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30 September 2012
Groundbreaking for Indiana’s First Mormon Temple
September 29, 2012
Church and community leaders broke ground Saturday, 29 September 2012, for the Indianapolis Indiana Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The temple will be located in the city of Carmel on the southwest corner of the intersection of W116th and Spring Mill Road
The ceremony was conducted by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy. Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer of the Seventy also assisted, as did local Church and community leaders.
The temple was announced by Church President Thomas S. Monson in October 2010. There are currently 139 temples in operation throughout the world.
Church membership in Indiana is more than 41,000.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/groundbreaking-for-indiana%E2%80%99s-first-mormon-temple
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Relief Society General Meeting
September 29, 2012
On Saturday, 29 September 2012, the Relief Society organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will convene for its annual general meeting. This organization, which includes all Mormon women over the age of 18, constitutes one of the largest and longest-running women’s organizations in the world. The Relief Society was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, with 20 members and now includes nearly six million women in over 170 countries and territories.[i]
The general Relief Society meeting is an opportunity for leaders (including the Relief Society presidency and a member of the First Presidency) to share doctrinal messages of instruction and inspiration directly with the women of the Church. The newly appointed Relief Society presidency is composed of Sister Linda K. Burton, Sister Carole M. Stephens and Sister Linda S. Reeves. Their service began in April of 2012.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/relief-society-general-meeting
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Mormonvoices Announces Rapid Response Resources for Journalists
September 29, 2012
Yahoo News
MormonVoices announced today an expanded “fact check” and information service for journalists researching or reporting on stories involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The new service is aimed at assisting journalists seeking to verify and obtain accurate information on the history, doctrine, and cultural practices of Latter-day Saints.
“Many journalists are writing about the ‘Mormon Moment,’” stated John Lynch, Managing Director of MormonVoices. “Some of the information being reported is accurate, and some of it misses the mark. We want to help responsible reporters verify information, and gain access to Latter-day Saints who can share their personal experiences relative to stories of the day involving the LDS Church.”
http://news.yahoo.com/mormonvoices-announces-rapid-response-resources-journalists-074026517.html
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Mormons Break Ground on ‘Green’ Meetinghouse for Bergen Members
September 29, 2012
Teaneck Patch (New Jersey)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints broke ground Saturday on an enviromentally friendly state of the art meetinghouse in Englewood, planned to serve members of the Mormon faith from across Bergen County.
The 15,270-square-foot facility is expected to open in early 2014, according to a church news release. Plans call for it to include a chapel, 16 classrooms and offices, along with a gymnasium and underground parking spaces. The new meetinghouse, the release said, will also become Englewood’s first building to carry LEED certification, which recognizes the structure’s “green” construction.
http://teaneck.patch.com/articles/mormons-break-ground-on-green-meetinghouse-for-bergen-members
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Obama and Romney fight for religious groups’ votes. Then there’s Romney’s Mormon faith
September 30, 2012
Christian Science Monitor
Both President Obama and Mitt Romney are focusing on particular religious groups – Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Evangelical Christians. Mr. Romney’s religion – Mormonism – is being covered by the media like never before in US political history. (At least since the sect moved to Utah in the 19th century in order to practice its own beliefs – including, at that time, polygamy.)
Off to the side, meanwhile, is an apparent spat between the two most prominent Mormon politicians – Romney and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid – which seems to bear on their religion’s theology.
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Romney tax questions
September 30, 2012
Brainerd Dispatch (Minnesota)
Using round numbers, he collected $14 million, paid $2 million taxes, and gave $4 million to the Mormons, or about twice what he gave to his country. (He gave the money to a church, not to God.)
So the question asks itself, is he twice as dedicated to his church as his country? He’s a high ranking bishop in the Mormon church. How much say or influence does he wield in how his $4 million contribution is spent? Can he direct this money somehow for his own benefit? It sounds like he could lead a complicated life.
http://brainerddispatch.com/opinion/open-forum/2012-09-30/romney-tax-questions
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Christians’ choice for president clear
September 29, 2012
Clarion Ledger (Mississippi)
You reported that some prominent black clergy are telling their flocks to stay home and not vote on election day. Their objection to Romney is because he is a Mormon.
Their objection to Obama is his approval of same sex marriage.
Many evangelical Christians like myself also disagree with the Mormon theology. However, the Mormons I have known have been gracious and kind people.
