Denver Post:
LDS's can-do spirit
From its canneries to its charities, Mormon Church helps others help selves
By Electa Draper
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/28/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints operates a cannery in Aurora. Volunteers were busy canning peaches on Tuesday at the facility called Bishops' Storehouse. Women fill cans with halved peaches. Clockwise from left: Cindy Tibbitts,
Deseret - "the brand that money can't buy" - appears on the Mormon-made goods, from soap to beef, and serves as an emblem for a unique private welfare system that blankets the globe.
The Mormons have built a network of 751 storehouses, canneries, thrift stores, family-services providers, and employment and literacy centers to serve 13 million members worldwide.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides milk and cheese from its own dairies, beef from its own ranches, nuts from its own orchards, and bread from its own farms and bakeries.
Church trucks, part of Deseret Transportation, deliver the goods.
"Many churches have a lot of programs, but the comprehensive nature of what they're doing is unique," said Jan Shipps, an emeritus professor of religion at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.
The Mormon Church's bounty and efficiency regularly spill over into global disaster relief.
Within two days of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Peru on Aug. 15, the church had dispatched a 747 cargo plane with emergency supplies from its headquarters in Salt Lake City.
When the 2004 tsunami hit Indonesia and surrounding areas, church leaders asked relief agencies what they needed most but couldn't get.
The church then found a Chinese supplier that could deliver 50,000 body bags to the region within two days.
1985 and 2006, the church donated cash of more than $201 million and goods of more than $705 million in disaster relief to 163 countries.
"The church doesn't try to make a big splash," said Lynn Southam, a member of the church's lay clergy in Aurora and a stake president. "It just quietly gets things done."
In Aurora, a Mormon welfare complex called the Bishop's Storehouse sprawls over 48,000 square feet below four towering grain silos.
The center dispenses everything
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints operates a cannery in Aurora. Volunteers were busy canning peaches on Tuesday at the facility called Bishops' Storehouse. The peaches are skinned and cut and head for the tin cans. (Post / Lyn Alweis)
from pudding to job-hunting advice to laid-off corporate executives.
The church welfare system, founded in 1937 when 35 percent of Utah workers were out of jobs, has been cited by varying administrations - from President Ronald Reagan to Clinton administration Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala.
The church says three things are key to making its system hum: missionaries, donations and "an underlying principle of self-reliance."
The church requires members to tithe - paying the church 10 percent of their income.
The money is invested in commercial assets and for-profit ventures.
LDS Welfare Services is supported separately through voluntary contributions from church members, who fast the first Sunday of each month and donate at least the value of the meals.
Beyond donations, what makes the system work are volunteers.
While the world has learned to recognize the black-suited, tie-wearing 19-year-olds crisscrossing towns on bikes or worn-out shoes as the 60,000 convert-seeking foot soldiers in the Mormon missionary army, they are only the vanguard.
There are also more than 3,500 full-time missionaries working in the welfare system as an almost invisible corps. Last year, they dedicated more than 623,153 days of labor around the world.
In Aurora, technical director Richard Clark manages the food operation - which makes 50 different products - with two other
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints operates a cannery in Aurora. Volunteers were busy canning peaches on Tuesday at the facility called Bishops' Storehouse. Peter Polis, Cannery Foreman, moves a basket full of canned peaches from a pressure cooker to a cooling bath. (Post / Lyn Alweis)
paid staff.
The specialty at the Aurora cannery, which processes everything from peaches to macaroni, is tomato soup.
The church makes its peanut butter in Houston. A center in Kaysville, Utah, produces cake mixes and gelatin.
"Those who get this help are expected to work for it. It is always temporary help," Southam said. "Anyone who thinks that the church is there for a free lunch day after day would be sorely disappointed."
The Aurora complex also includes a job-training center, staffed by 34 missionaries and two paid supervisors.
They handle 1,400 job candidates, including 15 percent who aren't Mormon, for 600 to 800 employers.
"Before you can teach a man anything about Christ, he has to be able to take care of his family," said employment-services manager Keith Handy.
Another facet of the Aurora complex is a family counseling center, where volunteer licensed professionals and two full-time managers offer help with everything from addiction recovery to adoption assistance.
The word deseret, translated as honey bee, is from the Book of Mormon scripture Ether 2:3, which founding prophet Joseph Smith unearthed in 1823. It tells the story of Jesus on the American continent after his resurrection in Jerusalem.
The third pillar of LDS Welfare Services, alongside relief for needy members and humanitarian outreach, is steady support for all Mormon families.
Church members are encouraged to have a one-year supply of food stored at home - ready for anything from a blizzard to a lost job. So, church members can come to a cannery, help out and, for the price of the raw food and the container, leave with canned goods.
"My family is big on the canned chicken," said Ron Franklin, of Aurora, another stake president. "It's also a lot of fun coming here."
Barry Osborne contributed to this story.
Staff writer Electa Draper can be reached at 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com.
MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
13 million
Worldwide
6 million
United States
131,241
Colorado
55,000
Front Range
NO FREE LUNCH
"Those who get this help are expected to work for it. It is always temporary help. Anyone who thinks that the church is there for a free lunch day after day would be sorely disappointed."
Lynn Southam, a member of the church's lay clergy in Aurora and a stake president
Friday, August 31, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Problems with film
The Arizona Board of the National Conference of Christians an Jews said this about the "Godmakers" film in 1984:
"Because showing of The Godmakers is an Integral part of the program of the Concerned Christians group, we offer these opinions based on our viewing of the film, research and reflection. The film does not - in our opinion - fairly portray the Mormon Church, Mormon history, or Mormon belief. It makes extensive use of "half-truth," faulty generalizations, erroneous interpretations, and sensationalism. It is not reflective of the genuine spirit of the Mormon faith.
"We believe that most fair-minded people who would happen to view this film would be appalled by it, because their attitudes have been previously formed through many day-by-day experiences with Mormons which demonstrate that they are good friends, neighbors and fellow citizens. There are, unfortunately, some who lack adequate knowledge about the Mormon faith, who may unwarily be misled by this film. We recommend to all persons that they utilize every opportunity for face-to-face dialogue with their neighbors in an atmosphere of mutual respect."
"Because showing of The Godmakers is an Integral part of the program of the Concerned Christians group, we offer these opinions based on our viewing of the film, research and reflection. The film does not - in our opinion - fairly portray the Mormon Church, Mormon history, or Mormon belief. It makes extensive use of "half-truth," faulty generalizations, erroneous interpretations, and sensationalism. It is not reflective of the genuine spirit of the Mormon faith.
"We believe that most fair-minded people who would happen to view this film would be appalled by it, because their attitudes have been previously formed through many day-by-day experiences with Mormons which demonstrate that they are good friends, neighbors and fellow citizens. There are, unfortunately, some who lack adequate knowledge about the Mormon faith, who may unwarily be misled by this film. We recommend to all persons that they utilize every opportunity for face-to-face dialogue with their neighbors in an atmosphere of mutual respect."
Mormon Youth Statistics
Christ-Like Lives:
The 2005 National Study of Youth and Religion published by UNC-Chapel Hill found that Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) youth (ages 13 to 17) were more likely to exhibit these Christian characteristics than Evangelicals (the next most observant group):
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LDS . . . Evangelical
Attend Religious Services weekly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71% . . . . 55%
Importance of Religious Faith in shaping daily life –
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . extremely important .. 52. . . . . . . 28
Believes in life after death . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 . . . . . . 62
Believes in psychics or fortune-tellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . 5
Has taught religious education classes . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 42 . . . . . . 28
Has fasted or denied something as spiritual discipline . . . . . . .. . 68 . . . . . . 22
Sabbath Observance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 . . . . . . 40
Shared religious faith with someone not of their faith . . . . . . . . .. 72 . . . . . . 56
Family talks about God, scriptures, prayer daily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . 19
Supportiveness of church for parent in trying to raise teen
(very supportive) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 . . . . . . 26
Church congregation has done an excellent job in helping
Teens better understand their own sexuality and sexual morality . . . . 84 . . . . . . 35
The 2005 National Study of Youth and Religion published by UNC-Chapel Hill found that Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) youth (ages 13 to 17) were more likely to exhibit these Christian characteristics than Evangelicals (the next most observant group):
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LDS . . . Evangelical
Attend Religious Services weekly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71% . . . . 55%
Importance of Religious Faith in shaping daily life –
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . extremely important .. 52. . . . . . . 28
Believes in life after death . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 . . . . . . 62
Believes in psychics or fortune-tellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . 5
Has taught religious education classes . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 42 . . . . . . 28
Has fasted or denied something as spiritual discipline . . . . . . .. . 68 . . . . . . 22
Sabbath Observance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 . . . . . . 40
Shared religious faith with someone not of their faith . . . . . . . . .. 72 . . . . . . 56
Family talks about God, scriptures, prayer daily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . 19
Supportiveness of church for parent in trying to raise teen
(very supportive) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 . . . . . . 26
Church congregation has done an excellent job in helping
Teens better understand their own sexuality and sexual morality . . . . 84 . . . . . . 35
Christ-Like Lives:
The 2005 National Study of Youth and Religion published by UNC-Chapel Hill found that Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) youth (ages 13 to 17) were more likely to exhibit these Christian characteristics than Evangelicals (the next most observant group):
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LDS . . . Evangelical
Attend Religious Services weekly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71% . . . . 55%
Importance of Religious Faith in shaping daily life –
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . extremely important .. 52. . . . . . . 28
Believes in life after death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 . . . . . . 62
Believes in psychics or fortune-tellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . 5
Has taught religious education classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 . . . . . . 28
Has fasted or denied something as spiritual discipline . . . . . . . . . . . 68 . . . . . . 22
Sabbath Observance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 . . . . . . 40
Shared religious faith with someone not of their faith . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 . . . . . . 56
Family talks about God, scriptures, prayer daily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . 19
Supportiveness of church for parent in trying to raise teen
(very supportive) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 . . . . . . 26
Church congregation has done an excellent job in helping
Teens better understand their own sexuality and sexual morality . . . . 84 . . . . . . 35
The 2005 National Study of Youth and Religion published by UNC-Chapel Hill found that Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) youth (ages 13 to 17) were more likely to exhibit these Christian characteristics than Evangelicals (the next most observant group):
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LDS . . . Evangelical
Attend Religious Services weekly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71% . . . . 55%
Importance of Religious Faith in shaping daily life –
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . extremely important .. 52. . . . . . . 28
Believes in life after death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 . . . . . . 62
Believes in psychics or fortune-tellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . 5
Has taught religious education classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 . . . . . . 28
Has fasted or denied something as spiritual discipline . . . . . . . . . . . 68 . . . . . . 22
Sabbath Observance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 . . . . . . 40
Shared religious faith with someone not of their faith . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 . . . . . . 56
Family talks about God, scriptures, prayer daily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . 19
Supportiveness of church for parent in trying to raise teen
(very supportive) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 . . . . . . 26
Church congregation has done an excellent job in helping
Teens better understand their own sexuality and sexual morality . . . . 84 . . . . . . 35
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Mormon Youth Help Eradicate Measles in Guatemala
Mormon Youth Help Eradicate Measles in Guatemala
GUATEMALA CITY — Twenty thousand young adults from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are working with the Pan American Health Organization and the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance to help eradicate measles and rubella.
