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2 May 2012
Juan Williams: Latino, Mormon, Tea Party Favorite -Raúl Labrador Stands at Intersection of 2012 Elections
May 2, 2012
Fox News Latino
Congressman Raúl Labrador, is a Latino at the center of 2012′s explosive politics. He is a Mormon, a freshman Republican who is a Tea Party favorite, a native of Puerto Rico and the most popular politician in bright red, conservative Idaho.
And, third, he is Mormon in a year in which a fellow Mormon is the likely GOP candidate for President.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/05/02/juan-williams-keep-your-eye-on-labrador/
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GOP congressman on Mormons: Americans ‘reluctant to vote for somebody who’s different’
May 1, 2012
The Hill
A Republican congressman said Tuesday that “every American is reluctant to vote for somebody who’s different than they are” while discussing Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith.
Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), who is Mormon and Hispanic, said Romney faces a unique challenge in his bid for the White House.
“You know, I think every American is reluctant to vote for somebody who’s different than they are, whether it’s Mormon or whether something else. And I think what you have to do as a Republican, as a politician, is to convince the people that even though you’re different than they are, that you still believe in the same things that they believe in,” Labrador told Fox News Latino.
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Mormonism Is The Fastest Growing Religion In Half Of U.S. States According To 2012 Religious Congregations And Membership Study
May 2, 2012
Huffington Post
Mitt Romney may or may not become the first Mormon to move into the White House next year, but a new study shows that Mormonism is moving into more parts of the country than any other religious group, making it the fastest-growing faith in more than half of U.S. states.
The 2012 Religious Congregations and Membership Study, released here Tuesday (May 1), shows that the mainline Protestants and Catholics who dominated the 20th century are literally losing ground to the rapid rise of Mormons and, increasingly, Muslims.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/mormonism-fastest-growing-religion_n_1469566.html
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Muslim, Mormon numbers increase in US
May 3, 2012
China Post
“Christians are the largest group in every state, but some of the things we found interesting was the growth of the Mormons, who reported the largest numerical gain in 26 states,” said Jones, who presented the report to a conference in Chicago.
The number of Mormons, whose Utah-based church’s formal name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, grew by 45 percent to 6.1 million in 2010, according to the census, which asked 236 religions to count their own adherents. Family members of adherents were generally included in the numbers.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/art/lifestyle/2012/05/03/339846/Muslim-Mormon.htm
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Study shows Mormonism is fastest-growing faith in half of U.S. states
May 1, 2012
Washington Post
Mitt Romney may or may not become the first Mormon to move into the White House next year, but a new study shows that Mormonism is moving into more parts of the country than any other religious group, making it the fastest-growing faith in more than half of U.S. states.
The 2012 Religious Congregations and Membership Study, released here Tuesday (May 1), shows that the mainline Protestants and Catholics who dominated the 20th century are literally losing ground to the rapid rise of Mormons and, increasingly, Muslims.
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US religious shift: Muslims, Mormons lead way
May 2, 2012
RT
For the first time, American Muslims outnumbered Jews in most of the country’s Midwest and parts of the South. They were even more numerous than Mormons during the given period.
The number of Mormons grew by 45 per cent to 6.1 million in 2010.
“Christians are the largest group in every state, but some of the things we found interesting was the growth of the Mormons, who reported the largest numerical gain in 26 states,” said Dale Jones, a researcher who worked on the study and presented it to a conference in Chicago on Tuesday.
Mormons, whose Utah-based church’s formal name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are traditionally the nation’s fastest-growing Christian group. This year, however, experts are surprised with where the faith is leading its way – Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota and other states far outside the West’s traditional “Mormon corridor”.
http://rt.com/usa/news/us-religious-census-unveiled-417/
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The changing face of religious America: Census reveals how number of Muslims in U.S. has DOUBLED since 9/11 – while Mormonism has spread to East Coast
May 2, 2012
Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
Mormons and Muslims are now two of the most rapidly growing religious groups in the United States – swiping ground from the Protestants and Catholics who dominated the country throughout the 20th century.
