Anti-Mormon Utah Carpetbaggers From Tri-Grace Ministries Try To Spoil Open House For Indianapolis-Area LDS Temple

Update July 17th: Here's a short video showing the interior of the Indianapolis Temple.

https://youtu.be/hkiTk8clS1Y



As the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prepares for the open house for the new temple located in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel, Indiana, Satan has decided to show up to cast his negative vote -- using a bunch of anti-Mormon Utah carpetbaggers as his handmaidens.

Activists from the Utah-based Tri-Grace Ministries plan to set up a tent across the street to declare what they think is "the truth" about the LDS Church. They fired their first volley last week when they took out a 12-page advertising supplement in community newspapers in Carmel, Westfield and Zionsville that warn about the so-called "deception" of the religion. Tri-Grace Ministries founder Chip Thompson claims that the LDS Church is not telling the truth and Mormons are not following what Jesus taught.

So far, LDS Church officials have refused to dignify Tri-Grace Ministries with a response. But other Christians in the local area see through the hatred and bigotry spewed by this bogus ministry. Chris Duckworth, pastor of New Joy Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Westfield, was irked by the advertising supplements and was quoted as follows:

"We don't treat people, who have been seriously picked on, in that way. We know better than that. We are better than that."

"If my Mormon brother says he's a Christian, I'll accept his word at that. We might disagree in theology or have differences in opinion about what core tenets of Christianity are. But I'm not going to deny him the right to call himself what he or she in their faith believe they are."

Pastor Duckworth adds considerably more detail on his church's website. He plans to attend the LDS open house, and he further writes:

"Theological differences between the Mormon Church and the Lutheran Church are real. But so too is the unfair treatment our neighbors, friends, and fellow children of God of the Mormon Church receive to this day. My friends and neighbors don’t deserve to receive, on their doorstep, such a publication. I cannot remain silent. I have to speak out.

For me, living a life of faith is not about projecting my faith into the public square to the detriment of others, or seeking public assets – be they government or business – to enshrine and propagate my faith through their power and reach. Instead, living a life of faith is about coming to the defense of my neighbors, seeking the good of the community – particularly the most vulnerable and “least of these” (Matthew 25:40) – living into the promises of the coming Kingdom of God, and having the opportunity to worship and live according to the dictates of faith."

Although Pastor Duckworth does not claim to hold either the Aaronic or Melchizedek Priesthood, there is no question that the Lord is working through him and that he does access the Holy Spirit. Pastorship is a function of priesthood, and the Lord will recognize and use his ministry so long as he acts in a Christ-like manner. At his level of knowledge and light, Pastor Duckworth is a champion for Christ.

A visit to the Tri-Grace Ministries website shows that their sole objective is to denigrate and defame Mormonism. There is absolutely no effort on their part to actually win souls for Christ. During a time period when traditional Christian values are under attack by the elite nationwide, waging civil war against fellow Christians is tantamount to treason against God.

The open house will take place from July 17th through August 8th; details available at the dedicated website. On August 23rd, the temple will be formally dedicated, after which time only templeworthy LDS members will be allowed admittance. The temple, which will become the 148th operational temple in the world, will serve approximately 30,000 LDS members who currently go to the Louisville, Chicago, and Columbus temples. Read the complete fact sheet on the temple for further details about its construction and composition.

Anti-Mormon Bigotry Surfaces In The District 7 Hamilton County Commissioner's Race In Tennessee; LDS Candidate Phil Smartt Targeted

Phil Smartt, from Facebook

The race for the District 7 seat on the Hamilton County Commission in Tennessee, to be initially decided during a May 6th primary election, has become quite spirited, so much so that the campaign manager of one of the candidates couldn't resist the temptation to publish a cheap shot against Mormonism on his own Facebook page. And since one of the other candidates is Mormon, it blew back upon the head of the campaign manager's principal.

