To Hold Sacred

Paul B. Pieper
Of the Seventy

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Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence.

Some 1,500 years before Christ, a shepherd was drawn to a burning bush on the slopes of Mount Horeb. That divine encounter began the transformation of Moses from a shepherd to a prophet and his work from herding sheep to gathering Israel. Thirteen hundred years later, a privileged young priest in a king’s court was captivated by the witness of a condemned prophet. That encounter began Alma’s evolution from a civil servant to a servant of God. Nearly 2,000 years later, a 14-year-old boy entered the woods seeking an answer to a sincere question. Joseph Smith’s encounter in the grove placed him on the path to prophethood and a restoration.

Moses’s, Alma’s, and Joseph Smith’s lives were all changed by encounters with the divine. These experiences strengthened them to remain faithful to the Lord and His work throughout their lives despite overwhelming opposition and subsequent difficult trials.

Our experiences with the divine may not be as direct or dramatic nor our challenges as daunting. However, as with the prophets, our strength to endure faithfully depends upon recognizing, remembering, and holding sacred that which we receive from above.

Today authority, keys, and ordinances have been restored to the earth. There are also scriptures and special witnesses. Those who seek God may receive baptism for the remission of sins and confirmation “by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost” (D&C 20:41). With these precious restored gifts, our divine encounters will mostly involve the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost.

Through a still small voice, the Spirit speaks to me

To guide me, to save me.

(“The Still Small Voice,” Children’s Songbook, 106)

Let the Holy Spirit guide;

Let him teach us what is true.

He will testify of Christ,

Light our minds with heaven’s view.

(“Let the Holy Spirit Guide,” Hymns, no. 143)

As we seek answers from God, we feel the still, small voice whisper to our spirits. These feelings—these impressions—are so natural and so subtle that we may overlook them or attribute them to reason or intuition. These individualized messages testify of God’s personal love and concern for each of His children and their personal mortal missions. Daily reflecting upon and recording the impressions that come from the Spirit serve the dual purposes of helping us (1) to recognize our personal encounters with the divine and (2) to preserve them for ourselves and our posterity. Recording them is also a formal recognition and acknowledgment of our gratitude to God, for “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things” (D&C 59:21).

With respect to that which we receive by the Spirit, the Lord said, “Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred” (D&C 63:64). His statement is more than a reminder; it is also a definition and an explanation. Light and knowledge from heaven is sacred. It is sacred because heaven is its source.

Sacred means worthy of veneration and respect. By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things. Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence. Sacred ranks high in the hierarchy of heavenly values.

That which is sacred to God becomes sacred to us only through the exercise of agency; each must choose to accept and hold sacred that which God has defined as sacred. He sends light and knowledge from heaven. He invites us to receive and treat it as sacred.

But “there is an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11). The opposite of sacred is profane or secular—that which is temporal or worldly. The worldly constantly competes with the sacred for our attention and priorities. Knowledge of the secular is essential for our daily temporal living. The Lord instructs us to seek learning and wisdom, to study and learn out of the best books, and to become acquainted with languages, tongues, and people (see D&C 88:118; 90:15). Therefore, the choice to place the sacred above the secular is one of relative priority, not exclusivity; “to be learned is good if [we] hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:29; emphasis added).

The battle for priority between the sacred and the secular in each human heart can be illustrated by Moses’s experience at the burning bush. There Moses received his sacred calling from Jehovah to deliver the children of Israel from bondage. However, initially his worldly knowledge of the power of Egypt and the pharaoh caused him to doubt. Ultimately, Moses exercised faith in the Lord’s word, subjugating his secular knowledge and trusting in the sacred. That trust provided him power to overcome temporal trials and lead Israel out of Egypt.

After escaping from the armies of Noah only to fall into slavery at the hands of Amulon, Alma could have doubted the spiritual witness he had received while listening to Abinadi. However, he trusted the sacred and was given strength to endure and escape his temporary trials.

Joseph Smith faced a similar dilemma in the early days of translating the Book of Mormon. He knew the sacred nature of the plates and the work of translation. Yet he was persuaded by Martin Harris to give priority to the worldly concerns of friendship and finances, contrary to sacred instructions. As a result, the manuscript of the translation was lost. The Lord upbraided Joseph for delivering “that which [is] sacred, unto wickedness” (D&C 10:9) and deprived him for a time of the plates and the gift to translate. When Joseph’s priorities were properly reestablished, the sacred things were returned and the work continued.

The Book of Mormon provides other examples of the struggle to give priority to the sacred. It speaks of believers whose faith led them to the tree of life to partake of its sacred fruit, the love of God. Then the mocking of those in the great and spacious building caused the believers to shift their focus from the sacred to the secular. (See 1 Nephi 8:11, 24–28.) Later the Nephites chose pride and denied the spirit of prophecy and revelation, “making a mock of that which was sacred” (Helaman 4:12). Even some eyewitnesses of the signs and miracles associated with the Lord’s birth chose to reject sacred manifestations from heaven in favor of secular explanations (see 3 Nephi 2:1–3).

Today the struggle continues. Secular voices are growing in volume and intensity. They increasingly urge believers to abandon beliefs the world considers irrational and unreasonable. Because “we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12) and “do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17), at times we may feel vulnerable and in need of greater spiritual assurances. The Lord told Oliver Cowdery:

“If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

“Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” (D&C 6:22–23).

The Lord reminded Oliver and us to rely on sacred personal witnesses already received when our faith is challenged. Like Moses’s, Alma’s and Joseph’s before, these divine encounters serve as spiritual anchors to keep us safe and on course in times of trial.

The sacred cannot be selectively surrendered. Those who choose to abandon even one sacred thing will have their minds darkened (see D&C 84:54), and unless they repent, the light they have shall be taken from them (see D&C 1:33). Unanchored by the sacred, they will find themselves morally adrift on a secular sea. In contrast, those who hold sacred things sacred receive promises: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24).

May the Lord bless us to ever and always recognize, remember, and hold sacred that which we have received from above. I testify that as we do, we will have power to endure the trials and overcome the challenges of our day. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

FIRST PRESIDENCY EASTER MESAGE -2012

First Presidency Easter Message — 2012

 

  March 31, 2012 

 

 This is the season of the year when the Christian world remembers the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Out of love for His Father and for us, the Savior allowed Himself to suffer beyond the capacity of mortal man. He said, "Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit — and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink — Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men" (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18-19).
Our Savior broke the bands of death. Through His Resurrection there is assurance that life is everlasting. Our Lord and Savior is the living witness that such is so.
As special witnesses, we declare that God does live. Jesus Christ is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer, our Mediator with the Father. Jesus Christ atoned for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the Resurrection. Because He died, all shall live again.
The First Presidency,

ARTICLE - PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR - By: L. Tom Perry

Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear

L. Tom Perry
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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If you will respond to the invitation to share your beliefs and feelings about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, a spirit of love and a spirit of courage will be your constant companion.

President Monson, we are all thrilled with the exciting news of some new temples. Especially it was exciting for my many, many relatives in the state of Wyoming.

The Church does something throughout the world when a new temple is built that is a fairly common tradition in the United States and Canada—we hold an open house. During the weeks just prior to the dedication of a new temple, we open the doors and invite local government and religious leaders, local members of the Church, and persons of other faiths to come and tour our newly constructed temple.

These are wonderful events that help people unfamiliar with the Church learn a little more about it. Nearly everyone who visits a new temple marvels at both its exterior and interior beauty. They are impressed by the craftsmanship and attention to detail in every feature of a temple. Moreover, many of the visitors feel something unique and special as they are guided through the undedicated temple. These are common responses of visitors to our open houses, but they are not the most common response. What impresses more visitors than anything else is the members of the Church they meet at our open houses. They leave forever impressed with their hosts, the Latter-day Saints.

