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16 June 2012
US liberals wary of Mormons in office, Aussie study shows
June 16, 2012
Fox 4 (Texas)
The GOP’s all-important social conservatives may be getting more comfortable with Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, but liberals are increasingly wary about the candidate’s religion in the run-up to November, according to a new study.
The Australian study found anti-Mormon attitudes have increased since Romney’s 2008 presidential bid and are highest among liberal and non-religious voters. Their discomfort could pose a problem for the Republican candidate in November.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/18804892/us-liberals-wary-of-mormons-in-office-aussie-study-shows
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Ketchikan grandparents of 10 set to begin 3-year Mormon mission
June 16, 2012
The Republic (Indiana)
With four children, 10 grandchildren, three successful fishing lodges and more than 40 years as Ketchikan locals under their belts, Kirk and Pam Thomas were more than ready to take up a new challenge and run with it.
On June 15, the couple will leave for a three-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in central Canada.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/9b3abacd5bda4682b31179a74e49814d/AK–LDS-Challenge
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The Syrian Revolution, the Jerry Sandusky Trial, and Gay Mormons
June 16, 2012
Slate
“Can You Be Both Mormon and Gay? Why a religion notorious in the gay community might be ‘evolving,’ ” by Max Perry Mueller. Last week, a blog post by Mormon couple Josh and Lolly Weed revealing that Josh is gay and has been happily married with children to a woman for 10 years went viral. Mueller looks at the Mormon position on homosexuality and whether it’s possible to be both gay and a devout follower of the LDS church.
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Letter: ‘Mormon’ play is bigotry
June 16, 2012
Topeka Capital-Journal
The Broadway play “Book of Mormon” is an exercise in bigotry, hate and intolerance. The play mocks the Mormon faith in a very disgusting, rude manner. I am sure it is inspired by hatred of Mitt Romney as well as hatred of decent people of all faiths. The fascist left thinks this is funny.
The play reminds me of Nazi propaganda of the 1930s that portrayed the Jewish people as ugly, big nosed, greedy subhuman people. The Nazi movie clips compared the Jewish people with vast groups of scurrying rats and described Jewish people as vermin to be rid of. The fascists of Hitler’s Germany thought that was funny, too.
http://cjonline.com/opinion/2012-06-16/letter-mormon-play-bigotry
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Romney could make faith more acceptable
June 15, 2012
San Antonio Express-News (Texas)
Brooks doesn’t believe that a Romney candidacy will eliminate the serious theological distinctions between evangelicals and Mormons, but she does expect we’ll see fewer Christians willing to label Mormonism as a “cult.” “While I am not prepared to reclassify Mormonism as possessing undeniably Christian theology, I do accept many of my Mormon friends as genuine followers of the Jesus whom I worship as the divine savior,” wrote Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, on CNN’s Belief blog.
Even Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. seems to have softened his family’s hard-line stance as Liberty welcomed Romney as its commencement speaker in May. “Liberty has no official position on Mormonism,” Falwell told CNN’s Kyra Phillips. “Our statement does not define Mormonism as a cult. … That’s not part of our doctrinal position and not our official position.”
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‘The Mormon Question’ Not New to Idaho Politics
June 16, 2012
Magic Valley Times-News (Idaho)
According to “Idaho’s Constitution:The Tie That Binds” by Dennis C. Colson, voters in Idaho Territory had to take a test oath to swear that they were “not a member of any order, organization or association which teaches, advises, counsels or encourages its members…. to commit the crime of bigamy or polygamy.”
Even Mormons who didn’t practice plural marriage — the vast majority of the those living inIdaho at the time — and were willing to take the oath were often excluded.
That law was repealed, and since then, LDS politicians have come a long way. Three of Idaho’s current congressional delegation are members of the LDS church: Sen. Mike Crapo, Congressman Raul Labrador and Congressman Mike Simpson. The state has had two LDS governors: Democrats John V. Evans and Arnold Williams.
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Parsing The Words Of A ‘Happily Married’ Gay Mormon Who May Or May Not Practice Ex-Gay Therapy
June 16, 2012
Think Progress
Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported that the “happily married” gay Mormon, Josh Weed, may actually practice ex-gay therapy as part of his profession. On his own bio, he describes helping those “with sexual identity issues and unwanted sexual attractions and/or behaviors.” Gay.net contacted Weed regarding this controversy and he told them, “I don’t believe that a gay person can or even should change their sexual attraction.”
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/06/16/500973/gay-married-mormon-ex-gay/
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A Heavenly Father for this life
June 16, 2012
Washington Post
One of the things that keeps Mormonism weird is its assertion that people can become like God. It’s a bizarre, goofy, even ridiculous idea. But in a world of religious doctrines that includes original sin, burning bushes, three-in-one-in-three trinities, resurrection from the dead, lakes of fire, and the eternal playing of lyres, is it really so outlandish?
On the other hand, what’s the compelling reason to countenance such an idea? If the idea of becoming like God is simply a foolish fancy, we might very well dismiss it–along with similar fancies like hopes in life-after-death and belief in God’s very existence–and get on with living our lives.
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Local Politicians Speak Out about National Coverage of Romney’s Faith
June 16, 2012
Magic Valley Times-News (Idaho)
House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke of Oakley has a test.
When reading articles on Mitt Romney’s faith, replace the word “Mormon” with “Jewish.”
“If it’s appropriate and it doesn’t make you cringe, then it’s OK,” said Bedke, who also is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As the presidential campaign heats up, the topic of Romney’s faith keeps coming up in the national media, drawing a mixed reaction from Magic Valley church members.
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Politics, and the Right Kind of Christian
June 16, 2012
Carroll County News (Arkansas)
The Little Rock Christian Academy has gotten into hot water of late because they’ve refused admission to a Mormon child. The academy’s reasoning is that Mormons are not Christians and consequently have no place in a strictly Christian institution.
I don’t know anything about Mormons, but the Little Rock Christian Academy is well within its rights, and not with respect to whether or not Mormons are Christians, but because the Constitution of the United States gives them the liberty to practice their religion without government interference. They have the right to decide who is in, and who is out.
http://www.carrollconews.com/blogs/1250/entry/48208/
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Mitt Romney’s Plan To Unite Evangelicals: Pretend He’s Rick Santorum
June 16, 2012
Talking Points Memo
It’s not the first time Romney has used Santorum’s stump speech to reach out to the evangelicals who often turned out in greater numbers for the Catholic Santorum over the Mormon Romney during primary season. Last month when Romney gave the commencement address at the evangelical Liberty University in Virginia, he debuted his Santorum impression for evangelicals.
“Culture matters,” Romney told the Liberty crowd. “The power of these values is evidenced by a Brookings Institution study that Senator Rick Santorum brought to my attention.”
Will this work? Evangelicals in the crowd at Liberty were largely unimpressed by Romney’s suggestion that his Mormon experience has parallels with their evangelical protestant one. But polls have shown conservatives rallying around Romney, in part because he’s not Obama and in part because conservatives say he has continued to reach out to them.
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