2 December 2011

The Mormon Ethic of Civility
December 2, 2011
newsroom.lds.org

The political world is astir. Economies are faltering. Public trust is waning. Individuals feel vulnerable. And social cohesion wears thin. Meanwhile, stories of rage and agitation fill our airwaves, streets and town halls. Where are the voices of balance and moderation in these extreme times? During a recent address given in an interfaith setting, Church President Thomas S. Monson declared: “When a spirit of goodwill prompts our thinking and when united effort goes to work on a common problem, the results can be most gratifying.” Further, former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley once said that living “together in communities with respect and concern one for another” is “the hallmark of civilization.” That hallmark is under increasing threat.

So many of the habits and conventions of modern culture — ubiquitous media, anonymous and unsourced online participation, politicization of the routine, fractured community and family life — undermine the virtues and manners that make peaceful coexistence in a pluralist society possible. The fabric of civil society tears when stretched thin by its extremities. Civility, then, becomes the measure of our collective and individual character as citizens of a democracy.

http://newsroom.lds.org/article/the-mormon-ethic-of-civility

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Romney faith not accurately represented
November 2, 2011
Baltimore Sun (Maryland)

In Paul West’s recent article concerning Republican presidential candidates Herman Cain, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, (“Cain setback, Gingrich gain?” Nov. 30), it was stated that Mr. Gingrich “has also benefited from the persistent wariness toward Romney’s Mormon faith.” The true name of Mr. Romney’s faith is “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as “Mormons” because of our belief in The Book of Mormon) let me state unequivocally that we recognize Jesus Christ as our savior. He is the cornerstone of our faith. This misunderstanding is perpetuated by a lack of journalistic accuracy.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-mormons-letter-20111201,0,2169657.story

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Absolution for Newt
December 1, 2011
Slate

The last time Pastor Robert Jeffress elbowed into the presidential race, he was warning a crowd of “values voters” about the dangers of nominating a Mormon. Jeffress, who leads the First Baptist Church in Dallas, wanted them to pick Rick Perry instead: He was an evangelical Christian who “sang the doxology,” married his childhood sweetheart, and stayed faithful (as far as anyone knows) for 29 years. Easy choice.

But Republicans may not get to choose between Perry and Mitt Romney. The current front-runner in Iowa is Newt Gingrich–thrice married, an admitted adulterer, a late convert to Catholicism. He’s pulling voters from the other “anti-Romney” of choice, Herman Cain, because women keep tumbling out of Cain’s closet clutching sexual harassment settlements and phone records of (allegedly!) decade-long affairs.

“I think there’s now an evangelical tri-lemma,” says Jeffress, who still backs Perry but doesn’t have illusions about his current electoral oomph. “Do you vote for a Mormon who’s had one wife, a Catholic who’s had three wives, or an Evangelical who may have had an entire harem?”

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2011/12/newt_gingrich_and_evangelicals_they_could_never_support_him_right_wrong_.html

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Opinion: Does Mitt Romney Have a Mormon Problem?
December 1, 2011
WNYC (New York)

Asked to name one word that expressed an unfavorable opinion of Mormonism, “cult,” “bigamy” and “polygamy” were the three most common ones. The positive terms mentioned were “family” or “family values,” “devout,” “good” and “faith.”

Among white evangelicals who attend services at least weekly, 52 percent believe that the Mormon religion is not Christian. This could be an important factor in the Iowa caucuses and among faith-based Republicans throughout the United States.

Michael Gerson, citing a recent Gallup Poll, wrote in the Washington Post that “20 percent of Republicans and 23 percent of Protestants tell Gallup they would not support a Mormon for president. A portion of conservative Christianity is unhinged in its condemnation, regarding Mormonism as a dangerous, secretive cult. Even without recourse to calumny, it is clear that evangelicals will not be reconciled to Mormon doctrines without ceasing to be evangelicals.”

http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/its-free-blog/2011/dec/01/opinion-does-mitt-romney-have-mormon-problem/

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mitt Romney — Where’s the rest of him?
December 2, 2011
CNN

The other point against the common charge that Romney has “no core” (as White House adviser David Plouffe put it on national TV a few weeks back) is that he is clearly a man deeply grounded in his religious faith. When we spoke with Romney, he briefly discussed his time as a Mormon bishop and lay pastor, which included counseling members of the church who’d come across troubled waters financially. But his campaign has seemed eager to keep faith in the shadows, addressing it only when they absolutely must.

Draper notes the same phenomenon, pointing out that Romney “refused to be interviewed” about his counseling role, declined to assist another Times reporter on the same topic, and met Draper’s questions about his time as Mormon stake president with the same silence.

This reticence is a tragedy. Romney’s account of his time in the counseling role — and the degree to which it solidified his belief that individuals need “the dignity of work” more than just a check in the mail — was compelling, as was his admission that he regularly tithes 10% of his pretax income. For a man whose wealth is valued at between $190 million and $250 million, that’s not peanuts.
The source of this reticence may be, sadly, that Mormonism is not as broadly accepted a faith as it should be. A recent Pew survey highlighted the notion that Romney’s Mormon faith may cause trouble for him in the primaries, particularly with evangelical voters who make up a large share of voters in the crucial early states of Iowa and South Carolina, and 15% of whom told Pew that Romney’s faith would make them less likely to support him. At the time of the Pew survey, white evangelicals were the only Christian demographic among whom Romney wasn’t leading. He was third, after Cain and Gingrich.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/02/opinion/gergen-romney-real/index.html

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mitt Romney Vs. Republican Bigotry
December 2, 2011
The Globalist

At a recent discussion, I asked a speculative question about the policies of a future Romney Administration. It was a largely Republican crowd, and I had tried to be nice. To no avail. As I was walking out after the event, a septuagenarian defense type sidled up to me and hissed under his breath, “This country will never elect a Mormon as president.”

