September 2004 @ 5:43 pm

http://www.ldsjews.org./

Read the rest of this entry »

http://www.jumbojoke.com/000171.html

Read the rest of this entry »

Deseret Book has announced Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s last book, Moving in His Majesty and Power. Deseret Book says Elder Maxwell finsished this book just before he passed away. The book will go on sale next month and Deseret Book has posted an excerpt.

Moving in His Majesty and Power will also have chapters based on three recent talks including “Free to Choose”?, and Unto This Very Purpose, which I discussed last week.

Kerry Wrong For Mormons appears to be an official GOP web site – that as you may guess it – wants Mormons to vote for President Bush. This may be part of the Bush campaign strategy to reach out to churches, which has received considerable criticism. This effort seems to be targeted to Mormons in name only as it addresses issues that will appeal to any brand of traditional social conservatives, such as marriage, abortion, etc.

I found this site thanks to The Rock River 77, which mentions the site as a new tool of a “LDS Outreach program” (my first thought this was an evangelical proselytizing mission). Brad asks why is the Bush campaign reaching out to Mormons whose voting track record has strongly leaned Republican. I think this modest effort shows that they are not taking anything for granted.

The Kerry campaign doesn’t seem to be taking the traditionally staunch Democratic Montgomery County, Maryland for granted. Its been heartening to see Kerry campaigners working harder than I’ve seen Democrats work before. They seem to be at least a little bit worried in an area that is typically a very safe Democratic stronghold. And they seem to have some cause, a poll out today has President Bush and Senator Kerry tied at 48% in the state of Maryland, which is probably an anomaly, but interesting nonetheless.

Not that going to the temple is the only way to get a confirmation on who your eternal spouse should be, but I found this press release for the new LDS Promise was a little weird.

“Most traditional online dating services can be dangerous and scary for anyone because all they offer you is a picture and a paragraph to go by,” Scoresby said. “LDSPromise.com goes much further by actually having Latter-day Saint singles take the scientifically developed SureMatch(TM) questionnaire that identifies personality type, compatibility, likes, dislikes, wants and even expectations. SureMatch is designed to not only identify and match compatible mates but also to help avoid pairing an individual with someone who may not have the best of intentions when using an online service.”

Singles subscribing to the services offered by LDSPromise.com are matched based on their answers to the patent pending SureMatch(TM) compatibility test created by Scoresby. The test applies comprehensive profiling tools to create a Personality Profile and to evaluate participants on scales such as gender confidence, communication effectiveness and emotional competence. Questions are also built into the questionnaire that help identify if a person completing the test is answering dishonestly or has unhealthy psychological conditions.

“LDSPromise.com uses advanced algorithms to interpret the SureMatch questionnaire and to match singles who each have the qualities desired in a future spouse,” Scoresby said. “Aligning someone with the qualities they want goes a step further than merely finding compatibility. LDS Promise seeks to match compatibility with likability while also sifting out the bad seeds. Our system is designed to let LDS singles meet fellow Latter-day Saint singles anywhere in the world and have confidence that they are who they say they are, confidence that they will be safe, and confidence that they will be matched correctly.”

Sounds strangely (or maybe exactly like) eHarmony, which I hear and see advertisements for all the time. Like eHarmony, LDS Promise markets itself on finding your match based on common values and compatible psychological profiles. Nothing new perhaps, but based on the level of advertising eHarmony puts out (especially on talk radio) they appear to have some commercial success.

LDS Promise must be hoping for similar success within the LDS niche. I’m not sure if there is anything exclusively “mormon” about it except for maybe limiting its applicants to those who are LDS. I couldn’t find anything on the site about religion but I didn’t go any further and register (my wife wouldn’t let me) so I couldn’t find out anything more.

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano will visit Salt Lake City this week and the First Presidency on Friday. The purpose of the visit is to learn more about the Mormon faith and church.

A Napolitano spokeswoman said the Democratic governor will meet Friday with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaders, including President Gordon B. Hinckley and other members of the three-man First Presidency, a policy-making body that has final authority on all spiritual and worldly matters.

The itinerary for the trip being made at state expense also includes touring church facilities, including Temple Square and the family history library, and being briefed on welfare programs, Napolitano spokeswoman Jeanine L’Ecuyer said Monday.

The governor, who was raised as a Methodist but who L’Ecuyer said now regards herself as a practicing Christian, will be accompanied by three aides, as well as Arizona Chief Justice Charles E. Jones and other state officials who are Mormon.

Seems remarkable that a governor would make a state-paid trip solely to visit and meet with a religious organization. But politically, it seems prudent to learn and build bridges with a strong constituency in your home state.

Also, this may be a olive branch gesture to some Arizona Mormons who may have felt that Napolitano’s 2002 Republican and LDS opponent, Matt Salmon, was unfairly smeared with connections to polygamy despite the Church’s explicit disavowal of that practice. I thought Napolitano was involved in the smear but googling some old news stories shows it was a third, independent candidate who raised the issue.

http://www.philocrites.com/archives/001130.html

Read the rest of this entry »

At least Chuck Colson thinks so as told in Hugh Hewitt’s book Searching for God in America (where Mr. Hewitt also interviews Elder Neal A. Maxwell):

Here we were, the twelve most powerful men in the world.  We were surrounding the President of the United States.  And we couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks.

The truth of the Gospel depends upon the fact that Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead. How do we know that? We have the eyewitness testimony of five hundred people, according to the Apostle Paul.  We have eleven apostles who were with Him and who saw Him raised from the dead.  There was Thomas, who put his finger in the wound because he doubted Jesus.  And all of the apostles were with Jesus after he was bodily resurrected from the tomb.  Now, if He was bodily resurrected, that is the most convincing evidence of the divinity of Jesus Christ.  And there’s the testimony of the apostles for forty years.  And they had no power like we did in Watergate.  They were persecuted. They were crucified upside down. All but one died a martyr’s death.  They were stoned, beaten, and not once did they deny that they had seen Christ risen from the dead.

I believe that men will give their lives for something they believe to be true.  They will never give their lives for something they know to be false.  If Christ hadn’t risen, the Apostle Peter would have been just like John Dean.  He would have gone and turned state’s evidence to save his own skin.  Not one of them denied the resurrection of Christ, which to me means that they had seen the risen Christ, God in the flesh.  Otherwise they would have saved their own skins, just like we did in Watergate.

I may just not have visited the BYU Studies web site for a while (mostly because it seemed like its design was very hostile to Mac browsers), but its site appears to me to have a new friendlier design. In addition they tout that as of Wednesday, all offered downloads are free!

To start you off you can go to Jeff Lindsay’s post on a new study on Chiasmus published (and offered for free) in BYU Studies.

http://mormonwasp.blogspot.com/2004/09/for-todays-bible-study-i-will-lead.html

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2416466

Read the rest of this entry »

Today is Constitution Day. The U.S. Constitution was signed by a majority of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention 217 years ago and sent to the states for ratification. Elder Neal A. Maxwell spoke on the miracle of the Constitution’s creation and some of its spiritual implications last year in his talk Unto This Very Purpose [PDF 3.2 MB].

As to be expected, Elder Maxwell’s entire talk is a must read but here are a few highlights. First, the miracle of the United States’ founding document which brings to mind the current efforts to incubate liberty elsewhere:

Think of all that the Lord had to oversee, including the shaping events that occurred long before the Constitution was written, ratified,
and implemented. First, it was necessary for God to cause a handful of highly talented and wise individuals to be raised up. Second, they needed to live in one geographic area on this planet. Third, this contiguity also had to occur in a short time frame. Fourth, a citizenry had to be prepared who wanted and would then implement and sustain self-governance. This latter incubation was as important as the later ratification. Thus, the words “raised up” involve multiple and concurrent conditions. Without similar incubation, it is no wonder that establishing
modern republics and democracies is not easy. Founders require foundational building
blocks. Otherwise, holding elections can be cathartic but not consequential.