In a ceremony officially launching the anti-measles campaign, Óscar Berger, president of Guatemala, gave the first vaccination to one of the waiting children.
Drawing attention to the free vaccinations, Mormon young adults spent several Saturdays going door-to-door providing information about measles and the benefits of being vaccinated. Additionally, a radio campaign helped spread the word. Over 60 Guatemalan radio stations carried a Church-produced jingle in Spanish, English and other languages spoken in the country.
President Óscar Berger gives the first immunization shot to a local school student.
© 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
As a result of the measles vaccination campaign, over 6.5 million Guatemalan men, women and children between the ages of 9 and 39 have been vaccinated."]It is hoped that 7.3 million total will be vaccinated before the campaign ends.
The Church has also provided financial assistance and supplies to the campaign.
The involvement of the Church in the worldwide fight against measles began in 2003. Last year the Church participated in measles vaccination campaigns in Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
This article was prepared by the LDS Newsroom at LDS.org.
GUATEMALA CITY — Twenty thousand young adults from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are working with the Pan American Health Organization and the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance to help eradicate measles and rubella.
In a ceremony officially launching the anti-measles campaign, Óscar Berger, president of Guatemala, gave the first vaccination to one of the waiting children.
Drawing attention to the free vaccinations, Mormon young adults spent several Saturdays going door-to-door providing information about measles and the benefits of being vaccinated. Additionally, a radio campaign helped spread the word. Over 60 Guatemalan radio stations carried a Church-produced jingle in Spanish, English and other languages spoken in the country.
President Óscar Berger gives the first immunization shot to a local school student.
© 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
As a result of the measles vaccination campaign, over 6.5 million Guatemalan men, women and children between the ages of 9 and 39 have been vaccinated."]It is hoped that 7.3 million total will be vaccinated before the campaign ends.
The Church has also provided financial assistance and supplies to the campaign.
The involvement of the Church in the worldwide fight against measles began in 2003. Last year the Church participated in measles vaccination campaigns in Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
This article was prepared by the LDS Newsroom at LDS.org.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
BYU Students Invent Coconut Bio Fuel
BYU Students Turn Coconut Oil Into Fuel
PROVO Some BYU students have found a use for coconuts often left to rot on the ground in Tonga.
The engineering students were challenged to find a fuel source from materials found in the island nation.
The students ended up creating a process for turning coconut oil into biodiesel.
It's an idea that could have a big impact in Tonga.
Most everything in the South Pacific country runs on diesel -- which must be imported.
Coconut oil was once a major export for the country but was pushed out of favor by soybean oil. The new process could allow the Tongan people to create their own fuel using plentiful coconuts.
To make the fuel, methanol and sodium hydroxide would have to be imported, but those are much cheaper than importing diesel fuel.
http://kutv.com/local/local_story_151095835.html
PROVO Some BYU students have found a use for coconuts often left to rot on the ground in Tonga.
The engineering students were challenged to find a fuel source from materials found in the island nation.
The students ended up creating a process for turning coconut oil into biodiesel.
It's an idea that could have a big impact in Tonga.
Most everything in the South Pacific country runs on diesel -- which must be imported.
Coconut oil was once a major export for the country but was pushed out of favor by soybean oil. The new process could allow the Tongan people to create their own fuel using plentiful coconuts.
To make the fuel, methanol and sodium hydroxide would have to be imported, but those are much cheaper than importing diesel fuel.
http://kutv.com/local/local_story_151095835.html
Thursday, May 3, 2007
LDS Water Project Benefits Malaysian Villages
SARAWAK, Malaysia — Fifteen Malaysian villages in the outlying Simunjan Junction area of Sarawak now have a reliable supply of clean water, thanks to help from Latter-day Saint Charities, a humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Using supplies provided by Latter-day Saint Charities, some 100 villagers, young and old, worked together to enlarge a dam and lay a three-inch pipeline to communities in this area, all within just a few months’ time.
“It is easy to take clean water for granted,” said George Mak, a Church spokesman based in Hong Kong who has witnessed many Mormon projects throughout Asia. “But when a dam or well or some other supply is brought to a village — adults, children — it’s an emotional thing to see."
When clean water was available in the past, it was often limited in quantity and only to be found several miles away. This would take a person away from family and work, and children away from their classes, for hours at a time.
Humanitarian projects sponsored by the Church encourage participation by locals where possible. Emphasis is placed on helping people to help themselves and to become more self-reliant.
At a ceremony to mark the completion of the project, village leader Chief Augustine expressed gratitude to all who had brought fresh water to his people: “Only heaven knows how we will be able to say thank you.” Other villagers and guests spoke at the ceremony, including a member of the Malaysian Federal Parliament, Jimmy Donald.
The ceremony was held near the dam where the pipeline starts. Normally this area is reached by climbing very rugged terrain, but the villagers had cut and dug a trail through the jungle. This included making several hand-lashed bamboo bridges across the treacherous ravines for the benefit of visitors. At the conclusion of the ceremony, officials turned on the valve, allowing water to flow into the small holding reservoir.
This article was written by the LDS Newsroom of LDS.org.
Using supplies provided by Latter-day Saint Charities, some 100 villagers, young and old, worked together to enlarge a dam and lay a three-inch pipeline to communities in this area, all within just a few months’ time.
“It is easy to take clean water for granted,” said George Mak, a Church spokesman based in Hong Kong who has witnessed many Mormon projects throughout Asia. “But when a dam or well or some other supply is brought to a village — adults, children — it’s an emotional thing to see."
When clean water was available in the past, it was often limited in quantity and only to be found several miles away. This would take a person away from family and work, and children away from their classes, for hours at a time.
Humanitarian projects sponsored by the Church encourage participation by locals where possible. Emphasis is placed on helping people to help themselves and to become more self-reliant.
At a ceremony to mark the completion of the project, village leader Chief Augustine expressed gratitude to all who had brought fresh water to his people: “Only heaven knows how we will be able to say thank you.” Other villagers and guests spoke at the ceremony, including a member of the Malaysian Federal Parliament, Jimmy Donald.
The ceremony was held near the dam where the pipeline starts. Normally this area is reached by climbing very rugged terrain, but the villagers had cut and dug a trail through the jungle. This included making several hand-lashed bamboo bridges across the treacherous ravines for the benefit of visitors. At the conclusion of the ceremony, officials turned on the valve, allowing water to flow into the small holding reservoir.
This article was written by the LDS Newsroom of LDS.org.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Mormon Mother of the Year
A mom for any occasion
By Carol Reeves
Ilene Barlow has seen practically everything, but the Mother of the Year never stops learning
Ilene Barlow is a talented musician, a longtime Hewlett-Packard employee and a two-time cancer survivor, but she believes her greatest accomplishment in life is being a mother.
With 10 children and 20 grandchildren, Barlow has hosted numerous birthday parties, attended countless athletic events and sat through far more recitals than most moms since she and her late husband, an engineer with HP, transferred from the Bay Area to Corvallis in 1976.
Recently Barlow was awarded the title Mother of the Year by the Oregon chapter of American Mothers Inc. One of her sons nominated her for the award, and winning it makes her eligible for the national title to be announced at AMI’s annual conference next month.
