Lent is a wonderful holiday which brings worshipers closer to Jesus Christ. Thus, Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) have nothing to criticize in the practice of Lent. The reason for the LDS Church not observing Lent is that it is not a holiday observed in the New Testament, nor instituted by the apostles. While its history can possibly be traced back to some kind of observance by the original Twelve Apostles, there is no indication that it was revealed by God that He wished this period of time to be observed in any certain way. Current scholars say that the oldest records we have indicate a wide variation in the practice of this observance which developed and became somewhat more standardized over time. In fact, today there is still quite a bit of variation among Christian denominations regarding the observance of Lent.

The most important record regarding Lent is a letter recorded by Eusebius in the Church History Volume 24 from St. Irenaeus to Pope Victor. It is clear to scholars from this passage that there was never a pattern set in place by the apostles.

When Joseph Smith, Jr., restored the gospel of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ Himself revealed to Joseph what things needed to be restored. The practice of Lent was not among them. For Latter-day Saints, this is a clear indication that it was not practiced in the early days of the Church, or it would be restored today.

That being said, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican Council II stated:

The two elements which are especially characteristic of Lent—the recalling of baptism or the preparation for it, and penance—should be given greater emphasis in the liturgy and in liturgical catechesis. It is by means of them that the Church prepares the faithful for the celebration of Easter, while they hear God’s word more frequently and devote more time to prayer.

Any practice which brings a worshiper closer to the Savior is certainly a good one. Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) do not practice Lent because they do not believe it to be a part of Jesus Christ’s restored gospel. However, they respect the practice of any and all who wish to observe this holiday.

For Latter-day Saints, Easter is the holiest holiday. While Christmas is a wonderful celebration of the birth of the Savior of the World, Easter is the celebration of the culmination of His work. Latter-day Saints focus a great deal on the importance of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is central to all other doctrine. Latter-day Saints, however, do not focus nearly as much on the death and crucifixion of the Savior as they do on His resurrection. Not that His death was unimportant—quite the contrary—but that His atonement included and was completed with His resurrection. We recognize and appreciate that He died for us, but it is even more important to remember that He lives today. He actually rose from the dead, and He lives! Some of the greatest words ever spoken on this earth were, “He is not here: for he is risen” (Matthew 28:6).

Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) believe that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can repent and be cleansed and purified from our sins. This is only possible if we obey His commandments and follow the path that He laid down as the only way back to our Heavenly Father. There is an ongoing debate in the Christian world about the relationship between grace and works. Latter-day Saints believe both are important. While there is nothing an individual can do to justify him- or herself through personal works, Jesus Christ has made access to the healing and cleansing power of His atonement conditional upon the efforts we make in our lives to emulate Him. We can only be saved by His grace, but we can only gain access to His grace by trying as hard as we can to improve and keep His commandments.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was born to Mary and He lived a full life on this earth. He performed the incomprehensible act of the atonement for all mankind by taking upon Himself the sins and infirmities of the world. He then gave His life for mankind, but had the power to take it up again. Thus, He gained power over both death and hell. He grants us access to this power through His sacrifice. What more glorious news can there be?

It is appropriate that the time leading up to the celebration of His resurrection should be spent in reflection. Latter-day Saints believe in the importance of renewing one’s baptismal covenants every Sunday through partaking of the Sacrament (similar to Communion). Repentance is a continual and continuous process. We should be placing Jesus Christ at the center of our lives every day. While setting aside the time before Easter to abstain from certain luxuries and to focus on Jesus Christ is not a restored ordinance, it is certainly a wonderful tradition of remembering His sacrifice for each of us.

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

On February 6, 2013, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following statement:

The recent announcement that BSA planned to make a policy change in its standards for membership and leadership has triggered intense debate from many segments of society. We believe BSA has acted wisely in delaying a vote on this policy issue until the implications can be more carefully evaluated.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is carefully assessing the consequences of this policy change on the Church’s program to build and strengthen young men, but it has not commented on it and a decision will not be made until we have assessed all of the implications. We caution others not to speculate about our position or to assume that individual Latter-day Saints inside or outside the Scouting movement speak for the Church. Neither has the Church launched any campaign either to effect or prevent a policy change.

HeraldExtra.com

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always seen the benefits of the Boy Scouts of America program and has wished to support the program for young men everywhere, not just young men who are members of the LDS Church. The Scouting program has helped enrich the lives of countless men across the country and has enjoyed a good relationship with the LDS Church. This article was written by Doris White, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZf7CH89NuM&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edze5g_X5Bw&feature=youtu.be

Following Elder Holland’s address, he held a question-and-answer session with visiting students. Some of the topics he touched on, in response to their questions, are below.

