October 2005
Newsweek letters
Polygamist unfit for bench? (10-31)
An
admitted polygamist justice court judge in southern Utah contends he
shouldn't be ousted from the bench for practicing consensual bigamy. He
argues his marital status is protected by the U.S. and state
constitutions and doesn't affect his judicial work.
Y. trio turns scriptures into games (10-29)
Brigham Young University student Charan Prabhakar doesn't just read the Book of Mormon--he plays it.
Venezuelans protest expulsions (10-29)
Hundreds
of indigenous Venezuelans marched Friday to protest President Hugo
Chavez's threat to expel a group of U.S.-based evangelists, amid
intensifying government scrutiny of foreign missionaries operating in
the country.
Latter-day Deductions (10-27)
In Utah, the flat tax doesn't have a prayer.
Envoy cites security as reason for withdrawal of missionaries (10-27)
Visa
problems is not the only reason The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints has pulled foreign missionaries out of Venezuela, an
American diplomat said.
LDS missionaries evacuate Venezuela (10-26)
The
last of 220 non-native LDS missionaries serving in Venezuela were
transferred from the country Monday night, and all have been reassigned
to other Spanish-speaking missions.
Is leader of FLDS closer to arrest? (10-25)
Two
vehicles linked to reported weekend sightings of fugitive polygamist
leader Warren Jeffs have been found in Colorado City, Ariz.
BYU-Hawaii marks 50th (10-23)
In
Old Testament times, a 50th anniversary was a cause for celebration--a
jubilee. Here on the north shore of Oahu, a jubilee has been going on
for the past week.
Historic meadow saved (10-23)
A
historic meadow in Emigration Canyon is being preserved as open space,
thanks to the yearlong efforts of a coalition of several groups.
Pokere in with other church fraudsters (10-22)
Former
All Black Steven Pokere, who is in jail for $3.9 million fraud, was
also involved with another group of fraudsters who got away with $14.6
million, it can now be revealed.
LDS Church plans affordable-housing complex in Hawaii (10-22)
The
business arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in
Hawaii plans to build some 550 affordable homes in an Oahu North Shore
area where 90 percent of residents are church members.
Tickets are now on sale for LDS production (10-22)
Tickets
are on sale for this year's "Savior of the World" musical drama in the
LDS Conference Center. Evening tickets cost $8 and matinee performances
are $5.
Shunned Ex-Mormons Form Own Communities (10-21)
NPR:
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who leave
the faith are often shunned by tight-knit, family-focused Mormon
communities. But these defectors don't always remain isolated--many are
joining together to form their own communities.
The Work and the Glory: American Zion (2 stars out of 5) (10-21)
American
Zion is the second film in the Latter Day cinema series, The Work and
the Glory, about the early history of the Mormon Church. It details the
fictional rifts in the Steed family, New York farmers torn apart by
some members' embracing of neighbor Joseph Smith's claims that he's a
prophet of a new faith.
The work and the sequel (10-21)
Producer
Scott Swofford describes the sequel "The Work and the Glory: American
Zion" as a considerably "darker" movie than its predecessor.
'American Zion' dark, intense (10-21)
Like
its predecessor, "The Work and the Glory: American Zion" has some
strong melodramatic elements and almost plays out like an LDS-themed TV
soap opera.
Fired teacher tells of 'witch' gossip (10-20)
Erin
Jensen said that she was aware of the rumors circulating labeling her a
"witch" and a "coffee drinker" just before she was terminated as an
English teacher at South Sevier High School.
LDS aid getting to Latin America (10-18)
With
bridges out and roads buried, the relief effort mounted last week by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Latin America was
circuitous and bumpy. But by week's end, thousands of food boxes and
hygiene kits had been delivered to people left hungry and homeless by
Hurricane Stan.
The Mormon Odyssey (10-17)
A
young man's vision gave rise to the Mormon Church. Joseph Smith founded
a booming faith that's confronting its past as it looks to the future.
Polygamy film debuts (10-16)
"Banking
on Heaven," a documentary on women who have fled a polygamist cult
based along the Utah-Arizona border, has debuted at the Vancouver
International Film Festival.
