Archive for December, 2008

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Flak for article on Glenn Beck affects Focus on the Family

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

From The Colorado Springs Gazette:

Focus on the Family has praised the Mormon church for its family values and opposition to gay marriage, but there are limits to how far the organization will go.

Focus’ political arm, Focus Action, recently removed an article from its Web site about conservative talk show host Glenn Beck - a Mormon - because it offended some of its evangelical followers.

Focus spokesman Gary Schneeberger said Monday that the story was put online through an “oversight.”

“We did not aim to signal theological compromise, which some of our base were concerned about,” Schneeberger said. “In no case do we intend to alter our clear distinction as unwaveringly grounded in evangelical theology.”

The controversy started Dec. 19 when Focus Action’s Web site, www.citizenlink.org, posted a freelance article by Karla Dial on Beck and his new book, “The Christian Sweater.” Beck hopes the book will “spread a more eternal sort of gospel,” Dial wrote.

Some readers felt the article was proselytizing ideas of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“The Christmas Sweater” is a story about a 12-year-old boy who wanted a bicycle for Christmas but instead got a sweater. Years later the boy realizes that the sweater is precious.

Beck, a social conservative who will host his own show on Fox News next year, said in the article that “the Christmas sweater is the metaphor for me of the atonement of Christ.”

Steve McConkey, who heads the Underground Apologetics, a conservative Christian group based in Madison, Wis., sent out a news release Dec. 21 denouncing Focus Action’s online publication of the article. Other Christians also denounced the article.

In the release, McConkey calls the Morman faith a cult. “Christians should be promoting the central issues of the faith properly without opening the door to false religions,” wrote McConkey, a nondenominational evangelical who is not a Focus constituent.

Schneeberger said Focus Action’s decision to pull the story was not driven by McConkey’s news release.

In a posting on his Web site on Monday, Beck sounded ruffled by Focus Action’s removal of the article.

“The concept of religious tolerance is too important to be sacrificed in response to pressure from special interest groups, especially when it means bowing to censorship,” wrote Beck, who could not be reached for additional comment.

Mark McConkie, president of the Colorado Springs stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in a statement Monday that the Mormons and evangelicals have too many shared interests, including family issues, to be pulled apart.

“It is in our collective best interest to continue to find ways to work together instead of driving wedges between committed believers.”

Focus has had a history of working with the Mormon church on family issues. In November, Focus founder James Dobson was one of the signers of a thank- you note to the church for its support of California’s Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman and passed on the November ballot.

Dobson also praised Gov. Mitt Romney’s speech last December on his Mormon faith during his run for the Republican presidential nomination.

On Monday Schneeberger had kind words for Beck.

“We intended no insult,” he said. “We merely miscalculated on how best to feature Glenn, whom we greatly appreciate.”

Link to article

Posted in Member News, Politics | No Comments »

Austin-area Eagle Scout to be honored for heroics in 2007

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

From The Austin American Statesman:

Regan Hunt earns Scouting’s highest lifesaving honor

That Thursday in July 2007 was a hot one, and so when the temperatures finally died down in the late afternoon, Regan Hunt, who hails from West Lake Hills , and his new freshman friends at Brigham Young University-Idaho headed out of Rexburg to Monkey Rock , their favorite swimming hole.

Thursday evening was as good as Friday night because they had no more classes before the weekend, so the idea was to dance, build a bonfire and cool down in the water. They rolled down their car windows, turned their stereos up and sat on the soft sand amid the rocky beach.

But about 8 p.m., commotion broke: Some other students were stuck in a whirlpool in a nearby canal and couldn’t get out. During a few minutes that left most people agape, Hunt found himself slinging a makeshift lifeline into the water — a beaten-up blue, white and green comforter — to try to save his close friends.

Hunt wound up rescuing five people and trying his hardest to save a sixth. Today, in honor of his quick thinking under pressure, Hunt, an Eagle Scout, will receive Scouting’s highest lifesaving honor.

The Cross Cut Canal runs from the Snake River to the Teton River. The spot where the canal falls at least 10 feet into the Teton is one of the favored swimming holes near Rexburg, a town of about 27,500 .

But just before the Cross Cut, which is 15 feet wide in some places, spills into the Teton, it narrows and grows shallow against a paved bank, leading to turbulence beneath the surface.

