D: Introduction As a teacher living in a highly religious state, it is important for me to know more about the main religions in Utah. The two most prevalent, being the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) and the Catholic faith. I would like to know more about their beliefs, holidays, and family traditions. Some of the main beliefs in the LDS culture are Jesus is the Savior of all man, The Word of Wisdom, and the church was restored by their Prophet Joseph Smith. Some of the main beliefs for the Catholic faith are the Bible, the different Saints, and baptism. There are many holidays that are celebrated by both religions. Both Catholics and LDS members celebrate Christmas and Easter. The LDS faith in Utah has a special state On their website, they have a list of ideas on how to make Christmas Christ centered. Some of those ideas include caroling, replacing some decorations with reminders of Christ, schedule a night to help another family, find time to pray, forgive a grudge and may others (Christmas ideas, n.d).
Another Holiday celebrated by the LDS faith is Easter. This holiday is another holiday that they believe to be fun, but more Christ centered. Easter to the LDS church is the belief that Jesus Christ was resurrected after three days of being dead. There was great happiness when all of his friends and family saw him alive again. The LDS members believe that they will all be resurrected like Jesus Christ. This is the true meaning of Easter in the LDS Culture (Smith, 1864). Ezra Taft Benson, a Prophet of the LDS church states, “The greatest events of history are those that affect the greatest number of people for the longest periods. By this standard, no event could be more important to individuals or nations than the resurrection of the Master.” (Benson,1992).
The final holiday that I researched is Pioneer Day. This is the day that is celebrated in Utah that commemorates the Utah pioneers coming to Utah and inhabiting the land. They arrived in Utah on July 23rd, 1857 after coming across the USA in horse drawn wagons. They had a grand celebration on the 24-25th of the same year (Utah History Resource Center, n.d). This is
