Start at http://www.mormon.org to learn about our basic doctrines and to order free scriptures. You can choose to chat with a member of the Church, too.

Hi Grace,

Mormons don’t drink coffee because we believe that a code of health was revealed by God to Joseph Smith as a “word of wisdom” that we believe will help us and anyone who lives by it be healthier. http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89/5-9. Although the above scripture itself does not mention coffee, subsequent LDS Prophets have interpreted the “hot drinks” in that scripture to include coffee and tea and other addictive and harmful substances. Mormons believe that God gave us bodies as a gift and that to take care of that gift is to respect God and makes us more able to spiritually connect with him.

Mormons value education and learning. We also value families. Sometimes professional pursuits are seen as the only way to make use of an education. My wife, however, has a masters degree and loves to use her education to teach our two daughters and in addition teaches night classes at a local English as a Second Language program. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in no way discourages women from gaining or using education to forward the work of the world. The Church does teach that life is centrally about developing loving family relationships and sometimes the role of education in supporting family life is in the workplace and at other times it is in educating and caring for children.

Some of the reasons Mormons might be perceived to be closed to others may stem from the fact that for a long period of the church’s history members were persecuted for their beliefs and this may have made it uncomfortable for them to reach out and connect with those of other faiths. Despite this fact, the faith itself teaches members to befriend all and I am sure that you would find that many members live by this principle and easily make friends of with people of varied faiths and do not impose their beliefs on them.

I hope these answers are helpful. If you have other questions or would like to know more about Mormons check this site out http://mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/

Take Care,
Antonio