On Christmas Eve in 2006, while the family was driving home from a cast party for Hale Center Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol,” Ceran’s life was drastically changed in an instant when his mother, brother, and sister were killed in a tragic car accident.

Ceran recalls certain events just before the accident that he would later recognize as blessings.

“It was really interesting because my older brother, who passed away in the accident, was able to go and see some of his very best friends just before he died,” Ceran said. “He saw one of his best friends in a store, and he got to talk to him, and then he saw one of his other best friends in a ballet performance.” [1]

Ceran also recalls how he was able to spend time with his 7-year-old sister Julianna shortly before she was killed. “Before the accident, it seemed like everybody was kind of coming together, like people were able to say goodbye without even knowing it,” Ceran said. [1] He doesn’t remember a lot of the details of the accident, but he clearly remembers when his father came to tell him about the passing of his family members. “My dad told me we’d been in a really bad accident, and instantly my thoughts turned to my mom, Ian and Julianna,” Ceran said. [1]

As his dad gave him the news that three members of the family had been killed in the accident, Ceran said that he felt what he describes as an “overwhelming peace.” With a single tear wetting his cheek, he turned to his father and said, “It’s OK, Dad, we’re still a family.”

This was not the first time that Ceran had dealt with the loss of a loved one. He had in fact experienced the loss of five other siblings: three all under the age of 2 from a malignant brain tumor and twins who died at birth. Because of his strong LDS background, he was taught and grew up believing that families are eternal – that is, families can be together forever. The moment that he received the news that he had lost two more siblings and his mother, his testimony of forever families was reaffirmed with an “overwhelming peace” that has never left him. Instead of feeling anger and remorse, he was grateful for a merciful Father in Heaven who would reunite his mother with the five children who had passed away years earlier.

“I knew at that moment that God loved every one of us,” Ceran said. “There is no way my mom could have handled losing two more of her children. I can’t think of a better Christmas present for her than to see her children again.” [1]

Being able to forgive the drunk driver that caused the accident has also been a major blessing in Ceran’s life that has enabled him to move forward.

“I’ve never even thought to be angry at him, which sometimes makes me feel like I’m not a normal person,” Ceran said. “I hope that one day he’ll be able to find that hope and joy and find forgiveness through the Savior, so he can live a meaningful life.” [1]

Ceran strives to stay close to his mom, Ian and Julianna by trying to follow Jesus Christ and live His teachings, often thinking about what his mom would think of his life or if she would be proud of him. “I feel like those people beyond the veil are guiding me,” Ceran said.

He looks to his father as an example when it comes to being grateful rather than

questioning God. Instead of asking, “Why are you doing this to me?” or “Why are you not blessing me when I’m doing what’s right?”, Gary Ceran asks this question:

“Why are you trying to make me more like you?” [1] It is this perspective on life that has helped the Cerans to understand why they go through the trials and adversities in life that they do.

Ceran also cherishes the relationship he maintains with his 25-year-old sister, Clarissa, and his dad (the two other survivors of the accident), as well as new family members. In March of 2008, his father remarried, and a stepmother, Corrine Peterson, and four step-siblings joined the Ceran family. “I can’t even express how blessed I am that I have two amazing moms,” Ceran said.

In October of 2010, the family hosted four orphans from Ukraine for two weeks. After spending days attempting to communicate using a few words from each of the two tongues, the Ceran’s decided they wanted to adopt three of the children who were siblings. They were able to raise the $51,000 they needed by having garage sales and selling items door-to-door in different neighborhoods. Caleb was even able to sell the portrait he drew of President Thomas S. Monson for just more than $2,000.

