Washington Post Chronicles A Typical Day In The Life Of LDS Missionaries Gregg Karren and David Liew; Age Limit For Some Missionaries Lowered To 18

The Washington Post has been increasing its focus on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lately. While much of the increase is attributable to the presence of two LDS presidential candidates, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman Jr, other issues such as the Book of Mormon musical and the Warren Jeffs trial have also fueled public interest. In addition, the LDS Church separately announced that they've lowered the missionary age for young men in Germany, the United Kingdom, Albania, Cape Verde, Spain and Italy from 19 to 18.

Washington Post videographer Ben de la Cruz recently spent some time with two LDS missionaries, Elders Gregg Karren and David Liew, who are working in the greater D.C. area to bring people to the knowledge of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Watch the seven-minute video embedded below:



Background: This is an example of how two men of different nationalities and races can work together for one goal -- and on behalf of one Lord. Elder Karren, 21 years old, grew up in a small farming town in Alberta, Canada. In his two years as a missionary in Northern Virginia, he's helped convert about 41 people to the LDS Church. Elder Karren says the number is good for the United States, though small compared to Africa and South America where people are more open to missionaries.

Elder Liew is originally from Malaysia. He was raised Catholic but converted to Mormonism when two missionaries visited his family home at the invitation of his father. He was 12 at the time and converted along with his brother and three sisters. Liew arrived in the United States to train at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah on June 24, 2010. He is the first in his family to go on a mission.

One LDS member who encountered Elder Karren in the D.C. area posted this comment to this story:

stoutmtc 7/11/2011 4:19:51 PM GMT-0800:
Shout out to Elder Karren! We had him and his missionary companion in our home, teaching a young man who ended up deciding to be baptized. Maybe we'll get a chance to meet Elder Liew some day, if he rotates through our congregation.

I loved my mission in Rome, Italy, back in the 80s. Relatively few people wanted to join the Church, and the little old ladies in Quartu Sant'Elena did tell the kids that we only wanted to take them down to the beach and roast them for our supper(!!) but I loved them all.

Hey, Elder Karren, remember Helaman 5:12?

"12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Love that scripture, but love it more because of what I see: A concerned father who'd read Isaiah about the whirlwind (Isaiah 40:24) so the father described the whirlwind he had experienced - a tropical storm, followed by tsunami-like storm surge. But there is no tropical storm in the Bible. And Joseph Smith never saw a tropical storm in his life. Joseph didn't copy it from the Bible, and he couldn't have described that storm based on personal experience.

Hope you're having a great time at home - feel free to visit any time you're in the area!

The decision to lower the missionary age limit for some LDS men was prompted by educational or military requirements in the specified countries. Most South American countries also send their male missionaries out at the age of 18 as well.

Opposition To Proposed LDS Temple In Fort Collins, Colorado Emerges; Impacts On Traffic, Health, And Environment Questioned

The Fort Collins Coloradan reports that opposition to the proposed temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fort Collins has emerged, with concerns expressed about the impacts on traffic, health, and environment by the construction of a 27,000 square foot building in a neighborhood currently zoned residential. A map of the proposed site is available HERE. There is no overt sign of any local anti-Mormon bigotry behind the opposition, at least not yet.

KMGH Channel 7 also published a brief story; the 51 public comments appended so far may be of interest.

One of the opponents, David Hirning, best reflects the concerns of others. He notes that Trilby and Timberline Roads are already busy roads that will get even more congested with the presence of a temple. He believes property values will plummet, wildlife will be displaced and the increased vehicle emissions will be harmful to health. Another opponent says existing traffic problems already make it a "disaster" to try and get out of the neighborhood during the morning rush hour. Public comments to the story are also quite instructive, showing that opponents are focusing on the possible combined effects of a 27,000 square foot building serving the religious needs of more than 200,000 Mormons living in Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado; they fear they'll be "inundated", so to speak. While these concerns are understandable, a visit to the official LDS Fort Collins Temple site and also to the Fort Collins Temple FAQ site will resolve most of them. To wit:

1. Area Coverage: Smaller than advertised by the media; the expected service area is limited to northern Colorado, southeastern Wyoming, and western Nebraska. When a temple is built, the LDS Church creates a temple district, in which only certain stakes are incorporated. This will maintain a virtual quantitative cap on the number of Church members who will use the temple; the number would only rise very slowly.

