Mormon teenagers attend a meeting called Mutual (which is short for what used to be called Mutual Improvement Association) once evening a week from ages twelve to eighteen or until they graduate from high school. Sometimes the teens all meet together. Other times they group by gender or age. Although they want the program to be fun, Mormon teenagers have lots of opportunities to have fun. These meetings are supposed to have a bigger purpose as well.

Take a look at the new website:

Youth Activities

You’ll see the activities are grouped into eleven categories. Mormon teens plan their own meetings under the supervision of adult advisers. The adults make sure the rules are followed and teach the teenagers leadership skills. If they see a problem, they use something called shadow leadership to fix it. That means they don’t tell the teens how to fix it—or even what it is. They will ask questions until the teens have figured out the problem and the solutions themselves. The questions just help the teens learn how to think about the problem.

They are taught to first figure out what their group needs help with or what they need more experience in. Let’s say the group is in the inner-city and many of the teens want to go to college, but they can’t afford it and they’ve been upset about that. The teens who are in the current presidency (the class president, her two counselors, and the secretary) go to the youth activities website and look under “Preparing for Future Roles,” which includes college. There is an activity on paying for college. They read the suggestions and then make their own plans, adjusting the suggestions to fit their needs.

That’s not the most exciting activity, but it can change their whole lives. It’s important, and the teens really want to have great futures, so even though it isn’t glamorous, they enjoy it because it lets them start dreaming of a better life.

Next week, they want to have a little more fun. The Mormons have been making short videos about real teens and their challenges or testimonies. These are called “Mormon Messages for Youth,” and you can watch some of them here:

Mormon Messages for Youth

The leaders of the youth group are planning an activity with all the teens in their group—all ages, both genders. They want to encourage their peers to improve their creativity and to learn more about helping others. They go to the creativity section of the new website and see an idea for making your own Mormon Messages. They know their friends would love making their own videos, holding a movie night, and maybe even posting them online, so they plan an activity that will be done over a few months. The first month, they divide into groups and show some Mormon messages. Then the groups make a plan and give assignments to the teens in their group. The next month, when they have another large group activity, they make their videos. The third month, they have movie night to show the videos, have treats, and decide what to do with them.

This activity teaches creativity, movie making, and missionary work or helping others, but it does it all in a fun way.

If you belong to a youth group of any kind, check out the site. You may find some ideas that will work for your group, no matter what religion you are.

This comes on the heels of earlier surveys indicating that 32 percent of non-LDS U.S. adults say the LDS Church is not a Christian religion, and an additional 17 percent are unsure of LDS Christianity. The theological and semantic reasons for this can be complex, but for the 1,019 self-identified Mormons who participated in the Pew survey, their theological position is clear: Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and they consider themselves to be Christian.

“Certainly in Latter-day Saint theology is this idea that if you understand who you are, you understand that there’s a purpose in life, you understand your connection to God, that certainly has an impact on how you live your life and what you do, but also how you feel about your life and what you are doing,” said Michael Purdy of the LDS Church Public Affairs office.

For the vast majority of Latter-day Saints surveyed, those life choices have much to do with their religious beliefs. Eighty-two percent of survey respondents indicate that religion is “very important” to them, 83 percent say they pray every day and 77 percent say they attend church at least once a week. Beyond that, a stunning 69 percent of respondents fit all three descriptions, saying that religion is very important to them, that they pray every day and that they go to church every week.

“By this measure,” the report says, “Mormons exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than many other religious groups, including white evangelical Christians.”

Part of the explanation for these high numbers may be that the survey focused only on those who self-identified as Latter-day Saints.

“The method they used tended to identify people who are strongly committed,” said BYU sociologist Marie Cornwall , who advised the Pew Forum on the new survey. “They don’t have the people who are kind of marginal. But that’s okay; we just have to be careful with the way we interpret the findings.”

One such finding is the relationship between religious commitment and education among Mormons.

David Campbell, a University of Notre Dame associate professor and another adviser on the survey, noted that the more educated respondents were, the higher their levels of religious commitment.

“I was a little surprised by that,” said Campbell, who is LDS and who has extensively studied on the role of religion in the public square. “The more educated a Mormon is, the more likely they are to be wholehearted in their commitment to the church and its teachings.”