Hofmann target still collecting forgeries (10-16)
Whether it was a strange twist of fate or just plain luck, Brent Ashworth knows he is fortunate to be alive.
Tales of Hofmann: Forgeries, deceit continue to intrigue 20 years later (10-15)
Twenty
years ago today, one of the most bizarre chapters in Utah history began
when a nondescript man wearing a high school letterman's jacket and
carrying a package went into the Judge Building and took the elevator
to the sixth floor.
Mark Hofmann case: Where are they now? (10-15)
Mark Hofmann--Convicted murderer: Serving a life sentence in the maximum security cellblock of the Utah State Prison.
Kingston pair gives up 2 teens (10-15)
Polygamist
John Daniel Kingston and Heidi Mattingly voluntarily relinquished
parental rights to their two oldest daughters on Friday and it is
expected both girls, ages 17 and 14, will be placed for adoption with
families already identified as suitable by state officials.
BYU showing 100 years of LDS in flicks (10-14)
Mormon
characters--for good or ill... mostly ill... have been staples in the
movies for just about as long as movies have existed.
President installed at BYU-Idaho (10-12)
Charging
him to "lead the university to new heights of honor, achievement and
recognition," President Gordon B. Hinckley formally installed Kim B.
Clark as the 15th president of BYU-Idaho Tuesday.
Newsweek puts focus on LDS church founder (10-11)
The
cover story of Newsweek magazines that hit newsstands Monday focuses on
the 200th birthday of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith, who the magazine
refers to as "prophet and polygamist, mesmerizer and rabble-rouser,
saint and sinner."
What's next for television? (10-10)
HBO's daring new drama about a polygamous Mormon family
LDS Church breaks ground for library (10-8)
Tight space, aging records and a growing membership have left the current LDS history library crowded and inadequate.
Film firm offers $100 to buyers in DVD mix-up (10-5)
An
LDS film company is trying to maintain its squeaky-clean image after
the wrong film landed inside the DVD cases of "Sons of Provo."
LDS Church not Taliban, Rocky says (10-5)
Salt
Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson said Tuesday his comments comparing life
in Utah's capital to life under the rule of the Taliban were made in a
light-hearted fashion and weren't directed at the city's predominant
religion.
Main St. Plaza suit rejected (10-4)
In
a unanimous decision Monday, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver rejected the ACLU's claims that Salt
Lake City leaders conspired to give the LDS Church what it wanted on
the Main Street Plaza.
'Sons of Porn'? Fans of LDS film get shock (10-4)
The newly released, squeaky clean LDS film "Sons of Provo" has taken on a new moniker: "Sons of Porno."
Hail to the prophet (10-3)
Simple
principles of faith, forgiveness, knowledge and testimony were
highlighted Sunday during concluding sessions of the 175th Semiannual
General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
2 new Utah temples: Sites are S. Jordan, southwest S.L. Valley (10-2)
The
phones began ringing just after 10 a.m. Soon after, people began
wandering into an information center for the 4,200-acre Daybreak
development, located in South Jordan.
Speakers stress spiritual preparation (10-2)
Temple
building and personal spiritual preparation as a protection against
disaster were highlighted during the Saturday sessions of the 175th
Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, which opened with an unexpected announcement.
Biography shows the real Joseph Smith (10-2)
JOSEPH SMITH: ROUGH STONE ROLLING, by Richard Lyman Bushman, Knopf, 730 pages, $35.
LDS Temples in Utah (10-2)
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has 122 temples in 37
countries; 72 have been built during the past decade under the
leadership of LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.
LDS sustain and release general authorities (10-2)
Elders
Neil L. Andersen and Ronald A. Rasband were sustained Saturday
afternoon as new members of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their appointments had been
announced by the First Presidency in June.
Topic: Joseph Smith (10-1)
During his lifetime, LDS Church founder Joseph Smith was considered by skeptics to be a charismatic, but little more.
Wine, beer, liquor cash flows into Hatch coffers (10-1)
Sen.
Orrin Hatch, a former LDS bishop who does not drink, has taken more
money from wine, beer and liquor groups this year than any other
congressional candidate.
'Warts and all' in Smith biography (10-1)
Like any historian worth his salt, Richard Bushman was determined early on to write about Joseph Smith's life "warts and all."