“There’s a horrible hydraulic effect there,” Brett Mackert, the commander of the Freemont County search-and-rescue team, said.

Logan Gerratt, Parker Bradford and Hunt called themselves the three musketeers, so close had they grown in only 10 days. The son of an American pharmaceutical executive working in Europe, Bradford had grown up in France and wanted advice from Gerratt in the American ways of wooing a girl.

The pair had wandered away from Monkey Rock and waded into the still water of the canal, downstream of the whirlpool. But as they chatted, Bradford slipped and was pulled down by an undertow. Gerratt dived in to save him.

Bradford was flushed out, but not Gerratt. Shouting, Bradford organized some people nearby to form a human chain to pull out Gerratt. But one by one, all of them, including Bradford, were sucked into the whirlpool.

Hunt, who is now 19, came over to the canal just as the members of the human chain were sucked under. He marched to his truck, about 50 yards away, and grabbed just about the first thing he saw — the old quilt that his passengers use to keep warm when they have to ride in the bed of his three-seater.

He’s 6 feet 7 inches and wears size 17 football cleats . A trained lifeguard, he swam long-distance for Westlake High School. His 20-odd merit badges for Scouting include one for first aid.

He cast the comforter into the water, one kid grabbed a corner and Hunt pulled him to safety. Then a second boy latched on and made his way out of the water; then a third; and then a fourth.

But two others — Bradford and Gerratt — still swirled in the churning water, floating in and out of consciousness.

Hunt ran to his truck and dug out some tie-downs. He wrapped one end of a tie-down to a guardrail on a bridge over the whirlpool and the other to his wrist, then lowered himself into the water.

He grabbed Bradford twice, once by his swim trunks, but each time he slipped away. At one point he managed to hold Bradford and Gerratt at the same time, but they both went back under.

“I felt Bradford try to hold on, but it wasn’t for long,” Hunt said.

Finally, he slipped further into the water, flushing Gerratt and Bradford into the quieter water. They floated down the canal and over the waterfall.

Another boy helped pull up Hunt. He had broken the wrist around which he wrapped the tie-down. He gathered his energy and hustled toward the swimming hole, just below the waterfall. Bradford and Gerratt had washed ashore.

One boy performed CPR on Gerratt, who choked and threw up water as paramedics arrived. Hunt performed CPR on Bradford, a teen with whom he says he had become “inseparable.” Bradford was bleeding from his face, where he had been battered by rocks after the waterfall. When the paramedics took him away, he had not been revived. A couple of days later, with no brain activity and on life support, he died in the hospital.

The whole episode, from the forming of the human chain to the CPR, had taken about 10 minutes.

This afternoon, in a ceremony at the Mormon church that sponsors his troop, Hunt will receive the Honor Medal with Crossed Palms, which fewer than 250 Scouts have received since the Boy Scouts of America began presenting the award in 1923.

Link to article

Posted in Boy Scouts, Member News | Comments Off

Focus on the Family Pulls Interview with Mormon Author Glenn Beck

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

From The Christian Post:

Conservative ministry Focus on the Family has removed from its website an article about the latest book by former CNN host Glenn Beck in response to complaints over his Mormon ties.

“Mr. Beck is a member of the Mormon church, and … we did not make mention of this fact in our interview with him,” reads a statement prepared for the ministry’s receptionists, according to Joel Campbell, the Mormon media observer for the MormonTimes.

“We do recognize the deep theological difference between evangelical theology and Mormon theology, and it would have been prudent for us at least to have pointed out these differences,” receptionists are instructed to say to those who call in about the missing article on the ministry’s CitizenLink website. “Because of the confusion, we have removed the interview from CitizenLink.”

Since last week, Beck’s interview had been featured on CitizenLink and claimed that Beck “is hoping to spread a more eternal sort of gospel through his new book, The Christmas Sweater.”

“I just want the people to understand that the message is true,” Beck said in the interview, which CitizenLink noted as being the product of a freelance reporter in Colorado Springs and not the ministry.

“Sometimes redemption has been made into a word that people don’t understand. They need to know it’s true, it’s real. It’s not a word, it’s a life-changing force,” the author continued. “It’s transformed my life, who I was to the very core of my being. If it wasn’t for me accepting the gift that the Lord gave to me, I’d be dead today.”

