Election... blah blah blah

It's 2012 and election new is starting to pick up even more. Today I read the following story:

Georgia Lawmaker 'Afraid' of Romney's Mormon Faith

01/04/2012 | 

Sigh. Here we go again. A Georgia state legislator says Mitt Romney's LDS faith makes him wary.

The Marietta Daily Journal spoke with a number of Georgia legislators about the 2012 field. Republican Representative Judy Manning went off about Mitt and Mormons in general.

---

“I think Mitt Romney is a nice man, but I’m afraid of his Mormon faith,” Manning said. “It’s better than a Muslim. Of course, every time you look at the TV these days you find an ad on there telling us how normal they are. So why do they have to put ads on the TV just to convince us that they’re normal if they are normal? … If the Mormon faith adhered to a past philosophy of pluralism, multi-wives, that doesn’t follow the Christian faith of one man and one woman, and that concerns me.” 

Romney is also a flip-flopper, Manning said. 

“When he was the governor of Massachusetts he performed 100 — and I’m not sure this number is right, but my mind says it’s about 180 gay marriages — and now, when he is running as president on the Republican ticket, he says that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Manning said. 

Read more: Utah Policy 
http://utahpolicy.com/bookmark/16986285

Here is my response:

Representative Manning, 

I wanted to pass some information on so that you could educate yourself on The Mormon faith espoused by Governor Romney. The church is named: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can find much information regarding this religion on  http://mormon.org/  Please take time and learn a little more about this faith. Ignorance is cured by education.  You may also view online videos on the life of Jesus Christ from the Church here-  http://lds.org/bible-videos/?lang=eng 

I am trying to convert anyone just pass along information

Thanks for your time.

Chris Peterson
--
BroncoP3t3
http://flavors.me/broncop3t3
broncop3t3@gmail.com

Sunday Afternoon... Thoughts

Here it is one week into November 2009. Ali is 1.5 months old.

Today we had stake conference and we now have a new Stake President. President Hughes had been around for along time (10 years). That is the way of Stake President callings one decade and you're done. The interesting thing here is that President Hughes has been around for our family for a long time. He was the Bishop of the ward i lived in when Tammy and I married. After being married six months we moved in to the little green house and he was OUR bishop. Then a few years later when mom died he was Stake President. He and Bishop Blacker helped us through that. Then a few years later back in the Nampa West Stake and I am called into the Elders Quorum Presidency, then EQ President with President Hughes as our Stake President. Much has happened during his term of service.

I'm not 25 anymore. I am a father of four. Been married for over 12 years. I have a wonderful wife that IS my best friend. We've been through much together. I would have not wanted it any other way. Not sure I'd have made it through any of it if I would have been alone. I know I wouldn't have.

I didn't intend this to be so sentimental, guess that's just where the muse took me today. See you on Monday!

This is for the kids

" I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to all Autobots taking refuge among the stars: We are here, we are waiting."

Walk a mile in their shoes....

Here is an interesting story from the LA Times with connection to Idaho. Makes you wonder if everyone had to deal with the hoops this couple had to jump through if it might be more simplified.

Source:
latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tobar3-2009nov03,0,1602661.column

Walking a mile in an immigrant's moccasins
Ben Reed was once a conservative shock jock in his native Idaho. But meeting and falling in love with a Mexican national brought about a change in philosophy. They now live in Mexico.

Hector Tobar

9:16 PM PST, November 2, 2009

The wedding was all set. The bride would travel from Mexico City to Rexburg, Idaho, where she would walk down the aisle of the Mormon temple in her white dress. She would marry that crazy guy from the radio who had been courting her.

Then it all fell apart, here in Los Angeles, in the bowels of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

Made Simple...

Don't you like it when things are made simple to understand. A few months ago I was introduced to a site called Mormons Made Simple. The creators Doug & Laurel wanted to create a easy way to learn about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Mormons Made Simple was invented. They do a pretty good job of explaining in a easy to understand way.

