17 June 2012

Mormon Church Scrambles in Romney Spotlight

June 18, 2012

Newsweek

Despite the growth and gradual mainstreaming of Mormonism in recent years, the church is still regarded by many as disconcertingly exotic. Now, with the very real possibility that one of its own could wind up in the Oval Office, the LDS finds itself scrambling to adjust to life in the global spotlight.

The church’s public-affairs office in Salt Lake City is ground zero for the chaos. Michael Otterson, the LDS’s chief spokesman, says he and his colleagues’ lives have been “consumed” by media inquiries. Extra staff has been hired. Reporters tag along with churchgoers to services and invade their homes for Monday family evenings. But even with these reinforcements, he says, non-election-related outreach efforts are dwindling, and staffers constantly joke about who’s getting the least sleep.

On June 18, Otterson will be in Washington, D.C., for a luncheon with many of the nation’s top political journalists to discuss, as the event’s title puts it, “The Promise and Peril of the Mormon Moment.” It is the sort of outreach the church is doing, as the campaign rolls along, to demystify the faith, says Otterson. “You only get to understanding if you have conversations.”

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What I’ve learned about Mormons

June 17, 2012

Washington Post

I have experienced the anti-Mormon hostility personally from my fellow evangelicals. A dozen years ago I helped to organize an ongoing dialogue group of evangelical and Mormon scholars. In the context of those discussions I have also formed friendships with some key LDS church leaders in Salt Lake City. We agree that many of our theological differences go deep, but we also have seen some important areas where we have misunderstood each other.

Hoping to reduce the level of angry rhetoric on the evangelical side, I have encouraged my fellow faithful to engage in friendly give-and-take with Mormons before simply making uninformed pronouncements about their church’s teachings. Some evangelicals have thanked me for taking up the cause. They have friends–even close family members–who are Mormons and have been looking for a more positive approach. But others continue to reproach me. They tell me that I am aiding and abetting an “evil cult.”

Nothing that I have learned about Mormonism in the past twelve years of serious engagement with Mormon life and thought leads me to question the ability of a Mormon to serve as president. I don’t worry that Mitt Romney will be unduly influenced by the leaders of his church. In fact, there is at least one issue on which I wish that he were a better Mormon–his church leaders have expressed a much more humane approach to immigration issues than his stated positions on the subject. It might even be a good thing if Mitt would stop by Salt Lake City once in a while for a refresher course on some of his church’s teachings!

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How Mormon prophet Joseph Smith will cast a shadow on US elections

June 17, 2012

Alaska Dispatch

The Temple of the Latter Day Saints, more commonly referred to as the Mormon Temple, is an imposing structure, with its spires, the golden Angel Moroni blowing his trumpet (to summon the faithful to salvation).

But the inner workings of this enormous compound, which dominates Salt Lake City, are more impressive still. While non-Mormons are barred from the sacred grounds of the Temple itself, the numerous facilities set aside for visitors can make one forget the loss. A detailed model of the structure is on display, complete with the giant baptismal font perched atop twelve oxen.

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Of Mormons and beer

June 17, 2012

Global Post

The Temple of the Latter Day Saints, more commonly referred to as the Mormon Temple, is an imposing structure, with its spires, the golden Angel Moroni blowing his trumpet (to summon the faithful to salvation).

But the inner workings of this enormous compound, which dominates Salt Lake City, are more impressive still. While non-Mormons are barred from the sacred grounds of the Temple itself, the numerous facilities set aside for visitors can make one forget the loss. A detailed model of the structure is on display, complete with the giant baptismal font perched atop twelve oxen.

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Texas business helps recover stolen Book of Mormon

June 17, 2012

Las Vegas Sun (Nevada)

A Texas book dealer has helped authorities recover a rare first-edition copy of the Book of Mormon stolen from a suburban Phoenix bookstore.

Mesa police said Wednesday that the unnamed dealer from the Dallas-Fort Worth area allegedly was contacted by Jay Linford about buying some pages of the book May 28. That’s the same day the book was reported stolen from a Mesa store.

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4 Arrested On Suspicion Of Vandalizing Mormon Church

June 17, 2012

CBS Los Angeles (California)

Two of four young men arrested on suspicion of vandalizing a Mormon church in the city of Jurupa Valley are facing possible hate crime charges.

Diego Desantiago and Enrique Gomez, both 18, were arrested on Thursday morning and booked on suspicion of burglary, vandalism, conspiracy and committing a hate crime.

Both men from Jurupa Valley were booked at Robert Presley Detention Center. Deputies also arrested two juveniles who have since been turned over to their parents.

The alleged incidents occurred at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 5900 block of Serendipity Road, according to a sheriff’s department statement.

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Missionaries on a mission

June 17, 2012

Napa Valley Register (California)

Pedaling around Napa on bicycles, wearing white button-up shirts and ties, black pants and name tags pinned over their chests, the clean-cut-looking young men are hard to miss. To some, their confident knock at the door is an irritation. To others, it may be a welcome interruption.

They are Mormon missionaries and they want to talk to you about their religion.

At any one time, eight to 10 Mormon missionaries, primarily in their early 20s, are stationed in the Napa area. Working in teams called “companionships,” they canvass local neighborhoods, religious books in hand and a devotion to their work in their hearts. Their goal is to share the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Gay Man in Straight Marriage an ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapist?

June 17, 2012

The Advocate

Josh Weed, who bills himself as a gay man in a happy heterosexual marriage, is also a counselor who may practice “ex-gay” therapy.

Weed, a resident of Auburn, Wash., and self-described “devout Mormon,” recently revealed on his blog that he is gay, but he claims that he and his wife of 10 years, Lolly, have a “healthy and robust” sex life. He says he is not bisexual, but explains his experience as follows: “Sex is about more than just visual attraction and lust and it is about more than just passion and infatuation. … Basically when sex is done right, at its deepest level it is about intimacy. It is about one human being connecting with another human being they love.”

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Bonnie Henry: Journey into family history begets a long list of begats

June 17, 2012

Arizona Daily Star

For the last few weeks, I have been delving into family genealogy, thanks to the Internet and the kind volunteers who man the Family History Center at the Mormon church up here in Show Low.

No matter that I am not Mormon. They gladly rev up their search engines as we propel ourselves back in time via old census forms, military records, marriage licenses and the like.

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