The museum was dedicated on August 13, 2010. Visitors can see how Haley lived and view memorabilia, as well as Alex Haley’s grave. In addition, they can visit the FamilySearch Center, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are commonly called Mormons. Mormons are noted for their genealogy work and volunteers at this center will assist visitors in tracking down their own roots. Haley’s son, William Haley, stated that he considers LDS resources very valuable for African-American researchers and he regularly sends people to LDS family history centers, located in most LDS (Mormon) church buildings. These centers are always open to the general public and are staffed with knowledgeable volunteers.

The Mormons have also released the Freedman’s Bank records on CD, which is a searchable database of African Americans living for several generations after the Civil War.

At the center, you’ll find two kiosks where you can learn to use the FamilySearch website under the guidance of volunteers to search for your family. Then you can return home to continue your search on your own. The volunteers can also guide you to other sources for information on your ancestors.

Mormons believe family life goes far beyond this life. They teach that God planned for families to last for all of eternity, and this gives family history work a special meaning to Mormons. Mormon beliefs teach that when we die, we will live with our families and will be connected to all those in our family who came before us. By doing family history work in this life, they become familiar with the people they will spend eternity with. For Mormons, death is both a return to their Heavenly Father and their Savior Jesus Christ, and a giant family reunion.

Watch this video from LDS Public Affairs on the dedication of the museum and see what Haley’s family and others have to say about African-American family history:

Following are thoughts from Mormon leaders on religious freedom:

Separation of Church and State:

“Unfortunately, good culture alone is not strong enough to cause good culture to endure in perpetuity. Additional strength is needed from the power of theistic conviction. For this reason, a policy to separate completely church and state could become completely counterproductive. Theistic forces would be erased and atheistic forces would be allowed to flourish unopposed in the public square. The theistic and noble concept of “freedom of religion,” could be twisted and turned to become an atheistic “freedom from religion.” Such an unbalanced policy could sweep out theistic forces for societal success and leave the field wide open to atheistic ideology, secularism, suffering huge losses for all.” (See Apostle Talks Religious Freedom to Boston Youth for more information on this talk by Russell M. Nelson.)

Religious Exclusion

Our government is succumbing to pressure to distance itself from God and religion. Consequently, the government is discovering that it is incapable of contending with people who are increasingly “unbridled by morality and religion.” A simple constitutional prohibition of state-sponsored church has evolved into court-ordered bans against representations of the Ten Commandments on government buildings, Christmas manger scenes on public property, and prayer at public meetings. Instead of seeking the “national morality” based on “religious principle” that Washington spoke of, many are actively seeking a blind standard of legislative amorality, with a total exclusion of the mention of God in the public square.

Such a standard of religious exclusion is absolutely and unequivocally counter to the intention of those who designed our government. Do you think that mere chance placed the freedom to worship according to individual conscience among the first freedoms specified in the Bill of Rights—freedoms that are destined to flourish together or perish separately? The Founding Fathers understood this country’s spiritual heritage. They frequently declared that God’s hand was upon this nation, and that He was working through them to create what Chesterton once called “a nation with the soul of a church.” (Richard John Neuhaus, “A New Order for the Ages,” speech delivered at the Philadelphia Conference on Religious Freedom, 30 May 1991.) While they were influenced by history and their accumulated knowledge, the single most influential reference source for their work on the Constitution was the Holy Bible.

(M. Russell Ballard, “Religion in a Free Society,” Ensign, Oct 1992, 64)

There seems to be developing a new civil religion. The civil religion I refer to is a secular religion. It has no moral absolutes. It is nondenominational. It is nontheistic. It is politically focused. It is antagonistic to religion. It rejects the historic religious traditions of America. It feels strange. If this trend continues, nonbelief will be more honored than belief. While all beliefs must be protected, are atheism, agnosticism, cynicism, and moral relativism to be more safeguarded and valued than Christianity, Judaism, and the tenets of Islam, which hold that there is a Supreme Being and that mortals are accountable to him? If so, this would, in my opinion, place America in great moral jeopardy.

