Mormonism-Unveiled: Fact Vs. Fancy

Elder Marlin K. Jensen Confirms Mormon Attrition Rate At Its Highest Percentage Since The 1837 Failure Of The Kirtland Bank

2012-01-31T23:33:00.001-09:00

A recent Pew survey entitled "Mormons In America" triggered some skepticism on the more prominent LDS blogs. Some questioned the findings that 77 percent of Mormons in America attend church every week and that 79 percent of Mormons pay tithing as too high, considering that the Church itself estimates that around 50 percent of Mormons tithe.

It appears that a General Authority has confirmed the skeptics, at least in principle. KTVX Channel 4 reported on a Reuters article which revealed that Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the First Quorum of the Seventy showed up at a religious studies class at Utah State University in Logan, Utah in late 2011 and openly admitted that attrition among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has accelerated in the last five or 10 years. Elder Jensen further stated that not since the 1837 failure of the Church-owned Kirtland Safety Society Bank in Kirtland, Ohio, have such a high percentage of Mormons left the church.

Elder Jensen, who is also the official Church Historian, did not provide any specific figures on the rate of attrition. Furthermore, although Elder Jensen also did not provide a demographic breakdown, the Church is particularly concerned about its younger members, who are considered future missionaries; it has been said that attrition is greater amongst young people. Census data from some foreign countries show that the retention rate for their converts is as low as 25 percent. In the U.S., only about half of Mormons are active members of the church, according to Washington State University emeritus sociologist Armand Mauss, a leading researcher on Mormons. Sociologists estimate that out of the 14 million Mormons worldwide, only about 5 million are active. The LDS Church has not officially commented on the Reuters article yet.

Causes: Three causes for the sudden uptick in attrition identified in the Reuters article include controversial Mormon history, scientific studies refuting some historical aspects of the Book of Mormon, and the lingering effects of LDS support for California Proposition 8. Because the Book of Mormon is presented as both a spiritual document and an historical document, some Church members are startled to find articles on the Internet using science to contradict it. Some researchers claim horses weren't introduced into the Western Hemisphere until the arrival of the Spaniards, and extensive DNA studies have failed to find any genetic link between Israelites and American Indians so far.

Corrective Measures: LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson has launched a campaign called "The Rescue" and made it his signature initiative, according to Elder Jensen. The effort includes a new package of materials for pastoral leaders and for teaching Mormon youth that address some of the more sensitive aspects of church doctrine. In addition, the Church continues its "I am a Mormon" ad campaign, which includes features stereotype-busting Mormons who are Black or single parents; this has helped boost chat sessions on Mormon.org to more than a million in the last 12 months. And to better reach out to gays after the tempest over Proposition 8, the Church supported a job and housing anti-discrimination measure in Salt Lake City, saying that opposing discrimination was a separate issue from same-sex marriage.

The Presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney is also having an impact. "There have been discussions at LDS church headquarters about both the positive and negative aspects of Romney's presidential bid," a person briefed on the talks said. "One concern is that Romney's campaign could further energize evangelical antipathy toward the church. Another concern is that he could take positions that would complicate the church's missionary efforts in the U.S. or other countries such as in Central and South America." But on the positive side, the person said, "having a Mormon president could raise the church's profile and legitimize it in other countries."

Some Mormons are exercising personal initiative to stem the attrition. On Mormanity, Jeff Lindsay announced that he's starting a website called Mormons Come Home, on which he'll be posting the stories of LDS members who drifted away and then returned. One of his objectives is to inspire members to be more patient, loving, and understanding toward those who have left. One of the most common complaints by Mormons who leave the Church is that they're shunned after their departure. If they're willing to leave the Church alone, we must be willing to continue fellowshipping them, but just as much on their terms as ours.

LDS Member Antonio Rubalcala Lacy Busted For Forcible Sexual Abuse Of Two Roommates While At BYU-Provo

2012-01-31T21:27:00.001-09:00

A former student at Brigham Young University-Provo was arrested and has been charged with six felony forcible sexual abuse charges involving two former roommates on campus. Antonio Rubalcala Lacy, 18, was booked on January 25th, 2012, given a summons by Judge James Taylor to appear in 4th District Court in Provo on February 23rd, and has since returned to his home in Monterey, California. Police decided to release Lacy because they believe he would have bonded out anyway. KSTU Channel 13 news video embedded below:

Update: Story now picked up by the Provo Daily Herald, the Salt Lake Tribune, and KSL Channel 5.

The alleged abuse happened in a university dorm at the Wymount Housing Complex. The first incident took place in October 2011. It involved touching; but the victim moved out and never reported the incident. The second incident took place in January 2012 after the next roommate moved in, but the second victim did contact the police. Once the first victim found out about the second victim, he apparently contacted police as well, and the two victims are determined to testify in court. In both cases, Lacy is accused of groping his victims three different times, explaining the six different counts. Lacy was kicked out of BYU, but the specific reason was not provided.

Court documents say Lacy confessed to his church bishop allegedly saying he committed the crimes for sexual stimulation. It has not been disclosed whether or not Lacy is still a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but a confession of this type of crime to a bishop alone could warrant a disciplinary council and action against Lacy's membership. The Church would not need to wait until a formal guilty verdict was rendered.

What's interesting is that Mugshots.com cites the applicable statute as Utah Code 76-5-404.1. This appears to be erroneous, because it describes Forcible Sexual Abuse of a Child. Lacy's roommates weren't children, so the correct statute would be Utah Code 76-5-404, Forcible Sexual Abuse, which sets forth the penalties. The Utah County Sheriff's Office also replicates this same error.

LDS Militiaman Coleman Barney Now Indicted By Federal Grand Jury For Murder Conspiracy In Alaska, Could Face Life Imprisonment

2012-01-24T23:02:00.002-09:00

On January 23rd, 2012, a federal grand jury in Anchorage, Alaska returned a superseding indictment of Alaska Peacemaker Militia members Schaeffer Cox, Coleman Barney, and Lonnie Vernon for murder conspiracy in what has become known as the 241 case. Barney was previously identified as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, assigned to the Eielson Ward in North Pole, Alaska. All three individuals pleaded not guilty, and the trial, originally scheduled to begin on February 6th, has now been pushed forward to May 7th. The Anchorage Daily News has two stories on the two-day hearing; Day One and Day Two.

-- Read the complete 24-page indictment HERE. The murder conspiracy charges are reflected in Counts 12-16 of the new indictment. Count 12 is the heavy count that could bring life imprisonment.

To briefly recap this increasingly complex case, Cox, Barney, Vernon and two others were arrested in March 2011 following a joint state-federal investigation into Cox's activities. Investigators allege Cox had swayed his followers to help him avoid prosecution in other matters, and had convinced them to participate in kidnapping and killing of government officials -- state troopers, a judge, U.S. Marshals, TSA officials, and personnel with the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security -- as retaliation in the event any of them attempted to apprehend Cox. The plan was dubbed the "241 Plan", meaning for every militia member taken out, two cops would be taken out. Plans allegedly included staging armed patrols in public places and acquiring and making illegal weapons.

Much of the federal case revolves around two informants expected to testify for the government. Gerald Olson is the "dirty" informant in the case, having made three felony charges go away in exchange for his cooperation. Despite defrauding numerous customers, he ended up pleading guilty only to second-degree theft, and got probation. In contrast, William Fulton, who formerly owned Drop Zone Security, is the "clean" informant, facing no charges, but who suddenly disappeared from view after the initial arrests of the Schaeffer Cox crew in March 2011. The credibility of both informants has been already challenged by the defense lawyers; in fact, the parallel state case against the three was abandoned by state prosecutors on October 17th, 2011 when Alaska Superior Court Judge David Stewart ruled that more than 100 hours of audio and video surveillance could not be used as evidence in the state's case. Under Alaska state law, which offers greater privacy protections than the U.S. Constitution, the judge ruled the warrantless recordings unconstitutional.

Coleman Barney has steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout his ordeal, which now stretches into the tenth month. During this time, Barney's repeated requests for bail have been denied, cutting him off from his family, congregation, and community. Numerous members of his ward have written supportive letters attesting to Barney's sound character and patriotism. The LDS Church customarily does not take action against the membership of someone in this situation unless or until they're found guilty in a court of law.

It is apparent that the ringleader, Schaeffer Cox, shot off his mouth a bit too loudly about his dissatisfaction with government, and the feds have decided to come down hard on him and his cohorts to administer an object lesson to anyone who dissents in this country. This indictment is the third handed down during this sequence, which implies that the feds are haphazardly flinging as much poo at the walls as they can in hopes that enough of it will stick to get a conviction.

For more background on this case:

-- Anchorage Daily News portal to past stories HERE.

-- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner portal to past stories partially available via this story.

-- Read all Alaska Pride posts on this case HERE.

Jon Huntsman Drops Out Of Presidential Race, Endorses Mitt Romney; Some Supporters Migrating To The Ron Paul Camp

2012-01-15T21:43:00.002-09:00

Despite registering an impressive third place finish with 17 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire Republican primary, Jon Huntsman Jr. dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on January 16th, 2012. Furthermore, Huntsman also endorsed Mitt Romney, characterizing him as the man best equipped to defeat Barack Obama in the fall. In his statement to supporters, Huntsman added that he will continue to fight for a tax code that unleashes opportunity rather than stifles it; an energy policy that ends our addiction to foreign oil; congressional term limits; education reform that prepares kids for the 21st Century; and financial reform that protects taxpayers from future bailouts.

The decision was triggered by distinct signs that Huntsman's performance in New Hampshire was a fluke. Polls indicate Huntsman was back down in single-digit territory in South Carolina, finishing either fifth or sixth, and despite pouring at least $2 million of his own money into the race, found his campaign increasingly cash-strapped, unable to buy television time or pay for direct mailings to reach voters in South Carolina. An official endorsement by South Carolina's largest newspaper, The State, was not enough to change his mind. Since The State also gave Romney honorable mention in their endorsement, it's possible they may switch their support to Romney.

The decision came as a surprise to Huntsman's top adviser in New Hampshire, Peter Spaulding, who learned the news in a telephone call from a reporter. Spaulding has no regrets about working for Huntsman, saying "I expected him to do better, but you know, it is as it is. He's still a young man and has a lot of future ahead of him". The Daily Mail's Toby Harnden covered part of Huntsman's campaign and said that Huntsman always seemed to be less than the sum of his parts. He noted that Huntsman never overcame the central paradox of his candidacy: while declaring himself to be a Reagan conservative, he marketed himself as a moderate and took every opportunity to bemoan the state of the Republican party, even questioning its sanity. Newt Gingrich hailed Huntsman's decision, saying that "we are one step closer to a bold Reagan conservative winning the GOP nomination", while Mitt Romney said “I salute Jon Huntsman and his wife Mary Kaye. Jon ran a spirited campaign based on unity not division, and love of country. I appreciate his friendship and support.” KSL news video below:

Does Huntsman's drop from GOP race help Romney? | ksl.com

The New York Times believes that Huntsman's withdrawal will help Romney pick up more support among moderate Republicans, but is unlikely to help him with conservatives. However, the conservatives are split between Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and to a certain degree, Ron Paul, although Paul also has support from libertarians and independents.

Mormon Republican Reaction: Not all LDS Republicans will migrate to Mitt Romney. Comments posted to the Salt Lake Tribune story indicate many are showing a renewed interest in Ron Paul. In fact, a Facebook group, Latter-day Saints for Ron Paul, has formed to mobilize additional LDS support for him. On January 12th, 2012, leading libertarian LDS blogger Connor Boyack wrote "I believe that a sincere review of our doctrine and history in the LDS Church would lead an individual to support not Mitt Romney, a fellow Mormon, but the only candidate who has consistently shown a commitment to upholding the Constitution and defending individual liberty: Ron Paul".

I seriously doubt that Romney would choose Huntsman as a running mate; two Mormons on the ticket would provide too much grist for the propaganda mills of anti-Mormons as well as some evangelicals and conspiracy theorists. But Huntsman may end up on the short list for Secretary of State in a Romney Administration; thanks to his service as ambassador to China, few people are more qualified for that post than Huntsman. But the involvement of two members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who expressed their Mormonism in slightly different ways may have helped erode suspicion of a Mormon presidency to the point that Romney can actually get elected. While Romney was portrayed as a more active Mormon than Huntsman, the LDS Church scrupulously avoided any hint of communicating that Romney might be more worthy than Huntsman.

Excommunicated Ex-Mormon Dawn Forsythe Defends LDS Church And Mitt Romney Against Bogus Charges Of Racism Aired In Attack Video

2012-01-14T21:21:00.001-09:00

Currently making the rounds is an attack ad on video which claims that Mitt Romney and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is racist. Over dramatic music, you can hear the narrator say things like, "Mitt Romney was part of an official racist organization until he was 31 years old." The video goes on to point out that "it wasn't until 1978 that the Mormon Church allowed blacks to participate fully." The attack video talks about the LDS faith, but is aimed at Romney. In a clip from an interview a few years ago Romney says, "I'm proud of my faith, and it’s the faith of my fathers." That is followed by the narrator saying, "The faith of his father is a racist faith." The video is embedded below, although it might not stay up much longer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RckqB2u9r3k

The video has drawn sharp condemnation from a number of sources. The other Mormon candidate, Jon Huntsman Jr, condemned the ad and called for YouTube to pull it because of the misleading Huntsman tagline at the end. Huntsman spokesman Tim Miller speculated that it was produced by a Ron Paul supporter. Even the Utah Democratic Party, which has no political reason to defend Romney, spoke out in protest. State party chairman Jim Dabakis characterized the video as political pornography, explaining "We were made aware of a video today [Jan. 13] and we believe that it disturbed not only Democrats, but fair-minded people everywhere." He further characterized it as anti-Mormon discrimination. But the origin of the video has not yet been established. There has been no comment from the Romney camp.

But even more importantly, the video attracted condemnation from an unlikely source; an excommunicated ex-Mormon. Dawn Forsythe, who was an LDS member from 1971 until she was excommunicated in 1973 for apostasy after expressing public disagreement with the ban against conferring Priesthood upon Black men, pointedly explained that the Mormons changed their old racial discrimination as did many other social institutions, and noted that despite being excommunicated, she still admires the Mormon tenets that attracted her to the Church in the first place; namely, service to others, humanitarian aid, good citizenship, and a strong family life. She maintains that although she would not consider voting for Romney, Mormonism should not be a disqualifier for presidential candidates, and only uninformed voters would vote against him because of his religion.

Dawn Forsythe is to be commended for her integrity and fair-mindedness. It's obvious that she has long since come to terms with her excommunication, and it's proof that ex-Mormons do NOT necessarily become anti-Mormons. I would encourage any LDS member reading this post to visit her blog and post a brief comment expressing appreciation for her defense of the truth. The better we treat ex-Mormons, the less likely they are to become anti-Mormons.

Pew Forum On Religion Releases Survey On Mormons In America: LDS Church Pleased, Prominent LDS Bloggers Question Findings

2012-01-12T23:03:00.001-09:00

On January 12th, 2012, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released the results of a survey entitled "Mormons In America", but a number of prominent bloggers who make up the LDS Bloggernacle are questioning some of the findings. In contrast, the LDS Church sent an official statement to KSL Channel 5 expressing its satisfaction with the outcome. Church spokesman Cody Craynor wrote:

"As the Church and its members are increasingly the focus of media attention, we're eager to participate in conversations that help the public get to know us better.

"Even though the recent Pew study did not survey any of the Church's 8 million members who live outside the U.S., it highlights some important aspects regarding who we are and what we believe. For example, the study found that Church members subscribe to traditional Christian beliefs, have high moral standards, are overwhelmingly satisfied with their lives and communities, are active in serving others and have a profound dedication to family.

"These results reflect the Church's message that a deep commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ brings lasting happiness."

According to the Topline, 1,019 individuals who identified as Mormon and living in the United States were interviewed between October 25th - November 16th, 2011. Of those interviewed, 99 percent identified as members of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the remainder split among other restorationist denominations such as the Community of Christ and unspecified other Mormon sects. Page 76 of the full report reveals that 88 percent of respondents are White (non-Hispanic), 7 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Other, and 1 percent Black (non-Hispanic). Page 74 shows that 44 percent of respondents live in Utah. All information on methodology begins on Page 67 of the full report.

Topics covered included the leading presidential candidates, general social trends, perception of attitudes towards Mormons, and finally, Mormons' own religious practices. The mass media will already be focusing upon points one and three; rather than duplicate their efforts, I prefer to focus on points two and four. From the social trends category comes these noteworthy highlights:

-- Homosexuality: 65 percent of respondents say homosexuality should be discouraged by society.
-- Immigration: Almost evenly split; 45 percent of respondents say immigrants today strengthen our country because of their hard work and talents, but 41 percent say immigrants today are a burden on our country because they take our jobs, housing and health care.
-- Abortion: 74 percent say abortion is morally wrong.
-- Divorce: 46 percent say it's not a moral issue, while 25 percent say it's morally wrong.
-- Polygamy: 86 percent say it's morally wrong.
-- Sex between unmarried adults (fornication): 79 percent say it's morally wrong.

And from the religious practices category come these highlights on how Mormons believe in Church doctrine and participate in Church activities:

-- Attending church: 77 percent say they attend services at least once weekly.
-- Activity: 67 percent define themselves as Very Active.
-- The Book of Mormon: 91 percent say the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets and TRANSLATED by Joseph Smith, while 8 percent say the Book of Mormon was WRITTEN by Joseph Smith (all caps in the original)
-- Jesus Christ: 98 percent say He rose from the dead.
-- Godhead: 94 percent believe the Father and the Son to be physically separate beings.
-- President of the Church: 94 percent believe that the president of the LDS Church is a prophet of God.
-- Temple Activity: 95 percent believe that families can be bound together eternally in Temple ceremonies, but only 65 percent of respondents hold a temple recommend.
-- Women in the Priesthood: 87 percent say that women who are dedicated members of the LDS Church should not be ordained to the priesthood.
-- Food Storage: 82 percent keep an emergency food supply, but only 60 percent have at least three months' supply on hand.
-- Missionary Service: Only 27 percent report having served a full-time proselyting mission. Of those, 92 percent said it helped them grow their faith, and 80 percent said it helped prepare them for employment success.
-- Personal Prayer: 83 percent report praying at least once per day; 64 percent more than once.
-- Tithing: 79 percent of respondents pay tithing.
-- Spouse/Partner: Of those identifying as being married or cohabiting, 85 percent said their partner is also a Mormon, while 6 percent said their partner was from a nonspecified Protestant denomination.
-- Is Mormonism Christian: 97 percent say Yes.

The survey has generated considerable discussion on the Bloggernacle, with analysis and discussion posted on Juvenile Instructor, on By Common Consent (HERE and HERE), and on Mormon Metaphysics. Several question the finding that 77 percent of Mormons in America attend church every week, because most who care about such things find that the actual rate of attendance is nowhere near this high. Likewise, the finding that 79 percent of Mormons pay tithing is also considered high when the Church itself estimates that it's around 50 percent. It's possible these high figures were skewed by the large number of Utah Mormons who responded; in Utah, there is more cultural and social pressure for Mormons to be active since they comprise a much higher percentage of the overall population. Some of the questions were not considered sufficiently nuanced; for example, what's the difference between Very Active and Active?

In the final analysis, the survey provides a good snapshot on the attitudes and actions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints in America.

Fire At Los Angeles LDS Temple Complex Destroys Mission President's Residence; Temple Itself Undamaged, Arson Not Immediately Suspected

2012-01-11T11:08:00.000-09:00

A fire on the grounds of the Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints early on January 10th, 2012 destroyed a mission president's residence leaving only a charred skeleton standing, but inflicted only minor damage upon the temple president's residence which is still under construction, and did not affect the temple building itself. An excellent photo of the damaged structure is available via the Los Angeles Times, while the Westwood-Century City Patch provides the most comprehensive story.

The blaze was first reported around 1:01 A.M. on January 10th. A total of 48 firefighters ultimately responded, and the fire was effectively doused by 1:27 A.M. The 4,000-square-foot building, which was intended to house the Los Angeles LDS mission president and serve as an administrative welcome center for visitors, was in the wood framing stage. No damage estimate is yet available.

Two short videos provide additional perspective. The first one shows the fire in reference to the location of the temple itself, and indicates that the temple was never threatened:

The second video focuses exclusively on the burning building. Flames were estimated to have been 30 feet high:

The temeple's director of public affairs, Matthew Ball, says arson is not suspected because the temple had not received any threats, and on-site security guards detected no intruders. The temple property is patrolled around the clock. Nevertheless, a Los Angeles Fire Department House of Worship Task Force, part of the department's counter-terrorism unit, was dispatched to the scene for an arson investigation, because that is their standard response for any fire at any religious site. No connection with the recent spate of car fires is suspected since a suspect has been arrested and the outbreak of fires ceased thereafter.

Disposition Of Former LDS Meetinghouse And Adjoining Lot In Harlem The Subject Of Local Debate

2012-01-09T22:26:00.000-09:00

New LDS chapel in Harlem

In 2005, Harlem’s first congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints moved into a larger, newly built chapel at 128th Street and Lenox Avenue. Left behind was a windowless, one-story building and an adjoining vacant lot on 129th Street between Lenox Avenue and Fifth Avenue. Since 2005, the Harlem First Ward and some of its non-Mormon neighbors still use the vacant lot to grow vegetables, train Cub Scouts and host family barbecues.

However, according to the New York Times, the LDS Church has decided to sell the parcel to Yoni Bak of Kane Ventures; although the sale price was not disclosed, similar parcels in the area have sold for $1 million. Bak declined to specify his plans, although he says his company strives to preserve local character, but his website shows an image of a six-story luxury condominium building under construction two blocks away. This triggers fears of gentrification and overpricing among some local residents.

Local LDS Church officials emphasized that the sale did not reflect a lack of concern for the neighborhood. “The church has deep respect and regard for the traditional character of the community of Harlem,” said Ahmed Corbitt, a church spokesman. But he explained that since the new chapel was financed by by the tithing of Mormons worldwide, selling the old property would replenish those coffers and help finance churches, agricultural projects and bishop's storehouses in needy places around the world. He added that while input from local congregations is solicited, they don't have the global perspective available at Church headquarters in Salt Lake City.

The Rev. Linnette C. Williamson Memorial Park Association sought to buy the church land at a discount. Paul Coppa, a lawyer for the trust, said that church officials in Utah had no interest in his proposal and that while he believed he could have made a deal with the local congregation, he was told they had no say.

Wayne Collier, a ward member, said the church was missing an opportunity. He other ward members had proposed turning the land into a welfare center, with a cannery, storehouse and employment center — all institutions the church currently has scattered from Inwood to New Jersey. He said his proposal was to keep the garden and build the center next door, with rental apartments above it to finance that project and others.

This is an example of a situation in which an extra dose of faith in Church leadership is useful. On the surface, building a welfare center in Harlem would seem like a marvelous idea; it would not only connect the LDS Church more closely with the local community, but would dispel suspicion that the Church is interested only in proselytization. It would be fine if the LDS Church was merely in maintenance mode.

But the LDS Church is in expansion mode as well. There remain many parts of the world where the LDS Church has yet to establish a foothold. Before Jesus Christ can return, the Gospel must be carried to all parts of the globe. This includes the Middle East and China, which have so far been resistant to the Gospel. Once the Church can access these areas, chapels and temples must follow. By selling real estate to the public at premium prices at prime locations, the Church gets valuable seed money which it can spend to start such projects without begging predatory bankers for loans at usurious rates. The borrower is always servant to the lender.

Read more about the financial practices of the LDS Church HERE.

East Valley Mormon Choral Organization In Mesa, Arizona Grabs The Number One Spot On Billboard's Classical Chart With "Messiah In America"

2012-01-06T21:37:00.000-09:00

A predominantly-Mormon musical group in Mesa, Arizona has just grabbed the number one spot on a Billboard music chart for their rendition of a new oratorio, "Messiah In America".

According to the Arizona Republic and the Salt Lake Tribune, the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization was part of a group of 700 singers and instrumentalists from MCO's choirs, children's choirs and symphony orchestras, which also included the Orange County Mormon Choral Organization in California, which captured the top spot on Billboard's Traditional Classical music chart for their performance of Messiah In America. They're also listed as a "Hot Shot Debut" at number seven on the overall Classical chart and as a top Independent album. Here's a brief promo of the group:

The LDS website noted that the group includes four world-class soloists; Jennifer Welch-Babidge, soprano; Francesca Forsyth, alto; George Dyer, tenor; and John Huntington, bass. The group also performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on June 4th, 2011.

"Messiah in America" was written by Mormon Choral Organizations of America co-founder Brett Stewart, who based the story on the Book of Mormon account of Jesus Christ's visit to America. You can read the complete account of Christ's visit to America in III Nephi, Chapters 9 through 26 inclusive. The album is currently available through iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby and select local retailers in Arizona and California. For more information about the Messiah in America album, go to www.messiahinamerica.com.

Georgia State Rep. Judy Manning Apologizes For Expressing Fear About Mitt Romney's Mormonism; Remark Widely Interpreted As Anti-Mormon

2012-01-06T10:35:00.000-09:00

A member of the Georgia State House has apologized for a remark that many people interpreted as anti-Mormon. Georgia State Representative Judy Manning (R32-Marietta) posted an apology for saying that she was "afraid" of Romney's Mormon faith.

The controversy began on Wednesday January 4th, 2011 when the Marietta Daily Journal published an article detailing Cobb County lawmakers’ thoughts on the Republican presidential race, including continuing questions over whether Romney’s religion will impair his presidential hopes. Rep. Manning favors Newt Gingrich, and explained her concerns about Romney. While she thinks Romney is a flip-flopper, this is the remark that triggered the criticism:

“I think Mitt Romney is a nice man, but I’m afraid of his Mormon faith. It’s better than a Muslim. Of course, every time you look at the TV these days you find an ad on there telling us how normal they are. So why do they have to put ads on the TV just to convince us that they’re normal if they are normal? … If the Mormon faith adhered to a past philosophy of pluralism, multi-wives, that doesn’t follow the Christian faith of one man and one woman, and that concerns me.”

Although Rep. Manning clearly states that plural marriage is a PAST practice, the match had been struck, and the firestorm ignited. As of this post, 37 comments were posted to the Journal story, most of them critical. One person actually called upon Newt Gingrich to denounce Manning's remark. The Marietta Patch also documented some other criticism:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Jay Bookman said Manning brought Georgia national embarrassment.
Zaid Jilani at Think Progress wrote that Manning’s remarks showed how bigotry against one group (Muslims) can lead to bigotry against another (Mormons).
MDJ columnist Don McKee looked at new Gallup Poll data on the role of the candidates’ religions in the presidential campaign, in which Protestants are less likely than other Republicans to support Romney but voters don’t seem to differentiate between the Catholics and Protestants.
On a related point, Ami Eden with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency joked that it’s probably a sign of progress if South Carolina’s Republicans vote for Roman Catholic Rick Santorum because he’s not Mormon.

