Sunday, June 03, 2012 7:51:04 AM
Did Jesus Foresee The US Constitution?
Painting: the Founding Fathers appear to Mormon President Wilford Woodruff in the St George Temple in Utah in 1877.
by Andrew Sullivan
29 May 2012 11:18 AM
Mormons believe so - and so, presumably, would a future president Romney. Here's an extract from a 1987 statement [ http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/our-divine-constitution?lang=eng (next below)] by the then-Mormon president, Ezra Taft Benson. It's worth reading the whole thing, but these passages stood out to me:
Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church.... For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off...
I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it. I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it.
We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10).
My emphasis. For Mormons, the Constitution was a necessary great prologue for the real endeavor: the restoration of the Gospel, i.e. the triumph of Mormonism over other forms of Christianity. The same president of the LDS church confirmed the Mormon belief that the Founding Fathers appeared as spirits in Utah's Saint George Temple to a previous president, Wilford Woodruff in 1877 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilford_Woodruff#St._George_Temple_President ], and stayed for two days and nights in order to be properly saved by a Mormon baptism. Woodruff wrote of this experience:
The spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, "You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God." These were the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and they waited on me for two days and two nights. I thought it very singular, that notwithstanding so much work had been done, and yet nothing had been done for them ... I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon brother McCallister [sic] to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men, making one hundred in all, including John Wesley, Columbus, and others...
George Washington was posthumously named a high priest in the LDS church, alongside John Wesley, Benjamin Franklin, and Christopher Columbus. Yes: Ben Franklin is a Mormon High Priest now, according to Romney's faith. More significant to me is that all these figures in American history were asking to be baptized since they now knew that Mormonism was true and they needed saving.
In some ways, Mormonism is the perfect form of Christianity for Christianist nationalist politics. It is the only form of Christianity that believes Jesus visited America; that the Garden of Eden was somewhere in Missouri; and the only one that, as a theological proposition, sees the US Constitution as an integral part of the divine order, and one that Jesus personally foresaw in his appearances in America two millennia ago, and blessed.
I raise this because such an understanding of America's unique and divine status among nations has profound foreign policy implications. It means that America alone has divine permission to do what it wants in the wider world, that America is subject to different standards than everyone else (because we alone are divinely blessed), and that geopolitics is about the global supremacy of the modern world's first divine nation (even if Iran and Israel might differ on which country is divinely blessed).
A painting rendering the Mormon view of Jesus' appearance to the Nephites in the Americas after his resurrection.
There's a reason, in other words, that Romney's foreign policy does not have a moderate, realist strain to it; that it is wedded to zero-sum conflict as the only way to engage the world (he regards Russia as America's number one geopolitical foe and wants a trade war with China); that its opposition to Jihadism gets perilously close to opposition to Islam as a whole; and that its core principle is that America is always, by definition, right.
I wish we had a Mormon candidate in a party that adheres to a separation of church and state and of politics and religion (like Reid or Huntsman in a different universe). Then we could regard that faith as utterly irrelevant to a candidate's capacity for running the country. But when the GOP affirmatively declares that there is no such thing as a secular decision, that there is no place and no decision and no policy which is not subject to religious and theological influence ... it seems to me that we have to examine how a candidate's faith affects their politics - by the GOP's own reasoning.
Does Romney believe that America is uniquely divine among nations? How would that affect his decisions as president? Does he believe that the Constitution is also divine and a "necessary prologue" for the triumph of the LDS Church in America and across the world? Would he therefore appoint Justices who share that view? Or if the original Constitution is divine, and the Amendments are not, as Garry Wills asks [ http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/may/24/mormon-constitution/ ], what status do the Amendments have in a Mormon president's eyes?
COPYRIGHT © 2012 The Newsweek / Daily Beast Company LLC
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/05/is-the-constitution-mormon.html
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Our Divine Constitution
Ezra Taft Benson
President of the Church
October 1987
My beloved brethren and sisters, what a glorious blessing to be assembled in another great general conference of the Church. I ask for an interest in your faith and prayers as I speak to you about a subject that is very close to my heart and that affects the worldwide Church.
We have recently celebrated the bicentennial of the signing of the United States Constitution. That commemoration marked the beginning of a series of bicentennial anniversaries of events leading up to the ratification of the Constitution, implementation of the government it created, and the writing and ratification of the Bill of Rights. We look forward to the future commemoration of each of these important events during the next four years. It is as a result of these events that we are able to meet today in peace as members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. For this we should all be eternally grateful.
I desire, therefore, to speak to you about our divine Constitution, which the Lord said “belongs to all mankind” (D&C 98:5 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/98.5?lang=eng#4 ]; italics added) “and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles” (D&C 101:77 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/101.77?lang=eng#76 ]; italics added).
The Constitution of the United States has served as a model for many nations and is the oldest constitution in use today.
“I established the Constitution of this land,” said the Lord, “by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/101.80?lang=eng#79 ]).
For centuries the Lord kept America hidden in the hollow of His hand until the time was right to unveil her for her destiny in the last days. “It is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations,” said Lehi, “for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance” (2 Ne. 1:8 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/1.8?lang=eng#7 ]).
In the Lord’s due time His Spirit “wrought upon” Columbus, the pilgrims, the Puritans, and others to come to America. They testified of God’s intervention in their behalf (see 1 Ne. 13:12–13 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/13.12-13?lang=eng#11 ]). The Book of Mormon records that they humbled “themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them” (1 Ne. 13:16 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/13.16?lang=eng#15 ]).
Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/21.4?lang=eng#3 ]). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church.
The Declaration of Independence affirmed the Founding Fathers’ belief and trust in God in these words: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
The Doctrine and Covenants states, “We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life” (D&C 134:2 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/134.2?lang=eng#1 ]). Life, liberty, property—mankind’s three great rights.
At the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, they wrote, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” This Declaration was a promise that would demand terrible sacrifice on the part of its signers. Five of the signers were captured as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War; another had two sons captured. Nine died from wounds or from the hardships of the war. The Lord said He “redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:80 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/101.80?lang=eng#79 ]). Nephi recorded that the Founders “were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” (1 Ne. 13:19 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/13.19?lang=eng#18 ]).
The years immediately preceding the Constitutional Convention were filled with disappointments and threats to the newly won peace. Washington was offered a kingship, which he adamantly refused. Nephi had prophesied hundreds of years before that “this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land” (2 Ne. 10:11 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/10.11?lang=eng#10 ]; italics added).
Between the critical years of 1783 and 1787, an outsider viewing the affairs of the United States would have thought that the thirteen states, different in so many ways, could never effectively unite. The world powers were confident that this nation would not last.
Eventually, twelve of the states met in Philadelphia to address the problem. Madison said at the beginning of the Convention that the delegates “were now digesting a plan which in its operation would decide forever the fate of Republican Government” (26 June 1787, Records of the Federal Convention, 1:423).
“The Lord knoweth all things from the beginning,” said Nephi, “wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men” (1 Ne. 9:6 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/9.6?lang=eng#5 ]).
Four months later, the Convention delegates had completed their work. As Gladstone said, it was “the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man” (William Gladstone, North American Review, Sept.–Oct. 1878, p. 185), and the Prophet Joseph Smith called it “a glorious standard … a heavenly banner” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, p. 147).
The delegates were the recipients of heavenly inspiration. James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution, wrote: “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution” (The Federalist, no. 37, ed. Henry Cabot Lodge, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1983, p. 222).
Alexander Hamilton, famous as the originator of The Federalist papers and author of fifty-one of the essays, said: “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest” (Essays on the Constitution of the United States, ed. Paul L. Ford, 1892, pp. 251–52).
Charles Pinckney, a very active participant and author of the Pinckney Plan during the Convention, said: “When the great work was done and published, I was struck with amazement. Nothing less than the superintending Hand of Providence, that so miraculously carried us through the war … could have brought it about so complete, upon the whole” (Essays on the Constitution, p. 412).
Within ten months, the Constitution was ratified by nine states and was therefore in force for them. Prophecy had been fulfilled.
During his first inaugural address in 1789, President George Washington, a man who was raised up by God, said: “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency” (First Inaugural Address, 30 Apr. 1789).
In compliance with Article 6 of the Constitution, the very first act passed by Congress and signed by President Washington on June 1, 1789, was the actual oath to support the Constitution that was to be administered to various government officers.
The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, as dictated by the Lord and found in the Doctrine and Covenants, contains these words: “May those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever” (D&C 109:54 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/109.54?lang=eng#53 ]).
Shortly after President Spencer W. Kimball became President of the Church, he assigned me to go into the vault of the St. George Temple and check the early records. As I did so, I realized the fulfillment of a dream I had had ever since learning of the visit of the Founding Fathers to the St. George Temple. I saw with my own eyes the record of the work which was done for the Founding Fathers of this great nation, beginning with George Washington.
Think of it: the Founding Fathers of this nation, those great men, appeared within those sacred walls and had their vicarious work done for them.
President Wilford Woodruff spoke of it in these words: “Before I left St. George, the spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, ‘You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God’” (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1946, p. 160).
After he became President of the Church, President Wilford Woodruff declared that “those men who laid the foundation of this American government were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits … [and] were inspired of the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1898, p. 89).
Unfortunately, we as a nation have apostatized in various degrees from different Constitutional principles as proclaimed by the inspired founders. We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: “Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction” (19 July 1840, as recorded by Martha Jane Knowlton Coray; ms. in Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City).
For centuries our forefathers suffered and sacrificed that we might be the recipients of the blessings of freedom. If they were willing to sacrifice so much to establish us as a free people, should we not be willing to do the same to maintain that freedom for ourselves and for future generations?
Only in this foreordained land, under its God-inspired Constitution and the resulting environment of freedom, was it possible to have established the restored church. It is our responsibility to see that this freedom is perpetuated so that the Church may more easily flourish in the future.
The Lord said, “Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land” (D&C 98:6 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/98.6?lang=eng#5 ]).
How then can we best befriend the Constitution in this critical hour and secure the blessings of liberty and ensure the protection and guidance of our Father in Heaven?
First and foremost, we must be righteous.
John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (The Works of John Adams, ed. C. F. Adams, Boston: Little, Brown Co., 1851, 4:31). If the Constitution is to have continuance, this American nation, and especially the Latter-day Saints, must be virtuous.
The Book of Mormon warns us relative to our living in this free land: “Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever” (2 Ne. 1:7 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/1.7?lang=eng#6 ]).
“And now,” warned Moroni, “we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity” (Ether 2:9 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/2.9?lang=eng#8 ]).
Two great American Christian civilizations—the Jaredites and the Nephites—were swept off this land because they did not “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/2.12?lang=eng#11 ]). What will become of our civilization?
Second, we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers.
Have we read The Federalist papers? Are we reading the Constitution and pondering it? Are we aware of its principles? Are we abiding by these principles and teaching them to others? Could we defend the Constitution? Can we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound? Do we know what the prophets have said about the Constitution and the threats to it?
As Jefferson said, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free … it expects what never was and never will be” (Letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, 6 Jan. 1816).
Third, we must become involved in civic affairs to see that we are properly represented.
The Lord said that “he holds men accountable for their acts in relation” to governments “both in making laws and administering them” (D&C 134:1). We must follow this counsel from the Lord: “Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (D&C 98:10 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/98.10?lang=eng#9 ]).
Note the qualities that the Lord demands of those who are to represent us. They must be good, wise, and honest.
Fourth, we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, our teaching, and our advice.
