BYU study: Mormons and Easter

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As a former LDS member, I am not surprised at the data.

That was one (of many) sticking points that distressed me as an LDS was the lack of attention paid to Easter. Sure, I got the pat answer of ‘we celebrate the resurrection everyday’ and in every testimony. LDS focus on the risen Christ as seen by the lack of even crosses ,much less cruxifixes in their chapels and gospel art.
I particularlly disliked it when, like this weekend, General Conference is held on Easter. The speakers may make a few references from the podium, a few lilies scattered about the Tabernacle, but for the most part - talk about the BoM and how great the Prophet is, pay your tithing, keep up food storage, yada yada yada.
This is THE holy day of the year and without it, Christianity would be in vain. Yet, the ‘true church’ of Christ can’t be bothered except for a casual family egg hunt and a new dress to wear to Sacrament meeting.
Christmas, heck even Halloween with Trunk or Treat gets more fanfare…

as an aside - I do recall lesson plans in the sunday school manuals for an Easter topic, something which study denies. My experience is only three years old so your mileage may vary.
 
As a former LDS member, I am not surprised at the data.

That was one (of many) sticking points that distressed me as an LDS was the lack of attention paid to Easter. Sure, I got the pat answer of ‘we celebrate the resurrection everyday’ and in every testimony. LDS focus on the risen Christ as seen by the lack of even crosses ,much less cruxifixes in their chapels and gospel art.
I particularlly disliked it when, like this weekend, General Conference is held on Easter. The speakers may make a few references from the podium, a few lilies scattered about the Tabernacle, but for the most part - talk about the BoM and how great the Prophet is, pay your tithing, keep up food storage, yada yada yada.
This is THE holy day of the year and without it, Christianity would be in vain. Yet, the ‘true church’ of Christ can’t be bothered except for a casual family egg hunt and a new dress to wear to Sacrament meeting.
Christmas, heck even Halloween with Trunk or Treat gets more fanfare…

as an aside - I do recall lesson plans in the sunday school manuals for an Easter topic, something which study denies. My experience is only three years old so your mileage may vary.
You obviously missed today’s General Conference from Salt Lake where stressed was place on easter and the risen christ.

youtube.com/watch?v=GWIx2TbfB5A

An excerpt from one talk. The talk was beautiful and very christian.
 
That validates what the BYU study mentioned in the link to Desert News was talking about.
Not really. You also need to read the comment section. The mormons do not downplay easter. The conference stressed easter and the risen christ and what it means for mormons. The talks were focused on Christ by and large.

It is only the first part of the talk that I posted but the second part can be accessed on youtube. Also, I just wanted to prove the second poster wrong in what he said easter is about for the lds church.

Catholics go to Masses through out the easter weekend. Mormons usually go to church on easter sunday and what each church does is their own business. There is no set program for all lds churches. And the comments section is a reflection of that.
 
Well I can see why Why me likes the comment section here’s a sampling of the loaded words and phrases given by LDS folks.
“We take the sacrament every week,”
Wow! Nobody else does anything like this! (said breathlessly) This is a theme that comes up repeatedly.
“Easter was named for the pagan goddess of fertility, Ester.” *
This is another item that comes up alot.
“we are one of the few religions who consistently talk about the resurrection throughout the year.”
Really?
“Mormons have no disconnect at all, in fact they may be the only ones that really understand it.”
*:rolleyes:
“This is why you may observe them in quiet reverent worship rather than engaging in secular practices.”
:rolleyes:
"but that doesn’t make our observance of Easter any less. True, we don’t go out and party, etc,"
Yeah Easter has always been a “party till you puke” kind of holiday:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

And of course you can’t have a proper understanding of non-LDS unless you reiterate JS words from his “vision” like this poster:
“He has risen!! and he is my personal Savior and Friend! That means more to me than all the the pageantry of all the churchs who come near to him with their lips but with their hearts far from understanding his true character, personality, and relationship to them.”*
“Because of the death of Jesus death passes by us. Passover would be a much more appropriate day of remembrance, instead of a pagan holiday in Christian drag, like Easter.”
  • So that’s what LDS think Easter is, I never knew!!!
*“We just celebrate respectfully at church and home as opposed to going to Sugar House Park or the Sand dunes camping.” *
I might never have known about the camping aspect of Easter had I not read this, where I live it’s generally still cold at Easter and I don’t like being cold.
“However the bulk majority, and I mean almost everyone, used it as a week of revelry, drunkenness, parties, and debauchery. Similar to what you would experience in Mardi Gras… another misused religious holiday. I’d much rather belong to a religion that focuses on the atonement 24/7/365 than one that makes it into something enormous one day and common the others”*
Again I am not familiar with Easter debauchery??
“I’m happy to hear that the LDS do not “celebrate” Easter as much as other people. To me, the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is very personal. I don’t want it to become another holiday where we spend too much money and eat too much food.”
Yep the whole comment section is very much like what Why me does here building up LDS by tearing down an imaginary “other”.
 
