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26 September 2012
Calgary Alberta Canada Temple To Open for Public Tours
September 26, 2012
The public is invited to tour the newly completed Calgary Alberta Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the third Mormon temple in Alberta.
The First Presidency of the Church has announced that the open house will run 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 or by calling 1-855-537-2000.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/calgary-alberta-canada-temple-opens-for-public-tours
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It’s the Interpretation, Stupid!
September 26, 2012
FAIR Blog
The founder of MormonThink made a very cogent point in his letter when he asked, “Essentially, isn’t learning about the gospel merely a search for truth?” It is, indeed, a search for truth, but one should not assume that facts are the sum of truth. A simple example: If I point out the fact that a friend of mine is morbidly obese, does that constitute truth? Perhaps, but it is not the whole truth. Such a fact leads to other questions, such as why he is obese. Some may hear the one fact (about the obesity) and conclude that my friend is an overeater and needs to go on a diet and exercise more. One only need to talk to my friend to find out, however, that doctors have attributed the obesity to steroid medications used to treat a chronic illness and have said that diet and exercise won’t help the situation.
In the case of my friend, a collection of some facts doesn’t speak the whole truth, and the premature conclusions drawn by some about his obesity are based on how they choose to interpret the facts they think they know. Their interpretation couldn’t be further from the truth, yet they remain secure in their belief that they understand the situation and possess the truth.
http://www.fairblog.org/2012/09/26/its-the-interpretation-stupid/
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Mormon FAIR-Cast 108: Jeffrey Bradshaw on Temple Themes in the Scriptures
September 26, 2012
FAIR Blog
Dr. Jeffrey Bradshaw discusses his book, Temple Themes in the Book of Moses as well as some examples of temple worship among early Christians, and the Jews. He also touches on the Book of Enoch, the Council in Heaven and ancient temple architecture.
Jeffrey M. Bradshaw (Ph.D., Cognitive Science, University of Washington) is a Senior Research Scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in Pensacola, Florida. Formerly, he led research groups at The Boeing Company and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He has authored hundreds of research articles and edited several volumes on topics relating to human and machine intelligence and interaction. Jeff was a missionary in the Belgium-Brussels mission, and has since served in a variety of teaching and leadership capacities including early-morning seminary teacher, bishop, high councilor, counselor in a stake presidency, stake executive secretary and temple ordinance worker. He and his wife Kathleen are the parents of four children.
Dr. Bradshaw has published a number of books addressing temples themes in the scriptures including “In God’s Image and Likeness,” “Temple Themes in the Book of Moses,” and “Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.” Each is available for purchase at the FAIR Bookstore, here.
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Should Mormon voters shun Mitt Romney?
September 26, 2012
Washington Post
In a conference call with Nevada reporters last Friday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) introduced a fresh line of attack against Mitt Romney, saying that the GOP presidential nominee has “sullied” their mutual faith.
The Salt Lake Tribune this week reported that Reid, a Latter-day Saint, repurposed an argument that Greg Prince, another fellow Mormon, recently made in the Huffington Post: Romney’s dismissive comments about the 47 percent of Americans who pay no income tax do not adequately represent the spirit of a faith “whose official mantra is ‘to take care of the poor and needy throughout the world.’ ”
Prince, a biotechnology executive well-connected in LDS circles and a family friend of mine, tried not to discuss politics too much — “Judge Mitt Romney as you will, and vote for or against him as you will,” he wrote. Prince mostly wanted to tell non-Mormons that not all Latter-day saints sound like Romney. Reid, however, was making a very political point, saying that “a lot of members of the LDS church” who live in swing-state Nevada should “understand that [Romney] is not the face of Mormonism” and is, rather, hiding from their faith.
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Why Harry Reid’s Mormon Slur May Be Good for the Church
September 26, 2012
Daily Beast
“It’s classic Harry Reid,” shrugs the Majority Leader’s former spokesman, Jim Manley, now with QGA Public Affairs. “He’s a blunt and plainspoken guy. He speaks his mind. He’s also a committed Mormon who takes his faith very seriously.”
In fact, contends Manley, “there’s no reason why, in this day and age, with the Mormon religion where it is in this country, that it can’t be a part of the political debate as well, just like the Catholic faith or the Jewish faith.”
