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
28 October 2012
Church President Dedicates 140th Temple
October 28, 2012
Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated the Calgary Alberta Temple, the 140th temple in the Church, on Sunday, 28 October 2012.
Three dedicatory sessions were held to give members of the Church an opportunity to participate in the special meeting, which was broadcast to meetinghouses throughout the temple district.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-president-dedicates-140th-temple
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plan for Mormon temple rattles Catholics in a French suburb
October 28, 2012
Christian Science Monitor
A dispute over the construction of a Mormon temple in a suburb of Paris is revealing as much about France’s changing religious profile as it does about possible prejudice against the little known religion.
In the Parisian suburb of Le Chesnay, where construction continues amid pending court action to bar the project, the complaints are legion: Missionaries will bother residents, children could be targeted for conversion without parents’ knowledge, construction will be disruptive, the edifice will be too large for the town.
But what seems equally on display is unease about a profound decline in Catholic practice, accompanied by a rise – however small – in Christian evangelicalism.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mormon church is conspicuously absent in Md. same-sex marriage referendum
October 28, 2012
Washington Post
Maryland activists working to overturn same-sex marriage have had to get used to one surprising absence from their religious coalition: Mormons.
A huge amount of Mormon money and foot soldiers and the support of church leadership were credited with an epic win for traditional marriage in 2008 when California voters approved Proposition 8, which said that only marriage between a man and woman would be recognized in the state. And the D.C. region has one of the largest communities of Mormons outside the West.
But Mormon leaders in Maryland have been silent on the ballot measure to affirm or toss the state’s new same-sex marriage law. Activists in other states voting next month on the issue (Maine, Minnesota and Washington) say they see the same thing. The dramatic turnaround from 2008 reflects the tightrope the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is walking as it tries to maintain a generally apolitical church culture while in the global spotlight of a presidential campaign.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mitt Romney: Disgrace to Mormonism
October 28, 2012
Salon
The similarities between Bellamy’s collective commonwealth and the Mormon ideal of “consecrated” community — as well his “Industrial Army” for organizing production and distribution, and the semi-military organization of Young’s Deseret — have ignited controversy for more than a century. Indeed, one rabidly anti-Mormon website currently makes the claim that as Brigham City influenced Looking Backward, so did Bellamy’s novel influence Bolshevism, thus implicating the Romneys through their Church in “the horrors of communism.”
But the image of the Red Calvary going into battle with the Book of Mormon in their saddlebags is quite a stretch; most of us, on the contrary, would probably vote for Mormon socialism as the ultimate oxymoron. Millenarian ideologies — whether the Sermon on the Mount, the revelations of Joseph Smith, or the ideas of Karl Marx — have an unfortunate tendency to be co-opted by advocates of antithetical values.
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/28/mitt_romney_disgrace_to_mormonism/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jewish-Mormon dialogue: Three wonderful evenings in Los Angeles
October 27, 2012
Jewish Journal of Greater L.A. (California)
It’s been a great month for Jewish-LDS relations in Los Angeles. Readers of this blog know of my firm belief that Mormons have a great deal to say to Jews, and vice versa. Judging from the turnout at three recent events, many other Mormons and Jews feel the same way.
Last Sunday Jewish and Mormon leaders gathered at an LDS chapel in order to hear an inspired presentation on Mormons and the Holy Land given by Joe and Marilyn Bentley, who recently returned from 18 months of service as the Directors of Hosting and Outreach at the BYU Center in Jerusalem. The Bentleys have a great love for Israel and the Jewish people, and clearly enjoyed sharing interesting details of their assignment and of LDS involvement in the Holy Land for over 160 years. Jewish attendees included several rabbis and representatives of the AJC and ADL, both of which have long-standing relationships with the church. The Bentleys have already lectured widely in the LDS community here in Southern California, and I’m sure they’d be willing to speak to Jewish groups as well.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Romney effect: Campaign sheds light on Mormonism
October 28, 2012
Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney traveled through Mississippi earlier this year, he used grits, football and “y’all” to connect with voters, but in the heart of the Bible Belt, many Southerners were more interested in the religious beliefs of the first Mormon candidate for the nation’s highest office.
Local missionaries Brandon Urry and Riley Harris, both 20, spend as much as 12 hours a day pounding the pavement, sharing their faith with people who often know little about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).
Urry said lately, the first question people ask is, “What does Mitt Romney believe?”
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=19888
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Is religion irrelevant to the presidential election?