After what was characterized as a weak performance by candidate Sabrena Turner at a debate at East Hamilton High School on Thursday March 27th, 2014, Jonathan Mason, who is Turner's campaign manager, posted the following screed to his personal Facebook page:

“Something to think about. Joseph Smith claimed that God and Jesus appeared to him and advised that Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists were all wrong and their beliefs were an abomination. How does this align with what the Bible tells us?"

It also contained a link to a YouTube video titled, “Are Mormons Christian?”

Candidate Phil Smartt, a Republican who is Mormon, fired back. On March 28th, Smartt called the Chattanooga Times Free Press to condemn the post, suggesting that it was a Hail Mary tactic by a candidate who is losing. Others in the community publicly condemned the post, including Smartt's son-in-law James E. Ward, and a Baptist minister, Alan Johnston. Letter from both were published in The Chattanoogan. Rev. Johnston wrote, in part, "Phil Smartt and I share a strong belief around things like family, civic pride, the sanctity of life, a Biblical definition of marriage and much, much more. On the key issues in District 7 I have found Mr. Smartt to be on the right side of every issue, and those include education, economic development, limited government, low taxes, and an opposition to discretionary spending in county government".

Stung by the backlash, Sabrena Turner, who is a member of Morris Hill Baptist church, quickly disavowed her campaign manager's sentiments. Turner denied any involvement in the post or any implied intolerance for Mormonism, and noted that as soon as she learned of Mason's post and the community reaction against it, she called Mason and asked him to take it down, which he did. For his part, Mason defended his post, claiming James E. Ward misunderstood it, adding that he posts a lot about religion, among other topics, on his personal Facebook page. His objective is to learn more about his own Christian walk by exploring the other religions that are out there, and says he has no objection to Mormons seeking political office. He added that he supported Mitt Romney in 2012. But although Sabrena Turner has now distanced herself from anti-Mormon bigotry, her supporters have been characterized as being uncivil; at the East Hamilton High School forum, Turner supporters allegedly yelled “liar, false, that is false, lies” when Smartt attempted to expound upon a local annexation issue.

Those who are interested in the details behind the annexation issue can read this PDF, which was published by the Turner campaign. While written from her perspective, it also contains many facts.

A Hamilton County native and graduate of Chattanooga High School, Phil Smartt graduated from Brigham Young University and serves as an Elder and Sunday School teacher in his local LDS ward. He has owned a small business for more than 38 years and is a member of the Hamilton Place Rotary Club. A devoted family man, he and his wife of 48 years, Gloria, have raised six children and have 28 grandchildren. Smartt received a powerful endorsement from former major league baseball player Dale Murphy, who is also LDS; the two have personally known each other for years.

Christian Post Attacks LDS Senator Harry Reid As A "Closet Racist", Uses Him As An Excuse To Misrepresent The LDS Church

As a hardline social conservative, I'm one of the last people to ever defend LDS Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) politically. I disagree with and despise most of his politics. But an online Christian website is using Sen. Reid as a foil to misrepresent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its doctrine by referring to Sen. Reid as a "closet racist".

The offender is the Christian Post, which has occasionally been critical of the LDS Church in the past. On August 13th, 2013, the Post published an article entitled "Could Harry Reid Be A Closet Racist?: Majority Leader May Be Calling The Kettle Black". But while some LDS conservatives might initially rejoice at the title, the article itself significantly misrepresents the Church as it is today.

The Post states "Being a member of the Mormon Church testifies to the authenticity of all Mormon Doctrine, because the doctrine comes from the founders and former and present prophets of the church. The Book of Mormon and the prophets are 'infallible' and their words are considered to be scripture". While it's true that all Mormon doctrine currently in effect is authentic, we have never presented the Book of Mormon or its characters as being "infallible". In fact, we disagree with the notion put forth by some Christians that any scripture is "inerrant", since all scripture was recorded by imperfect human beings using imperfect human syntax. Imperfection cannot produce perfection. Nevertheless, we accept the scriptures as being authoritative despite any imperfections; our Eighth Article of Faith states in part "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly..."