During the adoption process, changes in Ukrainian laws attempted to ban Americans from adopting in that country, but after two trips to Ukraine, the Cerans returned with their three newest children: 14-year-old Christina, 11-year-old Alex and 9-year-old Jacob. “They are honestly some of my best friends,” Ceran said, speaking of his three new siblings. “I feel like I’m in a movie or something. It’s just too good to be true that we have them.” [1]

During his senior year of high school, Ceran began to struggle with resurfacing emotions of loss and to feel pain he’d never experienced before. Although he felt like a truly happy person, he realized he hadn’t completely been able to heal from his recent loss.

“Those pains and sufferings that I felt really helped me feel close to the Savior, and now I have so much more compassion for others,” Ceran said. “One of the greatest blessings of my trials has been to speak with other people who have dealt with trials.” [1]

It is through his times of trouble that Ceran has relied on prayer, scripture study, and playing the piano to bring him peace and comfort. He recently recorded a CD which will be released in the coming weeks. The proceeds from the sale of the CD will be used to help fund his LDS mission. One of the songs from the CD titled Part of Me has already been released on YouTube. The song was dedicated to the memory of his mother and his best friend who moved to Germany after high school graduation. Ceran says that the song is in essence his way of saying thank you to these two important people in his life, how grateful he is for the way that they inspired him, and that he will never forget them.

Additional Resources:

www.mormonchurch.com

Mormon Families

The Meaning of Life

Worship with Mormons

For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

When I read this I thought, “ahah” they could have forgotten me!  But more importantly I learned that Jesus Christ could not forget me, nor can He forget you.  The holes on His hands that rose with Him when He was resurrected are eternal reminders of His love for us.

When my brother and his wife had a little girl, I went to the hospital to meet my new niece! My sister-in-law was exhausted and needed to sleep; I had the great opportunity to hold a new child who had just barely come into this world from the presence of our Father. As I held her in my arms, I looked at her face and felt the power that she held. I held her for nearly an hour before my sister woke up, but it seemed like only a few minutes. The whole time Heavenly Father allowed me to learn something about the rising generation, they are really special. The truth I learned from this experience was only magnified when I held my own precious child for the first time. Words will never be able to describe how close heaven felt that sacred night. President James E. Faust said, “My dear young sisters [and brothers], your future is bright. It can exceed your fondest dreams and expectations” (“Womanhood: The Highest Place of Honor,” Ensign, May 2000). And guess what?  That applies to you!

Not only did you inherit qualities from your earthly parents, but also you inherited qualities from a loving Heavenly Father. He wants you to have eternal life. The only way that we can have that great gift is if we accept it by living God’s commandments, and it is only made possible because of our Savior Jesus Christ—through His great gift of the Atonement. Our Father in Heaven sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to live a perfect life and then to suffer for mankind. What our Savior felt wasn’t just a collective amount of pain; He felt the pains for each of us individually. He took upon Himself  pains, sicknesses, temptations, and even death (see Alma 7:11).

So what does the Atonement mean to you? I hope it means that you understand that our elder Brother, Jesus Christ, knows you personally. He knows you better than your friends, your family, and even better than you know yourself. He knows your potential and the power that you have to change the world. And because He knows you, He knows what you need in order to return to live with our Father. Heavenly Father placed you on this earth at this specific time because you are needed. He really has saved the best for last. It is no coincidence that you are in the family you are in, it is no coincidence that you live where you live, and it is no coincidence that you are reading this article right now. In fact, I don’t believe there are such things as coincidences. Amongst all of the experiences that we have each and every day lay countless tender mercies from God. Elder David A. Bednar, speaks of tender mercies:

Through personal study, observation, pondering, and prayer, I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ (“The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” Ensign, May 2005).

I invite you to learn more about what your role is as a child of God by prayerfully reading the  Mormon scriptures, Abraham 3 and Doctrine and Covenants 138, and asking God what He has in store for you to do—follow His promptings—now. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed Christ’s church. I know, because I have prayed, fasted, studied, and lived its teachings. You can do the same—and I promise doing so will bring you joy and peace beyond anything you can even comprehend. This is truth.