Since the interview was published, Christians throughout the blogosphere have raised flags and sounded alarms, concerned that Focus on the Family was compromising central doctrinal truths to win the culture war.

“They use Mr. Beck’s story as a way to show that hope can be found in God, which is true enough; the problem is that Mr. Beck’s god is not the Triune God of the Bible nor is his Jesus the Jesus of the Bible,” commented Dustin S. Seger, pastor of Shepherd’s Fellowship of Greensboro, N.C.

“I strongly discourage you from giving money to any religious organization that is so committed to a social agenda that they are willing to ignore the vast difference between biblical Christianity and the cult of Mormonism,” he wrote to readers of the co-authored blog “Grace in the Triad” earlier this week.

Though Beck’s social views are regarded as mostly compatible with many Christian views, his beliefs in Mormonism have been distinguished as not.

Aside from rejecting the Trinity and their belief in many gods, Mormons believe their prophet, Joseph Smith, was “the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam,” according to the Mormons’ History of the Church.

“Every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, Junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are,” claimed Brigham Young, a 19th century president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Clearly, Mormonism is a cult,” the ministry Underground Apologetics expressed in a statement opposing Focus on the Family’s promotion of Beck.

“Through the years, Focus on the Family has done great things to help the family and has brought attention to the many social ills that are attacking the family,” the ministry stated.

“However, to promote a Mormon as a Christian is not helpful to the cause of Jesus Christ,” it added. “For Christians to influence society, Christians should be promoting the central issues of the faith properly without opening the door to false religions.”

Since the debut of Beck’s The Christmas Sweater six weeks ago, the 284-page hardcover has not only hit the New York Times Best-Sellers List but has also climbed up to No. 1 multiple times.

Link to article

Posted in Christmas, Member News | No Comments »

Home cookin': Ex-Oak Ridge star shines for BYU

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

From The Sacramento Bee:

Name: Austin Collie

Local ties: Oak Ridge High School

The skinny: Collie sizzled in warm weather and cold, the regular season, the biggest games and right on into the bowl season. The junior receiver for BYU set school records with 106 receptions for 1,538 yards and 15 touchdowns in earning second-team All-America honors. His receptions and yards led the country this season . He had 11 consecutive 100-yard games, including pulling in 11 passes for 119 yards in a 31-21 loss to Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.

Hard to please: Collie was not pleased with the bowl outcome, telling reporters afterward, “Some guys played to the best, some guys didn’t, and I was one who didn’t.”

Prep flashback: Collie was a Prep All-American at Oak Ridge in 2003 and was named The Bee’s Player of the Year. He had 24 total touchdowns as a senior in garnering Northern California Player of the Year accolades. He then embarked on a church mission in Buenos Aires.

What now?: Collie would surely generate some draft interest with his combination of speed, hands and technique. Collie said after the bowl loss, “I’m not thinking about that right now. I’m thinking about the loss. We had a good season, not a great season. We had the potential to have a great season.”

Link to article

Posted in BYU, Member News, Missionary, Sports | Comments Off

Vikings can pronounce (Former BYU Player) Tahi experiment a success

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

From The Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Naufahu Tahi was asked for the greatest mangling of his name that he has encountered in his years as a high school, college and pro football player.

The young man of Tongan ancestry smiled and said: “It would be hard to pick out one … it’s happened so often.”

Guess what, Naufahu. We have a fresh contender for all-time mangle.

On Sunday, Adrian Peterson was answering questions about his big day against the Arizona Cardinals. The Vikings running back and now leading contender as the NFL’s MVP said the work done by his offensive line was so impressive that “Fahu” could’ve made big yards.

That’s the shortened version of Naufahu used by everyone at Winter Park in referring to the starting fullback. A worker on assignment from the Cardinals’ public relations staff was in the Vikings locker room taping interviews.

The tapes were turned into transcripts that were distributed in the press box. Somehow, “Fahu” became “Fievel” in Peterson’s quote.

“Fievel?” Tahi said.

Yes, Fievel — a cartoon mouse from the 1986 animated film “An American Tail.”

Tahi shook his head and said: “That’s it. That’s the worst my name has been mangled.”

