November 2009
MormonTimes - Book details adventures of FBI agent/LDS bishop (11-30-9)
With a gun and a Bible in hand each day for protection, Mike McPheters led an exciting double life.
MormonTimes - Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Brian Stokes Mitchell, TV Tuesday (11-30)
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell will beam mini-performances from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City to television stations from Atlanta to Detroit, Charlotte to Minneapolis on Tuesday as part of a satellite media tour.
CNN.com - Should Romney's faith be an obstacle? (11-30)
Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical Christian leaders last week issued a bold political statement. They intended to target the Obama administration. Inadvertently, they may have also hit probable Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.
MormonTimes - Some Mormons may not understand Joseph's translation process (11-30)
As we continue our discussion about the Book of Mormon translation, some members may be troubled that the process doesn't match their conceptions of how they thought the process worked.
MormonTimes - Downtown site for Philadelphia Temple chosen (11-30)
Enthusiasm and anticipation are percolating among Mormons in southeast Pennsylvania with the recent announcement by the First Presidency of a site for the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple.
MormonTimes - Questioning the alternative Jesus (11-29)
Richard Neitzel Holzapfel was on a plane traveling from Berlin to Paris. Two Americans sat next to him.
MormonTimes - Elder Ballard makes return visit to Santo Domingo (11-28)
In a historic visit to the Caribbean, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve addressed a group of priesthood leaders in Santo Domingo, where 31 years earlier he dedicated the nation of the Dominican Republic and opened the land to missionary work.
MormonTimes - BYU Kennedy center seeking teachers for Chinese universities (11-27)
The David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies at BYU is seeking qualified couples and individuals to teach at universities in the People's Republic of China during the 2010-11 academic year.
MormonTimes - California teens serve in CTR club (11-27)
Carolyn Hale and Tera-Lynne Pierson are co-presidents of the CTR club at Los Alamitos High in California; the cllub has now been active for nearly a decade.
MormonTimes - New hotel part of Polynesian Cultural Center plans (11-25)
The 45-year-old Laie Inn closed for good Nov. 1, leaving Hawaii's largest paid attraction, the Polynesian Cultural Center, without adjacent tourist lodging.
MormonTimes - Thanksgiving food for thought (11-25)
The Mormon Media Observer picks recent speeches and columns about faith, politics and forgiveness as some Thanksgiving selections.
MormonTimes - Weyland writes a 'brave little book' (11-25)
Some authors write novels so subtle you need to hire a private investigator just to learn what they're about.
MormonTimes - New LDS author seeking success with 'Maze Runner' (11-24)
James Dashner was reading from his latest book at the 15th Street Gallery in Salt Lake City when he paused and looked at his son in the front row.
Brian David Mitchell lawyers lose motion to leave (11-24)
The federal competency hearing for accused Elizabeth Smart kidnapper Brian David Mitchell will start Monday despite an attempt by his defense team Tuesday to withdraw.
MormonTimes - Aussie Mormon guitarist works around blindness (11-23)
The first time Lorin Nicholson read the Book of Mormon, it took him seven years to get through it.
MormonTimes - Apostle and Seventy's Africa visit leads to great experiences (11-23)
As Consolata Usi and some of her five children were walking down a Kenyan road one day in late 1992, Mormon missionaries approached her and started to tell her about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
MormonTimes - Churches, leaders have right to speak out on public policy debates (11-23)
Michael Otterson, head of Public Affairs for the LDS Church, blogged in the Washington Post about the Mormon view on constitutional rights of religions.
MormonTimes - Ty Detmer joins confirmation circle of former BYU teammate (11-23)
While quarterback Ty Detmer was playing through his stellar, Heisman Trophy-winning career at BYU, Garrett Tujague stood up for him as an offensive lineman.
MormonTimes - How a seer stone helped in the Book of Mormon translation (11-23)
Last week we talked about the frontier treasure-digging environment in which Joseph Smith lived and how his own pre-prophet world view was shaped by that environment.
MormonTimes - Former Eagle TE Chad Lewis gives great message in Philly (11-22)
The Eagles will get to the Super Bowl this season! The Eagles will win the Super Bowl!!
MormonTimes - Angel statue is placed atop Philippines' second temple (11-21)
Activities in the busy street of Gorordo in Cebu City temporarily halted as people witnessed the installation of the statue of angel Moroni on the Cebu Philippines Temple on Thursday, Nov. 5.
