Why are Mormons so happy?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SacredHeartBassist
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
ShowersofRoses said:
I happen to know that while they were fairly happy, there was intense pressure behind the scenes for them to always appear completely happy and content. Apparently, their church thought that if they appeared sad or overwhelmed with life, people would realize that Mormonism was a lie and not the perfect answer to all of life’s problems. So she always had to be “on” and a perfect Barbie girl.
Click to expand...
That was never conveyed to me in my 25 years a Mormon, or at least no one in the LDS Church explicitly told us that we had to do this for the sake of the LDS image. If anything the pressure was more centered around family honor. Don’t air the dirty laundry of the family to anyone for any reason, don’t express your emotions in such a way that people can infer the family isn’t doing so well with finances, or health, or whatever. Stoicism is indeed highly valued in Mormon culture but there are homegrown movements to change that, especially since attention has been drawn to the increased youth suicide rate in Mormon communities.
 
Yes, that is very well-expressed. I was just trying to explain how she conveyed it to me.
 
Sorry, you’re right. That very well could be her experience of it and that mine differs doesn’t negate it. I’d imagine hers becomes more relevant the heavier Mormon your extended community is, and how high up in the Mormon priesthood one’s father, grandfather, or great-grandfather is. I remember when dad became Stake President and all of a sudden there was zero tolerance of childhood indiscretions on my part, let alone “looking mopey”.
 
SacredHeartBassist said:
Serious question. I mean if Catholics possess the truth and Mormons don’t why are they so happy
Click to expand...
The Mormons that the general public sees and recognizes as such, are young Mormon men volunteering as “elders” or colloquially “missionaries.”

The are young, well dressed, polite, and they are being run herd over by their leadership.

Comparing a select group with a broad population like Catholics isn’t really a fair comparison. I think that if you lived out in Provo or some place with lots of Mormons across the full range of ages and amount of commitment, you wouldn’t have the same observation
 
Possessing “the truth” is not guaranteed to make you happy or unhappy.

As Will Rogers said, people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. I could show you happy and miserable people of every religion and no religion.
 
I think it’s the same reason why the hare krishnas are always happy. Both the hare krishnas and mormons are comforted and they get a spiritual high. The prophets of Baal might have been happy at times, but that didn’t make their theology true.
 
SacredHeartBassist said:
Serious question. I mean if Catholics possess the truth and Mormons don’t why are they so happy
Click to expand...
Because you can be conditioned to believe anything. Being surrounded by those with similar conviction creates resonance of that belief. Community contributes tremendously to happiness. “Belonging”.
 
SacredHeartBassist said:
My Mormon cousin came to visit. The way she described her family and all of Utah seems pretty wholesome and happy if you ask me. Maybe she’s trying to make it sound better than it is or make her family sound nice. Idk
Click to expand...
I’ve lived in Utah my entire life. I was raised as a Mormon and my entire extended family are Mormons. They are like anyone else. Utah isn’t the worse place in n the world, but it isn’t some magical place where everyone is happy all of the time.

There are serious issues here with substance abuse. Small town Utah is 99% Mormon and small towns are overrun with meth, heroine and abuse of prescription medications. There’s been a couple of documentary films done on this problem.

Besides the drug problems, Utah has one of highest rates of teen suicide. I know so many families who have lost loved ones to suicide or drug overdoses.

And then there’s the air pollution, which is a serious health issue.

There are a lot of people who seem oblivious to the problems in their own neighborhoods.
 
Jesus had a completely different take on “happy” (blessed), including mourning and persecution.
I for one am so glad He did. No need whatsoever to buy into what the world considers “happy” or to fake it to fool your neighbors.
 
What is with all of these Mormon threads?
I realize that this is a forum for discussion, but I am a Catholic and I am happy. The Catholic Church was handed down by Jesus Christ. I am not sure where the Mormon religion came from. Nor do I care.
 
I live in a region with an higher than average Mormon population so interact with them a fair bit. I wouldn’t say they are happier than rest of population necessarily, I would say they are nice. I get along with them fine but find that they appear to be constantly walking on egg shells, by that I mean overly concerned with perception, so therefore are consistently polite/nice which is nice of course but it seems like there range of emotions is in narrowband between say 4 and 6. By that I mean call the lower of the spectrum a genuine show of anger or sadness or something tilting to the negative and on the higher end of the spectrum a show of joy or happiness etc. I’m generalizing of course but I do find LDS folk to be tentative with their emotions. With that said I do enjoy to some extent interacting with them because they I do respect the fact that they do have a ethical code that rises above the relativistic western culture and obviously prefer chatting people who are nice, polite and are at least seeking to do/be good versus crude knuckleheads who maybe they do exhibit a full range of emotions but are stunted ethically in sense. Hope all that made sense.
 
I was a Mormon for 57 years and served in five bishoprics and was a branch president. I sat with many, many Mormons who suffered from depression and all forms of anxiety. Mormons are no happier than any other group, from what I have experienced. Many of them also struggle with cognitive dissonance, knowing that what they are supposed to believe and what they truly know inside are in conflict with each other.