This conversation came a few days after Tahi did considerable mangling of the Cardinals’ defense as a lead blocker for Peterson and Chester Taylor.

“Basically, he’s a lead blocker or somebody that’s taking care of a linebacker,” coach Brad Childress said. “He’s done a good job with the physical aspect and with the protection in the passing game.”

Childress said the Vikings used a fullback on roughly 33 percent of their plays in 2007. Most of those went to Tony Richardson, the now-departed veteran.

“I don’t remember how many snaps [Tahi] had last year — 13, maybe 15,” the coach said. “Obviously, there was a ramping-up process for him in training camp. He was able to pick it up. He’s done a good job.”

The Vikings signed Thomas Tapeh to serve as Richardson’s replacement. He got the money, but Tahi wound up with the fullback job.

Asked to evaluate the Tahi-Tapeh competition, Childress said: “Fahu’s here, and Tapeh’s not.”

Tahi’s parents come from Tonga. Naufahu was born in California, raised in Utah and never has visited the home island in the South Pacific.

“I plan to get to Tonga some time,” Tahi said. “It’s not going to be while I’m playing football, so hopefully that trip won’t be for a few years.”

Tahi’s family was drawn to Utah by the Mormon faith. He went to Brigham Young, played as a freshman, then went on a Mormon mission that kept him out of football from 2000 through 2002.

And at what exotic location did he serve his mission?

“Jacksonville, Florida,” he said. “I was hoping for something a little more dramatic — Africa, South America — but there was also work to be done in Jacksonville.”

Tahi shared running back duties in BYU’s one-back, pass-heavy offense. His quarterback was John Beck, now the QB-in-waiting for the Miami Dolphins.

Link to article

Posted in BYU, Sports | Comments Off

Madrid hotel puts books left behind by guests to good use

Monday, December 15th, 2008

From Sify News:

Madrid: A hotel in the Spanish capital has created a library of books left behind by the guests.

Many travellers leave books behind in their hurry to catch flights or get to the railway station on time. The hotel has created a 250-book library out of the forgotten items.

The downtown Conde Duque hotel’s collection includes paperback novels, travel guides and art books in English, Spanish, Japanese, Greek, Chinese, Dutch and other languages.

The wide variety of languages is due to the fact the guests of the hotel, located in the Chamberi district not far from Madrid’s famous Gran Via thoroughfare, are mostly foreigners and business travellers who often carry books inside their luggage.

The eclectic collection includes a cookbook with traditional Roman recipes, a title about Michael Jackson’s dance steps, the memoirs of Spanish bullfighter Jose Ortega Cano and handbooks of natural remedies.

Of course, the library’s shelves also contain such expected volumes as bestsellers like Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons” and a variety of religious texts.

Indeed, one of the titles that attracts the most attention of visitors to this unusual library is a Spanish translation of “Book of Mormon” (a sacred text in churches of the Latter Day Saints movement) with a dedication inside the front cover. (cont.)

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Posted in Scriptures | Comments Off

Best of the Blogs: Mormon Church Dances

Monday, December 15th, 2008

From Credo (Culture11.com):

1988, my Junior year in high school, my Mom bought me a Le Coq Sportif jacket with puff pockets, no collar, a stylish zipper, and a big rooster on the back.  With my 1980s swoop of a haircut made for mousse-ready styling, I blasted Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Men without Hats, and Duran Duran and readied myself for the Saturday Night Dance at the Interstake Center in Oakland, California.  Dances started at 8:00 but if you got there before 8:30 you were summarily panned as a wannabe.  Fashionably late as they say.  This was the ritual.

That’s a quick superficial take on a Mormon tradition going back three decades now: Saturday Night Dances.  Why do I bring this up?  Because my daughter just attended her first dance on Saturday.  It brought back a flood of memories and launched an entire stream of parental worrying I hadn’t thought much about.  But, looking back on my experiences, I take comfort in knowing that my daughter will experience many of the things I did and that she will be a LOT safer than going to some rave or downtown club.