The crucial need for the freedom of religion and suggestions that the free exercise clause should be just as valued as freedom of speech:

Human history makes abundantly and sadly clear that not all mortals use power wisely. Unsurprisingly, therefore, certain of the Constitution’s central features—such as the vital separation of powers and the precious
First Amendment, as conceived and intended—were and are needed to foster moral agency (see D&C 121:39). This later condition is central to God’s plan of salvation
for all mortals. Back in the founding days, however, these and other key concepts
needed “cleats” that would take hold early in the history of the American nation. Otherwise, things could have come apart soon after the birth of a nation.
Dean Rex Lee observed of such central features:

In some ways the free-exercise-of-religion guarantee bears closer marks of kinship to the free-expression provisions of the First Amendment than to its sister religion clause. Like the speech, press, and assembly guarantees, the free-exercise-of-religion clause deals directly with the protection of individual liberties, whereas the establishment clause is a structural provision,
regulating institutional relationships between church and state. Moreover, speech and assembly are central to most religious activity. [Rex E. Lee, A Lawyer Looks at the Constitution]

The encroaching threat against a moral consensus and the need for other institutions beyond the government to keep civilization civil:

The ongoing tug-of-war over power and over the preeminence of contending values continues, but does so within the context of a modern condition too little noted. Zbigniew Brzezinski described how “the political structure of the state guarantees the relativism of all values through constitutional protections.” Brzezinski also noted how “the traditional socializing institutions—
the family, the school, and the church—[when] fully intact . . . provided a moral grounding, a counterbalance to the indulgent propaganda of the mass media.”

But will the counterbalances check relativism,
as was once the case? The heightened emphasis in our time on individuality, often at the expense of community, needs no elaboration
with this audience. In my opinion, the big challenge for Christians is maintaining a moral grounding amid surging secularism, and, sometimes, amid arrogant irreligion. Operationally, except for thoughtful and genuine pluralists, irreligion may become, defacto, the established state religion with its own rituals, orthodoxy, and various tests for prospective office holders.

Some counsel to attorneys:

A few words about you and the law. As alumni, what you are is more important than what you know about the law. The long-term influence of your character is more significant
than legal expertise, though how commendable
when both are combined! Hence, adequate emphasis on character at the J. Reuben Clark Law School is as vital as the curriculum.

Therefore, as you help to manage conflict,
you should always practice advocacy without acrimony and without animosity. Be eloquent, not only before the bench but also in your life’s example. You need your own checks and balances, including at times the constraining influence of the Spirit.

And finally, the limitations of the Constitution:

The living Constitution remains a most remarkable document. Nevertheless, the various
interpretations of the Constitution are finally more reflective of the moral status of America’s citizenry, its lawyers, and its judges than we may care to acknowledge. A people, for instance, can actually lose the capacity for genuine self-governance by losing one of its precious prerequisites: “Obedience to the Unenforceable.” Lord Moulton, the originator
of that perceptive phrase, focused on an individual’s obedience to that “which he cannot
be forced to obey,” which, significantly, Moulton, nearly 80 years ago, linked to free choice.

Secular churning can lead to a heedless
democratization of values and truths, which, after all, are not equal—hence, the hunger for a more proportional and a genuine
hierarchy among competing values.

Again, read the whole thing. Also, Senator Hatch laments how our society does not appreciate or understand the Constitution.

Senator Reid – Minority Leader

As far as politicians go, Mormons have some major players such Senator Hatch, chairman of the Judiciary Senate committee, and Governor Romney of Massachusetts (and an increasingly GOP heartthrob for the 2008 presidential race). However, next year, the most powerful Mormon politician may very well be Senator Harry Reid of Nevada. Senator Reid is currently the Assistant Minority Leader and Democratic Whip, second to Minority Leader Daschle.

