Beliefs > Question & Answer > LDS View of God

Question

1. Why do you call God the "Heavenly Father" and never just call him God? Are you offended when people of other religions call him God? 2. Why do you fold your arms when you pray, instead of folding your hands like other religions? 3. Why do LDS not observe Lent or Easter?

Response

You asked why we call God the "Heavenly Father" and never just call Him God. We call Him our Heavenly Father because we believe that He is the father of our spirits and that we lived with Him in the pre-existence long before we ever came to this earth. The term "father" is a personal one, but we also know and believe that he is our God and we so speak of Him. In answer to your question, no we are not offended when people of other religions call Him God. We fold our arms when we pray or we also fold our hands, depending on individual preference. There is no church policy or directive regarding the matter. I have sometimes prayed with folded arms, and on other occasions with folded hands. In either event, it is done so to show reverence and humility toward Him as we seek His counsel, guidance, blessing, and forgiveness. You asked why we do not observe Lent or Easter. We do observe Easter as the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday is a time that we sing of this great event, hear sermons about it which strengthen our faith, and spend time with family discussing the life, death, and resurrection of the Savior and how it serves to bless us. The observing of Lent as I understand it, is an event celebrated originally by members of the Catholic Church and others in an effort to show humility and sacrifice to the Lord by giving up something for a period of time. Our habit is that on the first Sunday of each month, we fast for two meals and give the money that would have been spent on that food to the Church for distribution to the poor, not only the poor in the Church, but the poor throughout the world. Such fasting also elevates our spiritual inclination by denying the physical need for nourishment for this short period of time. Sincerely, Donny Osmond See related multimedia presentations

Search Again                           
   

Member Log In Email: Password: Password Reminder Not yet a member of Donny.com? It's easy, and it's free! Register for your free account now!