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6 June 2012
Calgary Alberta Temple Open House, Dedication Dates Announced
June 6, 2012
The First Presidency has announced open house and dedication dates for the Calgary Alberta Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). The public is invited to visit the temple during an open house from 29 September through 20 October 2012, excluding Sundays and Saturday, 6 October. Free reservations for the open house can be made through the www.calgarymormontemple.org website in the coming weeks.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-calgary-alberta-temple-open-house-dedication-dates
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Washington Post Commentary Highlights Mormon Christianity
June 6, 2012
As discussion surrounding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) continues to expand, thoughtful individuals are seeking to better understand Latter-day Saint Christianity. In a recent opinion piece published in the Washington Post, Brigham Young University professor Robert L. Millet writes that the Church “is built upon the person, power and teachings of Jesus Christ. He is our King, our Lord, and our God.”
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/washington-post-commentary-mormon-christianity
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Mormon FAIR-Cast 91: Affirming the Book of Mormon
June 6, 2012
FAIR Blog
Kerry Shirts reviews Grant Hardy’s book, Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide. Shirts finds that Hardy’s presentation of the Book of Mormon as a narrative retelling of the story of Nephi and his family helps to illuminate the Book of Mormon in a unique and exciting way. Hardy’s book is available for purchase here, at the FAIR Book store. The video version of this presentation is available for viewing here.
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Five Wives Vodka distiller may sue Idaho over ban
June 6, 2012
Chicago Tribune (Illinois)
A Utah-based distillery on Wednesday threatened to sue Idaho for banning the sale of its Five Wives Vodka, which the state deemed an affront to Mormon residents because of its allusion to polygamy.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-vodka-idahobre8551ib-20120606,0,3875759.story
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Update: Idaho lifts ‘Five Wives Vodka’ ban
June 6, 2012
Coeur D’Alene Press (Idaho)
The Idaho State Liquor Division on Wednesday reversed direction in the face of a lawsuit and says it will sell Five Wives Vodka.
The agency in a state that’s more than 25 percent Mormon last week rejected the product with an unmistakable reference to polygamy and a label with five women hiking up their skirts.
http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_512ceabc-b033-11e1-96df-0019bb2963f4.html
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Idaho capitulates to ‘Five Wives Vodka’ after ban drew threat of legal action
June 6, 2012
Washington Post
Idaho reversed direction in the face of a lawsuit Wednesday and said it will sell Five Wives Vodka, but the liquor producer whose label makes an unmistakable reference to polygamy would not immediately rule out legal action.
The Idaho State Liquor Division rejected as offensive last week the product that features an antiqued sketch of five women hiking up their skirts. Idaho is more than 25 percent Mormon and the church at one time allowed polygamy but abandoned the practice in 1890.
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Idaho caves on Utah’s ‘Five Wives’ vodka
June 6, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
The Idaho State Liquor Division on Wednesday reversed direction in the face of a lawsuit and says it will sell Five Wives Vodka.
The agency in a state that’s more than 25 percent Mormon last week rejected the product with an unmistakable reference to polygamy and a label with five women hiking up their skirts.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/54257007-68/vodka-idaho-state-wives.html.csp
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Idaho Throws out Five Wives Vodka Ban
June 6, 2012
ABC News
Idaho reversed direction in the face of a lawsuit Wednesday and said it will sell Five Wives Vodka, but the liquor producer whose label makes an unmistakable reference to polygamy would not immediately rule out legal action.
The Idaho State Liquor Division rejected as offensive last week the product that shows five women hiking up their skirts on the vodka bottle. Idaho is more than 25 percent Mormon and the church at one time allowed polygamy but abandoned the practice in 1890.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dc-prof-case-wives-vodka-ban-16508700#.T9ArF7BfGKI
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Five Wives Vodka distiller may sue Idaho over ban
June 6, 2012
Reuters
A Utah-based distillery on Wednesday threatened to sue Idaho for banning the sale of its Five Wives Vodka, which the state deemed an affront to Mormon residents because of its allusion to polygamy.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/06/us-usa-vodka-idaho-idUSBRE8551IB20120606
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Distiller Threatens Lawsuit over Idaho’s Ban on ‘Five Wives Vodka’
June 6, 2012
Wall Street Journal
State liquor regulators banned the sale of the mid-shelf vodka last month, saying it was offensive to Mormons, who make up a quarter of Idaho’s population. (The Mormon church outlawed polygamy more than a century ago, but still.)
Ogden’s Own Distillery, which makes “Five Wives,” is based in Utah, same as the Mormon church. The vodka is sold there, and in Wyoming. But not Idaho.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/06/06/distiller-threatens-lawsuit-over-idahos-ban-on-five-wives-vodka/
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Idaho Bans Specific Vodka For Being Offensive Towards Mormons
June 6, 2012
Above the Law
It’d be one thing if the state of Idaho banned all alcohol because the state sports a large Mormon population and Mormons don’t drink. That might raise a Con Law question or two, but before we could even litigate it out, the state’s many non-Mormons would rebel against the religious theocracy preventing them from drinking. (They wouldn’t call it a “theocracy” because some Grover Norquist-type would convince them that “redistributive taxes” had empowered a “Communist regime,” and the good people of Idaho would blame the black guy, but I digress.)
Banning all alcohol would be too obvious of an imposition of religious dogma upon a secular concern.
