LDS Author Kim Rives Talks About Her Near-Death Experience Documented In Her Book "My Walk Through Heaven"

Fifty-one-year old Kim Rives, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has written a book entitled "My Walk Through Heaven", in which she documents a near-death experience leading to a short trip back to the spirit world. She has captivated audiences throughout Utah and the West who have invited Rives for seminars. And her basic message to such groups: The only three things that truly matter are that people love, forgive and serve one another. You can read the full story in the Salt Lake Tribune; a short summary and a key excerpt are provided below.

You can visit Kim Rives' website and find out more about her book HERE.

The countdown to Rives' experience began in 1997, when doctors found examined a lump on her breast that was the size of an egg. It was determined to be cancerous. At first, she refused traditional medicine, and tried to cure it with diet and nutrition. But when the cancer continued to progress, Rives agreed to chemotherapy. Weakened from the disease and treatment, she slept much of the time and no longer could work. At one point before a bone-marrow transplant, she was near death from viruses due to a weakened immune system. Lying on a rented hospital bed in her mother's second bedroom, she prayed for release from her pain. God's answer to that prayer was a glimpse of heaven she never will forget, described below:

Rives, according to her own account, was led by a messenger through a beautiful, rose-studded meadow to a city -- bypassing two others -- that boasted streets of gold and diamond-studded buildings.

Inside a classroom, she says, she met her deceased grandmother, who was teaching other ancestors about genealogy. She also met Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He, too, was teaching a lesson. Her twin sisters, who had died in infancy, were there, and she saw a vision of her premortal self learning to love music.

Rives says she was taught about forgiveness from her Mother in Heaven and shown orphans in the Third World whose personal lights beamed brighter as they received handcrafted clothing that Rives' own mother had made.

Jesus Christ, she says, showed her his crucifixion, which was more violent and painful than she ever had imagined. From the cross, she says, "he asked me to give him my pain." Jesus also showed her a vision of the basement pigsty and her young self, surrounded by demons that she later realized symbolized the anger, depression, fear and guilt in her life. "He said, 'Kim, look to the light and live,' " she recalls. "As soon as I was willing to look at his light, they had to flee. I felt his power, strength and deliverance...He didn't point out my faults, my failings, my weaknesses. He just loved me. He's God, but here he is willing to serve me. I'm still humbled by that."

It became apparent during her trip through heaven that she was expected to return to her body. She balked. Finally, she was led to her sister's room in Logan, where Krambule was working on her master's thesis, aided by a "cute" male angel who could communicate by thought with Rives and whom her sister clearly could not see.

Rives watched as her sister answered a phone call from their mother, saying she had found Rives cold and lifeless. "It was terrifying," [Sandy] Krambule [her sister] says. "Mom was saying, 'She's gone. We've lost her.' " She demanded their mother put the phone by Rives' ear. "I told her to come back," Krambule remembers.

Suddenly, Rives began talking to Krambule, in what she now believes was her "spirit voice," through the phone receiver. Her mother, with Rives' body, saw and heard none of the conversation, but Rives assured Krambule she was in the room with her. She affirmed it by telling her what she and her little girls were doing, what they were wearing. She even told her about the cute angel helping write her master's thesis. "It was a little bit of a head trip," Krambule remembers.

Krambule again told her sister to go back to her body. The second Rives decided she should return, she was whisked through a tunnel, a portal back to earthly life.

Other Latter-day Saints have reported near-death experiences as well, most notably Betty Eadie, who wrote a series of books about her experience and the message she was told to deliver. Jedediah Grant's near-death experience is described HERE. And more experiences are documented on GreaterThings.com.

The LDS Church does not take an official position on near-death experiences, but teaches that individual members can receive personal revelation in a variety of ways. The one ground rule is that a Church member can only receive revelation applicable to self, family, and Church calling; only the President of the Church, in his capacity as Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, is entitled to receive revelation applicable to the Church as a whole. So if someone comes to you and claims he's had a revelation saying the the Church leadership has all gone astray and needs to repent, that person most likely has been influenced by Satan.

An authentic revelation may frequently present facts and truth not contained in existing scripture, but an authentic revelation will NEVER contain information explicitly contrary to existing scripture.

Douglas Dispatch Profiles Four LDS Missionaries Serving In Douglas, Arizona; Erroneously Identify Us As "Ladder-Day Saints"

On June 2nd, 2010, the Douglas Dispatch profiled four missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints currently serving in Douglas, Arizona. Throughout the article, the Dispatch refers to us as "Ladder-day Saints". Obviously a typo, but instead of being offended, I found it humorous.

Some might even suggest that serving a LDS mission is a major step up the "celestial ladder", so to speak.

The missionaries and their particulars:

-- Elder David Bradfield, an LDS convert from Phoenix, served in Tucson for seven months, then to Favens, TX for almost a year. Has been in Douglas for three months, and will finish up on July 7th.

-- Elder Jordan Schenk, born LDS from Idaho Falls. Previously served in Nogales, AZ for five months and has been in Douglas for two months. His mission ends in October 2011.