The Church is receiving more attention across the world than ever before. Members of the media write or talk about the Church every day, reporting on its many activities. Many of the most prominent news outlets in the United States regularly discuss the Church or its members. These discussions extend across the globe as well.

The Church also attracts attention on the Internet, which, as you know, has dramatically changed the way people share information. At all times of the day across the entire world, the Church and its teachings are being discussed on the Internet, on blogs and social networks, by people who have never written for a newspaper or a magazine. They are making videos and sharing them online. These are ordinary people—both members of our faith and of other faiths—who are talking about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Changes in the way we communicate partly explain why we “Mormons” are more visible than ever. But the Church is always growing and moving forward. More people have members of the Church for neighbors and friends, and there are prominent members of the Church in government, in business, in entertainment, in education, and everywhere else, it seems. Even those who are not members of the Church have noticed this, and they wonder what is happening. It is wonderful that so many are now aware of the Church and the Latter-day Saints.

While the Church is becoming more visible, there are still many people who do not understand it. Some have been taught to be suspicious of the Church, to operate under negative stereotypes about the Church without questioning their source and validity. There is also a great deal of misinformation and confusion about what the Church is and what it stands for. This has been true since the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith wrote his history in part “to disabuse the public mind, and put all inquirers after truth in possession of the facts” (Joseph Smith—History 1:1). It is true that there will always be those who will distort the truth and deliberately misrepresent the teachings of the Church. But the majority of those with questions about the Church simply want to understand. These are fair-minded people who are genuinely curious about us.

The growing visibility and reputation of the Church presents some remarkable opportunities to us as its members. We can help “disabuse the public mind” and correct misinformation when we are portrayed as something we are not. More important, though, we can share who we are.

There are a number of things that we can do—that you can do—to advance an understanding of the Church. If we do it with the same spirit and if we conduct ourselves in the same way we do when we host a temple open house, our friends and our neighbors will come to understand us better. Their suspicions will evaporate, negative stereotypes will disappear, and they will begin to understand the Church as it really is.

Let me suggest a few ideas of what we can do.

First, we must be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ. We want others to know that we believe He is the central figure in all human history. His life and teachings are the heart of the Bible and the other books we consider to be holy scripture. The Old Testament sets the stage for Christ’s mortal ministry. The New Testament describes His mortal ministry. The Book of Mormon gives us a second witness of His mortal ministry. He came to earth to declare His gospel as a foundation for all mankind so that all of God’s children could learn about Him and His teachings. He then gave His life in order to be our Savior and Redeemer. Only through Jesus Christ is salvation possible. This is why we believe He is the central figure in all human history. Our eternal destiny is always in His hands. It is a glorious thing to believe in Him and accept Him as our Savior, our Lord, and our Master.

We also believe that it is possible only through Christ to find ultimate contentment, hope, and happiness—both in this life and in the eternities. Our doctrine, as taught in the Book of Mormon, emphatically states: “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).

We declare our belief in Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Savior. He will bless us and guide us in all of our efforts. As we labor here in mortality, He will strengthen us and bring us peace in time of trials. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints walk by faith in Him whose Church it is.

Second, be righteous examples to others. After our declaration of our beliefs, we must follow the counsel given to us in 1 Timothy 4:12: “But be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

The Savior taught about the importance of being an example of our faith by saying, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Our lives should be examples of goodness and virtue as we try to emulate His example to the world. Good works by each of us can do credit both to the Savior and His Church. As you are engaged in doing good, being honorable and upright men and women, the Light of Christ will be reflected by your lives.

Next, speak up about the Church. In the course of our everyday lives, we are blessed with many opportunities to share our beliefs with others. When our professional and personal associates inquire about our religious beliefs, they are inviting us to share who we are and what we believe. They may or may not be interested in the Church, but they are interested in getting to know us at a deeper level.

My recommendation to you is to accept their invitations. Your associates are not inviting you to teach, preach, expound, or exhort. Engage them in a two-way conversation—share something about your religious beliefs but also ask them about their beliefs. Gauge the level of interest by the questions they ask. If they are asking a lot of questions, focus the conversation on answering those questions. Always remember that it is better for them to ask than for you to tell.

Some members seem to want to keep their membership in the Church a secret. They have their reasons. For example, they may believe that it is not their place to share their beliefs. Perhaps they are fearful they might make a mistake or be asked a question they can’t answer. If such thoughts ever run through your head, I have some advice for you. Simply remember the words of John: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). If we simply love God and love our neighbors, we are promised that we will overcome our fears.

If you have visited Mormon.org lately, which is the Church website for those interested in learning about the Church, you have seen members who have uploaded information about themselves. They are creating online profiles that explain who they are and why their religious beliefs are important to them. They are speaking up about their faith.

We should appreciate and approach such conversations with Christlike love. Our tone, whether speaking or writing, should be respectful and civil, regardless of the response of others. We should be honest and open and try to be clear in what we say. We want to avoid arguing or becoming defensive in any way.

The Apostle Peter explained, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15).

Today’s “manner of conversation” seems to involve the Internet more and more. We encourage people, young and old, to use the Internet and the social media to reach out and share their religious beliefs.

As you utilize the Internet, you may come across ongoing conversations about the Church. When directed by the Spirit, do not hesitate to add your voice to these conversations.

The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is unlike anything else you will share with others. In the information age, it is the most valuable information in all the world. There is no question about its worth. It is a pearl of great price (see Matthew 13:46).

In speaking about the Church, we do not try to make it sound better than it is. We do not need to put a spin on our message. We need to communicate the message honestly and directly. If we will open communication channels, the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will prove itself to those who are prepared to receive it.

There is sometimes a wide difference—a gulf of understanding—between the way we experience the Church from the inside and the way others look at it from the outside. This is the principal reason we hold open houses for temples before each dedication is taken care of. The member volunteers at the temple open houses are simply trying to help others see the Church as they see it from the inside. They recognize the Church is a marvelous work, even a wonder, and they want others to know it too. I ask you to do the same.

I promise you that if you will respond to the invitation to share your beliefs and feelings about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, a spirit of love and a spirit of courage will be your constant companion, for “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18).

This is the time of expanding opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. May we prepare ourselves to take advantage of the opportunities given to us to share our beliefs, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

ARTICLE - ITS UNJUST TO SAY LDS (Mormon) CHURCH IS ANTI-SEMITIC

It's unjust to say LDS Church is anti-Semitic

By Dan Peterson

For the Deseret News

Published: Thursday, March 15 2012

One of the charges leveled in the recent controversy over vicarious baptisms for the dead is that Mormonism is anti-Semitic.

Nothing could be further from the truth.
Latter-day Saints are, for example, the only religious group of which I'm aware whose canonical scripture expressly denounces anti-Jewish bigotry.
The familiar prophecy in 2 Nephi 29:3, that "many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible," is typically used to argue for extrabiblical scripture. And, plainly, that's one of Nephi's points. Still, we shouldn't overlook the next three verses:
"But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
"O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.
"Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?"
By contrast, while neither can be legitimately used to charter anti-Semitism, both the New Testament and Quran are replete with denunciations of the Jews for having persecuted and slain their own ancient prophets, and the gospel of John, in particular, blames "the Jews" for the killing of Jesus. The famous "passion play" at Oberammergau, in Germany, historically based on John's account of the last days of Christ, has sometimes come under fire in recent decades for alleged anti-Semitism.
Far from being anti-Semitic, the Book of Mormon is actually philo-Semitic, pro-Jewish. And Mormon support for the Jews is further demonstrated in a famous episode from early Latter-day Saint history.
By the 19th century, hope of a return to Palestine was fading among many Jews. An 1845 conference of rabbis in Frankfurt-am-Main deleted all prayers for a return to Zion and the restoration of a Jewish state from their ritual prayer books. An 1869 rabbinic conference in Philadelphia essentially agreed.