Recognizing the perception problem, Rep. Manning quickly moved to make amends. On January 5th, she posted an explanation and apology on her Facebook page. While the full text is available only to Facebook members, she was quoted as saying “I have made a terrible mistake with my reckless words,” apologized to Romney and Mormons, and promised to vote for whoever the Republican nominee might be against President Barack Obama in November. Manning also accused the media of misrepresenting her, stating that Journal reporter Jon Gillooly manipulated her comparison using verbal judo and made her choice for a Republican Presidential candidate appear to be motivated by religion, and emphatically proclaimed "NOT SO!”

The Patch also noted that Manning did not apologize to Muslims. One person posted this interesting comment to the Patch:

rickplatts 12:39 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012:
I have attended Christian churches where they specifically "warned" the congregation against the "evils" of Mormonism. Never in all my years attending the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have I been warned against any other religion. If you don't believe me, just look at YouTube, where you can find any number of anti-Mormon videos produced by Christian churches or pastors, but zero anti-Christian videos produced by Mormons. Ever stop to think about that? I have great friends who are Christians. They are amazing people who I love dearly, but whenever the conversation turns to religion, their guard immediately goes up. To me, they have been pre-conditioned against Mormonism. And people think Mormons are brainwashed...

Rickplatts' statement is exactly on point; I've never seen any videos or other material published by official LDS sources warning people away from other specific churches.

Analysis: Was Rep. Manning's remark truly anti-Mormon? It depends on how one defines "anti-Mormon". To promote greater unity within the body of Christ, I prefer a narrow definition of "anti-Mormon". I tend to reserve that designation primarily for those who deliberately and maliciously launch sustained public campaigns against Mormonism, purposely misrepresenting and lying about the LDS Church. The most prominent people of whom I'm aware who fall within that category are Ed Decker, Steve Benson, Helen Radkey, Tricia Erickson, Martha Beck, and Sonia Johnson. Benson is particularly contemptible because he not only misrepresents the LDS Church, but also tramples all over the grave of his grandfather, Ezra Taft Benson, airing "dirty family laundry" in public.

The tone and content of Judy Manning's remarks reflect ignorance rather than malevolence. Ignorance is not a crime, and can best be resolved through information rather than condemnation. If we start piling on Manning and witch-hunting her, there is a risk she could actually become anti-Mormon. She did quickly move to correct the record. Consequently, our best approach is to counteract her ignorance in Christ-like fashion rather than write her off as being anti-Mormon. Let's reserve that designation for the worst of the worst.

Besides, if Judy Manning is to apologize for anything, she should apologize for supporting Newt Gingrich. I realize Gingrich hails from Georgia, but does Manning really have to support the most reactionary and troglodytic candidate of the bunch?

Poll Position Survey Indicates 36 Percent Of Respondents Would Not Vote For A Mormon Presidential Candidate

2012-01-06T00:27:00.000-09:00

Despite the presence of two candidates in the presidential race who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and notwithstanding the highly professional and motivational I Am A Mormon outreach campaign by the Church, suspicion of Mormonism isn't going away overnight. A polling outfit I've never previously heard of, Poll Position, conducted a scientific telephone survey of 1,133 registered voters nationwide on December 15th, 2011, and found that 36 percent of respondents still would not vote for a Mormon presidential candidate. Only 39 percent said they would, and 25 percent either had no opinion or chose not to answer the question.

As expected, there's a split between Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Among Republicans, 48 percent said they would vote for a Mormon, 29 percent said they would not, and 23 percent did not offer an opinion. Democrats were less likely to vote for a Mormon presidential candidate, with 46 percent saying they would not, 28 percent saying they would, and 27 percent with no opinion. Among Independents, 39 percent said they would vote, 34 percent said they would not, and 27 percent with no opinion.

Of even greater interest was the demographic breakdown shown in the crosstabs. This provides us good insight into how Mormons and Mormonism is viewed by various demographics, and can be used to determine how to better fine-tune and channel our message.

-- 52.9 percent of the 18-29 demographic would not vote for a Mormon
-- 37.6 percent of the 30-44 demographic would not vote for a Mormon
-- 31.2 percent of the 45-64 demographic would not vote for a Mormon
-- 23.6 percent of the 65+ demographic would not vote for a Mormon
-- 35.5 percent of Whites would not vote for a Mormon
-- 43.9 percent of Blacks would not vote for a Mormon
-- 31.5 percent of Hispanics would not vote for a Mormon
-- 28.2 percent of Other races would not vote for a Mormon
-- 40.5 percent of Males would not vote for a Mormon
-- 31.5 percent of Females would not vote for a Mormon

"Other" races would include Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians and Alaska Natives. Pacific Islanders have been more receptive towards Mormonism than other races.

The disparity between Whites and Blacks is attributable to a number of factors. More Blacks tend to vote Democratic than Republican, and Black support of Barack Obama in 2008 was overwhelming. However, the Priesthood ban against Blacks is undoubtedly a factor as well, even though it was lifted in 1978. While the Church has no reason to formally apologize for it unless they find out it was clearly in error, Church leaders need to come up with a better explanation for its origin. "We don't know" doesn't cut it.

What's particularly disturbing is that so many within the 18-29 demographic would not vote for a Mormon. This indicates that there may a breakdown in the delivery of our message to the rising young generation, and since youth are the future of the Church, this is of great concern. Is the problem with the message or with the medium?

I suspect the main problem is with the medium. The predominant youth pop culture contains many elements moderately or totally inconsistent with LDS values and standards. Youth are bombarded with an endless array of suggestive messages from the media, many of them with sexual overtones. These messages promise instant gratification and endless pleasure. Many female entertainers appear in public dressed in fashions totally inconsistent with LDS standards. Correspondingly, our image and our message may appear dowdy and uninspiring when compared on the surface with these secular messages.

The perceived political profile of Mormons may also be turning off young people. Dr. Robert P. Jones notes that despite the fact that young people, referred to as Millenials, have been more accepting of minority religious groups than older groups, their anxiety over a Mormon president likely has less to do with the religious beliefs of Mormons and more to do with the perceived political profile of Mormons and the LDS Church. Millenials have been taught that political correctness is a virtue, and we in the Church are more concerned about being spiritually correct.

Since we're not about to become politically correct, what we have to do instead is to package Mormonism to our youth in a manner that will attract more of them without compromising our standards. One example is rap music. Most of us oldsters absolutely hate rap music, and for good reason; much of it is highly misogynistic. But we forget that when we were young, our music shocked and horrified our parents as well. Have we thought of using the rap genre as another means to deliver our message, or will we continue to play the same old saccharine slop at our youth dances? Undoubtedly there are members of the Church capable of producing "Mormon rap"; have any been asked to try it?

The I Am A Mormon campaign is a good start, but we might need to become a bit more edgy to win the attention of more of the youth. We have to convince the youth that Mormonism is cool, and that grooming and dressing according to LDS standards is a more original and authentic way of expressing individuality than vandalizing one's body with tattoos and piercings. Our youth are too important to be left to the wiles of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

LDS Church Officially Launches A Series Of Commentaries On Religious Freedom

2012-01-04T21:32:00.001-09:00

With the escalating attacks on the rights of conservative Christians to articulate their points of view in the public square, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with very little public fanfare, has launched the first in a series of commentaries on religious freedom. The first commentary is entitled "An Introduction to Religious Freedom", and it defines religious freedom, discusses the relationship between religious freedom and society, cites the historical commitment the early Saints made to religious freedom, and spells out the mounting challenges to religious freedom today. Because it is published in the LDS Newsroom section, it can be considered an official opinion of the LDS Church.

Two of the paragraphs warrant closer attention and analysis. First, the LDS Church presents its definition of religious freedom; here's the pertinent part:

Contrary to what some may assume, religious freedom is not simply the freedom to worship or to believe the way one chooses, though these are essential parts of it. Neither is it just for religious people. Religious freedom is actually deeper, broader and more important than most realize.

At the most fundamental level, religious freedom is the human right to think, act upon and express what one deeply believes, according to the dictates of his or her moral conscience. In fact, religious freedom has always been understood in conjunction with “freedom of conscience” — the liberty to develop and hold moral convictions and to act accordingly. So while religious freedom encompasses the liberty of religious belief and devotion, it also extends well beyond that, incorporating the freedom to act — to speak freely in public, to live according to one’s moral principles and to advocate one’s own moral vision for society. The breadth of religious freedom and its relationship with freedom of conscience helps explain why religious freedom is important for everyone, not just for people of faith.

Socially conservative Mormons and other Christians have come under growing pressure from atheists, progressives, some ex-Mormons, and even some revisionists from within our ranks to keep our views about gay rights and gay marriage to ourselves, characterizing us as "bigots". They suggest that there is no place for "bigotry" in the public square. Yet they themselves are bigoted -- against us. Why we should allow those who are bigoted against us to define our values and standards and impose their morality upon us is a question they conveniently and disingenuously evade. The LDS Church suggests that the right to speak freely in public, to live according to one’s moral principles, and to advocate one’s own moral vision for society is absolutely non-negotiable; nowhere do they imply that we must remain silent for fear of offending someone.

The second paragraph of import discusses the mounting challenges to religious freedom. Although the LDS Church correctly notes that people of faith and conscience in the United States do not generally face the physical oppression experienced in other nations, they point out that shifts in social and legal thinking are infringing upon this liberty in unprecedented ways. Here's the pertinent part of the paragraph:

Challenges to religious freedom are emerging from many sources. Emerging advocacy for gay rights threatens to abridge religious freedom in a number of ways. Changes in health care threaten the rights of those who hold certain moral convictions about human life. These and other developments are producing conflict and beginning to impose on religious organizations and people of conscience. They are threatening, for instance, to restrict how religious organizations can manage their employment and their property. They are bringing about the coercion of religiously-affiliated universities, schools and social-service entities. They are also resulting in reprimands to individuals who act in line with their principles — from health practitioners and other professionals to parents. In these and in many other circumstances, we see how religious freedom and freedom of conscience are being subtly but steadily eroded. And of equal concern, the legal provisions emerging to safeguard these freedoms are often shallow — protecting these liberties only in the narrowest sense. In many aspects of public life, religious freedom and freedom of conscience are being drawn into conflicts that may suppress them.

Gay nondiscrimination ordinances force employers and landlords to engage in custom with gays regardless of the dictates of their consciences. Medical providers who oppose elective abortion are coming under increasing pressure to either provide abortions or quit their jobs. Religious-affiliated private sector social services are being leveraged to accept gay clients in areas like abortion and adoption; some Catholic charities end up closing down rather than provide adoption services to gays. The litmus test seems to be public funding; if an agency accepts public funds, it is not considered to have the right to discriminate.

But the term "public funding" can be ambiguous. Some jurisdictions have held that Boy Scout troops cannot use public facilities, or else get charged for usage at commercial rather than charitable rates, because they're considered "homophobic"; the definition of public funding has been stretched to include access to public facilities which all people, including social conservatives, have paid for with tax dollars.

It's true that the LDS Church did take a public stand in favor of Salt Lake City's gay nondiscrimination ordinance when Michael Otterson appeared at City Council chambers to testify that the Church wasn't opposed to it. But the ordinance involved fundamental issues such as housing and employment, and does not force religious institutions to violate their consciences. But are these gay ordinances also a Trojan horse to bring about the day when the LDS Church and other similar denominations will be officially persecuted or sanctioned by the state for opposing gay marriage?

The LDS Church sums up their commentary by urging all Americans -- particularly Latter-day Saints -- to become reacquainted and recommitted to religious freedom. We must remain civil with one another but vigilant in protecting the freedoms of each other.

Orthodox Jewish Rabbinical Alliance Of America Calls Mitt Romney A "Dangerous Homosexualist", Calls Upon LDS Church To "Sanction" Him

2011-12-31T01:24:00.000-09:00

According to WorldNetDaily, the Rabbinical Alliance of America, an organization of 850 Orthodox Jewish rabbis who minister to some 500,000 religious Jews in the United States and Canada, has denounced Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney as a "dangerous homosexualist" and has called upon the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to examine Romney's record and join them in sanctioning him. YouTube video embedded below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVppk7yfDmM

Rabbi Yehuda Levin spoke for the Council, and here are the two most critical parts of his statement:

"While our organization does not make any endorsements of political candidates, in view of the disastrous national decline in morality, we are compelled to condemn Mitt Romney's support and promotion of the immoral homosexual lifestyle and agenda. While we sympathize with those challenged by homosexual urges, or a desire for minors or adultery, they all remain prohibited activities that debase the practitioners and demoralize society. Gov. Romney over a long political career has earned the title: 'Dangerous Homosexualist' – one who constantly advances the militant anti-religious, anti-society, immoral homosexual agenda to the detriment of family people."

{snip}

"We plead with other religious denominations, most particularly the Mormon Church which maintains a traditional view regarding the homosexual agenda, to examine Romney's record and join us in sanctioning him. The time has certainly come for other denominations to emulate the manifesto of the Central Rabbinical Congress of the U.S. and Canada which, in the early 80s, prohibited voting for, honoring or supporting pro-homosexual agenda politicians".

The Rabbinical Council of America takes a hard line against homosexuality, condemning both the sin and the sinner. According to a recently-issued "Declaration on the Torah Approach to Homosexuality", they believe that same-sex attractions can be modified and healed, and condemn the propaganda blitz that has been launched to persuade the public about the legitimacy of homosexuality. But is Mitt Romney truly a "dangerous homosexualist"?

The answer is No -- it is an exaggeration. Back on June 7th, 2011, Romney did tell CNN's Piers Morgan that he would advance efforts to eliminate discrimination against people who are gay. But he also reiterated his opposition to gay marriage, going so far as to subsequently sign a pledge in August sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage promising to support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In December, Romney had a heated exchange with a gay veteran about gay marriage. But Romney has earlier told CNN "I separate quite distinctly matters of personal faith from the leadership one has in a political sense. You don't begin to apply the doctrines of a religion to responsibility for guiding a nation or guiding a state."

Doesn't sound like a "dangerous homosexualist" to me. It's also unlikely the LDS Church will join in any effort to "sanction" Mitt Romney; the Church neither endorses, promotes or opposes political parties, candidates or platforms, nor does it attempt to direct or dictate to a government leader. But the Church does reserve the right as an institution to address, in a nonpartisan way, issues that it believes have significant community or moral consequences or that directly affect the interests of the Church.

Nevertheless, it is good to see an influential group of religious Jews take a firm stand against the promotion and statutory protection of homosexuality. Secular progressive Jews have been disproportionately predominant in the effort to promote homosexuality in the United States.

Gallup Poll Shows LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson The 10th Most Admired Man By Americans; Romney, Beck, And Hinckley Also Mentioned

2011-12-28T22:32:00.002-09:00

According to a Gallup survey of 1,019 adults aged 18 and older and living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Thomas S, Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is considered the tenth most admired man in America. The survey was taken from December 15-18, and according to the Deseret News, there was no name-prompting by the pollster. KSL news video embedded below:

Pres. Monson makes list of top 10 most admired men | ksl.com

While a sitting LDS president has made previous lists, this is the first time that one has cracked the top ten. It's a significant accomplishment for a church whose membership constitutes only about two percent of the American population, and the publicity afforded the LDS Church by the Presidential candidacies of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman Jr. may have been enough to nudge President Monson into the top ten.

Two other religious leaders made the top ten; Rev. Billy Graham at number four, and Pope Benedict XVI at number eight. Disturbingly, there are two serial adulterers on the list; Bill Clinton at number three, and Newt Gingrich at number six (it is believed both are now faithful to their spouses). The fact that some Americans would express admiration for serial adulterers does not speak well of their character. At least Bill and Hillary Clinton had the guts to stay together and work through it, though, unlike Gingrich.

The final topline published separately by Gallup shows all 41 people who made the list. Other LDS figures named included Mitt Romney at number 13, Glenn Beck at number 22, and the late Gordon B. Hinckley at number 39.

Commemorating The 207th Birthday Of The First LDS Prophet, Joseph Smith: Prophet Of The Restoration

2011-12-23T21:07:00.000-09:00

On December 23rd, 1805, a man who was to change the world entered the world in Sharon, VT. From humble origins, Joseph Smith Jr. would launch one of the most important events in the history of the world -- the Restoration of the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It would mark the return of full priesthood authority for the first time since the first century A.D. The Deseret News published a recent tribute to Joseph Smith. You can find more information about Joseph Smith on JosephSmith.net.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produced a 62-minute video which brings the legacy of Joseph Smith to life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xVw6PsSinI

Members of the LDS Church believe Joseph Smith did more for humanity except for Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself the sins of the world at Gethsemane, gave His life for those sins at Calvary, and broke the bands of death through his resurrection three days later. But Joseph Smith also owes a debt of gratitude to Martin Luther for launching the Reformation; the Reformation was a necessary precursor to the Restoration.

Joseph Smith wasn't chosen for him mission because he was perfect. He was chosen because he was a persistent seeker of knowledge and also because he took the counsel of James 1:5 literally; "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him". He took the Lord at His word, knelt down in a grove to obtain wisdom, and received the answer that would change the world. We also believe that Joseph Smith was one of the great and noble spirits who were foreordained for their mortal missions before the foundation of this world. Foreordination is NOT the same as predestination; while predestination precludes free agency, foreordination implies that free agency is possible. But the Lord made every effort to ensure that Joseph Smith would follow through by placing him in the best place at the right time; namely, 19th century America.

A December 1990 Ensign article entitled "I have a question" addresses the contrasts between predestination and foreordination.

By the way, the LDS Church is not the only church claiming Joseph Smith as a founder; the Community of Christ, the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Fundamentalist LDS, and several Restorationist branches also claim him.

Exposing Anti-Mormon Bigotry: Pastor Steven Andrew Calls Upon Franklin Graham To "Repent" For Saying Christians Can Vote For Mitt Romney

2011-12-21T10:58:00.000-09:00

One of the purposes of this blog is to expose flagrant anti-Mormon bigotry regardless of its source. And on December 21st, 2011, we found us a live one in the person of Pastor Steven Andrew, who operates the USA Christian Ministries website. Pastor Andrew is offended by Franklin Graham's recent contention that Christians can in good conscience vote for a Mormon candidate, in reference to Mitt Romney. And he's calling upon Graham to "repent".

During a December 16th interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Rev. Graham said voters should look past a candidate’s personal religion when considering whom they should support for office, noting that the fact that Mitt Romney is a Mormon doesn’t bother him at all. Specifically, Graham said “You can have the nicest guy and he can be a Christian and just wonderful but have absolutely no clue as to how to run a country, you don’t want that … Mitt Romney is a very capable fellow, I know him. I know Newt Gingrich, another capable person; Michele Bachmann, a very capable lady; Rick Santorum, I like a lot, very gifted guy, a very sharp person and so there are some good candidates out there”. CBN video embedded below:

But Pastor Steven Andrew disagrees, and has called upon Franklin Graham to "repent". He wrote "Graham is misleading Christians to vote against Scripture for Mormon Mitt Romney. God cannot bless us for betraying Jesus and voting for a non-Christian. No one comes to God except through Jesus-this includes the USA...Franklin overlooked Scripture (Exodus 18:21, 2Samuel 23:3). God called David a man after His own heart. There are reasons why Christians say Mormonism is a cult: no cross and heresy." Pastor Andrew then calls upon Graham to repent, saying "We don't want Franklin to stop standing for righteousness. We respect Franklin and others and will respect them more when they repent". Pastor Andrew further criticizes Mormonism as being secretive, not displaying the cross, adding to the Bible, and heresy.

Of course, "secret" actually means "sacred", as we don't allow public access to our temples after they are dedicated. But if we were truly "secretive", would we allow open houses at our temples before they are dedicated? Of course not. As for the cross, we don't outlaw it, but we don't emphasize it, because we prefer to focus upon the resurrected Savior rather than the crucified Savior. While it was necessary for Jesus Christ to take upon Himself the sins of the world at Gethsemane and give His life for those sins at Calvary, it was His resurrection that broke the bands of death and made eternal life accessible to all humanity. His resurrection locked in the Atonement.

Pastor Andrew's critique actually contradicts some of the information he has published on his Christian Voters Guide. For example, he spells out God’s Four Voting Requirements Checklist, based upon 2 Samuel 23:3 and Exodus 18:21, in which he suggests that every political candidate supported by a Christian is expected to have these Biblical qualities:

1) Rules in the fear of God - Fears God, reverent of God
2) Able - Strength, efficiency, wealth and leader of the army
3) Person of truth - Reliable, stable, faithful, true doctrine
4) Hating covetousness - Hater of unjust gain (bribes and other frauds)

Note that none of these four voting requirements specifies that the candidate must be a Christian. And as far as "true doctrine" goes, this can be interpreted to mean that the candidate should show evidence of being true to whatever religion or belief system is professed. A Christian would not necessarily have to be an active church member, but at least should behave publicly in a manner consistent with attributes common to all Christian denominations.

We should not view Pastor Steven Andrew as evil because of his anti-Mormon bigotry. Rather, I prefer to characterize him as deluded. And this really shouldn't come as a surprise; after all, Matthew 24:24 (KJV) states that in the last days, Satan will deceive even the very elect. A pastor generally represents the very elect in spirit and status. Pastor Andrew can free himself of his anti-Mormon bigotry by kneeling in prayer, asking God with a sincere heart to open his mind to the truth about Mormonism, and promising in advance to accept the Lord's answer -- whatever it may be. The counsel given in James 1:5 (KJV) worked for Joseph Smith, and it can also work for Steven Andrew.

Two Years Before The Lord's Mast: David Archuleta Announces His Intent To Seek A Full-Time LDS Mission Call

2011-12-20T08:39:00.001-09:00

Even though David Archuleta's been caught up in the world of celebrity since his appearances on American Idol, he's not lost sight of the more important opportunities in life. And on December 19th, 2011, Archuleta announced his intention to accept one of those opportunities. He will seek a call to become a full-time proselyting missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The announcement, delivered on December 19th during the Salt Lake City show on his My Kind of Christmas Tour, was recorded on video and begins at the 0:52 mark. You will see how he is visibly overcome by both the Holy Spirit and by the favorable reaction of the estimated 2,000 in attendance:

Archuleta stated "It's not because someone told me that I'm supposed to do it, and not because I no longer want to do music, but because it's the feeling that I've felt I need to do this with my life".

Archuleta did not reveal the location of his mission. Undoubtedly this is because the process has merely begun. He must submit to an initial interview with his bishop and submit paperwork specifying his desired locations, financial status, and attesting to his medical and dental health. He must also receive the endowment in a temple, and even procure a patriarchal blessing in advance. Preparation activities are spelled out in greater detail in the Mormon Mission Prep blog.

Where will he serve his mission? His status as a celebrity does not assure him "cake duty" in some First World location, where his creature comforts may be assured but the people, because of their prosperity, are less receptive to the Gospel. He could easily be sent to a Third World location, where obtaining creature comforts can be more difficult, but where the people, because of their poverty, may be more receptive to the Gospel. What we do know is that a General Authority, either an Apostle or a Seventy, gets personally involved in selecting the mission location for each and every missionary applicant.

Will he get special treatment because he's a celebrity? Unlikely. Although David Archuleta has plenty of financial resources of his own to draw from, he'll be held to the same expense account requirements as other missionaries. He'll wear the same dark suit, white shirt, Rockports, and name tags as other missionaries. He'll be expected to abide by the same rules of behavior as other missionaries.

Public Reaction: Quite favorable, even among non-Mormons. On YouTube, Summitto88 wrote "I'm not Mormon, but I have friends who are. I know how important their missions are and I am so happy for you David! I have faith in you and your fans that they'll easily welcome you with open arms afterward. You have made a difference in the world and soon you'll make a difference in a different way. You are an inspiration for me and I wish you the best of luck in all that you do! I know enough from my LDS friends to (hopefully) say the right thing: May heavenly father forever bless you (anti-Mormons flagged it as spam to try and cover it up). And Keltodadubawo wrote "David, you are such an inspiration. Even though I'm not familiar with the LDS church or what a mission entails, I admire you so much for your decision that is so contrary to what other celebrities would do in the prime of their career. We will miss your shining light in the music industry, but WE will ALL be here for you when you get back. Love you so much and I'll be praying for you. God bless you, David Archuleta. You have changed my life".

Favorable reaction is also posted on the LDS Bloggernacle at Adventures In Mormonism and Mormon Momma. Of course, there must needs be opposition in all things, since confronting adversity is one of the cornerstones of mortality, and the opposition sounds off at Recovery From Mormonism, with the standard complement of cynical and snarky remarks typical of scoffers walking after their own lusts. But their opposition merely makes us stronger; as Sarah Palin once said, when you're taking flak, it merely means you're over the target.

LDS Chapel In Santaquin, Utah Heavily Damaged By Vandalism And Fire; Two Teenagers Arrested, Damage Estimated At $2 Million

2011-12-16T00:31:00.002-09:00

A stake center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 200 East 100 South in Santaquin, Utah was heavily damaged from vandalism and fire on December 15th, 2011. Arson is suspected; damage is estimated at $2 million. The stake center was built in the 1940s and was one of the oldest churches in Santaquin; part of the building was recently renovated. Since this was first posted, two teenagers, 17 and 16 years old respectively, have been arrested and are being investigated for burglary, theft, and arson. KSTU Channel 13 also picked up the story, and an updated KSL Channel 5 news video is now embedded below:

Police say the vandals entered through an open window, started trashing the kitchen, then unsuccessfully attempted to start two or three fires before successfully igniting a trash pile. Damage was concentrated in the south wing of the chapel, where there are several classrooms, the Relief Society room, and the bishop's office. Authorities downplay the possibility of a hate crime, saying the church had not received any recent threats. The three wards which use the chapel have been temporarily displaced.

Adding insult to injury was the fact that the local church was preparing to host a community fundraiser for a local man, Scott LeBaron, who is suffering from fourth stage pancreatic cancer. The fundraiser was to include a silent auction, but many of the items to be auctioned were also reported to be destroyed in the fire. Nevertheless, the fundraiser was moved to the new Santaquin stake center on Main Street.

One local resident posted a comment to the KSL story which added some insight:

Jolynn191978 posted December 15th around 2:00 P.M:
I live down the street from there and know more details. The kids who did this came in through an open window, dumped a lot of food from the fundraiser all over the kitchen (and ate what they wanted), then started mini fires in the hall before running. Most of the damage is smoke related. No items from the fundraiser were destroyed -- just food.

And another commenter speculated that it may have been the same group of teenagers who recently vandalized another building in Santaquin:

Jana Janssen posted December 15th around 7:00 P.M:
I own a public building that was vandalized by young teenagers just down the street a week ago.. When I tried to file a complaint with the police they laughed in my face that kids will be kids.. Maybe this will get their attention and maybe could of been prevented had they taken the vandalism of my building seriously!..

Gingrich Aide Craig Bergman Resigns From Campaign Over Anti-Mormon Remark Less Than A Week After Being Hired

2011-12-13T20:34:00.000-09:00

On December 13th, 2011, a campaign aide to Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich resigned under some pressure due to an anti-Mormon remark he made less than a week after being hired.