This article was written by Ashley Bell, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additional Resources:

Meet with Mormon missionaries

How did The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin?

The Lord Jesus Christ in Mormonism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoen3eab868&feature=youtu.be

Peter was the first apostle Jesus chose. He had so many people to choose from, but he chose Peter first. Right away, that tells you something about Peter. Peter was the first to offer some important testimonies that Jesus was the Christ, even at the times when other people didn’t seem to understand who He was. Peter tried to defend Jesus against the people who came to arrest Him by cutting off the ear of one of them. Jesus made him stop and told him not to interfere because this had to be done, but either way, we could see how much Peter loved him and how prepared he was to risk his life for the Savior. It’s pretty risky to attack someone when you’re surrounded by soldiers.

When Jesus was gone, Peter was in charge. He’d only been a member of the Church for three years, and he was in charge of the whole thing. That must have been scary. Jesus had been different—not just an ordinary church president. There wasn’t an exact model for Peter to follow. Most people still didn’t understand the gospel very well and all the procedures weren’t in place—things changed from time to time. It was up to Peter to keep the little church running, spread it around the world, and settle all the arguments and try to fix the apostasies. He performed miracles and raised Tabitha from the dead.

That is a great bio for any leader. Still, too many articles about Peter don’t focus on those things. They focus on the mistakes: Peter lost faith while trying to walk on water and fell in. Peter denied Jesus three times. A lot of times we forget to notice what Peter did after he made a mistake–and what Jesus did.

We don’t know exactly what Peter thought about each of those times; we do know Jesus forgave him and told him that he, Peter, would be in charge of the church when Jesus died. Even though Jesus knew Peter would make mistakes, even knew the denials would happen, he didn’t take away Peter’s chosen destiny.

Peter repented. We read that after the denials, he went off and cried. We can be sure he repented during that time and did whatever he had to do to get back on track. And then what? Did he sit around feeling sorry for himself, deciding God would never love Him again, feeling he could never change? No, after he repented, he started over. When Jesus was gone, he called a meeting and got a new apostle called to replace Judas. He went out and did missionary work. He made executive decisions concerning how the church would run. He opened himself to revelation from God.

He moved on. God forgives us completely when we repent. We have a responsibility to forgive ourselves too. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to get God’s work done. The next time you make a mistake, repent and move on.

During one of Mitt Romney’s political campaigns, he was sent inside someone’s garage to stay out of the heat while photographers set up a photo shoot. When they went to get him, he was cleaning out the garage for the owner.

Of course, for a Mormon, that kind of behavior isn’t really unusual. Sure, Mormon teens like attention as much as anyone and there are days they might choose to be out with the reporters or doing a little flirting. But they’ve also been taught from an early age to look for ways to help others.

One of the ways Mormon teens learn how to help others is by serving in church leadership positions. The teens run their own youth program. They have adult leaders, but the leaders provide what is called shadow leadership. That means that instead of running everything, they help the teens learn to do it themselves. If a teen class presidency started to plan an activity that was against the rules, for instance, the leader might say, “Have you checked the rule book to see if that is allowed?” That way, the teens are reminded to become familiar with the rules. The leader could just say, “You can’t do that. It’s against the rules.” But if they did, the teens would never learn to look up the rules themselves. If the teens are running an activity and don’t notice one girl is sitting off by herself without friends, the leaders might ask the teens if they’ve looked around to see if everyone is having fun. This will remind them that part of being in charge is noticing what the others around you are doing and then solving any problems you see. When the teens are having a problem, the leaders will ask questions rather than offering solutions so they will learn how to solve their own problems.

This means that the teens learn to pay attention to what needs to be done and then to do it, rather than to think that “someone” ought to fix it. Their parents do the same thing. They read the Bible and the Book of Mormon and see how Jesus served others all the time, even when no one asked for help. He noticed the person who was sick, the person too scared to come up and talk to Him, and the person who was lonely. He stepped in and did everything He could for them.