Looked at this way, Reid’s willingness to drag his religion into the arena is a positive sign–an indication that he is confident that Mormonism is now mainstream enough to handle the heat.
Arguably, seeing two Latter Day Saints duking it out could actually benefit the church. For all its progress, Mormonism is still viewed with unease by many Americans who see it as secretive, hierarchical, and controlling. The squabbling between Reid and Romney could help promote the message (fervently stressed by church leaders) that Mormons do not march in cultlike political lockstep anymore than, say, Southern Baptists or Catholics.
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Jennifer Rubin: Harry Reid, Mitt Romney and media double standards
September 26, 2012
Newsday
Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada said over and over that a “source” told him Mitt Romney paid no taxes for 10 years. Now the Democrat says that he agrees with a blogger that Romney has “sullied” the Mormon faith and that the presidential nominee is “not the face of Mormonism.” This is disgraceful, yet the story is nowhere to be found in the mainstream media.
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Reid attacks Romney over faith
September 26, 2012
Washington Post
Harry Reid, senior Democrat in Congress and the most powerful Mormon politician in the country, made the charge Tuesday that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is not the face of Mormonism, and, in fact, has “sullied” the religion of which both Reid and Romney are adherents. Reid may be wrong about Romney, but not in the way one would think.
For the past year, Romney has been the touchstone for everything Mormon while Mormonism has become the oddball celebrity of reality television. In the past month, reporters have been going to church with Romney, to learn from other Mormons such as J. W. Marriott, who said from the pulpit, that Romney lives “an exemplary life.” The numbers support Marriott’s claim. According to a Gallup poll, 84 percent of Mormons who are registered to vote in the United States plan to vote for Romney. As the icon of today’s Republican ideals, Mitt Romney does seem to be the face of the overwhelming majority of Mormons in this country.
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Fellow Mormons Say Romney Is Not The Face Of The Religion, He Sullies It
September 26, 2012
International Business Times
Mormon author Gregory A. Prince, a former Romney supporter, wrote in a blog post for the Huffington Post last week that the GOP nominee’s comments angered him.
“When the news of Mitt Romney’s Florida video broke on Monday evening, I was incensed — but not for its political implications,” Prince wrote. “His arrogant and out-of-hand dismissal of half the population of this country struck me at a visceral level, for it sullied the religion that he and I share — the religion for which five generations of my ancestry have lived and sacrificed, the religion whose official mantra is to ‘take care of the poor and needy throughout the world.’”
Prince added that his initial impulse was to “rent an airplane towing a banner that reads ‘Mitt Romney is Not the Face of Mormonism!’”
http://www.ibtimes.com/fellow-mormons-say-romney-not-face-religion-he-sullies-it-795875
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Mitt Romney responds to Harry Reid’s comment about sullying the Mormon faith
September 26, 2012
Examiner
Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a comment about how Mitt Romney has “sullied” the Mormon faith and Romney responded Tuesday to the comment. Romney was in Utah campaigning just last week for several hours and is planning a trip to Nevada later this week.
Reid is a well-known Latter Day Saint (LDS) and made the comment only after The Huffington Post author Gregory Prince said that Romney had “sullied the faith” with his remark about 47 percent of Americans who are less well-off.
Tuesday Romney responded to Fox News about Reid’s comment: “He can say whatever he’d like to say; this isn’t a race about Harry Reid.”
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Romney shrugs off Reid charge
September 26, 2012
Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nevada)
Mitt Romney on Tuesday shrugged off the latest blast from Nevada Sen. Harry Reid — that the Republican presidential hopeful badly represents the Mormon Church.
“I really don’t have any response to Harry,” Romney said in an interview with FoxNews (at 5:11) on the airport tarmac in Dayton, Ohio. “He can say whatever he’d like to say. This isn’t a race about Harry Reid.”
http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/politics/Romney_shrugs_off_Reid_charge.html?ref=051
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Harry Reid’s losing it
September 26, 2012
Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nevada)
But now comes Reid saying that Romney (a fellow Mormon) has “sullied” the church. Good luck in trying to understand exactly what Reid means by this. It sounds like Reid means that because Romney has traditional Republican ideas, this somehow sullies the faith.
News flash, Mr. Reid. Most Mormons are Republicans.
