May 17, 2012

mormonnewsroom.org

This week’s Sports Illustrated cover story features Jabari Parker, a 17-year-old basketball player from Chicago who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).

The article’s epigraph says Parker is the “best high school basketball player since LeBron James, but there’s something more important to him than instant NBA stardom: his faith.”

The story behind Parker’s devotion to his religion is familiar to Mormons. “Jabari wakes up each morning at five and says a simple prayer,” the article says, “thanking God for another day. By 5:30 three days a week he’s off to church for Bible study.”

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/jabari-parker-mormon-youth-seminary

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Connecticut and Indiana Mormon Temple Renderings Released

May 16, 2012

mormonnewsroom.org

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) has released renderings of the Hartford Connecticut and Indianapolis Indiana Temples, as well as the site location of the Hartford Temple.

The proposed plans call for the Harford Connecticut Temple to be built at 1024 Farmington Avenue in Farmington, Connecticut. The Indianapolis Indiana Temple site (in the city of Carmel on the southwest corner of the intersection of W116th and Spring Mill Road) was announced in January 2011.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/connecticut-indianapolis-mormon-temple-renderings

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Mormon FAIR-Cast 88: Evidences of the Book of Mormon

May 16, 2012

FAIR Blog

In this episode of Religion Today that originally aired on March 4, 2012, Martin Tanner discusses some of the evidences for the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

This recording was used by permission of KSL Radio and does not necessarily represent the views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of FAIR.

http://www.fairblog.org/2012/05/16/mormon-fair-cast-88-evidences-of-the-book-of-mormon/

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The Long Approach to the “Mormon Moment”

May 17, 2012

Religion & Politics

My task is to bring some needed historical perspective to current collective conversations about Mormonism in public life. Because I believe that this moment, like many such events that seem to come out of the blue, actually has been about 100 years in the making. In short, my argument is this: since the beginning of the 20th century Mormons in the U.S. and other Americans have struggled with a particular but pervasive problem: how to recognize Mormons as U.S. citizens, with all the obligations and privileges that attend that designation. The last few years marks only the latest round in a series of events that have shaped, but never completely resolved, this question.

http://religionandpolitics.org/2012/05/17/the-long-approach-to-the-mormon-moment/

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The Rulebook for Campaign Smears

May 17, 2012

Yahoo!

For two decades, President Obama’s preacher was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright until Obama disavowed him in 2008 when clips of him saying “God damn America” hit cable news. Mitt Romney was 31 in 1978, the year the Mormon church began allowing black people to become priests — old enough to have formed an opinion on the subject. As Martin ranted on CNN, “If [Republican donor Joe] Ricketts wants to do that, if the GOP they want to do that, you’re now putting Mormonism on the table. You’re now putting on the table how African Americans were treated by the Mormon religion… I don’t think Mitt Romney really wants to have that conversation, considering he was an elder and his dad was an elder, and they really did not embrace African Americans. It is a ridiculous conversation.”

http://news.yahoo.com/rulebook-campaign-smears-195922742.html

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Roland Martin: Plan To Use Jeremiah Wright Is ‘Putting Mormonism On The Table’ (VIDEO)

May 17, 2012

Huffington Post

“If Ricketts wants to do that, if the GOP they want to do that, you’re now putting Mormonism on the table,” Martin said. “You’re now putting on the table how African Americans were treated by the Mormon religion. I don’t think Mitt Romney really wants to have that conversation, considering he was an elder and his dad was an elder, and they really did not embrace African Americans. It is a ridiculous conversation.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/17/roland-martin-mormonism-romney-wright_n_1525490.html

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Martin: Wright makes Mormonism fair game

May 17, 2012

Politico

CNN political analyst Roland Martin says the GOP will make Mormonism’s treatment of African-Americans fair game for criticism if it pursue a new line of attack against President Obama’s ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The new proposal, commissioned by conservative billionaire Joe Ricketts, aims to link Obama to Wright’s controversial statements about race relations. But Martin said the proposal is one Romney, whose own religion has historically excluded African-Americans, would want to avoid.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/05/cnns-martin-wright-makes-mormonism-fair-game-123758.html

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Mitt Romney criticized Obama over Rev. Wright just three months ago

May 17, 2012

America Blog

You see, Christian faith is full of wacky crazy with all sorts of wacky beliefs, but Mormon temples aren’t. So please don’t mention Romney’s Mormonism and his influences, but feel free to take a whack at President Obama’s Christianity and his influences.

It’s interesting that Romney has a double standard on Mormonism versus Christianity when he claims they’re the same thing.

http://www.americablog.com/2012/05/mitt-romney-criticized-obama-over-rev.html

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A possible Rev. Wright ad campaign is the latest ‘shiny object’

May 17, 2012

Washington Post

The hypocrisy takes your breath away. After months and months of “Mitt Romney is a MORMON” coverage and endless insinuation that Romney’s faith will be problem for him (or that he is obliged to defend the precepts of his faith), the mention of possible ads featuring the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the left-wing media in hysterics.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/a-possible-rev-wright-ad-campaign-is-the-latest-shiny-object/2012/05/17/gIQAXcZ0VU_blog.html

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Super PAC’s reported anti-Obama ad sparks backlash, quick denial

May 17, 2012

CNN

“If the GOP, if they want to do that, then guess what, you’re now putting Mormonism on the table,” he said, referring to Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith — a factor that has largely remained on the sidelines of this year’s election.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/17/politics/anti-obama-ad/index.html

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Why Should Jeremiah Wright Be Off-Limits for Political Attacks?

May 17, 2012

The Atlantic

How about religion? Is it categorically off limits? Perhaps it was at one time. Just as the Romney campaign condemned the new proposal, the Obama campaign has ruled out any attack on Romney’s religion. But just as an outside group developed this ad, other Democrats have brought up Mormonism — most recently Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer. Moreover, religion has become a linchpin of campaigns over the last four decades. Since the election of evangelical Jimmy Carter and the rise of the Moral Majority, candidates have frequently dwelled on religion; if it’s part of the discourse, it’s part of the discourse. And the Wright-Obama link is hardly unique. In 2008, John McCain rejected the endorsement of John Hagee, a pastor described as anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/why-should-jeremiah-wright-be-off-limits-for-political-attacks/257346/

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In Rev. Wright, Does Romney Camp Open HIS Religion as an Issue?

May 17, 2012

Chicago Now (Illinois)

In recent days, a disturbing resurrection in the topic of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has occurred by the likes of firebrand Sean Hannity, the right-wing web-based “News Max,” and others. Now comes word that one of Romney’s “Super PAC” allies, the Ending Spending Action Fund led by the Chicago Cubs’ Joe Ricketts, may use the same line of attack. Is this wise and does it then open the door for increased scrutiny of Mormonism in general and the Romney family’s history before, during, and after their time establishing a polygamous colony in Mexico?

http://www.chicagonow.com/wordshed/2012/05/in-rev-wright-does-romney-camp-open-his-religion-an-an-issue/

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Basketball star may put his Mormon faith before the NBA

May 17, 2012

Chicago Tribune (Illinois)

Jabari Parker, the Simeon Career Academy junior named 2011-12 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball of Illinois earlier this year, reveals to Sports Illustrated that he’s considering the prospect of embarking on a two-year mission for the Mormon church when he turns 19.

For fans who thought Jabari Parker’s early declaration for the NBA draft will be a slam dunk, think again. Another calling could postpone those pro-athlete aspirations: his Mormon faith.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/religion/ct-talk-jabari-parker-mormon-0517-20120517,0,864457.story

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Jabari Parker: Star Must Go to College, Pass Up Mormon Mission

May 17, 2012

Bleacher Report

Parker doesn’t need to abandon the notion of embarking on a Mormon mission, he just needs to postpone it. Taking two years off from organized basketball is a huge issue, especially from ages 19 to 21. While it probably won’t kill his draft stock, it would definitely be detrimental to his basketball future.

It’s hard to see how this mission would fit into his basketball career though. Would he go to college for a year then take two years off before entering the NBA? What happens during those two years? Do teams lose interest?

Shawn Bradley played one year with BYU, then went on a mission to Australia. He was the No. 2 pick in the 1993 draft, but never lived up to his potential.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1187074-jabari-parker-star-must-go-to-college-pass-up-mormon-mission

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Prep star Jabari Parker in a few years: Mission or NBA?

May 17, 2012

USA Today

In the SI story, Parker discusses his Mormon faith at length. It’s customary for Mormons to go on a two-year mission when they turn 19.

Parker’s older brother did, in Atlanta, and Parker respects that. He also sees the path forged by Danny Ainge, who chose not to go on a mission at age 19 and went on to win two championships as a member of the Boston Celtics.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2012/05/prep-star-jabari-parker-in-a-few-years-mission-or-nba/1#.T7V_BdxrPd4

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How will voters react to Romney’s Mormon faith?

May 16, 2012

Los Angeles Times (California)

Never before has a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints been a major party nominee for president, and surveys have shown that as many as one-fifth of Americans would be reluctant to entrust a Mormon with the highest office in the land. White evangelicals–a key Republican constituency–have been especially skeptical.

But a study done for the Brookings Institution suggests that Romney may have little to fear. In a paper published Wednesday, Matthew Chingos and Michael Henderson say Romney’s religious background probably won’t hurt him and may even help.

In one, they were asked about him without any mention of his religion. In the second, they were told he is a Mormon. In the third, they were given background about the Latter-day Saints in ways that emphasized their similarities to mainstream Christians. A fourth question emphasized differences by briefly discussing the Book of Mormon and its history.

Result: Political conservatives were actually more likely to support Romney when they learned he was a Mormon, and hearing about the differences between his faith and more traditional Christianity made little difference. The boost was surprising: 54% of conservatives supported him when they were told nothing about his faith, but that jumped to 73% when they were told he is Mormon.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-how-will-voters-react-to-romneys-mormon-faith-20120516,0,1120654.story

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Study Argues Romney’s ‘Religion Problem’ Is Exaggerated

May 16, 2012

New York Times

A new study released by the Brookings Institution argues that Mitt Romney’s Mormon religion is unlikely to hurt him at the polls in November.

The researchers based the conclusion on an experiment in which people were asked whether they planned to vote for Mr. Romney or Mr. Obama. Some of the respondents were first given information about Mr. Romney’s religion – and in some cases, quite detailed information – while others were given none. Those who received the information first were no less likely to support Mr. Romney.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/study-argues-romneys-religion-problem-is-exaggerated/

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Study: Romney’s Mormonism May Help More Than Hurt With Voters

May 17, 2012

Christian Post

While many have speculated that presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may harm his chances to win some voters, few have suggested the opposite. Could Romney’s LDS faith help him win more votes? A new study published this month by The Brookings Institution, a left-of-center think tank, suggests the answer may be yes.

“Information about the LDS church and Mr. Romney’s affiliation with it poses little threat to his electoral prospects, even among evangelical Christians. In fact, messages about Romney’s religion may even boost his support among conservatives,” wrote Matthew Chingos, fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, and Michael Henderson, assistant professor of political science at University of Mississippi.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/study-romneys-mormonism-may-help-more-than-hurt-with-voters-75128/

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Brookings Study: Romney Electability Perhaps Less Impacted by Mormonism

May 17, 2012

Reason

A new Brookings Institute study finds voters may be less disinclined toward Romney’s Mormonism than previously thought. Results find priming respondents about Romney’s religion has little statistical impact on vote choice. These findings should be welcomed as we strive toward a society comprised of individuals not groups.

The claim typically levied against Romney’s electability is often based on a Gallup poll finding 22 percent of the electorate would not vote for a Mormon presidential candidate.

http://reason.com/blog/2012/05/17/brooking-study-romney-electability-perha

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Study: Romney’s Mormon faith could help him in November

May 16, 2012

CBS News

The conventional wisdom is that Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith has complicated his efforts to win the Republican presidential nomination and, eventually, the presidency.
But according to a new study by the nonpartisan Brookings Institution, Romney’s religion may actually be more of an asset than a liability.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57435773-503544/study-romneys-mormon-faith-could-help-him-in-november/

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Romney’s Mormonism could help him in the polls, study finds

May 16, 2012

Washington Post

Brookings fellow Matthew M. Chingos and University of Mississippi assistant professor Michael Henderson argue that contrary to conventional wisdom, “information about the LDS church and Mr. Romney’s affiliation with it poses little threat to his electoral prospects, even among evangelical Christians” and that “in fact, messages about Romney’s religion may even boost his support among conservatives.”
The authors point to decades of polling showing that as many as one in four voters say they would have reservations about voting for a Mormon presidential nominee.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/romneys-mormonism-could-help-him-in-the-polls-study-finds/2012/05/16/gIQAMImPUU_blog.html

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What will Carmel’s new Mormon Temple look like?

May 17, 2012

Indianapolis Star (Indiana)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released an artist rendering of the temple it plans to erect at the corner of 116th Street and Spring Mill Road.

The 50-acre site was announced last year as home to Indiana’s first Mormon Temple.

A Temple differs from a Mormon meetinghouse, which is open to all. Temples, once they are formally dedicated, are only open to faithful Latter-day Saints, according to the church.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120517/LOCAL0101/120517026/What-will-Carmel-s-new-Mormon-Temple-look-like-?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CLOCAL

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A look at The Mormon Endowment Ceremony

May 17, 2012

Tucson Citizen (Arizona)

I was talking with my ex-Mormon friend about Mitt Romney’s presidential nomination. He shared with me a copy of the Endowment Ceremony which members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), including Romney, take part in once they are deemed worthy to enter the temple.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/freethought-arizona/2012/05/17/a-look-at-the-mormon-endowment-ceremony/

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Mitt Romney, Reverend Wright, Mormon Religion, Christian Evangelicals and Women…

May 17, 2012

Tucson Citizen (Arizona)

Romney spoke on a Hannity show program that will simply remind Republicans of Mitt Romney’s Mormon background. It would have been better for Romney not to say anything at all. Some evangelicals and several Americans really don’t know about Mormonism in general, but they are about to find out, and it certainly does not help to learn about some of the polygamous beginnings of Mormonism in the women’s department. It also will not help when Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson will bring awareness to how the Mormon Church did not allow minority priests until the late 1970′s. The Mormon Church did not allow black men to be ordained as priests in the church until 1978.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/hispanic-politico/2012/05/17/mitt-romney-reverend-wright-mormon-religion-christian-evangelicals-and-women/

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FPPC Sworn Complaint Filed Against NOM

May 17, 2012

Huffington Post

I previously filed a complaint against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) with the FPPC in November of 2008 for not reporting all the money it had spent to pass Prop 8. The Mormon Church was prosecuted, investigated for 18 months, pled guilty on 13 counts of election fraud and was fined by the FPPC. I am also responsible for the ongoing 2½ year investigation of NOM by the state of Maine for money laundering in that state’s 2009 election to repeal gay marriage.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fred-karger/fppc-sworn-complaint-file_b_1521822.html

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REVIEW: Jennifer Connelly Brings the Crazy, Dustin Lance Black Brings the Mess in Virginia

May 17, 2012

Movieline

Dustin Lance Black spoke of his conservative Mormon upbringing when he won the 2009 Oscar for best original screenplay for Milk, and traces of that childhood are all over his most recent directorial effort Virginia, a garbled coming-of-age story and portrait of a mentally ill mother. The titular character, played by a blonde Jennifer Connelly, suffers from traumatic onset schizophrenia – she’s a fey, childlike woman who lives alone with her protective teenage son Emmett (Harrison Gilbertson) and has been carrying on a decades-long affair with the town sheriff Dick Tipton (Ed Harris), a devout Mormon who’s married with kids.

http://movieline.com/2012/05/17/review-jennifer-connelly-brings-the-crazy-dustin-lance-black-brings-the-mess-in-virginia/

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Jennifer Connelly shines in ‘Virginia,’ an uneven film on woman plagued by schizophrenia

May 17, 2012

New York Daily News

That’s because Virginia is a functioning schizophrenic, with a diagnosis that dates back to when she spent time in a sanitarium as a girl. She still talks, in her head, to the nurses there in times of stress. She’s under more stress as Tipton, a married Mormon, fields questions from Emmett about who the boy’s dad is – a crucial issue, as the teen has fallen for Tipton’s daughter (Emma Roberts) as money issues threaten to spoil Virginia and Emmett’s hopes to leave town.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/jennifer-connelly-shines-virginia-uneven-film-woman-plagued-schizophrenia-article-1.1079846?localLinksEnabled=false

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Troubles Without End in a Dead-End Town

May 17, 2012

New York Times

Schizophrenia may be an appropriate subject for a melodrama. But it is calamitous in “Virginia,” which keeps you off balance as its tone zigzags among farce, pathos and satire. Scenes that are meant to be funny are laugh-free. The spoofing of Southern gun-waving and Mormon piety is too broad to register.

http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/05/18/movies/schizophrenia-in-dustin-lance-blacks-film-virginia.html

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LOVE DISLIKES PERCEPTION OF BLACKS NEEDING HANDOUTS

May 17, 2012

South Florida Times

She is the child of Haitian immigrants. She is the first black, female mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah. She is a Mormon. She is a Republican who just won a primary for a congressional seat in the campaign for Utah’s fourth congressional district. She is a wife, mother of three and an avid runner.

She is Ludmya “Mia” Bourdeau Love and a victory in November would make her the first black Republican congresswoman in history, the first black representative for Utah in Congress and the first black, female member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) elected to Congress.

http://www.sfltimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10006&Itemid=331

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An Inside Look At The Millions Mitt Romney Has Given Away

May 17, 2012

Forbes

As a Mormon, Romney is expected pay a tithe, or 10% of his annual income, to the Church of the Latter Day Saints. In just the past two years, Romney has given the church $1.525 million and $2.6 million, respectively, according to his tax returns. Romney has also publicly stated on multiple occasions that the entirety of his inheritance from his father, who died in 1995, was donated to the BYU Marriott School of Management’s Institute of Public Management, which now bears his father George W. Romney’s name.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwindurgy/2012/05/17/an-inside-look-at-the-millions-mitt-romney-has-given-away/

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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.

May 16, 2012

mormonnewsroom.org

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) has announced open house and dedication dates for the Manaus Brazil Temple.

The public is invited to visit the temple during an open house from 18 May through 2 June 2012, excluding Sundays. Tickets are not necessary for this open house. The temple will be formally dedicated on Sunday, 10 June 2012, in three sessions. The dedicatory sessions will be broadcast to congregations of the Church within the temple district.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/manaus-brazil-temple-open-house-dedication-dates-announced-May-June

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Mitt Romney, One Night Stands, and the Economics of Relationships

May 16, 2012

The Atlantic

In the course of a discussion about Mormons, a friend pointed me to a religious testimony offered by Clayton Christensen (who is best known for his work on disruptive innovation). In his testimony, Christensen describes his belief in the Book of Mormon through a religious epiphany reminiscent of St. Augustine’s “tolle lege” experience. However this is in the second half of the essay, the first half being devoted to a description of the strength of the LDS community and an argument that this social capital is directly related to the lay priesthood ecclesiastical structure of LDS.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/05/mitt-romney-one-night-stands-and-the-economics-of-relationships/257239/

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Late Night: Bill Maher on ‘stupid’ Mormonism, Mitt Romney bullying

May 16, 2012

Los Angeles Times (California)

A strident atheist, Maher also used his appearance to take a shot at Romney’s Mormon faith. He suggested the candidate’s defense of “traditional marriage” is especially ironic, given that his ancestors practiced polygamy. “Of all the people to be making this claim, a Mormon?” he sneered. “This is a religion that is so stupid that Tom Cruise would not join it.”

Conan O’Brien is not generally inclined to intellectual debates on his show, but he took issue with Maher’s attack on Mormonism. “Who am I to throw stones when you eat a cookie and you turn into Jesus?” O’Brien asked in reference to his own Catholic faith.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/05/late-night-bill-maher-mormonism-omney-bullying-.html

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New Mormon Missionary Training Center building plan upsets residents

May 15, 2012

Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)

Pleasant View neighborhood residents weren’t satisfied after a presentation on plans for a nine-story building at the LDS Missionary Training Center.

“I wonder why [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] didn’t contact the people before they hired the architects,” said resident Kay Woodworth. “I feel tricked.”

Woodworth was among 20 residents who crowded into the Provo City Council’s study session for the presentation by Richard Heaton, the MTC’s administrative director. The council did not accept public comments during the meeting.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/utes/54118360-78/building-church-residents-heaton.html.csp

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Jabari Parker steps into spotlight

May 16, 2012

ESPN

We are not strangers to his story: He is nearing the end of his junior year at Simeon High School in Chicago, Ill., the alma mater of Derrick Rose and plenty of other sought-after prep talents. He is 6-foot-9 (and possibly still growing) with nearly unlimited skills — passing, ballhandling, mid-range shooting, interior strength — and he comes across as more well-grounded and unselfish than your average highly ranked recruit. His father, Sonny, played for Texas A&M and the Golden State Warriors; his mother, Lola, was born a Mormon in her native country of Tonga. Parker shares his mother’s faith; as Seth Davis wrote last summer, Mormonism is a bedrock of the recruit’s worldview.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/59124/jabari-parker-steps-into-spotlight

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Sports Illustrated calls Jabari Parker ‘best since LeBron’

May 16, 2012

Chicago Sun-Times (Illinois)

The cover story takes an indepth look at Parker’s Mormon faith. Writer Jeff Benedict, who is also Mormon, reports that Parker might have to make a choice between the NBA or a faith-spreading mission after his freshman year of college.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/basketball/12567506-419/sports-illustrated-calls-jabari-parker-best-since-lebron.html

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Boys basketball ‘ Simeon’s Jabari Parker featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated

May 16, 2012

Chicago Tribune (Illinois)

The story also quotes Parker as being conflicted as to whether he will embark on a two-year mission when he turns 19, like thousands of other Mormon men, including his older brother.

“When he came home from his mission, we talked a lot about it,” Parker says. “I want to go. But I have doubts. The NBA is the biggest dream of basketball players, and I’m not different.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/ct-spt-0515-prep-bkb-jabari-parker-si-cover,0,7041323.story

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Faith and Hoops: Check out Sports Illustrated

May 16, 2012

NewsOK (Oklahoma)

I’ve read the story and it’s an interesting article about how faith has made an impact on this young man’s life. I just wrote a story for The Oklahoman about local high school students who are Mormons. The students gather together between 5 and 6 a.m. several days during the week for an international Bible study program simply called Seminary. It looks like Parker is participating in the same program.

http://blog.newsok.com/religionandvalues/2012/05/16/faith-and-hoops-check-out-sports-illustrated/

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This 17-Year-Old Phenom On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated Is The Combination Of LeBron James And Tim Tebow

May 16, 2012

Business Insider

Parker is a committed Mormon. His high school team moved Sunday practices to the afternoon so he could attend church services, and he left his team the night they won the state title so he could be ordained as a priest the next morning.

When he becomes eligible for the NBA Draft in 2014, he’ll have to choose between beginning his pro hoops career or embarking on a two-year Mormon mission.

He says he wants to go on a mission eventually. The only problem is that he’s a “once in a generation” talent, according to a high school scout.

http://www.businessinsider.com/jabari-parker-sports-illustrated-cover-2012-5

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Primary 2012: What Do Mormons and Democrats Have In Common?

May 16, 2012

Boise Weekly (Idaho)

Tolman and Perry share a lot in common. They’re both blue ladies in a red state. The two Idaho natives like to rock a Congressional candidate Nicole LeFavour campaign T-shirt and get out the vote. And by their own admission, they’re “recovering Mormons.”

But their Mormon values still run deep – so deep they needed an outlet. And they found that outlet in the Democratic Party.

“Mormon values more closely align with that of the Democratic Party than those of the Republican Party. Mormons and Democrats both take care of each other. Mormons and Democrats are both blue collar, hard-working people,” Tolman said.

http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/archives/2012/05/16/primary-2012-what-do-mormons-and-democrats-have-in-common

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Gilbert LDS temple construction hits benchmark with placement of Moroni statue

May 15, 2012

East Valley Tribune (Arizona)

Word spread through the East Valley’s Mormon community that the under-construction Gilbert Temple was set to reach a major milestone. And with a break from the winds, the visitors got to see what they came for: the placement of Moroni atop the temple spire.

The crowd cheered as the golden statute was put into place by a mammoth crane.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/gilbert/article_c54b5d7c-9ee3-11e1-a5dd-0019bb2963f4.html

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Frank Rich on the National Circus: Bully Romney and the Gay Vote

May 16, 2012

New York Magazine

Some of that same Romney commencement speech was devoted to reassuring evangelical Christians that they needn’t fear a Mormon in the White House.

Yes, but most tellingly, he did not mention the word “Mormon.” At least in the big speech he gave in Texas to defend his faith during his 2008 run, Romney managed to say the actual word out loud once.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/05/frank-rich-bully-romney-and-the-gay-vote.html

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Romney’s faith could fix compassion gap

May 15, 2012

The Hill

There’s no shortage of anecdotes about Romney’s compassion and kindness on a personal level – many of them recounted in Michael Kranish and Scott Helman’s biography, The Real Romney. But there’s a distinct danger in regaling voters with these stories. Many of Romney’s acts of kindness were toward Mormon families, and so any discussion about those tales also raises the prospect of a less welcome discussion of Romney’s religion.

Romney himself has made it clear that he’s not interested in veering into theological discussions during the campaign, and it’s not hard to see why. Mormon doctrine remains a mystery to many Americans, and the Romney campaign would rather litigate Obama’s record, not Joseph Smith’s.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/christian-heinze/227641-romneys-faith-could-fix-compassion-gap

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For now, Obama and Romney turn away from economy

May 16, 2012

Market Watch

Evangelical Christians have a big problem with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Evangelicals view Mormons as phony Christians, as a cult that takes the name of Jesus Christ in vain. The beef that evangelicals have with Mormons is strictly theological. It’s not political, because Mormons are every bit as conservative as evangelicals. Their political and social views are nearly indistinguishable.

When it comes to the culture wars, the Mormons have been on the front lines. Who killed the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s? The Mormons. Who killed gay marriage in California? The Mormons. No mainstream religious group believes in traditional families and traditional roles for women more than the Mormons do.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/for-now-obama-and-romney-turn-away-from-economy-2012-05-16

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Can We Trust Christians? A Question For LGBT People And Straight Allies

May 16, 2012

The New Civil Rights Movement

A few weeks ago I attended a conference called “Circling The Wagons,” organized by members of the Mormon community in Washington, D.C. I am not a Mormon, but I respect the opinions and theology of anyone (including these LGBT affirming Mormons) who are causing no harm to anyone because of their beliefs. Towards the beginning of the conference, I attended a breakout session where a powerful experience was shared by a straight woman named Katy Adams. All her life she was Mormon. She grew up in the Mormon church, with Mormon parents, and Mormon siblings who all attended the largest religious University in our country, Brigham Young University (BYU), owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/can-we-trust-christians-a-question-for-lgbt-people-and-straight-allies/politics/2012/05/16/39558

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Alina Powell Shows Home Video of Presumed Murdered Susan Powell

May 16, 2012

Asian Week

It now turns out the Josh’s father Steven is the one who started a pattern of hating Mormons and controlling his family as posessions. He fell into porn soon after marriage and fell out of the LDS church, eventually being arrested in 2011 for taking photos and videos of his neighbor’s small girls doing things girls do in the bathroom, and found with inappropriate stalking pictures (really, really inappropriate, like naked fantasy inappropriate) of Susan as well who had to leave Washington to get away from Steve’s advances.

http://www.asianweek.com/2012/05/16/alina-powell-shows-home-video-of-presumed-murdered-susan-powell/

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Man Pleads Guilty To Sharing Child Pornography

May 15, 2012

Carmichael Patch (California)

Dustin Cassady, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of sharing child pornography via a peer-to-peer file sharing network over the Internet, Wagner said in a news release.

Cassady was identified as a former Mormon youth pastor by News 10.

http://carmichael.patch.com/articles/carmichael-man-pleads-guilty-to-sharing-child-pornography

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Former youth pastor pleads guilty to sharing child porn

May 15, 2012

ABC News 10 (California)

A former Mormon youth pastor pleaded guilty to sharing child pornography Tuesday.

Dustin Cassady, 31, was arrested in January 2011 during a statewide FBI raid that targeted people possessing and sharing child pornography.

http://www.news10.net/news/article/193379/2/Former-youth-pastor-pleads-guilty-to-sharing-child-porn

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Angel in the sky

May 16, 2012

Casa Grande Dispatch (Arizona)

A Moroni angel statue is lifted with cranes Tuesday to be placed on the spire of the Gilbert Temple at the southeast corner of Pecos and Greenfield roads in Gilbert. Moroni is an iconic symbol of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is used on most of the Mormon temples worldwide. Hundreds of people turned out to see the angle put into place.

http://www.trivalleycentral.com/articles/2012/05/16/casa_grande_dispatch/around_arizona/doc4fb3d46331b4f197186959.txt

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‘Virginia’ in Obama’s corner

May 16, 2012

Variety

Entertainment One preemed Dustin Lance Black’s “Virginia” on Monday, appropriately on the heels of Mother’s Day, at the Crosby Street Hotel. Pic focuses on a mom in the throes of a schizophrenic episode.

“I grew up very poor with a disabled single parent as a Mormon in the South,” Black revealed.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118054083?refCatId=13

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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.

May 14, 2012

Mormon Scholars Testify

I am a convert to Mormonism. I grew up attending a mainline Protestant church where both my parents served in leadership positions. We were close to our ministers, and we participated in many activities in our church. I also attended numerous worship services in the Catholic Church and in the Jewish faith as well. As I left for college, my mother became more attracted to Eastern philosophies. So over the years I have read numerous sacred works in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. All of these faiths have a great deal to offer, and I value my exposure to them.

However, as a student at Dartmouth College, I came in contact with Latter-day Saints. They were bright, happy, energetic, involved, kind, caring, and sincerely spiritual. I was very drawn to them. When I was with them, I felt things that I had not felt much-if at all-before. I began to learn that there is much more to life than meets the eye. There is much that is non-physical, but spiritual. There is a grand dimension to us that is beyond biology, chemistry, or physics.

http://mormonscholarstestify.org/3076/gordon-f-holbein

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Mitt Romney: Mormon Candidate at Baptist Liberty University Moves Catholic Editor

May 15, 2012

Catholic Online

The fact that a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, would be the commencement speaker at the Baptist University founded by Dr Jerry Falwell speaks to the urgency of the hour. Add to this the fact that this Catholic Editor in Chief of Catholic Online would consider the speech important enough to make it the lead article, and the point is made even clearer.

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=46186&page=1

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‘Mormon Bachelor’ Looking for Love Online

May 15, 2012

ABC News

Meet the “Mormon Bachelor.” Kent Tuttle, a 26-year-old Mormon and dental student at Midwestern University in Arizona, is looking a Mormon soul mate and will open up his love life as part of an online reality show on TheMormonBachelor.com this summer.

“My aim, my goal is to get married in the temple. We believe the pastor has power from God and he marries you for time and all eternity. … I wouldn’t settle for anything besides getting married in the Temple because I want to get married forever, not just in this life.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/05/mormon-bachelor-looking-for-love-online/

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Richard Mouw, Evangelical Leader, Says Engaging Mormons Isn’t Just About Being Nice

May 15, 2012

Huffington Post

Richard Mouw never intended to start a riot within the evangelical community by saying his fellow believers had “sinned against Mormonism.” But that’s exactly what happened.

Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., had been meeting regularly with Latter-day Saint scholars before he gave a seven-minute introduction of Ravi Zacharias, an evangelical speaker who addressed a packed audience in the Mormon Tabernacle in November 2004.

“We’ve often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of members of the LDS faith,” Mouw said that night. “It’s a terrible thing to bear false witness.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/richard-mouw-evangelical-mormon_n_1516077.html

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Richard Mouw, evangelical leader, says engaging Mormonism isn’t just about being nice

May 15, 2012

The Christian Century

Richard Mouw never intended to start a riot within the evangelical community by saying his fellow believers had “sinned against Mormonism.” But that’s exactly what happened.

Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., had been meeting regularly with Latter-day Saint scholars before he gave a seven-minute introduction of Ravi Zacharias, an evangelical speaker who addressed a packed audience in the Mormon Tabernacle in November 2004.

“We’ve often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of members of the LDS faith,” Mouw said that night. “It’s a terrible thing to bear false witness.”

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-05/richard-mouw-evangelical-leader-says-engaging-mormonism-isnt-just-about-being-nice

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How a Mormon VC ended up betting everything on Mexico

May 15, 2012

GigaOM

For Ahlstrom, bringing his family down to Mexico, was actually more like coming home. His great great grandfather was a polygamist Mormon who brought his family down to Mexico to be able to keep the family together, and Ahlstrom tells a group at the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico’s house that the Romneys lived down the street (not exactly sure if that was a joke or not). Ahlstrom’s family (no longer polygamists) were driven out of Mexico for various financial and political reasons a couple times, but continued to return to Mexico over the years. Ahlstrom says creating the venture capital community in Mexico is “huge for my family.”

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/how-a-mormon-vc-ended-up-betting-everything-on-mexico/

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A tale of two commencements

May 15, 2012

MSNBC

>> at a university that teaches that mormonism is a cult and throws it in there with christian science , seventh day advestent and the occult movement, does that take care of the problem for mitt romney ?

>> i don’t think so. i thought it was fascinating as you pointed out. he doesn’t mention the word mormon or mormonism once. he did in that one phrase say christianity is a great religion and i will spend time crazing christianity , but i’m not one. that was fascinating since the mormons do consider themselves christians . i have been down to liberty a million times and it is one of the centers and i went back to when jerry falwell was getting the place started. that remains what always was. at core and a fundamentalist e evangelical institution. they mean the old and the new testament and not the book of mormon . i thought mitt romney did a fine job of praising christianity and in the one phrase, distance himself as he had to do because they don’t consider him one of them.

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-last-word/47422515/#47422515

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In conversation: Michael Kranish

May 15, 2012

Macleans

We try hard in the book to convey this rollicking story of his family history. His great-great-grandfather, Miles Romney, was a builder near Liverpool, England, who heard a Mormon missionary and converted to the faith. He then moved to Nauvoo, Ill., because that was the centre of Mormonism. He got to know Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and helped build the Mormon temple in Nauvoo. During an anti-Mormon wave, Smith was assassinated and Mormons were forced to leave Nauvoo. Mitt’s ancestors fled to what later became the state of Utah. One of their sons, Miles P. Romney, married a girl named Hannah Hood Hill, who had been born in Canada-near Toronto. She became the first of Miles P. Romney’s five wives and is Mitt’s great-grandmother. When polygamy was banned in the U.S., the family fled to Mexico and established a colony there at the request of Mormon leaders. Mitt’s great-grandfather lived there with several wives. His father was
born in Mexico and lived there until the revolution forced the Romneys to flee.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/05/15/on-mitt-romneys-father-issues-his-mormonism-and-his-canadian-blood/

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Now that Romney is invoking Mormonism to woo voters, isn’t it time we had a frank discussion about Mormonism?

May 14, 2012

AmericaBlog

Why is discussing Mitt Romney’s Mormonism off limits when Mitt Romney is using his Mormonism to woo evangelical voters? Either his being a Mormon is relevant or it’s not; it’s off limits, or it’s not. It’s clearly not off limits to Mitt Romney.

Then again, Romney likes to use his family to woo votes, just like Sarah Palin did, but then if you talk about his family you’re being mean. Same goes for Mormonism.

http://www.americablog.com/2012/05/now-that-romney-is-invoking-mormonism.html

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‘London Calling!’ for teens at Mormon prom

May 14, 2012

Washington Post

A procession of limousines dropped off young people dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns to the Annandale, Virginia stake center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last weekend. When the teens entered, they were welcomed with a London theme, adorned with British Union Jacks and other trimmings.

There were British soldiers posted outside the building, ladies with fashionable hats welcoming couples and a towering replica of London’s “Big Ben,” clock that loomed over a dance floor in the gym that was filled with teenagers dancing to the sounds of Michael Jackson.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/london-calling–for-teens-at-mormon-prom/2012/05/14/gIQAbXwwPU_story.html

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Mormon church helps maintain Murphys Park

May 15, 2012

Calaveras Enterprise (California)

Forty volunteers from the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints spent Saturday, April 28, working to enhance the historic Murphys Community Park.
The group, known as the church’s Helping Hands, restored and repainted benches and tables, and completed a variety of cleanup projects. They worked from early in the morning to late in the afternoon performing a variety of tasks that otherwise would have taken months to complete.

http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_196f2fee-9eaa-11e1-8802-001a4bcf887a.html

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An Egyptian view of the 2012 race

May 15, 2012

Politico

The foreign media’s interest in the American presidential election sometimes seems limitless. But despite paying close attention, the nuance in American politics is often lost on them.

Consider this recent story about religious divisions in the 2012 election from the Egyptian daily, al-Shorouk, in which Barack Obama is an evangelical Christian, the Mormon Church sanctions polygamy, the Catholic Church is torn between two bad candidates and Obama is in danger of losing Catholic voters “of black or brown color who sympathized with him in previous elections because of their racial background.”

http://www.politico.com/blogs/charlie-mahtesian/2012/05/an-egyptian-view-of-the-race-123549.html

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Ron Paul Out – All Fun From The GOP Race Is Over!

May 15, 2012

Blogger News Network

So we are left with Mitt Romney as the last man standing. Mitt comes with his own set of baggage, how he dumps it will be interesting to watch. He is disconnected to many voters. While religion should not be an issue, it is. Romney is a Mormon. This is viewed by some as being a cult. I would not go that far. But a number of years ago I did stay in a Motel that rather than stock a bible in the room opted for The Book Of Mormon. Being an avid reader, I could not resist. I found the ending somewhat lacking. If I went out farming one day and found a bunch of gold tablets, you can bet your bottom dollar I would remember exactly where I found them!

http://www.bloggernews.net/128098

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A long look at the good book: ‘State of the Bible’ finds that Americans are pious, but not always knowledgeable

May 15, 2012

New York Daily News

While these numbers could suggest an image of a population unfamiliar with the text it lives by, through rose-colored glasses they look more like progressive people open to each other’s beliefs. When asked whether “the Bible, the Koran, and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths,” 46% agreed with the statement. Maybe we all have a little more in common than we thought.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/2012/05/a-long-look-at-the-good-book-state-of-the-bible-finds-that-americans-are-pious-but

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Mitt Romney addresses “people of different faiths”

May 14, 2012

Get Religion

Note that, in this case, “conservatives” stands alone. In the context, however, it would appear that this means conservative Protestants, once again implying that they are the only Trinitarian Christians who do not accept Mormonism as fully Christian. Tell that to the Vatican, to Constantinople, the Lutherans, the United Methodists, etc., etc. In fact, has any Trinitarian Christian body accepted the validity of Mormon scriptures, doctrines and rites? I seem to remember that one or two Episcopal Church dioceses have done so, but I cannot find the reference.

http://www.getreligion.org/2012/05/mitt-romney-addresses-people-of-different-faiths/

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Dustin Lance Black on His New Film, Obama, and Romney

May 15, 2012

New York Observer

Mr. Black is now at work on a film adaptation of 8, about the legal struggle over Proposition 8 in California. The film’s to be directed by Rob Reiner. “It’s that Mormon thing,” said Mr. Black, who was raised in the Church of Latter-Day Saints and whose new film deals with life among Southern Mormons. “I’m industrious. Ambitious. I’m like the gay Mitt Romney… That’s a terrible thing to say.”

http://observer.com/2012/05/15/dustin-lance-black-on-his-new-film-obama-and-romney/

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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.

May 14, 2012

BuzzFeed

“It looks like the people who were worried about his Mormonism, at least that crowd is diminishing somewhat,” Robertson said. “The question is, if you have two candidates, you don’t have Jesus running against someone else. You have Obama running against Romney.”

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/pat-robertson-romneys-not-jesus-but-well-take

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Evangelicals ‘sinned against Mormonism’?

May 14, 2012

Washington Post

“We’ve often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of members of the LDS faith,” Mouw said that night. “It’s a terrible thing to bear false witness.”

The impact was immediate.

Some of Mouw’s colleagues and fellow believers were outraged. They accused him of selling out, of not standing for the Christian truth or adequately denouncing evil, of being duped.

Undeterred, Mouw continued this line of preaching to evangelicals for the next seven years and maintained regular conversations with Mormons. He has now expanded it into a just-released book, “Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/richard-mouw-evangelical-leader-says-engaging-mormonism-isnt-just-about-being-nice/2012/05/14/gIQA6wTMPU_story.html

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How Mormons – like Romney – cultivate business savvy early on

May 14, 2012

Christian Science Monitor

“You do see a disproportionate percentage of Mormons who have decent organizational and managerial skills,” says Jeff Benedict, a Mormon journalist who profiles executives in his book “The Mormon Way of Doing Business: Leadership and Success Through Faith and Family.” “That’s because, at a very young age, Mormon kids are given responsibilities and taught to organize.”

Mormons need no convincing that religious experience enhances business success. The LDS Church strongly encourages men at age 19 to go on a full-time, two-year mission to help grow church ranks. (Women go on missions in their early 20s, though it’s not as strongly encouraged for them, and few move into executive positions in the business world. Eighty percent of American Mormons say their mission experiences, which often include living abroad and the toughening that comes with knocking on doors, have been very valuable in preparing them for a career, according to a fall 2011 Pew Forum survey.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2012/0514/How-Mormons-like-Romney-cultivate-business-savvy-early-on

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Let’s Get To Know Mitt Romney

May 14, 2012

Houston Chronicle (Texas)

The sad part of the story in the Daily.com is that these good works may be being avoided because they are related to Mitt’s Mormon faith. It’s disappointing that just because one may disagree with Mormonism, his campaign feels they can’t paint the full picture of who Mitt Romney really is. Sure, he is a very successful businessman, but he also clearly cared about those around him. The Christian faith (and yes, Mormonism IS Christian) demands that we care for the poor. Not the government. Us. We are called, as individuals, to care for the poor.

http://blog.chron.com/texassparkle/2012/05/lets-get-to-know-mitt-romney/

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How being Mormon fosters business acumen for some, like Mitt Romney

May 14, 2012

Alaska Dispatch

In laying groundwork for a successful business career, it helps to become a religious leader at age 12.

That’s when Mormon boys receive the first mantle of authority as deacons in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), which has no professional clergy but vests ordinary people with religious duties, at young ages. Boys conduct meetings, raise money, and give talks for adult crowds while they’re still settling into middle school.

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/how-being-mormon-fosters-business-acumen-some-mitt-romney

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How Mitt Romney Could Pitch Himself as Mormon Freedom Fighter

May 14, 2012

Christianity Today

Mitt Romney continues to warm evangelical voters to the idea of a Mormon President, as evidenced by his well-received commencement speech Saturday at Liberty University. But the presumptive GOP nominee has yet to robustly address a key issue of shared passion for evangelicals and Mormons alike: the promotion of international religious freedom.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/mayweb-only/mitt-romney-mormon-freedom-fighter.html

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Approach about faith questioned as Romney woos evangelicals

May 14, 2012

USA Today

Likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s commencement speech at Liberty University this weekend dealt with issues of faith and spirituality in a broad sense, an approach that raises questions about how far he needs to go in discussing his Mormon faith this election cycle.

Romney spoke Saturday to an estimated 35,000 people at one of the largest Christian universities in the country. The forum allowed Romney to speak directly to those in the conservative base who have harbored doubts about his conservative credentials and his Mormon faith.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-05-13/romney-liberty-university-mormon/54946180/1

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Romney urges grads to honor family commitments

May 14, 2012

Albany Times Union (New York)

Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith has shaped his life, but he barely mentioned it as he spoke to graduates at an evangelical university Saturday.
And he hardly touched on hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage, instead offering a broad-based defense of values like family and hard work.

http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Romney-urges-grads-to-honor-family-commitments-3553566.php

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NBC: Romney Entered ‘Lion’s Den’ of Liberty University That Has ‘Big Problem’ With Mormons

May 14, 2012

NewsBusters

Early on Sunday’s NBC Today, co-host Jenna Wolfe stirred division between Mitt Romney and conservatives as she proclaimed: “[He] spoke at Liberty University, an evangelical school that’s called his Mormon faith a cult. Can he get religious conservatives excited about his presidential campaign?”

Introducing the later report on the speech, fellow co-host Lester Holt ominously declared: “Mitt Romney, the likely Republican nominee, walked into the lion’s den this weekend. He gave the commencement address at Liberty University, an influential conservative Christian school where some have a big problem with his Mormon faith.”

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2012/05/14/nbc-romney-entered-lions-den-liberty-university-has-big-problem-mormon

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Mitt Romney makes his case to evangelicals

May 14, 2012

Boston Herald (Massachusetts)

When it came to evangelicals in this year’s primaries, Mitt Romney was most often the rejected suitor — struggling to overcome suspicions about his authenticity as a conservative and his Mormon faith.

On Saturday at the evangelical university founded by the late televangelist Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Romney tried to tackle those lingering misgivings as the presumed Republican nominee — by delivering a speech that delved deep into his faith and by urging about 30,000 in the audience at Liberty University to look beyond their differences with his religion.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20120514mitt_romney_makes_his_case_to_evangelicals/

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An unnecessary speech

May 14, 2012

The Economist

The speech was an effort by Mr Romney, a Mormon, to bolster relations with non-Mormon Christians (or, to be precise, that subset of Christians who represent the “religious right”–as Timothy Noah aptly pointed out in March, the category of “Christian” encompasses nearly 80% of Americans). Polls show that a considerable number of people profess to be leery of voting for a Mormon; the wariness is especially pronounced among self-identified evangelical Christians, a demographic that has heavily favoured Republicans in recent elections.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/05/mitt-romney-liberty-university

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Pat Robertson: Romney’s faith not an issue

May 14, 2012

USA Today

Televangelist Pat Robertson said today Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith is becoming less of an issue with voters.

“It looks like the people who were worried about his Mormonism at least that crowd is diminishing somewhat,” Robertson said today on the 700 Club. “The question is, if you have two candidates, you don’t have Jesus running against someone else. You have Obama running against Romney.”

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/05/pat-robertson-mitt-romney-endorse-mormon-jesus-/1?csp=34news#.T7GiX-jlujU

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Pat Robertson Says Jesus Not in Race, But Romney Will Do

May 14, 2012

Christian Post

“It looks like the people who were worried about his Mormonism … at least that crowd is diminishing somewhat. The question is, if they have two candidates, you don’t have Jesus running against someone else. You have Obama running against Romney,” Robertson said on his Christian news program, which ran an interview with the former Massachusetts governor.

http://global.christianpost.com/news/pat-robertson-says-jesus-not-in-race-but-romney-will-do-74934/

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World’s Leading Internet Evangelist Says Vote for Jesus for President

May 14, 2012

Christian News Wire

Bill Keller, the world’s leading Internet Evangelist and the founder of LivePrayer.com, with over 2.4 million subscribers worldwide reading the daily devotional he has written every morning for 13 years on the issues of the day from a Biblical worldview, is encouraging people this November to not vote for President Obama or Mitt Romney, but write in the name of Jesus for President!

Keller continues, “On the other hand, how can a Christian in good conscience vote for Mitt Romney, a 5th generation member and priest in the satanic Mormon cult. His Presidency would give his cult the mainstream acceptance they have always wanted since being founded 200 years ago. Conservative estimates are that his cult will add at least 1 million converts in the US alone. For a Christian, that means 1 million souls who will buy into a false Gospel and end up in hell for all eternity!”

http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/9105419696.html

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Mormon Church Open Service

May 14, 2012

San Francisco Chronicle (California)

The singles’ congregation of the Mormon church in San Francisco is holding a special worship service especially for those visiting for the first (and/or only) time.

The congregation is comprised of single people ages 18-30, but non-singles are also welcome to attend. Please visit http://mormon.org/worship/ to find out what to expect.

http://events.sfgate.com/san_francisco_ca/events/show/259987324-mormon-church-open-service

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No One Can Unite Evangelicals and Mormons Quite Like Barack Obama

May 14, 2012

Patheos

Why did I feel like blowing off work, skipping even my shower, and just heading straight to my favorite video game to tune out the world? Because last week Barack Obama accomplished more in about two minutes and thirteen seconds than I was able to accomplish in more than six years of continual effort. Barack Obama united evangelicals and Mormons around Mitt Romney.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/frenchrevolution/2012/05/14/no-one-can-unite-evangelicals-and-mormons-quite-like-barack-obama/

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Dutch ‘distaste’ at revelation that royals were baptized as Mormons by proxy

May 14, 2012

The Christian Century

There is public criticism in the Netherlands of the Mormon practice of baptism by proxy after a Dutch newspaper revealed May 9 that several members of the royal family were posthumously “baptized” into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, colloquially known as the Mormon church.

The daily newspaper Trouw quoted unpublished documents in the Mormon church’s global genealogical database that show the late Queen Juliana, her husband Prince Bernhard and Queen Beatrix’s late husband Prince Claus were all baptized as Mormons after their deaths.

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-05/dutch-distaste-revelation-royals-were-baptized-mormons-proxy

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Gay rabbis, God’s will, and Conservative Judaism

May 13, 2012

Jewish Journal (California)

For Mormons, the question for Conservative rabbis who support the liberal shift on issues related to homosexual conduct is whether they claim that God has inspired the movement to do this. Is it God’s will that Conservative rabbinical courts approve gays and lesbians for ordination? If the answer is yes, then there’s nothing more to say. However, to my knowledge no Conservative rabbi has made this claim. Unlike Mormons, Jews don’t believe in continuing revelation – for them direct revelation from God to prophets stopped over two thousand years ago. While I understand this, it’s still hard to understand why a Conservative seminary professing fealty to Jewish law would claim the right to override a biblical prohibition on conduct that Leviticus called an “abomination” that defiled nations and the land itself. Many years later rabbis would put homosexual conduct in the category of “gilui arayot,” sexual acts that are forbidden to both Jews and Gentiles.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/jews_and_mormons/item/gay_rabbis_gods_will_and_conservative_judaism_39120513/

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All Utah Needs Is Love?

May 14, 2012

Weekly Standard

Mia Love, the 36-year-old mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah and Republican candidate for Congress in the state’s newly created Fourth District, is something of a political anomaly. A conservative and a Mormon, Love would be the first black female Republican in Congress ever.

Love doesn’t seem too eager to trade on this “first.” She does say she doesn’t consider herself a victim and doesn’t single others out for their race or gender. “My job is to treat people equally,” she says. When I ask her about the prospect of being the first black Republican woman in the House, she replies rhetorically, “Do you find it interesting?”

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/all-utah-needs-love_644389.html

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Behind the Lines: Sister Dottie speaks!

May 14, 2012

Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)

This week’s Behind the Lines guest commentator is Sister Dottie S. Dixon, who is heard regularly on X96s’ “The Painful Circle.” Selected “Best Utahn” by City Weekly in 2010, her hilarious, sold-out shows explore life as a Mormon mother and her acceptance and celebration of a gay, Mormon son, “Donny.” Donny was recently married to his boyfriend in the critically acclaimed “DOTTIE: The Sister Lives On.”

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/54098352-82/gay-dottie-sister-bagley.html.csp

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Mormon doctrine leads to socialism?

May 14, 2012

Enter Stage Right

Now that Mitt Romney is the presumptive Republican nominee for president, the left is increasing its attacks on his Mormon religion, hoping to distract voters into focusing on perceived negatives about Mormonism. The latest attack is shrewdly done. Instead of directly attacking Mormonism, which could look bad, the left is claiming that Mormonism is really socialist.

Last month, the far left website Salon ran an article entitled, “When Mormons Were Socialists.” It relied completely upon a deliberate misinterpretation of a few verses in the Book of Mormon. The author claimed that Mormon doctrine about events in the first century A.D. advocated for socialism. He declared that in the Third Book of Nephi, God punished a city because “the government disregarded the sick and poor.” Tellingly, the Salon article did not indicate where in the Book of Mormon the verses it relies upon are located, because they do not exist. At no time did the Nephite government ever give even a tiny amount of assistance to the poor.

http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0512/0512mormondocsoc.htm

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Why Obama and Romney Should Share Their Religious Beliefs

May 14, 2012

Huffington Post

Gov. Romney has avoided talking about religion for obvious reasons. Mormonism is not widely understood, and many Americans who are even modestly acquainted with its teachings find it odd. (All religions, of course, are in some measure odd, but it would be foolish to deny that many Americans find Mormon traditions to be especially bizarre.) Also, polls indicate that there is more prejudice against Mormons than most other religious groups. That prejudice has not surfaced in a major way, thankfully, and Mr. Romney undoubtedly does not want to tempt fate by focusing on religious matters.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-eric-h-yoffie/obama-and-romney-should-share-religious-beliefs_b_1502978.html

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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.

May 11, 2012

mormonnewsroom.org

Those living in the United States celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, 13 May. For most families, it will be a day filled with pampering their beloved mother. Children will treat Mom to breakfast in bed and shower her with homemade gifts, and Dad will fire up the grill for a Mother’s Day feast. It’s the type of celebration that takes place all over the world at different times of the year, with perhaps slight variations on affectionate traditions.

Recognizing mothers for all they do has origins dating back thousands of years, but the modern-day holiday got its beginnings in the early 20th-century United States. Mother’s Day is credited to Anna Jarvis, who desired to memorialize her own mother and in the process successfully lobbied for a national holiday. Jarvis insisted on making the apostrophe in “Mother’s Day” a singular possessive to indicate a personal recognition rather than a plural possessive that honors mothers as an entire group.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/released-mothers-day-bible-video-depicts-mary-mother-jesus

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Pacific Mormon Helping Hands Come to the Aid of Their Neighbors

May 11, 2012

mormonnewsroom.org

Residents of New Caledonia continue to suffer the effects of last December’s torrential rains. The island’s small communities of Houaïlou and Yaté have been the grateful recipients of aid from Mormon Helping Hands volunteers.

The Pacific island is located near Australia and New Zealand just above the Tropic of Capricorn.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/pacific-mormon-helping-hands-aid-neighbors

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With or without Romney, D.C. a Mormon stronghold

May 13, 2012

KTBS (Arkansas)

“I have never in my life had a more powerful experience than that spiritual moment when the spirit of Christ testified to me that the Book of Mormon is true,” Larry Echo Hawk told the audience, which stretched back through the spacious sanctuary and into a gymnasium in the rear.

Echo Hawk’s tear-stained testimonial stands out for a couple of reasons: The White House normally doesn’t dispatch senior staff to bare their souls, and Mormons hew heavily Republican. It’s not every day a top Democrat speaks from a pulpit owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

http://www.ktbs.com/lifestyle/With-or-without-Romney-D-C-a-Mormon-stronghold/-/144608/13329872/-/fxch2wz/-/

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Mitt Romney and Those ‘Mormon Moments’ (VIDEO)

May 13, 2012

Huffington Post

In my conversation with Hampden-Sydney College professor Matthew Bowman (author of “The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith”), we explore the possibility that Mormons themselves aren’t necessarily the biggest fans of Mormon moments. The national scrutiny can be taxing and treacherous, especially for a community as family-oriented and averse to the spotlight as this one is.

Dr. Bowman goes on to make some really intriguing observations about how and why both Evangelicals and secular liberals share a statistically verifiable hesitancy to vote for a Mormon candidate.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacques-berlinerblau/mitt-romney-and-those-mormon-moments_b_1499527.html

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Mormon mother gets ahead on her motor bike

May 14, 2012

Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

MOST picture Mormon missionaries in suits, spurning tea and coffee. But as the ”stormin’ Mormon” Mitt Romney makes a bid for the White House, there is renewed interest in the faith, which has been linked with polygamy and proselytising.

Darrylin Galanos defies stereotypes. She lives in Ivanhoe with her husband and three children, studies social work at Melbourne University, votes for the Greens, and rides a Triumph motorbike. And like thousands of Australians she is part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS).

”Mormon is just a nickname,” she said. Ms Galanos has been a member all her life.

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/mormon-mother-gets-ahead-on-her-motor-bike-20120513-1yl2i.html

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Biographer Recounts Romney’s Many Trips to Mormon Church to Discuss Social Issues

May 11, 2012

Daily Beast

Same-sex marriage has taken center stage in the presidential campaign, and we know where President Obama stands. But while Mitt Romney has stated his opposition to it, less clear is the extent to which his own “evolution” on this and other thorny social issues are directly related to the Mormon church.

Scott, a former staff writer and editor at Time, is Mormon himself and a distant cousin of Romney’s, and advised Romney early in his political career about how to deal with Mormonism in the public square. In his book he describes how Romney came away from these Salt Lake treks bolstered by a flexible understanding he reached with the brass: He was able to moderate his views during his runs for Senate and the governorship in liberal Massachusetts, yet he could still find his way back to doctrinal purity once in the governor’s mansion and safely on to his way to the White House.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/11/biographer-recounts-romney-s-many-trips-to-mormon-church-to-discuss-social-issues.html

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Romney urges grads to honor family commitments

May 13, 2012

CBS News

Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith has shaped his life, but he barely mentioned it as he spoke to graduates at an evangelical university Saturday.

And he hardly touched on hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage, instead offering a broad-based defense of values like family and hard work.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_162-57433299/romney-urges-grads-to-honor-family-commitments/

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Liberty’s Evangelical Students Give Mormon Romney a Warm Reception

May 12, 2012

ABC News

Romney never mentioned his Mormon faith by name during his speech, instead referencing broadly the differences of his faith and those 30,000 audience members packed into the stadium, remarking, “People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology.”
The answer, Romney said, was to “meet in service” and “shared moral convictions.”
Aides to Romney had prefaced the speech by warning that it “wasn’t a speech about Mormonism,” adding that the former governor would talk about the “big picture of how Judeo Christian traditions” can make for a good life.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/libertys-evangelical-students-give-mormon-romney-a-warm-reception/

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Mitt Romney delivers deeply spiritual address, but avoids his Mormonism, at Liberty University

May 12, 2012

Washington Post

Although Romney spoke of common spiritual values, he did not discuss his personal faith. The candidate who is poised to make history as the first Mormon to win a major party’s presidential nomination made no reference to his Mormonism.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-delivers-deeply-spiritual-address-but-doesnt-mention-mormonism-at-liberty-university/2012/05/12/gIQAR4zYKU_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop

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Romney’s speech courts evangelicals

May 13, 2012

Detroit Free Press (Michigan)

For Romney, the challenge is twofold. His past policy positions, including his support for abortion rights, don’t sit well with the religious right. But his personal faith is also an issue because many evangelicals don’t consider Mormons to be fellow Christians. Evangelicals are a critical segment of the GOP base; many of those voters backed his GOP rivals in the prolonged primary.

Romney’s selection as commencement speaker was an issue for some students who graduated from Liberty. When the school announced him as a commencement speaker, hundreds of angry comments were posted on Liberty’s Facebook page by people who said they were students or alumni, objecting to giving a Mormon a platform. The school responded by affirming its welcome to Romney.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120513/NEWS15/205130564/Romney-s-speech-courts-evangelicals

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Mitt Romney makes his case to evangelicals

May 12, 2012

Los Angeles Times (California)

“People of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose when there are so many differences in creed and theology,” Romney said, alluding to the long-standing tensions between Mormons and evangelical Protestants, many of whom do not consider Mormonism to be part of the Christian faith. “Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-romney-evangelicals-20120513,0,353033.story

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Romney seeks evangelical votes; opposes gay marriage

May 12, 2012

Reuters

“People of different faiths like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology,” the presumptive Republican nominee said in a commencement speech, addressing his Mormon faith.

“Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview,” said Romney to warm applause. Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, view themselves as Christians.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/12/us-usa-campaign-romney-liberty-idUSBRE84A1DV20120512

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For Beltway Mormons, Religion Key

May 13, 2012

Daily Beast

Whether or not Mitt Romney straps the dog onto the family car and heads down to take up residence in the White House after this year, there are already a good number of Mormons who hold prominent government positions, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat. Across the Potomac from the capital, the town of Crystal City is sometimes colloquially known as “Little Provo” for the number of young Mormon professionals who have settled there. And while the number of Mormon political professionals in Washington is not disproportionate to the 2 percent of the population who claim to be adherents, many say that their faith helps drive their interest in civic involvement.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/05/13/for-beltway-mormons-religion-key.html

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‘Good, clean interaction’ key to Mormon prom success

May 12, 2012

Reno Gazette Journal (Nevada)

More than 300 high school juniors and seniors from Reno and Sparks recently attended the seventh annual Young Men and Women Formal Event. Teenagers of all faiths participated in dancing, hors d’oeuvres, snacks and games while following standards that emphasized modesty and dignity.

The free event was sponsored by the Sparks stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Young members of the church did much of the planning and preparation.

http://www.rgj.com/article/20120513/NEWS/305130049/-Good-clean-interaction-key-to-Mormon-prom-success

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To my heterosexual Mormon friends and family

May 13, 2012

Herald Journal (Utah)

There have been many recent teen suicides in Utah. Some of these teens are both LDS and gay. Being a gay Mormon is challenging enough for an adult, let alone a young person. Added to the usual emotion of high school, the weight of recognizing you’re gay can reveal scary questions. Add to those questions the kinds asked by gay LDS teens. Does God love me? Would He really do this to me? How will I fit into His plan? How can I serve a mission and spend every single day for two years with several companions? If I don’t serve a mission, how can I hold my head up at church? What will people say about my family? Am I better off dead? Will it be easier for my family to deal with a gay son or a son who took his life?

Here’s my question for my LDS family, active or inactive, membered or exed: How do we minister the Gospel so kids feel they can breathe under the weight of figuring out how to become happy, healthy gay Mormons? How do we inspire parents and local leaders to speak up for LGBTQ kids without fearing they’ll lose temple recommends or arouse church discipline? Active LDS members, we need you to feel safe that your firesides are ours. We want you to ride in our wagons, we want to pull your handcarts.

http://news.hjnews.com/opinion/article_fdc91736-9c66-11e1-8cb9-001a4bcf887a.html

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Norris Burkes: Hospital a reminder that life rarely just black and white

May 12, 2012

For instance, if you believe hell is reserved for those rejecting your faith brand, then follow me to the hospital bed of my Mormon stepfather. My Baptist upbringing taught me that Mormons go to hell, yet Bob breathed an inarguable faith until his last breath.

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20120513/COLUMNISTS38/205130325/Norris-Burkes-Hospital-reminder-life-rarely-just-black-white

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Romney defends family values, Christian faith in address to evangelical university

May 12, 2012

Washington Post

The late Rev. Jerry Falwell founded Liberty University in 1971 to be for evangelical Christians “what Notre Dame is to young Catholics and Brigham Young is to young Mormons,” as his son, University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., said on commencement day. It’s become a destination for Republican politicians looking to speak to the religious right, and Romney’s campaign team — planning the speech long before gay marriage became a central issue — viewed it as an opportunity to address the kind of socially conservative audience that had been wary of him during the prolonged GOP primary fight.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-address-at-christian-university-romney-to-urge-graduates-to-honor-commitments-to-family/2012/05/12/gIQA4FjqJU_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop

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Letter: Faith in candidates lacking

May 13, 2012

Daily Reflector (North Carolina)

As for former Gov. Mitt Romney, does his deep affiliation with the Mormons make anyone else uneasy? Does he profess to be a Latter-day Saint, whose founder, Joseph Smith, believed and taught that God was a man? Is he a fundamentalist Mormon, whose members embrace polygamy? Maybe he’s a liberal Mormon. They read the Bible, but do not believe the teachings of Jesus to be true.

http://www.reflector.com/opinion/letters/letter-faith-candidates-lacking-1063381

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Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer Say Gay Marriage Will Hurt Obama

May 13, 2012

On Top Magazine

“You can’t gloss over the theological differences between the Mormon faith and evangelicals but he zeroed in on the common values. And people that have been involved in the states, 32 states that have worked on marriage, passing those marriage initiatives, the Mormon Church has been very involved working shoulder to shoulder with [the] evangelical church,” said Perkins.

http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=11805&MediaType=1&Category=26#

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Ex-employees involved in 2 lawsuits

May 13, 2012

Register Guard (Oregon)

Six local people who filed a lawsuit April 14 claiming workplace discrimination because they were not Mormon were themselves sued by their former employers in Utah nine days earlier.

The suit filed April 2 in Utah District Court says the six falsely represented themselves as experts capable of quickly establishing and managing “senior living centers” as a Eugene-based affiliate of three Lehi, Utah, companies: Care Acquisition, Care Holding and Care Senior.

http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/28057808-41/six-suit-utah-says-care.html.csp

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How Will African-American Clergy React to Obama’s ‘Evolution’ on Same-Sex Marriage?

May 13, 2012

Daily Beast

A vivid example of this hypocrisy was the hysterical reaction four years ago to the passage of Proposition 8 in California, which banned gay marriage in the state. In the aftermath of the vote, the left exploded. Donor lists of those who gave money to pass Prop 8 were pored over, contributors were “outed” and retaliation against all “guilty” parties was threatened. In response to the revelation the Mormon Church had donated considerable cash to the cause, cries went up to “Nuke Utah.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/13/how-will-african-american-clergy-react-to-obama-s-evolution-on-same-sex-marriage.html

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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.

12 May 2012

Newsroom

Ground was broken today for the Provo City Center Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Church’s second temple in Provo and 16th in Utah. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the morning ceremony.

“What an absolute stunning site!” declared Elder Holland. “It is a picture perfect day in Utah County. The temple site is filled with faithful people making history.” He said he was deeply touched today. In fact, “You can tell people Elder Holland was downright giddy today about the temple groundbreaking.”

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/ground-broken-for-provo-utahs-second-temple

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Mormon Church breaks ground for new temple on Provo Tabernacle site

May 12 2012

The Salt Lake Tribune

When the Provo Tabernacle caught fire in 2010, thousands of people came to the site to mourn the landmark’s loss.

On Saturday, thousands again gathered to the tabernacle’s burned-out remains, but this time with joy in their hearts. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formally dedicated the site as the home of the new Provo City Center Temple.

“I think it was fantastic,” Provo resident Kurt Brown said of the groundbreaking ceremony. “I think it is really neat to have the tabernacle converted into a temple.”

Brown, who lives down the street from the tabernacle, remembered seeing the building in flames and was happy to be among the 6,000 people who gathered in Tabernacle Park to watch Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and other church officials break ground for the new temple.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/utes/54100693-78/tabernacle-temple-provo-church.html.csp

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Romney opposes gay marriage, appease evangelicals

May 13, 2012

Firstpost

In a speech at conservative Christian Liberty University – where it is taught that Mormonism is a cult – Romney stressed their common goal of service to God and declared his opposition to gay marriage, a position essential for winning the majority of evangelicals in November.

“People of different faiths like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose, when there are so many differences in creed and theology,” the presumptive Republican nominee said in a commencement speech, addressing his Mormon faith.

“Surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview,” said Romney to warm applause. Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, view themselves as Christians.

Romney went right at the latest hot-button issue, bringing much of the audience to its feet in cheers by declaring: “Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman.”

Many students and parents said that while they are wary of Romney’s religion, they would rather he occupy the White House than President Barack Obama who announced his support for same-sex marriage this week.

http://www.firstpost.com/world/romney-opposes-gay-marriage-appease-evangelicals-307543.html

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Romney speech in Lynchburg heavy on faith, light on politics

May 13, 2012

The Roanoke Times

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney focused on faith and family Saturday in a much-anticipated commencement address at Liberty University, telling graduates of the evangelical Christian school that “culture — what you believe, what you value, how you live — matters.”

Just days after President Barack Obama publicly endorsed same-sex marriage, Romney drew his loudest and longest ovation when he said: “Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman.”

Romney never mentioned Obama’s name in his speech to more than 6,000 Liberty graduates and a nearly packed house at sun-splashed Williams Stadium. And, save for his statement on marriage and a brief reference to the economy, he largely steered clear of issues that have dominated the presidential campaign.

Romney, a Mormon, instead emphasized religious freedom and Christian virtues that transcend differences in faith.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/308736

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School secretary accused of sex with teen boy

May 12, 2012

Daily Herald

Prosecutors say Barney was working at Mt. Nebo Jr. High School in 2010 when she befriended a boy who returned to his former school to visit friends.

Barney is accused of engaging in sex acts with him outside a Mormon church and in phone sex. At the time, Barney was 47 and the student was a 16-year-old high school student.

Police say the allegations recently came to light when the boy told a church leader about the relationship.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/state-and-regional/utah/school-secretary-accused-of-sex-with-teen-boy/article_c32b03c2-dafe-59cf-af32-51189e7aa052.html

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Mommy dearest

May 12, 2012

New York Post

Maureen Callahan’s too quick in her pronouncement that Mormonism is a Christian religion and that its prophet’s role is akin to the pope’s (“A Mormon in the White House,” PostScript, May 6).

Mormons believe in the materiality of God the Father and that the three persons of the Trinity are not one being — for them there are three gods.

This radically conflicts with the Nicene Creed (325 AD), which has always served as the standard for authentic Christianity.

Mormons contend that divine revelation resumed with Joseph Smith and continues in his successors. Christians hold that divine revelation ceased with the death of the last apostle.

Unlike the Mormon prophet, the pope cannot change or add to the original Deposit of Faith. He can only safeguard what has been handed on by the Twelve Apostle.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/letters/letters_QpCrvMtlE33Nhlmx58nvLN?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Letters

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With or without Romney, D.C. a surprising Mormon stronghold

May 12th, 2012

CNN

A few hundred Mormons filed into a chapel just outside the Washington Beltway one recent Sunday to hear a somewhat unusual presentation: an Obama administration official recounting his conversion to Mormonism.

“I have never in my life had a more powerful experience than that spiritual moment when the spirit of Christ testified to me that the Book of Mormon is true,” Larry Echo Hawk told the audience, which stretched back through the spacious sanctuary and into a gymnasium in the rear.

Echo Hawk’s tear-stained testimonial stands out for a couple of reasons: The White House normally doesn’t dispatch senior staff to bare their souls, and Mormons hew heavily Republican. It’s not every day a top Democrat speaks from a pulpit owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And yet the presentation by Echo Hawk, then head of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, is also a perfect symbol of a phenomenon that could culminate in Mitt Romney’s arrival at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue next year: The nation’s capital has become a Mormon stronghold, with Latter-day Saints playing a big and growing role in the Washington establishment.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/12/hfr-with-or-without-romney-d-c-a-surprising-mormon-stronghold/

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Lifetree Cafe to Host Discussion on Mormon Beliefs

May 12th, 2012

SOP

What Mormons really believe will be explored at Lifetree Café community forums from coast to coast during the week of May 13, 2012.

The Lifetree event will encourage various views from the community. It may also provide a glimpse into how the religious vote may swing during the November presidential election, according to Lifetree representative Craig Cable. Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney is a Mormon.

The program, titled “Mormons: Christian? Cult? What Do They Really Believe?” includes filmed interviews with someone who left the Mormon church as well as someone who joined it.

http://thesop.org/story/20120512/lifetree-caf-to-host-discussion-on-mormon-beliefs.html

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‘Sister Wives,’ Mormon Reality Show, Launches Its Third Season

05/12/2012

Huffington Post

With Gov. Romney the clear favorite to win the Republican nomination, the question of a Mormon president in the White House will be a hot topic this election season. One of the most prominent displays of Mormonism is TLC’s popular reality show “Sister Wives,” in which an openly polygamist Mormon family shares their life and faith with the world.

While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has officially rejected polygamy, the Brown family openly continues with the practice.

“Well, we’re abiding by it because we believe the ancients used to,” Kody Brown, the 44 year old father of 17 children and husband to four wives told The Huffingtonpost in a phone interview. “I mean all the cool guys in the Old Testament had more than one wife. It didn’t make them righteous. They had to be righteous in spite of it.”

When asked how they believe Romney’s practice of Mormonism differs from their own, Meri, the first wife, said “He’s in the Mormon LDS faith, and we are in the Mormon fundamentalist faith. Both of the faiths have same origins but the Mormon church abandoned the practice of polygamy over 100 years ago.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/12/sister-wives-mormon-reality-show-launches-third-season_n_1507538.html

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Despite odds, LeFavour says this is a race to win

May 12, 2012

KHQ

LeFavour says her sexual preference isn’t a major hurdle, even in Idaho where voters in 2006 passed a gay marriage ban.

In eastern Idaho’s deeply Mormon country, she says, some people have misgivings about gay marriage but no rancor toward gay people.

http://www.khq.com/story/18364614/despite-odds-lefavour-says-this-is-a-race-to-win

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Young Mitt Romney, odd man out

05/12/2012

The Washington Post

The Romney I talked to that day was looser and more accessible than the one I see campaigning this year. So I asked him what it was like growing up Mormon in a state where there were few of them.

He insisted to me that he had always found a way to fit in with his friends as a teenager.

“My faith was not a burden for me. I didn’t smoke and drink, and that was about it,” in terms of distinguishing him from his classmates, he said. Romney did allow that there had been some “boyhood indiscretions,” but when I pressed him, he laughed: “I won’t elaborate.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/young-mitt-romney-odd-man-out/2012/05/12/gIQASnFXKU_blog.html

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BuzzFeed Politics Distorts Facts to Smear Liberty University Students

5/12/2012

Breitbart

In advance of Governor Romney’s speech at Liberty University today, McKay Coppins at Buzzfeed Politics wrote an article titled “At Liberty, Mormon Cultist for President” in which he expounds on the general intolerance of Liberty University.

His evidence? A single Liberty University course:

Theology 678–Western and New Religions.

‘The history, doctrines, and present state of the major cults such as Mormonism, Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventism. The course will also include a study of the Occult Movement. Emphasis is placed on the errors of these groups and on methods and materials for confronting them effectively.’

Coppins takes that isolated course to craft this: [emphasis added]

The course is just one reminder that when Mitt Romney takes the stand on Saturday to deliver the commencement speech at Liberty U, he will be addressing more than 2,000 evangelical students who have been taught that his Mormon faith is a cult that must be defeated.”

Can they really support a heretic for president?”

Wow.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/05/12/BuzzFeed-Politics-Distorts-Facts-Liberty-University

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Evangelicals will propel Romney into White House, new poll says

May 12, 2012

National Post

Republicans have feared that Romney’s Mormonism will mean even fewer Evangelical votes for their candidate in November. They cite a November 2011 Pew Forum poll that found 15 percent of Evangelicals saying they would refuse to vote for Romney simply because he is a Mormon.

Now there is fresh evidence that Evangelicals in swing states are more numerous than ever, and prefer Romney to Obama by a wide margin. A March 26-April 9 poll of Virginia residents conducted by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College found that 58 percent of the Virginia population is Evangelical, and white Evangelicals prefer Romney by a 36-point spread (65 percent to 29 percent).

Not surprisingly, Virginia Evangelicals are ambivalent about Romney’s religion. More than twice as many Evangelicals as non-Evangelicals in Virginia (37 percent to 16 percent) think Mormons are not Christians, and 74 percent of the Evangelicals (vs. 61 percent of non-Evangelicals) say Mormonism is “very different” from their own faith. Sixty-one per cent of Evangelicals think the Mormon religion is not Christian or are unsure if it is Christian, compared to only 39 percent of non-Evangelicals.

http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/05/12/evangelicals-will-propel-romney-into-white-house-new-poll-shows/

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Is Mitt Romney’s love for America a Mormon thing?

May 11

The Washington Post

But what Romney doesn’t say is that, for followers of his made-in-America religion, Mormonism, exceptionalism isn’t political metaphor. It’s theology.

The faith’s sacred text, the Book of Mormon, describes the United States as “a land of promise . . . a land which is choice above all other lands.” It describes Jesus coming down from heaven, to America, and teaching to people there. Joseph Smith, Mormonism’s founder and prophet, quotes God as saying that he established the U.S. Constitution. Mormons’ Garden of Eden is in Missouri. Their version of the hajj begins in Upstate New York and ends in Illinois.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/is-mitt-romneys-love-for-america-a-mormon-thing/2012/05/11/gIQAQeBlIU_story.html

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Romney To Buy Wife Ann a Clothes Washer for Mother’s Day

11 May 2012

The Spoof (satire)

Likely Teapublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney revealed that he will be purchasing a new clothes washer for wife Ann this week. “I think it’s the ideal gift for a stay-at-home mom like Ann,” said Romney during a break from the campaign trail. “Up until now, she’s been using a washboard and tub like most LDS [Mormon] wives. But with me running for president, she didn’t have enough time to do a proper job washing my skivvies, and with Mother’s Day coming up, I thought I’d surprise her.”

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i106747

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U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for May 12

May 12, 2012

The Sacramento Bee

It seems like a simple device, really — that row of numbers on the speedometer that measures how far your car has traveled since it was new, or how many miles you’ve covered on a trip. Called an odometer, it was used for the first time on this date in 1847 by a Mormon pioneer named William Clayton, who was crossing the plains in a covered wagon. Up until his invention, elapsed miles were calculated by tediously counting the revolutions of a rag tied to the spoke of one of the wagon’s wheels. Today, most of us regularly drive a lot of miles. Smaller cars, light trucks, vans and SUVs average nearly 10,500 miles annually. Larger vehicles cover more than 15,000 miles a year. Trucks drive about 26,000 miles on average each year. Profile America is beginning its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/11/4484839/us-census-bureau-daily-feature.html

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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.

May 10, 2012

mormonnewsroom.org

The bricks, mortar and beams of a meetinghouse create a level of emotional connection for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who gather there. Significant personal moments in life are experienced by families in these church buildings, such as births, baptisms, celebrations, achievements, even funerals. They also provide the locale for fellowship among Latter-day Saints.

The late Church President Gordon B. Hinckley described his first recognition of the Church’s founder, Joseph Smith, as he listened to a hymn in the old 10th Ward meetinghouse in Salt Lake City. “During the singing in the service,” President Hinckley explained, “there came into my young heart a great surge of love for and belief in the mighty prophet of this dispensation.”

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/early-latter-day-saint-meetinghouses-carry-mormon-pioneer-legacy-today

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New guide advises Evangelicals on how to talk to Mormons

May 10, 2012

Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)

Richard Mouw never intended to start a riot within the Evangelical community by saying his fellow believers had “sinned against Mormonism.” But that’s exactly what happened.

Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., had been meeting regularly with LDS scholars before he gave a seven-minute introduction of Ravi Zacharias, an Evangelical speaker who addressed a packed audience in the Mormon Tabernacle in November 2004.

“We’ve often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of members of the LDS faith,” Mouw said that Sunday night. “It’s a terrible thing to bear false witness.”

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/54091441-80/evangelicals-mouw-mormons-says.html.csp

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At Liberty, A Mormon Cultist For President

May 11, 2012

BuzzFeed

On page 173 of the course catalog for Liberty University, the country’s largest Evangelical Christian college, there’s a graduate course labeled Theology 678–Western and New Religions.
Its innocuous title belies the description of its curriculum:
“The history, doctrines, and present state of the major cults such as Mormonism, Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventism. The course will also include a study of the Occult Movement. Emphasis is placed on the errors of these groups and on methods and materials for confronting them effectively.”
The course is just one reminder that when Mitt Romney takes the stand on Saturday to deliver the commencement speech at Liberty U, he will be addressing more than 2,000 evangelical students who have been taught that his Mormon faith is a cult that must be defeated.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/cultist-for-president

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Ann Romney: Mormonism non-issue

May 11, 2012

Politico

Ann Romney said Friday that she hoped people wouldn’t make their family’s Mormon faith an issue in the presidential campaign.
“I certainly hope people won’t be doing that. I think we recognize as Americans there are certain things that are just primary to the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy here and religious freedom is one of the most important things we as Americans cherish,” the wife of presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney said in an interview on Fox News.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76208.html

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Romney poised for pilgrimage to Liberty University

May 11, 2012

CBS News

For Romney, who is Mormon, faith is a delicate issue. Some Christians do not believe that Mormonism is a legitimate branch of Christianity; One prominent Dallas pastor, Dr. Robert Jefress, referred to Mormonism as a “theological cult” while introducing Perry at last year’s “Values Voters Summit.” Though Mormons believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ – the full name of the church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – they treat The Book of Mormon, a text unique to Mormonism, as divine scripture on equal footing with the Bible. A prominent leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, Richard Land, stops short of calling Mormonism a cult outright but says, “I wouldn’t call it a cult but it claims to be Christian and isn’t. It’s theology is like a cult but socially and culturally it doesn’t act like a cult.” One poll last year found that one in five Americans say they do not feel comfortable with Romney’s faith.

When it was posted to Liberty’s Facebook page, the announcement that Romney would give Liberty’s commencement address prompted hundreds of comments, some of which criticized the university for inviting Romney. Many critics charged that Mormonism goes against the teachings at Liberty, where, as CNN reported last month, one freshman textbook includes a passage that reads: “Mormon doctrine stands in stark contrast to Jewish and Christian monotheism, which teaches that there is only one true God and that every other ‘God’ is a false god.” Liberty student Braedon Wilkerson complained that the school is “sacrificing the Bible for the Republican party.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57432150-503544/romney-poised-for-pilgrimage-to-liberty-university/

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Stakes raised for Romney ahead of Liberty University address

May 11, 2012

Washington Post

The stakes for Mitt Romney’s speech on Saturday at Liberty University had already been high, as the event represents the first time during the 2012 campaign that the former Massachusetts governor and the first Mormon on track to clinch the GOP presidential nomination will address a Christian college.

Working in Romney’s favor is that the renewed debate over gay marriage could serve to draw attention away from the other issue that would likely have dominated his Liberty address – views among evangelical Christians of Romney’s Mormon faith.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/stakes-raised-for-romney-ahead-of-liberty-university-address/2012/05/11/gIQAh0dQIU_blog.html

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Unsolicited Advice: What should Mitt Romney say at Liberty University?

May 11, 2012

CNN

He should not try to bridge the theological gulf that separates Mormons from evangelical Christians, but he should point directly to common concerns and shared convictions about the crucial issues facing our nation. He should acknowledge the fact that he is a Mormon and that he has taken his faith seriously as it informs his worldview. Evangelicals respect an honest statement of theological difference, for we take theology seriously.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/11/unsolicited-advice-what-should-mitt-romney-say-at-liberty-university/

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Why Jerry Falwell Sr. Isn’t Rolling In His Grave over Romney’s Liberty Invitation

May 11, 2012

Christianity Today

In 1980, for example, Falwell dissociated himself from the statement of the then-president of the Southern Baptist Convention who claimed that “God does not hear the prayer of the Jew.” In response, calling America a “pluralistic republic,” Falwell told The New York Times, “This is the time for Catholics, Protestants, Jews,Mormons,and all Americans to rise above every effort to polarize us in our efforts to return the nation to a commitment to the moral values on which America was built.” He also argued, “We may have differing theological positions, but we must never allow this to separate us as Americans who love and respect each other as a united people.” Falwell later told The Washington Post, “I’m a fundamentalist, but I believe in a pluralistic America. This country belongs to the Hebrew Americans, theMormonAmericans, black Americans, white Americans.” Falwell’s political ecumenicism reached even further than these, at least in a
tongue-in-cheek way: in mobilizing religious conservatives to elect Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, Falwell said they’d support Reagan “Even if he has the devil running with him, and we’ll pray he outlives him.”

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/mayweb-only/romney-liberty-invitation.html

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Mormon Church softening on gay marriage

May 11, 2012

Washington Post

There are reports that Republican leaders are advising that their troops to stay away from engagement on gay marriage. There are probably many reasons for that; the world is already out for their anti-gay marriage base and further discussion distracts from a discussion of the economy.

But I wonder if a more interesting reason for the party’s reluctance to have a broader discussion of gay rights is that it might shine a light on the discussion within the Mormon Church.

Long known as an institution deeply at odds with gays — in 2008, the church basically funded the entire effort to pass a ban on gay marriage in California — there are entire websites devoted to the sufferings of gay and lesbian Mormons. To be a gay or lesbian Mormon is often to be shunned by both the church and by fellow gays as being strange.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-insiders/post/mormon-church-softening-on-gay-marriage/2012/05/11/gIQAnVzsHU_blog.html

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MORMONISM GROWS; DEVOTION BEGINS IN YOUTH

May 11, 2012

North County Times (California)

Trevar Dahl spends an hour before school each morning studying the Bible with seven other teens.

“It’s the best way to start the day, and it helps us with a pretty good knowledge of Scripture,” said Trevar, a 16-year-old junior at Cloverleaf High School near Lodi. “We attend classes for four years. We call it seminary.”

Seminary, or the study of religious history and Scripture among high school students in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon Church), includes courses on the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon and church doctrine, covenants and history. The seminary program has been part of the Mormon tradition for 100 years and has grown from 70 students to nearly 370,000 in more than 140 countries.

http://www.nctimes.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/faith-teaching-youth-the-faith-helps-mormonism-grow/article_18c0d073-f7c3-525f-a169-bd8e945a7184.html

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Judge drops charges against Mormon bishop in belated report on sex abuse

May 11, 2012

Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)

Felony and misdemeanor charges filed against an eastern Utah Mormon bishop accused of failing to report a teenage girl’s sexual abuse — and urging her not to seek a protective order against the alleged offender — have been dismissed by an 8th District Court judge.

Gordon Lamont Moon, 43, had been charged in August 2011 with third-degree felony witness tampering and class B misdemeanor failure to report child abuse. However, on Thursday Judge Lyle Anderson granted Duchesne County Attorney Stephen Foote’s surprise motion to dismiss the charges after Moon testified in court that he had erred in how he had handled the now 17-year-old girl’s revelations during a confidential conversation in July 2011.

Leavitt said that not only had the parents reported the incident to police 12 hours prior to her meeting with Moon, but the bishop was “the seventh person to know that something allegedly happened; the police knew about it before Bishop Moon even talked to the girl.”

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54095444-78/moon-girl-charges-leavitt.html.csp

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Charges dismissed against Mormon bishop

May 11, 2012

Standard Examiner (Utah)

A Utah judge dismissed all charges against a Mormon bishop accused of failing to report a teenage girl’s disclosure that she had been sexually abused.

The Deseret News reports Gordon Moon, of Duchesne, was cleared Thursday on charges of felony witness tampering and misdemeanor failure to report abuse.

Authorities say a 16-year-old girl, who belonged to Moon’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation, confided in him that she’d been sexually abused by a teenage relative. Prosecutors had argued that Moon advised her not to seek a protective order, and broke state law by failing to tell police about the girl’s disclosure.

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/05/11/charges-dismissed-against-mormon-bishop

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Catholic, Mormon numbers up for debate in wake of religion survey

May 11, 2012

Courier-Journal (Kentucky)

Some of the results of a once-a-decade religious survey have come under debate this month in the wake of its May 1 release showing a dramatic rise in Mormons and a plunge in many other denominations, including Catholics.

The U.S. Religion Census — compiled by a multi-denominational team of researchers — gained prominence for, among other things, reporting a 45.5 percent increase in Mormons in a decade — making it the fastest-growing major religious group — and a 5 percent decline in active Roman Catholics, the nation’s largest denomination.

Mormons are growing, but not as fast as all that, according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120511/COLUMNISTS22/305110065/Catholic-Mormon-numbers-up-debate-wake-religion-survey

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What Makes a Romney Win Scary? (Hint: It Ain’t Religion)

May 10, 2012

Pacific Free Press

Mr. Romney is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), a religion that still gives pause to some, mainly, according to some national surveys, to those who don’t know any Mormons.

The discussions about the Church come chiefly from disgruntled former members, or those with only a rudimentary knowledge of the religion. Talk of ‘secret’ temple ceremonies, a possible recurrence of polygamy, a supposed requirement of absolute support and adherence to the directives from Church authorities in Salt Lake City, who, it is whispered darkly, have a master plan to take over the United States, all, it is said, make Mr. Romney unfit for the highest office in the land.

As a long-time, active, dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this writer can attest that there is nothing in adherence to the Church that renders a member unfit for any office, national or otherwise. Speculating that it does only detracts from Mr. Romney’s many, dangerous policies, which, if enacted, would cause untold suffering and misery in the U.S. and around the world.

http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/11621-what-makes-a-romney-win-scary-hint-it-aint-religion.html

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Mormons help give Lopez Lake a facelift

May 11, 2012

Adobe Press (California)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined other community groups to raise more than $10,000 for supplies and organized a day of service to benefit the recreation area April 28.

Besides donating money and supplies, more than 350 members of the church painted facilities, cleared trails and fire pits, built fences and cleaned beaches, a church spokesperson said.

http://www.theadobepress.com/articles/2012/05/11/news/news02.txt

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Faith Large Determinant In Voting Preference: Poll

May 11, 2012

RTT News

This could be partly due to public perceptions of each candidate’s own religious views. Fewer than 4 in 10 respondents correctly identified Obama’s religious affiliation as Protestant (16 percent still incorrectly identify him as Muslim) while a slim majority, 51 percent, correctly identified Romney as Mormon.

Overall, the poll showed Romney’s substantial increase in favorability among evangelical Christians (from 40 percent in October to 67 today) and members of his own party in general (55 to 82 percent) while Romney holds a lead over the general electorate.

http://www.rttnews.com/1883859/faith-large-determinant-in-voting-preference-poll.aspx?type=pn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap

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One In Six Americans Believe Obama Is Muslim, Only One In Four Identify Him As Protestant

May 10, 2012

Huffington Post

But with a Mormon now the presumptive GOP nominee, that’s no longer a possibility for evangelicals, and the poll shows they are coalescing around Romney, Cox continued. “It’s a binary choice for them between someone who is on the right side of their issues and someone who is not.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/belief-that-obama-is-musl_n_1506307.html

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Vandals target Mormon churches in E. Idaho

May 11, 2012

KHQ (Idaho)

Authorities in Pocatello are looking for vandals who spray painted crude messages on two Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints buildings.

Pocatello Police Maj. Mike Staynor tells the Idaho State Journal (http://bit.ly/njfaln ) the acts of vandalism are being investigated as potential hate crimes.

The suspects painted obscene messages and crude drawings on the churches late Wednesday night.

Bishop R. Dale Price says he is saddened by the vandalism. His church was victimized by defamatory graffiti several years ago. He says it’s disappointing to see that this happened in a community that values mutual respect for religions.

http://www.khq.com/story/18310322/vandals-target-mormon-churches-in-e-idaho

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EvilFTC.com Reports: “Federal Trade Commission Attorney Refuses to Retract Anti-Mormon Comments”

May 10, 2012

Business Review USA

A representative for the Federal Trade Commission, Dotan Weinman, has requested in an e-mail that quoted statements mocking members of the Mormon Church, attributed to FTC attorney Ms. Collot Guerard, one of the Commission’s lead attorneys, be removed from www.EvilFTC.com, a website critical of the workings of the Commission. Mr. Weinman also threatens legal action if the statements are not removed.

“We have already offered to remove the quotes from the website if we can get a simple written statement from Ms. Guerard that she never made the anti-Mormon comments in question,” said Ryan Riddle, spokesman for www.EvilFTC.com.

http://www.businessreviewusa.com/press_releases/evilftccom-reports-federal-trade-commission-attorney-refuses-to-retract-anti-mormon-comments

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Romney: Gay marriage stance was ‘not a religious decision’

May 11, 2012

Washington Post

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) on Thursday separated his views on same-sex marriage from his personal religious beliefs, telling a local Omaha TV station that his stance on gay rights stems from his belief of what’s “right for the nation” rather than from his Mormon faith.

“As a society, I think we’re better off if we encourage the establishment of homes with a mother and a father,” Romney told KETA-TV in an interview after his Thursday afternoon rally at an Omaha riverside restaurant.

Asked whether religion played a role in his position, Romney responded, “I indicated that’s based entirely upon a civil understanding of the needs of a society like our own.”

Pressed again on whether his faith had “any weight” in the decision, Romney said it did not.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/romney-gay-marriage-stance-was-not-a-religious-decision/2012/05/11/gIQAZHvaIU_blog.html

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Senate may try to repeal Defense of Marriage Act

May 10, 2012

Politico

Reid, a Mormon who believes that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman, said in the wake of the president’s remarks that the government should not prohibit same-sex couples from marrying.

On Thursday, he also said he expects the Democratic Party’s platform to include a stance supporting gay marriage.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/05/senate-may-try-to-repeal-defense-of-marriage-act-123110.html

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Harry Reid Suddenly Supports Marriage, Vote on DOMA Repeal

May 11, 2012

Advocate

Reid, who is a Mormon, takes a different interpretation of his religious beliefs than Mitt Romney, who has decided the best course is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex couples from marrying. But Reid doesn’t see Romney’s view advancing.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2012/05/11/harry-reid-support-marriage-equality-and-vote-doma-repeal

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Mom, blogger Stephanie Nielson finds ‘heaven’ after fiery crash

May 11, 2012

Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)

This Mother’s Day, Nielson will celebrate a multitude of blessings. She’ll feel gratitude for her new baby girl. She’ll rejoice in the way she and her family have adapted to the challenges they’ve faced the past four years. And Nielson, author of a popular blog about her life as a Mormon mother and wife, will celebrate the recent publication of her new book Heaven Is Here.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/54065346-80/nielson-baby-stephanie-body.html.csp

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Osteen, Graham, Falwell, Land and Robertson Called to Step Down for Betraying Jesus Christ

May 11, 2012

Christian News Wire

Joel Osteen, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., Richard Land and Pat Robertson are called to step down for betraying Jesus Christ. “These preachers have ignored God’s Word. They have led people astray to vote for non-Christian, Mormon Mitt Romney,” says Pastor Steven Andrew, president of USA Christian Ministries and author of “Making A Strong Christian Nation.”

http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/6846819678.html

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TLC’s ‘Sister Wives’ polygamist family supports same sex marriage

May 11, 2012

Fox News

“One thing people often get wrong is that they think we are part of the Mormon Church,” Janelle explained. “We are of the same origin, but our faith parted ways many, many years ago. We are not Mormons.”

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/05/11/tlcs-ister-wives-polygamist-family-supports-same-sex-marriage/

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Obama heads to struggling Nevada after fundraising

May 11, 2012

Commercial Appeal (Tennessee)

For Romney, the state’s struggles coupled with a small but cohesive Mormon population present a potential election day payoff. A Mormon, Romney benefited from the support of Latter-day Saints church members during the state’s Republican caucuses. Though only 7 percent of the state’s population, Mormons participated heavily in the caucuses, and 90 percent went for Romney.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/11/obama-heads-struggling-nevada-after-fundraising/?CID=happeningnow

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Take the plunge and emigrate

May 11, 2012

Financial Times

There’s much speculation – often quite dark – about why Mormons and Jews tend to succeed in business. It might simply be because they emigrate. Jews typically cross borders fleeing persecution, while all young Mormon men are sent on a two-year “mission”. Half go abroad, where they must learn the language, and then work six days a week trying to convert sceptical foreigners to a faith that bans not only alcohol but coffee, too. As many Mormon businessmen have noted, this is excellent preparation for business, and especially international business. L. Todd Budge, the first foreign chief executive of a Japanese bank, was once a Mormon missionary in Japan.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e8b161fe-9a37-11e1-aa6d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1uaoldf27

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Marriage rights

May 11, 2012

Ventura County Star (California)

In many parts of the world polygamous relationships are legally recognized. Why not here in the USA? It seems this could be an opportunity for the Mormon Church to have a new revelation by God, which would reveal the legitimacy of their original teachings and they could go back to being polygamous.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/may/11/marriage-rights/?opinion=1

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Clayton Christensen on the Future of Pharma

May 11, 2012

PharmExec

BC: I read in The New Yorker that you’ve lived near the Romneys, and both you and Mitt are active in the Mormon church. Do you have any thoughts about a President Romney?

CC: He’s really a good man. He’s very smart, but it’s true that he was raised in a wealthy home, in a prominent home, and then accrued even more wealth, and his kids have been raised in an even more prominent family. And that’s actually about the toughest environment in the world to be raised in, and have your head be screwed on straight. It truly is. And so people think of that, that he’s not connected with the real world. But he has raised his family to create unbelievably good kids. But more important than that, in the Mormon church, we don’t pay professional ministers to teach us and to take care of us, but we help other people and teach each other the gospel of Jesus Christ. What that means is – because the members have to take care of one another – you meet everybody. And so Mitt was the bishop of our church, and bishop just means that he had responsibility for about 500 members of the church. And he had a family, he was trying to build Bain at the same time, and to be the bishop meant that he spent, on top of all that, 30 hours a week. And I don’t know if you ever saw the first Star Wars movie, but Luke Skywalker came in to meet Han Solo at some kind of a café, and the band that was playing, there was one of every conceivable form of life in the band, that’s what a Mormon church looks like; one of every conceivable type of person. If you’re the bishop, you’ve got to help all of those people.

http://blog.pharmexec.com/2012/05/11/clayton-christensen-on-the-future-of-pharma/

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Who Should Christians Vote for? Look to Biblical Teachings, Pastor Urges

May 11, 2012

Christian Post

Many Christians across America have found themselves confused about who to vote for in this year’s upcoming presidential elections; a Mormon in Mitt Romney or a professed Christian in Obama who is for abortion and gay marriage.

Many Christians have expressed reservations toward Romney because of his Mormon beliefs, which some describe as a “cult” falling outside mainstream Christianity. Yet the former Massachusetts governor has affirmed that he is pro-life and supports the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman only.

http://global.christianpost.com/news/who-should-christians-vote-for-look-to-biblical-teachings-pastor-urges-74760/

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American Family Believes Missing Son Held in North Korea

May 11, 2012

Voice of America

David’s mother, Kathleen Sneddon, shares her husband’s belief that the name of her son – who had been a Mormon missionary in South Korea — should also be on that list.

“His abduction fits a pattern of the way North Korea does it. He came to that restaurant – a Korean restaurant – and said goodbye to them and then disappeared in a few hours,” she explained. “He’s a perfect candidate to be taken because he speaks Korean fluently and was studying Mandarin Chinese at the time, and of course [he speaks] English. If they’re looking for an English teacher, which is one of the theories, then he was a great candidate for it.”

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/American-Family-Believes-Missing-Son-Held-in-North-Korea–151102685.html

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The teenagers we’re not helping

May 11, 2012

High Country News (Colorado)

Religious discrimination is more than a family matter. Gay and Lesbian Taskforce research shows it pervades shelters, too, especially faith-based ones, where otherwise compassionate staff may ignore gay youths on religious grounds. 
 
When it comes to religious discrimination against homosexuality, Utah again springs to mind. According to the documentary film, “8: The Mormon Proposition,” in 2008, Utah’s Mormon Church spent at least $22 million to support California Proposition 8. It substantially contributed to what became the most money ever spent on a state ballot initiative, anywhere in the country.

http://www.hcn.org/hcn/wotr/the-teenagers-were-not-helping

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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.

May 9, 2012

FAIR Blog

On March 29, 2012, Scott Gordon appeared at the UVU Conference on Mormonism and the Internet. In this address, he explains the mission, purpose and history of FAIR.

http://www.fairblog.org/2012/05/09/mormon-fair-cast-87-fostering-faith-and-countering-criticism-the-role-of-apologetics-in-in-the-information-age/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fairldsblog+%28FAIR+Blog%29

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Prominent Mormon leaders beyond Mitt Romney

May 10, 2012

Washington Post

[SLIDE SHOW]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/prominent-mormon-leaders-beyond-mitt-romney/2012/05/10/gIQAeWilFU_gallery.html?tid=pm_national_gal#photo=12

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Church Presents Design Plans For Mormon Temple In Farmington

May 10, 2012

Hartford Courant (Connecticut)

Representatives from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have submitted their architectural plans for the state’s first Mormon temple.

The plans for the 11-acre parcel off Farmington Avenue were shown this week to members of the conservation and inlands wetlands commission . They include renderings of the proposed temple as well as those of the president’s residence and a service building.

According to the design, the white granite, one-story, 28,610-square-foot temple would be 115 feet tall at its highest point. It would have more than 40 rooms, including separate men’s and women’s dressing areas, a confirmation room, a baptistery, a dressing room for brides, waiting rooms, two counselor’s offices and an office for the president. Eight of the rooms would be reserved exclusively for instruction.

http://www.courant.com/community/farmington/hc-farmington-mormon-temple-plans-20120510,0,4872557.story

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Census finds Mormons are fastest growing religious group in America

May 9, 2012

Columbia Missourian

Mitt Romney is hoping to be the first Mormon in the White House, and “The Book of Mormon” is drawing big crowds on Broadway.

This rising interest in the Mormon faith is at the intersection of a vigorous growth in the religion’s membership.

In Boone County, the Mormon population increased by about half between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Religion Census released May 1.

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/05/09/census-finds-mormons-fastest-growing-religious-group-america/

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30 Seconds: A word or two about religion …

May 10, 2012

New Philadelphia Times Reporter (Ohio)

In regards to the comment about Mitt Romney, Mormons and Bible-thumping conservatives, I would like to remind all concerned that the name of Jesus Christ is in the proper name of the Mormon church. Jesus Christ is the center of the religion and I would be happy to vote for a president who could lead our country with Christ-like values.

http://www.timesreporter.com/opinion/x43414681/30-Seconds-A-word-or-two-about-religion

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Mitt Romney’s Mormonism kept under wraps, never discussed in public

May 9, 2012

HULIQ

The elephant in the room for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is the explosive issue that many GOP evangelicals think Mormons are “cultish” and not true Christians. In fact, it was late last year that The New York Times quoted pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas by “injecting a potentially explosive issue into the presidential campaign: the belief by many evangelicals that Mormons are not Christians.” In turn, the Oct. 7, 2011 Times report also stated how “Mr. Jeffress similarly attacked Mr. Romney and his faith during the 2008 campaign” that proved very unsuccessful for Romney who lost out to John McCain for the Republican nomination. Thus, political pundits discussing Romney’s lack of fessing up to his Mormonism during recent Sunday morning TV talk shows, think that while Romney holds great faith in his Mormonism, this skilled politician tends to distance himself from his faith that he once said helps define him as
a family man of God.

http://www.huliq.com/10282/mitt-romney-mormonism-kept-under-wraps-never-discussed-public

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Poll: White Evangelicals Who Say Mormons Not Christian Strongly Back Romney

May 10, 2012

Christian Post

White evangelical Christians who believe Mormons hold different beliefs strongly favor Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama, according to a new poll.

Sixty-seven percent of white evangelicals who answered that Romney’s Mormon faith, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is different than their own faith said they would vote for Romney if the election were held today. The May 2-6 poll was conducted by Public Religion Research Institute, a liberal polling organization focused on religion issues. Twenty-two percent of that group said they would vote for Obama, which gives Romney a 45 percentage point advantage.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/poll-white-evangelicals-who-say-mormons-not-christian-strongly-back-romney-74727/

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Evangelicals largely for Romney, new poll shows

May 10, 2012

CNN

In several Bible Belt primary states, Romney, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stumbled among evangelical voters, who split their support for Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, both Catholics. Santorum was known for the central place social issues took on his platform and in his campaign pitches.

Over half of those surveyed said it was not “important for a presidential candidate to share their religious beliefs,” but two in three white evangelical voters said shared beliefs were important or very important.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/10/evangelicals-largely-for-romney-new-poll-shows/

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Obama’s Religion A Mystery To Many; Romney Dominating Evangelical Vote: Poll

May 10, 2012

International Business Times

“The survey signals that white evangelical Protestant voters are moving beyond the reservations they may have held earlier in the campaign about Romney’s Mormon faith,” Robert Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, which conducted the survey, said in a press release.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/339700/20120510/obama-religion-muslim-romney-mormon-evangelicals.htm

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Poll: Romney holds almost 50-point advantage among white evangelicals

May 10, 2012

The Hill

“The survey signals that white evangelical Protestant voters are moving beyond the reservations they may have held earlier in the campaign about Romney’s Mormon faith,” said Dr. Robert P. Jones, PRRI CEO, in a statement. “While two-thirds of white evangelical voters say that it is generally important that a presidential candidate share their religious beliefs, their differences with Romney on religion are not translating into a significant lack of support at the ballot box.”

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/226609-poll-romney-holds-almost-50-point-advantage-among-white-evangelicals

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More ways social issues and religion will shape 2012 election (besides same-sex marriage)

May 10, 2012

CNN

4. Mitt Romney’s Mormonism. There’s been so much discussion of how Romney’s faith will affect his chances – some Christians consider Mormonism a cult, etc. – that there’s no need to rehash it all here. But Kevin Eckstrom, the editor of the Religion News Service, notes that Romney has yet to prove that he could win the evangelical base of his own party. (Eckstrom also notes that President Obama has his own base problems.)

On the question of whether Romney can surmount doubts about Mormonism, Eckstrom has invented what he calls the “A.J.” test, named after his Southern Baptist father-in-law. A.J. ain’t fond of Mormons, but he hates President Obama even more. Eckstrom theorizes that a despised incumbent – Obama – will make it much easier for Romney to win evangelicals than it would be otherwise. Worth noting that some political/religious minds believe Romney’s Mormonism will be a bigger stumbling block for independents than for the GOP base.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/10/more-ways-social-issues-and-religion-will-shape-2012-election-besides-same-sex-marriage/

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Poll: Romney behind Bush, McCain in evangelical support

May 10, 2012

Los Angeles Times (California)

Only about half of the voters responding to the survey could identify Romney as a Mormon. The percentage has barely moved since October 2011, when 49% were aware of his faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the latest poll, the number stood at 51%. That may be fine with Romney, who almost never mentions his religious affiliation.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-poll-romney-behind-bush-mccain-in-evangelical-support-20120510,0,5390453.story

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EvilFTC.com Reports: “Federal Trade Commission Attorney Refuses to Retract Anti-Mormon Comments”

May 10, 2012

Market Watch

A representative for the Federal Trade Commission, Dotan Weinman, has requested in an e-mail that quoted statements mocking members of the Mormon Church, attributed to FTC attorney Ms. Collot Guerard, one of the Commission’s lead attorneys, be removed from www.EvilFTC.com , a website critical of the workings of the Commission. Mr. Weinman also threatens legal action if the statements are not removed.

“We have already offered to remove the quotes from the website if we can get a simple written statement from Ms. Guerard that she never made the anti-Mormon comments in question,” said Ryan Riddle, spokesman for www.EvilFTC.com .

“It’s ridiculous for the government to assume we will remove content from our website by simply making threats of legal action, when the FTC’s own attorney doesn’t even deny making the statements in the first place,” said Riddle. “According to Mr. Jeremy Johnson, during a break in a formal deposition with the FTC, Ms. Guerard questioned Mr. Johnson about how many people in Saint George, Utah are Mormon. Ms. Guerard went on to tell Mr. Johnson that she is a ‘real Christian’ and that she goes to church with ex-Mormons, who are now also ‘real Christians.’”

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/evilftccom-reports-federal-trade-commission-attorney-refuses-to-retract-anti-mormon-comments-2012-05-10

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One in six voters still think Obama’s a Muslim: Why?

May 10, 2012

Washington Post

Voters do better identifying Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, according to a poll released Thursday (May 10) by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with Religion News Service. A slim majority of voters — 51 percent — knows the presumed Republican presidential nominee is Mormon.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/one-in-six-voters-still-think-obamas-a-muslim-why/2012/05/10/gIQA1XDlFU_story.html

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The new 2 percenters: Muslims & Mormons

May 10, 2012

Youngstown Vindicator (Ohio)

That is pretty big talk coming from Romney since he’s a Mormon, and Mormons account for only about 2 percent of the total American population — almost the same percentage as American Muslims.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/may/10/the-new–percenters-muslims-amp-mormons/?newswatch

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Upland Mormon stake honors teachers from three high schools

May 9, 2012

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (California)

Teachers from Upland, Alta Loma and Los Osos high schools received awards of appreciation Tuesday from the Upland Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormon students from the three high schools nominated outstanding teachers at their schools who have shown exceptional leadership and dedication.

“There is no greater calling than that of a teacher,” said Rodney Hulet, the president of the Upland Stake. “We are very appreciative of those who dedicate their lives to teaching our young people.”

http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_20582158/upland-mormon-stake-honors-teachers-from-three-high?source=most_emailed

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Mormons Perform ‘After-Death’ Baptisms of Dutch Royals (Trouw, The Netherlands)

May 10, 2012

The Moderate Voice

What do journalist Daniel Pearl, Holocaust victim Anne Frank and now members of the House of Orange – the Dutch Royal family – have in common? They are all posthumous members of the Church of Mormon. According to Mormon Church records recently uncovered by the Trouw newspaper of the Netherlands, a number of now-dead members of the Dutch Royal family, formerly members of the Dutch Orthodox Church, have been baptized by ‘overly enthusiastic’ church members.

http://themoderatevoice.com/146710/mormons-perform-%E2%80%98after-death%E2%80%99-baptisms-of-dutch-royals-trouw-the-netherlands/

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Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith and stance on gay marriage

May 10, 2012

MSNBC

[VIDEO]

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/now-with-alex-wagner/47375538/#47375538

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Hightower Report: Mormon or Narcissist?

May 11, 2012

Austin Chronicle (Texas)

And, lo, Samuel the Lamanite decried the greedy habits of the inhabitants of Zarahemla and proclaimed them doomed: “You are cursed because of your riches,” declared the prophet.

Though a cautionary tale from Biblical times, Zarahemla would seem familiar to us today with its exaltation of wealth, extreme class division, crass money corruption of politics, and government’s disregard for the poor and needy. Only the fate of Zarahemla is not a Bible story – it’s from the Book of Mormon.

With lifelong Mormon leader Mitt Romney running for president, the national media’s focus on the religion has mostly dealt with fundamentalist Christian Republicans who insist that Mormonism is an unholy sect. But little attention has been paid to the remarkably progressive egalitarianism at the center of the church’s doctrinal founding – an ethos 180-degrees opposite of Romney’s unabashed celebration of avaricious wealth accumulators like … well, like him. Those who criticize Wall Street greed and government policies that favor the rich, Romney says, are simply guilty of envy and class war.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2012-05-11/hightower-report-mormon-or-narcissist/

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Mormon volunteers help Mission Viejo bloom

May 9, 2012

Orange County Register (California)

About 350 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) arrived at Oso Viejo Park, behind the Norman P. Murray Center at 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo, with shovels in hand wearing the familiar Mormon Helping Hands yellow vests, to participate in the annual Mormon Helping Hands day of service on April 28.

Jerry Hill, operations manager for the city of Mission Viejo, welcomed the volunteers and directed the planting of 6,000 plants ranging from small pots of shrubbery to trees along the hillside and around the Oso Viejo Park. In addition, approximately 30 people from other organizations joined the Mormon volunteers in the project. Nearly 1,400 man hours of work were accomplished in less than three hours.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/viejo-353417-mission-single.html

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Falwell Sr. would be ‘proud’ to welcome Romney, adviser says

May 10, 2012

WSLS 10 (Virginia)

The late Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. would be proud that Mitt Romney, a Mormon, will deliver Saturday’s commencement address at Liberty University, says a Romney adviser who serves on Liberty’s board of trustees.

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/may/10/6/falwell-sr-would-be-proud-to-welcome-romney-at-lib-ar-1905535/

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Evangelicals Will Rally for Romney

May 10, 2012

Patriot Post

Romney wisely accepted, showing both support for cultural issues, and also his desire to have a large and diverse political movement behind him to unseat one of the most radical big government presidents in America’s history. Some seek to make an issue of the fact that Romney is a Mormon — the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). But those attacks will deservedly fail in a choice between Romney and Obama.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that in America you have the legal right to be theologically wrong. This protection for diversity of belief includes matters large and small, covering not only Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, Catholics, and others, but also 422 Protestant denominations. While there are very significant theological differences between LDS and Evangelical doctrine, none of them are significant for national policymaking.

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/ken-blackwell/2012/05/10/evangelicals-will-rally-for-romney/

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Pass area teams up with Mormons for ‘Helping Hands’

May 10, 2012

Record Gazette (California)

On April 28, more than 350 local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined with their friends and neighbors as volunteers to participate in a day of service to the community of Calimesa.

Volunteers included members from Banning, Beaumont, Oak Valley, Calimesa, Yuciapa, and San Gorgonio wards.

More than 60,000 volunteers partcipated in a day of service designed to help communities across the state, partnering with interfaith service and community groups for the annual “Mormon Helping Hands-Servicing Our Communities” day of service.

http://www.recordgazette.net/articles/2012/05/10/news/doc4fa2de43c78c3387850075.txt

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Harry Reid says he supports gay marriage

May 10, 2012

Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)

Reid, D-Nev., is the highest-ranking Mormon in the U.S. government and up until now has said he agrees with his faith’s opposition to gay marriage, but on Wednesday, Reid aligned himself with Obama’s newfound embrace for the legalization of same-sex unions.

“My personal belief is that marriage is between a man and a woman. But in a civil society, I believe that people should be able to marry whomever they want, and it’s no business of mine if two men or two women want to get married,” Reid said.

Reid’s stance is far from the stated position of the LDS Church, which considers homosexual behavior a sin and has repeatedly campaigned against attempts to sanction same-sex relationships, though in recent years it has supported political efforts to provide some legal protections to gay people.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/54089953-90/marriage-reid-gay-church.html.csp

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Reid says he would vote to legalize gay marriage in Nevada

May 10, 2012

Las Vegas Review-Journal (Nevada)

In an initial statement Wednesday,Reid, who is a member of the Mormon church, said he believed personally that marriage should be between a man and a woman, “but in a civil society, I believe that people should be able to marry whomever they want, and it’s no business of mine if two men or two women want to get married.”

“In talking with my children and grandchildren, it has become clear to me they take marriage equality as a given. I have no doubt that their view will carry the future,” he said in a statement.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/reid-says-would-vote-to-legalize-gay-marriage-in-nevada-150974985.html

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Joins Obama In Supporting Gay Marriage

May 9, 2012

The New Civil Rights Movement

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who previously had been on the record opposing same-sex marriage, today joined with President Barack Obama in announcing support for the right of same-sex couples to marry. Reid, a Mormon, said he personally believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, but “in a civil society, I believe that people should be able to marry whomever they want.”

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/senate-majority-leader-harry-reid-joins-obama-in-supporting-gay-marriage/politics/2012/05/09/39293

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Noting personal beliefs, Reid says gay marriage should be left to states

May 9, 2012

Washington Post

A Mormon, Reid has long said he agreed with his church’s position against gay marriage. But he has also supported gay rights, including repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/noting-personal-beliefs-reid-says-gay-marriage-should-be-left-to-states/2012/05/09/gIQAlbwDEU_story.html

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JIM PETERS: Hebron’s Egolf ‘inspired to do good’

May 9, 2012

Times of Northwest Indiana

“I think it would be cool to go to a Third World country.”

I talk to a lot of kids about what they want to do after high school and Jasen Egolf’s response was one of the most profound statements I’ve heard from an athlete.

The Hebron senior distance runner is of the Mormon faith, a religion whose members often go on missions to help the less fortunate around the world. Until a few years ago, when he became more active in his church, he was admittedly rather pedestrian in his beliefs.

http://www.nwitimes.com/high-school/hebron/jim-peters-hebron-s-egolf-inspired-to-do-good/article_dae8eb29-8c0a-5655-a3c7-c0147a1a51ab.html

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‘Mommy blogger’ left with 80 per cent burns to her body after horrific plane crash overcomes ordeal to give birth to fifth child

May 10, 2012

Daily Mail (United Kingdom)

A popular Mormon ‘Mommy blogger’ who survived an horrific plane crash with 80 per cent burns to her body has spoken about the ordeal – and how she overcame it to give birth to her fifth child.

Speaking on the Today show, Stephanie Nielson, who writes about motherhood on her blog the Nie Nie Dialogues, has recounted the pain and guilt she felt following the accident in 2008.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142515/Stephanie-Nielson-Mommy-blogger-left-80-cent-burns-body-plane-crash-overcomes-ordeal-birth-fifth-child.html

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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.

May 9, 2012

Bellingham Herald (Washington)

Trevar Dahl spends an hour before school each morning studying the Bible with seven other teens.

“It’s the best way to start the day, and it helps us with a pretty good knowledge of scripture,” said Trevar, a 16-year-old junior at Cloverleaf High School near Lodi. “We attend classes for four years. We call it seminary.”

Seminary, or the study of religious history and scripture among high school students in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon Church), includes courses on the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon and church doctrine, covenants and history. The seminary program has been part of the Mormon tradition for 100 years and has grown from 70 students to nearly 370,000 in more than 140 countries.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/05/09/2515343/mormonism-grows-devotion-begins.html

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Mormonism grows; devotion begins in youth

May 9, 2012

Kansas City Star (Missouri)

Trevar Dahl spends an hour before school each morning studying the Bible with seven other teens.

“It’s the best way to start the day, and it helps us with a pretty good knowledge of scripture,” said Trevar, a 16-year-old junior at Cloverleaf High School near Lodi. “We attend classes for four years. We call it seminary.”

Seminary, or the study of religious history and scripture among high school students in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon Church), includes courses on the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon and church doctrine, covenants and history. The seminary program has been part of the Mormon tradition for 100 years and has grown from 70 students to nearly 370,000 in more than 140 countries.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/09/3602565/mormonism-grows-devotion-begins.html

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Mormon Temple Planned For Farmington

May 8, 2012

NBC Connecticut

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has submitted plans to build a Mormon Temple in Farmington.

The 35,500-square-foot temple would sit along Route 4 at the intersection of Melrose Drive. There would also be two smaller buildings on the property. The building would be covered with white granite and would stand about 36-feet tall with a 115-foot steeple, according to the plans.

The land where the temple would be built is partially open but also includes a business and five houses that would have to be torn down, according to the church.

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Mormon-Temple-Planned-For-Farmington-150666255.html

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‘Sister Wives’ Talk Gay Marriage, Mormon Mitt Romney

May 8, 2012

Huffington Post

Insisting that they are not Mormons, but rather fundamentalist Mormons, the family knows there’s an even brighter spotlight now that Mitt Romney is running for president.

“If you make the comparison between me at Mitt Romney, you will find the same roots but completely different religions,” Kody explains.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/sister-wives-gay-marriage-mitt-romney_n_1501081.html

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Evangelicals and the Coming Romney Victory

May 9, 2012

First Things

Republicans have feared that Romney’s Mormonism will mean even fewer evangelical votes for their candidate in November. They cite a November 2011 Pew Forum poll that found 15 percent of evangelicals saying they would refuse to vote for Romney simply because he is a Mormon.

Not surprisingly, Virginia evangelicals are ambivalent about Romney’s religion. More than twice as many evangelicals as non-evangelicals in Virginia (37 percent to 16 percent) think Mormons are not Christians, and 74 percent of the evangelicals (vs. 61 percent of non-evangelicals) say Mormonism is “very different” from their own faith. Sixty-one per cent of evangelicals think the Mormon religion is not Christian or are unsure if it is Christian, compared to only 39 percent of non-evangelicals.

Evangelicals have always considered Mormon religion very different from their own, but sometimes for the wrong reasons. For example, they typically protest that Mormons believe in salvation by good works. Some Mormons do indeed believe this, just as many Catholics and some Protestants believe they will be saved by being good Christians. Yet the Book of Mormon teaches salvation by Christ’s work of grace: “There is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8).

http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/05/evangelicals-and-the-coming-romney-victory

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Evangelicals Will Rally for Romney

May 9, 2012

Huffington Post

Some seek to make an issue of the fact that Romney is a Mormon — the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). But those attacks will deservedly fail in a choice between Romney and Obama.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that in America you have the legal right to be theologically wrong. This protection for diversity of belief includes matters large and small, covering not only Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, Catholics and others, but also 422 Protestant denominations. While there are very significant theological differences between LDS and Evangelical doctrine, none of them are significant for national policymaking.