On Wednesday December 7th, one day before being hired to be the new political director for Newt Gingrich’s Iowa campaign, Craig Bergman, described as a Tea Party supporter, attended a focus group hosted by the TheIowaRepublican.com in conjunction with McClatchy Newspapers. The group of conservative activists included a retiree, a college student, Tea Party members, a GOP county co-chair, and some influential consultants. No one in the group had fully committed to a candidate, and most were undecided. The group offered their assessments on all the major Republican presidential candidates. When the discussion turned to Mitt Romney, Craig Bergman sounded off:

“There is a national pastor who is very much on the anti-Mitt Romney bandwagon. A lot of the evangelicals believe God would give us four more years of Obama just for the opportunity to expose the cult of Mormon...There’s a thousand pastors ready to do that.”

The statement would have been considered primarily analytical in nature......had Bergman not used the word "cult".

The following day, before the storm broke, the Gingrich campaign hired Bergman. But after Bergman's remark became public and criticism surfaced, the Gingrich campaign undoubtedly applied pressure behind the scenes for Bergman to leave the campaign. On December 13th, campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond issued a statement saying that Bergman agreed to step away from his role with Newt 2012.

“He made a comment to a focus group prior to becoming an employee that is inconsistent with Newt 2012′s pledge to run a positive and solutions orientated campaign”.

Linda Upmeyer, the chairwoman for Gingrich’s Iowa campaign, said she’s never heard Gingrich himself say anything negative about Mormonism. “I’ve never had any discussion that resembled that with Speaker Gingrich,” Upmeyer said. “I have no doubt there are people that reject Mormonism but I’ve never engaged in a conversation regarding that, ever.” I also cannot recall any anti-Mormon statements ever made by Gingrich, either, so this should not be laid at his doorstep. The Gingrich campaign moved expeditiously to resolve the problem.

There are many other reasons to be critical of Newt Gingrich, in particular his support for American military interventionism, his cheerleading for the rich, and his contempt for the working class. But it's clear that Newt Gingrich does not tolerate the public expression of anti-religious bigotry. This should now be considered a dead issue. But one person posting a comment to TheIowaRepublican is not inclined to forgive:

Bren4824 December 13th 10:00 A.M:
So, let me point out the hypocrisy and lack of credibility of the "Christian" evangelicals..........

---When Romney was Governor of Massachusetts, each year he donated his entire salary to charity. In other words, he worked for NOTHING.

---He has been married to his wife for 40 years

---He was never accused/fined for ethics violations.

---His religion never caused a problem when he was Governor of Massachusetts.

Yet, he is not the right "kind" of Christian for them.

They would rather support the candidate that committed adultery numerous times, who was found guilty/fined for ethics violations, and who was padding his pockets with millions paid to him by lobbyists.

LDS Church Formally Denies Federal Agents Visited Mormon Canneries; Oathkeepers Now Retracts The Story

2011-12-12T10:59:00.001-09:00

The story about Federal agents visiting Mormon canneries in Tennessee has been further debunked and can now be put to bed once and for all. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it didn't happen, and Oathkeepers has now pulled the story from their website.

From the LDS Newsroom blog, the Church's official statement:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has received a number of inquiries about an alleged visit by federal officials to a Church canning facility in Tennessee seeking information about those who use the facility. The Church has investigated these claims and there is no basis for the rumors.

In my second post about this issue, I suggested that Oathkeepers intended nothing malicious or self-serving in publishing the original information; they might have been misled by a source previously considered reliable. This proved to be the case, and Oathkeepers deleted their previous post, replacing it with an explanation. Oathkeepers states that the source who provided the original information is now denying that he ever told them that event occurred. As a result, Oathkeepers has now instituted a more vigorous vetting process; from now on, they will NOT post any such story based on what they are told by other people unless and until they are willing to go on video or at least on an audio recording with their information. That way, in case someone starts to crumble under the public attention or other pressures, and wants to deny what they told Oathkeepers, they will have video or audio proof.

This is proof that Oathkeepers is not some itinerant conspiracy mill masquerading as a patriot group, but a genuine organization of patriots who represent themselves as guardians of the republic and who are devoted to promoting constitutionality. Those who sympathize with these goals can join them in full confidence that the group is a worthwhile investment.

Was Oathkeepers Misled? Story About Federal Agents Visiting Mormon Cannery In Tennessee Now Debunked

2011-12-10T13:54:00.001-09:00

Update December 12th: The LDS Church has formally denied that any of its canneries were visited by Federal agents, and Oathkeepers has now removed the post. Updated post HERE.

The story about Federal agents allegedly visiting a Mormon cannery in Tennessee and asking for a list of people who bought bulk food storage is now debunked. An individual who goes by the name of SouthernBellePrepper has produced a video where she discloses her findings.

SouthernBellePrepper says she first called LDS Church Headquarters in Salt Lake upon learning of the story, and the person with whom she spoke denied that Federal agents had visited the Hendersonville and the Knoxville Mormon canneries in Tennessee. She then called the contact numbers for the canneries and left messages; both canneries eventually got back to her and said they had not been visited by the Feds. She further said one of the cannery representatives also told her that if Federal agents had visited her cannery and asked for a list of names, she would have refused to give them such a list. Video embedded below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKLnsaQgqc8

Increasing the credibility of SouthernBellePrepper's response is the fact that she identifies herself as a member of Oathkeepers in a comment posted to the video.

As of this post, Oathkeepers has not yet updated their website to reflect this new development. The remaining question is why Oathkeepers put out the story. Since Oathkeepers has a solid reputation within the patriot community for putting out accurate information, which explains why nearly a dozen prominent websites picked up the story and replicated it, my best guess is that they were misled by a source which had been reliable in the past. I look forward to Oathkeepers taking ownership of the situation and posting an explanation on their website. It is no disgrace to be accidentally hornswoggled; it's happened to better people. Even the LDS Church got hornswoggled by Mark Hofmann and survived the experience, so Oathkeepers likewise can survive.

Federal Agents Reportedly Visit Mormon Cannery In Tennessee, Demand List Of Customers Making Bulk Purchases, Go Away Empty-Handed

2011-12-09T12:56:00.003-09:00

Update December 12th: The LDS Church has formally denied that any of its canneries were visited by Federal agents, and Oathkeepers has now removed the post. Updated post HERE.

Update December 10th: This story is now debunked; both the LDS Church and the two canneries involved say they weren't visited by the Feds. Updated post HERE.

The Oathkeepers.org website is reporting that federal agents recently visited a cannery operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tennessee and demanded a list of names of those purchasing in bulk, but finally left empty-handed when the facility manager couldn't provide the information. The specific cannery wasn't identified, but a recently-published list indicates there are two of them in Tennessee; in Hendersonville and in Knoxville.

Shortly afterwards, Oathkeepers went offline, but the same information has also been posted on other websites including GodLikeProductions, on Free Republic, and Tennessee Sons of Liberty. Oathkeepers switched servers and is now back online; you can read it for yourself and decide upon its reliability.

From the original post:

This incident was confirmed by Oath Keepers Tennessee Chapter President, Rand Cardwell. Here is Rand’s report:

“A fellow veteran contacted me concerning a new and disturbing development. He had been utilizing a Mormon cannery near his home to purchase bulk food supplies. The man that manages the facility related to him that federal agents had visited the facility and demanded a list of individuals that had been purchasing bulk food. The manager informed the agents that the facility kept no such records and that all transactions were conducted on a cash-and-carry basis. The agents pressed for any record of personal checks, credit card transactions, etc., but the manager could provide no such record. The agents appeared to become very agitated and after several minutes of questioning finally left with no information. I contacted the manager and personally confirmed this information.

The specific federal agency was not identified. Ironically, another arm of the federal government, FEMA, actually advises citizens to store emergency supplies, including bulk food, in the event of a natural disaster or man-made event.

This could easily be a legitimate enquiry. The federal government could be investigating some possible genuine subversive group or activity in the area, and a visit to the cannery could be a legitimate part of the investigation. To avoid compromising such an investigation, the federal agents would not unnecessarily reveal additional details. But the federal government's mania for secrecy fuels suspicion among many Americans who believe that government has become increasingly intrusive, invasive, and oppressive.

Further fueling suspicion of government among some residents of eastern Tennessee are some other questionable activities. A Knoxville middle school teacher reportedly assigned her students the task of taking pictures of their refrigerators and pantries at home and submitting them as homework; students who objected were threatened with a letter grade of "F". In addition, TSA VIPR teams have reportedly exercising police powers on Interstate 40 throughout the state under the guise of "anti-drug" and "anti-terrorist" activity; highway policing under non-emergency circumstances is normally the exclusive province of local and state cops. At present, TSA seems to be focusing their activity on truckers at weigh stations on the interstate.

When local residents start connecting all three of these issues, one can easily understand why they become suspicious of the motives of government. Not a day passes by in which government, in one form or another, is constantly prodding, pushing, and testing you, demanding that you prove your "worthiness" at every turn. It can be like living under a microscope.

Mission City Council Reverses Itself, Will Now Permit LDS Church To Build A Chapel In Mission, Texas

2011-12-08T20:55:00.000-09:00

On Wednesday December 7th, 2011, after a recommendation from its attorney, the Mission (Texas) City Council decided to revisit two previous votes that ultimately prohibited the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from building a chapel on the corner of Bryan and Two Mile roads in a residential neighborhood. After city attorney Robert Galligan advised the council that the city was interpreting parts of its zoning code incorrectly, city council members voted four to one to allow the church to build, with Norie Gonzalez Garza again dissenting. Maria Elena Ramirez was the council member changing her previous No vote to a Yes vote.

On October 31st, the church filed suit in federal court against the city of Mission for obstructing their plans to construct the chapel, claiming that the city council violated religious land-use acts, religious freedom laws and due process laws. They claimed the council changed the voting rules for permit approval, and that at least one member of the council, Garza, had a conflict of interest in voting on the issue. The church stated they were merely seeking a conditional use permit and not a zoning change. Church representatives said that chosen location was the only one that met all of its requirements, which included a noncommercial area, having five or more acres of land, accessibility to members, the right price and spiritual inspiration. The new chapel will accommodate the Mission First and Second Wards, both of which currently meet at an overcrowded chapel in McAllen which is also used by two additional wards. It is now expected that the LDS Church will drop its suit.

Norie Garza denied any conflict of interest even though she's a real estate agent, and said she was merely representing the interests of the surrounding neighborhood. Nine of the 12 neighbors living within 200 feet of the property signed a petition against giving the church a conditional use permit to build on the property, which is zoned as agricultural. There was no apparent bias against the LDS Church itself; neighbors merely feared the effects of an upsurge in traffic.

Not mentioned in the story is the fact that Mission, in south Texas, is in the same area where two LDS missionaries were struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on November 8th. The resultant expression of sympathy may have softened the hearts of those opposed to the new Mission chapel.

Ron Paul Endorses LDS Author Connor Boyack's New Book, Latter-Day Liberty: First Run Of 1,200 Copies Sells Out In Only Two Weeks

2011-12-07T10:18:00.000-09:00

Connor Boyack, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who lives in Utah County, has just published a new book entitled "Latter-Day Liberty", in which he promotes a brand of libertarian conservatism and attempts to challenge common modern LDS political beliefs on a wide range of controversial issues such as the drug war, education, foreign policy, and immigration. This book reflects many of Boyack's own posts on his personal blog, Connor's Conundrums. And Boyack is not just another "hobbyist"; he's penned op-eds for the Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News, and the Provo Daily Herald, as well as appeared on a number of Utah radio programs.

But what actually makes this book even more newsworthy is the fact that a major Republican Presidential candidate has endorsed it. Ron Paul's endorsement of the book, which I first noticed in this Salt Lake Independent Examiner article, is also published on Amazon:

"Connor Boyack has written a fascinating book that applies Mormon theology to the central question of statism vs. liberty that dominates our age. Latter-day Liberty provides an insightful analysis of both historical and modern political issues, and challenges the reader to reconcile religious beliefs with state actions. Not surprisingly, he finds that our federal government routinely violates the religious principles that many Mormons hold dear.

"Those who advocate limited government necessarily must advocate strong religious, civic, and social institutions. These institutions, rather than the state, should act as the central organizing mechanisms in American society. For this reason Latter-day Liberty can appeal to readers who are not Mormon, but simply recognize that their relationship with God compels them to question their relationship with the state."

Not surprisingly, the first run of 1,200 copies sold out in only two weeks; if you want a copy, you'll just have to cross your legs and wait a couple of weeks (more copies are being printed). And according to the Examiner, it's worth the wait. Jenn Morrill notes that while Latter-Day Liberty is a masterfully written book, it is not easy reading for those who have little interest in politics or philosophical/intellectual arguments. But for those who are fascinated by our current political climate and the individual liberty vs. state discussion, it is riveting. Learning what LDS prophets and apostles have said over the past two centuries regarding our nation's laws and policies is also enlightening and at times surprising. Morrill even suggests that Connor Boyack could become the next great LDS "thinker", in the same class as W. Cleon Skousen.

Still not convinced? Read Connor's Conundrums for more insight into his politics. Here are some of the more noteworthy posts (after the jump):

-- "Opposing Marijuana Criminalization", November 8th, 2011: Connor Boyack advocates decriminalization of marijuana because the so-called "War on Drugs" has cost $2.5 trillion and has been only marginally successful. He maintains that decriminalizing marijuana is not about “approving” its use, but rather defending individual life, liberty, and property by only consenting to governmental powers that are legitimately delegated from consenting individuals who themselves possess such authority. In light of the costs of the War on Drugs, it would seem like a retrenchment strategy in which we stop obsessing with potheads and redirect our enforcement efforts towards other drugs would be in order; marijuana clearly is not as dangerous and debilitating as other drugs.

-- "Seduction, Deception, Entrapment, and the FBI", November 2nd, 2011: Connor Boyack paints a portrait of a rogue FBI which has become transformed from a crime-fighting organization into a cartel which creates criminals in order to perpetuate itself and attract ever-increasing public funding. This is in keeping with the Problem-Reaction-Solution model; first, create a problem, next, troll for reaction, then, propose a solution -- to a problem artificially created in the first place. Frequently when the FBI learns of political dissidents, they'll send in corrupt snitches who endlessly harangue their targets and egg them into transforming dissidence into action, then the FBI swoops in and rolls up the target. Except -- if it hadn't been for the snitch, would the "crime" have been committed in the first place (read about the Edgar Steele case for an egregious example of this phenomena)?

-- "The Justified Breaking of Unjust Laws", June 10th, 2011: In this post, Connor Boyack discusses illegal immigration and expresses support for the milder Utah Compact rather than the more severe Arizona SB1070 approach. Boyack maintains that the Utah Compact, which incorporates the official LDS position on immigration, states that the Church is not troubled with the violation of immigration law per se, and that their position does not constitute an endorsement of identity theft, fraud, or any other actual crime committed. It is simply a statement that the violation of immigration law does not, in the Church’s view, achieve a sufficient level of severity so as to deny an individual the opportunity to join and participate in God’s kingdom. Stated more plainly, Boyack maintains that the Church has endorsed the violation of a lesser law to fulfill a higher one. This might be a worthwhile position if we didn't have 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States; the sheer volume of the problem warrants a more severe response.

While I have yet to read Latter-Day Liberty, I can recommend it based solely upon the quality of the content of his posts on Connor's Conundrums.

LDS Church Announces Release Of The Life Of Jesus Christ Bible Videos Series; Exclusive Biblical Orientation Intended To Appeal To Non-Mormons

2011-12-06T11:43:00.000-09:00

On December 4th, 2011, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the release of the first batch of videos in the series The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos and the establishment of the BibleVideos.lds.org website. Each video depict scenes from Christ’s life, ranging from the angel foretelling Christ’s birth to the Savior's Resurrection. When complete, the project will yield more than 100 vignettes portraying the life of Christ, taken directly from the text of the King James Version of the Bible. The KJV, which is the LDS Biblical standard, remains the predominant standard throughout the Christian world to this day.

Here is a short introductory video:

Mormons aren't the only target audience for these videos. “We intend for these videos to be used freely by individuals, families, and groups,” said Elder Lynn G. Robbins, Executive Director of the Media Services Department. “We want to help our own members strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ, and we offer this freely to other churches who may wish to use these videos in a similar way. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ needs to be shared as widely as possible throughout the world.”

This explains why they're called Bible videos. The videos cite Biblical references only; no Book of Mormon references are included. This means any Christian pastor who uses the King James Version of the Bible as a church standard can use these videos without any doctrinal conflicts. We recognize that many Christian pastors are reluctant to use Mormon material because they've been taught that the Book of Mormon is non-canonical; indeed, the prophet Nephi predicted in 2 Nephi 29:3 that many people would react to the Book of Mormon by saying, "A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible". Keeping this batch of videos exclusively Biblical is consistent with the LDS Church's desire that, regardless of whether or not people join the LDS Church, the basic message of Christ be shared as widely as possible throughout the world.

If you cannot bring yourself to accept membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at this time, at least take steps to bring Christ into your life. Placing yourself under the protection of Jesus Christ and living by His principles will invite the Holy Spirit into your life; through the intercession of the Spirit, the Father can direct you to where He wants you to go.

Modern-Day American Indian Trio Of The Omaha Tribe In Nebraska Accepts LDS Mission Calls In The Tradition Of Samuel The Lamanite

2011-12-03T12:21:00.000-09:00

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that many modern-day American Indians carry Lamanite ancestry. That is, they are descended at least in part from Laman, the eldest son of the patriarch Lehi who, with his family and others, migrated from Jerusalem to the Western Hemisphere around B.C. 600. One of the most powerful and effective missionary voices from the Lamanites back during their time was Samuel the Lamanite, who accurately prophesied various local events accompanying the birth and death of Jesus Christ.

Now a trio of modern-day American Indian siblings have decided to follow the example of Samuel the Lamanite and accept mission calls. They are a trio of siblings from a family of 11 who are members of the Omaha Tribe in Nebraska. Two of the 11 have already served missions. Read the full story by the Sioux City Journal, replete with a photo of the three. Here are the particulars:

-- Sariah Harlan, 21, a junior at BYU-Provo studying anthropology and international relations, left November 25th for an 18-month mission in Albuquerque, NM. A considerable percentage of New Mexico's population has Lamanite blood, to include both those who identify as American Indians as well as mestizos who identify as Hispanic.

-- Jarom Harlan, 25, attended Wayne State College in business management and is now preparing to deploy on December 28th on a two-year mission to Leon, Mexico. A majority of the population of Leon prospectively has Lamanite ancestry.

-- Moroni Harlan, 19, a recent graduate of Lyons-Decatur High School, is now preparing to deploy on December 28th on a two-year mission to Vancouver, WA.

The three are particularly interested in setting an example for their American Indian brothers and sisters. They note that on their reservation in Macy, NE, there were once hundreds of Mormons, but now that number has dwindled to only a few families. They're hoping that by going out and searching for the Lord, they can bring back blessings for their people and help them lift themselves and start getting back on the right track.

Because the Book of Mormon focuses exclusively upon the Nephites, the Lamanites, the Mulekites, and an earlier group of people, the Jaredites, many early Mormon leaders got the impression that they were the only peoples in the Western Hemisphere during those times. That impression has since been corrected through scientific discovery and subsequent inspiration; the more contemporary belief is that these peoples were just one of many different peoples who lived in the Western Hemisphere. One can look at Alaska Natives and Canadian First Nations peoples and clearly see physical evidence of their Asian origin. So the Book of Mormon is no longer considered incompatible with the Bering Strait migration theory, nor is it consider to preclude the possibility of additional migrations from elsewhere -- perhaps even from China.

The Book of Mormon has been criticized by scoffers walking after their own lusts because of so-called "lack of DNA evidence". But FairLDS provides a credible response. They state that the population that existed in the Americas prior to Lehi's arrival likely would have been much, much larger, correspondingly dominating the genetic structure of later generations. This means it would be extremely difficult to find any MDNA from Lehi's family in today's generations because the introduction of the new MDNA from the larger preexistent population would prevent such a trace. Read this Wikipedia article about genetics and the Book of Mormon for more information; Jeff Lindsay also provides a detailed FAQ portal.

One of the reasons why the Book of Mormon has so many "loose ends" is because our Heavenly Father wanted us to accept it on the basis of faith. He dispenses wisdom line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. He wants to provoke further curiosity and inquiry on our part. That's why we can't find a map of the Nephite homelands or so-called "smoking-gun proof" of the existence of such people. If our Heavenly Father gave us all the answers on a silver platter, He would deny us the thrill of initial discovery. It is actually a blessing that the Father has held back enough information so we will want to continue searching for answers.

We can either join the Charles Anthon Cult and cry about how we cannot read a sealed book, or we can turn to the Father for guidance, remembering that He has said "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not".

Ex-Mormon Woman Sues LDS Church And Former Missionary For Alleged Sexual Abuse In Ireland

2011-11-29T17:51:00.001-09:00

The Irish Times reports that a woman who is a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is suing the Church and a former missionary for alleged sex abuse. Specifically, the unidentified woman is suing the former missionary for alleged sexual abuse, assault and false imprisonment, and is suing the Church for alleged fraudulent concealment, allowing the missionary to have unsupervised contact with her, exposing her to risk of injury and allegedly allowing her to be exploited. While the former missionary has not been identified by the media, he is known to the plaintiff and has been served with the applicable documentation.

The woman claims the abuse began in March 2007 when the missionary took charge of her religious instruction. She claims the abuse took place at various locations outside Dublin, and that the missionary began with inappropriate touching before progressing to more serious forms of abuse including oral sex. She also claims the missionary forcibly restrained and sexually abused her on one occasion while another church elder acted as sentry and alerted the man that other church members were approaching. When she asked the missionary to stop, he refused, claiming it was O.K. for him because “was worthy and had been chosen by God”, and that it was “manifested through the holy spirit”. The missionary allegedly told her that dreadful things would happen to her if she told anyone what was happening.

When she finally told other local church members about it, they allegedly instructed her not to reveal it to her non-Mormon parents or the gardaí (Irish police). The missionary was transferred to another part of Ireland before returning to the U.S. While the woman eventually joined the Church, she soon left it in 2008. The woman claims her health, well-being and relationships with others have suffered, and she also suffered self-harm, sleep deprivation and an eating disorder as a result of what happened to her.

There's been no published reaction by the LDS Church to this case. In other sexual abuse cases involving the LDS Church, the Church has tended to settle out of court. Since the reported events took place rather recently, in 2007, this case has more credibility than the typical case where the victim suddenly wakes up one day and decides he was molested 40 years ago and now wants to get paid for it. This woman obviously realizes that justice delayed can become justice denied.

It may seem like there is an increase in sexual abuse of minors. But it also could be the result of increased awareness and reporting. Only reported crimes can be documented, and people nowadays are less reluctant to come forward and report than they were in the past. This is a good thing because no one who is molested as a child should feel shame about reporting it. A child or young teen incurs no legal or spiritual obligation to put up a physical fight to resist abuse, regardless of what a couple of other bloggers have suggested.

Alexander Tsiaras' Video Visualization Of The Progression Of An Unborn Human Baby Validates LDS Church's Official Position On Abortion

2011-11-25T11:11:00.001-09:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially deplores abortion, although they do distinguish between therapeutic abortion, normally defined as abortion to save the mother's life, preserve her fundamental health, and to deal with the product of rape and incest, vs. elective abortion, which generally has no medical necessity. While elective abortion can expose an LDS woman to church discipline, therapeutic abortion results in no sanctions.

A video produced by Alexander Tsiaras, author of the book “From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds", underscores why the Church takes abortion so seriously. This video, discovered on The Blaze, graphically and progressively depicts the development of a human baby, beginning by showing an egg being fertilized and ending by illustrating a baby’s actual birth. Throughout the clip, viewers see the full fetal development with explanations as to what is occurring at each phase. The actual sequence of fetal development begins at 2:05:

This video should illustrate to the pro-choice viewer why we pro-lifers consider unborn human life to be so sacred. Allowing therapeutic abortion represented a major political compromise on our part; it should be matched by a commitment to respect parental consent and parental notification initiatives from the pro-choice side.

Here's the full official LDS Church statement on abortion, first published a while back:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of human life. Therefore, the Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions.

The Church allows for possible exceptions for its members when:

* Pregnancy results from rape or incest, or
* A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, or
* A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.

The Church teaches its members that even these rare exceptions do not justify abortion automatically. Abortion is a most serious matter and should be considered only after the persons involved have consulted with their local church leaders and feel through personal prayer that their decision is correct.

The Church has not favored or opposed legislative proposals or public demonstrations concerning abortion.

The LDS Church encourages women who become pregnant out of wedlock and who cannot or will not marry the father to put the baby up for adoption, and has created LDS Family Services to link up unwed mothers with qualified LDS families. This is wise counsel, particularly if the unwed mother does not have a supportive family or a sound financial position. However, the LDS Church will respect the desire of an unwed mother to keep her baby; there's no coercion involved.

Nevertheless, abortion by unwed mothers and the sexual activity triggering a pregnancy can result in the convening of a disciplinary council and the imposition of church discipline, to include either formal probation, or, more frequently, disfellowshipment or excommunication. Volume 1 of the 2010 Church Handbook of Instructions (not officially available online; I downloaded my own bootleg copy for personal reference) spells out the details:

-- Paragraph 6.7.2 states that a disciplinary council MAY be necessary in cases of abortion or fornication, listed as serious transgressions. If the incident becomes widely known, a disciplinary council then becomes REQUIRED.

-- Paragraph 6.7.3 states that incest REQUIRES the convening of a disciplinary council, and that a serious transgression that becomes widely known also REQUIRES a council.

The difference -- if a disciplinary council becomes required, the bishop no longer has discretion. He will be directed by the stake president to convene a council, except in the case of a Priesthood holder who gets a stake-level disciplinary council.

Only one disciplinary council is convened per situation. For example, if an unwed mother becomes pregnant through intercourse with her brother, and she gets an abortion, it would generally require only one disciplinary council to be convened, although two breaches of discipline were committed. I have since been informed that more than one disciplinary council is possible, though.

Convening a disciplinary council to deal with a vulnerable teenage girl who gets pregnant out of wedlock may seem harsh and cold-blooded to the casual observer, but Alma 42:25 states that mercy cannot be allowed to rob justice; there must be a balance between mercy and justice preserved. While justice without mercy is tyranny, mercy without justice is anarchy.

Properly handled, an excommunication need not be the end of a story, but the beginning of a new story. Excommunication merely means one cannot officiate in church in any way; it does not prevent the excommunicant from attending church, and the bishop can still assign home teachers to the excommunicant. A bishop with a true sense of discernment will work with an excommunicant to help restore that person to membership and full activity.

BYU Student Taylor Petty Defends LTE Against Homosexuality To Daily Universe, Criticizes Politically-Correct Editor Joel Campbell For Pulling It

2011-11-21T22:39:00.000-09:00

On November 18th, 2011, BYU Daily Universe Managing Editor Joel Campbell took down a letter to the editor by a student, Taylor Petty, which was critical of homosexuality, after it was published. Campbell allowed himself to be bullied by a few activists who were offended and expressed their discontent by printing up a protest flyer and inserting it into a number of copies of the newspaper. A screenshot of Petty's letter is included in my original post.