AMI is a 70-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the moral and spiritual foundations of families through mentoring programs, online resources and service projects, Barlow explained.
One of the things she hopes to share with other mothers in Oregon is “how important it is to constantly be in a learning mode through reading, teaching classes or learning from others.”
Active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and as a piano and organ teacher, Barlow was also a 4-H and Boy Scouts volunteer while her children were growing up.
All of the Barlow children attended Hoover Elementary School, Cheldelin Middle School and Crescent Valley High School. Now most of them have families of their own and have moved away, to Washington, Arizona and Hawaii. One daughter lives in Albany and one of her sons lives in Portland. Two others attend college in Idaho and Utah.
The key to being a good mother is “you have to really love being with your children,” Barlow says.
“I really don’t think this award is just about me. It’s about honoring all mothers. I just get to be a spokesman to promote the value of motherhood throughout the state of Oregon,” she said.
Carol Reeves covers religion for the Gazette-Times.
Ilene Barlow
Age: 62.
Residence: Corvallis.
Occupation: Change management coordinator at Hewlett-Packard.
Education: 1962 graduate of North Cache High School; attended Utah State University.
Family: Husband Elwood Barlow (deceased); five daughters and four sons, ages 23 to 39 (the couple’s oldest daughter, Rochelle, died from meningitis at age 17 in 1987); 20 grandchildren.
Misc.: Named Oregon’s Mother of the Year by American Mothers Inc.
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2007/04/08/news/focus/afocus01_barlow.txt
By Carol Reeves
Ilene Barlow has seen practically everything, but the Mother of the Year never stops learning
Ilene Barlow is a talented musician, a longtime Hewlett-Packard employee and a two-time cancer survivor, but she believes her greatest accomplishment in life is being a mother.
With 10 children and 20 grandchildren, Barlow has hosted numerous birthday parties, attended countless athletic events and sat through far more recitals than most moms since she and her late husband, an engineer with HP, transferred from the Bay Area to Corvallis in 1976.
Recently Barlow was awarded the title Mother of the Year by the Oregon chapter of American Mothers Inc. One of her sons nominated her for the award, and winning it makes her eligible for the national title to be announced at AMI’s annual conference next month.
AMI is a 70-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the moral and spiritual foundations of families through mentoring programs, online resources and service projects, Barlow explained.
One of the things she hopes to share with other mothers in Oregon is “how important it is to constantly be in a learning mode through reading, teaching classes or learning from others.”
Active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and as a piano and organ teacher, Barlow was also a 4-H and Boy Scouts volunteer while her children were growing up.
All of the Barlow children attended Hoover Elementary School, Cheldelin Middle School and Crescent Valley High School. Now most of them have families of their own and have moved away, to Washington, Arizona and Hawaii. One daughter lives in Albany and one of her sons lives in Portland. Two others attend college in Idaho and Utah.
The key to being a good mother is “you have to really love being with your children,” Barlow says.
“I really don’t think this award is just about me. It’s about honoring all mothers. I just get to be a spokesman to promote the value of motherhood throughout the state of Oregon,” she said.
Carol Reeves covers religion for the Gazette-Times.
Ilene Barlow
Age: 62.
Residence: Corvallis.
Occupation: Change management coordinator at Hewlett-Packard.
Education: 1962 graduate of North Cache High School; attended Utah State University.
Family: Husband Elwood Barlow (deceased); five daughters and four sons, ages 23 to 39 (the couple’s oldest daughter, Rochelle, died from meningitis at age 17 in 1987); 20 grandchildren.
Misc.: Named Oregon’s Mother of the Year by American Mothers Inc.
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2007/04/08/news/focus/afocus01_barlow.txt
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Beauty of Mormon Women
By my BYU philosophy professor, Truman G. Madsen
My wife and I were interviewed a time ago by the very man who interviewed President
Hinckley, Mike Wallace. We were at the open house of Manhattan Temple. At some point in
our chat with him (by the way, he has great regard for President Hinckley), he said something
like this, looking at my wife, “Why are Mormon women so lovely?” We learned later that he has
not had a happy married life; he’s had four wives (not simultaneously). Before Ann could
answer, I was thinking of Parley P. Pratt, and I said, “It’s the best-kept beauty secret in the
world. It is the Spirit of God.” Parley P. Pratt says, “It contributes to beauty of face, form, and
feature.”
Then he turned to Ann, and she said, “It’s fidelity.” That’s a great answer. She had in
mind fidelity in the sense of honoring and keeping our covenants with Christ, but also honoring
our covenants with each other: fidelity in marriage. And also faithfulness in marking and
walking the path that Christ has laid out for us. That does make a difference, even in our
physical appearance.
I testify that that is so. I believe that in the Church itself not everyone is aware of how
conspicuous that beauty and that light is in the eyes and faces of the faithful, but those who have
the same spirit recognize it. Jesus said once, “My sheep know my voice and my sheep know
me” (see John 10:27) I suggest to you that the Lord’s sheep know his other sheep and recognize
when he is at work in their lives and they have the Spirit. That is a temple outcome. It comes
with worship and honoring in the sanctuary.
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:0mxNwNp--nsJ:www.trumanmadsen.com/media/FoundationsofTempleWorship.pdf+truman+madsen%2Bresurrection&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us&client=safari
My wife and I were interviewed a time ago by the very man who interviewed President
Hinckley, Mike Wallace. We were at the open house of Manhattan Temple. At some point in
our chat with him (by the way, he has great regard for President Hinckley), he said something
like this, looking at my wife, “Why are Mormon women so lovely?” We learned later that he has
not had a happy married life; he’s had four wives (not simultaneously). Before Ann could
answer, I was thinking of Parley P. Pratt, and I said, “It’s the best-kept beauty secret in the
world. It is the Spirit of God.” Parley P. Pratt says, “It contributes to beauty of face, form, and
feature.”
Then he turned to Ann, and she said, “It’s fidelity.” That’s a great answer. She had in
mind fidelity in the sense of honoring and keeping our covenants with Christ, but also honoring
our covenants with each other: fidelity in marriage. And also faithfulness in marking and
walking the path that Christ has laid out for us. That does make a difference, even in our
physical appearance.
I testify that that is so. I believe that in the Church itself not everyone is aware of how
conspicuous that beauty and that light is in the eyes and faces of the faithful, but those who have
the same spirit recognize it. Jesus said once, “My sheep know my voice and my sheep know
me” (see John 10:27) I suggest to you that the Lord’s sheep know his other sheep and recognize
when he is at work in their lives and they have the Spirit. That is a temple outcome. It comes
with worship and honoring in the sanctuary.
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:0mxNwNp--nsJ:www.trumanmadsen.com/media/FoundationsofTempleWorship.pdf+truman+madsen%2Bresurrection&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us&client=safari
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Apostle and Nuclear Physicist
Elder Scott & Admiral Rickover [Ensign, June 1997, “Do What Is Right”, pp. 52-53]
Elder Richard G. Scott tells a story of how he worked for 11 years for Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy. Elder Scott received a call from the First Presidency to preside over a mission. He informed Admiral Rickover that he would have to quit. Admiral Rickover became upset, swore, broke the paper tray on his desk, and accused him of being a traitor to his country.
He said “I never will talk to you again. You are finished, not only here, but don’t ever plan to work in the nuclear field again ... If that’s the way Mormons act, I don’t want any of them working for me.”
Elder Scott was concerned that other members of the Church would be hurt, but the Spirit told him to do what is right, let the consequence follow. Over the next two months, Elder Scott trained his replacement. The Admiral ceased to speak to him and they had to communicate through a third party.
Elder Scott then tells what happened next:
My last day in the office I asked for an appointment with him. His secretary gasped. I went with a copy of the Book of Mormon in my hand. He looked at me and said, “Sit down, Scott, what do you have? I have tried every way I can to force you to change. What is it you have?” There followed a very interesting, quiet conversation. There was more listening this time. He said he would read the Book of Mormon. Then something I never thought would occur happened. He added: “When you come back from the mission, I want you to call me. There will be a job for you.”
From Elder Scott’s experience, we learn that we must be committed to do the right thing no matter the cost. We must trust the Lord. Also, we must not give up on those who seem to be in the opposition. Hearts can be changed.
Elder Scott & Admiral Rickover [Ensign, June 1997, “Do What Is Right”, pp. 52-53]
**Elder Scott performed our wedding ceremony in 1982
Elder Richard G. Scott tells a story of how he worked for 11 years for Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy. Elder Scott received a call from the First Presidency to preside over a mission. He informed Admiral Rickover that he would have to quit. Admiral Rickover became upset, swore, broke the paper tray on his desk, and accused him of being a traitor to his country.
He said “I never will talk to you again. You are finished, not only here, but don’t ever plan to work in the nuclear field again ... If that’s the way Mormons act, I don’t want any of them working for me.”
Elder Scott was concerned that other members of the Church would be hurt, but the Spirit told him to do what is right, let the consequence follow. Over the next two months, Elder Scott trained his replacement. The Admiral ceased to speak to him and they had to communicate through a third party.
Elder Scott then tells what happened next:
My last day in the office I asked for an appointment with him. His secretary gasped. I went with a copy of the Book of Mormon in my hand. He looked at me and said, “Sit down, Scott, what do you have? I have tried every way I can to force you to change. What is it you have?” There followed a very interesting, quiet conversation. There was more listening this time. He said he would read the Book of Mormon. Then something I never thought would occur happened. He added: “When you come back from the mission, I want you to call me. There will be a job for you.”