We must become accurately informed and then let others know how we feel. The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “It is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound. ‘Tis right, politically, for a man who has influence to use it. … From henceforth I will maintain all the influence I can get” (History of the Church, 5:286).
I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. It will be saved by the righteous citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—among others—men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution.
I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it.
I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it.
We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/2.10?lang=eng#9 ]).
May God give us the faith and the courage exhibited by those patriots who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
May we be equally as valiant and as free, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/our-divine-constitution?lang=eng
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(linked in) http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=54833454 and preceding and following
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Top 10 Mormon Problems Explained
Video discussing some of the most troubling problems of the LDS church that most Mormons don't know exist such as the Book of Mormon anachronisms, Book of Abraham translation, Kinderhook Plates, Masonry & the Temple, etc.
http://www.MoreTruthFoundation.com
http://www.MormonThink.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ac_fLUHiBw
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Mitt Romney’s run evokes pride, fear in Mormons
Matt Viser, Globe Staff
May 29, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY - Tourists stroll among the faithful, their conversations competing with the birds and fountains. Old couples walk hand in hand amid a steady stream of brides and grooms emerging from the massive granite temple.
Temple Square, the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emanates harmony. But fresh anxieties pulse just below the surface.
For Mormons, this is a potentially volatile moment. They are deeply proud that their faith’s most prominent adherent, Mitt Romney, is steps away from a presidential nomination and could push the faith further into the mainstream of American life. With these feelings, though, comes a nagging fear that their beliefs, often misunderstood, will again be subjected to scrutiny, even ridicule, on a national scale.
“It’s something we’re afraid of. He’s going to be on the front line,’’ Steven Goaslind, a 30-year-old from Sandy, Utah, said on a recent sunny day as he pushed a stroller toward the temple. “It’s a mixed feeling for a lot of people. Hopefully the world’s gone beyond the bigotry.’’
“They think we’re secretive, but we’re not,’’ said his wife, Kristen. “We’re just sacred.’’
The Goaslinds were among more than two dozen Mormons of various backgrounds interviewed on the promise and the possible risks of a Romney candidacy.
Fear of rejection or prejudice has been part of the Mormon story throughout the church’s history, most recently during Romney’s presidential bid four years ago. But this will be the biggest platform yet for a Mormon public figure, and the sense of risk is more acutely felt. Some of the faithful worry that their comparatively young religion is less prepared for what they will face than Catholics were when John F. Kennedy was running in 1960, or Jews were when Joe Lieberman was the vice presidential nominee in 2000.
“There’s a sense of we’re proud to have Mitt Romney doing so well,’’ said Quin Monson, a professor at Brigham Young University and a Mormon himself. “The other side of the coin is there’s sort of a sense of trepidation. Or nervousness. Sort of maybe even a fear of the impending maelstrom that I think a lot of Mormons widely believe is coming our way.’’
Some of what they fear is already being felt. Comedian Bill Maher, who is also a top donor to the super PAC supporting President Obama, has repeatedly referred to Mormonism as a cult. Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana, a Democrat, in April said Romney’s struggles with Hispanic voters were “ironic’’ because “his family came from a polygamy commune in Mexico.’’
Some of the harshest comments have come from the right. Robert Jeffress, an evangelical pastor, last year called Mormonism a cult and said Romney was “not a real Christian.’’
Polls suggest a deep wariness about Mormonism persists among the American electorate. More than one in four respondents said having a Mormon president would be a cause of concern for themselves, their family, or people in their neighborhood or workplace, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The figure was higher than those who expressed concerns over a Hispanic, woman, or African-American president.
The challenges and questions about the faith are nothing new. Since the church’s first days - when, they believe, God appeared to a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith and asked him to restore the church as Jesus had envisioned it - adherents have faced significant adversity.
Early church leaders moved from New York to Ohio to Missouri to Illinois to Utah, each time being chased away by turmoil and hostile neighbors. In May 1844, Smith became the first Mormon to announce a presidential candidacy. A month later, he was killed by a mob.
Much of the animosity stems from the church’s departure from traditional Western Christianity. Among the core tenets are the beliefs that God has continued to reveal his messages after the ascension of Christ, that some of those revelations were in lost biblical texts that Smith translated into the Book of Mormon, that Christ visited America, and that the second coming and the establishment of the new Jerusalem will be in America.
Facing brutal backlashes, Mormon forebears once talked about seceding from the country that Romney now wants to lead, and his own relatives fled federal authorities to Mexico to continue what their faith initially called “plural marriage.’’
Today, adherents are protective of their faith but also conscious that its insularity and unconventional beliefs make it the frequent subject of skepticism, or worse.
“We have a strong cultural tradition of not responding to ridicule, of sort of keeping to ourselves, of trying to keep the most positive image of Mormonism in front,’’ said Joanna Brooks, a prominent Mormon author and blogger. Meanwhile, she added, “there are tens of thousands of Mormons cringing.’’
Church officials insist they are ready to defend their faith even while remaining assiduously out of the partisan debate. In the administrative complex that is a hub of money, power, and global influence for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, officials are responding to criticisms with greater swiftness and seem to be laying the groundwork for a campaign that takes advantage of the spotlight.
Michael Otterson, the church’s head of public relations, said in an interview in his office in Temple Square that there will be “some very assertive messages coming out from the church over the next few months.’’ He declined several times to elaborate but said it could be “anything from an advertising campaign … to people having conversations with their Rotary Club.’’
“There is a cautious optimism across the church,’’ he said. “The optimism obviously because there’s so much of a conversation going on. The caution, because we’ve all seen over our lifetimes our beliefs misrepresented, and often by people with a vested interest.’’
Steve Shaw, a political science professor at Northwest Nazarene University and coauthor of “The Presidents and Their Faith,’’ said the closest parallel to Mormons and Romney is the way Catholics felt about Kennedy in 1960.
“There was this interesting debate: Are we ready for the presidency, and are they ready for us?’’ Shaw said.
He noted that some prominent Catholics were involved in advocating for Kennedy’s campaign, including Boston’s Cardinal Richard Cushing and New York’s Cardinal Francis Spellman, while the Mormon church has strict policies about its officials steering clear of politics.
Mormons have played prominent roles in politics: Romney’s father, George, ran for president in 1968, Representative Mo Udall ran in 1976, and Senator Orrin Hatch ran in 2000. Harry Reid is Senate majority leader. Yet no one of their faith has been this close to the White House.
For many Mormons, it is not just religious solidarity that draws them to Romney.
They cite his role running the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Utah. They highlight his business background at a time when the economy is struggling. Many, in fact, were eager to detach Romney’s religion from the reasons they like him, saying their church taught them to evaluate candidates on the issues, not religious beliefs.
“I don’t think he runs from the values, but I don’t think he wants to set up his missionary flannel board and start preaching to the people out there why they should be Mormons,’’ Governor Gary Herbert of Utah, who is also Mormon, said. “But he ought not shy away, ‘Hey I’m a Mormon and here’s my values.’ ’’
Among Mormons, the feeling that their church is beginning a new chapter and gaining renewed attention extends beyond Romney’s run. “The Book of Mormon’’ musical debuted last year on Broadway, and the church launched an ambitious “I’m a Mormon’’ advertising campaign. Jabari Parker, one of the top high school basketball recruits in the country, was recently on the cover of Sports Illustrated and, in its pages, spoke openly about his Mormon faith. One of baseball’s sensations this year, rookie Bryce Harper, is a Mormon.
On a recent weeknight, as their two young children played and awaited an ice cream dessert, Bryan and Jenny Hamblin discussed Romney, and the so-called “Mormon Moment.’’ They both voted for Obama in 2008, but are undecided now. They appreciate the religious and family values they share with Romney but worry that he has tacked too far to the right.
“I feel we have two strong candidates, and it’s great,’’ said Jenny, 30, a stay-at-home mother. “But in other parts of the country. . . it’s about [President Obama’s] birth certificates or that Mitt’s great-great-grandfather had five wives.’’
They get frustrated by the focus on polygamy, a practice the faith’s leadership banned more than 120 years ago. They are tired of hearing the accusations they are a cult. They generally feel that Romney has been successful at talking about what he believes without getting into doctrine, and they are comfortable with Romney being the person many Americans associate with Mormonism.
“As far as being the face of Mormons for the country, we could do a lot worse,’’ Bryan said (“It’s true,’’ his wife added. “He’s a handsome devil.’’)
Several observers point out that Romney may be able to do far more for the faith now than he ever has - whether as a missionary in France or a church leader in Massachusetts.
For a faith whose signature work has been going door to door to win converts - and whose adherents cheerfully answer questions by anyone who asks - Romney provides an amplified form of outreach.
“It will be good for the church, because many people around the world have really weird ideas of Mormons,’’ said Bob Bennett, a former US senator, a Mormon, and a Romney supporter, in an interview. “To have someone who is well educated, successful in his career, successful in his family have this high a profile sends the message to the world: The Mormons are not the crazy cult that many of you think we are.’’
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.
© 2012 NY Times Co. (emphasis added)
http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-29/news/31889795_1_mormonism-quin-monson-temple-square ; http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-29/nation/31878044_1_mormonism-quin-monson-temple-square
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The Untold Story of the Death of Joseph Smith
Bill McKeever speaks on the untold story of the death of Joseph Smith.
You can download the video here:
http://www.archive.org/download/aaronshaf2006/TheUntoldStoryoftheDeathofJosephSmith.mp4
See also:
http://www.mrm.org/death-of-joseph-smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvSo0ate4tM
===
But I’m a good Mormon wife
A photo of the author with her husband
Sean and I had the perfect life. Then his faith started to crumble -- and mine did, too
By Maren Stephenson
Friday, Jun 1, 2012 06:00 PM CDT
“I don’t believe in God,” my husband whispered in the darkness of our bedroom.
My breath caught, and I was afraid to look at him, this boy I met and married eight years ago.
I was only 19 on the day we were sealed for eternity, the wet snow blowing into our faces as we exited the Portland, Ore., temple. I imagined a life of Church service, my husband at my side as we finished our BYU degrees, raised our children, and served missions together in our old age. On the night we got engaged, we struck a deal. “I’ll get you to heaven,” I said. “But you have to keep me here on earth.”
Now his confession hung over our nuptial bed. And though I’d known this was coming — he’d been struggling with his faith for at least two years — I’d never considered what I’d say. Sean had always been the rational one, a brilliant computer scientist who spoke sense when I was in the throes of clinical depression. Now, my thoughts went still as I groped for his hand. Before I could process what I was saying, forbidden words slipped off my tongue. “You are more important to me than the Church,” I said.
I wondered what my pioneer ancestors would say if they could hear me, these grandparents so faithful that they abandoned their East coast relatives for a life here in this Utah desert. Some of their graves stood a few blocks from where I whispered my betrayal, but I didn’t care. I loved Sean, and that had to be enough.
But in the weeks that followed, there was a distance between us. We stepped lightly around conversation, kept talk to the kids, work and the mundane. Our friendly touches in the kitchen disappeared. My acceptance shifted to bitterness and anger.
I spent my morning runs worrying about what was being said around my Mormon neighborhood. We lived 20 minutes south of BYU’s desert campus, and most of my running partners had husbands high up in the Church hierarchy. I waited anxiously for them to mention my heathen family, wondered if they’d heard that my eternity with my husband was now in jeopardy, that in the hereafter I’d likely be pawned off to some other righteous man as a plural wife — probably my ex-boyfriend; hopefully not Brigham Young. And all the while I couldn’t stop thinking. Why, Sean? I didn’t sign up for this. You promised me we’d spend eternity together, and now you might as well be gone.
