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August 27, 2008
In Lehi, food, love and diamonds are harvested on church land (Daily Herald - Utah) (August 27, 2008) In Lehi, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are beating rising food prices with fresh vegetables grown on borrowed land, and even finding forgiveness, and diamonds, in the dirt. For the past four or five years, the Lehi South Stake has been allowing members to grow gardens on blank land next to two churches.
University of Wyoming to Commemorate LDS Church's 'Official Declaration-2' (UW news release - Wyoming) (August 27, 2008) The University of Wyoming will commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' "Official Declaration-2" with two events Friday, Sept. 26.
"Official Declaration-2," made in 1978, was the formal announcement that the church's priesthood would no longer be subject to restrictions based on race or skin color. Until then, the LDS Church prohibited African men to hold the priesthood and restricted women of African descent from participating in most temple rituals.
A Mormon looks at the Quran (Deseret News - Utah) (August 27, 2008) The story sounds familiar.
A prophet is given new scripture by an angel. Additional revelations are given to the prophet throughout his life. These revealed words guide the faithful as the religion grows across the world.
During Brigham Young University's Campus Education week, Daniel Peterson, Islamic Studies and Arabic professor and author of "Muhammad, Prophet of God," explained how Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century.
Time to grade reporting, again (Deseret News - Utah) (August 27, 2008) One of the primary reasons Mormon Media Observer exists is to help improve the quality of media reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through media criticism. So, like the MMO did back in December, it's time to hand out grades on recent reports about the LDS Church.
Democrats' not-so-secret fear: Romney on ticket (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 27, 2008) Utah Democrats are full of optimism, believing a public yearning for change will whittle away at the Republican dominance in the state Legislature and may even hand them control of Salt Lake County government.
But Utah delegates to the Democratic National Convention are also full of fear.
Presumptive Republican candidate John McCain is expected to pick his running mate by week's end and many observers believe he may just tap Mitt Romney.
Romney crashes Democrats' party (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 27, 2008) Mitt Romney may or may not be Sen. John McCain's running mate, but he played the role Tuesday: dropping into enemy territory at the Democratic National Convention to lambaste Barack Obama and Joe Biden on a host of issues.
Mourners reflect on crash victims (Deseret News - Utah) (August 27, 2008) Following a 24-hour wake and memorial service, the two directors of the CHOICE Humanitarian group in Guatemala were laid to rest Tuesday morning.
Javier and Walfred Rabanales were two of the 11 people killed in a plane crash Sunday in Guatemala during an emergency landing. The pilot had reportedly radioed that he was having engine problems just before the crash.
Book Review: What Harvard Business School can do for you (North Andover - Massachusetts) (August 27, 2008) The most interesting thing about “Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School” is that its author, Philip Delves Broughton, a 32-year-old dissatisfied British journalist, is the one student in his class to graduate without a job and without a notion of what to do next.
How, then, are we to trust our narrator, a man so ambivalent he doesn’t pursue the all-important summer job between year one and two of business school?
Popular notions, Bible clash over heaven (Florida Baptist Witness) (August 27, 2008) Mormons, on the other hand, teach a universalistic view of an afterlife, explained Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Philip Roberts, who has written and lectured extensively on cults.
LDS founder Joseph Smith was traumatized by the accusation that his brother who died as a teenager had gone to hell and fashioned a religion in which “everyone is going to a better place,” Roberts said. “Whether you are as evil as Adolf Hitler or whatever your lifestyle, you’re at least going to go into a telestial Kingdom, which Mormonism teaches is a far better place than this life and world, a place of great bliss and happiness.”
August 26, 2008
Mormons to the rescue (Stuff - New Zealand) (August 26, 2008) The doors to its four North Shore churches will open to provide emergency shelter should an earthquake, severe storm, tsunami or volcanic eruption hit. Even North Shore Civil Defence taps into its resources because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches key survival skills.