The Post also states, "The Book of Mormon, 'the most correct book', even more correct than the Bible, accuses God of cursing Africans and Native Americans..." However, while the Book of Mormon is part of our canon, "most correct" does not mean "most perfect". It simply means there is less error in the Book of Mormon, which has been out in the streets for only about 180 years, vs. the Bible, which has been publicly available for over 1,000 years. And while there are numerous versions of the Bible, there are only two common versions of the Book of Mormon; ours, and the version used by the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS).

The Post also refers to the Journal of Discourses, implying that it is canon. Not so; while the Journal of Discourses contains much wisdom, it is not one of the standard works of the LDS Church. The Post also fails to understand the principle of continuous revelation. When Joseph Smith was assassinated, the windows of heaven didn't abruptly slam shut once again; they remained open for all of his successors. And just as the Lord has made different covenants with different peoples throughout history, so the Lord reserves the right to dispense new wisdom and covenants for the Church through the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve at any time. If the Lord "changes His mind", it's generally because the Saints have shown themselves ready for new wisdom. When a majority of the Saints proved ready to accept blacks as fully-vested members of the Church, the Lord revealed that it was time to end the Priesthood ban.

And just how clean are the hands of the Christian Post? They represent a number of Christian denominations who also have a racist past. Yet they take no issue with any of them. Perhaps the Christian Post is also a pot calling the kettle black.

I can live with people expressing disagreement with the LDS Church; the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that right. What's more problematic is when a critic deliberately misrepresents the Church. This is why, notwithstanding the political differences I might have with Sen. Harry Reid, our common LDS identity takes precedence here. Sen. Reid may be a socialist, but he is not a racist, at least by the commonly-used definition of the word.

Latter-Day Saints In Alaska Recreate 19th Century Mormon Treks Across The Great Plains, Focusing On The Handcart Expeditions

The Anchorage Daily News has published a gallery of 44 photos depicting a group of Alaska Mormons re-creating the Mormon treks across the Great Plains during the 19th century, specifically the handcart treks. The group of 220 youth between the ages of 12 and 18 and 50 adults began the re-enactment at Jim Creek near the Knik River on Tuesday May 28th and pulled handcarts up the Jim Creek Trail about 10 miles and set up camp within sight of the Knik Glacier. Over the next three days they made their way back, camping along the way. They returned to the Jim Creek trail head on Friday May 31st, where a scrumptious barbecue awaited them.

This is not the first time Alaska Saints have done this. In 2007, Mormons from the Kenai Peninsula and Homer held a three-day handcart trek reenactment in the shadow of the Ring of Fire volcanoes. They traveled three hours by ferry, two hours by car, and another hour and a half by bus just to get to the trailhead. The most dramatic event occurred on the third day, when the group awoke to a terrible storm with winds blowing more than 50 miles per hour. Pegs pulled loose, tents collapsed, the rain pounded down, and dark clouds covered the entire sky. Fearing that the weather would stop the trek, the leaders knelt in prayer. Soldotna Stake President Randy Eberline asked the Lord to calm the storm. Throughout the camp, trek families also knelt and prayed for relief from the weather. Suddenly, the clouds parted and a bowl of warm sunlight shone down.

According to the LDS Gospel Library, ten companies of handcart pioneers walked the 1,300 miles from Iowa City (the end of the rail line) to Salt Lake City between 1856 and 1860, pulling and pushing all that they owned. Of the total of 2,962 handcart immigrants, about 250 died along the way. The most tragic were companies four and five, the now-infamous Willie and Martin companies of 1856, in which 220 Saints lost their lives. These two companies, consisting of 980 people and 233 handcarts, began their journeys across the plains too late in the year due to a series of mishaps. The majority of the 220 who lost their lives froze to death in early snowstorms near the Continental Divide in central Wyoming. Many others suffered trailside amputations of fingers, toes, and legs due to frostbite. When Brigham Young heard about it, he was horrified, and promptly dispatched rescue parties from Salt Lake City to avert further tragedy.