MormonTimes - Protesters hire a lawyer to fight Phoenix temple plans (11-21)
Critics of the proposed Mormon temple in Phoenix have hired an attorney to represent them, saying city and church officials are ignoring their concerns.
MormonTimes - Nephi's steel bow difficult to replicate at BYU competition (11-21)
About 33 BYU students made a Book of Mormon story a reality Friday at the second annual Nephi's Steel Bow Competition.
MormonTimes - Mormons in the news: Meyer, Bennett, Romney (11-21)
With the release of the movie "New Moon," Stephenie Meyer is likely the most written about Mormon in the media this week. Dozens of news organizations have profiled Meyer.
MormonTimes - Auxiliary leaders visit Mormons in southernmost city (11-21)
Argentina General auxiliary leaders made a historic trip early this November to visit church members in Ushuaia, Argentina -- the southernmost city in the world.
MormonTimes - Elder Ballard honored by Catholic Community Services (11-21)
Religious and community leaders honored Elder M. Russell Ballard on Nov. 17, calling the Mormon apostle a "bridge builder" with a proven knack for bringing diverse communities together in unified efforts to help people in need.
MormonTimes - Complete poetry of Eliza R. Snow published (11-21)
Poetess. Prophetess. Priestess. Presidentess. These are all words Jill Mulvay Derr and Karen Lynn Davidson used to describe Eliza R. Snow at an event Friday, Nov. 20, in the Sons of the Utah Pioneers building to celebrate the release of "Eliza R. Snow: The Complete Poetry."
MormonTimes - A call for sanity in the BYU-U of U rivalry (11-20)
Click over to any online article about BYU or Utah football, and you'll find a comment forum filled with more hatred and vitriol than even a Fox News/MSNBC newscast.
'New Moon' rising: Vampires vs. werewolves in 2nd film of Twilight saga (11-20)
Things are about to get a little hairy for those Twilight vampires. Because here come the Twilight werewolves.
MormonTimes - Philadelphia Pennsylvania temple site announced (11-19)
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the site for the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple.
MormonTimes - Church historian keeps tabs on records, news (11-19)
The word "remember" is used by prophets in the Book of Mormon more than 200 times, Church Historian Marlin K. Jensen says, a fact that speaks volumes about the importance of recalling the church's past.
MormonTimes - Southern Virginia good choice for small-school LDS education (11-19)
This is a peculiar time to send our kids off to college. On the one hand, college education is an essential marker before you can get most well-paying jobs.
MormonTimes - Starting linemen, Peyton's spotlight and another injury (11-19)
Week 10 update: Mormons in the NFL
Portraits of the past: Jennette Evans McKay home (11-19)
At the northern end of the valley in which Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, is situated, is the little community of Heolgerrig.
Talk about faith, scholar tells BYU (11-18)
Don't wait for someone else to start talking about Mormons and politics, Harvard law professor Noah Feldman says.
Sutherland president ties religion, politics (11-18)
When Sutherland Institute President Paul T. Mero didn't quite "mature" politically on his own, he said finding a belief in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "jump-started it for me."
MormonTimes - Actor has life-changing experience in Nauvoo (11-18)
As an actor, Darren Hill enjoys a very interesting life, but never as fulfilling as last summer when he was asked to play the lead character, Robert Laird, in the Nauvoo Pageant in Nauvoo, Ill.
MormonTimes - BYU-Idaho's musical performance: 'God's everlasting love' (11-18)
Audience members were uplifted and edified as they listened to BYU-Idaho's music groups perform original compositions in the Tabernacle on Temple Square on Saturday, Nov. 14.
MormonTimes - Jan Shipps discusses impact of religious research on LDS (11-18)
Religious historian Jan Shipps says if a prophet is defined as one who speaks for God, then Mormon founder Joseph Smith could have been one.
MormonTimes - Spirit of prophets continues (11-18)
In his last teachings on earth, President David O. McKay declared: "Into the hands of every individual is given a marvelous power for good or for evil. It is simply the constant radiation of what a man really is. … Life is a state of radiation. … Man cannot escape for one moment the radiation of his character" (Conference Report, October 1969, 87).