From Elder Scott’s experience, we learn that we must be committed to do the right thing no matter the cost. We must trust the Lord. Also, we must not give up on those who seem to be in the opposition. Hearts can be changed.
Elder Scott & Admiral Rickover [Ensign, June 1997, “Do What Is Right”, pp. 52-53]
**Elder Scott performed our wedding ceremony in 1982
Trolley Square Victims pray for attacker's family
AJ lost his father outside Trolley Square when the shooter ambused them in the parking lot. This article reveals a pattern of by the LDS victims and the LDS community to not feel angry, but to pray for the shooter and his parents.
"We're survivors," Vickie said. "We choose happiness."
The toys, she said, don't matter. And she'll continue to work as a sales rep to bring in money. Vickie doesn't want anyone to think she's looking for sympathy.
The family could be angry at Talovic, but they're not.
"I'm not mad at him," AJ said. "I'm sad over what happened, the choices he made."
AJ and his mother look at each other and agree that Talovic may have had some mental issues. As a parent, Vickie might be angry at Talovic's parents, who buried their own son in their Bosnian homeland just a few days after AJ returned home to South Jordan.
"My heart just aches for them," Vickie said about Sabira and Suljo Talovic, Sulejman Talovic's parents. "Every time I pray for us, I pray for them."
In the next breath, Vickie talks about how AJ lost his best friend and she lost "the love of my life."
For the first time in more than an hour of talking about Feb. 12 with a reporter, she starts to cry. The whole point of waiting until now to speak with media about the shooting was to make sure she and AJ were emotionally ready.
"We just can't go there," she said to herself, trying to regain her composure on a couch inside her home, sitting next to AJ. "Being happy and trying to help others will help mend our hearts."
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660207692,00.html
"We're survivors," Vickie said. "We choose happiness."
The toys, she said, don't matter. And she'll continue to work as a sales rep to bring in money. Vickie doesn't want anyone to think she's looking for sympathy.
The family could be angry at Talovic, but they're not.
"I'm not mad at him," AJ said. "I'm sad over what happened, the choices he made."
AJ and his mother look at each other and agree that Talovic may have had some mental issues. As a parent, Vickie might be angry at Talovic's parents, who buried their own son in their Bosnian homeland just a few days after AJ returned home to South Jordan.
"My heart just aches for them," Vickie said about Sabira and Suljo Talovic, Sulejman Talovic's parents. "Every time I pray for us, I pray for them."
In the next breath, Vickie talks about how AJ lost his best friend and she lost "the love of my life."
For the first time in more than an hour of talking about Feb. 12 with a reporter, she starts to cry. The whole point of waiting until now to speak with media about the shooting was to make sure she and AJ were emotionally ready.
"We just can't go there," she said to herself, trying to regain her composure on a couch inside her home, sitting next to AJ. "Being happy and trying to help others will help mend our hearts."
http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660207692,00.html
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
BYU Scholars target "Jesus Tomb" Claims
Y. scholars target 'Jesus Tomb' claims
By Carrie A. Moore
Deseret Morning News
Several professors at Brigham Young University are joining a chorus of scholarly voices debunking the claim in a new book that Jesus was buried with his family in a tomb outside early Jerusalem — rather than resurrected, as the New Testament gospels say.
A television crew stands next to the sealed entrance to a cave in Jerusalem that is the subject of a documentary film. "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" aired earlier this month on the Discovery Channel.
"The Jesus Family Tomb," written by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino, ranked 10th on last week's New York Times' best seller list in the nonfiction category. But the majority of biblical scholars who are familiar with the work say it is little more than a slick blending of heavy fiction with slim fact.
The book's story line was also recently the subject of a controversial documentary, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," which aired earlier this month on the Discovery Channel. It shows ossuaries — stone boxes — containing what the authors say are likely the bones of Jesus, his mother, Mary, as well as Mary Magdalene, and a purported "son" of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, known as "Judah," along with others.
It also says that an ossuary found a few years ago and inscribed in Aramaic with the name "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" was once part of the "family tomb" collection.
Richard Holzapfel, managing director of the Religious Studies Center at BYU, has gathered a team of fellow scholars who will discuss what he said are the book's numerous misinterpretations and manipulations of archaeological data and historical interpretation during a conference on Saturday, April 7.
"Behold the Lamb of God," will be held at the Joseph Smith Building Auditorium at BYU and will feature the panel discussion including Holzapfel, Jeffrey Chadwick, Kent Jackson, Frank Judd and Thomas Wayment.
The group sat down recently with the Deseret Morning News to give a preview of some of the issues.
The book and film assume that only family members were buried in such tombs, Holzapfel said. "But we have evidence that some non-family members were put in such tombs." The stone boxes were often used to hold the bones of multiple people, he said.
"Just by studying the bones, they are different bodies. So we know the burial box could contain multiple people."
As an archaeologist who has done excavation work in Israel, Chadwick said the fact that Jewish, Christian and secular scholars almost uniformly reject the assertions in the book and movie is telling. "Jewish and secular scholars have no reason to want to make the case for or against this" other than their interpretation of historical artifacts and records, he said.
Jackson said not only were the names Jeshua, or Jesus, and Joseph extremely common during the first century, "it's clear to anyone who reads the New Testament, to every Christian, that they're not going to bury Jesus in a box and call him 'the son of Joseph."'
Historical Christians believe Jesus was God made flesh, not the son of a mortal man, while Latter-day Saints believe he was the son of God.
"This is not a scholarly piece, and no one views it that way," Jackson said. "They have been accused of pimping The Da Vinci Code," the recent book whose admittedly fictional account of conspiracy theories and extra-biblical truth helped it sell more than 60 million copies worldwide.
Jackson and Holzapfel believe many Latter-day Saints are susceptible, "more often than others," to truth claims that are based on a blend of fact and fiction "because of the unique doctrinal claims we have."
For information about the upcoming panel discussion and conference, which are free and open to the public, call 422-6975.
By Carrie A. Moore
Deseret Morning News
Several professors at Brigham Young University are joining a chorus of scholarly voices debunking the claim in a new book that Jesus was buried with his family in a tomb outside early Jerusalem — rather than resurrected, as the New Testament gospels say.
A television crew stands next to the sealed entrance to a cave in Jerusalem that is the subject of a documentary film. "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" aired earlier this month on the Discovery Channel.
"The Jesus Family Tomb," written by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino, ranked 10th on last week's New York Times' best seller list in the nonfiction category. But the majority of biblical scholars who are familiar with the work say it is little more than a slick blending of heavy fiction with slim fact.
The book's story line was also recently the subject of a controversial documentary, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," which aired earlier this month on the Discovery Channel. It shows ossuaries — stone boxes — containing what the authors say are likely the bones of Jesus, his mother, Mary, as well as Mary Magdalene, and a purported "son" of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, known as "Judah," along with others.
It also says that an ossuary found a few years ago and inscribed in Aramaic with the name "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" was once part of the "family tomb" collection.
Richard Holzapfel, managing director of the Religious Studies Center at BYU, has gathered a team of fellow scholars who will discuss what he said are the book's numerous misinterpretations and manipulations of archaeological data and historical interpretation during a conference on Saturday, April 7.
"Behold the Lamb of God," will be held at the Joseph Smith Building Auditorium at BYU and will feature the panel discussion including Holzapfel, Jeffrey Chadwick, Kent Jackson, Frank Judd and Thomas Wayment.
The group sat down recently with the Deseret Morning News to give a preview of some of the issues.
The book and film assume that only family members were buried in such tombs, Holzapfel said. "But we have evidence that some non-family members were put in such tombs." The stone boxes were often used to hold the bones of multiple people, he said.
"Just by studying the bones, they are different bodies. So we know the burial box could contain multiple people."
As an archaeologist who has done excavation work in Israel, Chadwick said the fact that Jewish, Christian and secular scholars almost uniformly reject the assertions in the book and movie is telling. "Jewish and secular scholars have no reason to want to make the case for or against this" other than their interpretation of historical artifacts and records, he said.
Jackson said not only were the names Jeshua, or Jesus, and Joseph extremely common during the first century, "it's clear to anyone who reads the New Testament, to every Christian, that they're not going to bury Jesus in a box and call him 'the son of Joseph."'
Historical Christians believe Jesus was God made flesh, not the son of a mortal man, while Latter-day Saints believe he was the son of God.
"This is not a scholarly piece, and no one views it that way," Jackson said. "They have been accused of pimping The Da Vinci Code," the recent book whose admittedly fictional account of conspiracy theories and extra-biblical truth helped it sell more than 60 million copies worldwide.
Jackson and Holzapfel believe many Latter-day Saints are susceptible, "more often than others," to truth claims that are based on a blend of fact and fiction "because of the unique doctrinal claims we have."
For information about the upcoming panel discussion and conference, which are free and open to the public, call 422-6975.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Young LDS women are urged to pursue virtue, education
By Erin Stewart
Deseret Morning News
Living with virtue will help Latter-day Saint young women navigate their lives and draw closer to the Lord, church leaders told 12- to 18-year-old young women Saturday in the annual General Young Women's Meeting.
