I am really starting to like my blog!

So our REL 202 teacher describes our blog as a place to collect information and links that we enjoy and want revisit.  So as I was trolling youtube.com today I found a lot of videos I like, but this one is one that when I see it I feel better.  It just makes me think about life and how it is easy to focus on the negative or the things in life that you don't have, but really you have so much potential to make everyday amazing.  Sometimes I just really need that reminder.

I went to church again.

I went to another Mormon service on Sunday.  I was speaking after the service with a missionary and he told me about this you tube video to help me with this class.

There is many more videos posted on  you tube and I thought they were a simple way to expain certain parts of the religion.

Exploring Local Religions

For my comparative religions class I was asked to attend a religious service of a group I do not belong to.  For this assignment I choose to attend a service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormon Church.  I choose this service because despite my husband being raised and baptized Mormon I have never attended a Mormon service and although my husband doesn’t attend the church weekly I thought it would be a good experience to know more about the Church.  I attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Willow Creek Ward located in Prescott on this past Sunday October 2.  This service took place and 9:00 am, I went by myself because I was nervous about taking my children with me because I thought I would be distracted trying to manage my little guys during the service, (Zak age three and Eli one, are wiggly, active, little boys. )  I am glad I decided to go alone because I was able to really take it all in without distraction.

The outside of the church looks like most other churches and is recognizable with perfectly manicured grass and a  large white steeple a top of the large brick building.  The chapel where service is held sits in the middle of the building with all the other buildings surrounding the main chapel.   The first major difference I noticed between this church and my Catholic Church was the lack of crosses as a part of the décor.  I later asked my husband and his brother who just returned from his mission for the church, why there are no crosses in any of their décor?  Morgan my brother in law explained this to me: there are no crosses because it represents Christ’s death and takes away from the focus of his resurrection, which is the main message of Christ.  To me this makes perfect sense I had just never thought of it in this way because as a Catholic the cross is present in many aspects of the Church and religion itself.  And although I can understand the lack of crosses I feel somewhat conflicted because an important message is also that Christ died to save us.  I like the idea of focusing on the resurrection of Christ, but this should not over shadow the purpose of Jesus’ death.

When I first got the to church building I was really nervous to go inside, I wish I knew someone to sit by or had come with my husband and found a babysitter, but all my worries were squashed when I walked inside the large brick building.  I noticed some friends I hadn’t seen since high school and my son’s speech pathologist.  Everyone was warm and welcoming they smiled and greeted me I felt comfortable and welcomed.  I ended up being asked to sit with my son’s teacher Ms. Jenny and her family.  We sat on a pew together towards the back of the chapel.  Behind us there were also chairs since there are a large number of members who attend service every week.  The congregation sits in rows of pews and or chairs as whole families.  Men and women sit together and their children sit with them through the service.   After the service the church offers bible school called primary for the children ages three through eleven and nursery for children younger than three.  The church also has many groups that meet after the first service, if members choose to attend these they are separated by age and gender. 

As the service began a member lead the congregation in an opening prayer.  After which we sang a hymn from a hymn book.  Everyone sang along and seemed very joyous to be in their place of worship and worshiping and meeting together.  I can’t remember what we sang but the song was similar to the hymns that I am used to in my own church and although some hymns that are sung in a Catholic Church are in Latin all the songs sang at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were strictly in English.    After the singing the President talked welcoming the members and visitors, after this time there was a talk that was presented by a male member of the congregation.  After this the sacrament is blessed and passed through out the congregation.  This is also different from the Catholic Church where the members who wish to participate in communion stand up and walk to the front of the church to receive communion from the priest or designated members of the church.  After which members of the Catholic faith kneel and pray.  In the Mormon service the sacrament is passed through the rows and the members stay seated. 

After sacrament a member of the church lead another small talk which I assume is the equivalent of a sermon.  After the sermon which included a bible reading the congregation said, “Amen.”  There was another hymn sung and a closing prayer. 

As I sat through the service I was constantly comparing the service to my Catholic up bringing and experiences.  I noticed that like a Catholic service the congregation sits in rows of pews facing the front alter or podium, members sit together with their family and young children are welcoming in the main service.  Differences I immediately noticed were the lack of standing, sitting, and kneeling that took place.  Members of the Mormon Church sit in their seats throughout the service and they are not expected to kneel and pray after sacrament, nor do they stand when they sing as is custom in most Catholic service.  As I was trying to recall all the particulars of the service I attended I needed to look up some more information from the Mormon website, www.mormon.org.  I found this website to be very helpful both before attending the service and after with writing my observations.   When reading the section on the website labeled “Worship With Us” I was reminded of another difference, the Mormon members do pay a tithing which is simply a donation to the church but they write checks or deposit their money in a box in the foyer or back of the chapel as they walk into service, where as Catholic service pays a donation tray or basket as a part of the service. 

Overall I enjoyed this assignment and it provided me with the extra little push I needed to learn more about my husbands back ground and more about friends, and some members of the community that I know and interact with.  I felt more than welcome at the service and enjoyed the entire experience.   

The Universal Golden Rule