But Taylor Petty has fired back. On November 21st, the Deseret News reported that Petty, who wrote his letter in response to other letters the paper had published on the subject of whether society should or should not accept gay adoption, defended his position and has no regrets about writing the letter. Petty said "No. I definitely agree with what I said. I think a lot of people misunderstood what I was saying. When I said the word homosexuality, I was not referring to people who felt temptations inside but hid them. I was referring to homosexual acts or acting homosexuals as the sin."

Petty also condemned Campbell for taking down his letter while leaving the original letters prompting it up, considering it inconsistent. In regards to the T.V. show Modern Family (a show portraying a gay couple who adopted a child), which started this whole debate, Petty said that although he has never watched the show, he disagrees with all shows depicting people living openly gay lifestyles as acceptable in society. He's also strongly against Glee for the same reason, because it portrays a gay kid that's openly gay.

The Student Review, which is BYU's newly revived off-campus, student-run newspaper, also decided to enter the debate on November 18th when editor Hunter Schwartz also criticized Taylor Petty's letter, zeroing in on the second to last paragraph where Petty implicitly compares a homosexual or transgender to a prostitute or a serial killer, which was clearly hyperbolic and misleading. Schwartz's premise was that regardless of one's opinions on gay adoption and parenting, words like that can be counterproductive, offending those that disagree and delegitimizing one's argument.

Really? So criticism of homosexuality is now illegitimate in our society? If that's the way BYU students think, then the suitability of BYU to provide a college education fit for LDS students must now be called into question. The day that Brigham Young feared would come has indeed arrived -- one can now hardly distinguish a Saint from a blackleg.

It would have been much more courageous and principled to leave Taylor Petty's letter up and allow the community to weigh in vigorously on it in their own LTEs. The prophet Joseph Smith didn't fear offending people when he proclaimed the restoration. Yet Joel Campbell is not cut from the same cloth as Joseph Smith -- he fears offending people more than he loves free speech.

Here was a good comment posted to The Student Review which effectively highlights the dilemma:

Bryan says Nov 18, 2011:
I personally think that we have sort of an impasse. The religious types call the behavior what they see it to be by the definition that they have been taught to use: sinful. The more liberal types call such a forceful reaction to their rights to free expression by one key word which labels and nullifies any ability for constructive argument: bigot. I think the broader issue here doesn’t have much room for debate, acting upon homosexual impulses is a sin. The real issue is this: How do follow Christ’s command to love the sinner but hate the sin? We cannot condone such behavior but we miss the mark when we condemn the person. The problem: as soon as a dialogue starts it gets shut down either by extreme intolerance from the right or cries of bigot from the left. I think we need more open minded dialogue addressing this issue on both sides of the table.

Mormon Messages For Youth: Salvadoran LDS Youth Speak Out On The Beneficial Effects Of The San Salvador LDS Temple In El Salvador

2011-11-20T11:51:00.000-09:00

On Sunday August 21st, 2011, the San Salvador El Salvador Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) was dedicated by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, along with a host of other LDS dignitaries. At that time, it became the Church’s fourth temple in Central America and 135th operating temple worldwide.

The benefits of the temple have been manifested in many ways. Some of those benefits are psychological, as the LDS youth who appear in the Mormon Messages for Youth video below can attest. One of them says LDS are known just as "Mormons" any more, but as "the people with the castle", while another says it reminds them that in their own behavior, they should reflect the purity of the temple. The video also shows snippets of the practice, dedication, and celebration of the temple.

However, as is the case in so many other nations, the Salvadoran people had to go through hell before they could obtain this small slice of heaven. From 1980-1992, El Salvador was racked by a brutal civil war which debilitated the nation. From this sprang the infamous MS-13 gang. But El Salvador overcame and recovered, and now they've earned the blessings of the temple on their own soil. This will motivate Salvadoran Saints to continue to stay put and build up stakes of Zion in their own country rather than seek Zion elsewhere. The fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is intended to roll forth and engulf the entire earth.

BYU Daily Universe Goes Politically Correct; Editor Joel Campbell Censors LTE Critical Of Homosexuality

2011-11-18T15:58:00.002-09:00

Update November 21st: Taylor Petty fires back, defends letter to the editor, criticizes Joel Campbell for pulling it after publication. Updated post HERE.

Political correctness continues to worm its way into LDS ranks. On November 18th, 2011, Universe Managing Editor Joel Campbell took down a letter to the editor critical of homosexuality after it was published. Prompting Campbell's sudden volte-face were complaints from a few readers, some of who printed up a protest flyer and inserted it into a number of copies of the newspaper. Campbell explained that the letter did not represent the standards of BYU and did not show sufficient "understanding and respect", citing a recent statement from the LDS Church Handbook of Instruction, which reads “While opposing homosexual behavior, the Church reaches out with understanding and respect to individuals who are attracted to those of the same gender.”

However, one enterprising individual scanned a copy of the original letter and posted it online:

Click the image or visit HERE for larger version

In reading the letter, the only reason I can see why it was censored was in the second to last paragraph, where a homosexual or transgender is compared to a prostitute or a serial killer. That's clearly hyperbolic and misleading. But if this was so offensive, then why did Campbell publish the letter in the first place? To publish it and then take it down because of a few complaints strikes me as cowardly. Joel Campbell placed political correctness ahead of free speech.

It's bad enough when this happens at a secular university. But when it happens at Brigham Young University, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it's over the top. Taylor Petty's letter actually reflects current LDS doctrine on homosexuality; namely, that while homosexual orientation alone isn't a problem, homosexual practice continues to be forbidden.

Brigham Young foresaw the effects of political correctness upon the modern-day LDS community:

He dreaded the time when the Saints would become popular with the world; for he had seen in sorrow, in a dream, or in dreams, this people clothed in the fashions of Babylon and drinking in the spirit of Babylon until one could hardly tell a Saint from a black-leg. And he felt like shouting, “To your tents, Oh Israel!” because it was the only thing that could keep the people pure.

The line between saint and black-leg has certainly become blurred in the case of Joel Campbell. In fact, an increasing number of Latter-day Saints seem to be bending over backward to accommodate gay people, disrupting the balance between justice and mercy. While we want to reassure celibate gay Mormons that they have our full support as they juxtapose the feelings with which they struggle against the requirements of full Church membership, we must remember that in Alma 42:25, we're told that mercy cannot rob justice, otherwise God would cease to be God. Justice without mercy may be tyranny, but mercy without justice is anarchy.

In addition to his editorial duties at the Universe, Joel Campbell is a former reporter for the Deseret News and a current associate professor of communications at BYU. His reporting does not necessarily reflect the views of BYU. He also writes on First Amendment and open-government issues for the Salt Lake Tribune.

How Jesus Christ Exemplified The LDS Twelfth Article Of Faith In His Dealings With The Adulteress

2011-11-17T13:49:00.000-09:00

The Twelfth Article of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reads, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law".

But does this mean blind obedience? Does this mean we cannot rebel against a government which has become fully ripe in wickedness? Jesus Christ actually provided a noteworthy example on obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law in his dealing with the adulteress in the New Testament.

John 8:3-11 gives us the account:

3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Let's recap:

(1). The scribes and the Pharisees, who were the official secular authorities of the society, proposed to execute an adulteress by stoning in accordance with their official law.

(2). Jesus Christ did not render a judgment one way or another, but merely said "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her".

(3). The scribes and the Pharisees decided to voluntarily depart without exercising judgment, thus effectively vacating the charge against the adulteress.

(4). Jesus Christ then merely confirmed the dismissal of the charge, telling the adulteress that He also did not have an issue with her. He set her at liberty and counseled her not to re-offend.

Unlike the activist judges of our era who frequently overrule the expressed legislative will of the people, Jesus Christ did not overrule the authorities. Thus he obeyed, honored, and sustained the existing law. Through his power of persuasion, He was able to convince the secular authorities to vacate the charges. This effectively counters the false notion held by some that Jesus was some sort of revolutionary insurgent bent on overthrowing society and turn it upside down. Far from wanting to turn society upside down, Jesus Christ merely sought to change hearts, in keeping with his ultimate mission of serving as a Redeemer to mankind by first taking upon Himself the sins of the world at Gethsemane, and then offering up his life as a substitutionary atonement for those sins on Calvary. For these actions He was extended the privilege of resurrecting Himself three days later, thus breaking the bands of death and hell.

The Twelfth Article of Faith is further reinforced by Doctrine & Covenants 58:21-22:

21 Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.

22 Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.

In the Mormon Worker, Ron Madson poses the interesting question of whether or not civil disobedience is a breach of the Twelfth Article of Faith. He cites the example of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who refused a royal command from Nebuchadnezzar to worship a golden image of him. Another example cited is Ammon's qualified pledge of obedience to King Lamoni stated in Alma 18:17, where he said “...whatsoever thou desireth which is right, that will I do". From both these examples, we get the message that the Twelfth Article of Faith does not require us to violate our consciences, and that civil disobedience is in keeping with it if we subject ourselves to the consequences of such disobedience, as did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they allowed the authorities to arrest them and throw them into a fiery furnace, from which they emerged unharmed.

LDS Bishop Amado Rojas Still To Be Prosecuted In Provo, Utah For Failing To Report Child Abuse Even Though The Abuse Charges Were Dropped

2011-11-15T19:41:00.001-09:00

In August 2011, a 13-year-old girl reportedly told her bishop, Amado Rojas, that she was groped at a church function. According to the Provo Daily Herald, the girl and her alleged assailant, Jose Ortega, both attended a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints children's party. After a water fight at the party, the girl claimed that Ortega grabbed and groped her. But the girl did not report the incident to Bishop Rojas until six weeks later, and because she was with three of her friends at the time, he told her to talk with her parents and come back another time. He did not report the incident to police because he was still waiting for her to come back when it became a police matter through a separate source.

Nevertheless, by law, Rojas was required to tell police, and he failed to do so.

Now, although Provo prosecutors dropped the charges against Ortega on November 14th because another witness came forward and suggested that the contact was an accident, they still intend to charge Rojas with one misdemeanor count of failure to report child abuse. Provo police Sgt. Matthew Siufanua explained that it's the job of investigators and prosecutors to decide if the claims are valid, and that someone can still go to jail for not reporting abuse even if the abuse claims eventually prove to be false.

It is quite likely that Provo prosecutors will come to their senses in a few days, realize how utterly ludicrous this case is, and drop the charges against Bishop Rojas altogether. If there is no abuse, than how can one logically prosecute someone for not reporting abuse? If prosecutors do not drop the charges, then I hope Bishop Rojas will force a jury trial, and that the jury will be sensible enough to refuse to find him guilty. Jury nullification would clearly be in order here; the Fully Informed Jury Association website provides more information on when it should be used.

Update November 21st: Provo prosecutors filed a single Class B misdemeanor count of failure to report child abuse in Provo Justice Court on November 18th. Rojas’ defense attorney, Mike Esplin, said it wasn’t his client's intent to try and cover up any sexual abuse and there’s no evidence he did that.

Another LDS blogger, Michael Crook, originally reported having checked a list of all LDS wards in Provo and did not find Amado Rojas' name listed, but he has since taken down his blog, and media sources still refer to Rojas as a bishop. The LDS Church won't take action against a member's membership simply because of an arrest, but they can release the member from any calling holding authority over a congregation or over youth.

Most commenters to the KSL story agree that this is ludicrous; Superdad11 seems to understand what's going on:

superdad11 posted November 15th 5:50 P.M:
My ex falsely accused me of child abuse in my divorce after I asked for custody of my kids. My bishop had to report it, so did the teachers, the therapists and everyone else she talked to. As baseless as the allegations were, because of the required reporting laws, I had no contact with my kids for 9 months while an inept and ridiculously expensive investigative process unfolded over the next 4 years.

I have one thing to say to people who report false abuse allegations. STOP! The problem you will create for that person will be just as bad as actual abuse. Remember what happened in Salem a few centuries ago? Abuse allegations are a modern day witch hunt and innocent people are still burned at the stake. If it can happen to a custody seeking Dad, and a well intentioned bishop, it can happen to YOU!

Let's fight real child abuse with every extent of the law. Punish the perps and protect the victims. Report allegations, but please be judicious! The legal and investigative process you are sending that person to is like a human paper shredder. Their [lives], reputation and relationships are going to be completely ripped into unrecognizable pieces that will never be put completely back together, just like the real abuse victims an offender creates.

The Salem witch hunt analogy is on target. Pedophilia hysteria is slowly transforming America into a virtual prison. When sex offenders are released from prison, their troubles are just beginning; they're placed on a sex offender registry, have residency limits imposed upon them, and are frequently barred from internet access. Then we wonder why some of them end up sleeping under bridges and can't get jobs. Now we're sucking innocent, uninformed, but well-intentioned people like Bishop Rojas into the sex offender vortex. Worse yet, many ignorant flag-waving Americans are cheering this on. Pedophilia is a genuinely repulsive act, but we must get back to punishing only the guilty, and we must give them the hope that someday they can earn re-entry into civil society. If we're unwilling to do that, it would be more humane just to leave pedos in prison until we can figure out how to help them consistently curb their urges.

Family And Friends Speak Out On LDS Missionary Trevor Strong; Hit-And-Run Driver Jose Luis Garza-Flores Faces 10 Years In Jail And A $10,000 Fine

2011-11-10T11:38:00.001-09:00

While information continues to filter in on the three missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were struck by a hit-and-run driver in Donna, Texas, my previous post has become sufficiently saturated with information and media links that a new post is warranted. We lead off with a video showing the friends and family speaking out about one of the deceased missionaries, Elder Trevor Strong. This video was uploaded by KGBT Channel 4 in Texas:

It may seem like Elder Strong is getting the lion's share of the media coverage, but that's primarily because his home is in the Salt Lake Valley, the capital of Mormondom, so to speak. In addition, Elder Strong became more newsworthy when it was revealed that he had voluntarily extended his mission by three weeks because he wanted to continue training new missionaries and work with a couple of investigator families, thus his friends and family must contend with the agonizing possibility that had Elder Strong concluded his mission on the original date, he would likely still be in the flesh. In contrast, Elder Derek Walker's home is in the more rural Fairfield, Idaho, so he has not broken the media's radar screen so much; Walker had served in the mission field for 14 months. MagicValley.com has now published a good profile on Elder Walker. Rest assured the Church and the Lord value all three of these elders equally.

Here are short updated summaries on the surviving missionary and on the hit-and-run driver.

Elder Zachary Harris: The survivor, treated in hospital and released. Elder Harris is walking with a noticeable limp, and he has some bruising, swelling, and some lacerations. He has refused the option to go home; he's been on his mission for five months, and is determined to complete the remaining 19 months. Texas McAllen Mission President Stephen Trayner supports Harris' decision.

Jose Luis Garza-Flores: The driver of the 2000 Pontiac Grand Am which struck the missionaries. At 7:30 P.M. on November 8th, he crossed the center line of the road to pass another vehicle, and slammed into the missionaries whose bikes were equipped with headlights and who were all wearing helmets. Claims his own headlights were malfunctioning, flickering on and off. He and his two passengers fled the scene, but Garza voluntarily surrendered to authorities at the Progreso International Bridge a few hours later. This would have been a sufficiently long time interval that if Garza had any alcohol in his system, it would have dissipated below actionable levels, so we cannot rule out the possibility that he was legally intoxicated at the time of the accident.

Garza is a Mexican national who lives in nearby Weslaco; his residency status has not been disclosed. Because of the presumption of innocence, I intend to assume that Garza is a legal resident of the United States until proof to the contrary is produced. Garza has been charged with two counts of failing to stop at an accident causing death or injury, a third degree felony, and is being held at the Hidalgo County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond; he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. A search of the TDCJ offender database does not reveal a match at this time, but the TDCJ database does not reveal whether an inmate is on an "immigration hold", which is a giveaway that an inmate is an illegal immigrant.

In the KSL video below, Elder Harris praises his two departed companions, saying "We worked hard together. They're both very hard workers...To me, Elder Strong and Elder Walker were very strong examples of being representatives of Christ and they taught me. I only knew them for about a week, but in that short week, they become my brothers,"

Missionary who survived praises companions killed in crash | ksl.com

Local LDS leaders say that the remains of the two deceased missionaries will be sent back to their respective hometowns on Friday, and is finalizing plans for a memorial service to honor them.

LDS Bishop Kevin Kloosterman Denies He Was Criticizing The Church During His Speech At Circling The Wagons; Salt Lake Tribune Corrects The Record

2011-11-09T15:29:00.001-09:00

A speech given on November 6th, 2011 at the Circling The Wagons conference by Kevin Kloosterman, the bishop of the Sycamore Ward in the Rockville Illinois Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which he denounced the way gays are treated and perceived by the LDS Church as an atrocity, generated considerable heat on both sides of the rhetorical aisle, primarily because of provocative reporting by the Salt Lake Tribune. Some more traditional-minded Mormons wanted Kloosterman released from his calling, and one even called for his excommunication.

However, as I previously pointed out, a written transcript of Kloosterman's address published by Mormon Stories editor John Dehlin indicated that Kloosterman was not advocating a change in Church doctrine about homosexuality, and was not attacking the Church leadership. We also have a video of Bishop Kloosterman's address, so you can decide for yourself:

Enter Joanna Brooks, who interviewed Bishop Kloosterman to determine just what his intentions were. Here's the key excerpt from that interview, replete with Brooks' question:

Brooks: When you used the word “atrocity” to describe the world’s history of mistreatment of LGBT people — that’s a very strong word, and the way the Salt Lake Tribune reported it makes it sound like you were criticizing the Church and its leaders. Was that your goal?

Kloosterman: No. The way the Tribune reports it takes my words out of context. I was not criticizing the Church. In fact, I felt and feel like we needed to support the leadership of the Church in their movements forward with our gay brothers and sisters. I did use strong words and strong imagery. Trying to convey the pain I’ve felt realizing what gay and lesbian people have gone through, I quoted a scripture in Zechariah [Zechariah 13:6] where someone — who Mormons interpret as Christ—comes and shows wounds, and he says, “I was wounded in the house of my friends.” I used that imagery to characterize the scars of gay and lesbian people. I know it’s strong imagery. I just feel really mournful about what they have been through. All of these realizations are very new to me, and it’s still quite raw. I was trying to convey that I’ve felt a small sliver of what gay and lesbian people have gone through, and I’ve found strength and peace in the Savior.

Later in the interview, Kloosterman proclaims that he loves the Church and does NOT want the Church put in a bad light. While he believes there’s things we as individual members need to do differently, nothing in his remarks should be construed as anything other than an expression of love for his Church and its members. Still, I wouldn't have used the word "atrocity" myself; I suggest that survivors of various outbreaks of genocide during the 20th century, to include the highly-publicized Nazi holocaust as well as the less-publicized Turkish holocaust against the Armenians, the virtually-ignored Communist holocausts in the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia, and the 9-11 attack on the United States would be better qualified to use the term "atrocity".

There you have it. There can be no doubt that Bishop Kloosterman was not steadying the ark or speaking evil of the Lord's anointed. There is no justification to either try him for his membership or to release him from his calling. Undoubtedly, he'll be interviewed by his stake president, but I predict a positive outcome.

And finally, the Salt Lake Tribune manned up and took responsibility for its misleading headline after Mollie Ziegler took them to task on GetReligion.org in a post entitled "The Straight Story on Gay Mormons". In response, Tribune Managing Editor Terry Orme posted a comment stating that the Tribune ran a correction in Tuesday's edition clarifying that Bishop Kloosterman was not challenging LDS Church leaders or official church positions.

Good enough for me.

LDS Missionaries Trevor Reinhold Strong And Derek Jason Walker Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver In Donna, Texas

2011-11-08T23:32:00.016-09:00

Update November 10th: More information now presented in this newer post.

On November 8th, 2011, two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Donna, Texas. A third missionary was reported to have been critically injured and was hospitalized, but has now been released.

Elders Trevor Reinhold Strong, 21, of Taylorsville, Utah, Derek Jason Walker, 20, of Fairfield, Idaho, and Zachary Todd Harris, 19, of Huntsville, Alabama, all serving in the Texas McAllen Mission, were riding their bicycles northbound on Midway South St. near Vaughn Road, just south of Business Route 83 around 7:30 P.M. when a vehicle driven by Jose Luis Garza traveling southbound crossed the center line to attempt to pass another vehicle and hit all three missionaries head-on. Garza and his two passengers fled the scene on foot. Elders Strong and Walker were pronounced dead, while Elder Harris was taken to a hospital injured, and has since been released. Police used helicopters in an attempt to track down the vehicle's occupants. Old news video from KRGV Channel 5 still available; updated news video from KSL Channel 5 embedded below (after the jump):

Driver in fatal hit-and-run of LDS missionaries blames headlight trouble | ksl.com

Here's raw video of the accident scene provided by KGBT Channel 4 (a number of people are expressing objection to the video in the comments section of the website, but taking the video down would not resurrect the missionaries):

Update: The driver involved, now identified as Jose Luis Garza, surrendered to authorities at the Progreso International Bridge overnight. Garza claims he didn't see the missionaries because his headlights were malfunctioning, although the missionaries had lights on their bicycles. He's now been charged with two felony counts of failure to stop and render aid, and is being held on $100,000 bond. Police also confirm that the suspect is a Mexican national, but have not disclosed his residency status. Two more suspects remain on the run.

A comment posted on KSL by someone who lives in Donna, TX provides some insight on the road and traffic conditions:

Taekwondo_dude November 9th 8:30 A.M:
First of all, my heart goes out to the families of these missionaries. I am still in shock. I live half of mile from where the incident occurred. I met Elders Strong and Walker about 3 weeks ago, when they had dinner in my home. Elder Strong told me he was going home soon. I know that people are angry and some suggest it might have been intentional. In no way am I defending the cowards who took the lives of these missionaries, but I just want to shed a little insight about the area, and what witnesses saw. Midway Road splits the two towns of Weslaco and Donna. It is a paved, narrow, country road, with barely enough room for 2 cars side by side. It is also pitch black at night in some parts. According to witnesses, the culprits in the black car decided to pass the car in front of them, and as they did, they ran into the 3 missionaries, head on, at a very high rate of speed. It was around 7:30 pm, and with the new time change, it was already dark. I cringe whenever I see missionaries on their bikes at night, in these areas.

Based upon his blog, Elder Strong first entered the Provo Missionary Training Center on October 28th, 2009. This means his mission was about to come to a close when this accident happened. What a tragedy! A person named Yeffy posted a comment to the KSL story confirming that Elder Strong was due to come home in a month and has a twin brother, Scott, serving in the Tucson mission. In fact, Trevor Strong was already supposed to be home -- except he volunteered to extend his mission by three weeks so he could help with the training of a couple of missionaries as well as complete work with a couple of families.

As for Derek Jason Walker, he still had a year to go on his mission. According to President Michael Owsley of the Wendell Idaho Stake (his home stake), Elder Walker had just been made senior companion, and he volunteered to make a presentation during the training, and did a great job with his presentation. Elder Walker left this world doing the two things he loved most: riding his bike and serving the Lord.

According to Mission President Stephen Trayner, Elder Zachary Harris, who's only been in Texas for five months, will not be returning home to Alabama; he says he still has work to do in South Texas for the remaining 19 months of his mission. While Elder Harris was also hit by the errant motorist, his injuries proved not to be serious, and he was released from the hospital earlier. Elder Harris is walking with a noticeable limp, and he has some bruising and swelling and some lacerations.

President Trayner paid further tribute to the missionaries, saying "This is not the normal course of events. They were outstanding young men, and I would have been very proud to have them for my sons. But we believe that when someone has been faithful and true to the gospel of Jesus Christ that your work will continue beyond death. And we firmly believe we will be together in another life and have the chance to be with loved ones forever in the presence of God." There are 176 missionaries assigned to south Texas, and approximately one-half of them travel by bicycle.

I have added the names of Elders Strong and Walker to my partial list of LDS missionaries who died while serving in the field. I would bet the driver and his passengers most likely fall into one of three categories:

(1). Illegal aliens or other foreign nationals who don't want to get caught. Donna, Texas is only about five miles from the border. The surrender of the driver greatly increases this possibility.

(2). The driver was drunk and was afraid he would be charged with DUI if he stuck around. This possibility cannot be excluded, since the time interval between the accident and Garza's surrender would allow alcohol to clear his system.

Jerry Lewis Defeats Incumbent Russell Pearce In Arizona Senate District 18 Recall Election

2011-11-08T20:19:00.005-09:00

Updated November 15th with the latest vote totals.

KPHO Channel 5 in Phoenix is the first to report that Republican challenger Jerry Lewis has defeated incumbent Republican State Senator Russell Pearce in the Senate District 18 recall election on November 8th, 2011. The most recent poll by Arizona Capitol Times and ABC15 showed Lewis leading by three percentage points.

The official numbers from the Secretary of State website. Out of 69,196 voters in SD18, a total of 20,307 votes had been recorded as of 11:00 P.M. on November 8th. However, there were absentee ballots to be counted as well; as of November 15th at 11:00 A.M., here are the latest totals:

-- Jerry Lewis: 55.20 percent (12,812 votes)
-- Russell Pearce: 43.61 percent (10,121 votes)
-- Olivia Cortes: 1.19 percent (277 votes)

KSAZ Channel 10 news video, contains a roundup of all local election results:

Lewis Defeats Pearce in Recall Election: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

KTVK Channel 3 news video, focusing primarily on Russell Pearce's news conference:

Even though there remain thousands of early and provisional ballots to be counted, beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday November 9th, Pearce has apparently conceded, telling the East Valley Tribune that he was disappointed in the outcome, saying he will spend some time with his family and his God before deciding what to do next. He thanked his supporters, and has not ruled out another run for elective office, to include a run for this same Senate seat next year. Pearce also noted that this was an unusual race, with no primary. That allowed all voters, including the district's Democrats and independents, to make the final decision. "This is going around the primary process," Pearce said. "Jerry Lewis could not win in a (Republican) primary. So it doesn't take but 10 to 15 percent of the Republicans to vote for him to make the difference."

Saying his campaign took the high ground, Lewis told 300 supporters that his victory brings a fresh voice to Mesa and a civil tone to politics. "We showed that civility is a sign of strength, not weakness," he said from the back yard of a supporter's west Mesa home where his campaign was conceived. He looks upon his victory as an opportunity to heal the divide in Mesa.

Although Jerry Lewis himself conducted an honorable campaign, many of his "supporters", who were more interested in dumping Pearce rather than electing Lewis, did not. Because both Lewis and Pearce are Mormons, DeeDee Garcia and the so-called Somos Republicans played the LDS card at every turn, attempting to portray Lewis as more worthy and more in line with official LDS thinking on immigration than Pearce. And apparently she and her ilk suckered enough Mormons into buying it, although some wised up to it early. One LDS member was appalled at how opponents of Pearce were playing the LDS card in an attempt to unnecessarily divide and polarize the LDS community, and expressed herself on KSAZ's discussion boards:

Meg Bowman November 8th 7:40 P.M:
I don't know where John Hook (KSAZ Channel 10 anchor) gets off saying that the LDS community has spoken their opinion about SB1070 simply because Lewis won the recall election. I am a faithful LDS member and quite frankly I am appalled at how Lewis has run his campaign using the name of our church to further his political career. Politics is not about religion and it is against our policy as "Mormons" to officially endorse a candidate.