President Thomas S. Monson, left, talks with President Gordon B. Hinckley at LDS General Young Women's Meeting.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, who leads The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reminded young women of the church's theme for girls this year to "let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God."
Allowing virtue to be a constant guiding principle in life will enable young women to develop their talents and potential, President Hinckley said in the meeting, which is part of the church's 177th Annual General Conference that concludes next weekend.
"If you will take control of your lives, the future is filled with opportunity and gladness. You cannot afford to waste your talents or your time," he said in the meeting at the Conference Center.
President Hinckley also outlined four ways young women can ensure virtue is a staple in their lives: prayer, study, tithing and church attendance.
"Prayer is the bridge over which we approach our Father in heaven. It costs nothing. It requires only faith and effort," he said.
In addition, President Hinckley encouraged young women to garner as much education as they can. Although some young women may plan on getting married, he said that is not a certainty and "education will be of a great benefit."
"We live in a highly competitive age, and it will only grow more so," he said. "Education is the key that will unlock the door of opportunity."
President Hinckley also instructed young women to attend church meetings and pay tithing, a donation of 10 percent of income that church members are asked to pay.
Susan W. Tanner, young women general president, also encouraged the church's young women to stay true to themselves and to their divine heritage as a daughter of God. Often, she said, teenagers have an "identity crisis" and become victims of "identity theft" as they lose "the knowledge of our true identity."
"In families, friendships, dating and marriage we should value not just beauty and resumes, but rather character, good values and each others' inherited divine natures," Tanner said.
To gain that perspective, young women should "stay on the path" of righteousness and not "loiter in dangerous places," said Elaine S. Dalton, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency.
"Sometimes we think we can live on the edge and still maintain our virtue. But that is a risky place to be," she said.
In particular, Dalton encouraged young women to include modesty as one of the top principles in their lives.
"Modesty is not a matter of being 'hip.' It is a matter of the heart and being holy. It is not about being fashionable. It is about being faithful," she said. "It is not about being cool. It is about being chaste and keeping covenants. It is not about being popular, but about being pure."
Julie B. Beck, first counselor in the young women general presidency, added that young women are not expected to be perfect and will likely make mistakes. For them, repentance is the way back to the path, she said.
That repentance will be difficult and require the help of the Lord, Beck said, but each day is a chance to change.
"Because we are all mortal, we all make mistakes. Repentance is not optional, but we don't do it alone," she said. "We have a Savior to help us repent. By developing His qualities in our lives, we know we are making changes that help us come closer to Him."
Deseret Morning News
Living with virtue will help Latter-day Saint young women navigate their lives and draw closer to the Lord, church leaders told 12- to 18-year-old young women Saturday in the annual General Young Women's Meeting.
President Thomas S. Monson, left, talks with President Gordon B. Hinckley at LDS General Young Women's Meeting.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, who leads The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reminded young women of the church's theme for girls this year to "let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God."
Allowing virtue to be a constant guiding principle in life will enable young women to develop their talents and potential, President Hinckley said in the meeting, which is part of the church's 177th Annual General Conference that concludes next weekend.
"If you will take control of your lives, the future is filled with opportunity and gladness. You cannot afford to waste your talents or your time," he said in the meeting at the Conference Center.
President Hinckley also outlined four ways young women can ensure virtue is a staple in their lives: prayer, study, tithing and church attendance.
"Prayer is the bridge over which we approach our Father in heaven. It costs nothing. It requires only faith and effort," he said.
In addition, President Hinckley encouraged young women to garner as much education as they can. Although some young women may plan on getting married, he said that is not a certainty and "education will be of a great benefit."
"We live in a highly competitive age, and it will only grow more so," he said. "Education is the key that will unlock the door of opportunity."
President Hinckley also instructed young women to attend church meetings and pay tithing, a donation of 10 percent of income that church members are asked to pay.
Susan W. Tanner, young women general president, also encouraged the church's young women to stay true to themselves and to their divine heritage as a daughter of God. Often, she said, teenagers have an "identity crisis" and become victims of "identity theft" as they lose "the knowledge of our true identity."
"In families, friendships, dating and marriage we should value not just beauty and resumes, but rather character, good values and each others' inherited divine natures," Tanner said.
To gain that perspective, young women should "stay on the path" of righteousness and not "loiter in dangerous places," said Elaine S. Dalton, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency.
"Sometimes we think we can live on the edge and still maintain our virtue. But that is a risky place to be," she said.
In particular, Dalton encouraged young women to include modesty as one of the top principles in their lives.
"Modesty is not a matter of being 'hip.' It is a matter of the heart and being holy. It is not about being fashionable. It is about being faithful," she said. "It is not about being cool. It is about being chaste and keeping covenants. It is not about being popular, but about being pure."
Julie B. Beck, first counselor in the young women general presidency, added that young women are not expected to be perfect and will likely make mistakes. For them, repentance is the way back to the path, she said.
That repentance will be difficult and require the help of the Lord, Beck said, but each day is a chance to change.
"Because we are all mortal, we all make mistakes. Repentance is not optional, but we don't do it alone," she said. "We have a Savior to help us repent. By developing His qualities in our lives, we know we are making changes that help us come closer to Him."
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Utah's DUI fatality rate is among lowest in U.S.
State averaged 1.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2005; average is 5.7
By Pat Reavy
Deseret Morning News
A new report from a nonprofit group funded by some of the nation's leading distillers says Utah has one of the lowest fatality rates due to drunken driving in the nation.
The report from the Century Council showed Utah had the lowest number of alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 per 100,000 residents. The state averaged 1.5 deaths from crashes involving alcohol per 100,000 residents. The national average was 5.7, with Montana having the highest number of deaths at 13.3 per 100,000 residents.
The actual number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Utah in 2005, the most recent year statistics were available, was 37. That's the fourth lowest in the nation behind the District of Columbia, Vermont and Alaska. The state with the largest number of alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 was California with 1,719. Florida and Texas also had more than 1,400 deaths each.
Utah also had just three alcohol-related fatalities involving people under 21 years old in 2005, the study showed. That tied the state for first along with the District of Columbia and Hawaii. Per 100,000 residents, that gave Utah a .3 alcohol-related traffic fatality rate, the lowest in the nation.
Utah Highway Patrol trooper Preston Raban credits his department and many others across the state for their efforts on curbing drinking. The report showed that not only was Utah's fatality rate low, but it continues to decrease.
"Everyone helped to make these numbers go down," he said.
From 2004 to 2005, Utah had the greatest percentage drop, 50.7 percent, of traffic fatalities involving alcohol and the third biggest drop in fatal accidents involving juveniles, according to the report.
Utah, according to the report, also had the biggest percent drop in alcohol-related traffic fatalities form 1995 to 2005 for both adults and juveniles.
Nationwide, the Century Group said the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities involving juveniles in 2005 reached a record low.
The group says its report was compiled from information collected from several government-run databases including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
By Pat Reavy
Deseret Morning News
A new report from a nonprofit group funded by some of the nation's leading distillers says Utah has one of the lowest fatality rates due to drunken driving in the nation.
The report from the Century Council showed Utah had the lowest number of alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 per 100,000 residents. The state averaged 1.5 deaths from crashes involving alcohol per 100,000 residents. The national average was 5.7, with Montana having the highest number of deaths at 13.3 per 100,000 residents.
The actual number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Utah in 2005, the most recent year statistics were available, was 37. That's the fourth lowest in the nation behind the District of Columbia, Vermont and Alaska. The state with the largest number of alcohol-related fatalities in 2005 was California with 1,719. Florida and Texas also had more than 1,400 deaths each.
Utah also had just three alcohol-related fatalities involving people under 21 years old in 2005, the study showed. That tied the state for first along with the District of Columbia and Hawaii. Per 100,000 residents, that gave Utah a .3 alcohol-related traffic fatality rate, the lowest in the nation.
Utah Highway Patrol trooper Preston Raban credits his department and many others across the state for their efforts on curbing drinking. The report showed that not only was Utah's fatality rate low, but it continues to decrease.
"Everyone helped to make these numbers go down," he said.
From 2004 to 2005, Utah had the greatest percentage drop, 50.7 percent, of traffic fatalities involving alcohol and the third biggest drop in fatal accidents involving juveniles, according to the report.
Utah, according to the report, also had the biggest percent drop in alcohol-related traffic fatalities form 1995 to 2005 for both adults and juveniles.
Nationwide, the Century Group said the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities involving juveniles in 2005 reached a record low.
The group says its report was compiled from information collected from several government-run databases including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
No Crosses - Our lives are the symbol of our faith.
We Mormons intuitively understand Romney’s comment about he significance of his family. It brings to mind President Hinckley’s famous 1975 General Conference address, in which he related an account of a meeting with clergymen of other faiths during the open house for the rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple.
President Hinckley was asked, “If you do not use the cross, what is the symbol of your religion?” His reply: “[T]he lives of our people must become the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Symbol of Christ,” Ensign, May 1975, 92.)
Because of Mitt Romney’s candidacy, we may well see that principle on display in the most high-profile setting ever.
President Hinckley was asked, “If you do not use the cross, what is the symbol of your religion?” His reply: “[T]he lives of our people must become the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Symbol of Christ,” Ensign, May 1975, 92.)