In a census that today reveals the changing face of religious America, Muslim numbers have swelled from 1.5 million to 2.6 million – a 66 per cent rise – in the 10 years since the terrorist attacks on New York on September 11, 2001. The rise has been fueled by immigration and conversions, researchers believe.
Following closely behind is Mormonism, which rocketed by 45 per cent from 4.2 million to 6.1 million followers across the country in 2010 – gaining the most members of any religious group since 2000.
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Mormonism leading way in U.S. religious growth
May 1, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
To many observers, it may be old news that the missionary-minded LDS Church is the nation’s fastest-growing Christian group.
What may be surprising, though, is where the Utah-based faith is leading the way — Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota and other states far outside the West’s traditional “Mormon corridor.”
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54026798-78/lds-church-religious-christian.html.csp
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Muslims bypass Mormons as fastest-growing religion in Illinois
May 1, 2012
Chicago Tribune (Illinois)
Muslims have become the third-largest religious group in the state after Roman Catholics and independent evangelicals. Not to mention, the fastest-growing one.
That’s according to a census of American religious congregations unveiled Tuesday in Chicago.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-religion-census-0502-20120428,0,1601511.story
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RELIGION: Catholic Church dominant in Inland area
May 1, 2012
Press Enterprise (California)
The second largest denomination in the Inland area is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are called Mormons. The denomination placed fourth nationally.
Mormons have a long Inland history. Mormon pioneers sent by then-church-leader Brigham Young settled San Bernardino and other parts of the Inland area in the 1850s, said Michael Grant, public affairs director for the church in Riverside County. Grant’s great-great-grandfather was one of two high-ranking church officials who led the settlement.
Today, the large and growing Mormon population in the Inland area — there are more than 104,000 — is attracted to the region because it’s seen as a good place to raise a family, Grant said.
One of 136 Mormon temples worldwide is in Redlands.
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Religion Census: Increase in Evangelicals, Mormons, Muslims; Decrease in Catholics, Mainline Protestants
May 2, 2012
Christian Post
A decennial census of U.S. religions in America was released Tuesday by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB). The results show a dramatic increase in the number of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, and Muslims, a modest increase in the number of evangelical Protestants, and a drop in the number of Catholics and mainline Protestants.
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New study: Washington ranks 45th for church going
May 2, 2012
Bellingham Herald (Washington)
The Mormon Church, however, continued to expand as one of the state’s fastest-growing religious groups, increasing its numbers by a reported 50 percent since 2000.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/05/01/2505552/new-study-washington-ranks-45th.html
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Religion Census charts congregations: 2010 survey is first to list independent evangelical bodies
May 2, 2012
The Republic (Indiana)
The 2010 U.S. Religion Census revealed that evangelicals affiliated with independent churches make up the third-largest religious group in the nation. In fact, in 48 out of 50 states, “sovereign” evangelicals occupy a top five spot. Meanwhile, Mormons rank as the fastest-growing group in the nation, followed by Muslims.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/RELIG-CENSUS_7902444/RELIG-CENSUS_7902444/
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How NOT to Investigate Mitt Romney’s Mormon Ties
May 2, 2012
Religion Dispatches
The Murphy piece highlights a problem the media (including left-leaning journalists) are facing right now as they furiously cast about for a handle on Romney story, desperately seeking content to feed the crazed digital media cycle: Mormonism is likely the most exciting element of the Romney story. How to spin Romney’s connection to the faith?
One well-worn option is to use his Mormonism to make Romney look fringe by connecting him to figures like Skousen. Call it the Jon Krakauer approach: focus on extreme political thought, or Mexican polygamy, or nineteenth-century history.
But as I’ve written here, the real story of Mormonism today is not at the sensational fringes. It’s about a twenty-first century church completing an aggressive transition from regionally-specific American theocracy to multinational corporation. It’s a story in which luxury shopping malls and gay suicides feature far more prominently than the White Horse prophecy.
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After doubts, some evangelical leaders put faith in Mitt Romney
May 1, 2012
The Morning Call (Pennsylvania)
In October, Texas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress ignited a firestorm by calling Mormonism a “cult” and telling Republicans not to vote for Mitt Romney because the presidential aspirant was not a “competent Christian.”
