Sometimes when people hear about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they don’t realize that they actually probably know many members of this faith. The Church of Jesus Christ is often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church, its members colloquially called Mormons. Mormons do not live apart from others. They dress the same as the people around them, although modestly. Some of you may have heard some weird things about Mormons before, but chances are many of the things you hear may not be true. Let me take a moment to tell you about what I know about Mormons, specifically Mormon boys.
Mormon Boys Are Fun
When I was single, most of the boys I dated were Mormon. And I am here to tell you that Mormon boys are fun! They come up with creative ways to ask you to prom, and they compliment you and make you feel wonderful about yourself. Especially when I was a teenager, most of my dates were group dates, and these were particularly fun at that time in my life. All Mormons have specific standards they strive to live by–like abstaining from alcohol and practicing abstinence from sex outside of marriage–and you shouldn’t for a moment think that these standards impede Mormons’ enjoyment of life. In fact, I’d even venture to say that the Mormon boys I know have more fun than those boys who aren’t of the Mormon faith. Whenever I spent time with my Mormon friends, I knew that I had nothing to worry about. I was safe and could relax and enjoy my time with them.
Mormon Boys Are Clean
One of the things I love about Mormon boys is that they’re clean. Not only do they take care of themselves physically, but their thoughts and actions are clean as well. I don’t have to worry about uncomfortable jokes or inappropriate physicality when I’m around them. As a teenager, this was a great source of relief and comfort for me. I could go into a situation knowing that Mormon boys know the same things I know about what God expects of our behavior, and so I didn’t have to feel uncomfortable about what could happen.
Mormon Boys Are Leaders
The Church of Jesus Christ gives Mormons so many opportunities to develop important leadership skills. Even Mormon teenagers develop these skills. Mormon boys are less likely to go along with the crowd and and more likely to stand up for what they believe in. Mormon boys have a responsibility in The Church of Jesus Christ to serve full-time missions after they graduate from high school. What this means is that they sacrifice two years of their lives to proselytize the gospel of Jesus Christ full-time, often in a completely different part of the world. The youth programs in The Church of Jesus Christ do all they can to prepare Mormon boys for this time.
Once Mormon boys return from their Mormon missions, they are more mature and have a more secure knowledge of the doctrine of Christ. They come back more confident and more apt to take the lead in affecting the world for good. As a young woman in my 20s, I really enjoyed getting to know young men who had returned from missions, because they were involved and invested in edifying the world around them.
Mormon Boys Aren’t Perfect
You may be reading this and thinking that I’m painting an ideal picture, because maybe you know Mormon boys who don’t fit this mold. And that’s okay. Mormon boys aren’t perfect, and they aren’t all the same. Just like boys in any other faith, some boys don’t adhere to standards and don’t live the way you might expect them to. Don’t let this leave a bad taste in your mouth when it comes to The Church of Jesus Christ. The beautiful thing about Christ’s gospel is that it’s rooted in moral agency, or our ability to choose. So Mormon youth are taught about standards and missions and building God’s kingdom, but that doesn’t mean that they have to choose to live the way they’re taught to. Mormon boys and girls can choose whether or not they follow Jesus Christ, and sadly some choose another way.
The other beautiful thing about the gospel is that even when we choose contrary to God’s commandments, Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to repent and start over. All Mormons–boys and girls, grown men and women–all need to take advantage of this gift. Mormons know they aren’t perfect and that they need the grace of Jesus Christ daily.
Take advantage of any opportunity you have to become friends with a Mormon boy, because even though they’re not perfect, they know about Jesus Christ, and that makes them different in a wonderful way.