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7 October 2012
Coverage and News Media Resources from the 182nd Semiannual General Conference
October 6, 2012
General conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints take place every six months, originating in the 21,000-seat Conference Center in Salt Lake City and reaching a global audience estimated to be in the millions. The proceedings are available in multiple languages via television, radio, satellite and Internet broadcasts. Five sessions of the conference will be held Saturday and Sunday, 6-7 October 2012, in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Information regarding the conference will be updated on this page throughout the weekend. See the links below for news releases, blog posts and photos covering the conference.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/coverage-182nd-semiannual-general-conference
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General Authority Releases Announced at General Conference
October 6, 2012
The following General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were released and received an expression of gratitude for their many years of service during the Saturday afternoon session of the Church’s 182nd Semiannual General Conference 6 October 2012.
First Quorum of the Seventy (Emeritus status)
Elder Keith K. Hilbig
Elder Jay E. Jensen
Elder Marlin K. Jensen
Elder Octaviano Tenorio
Second Quorum of the Seventy
Elder Keith R. Edwards
Elder Larry W. Gibbons
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/general-authority-releases-announced-at-general-conference
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Church Lowers Missionary Service Age
October 6, 2012
In a move to expand the opportunities for young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve full-time missions, Church president Thomas S. Monson announced today that, effective immediately, men may now begin serving at age 18 and women at age 19.
The previous age for beginning missionary service was 19 years of age for young men and 21 for young women.
The announcement was made during the opening session of the Church’s 182nd Semiannual General Conference, broadcast worldwide from Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Church anticipates that lowering the age requirement will significantly increase the number of missionaries who will serve by expanding the options for when they may begin their service.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-lowers-age-requirement-for-missionary-service
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Church Announces New Temples in Arizona and Peru
October 6, 2012
Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans to build temples in Tucson, Arizona and Arequipa, Peru today during the morning session of the faith’s 182st Semiannual General Conference. Exact locations of the temples will be announced at a later date.
The Tucson, Arizona Temple will be the sixth in the state. Three of the other five temples in Mesa, Snowflake, and Gila Valley have been dedicated and are operating, while those in Phoenix and Gilbert are under construction. There are approximately 400,000 Church members in Arizona.
Peru is home to approximately 30 million people including over a half million members of the Church. The Arequipa temple will be the third in the South American country where missionary work officially began in 1956. Church members in Arequipa, Peru’s second most populous city, currently attend temple services in Lima, which is almost five hundred miles away.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-announces-new-temples-in-arizona-and-peru
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Mormon church president embraces power of prayer
October 7, 2012
San Antonio Express News (Texas)
Mormon church President Thomas S. Monson urged his faith’s followers to embrace the power of prayer and to reach out to people in need.
Monson said Sunday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 182nd semiannual General Conference in Salt Lake City that God hears the faithful and knows them.
“We can communicate with our Heavenly Father through prayer and those prayers will be heard and answered. Perhaps not how and when we expected they would be answered, but they will be answered,” the 85-year-old leader said.
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Age change should propel more Mormons into missions
October 7, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
It may take years to see the full impact from the announcement that the LDS Church is lowering the age for full-time missionary service, but the Utah-based faith is clearly preparing for one immediate consequence: a flood of new, younger missionaries.
Just hours after church President Thomas S. Monson announced that young men could serve a mission at age 18 (down from 19) and young women at 19 (down from 21), social media and the blogosphere were abuzz with young Mormons who were suddenly planning to put in their applications for service.
LDS families began talking about altering summer schedules to get ready to say goodbye to their kids years earlier than they expected. And Mormon leaders couldn’t be more excited by the prospect.
“I am bordering on the giddy,” LDS apostle Jeffrey R. Holland said at a news conference Saturday. “We expect this new option will be exercised by many, and the numbers of missionaries could increase dramatically.”
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/55040358-80/church-lds-missionaries-mormons.html.csp
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LDS General Conference Includes Major Announcements On Mormon Missionaries And New Temples
October 7, 2012
Huffington Post
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will rapidly increase the number of missionaries it sends throughout the world, church leaders have announced.