Today, Jeffress is endorsing Romney.
He is just one of many evangelical Christian leaders putting aside their suspicion of the former Massachusetts governor, a Mormon, to support him against President Barack Obama ahead of this November’s election.
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/elections/mc-mitt-romney-2012-evangelicals-20120501,0,6053319.story
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Pfizer settles lawsuit involving Celebrex
May 1, 2012
Atlanta Journal Constitution (Georgia)
Pfizer Inc. has settled a lawsuit filed by Brigham Young University over development of the blockbuster painkiller Celebrex for $450 million, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday.
Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed in an announcement by the drug company and the Mormon Church-owned school in Utah.
However, Pfizer said in a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it was taking a $450 million charge against first-quarter earnings to settle the case.
BYU and Pfizer battled for six years over the discovery of an enzyme that led to the development of Celebrex, a breakthrough in the treatment of arthritis and inflammation. A jury trial had been set to start May 29 in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City.
BYU had sought a 15 percent royalty on sales of Celebrex, or about $9.7 billion. The university also could have sought billions of dollars more in punitive damages and interest.
http://www.ajc.com/health/pfizer-settles-lawsuit-involving-1429314.html
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Pfizer Settles B.Y.U. Lawsuit Over Development of Celebrex
May 1, 2012
New York Times
Pfizer has settled a lawsuit filed by Brigham Young University, over development of the blockbuster painkiller Celebrex, for $450 million, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in an announcement by the drug company and the university, which the Mormon Church owns, in Utah.
However, Pfizer said in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was taking a $450 million charge against first-quarter earnings to settle the case.
Brigham Young and Pfizer battled for six years over the discovery of an enzyme that led to the development of Celebrex, a breakthrough in the treatment of arthritis and inflammation. A jury trial had been set to start May 29 in United States District Court in Salt Lake City.
Brigham Young had sought a 15 percent royalty on sales of Celebrex, or about $9.7 billion. The university also could have sought billions of dollars more in punitive damages and interest.
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Mia Love: Could a black Mormon become the GOP’s next big star?
May 2, 2012
The Grio
Mia Love is a woman who is comfortable going against the grain. The young, black, Mormon convert made history when she was elected Utah’s first female African-American mayor.
Now, in a major upset she’s the GOP nominee for the states newly created 4th Congressional District. The 37-year-old will face six-term incumbent Democratic Rep., Jim Matheson, for the seat in November.
If she wins, she will be the first African-American female Republican ever elected to Congress, as well as the first black representative for Utah in Congress, which is no mean feat.
http://www.thegrio.com/politics/mia-love-black-mormon-could-be-the-next-big-gop-star.php
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Mormons on the rise: get to know them
May 2, 2012
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
Florida’s Mormon population grew by 61,305 for a total of 136,925 with 235 congregations in the state.
With the prospect of electing the first Mormon president comes an increase in awareness and understanding of what it means to be a Mormon. The May/June issue of Relevant magazine addresses the question of whether Mormonism is Christianity or a cult with a side-by-side comparison of Mormon beliefs and Christian beliefs.
Among the differences: Mormons believe God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost are three independent beings and that God is the literal father of Jesus; the Bible and the Book of Mormon are both the inspired Word of God; Jesus’ death and resurrection provide the possibility for salvation, but salvation itself comes with acceptance into the church through baptism and perfected after being judged; the biblical account of Jesus’ life is true, but after his resurrection, he came to America where he started the church.
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Meet the Preppers… and the Mormons (Part 2)
May 2, 2012
Broward Palm Beach New Times (Florida)
Of course, I discovered that at least one actual faith had been doing this for some time: the Mormons. (Read about the connections between prepping and the Mormon church.) When I discovered an unofficial Mormon-targeted publication, the LDS Preparedness Manual, I noticed several epigraphs near the front, useful quotes from influential people.
“In mercy the Lord warns and forewarns. He sees the coming storm, knows the forces operating to produce it, and calls aloud through His prophets, advises, counsels, exhorts, even commands–that we prepare for what is about to befall and take shelter while yet there is time. But we go our several ways, feasting and making merry, consoling conscience with the easy fancy of ‘time enough’ and in idle hope that the tempest will pass us by, or that, when it begins to gather thick and black about us we can turn back and find shelter.”
