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Stories of the Saints: A Vital Part of Mormon Culture

© Eric Jordan Jensen

All groups of people practice traditions unique to themselves. Members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints are no different. The songs we sing, the stories we tell, and many of the things we do, have been passed down to us from previous generations of Saints. Church members seem especially drawn to stories, which they eagerly share in chapels, classrooms and cultural halls all over the world. Tales of faith are presented in General Conference, Sacrament Meeting, Sunday School and every other kind of meeting; the teachers and speakers know full well how inspiring these anecdotes can be. To behold how important stories are in Mormon culture, you need only to peruse the shelves at a Church bookstore: you will find volume upon volume of stories particular to the LDS people. Considering this age of advanced technology, you will not be surprised to learn that you can access many of these stories online. Hundreds of these sites exist, and what follows is only a smattering.

For general information on Mormon folklore, read William A. Wilson’s excellent article at http://www.mormons.org/daily/arts/folklo... .

Some of the most popular LDS stories stem from Church history and missionary work. Dave Kenison oversees a huge collection of tales from the former at his Web site http://www.xmission.com/~dkenison/lds/ch... . For highly entertaining missionary tales, check out D. Glenn Ostlund’s “Mormon Missionary Folklore Virtual Web Archive” at http://www.lds.npl.com/link/?945114789 .

Latter-day Saints enjoy a good belly laugh almost as much as a tear-jerking inspirational story. If you’re in the mood for a chuckle, check out the LDS Humor topic at http://www.mormons.org and http://www.of-worth.com/ea/humor.htm . LDS World’s page “Stories of Children” at http://www.ldsworld.com/gems/children/0,... provides a collection of charming and funny anecdotes submitted by LDS parents.

Of course, there are always those stories that seem so incredulous that you wonder about their authenticity. You may find some of them at LDS World’s page on hoaxes at http://www.ldsworld.com/gems/ul/ . For more stories and tales, check out the extensive list of links at LDS Internet Resources, http://www.lds.npl.com .

As the Church continues to grow, many more stories will be born. Experiences from every part of the world will circulate in LDS congregations, adding to the vast collection of stories already in place. Each time we share an anecdote in a lesson or talk, we spread the tradition, ensuring that all the generations to come will hear the marvelous tales of the Saints.