2. Traffic Load: LDS Church spokesman Eric Adams said the largest room in the temple estimated will only hold 50 people and will be used throughout the day by small groups. The number of people using the temple at any given time will rarely, if ever, exceed 100; members are required to make appointments in advance to use a temple. And since some local residents are already reporting traffic problems during rush hour, the opening of the temple is likely to spur local officials to improve local road access to the neighborhood even sooner than originally anticipated.

3. Size of the Temple: The large size of the temple is more reflective of the diversity of use rather than the number of people to be accommodated. LDS members use the temple for three primary purposes; to perform eternal marriages, proxy ordinances for the dead, and to receive their endowments. Each function is accomplished in a DIFFERENT part of the temple. Thus, the temple must be large enough to accommodate the different functions.

Opponents of the temple will get a chance to place their concerns on the public record on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011, at 3:00 p.m. during a land use hearing to be conducted by the Larimer County commissioners. The current property owner is requesting that the existing four-lot plat be reconfigured into three lots and that a residential restriction be lifted to clear the way for approval of the temple. An annexation petition for the site has been submitted to the city of Fort Collins, meaning plans for the actual temple would likely go before Fort Collins for approval.

Update September 7th: In the first public hearing on September 6th, Larimer County commissioners approved a plat change for the 38-acre property upon which the temple will be built. This is merely the first step to allow the LDS Church to acquire the land; it does not constitute permission to build the facility. Commissioner Tom Donnelly said other issues raised by residents - including traffic and safety - are valid concerns and need to be addressed, but in a different forum. Already some misinformation about the proposed temple is circulating; opponents said they had received a letter from the city stating the facility would include a 27,000-square-foot building with a 475-space parking lot. However, Ken Merritt of Landmark Engineering said the letter was inaccurate. Although the building has not been designed, the parking lot is likely to have only about 275 parking spots.

Tony Perkins Of The Family Research Council Indicates Mitt Romney's Conservatism May Supersede His Mormonism Among Evangelicals

On June 2nd, 2011, I discussed a Pew Research Center survey of 1,509 adults 18 years of age or older living in the continental United States taken from May 25-30, 2011, which not only showed that one out of four respondents would still be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate if he or she was Mormon, but also showed that 34 percent of white Evangelicals would be less likely to vote for a Mormon presidential candidate.

However, it appears that Evangelical opposition to Romney's religion continues to soften as more Evangelicals decide that Romney's conservatism may supersede his Mormonism. On August 23rd, 2011, Tony Perkins of the highly-influential Family Research Council appeared on Fox Business and discussed the current field of Republicans running for president in 2012. Perkins suggested that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum could all harness the support of the evangelical community, pronouncing all of them to be social conservatives.

Yes, ALL of them......including Mitt Romney. Perkins’ validation of Romney mitigates earlier media perceptions that he could have trouble winning over the evangelical base. Fox video embedded below:



This means that Evangelicals now realize that Barack Obama poses a greater danger to America's future than Romney's Mormonism. A new Gallup poll also shows that Romney is more likely to beat Obama than other Republicans, although the others are showing improvement. Both Romney and the LDS Church have sought to reassure Americans that a vote for Mitt Romney is not a vote for Thomas S. Monson or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The inclusion of another LDS member, Jon Huntsman Jr., in the Republican race also shows the political diversity existing within the LDS community.

The Family Research Council is more than just another money-raising enterprise. Its effectiveness is further validated by the fact that it has been targeted as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC claims that the FRC "denigrates LGBT people in its battles against same-sex marriage, hate crimes laws, anti-bullying programs and the repeal of the military’s 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' policy", and by doing so, maligns gay people simply because they're gay. The FRC, along with 22 members of Congress, disputed the SPLC's characterization of their group.