It started in the 70s as leaders of the Mormon church quickly realized that the dance fad was not fading away.  They decided: if we can’t keep them from the dances we can at least host them ourselves and control the temperature.  By the 1980s this tradition had been established across the US.  Here’s a quick bullet list of interesting tidbids about LDS Saturday Night Dances:

  • In many areas dances are combined between regional Stakes (think Diocese).  The more the merrier.  Invariably, some stakes would host fantastic themed amusement for the youth while others were dismissed as “not cool”.
  • Dances are for kids between the ages of 14 and 19
  • You may bring a non-Mormon friend with you.
  • The DJ was usually some hip Dad or some college guy that the parents trusted.  Rarely, would the church splurge for a paid DJ.
  • Ratio of fast to slow songs is probably four to one.
  • Parents swoop in on the slow songs to make sure there’s a good distance between the couples (two “quads” we use to joke)
  • In order to get into the dance you need to have a interview.  A member of the local priesthood leadership will take you aside and interview you about your responsibilities at the dance.  Once you agree, you both sign a “dance card” which you can use throughout the year for regional dances.
  • On the back of the card (at least for my daughter) it says the following:

“Treat others with respect. Do not use profane or offensive language or tobacco, alcohol, or drugs on the premises. Avoid full body contact with your dance partner. Do not use suggestive positions or moves. Do not form Mosh pits.”

This card has changed slightly since my day.  No mention of Mosh pits in the 1980s and suggestive dancing wasn’t really invented yet.  The card goes on to denote clothing requirements:

“Clothing. Be neat, dress sensibly
Young Men - wear long pants and clean shirts. Do not wear hats, make-up or inappropriate messages.
Young Women - wear pants/dresses to at least calf level. Top must cover shoulders, stomach and back. Do not wear really tight clothes.”

In my day, girls were required to wear dresses and the “make-up” for guys thing would be laughable.

Lastly the card says: “Safeguard your things and have fun.”

My daughter had a great time.  Four guys asked her to dance.  I know most of them and was pleased as punch.

In short, Mormon Church Saturday Dances are one more element of the LDS Faith which helps keep the integrity and virtue of its youth intact.

Link to article

Posted in LDS Church, Member News | No Comments »

MORMON MISSIONARIES LEAN TOWARD BIGFOOT BELIEF!!!

Monday, December 15th, 2008

From The San Francisco Sentinel:

Two missionaries with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints received a scare on the night of Dec. 2 when they saw what they think was a set of sasquatch footprints outside of their Burns Lake home.

Tyler Beck and Brad Blazzard are in B.C. for two years, rotating in different communities throughout the Smithers and Burns Lake area for the past seven months.

“The first thing we thought was that someone was playing a trick on us,” Beck said.

“But we don’t know anyone our age who would do that and our house in on the southside, so pretty much in the middle of nowhere.”

The footprints, which Beck said was about 20 inches long is right in front of Beck’s porch, leading to the path where the pair keep their wood shed.

Beck said prior to finding the footprint at 9:30 p.m. on the night of Dec. 2, he didn’t really believe in the possibility of bigfoot.

“I still don’t know what to think,” he said.

“I have heard some pretty ridiculous things about bigfoot but now I am leaning toward the edge of thinking it may be possible.”

The house sits in front of a lake and Beck said in the four-and-a-half months he has been there, he has seen all manner of coyotes and wolves. This is the first time he has seen any sign of the fabled creature.

In addition to a rash of sightings in the Bulkley Valley in the summer and fall, Larry Sommerfield, a self-proclaimed sasquatch hunter from Terrace had a cast that he claimed was a sasquatch print.

Sommerfield was reluctant to tell The Terrace Standard how he came into possession of the 16-inch long cast, except to say that it was made in mid-August from a footprint found in a gravel pit just east of the Kitselas First Nation’s subdivision east of Terrace on Highway 16.  (cont.)

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Posted in Humor, Missionary | No Comments »

Mormon church plans temple in Peru

Sunday, December 14th, 2008

From LocalNews8.com:

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Top leaders of the Mormon church on Saturday announced plans to build a temple in Trujillo, Peru.

The temple will bring the total number of temples in South America - existing or under construction - to 17.

Worldwide, the Trujillo temple will be the 146th for the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormon missionaries first began preaching in Trujillo in 1960. The first church baptisms were in 1961 and the first church meeting house built in 1963.

The Trujillo temple will be built on the site of an existing meeting house. Church officials say it will serve an estimated 88,000 members in the area.