-- Elder George Hernandez, born LDS from Mexico City. Has been in Douglas for three months. He completes his mission in January 2012. He is the first missionary in his family. A bit odd that a foreign Church member would be called to serve a mission in the United States, but it does happen, which illustrates how the Church has grown outside the U.S.

-- Elder Timothy Anderson, born LDS from Kansas City, MO. Previously served in El Paso, TX for a year, just arrived in Douglas on June 2nd. Will finish his mission in June 2011.

All four appear enthusiastic about their missions. Missionaries help to serve people in need regardless of their religion. They not only proselyte, but they help people move, paint, landscape, etc. But talking to people, sharing the message of Jesus Christ, and helping people understand God has a plan for them is their primary purpose. Nevertheless, despite their distinct appearance, the missionaries want the public to see them as just normal people.

Former LDS Seminary Principal Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty To Four Felony Charges Of Sexual Abuse Of A Minor

Michael Pratt, a former seminary principal with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pleaded guilty to several sexual abuse charges on Tuesday June 1st, 2010. Pratt pleaded guilty to one count of forcible sodomy, two counts of object rape, all first-degree felonies, and one second-degree felony count of forcible sexual abuse. The most detailed story was published by the Provo Daily Herald; other useful sources include the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune, and KSL Channel 5. KSL news video embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

All previous posts on this case available HERE; the most recent post will appear first.

Pratt was charged with 15 felonies, including one count of rape, eight counts of forcible sodomy and five counts of object rape, all first-degree felonies, and one count of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, all for a sexual relationship he began in 2009 with a 16-year-old seminary student at Lone Peak High School. His trial was to have begun on June 14th. The remainder of his charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Pratt faces a sentence of five years to life in prison for the first-degree felonies and one to 15 years in prison for the second-degree felony when he is sentenced August 31st. It is expected that he will serve as much as seven years in prison; the prosecution has already agreed to concurrent sentencing. Pratt's defense team is also asking that Pratt be sent to jail rather than prison. The victim herself spoke out at length about her experience in this July 26th, 2009 Deseret News article; she's reportedly satisfied with the outcome and relieved that she will not have to "re-live" the experience on the witness stand.

Yet it appears Pratt is still in partial denial. It is reported that Pratt pleaded guilty primarily to "take responsibility in the case" and because he felt the evidence against him was too strong. There's no evidence of any overt contrition on his part yet.

Implications on Pratt's LDS Church Membership: Although the LDS Church immediately removed Pratt from his seminary position when he was first arrested, no action was taken against his Church membership pending a resolution of the case. Now that Pratt has pleaded guilty, we can expect the Church to convene a disciplinary council. Because Pratt holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, his stake president most likely will convene the council rather than his bishop. The most likely outcome is excommunication, but the Church normally does not publicly disclose the outcome of these proceedings.

Pratt could be reinstated in the Church after his prison sentence is completed if he shows complete repentance. But because he committed a sexual offense against a minor, his Church records will be annotated so that he will never be allowed to be alone with children while at a Church function. This procedure was recently reiterated by the LDS Church's outside legal counsel Von Keetch.

LDS Legal Counsel Von Keetch Explains The LDS Church's Current Position On Child Abuse And Its Disposition Of Abusers And Victims - Zero Tolerance

Because of some recent high-profile civil lawsuits involving members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who sexually abused children and teenagers in the past, most frequently during the 1980s, the LDS Church is sometimes portrayed as sweeping child abuse under the rug. The high-profile Kerry Lewis case is just the most recent example.

Not so, according to Von Keetch. And he should know; he's the chief outside legal counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And so he wrote an essay, published in Findlaw, which effectively sets forth the Church's position on child abuse and its disposition of abusers. In Matthew 18:6, Jesus Christ Himself takes extremely strong issue with child abuse, saying "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." The Church's policy reflects the Savior's tone; the LDS Church is the only church which will excommunicate ordinary members for verified child abuse. Excommunication, the harshest ecclesiastical punishment possible, terminates a person's membership in the Church. And a return to membership may take many years; perpetrators who truly change their lives can eventually be readmitted to Church membership, but their membership record is permanently marked with an annotation that precludes them from ever again associating with the Church's children or youth.

Other steps the LDS Church has taken to minimize the risk of child abuse:

-- Members are taught to be aware of the issue and to alert law enforcement and Church leaders if they believe a child is in danger. The Church fully supports compliance with child abuse reporting laws and regularly encourages members to report.

-- The Church enforces a "two-deep" policy so that adult males who work with children or youth are never alone with a minor.

-- At considerable expense, the Church is currently installing windows in the classroom doors of thousands of its meetinghouses so that children are never out of sight.