That sinister word flickered around in my head: divorce. It manifested itself onto my notebook paper as I scribbled out my daily morning pages. I didn’t want it, but sometimes I thought both of us would be happier if we said good-bye.
Sean and I spent our time in the usual way, taking long summer walks along Hobble Creek. While our two eldest sons raced ahead on their bicycles, we followed with the baby (okay, the two-year-old) in the stroller. Sean obsessed about death. “I’m so terrified of losing you and the boys,” he said one day after waving hello to our neighborhood women’s leader. He looked over at me and said, “I couldn’t bear it.”
Confused sadness flickered in my eyes. His fears were utterly foreign to me. We’d both been taught from an early age that death was simply the gateway back to God. How could he not see — as I did — that this was true? I know we’ll be together again, I wanted to say. Instead I said gently, “I hope for your sake that you die first. Then you won’t have to deal with the grief of losing us.”
Sean was as supportive as an atheist could be. He even went with me for the first hour of church to help with the Squirmy Ones. But when he’d leave early, I’d cry in the bathroom, feeling completely alone. I never said that word aloud: Atheist. My heart clenched just thinking it.
We rarely talked about religion, yet it consumed us. When Sean replaced his temple garments — the sacred underwear he’d promised to wear day and night — with boxers, I couldn’t take it anymore. It was too much betrayal. I called up a neighbor with a husband like mine and cried. But instead of empathy, she offered questions that stunned me into silence. Was Sean addicted to pornography? Watching R-rated movies? What sin had brought him to this terrible place?
My tears stopped. Her questions were so off-base that they seemed absurd. She was sincere, and trying to help, but she believed what the Church teaches — that a man would only leave because he’s disobeying the commandments. She couldn’t understand this was a rational inquiry. She saw everything as the result of sin.
This started my brain twitching. I knew Sean was still a good person, that he still maintained the same moral standards he had when he married me. The Church was wrong about him. What else might they be wrong about? I shoved the thought away.
But I wanted to understand him. This was Sean, the man who stood by me during years of clinical depression. The man who pretended to be a dinosaur while he chased our shrieking sons around the room. He wasn’t some heathen. I couldn’t believe that. I wouldn’t believe it. He’d always been a skeptic, and even though I didn’t agree with him, I knew intellectually that he’d never make this decision without careful consideration of the facts.
As summer shifted to fall, I often found him hunched over his iPad reading everything he could find on Mormon origins. I started to join him in his nightly bath, and the information would seep out. He’d pause from our usual safe topics and bite his lip. “I’m sorry, but I just have to tell you. Did you know that …” and then he’d tell me what he’d been reading. About how Joseph Smith mistranslated some Egyptian hieroglyphics that are part of our canonized scripture. About how he translated the Book of Mormon while looking at a stone inside of a hat.
I listened half-heartedly, questioned his sources, though I wasn’t about to go looking at them myself. Our prophets had made it clear that anything written outside church documents was suspect and anti-Mormon, fabricated for the sole purpose of destroying faith. Yet Sean continued, until one night it was about polygamy, my archnemesis.
“Did you know that Joseph Smith married a 14-year-old girl against her will? Did you know that he’d send men on missions and marry their wives in secret when they were gone?” I sat there silent as he kept talking, a horror growing in my gut. I knew that if Sean was right, then Joseph Smith was a fraud. I saw no difference between his acts and the modern-day acts of Warren Jeffs, whom I abhorred. And if Joseph Smith was a fraud — then what did that make the Church?
I left the bath early and went straight to bed, feeling a magmic pressure building inside me. The scholar in me couldn’t let it go. I had to know.
I already did know.
When I finally broke down a few weeks later, Sean was the one to hold me as I wept into my pillow and traipsed down the familiar road to despair, wondering what my life even meant if the Church wasn’t true.
“It’s OK, Maren. It’s OK. I’m here,” he said as he stroked my hair, whispering into the darkness. What felt like an end, though, slowly opened up into something else.
Over the next few days our usual mile walk turned to four as my brain tornadoed through discovery, my conversations stopping mid-sentence with “Whoa, then that means …” Whoa, we suddenly have 10 percent more income. Whoa, our weekend free time just doubled. Whoa, we can try alcohol, coffee and tea — the trifecta of forbidden drinks.
The sad whoas came, too. Whoa, will my father ever talk to me again? Whoa, what will my friends say? Whoa, we are going to die.
My transformation consumed me for the next month, and we stayed up late talking every night. When I shed my garments for slippery Victoria Secret panties, my self-esteem skyrocketed, and our late nights shifted to other things. We were finally adults, taking our firsts together, learning about each other without barriers.
Ironically, the Mormon Church teaches that marriage can only thrive if God is an equal part of it. But when we left God out of it, we were free to love each other completely, to share the burden of our grief as two individuals with no one else.
It’s been seven months now, and I don’t know what the future holds. I have never been more uncertain in my entire life. But one thing is clear to me. Whatever happens, wherever we go, Sean will be at my side, holding my hand as we face it together — and alone — for the first time.
Copyright © 2012 Salon Media Group, Inc. (emphasis in original)
http://www.salon.com/2012/06/01/but_im_a_good_mormon_wife/singleton/ [with comments]
===
Mitt Romney interview
The Early Show, CBS, July 3, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MofWPexIabc
===
Why People Leave the LDS Church (Mormon)
Why People Leave the LDS Church, And How We Can Help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZQJc5SxnVs
===
Mormon Mitt Romney on Blacks & Priesthood
This teaches LDS Mormons that the king of Egypt (a Black African) is of the seed of CAIN and HAM by birth
21 Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth.
This teaches LDS Mormons that the king of Egypt (a Black African) can't have the priesthood because he is of the seed of CAIN and HAM
27 Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood
(Pearl of Great Price Abraham1:21-27)
LDS Mormons Believe The seed of Cain and Ham are the Africans who where Cursed Black in the LDS Mormon Pearl of great Price Scriptures (This is not in the HOLY BIBLE)
". . . there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people . . . (Pearl of Great Price Moses 7:8)."
"And . . . they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them (Pearl of Great Price Moses 7:22)."
This teaches all LDS Mormons that Black skin is a CURSE FROM the Mormon GOD (THIS IS NOT IN THE HOLY BIBLE)
"...cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing...the Lord God did cause a skin of BLACKNESS to come upon them (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 5:21)"
"And the skins..were DARK,according to the MARK which was set upon their fathers..which WAS A CURSE upon them...(Book of Mormon,Alma 3:6)"
"and the CURSING which hath come upon their skins...(Book of Mormon, Jacob 3:5)"
This teaches Mormons that Cain (Who Mormons Believe is the BLACK AFRICAN MAN) Loved Satan more then God and made oaths and covenants with Satan (This is not in the Holy Bible)
Moses 5:28-31 pearl of great price OFFICIAL LDS Mormon scriptures
28...they loved Satan more than God.29 And Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me by thy throat,30 And Satan sware unto Cain that he would do according to his commands.31 And Cain said:Truly I am Mahan,the master of this great secret...
1947 the First Presidency (supreme council) of the Church issued an Official Statement: "From the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel." (Statement of The First Presidency on the Negro Question, July 17 1947, quoted in Mormonism and the Negro, pp.46-7)
In 1949, The First Presidency issued the following statement: "The attitude of the Church with reference to Negroes remains as it has always stood. It is not a matter of the declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from the Lord, on which is founded the doctrine of the Church from the days of its organization, to the effect that Negroes may become members of the Church but that they are not entitled to the priesthood at the present time." (The First Presidency on the Negro Question, 17 Aug. 1949)
Official Statement of First Presidency issued on August 17, 1951, reads: "The position of the Church regarding the Negro may be understood when another doctrine of the church is kept in mind, namely, that the conduct of spirits in the pre-mortal existence has some determining effect upon the conditions and circumstances under which these spirits take on mortality, and that while the details of this principle have not been made known, the principle itself indicates that the coming to this earth and taking on mortality is a privilege that is given to those who maintained their first estate; and that the worth of the privilege is so great that spirits are willing to come to earth and take on bodies no matter what the handicap may be as to the kind of bodies they are to secure; and that among the handicaps, failure of the right to enjoy in mortality the blessings of the priesthood is a handicap which spirits are willing to assume in order that they might come to earth. Under this principle there is no injustice whatsoever involved in this deprivation as to the holding of the priesthood by the Negroes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydf6GUsQ9JQ [also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ek_jkwGg3I ] [and to note just one of a number of things, Mitt's dad of course did not ever march with Martin Luther King]
===
Why Our Family Left The Mormon Church
http://PerfectTheSaints.org
Why our whole family left the Mormon Church all at the same time after holding leadership positions for many years including Elders Quorum President, Relief Society 1st and 2nd Councilor, Executive Secretary, Ward Mission Leader, Sunday School President, Ward Clerk, Young Women's President and more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a989OOSOycw
===
Mitt Romney Documentary on the BBC - Full Video
This was recently aired on the BBC. Not a totally balanced view of Mormonism and Mitt Romney but interesting. [actually, this one is excellent, thoroughly factual with extensive reporting from primary sources (including a first-ever television interview with Mitt's ex-Mormon second cousin Park Romney) and not a thing unfair in it; significantly adds to all the other content (linked) in this post]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrUWd_XLQI
*
Mia Love: black, conservative, Mormon, GOP House candidate from Utah
Apr 24, 2012
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/meet-mia-love-black-conservative-mormon-running-congress-175550501.html [with comments]
*
Black Mormons and the Politics of Identity
Being black, liberal and Mormon, Marguerite Dreissen represents a small but emerging point of view that is in stark contrast to the traditional profile of American Latter-day Saints, who tend to be conservative, Republican and white.
May 22, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY — When Marguerite Driessen, a professor here, entered Brigham Young University in the early 1980s, she was the first black person many Mormon students had ever met, and she spent a good bit of her college time debunking stereotypes about African-Americans. Then she converted to Mormonism herself, and went on to spend a good deal of her adult life correcting assumptions about Mormons.
So the matchup in this year’s presidential election comes as a watershed moment for her, symbolizing the hard-won acceptance of racial and religious minorities.
“A Mormon candidate and a black candidate? Who would have thunk?” Ms. Driessen said. “I think 30 years ago, we would not have had this choice.”
After examining the dual — and sometimes conflicting — identities, she has decided that she will cast her vote for President Obama over Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee. Ms. Driessen believes that there is plenty in the Book of Mormon to support Mr. Obama’s candidacy, and she likes to cite chapter and verse, like Mosiah 29:39 and 23:13.
“It says it is your job, people, to elect people who will protect your liberties,” said Ms. Driessen, a constitutional lawyer. “That is my standard.”
[...]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/us/for-black-mormons-a-political-choice-like-no-other.html [ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/us/for-black-mormons-a-political-choice-like-no-other.html?pagewanted=all ]
===
BYU Closet Atheist Talks About LDS Church
A BYU senior talks about why she keeps quiet about her and her friends' atheism and what life is like as a member of the LDS (Mormon) Church. This is a fictionalized narrative based on the aggregated experiences of several BYU students. At Brigham Young University, if you publicly admit that the LDS Church seems untrue to you, you may be barred from graduating. Every BYU student has to be reviewed by his/her bishop to ensure he/she agrees enough with church teachings to be admitted to, and remain at, Brigham Young University.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RuKt7yMA9o
===
"Hi, my name is Michelle and I'm an Ex Mormon."
http://www.i-am-an-exmormon.com/
http://www.postmormon.org/
http://www.exmormon.reddit.com
Having grown up in the Caribbean I remember hearing the wonderful stories about the temple. I was excited when I went to the temple for the first time to "take out my endowments." This is where it all started.