That is different from other churches, he said, where more education tends to lead to more religious skepticism.

Pew Research Center officials also noted “a significant gender gap in religious commitment, with more Mormon women than men exhibiting a high level of religious commitment (73 percent vs. 65 percent).”

According to the Pew report, a similar “gender gap” is seen among the general public. A 2007 survey found 36 percent of U.S. women exhibited a high level of religious commitment, compared with 24 percent of men.

One series of questions asked about what it means to be a good Mormon. According to the respondents, in order to be a good Mormon it is “essential” to believe Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ (80 percent), work to help the poor (73 percent), hold regular family home evenings (51 percent), not drink coffee and tea (49 percent) and not watch R-rated movies (32 percent).

Combining those who said “essential” with those who said “important but not essential,” the order changes a little bit: working to help the poor (97 percent), holding regular family home evenings (96 percent), believing Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ (93 percent), not drinking coffee and tea (81 percent) and not watching R-rated movies (79 percent).

“I think that result is rather interesting,” said Cornwall. “Mormons are known for not drinking coffee or tea and not watching R-rated movies. But compared to believing that Joseph Smith saw God and working for the poor, Mormons don’t seem to focus on the coffee and tea as much as people probably think.”

Other manifestations of religious commitment in the survey included:

The number of respondents (65 percent) who say they hold a current temple recommend (a certificate from local ecclesiastical leaders, issued every other year, indicating that an individual has permission from the church to enter LDS temples and participate in temple rites and sacraments)

The number (79 percent) who say they pay tithing (donating 10 percent of their income to the church)

The number (27 percent) who have served full-time missions for the church (this number includes 43 percent of men and 11 percent of women and varies significantly according to the age and education of the respondent, as well as whether or not the respondent was raised Mormon)

The number (82 percent) who keep food in storage for emergencies or disasters, as they have been counseled to do by LDS Church leaders (This number includes 23 percent who say they have three months’ worth, 35 percent who say they have more than three months’ worth and 23 percent who say they have less than three months’ worth)

The percentage who pay tithing is especially interesting to break down. According to the survey tabulations, “tithing is most common among Mormons with the highest levels of religious commitment (96 percent) … fully 91 percent of college graduates say they pay tithing … compared with 66 percent of those with a high school diploma or less education. And among those whose family income exceeds $30,000, 83 percent say they pay tithing, compared with 69 percent of those with incomes of less than $30,000.”

While previous surveys have clearly established LDS agreement with certain key Christian doctrines — 90 percent of Mormons believe in God, 91 percent believe the Bible is the word of God and 98 percent believe in life after death — the new survey explores Mormon confidence in points of doctrine that are unique to LDS theology. And in these points of doctrine, Mormons proved to be unified and believing. They believe overwhelmingly that God and Jesus Christ are separate physical beings (94 percent), that the president of the LDS Church is a prophet of God (94 percent), that families can be bound together eternally in temple ceremonies (95 percent) and that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets and translated by Joseph Smith (91 percent).

Overall, 77 percent say they believe “wholeheartedly” in all of the teachings of the LDS Church. That number increases to 82 percent among Mormons ages 18-49, and to 85 percent among Mormons who are college graduates.

“Ultimately, I suppose other Americans will judge our church — and perhaps all churches — by their relevance in how they touch and improve human lives right here on Earth as well as what they offer in the life to come,” wrote Michael Otterson, Public Affairs director for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in his “On Faith” blog in the Washington Post. “Meanwhile, we welcome the friendship and regard of all groups, even as we retain our commitment to a unique identity. In the end … Latter-day Saints will strive to be good Mormons, true believers, kind neighbors and faithful friends.

Pew Study Reflects Mormons’ Religious Commitment to Christ, Mormon Beliefs in Tithes and Temples

Mormons in America

Teens in Hawaii had a chance to put on one of these celebrations recently. Watch this video to see them rehearsing, performing, and talking about their religious beliefs.

Many of the teenagers in the area served by the Kiev Ukraine temple are from small countries. Some of them said they were performing because they wanted the world to know their country existed. Coming from little countries like Belarus, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, and Ukraine, they are very proud of their national heritage, but feel the world may not remember them among all the bigger countries. One teen also said they wanted the prophet to know there was a rising generation he could count on to do the Lord’s work.