For those who believe in God, this new civil religion fosters some of the same concerns as the state religions that prompted our forefathers to escape to the New World. Nonbelief is becoming more sponsored in the body politic than belief. History teaches well the lesson that there must be a unity in some moral absolutes in all societies for them to endure and progress. Indeed, without a national morality they disintegrate. In Proverbs, we are reminded that “righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Prov. 14:34.) The long history and tradition of America, which had its roots in petitions for divine guidance, is being challenged.

The new civil religion is different from that envisioned by Benjamin Franklin, who seems to have first used the term “civil religion.” (M. Marty, Pilgrims in Their Own Land, 1984, pp. 155–66.) Franklin’s “civil religion,” as I understand it, was envisioned to replace the state religions of Europe, with their forced taxation and oppression. Franklin no doubt envisioned that this vacuum would be filled with a patriotism reflected by national symbolism, pride, ethics, values, and purpose. His eloquent statement concerning divine intervention in the Constitutional Convention clearly indicated he was not opposed to religiosity.

(James E. Faust, “A New Civil Religion,” Ensign, Oct 1992, 69)

Quoting George Washington

In January 1793, in a letter to members of New Church of Baltimore, President George Washington made the following observation which seems so very pertinent now:

“We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition, and that every person may here worship God according to the dictates of his own heart. In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal liberty, it is our boast that a man’s religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the full respect and rights of citizenship to which he is entitled.”

(See The Threatened Demise of Religion in the Public Square – Talk Given by Elder Lance B. Wickman at J. Reuben Clark Law Society.)

Interfaith Cooperation to Protect Religious Freedom

Members of our church often join with other like-minded citizens, regardless of religious persuasion, in support of worthy causes and humanitarian projects. This can be done without losing independent identity and strength. We are mindful of history’s lesson that attempts of interfaith groups to unify through theological blending have not always been successful. Indeed, when divine doctrines are compromised to accommodate social pressures, religious institutions become no more relevant in their mission than other agencies of good intent. At the same time, we should be models of tolerance of others whose sacred beliefs may differ from our own. We recognize that if one religion is persecuted, all are attacked.

We need to safeguard the proper relationships of religion to governments and to the people we serve. We are under obligation to take a strong stand on moral issues in order to preserve a wholesome and ethical environment. As religious leaders, our participation in the political process may be needed to protect precious religious liberty. This is particularly important in countries of the earth whose citizens, until recently, have been deprived of freedom of religious expression and practice. Many of those nations are now shaping laws to allow freedoms that citizens of other countries have long enjoyed. These developing democracies deserve support.

Selected humanitarian projects can be pursued independently or cooperatively. We can promote education regarding moral values, the arts, service to humanity, and the value of education itself. We can give encouragement for family life, knowing that patience, righteousness, and love will be rewarded with joy.

Russell M. Nelson, “Combatting Spiritual Drift—Our Global Pandemic,” Ensign, Nov 1993, 102–8

Mormons believe in atonement through

In the mid-19th century, when rhetorical, emotional oratory was common, some church members and leaders used strong language that included notions of people making restitution for their sins by giving up their own lives.

However, so-called “blood atonement,” by which individuals would be required to shed their own blood to pay for their sins, is not a doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe in and teach the infinite and all-encompassing atonement of Jesus Christ, which makes forgiveness of sin and salvation possible for all people.” (See Mormon Church Statement on Blood Atonement.)

Many people do not realize that every word spoken by a prophet or other church leader is not official doctrine. Prophets, like everyone else, have agency and intelligence and, when a specific doctrine has not been given to us from God, is permitted to make his own decision. Sometimes they discuss these personal beliefs in public. In past times, leaders were not as cautious about this as they are today. In today’s world, where the most casual statement can live forever on the Internet, leaders often preface opinions with a reminder that this is what they are. However, when the Church was younger and smaller, this was not always true. Unless a belief has been canonized, it is not official doctrine. Blood atonement is one such belief, arising out of the common beliefs of the time.

