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7 May 2012
“Stately and Magnificent” Mormon Kansas City Missouri Temple Dedicated
May 6, 2012
The Kansas City Missouri Temple was formally dedicated Sunday in three sessions by President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). The dedicatory sessions were broadcast to congregations of the Church within the temple district.
President Monson said this “stately and magnificent temple in the lovely part of the country, really the heartland of America, … will shine as a beacon of righteousness to all who will follow its light — the light of the gospel, the light of the Savior.”
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/president-monson-dedicates-kansas-city-missouri-mormon-temple
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How NOT to keep people from leaving the Church
May 6, 2012
FAIR Blog
A testimony must be nourished with great care, and should not be neglected. Otherwise, when exposed to difficulties, our testimony can slowly diminish and finally leave us. (See Alma 32:37-38.) Those difficulties may take the form of a desire to play golf on Sunday, or lack of friendship in a ward, or some doctrine or historical aspect of the Church that seems troubling. Clearly, adultery can drive a person from the Church, and such a person may even look for doctrinal or historical problems to justify leaving the Church when the root cause is actually adultery. However, in teaching a lesson on how we can help prevent people from leaving, it struck me that in forcefully (even contentiously) advancing the argument that it is serious sin, and only serious sin, that causes people to leave, this man may be creating an atmosphere in his ward that may create difficulty for someone who is struggling with a doctrinal issue and, ironically, accelerate that person’s exit from the Church. And in taking a contentious approach to his view, he may be driving away the very Spirit that is essential to building faith.
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The Book of Mormon in Hebrew–A Labor of Love
May 7, 2012
Jewish Journal (California)
On this blog I occasionally profile people whose work should be known by both Mormons and Jews. When I heard that there was a rocket scientist in Alabama who is working on a Hebrew translation of the Book of Mormon, I knew that I had to find out more. By day Tom Irvine analyzes shock and vibration data from rocket vehicles for NASA. In his spare time, he translates the Book of Mormon into Hebrew. Since Mormons believe that the book was originally written in “reformed Egyptian” characters by people who also knew Hebrew (leading most LDS scholars to claim that it was written in either Egyptian or in Hebrew using an Egyptian script), this translation project promises to be an interesting one.
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Trying to count the Mormon sheep 101
May 7, 2012
Get Religion
I experienced this Godbeat flashback while reading a short, but very clear, report by the Peggy Fletcher Stack in The Salt Lake City Tribune that focused on a question that will probably be asked a zillion times or more in the next six months. That urgent question: How many Mormons are there in the United States, anyway?
In this case, this veteran religion-beat pro had to walk readers through several levels of statistical twists and turns. The result is complex, but clear.
The hook for the story, she explains, was an eyebrow-raising number in the U.S. Religion Census.
http://www.getreligion.org/2012/05/trying-to-count-the-mormon-sheep-101/
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Two writers use the Book of Mormon to score political points
May 7, 2012
Deseret News (Utah)
Two prominent articles and statements in the last month have used the Book of Mormon in this way, and I rebuke the use made of the Book of Mormon.
The first was in the online magazine Salon from Salt Lake blogger Troy Williams about how the Book of Mormon and Mormon history teaches Socialism. The article’s subheadline: “Joseph Smith would be horrified by the religion’s present-day materialism — and uber-capitalist candidate.”
In fairness, some of Williams’ article was thoughtful and thought-provoking, but exactly why is it Salon’s role to glibly say what would horrify Joseph Smith?
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Praiseworthy, May 7, 2012: Mormon group tackles to-do list
May 7, 2012
Santa Cruz Sentinel (California)
Many heartfelt thanks to the 50 Mormon Church volunteers who participated in the Lend a Hand on Cleanup Day on April 28 as a part of the Mormon Church statewide program.
A tremendous amount of maintenance and infrastructure improvements were accomplished including painting the food storage area, washing windows, repairing damaged stucco, installing concrete parking lot bumpers, power-washing canapes and hundreds of food crates, along with weeding and ground maintenance, thus completing all that was on our spring maintenance list.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/ci_20564436/praiseworthy-may-7-2012-mormon-group-tackles-do
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Everything You Need to Know About Mormonism
May 6, 2012
Alter Net
Romney doesn’t add — and why should he? — that Pratt was murdered in 1857, by the husband of a woman he took as one of his “plural wives.” (His ninth.) Pratt was in San Francisco proselytizing and promoting polygamy. The woman converted and eloped with Pratt, then pretended to renounce Mormonism in order to get her children from her parents, where her estranged husband had sent them. The husband tracked Pratt from California to Arkansas, and shot him dead when it became clear that he could not have Pratt jailed. This incident contributed to the general sense of apocalyptic paranoia among the Mormon community that led to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, in which Mormon settlers — acting, according to some, on orders from Brigham Young — killed an entire wagon train of families on their way to California. There were rumors, before the Mormon militia attacked the wagon train, that Pratt’s killer was among the mostly wealthy Arkansans in the train. The Mormons attempted to blame the murder of children and women on Indians, though Mark Twain and others believed that the “Indians” were likely Mormons in war paint. (Archaeological evidence — dug up, embarrassingly, during preparations for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics — supports that theory.)
http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/155296/everything_you_need_to_know_about_mormonism/
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Orson Scott Card, conservative grouch: Against gay marriage, for Tyler Perry
May 7, 2012
New York Daily News
Orson Scott Card is justly famous for “Ender’s Game,” the 1985 science-fiction classic that has been a favorite of young readers for generations. Less known are Card’s right-wing politics, especially his longstanding criticism of marriage equality. (Image: Wikipedia)
Raised a Mormon, Card remains a committed member of the Church of Latter-day Saints, and it is not unlikely that his religion has shaped his highly conservative social outlook.