Because the church has so few members in these areas, many of the youth are aware that they are pioneers in their country, helping to spread what is a new religion to most of the people in their country. They know their examples will help to decide the future of the church there. This performance was one way they showed their commitment to bringing a new faith to their countries. They dressed in traditional costumes and danced the traditional dances of their cultures. Youth provided the orchestra as well. These were just ordinary teens, not professional performers and for many dancing in public might have been a challenging new experience. However, the prophet came to see their performance and when he clapped, they felt all their hard work had been rewarded.

Many of the teenagers said their testimonies were strengthened during the week they spent at the temple dedication and cultural celebration. For some, it was where they first received a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. Although fun, it was also a powerful spiritual experience for them.

The building of a temple in the Ukraine is something of a miracle. The church was organized for missionary work only six years ago. In that time, membership has grown to five thousand people. The first meetinghouse was only dedicated there in June. (There must be enough people in one area to have a meetinghouse built.) The temple will serve a large portion of Eastern Europe, allowing people to attend without having to go so far from home.

A Mormon temple is different from a meetinghouse. A meetinghouse, or chapel, is used for regular Sunday worship services and weekday activities. Anyone can enter these buildings, even if they aren’t Mormons.

The temple is different. Only members of the Church may go there and they must first be interviewed by a church leader to be sure they are living the moral standards of the church and have a testimony. Teenagers can go to the temple once they are twelve, but they can only enter certain parts of it. While they are there, they are baptized on behalf of people who died without having an opportunity to accept the gospel. This does not make those people Mormons and they are not listed on the church records as Mormons.

Mormons believe a loving God would never punish someone for not being a Christian or accepting the gospel when he had never even heard of it. That wouldn’t be fair and God is always fair. They believe if a person dies without that opportunity, God will allow them to be taught the gospel when they die and then they have the choice to accept it or reject it, just as they would have if they’d learned about it on earth. Even if a person knows it is true because he is dead, he might still prefer not to live according to the Savior’s teachings. However, the Bible says a person must be baptized. In the Bible, Paul mentions baptism for the dead in a way that shows the people listening knew about it:

Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? (1 Corinthians 15:29.)

They can’t be baptized after they die, so even then, it would not be fair. They would have learned the gospel, accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, and then not be allowed to have a part in it. Because God loves all His children, even those who have never heard of Him, he prepared a way for this to be taken care of. People twelve and older can go to the temple and be baptized by immersion (being placed completely under water for a moment, as Jesus was) in someone else’s name. They must have already been baptized for themselves, of course, in a regular font in a chapel. It is then recorded that this was done for the person, but they are not made members of the church.

The names come from Mormons who research their own genealogy and turn in the names of their ancestors. Teenagers can help to give their ancestors a very special gift of love by doing this research and then being baptized for their families.

Watch the video below and see how Mormon teenagers in Eastern Europe are celebrating their new temple.

He first learned of the project when a Catholic woman spoke at his school. He felt the Holy Ghost prompting him to get involved and he took the prompting seriously. It’s changed his entire life as he’s made a big difference in the lives of the orphans and now, someday, he wants to have his own humanitarian aid program. He says he believes it is important to link charity to your faith.

Watch what Brandon is doing to change the world:

So what makes the Mormon kids different?

The author, Princeton Theological Seminary professor Kenda Creasy Dean lists four things that make Mormon teens different from other teenagers. In the next few posts, we’ll be looking at what those four are and why they matter to you, as a teenager of any religion.

First, let’s do a quick overview of what religious life is like for a Mormon teenager. Then you’ll understand better the things we’re going to be talking about.

Did you know Mormon teens go to church for three hours every Sunday? First they have a worship service. Then they have two classes. One is Sunday School, where they learn about the scriptures. This is a class with both boys and girls in it, usually divided by age—two ages in each class. The other is Young Men’s or Young Women’s. As the names suggest, these are divided by gender as well as by age. In this class, the teenagers learn how to apply the scriptures and the teachings of Jesus to their real lives and they learn to prepare for adulthood.

