Why is self-reliance important to Mormons? Why do Mormons talk about emergency preparedness?
Being prepared for potential emergencies helps us to become self-reliant. Becoming self-reliant provides more personal independence, industry, thrift and self respect. It also gives more opportunity to serve and care for others in need.
Read other answers contributed by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Answers are the sole responsibility of the members.
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Marianne answered…
As a Mormon, we are taught that we should always be prepared for when life gets a little hard or perhaps something out of our control happens. This means that we should have a little money saved, that we should have extra food stored away, that we should be frugle, that we should know how to step in and work hard for a good cause.When you take the time to be prepared, you never know how helpful you can be to yourself, your family and your community becuase you've taken the … Show more
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Brian answered…
One of the great teachings of self-reliance is living within your income. This does not mean we have to ‘go without’; it just means that we need to obtain things in a wise and prudent manner. Avoiding unnecessary debt is part of that.As an example – my wife and I have always enjoyed motorcycles. We gave them up when we started having children as finances were needed for more important things, like food, clothing, school supplies, etc. In 1995, when our children were starting … Show more
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Maren answered…
Mormons believe that God uses us to meet the needs of others. If we are not taking care of ourselves then it will be very difficult for us to help those around us. Mormon's talk about emergency preparedness because we want our people, and all people who will listen, safe.
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Frank Hutchison answered…
I was taught by my parents (not members of the church) that when I had a family it was my responsibility to care for them. I have taken their teachings to heart and have learned through personal experience - two hurricanes, one tropical storm, and being laid off - the wisdom of preparing for the future. I have also found that it's sometimes the little emergencies - people dropping in for dinner or a child remembering that the school was collecting food - that allowed us to … Show more
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Rod answered…
God placed us on the earth as individuals, each with individual potential for physical and spiritual growth. When we become self-reliant, we are taking responsibility for our own welfare, and removing the ability to blame others for our state in life. Preparing for emergencies allows us to have peace of mind in the face of minor turmoil or even major cataclysms.The scriptures describe many terrible events that will happen before the Savior returns. These include earthquakes, … Show more
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Shane Max answered…
This is just a natural for me. I love to do things myself. I don't like to rely on anyone else for safety or support in life. I recognize as I get older this may change. My Health is not good, but I will fight to my last breath to do eveything I can for myself. There is so much to be learned by doing things for ourselves. The process of doing is learning - I am not willing to give up that learning opportunity to someone else.
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Melody answered…
Self-reliance is being able to rely on your own capabilities. This is not just about being prepared for a natural disaster, it is a way of life. Life is hard and not always predictable. Two years ago my husband was unemployed for over seven months. We have a child with a rare genetic condition. I had to return to work to help support our family. We had savings and food storage to help us make ends meet. Being able to care for yourself and your family is essential. Caring for … Show more
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Barbara answered…
Mormon's believe in being the best they can be and in helping others. Being self-reliant is one way to do as much as we can to take care of ourselves, our families, and others. The more able to care for ourselves we become, the less we need to depend on other entities, such as financial agencies, government agencies or even our church to subsidize us. That is a form of freedom. That is a worthy goal for all to aspire to.Emergency Preparedness is having things together in case … Show more
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Kristie answered…
I believe that self reliance is something that should be important to everyone! My parents taught me at a very young age that life is unpredictable, and we are not invincible. No matter how healthy, wealthy, or wise you may be, bad things can happen to good people. I remember telling my dad when I was young that I wanted to marry a rich man, so that I wouldn't ever have to work, and could sit in a love-sac all day eating junk food! But, as funny as this concept was at the time, me being so young and naive, it posed the simple question: well, what if your rich husband died and left all the money to his cats? I started laughing, but this concept has made sense. We need to be prepared for all things to come, whether it be job loss, injury, mental injury, family loss, natural disaster, man-made disaster, or any other threat that stands in the way of ruining our self confidence and trust. If we perform a task to the best of our doing, we are able to honor the hard work performed, and understand the value in earning rather than having things handed to us on a silver platter. This means that it is much easier to get in a fender-bender in the parking lot when you didn't pay for the car, than it is when YOU saved the $13,000 to purchase it over a long period of 5 years. The biggest problem with society is that people are now expecting rights to be given to them for no work in return, and it is threatening this beautiful country which is built on freedom.
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Lorne answered…
When we came to this world, our mission was to prepare ourselves to meet our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. This meant that we needed to learn the principles that are fundamental in becoming even as our Heavenly parents by learning to work effectively. While none of us are superman or superwoman, the pathway to becoming like our Heavenly parents requires us to prepare ourselves accordingly and perform the kinds of activities that lead to prosperity. Therefore, as we learn these principles we develop meaningful relationships with those around us and are better able to hold down meaningful employment, get a good education and develop meaningful relationships with our family and friends.
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