Over the last several weeks, it seems everyone from the Huffington Post to USA Today is talking about the "Mormon Preppers"–a small group of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are overstocking their food storage and updating their 72 hour kits under the premise that the world is ending.
After receiving "several media inquiries," the Church released the following official statement on the Mormon Newsroom web site.
"The Church encourages our members to be spiritually and physically prepared for life's ups and downs. For many decades, Church leaders have counseled members that, where possible, they should gradually build a supply of food, water and financial resources to ensure they are self-reliant during disasters and the normal hardships that are part of life, including illness, injury or unemployment.
This teaching to be self-reliant has been accompanied by the counsel of Church leaders to avoid being caught up in extreme efforts to anticipate catastrophic events.
The writings and speculations of individual Church members, some of which have gained currency recently, should be considered as personal accounts or positions that do not reflect Church doctrine."
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