Religion 120 Page2
Module #14 Homework
Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
Instructions
There is only one part to this assignment. Read the assigned reading, then answer the questions.
The point of this current homework is to get you acquainted with what Neusner has to say about the Latter-Day Saints.
Part One: Read Jacob Neusner’s World Religions in America. Exact page numbers are below. Then answer the questions.
Part One / Jacob Neusner – World Religions in America
Read Neusner Chapter Eighteen: The Latter-day Saint (Mormon) Religion in America and the World pg. 333-350 and answer the following questions.
Read ‘Introduction.’ (Page 334, three paragraphs)
Have you ever had any experiences/interactions that were mentioned? (Such as seen them on their bicycles, etc…) Write a sentence or two if you have had any experiences.
Read ‘A New American Religion.’
How many Latter-day Saints are there located around the world? Why is it extraordinary that there are so many Saints around the world?
What must be balanced in order for a new religion to succeed? (left top 335)
The ‘New World’ is a part of what story?
What is a ‘New Dispensation’?
What is the ‘Advent?’
What provided the Saints with the grounds for developing very cohesive, self-sufficient communities? (bottom right 335)
What other three groups/religions, which we have studied already studied, also tries(d) to live apart from other people/religions.
What are the Saints chosen by God for? (last sentence bottom 335)
Read ‘The American Saints Today.’
What do the Saints excel at and how do they contribute significantly?
(Pick one.)
Read ‘Marriage and Family Life.’
Are daily life and religion separate domains of human existence for the Saints?
How is life defined within Latter-day Saint families?
How is Marriage not just a civil contract for Latter-day Saints?
Is premarital, extra marital sex, or homosexuality allowed?
What is the basic foundation of the Latter-day Saint way of life? (bottom left 337)
How many children are a typical Latter-day Saint couple anticipating having?
Is abortion totally prohibited? How does this compare with Catholicism and abortion?
Is birth control allowed, and, if so, why?
Although the Latter-day Saints subscribe to traditional gender roles, is the actual enactment of these roles different than the typical middle-class American? (bottom right 337)
How are children supposed to relate to their parents?
Why are the children of Latter-day Saints not allowed to be baptized until eight years after birth? Does this remind you of any other particular group? (bottom left 338)
Do the Saints believe in original sin? Why?
Can woman be ordained into the priesthood? Why not? (bottom left 339)
Read ‘Education and Work.’
What are the Saints supposed to build here on earth?
Is education valued by the Saints? Give an example.
Name the college run by the Saints in Provo Utah.
Do the Saints tithe? How much?
Read ‘Subcultural Uniformity and Diversity.’
Is individualism constrained by the communities goals? Give an example.
The Latter-day Saints encourage what in all things?
What was the revelation received in 1978? (left 342)
The American Saints are predominately what? (bottom left and top right 342)
Read ‘The Latter-Day Saints’ Religion.’
What do the Saints believe in that is similar to the Catholic Pope?
What version of the Bible do the Latter-day Saints accept?
Do the Saints accept (emphasize) the old testament?
Name the four books the Saints accept.
According to the Saints is the Biblical God (along with Jesus the Christ) a spiritual being or a material/physical being?
Who besides the big three (Father, Son, and holy ghost) do the Saints accept?
Can you baptize the dead according to the Saints? Is this controversial? (Not in book.)
When are you supposed to wear the sacred undergarment? What does is symbolize? (top right 344)
What is a theocracy?
Read ‘A World Religion.’
Do the Saints proselytize?
Why is the Latter-day Saint religion especially attractive to people who identify with American cultural values?
‘Final Thoughts’
What is the most interesting thing about the Latter-day Saints religion to you? Write a few sentences explaining what it is.