In April 1840, though, the Prophet Joseph Smith dispatched Orson Hyde and John Page of the Council of the Twelve Apostles "to visit the cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople and Jerusalem." They were to carry a letter of introduction with them into the domains of the Ottoman Empire, explaining that "The Jewish nations have been scattered abroad among the Gentiles for a long period; and in our estimation, the time of the commencement of their return to the Holy Land has already arrived."
Only Elder Hyde completed the arduous mission, spending April 1841 to December 1842 in Jerusalem. Before dawn on Oct. 24, 1841, he climbed the Mount of Olives, where, overlooking the city, he wrote and recited a prayer. Here's a paragraph from it:
"Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets — for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name."
Then, having built a small altar of stones, he descended from the mount.
The "First Aliyah" or Jewish emigration to Palestine can be dated to 1882, and many consider 1897, the year in which the First Zionist Congress met in Basel, Switzerland, to create the World Zionist Organization, as the birth year of practical Zionism.
Mormonism isn't committed to any particular position on the Arab-Israeli conflict, but, plainly, while many Jews were abandoning the idea, a Mormon apostle was praying for their return to Jerusalem. And, while many Christians have used the Bible to justify prejudice against Jews, the Book of Mormon expressly condemns such prejudice.
It's simply unjust to claim that Mormonism is anti-Semitic.

NEWS - LDS (Mormon) CHURCH REMINDS MEMBERS TO FOLLOW PROXY BAPTISM POLICIES

LDS Church email reminds members to follow proxy baptism policies

By Joseph Walker, Deseret News

Published: Wednesday, March 14 2012

Continuing its effort to encourage all church members to comply with established policies for the submission of names for proxy baptisms, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent an email Tuesday to users of its New FamilySearch genealogical website reminding them that the conditions for use of the website "require compliance to the policies before you can submit names to the temple."
During recent weeks the church's emphasis on genealogical research in support of its doctrinal belief in eternally uniting families through rites and ordinances performed in LDS temples has drawn public attention – and, in some cases, criticism. Particular notice has been made of the unauthorized submission of the names for temple work of Jewish Holocaust victims despite a 1995 policy that such names would not be available for proxy baptism.
The email to New FamilySearch users quoted Dennis C. Brimhall, managing director of the church's Family History Department, from a recent article in the LDS Church News, in which he said "the searching out of our family, and preparing the names for the work to be done in the temple is … a responsibility, but it is also a privilege."
"That privilege is extended to the members by those who hold the (priesthood) keys to the work," Brimhall continued. "The(se) keys … are held by the First Presidency of the Church."
A letter from the church's First Presidency outlining the policies was attached to the email. This is the same letter recently sent to local LDS leaders, who were asked to read the letter during worship services. The First Presidency letter stressed that "our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors" and indicates that "those whose names are submitted for proxy temple ordinances should be related to the submitter."
"Without exception," the letter continued, "church members must not submit for proxy temple ordinances any names from unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims. If members do so, they may forfeit their New FamilySearch privileges. Other corrective action may also be taken."

ARTICLE - ARE MORMONS KEEPING ROMNEY AFLOAT?

Are Mormons Keeping Mitt Romney Afloat?

By Timothy Stanley

Mar 14 2012, His victories in the Pacific Islands and American West show the power of a strong minority to boost a weak candidate in low turn-out contests.


There are six kids in white shirts and black ties standing in a line. One steps forward and dances around the others, hissing and sneering like a bobcat. He moves to the front on the chorus and the boys start slapping their thighs in a steady one-two-three, one-two-three rhythm. The leader cries, "Grab the book from your pants!" They pull out a black book -- one-two-three. "Slap the book on your chest!" They slap away -- one-two-three. "Read the book, read the book, pray, pray!" One-two-three. "We've got the gospel, you get it, you get it?" Then they step towards the camera and wave their hands. "You come walk in the waters with meeee!" The boys fall to the floor in a fit of giggles. It's one of the odder sights on YouTube.
The book is The Book of Mormon and the boys are young missionaries. They are dancing a Mormon-themed version of the Maori war dance, or Haka -- just one of the many Mormon Haka videos posted on YouTube (if you want to see the dance done with real force, check out this version by by Mormons Elders Hopoate and Ofahulu in Australia.) This extraordinary cross-fertilization of Mormonism and Polynesian culture is quite common. It's a testament to the broad and growing reach of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- and hints at the political power of the Mormon diaspora.
In a primary season as competitive as 2012, every delegate counts. For that reason, the votes of Republican Pacific islanders living in American territories and Hawaii have gained an unusual degree of importance. Last Saturday, beleaguered front-runner Mitt Romney won GOP caucuses in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. On Tuesday he scooped victories in American Samoa and Hawaii. Together, these islands have given him at least 36 delegates -- a small number, perhaps, but one more hard-earned step towards the nomination. He came in third in the American deep South last night, but he still was the day's delegate winner, thanks to the island caucuses.
Romney's victories owed something to the Pacific islands' large population of Mormons. In fact, local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may have proved crucial to winning each of these caucuses. It wouldn't be the first case of Mormons bailing out Romney this campaign season. They've also helped his candidacy in two critical Western states -- demonstrating that Mormons aren't just a great fundraising network, but a surprisingly powerful demographic force within the world of low-turnout GOP primaries and caucuses.
The Mormon presence in the Pacific islands is certainly substantial. There are an estimated 14,784 Mormons in American Samoa -- where only about 70 Republicans gathered to caucus Tuesday -- and 55,000 in Hawaii -- where more 10,000 Republicans turned out -- along with 1,971 in Guam, and 735 in the Northern Marianas. The heavy concentration of converts is no coincidence. Polynesians have a special place in Mormon theology. According to some Mormons, thousands of years ago a group of Israelites, led by the prophet Lehi, escaped Babylonian captivity and sailed to freedom in Central America. Their new civilization flourished until it was destroyed in a civil war between the Nephite and Lamanite factions in 400AD. The sinful Lamanites, who won, were distinguished by a dark colored skin and were the forebears of the Native Americans.
According to the Mormon Book of Alma, a mixed group of Nephites and Lamanites sailed to Polynesia in 55BC. They settled down peacefully and, mixing with migrants from Southeast Asia, became the modern Polynesians. Many Mormons thus believe that the Polynesians practice a religion that is very close to the early Israelite church -- a claim supported by the fact that they share several myths in common with the Hebrew tradition, including one about a great flood. In the Mormon mind, Polynesians have a covenanted role to play in religious history. Being dark skinned, they bear the "mark" of the Lamanites. But, as the apocalypse approaches, the Book of Mormon prophesizes that they shall become "a white and delightsome people" (NB, the word "white" was changed to "pure" in 1981).