Many people use as their source for this teaching the Journal of Discourses, a  book containing various talks by early church leaders. However, this record is not an official church publication and the talks were not recorded and were not official versions. They are based on notes taken by listeners and were not vetted by the leaders themselves. General Conferences, the semi-annual gathering of the Mormons, was different then than it is now, and in the first year of the Church, attendees could even ask the speakers questions and get opinions from them. The Journal of Discourses was intended to be used like a newspaper, not a book of scripture or doctrine. It was written for those who lived far from the central church.

The Mormons teach that we are saved through the atonement of Christ. It is His blood that saves us, not our own. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

This teaching is expanded on by Elder David A. Bednar, an apostle of Jesus Christ in modern times:

Prophets throughout the ages have emphasized the dual requirements of (1) avoiding and overcoming bad and (2) doing good and becoming better. Consider the penetrating questions posed by the Psalmist:

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3–4).

Brothers and sisters, it is possible for us to have clean hands but not have a pure heart. Please notice that both clean hands and a pure heart are required to ascend into the hill of the Lord and to stand in His holy place.

Let me suggest that hands are made clean through the process of putting off the natural man and by overcoming sin and the evil influences in our lives through the Savior’s Atonement. Hearts are purified as we receive His strengthening power to do good and become better. All of our worthy desires and good works, as necessary as they are, can never produce clean hands and a pure heart. It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength. The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us.

In the Book of Mormon, we find the masterful teachings of King Benjamin concerning the mission and Atonement of Jesus Christ. The simple doctrine he taught caused the congregation to fall to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them. “And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men” (Mosiah 4:2; emphasis added), (David A. Bednar, “Clean Hands and a Pure Heart,” Liahona, Nov 2007, 80–83).

Mormons teach that grace comes to us through the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is what allows us to overcome death to live forever. Grace also allows us to repent of our sins and to be forgiven after we have done so. This comes to us without any conditions—every person who has ever lived on this earth has the gift of grace without any acts at all. Mormons do not believe the act of accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior is required to receive God’s grace. It is without conditions.

However, to receive the fullness of the atonement, we must follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and live the gospel. Doing so allows us to return to God’s presence. The scriptures teach us that no unclean thing can dwell in God’s presence, and so we must cleanse ourselves and live as pure a life as possible while we’re on the earth. Of course mistakes happen. No one is perfect. However, through the atonement and grace, we are able to repent and start over as often as necessary and in time, this way, we will feel worthy to be in God’s presence. We will be ourselves in Heaven; to make it the perfect place God promised us, it can only be filled with those who love God and keep His commandments.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) Jesus taught. He repeated again and again the importance of obeying God’s commandments, warning that only those who do will be with God again. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

However, although we must obey the commandments and we must repent when we fall short, we cannot bring about our own atonement by doing so. Only the voluntary atonement of Jesus Christ, which happened in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary could bring about our atonement. We cannot use our own blood to atone for our sins, no matter what type they are, because the atonement required the voluntary sacrifice of a perfect being. For this reason, Mormons do not believe in blood atonement as the term is used to describe capital punishment.

A responsible researcher knows that sources are not equally reliable. Anyone can post on the Internet, and while that is a wonderful thing, it also means there are more opportunities for people to intentionally or unintentionally mislead others.

The best place to learn about a person or organization is to turn to the actual source. To learn about Christianity, we don’t go to an atheist website. We go to the Bible or to Christian websites. Our goal is to learn what Christians teach about themselves, both to other Christians or to non-Christians. Moral researchers aren’t interested in pursuing gossip. They want truth and knowing what  the members of that church really believe—not what atheists think they believe—is how you find the truth about Christianity.

The same process leads to truth about a specific Christian denomination. What does the denomination tell the outside world about themselves? What do they tell their own members? What is taught in Sunday School or in services? This gives you the most accurate look at any denomination. If no one in the church knows the doctrine, then it is not having an impact on the membership and is not what the church actually teaches.

With that in mind, here are some places you can learn about the Mormons. While there are missionaries who will be happy to visit your home and teach you, and the Mormons you know will be happy to answer your questions, you may be more comfortable studying them privately first. Then you can take what you’ve learned to real people and ask your questions.