Speaking Saturday at the church’s semi-annual General Conference in Salt Lake City, President Thomas Monson, the church’s top leader, said the church is lowering its age requirements for both male and female missionaries. Men will now be able to embark on missions one year earlier at age 18, while women can now go on missions two years earlier at age 19.
According to a statement on the church’s website, the new rules “will significantly increase the number of missionaries” for the church, which has 14.4 million global members and places an emphasis on encouraging its members to do missions, a majority of which are focused on proselytizing.
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Mormon church lowers age requirements for missionaries
October 6, 2012
Chicago Tribune (Illinois)
Mormon leaders on Saturday lowered the age requirements for full-time missionaries in a change that could swell the ranks of the church’s messengers around the world.
All 18-year-old men in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will now be allowed to serve missions and women can do so at the age of 19, Thomas Monson, the church’s president, told members at a conference in Salt Lake City.
The previous age requirements for serving as Mormon missionaries was 19 for men and 21 for women.
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Mormon church president embraces power of prayer
October 7, 2012
Sacramento Bee (California)
Mormon church President Thomas S. Monson is urging his faith’s followers to embrace the power of prayer and to reach out to people in need.
Monson said Sunday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 182nd semiannual General Conference in Salt Lake City that God hears the faithful and knows them.
He also urged church members to be open to those in need, saying “the opportunity to be a blessing in the life of another often comes unexpectedly.”
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/07/4890156/mormon-church-president-embraces.html
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News of lower mission age excites Mormons
October 6, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
The Salt Lake City-based faith is lowering the age of full-time missionary service to age 18 for Mormon men (down from 19) and 19 for women (down from 21).
“The Lord is hastening this work,” LDS apostle Jeffrey R. Holland said at a news conference, “and he needs more and more willing missionaries.”
The church is counting on this change to dramatically increase the ranks of its full-time missionaries, currently more than 58,000 worldwide.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55035591-78/age-missionary-church-lds.html.csp
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Bring back wayward Mormons, Monson urges LDS priesthood
October 6, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
LDS boys and men should find ways to reach out to Mormons who have strayed and bring them back to the faith, LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson said Saturday night.
“For those members who have slipped from activity or who hold back and remain noncommittal, we can prayerfully seek for some way to reach them,” the 85-year-old Monson told the all-male priesthood during the 182nd Semiannual LDS General Conference. “Asking them to serve in some capacity may just be the incentive they need to return to full activity.”
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55037485-78/lds-priesthood-monson-afford.html.csp
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Mormon president says Tucson will get temple
October 6, 2012
CBS 5 (Arizona)
Mormons in the Tucson area will finally have a temple of their own.
Church President Thomas S. Monson announced the new temple at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday.
Tucson North Stake president Todd Polley says members have been praying for a temple of their own for a long time.
http://www.kpho.com/story/19755278/mormon-president-says-tucson-will-get-temple
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Mormon Conference Reaffirms Church’s Opposition To Gay Marriage
October 7, 2012
On Top Magazine
LDS Apostle Dallin Oaks affirmed the church’s belief that being gay is abnormal and that gay sex is sinful, though he added that teens struggling with their sexuality need “loving understanding.”
“Young people struggling with any exceptional condition including same-gender attraction are particularly vulnerable and need loving understanding, not bullying or ostracism,” Oaks said.
In a broader message, he condemned abortion – calling it a form of child abuse – and said children are the victims of no-fault divorce.
http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=13197&MediaType=1&Category=26
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ABC News airs ‘Mormons on a Mission’ — an insider view of LDS missionaries
October 6, 2012
God Discussion
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka the LDS Church and/or Mormon church) gave ABC News’ Bob Woodruff rare access to missionaries who were serving their church in Louisiana.
According to ABC News, Mormonism is one of the fastest-growing churches in America and the world, and there is renewed interest in the church because of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a Mormon. The church remains much of a mystery to those outside the faith. For instance, some still associate Mormonism with polygamy, but the church banned polygamy in 1890. There are some breakaway fundamentalist sects that still practice it.