October 28, 2012
Star Tribune (Wyoming)
Press reports have frequently observed that Republican voters are more “fired up” this fall than Democratic voters. This observation applies even to the party’s large evangelical block. While a recent Pew Forum survey indicates that more than 90 percent of evangelicals are “uncomfortable” with Romney’s Mormon beliefs, they will vote for him by a margin of more than three-to-one.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Poll: Romney has firm lead in TN
October 28, 2012
WBIR (Tennessee)
If Tennessee voters had concerns about electing a Mormon to the White House for the first time in American history, they’ve apparently gotten over it in the past few months.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney leads President Barack Obama in Tennessee by a margin of 59 percent to 34 percent, according to a poll released Saturday by Middle Tennessee State University. The poll found that 74 percent of white evangelical Christians surveyed support Romney.
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/239787/2/Poll-Romney-has-firm-lead-in-TN
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mormon temple opens in Calgary
October 28, 2012
CTV News (Canada)
The newest Mormon temple was dedicated in northwest Calgary, Sunday.
It’s one of three temples in Alberta, there is one in Cardston, and the other is in Edmonton.
The temple is reserved for the most sacred events of the church.
For the past month it has been open for viewing by the public, but as of Sunday it will only be open to members of the faith.
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mormon-temple-opens-in-calgary-1.1014229
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TV review: The American Roadtrip: Obama’s Story; Harry & Paul
October 28, 2012
The Guardian (United Kingdom)
And there may not be pearls or visions, but there are girls. There’s Glenda, his “road trip mistress”, she who must be obeyed, otherwise known as the sat nav. “No, darling, I’m not going to turn left on highway 280, I’m going to carry on on this one,” says Matt with masterly authority. And there’s Karen, a Mormon elder, whose knickers Matt wants to talk about, her magic Mormon knickers (because of Mitt Romney’s faith). They’re an expression of her covenant with God, says Karen. Do men and women wear them? Yes. Does she wear them? Yes.
Matt’s got Karen’s pants between his teeth now, so to speak. He’s shaking his head from side to side like a terrier; he’s not going to let go until he’s got to the bottom of them, so to speak. Does she find it awkward talking about her underwear? It’s not something they usually talk about. Wouldn’t it be better just to put them out there? Oh Matt, just ask her if you can see her knickers, you clearly want to. To be honest, I do, too. What do sacred Mormon pants look like? I’m guessing, given that the idea is to ward off temptation not beckon it, that they’re not like the sort that come from Agent Provocateur.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/oct/28/the-american-roadtrip-obamas-story?newsfeed=true
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Who will be better off? Romney’s rich friends
October 28, 2012
Times-Republican (Iowa)
In response to the T-R’s endorsement of Romney, ask yourself two more questions. First, who is the best example of your values? Our president who gets criticized for not “schmoozing” with members of Congress and lobbyist after hours, because he tries as often as possible to be home for supper with his two young daughters and wife. Or is it a man who claims all kinds of values and Christian (Mormon) beliefs but has been editorially criticized by his church-owned Salt lake City newspaper for pushing pornography while serving as a board member of Marriott Hotels where he received thousands of dollars plus stock for years.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hopeful signs
October 28, 2012
Legal Insurrection
I snapped this photo this afternoon from my office window in Chevy Chase, MD.
What you see at the end of the rainbow is the Mormon Temple in Kensington, MD. Could this be a sign?
http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/10/hopeful-signs/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parowan offers glimpse of life in early Utah
October 28, 2012
Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nevada)
Known as the “Mother Town” of Southern Utah, Parowan became the first Mormon settlement in the area in January 1851. Nearly 170 pioneer colonists set out from Provo to develop resources found in the area by an exploratory expedition sent by church authorities the previous year. The expedition reported a valley with plenty of water and good soil as well as nearby forests with timber, stone and deposits of iron ore, which sparked hopes for an iron industry.
http://www.lvrj.com/living/parowan-offers-glimpse-of-life-in-early-utah-176156251.html?ref=251
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Religion, politics and the coming election
October 28, 2012
Southeast Missourian
In a little over a week, Americans again go to the polls to elect a president. The Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, is a lifelong active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). He’s a Mormon. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association long has referred to Mormonism as a cult. Earlier this month, however, the BGEA quietly removed the “cults” page from its website. Mr. Graham, the nearly 94-year old patriarch of the BGEA and arguably America’s most well-known and respected Protestant leader, met with Romney recently and declared that he would do “whatever he could” to help the GOP nominee win.