One day I was teaching a class of preschoolers. We were in a big room with the children and adults from all the classes for a little while. One of my little students looked behind him and noticed an adult standing in the back of the room. He got up, found a chair, and took it to her. It was clear to me his parents had taught him to notice when people need help and to not wait for an invitation to get involved.

Even if no one has taught you to do that, you can teach yourself. Tomorrow, when you’re at school or work or even at home, look around. Who could use a hand right now? Does your mom look like she needs a glass of lemonade? Do the dishes need doing? Is someone sitting alone at lunch? Does anyone look sad? What can you do to step in and help out? How many chances can you find in a single day to make a difference, even a small one, in the lives of the people around you?

The audience cheered for him as he made his announcement. He explained that no one had asked him to serve a mission. He had felt strongly that this is something he needed to do and he had learned to listen to these types of promptings when they happened. He did not announce where he was going but did say he’d be leaving after the first of the year.

Mormon missions are voluntary. They aren’t required, but many young adult men and women serve them. Men can serve for two years at age 19, and women serve for eighteen months when they are twenty-one. They pay their own way and serve wherever they are needed. Some serve in their own countries, but others go to foreign lands. During their time, they learn the language of their mission and live as the natives do, which means they sometimes live very primitively. They follow very strict rules, going to bed early, getting up early, and living on a tight budget. There is no dating and music and books are limited to a strict list of religious media. They spend nearly all their time teaching about religion, finding people to teach, studying their religion, or serving others in need. The men wear suits and the women wear dresses.

Why would any young adult want to live like this—and pay for the privilege—at a time most young people are dating, going to school, starting careers, or just having fun? They do it because they love Jesus Christ and want to share what they know about Him. They understand how God has blessed them and how being a Mormon has affected their lives and they want others to have those same blessings.

Although they aren’t paid for their work in money, there are other rewards for serving as a missionary. Missionaries develop a great deal of self-discipline because of the very strict rules they follow. Because they are assigned to a companion they room with and spend all their time with, and because those companions are regularly rotated, they learn to get along with all sorts of people and to adjust to being with another person all the time, a skill that is great preparation for marriage and parenthood. They learn to budget and to live inexpensively, as well as to take care of themselves and their homes. They develop leadership skills and learn to be comfortable meeting and talking to strangers. All these things make them valuable students, employees, and spouses when they return.

Spiritually, having a few years to focus exclusively on God and Jesus Christ is an amazing opportunity. Very few of them will ever again be able to give so much attention to their spiritual development. They learn the gospel extremely well, memorize scriptures, learn how to explain their beliefs, and strengthen their testimonies. They become comfortable talking about Jesus Christ.

How would it affect your life if you were to—at your own expense—spend two years teaching others about Jesus Christ or doing volunteer work under very strict rules. How would it make you different from your peers? David Archuleta is about to find out.

Let us here observe, that three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation:

First, the idea that he actually exists.

Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes.

Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his will.

For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being  must be imperfect and unproductive; but with this understanding it can become perfect and  fruitful, abounding in righteousness, unto the praise and glory of God the Father, and the Lord  Jesus Christ (Lecture 3 of Lectures on Faith).

Faith is the most important thing that a man or woman can have in life. A faith in themselves, in mankind’s ability to do what’s right, and more importantly in the Lord Jesus Christ and his church.

Most of the articles I write come from experiences that I have had in my life. The reason is I feel that my experiences have taught me a lot and I want to share those experiences, in hopes that the reader can relate to them. The most profound experience of my life is when I was in 11th grade. I have a strong love for the theater, so even though I did not become a cast member, I often worked with the stage hands. That year’s main production was a show called “Children of Eden.” It’s a basic reenactment of different stories in the Bible, starting from the time of Adam, to the story of Noah and his Ark.