As I attended the temple over the following years, more things began to stand out for me.
Over the years I developed a coping mechanism for dealing with the questions I had about the temple. One lingering question I had, begged to know where the ceremony originated. I also felt that no one had prepared me for the experience and wondered why. So I came out of the temple that first day with a million questions swirling around in my head. Like a good Mormon should, I smiled, and said 'yes it was a wonderful experience" to anyone who asked, but on the ride home I was pretty quiet.
I did everything I was supposed to do as a faithful member of the church. Living the Mormon gospel was quite easy for me. The adjustment to married life was an easy transition. We were married in the Cardston, AB temple in 1994 and by the time I graduated from Ricks college I was several months pregnant.
On October 13 2006 I boarded a plane headed to Salt Lake City for my Sister in Laws' wedding to be held in the Salt Lake temple later that day. On that trip to Utah we visited with family and friends, toured the beehive house and saw the recent Joseph Smith movie produced by the Church. That movie marked the beginning of a journey that led me to some very important discoveries.
We were all very excited to see the recently produced Joseph Smith movie. I sat in that movie theatre and watched this very glorified depiction of Joseph Smiths' life while family and other viewers sniffled at the tear jerking scenes. I watched Joseph Smith being depicted as a model citizen teaching a young man how to treat his wife. It was all so perfect, too perfect. White washed propaganda is what came to mind as I sat there wanting, waiting, wondering if they would show the other wives that I was aware he had. I realized right then and there that if I were one of these visitors to Salt Lake City and this is the version of the Joseph Smith story I was given, it would be missing a whole lot. And then the thought came to mind, what else have they to hide? What else do I not know? What else are they not telling me? When the movie was finished I did not join in on any of the conversations about how great and touching the movie was. Under my breath I said to my husband, 'what about the other wives?' to which he quickly shushed me. Right then I knew there was probably more to the story and had to ask myself, "If polygamy was an eternal principle why are we ashamed of it?" I couldn't help but feel like the message of the restoration was first presented to my family in a similar fashion as this movies depiction of Joseph Smith.
Disingenuous, dishonest, crafty were all adjectives I could think of to express my opinion of the movie. The honest part of me would not allow loyalty to override my circuits. I had to find answers. I flew home to Canada and immediately started researching the one thing that bothered me the most about Mormonism. The temple. What I was finding out bothered me immensely but I didn't feel like I could talk to my husband about it. Boy was my husband scared when he checked the history on the computer. It was as if he'd seen a ghost when he came to our room that evening when we finally talked about it. By this time I knew about the blood oaths and other things that had been changed from the original ceremony. I knew quite a bit about Joseph's involvement in masonry and polygamy and along with being almost physically sick about the whole thing I was angry. A bull in a shop filled with red china wouldn't be an understatement as I confronted my husband with what I knew. His first response was to call it all lies being spouted by 'anti-Mormons'. He wanted me to promise not to read any more. To this request I took exception as I do not believe in censorship and I let him know how wrong it was for him to even suggest it. I wanted for us to determine what were lies and what was not. I pointed out all the disturbing facts without any opinions attached and let him know that I wasn't interested in an interpretation of the facts. The facts stood for themselves and the facts were disturbing according to my own frame of reference.
[CONTINUED ON WEBSITE]
To read Michelle's full story, please visit Michelle's post here:
http://www.iamanexmormon.com/2010/11/hi-my-name-is-michelle-and-im-an-ex-mormon-2/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bup4ydQ7jFQ
===
No charges to be filed in Utah 'Sister Wives' case
In this undated file photo (from http://blog.chron.com/tubular/2011/07/sister-wives-family-challenges-utah-bigamy-statute-in-court/ ) provided by TLC, Kody Brown, center, poses with his wives, from left, Janelle, Christine, Meri, and Robyn in a promotional photo for TLC's reality TV show, "Sister Wives." A Utah county attorney says he will not pursue criminal charges against this polygamous family made famous by a reality TV show. Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman says he has closed the case against Brown and his four wives.
(AP Photo/TLC, Bryant Livingston, File)
By BRIAN SKOLOFF | Associated Press – Thu, May 31, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Criminal charges will not be pursued against a polygamous family made famous by the reality TV show "Sister Wives," a Utah prosecutor wrote Thursday in federal court filings.
The case against Kody Brown and his four wives — Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn — stars of the TLC show, has been closed, Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman wrote in a motion seeking to have a lawsuit against his county dismissed.
Brown moved his wives and 16 children from Lehi, about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, to the Las Vegas area in January 2011 after Utah authorities launched a bigamy investigation.
The Browns then sued Utah County along with Utah's governor and attorney general, claiming the state's bigamy statute violates their constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, free exercise of religion, free speech and freedom of association.
A federal judge later dropped the state from the case but allowed it to continue against the county.
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups said he dismissed Gov. Gary Herbert and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff because Shurtleff had assured the Browns they wouldn't be prosecuted under his policy that consenting adult polygamists won't be charged as long as they're not committing other crimes.
However, Waddoups noted that the Browns had reason to believe they could still face prosecution in Utah County, and agreed it could have a chilling effect on their ability to practice their constitutional rights in the state.
Buhman wrote in his Thursday motion that his county, too, had adopted the same state policy and would not pursue bigamy cases unless there was evidence of a victim or fraud.
"The criminal case against the Browns is closed and no charges will be filed against them for bigamy unless new evidence is discovered which would comport with the office's new policy," Buhman wrote.
The Browns' attorney Jonathan Turley [yep, that Jonathan Turley, http://jonathanturley.org/2012/05/31/prosecutors-drop-investigation-of-brown-family-and-promise-not-to-prosecute-for-polygamy/ (. . .)] said he was pleased that charges wouldn't be filed but noted the family didn't plan to drop the lawsuit, claiming state law remained "blatantly unconstitutional."
"I want to express our great relief for the Brown family that this long-standing threat has been finally lifted," Turley said in a statement. "The family has spent years being publicly denounced as felons by prosecutors and had to move to Nevada to protect their family and children."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/no-charges-filed-utah-sister-wives-case-001048400.html [with comments] [ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gG43kfmbbXo4vD3GDhAwTMU_ijqQ?docId=ed5a6291a4264b16af8e1815cdb82dc9 ]
===
Bias Bingo: How Cognitive Bias Generates Belief
This video presents a case study of a typical (in fact, randomly selected) talk from the LDS General Conference. Throughout the talk, we pick out textbook bases of psychological manipulation, and show how they are used to instill ill-founded beliefs into the audience.
This demonstration represents how virtually all religious beliefs are generated. Basic human cognitive bias is brazenly exploited, while objective skepticism is frowned upon or ignored. Because the entire process is inherently manipulative and dishonest, such activity only serves as evidence against the integrity of religious beliefs.
All video of Dallin Oaks is taken WITHOUT permission from www.lds.org, and used under the criticism clause of the Fair Use Act. If the owners of this material wish me to remove it, please contact me.
This video is provided copyright free for educational purposes only. You may freely download it and copy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBXxJJfX3Nk
*
Mormon Elder Exposed!
Another LDS missionary showing his true colors!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfmuse_jDjk
*
Mormon Missionaries Meet their Match!
Two Mormon missionaries knock on the door of a sweet old lady. Watch her response!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0p4_GGDbS0 [also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJI9eqOs1Nw ]
===
Idaho calls 'Five Wives Vodka' offensive to Mormon church
Five Wives Vodka
Ogden's Own Distillery
[ http://ogdensown.com/ ;
http://ogdensown.com/news/item/41-five-wives-vodka-general-listed-by-state-of-utah.html ]
JOHN MILLER
Associated Press
Updated: 5/29/2012 2:12 pm | Published: 5/29/2012 2:00 pm
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Idaho liquor regulators say a Utah liquor named "Five Wives Vodka" is in bad taste and they won't stock bottles or take special orders at state-owned stores.
The middle-shelf vodka is from a distillery in Utah, where the Mormon church is based. The label shows five women tucking up their skirts.
Idaho regulators told a distributor for Ogden's Own Distillery that the brand's concept is offensive to a large part of the state's residents. State Liquor Division administrator Jeff Anderson says the brand is offensive to Mormons who make up over a quarter of Idaho's population.
All liquor in Idaho has to be purchased in stores run by the state. Anderson says they carry hundreds of vodka brands and "Fives Wives" is nothing special.
Miller reported from Boise, Idaho.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/Idaho-calls-Five-Wives-Vodka-offensive-to-Mormon/LxPJzw6u1Eub43FxxalEcw.cspx [with comments]
*
Free the Five Wives t-shirt
http://www.ogdensownstore.com/product/freewives
*
Five Wives Vodka will sponsor Boise Music Festival
06/02/2012
BOISE, Idaho -- Ogden's Own Distillery owners say overwhelming community support has caused them to reconsider pulling out of the Boise Music Festival even though Five Wives Vodka won't likely be available for purchase in Idaho.
"We are absolutely humbled by the support of the people in our neighboring state," said Steve Conlin, partner and vice president of marketing for Ogden's Own Distillery. "We've sold so many T-shirts to Idaho residents that we think it is only fair to give those proceeds back in sponsorship dollars."
More than 1,000 "Free the Five Wives" T-shirts were sold during the past three days and sales continue at a brisk pace, the company said. It will use the proceeds from Idaho sales of the shirts to sponsor the music festival at the level they had originally committed.
"We feel bad that we can't get the shirts out fast enough," Conlin said.
Despite the fact that Five Wives Vodka won't celebrate its entry into the Idaho market at the event, Underground Herbal Spirit, the company's other product will be there.
Conlin also said the company spoke with its legal council Friday morning and is considering options regarding the Idaho's disallowing of special orders of Five Wives Vodka. A decision regarding the next step is expect the first of next week.
"Honestly, we're getting a little tired of the description of our product that is being given by the state of Idaho and it is apparent that many people don't agree with Jeff Anderson," Conlin said. "We're a high-quality product at a great price. I'd like to see his tasting credentials to determine we're average. Our customers disagree."
The company is receiving a number of requests for online purchase. Due to many state laws, the company cannot ship directly, but is hoping to have an online distributor available in 26 states early next week.
Five Wives Vodka is made with Wasatch mountain spring water in Utah. It is distributed in Utah, Wyoming and will be added to Missouri and Texas within the next 30 days.
Ogden's Own Distillery is a micro-distillery located in Ogden, Utah. It is Ogden's first licensed distillery since the 1800s. Its first product, Underground Herbal Spirit, captures the feeling of the rowdy, early days of Ogden. Underground Herbal Spirit won a "Double Gold" award at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Copyright 2012 The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho)
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/06/02/five-wives-vodka-will-sponsor-boise-music-festival [no comments yet]
===
Family Guy: "Joseph Smith Discovering the Book of Mormon"
Clip from Family Guy Episode "Foreign Affairs" where Peter teaches Meg & Chris about 'The History Of The World' & how Joseph Smith discovers the Book of Mormon...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggy62PrEiuk
===
(linked in):
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=65740421 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=71568915 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75271936 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75318171 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75537322 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75782089 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=76074392 and preceding and following
Painting: the Founding Fathers appear to Mormon President Wilford Woodruff in the St George Temple in Utah in 1877.
by Andrew Sullivan
29 May 2012 11:18 AM
Mormons believe so - and so, presumably, would a future president Romney. Here's an extract from a 1987 statement [ http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/our-divine-constitution?lang=eng (next below)] by the then-Mormon president, Ezra Taft Benson. It's worth reading the whole thing, but these passages stood out to me:
Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church.... For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off...