Here is a video explaining an LDS church service. If you had no knowledge of how these meetings went then it would be a good way to find out.

VOTE...GO VOTE...GO VOTE...

VOTE...GO VOTE...GO VOTE...
IT IS YOUR DUTY AND RESPONSIBILITY!
THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE HAVE DIED FOR!
If you don't know where...click on the picture below you Google can help you find the location.

Jensen speaks the Truth.

I was reading a blog last night about people that are different and I wanted to share what I read.

Ten years ago, Elder Jensen spent some time publicly explaining that good members of the Church can belong to a variety of political parties(Salt Lake Tribune: "GOP Dominance Troubles Church"). Elder Jensen is a Democrat, and he has become one of the examples in life that I would like to emulate. It seems to me (I thought as I listened to Elder Jensen's talk this morning) that somehow those who are of the Democrat persuasion, despite (or because of?) the fact that they often urge more governmental support for the poor and needy, have a more developed ability to see the importance of caring for and understanding those who are "different". Source

Salt Lake Tribune, May 3, 1998
Dan Harrie

GOP Dominance Troubles Church

It hurts Utah, says general authority, disavowing any perceived Republican-LDS Link

LDS Official Calls for More Political Diversity

The LDS Church, through a high-ranking leader, is making its strongest public statement to date about the need for political diversity among members, while expressing concerns the Republican Party is becoming the "church party."

Elder Marlin K. Jensen

"There is sort of a division along Mormon/non-Mormon, Republican/Democratic lines," says Elder Marlin Jensen, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. "We regret that more than anything -- that there would become a church party and a non-church party. That would be the last thing that we would want to have happen."

Jensen said major national political parties may take stands that do not coincide with teachings of the 10 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but that should not put them out of bounds for members.

A former attorney and lifelong Democrat, Jensen was careful in his comments not to suggest an official LDS preference for any political party but to maintain the church's traditional stand of partisan neutrality.

The First Quorum of the Seventy is the third tier in LDS Church leadership after the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and the governing First Presidency.

Jensen for the past three years has been a member of the church's Public Affairs Committee. He was designated by church officials to respond to The Salt Lake Tribune's request for an interview on the topic of partisan imbalance in Utah and among LDS members.

The Tribune's inquiry came on the heels of two significant developments: Utah Democrats' unprecedented failure to field a candidate in a congressional race and a statement from the LDS First Presidency -- read over pulpits in January -- urging members to seek elective office.

In an hourlong interview at the church's worldwide headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City arranged and overseen by LDS media-relations director Mike Otterson, Jensen discussed leaders' views about the seeming demise of two-party politics among members. Among the concerns he aired:

-- The LDS Church's reputation as a one-party monolith is damaging in the long run because of the seesaw fortunes of the national political parties.

-- The overwhelming Republican bent of LDS members in Utah and the Intermountain West undermines the checks-and-balances principle of democratic government.

-- Any notion that it is impossible to be a Democrat and a good Mormon is wrongheaded and should be "obliterated."

-- Faithful LDS members have a moral obligation to actively participate in politics and civic affairs, a duty many have neglected.

"I am in shock," Utah Democratic Party Chairwoman Meghan Zanolli Holbrook said when told of Jensen's comments. "I have never heard anything like this in the years I've been here."

"That's an earthshaker," said Democrat Ted Wilson, head of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics and a longtime critic of the close connection between the Mormon Church and Republican Party.

"Mormon Democrats have been praying for this," said Wilson, who is LDS. "This is more than seeking -- we have beseeched the divinity over this."

Utah Republican Chairman Rob Bishop's reaction was less enthusiastic. "Any time a major player in the social fabric of the state, like the church, says something, it will have an impact."

"We obviously will not change," Bishop added. "If Mormons feel comfortable we welcome them. And if non-Mormons feel comfortable, we welcome them, too."