After I had opened the curtain for the beginning act, I hung around on the side of the stage and watched the play from there. The first story that they reenacted was the story of Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel were two sons of Adam and Eve, who were born after they left the Garden of Eden. Cain was a worshiper of Satan, while Abel had a strong love of God. As they reenacted in the play, Cain and Abel were out in the fields alone. Cain was jealous of Abel, and hated him. The more they talked, the more that Cain grew angry towards Abel, to the point where Cain slew his brother.

When they acted this out, I was on the side of the stage watching it all play out. After Cain slew his brother, the Lord appeared.

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground (Genesis 4:8–10).

The actor who was playing the Lord spoke that line and had such a sad and disappointed look on his face, that it was hard not to be hit emotionally. I began to think about the Lord, and about  how hurt he must feel when He sees us doing things that hurt ourselves or others. It was then, in that moment that I thought of the Lord as a Father in pain, and not just a person that I’d read about in the scriptures, that I realized how strongly my belief in Him was.

As I stood there, shaking and crying quietly to myself, I thought more and more about the Lord. My faith in him grew so much, in that short amount of time, because I thought of him as a Father whom I knew and loved. From that point on, I strive to think of him as that, as a loving Father that I can talk to whenever I need him.

Living up in a cabin on my own, can be scary some nights. But on those nights, when I feel scared and alone, I lie in my bed and talk to the Lord, like I’m talking into a cell phone. I tell him about my day, about my worries, about how I feel and what I need help with. Having a personal relationship with the Lord means seeing him as a Father, not as an incomprehensible spirit in the clouds. We need to know that we can turn to him whenever we are in need.

There are a couple of things I have in mind as I’m reading and dealing with this author’s decision. First, using swear words is lazy. I’m a writer, which means words are my business. I feel that if I can’t think of a more interesting word than one any six-year-old could blurt out to show strong emotion, I’m not much of a writer. A wordsmith, which is what a writer is, should be able to show those emotions in more creative ways.

In your own life, this is also true. Using a swear word is just lazy. I was teaching a group of children about why we shouldn’t swear one day and one child said swearing made him feel all grown up. Another child, though, pointed out that the other day his two-year-old brother said a swear word. Swearing isn’t grown-up. The truth is that it’s childish. Kids first say swear words because of the shock value. They like getting people all excited because they said a bad word. Well, that’s understandable if you’re six years old, but it’s pretty sad to get it from a teenager. Teenagers know there are better ways to get attention. In the long run, swearing never helps, but it can hurt. It becomes a habit that is hard to break and it can keep you from getting jobs or cause some people to be uncomfortable around you, the same way some people won’t read an author who uses swear words—they’ve lost money for no good reason. It’s so much better to get your attention for your talents or character than to get it for saying a word a baby can say. In the eternal scheme of things, that swear word won’t do anything good.

Of course, a more important reason is that it’s incredible mean to use the name of someone you love as a swear word. Would you want your name turned into a swear word people yelled when they were mad? It’s disrespectful. If you love God and Jesus Christ, don’t treat their names disrespectfully. Names are important. They become a part of who we are. The way we use another person’s name tells others what we think of them. When we change someone’s name a little bit to make it an insulting term, we tell people we don’t love or respect that person. When we turn the name into a swear word, we do the same.

God deserves better from us. He’s given us everything we have that is worth having. He’s there when no one else is, He listens when no one else will, and He loves us when no one else is willing to. He’s more than earned our love and our respect and that includes using His name in a loving and respectful way.

Jesus Christ has also done more for us than we can ever imagine. So much pain and suffering and sacrifice just for us! He deserves to have His name spoken with sacredness and love, not with anger or casualness.

If you’ve gotten addicted to swearing, how do you stop? Some teenagers pick a new word—something silly and creative—and say it over and over. I knew one who used to yell “watermelon rinds” when he got mad. It was such a silly term it even lightened his anger because people would giggle when he said it. That made him laugh, too and improved his mood.