More on Twin Falls Temple Dedication (LDS Church news release) (August 26, 2008) President Thomas S. Monson dedicated the Twin Falls Idaho Temple Sunday, 24 August. It is the Church’s 128th temple in operation. He also attended an event celebrating the temple prior to its dedication. Several news organizations reported on the temple dedication; some of those stories are listed below.
Foes of same-sex marriage mobilize (Deseret News - Utah) (August 26, 2008) Michael Bumgarner says he's never campaigned for a political cause before, but his strong opposition to same-sex marriage has prompted him to join thousands of volunteers going door-to-door in support of a ballot initiative that would ban gay nuptials here.
"I've never stumped before, but I want to be a part of this," Bumgarner said. The retired insurance executive and devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said his late mother would "turn over in her grave" if she knew that gays and lesbians could marry.
Mitt in Denver to boost McCain (Deseret News - Utah) (August 26, 2008) Republican Mitt Romney, still seen as a top contender for his party's vice-presidential nomination, will be campaigning in the shadow of the Democratic National Convention in Denver today on behalf of the GOP.
Romney is one of several well-known Republicans going to Colorado during this week's Democratic convention to stump for the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
More than 9 million new names on FamilySearch (Deseret News - Utah) (August 26, 2008) FamilySearch continues to add new names to its free searchable genealogy databases at its online pilot program.
A news update from FamilySearch, a nonprofit service sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said that with the addition of over nine million new names this week, visitors to pilot.familysearch.org can now search more than 477 million names.
August 25, 2008
Pres. Monson dedicates Twin Falls temple (Deseret News - Utah) (August 25, 2008) Hundreds of LDS Church members from across south-central Idaho gathered here Sunday to celebrate the new Twin Falls Idaho Temple. President Thomas S. Monson dedicated the temple, the 128th worldwide for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
McCain-Romney? Dems fear it could hurt in West (San Francisco Chronicle - California) (August 25, 2008) With several polls showing Democratic Sen. Barack Obama trailing Republican Sen. John McCain in Colorado on the eve of the Democratic National Convention, some of the state's Democrats worried Sunday that McCain might pick former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as a running mate to solidify his support among a key voting bloc - Mormons.
Poll says picking Romney may help McCain in Nevada (Las Vegas Review-Journal - Nevada) (August 25, 2008) If Republican presidential candidate John McCain picks Mitt Romney as his running mate, it could give him a boost in Nevada, according to a new Review-Journal poll.
The number of Nevada likely voters who said Romney's presence on the ballot would make them more likely to vote for McCain was double the number who said they'd be less likely to vote for a McCain-Romney ticket, 26 percent to 13 percent.
Deaths of 10 stun Cedar City (Deseret News - Utah) (August 25, 2008) It was a somber scene Saturday as investigators sorted through what little was left of a plane that crashed here, killing 10 Cedar City residents.
The plane's pilot, as well as nine employees of the Red Canyon Aesthetics and Medical Spa dermatology clinic, were killed Friday night shortly after the plane took off from Canyonlands Field Airport northwest of Moab.
Family, friends offer thoughts on 10 killed in crash (Deseret News - Utah) (August 25, 2008) Sometime in the next five weeks, Kamber Ellsworth expects to deliver a baby, name him and take him home, without her husband by her side.
Kamber's husband since May 2007, Dallin Ellsworth, was one of 10 Cedar City area residents killed in a plane crash outside of Moab on Friday. The plane carried a pilot and nine employees of Red Canyon Aesthetics and Medical Spa dermatology clinic.
For Mormon bikers, faith a common road (Arizona Republic) (August 25, 2008) When these Mormons go to their temple, they rumble into the parking lot on fuel-injected wings, neckties flailing in the breeze.
The ladies wear long flowered skirts tucked into studded black chaps and stash their slips and scriptures in the saddlebags. They all keep a prayer in their hearts: Dear heavenly father, please help us watch the road.