I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it. I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it.
We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10).
My emphasis. For Mormons, the Constitution was a necessary great prologue for the real endeavor: the restoration of the Gospel, i.e. the triumph of Mormonism over other forms of Christianity. The same president of the LDS church confirmed the Mormon belief that the Founding Fathers appeared as spirits in Utah's Saint George Temple to a previous president, Wilford Woodruff in 1877 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilford_Woodruff#St._George_Temple_President ], and stayed for two days and nights in order to be properly saved by a Mormon baptism. Woodruff wrote of this experience:
The spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, "You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God." These were the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and they waited on me for two days and two nights. I thought it very singular, that notwithstanding so much work had been done, and yet nothing had been done for them ... I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon brother McCallister [sic] to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men, making one hundred in all, including John Wesley, Columbus, and others...
George Washington was posthumously named a high priest in the LDS church, alongside John Wesley, Benjamin Franklin, and Christopher Columbus. Yes: Ben Franklin is a Mormon High Priest now, according to Romney's faith. More significant to me is that all these figures in American history were asking to be baptized since they now knew that Mormonism was true and they needed saving.
In some ways, Mormonism is the perfect form of Christianity for Christianist nationalist politics. It is the only form of Christianity that believes Jesus visited America; that the Garden of Eden was somewhere in Missouri; and the only one that, as a theological proposition, sees the US Constitution as an integral part of the divine order, and one that Jesus personally foresaw in his appearances in America two millennia ago, and blessed.
I raise this because such an understanding of America's unique and divine status among nations has profound foreign policy implications. It means that America alone has divine permission to do what it wants in the wider world, that America is subject to different standards than everyone else (because we alone are divinely blessed), and that geopolitics is about the global supremacy of the modern world's first divine nation (even if Iran and Israel might differ on which country is divinely blessed).
A painting rendering the Mormon view of Jesus' appearance to the Nephites in the Americas after his resurrection.
There's a reason, in other words, that Romney's foreign policy does not have a moderate, realist strain to it; that it is wedded to zero-sum conflict as the only way to engage the world (he regards Russia as America's number one geopolitical foe and wants a trade war with China); that its opposition to Jihadism gets perilously close to opposition to Islam as a whole; and that its core principle is that America is always, by definition, right.
I wish we had a Mormon candidate in a party that adheres to a separation of church and state and of politics and religion (like Reid or Huntsman in a different universe). Then we could regard that faith as utterly irrelevant to a candidate's capacity for running the country. But when the GOP affirmatively declares that there is no such thing as a secular decision, that there is no place and no decision and no policy which is not subject to religious and theological influence ... it seems to me that we have to examine how a candidate's faith affects their politics - by the GOP's own reasoning.
Does Romney believe that America is uniquely divine among nations? How would that affect his decisions as president? Does he believe that the Constitution is also divine and a "necessary prologue" for the triumph of the LDS Church in America and across the world? Would he therefore appoint Justices who share that view? Or if the original Constitution is divine, and the Amendments are not, as Garry Wills asks [ http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/may/24/mormon-constitution/ ], what status do the Amendments have in a Mormon president's eyes?
COPYRIGHT © 2012 The Newsweek / Daily Beast Company LLC
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/05/is-the-constitution-mormon.html
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Our Divine Constitution
Ezra Taft Benson
President of the Church
October 1987
My beloved brethren and sisters, what a glorious blessing to be assembled in another great general conference of the Church. I ask for an interest in your faith and prayers as I speak to you about a subject that is very close to my heart and that affects the worldwide Church.
We have recently celebrated the bicentennial of the signing of the United States Constitution. That commemoration marked the beginning of a series of bicentennial anniversaries of events leading up to the ratification of the Constitution, implementation of the government it created, and the writing and ratification of the Bill of Rights. We look forward to the future commemoration of each of these important events during the next four years. It is as a result of these events that we are able to meet today in peace as members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. For this we should all be eternally grateful.
I desire, therefore, to speak to you about our divine Constitution, which the Lord said “belongs to all mankind” (D&C 98:5 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/98.5?lang=eng#4 ]; italics added) “and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles” (D&C 101:77 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/101.77?lang=eng#76 ]; italics added).
The Constitution of the United States has served as a model for many nations and is the oldest constitution in use today.
“I established the Constitution of this land,” said the Lord, “by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/101.80?lang=eng#79 ]).
For centuries the Lord kept America hidden in the hollow of His hand until the time was right to unveil her for her destiny in the last days. “It is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations,” said Lehi, “for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance” (2 Ne. 1:8 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/1.8?lang=eng#7 ]).
In the Lord’s due time His Spirit “wrought upon” Columbus, the pilgrims, the Puritans, and others to come to America. They testified of God’s intervention in their behalf (see 1 Ne. 13:12–13 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/13.12-13?lang=eng#11 ]). The Book of Mormon records that they humbled “themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them” (1 Ne. 13:16 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/13.16?lang=eng#15 ]).
Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what our Savior Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/21.4?lang=eng#3 ]). America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church.
The Declaration of Independence affirmed the Founding Fathers’ belief and trust in God in these words: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
The Doctrine and Covenants states, “We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life” (D&C 134:2 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/134.2?lang=eng#1 ]). Life, liberty, property—mankind’s three great rights.
At the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, they wrote, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” This Declaration was a promise that would demand terrible sacrifice on the part of its signers. Five of the signers were captured as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War; another had two sons captured. Nine died from wounds or from the hardships of the war. The Lord said He “redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:80 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/101.80?lang=eng#79 ]). Nephi recorded that the Founders “were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” (1 Ne. 13:19 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/13.19?lang=eng#18 ]).
The years immediately preceding the Constitutional Convention were filled with disappointments and threats to the newly won peace. Washington was offered a kingship, which he adamantly refused. Nephi had prophesied hundreds of years before that “this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land” (2 Ne. 10:11 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/10.11?lang=eng#10 ]; italics added).
Between the critical years of 1783 and 1787, an outsider viewing the affairs of the United States would have thought that the thirteen states, different in so many ways, could never effectively unite. The world powers were confident that this nation would not last.
Eventually, twelve of the states met in Philadelphia to address the problem. Madison said at the beginning of the Convention that the delegates “were now digesting a plan which in its operation would decide forever the fate of Republican Government” (26 June 1787, Records of the Federal Convention, 1:423).
“The Lord knoweth all things from the beginning,” said Nephi, “wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men” (1 Ne. 9:6 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/9.6?lang=eng#5 ]).
Four months later, the Convention delegates had completed their work. As Gladstone said, it was “the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man” (William Gladstone, North American Review, Sept.–Oct. 1878, p. 185), and the Prophet Joseph Smith called it “a glorious standard … a heavenly banner” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, p. 147).
The delegates were the recipients of heavenly inspiration. James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution, wrote: “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution” (The Federalist, no. 37, ed. Henry Cabot Lodge, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1983, p. 222).
Alexander Hamilton, famous as the originator of The Federalist papers and author of fifty-one of the essays, said: “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest” (Essays on the Constitution of the United States, ed. Paul L. Ford, 1892, pp. 251–52).
Charles Pinckney, a very active participant and author of the Pinckney Plan during the Convention, said: “When the great work was done and published, I was struck with amazement. Nothing less than the superintending Hand of Providence, that so miraculously carried us through the war … could have brought it about so complete, upon the whole” (Essays on the Constitution, p. 412).
Within ten months, the Constitution was ratified by nine states and was therefore in force for them. Prophecy had been fulfilled.
During his first inaugural address in 1789, President George Washington, a man who was raised up by God, said: “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency” (First Inaugural Address, 30 Apr. 1789).
In compliance with Article 6 of the Constitution, the very first act passed by Congress and signed by President Washington on June 1, 1789, was the actual oath to support the Constitution that was to be administered to various government officers.
The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, as dictated by the Lord and found in the Doctrine and Covenants, contains these words: “May those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever” (D&C 109:54 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/109.54?lang=eng#53 ]).
Shortly after President Spencer W. Kimball became President of the Church, he assigned me to go into the vault of the St. George Temple and check the early records. As I did so, I realized the fulfillment of a dream I had had ever since learning of the visit of the Founding Fathers to the St. George Temple. I saw with my own eyes the record of the work which was done for the Founding Fathers of this great nation, beginning with George Washington.
Think of it: the Founding Fathers of this nation, those great men, appeared within those sacred walls and had their vicarious work done for them.
President Wilford Woodruff spoke of it in these words: “Before I left St. George, the spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, ‘You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God’” (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1946, p. 160).
After he became President of the Church, President Wilford Woodruff declared that “those men who laid the foundation of this American government were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits … [and] were inspired of the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1898, p. 89).
Unfortunately, we as a nation have apostatized in various degrees from different Constitutional principles as proclaimed by the inspired founders. We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: “Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction” (19 July 1840, as recorded by Martha Jane Knowlton Coray; ms. in Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City).
For centuries our forefathers suffered and sacrificed that we might be the recipients of the blessings of freedom. If they were willing to sacrifice so much to establish us as a free people, should we not be willing to do the same to maintain that freedom for ourselves and for future generations?
Only in this foreordained land, under its God-inspired Constitution and the resulting environment of freedom, was it possible to have established the restored church. It is our responsibility to see that this freedom is perpetuated so that the Church may more easily flourish in the future.
The Lord said, “Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land” (D&C 98:6 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/98.6?lang=eng#5 ]).
How then can we best befriend the Constitution in this critical hour and secure the blessings of liberty and ensure the protection and guidance of our Father in Heaven?
First and foremost, we must be righteous.
John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (The Works of John Adams, ed. C. F. Adams, Boston: Little, Brown Co., 1851, 4:31). If the Constitution is to have continuance, this American nation, and especially the Latter-day Saints, must be virtuous.
The Book of Mormon warns us relative to our living in this free land: “Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever” (2 Ne. 1:7 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/1.7?lang=eng#6 ]).
“And now,” warned Moroni, “we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity” (Ether 2:9 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/2.9?lang=eng#8 ]).
Two great American Christian civilizations—the Jaredites and the Nephites—were swept off this land because they did not “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/2.12?lang=eng#11 ]). What will become of our civilization?
Second, we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers.
Have we read The Federalist papers? Are we reading the Constitution and pondering it? Are we aware of its principles? Are we abiding by these principles and teaching them to others? Could we defend the Constitution? Can we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound? Do we know what the prophets have said about the Constitution and the threats to it?
As Jefferson said, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free … it expects what never was and never will be” (Letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, 6 Jan. 1816).
Third, we must become involved in civic affairs to see that we are properly represented.
The Lord said that “he holds men accountable for their acts in relation” to governments “both in making laws and administering them” (D&C 134:1). We must follow this counsel from the Lord: “Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (D&C 98:10 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/98.10?lang=eng#9 ]).
Note the qualities that the Lord demands of those who are to represent us. They must be good, wise, and honest.
Fourth, we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, our teaching, and our advice.
We must become accurately informed and then let others know how we feel. The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “It is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound. ‘Tis right, politically, for a man who has influence to use it. … From henceforth I will maintain all the influence I can get” (History of the Church, 5:286).
I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. It will be saved by the righteous citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—among others—men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution.
I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it.
I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it.
We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10 [ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/2.10?lang=eng#9 ]).
