The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “I’m a Mormon” campaign expanded at the beginning of October to run in 12 major cities in the United States and Australia. With the Church in the national spotlight for a variety of reasons, the ads are generating buzz.
Church Public Affairs managing director Michael Otterson uses his Washington Post “On Faith” forum space this week to explain why these glimpses into the lives of everyday Mormons are successful and what Latter-day Saints mean when they say, “I’m a Mormon.”
The ads are successful, Otterson says, because they show Latter-day Saints as they really are — average people who try their best to follow Jesus Christ.
Being a faithful Mormon is to live a life of commitment, marital fidelity, parental responsibility if blessed with children, honesty and health consciousness. It is to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as best they can. It also means recognizing that most of the time we fall short of our own ideals and those that Jesus Christ set for us, but that through repentance and forgiveness we can start afresh and do better. The Mormons in these spots all believe this in the deepest part of their soul. They don’t necessarily wear it on their sleeves. They may not push it down your throat. But if they say with conviction, “I’m a Mormon,” you can count on the fact that it’s more to them than just a label.
Read more at “On Faith.”
The Church's "I'm a Mormon" video profiles can be viewed at http://mormon.org/people/.