A friend of mine shared some thoughts that have gotten me thinking.

She talked about how much she loves nature. She and her husband love to take walks outside (when they were younger, they hiked a lot). As for so many of us, she finds being in nature soothing to her soul.

For those of us who believe in Jesus Christ, He is found in nature. He is the Creator of the earth. He is the Creator and source of light in sun, moon, and stars. The peace we can find among His creations is His peace.

My friend built on this idea and made a spiritual connection to the notion of the tree of life. She explored the idea of staying at the tree — like the one mentioned in the Book of Mormon in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.

The tree there represents Jesus Christ. To stay at the tree — to be a tree-hugger spiritually — is to stay by Jesus. That vision given to Lehi has many elements to it, and staying at the tree is one of the key protections against things like mocking voices and the shame that can come from listening to them. (I think about how easy it is to listen to shame from hamster-wheel thoughts in my own mind; I don’t need external mocking voices to feel toxic shame. Keeping Jesus close in my thoughts can help, especially when I remember that His voice is one of love and care and gentleness.)

Reflecting on my friend’s thoughts made me think of John 15 (see also Isaiah 27) about Jesus being the true vine. To truly stay by the tree is to be connected to Him as the Source of life (both now and forever). He is the Source of breath for our bodies. He is the One who makes resurrection possible for us all. His life as the True Vine showed us the Way, and His death (on a tree, as it is sometimes said) and resurrection made the Way for us to be forgiven and someday to return back to our Heavenly Parents.

My friend also talked about her love of family history. More trees to hug! I, too, love doing family history and discovering more about my family tree, and helping use the wonders of technology to build family trees in tools like FamilySearch and Ancestry. When I do family history, I feel like I sometimes can get a glimpse of how personally each of us is known to God. Even in a few records, I can learn more about a person — what they looked like, what their profession might have been, perhaps where they lived and how they died. When I find someone in the records who hasn’t yet been represented on a family tree, sometimes I stop and just say their name out loud. “I see you.” I sometimes wish I could give them a hug! But helping their stories be told feels like a way to show love for them. These people are not dead to God, and building family trees in records helps me remember that. Like in the Disney movie Coco (about el Día de los Muertos — a movie about family history!), they need not be dead to us. We benefit when we remember them and tell their stories (and let records help us do that).

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, building family trees in records also connects us to the temple. My friend talked about this, too — about the peace she finds in the rootedness of the temple. In the temple, sacred ordinances are performed to bind families together. The crowning ordinance performed therein is called the sealing ordinance — where husband and wife can be married for time and eternity — not just “until death do us part.” The authority to bind families together in this way was committed to Joseph Smith shortly after the dedication of the Kirtland temple when Elijah the prophet — the one who spoke anciently of hearts of fathers turning to children and children to fathers — came (just as other ancient leaders had done earlier to restore the power to baptize (John the Baptist) and to confirm the Holy Ghost (Peter, James, and John).

Once people receive temple ordinances for themselves (some of them symbolic of ordinances received in ancient times), then we can act as “proxies” for those who have passed on. In a favorite film of mine, called “The Mountain of the Lord,” President Wilford Woodruff is portrayed speaking to a newspaper reporter, who scoffed a bit at this idea of doing proxy work for the dead. I like how President Woodruff’s response to the reporter was represented.

“Many people believe in some form of vicarious work for the dead. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was a vicarious work. Whoever accepts Jesus as the Savior also accepts the principle of vicarious proxy.”

Since these ordinances require a physical body, we who have physical bodies act as proxy for those who do not have bodies anymore, as death separates body and spirit until the time of resurrection. And then those who have had ordinances performed on their behalf have the opportunity to choose to accept or reject them.

You can learn more about Jesus’ visit to the spirit world after His death (as referred to in 1 Peter 3:18-19), in Doctrine and Covenants 138.)

I love patterns and symbols, and appreciated my friend’s invitation to think about trees today, and all the many ways I can be a tree hugger.

The post Be a tree hugger! On earth and for heaven’s sake appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Michelle

Truths about God’s love and His plan and His Son Jesus Christ are truths that even children can comprehend. Today, a children’s song came to mind that carries with it this kind of beautiful simplicity — and also points to so many layers of awe-inspiring truths.