Missionary service is a family affair (Daily Dispatch - Arizona) (August 25, 2008) Many young Latter-day Saints devote 18 months to two years of their lives as full-time missionaries.
Thousands of retired seniors also serve in various assignments from employment services to humanitarian relief.
But a number of years ago, Reginald Nelson Burt confided to a granddaughter that he had always lamented the fact that he did not have the opportunity to be a missionary for his faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Digital dash up the family tree (Lehigh Valley Live - Pennsylvania) (August 25, 2008) Researching your family tree online can be overwhelming -- but not for lack of resources.
Just the opposite: too much information.
The Mormon Church, the USGenWeb Project and others are posting millions of documents on the Web, so researchers can replace a journey to a faraway courthouse with a few mouse clicks. Tombstone information, 19th-century census records, Civil War pension files -- these and other data are available to anyone, some free, some for a fee.
August 23, 2008
Updated Meetinghouse Locator Available on LDS.org (News from the Church) (August 23, 2008) The Church launched an upgraded version of its online meetinghouse locator on August 20, 2008, that can be accessed directly at maps.lds.org or through links found at LDS.org and Mormon.org.
The enhanced program incorporates features from Google and Microsoft map search engines, providing users with a visual outlay of streets, distances, and locations.
President Samuelson Stresses Testimony of Christ (BYU NewsNet - Utah) (August 23, 2008) BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, spoke Tuesday to a crowd of mostly lawyers and legal counsel about faith in Jesus Christ and gaining a testimony of Him.
President Samuelson, a retired physician, briefly mentioned the irony of the speaker and his audience. But the subject of his discourse led to both job classes.
African-American named Dover Mormon bishop (Delaware Online) (August 23, 2008) William C. Victory Sr. of Dover is the first African-American to lead a Delaware congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Bishop Victory now serves 375 members in the Dover First Ward, as congregations are called.
He's assisted by counselors Robert W. Webster of Dover and Franklin A. Victory III of Magnolia. Franklin is William's son.
Mountain Meadows redux (Daily Herald - Utah) (August 23, 2008) The new book "Massacre at Mountain Meadows," published Thursday by Oxford University Press, brgins with these words:
"On September 11, 1857, Mormon settlers in southern Utah used a false flag of truce to lull a group of California-bound emigrants from their circled wagons and then slaughter them. When the killing was over, more than one hundred butchered bodies lay strewn across a half-mile stretch of upland meadow. Most of the victims were women and children."
Book on massacre opens old wounds (Clarion Ledger - Mississippi) (August 23, 2008) The date is etched in blood in Utah and Mormon church history and, on a more intimate level, the family trees of people like Karen Maxwell, a mother of eight and choir teacher from Salt Lake City. On Sept. 11, 1857, Mormon militiamen led the slaughter of 120 men, women and children on a wagon train bound for California in an incident known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Modern-day Mormon pioneers: An outsider looking in (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 23, 2008) On these unforgiving high plains, where the sun beats down unobstructed by shade and the winds blow through bearing blankets of dust, the landscape for lessons is wide open. Here, tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints leave their iPods and cell phones behind to put on pioneer garb, load up wooden rickshaw-like handcarts and trudge back in time.
Pioneer trek hits rocky ground (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 23, 2008) If the experience didn't mean so much to him, didn't move him to tears the way it does, Jack Peck wouldn't be concerned.
The trek master for Sandy's Canyon View Stake is the man behind the mission to expose his LDS Church community's young Latter-day Saints to a piece of their history. Earlier this summer, he led about 200 teens up to central Wyoming so they could re-enact, across the high desert, the Mormon pioneer journey - one that proved dangerous and deadly for hundreds in 1856.
LDS movie: Actress, a BYU graduate, gains new respect for those who tract (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 23, 2008) Erin Chambers looks so sweet, perky and petite, but the 28-year-old Oregon-born Brigham Young University graduate doesn't always play the good girl.