Latter-day Saints use temples for their most sacred religious ceremonies, including weddings and proxy baptisms. Only church members in good standing are allowed to enter a temple.

Link to article

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Dresses for the unconventional bride

Sunday, December 14th, 2008

From The News-Leader (Springfield, MO):

Des Peres — As a Mormon planning a temple wedding, Jenna Gaal knew what she needed in a wedding gown: pure white, with sleeves and a conservative neckline and hem.

She just couldn’t find it.

“I tried on things that looked like nightgowns, floor-length with beads,” said the 23-year-old from Kansas City, who wanted something elegant as well as modest.

Finally, she found her dress about a four-hour drive from home at Chatfields Boutique in the St. Louis suburb of Des Peres. Chatfields, which bills itself as “an unexpected wedding store” features modest, plus-size, eco-friendly, maternity and other specialty gowns.

Its owner, Debbie Welcher, notes that not all brides are seeking a size 6 strapless couture gown. While those with unconventional — or very traditional — needs may have to do a little more homework, there are places where they, too, can find the dress of their dreams.

Gaal was beaming, and her mother looked happy too, as she stood in front of a mirror at Chatfields while her satin gown — with covered shoulders, a dropped waist and box pleats — was being fitted. She found the store because it is near her wedding temple.

“Oh my goodness! I was almost in tears because I had 10 to 20 dresses to try on, instead of two or three to try and work with,” she said. “I think it’s a great thing because every bride wants to look pretty on her wedding day.”

Welcher was motivated to create a boutique of hard-to-find bridal dresses when she heard a radio call-in discussion about how difficult it could be for pregnant brides to find flattering dresses and sympathetic salespeople.

Her store now serves a variety of niche bridal markets. There is a pregnant mannequin in the same store window as another mannequin wearing a temple-ready gown with high neck and long sleeves.

The maternity dress is a champagne taffeta with a corset back that can be laced to adjust for a changing figure. It also includes a panel of fabric that expands to accommodate an expanding belly.

“It’s not just an empire with fabric hanging down,” Welcher said, referring to the high-waistline style that might be used to dress a pregnant woman. “I love this dress because it’s so Audrey Hepburn.”

These days, brides want gowns that fit their own personal circumstances, say those in the industry.

“The whole concept of a traditional bride is being turned on its head a little bit,” said spokeswoman Cindi Freeburn of David’s Bridal, which has about 300 stores nationwide. “Brides really want to make their wedding their own.”

Freeburn noted that about 15 percent of American weddings are now “destination” weddings, for which brides might want gowns that can be worn outside.

Gown preferences also can vary by region, she said, and David’s adjusts its mix of dresses to meet demand — providing more covered-up gowns, for instance, in areas where there are larger concentrations of conservative, religious families.

The chain doesn’t specifically design maternity dresses, Freeburn said, but has in-store experts trained to make those alterations.  (cont.)

Link to article

Posted in Economics, Member News | No Comments »

'A Simple Reminder'

Saturday, December 13th, 2008

From The Tampa Bay Tribune (FL):

It’s not easy to ask people to volunteer at the busiest time of the year.

But as he watched the live rehearsal of his church’s “Night in Bethlehem” event, coordinator Eric Ramsey could see how hard work and sacrifice had paid off for the 200 or so cast and crew members.

“When I first heard about the program, I didn’t catch the vision right away. But now I see it clearly,” Ramsey said. “This is just a simple reminder of why we celebrate Christmas. This has nothing to do with the commercialism. It has everything to do with the message of the gift God gave to us.”

For the third year, the Tampa stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which represents 11 congregations, has produced “Night in Bethlehem” on the church’s sprawling property in Odessa. The free outdoor presentation opened Thursday and continues tonight and Sunday from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

The program starts in a replicated version of a Bethlehem marketplace, with bread bakers and candle-makers working at their crafts in period costumes. “Census takers” won’t be taking tickets to the show, but they will accept nonperishable food items to be donated to the needy.

Spectators then follow a path to a scene where Joseph leads a pregnant Mary on a mule in his futile search to find a room at the inn.

The second installment moves to a scene in a manger built on a hill. A narrator recounts Christ’s birth, with a choir of angels, live sheep with shepherds and a glowing star of Bethlehem that lights the night sky. The audience is encouraged to sing along with some of the familiar Christmas hymns, and then stop inside the stake center for dessert and hot chocolate.