Furthermore, I am in complete support of SB1070 and Second amendment rights. These issues are groundbreaking and have influenced a nation of people to look at how Illegal Immigration can affect our national, state, and local security and economy. SB1070 is not about legal immigration. It never was. This country is built upon immigrants and we are all immigrants to one generational degree or another. The fact that Lewis is weak on not only SB1070 but the Second Amendment as well makes me quite concerned about how the freedoms we have embraced and secured may now be threatened by a Pseudo-Republican Democrat.

State Sen. Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert), also an LDS member, also criticized Lewis for injecting religion into the election by advertising the positions he's held the Mormon church, including serving as a bishop. "There were a lot of people who knew who he was. He didn't have to advertise it. There was a flagrant misuse of the religion issue in this district. You don't run on the basis of your church position. He advertised his church position." Biggs added that recall organizers essentially branded Russell Pearce as a Mormon heretic, by saying his positions on immigration contradicted the church's position.

Australian Rules Football Star Israel Folau Leaves The LDS Church, Joins The Assemblies Of God

2011-11-08T14:23:00.002-09:00

While we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints express pride and joy at the number of people who choose to go beyond salvation and strive for exaltation by joining our Church each year, there are those who decide Mormonism isn't for them. Many exit under acrimonious circumstances and vent their spleen on websites such as Recovery from Mormonism. They may even become full-blown apostates, such as Ed Decker and Steve Benson. However, some choose to take a higher road and make a clean break with a minimum of recriminations.

One such person is Australian Rules Football star Israel Folau. Two years ago, he was a devout member of the LDS Church with a cast-iron testimony. In 2008, he even seriously flirted with the idea of fulfilling the customary two-year proselyting mission for the Church before deciding in 2010 to defer a mission for at least five years. So imagine my surprise when I found out from The Australian that Israel Folau has now left the LDS Church and attends Tongan-language services with the Assemblies of God; he and his immediate family made the decision earlier in 2011. To his credit, Folau has neither attacked the Church nor embarked upon some silly, hysterical personal crusade to "rescue people from Mormonism"; instead, he merely states that he researched the history of Mormonism, and reached some unspecified conclusions to which he could not reconcile himself. He also claims he never had an experience with the Holy Spirit while he was a Mormon, but that he now feels a spiritual connection to his new church. From The Australian comes his own explanation:

"I had a personal experience with the holy spirit touching my heart. I've never felt that before while I was involved in the Mormon church -- until I came to the AOG church and accepted Christ.

"It's been an amazing experience for me personally and I know a lot of people on the outside have been saying stuff about why we left. And some people (are) assuming that we left because of money, and all that sort of stuff.

"I know for myself that it wasn't. But I guess at the moment, the people on the outside don't really know the main reason why we left."

It is interesting to speculate on whether or not Folau would have left the Church had he served a mission. Most people who serve missions report that their testimonies are strengthened by the experience; perhaps a mission would have given Folau the additional spiritual armor necessary to successfully reconcile Mormon history with his conscience. The Famous Mormons website will undoubtedly find it necessary to delete Israel Folau's name from their Rugby list.

One reason why Israel Folau's exit from Mormonism appears to have been relatively uneventful is because he immediately found a substitute religious community. Because being an active Mormon requires a substantial investment of time and resources, people who leave the LDS Church often find themselves suddenly marooned without a supportive community; until they find a substitute community, they often lash out in frustration. An ex-Mormon who lives in a predominantly Mormon community can feel particularly isolated. But most ex-Mormons eventually make the transition, which is why we should be cautious about assuming that an ex-Mormon is an anti-Mormon. If we automatically treat ex-Mormons like anti-Mormons, it increases the chances they will become anti-Mormons and even full-blown apostates. So long as an ex-Mormon respects my desire to remain a member of the Church, I'm willing to respect a person's decision to leave the Church.

That's because an ex-Mormon can always return at some time in the future. One example of such is Michael Crook, who left the Church for a while, ended up nearly hitting bottom, then returning. He documents his experiences in a new book entitled "Leaveth Not Zion: A Re-Mormon's Experience". Looking through his blog, you can see that because he came back after falling away, his testimony burns brighter and hotter than ever; he takes issue against the spirit of revisionism and political correctness creeping into LDS ranks. However, while his testimony is heavy on justice, it's a bit light on mercy; in this post, Crook says he would not pray with a gay LDS member, give to or receive a blessing from a gay member, or serve as a home teacher to a gay member. This strikes me as being different than the attitude Jesus Christ would take, and is contrary to the counsel given by Church leaders in which they state that celibate gay Mormons are to be considered members in good standing.

Nevertheless, just like the rest of us, Michael Crook is a work in progress, and it is enough that he repented of his past and rejoined our ranks. Besides, his voice is a welcome contrast to revisionists like Joanna Brooks and Jana Riess, who truthfully named her blog "Flunking Sainthood".

Salt Lake Tribune May Have Misrepresented LDS Bishop Kevin Kloosterman's Remarks At "Circling The Wagons" Conference, Unnecessarily Inflaming People

2011-11-06T23:18:00.004-09:00

Update November 9th: Bishop Kevin Kloosterman denies he was attacking the LDS Church in interview with Joanna Brooks; updated post HERE.

This post started out much differently than it ended up. When I read a Salt Lake Tribune story entitled "Mormon bishop says church responsible for gays’ emotional wounds", I immediately saw red. I wanted this bishop released from his calling straightaway, because I got the impression he was publicly attacking the Church. That's because the Tribune quoted the bishop as saying that the way gays are treated and perceived by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an “atrocity”.

The incident took place during a conference for gay Mormons, their family members, friends, and even sympathetic non-members, known as "Circling The Wagons". The conference, hosted by Mormon Stories and the Open Stories Foundation in Salt Lake City from November 4-6, 2011, was dedicated to the issues of homosexuality and same-sex attraction within Mormonism. To promote attendance by the widest possible economic cross-section of the targeted audience, Mormon Stories allowed people to pay less than the standard registration cost if they felt they couldn't afford it.

It was on November 6th that Bishop Kevin Kloosterman delivered his remarks. Bishop Kloosterman said he recently became aware of LGBT issues and that his views had changed from that of the church — that acting on gay urges violates its moral code — and had a mighty change of heart. He also implied that straight members of the Church had some repenting to do.

But did he really mean that LDS policy towards gay was an "atrocity"? Fortunately, Mormon Stories editor John Dehlin published a written transcript of Kloosterman's address; here's the applicable portion:

Over the past year, I have felt promptings from the Spirit that I needed to learn all I could about these issues. To listen, finally, to many of your stories. Some of them I’ve read in books. Some of them I’ve read on the Internet. And as I took the time to listen and as I took the time to learn, I began to have a mighty change of heart.

But it was not without some pain. As you know very well, the stories that have been written, your own stories, are extremely painful. Some have called it a tragedy. I call it an atrocity, what has happened. And as I read these stories and as I learned more about these issues, I began to see the emotional wounds and the scars that many of you still have today. And I seem to ask the question, “Where did you get these wounds?” and unfortunately the answer was, “In the house of my friends.”

From this excerpt, we see that the Tribune got a few things wrong. First, the term "atrocity" was used in relation to the experiences of some gays within the Church, and not in relation to official Church policy. Second, there's no evidence that Bishop Kloosterman said he differed from official Church policy; his remark about "in the house of my friends" simply meant that some gays had been mistreated by individual ward members or the occasional bishop, and his remark about a "change of heart" was in reference strictly to his own attitudes. And finally, Bishop Kloosterman expressly stated that he was speaking only for himself.

There is NO EVIDENCE that Bishop Kloosterman does not sustain official Church policy or that he is out of harmony with the Brethren. Consequently, if I was his stake president, I might call him in for an informal chat to ascertain that he does still sustain the policy and the Brethren, and if so, I would not release him from his position. He has not engaged in ark-steadying or spoken evil of the Lord's anointed. Shame on the Salt lake Tribune for misrepresenting this man.

Yet some damage was done. While most of the 689 comments posted to the Tribune (at least the ones that were on topic) are sympathetic towards Bishop Kloosterman, a few faithful Mormons were offended:

cayman_island_dweller November 6th 10:05 P.M:
This man does not deserve to be a bishop and should be released. He has said nothing worthy of excommunication. If this man no longer believes that homosexuality is a sin then he does not support the teachings of the church and should not hold a leadership position. No different than if I were a Boy Scout leader and no longer believed that pedophiles should not be den leaders.

Golden November 6th 9:15 P.M:
I see a bishop who will not have a job in the LDS Church come Monday morning.

The Church will act very quickly on this and a new bishop will be installed by next Sunday.

When will people finally understand the Lord's, and His Father's position, on gay marriage?

Any sexual activity, outside of a marriage between a man and a woman, is sin.

Period.

Chatter14 November 6th 8:15 P.M:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints does not have an anti-gay policy. In following God's laws it teaches acceptance of the individual not the act of homosexuality. The Bishop or ex-Bishop does not understand that the Church organization is perfect but the people in it are not. There is no perfect human being. The Bishop must have ulterior motives for speaking against the Church he is supposed to uphold. He is free to join any Church that does not follow God's laws, nobody forces him to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

ruthpan November 6th 7:10 P.M:
Kloosterman has to repent, too. He is accusing me of hurting gay people. He cannot go around accusing people. I do believe in personal responsibility: I cannot get depressed because someone said unkind words to me. Many gay people have said unkind things to me and I didn't cry or complain. I don't think they will fight for my rights, but they want me to fight for their rights. I don't care if people are gays or polygamists but they should take personal responsibility.

While I am a traditionalist when it comes to using the power of procreation, I don't like to see the media misrepresent people and trigger unnecessary division and polarization.

Mormon Vs. Mormon: Update On The Arizona LD18 Recall Race Between Russell Pearce And Jerry Lewis, Lewis Now Leads By Only Three Points

2011-11-04T01:27:00.003-08:00

Update November 8th: Jerry Lewis defeats Russell Pearce; updated post HERE.

As the recall race between incumbent Arizona Republican State Senator Russell Pearce and his Republican challenger Jerry Lewis heads into the home stretch for the November 8th showdown, the Arizona Capitol Times has released the results of a poll of 598 likely voters in Mesa’s District 18. The poll, in which 160 of the respondents identified themselves as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shows Lewis with only a three-point lead, well within the margin of error, and less than the unofficial seven-point lead reported back on October 17th. The specifics:

-- Jerry Lewis: 46.0 percent
-- Russell Pearce: 43.0 percent
-- Olivia Cortes: 2.5 percent
-- Undecided: 8.5 percent

Crosstabs reveal no significant edge in support for either Lewis or Pearce by age, gender or religious affiliation. Lewis, Pearce, and Cortes are all LDS members; while Cortes has withdrawn from the race, her name will still appear on the ballot. Pearce holds the financial edge, having raised $230,000 as compared to Lewis’ $69,000 according to the latest campaign finance reports. KNXV Channel 15 video embedded below:

The Pearce campaign published a response, posted in part below:

First, it should come as no surprise that this survey shows a tight race. After all, it’s essentially a primary campaign where voters from all parties can vote.

Second, one could argue that the sample size for an automated survey was much too low to effectively gauge voter opinion. We would agree with that argument.

Third, the universe selected for this survey of likely voters does not match up with actual voter history in the district. For example, the actual number of independent or unaffiliated voters in that district that are defined as “likely” in this survey is actually much higher.

Finally, this wasn’t necessarily a blind ballot test among the electorate. The introductory statements leading up to the ballot test question could have potentially biased the survey in one way or another.

In conclusion, we know that in an unprecedented, historical election such as this one, I think all parties can agree that predicting a turnout model is difficult to say the least.

Bloggers Stephen Lemons and DeeDee Garcia continue to hack away at Pearce. Garcia has been trying to lure Pearce into showing up for a so-called "immigration fireside" hosted by the so-called "Somos Republicans", and featuring another prominent Mormon, Daryl Williams, who has spoken out against Arizona SB1070. But Pearce, perhaps sensing a possible setup, has wisely refused to respond to this invitation.

Lemons takes a few more whacks at Pearce HERE, saying that Pearce is falsely atrtributing the decline in Arizona's crime to the influence of SB1070. Lemons also claims that Pearce's assertion that the state budget is balanced is false, further claiming that the state's current debt is $8.5 billion. But this could be attributable to a difference of definitions of a balanced bduget; nearly every state has a so-called balanced-budget amendment requiring that their General Fund expenditures not exceed revenues, but that alone may not mean their budgets are truly balanced. Lemons is so desperate for Pearce to lose that he's even smeared Pearce's brother, Mesa Justice of the Peace Lester Pearce. And Lemons admits that skewering Pearce has been good for his brand and has been "a helluva lot of fun", which means his objectivity is thoroughly compromised.

Until now, Jerry Lewis has sought to wage an issue-oriented campaign, remaining above the muck of some of his supporters. But the MeetJerryLewis website reveals that Lewis has at least three skeletons in his closet:

-- First, he's accused of defrauding taxpayers of $1.9 million; his Sequoia academy was receiving tax dollars even though parents are paying tuition. Lewis owned up to it, stepped down as principal, and no charges were pressed. Sequoia ended up reimbursing the state for the funds.

-- Second, he's supposedly being sued by a former teacher, Diane Fernichio, who claims she was fired because she exposed the fact that Lewis misappropriated donated items. The Lewis campaign claims that that the items that were given away were of practically little value, and the teacher who got them ended up not selling them at a yard sale anyway. Furthermore, Lewis himself is not named in the suit; the Sequoia academy is the defendant.

-- Third, Lewis is being accused of glossing over a multi-level marketing bankruptcy scandal ("multi-level marketing" is just a euphemism for "pyramid scheme"). This seems to be a reach; it happened back in the mid-1990s and I'm not sure this is particularly pertinent to the campaign.

The race is still too close to call, but it appears Russell Pearce is slowly closing the gap on Lewis, and could overtake him on November 8th if he can swing the Undecideds to his favor. Jerry Lewis may indeed be qualified for the job, but not at Pearce's expense.

LDS Group Files Federal Lawsuit Against The City Of Mission, Texas For Blocking Plans To Construct A Chapel

2011-11-01T22:17:00.003-08:00

Update December 8th: On December 7th, the Mission City Council reversed itself and voted to allow the conditional use permit necessary for the LDS Church to build a chapel in Mission; updated post HERE.

A group of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have filed suit in federal court against the city of Mission, Texas for obstructing plans to construct a chapel on a five-acre plot on the corner of Bryan Road and 2 Mile Line in Mission. The suit claims the city is violating their religious freedom.

The dispute has been continuing for nearly a year. The LDS group claims the city has blocked the move by changing the voting rules for permit approval, and that at least one member of the council had a conflict of interest in voting on the issue. A subsequent story by The Monitor reveals that the council member in question is Norie Gonzalez Garza, whose real estate company represented the neighbors who opposed the construction of the chapel in their neighborhood because they wanted to keep the area residential and avoid lowering their property values.

-- Read the 25-page suit document HERE
-- Read the three-page Notice of Claim sent to the city on August 23rd HERE.

Even more background was published by The Monitor back on September 15th, 2011. When the local stake announced their plans to buy the land and build a chapel, they sought a conditional use permit. However, nine of the 12 landowners located within 200 feet of the property signed a petition against the church because they wanted to preserve the rural nature of the area and that the size of the building and the parking lot were too big and would attract too much traffic.

Lawyers for the LDS Church contend that Mission violated its own ordinances in the vote. Mission law states that if at least 20 percent of neighbors to a property within an area with a proposed zoning change have signed a petition against it, at least 75 percent of the council will have to approve it. But the church argues that it was asking for a conditional use permit and not a zoning change, so the ordinance does not apply.

The local stake took steps to address the concerns of the neighbors through landscaping 30 percent of the property with limited outdoor lighting designed to not affect neighbors. Architect Bob Simpson explained that the area is changing with the widening of Mile 2 Road, and the construction of a church at that intersection of well-traveled roads would be a more compatible and passive influence than any potential commercial use in the future.

Because of the petition, four out of five City Council members had to vote for the zoning change, and both times the permit went before council, in December 2010 and in June 2011, only three members voted in favor. Both times, Councilwomen Norie Garza and Maria Elena Ramirez voted against the permit. Nevertheless, the LDS Church purchased the five-acre plot back on August 18th, as the stake president, Brice Chandler, was inspired by this particular location.

The local stake then sent a notice of claim sent to the city on August 23rd, giving them 40 days to reverse the decision. The city failed to do so, and now it goes to court. The local stake is citing the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act as justification for their suit. In addition to being awarded costs and reasonable attorney's fees, the LDS Church seeks the following remedies:

-- (1) Annulling the City Council’s December 20, 2010 and June 13, 2011 votes, which denied the Church approval to contrast a house of worship consistent with its religious needs as a violation of TRFRA, Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 110.003;
-- (2) Annulling the City Council’s December 20, 2010 and June 13, 2011 votes, which denied the Church approval to construct a house of worship consistent with its religious needs as a violation of RLUIPA, 42 USC § 2000cc(a);
-- (3) Annulling the City Council’s December 20, 2010 and June 13, 2011 votes, which denied the Church approval to construct a house of worship consistent with its religious needs as violations of the federal and state constitutions;
-- (4) Directing the Defendants to grant the Church all necessary permits and approvals to construct and operate its church, subject only to reasonable conditions and safeguards within forty-five (45) days of the entry of the Order and Judgment.

The new chapel would accommodate the Mission First and Second Wards, both of which currently meet at a chapel in McAllen which is also occupied by two additional wards, including the Mission Third Ward, a Spanish-speaking ward. All these wards are grouped under the McAllen Texas West Stake.

Why Mormons Are Christians: LDS Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland Explains The Mormon View Of The Trinity And Rebuts The Nicene Creed

2011-10-30T00:10:00.000-08:00

While visiting the blog of A Well Behaved Mormon Woman, I discovered a video of a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Entitled "The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent", the address was delivered during the Saturday Afternoon General Session of the 177th Semiannual General Conference in October 2007. Elder Holland explained the Mormon view of the doctrine of the trinity, and effectively rebutted the Nicene Creed, which holds the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to be abstract, absolute, transcendent, immanent, consubstantial, coeternal, and unknowable, without body, parts, or passions and dwelling outside space and time.

This address becomes important once again because of the renewed public debate over whether Mormonism is Christian. At the very beginning of the address, Elder Holland acknowledges that this controversy tends to revolve around two doctrinal issues — our view of the Godhead, and our belief in the principle of continuing revelation leading to an open scriptural canon. You can read the full transcript of Elder Holland's address HERE.

In summary, we believe it is self-evident from the scriptures that while the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one in purpose, they are still three separate and divine beings, noting such unequivocal illustrations as the Savior’s great Intercessory Prayer, His baptism at the hands of John, the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the martyrdom of Stephen — to name just four. Furthermore, if they were not separate beings, why is it that Jesus cried out to the Father during his moment of truth, saying “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me”, and “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me”? To acknowledge the scriptural evidence that otherwise perfectly united members of the Godhead are separate and distinct beings is not to be guilty of polytheism; instead, it is part of the great revelation Jesus came to deliver concerning the nature of divine beings.

I would also add that the Nicene Creed was rebutted at the very beginning of the Old Testament, in Genesis 1:26-27:

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

This is also replicated in the Pearl of Great Price in Moses 2:27.

We have two arms, two legs, a head, an abdomen, ears, etc. If we are created in the image of God, then common sense dictates that our Heavenly Father looks like us. Thus the Father cannot be part of some three-headed polymorphic blob that's three-in-one, one-in-three, everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Isn't it ironic that our view of the Trinity is much closer to the Bible than those of our Christian critics who hold to the Nicene Creed? And yet our Christian critics question whether we're Christian because we reject the Nicene Creed.

LDS Bishop Dennis Toone Defends No Cross-Gender Dressing Policy At Crescent 16th Ward Trunk-Or-Treat In Draper, Utah

2011-10-28T18:51:00.001-08:00

The bishop of the Crescent 16th Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Draper, Utah has defended a flyer posted at his chapel prior to their October 25th trunk-or-treat event in which they asked people not to dress up in cross-gender attire. A photo of the flyer is posted above. Update: This story has now gone viral, picked up by The Blaze and the Fox News Channel.

Bishop Dennis Toone's family says the Young Women's group created the flyer before hundreds went out to the community. Since Bishop Toone suffered a loss in his family, he didn't want to appear on camera. But in a published report, Toone defended the flyer saying "I thought it was church policy. I'll defend the church and anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to come.”

Bingo! That's what some of us Mormons have been waiting to hear. Political correctness has been infiltrating the ranks of Latter-day Saints; many went ga-ga over the calling of the openly-gay but celibate Mitch Mayne as executive secretary to the Bay Ward bishopric in San Francisco, acting as if he was a second Joseph Smith. I commend Bishop Toone for having the stones to say that if people don't like it, they don't have to come. There's too much obsession with inclusivity in our society -- an inclusivity which is rarely extended towards those who wish to hold fast to the iron rod. If we try to be all things to all people, we will be of no value to the Lord.

Meanwhile, LDS spokesperson Scott Trotter said that although the Church does mandate a no-mask policy for such events, the cross-dressing ban is not churchwide policy, and event rules like that are up to the discretion of the local bishop or church members. Trotter did not explain why Bishop Toone used such language, but he assumes his intent was to promote appropriate dress. KSTU Channel 13 news video embedded below (after the jump):

Reaction: One local resident who is not Mormon, Raquel Smith, said that the ban on cross-dressing sends the wrong message to children. She also said she has several friends who are transgender or drag queens for a profession, so she would understandably be biased. In contrast, Jude McNeil, who directs research and training at Salt Lake City’s Pride Center, opined that the Mormon party organizers did not intend to hurt any nonconforming or transgender kids; they were just unaware of the potential consequences of such guidelines. As of this post, 1,234 comments have been posted to the Salt Lake Tribune story, indicating strong interest in Utah.

LDS blogger Michael Crook posted a strong defense of Bishop Toone's actions, writing in part "What right-thinking church would allow cross-dressing freaks into any of its buildings, whether on Halloween or on any other day"?

Sharing The Gospel Online: Pointing Someone To An LDS Church Link Without Being Intrusive, Disrespectful, Or Spamming

2011-10-21T12:48:00.002-08:00

Sharing the Gospel can be one of the more difficult tasks for some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, particularly for those who are introverts and who may not have ever filled a full-time mission. We don't want to be accused of spamming. We are reluctant to be intrusive or invasive.

However, natural contextual opportunities to share the Gospel online do crop up. If someone experiences a death in their family, we can express our condolences and then point them to an LDS link which provides our perspective on death. Whether this ultimately helps them or not is irrelevant; our mission is to proclaim the Gospel, and leave it to the Holy Spirit to take care of the conversion process.

Here's an example of my own interaction on the F2 Board. An individual started a thread in which he describes being suddenly dumped by his wife after 10 years. After reading his entry, I was inspired to consult the LDS Topical Guide on Divorce. Here's the pertinent part of the exchange:

His post, posted 10/21/2011 11:54 am: [Wife just told me she wanted a divorce] Said I will never be able to give her the life style she deserves. She said that after 10 years she's given up and is ready to move on.

I'm beside myself with grief. How long does it take to get over a 10 year relationship?

My response, posted 10/21/2011 12:03 pm: The rest of your life. You will never completely get over it, but with the passage of time, you will take control of the memory, detoxify it, and become thicker-skinned. Handled properly, the experience will be ultimately beneficial. Adversity is our greatest teacher.

At least she dumped you now, while you're still relatively young and probably still competitive in the "meat market". Perhaps you may find some of the articles on this site helpful in beginning the healing process:

http://lds.org/study/topics/divorce?lang=eng

Notice how I start out emphathizing with the guy and then try to redirect his grief and hostility towards beginning to heal. Notice how I refrain from dumping on his wife, which would be judgmental; I strive to focus my counsel exclusively upon him. Notice how I lead him to the link to the LDS site without unleashing a hard sell of the Church. This guy doesn't need a hard core sales pitch for the LDS Church at this time; he simply needs ideas which can help him cope more effectively with this adversity.

Notice how my counsel contrasts quite favorably with that of others who post on thread. The others are planting negative attitudes towards women in general; I don't.

Of course, the F2 Board is a place where there is much discussion, syntax, and even illustrations which many LDS members may find disgusting. But when we reach out to try to pull someone out of the gutter, we inevitably risk getting splashed with some of the runoff. The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost offers us protection against being damaged by the runoff. We can't bring the world to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ by staying in our comfort zones and preaching to the choir. We have to go to where the hurt is.

Who knows what will ultimately happen to this guy. Perhaps he'll cater to our ultimate fantasy, and we will read about him in the LDS Church News 20 years from now becoming a Seventy. More likely, he'll continue his life as it is now. What counts is that we sow the seed, and leave it to the Lord to determine how, when, where, or if it germinates. Go forward in faith -- faith precedes the miracle.

Retired Baptist Pastor Howard Bess Speaks Up About Mormons In Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Valley

2011-10-21T01:29:00.000-08:00

Pioneer Peak, the 6,398 ft landmark of the Mat-Su Valley

The Mat-Su Frontiersman has published a column by retired Baptist Pastor Howard Bess entitled "Comfortable or not, the Mormons are with us", in which he delivers his assessment about the impact of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Valley. He was obviously prompted by the public debate triggered by the presence of two Mormons, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman Jr. in the presidential race. Because Bess is a registered Democrat, neither of the two command his political allegiance at the moment. He does believe religion should be fair game in order to show how a candidate's faith would function in the public political arena, and wants to hear more hard religious questions asked of all candidates.

It's obvious that Howard Bess highly respects the local LDS community and its impact. He writes:

...I live in a community with a heavy Mormon population. There are three large general education public high schools in our area. Near each of them is a beautiful Mormon church. Each is home to multiple congregations. With their distinctive architecture and manicured lawns, a person would have to be blind and uninformed not to recognize the extent of the Mormon presence.

Mormons are an active part of our community structures. Mormons serve on most of our elected boards, councils and assemblies. While I have no research to support my understanding, I strongly suspect Mormons have a much better voting record than the general population. In my own experience, Mormons are responsible public citizens.

Mormons are great supporters of the public school system. Mormon young people bring a strong work ethic and personal discipline to our schools and school activities. Teachers love to have them in their classrooms and coaches are eager to have them on their teams. These kids obviously are coming from stable homes with positive motivations. We have a growing number of Mormon teachers and school administrators. We are a more stable and better functioning community because Mormons are our neighbors. We are blessed by the heavy Mormon presence in our Valley...