The missionary work is a demanding 2-year rite of passage for young Mormons. There are 55,000 missionaries serving around the world. Although young, the missionaries are given the title “Elder.”
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October 2012 LDS General Conference continues Sunday; activity packet info
October 7, 2012
Examiner
Saturday, the semi-annual LDS general conference began in Salt Lake City, Utah and it continues through Sunday, October 7, 2012. 100,000 people will attend the conference, and millions of people in more than 80 nations around the world will listen to it. The LDS General Conference is held by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church).
The Saturday and Sunday sessions include 40 speakers. The Sunday general sessions will be at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
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Tucson to get its own Mormon temple
October 7, 2012
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson Mormons are getting a temple of their own.
Church President Thomas S. Monson made the announcement in Salt Lake City Saturday during the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
No location or opening date has been determined, said David Hoefferle, church spokesman in Southern Arizona.
“Members of the church have looked to this day for a long time, hoping and praying that it would come,” Todd Polley, president of the Tucson North Stake, said in a prepared statement. “But even for those not of our faith, we believe this will be a great blessing.”
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Age for Mormon missionaries drops to 18 for men, 19 for women
October 6, 2012
East Idaho News
Latter Day Saint (Mormon) Church President Thomas S Monson made the announcement from the pulpit of the semi-annual LDS General Conference in Salt Lake City; broadcast to church members around the world.
All Mormon men who are deemed faithful are now able to begin their two-year, full time service to the LDS Church at 18 years old; rather than the previously standard age of 19.
Women who would like to serve in the same capacity are now able to at age 19, rather than 21.
http://www.eastidahonews.com/2012/10/age-for-mormon-missionaries-drops-to-18-for-men-19-for-women/
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General Conference by satellite will be today, Sunday
October 6, 2012
Chico Enterprise-Record (California)
The 182nd semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be broadcast via satellite to the public today and Sunday and may be viewed at various local chapels.
The conference broadcasts from the church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah and includes inspirational music by groups, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and sermons on various Christian teachings.
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_21713753/general-conference-by-satellite-will-be-today-sunday
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LDS Conference Notebook
October 6, 2012
St. George Spectrum (Utah)
Elder Quentin L. Cook, of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, spoke of increased unrighteousness in the world and apathy among Latter-day Saints. “The need for civility in society has never been more important,” he said. “The foundation of kindness and civility begins in our homes.”
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LDS Church lowers ages for missionary service
October 6, 2012
St. George News (Utah)
In a move to expand the opportunities for young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve full-time missions, Church president Thomas S. Monson announced today that, effective immediately, men may now begin serving at age 18 and women at age 19.
The previous age for beginning missionary service was 19 years of age for young men and 21 for young women.
http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2012/10/06/lds-church-lowers-age-for-missionary-service/
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Utahns changing plans after LDS mission age lowered
October 7, 2012
Fox 13 News (Utah)
Even before General Conference ended, some families are already preparing for major changes. McKenna and Kaitlynn Seal are both freshmen at BYU and will now be leaving school to go on a mission.
McKenna says she burst into tears when she heard the announcement. She was already planning on going on a mission when she’s 21, but now that the age requirement is two years lower, she wants to take advantage of the new option. She already has an interview with her bishop set up for next week and could leave in January of next year, maybe even sooner.
The Seal family says they’ve already heard of numerous teens in their ward who are planning on going on missions immediately thanks to the change.
http://fox13now.com/2012/10/07/utahns-changing-plans-after-lds-mission-age-lowered/
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Conference reaffirms LDS positions on abortion, homosexuality
October 6, 2012
Fox 13 News (Utah)
The first day of the 182nd Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints included some surprises and reaffirmed the church’s stance on some social issues.
LDS Apostle Dallin Oaks reaffirmed the church’s opposition to abortion. He says it is part of a trend of declining birthrates which he says works against God’s plan of salvation. He also called abortion a form of child abuse.