- James E Talmage, The Parables of James E. Talmage, p. 50
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2012/05/preppers_mormons_james_talmage_stevens.php
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House candidate and rising GOP star is black, female – and Mormon
May 1, 2012
CNN
Love, who has attracted lots of national Republican support, also stands out because of her religion: She’s a Mormon. The politician is a poster child for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ campaign to present a more diverse face to a historically very white church.
“There are a lot of people who have tried to define me as a person,” Love, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, told CNN’s Kyra Phillips in an interview Tuesday. “I’m not a victim, and I don’t allow anybody to put me in a box.”
In the CNN interview, Love talked about how Mormonism would affect Mitt Romney’s candidacy more than her own, which is happening in the most Mormon state in the nation.
“You know I don’t think those are the issues that Americans really care about,” Love said when asked about the role of Romney’s religion in the presidential campaign. “I think Americans care about jobs, the economy; they care about the debt and deficit spending. … Being a Mormon is part of who he is as a person, and I don’t think it should deter from the issues.”
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Korbanot, or why Jews should act more like Mormons
May 2, 2012
Jewish Journal (California)
If this sounds vaguely like the commitment that young Mormons give to two years of missionary work, it should. One profound difference, however, stands out: The mission for Jews on korban will be tikkun olam, not increasing membership. We come close to God by giving of ourselves, not by building institutions.
All very well and good, you might say, but who will organize this? At first, no one will. Korban need not constitute a formal, single institution (another way in which it will differ sharply from Mormon missions). Implementing korban can begin informally through current Jewish institutions, most prominently synagogues and university Hillels. Young children in shuls grow up thinking about and preparing for their bar and bat mitzvahs. Perhaps teenagers begin thinking about their Birthright trip. Our task is to start saying, as a matter of course, “So if and when you go on your korban, you might want to …” Something can be encouraged without being mandatory: it can emerge bottom-up.
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UNPACKING ANN ROMNEY: HOW A WOULD-BE MORMON FIRST LADY LOOKS ABROAD
May 1, 2012
Worldcrunch
The proud husband tells how they met in primary school, about their flirting in high school — and their marriage of 42 years. If he wanted to dismiss prejudices on Mormons, the former Governor of Massachusetts couldn’t do it in a better way: they seem to be the perfectly happy and monogamous couple.
Until now, the Mormon debate has been largely avoided, except for one attack at the beginning of the campaign from an evangelical pastor close to then candidate Rick Perry, governor of Texas. But prejudices don’t die easily and for many Americans, the Mormon faith is still associated with polygamy – even if the practice has been forbidden for a century. Comedian Stephen Colbert even joked about it in a recent television appearance, saying Mitt Romney’s great-grandfather was exiled to Mexico with “his wife” (a picture appears on the screen), “and his wife” (second picture), “and his wife” (third picture). Miles Park Romney did in fact have multiple wives – five in total. He married the last one just before the prohibition of polygamy in 1890. He also had 30 children.
http://www.worldcrunch.com/unpacking-ann-romney-how-would-be-mormon-first-lady-looks-abroad/5168
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The Wrinkles in the Grenell Story
May 2, 2012
Daily Beast
Some publications on the left picked up on Rubin’s report and suggested that Grenell had been driven from his job by, among others, Bryan Fischer, a top official at the social conservative American Family Association. Fischer is perhaps best known for a series of inflammatory statements about gays, Muslims, Mormons, and others.
Last October, Fischer was scheduled to speak after Romney at the Values Voter summit in Washington. Knowing Fischer’s record, and already concerned by anti-Mormon comments from another attendee, Robert Jeffress, Romney decided to use his speech to condemn Fischer, although not by name.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/02/grenell-story.html
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The curious resignation of Richard Grenell
May 2, 2012
Examiner
Some publications on the left picked up on Rubin’s report and suggested that Grenell had been driven from his job by, among others, Bryan Fischer, a top official at the social conservative American Family Association. Fischer is perhaps best known for a series of inflammatory statements about gays, Muslims, Mormons, and others. Last October, Fischer was scheduled to speak after Romney at the Values Voter summit in Washington. Knowing Fischer’s record, and already concerned by anti-Mormon comments from another attendee, Robert Jeffress, Romney decided to use his speech to condemn Fischer, although not by name.