Right on all counts, and we appreciate the props. Howard Bess also notes that there are two significant developments taking place among Mormons. First, he notes the significant campaign to identify ourselves more explicitly as Christians, and believes this will ultimately lead to full partnership within the Christian community and our evolution into a large, vigorous and distinct Evangelical Protestant denomination.

Second, he also suggests that we are becoming the model for American family life through our successful faithfulness to the two-parent model at a time when there are so many single-parent families. We show that the two-parent family is doable and that it works better. He concludes by saying "The Mormons are with us. They are our neighbors. We need to know them better. One of them could well be our next president".

What's interesting is that Howard Bess refrained from making any remarks about LDS policy towards homosexuals. This omission is significant because when he was a pastor, Bess was one of their first mainstream Christian pastors in Alaska to call for greater inclusion of gays in Christian churches. In 1995, he even wrote a book entitled "Pastor, I Am Gay" to drive the point home. It was not very well-received by some socially conservative Christians in Alaska. He even ran afoul of Sarah Palin, who allegedly tried to have the book removed from the Wasilla Public Library while she was mayor. Yet Bess respects our church's right to require gays to be celibate in order to be members of our church.

The LDS Church in the Mat-Su Valley is organized under the Wasilla Stake, which has 13 congregations, 11 of which are in the Valley itself. The other two are located in Valdez and Glennallen.

That LDS Missionary Who Rings Your Doorbell On Halloween May Not Be A Real Missionary

2011-10-19T22:57:00.000-08:00

If your doorbell rings on Halloween and you find someone dressed as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when you answer, chances are it might not be a real missionary. Time magazine reports that missionary costumes are number six on their list of top ten topical Halloween costumes for 2011. Time even conveniently provides a list of articles to make up a credible costume.

KTVX Channel 4 decided to go down to Temple Square in Salt Lake to sample public opinion, and they found a 50-50 split between those who were offended and those who chose to laugh it off.

Of course, if a "missionary" does show up at your door on Halloween, you could put him to the test. You could ask him to recite the 13 Articles of Faith. Or you could even ask him to flash those garments, which will separate the sheep from the goats in a BIG hurry. It is even possible that real Mormons who are not set apart as missionaries might dress up as them, as one woman said she would HERE. Then again, if you know anything about the normal routine of missionaries, you know that they're supposed to be off the street by 9 P.M. -- and that they're generally not allowed to go trick-or-treating on Halloween. But rank-and-file Mormons do celebrate Halloween; there are no doctrinal constraints against it.

Taipei Labor Bureau Fines The Catholic Dominican International School In Taiwan $20,000 For Sacking Two LDS Teachers Because They Are Mormons

2011-10-19T22:12:00.000-08:00

The Taipei City Government Bureau of Labor has fined the Catholic Dominican International School in Taipei US$20,000 for sacking two Mormon teachers because of their religion.

The school told the teachers earlier this year that their contracts would not be renewed due to their religion, prompting the teachers to file a complaint with the Bureau of Labor since all schools in Taiwan are banned from discriminating against staff of different faiths or forcing them to attend religious events. After the bureau started to investigate the complaint, the school tried to claim that it was a performance issue and that they were actually "unfit to teach", but other teachers backed their American colleagues, saying their religion had not posed a problem. Labor officials noted that it is the first time that religious discrimination in the workplace has been punished in Taiwan. read a short history of the Catholic Dominican International School HERE.

Taiwan is one of four East Asian countries where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has established a solid presence, the others being the Philippines, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. As of December 31st, 2010, Taiwan has 53,111 LDS members organized into 100 congregations, with a temple in Taipei serving 11 stakes and one district on the island.

LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks Testifies Against Barack Obama's Plan To Lower Charity Cap To 28 Percent At Senate Finance Committee Hearing

2011-10-18T21:10:00.002-08:00

While there is no known bill pending before Congress to change the charitable tax deduction criteria in the IRS code, President Barack Obama has proposed to cap itemized deductions at 28 percent, including the one for charitable contributions, for individuals earning more than $200,000 a year and married couples earning more than $250,000. This proposal shows up in his tentative budget for FY 2012, and as a provision of the 199-page American Jobs Act. Itemized deductions currently are capped at the top marginal tax rate of 35 percent. The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation says that at present levels of giving, the current tax break will cost the federal government about $230 billion in lost revenue between 2010 and 2014, and Obama wants to plug that hole. Times and Seasons provides a more detailed discussion of the charitable tax deduction.

However, opponents of Obama's proposal are concerned that it could cause charitable giving to decline during time of economic weakness. A George Washington University analysis of Obama's plan estimates that if his proposed limits were adopted, there could be a loss of between $2.9 billion and $5.6 billion in charitable contributions. Depending on how much an organization relies on private donations for individual charities, this could translate into losses as small as 0.1 percent or as great as 8 percent. Furthermore, while unemployment rocketed from 4 to 10 percent from 2008 to 2009, charitable giving dropped 20 percent during that period.

Congress is also interested and aware. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is worried that dropping the cap to 28 percent could cripple the biggest donations. So he and his colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee held hearings and took testimony from some important church and nonprofit leaders on October 18th, 2011. Among those giving testimony was Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A KSL Channel 5 news video is available, but we also have a YouTube video of his full testimony:

Five individuals testified before the committee; Elder Oaks' testimony can be reviewed HERE. In summary, Elder Oaks testified that the charitable tax deduction is vital to the private sector, providing much of the funding for countless organizations, both religious and secular, that are responsible for tens of millions of jobs and innumerable services that benefit our citizens at every level. Elder Oaks also noted that the financial well-being of this private sector is dependent upon private contributions that qualify for the charitable deduction, and the impact these private institutions have on those they serve is magnified by the millions of volunteers motivated by the ideals they pursue.

Elder Oaks also cited Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a primary example of the success of private charity, noting that the LDS Church alone aided the cleanup efforts with almost 3,000 tons of emergency supplies, over $13 million in cash and use of heavy equipment, and its members gave more than 42,000 man-days of service. Additionally, other non-profit organizations gave more than $3.5 billion in cash and in-kind donations in support of relief efforts. This proved critical since FEMA and the state of Louisiana were slow to react and uncertain in their initial efforts.

During the follow-up question and answer portion, Elder Oaks also expressed his concern with the message that would be sent by any impairment or limitation to the deduction. "If the charitable deduction is modified in substance — not in the details, but in the substance — that will be a teaching message that charitable works are less important in our view than the works of government. It is that message that I speak against."

Elder Oaks' concern is valid; at stake are contributions to various funds within the LDS Church. While most offerings are voluntary and have minimal impact, tithing is more than an offering -- it's a worthiness issue. One can remain a member of the Church without paying tithing, and even be extended some service callings. But temple access and leadership callings are beyond the reach of members who don't tithe regularly. Tithing is considered so important that members with budgetary problems are counseled to tithe first before paying bills as an act of faith. This counsel is usually accompanied by financial counseling to help members better meet all financial obligations.

Most proponents of tax simplification do want to retain the charitable deduction, as well as other critical deductions such as the home mortgage interest deduction and retirement contribution deductions. But there are numerous nitnoid deductions that should be scrapped.

Mormon Vs. Mormon: Jerry Lewis Challenging Incumbent Russell Pearce For Senate Seat In Arizona LD18 Recall Election; Lewis Has Seven-Point Lead

2011-10-17T23:36:00.002-08:00

Update November 8th: Jerry Lewis defeats Russell Pearce; updated post HERE.

Update November 4th: Jerry Lewis' lead shrinks to three percentage points; updated post HERE

Russell Pearce

Two members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are squaring off in a contentious recall election for Arizona's LD18, based primarily in Mesa. Senator Russell Pearce, who is President of the Arizona State Senate, has been successfully recalled and has been challenged by Jerry Lewis. The recall election will be held on November 8th. Pearce was recently re-elected to office in November 2010, earning 57 percent of the vote.

For a brief period of time, a third LDS member, Olivia Cortes, was in the race. However, she was relentlessly accused of being a stalking horse planted by the Pearce campaign to take votes from Jerry Lewis, and tiring of the pressure, withdrew on October 6th. But her name will still be on the November 8th ballot.

Jerry Lewis

According to the Tucson Citizen, a recent poll shows Lewis leading Pearce by seven percentage points. However, both the poll and the source are suspect -- it's being reported by DeeDee Garcia, a notorious anti-Pearce activist. Still, there is evidence that Russell Pearce's re-election is by no means assured, and it will be close.

Russell Pearce is one of 31 Arizona lawmakers to come under fire for involvement in a Fiesta Bowl scandal. For his part, Pearce stayed at luxury hotels and took family members with him on bowl-sponsored trips from 2002 to 2009. In total, the bowl said it spent more on Pearce than any other individual lawmaker: $39,347. Pearce has since repaid some of the money. But the big Kahuna is Pearce's immigration legislation. Not only was he the primary force behind SB 1070, the toughest immigration law in the nation at the time, but he also unsuccessfully pushed several additional immigration measures this year, including a bill to change how children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants are granted citizenship. This attracted the ire of Hispanic activists and their leftist allies, most notably Phoenix New Times blogger Stephen Lemons, who's been relentlessly stalking him in the journalistic sense.

Then on July 27th, 2011, Jerry Lewis entered the race, and the Hispanic activists and their leftist allies found Their Great Hero. Actually, Lewis is a standup guy who's well-qualified to serve in the state legislature. He is an assistant superintendent for Sequoia Schools, a Mesa-based charter school chain with 13 Arizona locations. He is also a former certified public accountant and has been a vice president with the Grand Canyon Council of the Boy Scouts. Lewis also served as president of the Maricopa Arizona LDS Stake until released on February 27th, 2011. Like Pearce, Lewis believes in closing the border and working with federal officials to improve border security, but he does not support SB 1070. Lewis is supported by SOMOS Republicans, the largest group of Hispanic Republicans in the state. Mesa City Councilman Dave Richins is one of many who have endorsed Lewis, but not over the SB 1070 issue.

Russell Pearce is fighting to win. On August 19th, Pearce said he will campaign actively to promote and defend his long record of promoting economic recovery, job creation, balanced budgets, law enforcement and secure borders. He noted he has never lost an election, and he will fight these outside forces that support lax law enforcement, amnesty and open borders. On October 14th, Pearce got a rousing welcome from 300 people at Hohokam Stadium; also in attendance was former Congressman Tom Tancredo, who told Pearce "I'd come across the gates of hell for you, buddy". In his own speech, Pearce offered no apologies for his conduct in office, saying "I for one am not going to stand by and apologize for demanding that our laws be enforced...I'm not going to apologize for the love of our patriots and our founding principles given to us by our Founding Fathers." Supporting Russell Pearce is the Sonoran Alliance and Patriots for Pearce. Also endorsing Pearce is Mesa City Council candidate Ralph Brandt, a member of the fledgling American Third Position Party (A3P). A3P has been smeared as "white supremacist" by the anti-racist lobby, although membership is open to Americans of all races.

What's most disgusting about this race is that, since both principals are LDS, Pearce's critics are trying to drag the LDS Church into the race and use it as a pawn. Both Stephen Lemons and DeeDee Garcia repeatedly question Pearce's worthiness as a Mormon, claiming his immigration positions are out of step with the official LDS Church position. Garcia even went so far as to write a letter to LDS Church headquarters complaining about Pearce. On October 14th, Lemons claimed that Pearce was "in scalding hot water" with the Church over immigration. But what these critics fail to note is that one of the LDS Church's three basic principles of immigration is to acknowledge that every nation has the right to enforce its laws and secure its borders, and that all persons subject to a nation's laws are accountable for their acts in relation to them. "All persons" in this case include illegal aliens, since by breaking into our country, they became subject to our laws. Had the federal government been enforcing our immigration laws consistently, SB 1070 would not have been necessary.

Immigration is not a worthiness issue in the LDS Church. One does not get asked about immigration during a typical worthiness interview. Consequently, it's false to imply that Russell Pearce is less worthy as a Mormon just because he takes a harder line on immigration than the Church. An elected official's responsibility is to his constituency, not his church. Only Pearce's bishop and/or stake president are truly qualified to judge Pearce's worthiness as a Mormon.

While Jerry Lewis would undoubtedly represent LD18 well, voters must decide if they want to trade in an incumbent who not only stands firm on patriotic principle, but who also wields the bigger stick of being President of the Senate. Being represented by the Senate President gives a district bigger clout. I'd be sticking with Russell Pearce myself if I lived there.

Modesty Can Be Both Smart And Sexy: The Daily Mail Reports On The Proliferation Of Mormon Modesty Blogs

2011-10-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

Several members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are attempting to demonstrate that modesty can be both smart and sexy. On October 14th, 2011, the Daily Mail reported on a proliferation of Mormon Modesty blogs designed to communicate this positive message.

In general, these Mormon Modesty bloggers believe that their bodies are temples and should be treated with respect. While LDS dress standards don't dictate personal style, LDS standards provide guidelines for what is considered appropriate and respectful. And this doesn't just include clothing; tattoos, heavy jewelry and body piercing are also discouraged by Church leaders, although not necessarily issues of temple worthiness. Modesty is actually much more than rules; modesty is actually about showing respect for our bodies because they are a sacred gift from God and should be treated accordingly.

So who are these modesty bloggers? Here's the list of those presented in the story:

-- Clothed Much: Edited by Elaine Hearn, a 23-year-old account coordinator. Also has a Facebook page.

-- North Meets South: Edited by Erica Ricks, an accountant based in New York City.

-- Wearing It On My Sleeves: Edited by Sarah Morales.

-- No More Mom Jeans: Edited by Jae Curtis, a 27-year old freelance writer.

-- Cats And Cardigans: Edited by Brandilyn Haynes.

-- Writing Rainbows: Edited by Ashley Nielson.

All six of these bloggers show that modesty can be both smart and sexy, effectively countering the sleazy propaganda put forth by both the fashion business and the entertainment industry.

This is a welcome development, because as a man, I find it more difficult to respect a woman who dresses suggestively than one who dresses modestly. Why is this? It's because of acculturation and opportunism. I actually get turned on more by a secretary wearing a short skirt in a typical office than by a woman wearing a bikini down at the beach. This is attributable to the fact that bikinis fit in with the beach and numerous women wear them, while a single woman wearing a short skirt in an office environment stands out and detracts from professionalism. Married women who dress suggestively may be more prone to illicit affairs than married women who dress modestly, although I know of no objective statistics to back this up.

Obviously, we men have the primary responsibility for being the guardians of our own virtue. But as Young Women President Elaine Dalton suggested during the General Young Women Meeting in April 2011, women have a secondary responsibility to be guardians of our virtue as well. This means women should avoid dressing and behaving in a manner which tempts us beyond our ability to bear it. The unspoken assumption is that we men also have a secondary responsibility to serve as guardians of women's virtue; we serve this purpose best by treating women like ladies even when they don't behave like ladies. This is the most effective antidote to feminism.

One supportive comment was posted on the Daily Mail website by a non-Mormon:

It's not just LDS who have modesty rules, many Conservative Baptists, Pentecostals, Assembly of God, Catholics and other Christian women try to dress modestly! I'm plain-old C of E [Church of England] but I would never wear a skirt that wasn't at least below my knees, or a t-shirt that was too tight or didn't cover the tops of my arms and exposed too much of my 'cleavage'. Basically, it's about self-respect, and also about 'not having everything on show' to the world. There are things I like to keep for my husband! I do the same with my children, they are brought up to respect themselves!

- Anna, Newcastle, 16/10/2011 13:45

World Nut Daily Publishes Puff Piece About Tricia Erickson's Anti-Mormon Screed Entitled "Can Mitt Romney Serve Two Masters?"

2011-10-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

The website in question is officially named World Net Daily, but I've re-designated it World Nut Daily after its headlong descent into gutter journalism. On October 12th, 2011, WND published what can only be described as a puff piece about Tricia Erickson's new book entitled "Can Mitt Romney Serve Two Masters? The Mormon Church Versus the Office of the Presidency of the United States of America."

The article, entitled "Mormon bishop's daughter spills Romney's 'secrets'", confers a completely undeserved patina of respectability upon Erickson and her hysterical screed. First, the very title of Erickson's book is a blatant lie. Mitt Romney has repeatedly said that if elected president, he will not take orders from Salt Lake City. Therefore, there's no question about him serving two masters. Richard Bushman, a Mormon and previous missionary himself who has taught at Harvard, Columbia and Brown Universities, says that although templeworthy Mormons have held national office for over a century now, he knows of no single instance where they have succumbed to church direction against their own consciences.

To add insult to injury, Joe Kovacs, the article's author, regurgitates four of Tricia Erickson's smears about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without any attempt at further explanation. According to Tricia Erickson, Romney believes:

-- He will become a "god" in the afterlife and be given his own planet. This, of course, is a true statement about Mormon beliefs, but is simple-minded. Godhood will only be available to those who qualify for celestial glory with exaltation, and will require incalculable additional time and training in the spirit world before it can be conferred upon us.

-- Satan is Jesus' literal brother. A misrepresentation designed to create the false impression that we value Jesus and Satan equally. While we believe that our Heavenly Father, in concert with the Heavenly Mother, created the spirit tabernacles for both Jesus and Lucifer (as he was known then), as well as for the rest of us, their subsequent actions -- and ultimate fates -- differ radically.

-- Jesus was not born of a virgin birth. This is a lie; Mormon doctrine holds that the Father begot Jesus Christ with Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit, but the precise technique has not been revealed. Furthermore, we believe that Mary was indeed a virgin before she conceived Jesus. Some LDS authors and even former presidents of the Church have speculated on the process, but their speculations are not to be considered doctrinal. For the umpteenth time, the Journal of Discourses is NOT considered one of the Standard Works of the Gospel.

-- He will be given his own afterlife kingdom where he will have sexual relations with his wife, Ann, to populate his kingdom with spirit children as God the Father Himself has a wife on His own planet. We believe that when an exalted couple are finally ordained to Godhood, they will receive the power to tabernacle unorganized intelligences with spirit bodies after their image, just like our Father did with us. Apparently Tricia Erickson is a bit more obsessed with the "sexual" part; as Latter-day Saints, we really have better things to do than to speculate about if or how celestial beings have sex.

Tricia Erickson also claims that we Mormons have a "secret agenda" to take over the government, and that we've "infiltrated" people into the CIA and the FBI. Of course, she provides no objective evidence to support this claim, not even on her personal blog. One reason why Mormons are considered to be particularly attractive candidates by the CIA is because of the language training many received before going on missions.

World Nut Daily also provided a brief sanitized version of Tricia Erickson's life. They note that she was married in an LDS temple at the age of 19, but subsequently left the Church and now considers herself a non-denominational "Christian", but fail to report details about her professional past that impinge upon her personal integrity. Back on July 8th, 2011, I disclosed that Tricia Erickson was found to be a professional scam artist in the past. In May 1999, the FTC charged Model 1, Inc., and its president, Jason Hoffman; Creative Talent Management, Inc. and its president, Ralph Bell; and The Erickson Agency, Inc., and its president, then known as Patricia Erickson, with misrepresenting their ability to get lucrative jobs for consumers who contracted for their modeling and acting courses. The FTC's complaint also alleged that the defendants misrepresented themselves as highly selective in scouting, screening and reviewing consumers for marketability as models or actors. Model 1, Inc., Jason Hoffman, Creative Talent Management, Inc. and Ralph Bell settled FTC charges on August 27th, 1999. The terms of the settlement are posted in this FTC press release.

One must wonder why World Nut Daily didn't find it necessary to include this information. If some itinerant blogger could find it with a minimum of effort, then a major news website should be able to find it much easier. What was publisher Joseph Farah's real purpose in not publishing the information? At least Farah had the integrity to print two letters to the editor in reaction to the article, both expressing disagreement. Farah also published official LDS reaction; spokeswoman Jessica Moody says she encourages everyone to read the church's core beliefs as well as articles of faith posted online. And in regards to the plan of salvation, the LDS church states, "The mortal existence is seen in the context of a great sweep of history, from a pre-Earth life where the spirits of all mankind lived with Heavenly Father to a future life in His presence where continued growth, learning and improving will take place."

But this article is why I can no longer consider World Net Daily a reputable journalistic source. In recent years, Joseph Farah has increasingly displayed OCD behavior; his obsession with Barack Obama's birth certificate is legendary and infamous. It's too bad a once-respected news source has degenerated to the level of the National Enquirer.

GOP Presidential Candidate Jon Huntsman Fires Back At Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress, Characterizes Him As A "Moron", Says There Are Higher Priorities

2011-10-10T21:56:00.001-08:00

Even though Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, directed his remarks against Mormonism at fellow GOP candidate Mitt Romney during the Value Voters Summit in Washington D.C. on October 7th, 2011, the "other" Mormon in the race, Jon Huntsman Jr., decided to fire back at Jeffress, taking advantage of his appearance on CNN's Situation Room on October 10th to deliver his message.

CNN host Wolf Blitzer wasted little time in cutting to the chase, leading off by asking Huntsman's opinion about the pastor's remarks. Huntsman deplored the fact that one person seems to be driving the narrative during a time when there are 15 million unemployed, two wars abroad, America's standing in the world increasingly uncertain, failing schools, and what Huntsman called "the most important election of my lifetime" looming ahead. Then Huntsman delivered the money shot, saying "The fact that some moron can stand up and make a comment like that...it's outrageous. Second of all, the fact that we are spending so much time discussing it makes it even worse." He called upon people to stick to the big issues that really matter and leave religion off the table. CNN video embedded below; segment begins almost immediately after the ad (after the jump):

Pastor Jeffress stood by his comments in an interview on October 9th with Fox News, saying again that he believes Romney is a non-Christian, although he softened the impact slightly by characterizing Mormonism as a theological cult rather than a sociological cult. But Jeffress also said if Romney won the GOP nomination, he would still choose him over Barack Obama. Apparently a majority of American Protestant pastors share Jeffress' view; according to a survey of 1,000 pastors by LifeWay Research, 75 percent of them do not personally consider Mormons to be Christians, although Ed Stetzer, vice president of research and ministry development at LifeWay, cautions that their opinions should not necessarily be viewed as personal scorn for Mormons. Dr. Royce Short, the dean of the School of Religion at Bob Jones University, also characterizes Mormonism as a cult, explaining that by a theological definition of a cult, one would include any group that basically is deviant or that departs from what is called historic Orthodox Christianity.

However, a prominent evangelical Christian leader has taken a strong public position in defense of the LDS Church. Richard J. Mouw, president of the Fuller Theological Seminary, a leading evangelical school in Pasadena, CA, co-chaired a private dialogue of about 25 evangelicals and Mormons at BYU-Provo along with Professor Robert Millet, exploring a variety of key theological issues between the two groups. Mouw found that, unlike cultists, Mormons are willing to engage in serious, respectful give-and-take dialogue with people with whom they disagree, and by virtue of the existence of BYU, do promote scholarship. Yet even he is not quite prepared to reclassify Mormonism as possessing undeniably Christian theology. But at least he doesn't consider us a cult.

Countering Revisionist Attacks On Christopher Columbus: Did You Know That Book Of Mormon Prophecy Made Reference To Christopher Columbus?

2011-10-10T13:41:00.001-08:00

The celebration of Columbus Day has been increasingly targeted for criticism in recent years. Much of the criticism originates from anti-white racist minorities and their self-hating progressive white allies who mistakenly believe that today's white population has to make up for the so-called "sins of the past" under the false doctrine of historical remediation. The Dayton Daily News takes a typical cheap shot at Columbus. Minimization and eradication of white symbols and cultural icons is all part of the race replacement strategy originally pursued in South Africa and now being actively implemented in other majority-white nations under the guise of mass immigration, diversity, and multiculturalism. The late, unlamented Susan Sontag once said, “The white race is the cancer of human history.”

The fact is, most Americans celebrate Columbus Day not because he was white, but because he made a voyage to the Western Hemisphere propelled and motivated mostly by faith. In fact, he did not anticipate discovering a new land, but was actually seeking a shorter route to the East Indies in Asia. But what makes Columbus' accomplishments even more special is that as the first identifiable European to visit the Western Hemisphere, his voyage led to the wholesale migration of European peoples to the Americas. Fueled by European immigration and a unique idea of a nation based upon common ideas of liberty and justice for all, the United States subsequently became a superpower.

Personal character should not enter into the equation. If it is appropriate to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his civil rights struggles even though he was a plagiarist, a womanizer, an abuser, and had Communist ties, it is just as appropriate to honor Christopher Columbus even if he did employ some harsh measures in dealing with the indigenous populations of the lands which he discovered. It is unfair to judge the actions of someone in the 15th century through the prevalent morality of the 21st century, an eternal principle which explains why those who are not offered salvation in this life get offered salvation in the spirit world.

But another solid indication of the singularity of Columbus' mission is provided by the Book of Mormon. One of the founders of the Nephite civilization, Nephi himself, had a vision of the future of the American continents, in which he also foresaw the discovery and colonizing of America. The specific verse believed to be identified with Christopher Columbus is 1 Nephi 13:12; it's presented below with surrounding verses to provide context:

10 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren.

11 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren.

12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.

13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.

14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the bland of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.

Although there were many explorers who subsequently journeyed to the Western Hemisphere and launched more permanent colonies, Christopher Columbus was the first. And that's why we believe 1 Nephi 13:12 identifies Christopher Columbus rather than any other explorer.

According to Arnold K. Garr, several Church presidents share this point of view. In 1976, President Ezra Taft Benson stated, “God inspired ‘a man among the Gentiles’ . . . who, by the Spirit of God was led to rediscover the land of America and bring this rich new land to the attention of the people in Europe. That man, of course, was Christopher Columbus, who testified that he was inspired in what he did.” Brigham Young, Spencer W. Kimball and Joseph F. Smith also expressed similar sentiments. In 1992, Friend magazine published an article entitled "Heroes and Heroines: Christopher Columbus, Inspired Seaman", and at the same time, Ensign magazine published an article entitled "Columbus and the Hand of God".

The bottom line -- all our heroes have flaws. But it doesn't make their heroism any less heroic.

Pastor Robert Jeffress Defends His Characterization Of Mormonism As A "Theological Cult" On The Fox News Channel; LDS Church Issues Statement

2011-10-09T16:37:00.001-08:00

Two days after stirring up a hornet's nest by his remarks about Mormonism being non-Christian and a cult, Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church in Dallas was back before the cameras on Fox and Friends on Sunday October 9th, and he defended those remarks, although he apparently threw out a few signals designed to indicate that he has no personal axe to grind against members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On Fox & Friends, Pastor Jeffress did not back down from his original remarks, and insisted that when given the choice, evangelical voters still ought to give preference to a Christian instead of someone who doesn’t embrace historical Christianity. However, Jeffress did offer a more precise definition of a cult in order to avoid conveying the image that he considered Mormons to be on the same level as the Branch Davidians or the People's Temple, who most people think of when they hear the word "cult". Jeffress said. “When I’m talking about a cult, I’m not talking about a sociological cult, but a theological cult...Mormonism was invented 1,800 years after Jesus Christ and the founding of Christianity. It has its own founder, Joseph Smith, its own set of doctrines and even its own book, the Book of Mormon, in addition to the Bible. That by definition is a theological cult.” Fox News video after the jump:

We still don't agree that we're a cult, but at least Pastor Jeffress, by distinguishing between sociological and theological cults, is sending a message that he intended nothing malicious by referring to us as a cult. Note that Pastor Jeffress also finally admitted that we use the Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible. While those are baby steps, at least it represents some nominal progress. Thus while it is appropriate for us to defend our faith and to rebut misstatements, it would not be appropriate to dump all over Pastor Jeffress and imply that his church is a cult, as some LDS bloggers are doing. Many evangelicals have found out through working with us politically that "our" Jesus was just as crucified, buried, and resurrected as "their" Jesus, that we don't engage in goddess worship, that we don't have orgies in our temples, and that we respect the Bible just as much as they do. It's taken hard work to knit stronger ties with evangelicals, and we don't want to sever those ties in a fit of pique.