This song talks about how we all lived with God before this life. We were given the opportunity to choose whether or not we wanted to come to earth and receive bodies and learn by experience through this mortal journey. We knew Jesus before this life, because He was central to God’s plan to allow us the opportunity to come back Home.

In this life, we have an opportunity to choose God’s plan and to choose to have faith in Jesus — again.

The song reminds me of William Wordsworth’s poem, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.” (I’d never seen the whole poem before; I recommend reading it in its entirety.)

Wordsworth was an English poet who was born in the later 18th century. His poem articulates this sense that our existence didn’t start here, but that

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

                      Hath had elsewhere its setting,

                         And cometh from afar:

                      Not in entire forgetfulness,

                      And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

                      From God, who is our home:

Wordsworth also acknowledges that as we grow older, experiences of life can leave us forgetting, growing blinded to our divine identity evidences of Light all around us.

But we don’t have to walk blind, in the dark. We can, as the scriptures say, be as little children.

As these children sing, we can “Choose Him Again.”

[Song written by Shawna Edwards and performed by One Voice Children’s Choir]

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In my professional life, my work is to explore how we can be well in a digital world. There are so many facets to wellness — mental, physical, emotional, social, spiritual. We talk about civic wellness as well — about the impact of digital life on our ability to talk about hard things and solve hard problems.

For me, this continual interest in understanding wellness is not just my job. I’ve long been fascinated with human nature and behavior (my background is in Psychology and studying the human side of organizations and systems). But beyond all of that still is something deeper.

And once in a while, in my networking and study and reflection for work, I come across material that stops me in my tracks.

I recently learned about a new initiative called AI and Faith, seeking to bring the perspectives of people of faith into discussions about and design of Artificial Intelligence. In talking with one of the leaders of this organization, I learned about some of the work of Andy Crouch. Crouch is an author of several books; he was the executive editor of Christianity Today for four years; he’s involved in other organizations like Fuller Theological Seminary and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

I’ve only started his newest book, but the following video gives a glimpse into what he sees as the antidote to the negative impacts of technological advances. To be sure, progress has its upsides, but, as he notes, it also has its paradoxes.

How he connects some of his thoughts into Romans 16 is thought-provoking and inspiring. I’ll never look at the chapter the same again (which, as Crouch helped me see, was not written by Paul, but by a person named Tertius.)

In addition to the video below, I wanted to share a snippet from his newest book that I just started (this share is not promotional, it’s emotional; what he said moved me deeply).

In the first chapter, he shares his perspective on what early Christianity was: a radical kind of social revolution, a movement toward the truest kind of inclusion in divisive times.

Much like the struggles of our day, there was increasing fragmentation and stratification of society as the quest for wealth and power became more of a focus in an “ever-more complex and urbanizing empire.” But, Crouch notes, “The Roman empire was a lonely place for almost everyone, powerless or powerful.” So what was the countercultural movement about?

People from all walks of life and social strata came together — such as the group greeted and seen and acknowledged by Paul in Romans 16 — around a shared belief. “They had come to believe, against all evidence and social convention” (and in the face of oppression in the culture and in the political power structure), “that they were in fact fully persons and that they had discovered the way to a flourishing life together.” (Of course we who are Christians know that that belief was not fabricated by them, but instilled by their belief in Someone who sees all as equals, and Who gave His life for each one.)

If you have ever seen a portrayal of the kind of excess and social inequality found in these ancient times, you can imagine the contrast he draws as he describes what early Christians did instead.

“[G]roups of men and women, Jews and Greeks, slaves and free…enjoyed a very different kind of meal. In halls that were accustomed to to feasts that signaled the status and significance of the host, this community would pass a single loaf of bread from hand to hand, in remembrance of someone not present. In place of reverent toasts to the emperor, they would sing songs both ancient and new that spoke of a different king and kingdom.” (The Life We’re Looking For, p. 17)

I won’t ever think about my church’s sacrament in the same way, either.

