IN THE SPIRIT: Misconceptions follow Mormon faith

Mormons. Just mentioning the name can evoke images as

wide-ranging as "polygamists living in the deserts of Utah" and "a traditional

all-American family with strong religious values."

Both can be found in the history of the Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it has evolved into one of America's fastest-growing religions, with more

than 13 million members worldwide, including approximately 50,000 in Orange County.

In 2005, Orange

County got its first temple: the Newport Beach California Temple.

For Mormons, temples are very important and differ from the sites used for

regular Sunday worship meetings. They are considered houses of God where

ceremonies such as baptism and eternal marriages are performed. The primary

function of temple rituals is to seal families together, allowing them to dwell

together for eternity.

According to Mormon beliefs, the roots of their religion go back to 1827, in

Palmyra, N.Y.,

where Joseph Smith dug up a set of golden tablets, which he translated and

published as the Book of Mormon. This book is considered sacred and, along with

the Old and New Testaments, guided Smith and his followers.

On the 8.8-acre Newport Beach

campus, where along with the temple there is a meeting house, we met with Dr.

Weatherford Clayton, 55, stake (diocese) president. An obstetrician and father

of five children, he has been a Mormon "basically all my life." Here

are his edited responses to several questions.

 

Q: Earlier this month Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, an

ordained Southern Baptist minister, said in a New York Times Magazine article: