Other side of the Anti-Mormon coin...

Things that make you go hmmmmn the night...  Read this discussion reported by Joseph Walker in the Deseret News:

Mormonism is different, but is it too Christian?

 

Jeffress’ bigotry hurt Perry, not Romney

Worth reading...Columnist contrasts
One of the people quoted here (not LDS) observed, "In comparing the hate-filled language of Jeffress with the words and good deeds of the Mormons we met, " Obeidallah [a comic visiting Utah] writes, "it is clear to me who is best following the teachings of Jesus Christ and truly deserves to be called a Christian."
Always nice to see some common sense out there.

Jeffress’ bigotry hurt Perry, not Romney | jeffress, perry, cult - Guest Column - Kinston Free Press

"It might shock Mr. Jeffress to learn his mega-church had its roots in a cult. Jesus and his followers were considered a cult by the Jewish community. By definition, every major religion today was — at one time or another — considered a cult.
A rogue church that hides under the guise of a traditional religion, like the Westboro Baptist Church or Jeremiah Wright’s church, could be considered a cult because they are so far outside mainstream belief. However, a religion that has 6 million members is not a cult."

And..."Texas Congressman and GOP candidate Ron Paul came to Romney’s defense over Jeffress’ comments about Mormonism. Speaking to Fox News, Paul argued that Jeffress’ remark was “unnecessary.” Paul went one step further and argued that negative campaigning shouldn’t be the focus of the GOP race. “This whole idea that the most important thing between two candidates right now is the definition of cult, trying to make it sound negative for one person to get the edge over the other – and they are encouraged by others to keep this thing going,” Paul professed.  Paul also suggested that whether Mormonism is a “cult” or not isn’t the issue that voters care about in the GOP race. “I think liberty is the issue of the day. Our Constitution is the issue of the day. And too much government – that is the issue of the day. It’s not the definition of a cult.”

Read more here:

And Jonah Goldberg - I liked this statement in the article, "

"He [Jeffress] also plays into the worst stereotypes about the Republicans as a bigoted and theocratic party for evangelical Christians alone. And that's ironic too. Because anti-Mormon prejudice is not a particularly acute problem on the right."

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Jeffress' remarks were "very unwise and very inappropriate." "None of us should sit in judgment on someone else's religion." The Christian Post

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former Florida GOP congressman, responded strongly to Jeffress in a column for Politico.

“By assuming the Almighty’s role, Jeffress has embraced the proud tradition of Christian stalwarts like Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, and the PTL Club’s Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker,” writes Scarborough, the host of “Morning Joe.”

“Judge not that ye be not judged? Not on your life. Modern American politics as practiced by Jeffress and his ilk require that Jesus Christ be thrown under the bus with great regularity by the very same people who claim His name.”

Politics has no place in religion, Scarborough argues. “When disciples asked Jesus for the secret to eternal salvation, He didn’t mention Roman tax policy or trite temporal politics. Instead, St. Matthew tells us that Jesus declared that heaven would be filled by those believers who clothed the poor, fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty and brought hope to the hopeless.”

Republicans should disavow Jeffress, Scarborough insists. “I wonder how much longer candidates like Perry will allow modern-day Pharisees like Jeffress to do harm to the Republican Party,” he writes. “Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, and Perry all exercised their right to remain silent in the face of Jeffress’ outrageous statement. What courage. But what’s new?” Newsmax

Oklahoma Daily says, "

"In fact, under the theological and scholarly definition, cults are merely offshoots of a major religion considered different enough to be in its own category. From some perspectives, evangelical Christianity could be viewed as this kind of cult. But Jeffress clearly meant the more popular definition of cult: that of a harmful, manipulative small group based around “crazy” religious beliefs that presents a real danger to its adherents. I certainly wouldn’t claim his beliefs fall under this category, but it's equally hard to see how Romney’s do.
I am not amused by the incorrect personal attack on Romney. As a person of faith, I find Jeffress’ remarks offensive. I grew up in an area with a large LDS population, and though I am not a member of the Mormon church, many of my close friends are.
I have a tough time connecting the large, diverse group of Mormons I know with Branch Davidians or Jim Jones’ Kool-Aid-drinking followers. No Mormon I know blindly follows his or her church — at least, no more than any evangelical I know. Just like most Protestant and Catholic churches, the Mormon church has many members who believe what they are told and just as many who decide their beliefs for themselves."

"Mitt Romney should send Texas pastor Robert Jeffress a gift. It could be a fruit basket, or an e-card, or a bottle of nonalcoholic scotch. Really, whatever Romney thinks is appropriate. If the Great Mormon Debate of 2011 had to happen—and it did—the candidate couldn’t ask for a better instigator..." (www.slate.com)

The Washington Post (On Faith) Summary statement: "Does this add up to a man evangelicals can support? Absolutely - so long as they put aside Robert Jeffress’s bad theology and resist the urge towards religious tribalism. After all, where does such thinking lead? If religious tests dominate the evangelical world, candidates will have an incentive to wear the trappings of faith - even if their heart lies elsewhere.
Article 6 of the Constitution prohibits religious tests for public office. This Article may only bind the government, but it also establishes a worthy principle for its citizens. When deciding how to cast your vote, judge the man - not his church."

This post could go on and on like the song that never ends...

Conference Weekend!

It's the 181st Semi-annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Click here to watch online.  It's also on BYUTV and Channel 5 if you're in the local area.  Live times:  10:00 AM, 2:00 PM on both Saturday and Sunday. 

We believe in personal revelation, continuing prophetic counsel and divine leadership.  Come, listen to a prophet's voice and hear the word of the Lord as well as the beautiful music of the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  The Saturday afternoon session has invited singers from the community but the Motab provides the rest of the choir music.

From a Catholic perspective

"It is hard to believe that an American candidate in 2008 would have to explain himself in front of people who supposedly believe in freedom of religion and that there should be no religious test for office."  -  Read more at National Post->Holy Post.

Survivor!

Infrastructure for Christianity

Mormon Times has this article with a perspective on the church which is often overlooked but when experienced is amazing.  I have felt this in service, as most people have, and the men who helped on my roof testified of similar experiences - that it was not hard or sacrificing to them as much as it was a blessing to them as they were spiritually uplifted in the process.  Of course they first had to volunteer to do the work but faith precedes the miracle and the witness came after their commitment and hard work.  These were men who "straightaway left their net" [and employment or other obligations] and followed.  Being a Christian requires work and sacrifice but the rewards are great.  And my definition of Christian is one who follows Christ and his teachings.

Today I enjoyed Les Miserables at Woods Cross High School.  I was blown away by this wonderful story I've seen a couple of times (once on Broadway) but each time I am moved even more.  I can't believe it was done by a high school.   Everything about it - set, chorus, leads, costumes, direction - all of it was outstanding.  Besides being one great literary piece, it has been remarkably translated, condensed to show-length and set to amazing music.  It is miraculous and the story is timeless.  I also appreciated that the school did it in spite of the references to God.  Good and evil were portrayed eloquently.  Bravo, Woods Cross music, theater and art departments (and all the volunteers, stage crew, etc.).  This was the best $5 I've spent in a long time. I was sobbing throughout the second act.  I think that's a pretty good indicator of how well-done this magnificent story was.  If a good show is done poorly, it tends to seem a bit comical and does not impact like this.  I can't say enough good about this!

Fundamental to Our Faith

What do Mormons believe?  Do you know more than most about our religion?  Many people misunderstand.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sums it up in this article published in the January 2011 Ensign.  

Congrats to the MoTab!

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

"The long-running broadcast on Salt Lake City radio station KSL began in 1929 with a telegraph message from the National Broadcasting Company in New York City. Within seconds, the message was relayed to the basement of the Tabernacle on Temple Square. A hand signal forwarded the message upstairs to the program director, and then on to 19-year-old Ted Kimball. Kimball, son of the choir organist, Edward P. Kimball, stood atop a 15-foot ladder to reach a microphone, and the show began. After a three-year stint at NBC, the program moved, in 1932, to a Sunday morning broadcast hour on CBS."

Global village

Once again tragedy is turned into triumph by people who care. Read this article about African Albino children here.

Also, so grateful for the combined efforts, love and worldwide caring that resulted in the safe rescue of the 33 miners in Chile! I can only imagine...

Other news: The professional blog piece of the Doctor's Lounge printed my article in the academic section. You can read it here.

Clarification

Worth reading about this week's activities and response to Boyd K Packer's Sunday talk. Deseret News

The gay community's response is ironic at best; harmful in attempting to change doctrine based on their beliefs and in causing distrust of clergy. Isaiah's prophecies are being fulfilled. People are asleep and they have rejected God!

Religion survey

U.S. Religious survey is found here. I didn't get 100% but I exceeded 90% of the population in general knowledge but it turns out I didn't understand the Catholic sacrament.

On questions of Christianity, "Mormon" respondents — comprised primarily of members of The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints but possibly including members of other faiths such as from the Community of Christ — were the top-scoring group. Mormons averaged 7.9 correct answers out of the 12 questions on Christianity, with white evangelical Protestants second with a 7.3 average.

I'm sure Evangelicals as a whole know their Bibles better, but apparently we edged them (though very close) on our knowledge of Christianity and since the Bible is a large part of our religious study, we are learning. Our Sunday School Gospel Doctrine classes spend a year on the Old Testament, A Year on the New Testament, a year on the Book of Mormon and a year on the Doctrine & Covenants. However, we are encouraged to study all the scriptures and to do so daily.

Read more here.

10 Axioms for Life

Elder Robert C. Hales: "Ten Axioms to Guide Your Life."

An axiom is "a universally accepted principle of truth." (Dictionary.com)

Click the post title to read the full context of his article since this is just a summary.

Elder Hales' Ten Axioms to Guide Your Life:

1: It's not the obstacle that counts, but how you overcome it.
2: Pursue your goals with all your heart, might, mind, and strength. You are doomed to failure if you pursue them in a vacillating manner.
3: From a tiny spark can come a large fire.
4: Our greatest strengths can become our greatest weaknesses.
5: Failure is one of the greatest teachers if we have the faith to learn from it.
6: It is not how you start the race or where you are during the race. It is how you cross the finish line that matters.
7: If you wish to get rich, save what you get. A fool can earn money; but it takes a wise man to save and dispose of it to his own advantage.
8: You cannot learn the Lord's will without exercising your agency and becoming accountable for your decisions.
9: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
10: The temple of God is the greatest university.

I would add to number 10, read about Hezekiah and Josiah in 2 Chronicles. Without the temple, people turn to idolatry and lose truth. There is protection here. Also, God can make a positive out of every negative and the trials of this world cannot even compare with the glories of the next one (Education week thoughts by Michael Wilcox on Adversity).

Condensed version of Seven Habits

If you don't have time to read the book, check out this website. Of course if you're Delilah you won't be interested because she thinks anything written by a "Mormon" is not worth reading - in fact, it is so harmful she had to pull her children from a school which used the principles to help the kids succeed. The principles here have helped many people in all walks of life. If my kids were in a school that taught this, I'd be thrilled, even if he wasn't of the same religion as me.

In fact, I rarely know the religion of most of the writers and speakers I learn from. What is Delilah's problem? I just don't understand because I would not refuse to read something written by a Jewish person (in fact Belva Plain is one of my favorite fiction authors). That would be foolish. Anyway she went down a notch in my book and I won't feel so warm and fuzzy when I hear her on the radio. I don't listen that much anyway since she's kind of cheesy, but now, when I hear her melodic voice, I will think differently about her views on life and love.

"Mormon" Harvard Junior Interviewed

Personal Quest for a Purpose

A young woman's testimony and panel discussion interview about our religion given at a Harvard University symposium on religion. This link will allow you to also see the other excellent presenters and their various religious beliefs.

Testimony

Thanks to Tiffany for sharing this.

Christ-like vs "Christian"

"Latter-day Saints need to move beyond simply claiming to be Christian, but becoming Christ-like in actions." This was the take-home message from the Mormonism and the Public Mind conference.

We sometimes get defensive when our church is under attack because we are close as a body (we often refer to our "ward family") and insults towards the church are taken personally. Maybe other Christian faiths do not feel as personally attacked when their doctrine is questioned or their symbols and sacred rites are belittled (i.e. the cross or their own ceremonies) but my experience is they get very defensive about their view of what Christianity is - accepting only that limited definition as proclaimed in the Nicene Creed and are insulted when LDS church members claim to be Christian, but have different tenets. They find it offensive because we do not subscribe to the Nicene Creed as the complete, true and correct definition of Christianity, though we recognize it as that which is generally accepted amongst most Catholics and Protestants.

Because we believe the original gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through prophets called in latter-days, just as they were called in Old Testament days, we believe we have the part of the gospel that was omitted after the original church floundered. The addition of the Priesthood and modern-day revelation means we diverge from this creed in defining Christianity because it is only partially correct. We believe truth has been restored; not reinvented. We believe God still talks to His people through prophets and decisions are not made by vote. But because we follow Christ as the head of our church, we tend to feel insulted that other "Christians" try to deny us that descriptive title and actively work against us - telling others we are not Christian. Our definition is a bit different and perhaps we would better be called "Christ-like" to apease the protestants who prefer to disallow us as fellow Christians, even though we believe that is the definition of "Christian."

If not accepting this popular definition of Christianity makes us non-Christian, then people are narrowing their own view of what Christianity is. We believe being Christian is being Christ-like in thought, words, and action. Do we always live the belief perfectly? Of course not as fully as we should or would like. Of course there are "bad" people everywhere - our church is no exception since it is a church made up of humans. Fortunately, we also believe in the Atonement and forgiveness and we know we will not achieve perfection by ourselves in this life.

If others choose to believe erroneously about us, it is their right and it does not change truth. If others would rather look away from the acts of Christian service and teaching that are integral to our church and beliefs and would prefer to detract from the good we do, that too is their right. It doesn't seem very "Christian" to me, but of course it is their right. If you are interested in what we believe, a summary is in the Articles of Faith. If you want to see what our modern-day prophets are actually saying, as opposed to what non-believers say they are, tune in to General Conference today. It is broadcast throughout the world, translated into 96 languages and can be found on BYU TV (Cable) and local Utah TV, KSL. Transcripts are also printed and video streaming is available on the internet at LDS.org. Visitors are always welcome!

Interfaith Hosting Program

Religion professor Robert Millet was a neighbor of ours in Dixie Valley. He taught our Sunday school class and study group when he was a Seminary teacher, working on his graduate degree. We often see him on KBYU and at Education Week. He has written books and he's quite amazing. He has done extensive work with interfaith groups and when asked if any significant progress had been made between the Mormon and Evangelical faiths, without hesitation Millet remarked, “No question. We may disagree, but the way we deal with it is so tender.”

Read about his work with interfaith groups here: http://ldslivingonline.com/article.php?articleId=103842

Interesting perceptions on "Mormonism"

Meridian Magazine recently reviewed a new book. Here are some snippets from the publication based on last year's poll by Lawrence Research, a polling firm, interviewed 1000 randomly selected Americans by telephone and asked them an average of 24 minutes of questions on Mormons and Mormonism [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], certainly one of the largest such surveys ever undertaken. The author summed up the findings and noted that there are six general groupings of feelings and perceptions that shape the problematic side of Mormonism's image and standing in America . To Summarize:

Ignorance Factor. Questions about our basic beliefs - whether we are Christians, whether we believe the Bible, our relationship to Jesus Christ, acceptance of historical Christian traditions, the role of Joseph Smith and other prophets, etc.are driven mostly by a simple lack of knowledge, although some ill will may be involved.

The Polygamy Factor. The key word is confusion - confusion about the facts, confusion about the history, confusion about breakaway groups. It has become an excuse not to entertain further information.

The Power Factor. The central suspicion and fear about us is whether we would use force to reach religious goals. This is fed and exacerbated by the negative traits a sizeable segment of Americans believe apply to us.

The Weird Factor. We are a people apart and we are different, as the Lord intended, and the unfamiliar - from our belief in a pre-mortal existence to our ordinances for the dead - might be seen as weird, as the things of God are often foolishness unto the world. These are generally harmless impressions, but if people also harbor suspicions about power, then weirdness will feed it.

The Secretive Factor. Centered on rumors about temple worship, this factor becomes a problem the more we keep to ourselves. Even positive traits such as self-reliance and taking care of our own can contribute to this perception if we are not involved in our communities.

The Exclusionary Factor. Any time a prophet delivers to the world the message God has delivered to him, it follows that the prophet will be mocked and that those who believe him will be viewed as thinking themselves better than others. Antagonism often follows.

Exposure to Mormonism

Among the most basic questions Lawrence Research asked was how many Mormons their respondents actually knew. All but 2%f of the nation had heard of Mormons, but when asked how many individual Mormons they actually knew, 37% admitted they didn't know any, 21% said they knew one or two and only 10% said they knew many.

I guess it's no wonder people have some skewed ideas about our beliefs. I'm not well-versed in the beliefs of other people I know; and even less about those of people I don't know. So, if people don't even know members of the church, or the ones they know are former or inactive members, it follows there will be many mistaken or distorted perceptions. But, like with all groups, there are also excuses for not learning what the belief really is. Sometimes we're quite happy in our ignorance.

Of course prophets have historically been ridiculed (think of Noah!). Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, "The prophets always prophesied that the Church will emerge out of obscurity and darkness. As that is coming to pass, some members of the Church are finding that they prefer obscurity." At least it seems preferable to the mistaken negative publicity we so often receive.

New Temple

From comment cards left by visitors who toured the temple during the open house:

A member of another faith wrote: "When I was in the sealing room I felt like I never wanted to leave."

Another person wrote: "I am not an active member of the church. I felt so lucky to come and see the temple. Today I recommitted myself to come back to the church."

And an investigator said: "Thank you so much for the wonderful experience. I have been studying with the missionaries and my goal is to be baptized. I was converted today."

A few photos from the newest LDS Temple in Draper, Utah.

Because we believe in baptism by immersion, when we do the baptisms by proxy for the dead, it is done in a font such as this one at the new temple.
This temple has the largest sealing room of any in Utah. It can accommodate up to 80 guests for weddings. There are smaller rooms as well for those with more intimate marriage witnesses.
The bride's room is where last minute touch-ups are done and she prepares to leave the temple for couple and family/friend photographs outside. Once the temple is dedicated, no photography is allowed inside.
Some haze in the valley.
The newest LDS Temple in Draper, Utah. (Photos by Ravell Call, Deseret News)

Another New Temple

The public open house of the Draper Temple (Utah) is underway now. It is estimated that a million people will view the interior prior to its dedication. Saturday tickets are already gone but some are still available here http://www.lds.org/reservations/0,10751,1619-1-501,00.html

Below is a unique photo where two LDS Temples are in the same picture. The Oquirrh Mountain Temple is in the foreground (still under construction). These two are not so far from the Jordan River Temple as well and just around the mountain is the Mt. Timpanogas Temple. The photo was taken by Scott G. Winterton for the Deseret News, you can view the article by clicking the post title.
Photo below by Ravell Call (Deseret News)
The Draper Temple Celestial Room. Photo below is from LDS Church and Deseret News article referenced above.
To see where other LDS Temples are, click here http://www.lds.org/temples/alphabetical/0,11202,1901-1,00.html For information about what we believe click here http://mormon.org Purposes of Temples are explained here http://www.lds.org/temples/purpose/0,11298,1897-1,00.html If you are interested in family history, this is a great, free resource http://www.familysearch.org

The Impossible - Modern-day Miracle

How could any man claim such a thing; let alone endure endless persecution for it - even unto death - unless it was from God?

I'm not naive enough to believe this kind of thing convinces non-believers but it kind of sums up how ridiculous the claims are that Joseph Smith "wrote" the book. If that were the case, he should at least be credited for being a 19th century genius or savant. Educated frauds require much time and effort to create even a small document, but a young, uneducated man from an obscure rural area?