May God give us the faith and the courage exhibited by those patriots who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
May we be equally as valiant and as free, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/our-divine-constitution?lang=eng
*
(linked in) http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=54833454 and preceding and following
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Top 10 Mormon Problems Explained
Published on Mar 8, 2012 by MormonHistoryBuff
Video discussing some of the most troubling problems of the LDS church that most Mormons don't know exist such as the Book of Mormon anachronisms, Book of Abraham translation, Kinderhook Plates, Masonry & the Temple, etc.
http://www.MoreTruthFoundation.com
http://www.MormonThink.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ac_fLUHiBw
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Mitt Romney’s run evokes pride, fear in Mormons
Matt Viser, Globe Staff
May 29, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY - Tourists stroll among the faithful, their conversations competing with the birds and fountains. Old couples walk hand in hand amid a steady stream of brides and grooms emerging from the massive granite temple.
Temple Square, the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emanates harmony. But fresh anxieties pulse just below the surface.
For Mormons, this is a potentially volatile moment. They are deeply proud that their faith’s most prominent adherent, Mitt Romney, is steps away from a presidential nomination and could push the faith further into the mainstream of American life. With these feelings, though, comes a nagging fear that their beliefs, often misunderstood, will again be subjected to scrutiny, even ridicule, on a national scale.
“It’s something we’re afraid of. He’s going to be on the front line,’’ Steven Goaslind, a 30-year-old from Sandy, Utah, said on a recent sunny day as he pushed a stroller toward the temple. “It’s a mixed feeling for a lot of people. Hopefully the world’s gone beyond the bigotry.’’
“They think we’re secretive, but we’re not,’’ said his wife, Kristen. “We’re just sacred.’’
The Goaslinds were among more than two dozen Mormons of various backgrounds interviewed on the promise and the possible risks of a Romney candidacy.
Fear of rejection or prejudice has been part of the Mormon story throughout the church’s history, most recently during Romney’s presidential bid four years ago. But this will be the biggest platform yet for a Mormon public figure, and the sense of risk is more acutely felt. Some of the faithful worry that their comparatively young religion is less prepared for what they will face than Catholics were when John F. Kennedy was running in 1960, or Jews were when Joe Lieberman was the vice presidential nominee in 2000.
“There’s a sense of we’re proud to have Mitt Romney doing so well,’’ said Quin Monson, a professor at Brigham Young University and a Mormon himself. “The other side of the coin is there’s sort of a sense of trepidation. Or nervousness. Sort of maybe even a fear of the impending maelstrom that I think a lot of Mormons widely believe is coming our way.’’
Some of what they fear is already being felt. Comedian Bill Maher, who is also a top donor to the super PAC supporting President Obama, has repeatedly referred to Mormonism as a cult. Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana, a Democrat, in April said Romney’s struggles with Hispanic voters were “ironic’’ because “his family came from a polygamy commune in Mexico.’’
Some of the harshest comments have come from the right. Robert Jeffress, an evangelical pastor, last year called Mormonism a cult and said Romney was “not a real Christian.’’
Polls suggest a deep wariness about Mormonism persists among the American electorate. More than one in four respondents said having a Mormon president would be a cause of concern for themselves, their family, or people in their neighborhood or workplace, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The figure was higher than those who expressed concerns over a Hispanic, woman, or African-American president.
The challenges and questions about the faith are nothing new. Since the church’s first days - when, they believe, God appeared to a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith and asked him to restore the church as Jesus had envisioned it - adherents have faced significant adversity.
Early church leaders moved from New York to Ohio to Missouri to Illinois to Utah, each time being chased away by turmoil and hostile neighbors. In May 1844, Smith became the first Mormon to announce a presidential candidacy. A month later, he was killed by a mob.
Much of the animosity stems from the church’s departure from traditional Western Christianity. Among the core tenets are the beliefs that God has continued to reveal his messages after the ascension of Christ, that some of those revelations were in lost biblical texts that Smith translated into the Book of Mormon, that Christ visited America, and that the second coming and the establishment of the new Jerusalem will be in America.
Facing brutal backlashes, Mormon forebears once talked about seceding from the country that Romney now wants to lead, and his own relatives fled federal authorities to Mexico to continue what their faith initially called “plural marriage.’’
Today, adherents are protective of their faith but also conscious that its insularity and unconventional beliefs make it the frequent subject of skepticism, or worse.
“We have a strong cultural tradition of not responding to ridicule, of sort of keeping to ourselves, of trying to keep the most positive image of Mormonism in front,’’ said Joanna Brooks, a prominent Mormon author and blogger. Meanwhile, she added, “there are tens of thousands of Mormons cringing.’’
Church officials insist they are ready to defend their faith even while remaining assiduously out of the partisan debate. In the administrative complex that is a hub of money, power, and global influence for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, officials are responding to criticisms with greater swiftness and seem to be laying the groundwork for a campaign that takes advantage of the spotlight.
Michael Otterson, the church’s head of public relations, said in an interview in his office in Temple Square that there will be “some very assertive messages coming out from the church over the next few months.’’ He declined several times to elaborate but said it could be “anything from an advertising campaign … to people having conversations with their Rotary Club.’’
“There is a cautious optimism across the church,’’ he said. “The optimism obviously because there’s so much of a conversation going on. The caution, because we’ve all seen over our lifetimes our beliefs misrepresented, and often by people with a vested interest.’’
Steve Shaw, a political science professor at Northwest Nazarene University and coauthor of “The Presidents and Their Faith,’’ said the closest parallel to Mormons and Romney is the way Catholics felt about Kennedy in 1960.
“There was this interesting debate: Are we ready for the presidency, and are they ready for us?’’ Shaw said.
He noted that some prominent Catholics were involved in advocating for Kennedy’s campaign, including Boston’s Cardinal Richard Cushing and New York’s Cardinal Francis Spellman, while the Mormon church has strict policies about its officials steering clear of politics.
Mormons have played prominent roles in politics: Romney’s father, George, ran for president in 1968, Representative Mo Udall ran in 1976, and Senator Orrin Hatch ran in 2000. Harry Reid is Senate majority leader. Yet no one of their faith has been this close to the White House.
For many Mormons, it is not just religious solidarity that draws them to Romney.
They cite his role running the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Utah. They highlight his business background at a time when the economy is struggling. Many, in fact, were eager to detach Romney’s religion from the reasons they like him, saying their church taught them to evaluate candidates on the issues, not religious beliefs.
“I don’t think he runs from the values, but I don’t think he wants to set up his missionary flannel board and start preaching to the people out there why they should be Mormons,’’ Governor Gary Herbert of Utah, who is also Mormon, said. “But he ought not shy away, ‘Hey I’m a Mormon and here’s my values.’ ’’
Among Mormons, the feeling that their church is beginning a new chapter and gaining renewed attention extends beyond Romney’s run. “The Book of Mormon’’ musical debuted last year on Broadway, and the church launched an ambitious “I’m a Mormon’’ advertising campaign. Jabari Parker, one of the top high school basketball recruits in the country, was recently on the cover of Sports Illustrated and, in its pages, spoke openly about his Mormon faith. One of baseball’s sensations this year, rookie Bryce Harper, is a Mormon.
On a recent weeknight, as their two young children played and awaited an ice cream dessert, Bryan and Jenny Hamblin discussed Romney, and the so-called “Mormon Moment.’’ They both voted for Obama in 2008, but are undecided now. They appreciate the religious and family values they share with Romney but worry that he has tacked too far to the right.
“I feel we have two strong candidates, and it’s great,’’ said Jenny, 30, a stay-at-home mother. “But in other parts of the country. . . it’s about [President Obama’s] birth certificates or that Mitt’s great-great-grandfather had five wives.’’
They get frustrated by the focus on polygamy, a practice the faith’s leadership banned more than 120 years ago. They are tired of hearing the accusations they are a cult. They generally feel that Romney has been successful at talking about what he believes without getting into doctrine, and they are comfortable with Romney being the person many Americans associate with Mormonism.
“As far as being the face of Mormons for the country, we could do a lot worse,’’ Bryan said (“It’s true,’’ his wife added. “He’s a handsome devil.’’)
Several observers point out that Romney may be able to do far more for the faith now than he ever has - whether as a missionary in France or a church leader in Massachusetts.
For a faith whose signature work has been going door to door to win converts - and whose adherents cheerfully answer questions by anyone who asks - Romney provides an amplified form of outreach.
“It will be good for the church, because many people around the world have really weird ideas of Mormons,’’ said Bob Bennett, a former US senator, a Mormon, and a Romney supporter, in an interview. “To have someone who is well educated, successful in his career, successful in his family have this high a profile sends the message to the world: The Mormons are not the crazy cult that many of you think we are.’’
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.
© 2012 NY Times Co. (emphasis added)
http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-29/news/31889795_1_mormonism-quin-monson-temple-square ; http://articles.boston.com/2012-05-29/nation/31878044_1_mormonism-quin-monson-temple-square
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The Untold Story of the Death of Joseph Smith
Uploaded by aaronshaf2006 on Sep 30, 2006
Bill McKeever speaks on the untold story of the death of Joseph Smith.
You can download the video here:
http://www.archive.org/download/aaronshaf2006/TheUntoldStoryoftheDeathofJosephSmith.mp4
See also:
http://www.mrm.org/death-of-joseph-smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvSo0ate4tM
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But I’m a good Mormon wife
A photo of the author with her husband
Sean and I had the perfect life. Then his faith started to crumble -- and mine did, too
By Maren Stephenson
Friday, Jun 1, 2012 06:00 PM CDT
“I don’t believe in God,” my husband whispered in the darkness of our bedroom.
My breath caught, and I was afraid to look at him, this boy I met and married eight years ago.
I was only 19 on the day we were sealed for eternity, the wet snow blowing into our faces as we exited the Portland, Ore., temple. I imagined a life of Church service, my husband at my side as we finished our BYU degrees, raised our children, and served missions together in our old age. On the night we got engaged, we struck a deal. “I’ll get you to heaven,” I said. “But you have to keep me here on earth.”
Now his confession hung over our nuptial bed. And though I’d known this was coming — he’d been struggling with his faith for at least two years — I’d never considered what I’d say. Sean had always been the rational one, a brilliant computer scientist who spoke sense when I was in the throes of clinical depression. Now, my thoughts went still as I groped for his hand. Before I could process what I was saying, forbidden words slipped off my tongue. “You are more important to me than the Church,” I said.
I wondered what my pioneer ancestors would say if they could hear me, these grandparents so faithful that they abandoned their East coast relatives for a life here in this Utah desert. Some of their graves stood a few blocks from where I whispered my betrayal, but I didn’t care. I loved Sean, and that had to be enough.
But in the weeks that followed, there was a distance between us. We stepped lightly around conversation, kept talk to the kids, work and the mundane. Our friendly touches in the kitchen disappeared. My acceptance shifted to bitterness and anger.
I spent my morning runs worrying about what was being said around my Mormon neighborhood. We lived 20 minutes south of BYU’s desert campus, and most of my running partners had husbands high up in the Church hierarchy. I waited anxiously for them to mention my heathen family, wondered if they’d heard that my eternity with my husband was now in jeopardy, that in the hereafter I’d likely be pawned off to some other righteous man as a plural wife — probably my ex-boyfriend; hopefully not Brigham Young. And all the while I couldn’t stop thinking. Why, Sean? I didn’t sign up for this. You promised me we’d spend eternity together, and now you might as well be gone.
That sinister word flickered around in my head: divorce. It manifested itself onto my notebook paper as I scribbled out my daily morning pages. I didn’t want it, but sometimes I thought both of us would be happier if we said good-bye.