In response to Pastor Jeffress' original remarks, the LDS Church issued this brief statement:

We really don’t want to comment on a statement made at a political event, but those who want to understand the centrality of Christ to our faith can learn more about us and what we believe by going to mormon.org.

Unofficial LDS bloggers have reacted, and some are a bit more put out than I.

-- Millennial Star: Notes that we have a longer history of independent existence than the Southern Baptist Convention, which wasn't established until 1845. Characterizes the SBC as a cult.

-- Mormon Mentality: Noted that Pastor Jeffress did not mention the other Mormon presidential candidate, Jon Huntsman Jr, by name. The media completely missed this distinction. Erroneously claimed that Rick Perry belongs to a cult (he's a Methodist).

-- Michael Crook: Characterizes Pastor Jeffress as a bigot, and Southern Baptists as judgmental, hateful, uneducated, and downright contentious. In my experience, this is not so as a rule of thumb. The existence of Liberty University is proof that Baptists are not uneducated, and most of those who believe Mormonism is a cult and un-Christian simply do not have the facts and have very little up close and personal experience with Mormons.

-- A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman: Responded in a more Christ-like fashion than the others. Expressed disagreement with Pastor Jeffress' remarks, but used it as an unofficial member missionary opportunity to promote the LDS Church and its doctrine.

To promote general unity within the body of Christ, I continue to offer this simple two-step litmus test:

(1). Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the literal crucified, buried, and risen Savior?

(2). Do you believe that the Bible, at the very least, is the authoritative word of God?

If your answer to both questions is Yes, then I consider you my brother or sister in Christ regardless of your specific denomination. While you would be smart to be open-minded enough to accept the Book of Mormon as well, we won't demand it as the price of our friendship. Remember, the Great Commission is to build up Christ, not to tear down Christians.

Texas Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress Criticizes Mitt Romney's Mormonism As "Not Christian"; Rick Perry Quickly Disavows Remarks

2011-10-07T16:02:00.003-08:00

Update October 10th: Pastor Robert Jeffress reaffirmed his statements on October 9th, and Jon Huntsman Jr. weighed in on October 10th.

Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at the 10,000 member First Baptist Church in Dallas, is at it again. At a Value Voters summit in Washington, D.C. on October 7th, 2011, Jeffress referred to Mitt Romney's Mormonism as a "cult". And it's not the first time.

Pastor Jeffress was in attendance to introduce Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry before his speech to the group. He did not make the reference during his introduction, when he merely characterized Perry as a proven leader, a true conservative, and a committed follower of Christ. But in remarks to the media after the event, Jeffress said "Rick Perry's a Christian. He's an evangelical Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ...Mitt Romney's a good moral person, but he's not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity." He also told reporters that being a fine person with a great family and great values does not get you to heaven.

Interesting that he had nothing to say about the other Mormon presidential candidate, Jon Huntsman Jr.

Pastor Jeffress also put forth his definition of "Christian". He explained, “It is only faith in Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ alone, that qualifies you as a Christian...They embraced another gospel, the Book of Mormon, and that is why they have never been considered by evangelical Christians to be part of the Christian family.” Of course, Pastor Jeffress fails to understand that the Book of Mormon stands ALONGSIDE the Bible as the equally authoritative word of God, and does NOT supersede the Bible. Jeffress did add that if Romney wins the nomination, he will "hold his nose" and vote for him. He said he would rather have a non-Christian who embraces Christian principles in the White House than a professing Christian who governs by unbiblical principles. He believes that although Barack Obama is a professing Christian, Obama governs by unbiblical principles. Thanks to Think Progress, we have a video recording some of the pastor's remarks:

Even though Pastor Jeffress was at the summit at the behest of the Value Voters rather than Rick Perry, Perry immediately took action to disavow Jeffress' remarks. Perry spokesman Mark Miner initially explained, “The governor doesn’t judge what is in the heart and soul of others. He leaves that to God.” Minutes later, Miner came back and flatly stated, "The governor does not believe Mormonism is a cult". I cannot recall a single instance during this campaign so far when Rick Perry ever made any reference to Mitt Romney's religion.

Ironically, it was just this past Sunday, on October 2nd, that Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve addressed this very subject during the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He provides a powerful justification of why we consider ourselves Christian. You can read the transcript of the address HERE, or watch it on the video embedded below:

You can also read an official explanation from the LDS Church as to why Mormons are Christians.

Pastor Robert Jeffress has previously criticized Romney for his Mormonism in 2007 and again in 2008. And Jeffress has also been critical of Islam; in August 2010, Jeffress claimed that Islam “promotes pedophilia” and that violence by Muslims is in accordance with what the Quran teaches because it’s a violent religion. Islam neither promotes pedophilia, nor is it violent by default, although the Quran encourages Muslims to defend their faith by force if necessary.

Jack Etter Running For Aldermen Seat, Facing Sex Abuse Charge In Dallas, North Carolina; LDS Member Since 1955

2011-10-06T00:13:00.001-08:00

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is running for elective office -- and facing a felony child sex abuse charge in Dallas, North Carolina. Jack Etter, who served on the Dallas Board of Aldermen from 2008-2010 and is running for a new four-year term, is also accused of sexually touching a four-year-old girl.

The incident allegedly took place at a residence on January 4th, 2011. Sexual touching was involved, but there was no intercourse. The purported victim, a four-year-old girl, reported the incident to her parents, who contacted the Department of Social Services. DSS then reported the incident to police, who arrested him. He was charged on January 21st and originally held on a $1 million secured bond, later reduced to a $25,000 unsecured bond. Etter entered a not guilty plea to the felony charge in Gaston County Superior Court in April. He went ahead and filed his candidacy on July 15th. Yet the district attorney seems reluctant to even schedule a trial; ten months later, no trial has yet been scheduled. They're keeping this guy in limbo.

Etter strongly denies the charge. “There’s no argument,” Etter said. “The only thing I could tell them was that I did not do anything and I am not guilty of anything. I have not done anything … therefore, I’m not hiding.” Etter also says it's not affecting his political campaign so far -- he describes his campaign support as “overwhelming” and said people don’t bring up the issue of his pending felony charge. The election is scheduled for November 8th. The 75-year-old Etter, who's married with four adult children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, joined the LDS Church in 1955.

I'm thinking this whole thing's a tragic misunderstanding. They not only sharply reduced Etter's bail, but have yet to schedule a trial. This tells me the prosecution may have doubts about the case. What may have happened is that the little girl's mother overreacted to what her daughter said, pushed the panic button, and launched this entire legal process. That doesn't make her a bad person; it's simply a manifestation of pedophilia hysteria. North Carolina prosecutors seem unusually reluctant to let go of a flawed sex case; the notorious Duke lacrosse rape case also took place in North Carolina, and prosecutor Mike Nifong became so obsessed with convicting the accused "rapists" that it cost him his job and his career.

We need to be concerned about this upsurge in pedophilia hysteria; it may be scaring men away from getting involved with kids. Case in point: About 20 years ago, I was at an airport using a water cooler when a little girl came up and asked me if I would lift her up so she could drink. Thinking nothing of it, I did so, and she was appreciative. What would happen if I did it today? Would some paranoid freak have me arrested for improper touching?

LDS 181st Semiannual Conference, Sunday Afternoon General Session; Covenants, Missionary Service, And Prayer

2011-10-02T14:50:00.002-08:00

Note: All posts on the October 2011 181st Semiannual General Conference available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

During the Sunday afternoon session of the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the hot topics were covenants, Jesus Christ, missionary service, prayer, and dealing with tragedy. Elder Russell M. Nelsen's talk served as a tutorial on the Church's doctrine regarding covenants.

181st semi-annual LDS General Conference closes Sunday | ksl.com

Source of the summaries published below is the LDS Church News. Video and audio archives will be posted on the Conference Page as soon as they are available; official written transcripts of each address will be posted on the LDS website in about a week from now.

-- Elder Russell M. Nelson, Quorum of the Twelve: Spoke about covenants. This address is a tutorial on LDS doctrine about covenants. Covenants are sacred promises with God in which He sets the terms, and individuals have the choice of whether they are going to accept those terms. If one accepts the terms of the covenant and obey God's law, he or she receives the blessings associated with the covenant. Because of the renewal of the Abrahamic covenant, all can receive the fullness of the gospel, enjoy the blessings of the priesthood and qualify for God's greatest blessing, eternal life through exaltation. All who make these covenants become part of the Abrahamic family, even if they are not of the physical seed of Abraham. Children of the covenant have the right to receive the Lord's doctrine and to know the plan of salvation. They claim it by making covenants of sacred significance and keep the covenant by obedience to His commandments.

-- Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Quorum of the Twelve: Spoke at length about Jesus Christ to drive home the point that members of the LDS church are first and foremost followers of Christ. During his address, entitled "Teachings of Jesus", Elder Oaks shared scriptural quotations from the Bible, because it is most familiar to most Christians. "My interpretations will of course draw on what modern scriptures, notably the Book of Mormon, teach us about the meaning of Bible scriptures so ambiguous that different Christians disagree on their meaning. I address believers, but others as well. ... To address them, I have used the words of Jesus himself. We should all consider what He Himself taught about who He was and what He was sent to earth to do."

-- Brother Matthew O. Richardson, Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency (note that although Richardson undoubtedly is an Elder holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, he is referred to as "Brother" in his Sunday School capacity): Spoke of the ability to teach in a way that does not restrict learning. Noted that the responsibility to teach effectively is not limited to those who have formal callings as teachers, but includes every family member, Church leader, and Church member (including youth and children). Brother Richardson explained that the Holy Ghost is the teacher and witness of all truth and all parents, leaders and teachers have the responsibility to teach "by the Spirit". They should not teach "in front of the Spirit" or "behind the Spirit", but "by the Spirit" so the Spirit can teach the truth unrestrained. The real objective is to invite and help those around oneself to learn for themselves.

-- Elder Kauhiko Yamashita, First Quorum of the Seventy: Spoke of the value of missionary service through the perspective of one who was converted at the age of 17. Noted that at the time, although he didn't really have a good understanding of the message that the missionaries had been teaching him, he had a special feeling about the missionaries because he felt their deep and abiding love. Elder Yamashita shared three things every missionary should bring into service: First, a desire to preach the gospel; second, develop a testimony; and finally, love others.

-- Elder J. Devn Cornish, First Quorum of the Seventy: Spoke about the power and principles of prayer. He quoted from the 11th chapter of Luke, in which the Savior gave an example serves as a guide to key principles of prayer. The pattern of prayer is to speak to Heavenly Father, addressing Him in an attitude of worship, acknowledging dependence on Him and expressing the desire to do His will and honestly ask for the things desired. Repentance, specific, profound and lasting, is an essential part of personal prayer.
Forgiving others should be part of prayer. Also in the pattern of prayer is a petition for guidance and deliverance from evil. And yet another part of the pattern set by the Savior is to praise Heavenly Father again and express reverence for and submission to Him. And don't forget that prayers are answered in the Lord's own time and in His own way.

-- Elder Quentin L. Cook, Quorum of the Twelve: Elder Cook spoke about dealing with tragedy. He noted that while we do not know all the answers, we do know important principles that allow us to face tragedies with faith and confidence that there is a bright future planned for each of us. Elder Cook listed three important principles: there is a Father in Heaven who loves and knows everyone individually, the Savior's atonement compensates for the unfairness in life, and the plan of happiness includes a reunion with those who have been lost.

-- President Thomas S. Monson: Closed out the conference by thanking those in attendance as well as those who had just been released from their callings. Asked members to remember the General Authorities in their prayers, since all of us are in this together. In conclusion, President Monson said "I bear my testimony to you that this work is true, that our Savior lives, and that He guides and directs His Church here upon the earth. I leave with you my witness and my testimony that God our Eternal Father lives and loves us. He is indeed our Father, and He is personal and real. May we realize and understand how close to us He is willing to come, how far He is willing to go to help us, how much He loves us and how much He does and is willing to do for us".

Several unofficial LDS bloggers are discussing this session, including By Common Consent, Feminist Mormon Housewives, and an open thread on Millennial Star. Also read Michael Crook's faith-promoting assessment of the Sunday sessions; he focuses on the American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter because he doesn't know how long he'll have his hearing.

LDS 181st Semiannual Conference, Sunday Morning General Session; Faithfulness, Patience, And Virtue

2011-10-02T10:45:00.003-08:00

Note: All posts on the October 2011 181st Semiannual General Conference available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

The Sunday morning session of the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focused on faithfulness, patience, and virtue. Church members were counseled to be better witnesses to God, to wait more patiently on the Lord to manifest His purposes in our lives, and fathers were directed to be guardians of virtue in their own homes to better teach their children by example. Members were also reminded that the Book of Mormon is an "either-or" proposition; there is no middle ground.

Sources of the summaries published below include the LDS Church News, the Salt Lake Tribune, and KTVX Channel 4. Video and audio archives will be posted on the Conference Page as soon as they are available; official written transcripts of each address will be posted on the LDS website in about a week from now.

-- President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency: Spoke of the need for all Latter-day Saints to be witnesses to God. Noted that Church members have made three promises to God; becoming charitable, becoming a witness of God and a promise to endure. He concluded that the Book of Mormon can draw an individual closer to God than any other book, and can change a life for the better.

President Eyring also related a personal experience worth highlighting. He had accepted an invitation to give an address at a major university. However, the organizer, knowing of Eyring's Church position, told him he could not witness for Christ during that address because the university "respected people of all religious beliefs, including those who denied the existence of a God". But instead of canceling, President Eyring noted that the university had been honored for doing what the Church had learned to do in its humanitarian efforts across the world. He said that, in his talk, he described what the university and the Church BOTH had done to lift people in need and said that he knew that Jesus Christ was the source of the blessings that come into the lives of those who were served and who had served. He received a standing ovation. So he kept his agreement to speak AND satisfied the demands of his conscience to witness for God.

-- Elder Robert D. Hales, Quorum of the Twelve: Spoke of the need to "wait upon the Lord". Elder Hales defined "waiting upon the Lord" as meaning to hope, anticipate and to trust. It also means to pray as did the Savior — to the Father — saying, "Thy will be done". To wait upon the Lord means to plant the seed of faith and nourish it. It also means pondering in our hearts and receiving the Holy Ghost; standing fast, pressing forward, and relying upon the merits of Christ. He cited Job as the ideal example of waiting upon the Lord.

-- Elder Tad R. Callister, Quorum of the Seventy: Spoke about the defining nature of the Book of Mormon. Elder Callister reminded people that there is no middle ground about the Book of Mormon; it is either the word of God as professed, or it is a total fraud. Furthermore, the Book of Mormon is not just a collection of insightful writings, but the authoritative word of God — every sentence, every verse, every page. But Elder Callister also reminded people that one does not need to choose between the Bible and the Book of Mormon, explaining "Together with the Bible, the Book of Mormon is an indispensable witness of the doctrines of Christ and His divinity. Together with the Bible it 'teaches all men that they should do good' (2 Nephi 33:10). And together with the Bible it brings us to 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism.' That is the why the Book of Mormon is so crucial in our lives."

NOTE: Elder Callister was just elevated to the Presidency of the Seventy during this conference, replacing Elder Claudio R.M. Costa, who was released as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. Elder Costa remains a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

-- Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women General President: Called upon fathers to exemplify their counsel towards their daughters by their behavior towards their wives. Daughters learn lessons about men and how to evaluate men as potential marriage partners by the way their fathers treat their mothers. By their example, fathers teach their daughters to value womanhood and show them that they are also daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves them.

Sister Dalton also effectively complemented the "Guardians of Virtue" address she delivered to young women during the April 2011 General Young Women Meeting by calling upon fathers to be guardians of virtue themselves, protecting their homes, their wives, and their children. She explained "Your personal virtue will model for your daughters, and also your sons, what true strength and moral courage are. By being a guardian of virtue in your own life, in your home and in the lives of your children, you are showing your wife and daughters what true love really is. Your personal purity will give you power."

-- Elder M. Russell Ballard, Quorum of the Twelve: Discussed the meaning and importance of the official name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The term "Jesus Christ" is self-explanatory; it means Jesus Christ is the literal head of the Church. "Latter-day" is implied to mean it is merely a latter-day version of the same church organized by Christ Himself. And "Saints" means that its members follow Him and strive to do His will, keep His commandments, and prepare once again to live in His and our Heavenly Father's presence. In the final analysis, Elder Ballard says "Let us develop the habit within our families and our Church activities and our daily interactions of making it clear that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the name by which the Lord Himself has directed that we be known."

-- President Thomas S. Monson: Spoke on how communication with Heavenly Father is necessary in order for Latter-day Saints to successfully weather the storms and trials of life. President Monson reminded people that our Heavenly Father was the same yesterday as He is today and will be tomorrow, and that His fundamental laws do not change. The Ten Commandments are not suggestions; they are every bit as requisite today as they were when God gave them to the children of Israel. Furthermore, the LDS Church's code of conduct is definitive; it is not negotiable, since the words of Christ are also found in modern revelation. President Monson also told Church members they must remain vigilant in a world that has moved so far from that which is spiritual, explaining that it is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most; namely, eternal life in the Kingdom of God. We define that to mean exaltation.

Several unofficial LDS bloggers are discussing this session, including By Common Consent, Feminist Mormon Housewives, Mormon Momma, Millennial Star, and Wheat & Tares. The value of these resources is that they provide perspectives not reflected in the LDS Church News media reports.

LDS 181st Semiannual Conference, Saturday Evening Priesthood Session; Missionary Service, Priesthood Service, And Temporal Welfare

2011-10-01T19:05:00.004-08:00

Note: All posts on the October 2011 181st Semiannual General Conference available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

During the Saturday evening priesthood session of the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, various speakers held forth on missionary service, priesthood power, and temporal welfare. While the LDS Church has taken pains to reduce the perceived contrast between it and the rest of the Christian community in recent years, President Thomas S. Monson reminded congregants that there are still times when we may have to act like a "peculiar people", particularly in defense of our core social values.

Sources of the summaries published include the LDS Church News and the Salt Lake Tribune. Video and audio archives will be posted on the Conference Page as soon as they are available; official written transcripts of each address will be posted on the LDS website in about a week from now.

-- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum of the Twelve: Discussed Satan's tactics and put out a renewed appeal for more senior couples to serve missions. The experience of Joseph Smith in being seized upon by a dark power while he was praying in the Sacred Grove is proof of the tangibility of Satan. Elder Holland noted that Satan is real, the very personification of evil. His motives are in every case malicious, and he convulses at the appearance of redeeming light, at the very thought of truth. He knows he will ultimately lose, but wants to take as many with him as possible. Elder Holland also pleaded for thousands of more couples to serve missions of the Church, primarily because they bring a maturity to the work that no number of 19-year-olds, however good they are, can provide.

-- Elder Keith B. McMullin, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric: Discussed the power of the Aaronic Priesthood. To receive the spirit of revelation and magnify one's calling, Aaronic Priesthood holders must live so as to enjoy the cleansing, sanctifying and illuminating power of the Holy Ghost. Elder McMullin called upon young priesthood bearers to shun profane and foolish chatter, flee all evil, avoid contention and repent where needed, and promised that the rest of us would better strive to be examples to emulate.

-- Elder W. Christopher Waddell, First Quorum of the Seventy: Discussed missionary work. Admonished young men to prepare for missionary service in three ways: First, arrive on the mission with a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon obtained through study and prayer; second, arrive on the mission worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost; and third, arrive on the mission ready to work. But Elder Waddell also noted that the blessings of missionary service are not designed to end when one is released by a stake president; the experiences, lessons and testimony obtained through faithful service are meant to provide a gospel-centered foundation that will last throughout mortality and into the eternities.

-- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor, First Presidency: Discussed temporal welfare; noted that the two great commandments — to love God and our neighbor — are a joining of the temporal and spiritual. He explained that the Lord's way of caring for the needy is different from the world's way. The Lord is not interested only in our immediate needs, but is also concerned about our eternal progression. For this reason, the Lord's way has always included self-reliance and service to our neighbor in addition to caring for the poor. President Uchtdorf stressed that the Priesthood and the Relief Society were intended to work together in partnership to meet the temporal needs of those around us.

-- President Thomas S. Monson: President Monson reminded Priesthood holders in attendance that there will still be times when we must be a "peculiar people". President Monson reminded congregants that the Priesthood brings with it not only special blessings but also solemn responsibilities, urging members to live so that they are ever worthy of the priesthood they bear. He also observed that it is almost inevitable in day-to-day living that Church members will find their faith challenged, noting that we may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Will we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone? As holders of the priesthood of God it is essential that we are able to face — with courage — whatever challenges come our way.

To ensure we can, President Monson suggested that it is imperative to have a testimony strong enough to withstand all the forces pulling us in the wrong direction or all the voices encouraging us to take the wrong path. And we strengthen that testimony by sharing it with others. It is also imperative for us to keep ourselves in compliance with gospel principles and commandments.

Several unofficial LDS bloggers are discussing this session, including By Common Consent and an open thread on Millennial Star. In a separate post on BCC, one individual renewed the persistent call by a few more progressive Mormons to allow a woman to give an opening or closing prayer in a general session of General Conference, even though men don't give opening or closing prayers at either the General Relief Society Meeting or the General Young Women Meeting. This post illustrates exactly what President Monson was talking about; that we still get so bogged down in temporal minutiae that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Does our Heavenly Father truly care about the gender of those praying to Him? I doubt it.

LDS 181st Semiannual Conference, Saturday Afternoon General Session; Genealogy, Family, And Repentance Get Top Billing

2011-10-01T14:25:00.003-08:00

Note: All posts on the October 2011 181st Semiannual General Conference available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

The Saturday afternoon session of the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focused upon genealogy, family, and repentance. The Saturday afternoon session is often used to showcase new Seventies who've never delivered a conference address before; they're considered apprentice Apostles from whose ranks future members of the Quorum of the Twelve are selected. Sources of the summaries published below include the LDS Church News and KTVX Channel 4. Video and audio archives will be posted on the Conference Page as soon as they are available; official written transcripts of each address will be posted on the LDS website in about a week from now.

Preceding the addresses was the announcement of changes in the leadership structure. Among the more prominent people involved were J. Willard Marriott and Jon Huntsman Sr., released as Area Seventies. Since Huntsman was not a full-time employee of the LDS Church, the constraints against Huntsman getting involved in his son's Presidential campaign did not apply to him.

-- Elder David A. Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve: Genealogy was Elder Bednar's chosen topic. He discussed how the restoration of the sealing authority by Elijah in 1836 was necessary to prepare the world for the Savior's second coming and initiated a greatly increased and worldwide interest in family history work. As members of Christ's restored Church, we have the covenant responsibility to search out our ancestors and provide for them the saving ordinances of the gospel. For these reasons we do family history research, build temples and perform vicarious ordinances. Elder Bednar encouraged young people to get more involved in these task, noting that one does not need to wait until some arbitrary age to fulfill the responsibility to assist in the work of salvation for the human family. He also touted FamilySearch.org.

-- Elder Neal L. Andersen, Quorum of the Twelve: Elder Andersen spoke about how children are essential to God's plan. To those who are concerned about bringing kids into the world during a time of economic instability and financial uncertainty, he cited President Monson's previous counsel in assuring them that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save, adding that it is generally during these challenging times that a couple grows closer together as they learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions together. Elder Andersen also noted that because the bearing of children is a sensitive subject that can be very painful, Church members should avoid being judgmental towards one another in this sacred and private responsibility.

-- Elder Ian S. Ardern, First Quorum of the Seventy: Elder Ardern referenced chapter eight of the missionary manual "Preach My Gospel" to discuss how Latter-day Saints are counseled to set goals and learn how to master the techniques to achieve them. Time wisely used is immeasurable; with incessant and conflicting demands in life, it becomes even more important to prioritize choices to match goals or risk being exposed to procrastination and wasting time. Elder Ardern also suggested that poor use of time is a close cousin of idleness.

-- Elder Carl B. Cook, First Quorum of the Seventy: Relating a personal story about an elevator encounter with President Monson, Elder Cook urged people to look up to God where they can be healed and strengthened through Christ's Atonement. Elder Cook said that if members exercise their faith and look to God for help, they will not feel incapable of doing what they are called to do or need to do. He cited President Monson's encouragement to look up in the elevator as a metaphor for remembering Christ.

-- Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr., First Quorum of the Seventy: Spoke of the various names by which reference is made to Jesus Christ, and explained how these names give us insight into different aspects of the Lord's atoning mission. As Savior, Jesus Christ saves us from going to hell. As Redeemer, Christ actually purchased our sins with His sacrifice. The effects of redemption include the overcoming of physical death and the victory over spiritual death, conditional upon individual repentance.

-- Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve: Spoke about the divine gift of repentance, noting that it points us to freedom, confidence and peace. Elder Christofferson outlined fundamental aspects of repentance, to include an expression of love, an effort to change which not only means abandoning sin but also committing to obedience, and a seriousness of purpose and a willingness to persevere even through pain. In the final analysis, the cost of repentance can be swallowed up in the joy of forgiveness.

Several unofficial LDS bloggers are discussing this session, including By Common Consent, Feminist Mormon Housewives, and an open thread on Millennial Star.

LDS 181st Semiannual Conference, Saturday Morning General Session: Five New Temples Announced

2011-10-01T10:52:00.003-08:00

Note: All posts on the October 2011 181st Semiannual General Conference available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

The 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began on Saturday October 1st, 2011. Midway through the first hour, President Thomas S. Monson arrived, and announced the Church's intention to construct five new temples: Provo, Utah; Barranquillia, Colombia; Durban, South Africa; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Star Valley, Wyoming. The proposed Paris Temple had been previously announced by the Church in July after the media first broke the story.

The second Provo Temple will be erected upon the ashes of the Provo Tabernacle; which explains why the Church purchased adjacent properties earlier in August. And the announcement of a Congo Temple is truly remarkable, considering that some parts of that country remain ungovernable to this day and that outbreaks of mass rape and murder in the eastern part still occur.

President Monson announces six new temples and program for temple patrons | ksl.com

The summaries combine highlights from single reports on the session from the Salt Lake Tribune and KSL Channel 5 with individual LDS Church News stories on each speaker to provide a broader perspective. Video and audio archives will be posted on the Conference Page as soon as they are available; official written transcripts of each address will be posted on the LDS website in about a week from now.

