How the Mormon Church Creates Doomsday Preppers

I was about ten years old the first time I truly feared the world might be ending. I remember lying awake imagining our garage stacked with barrels of wheat and rice, our basement filled with canned food. If the apocalypse came, I worried desperate neighbors would storm our house to steal our stockpile – and my dad would be there with his rifle to fend them off​. 

It sounds extreme, but that was life in a devout Mormon family that took doomsday preparedness seriously. For us, “being prepared” wasn’t just common sense – it was part of our religion.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the Mormon church) teaches the importance of self-reliance and readiness for hard times. Stocking up on food and supplies wasn’t merely a hobby in our home; it was following prophetic counsel about living in the “last days.” 

In this article, I’ll explore how Mormon beliefs and doomsday prepping go hand in hand, sharing key doctrines, personal experiences, and cultural quirks that show how faith can fuel a survivalist spirit.

Preparedness as a Principle of Mormon Faith

In the LDS Church, emergency preparedness isn’t a fringe idea – it’s practically a tenet of the faith. Church leaders have long instructed members to be ready for adversity, whether it’s a personal financial crisis or a natural disaster. 

We’re counseled to build up a reserve of essentials, including at least three months’ worth of food for our households​, with the ultimate goal of a year’s supply​. Growing up, my family took this to heart; our basement pantry was crammed with enough canned peaches, wheat, and powdered milk to weather anything from a job loss to Armageddon.

This practice has deep roots. Early Mormon pioneers stockpiled food on their long treks to Utah​, and during the Cold War members were even urged to keep a two-year supply against nuclear disaster​. Official advice today is more modest, but old habits die hard. Plenty of Latter-day Saint families (mine included) still maintain extensive home pantries, rotating stored food like clockwork.

Apocalyptic Prophecies and End-Times Expectations

Mormonism is inherently apocalyptic – the very name “Latter-day Saints” implies we’re living in the final days before Christ’s return. At church I learned about prophesied wars, earthquakes, and plagues that would precede the Second Coming, and that the faithful would gather to build a New Jerusalem after society breaks down. One famous prophecy claims the U.S. Constitution will hang by a thread and must be saved by righteous church members​, and another warns that “blood will run in the streets” before Jesus comes.

Some members take these warnings seriously. I knew families who obsessively tracked every headline and rumor, searching for signs of the coming apocalypse​. 

If you truly believe doomsday is around the corner, stockpiling food and even prepping weapons or a bunker feels only logical​.. I even heard people at church say the September 11 attacks were a sure sign the end was beginning – that we’d soon be living off our food storage for real​.

From Food Storage to Furniture: Prepping in Everyday Mormon Life

Preparedness isn’t just taught in sermons; it’s woven into daily Mormon life. When I was young, I thought everyone’s mom bought rice and beans in 25-pound sacks and kept a hand-crank wheat grinder in the kitchen. Every LDS family I knew had a “food storage” space – maybe shelves in the basement or bins under the bed – filled with non-perishables, water jugs, and emergency gear.

One Mormon comedy film even shows a missionary coming home to find his bed frame built out of food storage cans​. That joke lands because it rings true: in our community, it’s normal to use buckets of wheat as bedside tables when you run out of pantry space!

The Church actively encourages this readiness mindset. There’s an official preparedness website with detailed guides and checklists​, and even church-run canneries and warehouses where members can buy bulk staples (yes, our church literally sells those supplies)​. A whole cottage industry also caters to Mormon preppers: many Utah-based companies sell ready-made survival kits and long-shelf-life meals aimed at Latter-day Saint families​.

The Fine Line Between Preparedness and Paranoia

I learned firsthand how easily good preparation can blur into paranoia. As a kid, having periodic “end of the world” drills at home – like learning to start a fire or hike with a heavy pack – left me a bit on edge​. I often felt an “ultra stressed” sense that disaster could strike at any. Ironically, a practice meant to instill confidence sometimes bred fear.

Some families take it to extremes. I heard of parents who pulled their kids out of school because they figured algebra won’t matter after society collapses (better to teach survival skills instead)​.

That kind of laser focus on doomsday can lead people to neglect everyday life – I’ve seen folks more worried about ammo and bunkers than about paying the bills or staying.

My own family never went that far, but the prepper ethos did sometimes teeter between prudent and paranoid. I met older church members who had hoarded decades’ worth of supplies, with dusty canned goods from the 1980s lining their hallways​. The irony is that a principle meant to provide peace of mind can, in excess, create constant dread and a hoarder mentality.

I’ve come to appreciate both sides of Mormon prepping. On one hand, I’m grateful for the self-reliance it taught me – having a stocked pantry gave me peace of mind during events like a pandemic.

On the other hand, I’ve learned not to let apocalyptic anxiety take over. Even LDS leaders now remind us that preparedness is about caring for family and neighbors in real crises, not hiding in fear​. I try to be ready for whatever comes, but not let fear of the future steal the joy of today. Mormonism taught me to plan for the worst but also hope for the best – and when kept in check, that mindset turns doomsday prepping from a source of fear into a source of comfort and resilience.