Oaks’ statement on homosexuality included a continuation of the LDS belief that same-sex attraction is abnormal and that homosexual acts are sinful, though he did include a note of sympathy.
http://fox13now.com/2012/10/06/conference-reaffirms-lds-positions-on-abortion-homosexuality/
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Religion briefs for Oct. 6
October 6, 2012
The Oklahoman
Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will hold their 182nd Semiannual General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a worldwide Christian religion. Oklahoma has 43,905 church members, with 84 congregations. The conference, originating from church headquarters in Salt Lake City, is comprised of a series of two-hour meetings over two days featuring church leaders speaking on a variety of spiritual topics.General sessions, open to everyone, will be 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mountain time Saturday, and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday. Live broadcasts are to be streamed to more than 7,400 church buildings in 102 countries. For a list of local meeting houses, go to www.lds.org/locations. The conference also can be viewed on the television or online. Live broadcasts are available at conference.lds.org.
http://newsok.com/religion-briefs-for-oct.-6/article/3716028
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Mormon Conference in Utah
October 7, 2012
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
[PHOTOS]
http://www.chron.com/news/gallery/Mormon-Conference-in-Utah-50299.php
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Mormon Church lowers age for missionaries
October 7, 2012
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (California)
The Mormon church will lower its minimum age requirements for missionaries from 19 to 18 for men and from 21 to 19 for women, the faith’s president announced Saturday.
Thomas S. Monson said at the church’s 182nd semiannual General Conference that the historic change is expected to significantly increase the missionary force of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – currently more than 55,000 worldwide.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/breakingnews/ci_21717354/mormon-church-lowers-age-missionaries
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Top Mormon Leader: Children Of Same-Sex Couples Are ‘Victimized’
October 7, 2012
The New Civil Rights Moment
One of the top leaders within the Mormon Church, Dallin Harris Oaks, said Saturday that children who are raised by same-sex couples are “victimized.” Oaks, the fifth most senior apostle in the LDS Church, was speaking at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ General Conference, and also spoke at length against single-parenting.
“He urged parents and caregivers to respond to children who struggle, including with same-sex attraction, with ‘loving understanding, not bullying or ostracism’,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports:
He also cautioned that it should be assumed that kids raised by same-sex couples or unwed mothers will be at a disadvantage.
“Children are also victimized by marriages that do not occur,” Oaks said.
Discussing children who are LGBTQ, Oaks suggested they suffer from “psychological abuse.”
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Stockton: a might’ve been LDS sanctuary
October 7, 2012
Stockton Record (California)
From the time Joseph Smith founded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church) in 1830, his followers were persecuted.
Smith himself was jailed for treason in Illinois in 1844. Then he was killed by a mob. New religions never get a warm reception, it seems, especially polygamous ones.
Church leadership passed to Brigham Young. To escape the hostility, Young ordered all Mormons to emigrate from America (which stopped at the Mississippi River), and find their haven somewhere in the West.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121007/A_NEWS0803/210070313/-1/NEWSMAP
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LDS president assures faithful that ‘prayers will be answered’
October 7, 2012
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
For the past 49 years as an LDS apostle, church President Thomas S. Monson has been responding to spiritual promptings — to speak with a needy Mormon leader in Brisbane, Australia, to go to a friend at University Hospital in Salt Lake City, or to visit an elderly widow who would die the next day.
“The opportunity to be a blessing in the life of another often comes unexpectedly,” Monson said Sunday on the second day of the 182nd Semiannual LDS General Conference, speaking from the giant Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City. “The Lord is in the details of our lives.”
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55039455-78/lds-answered-apostle-conference.html.csp
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Mormons relax missionary age limit
October 6, 2012
The Press Association
Mormon church president Thomas S Monson said that the faith will lower its minimum age requirement for missionaries from 19 to 18 for men and from 21 to 19 for women.
Monson made the announcement at the faith’s 182nd Semi-annual General Conference in Salt Lake City.
He said the historic change is expected to significantly increase the missionary force of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – more than 55,000 worldwide.
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Mormon ready for general conference in Salt Lake
October 6, 2012
KNRV Reno (Nevada)
Tens of thousands of the Mormon faithful are gathering in Salt Lake City for the 182nd semi-annual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The general conference in Salt Lake City allows Mormons to hear gospel-centered talks about faith, family and mission work from senior church leaders.