The post Romans 16: an oft-ignored chapter of the Bible that holds insight into digital and civic wellness appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Michelle

When COVID-19 first started, my youngest was finishing up high school. As schools and everything closed down, I think most of us expected (or at least hoped) that the situation would pass fairly quickly.

I definitely didn’t imagine my daughter not being able to return to school for the rest of her senior year. I definitely didn’t expect to have online church as the only option for as long as we did. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we saw missionaries having to work for months completely from their apartments, using only technology to engage with people. Many missionaries had to leave their missionary service altogether, or were reassigned to different locations in their home countries. I never imagined that my missionary son would have to come home early because of a pandemic. I never imagined sending off another missionary into a pandemic.

While we’ve seen a return to schools and church and more “normal” life, to a degree, now the Omicron variant has made us have to make shifts again. Medical systems are strained. Medical workers are exhausted and staffing shortages are an issue (because some have quit the profession for how difficult this has been, and because many are sick). Many schools are needing to make significant adjustments (including going online in some cases) because of the number of teachers and students who are sick. At least where I live, testing capacity is now far beyond demand, and treatments for COVID are in short supply and/or don’t work with this variant. In my local area (a cluster of 9 congregations), we just went back to online church because too many people are sick and our leaders hope to slow the spread in our community.

And, as throughout the pandemic, emotions continue to run high as different opinions about it all are expressed and explored and debated.

At the beginning of the pandemic, a quiet voice whispered to my spirit, “There is more going on here than COVID.” In my own personal experiences, although COVID has been so difficult for so many reasons, this has been true.

In the larger picture of things, this has also been true. There has been a great deal of loss, to be sure, and there have also been compensatory blessings. I’ll share a simple example that I learned about this weekend.

When COVID started, an instructor in the religious education system of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to put his lessons on YouTube for his students. (I was familiar with his channel, but didn’t know the history.) He never could have imagined that “six months later we hit our one millionth view, as people around the world are eagerly pursuing an unshaken faith in God by immersing themselves in His word.” (https://unshaken.podbean.com/) On YouTube, his video series, Unshaken, has almost 59,000 subscribers, and the podcast version of Unshaken has over 1.9 million downloads. Where in the classroom, students get to spend about 24 hours or so in a given semester exploring God’s word together, with these videos, people who have listened, Jared Halverson says, have spent a cumulative total of five solid days — or five semesters’ worth — of time immersed in the scriptures — all because of a pandemic and the upsides of living in a digital age. (When technology is used for good, such good can happen! #UseTech4Good)

Another example is RootsTech (which is coming up again soon). Last year, RootsTech went virtual-only for the first time. RootsTech is the largest genealogy/family history conference in the world. When they first announced the all-online version of RootsTech, they projected 40-50K people would sign up. Soon, they realized their projections were significantly off. In the end, over 1.1 million people participated in the 2021 RootsTech conference! And leaders of the conference realized, through the constraints COVID presented, that they could make materials available all year around and thus serve more people than ever before. (See https://www.deseret.com/faith/2021/3/3/22307976/what-drew-more-than-1-1-million-to-attend-rootstech-connect-2021-family-history-genealogy for more on RootsTech 2021, or RootsTech Connect)

COVID has been a difficult challenge, to be sure, but stories like this are legion. I don’t share any of this to minimize the horrible things that have happened, including millions of lives lost, numberless jobs lost or impacted, long-term health impacts from the disease for too many, mental and emotional challenges experiences or exacerbated by the stress and increased isolation many have suffered…and the list can go on.

And, as has already been mentioned, there is so much of division and contention around the politicization of the pandemic, and that has put wedges in families and cities and nations and religious communities and beyond.

This week, after wrestling (again) with some weariness from it all, I was reminded of a scripture that means a lot to me. For a little background, I’m struck by the statement from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about encouraging precautions such as vaccines and masks. Before they mention precautions, however, I’m intrigued that they call this time a time of war. “We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic.” Wartime situations call for different measures than what we are used to as normal.

