No Church service on Easter Sunday- can someone explain?

[speakout]

My mother has recently become a Mormon- was baptised a few months ago. Not my bag but I have been supportive and the church community have welcomed her.
But she is confused about their lack of enthusiasm for christmas and Easter. Our other local churches were busy all day on Easter Sunday, with three or four services each.
Mormon church was closed. No services at all in the past few days. Normal Sunday morning service was not running. I thought easter was a big thing for christians. Can someone explain.

Maybe Christians who believe it's possible to enter heaven even without baptism, but like to big up Christmas and Easter would have been more suitable for your DM?

Is there such a church?

My sister is baptist ( my mother used to be) and they seem pretty firm that my late father wouldn't get to heaven. That was the main reason my mother was baptised in LDS church.

Dozer thanks.

My mother has had grief counselling. My father died 34 years ago.

Most churches have a mixture of beliefs/theologies. I'd avoid your sister's church myself. There are lots of places in the bible where we are told not to judge, that it isn't our place to speculate on other people's spiritual state. Many people have a straight down the line some get in some don't theology, many believe (as I do) that is far too simplistic. Your mum can carry on believing what she wants about him, and worship in any church- but probably not your sister's! Baptists are perhaps generally a bit more of the black and white perspective, Methodists a bit more subtle, Anglicans it very much depends from one church to the next! All churches will have a mixture of beliefs and believers within them, though.

Is there such a church?

Yes, that’s a totally mainstream Christian view of things (outside the Catholic Church). The way to heaven is put your trust in jesus. Baptism is a good thing to do after you’ve done that because that’s what the bible says God wants but all it is is a public declaration about what you’ve already accepted to be true. Baptism without belief is totally pointless.

Bushtail it's good to hear that the Mormans supported your mum. My friend's mum was a staunch Catholic who went to church 2-3 times a week and helped with church activities. When she became ill with dementia there was no support whatsoever from the priest or members. When she was sectioned my friend had to request visits from the hospital priest who served all the local hospitals. I was disgusted with the way the church just abandoned her. My aunt was a Methodist and when she became ill the minister visited every week . She had the most personal and warm funeral I have ever been to.

PurpleDaisies Oh sorry- some confusion.

The Mormon church tells my mother that her baptism will secure my late father's place in heaven ( he was an atheist). That's the main reason she was baptisted. Her baptism will save everyone in her family.
It's her 4th baptism in different churches.

Ah! Sorry, I missed that. Yes, that’s a very unusual view and I’ve never heard of any church that believes that.

Her baptism will save everyone in her family

That is a very unusual view!

Even Catholics believe non Catholics can go to heaven.

I think you can't really say Catholics don't support members of the congregation when people need them, but Methodists do...I think it depends on the people who make up the church in that area, not the religion.

Does your DM disclose her previous baptisms to her new churches? It sounds like she's being taken advantage of somewhat, and still hasn't found what she's looking for.

Yes my mother has disclosed her previous baptisms. They didn't seem to mind.

Even Catholics believe non Catholics can go to heaven.

So atheists can go to heaven too?

In the CofE teaching it's pretty clear that faith in God and believing that Jesus died and was resurrected is the prerequisite for getting to heaven. There are big theological arguments about whether faith alone is enough or whether you also have to live that faith by doing good things. Catholics believe that praying for people after their death can influence what happens to happens to their souls in the afterlife; Anglicans and Protestants don't and think it's on us while we live to believe and do good. There are no simple answers.

There are indeed no simple answers

During a homily in Rome in May 2014, Pope Francis apparently said that God redeems everyone, not just Christians, but also atheists.

It depends on who you ask, though. Some Catholics say you will go to heaven if you don't know about the church, but if you do and shun it, you won't.

Personally I think no one on earth can tell you exactly who will and who won't get into heaven.
Your mother sounds pretty well covered though.

Mormons practice baptism of the dead and ancestors. Its why they are such a good source of genealogy. They baptise their ancestors into the church.

I assume this is what they mean, that they will baptise her husband posthumously.

Yes exactly.
My late father will be baptised.

Sounds like your DM is getting a lot from the Mormon church and it’s making her happy, which is good of course, but do you think they could be persuading her to leave her estate to them eventually?

How do they baptise a dead person? Do they actually dig up the corpse?

I think it's also because it was their General Conference this week

I think it’s this. All the Mormon mommy bloggers I follow seemed to be sitting at home watching it on tv, rather than going to church.

It sounds as if your mum is quite vulnerable and is searching for comfort and reassurance from whatever church spins her a line that makes her feel better . She may not stay with this church if it doesn't have the services that suit her.

Lynette As I'm not a Mormon, I have no idea of how they work, DM was baptised years ago, then drifted away, found them again 20 years later. Like OPs SM she had tried a few different religions in between.

I think the support she got from them after my stepfather left, after she moved into sheltered housing, and eventually hospital was amazing, considering she had nothing to really contribute beyond attending services, even then she had to be collected. The social side of the church for her meant a lot, she was increasingly isolated, but she was invited to suppers, teas, even a couple of weddings. I sound like a fan now, sorry, but whatever their motives, they didn't do her any harm.

Should read OPs DM, sorry

From what I've heard, @bushtailadventures, Mormons are very supportive of each other socially. They do seem to have a good points, especially as a community, even if they have some odd ideas about Christianity (IMO)

It was general conference weekend, I would be surprised if she didn't know it was but if she hadn't been able to get to usually her local stake centre (it is broadcast live over the internet but on a local level it only tends to be broadcast in larger stake centres so not her regular ward or branch) or watch on the internet then she won't have seen any of it. It happens twice yearly, along with stake conferences are the only time there aren't regular Sunday meetings. So 4 or 5 weeks a year basically.

Next months Ensign magazine will have the talks but they'll be online in the next few days in print form (the videos are already available).

Hope that helps. :)

Yes I know some members were watching some live streaming from Utah last night. So that makes sense.

It was general conference this week. It's always held on the first Sunday in April and so this year it coincided with Easter. It doesn't always and on those Easter Sunday we have Church
This weekend we had 10 hours of meeting broadcast from Salt Lake City over the weekend. It was great.

However I'm a lifelong Mormon and I'm inclined to agree with your mother. This year locally we didn't do anything to mark Easter except for a kids Easter party. Some years there are events held. I'm in our church choir and we sometimes put on an event but this year there was a change of director and there wasn't time to prepare anything.
I felt it was a shame but we are a church run by volunteers so it takes someone to do it.
Your mum could have watched General Conference. She would have liked it. It's a shame someone didn't tell her about it. As a new member she probably didn't know.
General conference is available to watch still on Lds.org

gabsdot I appreciate your information.

Yes my mother did know about the conference. I would have helped her watch.
She is just very confused - why was the general conference timed on Easter Sunday ? And why was the church closed?
As I understand the streaming of the conference was around 7pm GMT. Why did that prevent the usual 10am Sunday service from happening?

I am not a christian- but I thought easter was a big thing??