Ask your friends to help you stop swearing. They can remind you every time you do it, and while that’s annoying, it does help. Another method some teens use is to put a dime into a jar every time they swear. It gets expensive after a while, so they stop. On the plus side, when you’re over swearing, you have some money saved up to do something that is more fun than swearing—but don’t spend it until you are sure you don’t swear anymore.

Here’s a video about a teen who started a club for people who don’t swear. A support group can really help when you’re trying to overcome a bad habit.

Mormon leaders have talked about this a lot. Mormon is an informal nickname some people use when they’re talking about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most Mormons actually call themselves LDS (Latter-day Saints), not Mormons, although the Church has accepted that Mormon is more popular among people who aren’t Mormon. It refers to the Book of Mormon, which Mormons use along with the Bible.

One Mormon leader, Russell M. Nelson, explains that there is a difference between tolerance and tolerating. Knowing that difference can help us figure out how to live in a very diverse world. He suggests we look at Jesus’ life to help us understand how we should react to people who live lives we know are immoral.

When I read the New Testament, one of the things I notice is that Jesus didn’t just hang out with other Christians. He had a lot of friends and he spent a lot of time with people who didn’t live the commandments or who were considered inferior by others. I notice that he treated these people with respect.

For instance, most people in his time wanted nothing to do with Samarians. But Jesus intentionally traveled through Samaria and stopped to share the gospel with a Samarian woman at a well. He treated her with dignity and she responded by becoming a missionary for the gospel.

We can strengthen others by standing for truth and rigteousness.

You might remember the story about the woman everyone wanted to stone because she had sinned. They brought her to Jesus, hoping, no doubt, He would be shocked and horrified by her sin and maybe even help with—or at least approve—the stoning. What did He do instead? He suggested that the person in the group who had never sinned throw the first stone. Of course, He was the only person who fit that description, but He had no desire to stone her. Once the others, embarrassed, had left, Jesus spoke to her kindly, telling her He was not going to pass final judgment on her.

Even though He sent her on her way, it is really important to notice what else He did. He told her not to sin anymore. He didn’t say, “It’s her life. I need to be tolerant of how she chooses to live it.” What she had done was a sin and He made sure she understood that. However, He wasn’t willing to kill her over it or decide how she would be judged at the end of her life. By telling he she had sinned, but sending her away with a commandment to stop, He gave her a chance to repent, to change her life before she died and faced final judgment.

Jesus never did just accept sin because it was the politically correct thing to do. When He saw sin, He put a stop to it. He cleared the temple. He spoke up even to political leaders and powerful community people. He did not tolerate sin. But He was tolerant, in that He treated people who sinned with dignity. He could love them as people without accepting their sins. He didn’t say “You have a right to live any way you want, even if it hurts you and even if it hurts others.”

There is a difference between the sin and the sinner. You’ve probably heard people say we must condemn the sin, but love the sinner. This is what Jesus did.

Some sins hurt other people and some only hurt the sinner directly (although all of society suffers when sin is in the world) but we know we can’t just let people do whatever they want to do because it’s “their life.” The reason we have laws is because we understand our country works better when we set standards and make people live by them. The reason parents have rules is because it is their job to set standards and to protect their children.

When you were little, your parents didn’t let you cross the street alone because they knew it would put you into physical danger. Today, they might have rules about coming home at a certain time or even about what kinds of friends you can have. They aren’t trying to ruin your fun. They are trying to keep you safe. Sometimes they are keeping you physically safe, but other times, they are keeping you morally safe. God is that kind of parent.

The thing is that this life is only a small part of your entire life. The longest parts of your life happened before you were born, when you lived with God and started becoming who you are now, and the time after you die. After you die, you’ll live forever, and how you live depends a lot on the choices you make today. Jesus taught over and over that there will be a judgment day when the sins we don’t’ repent of will be punished. He said that only people who kept His commandments would get to be with God after death. Your parents are trying their best to help you live in a way that will allow you to live with God someday. That means they sometimes make rules that are protecting your eternal life.