In fact, it was typical for Christian missionaries to claim that the Polynesians were a lost tribe of Israel: the first Protestant missionary to New Zealand in 1830 called the Maori "dispersed Jews." This helped justify the expense of evangelization, which continued apace during the 19^th century. Mormons often get rough treatment when they try to spread their version of the Good News abroad. But in Polynesia they benefited from cultural norms about hospitality that made the locals natural converts. The LDS Church set up its first mission in Samoa in 1862 and, since then, it's been one of the most popular destinations for missionaries to go -- because Samoans have a culture of welcoming strangers and listen to what they have to say. Only local Protestant and Catholic churches resisted Mormon encroachment, retarding growth until after the Second World War. Since then, the American Samoan church has grown to a likely 22.5 percent of the population. The LDS Church puts the figure as high as 30 percent, and today's Republican vice chairman in American Samoa -- where Romney swept -- played football at Romney's alma mater, the Mormon-owned and operated Brigham Young University. One of the reasons why Polynesians were drawn to Mormonism was that the Mormons were so generous. In addition to building schools locally, they welcomed migration to Utah. As a result, present-day Utah has a population of about 25,000 people of Pacific Islander descent. Although they tend to join wards (churches) in heavily Polynesian neighborhoods, there is little evidence of racial segregation. Given the sometimes difficult historical relationship between white Mormons and African-Americans, the LDS's embrace of Polynesians is an example of how its theology is oddly bifurcated. It has been capable of discriminating against one minority while positively fetishizing another, with the lines of racial demarcation shaped by the peculiarities of scripture.
Did the Mormon/Polynesia link make a difference in the Pacific island votes? Two things that suggest so. First, the Romney campaign made a big outreach to the islanders. The day before the Northern Marianas voted, Mitt's son Matt had lunch with the governor of the islands and the candidate dialed in to say sorry for not being there: "I am apologetic that I can't be with you today, but as you could imagine I'm running from place to place, trying to secure as many delegates as I can." Matt added, "It is important for us to get everywhere we can, everywhere that people vote. This is obviously one of the harder locations to get to but by far, it's one of my favorites so far." And Team Romney dominated among local endorsements -- including that of former Republican congressman Charles Djou of Hawaii, Hawaii House Minority Leader Gene Ward, and Guam Governor Eddie Calvo.
Second, turnout was so low that it's hard not to credit the sizable Mormon populations with some impact on the outcome. Even in the islands with tiny LDS communities, Mormons outnumber the people who participated in the vote. In Guam, only 207 people took part in the convention. There are 1,971 Mormons living on the island.
This is not to suggest a stitch up, but rather to note the surprising demographic strength of the LDS Church. Worldwide, its membership rocketed from 4 million in 1978 to 11 million members in 2000. In America, it has increased by about 30 percent since 1990. There is evidence that domestic growth has flat-lined, but heavy concentration in certain states has given it increased political clout.
Consider the importance of states with sizable Mormon populations to this year's primaries. Shortly after he won the Florida primary, Romney faced his first Western challenge in Nevada. Although he was always going to do well in The Silver State, a strong victory was necessary to prove that Florida wasn't a one off and he had momentum to carry him to victory in Michigan at the end of the month. Romney won Nevada with 50 percent. Importantly, turnout was a dismal 32,894 -- well below the total Mormon population of the state, at 174,662. According to CNN exit polls, a quarter of all participants were LDS members and 88 percent of them voted for Mitt. Nationwide, only 2 percent of Americans are Mormon.
One month later, there was Arizona. Arizona wasn't as important as Romney's home state of Michigan, which voted on the same day, but for a while Santorum was close to Romney in polls and it was vital that Mitt win the Arizona primary. He did so easily, by 47 percent. Turnout was 505,635. The local Mormon population is 381,235 and, according to CNN, 14 percent of voters were LDS members. Three days later came Washington state, which was, again, important for establishing Romney's credibility after a series of defeats by Santorum. Romney won with 38 percent on an appalling 1.4 percent turnout. The turnout equaled 50,764 Republicans -- in a state with a local Mormon population of 263,004. Romney has also won Idaho and Wyoming, both of which have high densities of LDS members (Idaho is the second most Mormon state in America, after Utah). It is surely significant that Mitt has yet to be truly tested in a Western state that doesn't have a significant population of Mormons. The only such challenge he has faced so far was in Colorado, which he lost 40 to 35 percent. Ergo, even if Mormons aren't directly responsible for Romney's Western victories, they have been critical to their scale and maintaining his campaign's momentum.
Much has been written about the role that Mormons have played in the 2012 race, but most of it has operated on a conceptual level. What might voters think of Romney's faith? How will Romney's beliefs influence his decision making? What has been less well studied is the precise impact of Mormon votes and communities on the primary outcome. Given their obvious significance in early Western votes and the way that they have helped add to Romney's delegate count in the Pacific islands, it's clear the extended Mormon family has delivered for Romney and proven itself to be a vital part of the Republican electoral process. If and when Romney sews up the nomination, their Haka may well be heard at the convention.

QUOTE - WHEN A MAN REFUSES - By: Dr. Ronald E. Cottle

When A Man Refuses
===================
When a man refuses to obey God,
he inevitably obeys the devil.
~Dr. Ronald E. Cottle~

ARTICLE - LEHI SUSHI CHEF JOANS OTSUJI A CONTESTANT ON NEWEST "SURVIVOR"

Lehi sushi chef Jonas Otsuji a contestant on newest 'Survivor'

 

By Rachel Brutsch, Deseret News

Published: Tuesday, Feb. 14 2012

Looking out the window this time of year at Utah's brown-gray landscape could inspire feelings of gloom, particularly for someone who's recently been in, say, Samoa.
It did for Jonas Otsuji, who recently finished participating as a contestant on CBS's "Survivor: One World," and said returning home was "a little depressing" at first.
"It was honestly great to see my family, but I went to the Lehi library like a couple days after and I was sitting in there and I was just like… 'What am I doing? I'm sitting in the Lehi library. What's the purpose of my life?'" he said with a laugh.
It's not that Otsuji has never made the tropical-island-to-Utah leap before. The 37 year old was born and raised in Hawaii and came to Utah for the first time to study photography at Brigham Young University.
Today he lives in Lehi with his wife and three kids and works as a sushi chef, catering and teaching cooking classes at area universities and kitchen stores.
Otsuji has been a "Survivor" fan from the very beginning. "Since Season 1, I've watched every single episode, some of them twice," he said.
"Every season when we'd watch it, my wife would always say 'Man, you'd be so good on that show,' and I was always like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.'"
Otsuji decided to apply to be on "Survivor" when two contestants, Purple Kelly and NaOnka, quit during "Survivor: Nicaragua" during Season 21.
"I was just so worked up. I thought, 'Man, it is just so disrespectful that they would quit,'" Otsuji explained. "(Then) I thought, 'I really have no place to judge these people because I haven't applied, so they're one ahead of me.' That motivated me to make my tape and the rest is history."
His acceptance to be on the show, he said, was surprising in some ways but not in others.
"They've never had a sushi chef on the show before, and you know, I just thought, from a producer's perspective, you know, it'd be interesting. Everybody's interested in sushi chefs for some reason; they're sort of mysterious. … People would be like, 'What? A sushi chef?'"
From his years of watching the show, Otsuji strategized his physical preparation: a lot of running and no weight training.
"I purposely didn't want to bulk up or get too muscular or ripped. I wanted to be in shape, but I didn't want to look in shape," he said. "I ate more food than I normally would so I'd have a little bit of a belly, so they'd be like, 'Oh, just a fat sushi chef, no big deal.'"


He also had his mental strategy figured out, and shares it in his introduction video, "Meet Jonas", on CBS.com:
"As far as lying and manipulating and backstabbing, I have no problem doing that. I feel like if you're playing the game, you've had, what, 23 seasons to figure out what people do. If you're not aware that people backstab and lie and all that, then that's your problem."
Otsuji said it's confusing to him when people ask him how he, as a Mormon, is willing to lie and manipulate on the show.
"Yeah, that's part of the game," he said. "It doesn't mean it's how I am on a day-to-day basis. BYU players don't tackle people on the street; they only do it when they're in the game."
He is one of several members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to have competed on "Survivor." Past LDS players have been Ashlee Ashby, Tyson Apostal, Neleh Dennis and last season's Dawn Meehan and Rick Nelson.
Otsuji served a mission for the LDS Church in the Japan Tokyo North Mission, which he said gave him, a fourth-generation Japanese American, the opportunity to get in touch with his roots and to learn to speak Japanese.
"It was really cool to learn my history, you know, the culture. Because you know I grew up American, so I always wondered what it would have been like to grow up Japanese," he said. "So yeah, it was a little weird, because I felt kind of Japanese, but at the same time I realized I totally wasn't Japanese when I got there."
After returning from filming "Survivor: One World," Otsuji worked on his latest project, Chef War, a cooking competition between two local professional chefs. "It's basically like a live Iron Chef competition, but the audience eats the food and the audience votes for who they think should win," he said.
So far, Otsuji hasn't been recognized in public yet, but that is likely to change when the show begins airing on Wednesday.
This season begins with 18 castaways divided into two tribes of nine: the male Manono Tribe and the female Salani Tribe. They were named after islands in Samoa, where this season was filmed.
The participants on "Survivor: One World," hosted by Jeff Probst, will try their best to "outwit, outplay and outlast" one another through a series of challenges and voting rounds, all while living on the same beach, to be crowned "sole survivor" and win $1 million.
How well Otsuji fared will eventually be revealed after the 24th season of the Emmy-Award winning series kicks off Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. on CBS Television Network.
For more information about "Survivor: One World," visit www.cbs.com/shows/survivor.

Helping marriages progress is the greatest Valentine's Day gift

By Linda & Richard Eyre, For the Deseret News

• 
  
  Happy Valentine's Day! We think it is one of the great holidays of the year — especially for couples — a chance to express love in a special way to the most important person in our lives.
  It's also a great holiday for jewelers, perfume-makers, chocolatiers and flower shops. We are afraid this column will be of little help to any of these retailers, however, because we are going to suggest a different kind of gift for Feb. 14.
  How about giving the one you love the most a gift that will actually make your love grow even stronger — a gift that will keep on giving to both of you and to your relationship?
  We think that marriage can exist on at least five levels, and that it can progress from one level to the next and to the next. Let us try to name these levels and describe them briefly and then suggest a Valentine's gift that can actually help couples progress from one to the other, climbing the ladder of love.
  Level one is a marriage of convenience. Two people think they are in love so they decide to live together, with or without an actual ceremony.
  Level two is a marriage of contract. Man and wife get married legally — and often religiously — and make at least a pledge of "in sickness and in health" and "till death do us part."
  Level three is a marriage of true commitment. Beyond the formality of a wedding, both parties exclusively and completely commit themselves to each other and give the security of knowing that there will never be any other.
  Level four is a marriage of synergy, where the man and the woman, the yin and the yang, learn to complement and complete each other so well that the total is greater than the sum of its parts.
  Level five is a marriage of oneness in which the commitment and the synergy continue to grow to the point where the couple share everything and where their oneness becomes an entity that supersedes their "individualness." Everything they seek, they seek together, and they are essentially fused into something that swallows up even as it preserves their separate gifts and natures.
  Whatever level you perceive yourself to be on this Valentine's Day, you can progress to the next one if you both want to. And while there are many ways to progress, here is a suggestion that we think works for all who really try it.
  Have a private, marital "Sunday session" for about an hour once a week where you do four things:
  
  
  1. Coordinate your schedules and priorities for the week ahead so that you are together when you need to be and know where each other is when you are not.
  2. Decide on one night during the coming week when you will go on a "date," which might be as complete as dinner and a movie or might be as simple as a little walk or drive together. Think of it as a continuation of your courtship and be willing to pay the price and make the sacrifice of a baby sitter.
  3. Have a private "testimony meeting" or "feelings session" where each of you takes a few minutes to tell the other your feelings about your goals, your relationship concerns, your faith and your love. Listen attentively to the other person when it is his or her turn, and express yourself honestly when it is yours.
  4. Finish with a prayer — in whatever way you are accustomed to praying — with each person being voice for a part of the prayer. Whether or not this is a regular or usual process in your marriage, do it to close this weekly Sunday session.
  Giving this gift to each other for Valentine's Day will take real commitment, and it will take an hour that you may not think you have. But there are 168 hours in a week, and using one of them this way will make the other 167 a lot better. Guaranteed!
  

  The Eyres' three latest books are "The Entitlement Trap," "5 Spiritual Solutions" and "The Three Deceivers." Richard and Linda are New York Times No. 1 best-selling authors who lecture throughout the world on family-related topics. Read Linda Eyre's blog at www.deseretnews.com/blog/81/A-World-of-Good.html and visit the Eyres anytime at www.TheEyres.com or www.valuesparenting.com. Listen to their weekly radio show on Mondays at 4:30 at www.byuradio.org

Book Review: The Book of Mormon Girl by Joanna Brooks

 

Posted by Shelah | February 13, 2012

 Title: The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories from an American Faith

Author: Joanna Brooks
While Mitt Romney is undoubtedly the most high-profile Mormon in America right now, many might argue that Joanna Brooks is the most high-profile Mormon woman in America today. In addition to her job as chair of the English Department at San Diego State University, she writes for Religion Dispatches and Washington Post, hosts the Ask Mormon Girl website, and blogs at Feminist Mormon Housewives. Last week, the front page of CNN’s website included an in-depth story of Brooks and her family. So it’s really the perfect time for her memoir, The Book of Mormon Girl, to be released.
Brooks divides her life into three basic sections– growing up, early adulthood/disillusionment, and maturation/resolution. In the growing up years, which comprise the bulk of the memoir, she gives us detailed and delightful stories of her Young Women’s leaders and her grandmothers, interesting, devoted, hardworking women who taught her the gospel while hiking mountain passes and doing service. She writes about the cultural dissonance that comes from being “in the world but not of it.” She writes about her adoration for Marie Osmond. All of these chapters are rich with description and detail.
Joanna’s story is one that I’m familiar with because I’ve both heard her tell it and because I recognize parts of it in my friends and myself. Maybe not the growing up in the tract house on the edge of Southern California’s orange groves, but certainly the feeling of being the only LDS girl in my high school, of being a “root beer among cokes” as she puts it. Like Joanna, I was a girl who set my sights on attending BYU and only BYU, and when I arrived there and had to adjust when I realized that it wasn’t as perfect as I thought it would be. I see her story in the story of friends who have felt pain too acute to bear, pain they associate with the church, and have left as a result. And I see her story in friends who have come back from that pain, who want to find a way to live a life of integrity within the religion and culture in which they were raised.
Brooks’s adult chapters, as well as the way she has chosen to live her life publicly, do a lot to dispel the myth that Mormon women are all cut out of the same cloth, with the same thoughts and beliefs. She shows that it’s okay to grieve for the things we wish were different, that we can find our voice, even if we’re most comfortable speaking quietly and politely, and that we can love the church and want to be part of it without embracing every aspect of it. Furthermore, she shows that it’s possible, even fulfilling, to come back and to see raising children in a home where parents come from different faith traditions as a boon and a blessing.
Brooks chose to self-publish her memoir, and while I understand why she did it, and I really do think that she has both an important story to tell and the writing chops to carry it off with remarkable sensitivity and finesse, self-publishing is always a tricky business. The Book of Mormon Girl, is an engrossing and important memoir, but it’s not a perfect book. The child and teen chapters repeat many of the same details, and while the repetition seems to be intentional, the cumulative effect was to give sort of a storybook quality to the setting. Also, as a reader, I am interested in Brooks’s childhood, especially since her teen years seem to be such a reflection of mine, but I’m even more interested in how she went from belief to disillusionment and back again. She does give several chapters to the adult struggles in her life, but I want more. I think it’s a testament to the success of her writing both in The Book of Mormon Girl and in other venues, that we want more of Joanna’s wit and wisdom. And I’m confident that she’ll give it to us.