“We should remember that decency and civility are values, too,” Romney said. “One of the speakers who will follow me today has crossed that line. Poisonous language does not advance our cause.” For his part, Fischer later took the stage and said, “The next president needs to be a man of sincere, authentic, genuine Christian faith” — a remark widely construed as a suggestion that the Mormon Romney be excluded from consideration for the White House.
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The Richard Grenell Fiasco: How a Cynical Political Move Blew Up in Mitt Romney’s Face
May 2, 2012
Huffington Post
This entire fiasco presents a hard truth to our media, which seems to want to think otherwise: Mitt Romney is anti-gay, no matter what he supposedly truly believes (and can we please not forget he’s a devout Mormon?). He can’t be anything else and keep the support of his party because the chasm that separates the GOP base from the rest of America is now bigger than the Grand Canyon. The Ohio Arts Company does not make an Etch A Sketch large enough for this. The GOP has gone so far to the extremes that it’s preposterous to think Romney or anyone can pull it back anytime soon. You thought Rush Limbaugh was something? Meet gay-bashing, Muslim-bashing, immigrant-bashing, you-name-it-bashing Bryan Fischer, today crowned as the new king of the GOP.
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MEDIA MISSES POINT ON MORMONISM: RACE AND THE PRIESTHOOD
May 1, 2012
Big Journalism
There you have it. Mormons don’t know why the restriction existed, but it doesn’t now. Why was Moses directed to have the priesthood restricted to Aaron and his sons in the Old Testament, with only the tribe of Levi assisting them, and without extending the priesthood to any other tribes (see Exodus 28, Leviticus 8, and Numbers 1)? We don’t know the answer to that either. Why was the gospel not preached to the Gentiles until after Peter’s vision following Christ’s resurrection (see Acts 10)? Why was Christ’s earthly ministry restricted to the Jews? There are numerous examples of restrictions of the gospel or parts of the gospel from groups of people in the Old and New Testaments.
During the time of Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the LDS Church, blacks were allowed to have the priesthood. Smith and the Church strongly opposed slavery. The early LDS Church members were driven out of the state of Missouri by murderous mobs and the Extermination Order issued by Governor Boggs in 1838, in large part because of the LDS position against slavery. There have always been black members of the Church, and their numbers have grown worldwide. Racial tolerance has always been a defining principle of the LDS Church. Our fundamental belief is that all people are children of God and God loves all His children and so should we, following the example and teachings of Jesus Christ.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/04/30/media-misses-point-on-mormonism-race-priesthood
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UTAH COMMUNITY RALLIES AGAINST BULLYING AFTER TEEN’S SUICIDE
May 1, 2012
Think Progress
Over 100 people gathered in Ogden, Utah yesterday to rally against anti-LGBT bullying and to hold a candlelight vigil for the community’s recent loss. Many people who spoke at the forum described themselves as “married, straight, and Mormon” but committed to loving family members and neighbors who might be gay. The Utah Pride Center announced the creation of an anti-bullying hotline for youth, parents, and teachers seeking assistance, especially considering the state has no anti-bullying laws in place.
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Obama “playing defense,” but has advantage on electoral map
May 1, 2012
Reuters
Other factors could help Romney in the West. Nevada has been hit hard by a 12 percent state unemployment rate and record home foreclosures. It also has a big Mormon population and remains a friendly target for Romney, who is Mormon.
Republicans also are confident of keeping Arizona, a conservative state with a high foreclosure rate, a significant Mormon population and a long history of backing Republicans in presidential elections.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/01/us-usa-campaign-map-idUSBRE8401E820120501
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LIST: Five Reasons Why BuzzFeed Should Be Allowed to Join the Romney Press Pool
May 2, 2012
Slate
4. Is there some surplus of young Mormon political reporters that the campaign can call on if it stiffs McKay Coppins?
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