The presentation cycles every 30 minutes.

Ramsey acknowledges that putting on a program like this can help dispel some of the misconceptions that people have about the Mormon church.

“We’re Christians who believe in the birth of our Savior,” he says. “We don’t offer this program to broadcast our beliefs, but if we can show others that our church is a lot like theirs, then that’s a great side benefit.”

Link to article

Posted in Christmas, Member News | Comments Off

Man guilty of killing Mormon missionary

Saturday, December 13th, 2008

From UPI:

CHESAPEAKE, Va., Dec. 13 (UPI) — A Virginia man was convicted Friday of shooting two young Mormon missionaries, killing one of them.The jury deliberated for two days before finding James Boughton Jr. guilty of the murder of Morgan Young, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Jurors were told to return Monday for the penalty phase of the trial.

Young, 21, from Bountiful, Utah, and Joshua Heidbrink, 19, of Greeley, Colo., were going door to door in Chesapeake, Va., in January 2006 when they were shot. Investigators said that the two encountered Boughton as he ran away after attempting to kill a local resident, Gregory Banks Jr.

Heidbrink, although wounded in the neck and shoulder, was able to go for help. Young was shot in the head and died at the scene.

During the trial, Boughton’s lawyer, Andrew Sacks, argued that he had an alibi for the killing. He said that Mario Felton, 17, had a dispute with Banks over drug money.

Felton did admit the shootings but later said that he did so to help Boughton.

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Posted in Crime, Missionary | No Comments »

Keith Clearwater: Former rookie sensation overcomes personal trials

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

From PGATour.com:

Keith Clearwater didn’t simply appear on the PGA TOUR in 1987, though it might’ve seemed that way at the time. He’d fought for four long years, through mini tours, state opens and four failed attempts at q-school. In 1986, Clearwater had a four-win season on the Tournament Players Association mini-tour and he finally earned his PGA TOUR card in q-school later that season.

Once he finally made it to the top, though, Clearwater didn’t waste any time becoming a force to be reckoned with on the TOUR.

At the 1987 Colonial National Invitation, Clearwater performed a feat that few will likely ever match. Forced to play 36 holes on the final day, he rattled off two straight 64s on Sunday to win the prestigious event with a 14-under total. He beat Davis Love III by three strokes for his first TOUR win.

“My game underwent a refining process in those years of playing on the mini-tour,” Clearwater said in 1987, following his win at Colonial. “And winning a TPA event really helped me win at Colonial, because the emotions are exactly the same coming up 18.

“One has to learn how to deal with that without being out of control. Those were four good years, and I didn’t waste them. I learned a lot and when I got on the TOUR, I felt like I belonged. If I had gone to the TOUR immediately, I likely would not have been as successful.”

Later that year, the rookie with experience won again. In his last official tournament of the season, Clearwater posted a 10-under 278 at the Centel Classic to beat Bill Glasson, Billy Kratzert, Bob Lohr and Joey Sindelar by a stroke. The win brought his season earnings to $320,007.

Not only did he capture attention for those two victories, but he also shot a 64 in the third round of the U.S. Open that year and gained even more respect. Because of his movie-star good looks and that stellar rookie season that also included Rookie of the Year honors, the golf world wondered if he was the next big thing.

Clearwater continued to have occasional brilliant moments. In 1992, Clearwater finished 22nd on the money list after nearly winning the Doral-Ryder Open and The Honda Classic. He had 10 top-10 finishes that season in 32 starts and pocketed $609,273.

So what happened? Why hasn’t Clearwater made a cut since September 2004 on the Nationwide Tour and November 2001 on the PGA TOUR? To put it simply — life got in the way.

First, it was his kids. The devout Mormon’s second child was born in June 1988 and, at that point, he started heading home to Orem, Utah, every week from Sunday until Wednesday.

“After I won, I decided I would be a family man,” Clearwater said in 1989. He and his wife now have four kids and, to this day, he still devotes most of his off-course time to them.

Then, in the early 2000s, it was his parents who needed him. Both were alcoholics. As Clearwater put it, he’d bought them a house and a car and made their lives easy. They could sit around and drink all day. Some days they couldn’t even get out of bed.