Official Sources of Information About Mormon Beliefs:

Mormon.org: This site was created for people who are not Mormon but want to know more about it. It is an official website with basic information about the Mormons. There is also a chat room where you can talk to a missionary. It is not a place to argue or to debate, but to get information.

LDS.org: This is the official Mormon website for people who are Mormon. Most of it is public. The parts that aren’t are for specific congregations, with information about their activities, or for people who have specific church jobs and may need more training. These are open only to those who belong to that congregation or have that position. You will be able to access the same information as any Mormon who does not live in your area or who doesn’t have that job.

On this website, you can read the actual lesson manuals used to teach Sunday School and other classes. You can read both the student manual and the teacher’s manuals, if both exist. You can also read the official Mormon magazines at no cost and in entirety, including the most current editions. Find out what is said at each of the General Conferences (annual meetings broadcast publicly and internationally.) Visit the LDS Newsroom to learn the latest news, official positions on political issues, and commentary. The A to Z index lets you research specific Mormon doctrine in more detail, since this index is used by Mormons to prepare lessons and sermons, or just to learn more about their faith. You can also read the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon, as well as other LDS scripture and publication, free online. You’ll get a rather complete look at Mormon beliefs from the point of view of believing Mormons. This website is for people who are already Mormon, so you may find the vocabulary a little confusing, but the index mentioned above can help with that.

Mormon Channel: This is a radio station dedicated to Mormon programming. Most of it is aimed at current members of the Church. Some of the programs are non-denominational and include uplifting stories from people of other faiths. You can listen online.

Church History: A website for Mormons about the history of the Mormons. Learn more about Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other aspects of the worldwide Mormon Church’s history.

Humanitarian Services: Have you ever wondered about those yellow Mormon Helping Hands vests that appear at service projects, or about the reports of Mormons working at disaster zones? This is the place to learn about the Church’s humanitarian arm. This division works on a non-denominational basis. Other funds help Mormons internally.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God: An official Mormon website dedicated to teaching what the Mormons believe about Jesus Christ. The site includes beautiful artwork, many articles by church leaders, and a selection of online multimedia materials.

Mormon Messages: An official YouTube channel with uplifting videos, some of which are non-denominational.

More Good Foundation: Ordinary people share their personal knowledge about Mormon doctrine, how they live it, and how they feel about it. If you want an unofficial but reliable source of information, this is the place to go.

The second purpose is to provide food for those who are in need. Much of the food canned or created goes to what are known as Bishop’s Storehouses. These look like small grocery stores except they don’t have cash registers. Church members who are in need meet with their bishops to evaluate their budgets and learn how to live on less. They can also receive permission to fill out a food order. From a list of available items, they mark what they need and in what quantities. The bishop can make adjustments (up or down) and then they take the list to the storehouse, where someone helps them fill the order.

However, the canneries are also used to help local charities feed people. The Salvation Army, Utah Food Bank Services, Jewish Family Services, Houston Food Bank, and Metro CareRing are among the many non-Mormon organizations that make use of the canneries. Some provide their own food items while the church provides them with cans, lids, labels with the name of the charity, not the Mormon Church, and free use of the cannery. Other organizations provide only volunteers to do the work.

The Denver cannery devotes three months a year to outside charities, with the remaining time devoted to serving their own people. The project in Denver began twenty years ago. At that time, the cannery arranged for local farmers to donate surplus crops to be canned for those in need. The current program provides peanut butter to the Houston Food Bank. The food bank provides the peanuts and the Mormons provide everything else. The food bank is able to produce a jar of peanut butter for only 91 cents this way and is able to provide 95,000 jars of peanut butter a year to those who come to them for help. Peanut butter is very popular with food banks because it’s nutritious and doesn’t require refrigeration, additional ingredients, or even dishes to be enjoyed. It’s also popular with children. Having a large quantity of one item consistently available and prepared in advance provides them with some security and the ability to better plan.