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Why Romney Won’t Do
October 6, 2012
Salem News (Oregon)
As the Mormon nominee of the Republican Party, Romney sings the evangelical song with lyrics provided by Karl Rove. Evangelists control the Party, but what of the Mormon LDS; does it consider Romney’s run for President as in the best interest of Mormonism? It’s a question begging to be answered, but which suggests a confused presidency due to differing agendas if Romney is elected President.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/october062012/romney-election-kr.php
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Obama’s Boys on the Bus
October 15, 2012
Weekly Standard
The Time cover story last week was headlined “The Mormon Identity.” The cover, featuring Mitt Romney in a stained-glass window, said in smaller type, “What Mitt Romney’s faith tells us about his vision and values.” Newsweek had President Obama on the cover, identifying him as “The Democrats’ Reagan” and heralding the story inside as “What Obama Will Achieve in His Second Term.”
Neither of the stories, to put it mildly, was helpful to Romney’s presidential campaign. The piece in Time was fair, but the timing, long after Mormonism had faded as a factor in the election, was suspect. In Newsweek, Obama was lionized, while Romney and Republicans were treated like hyperpartisan right-wingers.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/obama-s-boys-bus_653807.html
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Church to evict families from homes
October 8, 2012
Waikato Times (New Zealand)
Dozens of Temple View families are being evicted from their homes to make way for a new, large-scale meeting house for churchgoers.
But with no other houses vacant in the largely Mormon suburb, they’ll be forced to live elsewhere in Hamilton.
It’s heartbreaking news for the families living in about 10 homes on Tuhikaramea Rd, between the old college grounds and the Mormon temple, who were last week asked to vacate by January 31 next year.
Developers Envision NZ, who represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, did not provide details about their plans for the homes, or the land, but residents yesterday told the Waikato Times the houses would be demolished to allow construction of a new facility, similar to a church or chapel.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/7782811/Church-to-evict-families-from-homes
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News of the Day From Across the Nation
October 6, 2012
San Francisco Chronicle (California)
The Mormon church will lower its minimum age requirements for missionaries from 19 to 18 for men and from 21 to 19 for women, the faith’s president announced Saturday in Salt Lake City. Thomas Monson said the change is expected to significantly increase the missionary force of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – currently more than 55,000 worldwide.
http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/News-of-the-Day-From-Across-the-Nation-3925608.php
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Romney opens up with personal anecdotes
October 7, 2012
Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania)
So it was that as the sun set on his rally here Friday night, the Republican nominee, buoyed by his successful turn on the debate stage, for the first time publicly related emotionally powerful anecdotes. Romney told of ministering to the needy in his Mormon church, including a 14-year-old who was dying of leukemia and summoned “Brother Romney” to his bedside. He also spoke of an old friend who ended up a quadriplegic after an accident, came to see Romney recently, and died the next day.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20121007_Romney_opens_up_with_personal_anecdotes.html
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H. Brandt Ayers: Eavesdropping in Boca Raton
October 7, 2012
Anniston Star (Alabama)
From Lemann’s extensive interviews it is clear that near the peak of his value system is his Mormon religion in which he ranks as one of a small elite that is driven to achieve academically and in business.
A combination of faith, real-world practicality and the Mormon experience drives the success orientation. The Mormon story resembles the Jewish saga in some respects. They have known discrimination and scorn; they had been driven from state to state and suffered the murder of their leader until they finally came to rest in the isolated state of Utah.
http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/20381936-H-Brandt-Ayers-Eavesdropping-in-Boca-Raton
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Te’o at heart of Notre Dame revival
October 7, 2012
Fox Sports
Te’o is a Mormon from Hawaii who never paid attention to Notre Dame when he was growing up and didn’t know anything about Irish tradition or legend at all. He even surprised himself by signing with Notre Dame.
Well, whatever. He is an amazing linebacker who is leading a powerful defense. And he’s doing it through the hardest of times.
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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.
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