Latter-day saints keep low profile with big service projects

Author: Thomas Brant and Joseph Bergan

Besides watching the TV show "Big Love" on HBO or meeting a missionary, you have probably had little interaction with a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. At Middlebury College, you have probably never encountered a Mormon, as they are commonly known, but that does not mean they are not active on campus.

"The Latter Day Saints Students Association (LDSSA) is pretty active," said Logan Duran '07.5, president of the LDSSA and a lifetime follower of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS), "but its activity is not necessarily seen on campus." Middlebury's group only consists of five members - four students and one faculty member - but the group's scope is fairly large.

"As a group we attend weekly services in town every week and hold weekly activities, typically on Monday or Tuesday nights with other LDS young adults in Addison County," said Duran. The group also takes advantage of Middlebury's favorable geography - one of the church's prophet's, Joseph Smith, was born in South Royalton, Vt.

"We've also helped out in various service projects in the community, as well as on campus," said Duran, emphasizing the group's low profile on campus. "It's never really been like, 'this is the LDSSA service project.'"

The Church of Latter Day Saints have dealt with criticism from mainstream Christian groups since the Church first gained momentum in the 19th century.

"I don't know if there are any major misconceptions about our group on campus, though there are many misconceptions about the Mormon Church," said Duran, dispelling the rumor that the LDS church is not in line with the Christian faith.

"Early in the church, the prophet Joseph Smith, and founder of the Church wrote down, what are commonly known, within the Church as the Articles of Faith, the first of thirteen says, 'We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.'"

"We believe in the Bible, but we also believe that God is just as concerned about the people in this world as He was during the time of the Bible and that He continues to reveal scripture and doctrine to prophets today," said Duran.

The Church of Latter Day Saints holds that God revealed the book of Mormon to Smith.

The LDS church, like many other world churches, falls victim to its fair share of stereotypes. One of the most common is that the Church of Latter Day Saints supports polygamy.

"Many people fail to recognize or don't realize the difference between the Mormon Church and Fundamentalists," Duran said. "If a family was practicing polygamy in the Mormon Church, they would be excommunicated."

And as the political season approaches, much of the Republican presidential candidate race has centered around Mitt Romney's Mormon religious affiliation. Romney has been fielding questions about whether he will be an independent ruler of the nation or lead with his faith.

So can Romney count on every Mormon's vote?

"The LDS church never endorses a particular candidate," said Duran. "They strongly encourage all members to research the issues and vote for the candidate that they feel best agrees with their beliefs."