You’d think that if anyone sullied the Mormon faith it was Reid who said Obama made a good presidential candidate because he was a “light skinned” black person who could talk “negro” when he wanted to.
http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/sherm/Harry_Reids_losing_it.html?ref=091
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Mormons Call for Romney Fast
September 26, 2012
Daily Beast
It’s not just observers of Yom Kippur who are thinking about fasting this Wednesday. Mitt Romney’s Mormon supporters are hoping that some divine intervention will help the Republican’s struggling candidacy. A new chain email that is not officially endorsed by the church calls for Mormons to fast on Sept. 30 and is circulating among the faithful in Utah, California, Nevada, and Colorado. The author (whose name is redacted) hopes that by forgoing food and water for 24 hours, participants will bring special blessings to the Romney campaign in advance of the debates, which start Oct. 3. “I know that fasting and praying brings about miracles,” the email reads. Just a suggestion: index cards could also be helpful.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/09/26/mormons-call-for-romney-fast.html
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Mormons Plan To Fast For Romney
September 26, 2012
BuzzFeed
Mormon supporters of Mitt Romney are promoting a day of mass fasting and prayer to seek divine help for the Republican candidate in the debates.
The plan — which is not endorsed by the politically neutral Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — is laid out in an email inviting like-minded Mormons to fast on September 30th with the purpose of bringing God’s blessings to Romney as he heads into the presidential debates.
The name of the original author of the e-mail was redacted in both versions sent to BuzzFeed, but sources who have received it said it has reached Latter-day Saints in Utah, California, Nevada, and Colorado at least.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/mormons-plan-to-fast-for-romney
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Starved for votes? Some Mormons fasting for Romney
September 26, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
A number of Mormons seem to think that fellow believer Mitt Romney, now slumping in the polls, needs a little, shall we say, divine help for his performance at next week’s presidential debate.
They’ve been circulating a request via email that sympathetic Latter-day Saints join them in forgoing food and water on Sunday in a collective effort to support the candidate.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsfaithblog/54973176-180/email-church-romney-fasting.html.csp
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Raymond Takashi Swenson: Discrimination against Mormons against the Constitution
September 26, 2012
Boulder Daily Camera (Colorado)
I am a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ if Latter-day Saints. Recently you posted online a letter to the editor from someone who claimed to be a retired Army officer who expressed his fear of Mitt Romney because he was once a “bishop” in the “Mormon” church. I am a retired Air Force officer, and an attorney. I would hope that anyone who had served in U.S. armed forces would understand that when he took an oath as a military officer to uphold the Constitution, that also included Article VI, which prohibits religious discrimination in any federal office, from the president on down through the Army. It also includes the First Amendment that guarantees religious freedom and equality for all Americans.
Brigham Young University in Utah has the largest ROTC program in the nation, outside of military schools like The Citadel. This was pointed out by General David Petraeus when he spoke at BYU prior to his appointment to head the CIA. Mormons have served in the U.S. armed forces since the Mormon Battalion in 1847 was recruited to march from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to secure Santa Fe and San Diego. The Army National Guard in Utah, commanded by one of my law school classmates, General Brian Tarbet, is the center of the Army’s foreign language intelligence capability, and its soldiers are deployed all over the world fighting the war on terror. Mormons have served at all ranks, including general officers, and include a past Commandant of the Coast Guard. Mormons have fought and died to defend the United States and its Constitution and several have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Mormon soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines have been killed in
the conflict with radical jihadists, beginning with one of the people serving at the Pentagon on 9/11/2001, whose widow carried the Olympic torch to the White House in 2002.
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Mormons Fast for a Romney Debate Victory
September 26, 2012
New York Magazine
This Sunday, Mormons throughout Utah, Nevada, California, and Colorado will embark on a daylong fast so that Mitt Romney will “be blessed in the debates.” At least that’s the plan, according to a mass e-mail forwarded to Buzzfeed’s McKay Coppins. “From small things, great things can come about,” the e-mail’s author adds, predicting the obvious rejoinder that God almost certainly has better things to do with His Almighty time. “I know that fasting and praying brings about miracles.” But Mormons aren’t the only ones praying for Mitt. Florida evangelical group Heaven Is Easy Ministries has sent out mailers — including one to Joanna Brooks at Religion Dispatches magazine — calling for “worldwide prayer for Mitt Romney to reject Joseph Smith as a prophet and admit the Book of Mormon is false.”