The Mormons provide services to the poor, both LDS and non-LDS, in a variety of ways. The storehouses food, mentioned earlier, is paid for through a unique program called Fast Offerings. Once a month, Mormons are asked to not eat or drink anything—not even water—for twenty-four hours if they are physically able to do so. This actually only requires them to skip two meals, plus snacks. They donate the money they saved by not eating to their congregation, which then uses the money to take care of the poor. In that way, Mormon congregations, who consider themselves a family, take care of their own. It takes nothing extra out of their budget, but does require some sacrifice on each person’s part. The receivers “pay” for what they receive by accepting church assignments, including working at the storehouse for a few hours. The work seldom equals what was received, but it allows the family to maintain their self-respect, knowing the help was not a handout. They also know they’ve helped others in the past, and will again in the future, and all of this makes it easier to accept help in the proper spirit.

Another way Mormons serve the poor is through their humanitarian aid program. This program serves the poor world-wide, and is not specifically for Mormons. Volunteers might use these funds to provide clean water for a village, help native people build a school yard, provide wheelchairs for those who can’t afford them, or provide training to villagers in caring for premature infants. Normally, the people who receive the gifts are expected to participate, offering some of the labor and providing people to train in maintaining whatever is provided.

These are just a few of the many programs offered by the Mormons, through a variety of programs, to assist those who need a temporary hand to get their lives back on track.

To learn about the cannery programs to assist hunger groups, see:

Church Canneries Help Local Groups

Hübener began writing about the differences in information and handing out the articles around town. Although nervous about this activity, Schnibbe and Rudolf Wobbe, who was only fifteen, began to help him. Hübener was captured and tortured until he gave the names of his two friends, but he saved their lives by insisting he did all the work and his friends only handed out whatever he gave them. Hübener became the youngest person murdered for resisting Hitler. He was beheaded. Wobbe was sentenced to a labor camp in Poland for ten years and Schnibbe for five years. There, the two boys were beaten and starved, and worked long hours standing in freezing water as they dug. However, as the war was coming to an end, three years after their arrest, the Russians invaded the camp and took Schnibbe prisoner for four years. When Schnibbe was released, he was six foot two inches, but weighed only 95 pounds. He was sent home only because he was too weak to continue to work.

Schnibbe immigrated to the United States in 1952 and wrote a book about his life. He was a painter and craftsman and did gold leafing for the Salt Lake City Mormon temple. He was also a volunteer temple worker. A PBS documentary about the three boys was made in 2002, and a movie is being filmed in late 2010 for release in 2011.

The experience had a tremendous emotional impact on him, but he learned to forgive, and this helped him through the trials. He spoke often to youth groups, encouraging them to stand up for what they know is right, whatever the consequences. He assured them he would gladly do it all over again, even knowing what would happen to him.

Schnibbe was always reluctant to take any credit for the activities of the group. He credits Hübener as the true hero, the one who wanted Germans to think.

Schnibbe died recently in Salt Lake City, Utah from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.

The Mormons have a long history of environmentalism, beginning with Joseph Smith’s injunctions not to kill animals unless they are needed for food, and Brigham Young’s regular warnings to members not to waste the Lord’s natural resources. He frequently reminded members everything belonged to God and we have no right to waste it. He was very careful about reusing and recycling in his personal life, and expected others to do the same.

Church buildings have frequently incorporated methods to conserve resources, from the low-tech 1950s solution of using overhangs to cut heat intake to the more sophisticated usage of underground springs for cooling, and the addition of satellite to allow people to attend meetings locally, rather than flying or driving long distances. In some areas, water conservation measures have also been taken.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the new LDS History Library received LEEDS certification, a complex and high-level certification demonstrating a compliance with sustainability requirements.

The announcement of a pilot program to develop earth-friendly and sustainable chapels is seen by many as an important step. Mormons build new chapels every day and improving the sustainability of those chapels will have a significant impact on the usage of the world’s resources. The new solar-powered building has a power usage monitor in the library, where members can see how much energy the building is saving in real time, and have it demonstrate what that means in easy-to-understand ways, such as showing how many hours of light bulbs this would fuel. Members can also bring their children to the monitor to help them learn about energy conservation.