Jensen, who was called as a general authority in 1989, said high church officials lament the near-extinction of the Democratic Party in Utah and the perception -- incorrect though it is -- that the GOP enjoys official sanction of the church.

All five Congress members from Utah are Mormon and Republican, four of the five statewide offices are held by GOP officials and two-thirds of the state Legislature is Republican. Nearly 90 percent of state lawmakers are LDS. Democrats last held a majority in the state House in 1975, and in the Senate in 1977.

President Clinton finished third in balloting in Utah in 1992, the only state in which the Democrat finished behind Republican George Bush and independent Ross Perot. Utahns last voted for a Democrat for president in 1964, when they supported Lyndon B. Johnson.

Public-opinion polls show voters identifying themselves as Republican outnumber Democrats by a ratio of about 2-1.

However, a statewide survey taken in April by Valley Research, The Tribune's independent pollster, found the state equally divided when asked if the question if Republicans had too much power. Forty-six percent of the 502 respondents answered yes, 45 percent did not believe the GOP held too much sway and nine percent were unsure.

"One of the things that prompted this discussion in the first place was the regret that's felt about the decline of the Democratic Party [in Utah] and the notion that may prevail in some areas that you can't be a good Mormon and a good Democrat at the same time," Jensen said.

"There have been some awfully good men and women who have been both and are both today. So I think it would be a very healthy thing for the church -- particularly the Utah church -- if that notion could be obliterated."

The idea that Mormonism and Democratic Party affiliation are incompatible traces back to the early 1970s, when LDS general authority Ezra Taft Benson, who later became church president, was quoted in an Associated Press interview as saying it would be difficult for a faithful member to be a liberal Democrat.

Church officials later claimed the comment was taken out of context, although the AP stood by its account.

Jensen said concerns exist on two levels about the unofficial linkage of the Republican Party and Mormon Church.

One is the fear that by being closely identified with one political party, the church's national reputation and influence is subject to the roller-coaster turns and dips of that partisan organization. Also bothersome is that the uncontested dominance of the Republican Party in Utah deprives residents of the debate and competition of ideas that underlie good government.

"There is a feeling that even nationally as a church, it's not in our best interest to be known as a one-party church," Jensen said. "The national fortunes of the parties ebb and flow. Whereas the Republicans may clearly have the upper hand today, in another 10 years they may not."

Closer to home, he pointed to the Democrats' precarious toehold in Utah -- a circumstance highlighted by the dearth of minority-party officeholders and the current one-sided election in the 3rd Congressional District.

Republican Rep. Chris Cannon in 1996 defeated Bill Orton, a conservative Democrat and Mormon who had been the lone member of the minority party in Utah's delegation. This year, Cannon is seeking a second term without any challenge from a Democrat -- a first in Utah history.
(In 1982, Democrat Henry Huish missed the filing deadline and had to run as an independent. Still, he had the backing of the Democratic Party.)

"The Democratic Party has in the last 20 years waned to the point where it really is almost not a factor in our political life," Jensen said. "There is a feeling that that is not healthy at all -- that as a state we suffer in different ways. But certainly any time you don't have the dialogue and the give-and-take that the democratic process provides, you're going to be poorer for it in the long run."

There also are more immediate, tangible costs, he said.

Jensen blamed the Republican monopoly for contributing to Utah political leaders' inability or unwillingness to grapple with long-range planning issues. He pointed to the lack of state leadership on issues of open-space preservation and land-use planning.

He also pointed to the massive, catch-up highway-building binge that has disrupted Salt Lake County commuters and businesses. "One might say that the transportation crisis that we're in might have been averted had there been better balance in the parties and something was thrashed out 10 years ago, perhaps during Gov. Bangerter's time, rather than being allowed to wait until we reached a crisis situation.

"There are probably issues like that environmentally, educationally that we'd really benefit from if there were a more robust dialogue going on. But we've lacked that and I think we've suffered somewhat because of it."

