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Eastern Places to Visit

Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints
Crofton, MD

by Ellis Robert

I chose to visit a Latter Day Saint church. The name of the church was "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." The church was located in Crofton, MD. Before I visited the church I met with one of their disciples. He has been a Latter Day Saint since he was a child. The first thing he told me was that the term "Mormon" is more of a nickname and that "latter day saint" or "disciple" is a more appropriate term. As we approached the church I noticed that the grounds were very well kept. The grass was very green and neatly trimmed. The parking lot was smooth and did not contain any potholes. The disciple told me that some of the Latter Day Saint churches in the local area have U.S. flags, however his church did not. The church was a midsize building with large textured windows. I had a pre-conceived notion that the windows would be stained-glass windows, however, they were clear. The church looked to be new building. The disciple I interviewed was not exactly sure how old the church was. As we walked to the building on a clean sidewalk there were several other people entering the church also. Everyone, including myself was nicely dressed. The women were wearing conservative dresses and the men for the most part were wearing a suit and tie. The children were wearing dresses (little girls) and pants with slacks (little boys). I entered the church with the disciple with the same feeling I had as a child growing up in a Christian church. I got a feeling of a family oriented environment. Everyone seemed to be very happy and very accepting of a visitor. 

The church service began with the men, women, and children separating into different groups. The men went to a group called "priesthood." The women went to a group called the "relief society." The children went to "Sunday school." Each group learns about the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon. The disciple told me the Book of Mormon got that name because a prophet named Mormon collected the teachings of other prophets who were inspired by Christ. The stories are about people who lived in the North and South American continents. The disciple also told me that the Book of Mormon began approximately 500 years before Christ lived until 300 years after his death. A prophet who lived in the 1800's named Joseph Smith later translated the stories. After the priesthood group was done we all reconvened in the chapel for the main service. 

The chapel is the main area of the church where the saints hold service. The pews were wooden and the area was covered with brown carpet (entire church covered with carpet). Each Sunday the Bishop (head of the church) selects someone to teach the congregation. Before the service began I participated in a activity called "sacrament." Sacrament is an activity I was familiar with because it was the same as an activity I have participated in called communion. The only difference is we used grape juice instead of water. The ceremony is held by the passing of bread and water to each saint. The entire congregation listens to the Bishop as he reminds each member to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The bread represents the body of Jesus and the water represents the blood of Jesus. The Bishop said a prayer and read a scripture before the sacrament. After the sacrament I expected to listen to a choir sing songs, however, this church has a small choir that did not sing that day. After the sacrament the individual the Bishop selected to speak taught the congregation about having faith that God will answer their prayers. The lesson focused on being patient and faithful. Once the speaker finished the church was dismissed to go home. 

During my experience I learned several things about Latter Day Saints that I did not know. I learned that the Book of Mormon is about saints who lived in the Western Hemisphere before, during, and after Christ lived. A lot of what latter day saints believe is similar to the non-denominational Christian belief I have. The differences are they do not believe that Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are one. They believe they are separate beings (three spirits that are three spirits, not three spirits that are one). The biggest surprise I encountered is that the disciple told they belief that people can still go to heaven even if they do not believe in Christ. He told me that they believe people who practice other religions can go to heaven also (Christ is not the only way). I also learned that there is no requirement to say a prayer asking Jesus to forgive of your sins to be saved. They have a baptismal ceremony that represents their commitment to follow the teachings of the Latter Day Saints and the Bible. The disciple told me that they also believe that Jesus visited the Western Hemisphere. The Book of Mormon is very similar to the Bible. The Latter Day Saints use the Bible and the Book of Mormon as a guide for living. 

I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot more information than I thought I would. 

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