As I think about this, I think: The war is not supposed to be against each other, but against the disease. Still, the length of this war has brought frustration, weariness, even hopelessness. “Does the journey seem long?” a hymn asks. I think most of us would say, “Yes! This pandemic just feels like it’s dragging on forever. I want it to be over!” “I’m so done with COVID!” I’ve heard many exclaim. Experts and prophets alike predict it will eventually move into an endemic phase. But we aren’t there yet. It’s not over yet. And, I remind myself, I need to not forget that for too many in the world, war is just part of their normal. (There it goes again….my heart can feel heavy even at the thought.)

So what can be done to keep from being buried in frustration or weariness…or even apathy or enmity toward others in times of war?

I love this scripture from Alma 62:41 in the Book of Mormon.

“But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war…many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.”

When the journey seems long, when whatever wars we may be fighting — be they collective (such as this one against a global pandemic or other physical or philosophical wars that plague our world), or personal battles — turning to God for help can help us not lose hope (or help us find it again). He can help us heal from the impact of hard things. In His way and time, He can show us how He can make beauty from ashes (see Isaiah 61:3), and turn all things to our good (see Romans 8:28 or Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9). What if, in the end, no matter what the specifics of the war, the invitation is to let it all turn our hearts more toward God?

President Russell M. Nelson has said (a message that was repeated by many during the last General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ) [emphasis added]:

“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives

and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”

We are encouraged to have that focus be on the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Elder Russell M. Ballard recently said, ““The pandemic will [eventually] wear itself out, but don’t let it wear you out.”

I’m recommitting this week to seek God’s help so that my heart can stay soft as COVID and other wars continue to have such an impact on our world. I know I can’t do it without His help, but I have felt Him reminding me that He is there, wanting to send strength in time of need. [There are many Bible and other verses that explore seeking God’s strength in hard times. I just included a link I found on an internet search. See what other verses you can find in your own searches online or in your paper copies of scriptures.]

How do you recenter or seek for God’s strength in times of difficulty?

The post “Does the journey Seem long?” God can help with COVID-19 pandemic burnout appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

“And it came to pass that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest.” JST Gen. 15:12

Some in the scriptures, like Abram (Abraham) or Isaiah had the chance to see the days of Jesus Christ in vision. Others had the opportunity to see and experience the Savior personally while He was on the earth (such as is recorded in the Four Gospels). Others were able to see Jesus when He visited people after His resurrection.

For the rest of us, we have the scriptures as a way to see some of “the days of the Son of Man.” I’m also grateful for the way that I can “see” some of what it might have been like to see His days in vision or in person through media like The Chosen. The more I can see of Christ, the more I can visualize who He is, the more glad I am, and the more rest I feel. As the scriptures teach, He will come again. I want to get to know Him as well as I can now so that when He comes again, He won’t be a stranger to my mind and heart.

I’ve started watching The Chosen again to prepare for Season 3 that will come out this spring. (Did you get to see the bonus Christmas episode they created?) But it’s also a way for me to “come and see.” As I started Episode 1 over the weekend, I was reminded that those at The Chosen encourage us to read the Four Gospels, to go to the text to learn more of Jesus.

Multiply Goodness is an interfaith Bible study group that encourages women to join in small group Bible study and discussion. See if there is a Bible study group near you, or you can start one!

If you would like a free copy of the Bible, or would like to study the Bible with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can go to ComeUntoChrist.org for either option.

Get a free copy of the Bible.

Study the Bible with missionaries

…Or consider different ways you can study the Bible in a way that works for you or fits your needs right now.

.

The post “Come and See” – Learn more about Jesus Christ through The Chosen (“People must know!”) and Bible Study appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

This special interfaith event, “Witnesses of Christmas, was filmed from both Copenhagen’s historic Church of Our Lady and the visitor’s center near the Rome temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Music was provided by Jenny Oaks Baker and the Family Four and soprano Alex Sharpe. Narration was provided by Danish actor Tomas Ambt Kofod, who begins in the Church of our Lady (home of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Christus statue, as well as statues depicting the original twelve apostles). A replica of the Christus and the other statues can also be seen in the background at the Rome temple visitor’s center behind the musicians.

This special Christmas presentation includes “memorable musical performances blended with a biblical account of our Savior’s humble birth in Bethlehem. Encounter the diverse cultures of Europe as you watch holiday traditions in this unique Christmas event.”