So how do you apply all this when you’re out in the world surrounded by people who are living lives you know are wrong? Let’s look at a few examples and wonder how Jesus would handle it.

One thing Mormons do is to make it clear that temptations and behavior aren’t the same thing. We can’t choose what we are tempted by or inclined towards. We can choose how we act. An alcoholic who is still drinking is committing a sin. If he stops drinking, but still craves alcohol, he is not sinning—as long as he doesn’t take a drink. He can control the actions, not the cravings. Homosexual tendencies are not a sin; homosexual behavior is. We can be kind and respectful when we are with people who are homosexuals because they are God’s children and therefore deserving of respect. We don’t have to respect their sins, however, nor do we have to encourage them. Jesus didn’t and so we shouldn’t. We may have friends who smoke and we will love them and treat them kindly, but we don’t have to let them smoke around us. We can love our friends who drink, but we don’t have to—and must not—serve alcohol at our parties just to “prove” we are tolerant.

If you had friends who were doing things you knew was very dangerous—dating an abusive boyfriend, for instance, or drinking, or going into dangerous neighborhoods–you would try your best to stop them. Spiritual danger is more serious than physical danger. You can show love to a person and treat him or her with respect while not respecting those dangerous choices.

At school and in your daily activities, you will meet a lot of people who live in ways you know are wrong. You don’t have to stay at a party where teens are drinking just to show you are tolerant. You don’t even have to tell them they are welcome to live that way. You do have to treat them kindly, help them when they are in trouble, and be respectful of them as people—but you don’t have to respect their sins.

Next time, we’re going to talk about tolerance in terms of religion—how do we live in a religiously diverse world?

Mormon missionaries are usually 19-21 years old. By treating them as stupid and incompetent, it leaves the idea that young adults aren’t mature enough to do anything important, to be smart, or to make a contribution in the world.

Mormon missionaries know the Gospel of Jesus Christ very well.

In the musical, two young missionaries are sent to Uganda, in Africa, to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, they learn their training is no help when they face the poverty and hardships there. One of them doesn’t even really know anything about his religion, so he just makes up things, using Star Wars and Lord of the Rings mythology as if it were the Book of Mormon teachings.

Now, here’s where they show they don’t know how to do their homework. Mormons probably have the best youth education program around. Studies show Mormon teens can intelligently discuss their religion better than kids from any other religion. If you’ve ever gone to church with a Mormon friend, you can probably guess why that is. Not only do they attend a basic worship service aimed mostly at adults, so it isn’t watered down into feel-good religious teachings, but they also speak in those meetings. Anyone twelve and older can be asked to give a sermon, which Mormons call talks. You see, Mormons are a lay church. That means everyone is a volunteer. Since the bishop (like a lay pastor) has a family and a regular non-church job, he doesn’t give a sermon every week. Instead, two adults give talks, and the teenagers also speak once a year or more. If there are enough teens, there are teen speakers every week. If not, they are assigned periodically throughout the year.

Giving a talk means the teens have to study the assigned topic in order to write their own talk. In addition, they are often asked to teach their youth classes, which requires a lot of study and preparation.

Then there are the classes. Every Sunday, teens attend the basic worship service, a Sunday School class that focuses on the scriptures in a four year rotation (two years are spent on the Bible, one on the Book of Mormon, and one on Church History and the Doctrine and Covenants) and one Young Men or Young Women class. This last class is often more focused on practical application of Christian living.

Every weekday morning during the school year, Mormon teens study the gospel in an academic-style religion class, usually held very early in the morning before school. In addition, they have a weeknight activity where they put gospel principles into actual practice. For instance, if they learned about service on Sunday, they might do a service project on Wednesday. If they learned to dress modestly on Sunday, Wednesday might be devoted to learning how to sew modest skirts. Then there are weekend activities, youth conferences, and spiritual camps.