The reenactment was designed to convey a sense of this history to the next generation of Alaska Mormons. Yet some anti-Mormon trolls spewed their filth in the Anchorage Daily News comments section. Anti-Mormon trolls not only falsely claim that the LDS Church pretends the Mountain Meadows Massacre didn't happen (there's a memorial on the site maintained by the LDS Church), but they continue to insist that the LDS Church is antigay, ignoring the fact that the LDS Church accepted the recent decision by the Boy Scouts to accept all Scouts who agree to the Scouts' code of behavior. I have no obligation to respect anti-Mormon trolls who lie about the Church; those who want respect must earn it by acting respectably.

I define "anti-Mormon" not merely as someone who disagrees with Mormonism, but someone who expresses that disagreement by deliberately misrepresenting and lying about Mormonism. Such people are unworthy of civil discourse; one does not cast pearls before swine.

AFA's Bryan Fischer Falsely Claims LDS Church Went Soft On Gays In Boy Scouts Because They Secretly Want To Legalize Polygamy

Ever since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints broke ranks with other socially-conservative denominations and announced their acceptance of the Boy Scouts' decision to accept gay Scouts, I've been wondering when the other shoe was going to drop and we would get criticism from those organizations.

Well, the other shoe has now dropped. On May 28th, 2013, Right Wing Watch reported that Bryan Fischer, who was hired in 2009 by the American Family Association (AFA) to serve as their director of issue analysis for government and public policy, is claiming that the LDS Church has gone soft on the homosexual agenda because as the homosexual agenda advances, the next domino to fall is going to be the ban against polygamy, and that because the homosexual agenda may be the secret to restoring polygamy to America, this would vindicate Mormon doctrine on plural marriage from the very beginning. He admits he has no evidence supporting his claim, though. See an accompanying story on HuffPo. Here's a video clip of Fischer making his rather spurious claim on his Focal Point radio show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnrIx5ehmdM



A brief review of the American Family Association website revealed no criticism of the LDS Church by name, so Fischer may be speaking strictly for himself rather than for the AFA. However, Fischer's misinformation still needs to be rebutted. In 1890, the LDS Church issued a revelation indefinitely suspending the solemnization of plural marriages by the Church; this was canonized as Official Declaration 1 and appended to the Doctrine & Covenants. Furthermore, Church officials ask members during worthiness interviews to certify that they do not affiliate with any apostate groups, which also means any religious organizations practicing plural marriages. In addition, any Mormon found to be practicing plural marriage is subjected to a disciplinary council and subsequently excommunicated. Finally, since the 12th Article of Faith states "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law", the Church will not reinstitute plural marriage so long as it is contrary to the law of the land. Don't forget that it was the Savior Himself who said "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and render unto God that which is God's".

Furthermore, the LDS Church has made it abundantly clear that although they will accept Scouts with a homosexual orientation, they will not accept any sexual behavior outside of legal heterosexual marriage, period. In the letter from the First Presidency distributed to all American congregations which announced the Church's decision on the Scouts, the Church reiterated its firm commitment to upholding these standards and to protecting and strengthening boys and young men.

It should also be noted that Bryan Fischer has a reputation for making fanciful and emotional statements at times as he gets carried away in his passion to defend traditional cultural values. This tendency attracted the unwelcome attention of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which expanded its reach in 2010 to designate his American Family Association and other pro-family groups as "anti-gay hate groups". However, many suspect the SPLC widened their reach in order to attract more donations; their chief trial counsel Morris Dees makes over $300,000 per year and lives in a palatial trophy home in Montgomery, Alabama. The SPLC also has a flagrant left-wing political bias, as indicated by the sidebar on their Hatewatch blog which exclusively lists links from hard-left progressive websites.

In the final analysis, I have no desire to pick a fight with the American Family Association, since they line up with us on so many other important cultural and social issues. In fact, as President Boyd K. Packer said back in 1993, feminists and intellectuals within LDS ranks pose a greater threat to the safety and security of the LDS Church than occasionally-misguided allies such as the AFA. But when someone puts out misinformation about our Church, we must rebut it, even if the source is well-intentioned. I hope the AFA will re-direct itself back to confronting the real enemy -- Satan.