-- Elder Richard G. Scott, Quorum of the Twelve: Spoke on the power of scripture. Elder Scott described the scriptures as one of the tools to help us be successful in our mortal probation, and the key to opening the channel of communication with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Scriptures can communicate different meanings at different times during an individual's life, according to their needs; a scripture that someone may have read many times can take on a different meaning when a new challenge in life appears.

-- Sister Barbara Thompson, Second Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency: Spoke about personal revelation and testimony. Sister Thompson explained that personal revelation can manifest itself in many different forms, and will come as individuals study scriptures, listen to and follow the counsel of the prophets and other Church leaders, and seek to live faithful, righteous lives. But to receive personal revelation, we need to first sincerely desire to receive revelation, avoid hardening our hearts, and then we need to ask in faith, truly believing that we will receive an answer, and then diligently keep the commandments of God.

-- Elder L. Whitney Clayton, First Quorum of the Seventy: Elder Clayton told people that our most important message, which we are both divinely commissioned and commanded to take everywhere in the world, is that there is a Savior who atoned for our sins, was crucified, and was subsequently resurrected. That message of redemption, which we proclaim with authority from God, is the real reason for the continued growth of the Church. He also noted that those prophecies about the Church filling the world and being known worldwide are literally being fulfilled right before our eyes.

-- President Thomas S. Monson: Announced the five new temples. Reminded congregants that no Church-built facility is more important than a temple, noting that temples are places where relationships are sealed together to last through the eternities. President Monson also announced the creation of the General Patron Assistance Fund to provide financial assistance towards a one-time visit to the temple for those who otherwise would not be able to go to the temple. Any who might wish to contribute to this fund can simply write in the information on the normal contribution slip which is given to the bishop each month.

-- Elder Jose Luis Alonso, First Quorum of the Seventy: Elder Alonso spoke of the necessity of doing the right thing at the right time without delay, declaring it to be one of the best ways for us to emulate the Savior and, by extension, showing our love for our Heavenly Father. When there is someone in need, like a neighbor or friend, we should learn to instinctively think of what the right thing to do would be and when the right time to do it would be.

-- President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve: As has been his tradition in the past, President Packer directed his counsel towards the youth in the Church once again. President Packer noted that although youth today are being raised in enemy territory with a declining standard of morality, that they will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if they will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Ghost. He reminded people that Lucifer was cast out into the earth and is determined to disrupt Heavenly father's plan, seeks to control the minds and actions of all and is abroad in the land. Having been forever denied the privilege of taking upon himself a tabernacle of flesh, Satan seeks to undermine and derail those who have taken up the challenges of mortality by persuading them to misuse and abuse the powers of procreation. President Packer counseled the youth to "Dress modestly; talk reverently; listen to uplifting music. Avoid all immorality and personally degrading practices. Take hold of your life and order yourself to be valiant. Because we depend so much on you, you will be remarkably blessed. You are never far from the sight of your loving Heavenly Father."

It should also be noted that this true champion for Christ celebrated his 50th year of service to the Church as a General Authority in September of this year.

-- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: President Uchtdorf took the occasion to remind people how much we matter to our Heavenly Father, noting that one of His primary purposes in creating the universe is so we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters. President Uchtdorf said disciples of Christ know a person's worth and value are not related to the things the world values and that no amount of currency in the world would allow them to buy a loaf of bread in the economy of heaven; to inherit the kingdom of God, a person must become like a child. He also warned that Satan seeks to deceive the children of God by discouraging them and endeavoring to make them believe they have no worth and are forgotten by all, including God. In closing, he put forth four principles, all of which are designed to drive home the fact that we always matter to our Heavenly Father regardless of how humble or degrading our personal circumstances might be.

Several unofficial LDS bloggers are discussing this session, including By Common Consent, Feminist Mormon Housewives, and an open thread on Millenial Star.

Florida Panthers Draftee Rocco Grimaldi Thinks Women Should Be Guardians Of Virtue......And He's Not Even A Mormon

2011-09-30T23:58:00.000-08:00

Some readers may recall that during the General Young Women Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held on March 26th, 2011, Young Women President Elaine Dalton called upon women to be "guardians of virtue". Her premise was that while men are always responsible for their own behavior, women could better comport themselves in dress and conduct to serve as an incentive for better behavior by men. Specifically, she counseled the young ladies in attendance to even avoid sending flirtatious, sexually explicit text messages, claiming that such messages could lead a young man to lose the Spirit, his Priesthood power and his virtue. The talk drew a mixed reaction from the LDS blogosphere, with Feminist Mormon Housewives criticizing it while Sister Dalton's own daughter, Emi Edgley, mounted a vigorous defense.

Now a college hockey player who's been drafted by the Florida Panthers of the NHL has picked up on this theme. In a series of posts on Twitter, Rocco Grimaldi, who'll be playing for the University of North Dakota this season, basically calls upon women to be guardians of virtue......and he's not even a Mormon. Grimaldi calls upon women to dress less suggestively in public, concerned that they might tempt men beyond their ability to bear it. Grimaldi's Twitter counsel to women is replicated below (click the images for a larger version):

But unlike Sister Dalton, Grimaldi doesn't cut the men any slack. He calls upon men not to blame women for the way they dress, and said that women are not just an object to be playing with. Grimaldi also admonished men that since God put men in charge of this earth, we have the primary responsibility to man up and lay down our lust. The latter is a reflection of Priesthood thinking -- since only men get the Priesthood, men incur a greater responsibility and accountability. Grimaldi's Twitter counsel to men is replicated below:

Formalize Grimaldi's syntax a bit, and he'd be a natural fit up on the podium at General Conference. His counsel is no different than that dispensed by countless General Authorities and auxiliary leaders at countless conferences and firesides.

Reaction: Greg Wyshynski basically scoffs at Grimaldi's notions on Yahoo Sports, characterizing it as "Twitter rants that espouse Puritanical nonsense" and "uncomfortably close to the asinine...". Wyshinski also notes that although Grimaldi's heart is in the right place with the comments about men, his comments about women drown them out. This, of course, is a sexist analysis, implying that women have to be held beyond reproach simply because they're women.

But on the Broward-Palm Beach New Times, a couple of commenters express support for Grimaldi. Vickymomof6 wrote, "Rocco Grimaldi, Thank you! About time a man stood up for his beliefs. You tell it just like it is and I honour you for it!"

I agree wholeheartedly.

Discipleship And Charity The Common Themes Of The 2011 LDS General Relief Society Meeting

2011-09-24T22:20:00.003-08:00

Note: All posts on the October 2011 181st Semiannual General Conference available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

The 2011 General Relief Society Meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took place before a capacity crowd of over 20,000 at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on September 24th, 2011, and the common theme promoted by all speakers seemed to be discipleship, although charity was a secondary theme. As expected, speakers referred at times to the newly-released Relief Society manual, "Daughters in My Kingdom: the History and Work of Relief Society" (14 MB file, may take up to five minutes to download).

A video archive is now available HERE. KSL news video embedded below:

LDS women hear messages of faith, worth | ksl.com

LDS Church News has provided summaries of the addresses, while a more personal perspective is available from the live-blogging on Scholaristas. A Well-Behaved Mormon Women also weighs in. Highlights from the LDS Church News provided below; click on the link to go directly to the summary:

-- President Julie B. Beck: Sister Beck explained that Relief Society today is organized after a pattern of discipleship that existed in the Church in ancient times, noting that when the Savior organized His Church in New Testament times, women were vital participants in His ministry. She added that as the Lord began restoring His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith, He again included women in a pattern of discipleship.

Sister Beck further explained that the Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to organize the women of the Church under the priesthood and after the pattern of the priesthood, which makes it possible for the presidency to receive direction from the Lord and His prophet for a specific work. Although under the priesthood, the Relief Society has been given authority to teach, inspire and organize the sisters as disciples to assist in the Lord's work of Salvation. One of those works emphasized at this meeting was visiting teaching, which is to be considered an extension of the bishop's charge to care for the Lord's flock. Sister Beck concluded by saying that Sister Beck concluded by noting that these and other essential teachings about Relief Society are now available for study in "Daughters in My Kingdom: the History and Work of Relief Society."

-- Sister Sylvia H. Allred, First Counselor: Sister Allred spoke at length about charity, characterizing it not as a single act or something we give away, but as a state of being, a state of the heart, kind feelings that engender loving actions. Individuals must first have the desire to increase in charity and to be more Christ-like. Then, they must pray to be filled with love. Those who truly possess the spirit of charity are willing to serve and help others even when it is inconvenient, and with no thought of recognition or reciprocation. When charity becomes our very nature, we react when we see a need rather than wait to be assigned to help. Sister Allred also put out a pitch for visiting teaching, noting that through effective visiting teaching, we have many opportunities to love, minister and serve others. She added that it is through the countless acts of charity performed daily by visiting teachers all over the world that individuals are able to follow the Savior and act as instruments in His hands. And it is through providing service and extending charity towards others that individuals are able to overcome their own difficulties, making them seem less challenging.

-- Sister Barbara Thompson, Second Counselor: Covenants were her hot topic as Sister Thompson noted that as individuals cleave unto their covenants, joy and happiness come into their lives. In the scriptures, we learn of men and women who have made covenants with God, who instructed people on what to do to honor those covenants, and then as those covenants were kept, God released the promised blessings. Referencing the new "Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society" book, Sister Thompson spoke of the importance of making and keeping sacred covenants and the blessings that come as individuals live worthy of their covenants. Sister Thompson also pitched a subtle reminder that temples still exist, more are being built, and that they've been built to be used.

-- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: President Uchtdorf used the forget-me-not flower, which has five petals, as a metaphor to illustrate five things he would like the women in the Church to remember.

(1). Forget not to be patient with yourself.
(2). Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice.
(3). Forget not to be happy now.
(4). Forget not the 'why' of the gospel.
(5). Forget not that the Lord loves you.

The Money Shot: "My dear Relief Society sisters, you are closer to heaven that you suppose. You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine. Continue to increase in faith and personal righteousness. Accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as your way of life. Cherish the gift of activity in this great and true Church. Treasure the gift of service in the blessed organization of Relief Society. Continue to strengthen homes and families. Continue to seek out and help others who need your and the Lord's help."

Gay LDS Man Bryan Michael Egnew Excommunicated After Coming Out, Commits Suicide After Wife Allegedly Cuts Him Off From His Kids

2011-09-24T15:21:00.000-08:00

The pro-gay media is reporting that a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was excommunicated after coming out of the closet and who lost his family as a result has committed suicide, although both the man's brother and an attorney representing the family have posted comments to the pro-gay sites disputing some of the facts presented (those comments are included towards the end of this post).

Gay activist Eric Ethington, an ex-Mormon who left over disagreement with the Church's policies towards gays, explains the situation on Pride In Utah. The individual is identified as Bryan Michael Egnew. In short, Egnew went on a mission when he was 19, was married in a temple to his wife Amy, and sired five children. He served within his local LDS congregation for years, and outwardly seemed to exemplify the textbook LDS man. But it turns out that during this entire period, Egnew was struggling with same-sex attraction, as verified by a former BYU classmate, Jahn Curran.

Finally, Egnew had gone as far as he could go. He decided he had to quit pretending to be someone he was not. And so in August 2011, Egnew came out to his family and his church. This decision seriously backfired; according to Curran, his wife Amy immediately packed up their children and drove them out of state to Tennessee, allegedly refusing to let Bryan see them. In addition, his parents and family also allegedly withdrew their fellowship (although comment #24 was posted by a family member who denies this), and local church leaders excommunicated him, reportedly because he refused to denounce his sexual orientation. Unable to cope with this wholesale rejection, Bryan Egnew committed suicide on September 10th, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Amy, his five children: Chaz, Shelby, Zach, Liam, Jemma; his parents, Edward and Marva Egnew, his four brothers: Mark, Jeff, Brent, Paul; his five sisters: Wendi, Kari Lortscher, Peggi Williams, Mary Ann Castanon, Holli Cahoon, and 31 nieces and nephews.

Pride In Utah does not disclose whether Egnew merely had a homosexual orientation, or if he actually confessed to engaging in homosexual practice. The distinction between orientation and practice is important, because while the LDS Church professes no issue with those who merely confess to a homosexual orientation, they sanction anyone who practices it. Recently, the LDS Church called an openly gay man, Mitch Mayne, to be the executive secretary to the bishopric in the Bay Ward in San Francisco despite his sexual orientation. Mayne practices celibacy. The LDS Church defines authorized sexual relations as only between a husband and wife, and defines marriage as only between one man and one woman. This means that a gay person must practice celibacy in order to remain a member of the Church in good standing. Like polygamy and the Priesthood ban against blacks, this is fundamental doctrine that can only be changed through revelation given to the President of the Church, with spiritual confirmation given to each member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

I find it difficult to believe that Bryan Egnew would be excommunicated merely for disclosing a same-sex attraction. Another LDS blogger, Michael Crook, also wonders if there's more to this story. I also can understand why his wife would bail out; it must come as a shock to find out after all these years that your spouse prefers to swing from the other side of the plate, so to speak. But what's inexcusable, and what may have pushed Egnew over the edge, is when his wife forbade Egnew from seeing his kids. Unless she can show evidence that he behaved improperly towards the kids, his right to visit and interact with them is absolutely non-negotiable, particularly if he would have ended up paying child support after a divorce.

The official obituary about Bryan Egnew understandably made no reference to the fact that he was gay; most obituaries are published to summarize the important facets of one's life. One's sexual orientation is not generally pertinent to an obituary unless that person was an activist for that cause. Egnew's family clearly prefers to remember him for his other accomplishments; that is their right.

Many of the comments appended to the Pride In Utah story are bigoted and hateful towards the Church. One individual with an evident fascist orientation against freedom of speech and freedom of worship posted this utterly ridiculous comment (after the jump):

Dr. Arthur Frederick Ide (Comment #38):
More than 20 million people every year attempt suicide, and as the World Health Organization notes, more than one million succeed, making it among the major reasons for death. Most people who commit suicide do so because they fear there is no one who will listen to them, attempt to understand, or to extend a charitable, nonjudgmental hand–instead push them into killing themselves, writing negative comments on FaceBook when an individual admits to being LGBT, screaming for them to “jump” or “kill” themselves, and worse. Those who bully others are the true murderers, as if they had shown tolerance the suicide would not have taken place. Suicide is a cry for help and compassion, but when the cry goes unheard, unanswered, unresolved, the victim gives up and gives into the societal insanity that judges him or her as if the society were a god. The LDS and Egwin’s family are the true murderers–Bryan merely did as Socrates and accepted their judgment and killed himself. That is the tragedy. The LDS should lose its tax-exempt status and be labeled a hate-organization and the wife and children should be arrested and tried for a hate crime that led to the death of a person.

Most of the anti-Mormon comments fortunately don't go that far, however. But one individual identifying himself as Bryan's brother posted the following comment:

Brent (Comment #24):
Well…I dont really know where to begin. I will start by saying I knew Bryan for the last 35 years and I knew him better than any of you especially Jahn. Bryan was and will be forever my brother. He was my oldest brother and my most admired brother in life. He was Mormon, smart, funnny, hard working, a great father, husband, everything he was supposed to be….and yes even gay.

As you all know living a gay lifestyle in the LDS church is not accepted, just as many other sins (as deamed by the church and God) are not as well. But what you all don’t know about my brother is that he had many other more serious problems in his life that attributed to his suicide. These other problems I will not expound on because I don’t believe you really care and you shouldn’t know all of his problems and what is more hurtful than my brother dying are the lies that have been written on this blog. Your facts are all wrong. I believe Jahn was hurt because we censored my brother’s FB page. My brother’s children did not know he was gay and we felt it was important that his children were not informed of this fact on FB from a complete stranger. That is why Jahn was censored and for that alone. Should we apologize? I think not because it is none of anyone’s business why we did that, but the truth should be known.

To answer the question, yes Bryan was excommunicated because he did not live up to promises made to his wife and for other reasons that you need not know about, nor will they be devuldged in this forum.

The biggest falocy on this page “His parents and family withdrew”. Know that is completely false. Bryan had other problems as stated earlier that attributed to his suicide. My mother went to North Carolina to be with him and he told my mom that he was gay. My Mother, Father and the rest of us were all immediately at his side for support via telephone, email, text messaging and literally at his side for the next three months. My parents were with him everyday for the last three months. Never once was Bryan pushed away, alone, or was not supported and the fact that that lie was written to diminsh my families efforts to save my brother’s life, is well, trully sad! It seems there may be another reason for these lies to be written about my brother. I don’t understand! I don’t care that my brother was gay. I loved my brother and I will for forever. I hope that the truth about my brother will not continue to be slanted on this blog. I have nothing against the gay community and I would hope that if there are trully people out there who consider taking thier own lives becuase they are gay in life, that they can see the pain that is left on the shoulders of those who are left behind. Also, again know my brother leaving this life at 40 years old is the most tragic event my family has ever dealt with and he being gay was only a small factor in his suicide.

The following comment was posted on LBGTQNation by Melissa Averett, who represents the Egnew family:

Melissa Averett Posted on Friday, September 23, 2011:
I am the attorney representing Amy Egnew, the wife of Bryan Egnew. The pleadings in this case are public record. She did not prohibit contact with his children because he was gay, and he was not excommunicated because he was gay. He was having visitation with his children. This is a tragic story. This article appears anytime his name is googled. He has 5 children mourning his death. Please respect them and keep in mind they can read the comments, and the misinformation, that you post.

Melissa Averett
Attorney at Law
NC Board Certified Family Law Specialist

And finally, a Jack Mormon like myself posted the following comment on Pride in Utah:

Wilson (Comment #18):
It is sad this guy pulled the trigger… But is it the churches fault? Churches, organizations, groups can have standards and rules. If you don’t agree with this teaching that’s cool, get out and start your own church.. Is anyone stopping you? Wanting the church to change because it is inconvenient is stupid.

I’m LDS and I don’t go because I don’t want to live aspects the church teaches, should I pull the trigger? Hell no, its not the churches fault that I don’t want to live within the teachings of the church. It is my choice not the churches fault.

But hell lets blame the church for not complying to my desires too…

Or is this just for Gays?

LDS Senior Missionary Ann Baker Jones Passes Away After Being Severely Burned In House Fire In Texas

2011-09-23T14:35:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, I must now add a new name to my partial list of LDS missionaries who died while on their missions. Ann Baker Jones, 69, of Taylorsville, Utah, a senior missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in the Texas San Antonio Mission, died on Friday September 23rd, 2011 after suffering severe burns in a Thursday night fire caused by a gas leak in a kitchen stove. The most complete story has been published by the Deseret News; additional stories were published by KTVX Channel 4 and KSTU Channel 13 and KSL Channel 5. Each source contribute unique information to the overall story.

Ann Jones and her husband Steven K. Jones had been serving in Texas since February 2011. They were living in a double-wide mobile home on a remote ranch owned by church members in Texas. Late on Thursday night, they were preparing for bed when a gas leak in the kitchen stove triggered a flash fire. Sister Jones suffered severe burns and was flown to the Brooks Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, but despite their best efforts, she passed away on Friday with her husband by her side. KSL news video embedded below:

Flash fire kills LDS sister missionary in Texas | ksl.com

The president of the Taylorsville Utah North Stake, John Jewkes, says both Elder and Sister Jones have family in Utah, including at least three children which are believed to all be heading to San Antonio at this time. Jewkes also paid tribute to Sister Jones, saying "Ann Jones was deeply loved by all who knew her. She was a wonderful wife and mother and a faithful Latter-day Saint. She was excited to serve the Lord in any way she could. Given the circumstances, it's clear she has been called by Him to a greater work."

The last sentence above triggered a rather snarky comment to the Deseret News story about how "god started a fire to call her home". This is incredibly ignorant and insensitive. God does not "start fires" or cause "traffic accidents" to call people home. What President Jewkes undoubtedly meant was that after Sister Jones arrived at the hospital, the Lord may have decided at that point that there was no need for her to suffer through an extended and painful rehabilitation from burns, that she had accomplished all she needed to do in the flesh, and that she could now better continue her service in the spirit world. This, of course, is purely speculative. But to imply that God starts fires to call people home is ridiculous.

LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter released a statement regard Jones' death, saying in part, "We extend our love and sympathy to Elder Jones, his family, friends and ward members. We pray that the Spirit of the Lord will bring them peace, comfort and healing."

In November 2004, Ensign published an article by Elder Russell M. Nelsen entitled "Senior Missionaries and the Gospel", which provides some insight as to why older couples aspire to serve missions, and relates some of their experiences. The LDS Church continues to recruit senior couples to serve missions. These senior couples tend to focus on service missions rather than proselyting missions, although some seniors will focus on reaching out to inactive members. Through their life experience, senior missionaries can also sometimes unofficially help mission presidents deal with high-spirited younger missionaries and keep them focused.

Local LDS Young Men President Kenny Thomas Released By Bishop In Herriman, Utah For "Not Supporting Scouting"

2011-09-22T02:07:00.000-08:00

The Friends of Scouting program is under fire once again in Utah, and it's cost the local president of a Young Men's group his calling. Kenny Thomas, who had served for four months as president of the Young Men organization in his LDS ward in Herriman, Utah, was released from his calling by his bishop for allegedly "not supporting scouting".

As his ward's Young Men president, Thomas was called upon to organize and lead the annual Friends of Scouting (FOS) fund drive, but Thomas first sent an email to ward members cautioning them that FOS money also helps pay high salaries for Boy Scout executives and doesn’t stay with their local scout units. He says that upset his stake president, who persuaded his bishop to release him. Thomas has also created a Reduce Scouting Costs Facebook page to share his concerns with the public at large. Kenny Thomas is not disaffected with the LDS Church or with the fundamental purpose of the Boy Scouts in any way; he merely is concerned about the value and integrity of the Friends of Scouting program. In an interview, Thomas said “I support Scouting and what it can do for the youth, but am concerned about the administration of the BSA. I think there is a lot of waste, and the salaries are too high. I am not attacking scouting or the Church. I would like to see change in BSA administration. I think that most people understand that.”

David C. Roth, president of the LDS Herriman South Stake and also a member of Thomas' ward, told the Salt Lake Tribune that Thomas was actually released because of his unwillingness to support scouting in general, and not just because of what he did with Friends of Scouting. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to adopt the Scouting program as its official program for young boys and an activity arm of the Aaronic Priesthood, and became the first institutional sponsor of Scout troops in the United States in 1913; today it reports that it sponsors more Scouts and Scouting units in the United States than any other organization.

Kenny Thomas' disaffection with Friends of Scouting first surfaced when he saw that his ward was paying far more for “ramshackle” Scout camps than it was for higher-quality girls camps run by the Church. Even though FOS money supposedly helps funds the camps, he questioned whether it was actually percolating down. Upon investigating, he found that FOS money was going to pay high salaries for Scouting executives; this was further confirmed in an August 9th Tribune story. The Tribune reported that four employees of the Great Salt Lake Council received compensation in excess of $100,000 in 2009, and that nationally, the Boy Scouts National Council reported paying 189 employees more than $100,000 each in compensation in 2009, topped by Robert J. Mazzuca, the national chief Scout executive, whose compensation was $1.21 million. The Boy Scouts of America National Council gets some poor ratings on Charity Navigator, primarily because of inflated executive salaries. Charity Navigator has a portal page to numerous local BSA councils for those wanting to check up on them, but for some reason, the Great Salt Lake Council is not listed.

The August 9th Tribune article also documented some of the high-pressure strong-arm tactics used at times to get people to contribute. In addition, a Friends of Scouting Resource Guide illustrates how meticulously the fund-raising effort is organized. What's difficult to ascertain is just how Friends of Scouting fits into the overall Scout funding scheme. Fortunately, the San Francisco Bay Area Council gives us a snapshot:

Individual Scout Registration Fees: Go directly to the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America.
Individual Pack/Troop Dues: Retained by the local unit to help pay for trips and other activities.
Friends of Scouting Proceeds: A number of other purposes are specified, to include maintaining and staffing the council's three camping properties, training thousands of adult volunteer leaders in youth protection, and providing programs like Tiger Cub Safari, Cub Scout Day Camp, Cub Scout Adventure Camp, Cub Scout Partner Campouts, Cub Scout Resident Camp, Webelos Adventure Camp, Boy Scout Summer Camp, Boy Scout Eagle Camp, Brownsea Youth Leadership Training, Venturing Spring and Fall Activities. FOS funds are designed to keep the costs for these additional programs as low for Scouts as possible.

Undoubtedly, a similar distribution breakdown prevails in other areas. Note that nothing is mentioned about FOS funds being used to pay high executive salaries. The Reduce Scouting Costs Facebook page offers a wealth of additional information. Some highlights:

The basic attendance fee for BSA-sponsored camps in the Great Salt Lake Council (GSLC) in Utah has climbed to $130 per scout, with no meals or accommodations included. Just adding basic meals increases the cost to $205 per scout.
BSA spends an additional $4.9 million annually in travel expenses for its national leaders that includes country club memberships, first-class airline tickets and luxury accommodations for them and their spouses.
A conservatively-estimated $36 million in church members’ tithing funds is given to the BSA annually in the form of fees for scout camps, advancements, awards, registration, training, unit chartering/re-chartering, etc.
Many local scout troops are no longer allowed to do their own self-generated fundraising such as placing neighborhood flags or bake sales wherein local units can keep the money raised from their own efforts and use the funds for their own needs, because this is seen as competing for Friends of Scouting dollars, all of which goes to BSA administration and none is shared with local units.
Scouting volunteers and parents are required to purchase over-priced and highly profitable BSA uniforms that cost approximately $125 each for a complete uniform. By design, BSA requires different uniforms as boys advance through the program ensuring that multiple purchases of expensive uniforms will be the norm for families with even one scout.

LDS General Relief Society Meeting To Take Place In Salt Lake City On September 24th, 2011

2011-09-16T00:49:00.004-08:00

Note: All posts on the October 2011 181st Semiannual General Conference available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

Update September 24th: Summaries of the talks now available in this post.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' annual General Relief Society Meeting will be held at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday September 24th, 2011, beginning at 6:00 P.M. MDT. The meeting customarily includes addresses by each member of the Relief Society Presidency and a member of the First Presidency.

The meeting is only for women 18 years of age and older. For those planning to attend in person, guidelines for dress and behavior are published HERE. Parking and transportation information is available HERE.

For those who cannot attend in person, broadcast information is provided HERE. The meeting may also be broadcast by cable and satellite providers; check HERE, then select your state and follow the instructions.

One of the hot button issues during this year's meeting will be the new Relief Society Manual entitled "Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society". This 208-page book is organized by themes such as family, sisterhood and charity. Each chapter includes stories of Latter-day Saint women throughout history and around the world today. It is intended to be an additional resource for personal study, teaching at home, and in Relief Society and other church settings. Each LDS woman will get a personal copy, and the entire manual is now posted online HERE. One unofficial review of the manual from a mildly feminist perspective has already been posted online in The Exponent; a more faith-promoting review has been posted on A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman.

The General Relief Society Meeting is a lead-in to the 181st Semiannual General Conference to be held on October 1-2.