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April 30, 2007
Modern-Day Look at History of the Latter-Day Saints
A proposition: If your beliefs are any good, you needn’t be afraid to bring them out into the light. The proof: “The Mormons,” a thoughtful two-part series tonight and tomorrow on PBS. The tenets of the Mormon church may not be to everyone’s tastes, but the church members and leaders who speak in this program are admirably forthright about their religion’s history, strengths and challenges. It’s great to hear people who believe in something and can articulate it without sounding crazy or defensive.
John Beck, who was drafted by Miami in the second round of Saturday's NFL Draft, has already set a goal to try and fill the shoes of Dan Marino for Dolphin fans.
The BYU quarterback who surpassed Jim McMahon and Steve Young on the Cougar all-time passing chart is well-versed in the job ahead. That includes challenging injured veteran Daunte Culpepper and helping the Fish improve on a 6-10 mark and last-place finish in the AFC East.
Mitt Romney has five sons, but if he had another, it would be Spencer Zwick.
The 28-year-old Salt Lake City native has been the presidential candidate's right-hand man for years, and now as Romney's national finance director, he is heading up the most crucial part of Romney's White House bid.
Anyone who's planning to use the two-part, four-hour PBS documentary "The Mormons" in Sunday School at their local ward is going to be sorely disappointed. But then so is anyone who's planning to hang copies of the program on doorknobs to convince members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to abandon their faith. "The Mormons" is not a faith-promoting missionary tool. Although it might turn out to be that for some.
Imagine a four-hour documentary on the Mormon church that skips its most prominent member in the country today, Mitt Romney.
"The Mormons," a collaboration between PBS powerhouse series " Frontline " and " American Experience, " is that show. Yet its mere airing may finally force the former governor to explain publicly his faith and its influence on him as a politician, much as John Kennedy did with his Catholicism in 1960. What it will surely do is complicate his run for the White House.
A month of controversy over the decision to invite Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at Brigham Young University's commencement ended Thursday with more than 20,000 BYU graduates and their families, along with faculty and staff, soaking Cheney in applause.
There was no sign of disapproval inside the Marriott Center. Instead, the crowd cheered as Cheney arrived with President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Hinckley returned the greeting with a signature wave of his cane. The crowd cheered again when Cheney received an honorary doctorate of public service and cheered repeatedly during his apolitical speech, interrupting it 18 times with applause.
Ask Mark Briscoe, leader of the Howell ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the greatest misconception about the church, and he doesn't have to think very long or hard.
"Sometimes people would say that we're not Christians," he said. "We definitely are. We believe in Jesus Christ."
20,000 to hear Cheney at BYU: He'll get honorary doctorate
Air Force Two will deliver the vice president of the United States to Utah this afternoon, when Dick Cheney will speak to more than 20,000 people during commencement exercises at Brigham Young University.
BYU will award Cheney an honorary doctorate of public service during ceremonies that begin at 4 p.m. Cheney will arrive in Salt Lake City shortly before 2 p.m. and will meet with the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City at 2:30 p.m.
Personal Convictions and Actions Strengthen the Church
Bryan Whiting, a junior lacrosse and football player at New Canaan High School in Connecticut, hears the jangle of his alarm clock at 5:45 each weekday morning. The busy high school student begins his day with a 6:15 religion class taught at the neighborhood meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Whiting is one of 40 students who join him in the local early morning religious instruction (seminary), while other high school classmates gather an extra hour or more of sleep. The extra sleep is not the issue for Whiting; it’s the reassurance and direction that come in the doctrinal discussions that keep him on the early morning schedule.
Vice President Dick Cheney will make a courtesy visit to leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before giving the commencement address at Brigham Young University on Thursday.
Cheney, whose visit has prompted protests and counter protests at the Provo school, will fly in and out of the state within a few hours, but, like most national leaders in town for a day, will drop by LDS Church headquarters in Salt Lake City to visit with President Gordon B. Hinckley and his top two counselors, church officials confirmed Monday.
Last semester, weekly meetings of the College Democrats club at Brigham Young University drew three or four people.
The club shot out of obscurity this month when new club president Diane Bailey organized an on-campus political protest to criticize the record of Vice President Dick Cheney, who will be BYU's commencement speaker on Thursday. Bailey will oversee a second campus demonstration hours before Cheney speaks.
Boris Yeltsin's effect on Utah was more direct than one might think.
Take the Russian literature class at the University of Utah, for example. Six students were enrolled during spring term in 1993. That fall, enrollment jumped to 24 and currently hovers around 30.
"Those numbers are unlike numbers for any upper-division Russian literature class anywhere in the country, said Jane Hacking, assistant professor of Russian and linguistics. "We are the envy of many of our colleagues around the country."