The post Witnesses of Christmas – A Special Christmas Concert from Europe appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Last night, I watched last year’s “Christmas with The Chosen” again, and I’m excited that tonight is the night that the 2021 “Christmas with The Chosen” livestream event is happening.

The Chosen took their Christmas special first to theaters this year. The director and producers of The Chosen hoped to at least be able to sustain two days’ presence in theaters (only one showing per day), but the record-breaking response has extended the time “Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers” will be in theaters: until December 16. [Edit to that…it looks like it will be running in some places all the way through Christmas Eve.]

But director, Dallas Jenkins, has never wanted this to be about making it big. He wants the message to go big, but his first focus is still on the intention to keep The Chosen available for free. He says on the YouTube link for tonight’s livestream:

When the theater chains told us they wanted to extend our run in theaters, our response was, “That’s great, but those who can’t see it in theaters have waited long enough.” So we’ll see you LIVE Sunday night, Dec. 12, 8:00 ET, for “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOTkTBxTxEA

If you haven’t had a chance to watch last year’s “Christmas with The Chosen,” it’s also worth a watch. The show includes powerful narration as well as guest musical appearances from For King & Country, Zach Williams, Mandisa, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, Joshua Aaron, The Bonner Family, The Piano Guys, Stephen McWhirter/Jason Clayborn, Phil Wickham, and Matt Maher.

The post Celebrating “Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers” 2021: Livestream appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

See that spike right there? That’s what happens to our traffic on this website around Halloween. People really wonder if members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrate Halloween. I hope that those who wonder got a little more insight into that answer (short answer — the if, how, and how much varies for everyone, but on the whole, the answer is yes).

I hope we will have fewer people wondering about whether or not we celebrate Christmas (although some still may wonder, given the pagan connections to some of the Christmas traditions).

At the very heart of our faith is Jesus Christ, so when the birth of the Son of God is celebrated around the world, you can believe that we celebrate with the world! To us, He is the the Life and Light of the World. Once again, when it comes to how individuals and families might celebrate the Christmas season, that will vary.

But this post is about one way we as a worldwide church community celebrate the season. It’s called #LightTheWorld.

The intention is to turn the Christmas season into a month-long focus on service. This year, the #LightTheWorld effort has been expanded to say “Light the World with Love.”

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist

There’s a calendar of service ideas if you and/or you and your family would like to join in along the way. Or you can create your own service calendar. There’s also a child-friendly service calendar for those who have little ones.

And although the pandemic is still here with us, this year, the #LightTheWorld Giving Machines are back.*

If you haven’t heard of the #LightTheWorld Giving Machines, you can read more here. What started as an experiment a few years ago has expanded into a continually-collaborative effort in multiple cities across the United States, with nonprofits that serve people around the world. 100% of donations go to help the charity you choose, and the charities with which the Church collaborates all care about helping people one by one, just as Jesus did.

All credit card fees are covered by the Church of Jesus Christ to also serve the nonprofits to which you are donating.

“Imagine swiping your credit card at a vending machine—but instead of buying a candy bar for yourself, you’re buying a sheep for a family in a third-world country. Or a polio vaccine. Or a pair of shoes. Or 100 meals for your local food bank. With the #LightTheWorld Giving Machines, that’s exactly what happens. The Giving Machines provide a way for people to follow the example of Jesus to help those in need and make the Christmas season a little more meaningful for themselves and for countless others.“

You can also give online by donating to one of the charity partners working with the Church to do more good, together. Or, of course, feel free to donate to your favorite charity, with time or goods or funds or a social media share or whatever feels right for you.

“The organizations featured in the Giving Machines represent a wide variety of global and local causes—all with pressing needs and the goal of helping people one by one. If you’re wondering what you should donate, consider spending a bit of time learning about the charities before visiting the machines or donating online. You might find a cause or item that resonates with you. As you give that gift, remember that your donation is truly helping someone in need.“

#LightTheWorld starts on November 30 by encouraging people to participate in #GivingTuesday. There are so many ways to share more light and goodness and love. Although we can’t measure it here, we hope that this Christmas season, there will be a spike in service and good will as we each try to find ways to #LightTheWorld.

