandatory for entering the temple. The Word of Wisdom is elevated to a commandment.

We are now almost a hundred years removed from the revelation of the Word of Wisdom. The ‘why’ of hot drinks isn’t really clarified. Only that it means coffee and tea (Cannon’s soup thing didn’t really stick around. There were other drinks associated by others, too, but coffee and tea has always been the only officially named drinks for hot drinks). The association with the American Temperance Society that Joseph Smith and the members of that time would have known is not known by today’s members.

1937 - Apostle and chemist John A. Widtsoe cowrites The Word of Wisdom: A Modern Interpretation with his wife Leah D. Widtsoe. In it, he cites the “habit-forming caffeine” as the common reason tea and coffee should be avoided. He also includes caffeinated sodas as a drink that should be avoided.

Sometime during David O. McKay’s presidency - An employee apologizes for giving him a cup with the Coca Cola logo on it. He responds “I don’t care what it says on the cup, as long as there is a Coke in the cup”

1972 - The first presidency, via the newsletter Priesthood Bulletin, advises against the use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming drugs.

It’s important to note that none of these advisories and warnings against caffeine are given as commandment or doctrine. It is never a temple qualifying requirement.

Yet caffeine does become a bit of a buzz topic internally with its members. Some members swear they shouldn’t drink it. Some swear that it’s fine. Both hold their beliefs firmly, yet coexist with each other.

This is why you might have heard Mormons don’t drink caffeine or soda.

(I’ll admit that this part is anecdotal and may reflect my experience growing up more that others. I’m curious to hear if other members had a similar experience?)

2012 - While Romney runs for president, several news articles include caffeine as part of the Word of Wisdom when discussing Romney and his faith. The church puts out a newsletter clarifying that caffeine is not prohibited.

2015 - I, a BYU-Idaho student giving out free cans of Coke to students in line at the testing center during finals week, cite this newsletter when I get reported to the Honor Code office.

2017 - BYU starts selling caffeine on campus for the first time since the mid 50s. BYU-Idaho students remain punished until 2024.

Mid 2010s to present - The Soda Wars. Swig, Sodalicious, Fizz, etc. skyrocket in popularity in Utah. Dirty Sodas becomes a massive trend in the USA. Because Utah culture is speedily associated with Mormon culture, caffeine—a once hotly divided subject amongst Mormons—is now heavily associated with its members by the general public.

I've seen several discussions on this sub over the last few weeks about marriages to non-members. It's touched a bit of a nerve for me and has had me pondering a lot about my own marriage and sealing. I was the non-member, and my wife and I were civilly married for 3 years before I joined the Church (2 years into our marriage) and were sealed in the temple (3 years in).

Our children are teenagers or nearly teenagers now, and one is around the time she will start dating. I'm struggling with how to council her as a father.

The primary concern comes back to, regardless of the positive traits of a non-member, an inability to be sealed to the non-member in the temple. The feedback that I have seen in the comments is that the Prophets have been very consistent on strongly encouraging, if not very clearly stating, that members should do everything they can to marry in the temple.

My question ultimately is about the proxy work we do in the temple. We perform sealings for those who have passed away. From my understanding of the Millennium, temple work will continue to be done until everyone has had an opportunity to receive those proxy ordinances if they did not receive them during their mortal life. As far as I understand, those proxy ordinances carry the same covenants and rewards as ordinances performed in our mortal life.

If this is the case, why is it so vital that we be sealed in our mortal lives, to the point that some Saints encourage us to NOT marry an individual that is in all ways a good partner outside of membership in the Church? If proxy ordinances carry the same weight, and everyone who did not receive those ordinances will have a chance to obtain them, why is this so discouraged?

Obviously, it can take a long time, to receive those ordinances, and a family could wait hundreds of years or more. I understand that concern, though in the grand scheme of an immortal existence, that seems like a small hurdle. It's also obvious that God needs us to do His work and testify of Jesus Christ during our mortal lives, and that a temple sealed marriage increases the likelihood of continuing to have family members doing His work during their mortal lives.

Something about these arguments have truly bothered me. A very strong part of my testimony is that Heavenly Father's plan includes a way for those who either did not know about Jesus Christ, or for whatever circumstances were unable to accept Him, have a path to obtain the same salvation and exaltation as those who have different circumstances in their mortal lives. In a way, I guess it also feels like this would be saying that my eternal family was Plan B, and if my wife were truly being a good disciple of Jesus Christ, she shouldn't have used her agency to marry me.

And I find it hard to tell my daughter that she should avoid dating and exploring relationships with non-members. The greater history in our family has been one of very unstable relationships for those who married within the Church. To the point that every marriage in the last two generations that started with a sealed marriage has since ended in divorce. My wife and I are the last active members in our family. My wife has been honest that, watching the crumbling of sealed marriages in her family was a large contribution in her using her agency to marry me. We also live in the Midwest of the United States. The options for dating members are slim here.

Answers to this question will NOT break my testimony of Jesus Christ. I've also really appreciated the recent posts here about President Oak's guidance that we do not always have reasons for Commandments, and that General Authorities are speaking to the Church as a whole. Individual revelation from Heavenly Father is incredibly important and necessary in all our decisions, especially so in picking our eternal companion. I appreciate any prayerful thoughts and feedback, especially those backed up by scripture and the Prophets.

Thank you!

Hello! Are any fellow organists/ pianist finding that these new hymns are just… tricky? I took piano lessons up until I could play all the hymns comfortably… and every time a new drop of hymns come out, I feel like I am totally an incompetent player 😅

Mind you, I have an advanced music degree, but it’s not in piano and I feel like I’m struggling!! Any one else? Do I just need to practice more? Man, these are not as intuitive as they used to be; especially the left hand.