Mormon beliefs teach that when God gave Adam responsibility for caring for the earth, this responsibility was passed along to each of his descendants. Mormons believe we have stewardship responsibilities toward the planet, and that this is a sacred responsibility. As Brigham Young taught, everything is God’s and we are simply borrowing it. Therefore, we must take care of it.

The Doctrine and Covenants, a book of modern revelations, states:

16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fullness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

(See Doctrine and Covenants Section 59.)

Mormons are taught that God gave us enough and to spare when He created the earth, which means that any shortages are due to our own misuse of resources. For this reason, sustainability is a spiritual concept to Mormons.

Learn about the new solar-powered Mormon buildings.

Learn about the Mormon’s history of conservation.

Mormons do not have a professional clergy. Instead, all worthy males over the age of twelve may receive the priesthood. Each level of priesthood comes with increasing responsibility. Initially, boys age twelve or older, and men who join the church as adults, serve in the Aaronic Priesthood. This is the priesthood referred to in the Old Testament.

Twelve and thirteen year old boys are deacons. They are responsible for setting a good example to the church of worthy behavior. They also collect fast offerings. Each month, members of the Church are asked to go without food and liquids for twenty-four hours and to donate the money saved to care for the poor. Although members can give these funds directly, the deacons are charged with the responsibility of visiting the homes of members to collect the funds if desired.

During Sunday services, Mormons take the Sacrament, similar to Communion. The Deacons are responsible for taking the blessed bread and water and serving it to members of the congregation, who remain in their seats for this.

The deacons are also assigned to care for the poor. This often means they are called on to do service projects for members of the congregation, as well as for their communities.

Deacons serve as messengers and assist their leaders in any way necessary. When attending an LDS service, you’ll often notice a young boy seated with the leaders. Should the leaders need to send a message to someone during the service, the deacon delivers it, allowing the leaders to remain available on the stand (a platform at the front of the chapel for leaders, speakers, the choir, and the music people).

Deacons also serve in leadership positions with their peers, assist in teaching their peers, help to maintain the meetinghouse and grounds, and do limited volunteer service in Mormon temples. They have a responsibility to make sure their peers attend church and have friends while they do so.

At age fourteen, a boy can become a Teacher. Teachers have all the responsibilities of deacons, but have additional responsibilities as well. One special responsibility is to become a Home Teacher. Paired with an adult, they are assigned several families to have special concern for. Each month, they visit the families with their adult companion and deliver a spiritual message. They spend time getting to know the people in the family so the family will feel safe turning to them in an emergency. If the family needs help, they first call on their home teachers.

Sixteen year old boys become Priests. They have all the responsibilities of the two other priesthood positions, but again, new responsibilities are added. Two special responsibilities are baptism and blessing the sacrament. A priest can baptize people who are joining the church, or children who are baptized at age eight, the minimum age for baptism in the Church. The sacrament, mentioned earlier as being similar to Communion, is prepared by the Teachers prior to the beginning of the meeting. The priests bless it, which means to pray over it. The sacrament is blessed to represent Jesus’ body and blood.

Giving so many sacred and challenging responsibilities to young men might seem odd, but it helps the young men to grow up to be responsible, caring men. They are trained from a young age to watch for those who have needs and then to meet those needs. Having responsibilities in services teaches them to show respect for God and to develop a life-long habit of Godly service.

The Duty to God program helps boys to improve in their ability to serve in the church. Learning to work hard and to serve unselfishly also prepares them to be good husbands and fathers when the time comes. Their exposure to other families for whom they have responsibilities allows them to meet other male role-models, to watch good marriages in action, and to see the challenges that come when marriages aren’t taken seriously. They learn to watch closely to recognize needs and to create a plan to resolve the problems, all of which serve them well in becoming adults who can contribute to society in meaningful ways.

Some of the requirements for the program will be carried out through Church activities or family activities. However, the boys are also responsible for working on parts of the program alone. Although the boys are mentored in this program, they are considered responsible for their own growth and progress and are not to depend on the adults in their world to see to it they finish the program in a timely way..They learn to set goals and then to make plans to carry them out. Because there is little emphasis on awards for each step, the boys come to realize that personal growth is the most important reward.