On an episode of the CBS series "Without a Trace" this season, "I was a killer, I slept with a married man and I set up bombs to destroy an ROTC building," Chambers said this week. "It seems like lately I've played killers or liars."
Charges against missionary dropped (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 23, 2008) Charges were dropped Friday against a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was accused of fondling a 12-year-old Salt Lake County boy he had recently baptized.
Third District Judge Judith Atherton dismissed a first-degree felony count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child against Kyle Saucier after prosecutors said they could not go forward because of "witness problems."
August 22, 2008
McCain Advisers Say Stance on Abortion Is Crucial for No. 2 (New York Times) (August 22, 2008) Senator John McCain has narrowed his list of potential running mates to a handful of candidates and appears unlikely to select anyone who supports abortion rights, several advisers close to his campaign said on Thursday. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota are the top candidates as Mr. McCain and his advisers gather over the next several days at Mr. McCain’s cabin near Sedona, they said.
10 Questions for Stephenie Meyer (Time Magazine) (August 22, 2008) Aside from Mitt Romney, you seem to be the most popular Mormon right now in the U.S. Do you feel that you are a good representative of your religion? —Mary-Jean Corriss CENTRAL, ISLIP, N.Y.
Being Mormon is a big part of who I am, and I try very hard to live the right way, but I don't know that I'm an example. I hate to say, "Yes, look at me. I'm a good example of being Mormon." I want to be the best person I can be, so in that aspect, maybe I'm a good example.
CIA agents in Mormon disguise are probable to work in Russia, a renowned sect expert believes (Interfax - Russia) (August 22, 2008) President of the Russian Association of Centers for Religious and Sectarian Studies Professor Alexander Dvorkin is concerned with Mormon activities in the Russian Federation.
"We have been informed that American Mormon missionaries were detained on the territory of secret military facilities more than once. They are accused of having CIA connections, and it is reasonable," he is quoted as saying by the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily on Thursday.
George Washington Inspired by God, Researcher Says (BYU NewsNet - Utah) (August 22, 2008) Despite being born nearly 100 years before the restoration of the gospel, George Washington was inspired by God throughout his life, including during the Revolutionary War, according to a physician-presenter during Wednesday's session of Education Week.
Robert Young, a dermatologist and president of Rocky Mountain Dermatology, said Washington was a necessary step to the Lord being able to restore the gospel in this dispensation.
Internet predators after 'easy targets' (Deseret News - Utah) (August 22, 2008) Internet predators prey on children who have poor relationships with their parents and are emotionally isolated, so LDS teachings about family togetherness can be a major safeguard for families.
Charles Knutson, associate professor of computer science at Brigham Young University, told an Education Week audience Wednesday that predators are very patient in zeroing in on "easy targets.
'Musical Account of Nephi' at BYU (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 22, 2008) Brigham Young University will debut a two-hour musical, "With Mine Own Hand: The Musical Account of Nephi," during Education Week.
The show began when B. Dale Zabriskie conceived of a one-man show based on the words of Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet. His wife later transformed the work into a stage play, which took 15 years. Composer Jay Richards wrote orchestral arrangements, Candi Alvarez and Lori Williams direct, with musical direction by Keenan Royceland.
Tithing picks up among Christian business owners (Chicago Tribune - Illinois) (August 22, 2008) Contractor Tom Barry stopped at the Cup of Joy Cafe in Wasco on his way to a job site on a rainy Thursday afternoon and bought a small latte.
Barry chatted with owner Chris Fisher for a few minutes, then stepped to a set of boxes mounted on a wall and stuffed his receipt into a box that benefits King's Garden Orphanage in Haiti. The orphanage got a 21-cent donation, and Fisher got a warm glow in his heart that he says comes from tithing the gross sales of his cafe to an array of faith-based and secular charities.
