The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has finally posted official reaction to the NBC News special entitled "Mormon In America", which aired on August 24th, 2012. On the Mormon Newsroom blog, in a post entitled "Mormonism in the News: Getting It Right August 29", they characterized the program as "a sincere attempt to know the faith" and lauded it as "a good example of what we mean when we say we want to be a part of the global discussion of Mormonism".
The Church did cite three parts of the report which could have been improved:
-- Temple Garments: This segment was considered mildly insensitive because it showed a picture of individuals wearing the garments. The LDS Church prefers that media outlets report on temple garments the same way as they would religious vestments of other faiths.
-- Insufficient Distinction Between Temples And Chapels: During one segment, Brian Williams was protrayed as sitting outside a temple and wishing he could enter it just like a Catholic cathedral. While it is correct that only devout LDS members vetted by their bishops can enter LDS temples after they are formally dedicated, it is also true that the public is always welcome to attend any of the Church’s 28,000 weekly Sunday worship services around the globe.
-- Word Of Wisdom Does Not Specifically Mention Caffeine: The NBC special erroneously stated that caffeine was forbidden. More precisely, it is hot drinks, further defined as coffee and tea, that are forbidden.
For those who may have missed it or want to watch it again, the full 42 minutes of the show is posted on YouTube. Audio is a bit low.
Unofficial reaction by individual LDS members was posted to a host of Utah media websites, where secular coverage was more detailed. In comments posted to the August 24th KSL Channel 5 news story, many found the picture of the garments to be offensive, but a considerable number were also unhappy with the point of view espoused by Abby Huntsman, one of the daughters of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. Abby has evolved into what can be best described as a "New Order Mormon", and thinks the Church should be less secretive. A few people were also unhappy with the points of view espoused by Joanna Brooks, a faithful member of the Church who flirts with feminism and has promoted gay rights. Brooks was perceived to have been obsessed with "patriarchy" within the LDS Church and promoting the idea that women should have the Priesthood conferred upon them. Nevertheless, the general consensus was that NBC strived to be fair and balanced.
Showing posts with label media distortion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media distortion. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
U.S. News & World Report Publishes Hit Piece By Susan Milligan Which Reeks Of Flagrant Lies About The LDS Church
During the past few years, secular media coverage of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has steadily improved in accuracy and balance. Rarely does a media outlet get it wrong.
But when they do, they can blow it badly, as U.S. News & World Report did on May 15th, 2012, when they published a hit piece by Susan Milligan entitled "Why We Care About Mitt Romney's Dog and Bullying". Milligan is a political and foreign affairs writer and contributed to a biography of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, "Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy".
Most of Milligan's piece is about Mitt Romney, and she's not particularly abusive of him. She refers to the "dog incident" and the latest report of Romney's alleged "bullying" when he was a teenager, but she does conclude that Romney doesn't deserve to be judged by an incident occurring during his childhood, any more than President Obama would deserves people speculating about what kind of girlfriends he had before he got married. But Milligan is concerned about Romney's "closed-book demeanor", and wonders about the real Romney, noting that presidential decisions aren't always based on policy or calculation, but can come straight from the gut.
But here's where she blatantly misrepresents the LDS Church:
I promptly responded with a comment under my real first name to set the record straight (the screenshot also includes a critical comment by someone else):
Perhaps my response was a bit over the top, but this information wasn't put out by some uninformed redneck who thinks broadband is merely another name for the Spice Girls. It was published by someone who writes books -- and should know better. The LDS Church has amply publicized the difference between chapels and temples, and Milligan should be aware of it. A person who writes a biography is intimately familiar with the need for and custom of fact-checking. Thus Susan Milligan deserves to be reproved -- betimes with SHARPNESS. This is one of those "betimes".
However, I'm willing to blow it off as a sin of ignorance rather than malevolence if she publishes a retraction or correction of that statement.
But when they do, they can blow it badly, as U.S. News & World Report did on May 15th, 2012, when they published a hit piece by Susan Milligan entitled "Why We Care About Mitt Romney's Dog and Bullying". Milligan is a political and foreign affairs writer and contributed to a biography of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, "Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy".
Most of Milligan's piece is about Mitt Romney, and she's not particularly abusive of him. She refers to the "dog incident" and the latest report of Romney's alleged "bullying" when he was a teenager, but she does conclude that Romney doesn't deserve to be judged by an incident occurring during his childhood, any more than President Obama would deserves people speculating about what kind of girlfriends he had before he got married. But Milligan is concerned about Romney's "closed-book demeanor", and wonders about the real Romney, noting that presidential decisions aren't always based on policy or calculation, but can come straight from the gut.
