Welcome to MormonVoices. Our volunteers respond to public discussions and comments from public figures that misrepresent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We encourage and direct Mormons to get involved in online discussions and thereby help shape the public understanding and perceptions of the Church. Please join your voice with ours, and become a member of MormonVoices.
MormonVoices is an independent organization that is supportive of, but not
controlled by or affiliated with, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
search the site
1 August 2012
Buenos Aires Argentina Temple Open for Public Tours
August 1, 2012
The Buenos Aires Argentina Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) is open for public tours.
The public is invited to visit the temple during an open house from Saturday, 4 August 2012, through Saturday, 25 August 2012, excluding Sundays. The temple will be formally rededicated on Sunday, 9 September 2012, in three sessions. The rededicatory sessions will be broadcast to all stakes and districts in Argentina.
In conjunction with the rededication of the temple, there will also be a cultural celebration featuring music and dance on Saturday, 8 September 2012.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/buenos-aires-argentina-temple-open-for-public-tours
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A Mormon Responds To Claims About The Secrets Of The Church
August 1, 2012
Business Insider
In response to Richard Packham’s piece posted recently, I felt it necessary to ‘balance out the scale’ of bias that reeked in his article.
As a current and active member of the ‘Mormon’ faith, more correctly named the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), it is always exciting for me to see the media discuss and investigate my faith.
After all, if something really is as great as I proclaim it to be, isn’t it a good thing when others take a closer look at it? If something is amazing, it will surely look so upon closer examination.
The answer to that is yes, it will, as long as the exam is done by someone who is objective and unbiased.
http://www.businessinsider.com/a-mormon-responds-to-claims-about-the-secrets-of-the-church-2012-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
‘Book of Mormon’ Fans Get Ready For Denver Debut
August 1, 2012
CBS 4 Denver (Colorado)
One of Broadway’s biggest musicals in years will open its national tour in Denver in just two weeks.
The “Book of Mormon” will appear on the stage of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
The reason for the kick off of the national tour in Denver is in part, because of the show’s creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. They are from Colorado and are best known as the creators of the animated comedy South Park.
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/08/01/book-of-mormon-fans-get-ready-for-denver-debut/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Friess talks Romney, Olympics and Mormonism
July 31, 2012
Politico
Friess said he’s been dispelling concerns among his friends that Romney’s Mormon faith is a problem.
“I think in terms of Mitt Romney, I have some friends who are kind of — have the issue of his Mormon religion,” Friess said. “So I ask them, what about his Mormon believes that would cause him to make a decision that would be detrimental to me or the country? And no one can come up with anything, so I think that’s an important thing to get out there.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mormon Olympians: Breeja Larson, US Swimming
August 1, 2012
Meridian Magazine
Breeja Larson, 20 years old, hails from Mesa, Arizona, and Boise, Idaho, and represents the United States in swimming.
Larson grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and lived there through her freshman year of high school. Her family moved to Idaho, and she lived there with them for two years. Always an active athlete, she participated in volleyball, softball and track throughout high school. It wasn’t until her senior year that she began to compete in swimming.
http://www.ldsmag.com/article/1/11215
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Presidential Q & A
August 1, 2012
Huffington Post
One oft heard criticism of GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is that his core values always seem to be in flux. There is, however, one notable exception to this line of attack. Romney’s commitment to his Mormon faith has not been challenged and should thus provide an opportunity to corner the candidate on his environmental views.
That is because Mormonism preaches we are stewards of the earth and ordains we must use its resources wisely to preserve the planet’s beauty. Some Mormon politicians have put the emphasis on “preserve” and become national environmental leaders — the Udall family (with two members currently in the U.S. Senate) being cases in point. Other Mormon politicians consider the “use” of resources to be the pivotal terminology. They view the phrase as essentially an invitation to heavily exploit the environment for commercial purposes, sometimes at great detriment to ecological health.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Letters: Mormonism, achievers, pension borrowing, busts and more
July 31, 2012
San Diego Union Tribune (California)
It is hard to imagine how a publication with the reputation enjoyed by Bloomberg BusinessWeek could be so insensitive as to print the July 16 cover article, “Inside the Mormon Empire.” Not only was the cover amateurish and demeaning to 14 million people who, by any standards, have been a beacon of family values, morality, hard work and virtuous principles but the article purposely failed to mention the primary mission of the church’s investments: to support its efforts to improve lives through the practice of Christian principles.