NEWS - AMERICANS KNOW LITTLE BUT ARE STILL WARY OF MORMONS

Americans know little but are still wary of Mormons

Church is 'totally integrated,' adherents say, but suspicions linger

By CATHY LYNN GROSSMAN • USA Today | Posted: Sunday, January 29, 2012 12:00 am 

When Mormons call themselves "a peculiar people," they mean it in the biblical sense — set aside by God, chosen.
But many Americans call them peculiar in Webster's way — strange, odd.
Now Mormons, followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are in the spotlight. One of their own, Mitt Romney, is a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination.
Suddenly, America's abuzz about "gold plates and magic underwear," says Terryl Givens, a professor of religion at the University of Richmond in Virginia and a Mormon himself.
Many Americans are suspicious of Mormon ways. That could be because:
• Mormons are unfamiliar to many. There are 6 million, adults and children, accounting for fewer than 2 percent of the U.S. population, and 76 percent live in a handful of Western states.
• Outspoken evangelical pastors call Mormonism a non-Christian "cult." Mormons disagree, saying they just center their faith on a different understanding of God, Christ, Scripture and salvation than Catholics or Protestants. Christian private schools and home-schooling associations specify that the Bible is the only Scripture, thereby excluding Mormons, who add three more holy books.
• Unlike Judaism, Mormonism is not a faith commonly studied in comparative religion classes. When Mormons show up in history books, it's generally limited to a saga of persecution (they were driven from the Midwest to Utah in the 19th century) and legal conflicts over polygamy. The church banned polygamy in 1890, but polygamist splinter groups, such as those depicted in "Big Love" and "Sister Wives," often see more media airtime than mainstream Mormons.
Joseph Smith founded the LDS church, according to church teachings, after discovering gold plates buried in upstate New York that he believed contained the words of ancient prophets detailing Jesus' visit to the New World. When translated, it became the text of The Book of Mormon, which Mormons believe is essential to restoring the original church as Christ intended. According to one of the four books of Mormon scripture, The Pearl of Great Price, Smith later returned the golden plates to an angelic guardian.
Some adult Mormons in good standing with the church wear a simple cotton T-shirt and fitted pants that have been blessed by the church.
"Once someone actually lifted the sleeve of my shirt to peek while asking, 'Do you wear the magic underwear?' Stop! I don't check your underpants!" recalls Erin Gillie, 26, who moved to Washington, D.C., from Alabama.
She wears the undergarments, she says, "as a reminder of who I am: a child of God who should live by certain standards."
"A lot of people have preconceived ideas about Mormons, and there's not much I can do to change their minds if their pastor is telling them Mormons are evil," she says.
"People will ask, 'How many moms do you have?' I've had dates who never called again once they learned I was Mormon. I figure it's their loss."
Mormons cherish their "peculiar" distinctiveness, says Michael Otterson, chief spokesman for the LDS church.
"We value and recognize and respect the values of other religions, but we very much appreciate our own. If you are a Latter-day Saint, a member of the fourth-largest (denomination) in the country, you shouldn't have to go hat in hand for acceptance while acceptance of other minorities — Jews or Muslims or Presbyterians — is taken at face value," he says.
Of course, Otterson notes, "You may not even know that the person who cuts your hair or does your taxes is a Mormon because we're totally integrated in the American mainstream."
A survey of Mormons released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life delineated Mormons' traditionalist values — high on family and education. Most (67 percent) of adult Mormons are married, compared with 52 percent of the nation. College-educated Mormons also have the highest level of commitment to religious orthodoxy: 84 percent say they follow the teachings "wholeheartedly."
On Pew Forum's 2010 U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, which asked 32 questions on the Bible, major religious figures and core beliefs and practices, the average score was 16 correct. Just 19 percent of Protestants knew the basic tenet that salvation is through faith alone, not actions as well. Who scored best? Atheists, Jews and Mormons.
Mormons' strong communities make them a potent organized force, whether for joining in relief programs, campaigning for a moral cause or proselytizing by those ubiquitous young missionaries knocking on doors.
Advocates of same-sex marriage still burn over the millions in donations and savvy campaigning by Mormons backing Proposition 8, which overturned legal gay marriage in California in 2008.
The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center turned its outrage into a moneymaker and rallying point. The center raised $70,000 in contributions. Jim Key, spokesman for the center, says, "For each donation, we sent a postcard to LDS President Thomas Monson saying a gift had been made in his name to invalidate Prop 8."
It's Mormons' religious outreach that worries Warren Cole Smith, an evangelical blogger and associate publisher of World, a Christian news magazine. He fears a Romney presidency would give credence and publicity to a "false faith."
One proof of falsehood, to Smith, is that Mormons believe the Bible didn't close the book on God's revelations. They believe present-day prophets, including the president of the church, can proclaim new teachings from God.
Smith cites two examples: The LDS church banned polygamy in 1890 (perhaps, say historians, prompted by the threats from the U.S. government and by the Mormons' wish to see Utah become a state).
And in 1978, then-LDS president and prophet Spencer Kimball overturned the church's ban on ordaining black men to the priesthood.
Smith's oft-quoted line that makes evangelicals jittery is that Mormons "may believe one thing today, and something else tomorrow."

ARTICLE - EDITORIAL : ROMNEY HAS CAPACITY TO BUILD BRIDGES

Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012

Editorial: Romney has capacity to build bridges

MITT ROMNEY was not our first choice for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, but he was one of two candidates who stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field as sensible, experienced grownups with a history of making things work rather than pursuing ideological fetishes.
We wish he were not so willing to blend in with the political culture as the Republican Party races further right, from seeming at times to repudiate his signature success as Massachusetts governor to playing footsie with the anti-intellectuals who don’t simply disagree that anything should be done but dismiss the overwhelming scientific consensus that the earth’s climate is changing, and that human beings are playing a role in that change.
But we take comfort in the fact that Mr. Romney always has been less interested in philosophy than in problem-solving. As The Washington Post summarized the views of his friends: “obeisance to ideology would impose a rigidity that would inhibit Romney’s real talent, which is forging new ways to fix old problems.”

He has demonstrated that talent to dramatic effect, from making a fortune rescuing companies (and dismantling others) as a private-equities investor to turning the floundering, scandal-ridden Salt Lake Olympics Games into a financial success. He led Massachusetts out of financial crisis, and pushed through a landmark health reform that was seen as the conservative answer to growing demands for a government-centered program, until it became the model for President Obama’s reform package. If there’s anything we need in Washington, it’s more problem solving and less ideological purity.
We initially endorsed Jon Huntsman in Saturday’s presidential primary because he demonstrates the qualities we need in a president. With Mr. Huntsman’s withdrawal, we are endorsing Mr. Romney, because of our continued belief that he can be what we need in a president: Someone who can work within our poisonous political environment to solve our nation’s problems, not simply score partisan points. Someone who understands that negotiation is essential in a representative democracy, and that there are good ideas across the political spectrum. Someone who has a well-defined set of core values but is not so rigid that he ignores new information and new conditions. Someone who has shown himself to be honest and trustworthy and competent. Someone whose positions are well-reasoned and based on the world as it is rather than as he pretends it to be. Someone with the temperament and judgment and experience to be taken seriously as the commander in chief and leader of the free world.
What we need now is for Mr. Romney to fulfill his potential, beginning with this evening’s debate. We are encouraged by his focus on America as the land of opportunity, but he needs to avoid using his newly inspiring rhetoric to dodge legitimate questions about his political and business history. He needs to demonstrate that he can maintain his composure in the face of what likely will be the harshest attacks yet.
Mr. Romney made clear during a discussion with our editorial board that our nation’s problems will not be solved without a president who is committed to working across the political aisle. He’s right about that, and we feel sure we’ll hear more of that in the general election. But he will have far more credibility then if he starts acting like he believes it now. The Republican Party needs a leader who can pull it back from the brink, reminding voters and other candidates alike that passing ideological litmus tests is not a virtue and that negotiation and compromise are not sins, but rather the essential building blocks of a republic. In fact, that view of politics and government is what our nation needs. We will be looking for Mr. Romney to provide it.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/19/2119013/romney-has-capacity-to-build-bridges.html#storylink=omni_popular#storylink=cpy

NEWS - HUNTSMAN DEPARTS RACE

Huntsman departs race, impact in SC unclear

By THOMAS BEAUMONT and KASIE HUNT - Associated Press

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Days before the South Carolina primary, Jon Huntsman dropped out of the presidential race Monday and endorsed Mitt Romney for the party's nomination, becoming the latest Republican to call the GOP front-runner the strongest candidate to beat the Democratic incumbent.
"I believe it is now time for our party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat Barack Obama," Huntsman said at a news conference, his family by his side. "Despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, I believe that candidate is Governor Mitt Romney."
The development added to the aura of inevitability Romney has worked to create in South Carolina and the race at large.