There are some Mormons testifying to not celebrating Easter? 🤷 But then that, again, pretty much validates the BYU study.

Some of those posters have a real warped view of how people celebrate and worship at Easter. How unfortunate for them.
 
Well I can see why Why me likes the comment section here’s a sampling of the loaded words and phrases given by LDS folks.
Wow! Nobody else does anything like this! (said breathlessly) This is a theme that comes up repeatedly.

This is another item that comes up alot.
  • Really?
*:rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

Yeah Easter has always been a “party till you puke” kind of holiday:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

And of course you can’t have a proper understanding of non-LDS unless you reiterate JS words from his “vision” like this poster:
So that’s what LDS think Easter is, I never knew!!!

I might never have known about the camping aspect of Easter had I not read this, where I live it’s generally still cold at Easter and I don’t like being cold.

Again I am not familiar with Easter debauchery??

Yep the whole comment section is very much like what Why me does here building up LDS by tearing down an imaginary “other”.**

You totally hit on the one I found most offensive as well. Where do they get off thinking Holy Week is one long drunken party? Could anything be farther from the truth??? Good grief. :eek:
 
Well I can see why Why me likes the comment section here’s a sampling of the loaded words and phrases given by LDS folks.
Wow! Nobody else does anything like this! (said breathlessly) This is a theme that comes up repeatedly.

This is another item that comes up alot.
  • Really?
*:rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

Yeah Easter has always been a “party till you puke” kind of holiday:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

And of course you can’t have a proper understanding of non-LDS unless you reiterate JS words from his “vision” like this poster:
So that’s what LDS think Easter is, I never knew!!!

I might never have known about the camping aspect of Easter had I not read this, where I live it’s generally still cold at Easter and I don’t like being cold.

Again I am not familiar with Easter debauchery??

Yep the whole comment section is very much like what Why me does here building up LDS by tearing down an imaginary “other”.**

Well, I would assume that catholics would not all be of one mind eiher. But what the comments section does show is that the mormons are not members of a brainwashing cult since there are more opinions than grains of sand on a beach. And it would be no different reading catholic posts.

However, easter is celebrated each day by practicing mormons in how they live their life throughout the year. And that says much.
 
You totally hit on the one I found most offensive as well. Where do they get off thinking Holy Week is one long drunken party? Could anything be farther from the truth??? Good grief. :eek:
I don’t think that the post should get a their. A poster’s opinion is just an opinion. Heck, if I would think that the posts on the mormon threads on this forum was the opinion of the catholic church, I would have a very bad opinion of the catholic church.
 
You totally hit on the one I found most offensive as well. Where do they get off thinking Holy Week is one long drunken party? Could anything be farther from the truth??? Good grief. :eek:
The majority of LDS do not know what Holy Week is, let alone how it is observed.
 
The majority of LDS do not know what Holy Week is, let alone how it is observed.
Amen!! Holy week is such a powerful and spiritual experience, starting with Palm Sunday, and culminating in the greatest celebration of the resurrection at the Easter Vigil.

It really hits home.

So many people miss out when they don’t involve themselves in everything that is involved in Holy week.
 
Amen!! Holy week is such a powerful and spiritual experience, starting with Palm Sunday, and culminating in the greatest celebration of the resurrection at the Easter Vigil.

It really hits home.

So many people miss out when they don’t involve themselves in everything that is involved in Holy week.
Yeah, it really hits home. One continuous liturgy from Thursday night to Easter Vigil. :signofcross:
 
It seems the LDS who have made comments think that when Christians say “celebrate Easter”, we’re talking something akin to the secular celebration of Christmas. Which, I can see how they would be against this.

First, they should learn how to celebrate Holy Days in general. 🙂
 
The majority of LDS do not know what Holy Week is, let alone how it is observed.
And why would they know how to observe it? It is not apart of their religious culture. However, observance of holy week does not make a christian. For the lds, the observance of easter is a daily act of christian living which they do throughout the year. And not an obsevance of one week.
 
Well, I would assume that catholics would not all be of one mind eiher. But what the comments section does show is that the mormons are not members of a brainwashing cult since there are more opinions than grains of sand on a beach. And it would be no different reading catholic posts.
What the comment section shows is a lot of contempt by LDS members for non-LDS Christianity whether you admit it or not.
And why would they know how to observe it? It is not apart of their religious culture. However, observance of holy week does not make a christian. For the lds, the observance of easter is a daily act of christian living which they do throughout the year. And not an obsevance of one week.
Except when they take time out to bash non-LDS for being drunk materialistic pagans who participate in debauchery. But again we see you’re unwilling to call LDS on their bashing.
 
Interesting, this idea that you either are celebrating Easter on one day a year, or every day.

For any LDS reading this, Catholics celebrate every Sunday as a “mini-Easter”. It is why fasting and abstinence are practiced every Friday, in a recognition of the Passion of Christ. Sunday, there is no fasting or abstinence because we are celebrating Christ Risen. Most profoundly recognized in the Eucharist.
 
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