Barzee pleads guilty, agrees to testify (11-17)
Wanda Barzee, accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart in 2002, plead guilty in federal court Tuesday and agreed to testify against her estranged husband.
MormonTimes - 'Family Armor': Texans let TLC cameras into LDS home, business (11-17)
Flying bullets, car chases and blowing up cars are what Trent Kimball uses as, well, research.
MormonTimes - Kehl represents faith in different shade of blue (11-17)
Kehl writes a rookie journal for the New York Giants' website.
LDS Church, Boy Scouts named in abuse lawsuit (11-16)
The LDS Church and Boy Scouts of America were named as defendants in lawsuits Monday claiming childhood sexual abuse by youth leaders decades ago.
MormonTimes - Seer stone, Nephite interpreters are religion, not magic (11-16)
Last week we talked about the Nephite "Interpreters" and how they may have transferred from the brother of Jared to Joseph Smith. We also explained that their more common label, the "Urim and Thummim," has been applied to more than one tool through history.
MormonTimes - Tithes and offerings (11-15)
As we approach the last month of the year, Latter-day Saints will soon be meeting with their bishops or branch presidents for tithing settlement.
MormonTimes - Hugh Nibley's coded language and the minority mind-set (11-15)
Boyd J. Petersen told the Utah Valley University conference on "outmigration" about how Hugh Nibley -- and other Mormons -- coped with the divided sense of self that minorities often experience in the larger society.
MormonTimes - LDS disparity between black Africa and African-Americans (11-14)
A few weeks ago, I watched the documentary "Pioneers of Africa" on BYU Television. It tells the story of church growth in Africa before the church was officially organized there. It also documents how the church membership in Africa has increased since the 1978 priesthood revelation.
MormonTimes - Mormon support of S.L. ordinance draws media attention (11-14)
When LDS Church spokesman Michael Otterson appeared at the Salt Lake City Council meeting this past Tuesday, his words were certainly news -- the church would support city ordinances that protect the gay community from discrimination in housing and employment. And it was a lot of news coverage the statement and an unanimous council vote received.
Mormon Church and gay rights (11-12)
This past Tuesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns this newspaper, formally announced its support for a Salt Lake City proposed ordinance that would ban discrimination against the gay community in employment and housing. Both the church and the city are to be commended for their actions.
MormonTimes - Mormons successfully entering mainstream culture (11-12)
Mormons are successfully assimilating into the larger American culture, according to G. Wesley Johnson.
Protections for gays face tough fight at Utah Legislature (11-12)
Now that Salt Lake City has approved ordinances that make it illegal to fire or evict someone for being gay, will the Legislature and Gov. Gary Herbert follow suit?
MormonTimes - John L. Sorenson's life, next book celebrated (11-12)
John L. Sorenson's life was celebrated in this video produced by The Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF).
Portraits of the past: Proselyting in Wales (11-12)
By 1843, missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were proselyting in Wales.
MormonTimes - Polynesian Cultural Center called a 'flop that flipped' (11-12)
LAIE, Hawaii -- T. David Hannemann was living in Southern California in 1962 when he became involved in a new project in Hawaii: the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Mormon church supports Salt Lake City's protections for gay rights (11-11)
Salt Lake City has become the first Utah city to offer housing and employment protections for gays and lesbians--an action supported by the Mormon church.
MormonTimes - Salt Lake's City Creek Center to the Osmonds (11-11)
There's been a lot to talk about on the Mormon-media front -- everything from PBS's "Religion and Ethics" coverage of the makeover of Salt Lake's downtown to an independent look at the coverage of Mormons during the Maine same-sex marriage campaign as well as feature stories about the Osmonds and Ainges.
MormonTimes - Joseph and Hyrum lived and died as true gentlemen (11-11)
Joseph and Hyrum Smith, priesthood officers to this dispensation, were gentlemen. That was a major difference between them and their persecutors.
Will Utah Legislature, governor consider gay rights law? (11-11)
Now that Salt Lake City has passed an anti-discrimination ordinance for gays and lesbians in employment and housing, will the Legislature and Gov. Gary Herbert follow suit?
Text from LDS church regarding Salt Lake City's non-discrimination ordinance (11-10)
Following is the full text from Michael Otterson, managing director of the LDS Church's Public Affairs, who spoke during Tuesday night's public hearing in support of Salt Lake City's proposed non-discrimination ordinance:
MormonTimes - CFL legend prefers sacrament to slotback (11-10)
He's caught close to 1,000 footballs for 12,586 yards during his career.
