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8 September 2012
Democrat Sheila Healy asks if Mormons help non-Mormons
September 8, 2012
Examiner
Attendee Sheila Healy from New York noted “His wife is pretty.” and “When he was head of the Mormon church in Boston, he took care of his flock,” she allowed, before finding fault. “The question is whether he would help people who are not Mormon. I don’t think so.”
The question that Ms. Healy posses as to whether Mormons take care of those outside their church is a fair one. I’m glad she asked.
Within the Mormon Church there is a deeply ingrained culture of service and giving. It follows Biblical admonitions to be doers of the word and not just hearers, that faith without works is dead and that we are our brother’s keeper. The beneficiaries of this service and giving are those both inside and outside the faith.
http://www.examiner.com/article/democrat-sheila-healy-asks-if-mormons-help-non-mormons
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Emily Maynard Calls Mormon Fiance Jef Holm a “Bore-Mon”
September 8, 2012
US Weekly
“Emily even said ‘Jef’s not Mormom, he’s bore-mon,’” argued the source, who says it’s only a matter of time before the duo break for good. “Even before [the cheating] happened, they were close to breaking up.”
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Living History: Thanks to Romney, Mormonism is under the microscope
September 8, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
The elevation of Mitt Romney to standard bearer and presidential candidate for the 2012 Republican Party has piqued an interest in his religion. Understandable, since after November the most powerful person in the nation might be a Mormon, and Americans are generally clueless about Mormons.
Newspapers, magazines, bloggers and the broadcast media have been educating the public. Some is flattering. Some not. Some accurate. Quite a bit not.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54851585-78/mormons-mormon-cartoons-romney.html.csp
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Dear Mormon Friends, It’s Time to Go “All-In” for Mitt
September 8, 2012
Patheos
Curiously, however, we’ve heard disturbing reports that LDS Mitt supporters are hanging back just a bit. Some are afraid of stereotyping (“just because I’m Mormon doesn’t mean I’m going to automatically support Mitt. After all, I can’t stand Harry Reid!”), but many more seem just a bit confused about the role of the church in politics. If the LDS church is politically neutral, how can you use your church relationships to mobilize voters and donors?
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Hendersonville Mormons continue growth
September 8, 2012
Hendersonville Times-News (North Carolina)
More than 550 Mormons will meet as one ward inside their Hendersonville chapel on Brevard Road for the last time this Sunday. After that, they will split. Because of continued growth, the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is branching off into two separate services to better handle the crowd. The Hendersonville First Ward of 300-plus members, who reside mostly west of Interstate 26, will meet Sundays at 9 a.m. led by Bishop Jere Hyder. The Hendersonville Second Branch of “170 souls” (east of I-26 and U.S. Highway 25), under the stewardship of President Ben Beasley, will meet on Sundays starting at 1 p.m. “Normally, we don’t like to split a unit unless we can make them into two wards (congregations of 300 or more),” said Wallace Booth, president of the Asheville stake, which comprises 13 congregations in 17 North Carolina counties and two in Georgia. The church decided to split this one, he said, because of “major parking
issues.” They had outgrown their chapel and were running out of room for other meetings.
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20120908/NEWS/120909831
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Godbeat gleanings, 9.8.12
September 8, 2012
Courier Journal (Kentucky)
And finally, since we’re living in the Mormon moment, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been trying to clarify its teachings. It says it does not, repeat, NOT, forbid drinking caffeinated beverages per se. Cola is OK. It’s hot drinks — coffee and tea — that it forbids, says this Salt Lake Tribune article. The article adds that the LDS statement itself is tweaked, from saying that caffeine isn’t prohibited to saying it isn’t mentioned in a key historic doctrinal statement. In any case, if Mitt Romney is seen with a Diet Coke in hand, don’t be scandalized.
http://blogs.courier-journal.com/faith/2012/09/08/godbeat-gleanings-9-8-12/
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The evolving politics of faith
September 9, 2012
Los Angeles Times (California)
Falwell’s scheme reinvigorated the Republican Party, and its subsequently successful presidential candidates have been Protestants whose religious commitments included conservative positions on domestic and foreign policy. In 2008, a distrust of Mormons on the part of some Republicans — many evangelicals do not consider Mormons to be Christian — helped derail Romney’s candidacy. But this year, with no viable alternative, evangelicals seem to have plumbed the man’s heart and made peace with what they found. As one Orange County pastor said to a reporter: “I’m for Romney. It’s certainly not because of his religion. It’s more in spite of his religion.”
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On the road with The Killers: The return of America’s greatest rock band
September 9, 2012
The Independent (United Kingdom)
Flowers is a practising Mormon and happily married father-of-three, a decent, upright, moral fellow. But he’s also a romantic, about his home town – the Killers named their second album Sam’s Town after an old-timey casino located off Sunset Strip; Flowers opened Flamingo, his 2010 solo album, with a song titled “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas”. And he’s a romantic about the glorious ideal of America, and American rock’*'roll. In his slick, neat haircut and black leather jacket, he’s Jimmy Dean fronting the E Street Band. Soon, though, we are talking in some detail about the cornerstones of Mormonism. I’m interested in the basic principles of the religion, particularly the idea that its founder, Joseph Smith, seemingly found a “lost” book of biblical scriptures buried in a hill in New York. How could that have happened? “It’s a really cool story,” begins Flowers, eyes shining.
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Hurricane Isaac recovery gets off to a strong start with volunteer help
September 8, 2012
New Orleans Times-Picayune (Louisiana)
LaPlace resident Ronald Scott herded his three children and pregnant wife into the attic almost two weeks ago as a Hurricane Isaac-driven tide filled his home. On Saturday, a youthful group of Mormons in yellow T-shirts showed up to tear out wet Sheetrock and help start the Scott family down the road to recovery. A few blocks away, teenagers from Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church in LaPlace handed out food to hungry residents doing their own renovation work.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2012/09/hurricane_isaac_recovery_gets.html
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Stallings Return From Mission
September 8, 2012
Magic Valley Times-News (Idaho)
Elder Dan Stallings and Sister Susan Stallings have returned from serving an 18-month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Mormon Battalion Historic Site in San Diego, Calif.
The Stallings will speak in sacrament meeting at 8 a.m. Sunday at the Twin Falls 5th Ward Church, 2085 South Temple Drive.
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Faith and family on center stage at Romney event
September 8, 2012
Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
Steve Faux, a Drake psychology professor who is a member of the same Mormon denomination as Romney, acknowledges that some Iowa evangelicals may have lingering concerns about whether Romney “prays to the same God or whether he respects Jesus Christ the way they do.”
But as evangelicals hear that while Romney worships in a different church, he has more similarities to them than differences, they’re likely becoming more acclimated to him, Faux said.
Myron Marty, a retired Drake University history professor, said: “Now evangelicals are seeing a Mormon as better than a Christian named Barack Obama, in their view.”
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