But here's where she blatantly misrepresents the LDS Church:
He is a member of a church that does not welcome outsiders — non-Mormons are not even supposed to enter the church.
I promptly responded with a comment under my real first name to set the record straight (the screenshot also includes a critical comment by someone else):
Perhaps my response was a bit over the top, but this information wasn't put out by some uninformed redneck who thinks broadband is merely another name for the Spice Girls. It was published by someone who writes books -- and should know better. The LDS Church has amply publicized the difference between chapels and temples, and Milligan should be aware of it. A person who writes a biography is intimately familiar with the need for and custom of fact-checking. Thus Susan Milligan deserves to be reproved -- betimes with SHARPNESS. This is one of those "betimes".
However, I'm willing to blow it off as a sin of ignorance rather than malevolence if she publishes a retraction or correction of that statement.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Potty-Mouthed Comic Bill Maher Attacks Mitt Romney Because Of His Mormonism, Lies About Mormon Doctrine
The rollout of the new Mormon Defense League website earlier this week couldn't be better timed, and perhaps Bill Maher might want to visit it to upgrade his knowledge about Mormonism. The ascerbic Maher, most famous for his sleazy bathroom humor and his endless armada of "f-bombs", has not only attacked Mitt Romney because of his Mormonism, but has also flagrantly lied about Mormon doctrine.
The Blaze, operated under the auspices of Glenn Beck, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informs us that the incident took place during a recent appearance by Maher on the Ed Show. Guest host Michael Eric Dyson asked Maher if he thought the Republican base could put their faith in a candidate who is a Mormon. Maher said No, then responded thusly:
Not only does he regurgitate the tired old canard that a Mormon can't become president, but he actually insists in the body of his response that Mormons aren't Christians. Then in the second paragraph, he openly lies about Mormon doctrine, falsely claiming that Jesus Christ comes "third".
The name of the church clearly indicates that Jesus Christ is the "headliner"; Mormons are indisputably and undeniably Christian. By the way, although Bill Maher was born a Jew, he now considers himself an atheist.
This is the main reason why FAIR launched the Mormon Defense League website -- to counter inaccuracies and outright smears like those uttered by Maher. In a serious society, celebrities like Bill Maher would be nothing more than passing ships in the night. But in our celebrity-obsessed society, these people have more influence than they deserve.
And they deserve a vigorous rebuttal.
The Blaze, operated under the auspices of Glenn Beck, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informs us that the incident took place during a recent appearance by Maher on the Ed Show. Guest host Michael Eric Dyson asked Maher if he thought the Republican base could put their faith in a candidate who is a Mormon. Maher said No, then responded thusly:
That’s what’s going to be so interesting is when Rick Perry in sly and underhanded and no fingerprints methods starts putting out the idea, which is a true idea by the way, that Mormons are not really Christians. You know, once America, which is a very Christian nation, finds that out, I think they’ll have a, certainly in the Evangelical part of the country, those folks, they will not be very fond of Mitt Romney.
Once they find out that Jesus Christ is like third in the hierarchy there. Really was about Joseph Smith. Actually, Mormonism is closer to Islam because in Islam Jesus is also a revered figure. He’s a wonderful prophet. He’s just not the ultimate prophet. You know, he’s like the middle act. He’s certainly not the headliner.
Not only does he regurgitate the tired old canard that a Mormon can't become president, but he actually insists in the body of his response that Mormons aren't Christians. Then in the second paragraph, he openly lies about Mormon doctrine, falsely claiming that Jesus Christ comes "third".
The name of the church clearly indicates that Jesus Christ is the "headliner"; Mormons are indisputably and undeniably Christian. By the way, although Bill Maher was born a Jew, he now considers himself an atheist.
This is the main reason why FAIR launched the Mormon Defense League website -- to counter inaccuracies and outright smears like those uttered by Maher. In a serious society, celebrities like Bill Maher would be nothing more than passing ships in the night. But in our celebrity-obsessed society, these people have more influence than they deserve.
And they deserve a vigorous rebuttal.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
LDS Church To Procure Alternative Site For Proposed Tegucigalpa, Honduras Temple In Response To Roman Catholic Concerns And Media Sensationalism
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once again demonstrated its sensitivity to public opinion when they announced that they will look for a new location for their proposed temple in Tegucigalpa, Honduras after being unable to obtain final building permits. Media story published by the Mormon Times. A Catholic News Agency story is posted HERE.