In April 1857, several families gathered at Beller Spring near Harrison, Ark., to make final preparations before starting their wagons for the west. Soon, other Arkansas families joined the westbound wagon train. The emigrants had big herds of cattle and dreams to match, but they never reached their goal of California.
On Sept. 11 that year, about 120 of them were slain at Mountain Meadows, near Cedar City, Utah. Their killers were 50 to 60 Mormon militiamen, aided by American Indian allies. Only 17 children, age 6 and under, were spared the horrific slaughter.
A chaplain in the military services of the United States demonstrates extraordinary flexibility. From dealing with routine paperwork to challenging counseling, from early morning physical training to afternoon weddings and funerals, the day of a chaplain usually includes 24-hour availability to the members of their battalion.
In a single day, Lt. Col. Steven Merrill, a U.S. Air Force chaplain presently deployed in Kuwait, exercises, studies, counsels, prepares sermons and somehow finds time to eat and sleep.
Fueled by donors in states with a high concentration of Mormons, Republican Mitt Romney has raised more money in the Interior West than any other presidential candidate, an analysis of federal election records show.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, collected nearly $4.5 million from the region in the first quarter of 2007. While Salt Lake City not suprisingly topped the list, Romney also raised a considerable amount of money in towns like Idaho Falls, Idaho and Mesa, Ariz.
Two teenagers plead guilty to arson in blaze of Sugar House LDS church
Two teens who broke into an LDS church in Sugar House last year and vandalized the building before setting it ablaze have admitted their guilt in 3rd District Court and will be required to pay restitution toward the estimated $1.9 million refurbishing cost.
Michael Aaron Ferguson, 19, who pleaded guilty in 3rd District Court to second-degree felony arson, has been sentenced to probation and given credit for the 157 days he spent in jail.
Womanhood will be celebrated during this year’s Brigham Young University Women’s Conference Thursday and Friday, May 3-4, at various locations on campus co-sponsored by the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Wendy Watson Nelson, a former BYU professor of marriage and family therapy and wife of Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will present the conference theme, “Thou Art Come To the Kingdom for Such a Time as This,” taken from Esther 4:14, in the opening session at 9 a.m. Thursday in the Marriott Center. Her address will be followed by more than 200 presenters and more than 90 sessions.
Utahns tend to think of Mack Wilberg - if they think of him at all - as an arranger of LDS hymns and associate conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Most know little of his international success as a composer of religious music that appeals to people of many faiths.
This week's world premiere of Wilberg's latest work, a Requiem, is likely to accelerate his fame around the globe and might even change perceptions in his home state.
They say that there are certain moments in life where you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when they happened.
I had one of those moments a year ago today, and it changed my life.
Sunday Night Baseball was on the television and I was absent-mindedly swinging a pitching wedge in my apartment when my cell phone rang, bringing with it the voice of an old friend who could barely choke out the words.
Elder Gale Bryce, a volunteer service missionary at the Polynesian Cultural Center, explained in the heavily attended April 17 School of Computing InForm meeting how two former colleagues used "wordprint" statistical analyses to authenticate Book of Mormon authorship.
Elder Bryce — retired BYU Provo Associate Dean of the College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences and former chairman of its Statistics Department who now helps PCC with quality assurance analyses — explained wordprints are analagous to fingerprints: "They are based on the theory that an author develops subconscious habits over time in the way he or she writes." He added his colleagues, Wayne Larsen and Alvin Rencher, used statistical analysis software he partially developed to help us understand how the Book of Mormon was translated and who wrote it.
Place-making in SLC: Conference Center fits, library doesn't
OK, I might as well say it: I like the new LDS Church Conference Center (designed by Zimmer, Gunnsel, and Frasca, 1999).
As a gentile and consummate bo-bo ("bourgeois bohemian" - a cross between a hipster and a yuppie), I should hate it, or at least that's what all my aesthetically astute friends and colleagues tell me. The unfavorable response the building gets from the local literati runs from mild scorn to outright hostility, particularly among those who consider it "terribly fascist." By this I'm assuming they mean that the building's imposing size and monumental frankness equate nicely with their vision of the all-encompassing, authoritarian LDS Church. And on cold January days I might agree with them - devoid of summer greenery, the sky-gray Conference Center, fronted by its barren plaza, can be intimidating. Still, for me the building works as a piece of architecture, and it works better than our other new building, the Salt Lake City Main Library (Moshe Safdie, 2003).
BYU-Idaho president gives Summer Semester opening devotional, teaches students the pattern of the Atonement
Elder Kim B. Clark, president of Brigham Young University-Idaho, gave the opening devotional address of Summer Semester 2007 on Tuesday, April 17. He taught students about Christ's Atonement and how to apply it in their lives.