While the article gave lip service to the church’s charitable giving, the description merely scratched the surface. Millions of hours are generously given annually by church members who volunteer their time in the service of others, the value of which far exceeds any monetary figure you mentioned. Also, the bulk of the church’s holdings consist of thousands of meeting houses, welfare farms, missions and temples throughout the world which are capital consuming, not capital generating.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/31/aug-1-letters-mormonism-achievers-pension/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Virtually tune into the FAIR Conference and watch ‘The Phone Call’
August 1, 2012
Deseret News (Utah)
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the “2012 Fair Conference.” I’m happy to announce once again it will be providing a live feed (for a fee) of either day or both for those unable to attend in person. I’ve used this in years past, and it’s a nice system. Click in to listen to Neylan McBaine, Daniel Peterson, Royal Skousen and many others.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jesse Liebman, Nicole Rodenburg and Karis Danish Set for #MORMONINCHIEF at FringeNYC, 8/11-22
July 31, 2012
Broadway World
One tweet. Unimaginable consequences. Unassuming Mormon, Connor Jorgensen, becomes the center of national media frenzy when his tweets about a Mormon presidential candidate go viral. Inspired by comments the candidate allegedly made in a church meeting, Connor spreads his presidential pick’s views on “the gays, illegals and bleeding hearts”, leading ambitious reporter Lydia Strout to his door. As Lydia tries to find the man hiding behind the orthodox Mormon facade, and Connor navigates the unfamiliar world of Tweets, news feeds, and blogs, both are forced to confront the choice between living by facts or walking by faith.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Harry Reid Gives Mitt Hell
August 1, 2012
CBS Boston (Massachusetts)
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) shared something interesting in an interview with the Huffington Post yesterday: an investor in Bain told Reid that W. Mitt Romney had not paid any taxes over a ten year period.
Whatever the level of exaggeration from the Senator or his source, there is probably at least some level of truth to the statement. Unfortunately, Romney is stonewalling the American public by not releasing his records so we’ll never know the truth.
But the source coming to Harry Reid for these revelations adds a level of intrigue. Reid just happens to be the highest-ranking member of the Mormon Church in the history of this nation.
It is likely that Senator Reid’s source shares the Mormon religion with Reid and Romney.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/08/01/harry-reid-gives-mitt-hell/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
‘Dark-skinned’ reference doesn’t relate to skin color
August 1, 2012
Standard Examiner (Utah)
When I finished laughing my way through the Letter to the editor about the “stripling soldiers” (Alma 53:22) printed Aug. 1, “Panetta could learn from victory over Lamanites.” I felt corrections should be made to his “careful reading of the Book of Mormon.” He notes, with a poorly concealed attack on the LDS Church, that these “young warriors…killed thousands of the dark-skinned Lamanite enemy.” He failed to grasp in his careful reading, that all the young soldiers were themselves Lamanites. The term “dark-skinned” was a Middle Eastern figure of speech that is still used today to refer to someone with bad intentions. It does not refer to skin color. The people in the Book of Mormon came from the Middle East. He then notes “many of them (soldiers) were wounded.” A careful reading reveals that every one of the 2,060 stripling soldiers “received many wounds” (Alma 57:25).
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/08/01/dark-skinned-reference-doesnt-relate-skin-color
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bohme Boutique To Be Named in the Inc. 500
August 1, 2012
Digital Journal
Vivien and Fernanda Bohme, two sisters from Rio de Janeiro, first opened a temporary Bohme Boutique in Fashion Place Mall for the holidays in 2007. They were aiming to sell clothing around the idea of “sexy modesty” aimed at Mormon women. “When we opened our shop, everybody but Mormons came, a Playboy bunny came, all sorts of dancers,” Vivien Bohme said. “Of course, LDS people would come, but it wasn’t enough.” They had the sexy part down, but the rest of the concept wasn’t working. That’s when the Bohme sisters noticed when they displayed denim, “it would fly out of the store,” so they adjusted their strategy to focus on sexy modest denims and tees. Today, Bohme Boutique has over 16 physical locations mainly focused in the Mid West regions, with heavy focus in Utah.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/819506
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Web Headline
August 1, 2012
Midland Daily News (Michigan)
But there is one way that Romney is a little bit like the Kwakwaka’wakw. In that Indian society, everyone joined in the ceremony of giving and receiving, because that was how you got your place in society’s pecking order. The Mormon Church follows a similar ethos. Mormons must give at least 10 percent of their income. That money is collected in Salt Lake City and redistributed to congregations around the world. If you don’t contribute to the community, you can’t be a Mormon in good standing.
Instead of tithing the minimum — “and not a dollar more” — Romney has given over and above what his church requires. Last year, he donated 12.4 percent of his income of $21 million. In addition, he gave $500,000 to his family foundation, the Tyler Foundation, which has given three-quarters of its funds over the years to the Mormon church or Brigham Young University.
http://www.ourmidland.com/story_prep/article_c1766d24-3d72-5e0b-97a3-2c9cd5b89304.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Religion has little impact in U.S. presidential race: Pew poll
August 1, 2012
Reuters
The religious faiths of President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney will have little weight in November’s presidential election, a poll has shown. Sixty percent of voters are aware that Romney is a Mormon, and 81 percent say it does not matter to them, according to the poll by the Pew Research Center. The awareness level is almost unchanged from four months ago, during the Republican primary elections.
“Unease with Romney’s religion has little impact on voting preferences,” the Pew report said. “Republicans and white evangelicals overwhelmingly back Romney irrespective of their views of his faith, and Democrats and seculars overwhelmingly oppose him regardless of their impression.”
The United States has never had a Mormon president.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OBAMA, ROMNEY FAMILY TIES SHARE POLYGAMY, MORE
August 1, 2012
Discovery News
During the early days of the Mormon church, of which Romney and his ancestors are members, polygamy was acceptable and widely practiced. Romney’s great-grandfathers, Miles Park Romney and Helaman Pratt, practiced polygamy, and in the case of the former, even left the country as a result of anti-polygamy laws in the United States.
http://news.discovery.com/history/obama-romney-family-history-politics-2012-election-120801.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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.
Journalists