This meeting is primarily aimed at the members themselves, although there are sometimes a few talks designed for those who are not Mormon. In general however, viewers are learning the most important information the leadership of the church wants its members to receive as guidance for the next six months. This gives non-LDS viewers an inside look at the teachings Mormons are receiving.

The speakers are always high-ranking leaders. They are not assigned topics, but are instructed to pray to find out what would like them to discuss. Often certain topics are addressed by multiple speakers, emphasizing their importance at this time. Mormons consider the topics addressed to be their assigned priorities for the coming months, and the lessons taught are studied in addition to the scriptures in the coming year.

The conference is held in April and October on the first weekend of the month. Sessions are held both Saturday and Sunday, two each day with an additional meeting for men Saturday night. A special meeting for the women is held on an evening prior to conference.

The 180^th conference will be held April 3-4 in 2010. You can find the broadcast schedule for this conference (and future conferences) on LDS.org and also find links to watch both the live conference and past sessions on the Internet. You don’t have to register to watch.

The president of the Church, who is also the current prophet, always speaks several times during conference. The current president is Thomas S. Monson. He became the prophet on February 3, 2008, having first served as an Apostle since 1963 at age 36. He is best known for his compassion for widows and for those who are coping with poverty. Service to others has been a focus on many of his sermons over the years.

Other speakers include members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. There are actually fifteen Apostles. The senior member (by length of service, not age) is the president of the Church. He selects two other men to serve as his counselors and these three are known as the First Presidency. The remaining twelve make up the Quorum of the Twelve and are the second highest ranking body in the church.

The current First Presidency consists of President Monson and his counselors. Henry B. Eyring is the first counselor. Because no one chooses a career as a spiritual leader in the Church, President Eyring comes from the educational and scientific world. He served as president of Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho), a church college, and previously taught at Stanford University. He has a degree in Physics from the University of Utah and Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Business Administration degrees from Harvard University.

The second counselor is Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who was born in Czechoslovakia. His family became Mormons when he was a child. When he received his call to serve as a General Authority (a high ranking church official) in 1994, he was working as senior vice president of flight operations and chief pilot of Lufthansa German Airlines.

All three members of the First Presidency normally speak during General Conference.

In addition to speakers chosen from the Quorum of the Twelve, other high ranking church leaders are asked to speak. Women who lead the Relief Society (the women’s auxiliary), the Young Women’s organization (for teenage girls) or the Primary (for children) are often invited to give a sermon, usually referred to as a talk or an address.

Each conference session includes a choir. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the official LDS choir, sings at several of the sessions. Other choirs are made up of ordinary church members chosen from a church school or a geographical location. They provide the music for the session. Prayers are given by members of the church chosen by the leadership.

The Saturday afternoon session includes a sustaining of church officers. The names and positions of important church leaders are read by a member of the first presidency. The membership of the church, whether watching in person or at home, are invited to raise their right hands to sustain the people whose names are read. This is not a vote. Members are agreeing to support the person in his or her church position. Members are also asked if anyone is opposed. Opposing someone chosen by inspiration is a serious matter, and anyone choosing to do so will be questioned as to their reasons. It is not enough to simply dislike a person or to disagree with things they’ve said or done. To refuse to sustain would suggest sure knowledge of a serious transgression in that person’s life.

Some church statistics are also given during the conference, including number of full-time missionaries serving at that time, temples built or announced that year, and the number of stakes (similar to dioceses) formed. If prominent church members have died, this is announced. A report from the auditors also assures members that independent audits have approved church financial records.

General Conference is a spiritual meeting. Members use it to be reminded of important church teachings and to understand how they are applied to modern circumstances. Talks are frequently on the most common gospel topics, such as prayer, faith, the Savior’s ministry, the importance of family, and patriotism.

The formal version of the talks given are available on the Internet in audio and visual. They are provided in a wide variety of languages, including American Sign Language. In addition, they are presented in text version for people to read online. They are then published in the church’s adult magazines so members have copies of them to keep on hand and to study. Magazines for children and teenagers include excerpts that will be meaningful to those audiences.

Conference weekend is a highlight of the year for Mormons, who look forward to receiving the teachings of their leaders.

