Today was the last day of my gospel-sharing Sunday School class at church (see this post regarding week 2). We went through the last five questions of the homework assignment and I also gave people copies of the handouts I put together. Here are my sample responses to today's questions:
6. Why aren't temples open to visitors? Why are the ceremonies kept secret? What do you have to hide?
Temples are open to the public before they are dedicated. In fact, hundreds of thousands of non-members attend these open houses each year. Once dedicated, however, temples become the house of the Lord and only Church members in good standing are permitted to enter given the sacredness of the ordinances performed there.
7. Why do Mormons wear special undergarments?
Not all Mormons wear garments, only those who have received their temple ordinances. The garment represents sacred covenants. It fosters modesty and becomes a shield and protection to the wearer against temptation. Among other things, it symbolizes our deep respect for the laws of God - among them the moral standard.
8. Why does the LDS Church have missionaries?
Missionary work is voluntary and is based on the New Testament pattern of missionaries serving in pairs, teaching the gospel and baptizing believerin the name of Jesus Christ.
9. Why don't Mormons drink alcohol or coffee? Isn't everything ok in moderation?
We believe in continuing revelation through modern-day prophets. One such revelation was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith and is commonly referred to as the Word of Wisdom. It prohibits Church members from drinking alcohol or coffee, smoking, or other potentially addictive behavior.
10. Why do some Mormons work on Sunday and others don't?
We believe in the Ten Commandments as set forth in the Old Testament - one of which is keeping the Sabbath day holy. We are supposed to rest from our labors and devote this day to the Lord. While modern-day prophets have specifically counseled members on this topic, some members are more orthodox in its implementation than others.
We were a litte short on time today but I thought were still able to have a pretty good discussion. Hopefully people got something valuable out of the class.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
You did a really good job leading this class. I thought the discussions and comments were helpful and thought-provoking in terms of gospel sharing. It's not the easiest topic to address and you managed it with grace and a bit of humor. Nice job, Yahoo Serious!
Post a Comment