If that isn’t enough, each family teaches the gospel on Monday nights to their own families, with family members taking turns doing the teaching. They have a daily scripture study as a family and regular prayers.

Once they finish high school they attend the academic-style seminary, where they study the gospel in great depth most days. These are often held on or near college campuses.

Before leaving on a mission, a young man or woman must be interviewed and shown to know his religion and to be living it. He attends training before he goes.

Does it seem likely to you a Mormon nineteen-year-old is going to get to Africa not knowing the difference between the Book of Mormon or Bible and Star Wars? Just a few minutes of homework would have told the creators of the show that they were on the wrong track. Very few religions put their children, teens, and young adults through such rigorous training. Not only do they have to have read their scriptures all the way through multiple times, but they spend more time studying and practicing their religion than do most people.

Mormons trust their young adults with the very important work of teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even a three-year-old can be asked to give a talk to other children and by the time they are in college, they are considered mature and responsible enough to do the most important work there is–testifying of Jesus to the world. The creators of the musical seem to think young adults are only silly kids who can’t do important work properly, can’t know what they believe, and can’t be trusted to share Christ’s gospel. Othewise, they wouldn’t have portrayed them as people who know nothing. Whether you’re Mormon or not, if you’re a teenager or young adult, you should be offended by this attitude.

The musical gets a whole lot more wrong than just the missionaries or even the Mormons. Next article we’ll talk about how they get Christianity wrong in general.

“We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

Mormon teens have a theme this year and this year’s theme is I Believe. It’s focus is on this Article of Faith. Since it’s the longest one, it gives the teens a lot to work on. In the last article we talked about honesty, being true to yourself and your beliefs, and being chaste. The next item in the list is to be benevolent.

We don’t talk a lot about benevolence these days. You might find the word on a vocabulary test, but we don’t use it much. It means to be kind, compassionate, and caring. Benevolence is talked about in another part of this Article of Faith, where it says we believe in doing good to all men.

As a teenager, you have a lot of chances to do good to the people around you and to be benevolent. You’re surrounded by teenagers who are lonely or who have difficult lives. There are teenagers in your world who are hungry, or scared, or struggling to get through their classes. There are teenagers who don’t know Jesus Christ and teenagers who long for someone to listen and understand when they talk about their confusion over the world.

No one teenager can fix all the problems or help all the people who need help, but one teenager can make a huge difference. By choosing a few people, you can change that person’s world. When that person’s world is changed, it often changes other lives, too. You can’t tell how many lives will be changed because you made a small change in someone else’s life.

It isn’t just teenagers who need your help, either. Do you know a younger child who needs a mentor—someone to be a good example and to make sure they don’t grow up and land on a dangerous path? Do you know an elderly person who needs a cheerful young friend to drop by for a visit every now and then? Do you have a teacher at school, home, or church who could use a compliment about her teaching?

What about your own family? Could your parents benefit from a little benevolence? Without a doubt, they can. Parents do a lot of things teens don’t see or appreciate until they’re adults. It’s a tough job, but one kind word or act of service from their child can make everything so much easier. Why wait until you’re an adult to thank your parents for something they’ve done? It will mean even more if you do it today.

The next belief Mormon teens are working on in this Article of Faith is virtue. Virtue is another word that doesn’t get talked about much. Being virtuous, in a religious sense, means to live the way Jesus Christ taught us to live. It covers all the other things in this Article of Faith. A virtuous person won’t watch immoral movies or listen to music that has inappropriate words. A virtuous person puts down a book and gets rid of it as soon as she realizes it is not morally clean. Being virtuous requires us to be kind to others and to keep the commandments of God. Really, it means acting the way you’d act if Jesus were in the room watching you—which He is.

In the next article, we’ll talk about the last part, based on something Paul said in the New Testament of the Bible.