When people talk to me about the LDS Church, they almost immediately want to talk about the supposed “crazy” stuff about Mormons. How many wives do you have? Do you wear magic underwear? Do you think you are getting your own planet? (For the record: I only have one wife, but if May from “Agents of Shield” knocks on my door, we might be able to work something out; my underwear are sacred . . . it’s my socks that are magic; and I can barely cover my mortgage, so I don’t see myself upgrading to “planet” any time soon).

What really makes Mormonism stand out from other Christian faiths is some of our core doctrines, not the stuff that critics of the Church like to spend a lot of time on. So, what kind of crazy things do we really believe?

1. We Believe That What You Believe Matters

Doctrine is not doing well these days. The nature of God, our purpose in life, and what happens after we die have gotten so murky within much of Christianity that it makes the Nicene Creed look like an exemplar of clear writing. “Spirituality” is good, while “religion” is bad. You believe what you believe, and if a church happens to dovetail with those notions, even better.

Mormons really do believe that belief matters. We think that God has a plan and purpose for us and a desire that we understand it and be able to follow it. It is fairly clear from the Bible that our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ cared about what we believe and wanted to help us come to know Them. Mormons believe that truth—things as they really are—can be found and followed. We insist, along with Agent Mulder, that “the Truth is out There.”

2. Mormons Also Believe That What You Do Matters

Read the rest at LDS.net.