A recent poll shows Senate Minority Leader Daschle behind his challenger. That lead may not last, but Senator Reid seems to be positioning himself just in case it does:

Last evening, Fox News reported that Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid has given $1 million from his campaign’s war chest to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to help his party’s candidates – and himself. The Committee’s Chairman, Senator Jon Corzine, was elated. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle must be less pleased. Should Daschle be defeated, Reid is expected to run for the Leader post and now is the time to build up support from grateful colleagues. The Nevada Senator has just placed a big bet that there will be a vacancy next year.

Secret Plan for National Domination – Discovered!

Mormons as a whole may be among those with increasing political clout. An op-ed in the Washington Post from a few weeks ago suggests that so-called “red states” have markedly elevated fertility rates as opposed to the “blue states.”

In Utah, for example, where 69 percent of all residents are registered members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fertility rates are the highest in the nation. Utah annually produces 90 children for every 1,000 women of child-bearing age. By comparison, Vermont — the only state to send a socialist to Congress and the first to embrace gay unions — produces only 49.

Fertility correlates strongly with religious conviction. In the United States, fully 47 percent of people who attend church weekly say that their ideal family size is three or more children. By contrast, only 27 percent of those who seldom attend church want that many kids.

High fertility also correlates strongly with support for George W. Bush. Of the top 10 most fertile states, all but one voted for Bush in 2000. Among the 17 states that still produce enough children to replace their populations, all but two — Iowa and Minnesota — voted for Bush in the last election. Conversely, the least fertile states — a list that includes Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Connecticut — went overwhelmingly for Al Gore. Women living in Gore states on average have 12 percent fewer babies than women living in Bush states.

Who knows what that may spell down the road? Of course, it’s not safe to suggest that most Mormons or Utah are always going to be conservatives or Republicans (wasn’t Utah fairly Democratic until the 1970’s?). Just an interesting trend.

[It reminds me of when I took a "History of Religion in America" class at the University of Maryland. We spent one day on those Mormons and one classmate offered the full extent of his knowledge by suggesting that Mormons were told to have big families so the Church could gain power. It may seem like that but there are a few other reasons why we tend to have large(r) families.]

Also . . .

Check out PoliticalJuice for some other interesting and possibly politically relevant facts about the Church.

http://letusreason.blogspot.com/2004/09/gospel-of-risk.html

Read the rest of this entry »

The two or three of you out there may recall a post from January called A Real Choice. The post was about a LDS mother who chose to forgo chemotherapy so that her unborn child would not be hurt. Heather Babb died nine days after her son was born.

Towards the end of July, Heather’s oldest daughter, Jean was nice enough to post a comment and we exchanged a few emails. She kindly gave me permission to post her story and an update on her family. I apologize for not posting the email until now as our exchange occurred right before I went to Utah in August and it was promptly buried in other email.

Her update follows:
Read the rest of this entry »

Not just Utah but Utah County. Possibly the most conservative and Republican area in the country. Filmmaker Michael Moore will be speaking at Utah Valley State College on October 20.

Fine and good for Mr. Moore, I’m sure it will be welcomed as a great gesture for free speech. Well, sort of free speech:

Joe Vogel, vice president of academics for UVSC’s student government, helped persuade the student council to blow its entire $50,000 lecture budget to lure the activist moviemaker.

At first, I was impressed that Mr. Moore would visit UVSC two weeks before the election, but $50,000?!?! In October he will be promoting the DVD release of “Fahrenheit 9/11″ and presumably campaigning against President Bush. Who should be paying whom here?