*As COVID is, unfortunately, still causing issues around the world, and there are those around you whose bodies may be more at-risk, please be cautious and considerate of others if you choose to use the machines and as you are out and about this Christmas season.

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~by Michelle

I can’t even remember now how I found out about The Chosen. Have you heard of it? If not, I highly recommend it.

I have been a Christian my entire life. I love the scriptures. I love learning about Jesus.

But I haven’t always understood how, as the scripture say, to let Him carry my burdens or lighten my load. I think this has bee complicated by the fact that I have dealt with dysthymia (low-level depression) and some degree of anxiety for most of my life. I’ve struggled with perfectionism. I have understood about Jesus in my head, but haven’t always known how to access and feel and surrender to His love and help.

This is an ongoing journey for me, and God is continually helping me discover more about what it means to let Jesus into my life more fully.

The Chosen is one of the ways He is helping me.

I just re-watched what may be my favorite episode of the series so far, if it’s possible to have a favorite. Just yesterday, I was having one of those days where heaven felt far away. I have lived long enough now to know that these kinds of days come for me, and they go. As I keep showing up for my days the best I can on any given day, God always has a way of showing up, in His time and way.

Yesterday, He broke through the clouds and let me know I was seen. This sweet experience came through a conversation with a fellow traveler on the road of faith who is also seeking to understand more how to lean on God for healing help. She doesn’t practice a religion, but believes strongly in the Bible and in God. In our conversation, patterns emerged, mostly about having eyes to see — eyes to see ourselves with more love, eyes to see (and ears to listen to) others, and eyes to see how God can turn all things for our good.

So to finish my day, to let that feeling of being seen settle a little more in my heart, I watched “I Saw You” (Season 2, Episode 2). As has been the case throughout the series, I felt things beyond words, and was taught and nurtured by God’s Spirit. I’d forgotten some of what was in this episode (it’s been several months since I last watched it). It felt good to remember.

I’m grateful to those who use their talents to share their faith, to bring art like The Chosen to the world. I’m especially grateful for how this unique show helps me see and feel and experience more of what it could have been like to walk with Jesus when He was on earth — and to understand more what it can feel like to let Him walk with me in my life now.

p.s. While I was looking up the video to embed, I discovered that tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (1:00 a.m. on Monday, GMT) there will be an update on The Chosen‘s holiday plans. Last year’s Christmas special was incredible, and this year, from what I have heard, they have more gifts to share. I won’t be able to attend the special in-theater experience for health reasons (please be sure to mask up if you go), but I look forward to see how and when they will, as they always do, bring what they have created, to their app and YouTube channel.

Note: I receive nothing for posting about The Chosen. It’s just something I want to share.

The post What’s your favorite episode from The Chosen? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Before I get into answering this question, there’s a holiday coming tomorrow, Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), that the Church has created some official content around Día de los Muertos this year, and FamilySearch has shared content over the years (see, for example, https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/day-of-the-dead-traditions, https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/day-of-the-dead-fun-activities-to-honor-our-ancestors, https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/celebrating-dia-de-los-muertos).

Why is there more official attention around Día de los Muertos? Because members of The Church of Jesus Christ believe strongly in connecting with the stories and lives of those who have gone before. We believe life continues beyond the grave, and that because of Jesus Christ, family relationships can continue after death. Incidentally, some research shows that family history can help with mental and emotional health, including self-esteem and resilience. But that is all a topic for another day.

But Halloween also can reflect our belief that wholesome fun is important to have in our lives, and Halloween can be a vehicle for such fun for families, congregations, and communities.

My babies are all grown and gone now, but we enjoyed Halloween during their growing-up years.

Halloween got even more fun as my children started to take responsibility for their own costumes. This was the year my children decided to be skunks. I don’t remember why I didn’t join in the theme. Perhaps we used up our supply of black fabric that was lying around? I chose to be a newspaper.

One of my favorite Halloween memories before I became an empty-nester is helping my daughter turn our car into Minnie Mouse for a trunk-or-treat with her friends. That daughter is now serving as a missionary for our church.