"Think for a moment about your own life. Think about the paths you have walked. Have you felt the power of the Atonement in your life?" he asked.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youth hold appreciation dinner
Youth from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints honored McKinney ISD high school teachers at a teacher appreciation dinner Wednesday at the McKinney Stake Center.
Bishop Harlow Hagee said the McKinney high school youth invited their teachers to dinner as a token of their appreciation.
“We really want to express to the educators in the community that we appreciate them,” Hagee said. “We appreciate the service that they do.”
Appeals court rules for LDS Church on mans suit over sons' ordination
The Utah Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld the dismissal of a father's lawsuit against the LDS Church, which ordained his two sons into its priesthood, apparently without his permission.
The ruling, however, allows Michael Gulbraa to pursue his claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress in his allegation that the church concealed information about the whereabouts of his sons after their noncustodial mother kidnapped them.
Among several questions being asked with increasing frequency in the public square about “Mormon” beliefs is whether those who embrace the religion are really Christian.
The topic has also received attention from a number of leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was addressed as recently as the annual world conference of the Church, broadcast from Salt Lake City earlier this month.
Elder Gary J. Coleman of the Seventy, a general level of Church leadership, asked, “What could be more Christian than seeking to take His name upon ourselves and following His counsel to become like Him?” Elder Coleman said that members of the Church subscribe to basic doctrines that define and emphasize the role of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Institute a refuge to stunned LDS students at Virginia Tech
Layton resident and Virginia Tech student Sunny Drysdale was one building over from Norris Hall Monday morning, but she didn't hear any of the shooting going on inside that left 30 dead.
The shooter, Tech student Cho Seung-Hui, is reported to have killed 32 people and himself. He wounded another 17.
Among the Utah students attending Virginia Tech, Drysdale is one of about 20 Utahns who are members of the LDS Church's Institute of Religion, which has a total of about 100 members. The institute, used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is housed on campus in a small brick building about a five-minute walk from Norris Hall.
Five hundred teenagers, their families and friends are taking over the gymnasium at Life University for two nights next weekend as they present a dance festival called "Raise the Torch."
It's not a recital or a competition. The teens are taking part in a cultural activity sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, spoke of her Mormon lineage at a special naturalization ceremony Tuesday at the National Archives.
She told the soon-to-be-Americans that “it takes work to create a country and work to keep a country, and part of that work lies in appreciating our history; and it is our history, whether our ancestors were here or not in the early days.”
r the past few years, the Alliance of Southwest Missouri has sponsored a First Families course.
With the success of the program, Tuesday night, eight families successfully graduated from the 12-week program.
First Families is family skills training designed to increase resilience and reduce risk factors for behavioral, emotional, academic and social problems. It builds on protective factors by: Improving family relationships, improving parenting skills; and increasing youth's social and life skills.
Nation shocked by tragic shootings at Virginia Tech
Washington University students came together Monday night for an impromptu candlelight vigil commemorating the Virginia Tech students who were wounded and killed on Monday. On Tuesday, Student Union began to distribute maroon-orange ribbons and held its own vigil.
The shooting was the deadliest in modern U.S. history with a total death toll of 33; 32 students and a gunman who took his own life. At least 29 others were wounded.
An array of donors who never had given money in a federal election opened their wallets to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney this year, drawn to him through his networks in the business world and the Mormon church.
Utah, seldom a go-to state for politicians seeking money, was Romney's second most generous state, reflecting the ties he has built there through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his time as president of the Salt Lake Olympics Organizing Committee.
Salt Lake City Council adds money to pot to buy refuge for homeless
Salt Lake City opened one door to the homeless Tuesday, but forever closed three others.
Meeting as the Redevelopment Agency, the City Council agreed to funnel $3 million to The Road Home to help purchase the Holiday Inn hotel at 999 S. Main as a refuge for low-income families and single men and women. The money will buoy a $7 million matching grant from the LDS Church, which The Road Home will use to convert the hotel into studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments.
Brigham Young University modified text included with its Honor Code last week, a change that clarifies the university's policy against homosexual behavior among students rather than against homosexual orientation.
BYU didn't publicize the clarifications, which were under consideration before the protest last month by the Soulforce Equality Riders, and university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said the process is continuing.
Two First Ladies See Firsthand Church Humanitarian Efforts
On a visit to Salt Lake City, the first ladies of Peru and Paraguay saw firsthand The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ humanitarian and welfare programs.
Pilar Nores de García, first lady of Peru, and Maria Gloria Penayo de Duarte, first lady of Paraguay, visited Welfare Square and the Humanitarian Center, at the same time sharing with Church officials their efforts to help the people in their respective countries.