August 21, 2008
BYU's Campus Education Week in full bloom (Deseret News - Utah) (August 21, 2008) James Briggs was 18 and on top of the world last year as he got ready to drive to the Thursday night dance that is a main attraction for the LDS teenagers who attend Brigham Young University's annual Campus Education Week. Briggs was part of a large group of teens from around the country who had become close friends in the space of a few short days at Education Week, and he couldn't wait to hang out with the guys and dance with the girls.
Times are tough, but Utahns are still giving (Deseret News - Utah) (August 21, 2008) Despite dinged wallets due to high gas and food prices, Utah residents are giving more to at least some charities. Crossroads Urban Center got more food donations last month alone than it usually gets all summer. Salt Lake's American Cancer Society fundraising is up 6 percent. And Primary Children's Medical Center took in more than a half-million extra dollars so far this year.
Mission accomplished Newest movie about LDS proselytizers is grounded and charming (Daily Herald - Utah) (August 21, 2008) The first film to focus on sister missionaries, the young female members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who go out into the world to spread their faith two-by-two, just like their male counterparts, is a sincere and pleasant reminder that LDS films can discuss LDS culture without burying their good intentions beneath a protective coating of winking self-analysis and caricature.
Interview with Twilight Author Stephenie Meyer (Reelz Channel) (August 21, 2008) How did a Mormon housewife go from diapers and PTA meetings to the New York Times Best Seller list? It all started with a dream -- one hot, steamy, fantastic dream featuring vampires, werewolves, and the fantastic landscape that would eventually make up the Twilight universe.
Veepstakes: A Pro-Choice Runningmate? (MSNBC) (August 21, 2008) Conservatives spent much of yesterday warning McCain (not so quietly) against picking either Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman. The Washington Times: "Republican Party officials in several states are in a frenzy over how to persuade Sen. John McCain not to invite pro-choice Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman to be the Arizona senator's running mate.
August 20, 2008
Seek to improve yourselves, Elder Hales tells BYU audience (Deseret News - Utah) (August 20, 2008) Those who are wise about seeking knowledge throughout their lives are concerned about improving themselves and helping others, rather than gaining acknowledgement or accolades. Underscoring the importance of spiritual knowledge in addition to secular learning, Elder Robert D. Hales told thousands of Latter-day Saints that courage, faithful desire, humility, patience, curiosity and a willingness to share what they learn are necessary to effective lifelong learning.
What You Will Find When You Step Inside a Mormon Chapel (LDS Church news release) (August 20, 2008) Most first-time visitors to a Mormon church building comment on the number of rooms. Many expect to find one large interior space, such as in many other Christian denominations’ buildings of worship.
But meetinghouses for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are different from those used by many other religions. They include classrooms, offices, a font for baptisms, a kitchen and in many cases a cultural hall with an indoor basketball court. Cultural halls in Mormon buildings usually also have a stage, for dramatic and musical productions. And the basketball court doubles for a dance floor or dining area, among other uses.
LDS see jump in aid needs (Deseret News - Utah) (August 20, 2008) Jorge Carranza sits at a computer at LDS Employment Resource Services at Welfare Square, searching for a company looking for a worker like him.
He has come to Salt Lake City after running a California marble and granite store for 20 years. But after struggling to make ends meet the past three years, he left the shop in other hands. He's now living here in Utah with his daughters.
Church leaders use sense of humor (Deseret News - Utah) (August 20, 2008) Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have often used humor to deal with the pressures that come with their responsibilities, prompting one LDS educator to dub a sense of humor "a gift of the spirit."
Fillmore takes second-round lead in U.S. Amateur qualifying (USA Today) (August 20, 2008) Robbie Fillmore, returning to competition after two years away from the game, shot a 5-under-par 65 to take the early-second-round lead in qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Fillmore, who is a junior at Brigham Young, took time off from golf to go on a Mormon mission to Chile, during which time he never touched a club. He quickly made up for lost time when he returned, heading to the golf course about three hours after his plane landed back home in Salt Lake City.
