You’re probably able to quite easily recognize Mormon missionaries or big family gatherings. However, there are quite a few traditions inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that most people don’t know about, and they’d probably be shocked to hear about them. Some of these happen in temples & others take place at home. Either way, a lot of Mormon customs are a little bit strange to the average American.
Take, for example, baptisms. These work differently from baptism in other Christian denominations because they happen on behalf of people who have already died. Yes, really.
The idea is that everyone deserves the chance to accept or reject religious ordinances, even after death. According to religious scholar Daniel Ludlow, genealogy is an important part of the process. Religious leaders need the ancestors’ names for these temple ceremonies.
In fact, that’s part of the reason why Mormon church members have such huge family history records that they have built over decades. Researching grandparents & distant relatives is a direct part of religion.
Certain regions have another way of remembering the past, too. Youth groups will reenact the long handcart journeys that the early Mormon settlers made, and they’ll wear pioneer-style clothing while walking miles together. It’s quite an important ritual for teen Mormons because it serves both as a history lesson & spiritual experience.
But that’s not the only strange custom. Each Sunday, Latter-day Saints take the sacrament, although it’s different from the regular kind because it involves tiny cups of water instead of wine. They still eat bread, though.
The reason for the custom has to do with the Word of Wisdom, which explicitly discourages believers from drinking alcohol, even when it’s part of the sacrament. Early church leaders first introduced the ideas during the nineteenth century, and it has stuck ever since with congregations worldwide. It can be a little odd for other Christians because they’re used to wine or grape juice.
The Word of Wisdom also has other dietary restrictions that believers have to follow. Unlike a lot of other religious food rules, the restrictions in the Word of Wisdom apply to a Mormon’s everyday life, and it’s something church leaders will discuss during interviews to see whether a person can enter a temple.
What do the restrictions include? As already mentioned, they’re not allowed to drink alcohol, but they’re also forbidden from consuming tobacco or caffeine in any form. That means no morning cups of coffee or some tea to relax in the afternoon. Mormons must also follow a principle of moderation and take physical care of themselves as a religious rule.
Another strange Sunday custom happens on the first Sunday of each month, when many members skip two meals. However, they do it to help the less fortunate, as they donate the money that they save from those meals to a fund used for local welfare needs.
On the same day, the church meeting works differently as well because they don’t have a planned sermon. Church members instead stand up to share their personal statements of faith in a slightly looser style of worship than usual. It’s a lot more conversational this way.
One thing most Americans don’t know about Mormons is that they have a special kind of uniform they have to wear in church. Yes, they must wear simple white robes, veils & sashes over their regular temple clothes. Everyone has to wear the same style. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a new member or a long-time leader, as the deliberate lack of decoration is meant to make everyone feel the same during worship.
There’s also something called the endowment ceremony. This ceremony is meant to help believers prepare for the afterlife, and it involves washing & anointing, along with instructions. As part of the ceremony, Mormons will reenact the Creation story and the fall of Adam and Eve. But by far the strangest part is to do with the naming ceremony.
Mormon believers are given a “new name” that they’re not allowed to choose themselves, nor is it chosen at random. Instead, it comes from a rotating schedule linked to specific dates in the calendar. Anyone receiving their endowment on the same day gets the same new name.
However, members have to treat their new name as something sacred, meaning they’re not allowed to reveal it to other people or bring it up during regular conversation. The new name stays with you until you die.
One thing to know is that while on the outside these customs might seem strange, they make perfect sense to those within the religion. And that’s okay. These customs are simply another aspect of Mormonism that makes it such a unique belief system.
