Idaho Governor Butch Otter Condemns Vandalism Of Three LDS Chapels In Chubbuck

On November 10th, 2013, Idaho Governor Butch Otter issued a statement condemning the vandalism of three chapels of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which was first reported to police around 6:45 A.M. on Thursday November 7th. The chapels were tagged with graffiti which included anti-LDS statements, vulgar language, numerous drawings of male and female genitalia, and a depiction of the devil.

Governor Otter's complete statement:

"Defiling or defacing houses of worship — of any faith or denomination — is an attack not just on religious beliefs or even our law, but also on our culture and our values. It disturbs the sanctuaries of our spiritual well-being. These are not merely the acts of misguided individuals. They speak to a more fundamental disregard for sacred places, social order and the freedoms that generations of Americans have sacrificed to protect."

Some screenshots of the vandalism from a KPVI Channel 6 news video are published below:

Chubbuck Police Chief Randy Severe believes the same suspect or suspects were involved in all three incidents, and said that the perps will likely face felony charges since damages are greater than $1000. Chief Severe says the vandalism could be considered a possible hate crime since a religious building was targeted, but added it's too early in the investigation to make that decision. No leads have been uncovered as of this post. President Dave Penrod, Stake President of the Pocatello North Stake, said they are working with a restoration company and plan to have the vandalism removed as soon as possible. Another LDS spokesman, Larry Fisher, said the graffiti was similar to that left on two LDS chapels in Pocatello in May 2012.

Since Governor Otter is Roman Catholic, he cannot be credibly accused of favoritism towards the LDS Church. Governor Otter would undoubtedly condemn acts of vandalism targeting any church in the state if it was obvious the church was being targeted because of its theology, as is the case here. Those who would like to thank Gov. Otter for taking such a firm stand against vandalism and anti-religious bigotry can visit this page and send him a message.

LDS Student Ryan Rotela Initially Suspended By Florida Atlantic University For Refusing To "Stomp" On Jesus; School Backs Down And Apologizes

A student who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been suspended by his school for refusing to "stomp on Jesus", but in the wake of a subsequent furor, the school has now backed down and apologized.

On March 4th, 2013, Ryan Rotela, an active Mormon who is a junior at Florida Atlantic University, was in a class on Intercultural Communications when the professor, Dr. Deandre Poole, told the students to take out a piece of paper, write the word JESUS on it in bold letters, and then put the paper on the floor and stomp on it. According to WorldNetDaily, the exercise was from the textbook “Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach, 5th Edition", and here's the synopsis:

“Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

Rotela told Dr. Poole that he was offended and refused to participate. Two days later, Rotela went to Dr. Poole's supervisor, an associate professor at FAU, to discuss his concerns; the school responded by suspending Rotela from the class after a hearing officer accused Rotela of "threatening" Dr. Poole.

After Rotela went public, FAU initially responded with this statement to the media: "Faculty and students at academic institutions pursue knowledge and engage in open discourse. While at times the topics discussed may be sensitive, a university environment is a venue for such dialogue and debate." Nevertheless, the story went viral, with The Blaze and WorldNetDaily picking it up. On March 22nd, FAU finally issued a more detailed statement saying that no student was expelled, suspended, or disciplined for refusing to participate in the exercise, adding that the exercise will not be used again, and apologizing for any offense caused. Rotela accepts FAU's apology, but still insists he was told he was suspended.

A commenter to The Blaze provided more information on Dr. Deandre Poole. Dr. Poole teaches courses in intercultural communication, ethnicity and communication, leadership and communication, and organizational communication. His research focuses on the role mediated messages play in shaping individual attitudes and beliefs concerning issues of justice and inequality, and examines how leaders, organizations, and other influential authorities dominate and oppress marginalized groups of people. Currently, he is authoring the book, Obamamania: The Rise of a Mythical Hero, to be published by the Edwin Mellen Press.

However, FrontPageMag reveals that Dr. Poole is also the Vice Chair of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, serving as as a precinct captain for Precinct 7021 in West Palm Beach, as a club officer for the Together We Stand Democratic Club, and a member of the West Palm Beach Democratic Club. His political activities involve community empowerment, and working with community leaders and elected officials to insure the needs of all people. This should be no surprise, since the Democratic Party tends to be hospitable towards anti-Christian and anti-White bigots. His party boss, Palm Beach County Democratic Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo, said Poole was merely following an exercise in a textbook used in the course.

This is why Mormons are better off attending college in the BYU system or at Southern Virginia University where LDS standards prevail. Viable alternatives would include solid Christian schools like Liberty University, or perhaps the secular universities in Utah such as the U of Utah, UVU, Weber State, SUU, or Dixie State. No self-respecting member of our Church should attend a secular university unless absolutely unavoidable; professors are almost overwhelming liberal or progressive, and are incredibly bigoted against people of faith and White males. Some campuses refuse to pursue rape allegations vigorously and blame women for causing rape. Our secular universities are cultural cesspools.

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

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!”

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

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.

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

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.