Napping in the Mormon Tradition
Your bodies are temples (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
We’re continuing our “napping in religious traditions” series, where we’ve already covered Judaism and Catholicism, by turning to the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints, informally known as the Mormon church. A Mormon friend was kind enough to spend some time with me to share his perspective on napping in Mormon religion and culture.
I’ve found many similarities between Mormon and Jewish traditions, including being grounded in a detailed, written code — in their case, the Holy Bible, Book of Mormon, et al., rather than the Torah, Talmud, et al. Another similarity is observance of the Sabbath, the weekly day of rest, and still another relates to how we treat our bodies, minds, and souls. Regarding the latter, Mormons look to the Word of Wisdom received by the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1833 and recorded in section 89 of Doctrines and Covenants.
While not explicitly addressing napping, the Word of Wisdom addresses how to sustain oneself to participate in the eternal parts of life: family, service, and mission. That resonates, as part of our “why” at TND is a belief that napping helps us participate fully in life. Mormons also focus on growth and personal revelation: one Mormon relates a story of a prayer being answered with three simple words: “Take a nap.”
Were a Mormon divinely inspired to focus on napping as a way of better achieving Mormon ideals, I believe they likely would be encouraged to pursue this calling. Apply this lesson to our daily lives…