Medical and ethical issues and Latter-day Saints

©Kevin J. Black, M.D., 1998-2008
All rights reserved. May be copied for personal use if not altered.

1)      Introduction

a)      The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

b)      In modern colloquial English, this means “Jesus Christ’s church for modern Christians” or “… for Christians in the end times” (The word “saints” in the name of the Church follows New Testament usage and has nothing to do with the common, Roman Catholic meaning)

c)      The preferred shortened form is: The Church of Jesus Christ (http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/style-guide)

d)     Members often shorten this to “the LDS Church,” or just “the Church”

e)      Individuals are “Latter-day Saints” (noun) or “LDS” (adjective) or sometimes “Mormon(s)” (a nickname originally applied derisively by nonmembers)

f)       I’m presenting my understanding; I’m not speaking for the Church

2)      Brief overview of doctrine (compare this 1830 statement of belief)

a)      There exist eternal absolutes, e.g. good and evil

b)      There is a God, who is perfect, loving, and all-knowing

c)      We existed before this life as spirit children of God; all humans are spiritually brothers and sisters; the spirit is eternal and cannot be destroyed

d)     God designed and presented a plan which would allow us to progress

i)        We would be born on earth with a physical body to house our spirit (the body is an essential part of our eternal life rather than an evil)

ii)      God would grant us free choice between good and evil

iii)    We would forget our pre-mortal existence so as to be able to learn faith

iv)    We would all make mistakes (sin) which would separate us spiritually from God

v)      We would have sickness and death

vi)    After death, we would remain as spirits to await a final judgment

vii)  An infinite sacrifice would be provided which would counteract sin and death

viii)   Eventually our body would be resurrected (i.e. restored to us in perfect condition) and in this condition we would be judged

ix)    If we were faithful we would return to God's presence forever

e)      Jesus Christ is the central figure in our religious belief

i)        The Son of God

ii)      Perfect, sinless, divine

iii)    He died and was resurrected, and because of this all men and women will also be resurrected

iv)    He somehow felt the pain of all our sins, and offers to purify us if we believe in Him enough to repent (leave our sin behind and make restitution to the degree possible) and follow His commandments

v)      He lives today as a perfect being and directs His Church

f)       We all have access to revelation from God

i)        God commands us to pray to thank Him for our blessings and ask for what we need

ii)      The Holy Spirit gives us comfort, identifies good and evil, and reveals God's will to our minds by way of feelings and thoughts

g)      God chooses and authorizes certain men to represent him (priesthood)

i)        Purposes

(1)   To reveal God's commandments as they pertain to the current period in the world's history (i.e. teach us what we need to do to be happy and to be able to live with God again after this life)

(2)   To have authority to perform ordinances (i.e. sacred rites); these ordinances are null and void if not performed by this authority

(a)    ordinances essential to salvation, e.g. baptism and giving the Holy Ghost

(b)   other ordinances to help us be happy, e.g. blessing the sick

(c)    through priesthood power, a husband and wife can be sealed to each other and their children so that their family ties are recognized by God even after death; this ordinance is performed in sacred buildings called temples

(d)   priesthood authority is received only by authorized laying on of hands from someone else who already has priesthood authority

(3)   Priesthood responsibility teaches us to serve others

ii)      Lay priesthood (i.e. service is not paid and is in addition to our vocation)

iii)    A prophet presides over God's work on the earth at a given point in time

(1)   e.g. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah

(2)   From shortly after Jesus' death until modern times, there was no prophet

(3)   In 1820 God revealed Himself to a young man in New York state named Joseph Smith, Jr., and told him that through him, God would restore His priesthood authority and many truths which had been lost to the world

(4)   Joseph Smith was directed to also give the priesthood to others so that when he died, God's authority would remain on the earth

(5)   God's prophet today is named Thomas S. Monson

h)      Our beliefs are founded on present and past revelation from God

i)        Scripture, including the Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

ii)      Revelations to the current prophet

iii)    Personal revelation through the Holy Ghost

i)        God commands all people who are capable of understanding right and wrong to believe in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized, join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, receive the Holy Ghost and follow God's commandments the rest of our lives

j)        Marriage and the family are eternal and crucial elements of God's plan for our happiness

3)      Latter-day Saints today

a)      The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT

b)      About 13 million members, ~45% in the U.S.

c)      There are congregations in >150 countries and territories

i)        Spanish or Portuguese is the first language of ~1/3 of all Latter-day Saints

ii)      The most densely LDS nations include Tonga and Samoa (25-45%) and Chile (3%)

iii)    Many members are relatively recent converts (membership in 1982 was only 5 million)

d)     Latter-day Saints represent ~2% of the U.S. population (4th largest U.S. church)

i)        ~75% of U.S. members have been members for over 10 years

ii)      Compared with Americans in general, practicing U.S. Latter-day Saints have a substantially greater life expectancy; they are more likely to remain religiously observant if highly educated; they are much more likely to marry and to have children; employment and socioeconomic indices roughly parallel those of the general population

e)      Local stats: there are ~59,000 Latter-day Saints in Missouri and 40 congregations in the greater St. Louis area; the temple on US 40 west of I-270 serves about 50,000 members in the Midwest; many WUSM faculty, staff and students are LDS

f)       Latter-day Saints see themselves as trying to live their religion daily:  daily prayer and scripture study, teaching or leadership duties, weekly Sunday meetings, visit other members monthly, tithing plus donations to the poor, weekly family night (a spiritual lesson plus recreational activities), emphasis on time with family, missionary work, weekday youth scripture study classes, and other lifestyle changes (dress modestly, avoid pornography, avoid work or purchases on Sunday, avoid debt)

g)      The Church contributes to humanitarian needs independently and in partnership with other charities