Obama Supporter Publishes Anti-Mormon Facebook Page Entitled "Vote No To Mitt Romney And The Mormon Plan For America"

KTVX Channel 4 is reporting on November 5th, 2012 on the existence of an anti-Mormon Facebook page entitled "Vote No To Mitt Romney and the Mormon Plan for America". An examination of the Facebook page, which can be read by anyone, indicates its creator is a supporter of Barack Obama and intends to vote for him on November 6th. There's no indication that the Facebook page is officially affiliated with the Obama campaign, however.

Here's a screenshot of the About page, in case the Facebook site is taken down:

Click image to enlarge

The following two statements indicate the page's creator is an Obama supporter:

-- "So when I post something to support that position a response against Obama is inappropriate and can get you banned".

-- "I also welcome post in support of candidates (Like the President) who are against Romney. I may even post some my self as I will be voting for him".

One of the most vitriolic critics is Karen Bradshaw, who identifies herself as an ex-Mormon. Since she so thoughtfully included her photo with her post, I have just as thoughtfully included it with my screenshots. Here are three posts, the last two which show the depths of her hatred for the Church:

The sequence below is in response to this side-by-side picture of Mitt Romney and Joseph Smith:

So not only does she hate the Church, she thinks Joseph Smith and Mitt Romney are both traitors. She thinks criticism of the president is treason. There's no doubt that she would have been part of the mob at Carthage jail which assassinated Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It illustrates that some ex-Mormons can become so consumed with hatred towards the Church they become, in spirit, delivered unto the buffetings of Satan. Karen Bradshaw is evil incarnate. And these are the type of people who support Barack Obama.

The commentary on that Facebook page is so evil and hideous that KTVX could not restrain themselves, entitling their story "Facebook page spreading lies about LDS Church and Romney". They openly characterize the page as sharing false information about the LDS Church and tying Romney to the misrepresentations. KTVX even posted a hot link to the LDS website so that readers could immediately get the truth. This is impressive, considering that KTVX is not owned by the LDS Church or any of its subsidiaries.

Karen Bradshaw will have reason to regret her statements someday. For her sake, I hope that "someday" occurs while she is still in the flesh -- and has time to repent. Our worst enemies tend to be those who were once Mormons, just like the Nephites' worst enemies among the Lamanites were those who dissented from the Nephites.

Anti-Mormon Posts YouTube Video Of Secret Mormon Temple Rituals On Reddit

While visiting the Reddit site on October 21st, 2012, I noticed that someone posted a link to a video entitled "Behind The Veil: Never-Before-Seen Footage of Secret Mormon Temple Rituals". The intent is to denigrate the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the video was filmed surreptitiously by someone who went through the Salt Lake Temple recently, and the commentary embedded within the video indicates the person is anti-Mormon. Even though the temple rituals are not disclosed to non-Mormons and Mormons who are not temple-worthy, I decided to embed the video here because this story is too important to be owned by anti-Mormons. At least the videographer had the dignity to obscure the faces of the worshippers.

What you'll see on the video, in order, is a group of worshippers in temple garments initially giving the prayer "Oh God, hear the words of my mouth" during the orientation preceding the endowment ceremony. You will then see a young teenage girl performing proxy baptism on behalf of a deceased person. Then you will see the endowment ceremony itself, first the mass briefing along with a clip of the film shown, then an individual passing through the opening, reciting the tokens or key-words while offering the ceremonial handshakes, and then the individual concludes the ceremony and goes into the Celestial Room to contemplate and reflect for a few moments before departing the temple:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6udew9axmdM



Other evidences of anti-Mormon distortion embedded within the video:

-- References to an "Oath of Vengeance" that has long since been abandoned. FAIR Mormon addresses this issue in more detail.
-- Repeated derogatory highlighting of Mitt Romney to perpetrate the false notion that he would take orders from President Thomas S. Monson should he be elected President.
-- References to a government of Zion which make it appear that the LDS Church is planning to take over the government and establish a "worldwide theocracy" at some time in the future (after the Second Coming, there will be a worldwide government -- headed by Jesus Christ).
-- Misrepresentation of LDS doctrine regarding the creation. We believe that God created the earth, but we define "create" as "to organize", and we believe the Father delegated that authority to Jehovah and the archangel Michael.
-- Repeated references to the Freemasons. Similarity between Mormon and Masonic ceremonies is coincidental; there is no overt connection between Mormons and Masons.