In 2001, he decided to take time away from the game and care for them. By January 2003, his mother had passed away. His father entered Alcoholics Anonymous and had been in recovery for 20 months before passing away in 2006 from prostate cancer.

Clearwater’s wife Sue also contracted bacterial pneumonia in 2001 and he withdrew from a U.S. Open qualifying round immediately when he heard she had a 50-50 chance of surviving.

His wife is fine now, and Clearwater believes his parents are in a better place. Though he hasn’t played often in the past seven years, Clearwater still has fight left in him.

While playing at Colonial in 2006 on a sponsor’s exemption, Clearwater told PGATOUR.COM that his best golf was still in front of him.

“That means nothing to anyone but me,” he said. “Everyone’s ‘Oh, yeah, right.’ But I know that.”

He hasn’t quite lived up to that statement yet, as Clearwater only made nine starts on the Nationwide Tour in 2008 and two on the PGA TOUR but didn’t make a cut. Still, he can start attempting to qualify on the Champions Tour once he turns 50 in September and, like in 1987, might be a rookie sensation.

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Posted in BYU, Member News, Sports | 1 Comment »

Mormon church helps those in need

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

From The Gilroy Dispatch (CA):

Our country is certainly going through tough economic times now. Every day seems to bring news of layoffs, bailouts, foreclosures and government cutbacks. In this context, it is inspiring to note that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates a welfare system that helps meet the needs of both Mormons and their neighbors in communities across the country.

The LDS Church has a tradition of hardy self-reliance, dating back to the days of settling the Utah wilderness.

Today Mormons are taught that “each person’s spiritual and temporal well-being rests first upon himself, second upon his family and third upon the church.”

This principle leads to a willingness to cultivate vegetable gardens and store supplies for use in emergencies. It is also reflected in members’ avoidance of alcohol and tobacco, accounting for health statistics above the national average.

But circumstances can change, making people unable to support themselves; anyone can fall victim to unemployment, serious illness or death in the family. This is when the LDS church demonstrates its ability to help members help themselves.

The church is divided into geographic congregations called “wards,” each of which is presided over by a bishop. In addition to spiritual duties, this self-supporting leader has the responsibility of ministering to the material needs of the members of his ward.

A bishop seeks to keep informed about the spiritual and temporal condition of his congregation. Each family has assigned “home” and “visiting” teachers, men and women who contact them monthly to discuss faith issues and report back to the bishop whenever help seems warranted.

Bishops have many resources to meet members’ needs. Temporary financial help is available through special “fast offerings.” These funds are available to the bishop; they are donated monthly by members when they skip two consecutive meals and donate the money saved plus a generous additional amount for this purpose.

Also, across the country the Church operates enterprises that provide items for “bishops’ storehouses.”

For example, at farms in Utah, volunteers this summer picked more than a million pounds of peaches that were then canned and sent to bishops’ storehouses and public agencies in several states. Food, clothing and other necessities are stored in these warehouses until bishops requisition them for people in need.

These items then become tangible symbols of the “time, effort and love generously contributed for the common good.” The Church also operates a thrift store (Deseret Industries) that collects unwanted household goods, sells them inexpensively and provides training and employment.

Two principles seem to make the LDS welfare program a success. First, nearly everyone involved donates time and talent, eliminating expensive bureaucracy. And bishops offer recipients the opportunity to work in return for assistance, helping preserve their dignity and self-respect.

South County abounds with examples of people receiving help:

- Matt Deakin of Morgan Hill’s First Ward tells of an elderly woman who lived in a mobile home that had fallen into serious disrepair. Through the course of several weeks volunteer members tore out and replaced worn carpet and damaged flooring, providing her a much better living environment.

- Bishop Carl Woodland of the Second Ward in Morgan Hill recounts the story of an octogenarian, a proud Army veteran, whose house’s roof badly needed repairing. Again, volunteers joined in to replace the roof and provide him a dry home for the winter.

In addition to helping its local members, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also sponsors humanitarian relief and development projects that benefit the general public. Recent emergency relief assistance in times of disaster include the California wildfires and Hurricane Ike in Texas.

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Posted in LDS Church, Politics, Provident Living | No Comments »

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