About a year ago, I posted a list entitled
"You Know You're A Prospective Missionary When...", which got hundreds of views. I thought I would do a similar list. Being a Latter-day Saint and knowing that we have some uniqueness (don't we all?) in our church culture, I thought I would compile a list of things that would typically be associated with being a Latter-day Saint/Mormon. I've numbered this list because at the bottom is an explanation for each item if you are unfamiliar with it.
Enjoy!
You're probably a Mormon if:
1. You know what CTR, RM, and MTC mean.
2. "Elder" can refer to a male as young as eighteen.
3. You have a friend named Ammon.
4. You have a friend named Moroni.
5. You have a friend named Nephi.
6. You grew up thinking that popcorn came from apricot trees.
7. "Drinking" at a party refers to root beer or Mountain Dew.
8. You call a congregation a ward.
9. There's a box of tissues next to the pulpit at your church.
10. The pulpit (and, really, the front of the main room in general) is called the stand.
11. The main room is called the chapel.
12. The congregation is called a ward.
13. A ward leader is called a bishop.
14. A stake dance doesn't have anything to do with eating or camping.
15. You have seen and/or enjoy any of the following movies: Meet the Mormons, Saturday's Warrior, The Best Two Years, The Singles Ward, The Saratov Approach...oh, and just about any Disney movie.
16. You've ever gone a year and a half without seeing your best friend.
17. You've ever gone two years without seeing your best friend.
18. You've gone more than two years without seeing your best friend because you left on missions at different times.
19. Seminary refers to a class for high-school students.
20. "Trek" is more than a light hike...
21. You know that Pioneer Day has nothing to do with the Mayflower.
22. You can sing "I Am a Child of God," "Called to Serve," "Praise to the Man," and/or "Families
Can Be Together Forever" from memory.
23. You wish that "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" were in the hymnal.
24. You're a fan of Vocal Point.
25. You're a fan of Lindsey Stirling and/or Jenny Oaks Baker.
26. You're a fan of David Archuleta.
27. You're a fan of the Piano Guys.
28. You call Brigham Young University's Idaho campus "BYU-'I do'."
29. You consider the temple to be the happiest place on earth.
30. You easily forget a church friend's or their parents' first name(s) because you call each other
"brother" and "sister" all the time.
31. You call your college professor "brother" or "sister."
32. You've used the phrase "modest is hottest."
33. You call a farmer's tan a Mormon tan.
34. You've watched a lot of Disney movies.
35. "Fast Sunday" has nothing to do with the length of the church service.
36. You look forward to April and October each year.
37. You love hearing from Jeffrey R. Holland.
38. You love hearing from Thomas S. Monson.
39.You love hearing from Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
40. Any other Church leader is a favorite speaker.
41. You know off the top of your head who said any of the following:
-"Never postpone a prompting."
-"Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."
-"Try a little harder to be a little better."
42. You know what MoTab is.
43. You've used the quote, "I know it. I live it. I love it."
44. You miss Gordon B. Hinckley.
45. You miss Neal A. Maxwell.
46. You can finish the following: "For behold, this is my work and my glory..."
47. Forget Monday--it's P-day.
48. You get excited at the sight of suited young men riding bikes.
49. You have ever ridden a bike while wearing a skirt (if you're a girl, of course!).
50. You have a Mormon.org profile.
If you have any others, feel free to comment below!
Explanations:
1. CTR: "choose the right" (a popular phrase in Mormon culture)
RM: returned missionary (someone who has served a mission)
MTC: Missionary Training Center (where missionaries go for some general and language training before going to the
mission to which they have been assigned)
2. "Elder" is an office in the LDS Church. A male typically becomes an elder before serving a church mission; the
minimum age for a male missionary is 18 (19 for females).
3. Ammon is a well-known missionary talked about in the Book of Mormon.
4. Moroni is the last prophet mentioned in the Book of Mormon. It is also Moroni that is perched upon most LDS temples around the world.
5. Nephi is the first prophet mentioned in the Book of Mormon, known for his strong faith.
7. Since Latter-day Saints don't drink alcohol (see the Word of Wisdom) and used to not drink caffeine (see here), it's become somewhat of a tease among young LDS. It's just one of those quirks.
8. You call a congregation a ward (see here and scroll to the bottom).
9. The tissues next to the pulpit: honestly, I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because a lot of speakers get teary-eyed, especially on Fast Sunday when people bear their testimonies (that's a lot of Mormon lingo, I know, which is why I've added the links).
10. The pulpit (and, really, the front of the main room in general) is called the stand. I'm not sure exactly why--it's just a
Mormon thing.