Talk of McCain’s No. 2 Concerns Conservatives (New York Times) (August 20, 2008) Senator John McCain is facing increasing scrutiny about his selection of a running mate as some social conservatives expressed alarm on Tuesday that Mr. McCain might ask a candidate who favors abortion rights to join him on the ticket.
RCHS grad returns from two-year missionary stint in Peru (Royse City Herald-Banner - Texas) (August 20, 2008) For the past two years, 21-year-old Jacob “Jake” Luna so enjoyed serving as a full-time Spanish-speaking missionary among the poverty-stricken residents of Lima, Peru, in South America that he was willing to eat virtually nothing more than rice and beans.
And, if he ever tired of eating rice and beans, then he said he would just do as the Peruvians do and eat … beans and rice.
Illness rates down among missionaries (Deseret News - Utah) (August 20, 2008) The daily rate of illness among LDS missionaries has dropped from 38 percent two decades ago to .2 percent today, thanks to a group of doctors who now advise leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on preventative health care worldwide.
Richard Dutcher leaves the Mormon church and a genre (Los Angeles Times - California) (August 20, 2008) RICHARD DUTCHER didn't set out to become a filmmaking messiah. Before he became known as "the father of modern Latter-day Saint cinema," Dutcher was simply a writer-director-actor hustling for movie work in late '90s Los Angeles. That is, until the devout Mormon took stock of an underserved filmgoing community -- his own.
August 19, 2008
Twin Falls temple tours exceed expectations (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (August 19, 2008) Officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say tours of the new temple in Twin Falls exceeded expectations.
Spokesman Terry McCurdy says nearly 160,000 visitors toured the building during the month it was open to the public. That total is about 10,000 more than church officials anticipated.
The public tours ended Saturday.
John Bytheway on 'spiritual weeds' (Deseret News - Utah) (August 19, 2008) Life is a constant battle against weeds, said John Bytheway in his opening address at Brigham Young University's Campus Education Week.
And although he's fought off his fair share of dandelions, the popular youth speaker was referring to spiritual nuisances more than physical ones.
Film portrays sister missionary (BYU NewsNet - Utah) (August 19, 2008) A new Mormon movie is coming out this month, with a sister missionary as the main character.
"The Errand of Angels," the newest motion picture from Excel Entertainment, is having its debut in theaters on August 22.
Editorial: A blast from a past Minnesota governor (Star Tribune - Minnesota) (August 19, 2008) With less than two weeks before the start of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, John McCain is heading into the homestretch for making his vice presidential selection. An impassioned, sharply worded salvo from former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson suggests that there's growing dissent over that selection process within the normally disciplined GOP ranks.
Layton book rips national GOP for anti-Mormon bias (Standard - Utah) (August 19, 2008) Frustrated by the treatment former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney received from the "religious right" in his run for U.S. president, a Layton historian has written a book documenting the anti-Mormon bias amidst the national GOP party.
The 244-page, softcover book, "A Different God? Mitt Romney, The Religious Right and the Mormon Question" by Craig L. Foster, lists for $24.95 and is now available online at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com and is expected to reach book stores by Aug. 21.
Utah's birthrate highest in U.S. (Deseret News - Utah) (August 19, 2008) Utah women had the nation's highest fertility rate in 2006 — for the "all around" — according to Census estimates released Monday. About one of every 12 Utah women of child-bearing age gave birth that year. Nationally, only one of every 18 did....."It's clear that Mormon culture is what drives it for the most part," said University of Utah research economist Pam Perlich, who adds the fertility rate in Utah is higher than even in Mexico.
“Educating the Soul" exhibit to open at Joseph F. Smith Building Gallery at BYU (BYU news release) (August 19, 2008) “Educating the Soul: Our Zion Tradition of Learning and Faith,” the permanent exhibit in the Joseph F. Smith Building Gallery on the Brigham Young University campus, will be open to the public beginning Monday, Aug. 18.
The exhibit will be available during Education Week, Monday through Friday, Aug. 18-22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday and until 5 p.m. the remainder of the week.
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