The BYU quarterback derby couldn't have taken a more dramatic turn.
Head coach Bronco Mendenhall named Arizona State transfer Max Hall the starter coming out of spring drills on Monday, and Snow College all-American Cade Cooper is not only out of the race but will miss the 2007 football season with a serious foot injury suffered Saturday during his brief appearance in the team's final scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Cooper's injury is similar to the Lisfranc injury suffered by former Cougar and Philadelphia Eagle All-Pro tight end Chad Lewis in the NFC championship game several years ago. The injury is serious enough to sideline Cooper for a year and involves a tear of a major ligament in the middle of the foot.
Storm Brings Record Rain, Flooding to Eastern United States
A strong storm struck the eastern United States Sunday, causing widespread flooding and power outages and prompting the evacuations of hundreds from their homes.
More than 300,000 people from Florida to New England have been left without electricity or gas in the wake of the “nor’easter” storm that hit the East with a quadruple punch of rain, snow, wind, and hail.
Nor’easters are categorized by heavy wind blowing from the northeast and are infamous for producing strong wind gusts and heavy snow and rain. They typically strike during winter, making this spring nor’easter a rare occurrence.
Damage caused by the storm ranged from flooded homes and washed out roads to downed power lines.
The rain broke records across the northeast and several inches of heavy wet snow hit parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
Three tornadoes damaged more than 70 homes in Florida and South Carolina, and sustained winds in New York were recorded at 40 mph.
As of late Monday morning there were no reports of injuries to members or missionaries in the affected areas and no meetinghouses have been damaged, although hail did damage a few members’ homes and cars.
The storm, which moved across the country from Texas, created a path of destruction and has claimed the lives of eight people from five different states.
The rain and snow is expected to continue through Monday.
The faces and names of the dead brought home from Iraq are what you see.
What you don't see are the faces of Iraqis and coalition force members who Petty Officer 2nd Class Curtis R. Hall helped save before a 107 mm rocket blasted his convoy, killing Hall and two other sailors on his explosives team. Navy officials initially said Hall was killed by a roadside bomb.
Nestled into a few rooms in the southwest corner of a Cedar City LDS ward building is the LDS Employment Office, a place missionaries work to help area residents find meaningful employment.
George Slack, a missionary with the office, has taken on a role that could be described as office manager. He said missionaries at the facility are very dedicated to staying up-to-date on job availability and helping people find employment.
The radio stays off, the news gets ignored, and the focus stays on Jesus Christ for an unpaid Mormon missionary, living and preaching in Battle Creek.
Utah native Elder Christopher Child works seven days a week, from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., on his mission, a two-year trip during which he spreads his belief in God.
A new study based on three years of data has ranked Utah tops in the nation for its high rate of volunteering.
The Corporation for National and Community Service looked at figures from 2004 through 2006 to conclude that Utah has a volunteer rate of 45.9 percent for that time period.
Last year, for example, 790,000 volunteers dedicated 145.8 million "hours of service," according to the study. That gave Utah a volunteer rate of 43.5 percent for 2006 — well above the national rate of 26.7 percent.
Towering over a Mississippi River bluff, the recently built Mormon temple symbolizes the central role this town played in Mormon history.
And the arrival of two Christian evangelists from the Chicago area, proclaiming an anti-Mormonism message to the world, recalls the troubled history of those early Mormons with neighbors of other faiths.
Regular school dances? You can have them, says 16-year-old Michelle Walker of Corvallis. Give her a “modest prom” any day.
Walker was among about 140 teens from the coast to the mid-valley who danced the night away Friday at Adair Clubhouse during “A Night With the Stars,” a so-called “modest prom” presented by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Seminary students know the early bird gets the word
Moving the clock forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time a few weeks ago doesn't help much when you have to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning.
By 6:30 a.m., the only difference for LDS seminary kids is that they are guided by headlights and streetlights, and not sunlight. In either time zone, it's an early start for school.
“You mark that word, and from this school, I’ll tell you, will go men and women whose influence will be felt for good towards the establishment of peace internationally.”
These words spoken by President David O. McKay in the dedicatory address of the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Church College of Hawaii, February 12, 1955, have been heard many times since they were spoken.
Exactly 100 years ago today, a baby boy was born to Richard and Bertha Bird of Salt Lake City, who named the child after his father. You might want to wish Richard Bird a happy birthday today. You can catch him at his law office. But call ahead of time. He might be busy with a client. All centenarians get to 100 a little differently. Richard got there by going to work. "My feeling is that people who stop working die," he said. "This (coming daily to the office) keeps me interested, it keeps me alive, and that's why I continue to do it."
