Share the Gospel through New Web Site

The Church has a new resource to help spread the gospel. An official Church Web site, www.mormon.org, allows people to learn more about the gospel by exploring on their own with complete anonymity.

The site, announced on 5 October 2001, was referred to by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during general conference. “In its potential, this new initiative is as exciting as the publishing of written tracts in the 19th century and our use of radio, television, and film in the 20th,” Elder Oaks said during conference. “… For members of the Church, it will help us answer the questions of friends directly or by referring them to the site.”

Within three days of the announcement of mormon.org, the site recorded 93,433 visits, including 151 requests for a copy of the Book of Mormon and 36 requests for the missionaries to visit. Users were from Africa; Asia; Australia; the South Pacific; the Caribbean; Europe; the Middle East; and North, South, and Central America.

Mormon.org uses a combination of audio, visual, and textual elements to explain basic principles of the Church in simple, straightforward terms. Content is divided into four main categories: the Church, families, the nature of God, and the purpose of life.

Links for each category lead to basic information about the topic; further links lead to related topics and audio or video clips from Church videos or talks given by a member of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Those who want to learn more can request a meeting with missionaries or Church literature or videos, or they can use a meetinghouse locator (currently available for the United States and Canada) to find the congregation closest to their home.

Other information available at mormon.org includes responses to frequently asked questions regarding social issues, theology, and Church policy; resources on parenting, family relationships, and communication; and a search and glossary tool to help users understand gospel terms.

Church members can use the site to e-mail its Web pages to a friend or to send gospel-themed electronic greeting cards free of charge.

Mormon.org is currently available only in English, but it is planned that the site will eventually be available in many languages.