4)      Specific medical and ethical issues

a)      Making decisions

i)        When answers to specific questions have been revealed to the prophet, they are generally regarded as the end of the theological discussion on those matters

ii)      When making difficult decisions, members often study scripture, pray for individual revelation, and/or discuss the matter with their family or their bishop (pastor); advice from experts e.g. their physician is also appreciated

iii)    The Church advises against legally or ethically questionable medical practices

iv)    Note that for doctrinal reasons mentioned above, it may not occur to many Latter-day Saints to ask for a non-LDS chaplain; they’ll appreciate help connecting to local LDS congregations

b)      Preventive medicine: God has given several commandments pertinent to health, including:

i)        Sexual abstinence before marriage and complete fidelity afterwards

ii)      The "word of wisdom," i.e. no alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea, and no drug abuse; also taught to focus diet on grains and vegetables and to eat meat sparingly

c)      Beginning of life

i)        “Children are one of the greatest blessings in life, and their birth into loving and nurturing families is central to God’s purposes for humanity. When husband and wife are physically able, they have the privilege and responsibility to bring children into the world and to nurture them.” However, “the decision of how many children to have and when to have them is a private matter for the husband and wife. … Decisions about birth control and the consequences of those decisions rest solely with each married couple” (www.lds.org / Gospel library / Gospel topics / Birth Control). However, the Church discourages elective surgical sterilization.

ii)      Participating in an elective abortion is considered a serious sin except in cases of incest, rape, threat to the life or health of the mother, or when the fetus will not survive beyond birth; and even in these situations women are advised to consult with their bishop (pastor) and submit the issue to prayer

iii)    Artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization with semen from a man who is not the woman's husband is discouraged

iv)    Dying infants: little children cannot sin and so no baptism is required; but a priesthood holder can bless the child and name him/her if possible

d)     Views on illness, suffering, and loss

i)        Suffering and death, although never wished for, are an important part of this life, and can give us important experience, meaningful choices, and increased faith

ii)      All problems of mortality are temporary and eventually will be cured because of the atonement of Christ: “There is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ” (Mosiah 16:8).

iii)    Mourning: “Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection. And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them” (From an 1831 revelation to Joseph Smith [Doctrine & Covenants 42:45-46]).

iv)    Temple covenants can preserve family ties even after death

e)      End of life

i)        Autopsy and organ donations are up to the individual and family

ii)      Suicide: it is recognized that someone who commits suicide may not be responsible for his acts; this judgment should be left up to God

iii)    Euthanasia (i.e. deliberately putting someone to death even if suffering from an incurable condition) is contrary to God's commandments

iv)    However, death is considered a natural and important part of our existence, and when death is inevitable, “members should not feel obligated to extend mortal life by means that are unreasonable.” Family members are advised to seek competent medical advice and spiritual guidance through prayer in making such decisions.

f)       Healing

i)        God does work miracles

ii)      However, God can also work through natural means including competent medical practice, and most members take a very commonsense approach to this.

iii)    Members who are sick or undergoing major surgery often request a blessing from a priesthood holder who anoints them with oil and can bless them with advice, comfort, or healing as dictated by the Holy Spirit. "And whosoever among you are sick . . . shall be nourished with all tenderness, . . . And the elders of the church, two or more, shall be called, and shall pray for and lay their hands upon them in my name; and if they die they shall die unto me, and if they live they shall live unto me. . . . And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed" (DC 42:43,44,48).

(1)   This can only be done by a Latter-day Saint who holds the proper priesthood authority (the BJH Chaplain's office has some names and numbers, or call an LDS classmate, or often someone in the family will perform the blessing)

(2)   This ordinance is not essential for salvation and need not be done before death

5)      Further information

a)      Time for Q&A

b)      Resources

i)        Me (kevin@wustl.edu) or other WUSM faculty or students who are LDS

ii)      Ludlow DH, ed.: The Encyclopedia of Mormonism (5 vols.). New York: Macmillan, 1992.

iii)    Arrington LJ, Bitton D: The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-day Saints, 2nd ed. Urbana : University of Illinois Press, 1992.

iv)    LDS Church official web sites:  http://www.mormon.org visit mormon.org or http://www.lds.org

v)      St. Louis Missouri Mission 314-872-8510, or 1-800-645-4949

vi)    The Pew Forum’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey (data collected May-August, 2007)

Originally written as notes for a lecture in the Washington University School of Medicine elective course “Major religious traditions and health care.” Doesn't necessarily represent the opinions of WUSM (obviously) or of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

posted 11/5/1998, revised 9/23/1999, 10/29/2001, 1/23/02 (added link to mormon.org), 2/19/02 (changed 6th to 5th largest U.S. church based on 2002 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches [Lindner EW, ed.; National Council of Churches, 2002]), 1/21/05 (humanitarian aid, 800 phone #, 56,145 Missouri members [lds.org], 17 stakes served by STL temple as of 12/31/02 [2004 Deseret News Church Almanac]), 1/21/05 (edited chaplain information), 1/4/07 (13 million, minor edits), 4/9/07 (changed 5th to 4th largest U.S. church based on 2005 Yearbook; updated local stats; minor edits), 3/4/08 (Pres. Monson; updated section on birth control; added ref. to Pew survey; meaning of the name of the Church).