The gospel of Mormonism is impossible. I don’t know a Mormon out there who qualifies for the Mormon Celestial Kingdom. Joseph Smith won’t be passing out many tickets to the highest degree of glory. It will be a lonely place.

You think Mormons are unusually happy? Don’t fool yourselves. Catholics have much more to be joyful about.
 
SacredHeartBassist said:
Serious question. I mean if Catholics possess the truth and Mormons don’t why are they so happy
Click to expand...
I would like to offer a bit.
First, all LDS are not happy and LDS do have problems. To suggest otherwise would be dishonest. I find it hard to believe that a LDS would claim all LDS are happy because surely they would know enough to discover otherwise AND the connections that are formed in all the wards I have ever been in would allow the type of connection to know. The only possible way a Catholic could believe this about Catholics IMO would be if they went to mass and didn’t engage with their parish. I was not that type of Catholic and I knew folks in my youth group and confirmation class and other families that had the issues that we all have if we deal with REAL life. Now, I find it possible that a non-LDS could come in contact with a handful of LDS who appear happy and are very committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ (good news).
The prevalence of LDS who had happy and healthy families (per my observation) was one of the things that lead me to more seriously consider becoming a LDS. I do not recall looking for the ones who were not really happy or trying to see through the façade erected by the supposedly happy ones. If my perception of Catholicism was correct (if my catechesis and further formation was better and the beam in my eye didn’t preclude me from getting what I could have gotten from the liberal parish to which I belonged) I too might have looked with suspicion on the LDS examples I saw. But I considered Catholicism to be one choice among many and I could see that there was a difference in the LDSs with whom I interacted.
As a LDS who knows LDS who deal with drugs, anger, pornography, and … AND sadness, tiredness, family challenges, and …; I would never say that all LDS are happy all the time. That being said I still believe that there is a difference. Following the gospel of Jesus Christ which leads to happiness (again it is the “good news”) is more common in the wards to which I have belonged or visited than in the parishes to which I have belonged or visited. I reject the idea of a “different Jesus” that anti-Mormons here and elsewhere peddle, but if there is a “different Jesus” then LDS have the Jesus who died for our sins and is the Son of God because being a LDS works better. This “works better” is not A+ perfection where everyone else fails. Instead, it is a noticeable better that exists along side LDS who struggle and Catholics who get it right.
cont…
 
Last edited:
SacredHeartBassist said:
Serious question. I mean if Catholics possess the truth and Mormons don’t why are they so happy
Click to expand...
It is my position that living the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the CoJCoLDS will lead to happiness often and the ability to deal with profound problems when they arise. It is my position that living the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Catholic Church will lead to happiness often and the ability to deal with profound problems when they arise. I believe the day to day living of the gospel will be remarkably similar in both cases and questions such as did Mary have other children OR did God create ex nihilo will not impact the lived gospel in all or almost all cases.
I would not be a LDS if I didn’t believe God worked through Joseph Smith to restore the gospel I would be a Catholic. But, in any case I would still explain that LDS do a better job on average of youth and adult catechesis and formation. I would tell my Catholic friends to adopt the practices prevalent in the CoJCoLDS. Have adult and youth Sunday School where Catholic history/heritage and the Bible is used to teach moral principles. Have family home evening. Radically encourage EVERY Catholic to serve their fellow members through important and less important jobs.
I think God’s help is available to the Catholic and the LDS drug addict. I think commitment to God and happiness result when the addict lets God rescue him/her. But, I do not recommend addictions. I think help is available to the overwhelmed LDS Bishop and Relief Society President AND Catholic priest. I think commitment to God and happiness result when these folks let God rescue them. I think help is available to the LDS Sunday School teacher and Ward emergency preparedness specialist and the Catholic youth group leader ….
One of the problems I see with Catholic worship is that so many people show up for 1 hour and are taught that is fine. Unless they are “fortunate” enough to be rescued by God from addictions, they will not recognize how Christianity is supposed to work. This is less common in the CoJCoLDS because there are not a lot of folks who show up for 1 (well usually 3) hours and have nothing else they need to lean upon Christ in order to succeed.
"A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation". Christ said to take up your cross and follow him! Christ told the rich man he must sell all he had. Don’t be the rich man who went away sorrowing! I do not see why Catholic parishes cannot ask for more from their parishioners. I loved working to raise money so our parish could move out of the middle school into a beautiful new building. Many of us did a lot more than just attend for one hour on Sunday. This produces happiness and fulfillment AND commitment to God and His gospel. Great parishes get this right!
Charity, TOm
 
Last edited:
LDS believe Jesus is the son of God. Catholics believe Jesus is God. God did not send someone. else to die for us. He took that on himself. I have spent many hours meditating on the love of a God who would do that for me.
Even if LDS are happy in this world. with God’s grace I will be happy with him in the next.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top