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/09/mormons-fast-for-romney-debate-victory.html?mid=google
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Going Mormon
September 26, 2012
Memphis Flyer (Tennessee)
If you’ve ever wondered how a child of easygoing liberal intellectuals can rebel, let me explain it step by step:
Step 1: Convert to Mormonism.
There. That’s it.
I speak from experience, see. At the age of 16, I shocked my parents, friends, and Lutheran youth group by throwing in with my local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. At the time, my older sister was away at college, my dad had a job 2,000 miles from home, and my mom and I were both working as much as possible to keep us afloat. Looking back, it’s pretty easy for me to understand how I was drawn to Mormonism’s aggressively familial environment. The members were really nice, the community was protective, and the desserts were fantastic.
For a young adult as preternaturally risk-averse as I was, the restrictions of the religion didn’t bring me down. The only thing I found distressing, really, was how much the church distressed everyone else. I was told, repeatedly and earnestly, that Mormons weren’t “real” Christians. I was presented with anti-LDS literature and films. I was taken aside by a friend for a heart-to-heart chat discouraging my conversion. At prom.
http://www.memphisflyer.com/TheWheelhouse/archives/2012/09/26/going-mormon
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“A Morman President?”
September 26, 2012
Religion Dispatches
Look what came in the mail–personalized–to my workplace yesterday:
[IMAGE]
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/joannabrooks/6437/
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Romney Is Loyal To The Church
September 26, 2012
Salt Lake City Weekly (Utah)
Joseph Smith Jr., the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once stated that the Constitution of the United States would “hang by a thread” and the priesthood of that church would be the only ones who could save it.
This is widely viewed as gospel by Mormons throughout the country. Many Mormons today openly declare their belief that we have reached that critical juncture and the Constitution does, indeed, hang by a thread.
All that is of utmost importance given that Mitt Romney could possibly be elected president this November. Romney holds the church’s high priesthood; he possesses a temple recommend, which grants unfettered access to any Mormon temple in the world.
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-16519-romney-is-loyal-to-t.html
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Fasting For Romney
September 26, 2012
Religion Dispatches
Since Romney is having trouble in the polls and troubles with his mouth, loyal Romney supporters are queuing up to ask Heavenly Father for an intervention.
According to McCay Coppins of Buzzfeed, an email is being distributed among Mormons encouraging them to fast and pray for Romney’s performance in the debates, because it “brings about miracles.”
Mormons won’t be the only ones fasting and praying this weekend. The America for Jesus Rally will be held September 28 and 29 on Independence Mall. The Rally–part youth rally, part “Solemn assembly”– is being called to “pray for the nation.” Bishop Harry Jackson, Cindy Jacobs, and Samuel Rodriguez will be in attendance at several events, along with thousands of others bussed in to pray in proximity to Independence Hall.
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/antheabutler/6438/fasting_for_romney/
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Ann Romney: Electing Mormon would show progress
September 26, 2012
USA Today
“I love the fact that we have the first African-American president,” Romney said on The Tonight Show. “That means to me that we’re leaving prejudices behind. I would hope that if Mitt were elected, we would see more of the same, that prejudices are left behind.”
Mitt Romney is the first major-party presidential nominee who is Mormon.
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Ann Romney on Leno says electing a Mormon a good signal
September 26, 2012
Chicago Sun-Times (Illinois)
Ann Romney says the election of her husband, a Mormon, would signal “that prejudices are left behind” just as the election of President Barack Obama sent that signal.
The wife of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tells “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno that she loves the fact that the nation elected its first African-American president.
Asked by Leno to reflect on the significance of the first Mormon president, Mrs. Romney said she hoped that if her husband were elected, “We would see more of the same, that prejudices a
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Mormon in White House Would Be Progress, Ann Romney Says
September 26, 2012
Hispanic Business
Mitt Romney’s wife Ann said Wednesday that electing a Mormon to the White House would be a sign of social progress, comparing it with the election of the U.S.’ first black president, Barack Obama, four years ago.
Speaking on Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show, Romney said: “I love the fact that we have the first African-American president.”
“That means to me that we’re leaving prejudices behind. I would hope that if Mitt were elected, we would see more of the same, that prejudices are left behind.”