Because of Mitt Romney’s candidacy, we may well see that principle on display in the most high-profile setting ever.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Mormon Helping Hands Aid Tornado-Stricken Areas
ENTERPRISE, Alabama — Wielding chain saws and moving tons of debris, more than 200 volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — many dressed in the Church’s familiar “Mormon Helping Hands” T-shirts — helped clean up areas in Alabama and Georgia affected by last week’s tornadoes that left a trail of death and devastation.
“The community has really come together to help piece the town back together,” said Bishop Michael Basher, a local Church leader in Enterprise. “Residents have been so grateful for the service rendered not only by our Church members but by others who have donated their time and effort.”
Church members help clean up neighborhoods after a tornado cut through Enterprise, Alabama. © Photo credit Matt Cook
Mormon Helping Hands is a program designed to provide community service and disaster relief to local communities. The program enables Church members to give their time and talents to those in need.
In addition to local volunteer help, the Church provided two truckloads of commodities containing food, water, tarps, hygiene kits and other emergency supplies to some of the affected areas. These trucks were dispatched from a special warehouse in Atlanta called the Bishops’ Central Storehouse.
One truckload went to Americus, Georgia, and the other to Columbus, Georgia. Latter-day Saints met both trucks and assisted with the unloading. All items sent from the Church are being distributed by the American Red Cross.
Local Church leaders will continue to monitor the situation as they stay in contact with community officials and other relief organizations in the affected areas.
“The community has really come together to help piece the town back together,” said Bishop Michael Basher, a local Church leader in Enterprise. “Residents have been so grateful for the service rendered not only by our Church members but by others who have donated their time and effort.”
Church members help clean up neighborhoods after a tornado cut through Enterprise, Alabama. © Photo credit Matt Cook
Mormon Helping Hands is a program designed to provide community service and disaster relief to local communities. The program enables Church members to give their time and talents to those in need.
In addition to local volunteer help, the Church provided two truckloads of commodities containing food, water, tarps, hygiene kits and other emergency supplies to some of the affected areas. These trucks were dispatched from a special warehouse in Atlanta called the Bishops’ Central Storehouse.
One truckload went to Americus, Georgia, and the other to Columbus, Georgia. Latter-day Saints met both trucks and assisted with the unloading. All items sent from the Church are being distributed by the American Red Cross.
Local Church leaders will continue to monitor the situation as they stay in contact with community officials and other relief organizations in the affected areas.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Love - Father of 9
LDS Richard Eyre is a best selling author along with his wife Linda, parents of 9 children. They have a website for their values education business www.valuesparenting.com.
"I (Richard) still have a special letter, penned to me by my father shortly before his death more than 40 years ago while I was just a small boy. It is a letter of advice and council from a dying father to his young son, a kind of "legacy letter." One of the things it says is this: "The greatest thought that Christ left on earth is Love. It surpasses everything else. If a person practices love, then everything else takes care of itself."
We have thought a great deal about those words, and about the surpassing virtue and value of love. We believe it is the most natural and in many ways the most important value of all. Furthermore, it is a value that children learn easily and naturally, especially when their family is an environment of love. Kids deserve not only to experience and feel love around them, but they also deserve to learn of love, to understand different kinds of love, and to be praised for their own giving and sharing of love."
"I (Richard) still have a special letter, penned to me by my father shortly before his death more than 40 years ago while I was just a small boy. It is a letter of advice and council from a dying father to his young son, a kind of "legacy letter." One of the things it says is this: "The greatest thought that Christ left on earth is Love. It surpasses everything else. If a person practices love, then everything else takes care of itself."
We have thought a great deal about those words, and about the surpassing virtue and value of love. We believe it is the most natural and in many ways the most important value of all. Furthermore, it is a value that children learn easily and naturally, especially when their family is an environment of love. Kids deserve not only to experience and feel love around them, but they also deserve to learn of love, to understand different kinds of love, and to be praised for their own giving and sharing of love."
Monday, February 26, 2007
Parenting advice
President Joseph F. Smith (ed. -5th President of the Church), told fathers they should love their children if they want them to be obedient: “Prove to them that you do love them by your every word or act to them. … When you speak or talk to them, do it not in anger, do it not harshly, in a condemning spirit. Speak to them kindly; get them down and weep with them if necessary and get them to shed tears with you if possible. Soften their hearts; get them to feel tenderly toward you. Use no lash and no violence, but … approach them with reason, with persuasion and love unfeigned. … You can’t do it any other way. You can’t do it by unkindness; you cannot do it by driving. …
“You can’t force your boys, nor your girls into heaven. You may force them to hell, by using harsh means in the efforts to make them good, when you yourselves are not as good as you should be. The man that will be angry at his boy, and try to correct him while he is in anger, is in the greatest fault. … You can only correct your children by love, in kindness, by love unfeigned, by persuasion, and reason” (Gospel Doctrine, fifth ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, pp. 316–17).
“You can’t force your boys, nor your girls into heaven. You may force them to hell, by using harsh means in the efforts to make them good, when you yourselves are not as good as you should be. The man that will be angry at his boy, and try to correct him while he is in anger, is in the greatest fault. … You can only correct your children by love, in kindness, by love unfeigned, by persuasion, and reason” (Gospel Doctrine, fifth ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, pp. 316–17).
Saturday, February 24, 2007
National Review Online: Why social conservatives should support Mitt Romney
Many social conservatives do not share Romney’s Mormon faith, but his faith should be viewed by social conservatives as a good sign, not as a matter of concern. The Mormon religion, while having tenets that Christians do not share, is profoundly conservative in its support for life, family, and marriage. Thus, Romney’s religion reinforces...
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Church leadership diversity
Church Diversity Breaks Stereotypes
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — In Harlem, an African-American bishop leads his congregation in prayer. In Miami, neighbors enter a bright yellow chapel and greet each other in Haitian. In Salt Lake City, a teacher instructs her Bible class in Chinese. Meanwhile, in Florida, an entire congregation sings in American Sign Language in poetic gestures, and in California a young child gives his first talk in Sunday school in Spanish.
This picture is a striking contrast to the stereotypical image most Americans have of Mormons as white, middle-class people living in the Intermountain West. Yet it accurately portrays the changing face of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — a faith that is becoming increasingly diverse, mirroring a wide range of cultures and experiences.
This diversity has not gone unnoticed by media trumpeting headlines such as “Mormons Gain in Inner Cities — Church Is Attracting More Blacks and Hispanics” in the Philadelphia Inquirer, “LDS Church Follows Members to Inner Cities” in the Denver Post, “Colorblind Faith” in the Chicago Reporter and “For Mormons in Harlem, Bigger Space Beckons” in the New York Times.
Mormon scholar Jan Shipps, a professor emeritus of history and religious studies at Indiana University, said reporters often call her surprised by the growth of the Church in inner cities. “‘Where are the Mormons?' they ask. I tell them, ‘They're everywhere.'”
In fact, more than 150 Latter-day Saint congregations in the United States speak a total of 20 different languages, including Polish, Navajo, Russian, Spanish and German.
Much of the Church's growth is attributed to the global volunteer missionary program, the largest of its kind in the world. More than 52,000 missionaries teach in 350 missions in more than 140 nations.
President Bill Price oversees missionaries in the Washington, D.C., area. His missionaries come from more than 20 different countries and speak a variety of languages to accommodate the needs of the community. “The people in the inner city are humble and have open hearts and minds. They don't change their lives because of any social program but because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Cathy Stokes, a recently retired health care administrator for the State of Illinois Department of Public Health, changed her life and embraced Mormonism after visiting a temple open house in 1978.
“I signed a slip requesting more information,” Stokes explained, “and several weeks later two nice little white guys knocked at my door in Chicago. I listened; my questions were answered. The questions about life were like a brick of Swiss cheese and the gospel filled in most of the holes. Joining the Church was the most important thing I have ever done in my life.”
“We work hard to send out a message that brings hope,” said Earl C. Tingey, senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy. “We share messages that help families. We bring hope of how a father can be a father, a mother a mother, and all of it is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
At the same time, Tingey is quick to point out the distinctiveness of the Mormon faith in the Christian world. Tingey says the Church is neither Catholic nor Protestant, but a restoration of the ancient Church of Jesus Christ.
Shipps believes a main reason the Church is continuing to grow and become more diverse is its unique theology of the family. “The idea that families remain together throughout eternity resonates with all sorts of people. This belief, plus the remarkable support system the LDS Church provides for families appeals to people from many cultures, African American, Hispanic, Asian and Caucasian” she said.
The Church is also growing more diverse internationally. More than half of all Church members now reside outside of the United States, a milestone that was reached on 25 February 1996.
This worldwide membership of almost 13 million Latter-day Saints is a far cry from the six members in April 1830, when Joseph Smith organized the Church in upstate New York.
Such growth among diverse cultures and nations has become the Church's primary challenge. To help meet it, the Church translates scriptures, conference proceedings, satellite broadcasts, curriculum manuals, magazines, software, Web-site information and other materials into more than 100 different languages. The resultant translation system is one of the largest such networks in the world.
In a 2000 speech to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Church President Gordon B. Hinckley said that Church growth has brought some serious challenges. “The first is the training of local leadership,” noted President Hinckley. “The second … is providing places of worship as we grow so rapidly.”