MormonTimes - What exactly were the Nephite interpreters? (11-9)
Last week we revisited the Brother of Jared's experience when the Lord touched 16 stones to light the barges for the group's oceanic voyage. The Lord told him to write a record and to seal it up with two stones (possibly two of the 16) so future generations could interpret the text.
MormonTimes - Good will among Nauvoo faiths (11-9)
On the bluff above Historic Nauvoo stand two tall steeples. On one is a statue of the Angel Moroni. On the other is a cross.
MormonTimes - No 'backlash' for handcart pioneers and gays analogy (11-7)
In an Oct. 13 speech, Elder Dallin H. Oaks made an analogy comparing the "effect" of Proposition 8 protests on Mormons to the chilling effect on African-American political participation felt during the civil rights era. The media went out of its way to manufacture a "backlash" only hours after the speech had been delivered.
MormonTimes - Perpetual Education Fund a new era of church history (11-7)
LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley called Elder John K. Carmack on the phone about a "bold new initiative."
MormonTimes - Author delves into Mormonism's unique culture (11-7)
Until he moved to Utah, author Todd Robert Petersen had no idea there was a whole canon of LDS fiction.
Jessop convicted of sexual assault (11-6)
The first polygamist sect member to face criminal trial following the raid at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in West Texas last year was convicted Thursday of sexual assault of a child.
MormonTimes - Mormons joyful over news of temple in Sapporo, Japan (11-6)
Members on Kyushu were blessed when the Fukuoka Japan Temple was dedicated in June 2000.
MormonTimes - Adventures of outmigrating Mormons (11-6)
Ned Hill's mother was terrified that her son, daughter-in-law and new baby granddaughter were going to travel away from Utah to Cornell University in New York.
MormonTimes - SHe designed for young, Mormon singles (11-6)
Singular Humanitarian experience (SHe) is basically a new help-the-world organization designed for young, single Mormons.
MormonTimes - Just a few handshakes away from Joseph and Brigham (11-5)
We're putting on a play this weekend in our stake -- "Barefoot to Zion," a musical commissioned by the church for the 1997 sesquicentennial of the entry of the pioneers into Salt Lake Valley.
Gay advocates trek to LDS offices (11-4)
Members of several Utah gay and lesbian advocacy groups asked LDS Church leaders to open a dialogue with its gay members but stay out of politics Wednesday--a day after Maine voters rejected a same-sex marriage referendum and one year after the monumental passage of California's Proposition 8.
MormonTimes - From bridge building to a retreat from virtue (11-4)
Gazing over the media horizon, three news item caught the attention of the Mormon Media Observer: the bridge building between Evangelicals and Latter-day Saints, the sleazy Mormon moms calendar and a view of the church from a South African journalist.
MormonTimes - New structure, leader for church sports in Utah (11-4)
LDS Church sports programs in Utah will be under the direction of stake presidents' regional coordinating councils, instead of supervised by an area director reporting to the Presidency of the Seventy.
MormonTimes - Prophet Joseph the teacher relied on sweet taste of truth (11-4)
A recent convert recounted a conversation he had in his shop. It went something like this:
ALS claims BYU law professor Michael Goldsmith (11-2)
Michael Goldsmith knew in August that he would not be back to teach in the fall.
MormonTimes - Sperry Symposium: Restoration crucial to understanding Bible (11-2)
The Restoration is crucial to our understanding of the Bible, Elder F. Melvin Hammond, an emeritus Seventy, said during the keynote address of the 38th annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium at BYU on Oct. 30.
MormonTimes - The cure for an intellectual apostasy (11-2)
Last week's discussion about "reformed Egyptian" offers an excellent example about the fourth option of managing cognitive dissonance (see installment 7).
MormonTimes - Gospel Principles manual for 2010-2011 R.S., priesthood lessons (11-2)
The Gospel Principles manual will be the textbook for Relief Society and priesthood meeting lessons in 2010 and 2011.
MormonTimes - Survey names Mormon 'Swashbucklers' best PSA (11-1)
A Washington-based advertising and marketing firm has recognized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a public-service announcement produced on the importance of fatherhood.