That’s because most voters only focus on religious beliefs insofar as they inform policy decisions. On those issues, there is little difference, for instance, between the faith teachings of Evangelicals, Catholics, and Mormons. All are pro-life, upholding the dignity of human life. All fully support marriage between a man and woman. All embrace the value of religious faith and practice, and pursue religious liberty.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ken-blackwell/evangelical-voters-mitt-romney_b_1502717.html

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Dutch royals baptised as Mormons by proxy after their deaths

May 9, 2012

Dutch News (Netherlands)

Several members of the Dutch royal family have been posthumously ‘baptised’ into the Mormon church, Trouw reports on Wednesday, quoting church documents.

The documents show prince Claus, prince Bernhard and princess Juliana were all ‘baptised’ as Mormons after their deaths. Mormons believe the proxy baptism ritual allows deceased people from other religions to enter the afterlife.

Prince Claus’ baptism took place two year after his death in 2002 at a Mormon temple in Brazil. This may have been done by ‘over-enthusiastic members’, Hans Boom, spokesman for the Mormon church in the Netherlands told the paper.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/05/dutch_royals_baptised_as_mormo.php

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National daily Trouw reports that several members of the Dutch royal family were baptised by the Mormon Church after their deaths

May 9, 2012

Radio Netherlands Worldwide

The paper writes that Queen Beatrix’s parents, Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard, and her late husband Prince Claus were baptised posthumously. Trouw’s report is based on secret data obtained from the Mormon Church’s global genealogical database.

Under the laws of the Mormon Church members can only have their ancestors baptised posthumously, but many Mormons ignore these rules and have others baptised as well. The baptism of Anne Frank by Mormons sparked fierce protests from the Jewish world.

Trouw writes that Prince Claus was baptised in 2004 – two years after his death – in the Brazilian city of Campinas. A spokesperson for the Mormon Church in the Netherlands says the baptism was performed by “over-zealous members.”

http://www.rnw.nl/africa/bulletin/dutch-royals-posthumously-baptised-mormons

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Maher Stirs Charitable Deduction Questions

May 9, 2012

Nonprofit Quarterly

First, according to Mediaite, he argued that Mitt Romney “should be giving money to an actual charity rather than just the standard tithe to the Mormon Church.” His argument against charitable gifts to the Mormons has several components. One was that the good works of the Mormon Church are not the primary purpose of the religion. Maher should probably have acknowledged that religion, not charity, is the primary purpose of all religions. While the Catholic Church has a number of well recognized charitable arms, sacerdotal functions, rather than charitable functions, occupy the bulk of what the Catholic Church does. Is Maher arguing against charitable gifts to all religions?

Well, in a way he is, though he is a bit harsher on the Mormons than other religions. He describes the Mormon Church as “a cult” and “ridiculous.” As a professional free-thinker, Maher thinks that all religions are cults, just that the Mormons are more cult-like because, he contends, they are more secretive. It is difficult to imagine, however, that the Mormons are all that more secretive than the Catholic Church’s Opus Dei, for example. But the secretiveness continuum doesn’t seem to be as important to Maher as his concern that churches simply aren’t charities and taxpayers should not have to subsidize the loss in tax revenues from Romney’s tithing to the church, or anyone’s contributions to churches (or synagogues or mosques, for that matter). He contends, “It is fair game to ask what should constitute a charity.”

http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/2-uncategorised/20303-maher-stirs-charitable-deduction-questions.html

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Study: LDS church gains ground in Tooele County

May 8, 2012

Tooele Transcript Bulletin (Utah)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appears to be growing faster in Tooele County than anywhere else in Utah, and the county is becoming increasingly Mormon overall, according to a report released last week.

The U.S. Religion Census, compiled every 10 years by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, tallies the amount of congregations and attendees of 236 religious groups within each state and county in the United States. The report shows that between 2000 and 2010 the LDS church grew by 50.5 percent in Tooele County, from 25,837 to 38,888 – the highest rate of growth in Utah. However, according to LDS church officials, the growth rate when it comes to active members may not actually be that high.

http://www.tooeletranscript.com/view/full_story/18500809/article-Study–LDS-church-gains-ground-in-Tooele-County?instance=home_news_left

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Liberal attack on Mitt Romney is wrong – Larry O’Donnell attack the Mormon faith

May 9, 2012

Irish Central

Instead of taking Romney to task for wildly exaggerating Obama’s dedication to an anti-religious agenda, O’Donnell went after the Mormon faith.

“Religiously, Mitt Romney lives in the glass house of American politics,” he said.

O’Donnell then added, “Mormonism was created by a guy in upstate New York in 1830 when he got caught having sex with the maid and explained to his wife that God told him to do it. Forty-eight wives later, Joseph Smith’s lifestyle was completely sanctified in the religion he invented to go with it, which Mitt Romney says he believes.”

First of all, as O’Donnell later admitted in an apology, this is inaccurate. Most scholars believe Smith had his religious awakening prior to the scandal involving the maid.

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/sidewalks/liberal-attack-on-mitt-romney-is-wrong-150752535.html

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The Most Important Decision of Your Life You Make Every Day

May 8, 2012

Forbes

It was Clayton Christensen’s Sandy Koufax moment. Just as Koufax, the Brooklyn Dodgers ace and an observant Jew, refused to start Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, management guru Clay Christensen refused to play in the championship game of the UK’s equivalent of the NCAA tournament because the game fell on a Sunday. Christensen, a deeply religious Mormon, was the starting center for Oxford during his Rhodes Scholarship in the 1970s. The coach begged him to play. His teammates beseeched him to suit up. Christensen went off, kneeled and prayed to God to tell him what to do. The answer came back as a strong feeling that he was not meant to play.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceupbin/2012/05/08/the-most-important-decision-of-your-life-you-make-every-day/

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Mortensen solves puzzle, publishes book

May 9, 2012

Eastern Arizona Courier

“King Follett left no personal writings, so I had to piece together his life using civil and church records,” she said. Many local historians in small towns in New England assisted her in her search. From time to time, it felt like miracles occurred, such as being in the right historical society office at the right moment when the most knowledgeable local historian happened to be there. In that way, Mortensen was able to find the cemetery of King Follett’s family, and the actual gravestones as well.

“The Man Behind the Discourse” is the life story of a humble, hardworking family who befriended the Mormon faith in Ohio early in its formation. They then followed the movement to Missouri, a place of much persecution, where Follett was the last Mormon prisoner to be released from jail. According to family lore, he served as a bodyguard to Joseph Smith. Follett’s life ended with a fatal fall into a well and the famous sermon delivered at his funeral by Smith.

http://www.eacourier.com/news/mortensen-solves-puzzle-publishes-book/article_888eb784-9980-11e1-bed7-0019bb2963f4.html

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Enthusiasm For Romney Runs Low In Fla. Panhandle

May 8, 2012

Vermont Public Radio

Romney’s Mormon faith has been a sticking point for some evangelical voters, but Holley says not for her.

Not for Lonnie Hawkins, either. He’s an accountant in the Pensacola public defenders’ office. Hawkins still prefers Gingrich, but he says he has no choice but to vote for Romney. He believes, incorrectly, that President Obama is Muslim.

“Would you prefer a Mormon or a Muslim?” he says. “You’ve got two M’s to choose from.”
Hawkins says the specter of another Obama administration should pull reluctant conservatives behind Romney.

http://www.vpr.net/npr/152278047/

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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.

May 8, 2012

Farmington Patch (Connecticut)

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormons, has filed its plans for a proposed Farmington temple and gave its first presentation to planning officials Monday night.

The extensive plans include hundreds of pages, detailing every aspect of the proposal, from parking spaces to the placement and type of each shrub and tree.

The Mormon temple would be 35,500 square feet, set at an angle, with the entry facing the corner of Farmington Avenue and Melrose Drive, according to the plans. The building, which would be nearly 30 feet tall, would be surfaced in white granite and ringed with walkways and formal landscaping. The entryway appears flanked by pillars and a steeple is topped with a statue of the Mormon prophet Moroni.

http://farmington.patch.com/articles/a-look-at-the-mormon-temple-plans

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Catholics, Mormons see most growth in Wichita and Kansas

May 7, 2012

Wichita Eagle (Kansas)

Wichita and Kansas are following a national trend that shows evangelical conservative and Mormon churches have been growing faster than other denominations in the last decade, according to the 2010 U.S. Religion Census.

Nationally, Church of Latter-Day Saints membership grew by nearly 2 million adherents, to 6.14 million, the biggest gain among all religions. But Jones cautioned that the church changed its definition of adherents during the decade from a more restrictive one. So it probably had more members than it previously reported.

Still, the Mormon church gained more than a million adherents nationally since 2000, he said.

http://www.kansas.com/2012/05/07/2326687/catholics-mormons-see-most-growth.html

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Growth of Mormon Church in United States may be greatly exaggerated

May 7, 2012

National Post (Canada)

If you suspected the newly released U.S. Religion Census overstated the Mormons’ growth rate, you were right. That’s because, this time around, the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed the way it reported its membership to the researchers. The once-a-decade study was assembled by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, which included self-reported data on adherents for 153 participating bodies.

http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/05/07/growth-of-mormon-church-in-united-states-may-be-greatly-exaggerated/

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Gay teen’s suicide in Utah highlights youth bullying risks

Chicago Tribune (Illinois)

Gay rights activists in Utah are calling for action to halt bullying in the conservative state after the suicide of a small-town gay Mormon teenager who friends and activists said was tormented at school because of his sexual orientation.

Utah has the nation’s 12th highest rate of youth suicide, according to a 2009 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, two teens a day are treated in Utah emergency rooms after suicide attempts, state health department data from 2008 to 2010 showed.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-suicide-utahbre84618h-20120507,0,2344274.story

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OUTSIDE: GAY IN UTAH Hollywood Producer Teams With Celebrated Author On Controversial Documentary About Gay Marriage and Gay Rights

May 8, 2012

PR Web

An accomplished author and prominent film maker have teamed up to explore the issue of being gay and gay marriage in conservative Utah. They hope to change the conversation about gay issues with OUTSIDE: GAY IN UTAH, an even-handed documentary that will examine the searing contradictions and controversies surrounding homosexuality in a state known for being the center of the LDS Mormon Church.

Hollywood Producer/Director Ken Aguado and author Dr. Stephen Seager have joined forces on the project, with a target premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2013. Production is set to begin this summer.

“The objective of our film is to turn down the volume on a very volatile, hot button issue,” says Dr. Seager, a native of Utah who brings a very personal connection to the documentary. “We’ll talk to those on both sides, from the openly supportive community in Salt Lake City to the hierarchy of the Mormon Church. The purpose of the film is to take an even handed look at this polarizing debate on what constitutes marriage and, just as importantly, how the two sides can find common ground.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9482434.htm

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Gay teen’s suicide in Utah highlights youth bullying risks

May 8, 2012

Reuters India

Gay rights activists in Utah are calling for action to halt bullying in the conservative state after the suicide of a small-town gay Mormon teenager who friends and activists said was tormented at school because of his sexual orientation.

Utah has the nation’s 12th highest rate of youth suicide, according to a 2009 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, two teens a day are treated in Utah emergency rooms after suicide attempts, state health department data from 2008 to 2010 showed.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/05/08/usa-suicide-utah-idINDEE84700920120508

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Mitt’s Mormon moment — when asked about Obama’s ‘treason’

May 7, 2012

Washington Post

According to the Post’s Phil Rucker, who was with Romney in Euclid, Ohio, the presumptive Republican nominee was answering questions at a town-hall style rally when a woman asked him what he would do as president to “restore our Constitution in this country,” given that

Many in the crowd of 500 responded by applauding the woman, and the candidate had this to say: “I happen to believe that the Constitution was not just brilliant, but probably inspired. I believe the same thing about the Declaration of Independence.”

Which was not exactly on point, and not at all a stand-up response.

Mark Silk, a professor of religion in public life at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, said it’s Mormon teaching that the U.S. Constitution is divinely inspired. And this is the first time Silk remembers hearing Romney reference an LDS teaching on the campaign trail.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/mitts-mormon-moment/2012/05/07/gIQAx8x68T_blog.html

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Mormon Choir to perform May 19

May 7, 2012

Contra Costa Times (California)

The Southern California Mormon Choir will perform at 7 p.m. May 19 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 9075 Base Line Road.
This free concert for the community will include a variety of choral repertoire including classical, hymn arrangements, folk songs, Americana and patriotic.
Since its organization in 1953, the 100-member choir has performed locally, nationally and internationally with such acclaimed orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, California Philharmonic, Glendale Pacific, Utah Symphony, Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, and Boston Pops Orchestra.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_20567208/mormon-choir-perform-may-19

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TLC Orders Two Virgin Diaries Specials

May 8, 2012

Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Washington)

TLC has ordered two specials of its docu-series Virgin Diaries, the network announced Tuesday.

The reality series follows sexually inexperienced individuals and couples. In the two new specials, viewers will meet a 34-year-old Mormon who lives in his parents’ basement and brings his “Wing Mom” to bars to meet women, and a 29-year-old lesbian virgin who loves Star Wars and dodgeball.

http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/tv/tvguide/article/TLC-Orders-Two-Virgin-Diaries-Specials-3543334.php

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Enthusiasm For Romney Runs Low In North Florida

May 8, 2012

WBUR (Massachusetts)

“Well, he was not my first choice,” says Chrys Holley, 82. She voted for Santorum in the primary, but she says she will support Romney now and hope for the best. “He professes to be a Christian, and Christians are supposed to put God first no matter what.”

Romney’s Mormon faith has been a sticking point for some evangelical voters, but Holley says not for her.

Not for Lonnie Hawkins, either. He’s an accountant in the Pensacola public defenders’ office. Hawkins still prefers Gingrich, but he says he has no choice but to vote for Romney. He believes, incorrectly, that President Obama is Muslim.

“Would you prefer a Mormon or a Muslim?” he says. “You’ve got two Ms to choose from.”

http://www.wbur.org/npr/152278047/enthusiasm-for-romney-runs-low-in-north-florida

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Eagle Court of Honor at LDS Church as dad returns from 3rd tour in Afghanistan

May 7, 2012

Houston Examiner (Texas)

The LDS Church is a major supporter of the BSA. In fact Scouting is the official activity arm for the young men in the Mormon Church. There are more Mormon sponsored Scout units in the country than any other group.

http://www.examiner.com/article/eagle-court-of-honor-at-lds-church-as-dad-returns-from-3rd-tour-afghanistan

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Mitt Romney should avoid pandering to anti-Muslim sentiments in his criticisms of Barack Obama

May 8, 2012

The Oregonian (Oregon)

Neither would Romney. During his last presidential run he said he would not appoint a Muslim to his presidential Cabinet since “based on the numbers of American Muslims in our population” as a percentage, “I cannot see that a Cabinet position would be justified.”

That is pretty big talk coming from Romney since he’s a Mormon, and Mormons account for only about 2 percent of the total American population — almost the same percentage as American Muslims.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/05/romney_should_avoid_pandering.html

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The Future Will Be More Religious and Conservative Than You Think

May 8, 2012

The American

Three or four decades ago, most Americans had trouble specifying which party was conservative or liberal, or matching them to issue positions. No longer. What’s more, as Robert Cushing and Bill Bishop observe in The Big Sort, partisanship affects where people choose to live. Robert Putnam and David Campbell add that politics often determines where they go to church. Thus NPR’s Ray Suarez relates that a scout leader he met moved from the Episcopalians to become a Mormon because he didn’t want to be associated with a “fag church.” Over time, though, switching declines and battle lines solidify. As theology, ideology, and political party line up, switching becomes less important and the religious and political market is driven more by population shifts. This is not only true in the United States, but in a growing number of societies around the world.

http://www.american.com/archive/2012/may/why-the-future-will-be-more-religious-and-more-conservative-than-you-think

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Is the Internet Driving Pornography Addiction Among School-Aged Kids?

May 8, 2012

ABC News

This 17-year-old from Alpine, Utah, is one of eight children, and one of the oldest still living at home. He said his habit of looking at pornography on the Internet started when he was around 12 or 13 years old.

His private habit didn’t fit into the rest of his lifestyle. Aside from being a lifeguard at the local pool and on the local club team, Haug was also active in the Mormon church, and he said the addiction hurt him.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/internet-driving-pornography-addiction-school-aged-kids/story?id=16297026#.T6mG0-hrPd4

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Children as young as 8 admit addictions to Internet porn as smartphones and tablets make sexual images easier to find

May 8, 2012

Daily Mail (United Kingdom)

Nathan Haug, 17, pictured, is the oldest of eight children living in a Mormon home in Alpine, Utah.

He became addicted to online pornography when he was 12.

He told ABC: ‘I became almost numb to it. It became such a part of my daily routine.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141247/Children-aged-8-addicted-Internet-pornography.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

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How the Deseret News nearly doubled its Sunday print circulation

May 8, 2012

Poynter

Deseret is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In an interview with Poynter’s Rick Edmonds in 2010, Gilbert talked about how “the church connection provides an unusual opportunity to build beyond the typical local audience,” Edmonds wrote. Gilbert told Edmonds the Mormon diaspora “gives us a chance for a world-wide audience — 60 percent of [Deseret's Web] traffic is not Utah-based.”

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/173101/how-the-deseret-news-nearly-doubled-its-sunday-print-circulation/

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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.