How much things have changed in barely over half a century. JFK, a man who never held a position of leadership in his church, was under a white-hot microscope for his religious preference. Romney, who served two years overseas as a Mormon missionary and was a long-time LDS bishop, is in 2012 facing little scrutiny whatsoever for his faith. Has religion become irrelevant to the voters? (The Pew Forum recently reported that 20 percent of Americans have no religious preference — the highest non-theist percentage ever recorded in the U.S.) Or, have we entered a season in which religious tolerance is the rule not the exception? I hope the latter is true. In a wired world, in a global marketplace, where so many of us today have contact with people of different cultures and religious ideas, I suspect we may now respectfully disagree with the faith statement of others; while in an earlier time, we attacked it.
http://www.semissourian.com/story/1908179.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Evangelists blitz Ohio in bid to win the nation for Mitt Romney
October 29, 2012
The Australian
Evangelical priests have become the unlikeliest weapon in Mitt Romney’s battle to become the US’s first Mormon president. They are traditionally suspicious of Mormons and many, including Graham, have described the religion as a cult.
So crucial is their support that a fortnight ago Romney made a pilgrimage to Graham’s mountain retreat, after which the 94-year-old evangelist removed the “cult” description from his website.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Beaten for being a gay Republican? An interview with Kyle Wood
October 28, 2012
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Wisconsin)
Wood, 29, who is volunteering for Republican Chad Lee in a Madison-area congressional race, believes the attack was punishment for “betraying” his fellow gays. “My feeling, based on the statements that were made [during the attack], it probably had something to do with the fact that I support a Republican candidate running against an openly gay man,” Wood told me. “And as a gay man, I’m supposed to support that gay man. And I don’t. ” (Lee is running against openly gay Democratic State Assemblyman Mark Pocan.)
As first reported by the Daily Caller, Wood was at home on Wednesday morning, getting ready for work, when he heard a knock at the door. Wood, who is also Mormon, noted that Wednesday was “transfer day” – the day in the Mormon church where missionaries who are about to be transferred to other areas stop by to say goodbye to people they’ve gotten to know during their time there. Wood says he thought his visitors were missionary friends.
Instead, Wood got an unwelcome surprise. “I opened the door, and didn’t see anyone, and suddenly someone had me by the head and was cracking me into the door frame,” he said. “I don’t know how whatever it was got around my neck, but it happened at the same time. It was terrifying. All of a sudden, there was something around my neck, so I couldn’t breathe – I mean, I could breathe enough to live, but I couldn’t scream. All I could think about was getting it off my neck.”
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/purple-wisconsin/176169841.html
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Romney’s Treasure Coast connection: In-laws lived in Sewall’s Point
October 28, 2012
TC Palm (Florida)
“It seems to me it was mostly around Christmas,” she said, “but it probably was in the summer, too. We’d have a cocktail party, and Mitt and Ann would come over. Of course, as Mormons they didn’t drink (alcohol). But they’d come by for maybe 20 or 30 minutes because they wanted to see everybody. They’d talk with people and then they’d say they had to leave, usually to see about the boys.”
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/oct/28/romneys-treasure-coast-connection-in-laws-lived/
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
That History Column: Mormon settlement near Burlington was bustling in 1840s
October 28, 2012
Kenosha News (Wisconsin)
When Joseph was lynched by a crowd in Carthage, Ill., in June 1844, the wheels were put into motion for a showdown between Strang and Brigham Young, Joseph’s closest ally.
Strang had produced a letter naming him as Joseph’s successor, written nine days before his death
The church continued to grow despite the stormy dispute. Strang counted most of the Joseph Smith family in his camp, along with three of the church’s apostle and other church officials.
Like Joseph, Strang had visions. Smith claimed an angel directed him to a buried book of golden plates from which he wrote the Book of Mormon.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LeFavour must defy history to oust Idaho’s Simpson
October 28, 2012
San Francisco Chronicle (California)
Simpson is an unapologetic jokester, a Mormon who drinks coffee with Bailey’s on cold, rainy days and who quit dentistry for politics.
The 62-year-old Simpson traded his House speaker post in Idaho’s Capitol in the 1990s for his current job, where since 2010 he’s led the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee that sets funding for the U.S. Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, a regular target of his budget barbs.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/LeFavour-must-defy-history-to-oust-Idaho-s-Simpson-3988559.php
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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