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2012/9/26/mormon_in_white_house_would_be.htm
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Ann Romney on Leno: ‘I love the fact that we have the first African-American president’
September 26, 2012
New York Daily News
Ann Romney told Jay Leno that electing her husband would strike a blow against prejudice against their Mormon faith during her stop on “The Tonight Show” on Tuesday.
“I love the fact that we have the first African-American president. That means to me that we’re leaving prejudices behind,” Romney told Leno. “I would hope that if Mitt were elected, we would see more of the same.”
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‘We love Costco!’: Ann Romney tells Leno about her enthusiasm for budget retailer as she urges voters to leave ‘prejudice’ behind and elect a Mormon President
September 26, 2012
Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
She also said that the election of her husband, a Mormon, would signal that ‘prejudices are left behind’ just as the election of President Obama had done.
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Ann Romney makes first appearance on Jay Leno
September 26, 2012
Washington Post
Ann Romney, wife of Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, made her first late night show appearance Tuesday night on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”. She says she hopes Americans will put prejudices aside to elect the first Mormon president.
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Ann Romney appears on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show
September 26, 2012
Global Post
The wife of Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, told Jay Leno that the election of her Mormon husband would signal “that prejudices are left behind”.
The Associated Press reported that Ann Romney continued her talkshow appearances, popping up last night on The Tonight Show.
Asked by host, Jay Leno to reflect on the significance of the first Mormon president, Mrs. Romney said she hoped that if her husband were elected, “We would see more of the same, that prejudices are left behind.”
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/politics/120926/ann-romney-appears-jay-lenos-tonight-show
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US election: Ann Romney appears on US chat show
September 26, 2012
The Telegraph (United Kingdom)
Asked to describe the significance if Mitt Romney were elected as the first Mormon president, the wife of Republican presidential challenger replied: “I love the fact that we have the first African-American president, that means to me that we are leaving prejudices behind. I would hope that if Mitt were elected we would see more of the same.”
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Mormon Chat Forum Dissects Ann Romney’s ‘Garments’ (or Lack Thereof)
September 26, 2012
New York Magazine
We can all agree that the black leather outfit Ann Romney wore on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno last night was the closest to risqué she’s ever come. But according to a chat forum titled “Why didn’t Ann wear her garments … ?” on a website called MormonDiscussions.com, some members of the LDS church are concerned that she might not be wearing “garments,” a kind of underwear worn by most adult Mormons.
http://nymag.com/thecut/2012/09/mormon-chat-forum-dissects-ann-romneys-garments.html
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New Mormon temple in city’s northwest unveiled to the public
September 26, 2012
Calgary Herald (Alberta)
More than 100,000 Calgarians are expected to tour the northwest’s new Mormon temple over the next four weeks as part of a unique sneak-peek for the public before it’s confined to church members only at the end of October.
Church elders conducting tours for the media and other dignitaries Tuesday were excited to open their doors to everyone in an effort to educate the public about the importance of temples to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
“We want people to know that our temples are not secrets. They are just very sacred to us,” said William Walker, executive director of the church’s temple department.
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New Mormon temple opens for public tours in Calgary
September 26, 2012
CBC (Canada)
Calgarians seem to be enjoying an open house at a new Mormon temple in the community of Rocky Ridge.
The Calgary Alberta Temple is one of three in Alberta — there are only 140 in the world.
Keith Lee and his family visited the temple Wednesday.
“I get to be near my heavenly father and worship him here even more and feel of his presence inside,” Lee said..
His family used to worship at the temple in Cardston, but now they’re only a 15 minute walk away from the new one in Rocky Ridge.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/09/26/calgary-mormon-temple.html
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Mormon temple opens in Calgary
September 26, 2012
Calgary Sun (Alberta)
Local Mormons are expecting 100,000 Calgarians to grace their newest slice of heaven on earth in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday, the church unveiled to the media its opulent new Calgary Alberta Temple located in the northwest Royal Oak neigbourhood.
One of the spaces visitors will see is the Celestial Room, an inner sanctum for silent meditation featuring a massive, swooping Swarovski crystal chandelier and a soaring panelled ceiling that senior church official William Walker said is meant to envision a terrestrial heaven.
http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/09/26/mormon-temple-opens-in-calgary
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Fire set at Spokane Mormon church
September 26, 2012
Sacramento Bee (California)
The Spokane Fire Department says a fire at a Mormon church was arson.
Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer says an accelerant of some sort was used to set fire Tuesday afternoon to a sign on the back of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the city’s north side.
Firefighters put out the flames before they reached the roof.
One church member, Ron Anderson, told The Spokesman-Review ( http://bit.ly/RYbMJG) the brick building has been the target of vandalism in the past, including broken windows and graffiti.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/26/4856600/fire-set-at-spokane-mormon-church.html
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Sign set on fire at Mormon church
September 26, 2012
Spokesman Review (Washington)
Fire crews said a small blaze at a Mormon church Tuesday afternoon was intentionally set.
Spokane Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said a sign hanging on the back of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 732 W. Indiana Ave. was set on fire around 2:10 p.m.
“It was reported by a passer-by as flames coming from the back of this church,” Schaeffer said, adding that some sort of accelerant was used.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/26/sign-set-on-fire-at-lds-church/
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Fire at North Side church intentionally set
September 25, 2012
Spokesman Review (Washington)
Fire crews said a small blaze at a Mormon church Tuesday afternoon was intentionally set.
Spokane Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said a sign hanging on the back of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 732 W. Indiana Street was set on fire around 2:10 p.m.
“It was reported by a passer-by as flames coming from the back of this church,” Schaeffer said, adding that some sort of accelerant was used.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/25/fire-north-side-church-intentionally-set/
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“Mormon Bachelor” helps LDS singles find matches
September 26, 2012
ABC 4 (Utah)
A new online reality series is just like ABC’s “The Bachelor” minus the sex and scandal. The creators of the “Mormon Bachelor” say their goal is to actually have the couples find true love that lasts an eternity.
The star is Chris Barbour, a 26 year-old virgin. “I’m here to find the love of my life,” he said. I’m here to have what my parents have.”
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Warning! Gratuitous hand-holding: Wholesome version of The Bachelor aims to find a wife for Mormon virgin, 26
September 26, 2012
Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
It was inspired by a show famed for its sex and scandal. But it’s safe to say the Mormon version of The Bachelor will more respectable than raunchy.
Viewers can now tune in to a dating show featuring romance with a more wholesome twist.
The Mormon Bachelor aims to help two people find marriage and eternal love – and the star of the show is a 26-year-old virgin Chris Barbour.
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Reality Web Show Helps ‘Mormon Bachelor’ Find ‘Eternal Marriage’
September 26, 2012
ABC News
“The Mormon Bachelor” is unlike the show that inspired it.
In a way, it’s ABC’s “The Bachelor” minus the sex and scandal.
“The Mormon Bachelor” — seen on the web — features speed dating with distinctly Mormon values.
The dates have less drama, the conversations more wholesome, but the stakes are just as high. Contestants on the show, now wrapping up its fourth season, are hoping to find a marriage partner.
The star of the show is Chris Barbour, a 26-year-old virgin.
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Mia Love: The Inevitability of the Black, Female, Mormon Republican Congresswoman
September 26, 2012
Slate
Love would be the first black female Republican in the House, and arguably the most prominent black Mormon in America. How do you run against that?
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Racist package containing images of KKK and aborted fetuses sent to surging black Mormon Republican candidate Mia Love
September 26, 2012
Daily Mail (United Kingdom)
Love, 36, was born in New York to Haitian immigrants. She converted to Mormonism after meeting her husband Jason, who is white, when he was a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionary in Connecticut.
She converted to the faith just before their marriage.
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Report: Racist Package Sent to Utah’s Mia Love
September 26, 2012
Newsmax
Love, a Mormon and the daughter of Haitian immigrants, seeks to become the first black female Republican to be elected to Congress.
http://www.newsmax.com/US/utah-love-racist-package/2012/09/26/id/457731
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Police investigate racist pictures sent to black politician
September 26, 2012
Daily Caller
Incidentally, Love is polling way ahead of Matheson. Has Harry Reid attacked her for being a bad Mormon yet? Give it time, we’ve got six more weeks to go.
http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/26/police-investigate-racist-pictures-sent-to-black-politician
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Russia’s Mormons: Keeping the Faith
September 26, 2012
Ria Novosti
Rather than fantasizing about an ancestral American holy land or rallying behind high-profile Mormon Mitt Romney’s Republican bid for the U.S. presidency, Russian Mormons say they are focused on building up their faith in Russia.