But Huntsman's departure and endorsement of Romney seemed unlikely to clarify the overriding question of the Republican campaign: Whether conservative voters could or would unify behind Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry to create a strong conservative challenger to the former Massachusetts governor.
It also prompted at least one Perry backer to urge the Texas governor to abandon his bid in hopes of preventing conservative voters from dividing their support among several candidates and handing Romney a win.
"There are a lot of conservatives who were happy to see him get in and now who would be happy to see him get out," state Sen. Larry Grooms, an early Perry supporter, said. "When conservatives have split in the past, we end up nominating a moderate, and that's not good for our party."
In South Carolina, the eventual impact of the Huntsman endorsement is unclear.
He barely had a campaign organization here and he was all but broke, with big donors fleeing long ago. Huntsman, considered the moderate in the race because of his support for civil unions and other positions that don't sit well with the right flank, was in the low single digits in polls.
But anyone who had planned to vote for him is more likely to shift their votes to Romney rather than one of his more conservative rivals. Polls show Romney was most often the second choice of Huntsman backers. Both candidates have emphasized their business backgrounds and have espoused socially moderate positions in a state where social conservatives are an influential bloc. Both also are Mormons.
"Certainly, it will help Gov. Romney here, it's just not clear how much," said former state Attorney General Henry McMaster. An early Huntsman supporter, McMaster had not committed to another candidate after Huntsman's announcement.
Romney is leading in South Carolina polls - followed by Gingrich with Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul fighting for third and Perry trailing - as the front-runner pushes toward three straight victories after winning both Iowa and New Hampshire earlier this month. A South Carolina triumph would give Romney significant momentum heading into next-up Florida on Jan. 31, and he's banking on getting a boost from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Arizona Sen. John McCain, winner of the 2008 primary in a state that has voted for the eventual GOP since 1980.
With the primary looming Saturday, Romney's rivals dismissed Huntsman's endorsement.
"Moderates are backing moderates," Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, said at a Columbia appearance. "No surprise there."
Gingrich, the former House speaker locked in a bitter battle with Romney, said at an event in Myrtle Beach: "Why would you want to nominate the guy who lost to the guy who lost to Obama?"
Huntsman's endorsement comes just two days after Santorum emerged as the consensus, if not unanimous, choice of a group of national Christian political activists who met over the weekend in a last-ditch effort to rally conservatives.
In recent days, pressure has been increasing on Perry, who registers in the single digits in polls here, to leave the race to allow South Carolina's influential social conservatives to unify behind either Santorum or Gingrich.
"It's important that we eventually consolidate this race," Santorum said Monday. But he stopped short of adding his voice to those suggesting Perry drop out, saying: "That's up to the candidates themselves to decide."
On Sunday, conservative author Eric Metaxas indirectly suggested Perry should quit the race while speaking at a packed prayer breakfast in Myrtle Beach. The night before he had tweeted: "Dear Gov. Perry: Do the right thing for your country; endorse Rick Santorum before the SC primary next Saturday...you'll wish you had."
Katon Dawson, Perry's South Carolina chairman, resisted the idea that there was a drumbeat for Perry to quit.
"I find it sort of offensive that some Republicans would tell us they want to hand pick the candidate before the election," Dawson said.
And Ralph Reed, founder of the national Faith and Freedom Coalition, also said he knew of no effort by the conservative leaders who met Saturday in Texas to urge Perry to quit.
"We have never asked any candidate to drop out of the race publicly or privately. And we will not do so," Reed said.
In Iowa two weeks ago, some evangelical pastors and conservative leaders had asked Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann to consider ending her campaign to allow a conservative to emerge. She did not, and Romney edged Santorum in Iowa by a razor-thin eight votes. She later quit the race.
With Perry showing no signs of departing, Santorum faces the added burden of a barrage of attack ads by an independent group that supports Romney's campaign. The group, Restore Our Future, was running almost $900,000 worth of advertising this week, more than any of the candidates' campaigns and all of it against Santorum.
Santorum complained Monday about the ads, which accuse him of having supported pork-barrel spending in Congress and supporting voting rights for felons. Santorum has defended his support for that spending. And he said Monday he supports allowing felons who have completed their sentences to apply to have their voting rights restored, a policy that is law in 48 states.
Restore Our Future spent roughly $3 million on similar anti-Gingrich ads in the final month of the Iowa campaign and was seen as contributing to his fourth-place finish in the caucuses.
A similar group that supports Gingrich was running roughly $850,000 in ads against Romney.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/16/2115781/huntsman-to-quit-gop-race-back.html#storylink=Afternoon%20Newsletter#storylink=cpy

QUOTE - NEVER BE ASHAMED -Unknown

Never Be Ashamed
=================
Never be ashamed of the scars that life has left you with.
A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed, you endured the pain and God has healed you.
~Author Unknown~

ARTICLE - 3 CHISELED STONES & THE INCREASING EVIDENCE FROM THE ARABIAN PENINSULA FOR THE PLAUSIBILITY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Three Chiseled Stones and the Increasing Evidence from the Arabian Peninsula for the Plausibility of the Book of Mormon

When it comes to evidences for the plausibility of the Book of Mormon text, the most exciting finds come from the Old World, where we have the significant advantage of knowing the precise starting point of Nephi's account and where we have far more archaeological work to draw upon than we do in the New World. As Latter-day Saints in upcoming Sunday School lessons review the stories of Nephi's journey out of Jerusalem and across the Arabian Peninsula to Bountiful, I hope some of them will learn that trek as described in First Nephi 16 and 17 is remarkably "interesting" in terms of its plausibility as an ancient record. Indeed, it is hard to imagine how some of the fine details in Nephi's account could have been written by anybody who didn't actually make the journey and experience the places he mentions.

These places include the Valley of Lemuel and River of Laman, places that until recently were mocked as impossibilities for "everyone knows" that there is no river that flows into the Red Sea as Nephi described. This Book of Mormon weakness has become a strength, a granite-walled stronghold, in fact, with the field work that discovered actual candidates for the valley.