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Steven Fales Premieres MISSIONARY POSITION at Theater LaB Houston, 10/14-21
September 30, 2012
Broadway World
Some Mormons just can’t keep SECRETS! Steven Fales’ controversial new solo play based on his journals and adventures as a Mormon missionary in Portugal. Anyone who has ever felt the agony, ecstasy, and insanity of turning their will and their life over to a socio-economic-political-tax-exempt-multi-national corporation posing as the kingdom of god on earth (and over-run by hot young men in white shirts and ties) will appreciate this smart, sexy, and funny look at extreme religious devotion.
What really goes on in those Missions and the Temple?
High entertaining fantasy sequences occur when Elder Fales gets converted by conquistadors in Portugal, porn czars in New York, and where he tries to save his nineteen year-old self from the secret Mormon temple ceremonies where for the first time on stage all the rituals and are exposed to dramatic effect in “The Rocky Mormon Picture Show.” For ADULT AUDIENCES.
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Hindu statesman Zed welcomed at Mormon run Brigham Young University
September 30, 2012
South Asia Mail
In a remarkable interfaith gesture, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed was warmly welcomed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) sponsored Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo (Utah, USA).
Dr. Brent L. Top, Chair of Church History and Doctrine Department, greeted Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism. Zed had dialogue with BYU College of Religious Education faculty, including its Dean Dr. Terry B. Ball, and addressed its students and answered questions.
Rajan Zed also met BYU President Dr. Cecil O. Samuelson and was taken on a tour of the campus and adjoining LDS Missionary Training Center.
http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=106989
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Romney outpacing McCain’s Montana donations
September 30, 2012
Great Falls Tribune (Montana)
Montana residents have given more than twice as much money to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign than they gave to GOP presidential nominee John McCain in 2008, according to a recent analysis of federal data.
That could be partly because of Romney’s Mormon faith, said Eric Ostermeier, who analyzed data from the Federal Election Commission and U.S. Census Bureau for his political news web site, Smart Politics.
“When you look at Montana and the neighboring states, Idaho and Wyoming, I think what we have here is a case of (Romney) galvanizing the comparatively large Mormon populations in those states,” said Ostermeier, a research associate at the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota.
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Romney’s Faith May Help in Idaho, Where He Doesn’t Need It
September 30, 2012
New York Times
In Utah, Idaho and Nevada, however, it’s religion. Mr. Romney is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and those three states have the three highest percentages of Mormons.
In Utah, 67 percent of residents are L.D.S. members, according to a Gallup survey. Idaho is second with 21 percent, and Nevada is tied for third with 9 percent.
The evidence is circumstantial, but it suggests that Mr. Romney’s faith has helped him in states (Idaho and Utah) that he was never going to lose, and a state (Nevada) where he was going to lose by too much to make a difference. Although if the race tightens up nationally, Mr. Obama’s lead in Nevada is likely to narrow as well. And if the race were closer in Nevada, an increase in the Mormon vote could be enough to tip the state in his favor. (We’ll have more on Nevada later in this series).
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Rich and frugal, MItt Romney struggles to connect with voters
September 30, 2012
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
One of Romney’s sons, Josh, suggests that his father’s philosophy about his fortune is rooted in family history, a narrative of personal perseverance and persecution that also is the group history of the Mormons.
“It all stems from his father, who was born in 1907 in Mexico and lived in very poor circumstances, and had to flee Mexico, and was on government relief for a short time, and lived in Salt Lake through the Great Depression,” says Josh. “I think that experience for him and his family’s reaction … to that kind of circumstance really kind of shaped our family and my dad.”
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Larry Webster: Tie Rod pushing cap-and-trade for blasphemy
September 30, 2012
Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky)
He is now even afraid to make fun of the Mormon prophet to whom Jesus came to New England and gave gold bullion and to whom Jesus advised to either not marry at all or get you several, one or the other.
http://www.kentucky.com/2012/09/30/2355046/larry-webster-tie-rod-pushing.html
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Helping Hands
September 30, 2012
Martinsburg Journal (West Virginia)
Through the generosity of the community and the desire to make a difference, the food drive sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints collected approximately 10,500 pounds of food in honor of Day to Serve.
Day to Serve is a day for volunteerism proclaimed by West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin as well as the Berkeley County Council and the Martinsburg City Council.
“I’ve been working since May to pull this together, and I’ve had a lot of good support from the city, the county and all the organizations. The 167th, I just can’t say enough good things about them,” said Roy Young, the local LDS coordinator for Day to Serve.
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/585080/Helping-Hands.html?nav=5006
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