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Oddball Author Orson Scott Card Hates Gays, Martin Scorcese, Parking Meters And Turtles
May 7, 2012
Queerty
This isn’t a situation where an artist or creator just belongs to a faith that condemns homosexuality, a la Twlight’s Mormon author Stephanie Meyer: Card, also a Mormon, has advocated overthrowing the government if it tries to redefine marriage. He’s written that “the dark secret of homosexual society… is how many homosexuals first entered into that world through a disturbing seduction or rape or molestation or abuse.”
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Define ‘Charity,’ Define ‘Humanity’
May 7, 2012
Huffington Post
On his April 27 broadcast of “Real Time” on HBO, while challenging whether the Mormon Church is a charity, Bill Maher told viewers that donating to the arts also does not qualify as charitable giving. He brought up the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and how people who give to it get tax deductions for their charitable giving. He argued that this, too, does not qualify as a charity, because “unlike food and water, access to Mozart is not a basic human necessity.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susanne-mentzer/bill-maher-charity_b_1492085.html
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Mitt Romney brood grows, twin grandchildren born using surrogate
May 7, 2012
Christian Science Monitor
Tagg Romney spoke with the Mormon Church about his family’s plans before the children were born, a campaign aide said. Michael Purdy, a spokesman for the LDS Church, said, the church discourages surrogate motherhood but leaves the decision to individual members.
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Three Things Mitt Romney Shouldn’t Talk About
May 7, 2012
Huffington Post
There are others who want to make an issue of Romney’s Mormon faith, and how large a role Mormonism plays in his life. Yes, it’s true that if, to paraphrase John F. Kennedy, Romney’s Mormon faith would in any way interfere with his judgments on key social, or national security issues that face him as president, he should do as JFK said, and offer to step down. You can bet that wouldn’t happen though. You can also bet that, if given a first term, Romney would say and do anything necessary to win a second term.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jayne-lyn-stahl/mitt-romney-approval-ratings_b_1485945.html
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Glenn Beck Dashes Out Book Series
May 6, 2012
Wall Street Journal
Two years ago, while on vacation, talk-show host Glenn Beck read all six books in Chris Stewart’s series “The Great and Terrible.” In its good-versus-evil story line he saw a metaphor for the current state of the world.
Now Mr. Beck’s publishing imprint is having the books rewritten and re-edited into a series of 10 e-books that blend Middle East politics, techno high jinks, and end-of-the-world derring-do, while cutting the references to Mormon scripture and gospel beliefs.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304488504577384091045361350.html
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Meet the UDFAs — Fangupo
May 7, 2012
CBS Sports
At 26, BYU DT Loni Fangupo is old for a rookie, yet is brimming with promise. The 6-1, 323-pounder played a year at USC before transferring to BYU. Prior to embarking on his gridiron career, Fangupo spent two years on a Mormon mission in the Philippines after high school.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/post/18983371
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Romney should avoid pandering to anti-Muslim sentiments
May 7, 2012
Sacramento Bee (California)
During his last presidential run he said he would not appoint a Muslim to his presidential Cabinet since “based on the numbers of American Muslims in our population” as a percentage, “I cannot see that a Cabinet position would be justified.”
That is pretty big talk coming from Romney since he’s a Mormon, and Mormons account for only about 2percent of the total American population – almost the same percentage as American Muslims.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/07/4471271/romney-should-avoid-pandering.html
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Rachel Maddow slams Romney campaign chairman for outing gay reporter
May 7, 2012
San Deigo LGBT Weekly (California)
Peter Zuckerman, a reporter for the Idaho Falls Post-Register, received critical acclaim for his work uncovering the details of child molester and Boy Scout leader Bradley Stowell’s protection at the hands of Mormon Church leaders. Journalist Jody May Chang of As I See It writes that, in response to Zuckerman’s reporting on the case, VanderSloot ran a full-page ad closely resembling a news story in length and formatting in which he spoke against Zuckerman and also revealed his status as a gay man. During his time on “The Rachel Maddow Show,” Zuckerman explained that the ad had “a tremendous impact,” including widespread discrimination on the part of members of the small and conservative community in which he and his partner lived.
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Pastor says that God wants Christians to vote for Ron Paul
May 6, 2012
God Discussion
Back in March, when Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum was still in the race, Pastor Steve Andrew, president of USA Christian Ministries and author of “Making A Strong Christian Nation,” claimed that God wanted Christians to vote for Rick Santorum. He had claimed that God will be angry if Mitt Romney is elected because he is a Mormon and that Jesus says to turn away from President Obama.
Now that Santorum is out of the race and that Newt Gingrich has dropped out, too, Andrew says that God-fearing Christians need to vote for Ron Paul, “the only true Christian candidate.”
http://www.goddiscussion.com/96385/pastor-says-that-god-wants-christians-to-vote-for-ron-paul/
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NOTE: This is posted for those who are interested in keeping abreast what is being said around the world about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members. MormonVoices cannot and does not guarantee the validity or truthfulness of any information reported. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of this information lies with the reader. As all information comes from other news sources and has not been independently verified, MormonVoices cannot guarantee or be responsible for the security of links in the clipping service. MormonVoices will attempt as much as possible to exclude news articles containing strongly offensive language or which lead to offensive images, but cannot guarantee that some will not slip through.
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