Has anyone profited more off of the war in Iraq? (no oil company or Haliburton conspiracies, please)

http://www.csupomona.edu/~jelerma/springfield/map/index.html

Read the rest of this entry »

http://www.atu2.com/news/article.src?ID=3500

Read the rest of this entry »

Not only did Stanford beat BYU 37-10 this weekend, but the band had to have a little “fun”:

There’s nothing funny about polygamy. Stanford is apologizing to BYU over a halftime show by the Cardinal band.

The band poked fun at polygamy with five dancers wearing wedding veils. Brigham Young University is, of course, the Utah-based Mormon school.

A statement from Stanford athletic director Ted Leland says the band’s actions were inappropriate. He adds Stanford is committed to being a good host.

I have no idea how it came across in person but it sounds a little funny in the abstract.

The following is a post written by my father-in-law, Clark Larsen. He is a habitual letters-to-the-editor writer who usually has a letter printed once a month in the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune. (However, he is not be confused with another habitual letter writer Clark Larsen of Salt Lake. My father-in-law is Clark Larsen of Holladay). This is too long to be published as a letter so I thought I would post it here. I keep trying to get him to start a blog but he needs to be led gently into the 21st century.

So without further ado: “Things we all know that just ain’t so:”
Read the rest of this entry »

http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=5&sid=118461

http://www.hughroper.com/journal/

I love Hugh Hewitt. A former Reagan Justice official who went on to do a PBS special, Searching for God In America, which featured an interview with Elder Neal A. Maxwell. He now has his own national radio show and is among my favorite political bloggers. That introduction is meant to give some context that Mr. Hewitt is not some right-wing wacko radio host but a thoughtful conservative and serious Christian who I think has great insights.

I mention Hewitt after reading Orson Scott Card’s review of his new book If It’s Not Close, They Can’t Cheat: Crushing the Democrats in Every Election and Why Your Life Depends on It. Card sounds reminiscent of Senator Miller’s speech at last week’s GOP convention.

Thus Hewitt calls for Americans — not just Republicans, but all Americans who recognize that only the Republican Party shows the will or the wit to combat our terrorist enemies abroad — to vote for Republicans all the way up and down the ballot.

Now, as a Democrat, what can I say to that except that, because my party has been taken over by an astonishingly self-destructive bunch of lunatics who are so dazzled by Hollywood that they think their ideas make sense, I have to agree that right now, any President but Bush and any Congress but a Republican-dominated one would be disastrous.

As a Democrat, I would hope that a solid trouncing of our fanatic-ruled party at the polls this November would serve as a wakeup call and remind Democrats that they only get to do the things that the Democrat Party exists to do if they get enough votes to control the White House and Congress. Which requires that you have serious candidates and embrace serious issues that most Americans, not just tiny pressure groups, care about.

And on that day, Democratic moderates can take the party back. And yes, Democratic moderates actually exist. They’re all voting for Bush this year, but they’d rather have had a Democratic candidate to vote for.

Card goes on to differ with Hewitt by making a good point about the dangers of machine politics. But I think his criticism if his own party is part of an interesting pattern.

Maybe this just demonstrates my political inexperience, but it seems that this election has had more than the usual Democratic defections to endorse President Bush’s reelection: Ed Koch, Zell Miller, a couple of sitting mayors in battleground states, and even a few liberal Hollywood celebrities (but just a few). Granted, this seems like just a one-time deal as some are eager to support the sufficiently hawkish Senator Hillary Clinton in 2008 but I find it interesting nonetheless.

As with abortion, are the Dems alienating enough of their traditional base to make a difference?

http://letusreason.blogspot.com/2004/09/church-activity.html

Read the rest of this entry »

The Church’s front page has linked to a nifty (and new?) site called BeSmart.com. Presumably the title is taken from President Hinckley’s talk (and book) and the site has a great design with a bee hive motif. It seems geared towards info about the Church’s higher education and CES programs.

UPDATE: Kim critiques the page’s web design. I’m just learning the most basic of web standards so it’s mostly over my head. But BeSmart.com still looks nice, though. (Trackback right back at ya!)