But that’s not all. They also show up one night a week for more. This meeting is usually an activity. They get hands-on practice doing the kinds of things they learned about in their Sunday classes. They make crafts, learn cooking and sewing, work on goals and earn awards.

Think that’s a lot of church? The high school students also take a religion class five days a week during the school year. Outside of Utah, it is held before school and that often means the kids have to get up before daylight to get to a class held at six or earlier in the morning. This is a pretty serious class, a lot like a school class. They learn about a book of scripture, such as the New Testament, for an entire year, in-depth. They have homework, too—reading and memorizing scriptures, for instance. At the end of the year, there is often a contest to see who can find scriptures the fastest and best understand what they mean.

Then there are the weekend fun and service outings. A Mormon teen might attend a free dance, help clean up a park, or go on a pioneer-re-enactment. In the summer, there is usually a week of camp.

But those are just the church things. There are also religious things happening at home—family prayer, family scripture study, and family night. We’ll learn more about those later.

When I was first starting to visit the Mormon church as a teenager, I wrote in my journal, “I’ve figured out why Mormon kids never get into trouble. They don’t have time!”

Now, let’s go on to the next post and find out if all this activity really matters.

By today’s standards, David’s family is pretty big. He’s one of five children and has said  he couldn’t do what he did without his family’s support.

David is a Mormon, and Mormons are known for making their families a central part of their lives. Every Monday night, they hold family night, spending special time just with their own families, learning about Jesus, enjoying treats, playing games and singing. It’s likely David started singing right in his own family nights.

Mormon families have gotten a lot of attention in the show business world. Did you see Donny or Marie Osmond on Dancing With the Stars? They are a brother and sister from a very large family–nine children. All but the two oldest brothers, who are deaf, formed a popular singing group in the 1970s, and today, five of them still sing country music, and Donny and Marie sing together in a Las Vegas show. Their close family life got a lot of media attention, and fans called their mother Mother Osmond, knowing almost as much about her as they did about her famous children.

How does your family help you reach your goals or build your talents? How can you show them how much all that means to you? When you see David Archuleta or other Mormon teenagers in the media, you’ll almost always find something about how they credit their families for their success, but they also give back to their families in the form of love and appreciation. It’s not always a natural thing for teens to do, but watching people like David can help us figure out how it’s done.

As Mormon youth, we too share the responsibility of sharing the gospel in our schools and communities. When we share the gospel, we held bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to those around us, but it also strengthens our own personal testimony of the Mormon Church. It can sometimes be intimidating to share the gospel, as we fear we might offend someone or be ridiculed. Despite these fears, we must persist in finding tactful ways to share our beliefs. With Mormon Testimonies, sharing your testimony has never been so easy.

Mormontestimonies.org is a website that aims at compiling written and video testimonies from members worldwide. This site is viewed by investigators of the Church, as they seek more information and support. Your individual experience, story, or conversion to the Mormon Church could greatly influence an investigator. As a young person, you have a great amount of influence and power. Taking the few minutes to write about how the church has inspired your life can have a great impact. You will also be able to view your friend’s testimonies, and other people from your ward and stake, under the “Browse Testimonies” link. Testimonies will be classified by geography, generation, by name, and stakes and wards. The process of submitting your testimony is easy. Simply go to the Mormontestimonies.org website and under “Quick Start,” type your name or pseudonym if you would like to remain anonymous, and start writing!

This is an extremely effective yet easy way for Mormons to share their testimony. The youth of the Church has some of the most influential testimonies in the church. Your words have the potential to touch and inspire those looking for the truth.

Here’s a sample from the article on faith:

Well, what can we say. Faith isn’t always hip. The media (and doesn’t the media have so much to say) can show religion as blind and out-dated. Faith is for people who like to fool themselves and God can’t have a hand in the world, since so many awful things happen every day.

Of course, in giving up on God, we take that much meaning out of the world for ourselves. It’s funny how some like to comfort themselves by saying that our greatest Comfort doesn’t exist.

Faith in God, in Christ, isn’t something we have one day and then have pure and strong forever. Like much in the gospel, it’s a Mormon belief that faith requires a daily, progressive effort. We accept Christ, we believe that He died for us, and then we work daily to strengthen our convictions.

Contribution are welcomed. Those interested can write to mctwebmaster@gmail.com