11. The main room is called the chapel.
12. The congregation is called a ward.
13. A ward leader is called a bishop.
14. A stake dance is a dance held for similar-aged people in a geographical area, typically for high school-age kids.
15. -Meet the Mormons
-Saturday's Warrior: a film adaptation of an LDS musical; the musical came out in 1974, the film in 1989. They are
also redoing a reboot, scheduled to come out in 2016.
-The Best Two Years: a film about four LDS missionaries in the Netherlands (I have yet to see this movie, so I can't say
much.)
-The Singles Ward: an LDS ward full of young single people (we have plenty of those). Pretty self-explanatory, huh?--
until you read the plot.
-The Saratov Approach: based on the true story of two LDS missionaries who were kidnapped in Russia. It's a nail-
biter (or at least for me it was)!
...oh, and just about any Disney movie.
16. You've ever gone a year and a half without seeing your best friend: females who go on missions serve for 18 months.
17. You've ever gone two years without seeing your best friend: males who go on missions serve for 24 months.
18. You've gone more than two years without seeing your best friend because you left on missions at different times: see
#16 & 17 above.
19. Seminary refers to a class for high-school students.
20. "Trek" is more than a light hike...
21. Pioneer Day (July 21) is a day of remembrance and reflection on the Mormon pioneers and what they sacrificed in
making their journey to the Salt Lake Valley. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir puts on an annual Pioneer Day concert.
Last year's special guest was Santino Fontana (known as Prince Topher in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on
Broadway and Prince Hans in Frozen); this year's special guest will be Laura Osnes (known as Cinderella in Rodgers
& Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway).
28. You call Brigham Young University's Idaho campus "BYU-'I do'": One of those jokes because it seems like people go
there, meet somebody, and get married. But you could say that for quite a few colleges I'm sure.
29. You consider the temple to be the happiest place on earth" There's even a meme about it.
30. You easily forget a church friend's or their parents' first name(s) because you call each other "brother" and "sister" all the time: We all call each other "brother" and "sister" at church because we are all God's children.
31. You call your college professor "brother" or "sister": see above.
32. "Modest is hottest": I still don't know who started that specific phrase, but it is connected to our views on modesty.
33. You call a farmer's tan a Mormon tan: see above.
34. You've watched a lot of Disney movies: because clean media is becoming harder and harder to find. Like I said in
#15, lots of Disney...
35. "Fast Sunday": I talked about this earlier in #9, but here is the link again.
36. April and October are when our church's biannual General Conference is held, when we listen to the words of our
prophet, apostles, and other church leaders. Everyone can find something relevant and applicable in their life at
General Conference, LDS or otherwise. Personally, I love General Conference; it's my favorite time of the year
(outside of Christmas).
38. Thomas S. Monson: the living prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he
has been prophet of the LDS Church since February 2008. My favorite talk given by President Monson is from
October 2013 and is entitled "I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee" (and, in fact, I had the privilege to watch this
session of General Conference live in the LDS Conference Center!).
39. Dieter F. Uchtdorf: second counselor to the First Presidency (made up of the president/prophet and two counselors),
he has been second counselor in the First Presidency since February 2008. Two of my favorite Pres. Uchtdorf talks
(because I can't decide on just one) include "Grateful in Any Circumstances" from April 2014 and, from October 2013,
"Come, Join with Us."
40. Any other Church leader is a favorite speaker.
41. You know off the top of your head who said any of the following:
42. MoTab is slang for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
43. "I know it. I live it. I love it." ~Ann M. Dibb (here is the talk)
44. Gordon B. Hinckley: prophet/president of the LDS Church from 1995 until his death in 2008.
45. Neal A. Maxwell: LDS apostle from 1981 until his death in 2004. His final talk and my personal favorite is from April
2004, entitled "Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been."
46. "For behold, this is my work and my glory...": "...to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Moses 1:39
(Pearl of Great Price)
47. P-day, or Preparation Day, is the day each week that missionaries take care of temporal needs, such as grocery
shopping, and sometimes even sight-see. It is also the day each week that missionaries have the opportunity to email
family and friends back home. This day tends to be Monday each week, though the day of the week may vary by
mission.
48. Suited young men riding bikes usually equals missionaries. If they are indeed missionaries, this might be cause to
roll down the window and shout, "Hello, elders!"
49. You have ever ridden a bike while wearing a skirt (if you're a girl, of course!)--typically done while serving a mission.
50. You have a Mormon.org profile. Here's mine: http://www.mormon.org/me/C7NY