Walking in the Newness of Life

Romans 6:4 reads, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

The fourth Article of Faith states: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

The Savior revealed the true method of baptism to the Prophet Joseph Smith, making clear that the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority and that it must be done by immersion. In Doctrine and Covenants 20:73-74, we are taught, “The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Then shall he immerse him or her in the water, and come forth again out of the water.”

The act of immersing a person in water is symbolic of that person’s sinful life being buried and their being reborn or receiving a new life—a spiritual life—a life dedicated to serving God and others. Immersion is also symbolic of the death and resurrection of the Savior. In Romans 6:3-11, we read these words, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I was born and raised as a baptist. As such, the method of baptism by immersion was not a new concept to me. I had read the New Testament gospel accounts of the baptism of Christ numerous times, and I fully understood that being baptized by immersion was indeed following the example that the Savior had set before us when he was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River (See Matthew 3:13-17). I also understood the symbolism that Christ’s baptism represents and teaches us. I did not have a real issue with having to be baptized again because even growing up in the Baptist church, if I transferred from a church that was a part of one sect or convention to another, re-baptism was often required before membership would be accepted. What did concern me for some time was the idea of having to be baptized by one who had proper authority. The question in my mind was “Were not those who baptized me before authorized to do so?” It took a lot of soul searching, pondering the scriptures, and prayer to finally come to terms with the matter.

I had no doubt in my mind that this is the Lord’s true Church and that becoming a member of His Church was indeed the right thing to do. I also came to the realization that if I were to become a member of His Church I had to be willing to be obedient to the things which He has commanded and one of things which He commanded was that baptism was to be done by immersion and the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority.

To help settle many of my concerns, I made a commitment to read all of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price prior to being baptized. I had already read the Bible in its entirety several times, so I was very familiar with its teachings. As I read the Book of Mormon in particular, I came across some verses in Mosiah 18 that really made me stop and think and helped me in making my decision to be baptized. In Mosiah 18:8-10 we read:

“And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light…

“Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life…

“Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?”

I further came to realize that if I were to become a member of His Church, I had to be willing to take His name upon me and be willing to follow His example because when we are baptized we enter into a covenant with God to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him to the end (See Mosiah 18:8-10; D&C 20:37). Each time that we partake of the sacrament, we renew the covenant that we made at baptism (See D&C 20:77-79).

The question is asked in 2 Nephi 31:10, “Can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?” Verses 11 to 13 continue:

“And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

“And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.”

Eleven years ago in the far away land of Iceland, where I was stationed in the Navy, I made the decision to be baptized into the Mormon Church. That decision started me on a whole new path in my life. I am convinced that had the Lord not taken me out of the main stream of things and sent me to a place as far away as Iceland, I probably would not be standing before this congregation this morning. My goals and my priorities where definitely a lot different than what the Lord had in mind. After being baptized in the Mormon religion and becoming more learned of the Gospel, and because of my willingness to take upon me His name, to follow His example, and to be obedient to His commands, I have seen and continue to see blessing after blessing in my life. Many doors that I once thought would never be opened to me are now beginning to open, and I have been blessed in so many ways with new opportunities to help me grow and mature in the Gospel.

I believe the words of President Joseph F. Smith best describe how I felt after being baptized: “When I [was] baptized for the remission of my sins, the feeling that came upon me was that of pure peace, of love and of light. I felt in my soul that if I had sinned—and surely I was not without sin—that it had been forgiven me; that I was indeed cleansed from my sin; my heart was touched, and I felt that I would not injure the smallest insect beneath my feet. I felt as if I wanted to do good everywhere to everybody and to everything. I felt a newness of life, a newness of desire to do that which was right. There was not one particle of desire for evil left in my soul . . . this was the influence that came upon me, and I know that it was from God, and was and ever has been a living witness to me of my acceptance of the Lord” (CR, April 1898, p.66).

I leave you with my testimony that I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God. I know God lives and Jesus is the Christ. I know Joseph Smith was and is a Prophet of the Lord. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) is the Lord’s true Church upon the earth today and that His Church is being led by a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.