The video was uploaded to YouTube by someone identified as Newnamenoah, and it's an abridged version of a much longer video of 1 hour and 18 minutes. Despite reassurances to the contrary by the LDS Church, Newnamenoah seems convinced that the oath taken by Mitt Romney in the temple will conflict with his Presidential Oath of Office. But Newnamenoah offers no objective evidence supporting this conclusion, but merely paranoid conjecture. If A, then B. Classical simplistic slippery-slope logic.

However, Newnamenoah's anti-Mormon bigotry will backfire. We will take the lemon with which he has presented us, and transform it into lemonade. For this offers us another "every-member-a-missionary" opportunity to spread knowledge of the fulness of the restored Gospel, particularly for LDS members who have YouTube and Reddit accounts and can post comments. We might want to act fast, because there's the possibility that the LDS Church may ask YouTube to take the video down, or even to take down Newnamenoah's channel, simply because the temple ceremonies are sacred. There certainly is not sinister about anything presented on the video. The LDS Church Temples website presents a more detailed explanation of the endowment ceremony.

Last Minute "Dump Romney" Insurgency Motivated By Virulent Anti-Mormon Bigotry; JewsAndChristiansTogether An Anti-Mormon Hate Group

As the 2012 Republican National Convention to take place in Tampa, FL from August 27-30 approaches, some are marshaling forces to derail the presumptive nomination of Mitt Romney for President of the United States. Some of these forces have legitimate concerns, such as Romney's statism in foreign policy as well as his personal support of allowing openly-gay people in the Boy Scouts.

However, one group is clearly motivated by the basest and most vitriolic anti-Mormon bigotry. A hate group called JewsAndChristiansTogether has launched their own campaign to persuade delegates to abstain from voting on the "crucial" first ballot. On Page 76 of their manifesto, they write, "Armed with the truth, therefore, we aim to encourage all Tampa delegates to ABSTAIN ON THE FIRST BALLOT IN FAVOR OF A NEW NAME whom they choose on Second-Ballot or later consideration in an Open Republican National Convention. By such lawful and rules-based means, genuinely republican RNC delegates can select a courageous and principled pro-Liberty champion, a seasoned and battle-tested David, who will have at least a shot at felling the giant statist who now occupies the White House".

So far, it's legitimate discourse; they think Romney's too much of a statist. But then the ugly anti-Mormon bigotry beneath festers its way to the surface. Here is but a small sampling of the anti-Mormon statements published in the section entitled "Read The Overview":

-- "So, let’s now face it squarely, the Fatal Problem: Can there be any real doubt that the fascinating metaphysics of Mitt’s Mormonism – which belligerently declares all other faiths to be 'ABOMINATIONS' – will soon find wide distribution in Bible Belt areas of FL, VA, IA and MO? Can any of us (including our own LDS loved ones and friends) watch this animated yet accurate summary of Romney’s sci-fi polytheism without cringing? No mere adherent, Romney presided as the LDS equivalent of Boston’s Cardinal Law. In 2008, Obama had his Jeremiah Wright problem; in 2012, Mormon Bishop Romney is Jeremiah Wright". Falsely equivocates Mitt Romney with former Boston Catholic Archbishop Bernard Law, who resigned in 2002 in response to the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal after Church documents were revealed which suggested he had covered up sexual abuse committed by priests in his archdiocese, and to Jeremiah Wright, most famous for his "God Damn America" sermon.

-- "What if it’s true that Romney does not and can never own a 'bound' majority of 1,144 'Harem Delegates' – like slaves, concubines or LDS plural wives – for a first-ballot win?" Falsely equivocates the fate of plural wives during the pioneer era with the fate of slaves and concubines.