Von Keetch explains when the Church first recognized this issue to be problematic and outlines the progressive steps taken toward mitigation:

Church leaders at the highest level began making such statements and aggressively addressing the issue even before clergy-abuse cases raised public awareness in the mid-1980s. Since 1976, more than 50 articles have appeared in Church publications condemning child abuse or educating members about it. ...Church leaders have given sermons about it more than 30 times at the Church's worldwide conferences. Preventing and responding to child abuse is the subject of a regular lesson taught during Sunday meetings. The Church has produced and distributed extensive training materials for local leaders and members alike. To this day Church leaders continue to speak publicly about abuse and forcefully address it. The Church's official instructions for ecclesiastical leaders sums up the approach: "Abuse cannot be tolerated in any form."

Von Keetch also explains what LDS leaders do when they learn of abuse allegations:

When local clergy learn of alleged abuse, Church policy states that their first priority "is to help those who have been abused and to protect those who may be vulnerable to future abuse." But as anyone with experience in the area knows, dealing with alleged abuse can be very complex. Because its clergy are laymen without professional training or qualifications in social work, in 1995 the LDS Church established a 24-hour Help Line and instructed its ecclesiastical leaders to call it immediately when they learn of abuse. The Help Line is staffed by licensed social workers with professional experience in dealing with abuse. They advise clergy about how best to protect the victim from further abuse, protect others from abuse, deal with the perpetrator, and aid the healing process for victims. Child abuse is a crime with serious legal consequences. The Help Line provides legal counsel to aid clergy in complying with the law and working with law enforcement.

Reporting abuse can raise difficult legal and personal issues. State reporting laws vary greatly. A broad majority of states exempt confidential communications with clergy from reporting duties. Why? Because public policy makers have concluded that confidentiality helps victims and perpetrators alike come forward and get help. A confidential confession to a clergyperson often breaks the cycle of abuse and is the first step in a process that leads to voluntary reporting by the perpetrator, victim, or others.

Abuse victims themselves often demand confidentiality. Many victims who reveal tragic abuse experiences to clergy—some of which may have occurred decades earlier—do not want to be traumatized again by a criminal investigation and public prosecution. In navigating these complex and wrenching situations, Church clergy are instructed to comply with the law. The Church routinely reports child abuse to law enforcement. And even where reporting is not mandatory, the Church usually finds ways to get abuse reported while still respecting the victim's desire for privacy.

Of course, the Church is made up of imperfect people; variances can occur. But the mechanisms and mindsets are in place to ensure that exceptions remain exceptional -- and rare. An official LDS function is one of the safest places for kids nowadays -- we even police the music played at Church youth dances. The Church has even started a preemptive website, CombatingPornography.org, which can help those who become enmeshed in pornography fight their way out of it before they begin experimenting with live victims. Most people who become child sex abusers started out with pornography.

LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks Visits Vietnam, Meets With The Vice-President Of The Fatherland Front In Hanoi

Update June 12th: LDS Church News published a much more detailed story about this visit. The delegation also visited Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Hong Kong.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is heading up a delegation visiting Vietnam this week. On May 25th, 2010, Elder Oaks met with Ha Van Nui, the vice-president of the Fatherland Front. None of the official LDS media, either the Church News or the Mormon Times, have picked up the story yet; the only report is from the English-language Viet Nam News.

The meeting took place in Vietnam's capital city, Hanoi. Ha Van Nui told Elder Oaks that Viet Nam had 32 recognized religious organizations, all of which could become members of the Fatherland Front (the LDS Church is not officially recognized, but is permitted to operate). Ha Van Nui said he hoped the LDS Church would obey Vietnamese law as well as operate under its stated principles. In response, Elder Oaks said the Church and the Front had a lot of similarities in doing charity work, uniting people and building solidarity. Elder Oaks said one of the Church's principles is to obey the law (12th Article of Faith), and that the Church is interested in the prospect of joining the Front. The LDS Church's official database lists no entry for Vietnam; according to the media story, the Church was introduced to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) more than 25 years ago and now has about 1,000 members. The Ho Chi Minh City branch has a Facebook site HERE. Some of the American troops who served in country during the Vietnam War were LDS and undoubtedly introduced people to the Gospel while in country.

According to a February 2010 Church News article, there is also a branch in Hanoi, and President Gordon B. Hinckley visited both branches in May 1996. The article provides considerable more detail about the history of the Church in Vietnam. An August 1980 Ensign article also provides more information. A June 2009 Mormon Times article chronicles the experiences of Stanley and Mavis Steadman, of Salt Lake City, along with LaVar and Helen Bateman, of Provo, the first two missionary couples called to serve in Vietnam in 1993.

According to Wikipedia, the Fatherland Front was founded in February 1977 as an umbrella group of pro-government mass movements in Vietnam, and has close links to the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese government. It is an amalgamation of many smaller groups, including the Communist Party itself. The Front is described by the Vietnamese government as the political base of people's power. It is intended to have a significant role in society, promoting national solidarity and unity of mind in political and spiritual matters. Many of the government's social programs are conducted through the Front. Recently, it has been given a role in programs to reduce poverty. The Front is also responsible for much of the government's policy on religion, and has the ability to determine which religious groups will receive official approval.