And then I realized that the man, acting so adamantly against his own basic political instincts, had basically pronounced Barack Obama’s reelection. Lots of disappointed liberals may stay home in November 2012, but so will a lot of Republicans if Mitt Romney is their party’s standard-bearer.

http://www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=9457

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Romney’s Change of Heart on Abortion
December 1, 2011
Crosswalk

By the time their conversation ended, Romney was headed in the opposite direction … toward protecting life at all stages. Romney had once told me that Mormon doctrine teaches life begins at birth when the baby takes its first breath. I will want to follow up with him about this, but Parker’s column offers some satisfaction to those of us who have been pro-life for years and want to know more about Romney’s conversion.

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/cal-thomas/romney-change-of-heart-on-abortion.html

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mormon temples and Mitt: answer to a rabbi’s question
December 2, 2011
Jewish Journal

Q: Much of the Mormon faith is kept hidden even from most Mormons who are excluded from participation in rituals and observances conducted in the secluded and off-limits areas of its temples. How can the general public determine whether this faith will affect a person’s political life if it is not totally available for study and scrutiny?

A: Given that non-Jews are not permitted to study Torah in Orthodox yeshivas or study kabbalah in a traditional Orthodox setting, I’m somewhat surprised to see the question of religious exclusion posed by an Orthodox rabbi. That said, he is correct that non-Mormons are excluded from our temples; however, Mormons are not.

Mormons worship in chapels every week, and perform certain sacred rituals and ordinances in temples. Chapels are open to the public, while temples are not. Why are non-Mormons not allowed in LDS temples? For a very simple reason: participants in temple ordinances make promises to God. Since we believe that those promises are the most sacred ones that men and women can make, God requires that those attending the temple attest that they have previously made and kept certain promises made to Him. Non-Mormons haven’t yet made those promises, so they cannot be asked to make more sacred vows.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/jews_and_mormons/item/mormon_temples_and_mitt_answer_to_a_rabbis_question_39111202/

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Even if so-and-so said such-and-such, is it Mormon doctrine? Maybe not
December 1, 2011
Salt Lake Tribune

It’s once again time for LDS public-relations officials to help observers understand what is – and is not – Mormon doctrine.

Does the Utah-based faith really teach, for example, that men can become gods, that God lives on a planet called Kolob, or that the Garden of Eden is in Missouri?

Some former Mormon leader may have said so once upon a time, but that doesn’t make it an authoritative pronouncement, according to an essay on the LDS Church’s website.

“Not every statement made by a church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine,” says the essay, reposted from May 4, 2007. “A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole [LDS] Church.”

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsfaithblog/53030543-180/church-lds-doctrine-essay.html.csp

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Muslim art coming to BYU
December 1, 2011
Salt Lake Tribune

Sure, the bowls, figurines, tapestries and manuscripts are stunning historical artifacts. But to Sabiha al Khemir, they are even more. They are building a bridge of understanding between the Islamic and Western worlds.

And they are going on display at a Mormon school.

“If people are touched and their hearts are open, they will do the work [to understand],” said al Khemir, a Tunisian-born art expert and project director for “Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges With the Arts of Islamic Culture,” an exhibit set to launch its U.S. tour at Brigham Young University in February.

Al Khemir, along with representatives of BYU’s Museum of Art, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Newark (N.J.) Museum and the Portland (Ore.) Art Museum, announced this week the start of the traveling exhibition in Provo.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/53029391-80/art-museum-byu-islamic.html.csp

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Don’t non-Christians matter in the United States of America?
December 1, 2011
Des Moines Register (Iowa)

The Nov. 27 article, “Politics Shines Light on old Prejudices,” which recounted how the centuries-long animus against Mormons in the U.S. has re-erupted is a sad commentary. But the article is even sadder for the prejudice it omitted: Apparently, non-Christians no longer matter in America.

We can debate endlessly whether the Mormon church is Christian or not. What we never should be debating is why those who would aspire to be president of all Americans are determined to ignore so many.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20111202/OPINION04/312020040/-1/GETPUBLISHED03/Don-t-non-Christians-matter-United-States-America-

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Romney’s the One
December 2, 2011
National Review

Governor Romney has his weaknesses as a candidate, too. In the past only high-income voters have demonstrated a natural affinity for him. His flip-flops are well documented. He won’t be able to take full advantage of the unpopularity of Obamacare. A significant number of voters will hold his Mormonism against him, although Republican voters in recent surveys seem likely to look past this misgiving in the interest of retiring Obama and most Democrats who oppose Mormon candidates won’t be available to any Republican nominee. But he is also reasonable, articulate — phenomenally articulate, by the standards of recent Republican presidential candidates — and reassuring. Democrats will try to make him into a scary figure, but they will have less to work with than if Republicans nominated Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Perry, or Rick Santorum. He has improved as a campaigner, and now usually projects an air of command that eluded him in the last
presidential race.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/284700/romney-s-one-ramesh-ponnuru?pg=4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

David L. Paulsen
December 1, 2011
Mormon Scholars Testify

As a professor of philosophy at Brigham Young University (1972-2011), I have rationally defended the restored gospel in local, national, and international venues. Indeed, in all my published work, I have done nothing else. Yet my own conviction of the restored gospel is not based on philosophical or theological reasoning; it is grounded in personal manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Though these are sacred experiences, not often communicated or communicable, I share one such experience here.

http://mormonscholarstestify.org/2977/david-l-paulsen

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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.