-- "Who seriously harbors any doubt that Romney’s exotic beliefs – e.g., that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri, that Jesus is Satan’s brother, that G_d the Father physically and sexually penetrated the Virgin Mary, that each of us can become gods – will get spun this fall as those of a religious whack-o?" An absolutely repulsive and pornographic reference to our Heavenly Father and the mother of our Savior.

-- "And yet, not all belief systems are equal: While most Germans are good, Nazism was evil. While most Muslims are good, Sharia Islam is evil. While most of Jonestown’s folks were good, the People’s Church was evil. So, what about Mitt’s Mormonism? Well, for one thing, when contrasted to the USA’s core premise that all human beings are 'created equal' and 'endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights', we’re convinced Romney’s unrepudiated racist dogmas will seem so hateful … that we’ll all look like fools if we make him our 2012 nominee". Falsely equivocates Mormonism to Nazism.

-- From Page 11 of the separate manifesto: "To make some sense of Romney’s revered prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., picture Penn State’s chief pedophile – rather than a hapless Jerry Sandusky – as a charismatic and eloquent version of a young, unsullied Joe Paterno, preaching strange new offenses to football-fervent masses from a magic, allegedly heaven-sent playbook. Then, imagine that JoePa’s adoring boosters anoint him 'Prophet, Priest, King and President Pro-Tem of the World'. Next, imagine that it’s all occurring as Paterno – before his martyrdom for child molestation – solemnly and privately empowers his coaching staff and trustees to engage with trusting fans in almost every conceivable variation of adultery, pedophilia, pederasty, homoeroticism and group sex". Falsely equivocates Mitt Romney with Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno; attempts to sugarcoat Sandusky's crimes by referring to him as "hapless".

Anti-Mormon Bigotry: Detroit News Left-Wing Blogger Libby Spencer Accuses The "Mormon Church" Of Selling Unregulated Guns

Update: Since this post was published, the Detroit News changed the offending title to read "Mormon Church subsidiary facilitates sale of unregulated guns". This is more precise and less inflammatory.

A flagrant example of anti-Mormon bigotry has manifested itself on the Detroit News website. On July 22nd, 2012, Detroit News blogger Libby Spencer published a hit piece entitled "The Mormon Church sells unregulated guns" which not only blatantly misrepresents the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but is deliberately inflammatory in tone.

The reason she uses the term "Mormon Church" in her headline is because the KSL Channel 5 website in Salt Lake City runs classified ads which allow individuals to buy and sell handguns and other firearms. She claims that sales can be made without proper background checks and with no questions asked. The ads are in the section entitled "Firearms and Hunting". But because KSL is owned by Deseret Media, one of the corporate arms of the LDS Church, Spencer vaingloriously trumpets the headline "Mormon Church Sells Unregulated Guns". That's an example of slippery-slope reasoning.

At least Libby Spencer included a response by Brett Atkinson, general manager of KSL.com, who believes that the site's mission is merely to bring sellers and buyers together, and who believes the responsibility for the legality of the transaction is that of the parties involved. With each ad for firearms, KSL includes the following tip: "KSL encourages lawful, responsible and safe firearm transactions. Anyone who buys or sells firearms should become familiar with state and federal laws relating to firearm transactions. See our suggestions that you should consider when buying or selling a firearm".

Furthermore, since KSL never actually takes possession of the guns being sold, they do not have the same legal responsibilities as an actual gun dealer. So neither KSL nor the "Mormon Church" are "selling unregulated guns".

But then Spencer complains that gun transactions are different that those involving other commodities simply because guns are specifically designed to kill. Well, that's true; guns are specifically designed to kill. Many people use guns each year to kill wildlife for food or sport, to kill wild predators who attack humans and their domesticated animals, or to kill in self-defense against human predators. However, comparatively few people use guns to commit either first degree or capital murder (the shedding of innocent blood). The average gun buyer will NOT become the next James Holmes.

Libby Spencer gets called out in the comments section:

Erick Kuhni July 22nd 1:15 P.M:
This is absolute nonsense. The "Mormon" Church is not the supplier of guns, rather the KSL ads are simply a public service that allow private citizens to advertise and sell to each other. This kind of reporting is insane.