When asked what the point of departure of the Latter-day Saint (“Mormon”) faith is from other Christian denominations in regard to the doctrine of the Trinity, Elder Holland acknowledged that Latter-day Saints have done a disservice to themselves by focusing on the differing parts of this doctrine. While the difference is a large one (Latter-day Saints believe God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct beings while other Christian denominations believe the Trinity is an unknowable combination of the three beings), Elder Holland wished to state that in every other respect, Latter-day Saints view these beings as one in purpose and in practically every other aspect, other than their physical identity. Because Latter-day Saints have focused so much on the difference here, this is what has lingered in the public mind.

When a student asked about the American nature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Holland acknowledged that the social context for the origins of the restored church in the 1820s certainly held significance and consequence for the beginnings of the young church when it was restored by Joseph Smith in 1830. Elder Holland stated, “We don’t know anywhere else in the world that a concept of religious freedom would have existed to allow this to happen [a new religion to be organized which was so different from mainstream religions at the time] in 1820. In terms of timing, I don’t know anywhere else in my limited study of world history, where we could have had this religious opportunity, except in America at this time. I don’t think it could have gotten off the ground in any other climate.” He also pointed out, though, that in the past century, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon Church”) has become far more global, now with a larger membership and larger growth outside of the United States than inside it, in 140 countries.

Elder Holland was sensitive in his response to the question asked about Latter-day Saints believing they had the only true church. He pointed out that “the issue comes down not to the lack of Christian teaching, not to the lack of compassion and mercy and Christian characteristics, but when it comes down to the ordinances, we believe there has to be some kind of documentable identification and line to that authority to perform that ordinance. That is not a statement about churches not doing good and not having great truth, but when it comes to the sacrament, when it comes the ordinance, we do press this matter of authority; somebody somewhere has to say I have authority to do this. It’s an issue about priesthood authority, not about doing good.”

Connected to that topic and question is another question about the Mormon stance on spiritual manifestations in other faiths. Elder Holland stated that Latter-day Saints believe that throughout time there have been threads of truth everywhere and a variety of spiritual manifestations and experiences. While priesthood authority has been essential for restoration in any period (see the Old Testament, for example), there have always been times when heavenly manifestations were given to faithful people. These experiences are certainly not trivialized or discounted by Latter-day Saints.

The issue of equality of the sexes has been a major issue in our society. When asked about the Mormon doctrine on women and on their relation to men, Elder Holland boldly asserted that “the LDS Church believes that the creation of a woman was the crowning and final and most glorified moment of human creation.” He went on to say that the creation began with light and dark, and with Adam, it still wasn’t good enough. Though women do not hold the priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this is not seen as withholding any blessings from them, nor is it a reflection of their worth. Priesthood power is simply the responsibility of men while on this earth. Women are given other responsibilities and talents, which are in no way inferior to men’s. In fact, Elder Holland went on to point out, women lead many of the auxiliary organizations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife was a leader in one of these organizations long before Elder Holland was asked to serve in his current capacity.

While it is true that not all people in the “Mormon Church” live this doctrine well, the doctrine itself is very clear on the worth and value of women. They are daughters of God who had divine attributes and responsibilities. Elder Holland said, “We all need to do better to see that that dignity comes through.”

In regard to living prophets, Elder Holland shared that they are still called in the same way as they were in the Old Testament. They are called to fill a vacancy by the Spirit of God. As far as losing divine guidance because of mistakes or errors, Elder Holland said, “Let’s try to be generous about human service. Christ was the only perfect person who ever lived.” He went on to give the example of Moses. Though he made an error and was not permitted to enter the Promised Land, he was still a prophet, and still carries that title and those keys. Error does not remove prophets from prophetic capacity. Part of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to repent and correct mistakes. Recognize the humanity of those who have given real service. People have faults, but that doesn’t mean they are not called of God.

Another issue raised was that of the Mormon doctrine of the afterlife and the practice of temple work for the dead. Elder Holland gave a legal analogy to help the law students understand that all work done in the spirit of 1 Corinthians 15:29 is not binding. We do this work for our ancestors because we believe that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and they cannot do these essential ordinances for themselves. When the work is done for them, it has no effect unless they accept these ordinances on their behalf.

The last issue the students had time to discuss with Elder Holland was about the Church’s stand on gay marriage. Elder Holland said, “We’ll take a stand on moral issues, but try to stay out of anything that is just political.” For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gay marriage is a moral issue because of the Mormon understanding of the eternal nature of families and God’s plan for His children. While many feel we should “sit down and shut up” about this issue, it is one that Church leaders feel is moral and that they must take a stand on, but this does not mean they wish to take the right away from people to express their love and devotion to whomever they wish. When it comes to changing laws and definitions of marriage, though, the Church has felt compelled to makes its will known. Church leaders have never told members how to vote, though, and have not spent any Church funds on any kind of campaign, though many individual members have chosen to do so on their own.

LDS News: Read Jeffrey R. Holland’s address to Harvard Law Students