Sean and I spent our time in the usual way, taking long summer walks along Hobble Creek. While our two eldest sons raced ahead on their bicycles, we followed with the baby (okay, the two-year-old) in the stroller. Sean obsessed about death. “I’m so terrified of losing you and the boys,” he said one day after waving hello to our neighborhood women’s leader. He looked over at me and said, “I couldn’t bear it.”
Confused sadness flickered in my eyes. His fears were utterly foreign to me. We’d both been taught from an early age that death was simply the gateway back to God. How could he not see — as I did — that this was true? I know we’ll be together again, I wanted to say. Instead I said gently, “I hope for your sake that you die first. Then you won’t have to deal with the grief of losing us.”
Sean was as supportive as an atheist could be. He even went with me for the first hour of church to help with the Squirmy Ones. But when he’d leave early, I’d cry in the bathroom, feeling completely alone. I never said that word aloud: Atheist. My heart clenched just thinking it.
We rarely talked about religion, yet it consumed us. When Sean replaced his temple garments — the sacred underwear he’d promised to wear day and night — with boxers, I couldn’t take it anymore. It was too much betrayal. I called up a neighbor with a husband like mine and cried. But instead of empathy, she offered questions that stunned me into silence. Was Sean addicted to pornography? Watching R-rated movies? What sin had brought him to this terrible place?
My tears stopped. Her questions were so off-base that they seemed absurd. She was sincere, and trying to help, but she believed what the Church teaches — that a man would only leave because he’s disobeying the commandments. She couldn’t understand this was a rational inquiry. She saw everything as the result of sin.
This started my brain twitching. I knew Sean was still a good person, that he still maintained the same moral standards he had when he married me. The Church was wrong about him. What else might they be wrong about? I shoved the thought away.
But I wanted to understand him. This was Sean, the man who stood by me during years of clinical depression. The man who pretended to be a dinosaur while he chased our shrieking sons around the room. He wasn’t some heathen. I couldn’t believe that. I wouldn’t believe it. He’d always been a skeptic, and even though I didn’t agree with him, I knew intellectually that he’d never make this decision without careful consideration of the facts.
As summer shifted to fall, I often found him hunched over his iPad reading everything he could find on Mormon origins. I started to join him in his nightly bath, and the information would seep out. He’d pause from our usual safe topics and bite his lip. “I’m sorry, but I just have to tell you. Did you know that …” and then he’d tell me what he’d been reading. About how Joseph Smith mistranslated some Egyptian hieroglyphics that are part of our canonized scripture. About how he translated the Book of Mormon while looking at a stone inside of a hat.
I listened half-heartedly, questioned his sources, though I wasn’t about to go looking at them myself. Our prophets had made it clear that anything written outside church documents was suspect and anti-Mormon, fabricated for the sole purpose of destroying faith. Yet Sean continued, until one night it was about polygamy, my archnemesis.
“Did you know that Joseph Smith married a 14-year-old girl against her will? Did you know that he’d send men on missions and marry their wives in secret when they were gone?” I sat there silent as he kept talking, a horror growing in my gut. I knew that if Sean was right, then Joseph Smith was a fraud. I saw no difference between his acts and the modern-day acts of Warren Jeffs, whom I abhorred. And if Joseph Smith was a fraud — then what did that make the Church?
I left the bath early and went straight to bed, feeling a magmic pressure building inside me. The scholar in me couldn’t let it go. I had to know.
I already did know.
When I finally broke down a few weeks later, Sean was the one to hold me as I wept into my pillow and traipsed down the familiar road to despair, wondering what my life even meant if the Church wasn’t true.
“It’s OK, Maren. It’s OK. I’m here,” he said as he stroked my hair, whispering into the darkness. What felt like an end, though, slowly opened up into something else.
Over the next few days our usual mile walk turned to four as my brain tornadoed through discovery, my conversations stopping mid-sentence with “Whoa, then that means …” Whoa, we suddenly have 10 percent more income. Whoa, our weekend free time just doubled. Whoa, we can try alcohol, coffee and tea — the trifecta of forbidden drinks.
The sad whoas came, too. Whoa, will my father ever talk to me again? Whoa, what will my friends say? Whoa, we are going to die.
My transformation consumed me for the next month, and we stayed up late talking every night. When I shed my garments for slippery Victoria Secret panties, my self-esteem skyrocketed, and our late nights shifted to other things. We were finally adults, taking our firsts together, learning about each other without barriers.
Ironically, the Mormon Church teaches that marriage can only thrive if God is an equal part of it. But when we left God out of it, we were free to love each other completely, to share the burden of our grief as two individuals with no one else.
It’s been seven months now, and I don’t know what the future holds. I have never been more uncertain in my entire life. But one thing is clear to me. Whatever happens, wherever we go, Sean will be at my side, holding my hand as we face it together — and alone — for the first time.
Copyright © 2012 Salon Media Group, Inc. (emphasis in original)
http://www.salon.com/2012/06/01/but_im_a_good_mormon_wife/singleton/ [with comments]
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Mitt Romney interview
Uploaded by docdoc821 on Jul 3, 2007
The Early Show, CBS, July 3, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MofWPexIabc
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Why People Leave the LDS Church (Mormon)
Uploaded by mormonstories on Jan 2, 2008
Why People Leave the LDS Church, And How We Can Help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZQJc5SxnVs
===
Mormon Mitt Romney on Blacks & Priesthood
Uploaded by llegalPlayer on Jul 24, 2009
This teaches LDS Mormons that the king of Egypt (a Black African) is of the seed of CAIN and HAM by birth
21 Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth.
This teaches LDS Mormons that the king of Egypt (a Black African) can't have the priesthood because he is of the seed of CAIN and HAM
27 Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood
(Pearl of Great Price Abraham1:21-27)
LDS Mormons Believe The seed of Cain and Ham are the Africans who where Cursed Black in the LDS Mormon Pearl of great Price Scriptures (This is not in the HOLY BIBLE)
". . . there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people . . . (Pearl of Great Price Moses 7:8)."
"And . . . they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them (Pearl of Great Price Moses 7:22)."
This teaches all LDS Mormons that Black skin is a CURSE FROM the Mormon GOD (THIS IS NOT IN THE HOLY BIBLE)
"...cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing...the Lord God did cause a skin of BLACKNESS to come upon them (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 5:21)"
"And the skins..were DARK,according to the MARK which was set upon their fathers..which WAS A CURSE upon them...(Book of Mormon,Alma 3:6)"
"and the CURSING which hath come upon their skins...(Book of Mormon, Jacob 3:5)"
This teaches Mormons that Cain (Who Mormons Believe is the BLACK AFRICAN MAN) Loved Satan more then God and made oaths and covenants with Satan (This is not in the Holy Bible)
Moses 5:28-31 pearl of great price OFFICIAL LDS Mormon scriptures
28...they loved Satan more than God.29 And Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me by thy throat,30 And Satan sware unto Cain that he would do according to his commands.31 And Cain said:Truly I am Mahan,the master of this great secret...
1947 the First Presidency (supreme council) of the Church issued an Official Statement: "From the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel." (Statement of The First Presidency on the Negro Question, July 17 1947, quoted in Mormonism and the Negro, pp.46-7)
In 1949, The First Presidency issued the following statement: "The attitude of the Church with reference to Negroes remains as it has always stood. It is not a matter of the declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from the Lord, on which is founded the doctrine of the Church from the days of its organization, to the effect that Negroes may become members of the Church but that they are not entitled to the priesthood at the present time." (The First Presidency on the Negro Question, 17 Aug. 1949)
Official Statement of First Presidency issued on August 17, 1951, reads: "The position of the Church regarding the Negro may be understood when another doctrine of the church is kept in mind, namely, that the conduct of spirits in the pre-mortal existence has some determining effect upon the conditions and circumstances under which these spirits take on mortality, and that while the details of this principle have not been made known, the principle itself indicates that the coming to this earth and taking on mortality is a privilege that is given to those who maintained their first estate; and that the worth of the privilege is so great that spirits are willing to come to earth and take on bodies no matter what the handicap may be as to the kind of bodies they are to secure; and that among the handicaps, failure of the right to enjoy in mortality the blessings of the priesthood is a handicap which spirits are willing to assume in order that they might come to earth. Under this principle there is no injustice whatsoever involved in this deprivation as to the holding of the priesthood by the Negroes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydf6GUsQ9JQ [also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ek_jkwGg3I ] [and to note just one of a number of things, Mitt's dad of course did not ever march with Martin Luther King]
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Why Our Family Left The Mormon Church
Uploaded by ptyler3 on Dec 20, 2011
http://PerfectTheSaints.org
Why our whole family left the Mormon Church all at the same time after holding leadership positions for many years including Elders Quorum President, Relief Society 1st and 2nd Councilor, Executive Secretary, Ward Mission Leader, Sunday School President, Ward Clerk, Young Women's President and more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a989OOSOycw
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Mitt Romney Documentary on the BBC - Full Video
Published on Mar 28, 2012 by LivingOnVideo13
This was recently aired on the BBC. Not a totally balanced view of Mormonism and Mitt Romney but interesting. [actually, this one is excellent, thoroughly factual with extensive reporting from primary sources (including a first-ever television interview with Mitt's ex-Mormon second cousin Park Romney) and not a thing unfair in it; significantly adds to all the other content (linked) in this post]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrUWd_XLQI
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Mia Love: black, conservative, Mormon, GOP House candidate from Utah
Apr 24, 2012
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/meet-mia-love-black-conservative-mormon-running-congress-175550501.html [with comments]
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Black Mormons and the Politics of Identity
Being black, liberal and Mormon, Marguerite Dreissen represents a small but emerging point of view that is in stark contrast to the traditional profile of American Latter-day Saints, who tend to be conservative, Republican and white.
May 22, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY — When Marguerite Driessen, a professor here, entered Brigham Young University in the early 1980s, she was the first black person many Mormon students had ever met, and she spent a good bit of her college time debunking stereotypes about African-Americans. Then she converted to Mormonism herself, and went on to spend a good deal of her adult life correcting assumptions about Mormons.
So the matchup in this year’s presidential election comes as a watershed moment for her, symbolizing the hard-won acceptance of racial and religious minorities.
“A Mormon candidate and a black candidate? Who would have thunk?” Ms. Driessen said. “I think 30 years ago, we would not have had this choice.”
After examining the dual — and sometimes conflicting — identities, she has decided that she will cast her vote for President Obama over Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee. Ms. Driessen believes that there is plenty in the Book of Mormon to support Mr. Obama’s candidacy, and she likes to cite chapter and verse, like Mosiah 29:39 and 23:13.
“It says it is your job, people, to elect people who will protect your liberties,” said Ms. Driessen, a constitutional lawyer. “That is my standard.”
[...]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/us/for-black-mormons-a-political-choice-like-no-other.html [ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/us/for-black-mormons-a-political-choice-like-no-other.html?pagewanted=all ]
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BYU Closet Atheist Talks About LDS Church
Uploaded by iqlusionblogspot on Feb 20, 2011
A BYU senior talks about why she keeps quiet about her and her friends' atheism and what life is like as a member of the LDS (Mormon) Church. This is a fictionalized narrative based on the aggregated experiences of several BYU students. At Brigham Young University, if you publicly admit that the LDS Church seems untrue to you, you may be barred from graduating. Every BYU student has to be reviewed by his/her bishop to ensure he/she agrees enough with church teachings to be admitted to, and remain at, Brigham Young University.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RuKt7yMA9o
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"Hi, my name is Michelle and I'm an Ex Mormon."