Over the years, I’ve dressed up as things such as as the aforementioned newspaper, a baker (my husband was Cookie Monster, wearing an aluminum foil tray of cookies), and a banana tree (that one embarrassed my family for some reason, but I had to do something with the yellow monkey toy my sister had left behind when she’d lived with us all those years before; it made such a fun ooo-ooo-ooo monkey noise…and I had plastic bananas from my banana neighbor… might…a story for another day).

If you were to ask individual members of our church, they might give you different answers, but on the whole, members of the Church enjoy this holiday and some make many days of it. I’ve seen friends doing dinner in a pumpkin, spending all week working on costumes for school parades, and posting pictures of local congregational events that occurred during the week.

With COVID, the “trunk-or-treat” seems even more common this year. I was delighted with the fun that people in my ward (local congregation) had with our trunk-or-treat. Some went all-out with how they decided to decorate their trunks, hatchbacks, or the space around their cars…or themselves. And others kept it simple, just showing up to support the younger generations. The idea was to have fun, together, and to offer a non-Sunday opportunity for the children and youth in our ward to get some Halloween fun courtesy of the adults. (More on the question about what happens when Halloween falls on a Sunday below.)

Many wards have Halloween parties around this time of (sometimes called by different names). Costumes are common, and so are treats, and fun activities for children. Below are some pictures from years past when COVID wasn’t a thing. What I’m observing is more are option for outside activities, since we have been asked by our worldwide church leaders to wear masks when we gather indoors.

This article at LDS Living addresses some of the wide range of ways members of the Church might individually choose to celebrate Halloween or not). They address how some are uncomfortable with the gore that can sometimes be associated with the holiday, and we are definitely against Satan worship. But there is much about this holiday that has just become about creativity, fun, and play.

I like LDS Living’s simple conclusion:

“Just as with many other holidays and traditions, the Church does not dictate how Latter-day Saints should celebrate Halloween. Instead, our Church leaders leave it up to each of us to seek inspiration, ponder, and decide how we should celebrate this holiday with our families. Each family is unique and the traditions that bring each family together will be equally unique, meaning not every Latter-day Saint will agree on what Halloween means and how it should be celebrated. So give each family room to decide what is best for them, respect their individuality, withhold judgment, and celebrate the fact that there are many ways to have [wholesome] fun.”

What do Latter-day Saints do Halloween falls on a Sunday?

Because today is Sunday, the chance of finding members of the Church out and about trick-or-treating will be lower, since for us, Sundays are our Sabbath, our day of rest. (There won’t be any Church-sponsored congregational activities, that you can count on.) We are encouraged to make this a day to focus on changine from our usual routines to focus more on spiritual things, attending church to partake of the sacrament, and talking about the scriptures and other faith-promoting content, and celebrating the restored gospel of Jesus Christ together with our church families and at home.

Some members may choose to answer their doors today for their friends in their neighborhoods, as previous articles have explored. Or some may leave treats on their doorsteps. But please don’t be offended if some choose not to. Some of us are even still having to be careful because of health issues (that is the case for me…I was sad to not be able to answer my door last night). I actually love answering my door on Halloween, usually, and plan to continue the tradition in future years when we aren’t still battling full hospitals and such as we are where I live.

So, yes, the short answer is Latter-day Saints celebrate Halloween, but you will find a variety of approaches among our membership.

But if you want to find us today, please consider joining us at one of our worship services in locations around the world. (Please do wear a mask, not of the Halloween sort (if you can) when you come. We all look forward to when this won’t be an important piece of trying to reduce spread of COVID but for now this is part of how we collectively have been asked to help reduce the spread.)

Or we invite you take a minute to learn about what we believe in the comfort of your own home. But we do hope to see you sometime at one of our worship services. Or if you know a member of the Church, ask about service or social activities that might be happening in your area.

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**You can read other posts we’ve had about Halloween by following this link. This site has been around for nearly a decade, so some of the photos are in posts when we used to be called Mormon Women: Who We Are (mormonwoman.org). Because many would never get to the understanding that “Mormons” believe in Jesus Christ — that He is central to our faith — our website name and content has shifted to highlight that more.

***This post has been edited from its original to include a little about Día de los Muertos (which is tomorrow, November 1), and to add a few other minor edits.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org

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