Despite the fact that the temple was first announced on June 9th, 2006, and that ground was broken on the existing site on June 9th, 2007, sudden public fears that a "gigantic temple" would block the view of one of Honduras' most famous Catholic basilicas led LDS authorities to halt construction in September 2007 and ultimately take a path of lesser resistance and look for a new location. The original site, purchased 15 years ago, is only 2,000 feet away from the Our Lady of Suyapa Basilica, and is across the street from the National Autonomous University of Honduras, the largest university in Honduras. The basilica was built in honor of the Virgin of Supaya.
"People saw (the temple being built so close to the basilica) as a provocation," said Bishop Darwin Rudy Andino Ramirez, auxiliary bishop of the Tegucigalpa Catholic Archdiocese, in La Tribuna, "but we have not seen it that way and are in dialogue with them because a representative from the (LDS) church headquarters in the United States of America came to Honduras to talk. But I do not know what decisions they have reached."
The proposed temple would serve members of the LDS Church in Honduras and Nicaragua. As of December 2006, Honduras and Nicaragua had more than 175,000 members of the LDS Church and 308 congregations.
However, LDS Church officials were not so much put out with the Roman Catholic Church or local residents who voiced their concerns, but much more unhappy with local Honduran media who apparently sensationalized the dispute to sell more newspapers (the media is the same worldwide). In response, Nery Rodriguez, an LDS Church spokesman in Honduras, issued the following statement to correct misimpressions:
A portrait of how the prospective temple would look is available HERE. When built, the Tegucigalpa Temple will eventually be the sixth in Central America, others currently operational in Guatemala City, San Jose (Costa Rica), and Panama City (Panama), and two others in San Salvador and Quetzaltenango (Guatemala) under planning or construction. A list of all LDS temples worldwide available HERE.
Despite the fact that the temple was first announced on June 9th, 2006, and that ground was broken on the existing site on June 9th, 2007, sudden public fears that a "gigantic temple" would block the view of one of Honduras' most famous Catholic basilicas led LDS authorities to halt construction in September 2007 and ultimately take a path of lesser resistance and look for a new location. The original site, purchased 15 years ago, is only 2,000 feet away from the Our Lady of Suyapa Basilica, and is across the street from the National Autonomous University of Honduras, the largest university in Honduras. The basilica was built in honor of the Virgin of Supaya.
"People saw (the temple being built so close to the basilica) as a provocation," said Bishop Darwin Rudy Andino Ramirez, auxiliary bishop of the Tegucigalpa Catholic Archdiocese, in La Tribuna, "but we have not seen it that way and are in dialogue with them because a representative from the (LDS) church headquarters in the United States of America came to Honduras to talk. But I do not know what decisions they have reached."
The proposed temple would serve members of the LDS Church in Honduras and Nicaragua. As of December 2006, Honduras and Nicaragua had more than 175,000 members of the LDS Church and 308 congregations.
However, LDS Church officials were not so much put out with the Roman Catholic Church or local residents who voiced their concerns, but much more unhappy with local Honduran media who apparently sensationalized the dispute to sell more newspapers (the media is the same worldwide). In response, Nery Rodriguez, an LDS Church spokesman in Honduras, issued the following statement to correct misimpressions:
In clarification to the news published today in your/their respected media under the title 'Mormons to construct gigantic church in front of Suyapa sanctuary' and out of respect for what the public opinion deserves, we ask that you please clarify the following:
1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is respectful of the laws of the country, and it has not begun construction of any of its meeting facilities without the proper building permit.
2. Since last year's project to build the temple at the site was shut down, we still do not know where and when to build. Similar temples were built in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama with no opposition.
3. The church members are respectful of the beliefs of members of other religious denominations and we hope for the same respect for ours.
4. Often we join people of different beliefs to carry out humanitarian tasks and meet the needs of people as in the case of emergencies caused by natural disasters, delivering wheelchairs, medical shifts and delivering bags of useful school supplies.
5. Those who know us, know that our mission is to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and bless the lives of people. It has never been and will not be our intention to create antagonism, rather we embrace as fellow Christians all who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God the Savior of all mankind -- in spite of doctrinal differences.
6. The meeting center that operates on the property of the Church (where the temple was planned) is used as an education center for youth and will continue to operate as such.
A portrait of how the prospective temple would look is available HERE. When built, the Tegucigalpa Temple will eventually be the sixth in Central America, others currently operational in Guatemala City, San Jose (Costa Rica), and Panama City (Panama), and two others in San Salvador and Quetzaltenango (Guatemala) under planning or construction. A list of all LDS temples worldwide available HERE.
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