Uploaded by iamanexmormon on Nov 19, 2010
http://www.i-am-an-exmormon.com/
http://www.postmormon.org/
http://www.exmormon.reddit.com
Having grown up in the Caribbean I remember hearing the wonderful stories about the temple. I was excited when I went to the temple for the first time to "take out my endowments." This is where it all started.
As I attended the temple over the following years, more things began to stand out for me.
Over the years I developed a coping mechanism for dealing with the questions I had about the temple. One lingering question I had, begged to know where the ceremony originated. I also felt that no one had prepared me for the experience and wondered why. So I came out of the temple that first day with a million questions swirling around in my head. Like a good Mormon should, I smiled, and said 'yes it was a wonderful experience" to anyone who asked, but on the ride home I was pretty quiet.
I did everything I was supposed to do as a faithful member of the church. Living the Mormon gospel was quite easy for me. The adjustment to married life was an easy transition. We were married in the Cardston, AB temple in 1994 and by the time I graduated from Ricks college I was several months pregnant.
On October 13 2006 I boarded a plane headed to Salt Lake City for my Sister in Laws' wedding to be held in the Salt Lake temple later that day. On that trip to Utah we visited with family and friends, toured the beehive house and saw the recent Joseph Smith movie produced by the Church. That movie marked the beginning of a journey that led me to some very important discoveries.
We were all very excited to see the recently produced Joseph Smith movie. I sat in that movie theatre and watched this very glorified depiction of Joseph Smiths' life while family and other viewers sniffled at the tear jerking scenes. I watched Joseph Smith being depicted as a model citizen teaching a young man how to treat his wife. It was all so perfect, too perfect. White washed propaganda is what came to mind as I sat there wanting, waiting, wondering if they would show the other wives that I was aware he had. I realized right then and there that if I were one of these visitors to Salt Lake City and this is the version of the Joseph Smith story I was given, it would be missing a whole lot. And then the thought came to mind, what else have they to hide? What else do I not know? What else are they not telling me? When the movie was finished I did not join in on any of the conversations about how great and touching the movie was. Under my breath I said to my husband, 'what about the other wives?' to which he quickly shushed me. Right then I knew there was probably more to the story and had to ask myself, "If polygamy was an eternal principle why are we ashamed of it?" I couldn't help but feel like the message of the restoration was first presented to my family in a similar fashion as this movies depiction of Joseph Smith.
Disingenuous, dishonest, crafty were all adjectives I could think of to express my opinion of the movie. The honest part of me would not allow loyalty to override my circuits. I had to find answers. I flew home to Canada and immediately started researching the one thing that bothered me the most about Mormonism. The temple. What I was finding out bothered me immensely but I didn't feel like I could talk to my husband about it. Boy was my husband scared when he checked the history on the computer. It was as if he'd seen a ghost when he came to our room that evening when we finally talked about it. By this time I knew about the blood oaths and other things that had been changed from the original ceremony. I knew quite a bit about Joseph's involvement in masonry and polygamy and along with being almost physically sick about the whole thing I was angry. A bull in a shop filled with red china wouldn't be an understatement as I confronted my husband with what I knew. His first response was to call it all lies being spouted by 'anti-Mormons'. He wanted me to promise not to read any more. To this request I took exception as I do not believe in censorship and I let him know how wrong it was for him to even suggest it. I wanted for us to determine what were lies and what was not. I pointed out all the disturbing facts without any opinions attached and let him know that I wasn't interested in an interpretation of the facts. The facts stood for themselves and the facts were disturbing according to my own frame of reference.
[CONTINUED ON WEBSITE]
To read Michelle's full story, please visit Michelle's post here:
http://www.iamanexmormon.com/2010/11/hi-my-name-is-michelle-and-im-an-ex-mormon-2/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bup4ydQ7jFQ
===
No charges to be filed in Utah 'Sister Wives' case
In this undated file photo (from http://blog.chron.com/tubular/2011/07/sister-wives-family-challenges-utah-bigamy-statute-in-court/ ) provided by TLC, Kody Brown, center, poses with his wives, from left, Janelle, Christine, Meri, and Robyn in a promotional photo for TLC's reality TV show, "Sister Wives." A Utah county attorney says he will not pursue criminal charges against this polygamous family made famous by a reality TV show. Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman says he has closed the case against Brown and his four wives.
(AP Photo/TLC, Bryant Livingston, File)
By BRIAN SKOLOFF | Associated Press – Thu, May 31, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Criminal charges will not be pursued against a polygamous family made famous by the reality TV show "Sister Wives," a Utah prosecutor wrote Thursday in federal court filings.
The case against Kody Brown and his four wives — Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn — stars of the TLC show, has been closed, Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman wrote in a motion seeking to have a lawsuit against his county dismissed.
Brown moved his wives and 16 children from Lehi, about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, to the Las Vegas area in January 2011 after Utah authorities launched a bigamy investigation.
The Browns then sued Utah County along with Utah's governor and attorney general, claiming the state's bigamy statute violates their constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, free exercise of religion, free speech and freedom of association.
A federal judge later dropped the state from the case but allowed it to continue against the county.
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups said he dismissed Gov. Gary Herbert and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff because Shurtleff had assured the Browns they wouldn't be prosecuted under his policy that consenting adult polygamists won't be charged as long as they're not committing other crimes.
However, Waddoups noted that the Browns had reason to believe they could still face prosecution in Utah County, and agreed it could have a chilling effect on their ability to practice their constitutional rights in the state.
Buhman wrote in his Thursday motion that his county, too, had adopted the same state policy and would not pursue bigamy cases unless there was evidence of a victim or fraud.
"The criminal case against the Browns is closed and no charges will be filed against them for bigamy unless new evidence is discovered which would comport with the office's new policy," Buhman wrote.
The Browns' attorney Jonathan Turley [yep, that Jonathan Turley, http://jonathanturley.org/2012/05/31/prosecutors-drop-investigation-of-brown-family-and-promise-not-to-prosecute-for-polygamy/ (. . .)] said he was pleased that charges wouldn't be filed but noted the family didn't plan to drop the lawsuit, claiming state law remained "blatantly unconstitutional."
"I want to express our great relief for the Brown family that this long-standing threat has been finally lifted," Turley said in a statement. "The family has spent years being publicly denounced as felons by prosecutors and had to move to Nevada to protect their family and children."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/no-charges-filed-utah-sister-wives-case-001048400.html [with comments] [ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gG43kfmbbXo4vD3GDhAwTMU_ijqQ?docId=ed5a6291a4264b16af8e1815cdb82dc9 ]
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Bias Bingo: How Cognitive Bias Generates Belief
Uploaded by AntiCitizenX on Sep 12, 2008
This video presents a case study of a typical (in fact, randomly selected) talk from the LDS General Conference. Throughout the talk, we pick out textbook bases of psychological manipulation, and show how they are used to instill ill-founded beliefs into the audience.
This demonstration represents how virtually all religious beliefs are generated. Basic human cognitive bias is brazenly exploited, while objective skepticism is frowned upon or ignored. Because the entire process is inherently manipulative and dishonest, such activity only serves as evidence against the integrity of religious beliefs.
All video of Dallin Oaks is taken WITHOUT permission from www.lds.org, and used under the criticism clause of the Fair Use Act. If the owners of this material wish me to remove it, please contact me.
This video is provided copyright free for educational purposes only. You may freely download it and copy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBXxJJfX3Nk
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Mormon Elder Exposed!
Uploaded by MormonsofSanPasqual on Oct 1, 2007
Another LDS missionary showing his true colors!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfmuse_jDjk
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Mormon Missionaries Meet their Match!
Uploaded by Boyin747 on Jun 28, 2008
Two Mormon missionaries knock on the door of a sweet old lady. Watch her response!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0p4_GGDbS0 [also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJI9eqOs1Nw ]
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Idaho calls 'Five Wives Vodka' offensive to Mormon church
Five Wives Vodka
Ogden's Own Distillery
[ http://ogdensown.com/ ;
http://ogdensown.com/news/item/41-five-wives-vodka-general-listed-by-state-of-utah.html ]
JOHN MILLER
Associated Press
Updated: 5/29/2012 2:12 pm | Published: 5/29/2012 2:00 pm
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Idaho liquor regulators say a Utah liquor named "Five Wives Vodka" is in bad taste and they won't stock bottles or take special orders at state-owned stores.
The middle-shelf vodka is from a distillery in Utah, where the Mormon church is based. The label shows five women tucking up their skirts.
Idaho regulators told a distributor for Ogden's Own Distillery that the brand's concept is offensive to a large part of the state's residents. State Liquor Division administrator Jeff Anderson says the brand is offensive to Mormons who make up over a quarter of Idaho's population.
All liquor in Idaho has to be purchased in stores run by the state. Anderson says they carry hundreds of vodka brands and "Fives Wives" is nothing special.
Miller reported from Boise, Idaho.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/Idaho-calls-Five-Wives-Vodka-offensive-to-Mormon/LxPJzw6u1Eub43FxxalEcw.cspx [with comments]
*
Free the Five Wives t-shirt
http://www.ogdensownstore.com/product/freewives
*
Five Wives Vodka will sponsor Boise Music Festival
06/02/2012
BOISE, Idaho -- Ogden's Own Distillery owners say overwhelming community support has caused them to reconsider pulling out of the Boise Music Festival even though Five Wives Vodka won't likely be available for purchase in Idaho.
"We are absolutely humbled by the support of the people in our neighboring state," said Steve Conlin, partner and vice president of marketing for Ogden's Own Distillery. "We've sold so many T-shirts to Idaho residents that we think it is only fair to give those proceeds back in sponsorship dollars."
More than 1,000 "Free the Five Wives" T-shirts were sold during the past three days and sales continue at a brisk pace, the company said. It will use the proceeds from Idaho sales of the shirts to sponsor the music festival at the level they had originally committed.
"We feel bad that we can't get the shirts out fast enough," Conlin said.
Despite the fact that Five Wives Vodka won't celebrate its entry into the Idaho market at the event, Underground Herbal Spirit, the company's other product will be there.
Conlin also said the company spoke with its legal council Friday morning and is considering options regarding the Idaho's disallowing of special orders of Five Wives Vodka. A decision regarding the next step is expect the first of next week.
"Honestly, we're getting a little tired of the description of our product that is being given by the state of Idaho and it is apparent that many people don't agree with Jeff Anderson," Conlin said. "We're a high-quality product at a great price. I'd like to see his tasting credentials to determine we're average. Our customers disagree."
The company is receiving a number of requests for online purchase. Due to many state laws, the company cannot ship directly, but is hoping to have an online distributor available in 26 states early next week.
Five Wives Vodka is made with Wasatch mountain spring water in Utah. It is distributed in Utah, Wyoming and will be added to Missouri and Texas within the next 30 days.
Ogden's Own Distillery is a micro-distillery located in Ogden, Utah. It is Ogden's first licensed distillery since the 1800s. Its first product, Underground Herbal Spirit, captures the feeling of the rowdy, early days of Ogden. Underground Herbal Spirit won a "Double Gold" award at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Copyright 2012 The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho)
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/06/02/five-wives-vodka-will-sponsor-boise-music-festival [no comments yet]
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Family Guy: "Joseph Smith Discovering the Book of Mormon"
Uploaded by Grindael on May 18, 2011
Clip from Family Guy Episode "Foreign Affairs" where Peter teaches Meg & Chris about 'The History Of The World' & how Joseph Smith discovers the Book of Mormon...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggy62PrEiuk
===
(linked in):
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=65740421 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=71568915 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75271936 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75318171 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75537322 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75782089 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=76074392 and preceding and following
Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6
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