Are Mormons Weird?

Are we weird?
Some of us, never. Some of us some of the time, and with 13 million members I would bet some people would consider some of us as really weird. Sometimes my wife thinks I'm weird. Sometimes quite often. Happens in every group when you get that many people.

Are we serious all the time?
Same as above and probably in the same proportions as the rest of the world. Some of us have no sense of humor, some have a great sense of humor and some people are never serious. We are serious when it comes to what we believe. If you believed that the truth had been lost from the earth after the time of Christ and the apostles and that God had restored that truth to the earth through a man that became the Lord's prophet, wouldn't you be serious about it? We believe it with all our hearts.

Do we dress all in black and do we wear hats all the time?
Nope. Some dress up all the time because they work in offices that require it. Some wear jeans and t-shirts. Some like to be dressed up, others casual. For Church we do dress up. Suits or slacks and a dress shirt and tie and dresses for the women.

What kinds of jobs do we hold?
On the whole, we are a pretty educated group of people. We hold every type of job there is I would imagine. Some are doctors, dog walkers, tour guides, writers, news anchors, lawyers, bus drivers, politicians, teachers, dancers, actors, business owners, farmers, ranchers, hamburger flippers, grocery baggers, cowboys, artists, singers, sales clerks, machinists, postal clerks, janitors, nurses, firemen, etc. Pretty normal stuff.

Do we live in huge houses with multiple wives?
Nope. We're not polygamous. Usually one wife is what we can deal with. If you're thinking polygamous groups you're thinking of people who have never been Mormons.

What do we do for fun?
Same things as most people do. We go to restaurants, movies, plays, opera, ballet, some go to truck shows, track meets, football games, some hunt, some fish, and on and on and on. Pretty normal stuff. We are all different, just like every other large group of people.

What about drinking and smoking? Do we party.
We do have parties, just without the booze and smokes. Nearly 175 years ago, the first prophet of the Church received a revelation that mentioned things that are bad for us and that we shouldn't use. Those included alcohol and tobacco, including chewing tobacco. It also mentioned that we should not drink tea and coffee. It talked about exercise and eating right. Eating grains and being careful to not eat a lot of meat. It took medical science nearly 150 years to catch up to what the Lord revealed to a prophet as the Lord's law of healthy living. That's why Mormon's live longer than many groups.

Are we all healthy and do everything right?
Nope. We have people interested in their health, people who are health nuts, people who exercise and people who don't. We even have people whose best friend is a donut. Same as before, with 13 million people you get a mix.

Do we believe in weird stuff?
Well, we believe that everyone who has lived on earth lived with God before this life as his spirit children. We believe he loved us so much that he wanted us to learn more than we could as spirits.

He gave us the opportunity to come to earth and learn good from evil by making choices and living in mortal bodies. He wanted us to have the choice of whether we would follow him or go another way.

We believe he loved us so much that he was willing to risk losing us if we chose to not follow his way, just as parents here on earth have to let go of their children if those children are to learn and grow.

We believe he sent His Son, Jesus, to atone for our sins. So that if we accepted Christ's atonement and repented and followed the commandments, that his sacrifice would pay for our sins. Even he said that was the case, but if we wouldn't repent we would have to suffer for our sins, "even as I (Christ)".

We believe that through priesthood authority that was restored, we can be married in temples so that marriage doesn't end at death but gives us the chance to be with our family for eternity.

We believe that by living righteously we can return to live with God again.

It's true. You can know for yourself.