The strength of Mormon life.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)

SIR: The recent article on Mormonism by Ray Agostini (May 2004) dwelt more on the LDS Church, its history and theology, than on Mormon culture. While the church has done some wonderful work, such as producing a fully concordanced version of the so-called King James Bible, it is Mormon culture that (I suggest) can be most usefully examined for constructive approaches to family and social life.

The precepts of the culture offer a comprehensive system for personal mastery and community peace. The practice of fasting each month, and avoiding certain common stimulants, help members to learn self-control, and to stand up to peer pressure. The practice of Family Home Evening, whereby every member of the family stays home one evening a week for common worship, study and play, helps make the unit stronger, and its members more understanding of each other.

When important decisions have to be made they hold a formal Family Council: this way each child, as well as the adults, can contemplate, ponder and contribute to life-changing decisions. Think how much childish resentment, hardly resolved even in adulthood, caused by imposing such decisions on children could be prevented if such a system were practised generally.

The four daily duties of a Mormon are: Scripture reading; prayer; physical exercise; and journal writing. For reasons of time the fourth may be condensed into one day a week, especially Sunday. The principal benefit of the first ...