In an effort to address the need for more places of worship, hundreds of new buildings are being constructed around the world each year.
But training leadership in congregations where no one has been a Church member for long brings special challenges. Unlike the lay members assigned to lead local congregations in the United States and Canada, the lay leaders in many other countries are relatively new members.
In some countries where the Church has only recently been established, some leaders have received their leadership assignments only a few months after joining the Church. These new leaders have few leadership role models.
Recognizing this challenge, the Church has established area offices around the world, overseen by senior officials in the Church called general authorities. They meet regularly with new local leaders and train them in their native language.
Also with dramatic growth comes the challenge of unifying Latter-day Saints of many cultures. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that the growing diversity among the members is simply a condition, not a Church goal. The real goal is unity, not diversity.
"We preach unity among the community of Saints and tolerance toward the personal differences that are inevitable in the beliefs and conduct of a diverse population."
As a result, efforts are made to teach Latter-day Saints around the world the doctrines of the Church and to train local leaders, but without imposing American culture.
“Sometimes our culture and the Western culture are very different” said Seung Hwun Ko, a Church member from Seoul, Korea, “But when we talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ, we meet.”
http://www.ldsmag.com/churchupdate/070221diversity.html
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — In Harlem, an African-American bishop leads his congregation in prayer. In Miami, neighbors enter a bright yellow chapel and greet each other in Haitian. In Salt Lake City, a teacher instructs her Bible class in Chinese. Meanwhile, in Florida, an entire congregation sings in American Sign Language in poetic gestures, and in California a young child gives his first talk in Sunday school in Spanish.
This picture is a striking contrast to the stereotypical image most Americans have of Mormons as white, middle-class people living in the Intermountain West. Yet it accurately portrays the changing face of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — a faith that is becoming increasingly diverse, mirroring a wide range of cultures and experiences.
This diversity has not gone unnoticed by media trumpeting headlines such as “Mormons Gain in Inner Cities — Church Is Attracting More Blacks and Hispanics” in the Philadelphia Inquirer, “LDS Church Follows Members to Inner Cities” in the Denver Post, “Colorblind Faith” in the Chicago Reporter and “For Mormons in Harlem, Bigger Space Beckons” in the New York Times.
Mormon scholar Jan Shipps, a professor emeritus of history and religious studies at Indiana University, said reporters often call her surprised by the growth of the Church in inner cities. “‘Where are the Mormons?' they ask. I tell them, ‘They're everywhere.'”
In fact, more than 150 Latter-day Saint congregations in the United States speak a total of 20 different languages, including Polish, Navajo, Russian, Spanish and German.
Much of the Church's growth is attributed to the global volunteer missionary program, the largest of its kind in the world. More than 52,000 missionaries teach in 350 missions in more than 140 nations.
President Bill Price oversees missionaries in the Washington, D.C., area. His missionaries come from more than 20 different countries and speak a variety of languages to accommodate the needs of the community. “The people in the inner city are humble and have open hearts and minds. They don't change their lives because of any social program but because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Cathy Stokes, a recently retired health care administrator for the State of Illinois Department of Public Health, changed her life and embraced Mormonism after visiting a temple open house in 1978.
“I signed a slip requesting more information,” Stokes explained, “and several weeks later two nice little white guys knocked at my door in Chicago. I listened; my questions were answered. The questions about life were like a brick of Swiss cheese and the gospel filled in most of the holes. Joining the Church was the most important thing I have ever done in my life.”
“We work hard to send out a message that brings hope,” said Earl C. Tingey, senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy. “We share messages that help families. We bring hope of how a father can be a father, a mother a mother, and all of it is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
At the same time, Tingey is quick to point out the distinctiveness of the Mormon faith in the Christian world. Tingey says the Church is neither Catholic nor Protestant, but a restoration of the ancient Church of Jesus Christ.
Shipps believes a main reason the Church is continuing to grow and become more diverse is its unique theology of the family. “The idea that families remain together throughout eternity resonates with all sorts of people. This belief, plus the remarkable support system the LDS Church provides for families appeals to people from many cultures, African American, Hispanic, Asian and Caucasian” she said.
The Church is also growing more diverse internationally. More than half of all Church members now reside outside of the United States, a milestone that was reached on 25 February 1996.
This worldwide membership of almost 13 million Latter-day Saints is a far cry from the six members in April 1830, when Joseph Smith organized the Church in upstate New York.
Such growth among diverse cultures and nations has become the Church's primary challenge. To help meet it, the Church translates scriptures, conference proceedings, satellite broadcasts, curriculum manuals, magazines, software, Web-site information and other materials into more than 100 different languages. The resultant translation system is one of the largest such networks in the world.
In a 2000 speech to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Church President Gordon B. Hinckley said that Church growth has brought some serious challenges. “The first is the training of local leadership,” noted President Hinckley. “The second … is providing places of worship as we grow so rapidly.”
In an effort to address the need for more places of worship, hundreds of new buildings are being constructed around the world each year.
But training leadership in congregations where no one has been a Church member for long brings special challenges. Unlike the lay members assigned to lead local congregations in the United States and Canada, the lay leaders in many other countries are relatively new members.
In some countries where the Church has only recently been established, some leaders have received their leadership assignments only a few months after joining the Church. These new leaders have few leadership role models.
Recognizing this challenge, the Church has established area offices around the world, overseen by senior officials in the Church called general authorities. They meet regularly with new local leaders and train them in their native language.
Also with dramatic growth comes the challenge of unifying Latter-day Saints of many cultures. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that the growing diversity among the members is simply a condition, not a Church goal. The real goal is unity, not diversity.
"We preach unity among the community of Saints and tolerance toward the personal differences that are inevitable in the beliefs and conduct of a diverse population."
As a result, efforts are made to teach Latter-day Saints around the world the doctrines of the Church and to train local leaders, but without imposing American culture.
“Sometimes our culture and the Western culture are very different” said Seung Hwun Ko, a Church member from Seoul, Korea, “But when we talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ, we meet.”
http://www.ldsmag.com/churchupdate/070221diversity.html
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Abducted Missionaries in Nigeria
LDS Church negotiating for release of four missionaries abducted in Nigeria
By Jessica Ravitz
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 02/20/2007 06:06:18 PM MST
Click photo to enlarge
Quentin R. Cook, member of the First Quorum of... (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune)
Four Mormon missionaries, all Nigerian young men, were abducted from their apartment in Port Harcourt, Nigeria Saturday and are being held hostage.
While LDS Church officials would not comment today on the captors' demands, they said they are optimistic that ongoing negotiations will resolve the matter soon.
The abductions came amid escalating violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, which prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel warning on Jan. 19. Heeding the warning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took care to move American and European missionaries - less than five missionary couples - to
LDS missionaries in Nigerian missionary describes working amid chaos, violence
safer ground. Some moved closer to the temple in nearby Aba, while others relocated to different parts of west Africa.
The LDS Church singled out American and European missionaries for transfers because they are the ones most likely to be mistaken for oil company workers, who have been targeted for hostage taking. Since the start of the year, more than 70 oil company employees have been abducted, LDS Church officials said Tuesday in an exclusive interview.
What's surprising about this situation, beyond the fact that missionaries were targeted for the first time, is that the captors took their own.
"They've gotten four poor Africans, just like them," said LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard, chairman of the missionary executive council.
And while some Nigerians may have gripes about the outsiders getting rich off their country's resources, these four hostages are simply "doing the work of the Lord," Ballard added.
He and Quentin L. Cook of the First Quorum of Seventy, and also the executive director of the LDS Church's missionary department, agreed that this incident has nothing to do with the church.
"There's a lot of mischief in the world, a lot of violence. . . We've experienced it right here [at Trolley Square] in the last 10 days," Ballard said.
Looking at Nigeria in particular, Cook added, "It's hard to realize how common [hostage taking] has become there."
Political unrest has intensified in advance of April elections. Given the oil-rich delta, Cook pointed out that "the opposition party wants oil nationalized." Add into all of this, the danger of copycat hostage takers.
Adapting to upheavals and security concerns is nothing unusual for the LDS Church. Past unrest in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, for example, prompted shifts in missionary plans, Ballard said. And putting missionaries on "lock down" during elections in places where uprisings might follow is also commonplace, he said.
Moving missionaries and missionary couples around is also the norm. They're sent where they're needed, and where they'll be most secure.
"If there's a concern, we pull back," Ballard said. "But we can't abandon the church."
Nor do church officials believe Nigerians want to be abandoned. Couple missionaries help drill freshwater wells and cultivate land. Young missionaries also give four hours a week to community service, helping people in their homes and giving time to local hospitals.
"Missionaries of all faiths are given a great deal of respect. They've done a lot of good for Africa," Ballard said. "Our missionaries are seen as a force of good."
For this reason, community members in Nigeria - including a tribal chief - are stepping up to help secure the release of the missionaries, the officials said.
"Nigerians are god-fearing people," Cook said. "They want God to bless that country, too." jravitz@sltrib.com
By Jessica Ravitz
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 02/20/2007 06:06:18 PM MST
Click photo to enlarge
Quentin R. Cook, member of the First Quorum of... (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune)
Four Mormon missionaries, all Nigerian young men, were abducted from their apartment in Port Harcourt, Nigeria Saturday and are being held hostage.