William Taylor July 22nd 2:15 P.M:
This piece of journalistic drivel is UTTERLY misleading. The writer should be fired. There is NOTHING illegal or unethical about two legal adults selling a gun between themselves. This is COMPLETELY legal. Spencer, you are trash.

Dennis Manning July 22nd 4:15 P.M:
What a joke! Does anyone take this woman and her yellow journalism seriously? You would have to brain dead not to see this for what it is. She's lucky the Church doesn't sue her for libel. Incidently, this is the second time she has posted this foolishness. She should be ashamed of herself for using the tragedy in CO to promote her liberal/secular agenda. Even Obama has more sense than her.

Even someone on the anti-Mormon website Recovery From Mormonism takes issue with Spencer:

The Motrix July 22, 2012 08:09PM:
They aren't breaking any laws there. The story is being a little crooked itself. The statement: "The Mormon Church isn’t just a house of worship, it’s a business too. In fact it’s a huge corporate conglomerate with many commericial subsidiaries, including 'one of the most active and unregulated gun sale websites in America'"

The article makes it sound like this is a website devoted to guns sales, which is completely wrong. KSL.com is a news site with a classified section, one of at least a hundred sections happens to be guns. The church makes no money off this section as an agent or seller, posting the ads are free from private citizen to private citizen, and buyers contact the seller with KSL doing nothing.

The article makes it sound like illegal activity as well. Private citizens can sell guns to private citizens without federal, or any other kind of background check. That's the law.

There are so many things wrong with the church that making up stuff just makes the public leery of any comment about the church. Reporters and others should stick to the facts without sensationalizing, they would have much more credibility.

Libby Spencer has her own personal blog called The Impolitic, which shows that her politics are clearly from the left. This belies the claim in her Detroit News blog that she's "separating fact from fiction".

Anti-Mormon Discrimination In Pennsylvania: Grove City Area Church Softball League Bans LDS Team Because They Don't Consider Mormons To Be Christians

Although more and more evangelical leaders are softening their opposition to Mitt Romney over his Mormonism, overt anti-Mormon discrimination can still occasionally poke its head above the surface. According to WPXI.com and Phillyburbs, a softball team comprised of players from a local LDS ward in Slippery Rock, PA have been banned from playing in a Christian softball league because the team is Mormon.

When the LDS team sought to play in the league, three of the 11 other teams said they'd refuse to play them. Faced with that opposition, Grove City Area Church league officials took a vote and refused to allow the team into the league, then issued the following statement:

"The GCA church softball league is intended for fellowship among Christian churches. Not for members of different faiths. To call a group who proclaims a different gospel of salvation of Christian church is not only untrue, it is unloving. We cannot do this. We will not do this."

Unloving? So does that mean exclusion of a Christian group that they arbitrarily deem un-Christian is a "loving" act? That's some pretty tough "love", I'd say. The league does have a Facebook page available for those who would like to express themselves, preferably in a Christlike fashion. If it was a specific denominational league like a Catholic league or a Lutheran league, it wouldn't be an issue. But it bills itself a "Christian" league, and Mormonism is Christian.

League officials added that LDS members would be welcome to play on various teams as individuals, but not as an organized group. However, since three of the 11 teams would have refused to play the LDS team, it is likely that many of the individual teams would not accept LDS players. Phillyburbs calls it "an act of dumbassery" and sarcastically writes, "Oh, that’d be comfortable for the Mormons, I’m sure".

This story has already produced a two-page discussion thread on the CougarUte Forum. LDS teams customarily allow non-members to participate, so long as they abide by LDS behavioral standards.

These variances will continue to happen; we shouldn't overreact. What I would do if I was the local mission president is to obtain a copy of the league's schedule, and then send a pair of missionaries to every one of the league's games to "make themselves available for public enquiries" (passive proselytization). What better way is there to break down the walls of suspicion, and to share the Gospel, than to send forth the best representatives of our Church?