That was early in the long journey of Lehi's group, a journey that, though described in brevity, is given numerous specific details such as the specific directions traveled: south-south east, followed by a sharp turn to nearly due east after Ishmael is buried in a place called Nahom. Following that eastward direction, the group eventually hits the coast and finds Bountiful--one of the biggest barriers to plausibility that the Book of Mormon suffers from. Or rather, suffered from, until people did field work and gave the Latter-day Saints at least one and perhaps two excellent candidates for that lush, green, abundant place that Nephi and his family found in that part of the world that "everyone knows" is nothing but barren sand dunes. If only Joseph had lived in the day of movies and had seen Lawrence of Arabia, he would have known what a ridiculous blunder his description of Bountiful was. Today, we have the luxury of knowing that it might be plausible after all. Now, of course, the argument of the critics must switch to arguing how obvious it was to come up with directions, descriptions, and even place names. Joseph the Blunderer who couldn't even get the birthplace of Christ right (per the standard anti-Mormon attack on Alma 7:10, now handily refuted with the help of modern discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) has become Joseph the Erudite, apparently armed with his vast frontier library and an international network of scholars, carefully building detailed "evidences" of authenticity into the text that, uh, he and his fellow-conspirators didn't seem to know about. Chiasmus and other Semitic literary tools, ancient covenant formulas, the details of the Arabian Peninsula, civilization and its Mesoamerican discontents, and other evidences were carefully woven in so that future generations might be impressed. If only Joseph had bothered to trot out some of these evidences in his lifetime, it might have helped. Highly-publicized reports of ancient American civilization in Mesoamerica did come in the 1840s and created a positive stir among the Saints, over a decade after the Book of Mormon came out, but we would have to wait for over a century before the real fun would even begin.

Yes, I mentioned not just directions and descriptions, but placenames. Foremost on the list is Nahom. The argument here is missed by many critics, who seem to think that we are arguing that there is exciting new evidence that Nahom as an ancient Semitic name. No, of course we know it's a Semitic name since it is a book in the Bible. But as a place name, it is rare, exceedingly rare. More interestingly, it is a specific placename in the Book of Mormon associated with some very specific details: a) it is a specific place in the Arabian Peninsula where one can turn nearly due east after having traveled south-south east from Jerusalem; b) it is a place that was not named by Lehi but apparently was already called that name by others in the area; and c) it is a place where Ishmael was buried (he died somewhere, and then was buried at Nahom). Given those specific, how fascinating it is that we now know that these details are remarkably plausible. There is an ancient Arabic tribe in Yemen with the name Nihm, having the same Semitic root NHM as Nahom. We know that the location of that tribe fits extremely well with the one place where a survivable eastward turn to the sea can be made to depart from the ancient incense trails that were south-southeast from Jerusalem. And we now know, based on archaeological finds from Yemen, that the Nihm tribal name was in existence all the way back to the 7th century B.C. or so, making it possible that Lehi's group did in fact bury Ishmael in an ancient burial location called Nehhm, Nihm, or, as it may have sounded to Nephi, Nahom--a name that in Hebrew nicely fits the concept of mourning as described in the text.

The Nahom story is an important and exciting part of the growing body of evidence for plausibility of the Book of Mormon as an ancient text. A key part of this story comes from the discovery of several ancient altars bearing the tribal name Nihm. Here are some links for those interested in learning more:

"Newly Found Altars from Nahom," Warren P. Aston, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, volume 10, no. 2, pp. 56-61, 2001. (PDF)

"In Search of Lehi's Trail—30 Years Later," Lynn M. Hilton.

"New Light: 'The Place That Was Called Nahom': New Light from Ancient Yemen," S. Kent Brown.

Book of Mormon evidences (my page)

PEOPLE I KNOW WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR WORLD - TEACHER HIGH ON ROMNEY : EVA ADDISON

Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012

Teacher high on Romney

 

By ADAM BEAM 

Eva Addison is not a Republican. But she is a conservative – a conservative who, since 2008, increasingly has become upset with the policies of President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
While Addison says she did not pay attention to the 2008 election, she is paying attention now. And her candidate is Mitt Romney.
“I feel like he’s got family values and that he’s honest with his dealings, and I don’t think there are many politicians that are honest,” she said. “I believe, with all my heart, he has the integrity it is going to take to turn America around economically and morally.”

Like Romney, Addison is a Latter-Day Saint. She attended Brigham Young University in Utah for three years before dropping out to get married, which she says “is a real typical Mormon thing.”
But that’s not why she is voting for Romney. In fact, she first strongly considered Texas Gov. Rick Perry, an evangelical Christian. But Perry’s performances in the debates last fall changed her mind.
“I don’t think (Perry) has the intelligence, and I don’t mean that in a bad way,” she said. “I don’t think he’s quick enough or has the intelligence on spur-of-the-moment stuff to make things work – and that has bothered me.”
Addison, 50, lives in Anderson, where she teaches fifth grade at a local elementary school. Her unhappiness with Obama stems from what she calls a “sense of entitlement” that she says Obama fosters among some people who take advantage of government programs like welfare.
“Obama wants to make things a whole lot easier on them as though they deserve (it),” she said.
In Romney, however, she sees a person who is “willing to sacrifice things we may want in order for our grandchildren to have things (they) may need.”
Romney was criticized last week for saying “I like being able to fire people,” a comment he made while campaigning in New Jersey. Romney was talking about health insurance companies and how he wants Americans to be able to “fire” them if they are unsatisfied with them.
But opponents used the comment to criticize Romney, calling him cold and out of touch with the needs of Americans, many of whom were fired during the Great Recession. (Perry’s campaign went so far as to make the comment a ringtone available for people to download to their phones.)
Addison, Romney’s supporter, is more forgiving.
“At first I thought, ‘Oh my goodness Mitt, you just said something terrible!’ ” Addison said. “But if someone is not doing their job, we have the right to go somewhere else to get somebody competent. I love that idea.”

TCHNOLOGY - TESTERS NEEDED FOR INTERACTIVE BOOKS & MAGAZINES TABLET APPS

Testers Needed for Interactive Books and Magazines Tablet Apps Posted: 14 Jan 2012 11:50 AM PST The Church's Media Services team released the LDS Ensign and The Coat apps for iPad and Android tablets in December to experiment with a new platform for digital content, and now they’re looking for feedback on the LDS Ensign app in addition to future help on similar testing. The Ensign app is an interactive digital magazine, but it is much more than just a PDF of the Ensign that you can read on your tablet. The LDS Ensign app provides audio and video features that enhance your experience with the Ensign. You can read, watch, or listen to each talk, and there are biographies of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the end of the issue.

A tutorial at the beginning will tell you everything you need to know about using the app, so it should be pretty easy to download and use right away. To download the LDS Ensign app, open your tablet's application store and search for “LDS Ensign.” Download and install the LDS Ensign magazine from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The app icon is as follows: Note that downloading the magazine requires an internet connection, but once you’ve downloaded it, you can use the app entirely offline. You can also download the app of The Coat—a true story from Heber J. Grant’s childhood—and see the same technology at work in an interactive, animated storybook.  The Coat has a number of animations, such as zooms, shifts of perspectives, and even snow angels, each triggered by finger swipes across the screen. To download the coat, search your tablet’s application store for “The Coat" and look for this app icon:   The technology for the Ensign and The Coat could be used in the future for other applications, so the Media Services team wants to know what you think of both the platform and—more specifically—the LDS Ensign iPad app. At this point, the apps are only for large-screen devices, like tablets. They are available on iTunes and the Android Market. How to Get Involved To give feedback on the LDS Ensign app, take the short survey that’s located in the Table of Contents in the app. If you are interested in future testing on similar apps for 7” tablets—such as Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, and other 7-inch Android tablets—then join the Interactive Books and Magazines project to be notified of these opportunities when they arise. To join the Interactive Books & Magazines project: Go to LDSTech.org and sign in with your LDS Account user name and password. You will be brought directly to the Projects page. If you are not directed to that page, click Projects in the top navigation bar. Under available projects, search for Interactive Books and Magazines. Click Interactive Books and Magazines. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Join button. (If you see a Leave button, it means you’ve already joined this project. You’ll be redirected to your Projects page, and Interactive Books and Magazines will appear under My Projects. You can also go to the Interactive Books and Magazines Forum to check up on the progress of the new project or visit the Interactive Books and Magazines wiki page for more information.