While LDS Church officials would not comment today on the captors' demands, they said they are optimistic that ongoing negotiations will resolve the matter soon.
The abductions came amid escalating violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, which prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel warning on Jan. 19. Heeding the warning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took care to move American and European missionaries - less than five missionary couples - to
LDS missionaries in Nigerian missionary describes working amid chaos, violence
safer ground. Some moved closer to the temple in nearby Aba, while others relocated to different parts of west Africa.
The LDS Church singled out American and European missionaries for transfers because they are the ones most likely to be mistaken for oil company workers, who have been targeted for hostage taking. Since the start of the year, more than 70 oil company employees have been abducted, LDS Church officials said Tuesday in an exclusive interview.
What's surprising about this situation, beyond the fact that missionaries were targeted for the first time, is that the captors took their own.
"They've gotten four poor Africans, just like them," said LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard, chairman of the missionary executive council.
And while some Nigerians may have gripes about the outsiders getting rich off their country's resources, these four hostages are simply "doing the work of the Lord," Ballard added.
He and Quentin L. Cook of the First Quorum of Seventy, and also the executive director of the LDS Church's missionary department, agreed that this incident has nothing to do with the church.
"There's a lot of mischief in the world, a lot of violence. . . We've experienced it right here [at Trolley Square] in the last 10 days," Ballard said.
Looking at Nigeria in particular, Cook added, "It's hard to realize how common [hostage taking] has become there."
Political unrest has intensified in advance of April elections. Given the oil-rich delta, Cook pointed out that "the opposition party wants oil nationalized." Add into all of this, the danger of copycat hostage takers.
Adapting to upheavals and security concerns is nothing unusual for the LDS Church. Past unrest in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, for example, prompted shifts in missionary plans, Ballard said. And putting missionaries on "lock down" during elections in places where uprisings might follow is also commonplace, he said.
Moving missionaries and missionary couples around is also the norm. They're sent where they're needed, and where they'll be most secure.
"If there's a concern, we pull back," Ballard said. "But we can't abandon the church."
Nor do church officials believe Nigerians want to be abandoned. Couple missionaries help drill freshwater wells and cultivate land. Young missionaries also give four hours a week to community service, helping people in their homes and giving time to local hospitals.
"Missionaries of all faiths are given a great deal of respect. They've done a lot of good for Africa," Ballard said. "Our missionaries are seen as a force of good."
For this reason, community members in Nigeria - including a tribal chief - are stepping up to help secure the release of the missionaries, the officials said.
"Nigerians are god-fearing people," Cook said. "They want God to bless that country, too." jravitz@sltrib.com
Monday, February 19, 2007
Mormons' Contributions
Mormons are fully Americans and have played many a role in the history of our country.
"In any case, Mormons have already been very much part of America for most of its history. Besides Salt Lake City and other towns in the Great Basin West, they founded such settlements as San Bernardino and Las Vegas. Members of the “Mormon Battalion” built the first courthouse in San Diego, raised the American flag over Los Angeles in 1847, and discovered the gold at Sutter's Mill that brought the 49ers to California. Mervyn Bennion, the commander of the U.S.S. West Virginia who died defending his ship at Pearl Harbor, is one of several Mormons to have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Believing Mormons serve in the Senate and the House of Representatives — notable among them the new Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). (Curiously, Senator Reid's Mormon faith — he converted while in college — has drawn little public attention, and no discernible criticism. Could the media possibly be biased toward a Democrat? Perish the thought!) They have served, and continue to serve, in presidential cabinets. They have represented the United States as ambassadors, and served as generals, admirals (including overall command of the United States Coast Guard), and federal judges. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed at five presidential inaugurations, for presidents of both parties.
Faithful Mormons have led corporations such as JetBlue, Dell Computer, Black & Decker, Times Mirror, General Mills, and, of course, Marriott. (Mitt Romney's own father ran American Motors before serving three terms as governor of Michigan and then heading up the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the first Nixon administration.) Business guru Stephen Covey is a Mormon.
Mormons have won Oscars, Pulitzers, and Grammys. Mormons have quarterbacked and coached NFL football teams (former San Francisco 49er Steve Young, a lawyer and a descendent of Brigham Young, may yet enter politics himself), flourished on the PGA tour, worn the crown of Miss America, and been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
A Mormon invented television. Others have orbited the earth as astronauts, directed the space shuttle program, and presided over the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, NASA, Harvard Business School, and the University of California system. Church members have given enormous sums of time and money to charity.
One has to wonder what members of a religious minority must do before they merit acceptance, by some, as fully equal American citizens." - Dr. Daniel Peterson
Meridian Magazine http://meridianmagazine.com/ideas/070219president.html
"In any case, Mormons have already been very much part of America for most of its history. Besides Salt Lake City and other towns in the Great Basin West, they founded such settlements as San Bernardino and Las Vegas. Members of the “Mormon Battalion” built the first courthouse in San Diego, raised the American flag over Los Angeles in 1847, and discovered the gold at Sutter's Mill that brought the 49ers to California. Mervyn Bennion, the commander of the U.S.S. West Virginia who died defending his ship at Pearl Harbor, is one of several Mormons to have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Believing Mormons serve in the Senate and the House of Representatives — notable among them the new Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). (Curiously, Senator Reid's Mormon faith — he converted while in college — has drawn little public attention, and no discernible criticism. Could the media possibly be biased toward a Democrat? Perish the thought!) They have served, and continue to serve, in presidential cabinets. They have represented the United States as ambassadors, and served as generals, admirals (including overall command of the United States Coast Guard), and federal judges. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed at five presidential inaugurations, for presidents of both parties.
Faithful Mormons have led corporations such as JetBlue, Dell Computer, Black & Decker, Times Mirror, General Mills, and, of course, Marriott. (Mitt Romney's own father ran American Motors before serving three terms as governor of Michigan and then heading up the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the first Nixon administration.) Business guru Stephen Covey is a Mormon.
Mormons have won Oscars, Pulitzers, and Grammys. Mormons have quarterbacked and coached NFL football teams (former San Francisco 49er Steve Young, a lawyer and a descendent of Brigham Young, may yet enter politics himself), flourished on the PGA tour, worn the crown of Miss America, and been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
A Mormon invented television. Others have orbited the earth as astronauts, directed the space shuttle program, and presided over the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, NASA, Harvard Business School, and the University of California system. Church members have given enormous sums of time and money to charity.
One has to wonder what members of a religious minority must do before they merit acceptance, by some, as fully equal American citizens." - Dr. Daniel Peterson
Meridian Magazine http://meridianmagazine.com/ideas/070219president.html
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Talovic Suprised
The father of the Salt Lake shooter has been suprised by the response of the largely Latter-day Saint (70%) community. The fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ are compassion and peace.
"Also on Saturday, a Bosnian television station interviewed Suljo Talovic and Bisera Turkovic, Bosnia's ambassador to the United States. The grieving father told the TV station he planned to stay in Salt Lake City, adding that Utahns have been supportive of his family.
That support continued late Saturday morning when Salt Lake City residents Larry and Erika Johnson approached Talovic as he was standing in his front yard and handed him $200 cash.
"I want you to know I love you," Larry Johnson told Talovic. "You are the greatest victims in all of this."
Erika Johnson, an Austrian-Hungarian who was in Poland during World War II, said she witnessed atrocities by Nazis when she was a little girl and knows the scars war can leave.
Salt Lake City resident Kelly Patterson offered the Talovics a spot in his family burial ground for Talovic's son. Talovic declined the offer but expressed gratitude to Patterson, repeating a line he has said countless times to well-wishers and reporters since he learned his son was the Trolley Square shooter.
"I'm sorry for everyone," Suljo Talovic said in broken English. "I'm sorry for all the families."
Minutes later, David and Lana Mills stopped by the house and handed Talovic a card in a yellow envelope.
"I'm so sorry," David mills told Suljo Talovic. "I feel terrible about the situation. It's certainly not your fault."
Suljo Talovic said he was surprised by the sympathy Salt Lake City residents have offered him. He said he has received too many cards to count and about $1,000 in all, mostly from strangers.
"I am surprised," Talovic told The Tribune Saturday, speaking through an interpreter. "I would have thought when something like this happened that people would be the opposite - that they would be aggressive. But every single person is supportive."
Saturday, February 10, 2007
By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them
By their fruits ye shall know them.
In one of the greatest moments of tragedy - the death of 3 members of his own family, including his wife, by a drunk driver, a Mormon father asks for prayers for the 17 year old drunk driver
In one of the greatest moments of tragedy - the death of 3 members of his own family, including his wife, by a drunk driver, a Mormon father asks for prayers for the 17 year old drunk driver
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Who What Where Why When
As a Mormon woman, convert of 31 years, I wanted an area where I could post answers to some basic questions about the LDS Mormon culture. I wanted a place to post profiles of Mormon's in the news - and to add my perspective to the stories and invite comments. I think it's inmportant for the general public to see the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a context.
I have a degree in Family Sciences from BYU, and am completing my Masters in Counseling at Seton Hall. I have also attended, San Jose State and Santa Clara University
I have a degree in Family Sciences from BYU, and am completing my Masters in Counseling at Seton Hall. I have also attended, San Jose State and Santa Clara University
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