Of course, that analysis by the SPLC could also be used to show that the SPLC could consider itself a hate group as well, since it maligns pro-family activists, nativists, patriots, and white nationalists simply because of who they are. Further compromising the SPLC's integrity is their bias in favor of the political left; the blogroll on their Hatewatch blog consists exclusively of hard-left progressive websites. And finally, even though official FBI statistics show a 30 percent drop in hate crimes from 2000 to 2009, the SPLC claims the number of “hate groups” increased by 66.4 percent from 2000 to 2010. Since we know the FBI is more objective than the SPLC, we must consider the possibility that the SPLC has adjusted their definition of hate groups to cast a wider net -- and keep the donation spigot cranked wide open.

Thus the SPLC seems more interested in self-perpetuation than in justice.

As for the other Mormon in the race, Jon Huntsman Jr, despite the fact that he is probably the classiest person in the race, he can't break out of the two-percent mode. Consequently, he's now beginning to market himself as a prospective running mate for the eventual winner, setting his sights on Michele Bachmann. That would definitely be a bottom-heavy ticket; Huntsman would possess two-thirds of the brains and talent in that combination. But better yet, Huntsman would make a great Secretary of State in a future administration.

Jury Convicts Anchorage "Hot Sauce" Mom Jessica Beagley Of Child Abuse, Given Suspended Sentence Of 180 Days And $2,500 Fine

-- NOTE: All posts on this case available HERE, with the most recent post appearing first.

On August 23rd, 2011, Jessica Beagley's legal ordeal finally came to an end. Unfortunately, it resulted in a conviction as a Anchorage jury of six convicted her of misdemeanor child abuse. Sentencing is scheduled to take place on Monday August 29th; a maximum of one year in prison and a $10,000 fine is possible, although one commenter to the Anchorage Daily News story speculates that any sentence might be suspended if Beagley accepts a regimen of court-approved counseling.

Update August 29th: The judge sentenced Beagley to 180 days in jail and a $2,500 fine. Both the jail time and the fine are suspended so long as she complies with the terms of her probation. Municipal prosecutor Cynthia Franklin recommended 30 days in jail with another 330 days suspended, as well as a $1,500 fine.

The jury appeared to attach much more weight to Beagley's efforts to get air time on Dr. Phil than to the testimony by Virginia Moring, a supervisor with the Office of Children's Services, who testified on August 19th that there were no signs of maltreatment -- which the office defines as neglect, physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence or drug use -- during visits to Beagley's home and interviews with her children. Investigators interviewed Beagley and her husband Gary, their children, as well as their coworkers and officials at the kids' school. The kids told OCS they felt safe. KTVA news video finally available:



Neither Jessica Beagley, her husband Gary, nor the six primary jurors had any comment after the trial. However, one alternate juror said she would have also voted to convict, since she believed Beagley was too interested in playing up to Dr. Phil and wondered why Beagley hadn't sought treatment in Anchorage. This is a question Beagley could have answered had she chosen to testify; she chose not to. But the alternate conceded that Beagley was capable of being a good mother.

Beagley's defense lawyer William Ingaldson reacted, saying "The way the law is written ... makes it really difficult for a parent to discipline your kids and not be subject to other people's subjective ideas of what is right or wrong".

Official Russian action could be next, since the Russian government considers adoptees taken from their country to be Russian citizens until they're 18. However, Russia has sent some mixed official signals in the past; in January, while one Russian official said they'd seek to repatriate the twins if Beagley was convicted, another Russian official visited the Beagley home and found no signs of abuse. Their final reaction may depend upon the sentence handed down on August 28th.

Because the Beagley family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the story has provided grist for the propaganda mills on Recovery From Mormonism. However, on the latest thread, they're not really beating up on the Church so much, but instead are merely criticizing Beagley for being clueless.