Part Two: Study of The Church culture

"...I interviewed three members of the church. They all attend the young adults group which is made up of young people ages 18-31 years.
Firstly I asked which title they preferred:
I was told ‘Mormon’ is a term used by people outside the group whereas they prefer to call themselves ‘Latter-day Saints’.
What does this group mean to you?
They explained that it is like “a home away from home” especially as some of the members are not from Dunedin. Furthermore they highlighted the fact that being a Latter-day Saint is a choice and that it is not just attending church on Sunday but also living out their beliefs.
What makes this group different from other groups?
For this question I got a whole list of things that make the Latter-day Saints different.
· Firstly the church is structured into a hierarchy with a Prophet in charge of the worldwide Church of Jesus Christ, twelve Apostles, an Area President (one for each country or state e.g. New Zealand and Pacific Islands), State President (there are 7 wards or churches that the Otago president oversees), a Bishop in charge of each ward and then there are all the members of each ward.
· The plan of heaven, which is what the Church of Jesus Christ believes, happens before we are born on earth and is what will happen when we die. Basically according to a Latter-Day Saint before we were born we lived with God as a spirit, were born on earth with a physical body to learn to make good choices and when we die we will go to the spirit world to wait the resurrection where we will be judged and placed in a state of glory. There are different degrees or kingdoms of glory. The highest is the Celestial kingdom for people who lived in accordance to the gospel and received atonement for their sins, following is the Terrestrial kingdom for people who don’t accept the gospel but live good lives and lastly is the Telestial kingdom for those who keep sinning.
· Standards by which they live, these are defined in “For the Strength of Youth” and “The Articles of Faith”
· Along with the Bible they follow the Book of Mormon and the Teachings of Presidents. The Book of Mormon is ‘another Testament of Jesus Christ’ on his visit to the Americas. The Teachings of Presidents is a book containing one teaching from each of the Church presidents since the first presidency.
· All 19 year old boys are encouraged to do 2 years missionary work. The girls are also encouraged but are “encouraged less” to do this when they are 21 years old.
· Usual church dress for men is suits and white shirts, girls wear skirts or dresses. Over all modesty and a good standard of dress are encouraged.
· During the Sacrament meeting, the Sacrament ritual takes place where members take bread and water as a remembrance of Jesus Christ. This is served by males only.
· The Priesthood: which is the authority to act in Jesus’ name to heal the sick, to have leadership and serve the sacrament. It was passed on from Jesus to his disciples but they never passed it on so from that time until 1829 there was what is called the “period of darkness”. In 1829 Joseph Smith received the priesthood and therefore it was restored again. Being passed down from male to male. The Church of the Latter-day Saints believe they are the only Church to have the priesthood.
· They believe children are innocent and don’t know right and wrong until about eight years when they will generally have some idea of this. Therefore believers will begin to get baptised (full immersion in water) from this age.”