Instead, Idaho is trying to get away with a smaller encroachment of religion upon the public sphere. The state of Idaho has effectively banned the sale of one particular kind of vodka because the state believes the company’s marketing campaign is offensive to Mormons.
http://abovethelaw.com/2012/06/idaho-bans-specific-vodka-for-being-offensive-towards-mormons/
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Five Wives vodka sues to be sold in Idaho
June 6, 2012
UPI
The Utah maker of Five Wives Vodka said it will sue the state of Idaho, which refuses to sell its vodka and calls the label “offensive to women and Mormons.”
Jonathan Turley, a lawyer representing Ogden’s Own Distillery, sent a letter to the director of the Idaho State Liquor Division, signaling his intent to sue over the refusal to sell the liquor, KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, reported Wednesday.
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Yes, Mitt Romney’s Mormonism is fair game
June 6, 2012
Washington Post
In a June 3 Outlook commentary, “When is Mormonism fair game?,” a spokeswoman for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign was quoted as writing that news reports referring to Romney’s faith should be tested by substituting “Jew” or “Jewish” where “Mormon” is used. The comparison is absurd.
In addition to being a religion, Judaism is an ethnicity and is often considered a nationality. Mormonism is solely a religion, one in which, unlike Judaism, belief is paramount; secular Mormons, if they exist, are few and far between.
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Memo to Romney campaign: Jew is not an adjective
June 5, 2012
Jewish Telegraph Agency
Mitt Romney’s campaign tells The Washington Post that it has a test to determine if an article about the candidate’s Mormonism has crossed the line: “Our test to see if a similar story would be written about others’ religion is to substitute ‘Jew’ or ‘Jewish,’ ” Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said.
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Romney’s Mormon faith is his business
June 6, 2012
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
The most popular item on The Washington Post’s website on Sunday was a very good article by Jason Horowitz headlined “Is Mitt Romney’s Mormonism fair game?” The answer, as far as I’m concerned, came from a different publication altogether, The Financial Times. In a recent feature, the novelist Richard Ford observed that “a quarter of our citizens are in a twist over Mitt Romney being a Mormon (rather than just a nitwit).” The smug parenthetical aside, I think Ford has it about right.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?no=subj&articleid=20120606_11_A16_ULNSeu766251
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“The Book of Mormon” to perform at Tony Awards
June 6, 2012
CBS News
According to the New York Post, “The Book of Mormon” will open the Tonys with its opening number, “Hello!,” as cast members, dressed as Mormons, knock on the dressing-room doors of several stars before ending up with host Neil Patrick Harris.
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‘The Mormon Bachelor’: Inspired By The ABC Reality Show, Two Women Started Their Own Series
June 6, 2012
Huffington Post
“The Bachelor” franchise isn’t exactly known for its long-term success rates. Between the original show and it’s female-centric spin-off “The Bachelorette,” the programs have produced two marriages and two couples who are still together and reportedly engaged. However, an online spin-off for Mormon singles, aptly titled “The Mormon Bachelor,” claims that happy endings can result from reality television. So far, it’s one for three.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/06/the-mormon-bachelor-inspi_n_1575592.html
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The ‘Mormon Bachelor’ Is the Hottest Bachelor Yet
June 6, 2012
The Stir
The Mormon Bachelor on the other hand? That seems much smarter. In fact, this show exists online and the very first Mormon woman Bachelorette is already married with a child. Pretty nice, huh?
http://thestir.cafemom.com/love_sex/138603/the_mormon_bachelor_is_the
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Proud Mormon parents of gay son make national news
June 6, 2012
ABC 4 (Utah)
Two very proud North Ogden parents, who have a gay son, and are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are getting national attention. They’re finding a balance between supporting their son and keeping their faith.
If you watched this year’s Utah Pride Parade, you witnessed something special. Over 300 Mormons marched in the parade showing their love and support for the Utah’s Gay and Lesbian community. Their march is making national headlines on ABC News, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, etc.
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Why should a Jew become a Mormon? Ask Marlena
June 5, 2012
Jewish Journal (California)
The proverbial “third rail” issue for a Christian blogger on a Jewish website is Jewish conversion to Christianity. It is one of the few issues that unites practically all Jews, and well-funded organizations (e.g., Jews for Judaism) have been set up to keep Jews from converting. Although many Jews who know me well have asked why a Jew would become a Mormon, I have declined to blog on the subject because I considered it too sensitive.
Until now. After more than two years blogging for the Jewish Journal, I’m pretty confident that readers know that my purpose in writing this column is not to convert Jews. A few weeks ago a prominent Jewish leader asked me why Jews decide to become Mormons. I decided to pose a series of questions to my friend Marlena Tanya Muchnick, a well-known Jew-turned-Mormon speaker, author, and researcher.
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Former ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Winner Comes Out
June 6, 2012
Edge on the Net
Benji Schwimmer was crowned the champion of the hit show’s second season in 2006 but the choreographer is now opening up about his sexuality. He announced that he is gay in a lengthy interview with the Mormon Stories Podcast called “Mormon Stories.”
In the interview Schwimmer reportedly discusses how he struggled with being gay and being a practicing Mormon. He tells emotional stories of how coming out impacted his life, dancing career and those he loves.
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VIEWS Romney’s faith isn’t the problem
June 6, 2012
Windy City Times (Illinois)
Does religion matter in the race for president? It seems like a simple question with a simple answer, doesn’t it? But this year it might not be, since the Republican candidate is a Mormon, and not only a Mormon, but a member of the Mormon clergy, a bishop (similar to a pastor in other religions) and a stake president, where he presided over several congregations.
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/VIEWS-Romneys-faith-isnt-the-problem/38012.html
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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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