“To say it’s a particularly American religion is, to me, not entirely true,” said Vasily Sapozhnikov, a 29-year-old musician who converted about ten years ago, and who, with his tousled blond hair, looks every bit the Western pop star. “It’s not about where it started, but about one’s inner feelings – and about God.”
Founded in the 19th century in the United States, the Church sees itself as a restoration of the church founded by Jesus Christ. Emphasizing the individual connection with God, it operates a far-reaching hierarchy across the world.
http://en.ria.ru/analysis/20120926/176237550.html
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Bar Exam: Crawling through Utah’s beer history
September 26, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
A Mormon is credited with starting the first documented brewery in Utah way back in 1856. The Hot Springs Hotel and Brewery sat on land now occupied by the Utah State Prison.
That’s just one of the bits of beer history that Cevan LeSieur served up recently for the Utah Heritage Foundation’s Thirst Fursdays Historic Pub Crawl in downtown Salt Lake City.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/54944651-80/utah-history-pub-bar.html.csp
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Mormons Break Ground on LEED-certified Meetinghouse in Englewood, N.J.
September 26, 2012
Paramus Post (New Jersey)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) today announced plans to break ground for a state-of-the-art meetinghouse in Englewood, N.J, which will become the town’s first LEED-certified building. The facility will be used by English-, Spanish- and Korean-speaking congregations with members residing in several Bergen County towns, including Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Teaneck, Hackensack, Fort Lee, Bogota, Leonia and Ridgefield Park. A public groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29th, 10 a.m., at 62 East Forest Avenue (Mary Street between Grand Avenue and Dean Street).
The two-story, 15,270-square-foot building is expected to open in early 2014. It will include a chapel, 16 classrooms and offices, a gymnasium and 60 underground parking spaces. Latter-day Saints use meetinghouses for weekly worship services, recreational events and social gatherings.
http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20120926200953550
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Stefan Dziemianowicz reviews Brian Evenson
September 26, 2012
Locus Online
The most unusual story in Windeye, Brian Evenson’s outstanding new collection of short fiction, is devoid of the reality slips and nods to the supernormal that distinguish the other 24 stories in the book. In fact, it doesn’t even read like fiction. In ”Bon Scott: The Choir Years”, Evenson, addressing the reader as himself, relates how in 1997, while living in Utah and researching an article that he was writing on the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, he uncovered evidence that Bon Scott, the band’s lead singer, had made several trips to Salt Lake City to practice with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. His last trip occurred only months before Scott died in 1979, after a night of excessive drinking. The incongruity of someone with Scott’s reputation for wildness cozying up to the Mormons – and the discovery that Scott was baptized into the Mormon faith, posthumously, on the day of his death – leads Evenson to speculate whether Scott’s death wasn’t engineered, by himself or others, as a ”Blood Atonement” for sins so great ”that the blood of Christ cannot sufficiently cleanse.”
http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2012/09/stefan-dziemianowicz-reviews-brian-evenson/
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Freedom of religion, expression, and to act the fool.
September 26, 2012
Tucson Citizen (Arizona)
Before we can completely capture the high ground in this situation, however, we must step back and look at our own ability to get annoyed and derive irrational anger over what others are doing. While we’re not rioting, there are those that are outraged at the Mormon Church for virtually baptizing dead people. These baptisms are done by proxy. They’re done in private and even Atheists get incensed at the idea. Why? If the Mormons want to baptize every dead person on the planet, does it matter? If they want to go to their favorite grotto and dunk themselves in a ritual that has significance only to them, why should we care? Let’s break it down: Do the dead people care? No! They’re dead. If you didn’t know about it would you care? Of course not! If you didn’t know about it you couldn’t care. So offense only happens when one finds out that someone is doing a dumb ritual that doesn’t mean anything to you and mentioning a dead person you might know. Perhaps we should save our ire for those that leak the information. Baptizing dead people is a foolish endeavor that actually does nothing. There is another way to look at it. One more Mormon dunking themselves in the name of a dead person is one less knocking on my door.
We can stop most of these irrational responses if we stop trying to ascribe negative motivations of others. Follow the advice of the British playwright James M. Barrie, “Never ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own.” I’m sure that the producers of the Innocence of Muslims did not intend on creating riots just as the Mormons baptizing dead people are not trying to purposely upset the living relatives.
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