Jensen's comments are bound to cause ripples among the 70 percent of Utahns who are counted as members of the LDS Church, as well as millions of faithful throughout the country, say political observers.

"This is the second dramatic time in the history of the state when forceful signals have been flashed from church headquarters calling on Mormons to choose up political sides more evenly," said J.D. Williams, retired University of Utah political scientist.

Williams compared Jensen's public pronouncements to the church's attempts in the 1890s to divide congregations up evenly among the two major political parties.

"Thus, wonder of wonders, theocracy was the mother of democracy in the territory of Utah," Williams said. "We achieved statehood five years later."

Jensen also referred to the 19th-century splitting of congregations along partisan lines, when the territorial People's and Liberal parties were abandoned in favor of national party affiliations.

He repeated an anecdote told by prominent LDS Democrat Oscar McConkie about his father's recollections of a church leader telling a congregation during a Sunday morning meeting to "sign up to be Republicans."

At that time, Mormons favored the Democratic Party because it was less stridently anti-polygamy than were Republicans.

When members of the flock returned for an afternoon session, the Republican sign-up sheet remained blank, Jensen said. "Brothers and sisters, you have misunderstood," said the church leader. "God needs Republicans."

"And Oscar said his father would wink and say, `And you know, Oscar, those damned Republicans think they've had God on their side ever since,' " Jensen said.

"I don't know if you can make any use of that but it's a great story. And there's a little of that embedded in our culture, unfortunately," he said.

Elbert Peck, editor of Sunstone magazine, said it is noteworthy that it is not LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley or one of his counselors breaking the church's silence on political imbalance.

"It is not as official as if it was an apostle or a member of the First Presidency saying it," Peck said. "Still, the quotes are out there and people will use them. You can bet they'll be remembered and taken as a sign."

Peck, whose Salt Lake City-based independent journal publishes articles on historical and contemporary Mormonism, predicts similar comments will be made in other settings -- church firesides and the like, because messages sent by LDS general authorities are repeated.

"Privately, I've heard reports of these opinions, but not publicly," Peck said. "The church leaders have been careful about saying anything publicly."

The tremendous growth of the Mormon Church worldwide has forced attention to its image as a good, trustworthy neighbor in the communities, states and countries where it is taking root, he said.

"We need to develop a tolerance -- so we don't demonize people that we have a disagreement with," Peck said. "It really was the church leaders' position on abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment [in the 1970s] that was the death of the Utah Democratic Party, because it became a litmus test," he said.

Pro-choice and, more recently, gay-rights stands of the national Democratic Party have helped Republicans paint the donkey-symbol party as taboo.

Jensen said it is time for LDS members to take a broader view of political affiliation.

"We would probably hope that they wouldn't abandon a party necessarily because it has a philosophy or two that may not square with Mormonism. Because, as I say, [parties] in their philosophies ebb and flow," Jensen said.

"You know, the Republicans came very close last time to bringing a pro-abortion plank into their platform. That was maybe the biggest battle of their [1996 national] convention," he said. "Which shows that if you're a pure ideologue, eventually you're going to have trouble in either party."

"Everyone who is a good Latter-day Saint is going to have to pick and choose a little bit regardless of the party that they're in and that may be required a lot more in the future than it has been in the past. But I think there's room for that and the gospel leaves us lots of latitude."

Source

Dedicated....

Sunday was the dedication of the Twin Falls Idaho Temple. Tammy and I attended and it was a great experience. To be able to hear the words of a living Prophet of God dedicate the House of the Lord for it's divine purposes was truly inspiring. I have the opportunity of driving past the Twin Falls Temple whenever I work in Twin Falls. Here is a video from when the cornerstone was laid.

The Bloggernacle

Have you come across the Bloggernacle? If you have read any LDS oriented blogs then you have. According to Wikipedia:

"Bloggernacle is a name that has been adopted by some in the LDS blogging community to describe the Mormon portion of the blogosphere. It was created as a play on words of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir."

If you are looking for a good place to find places in the Bloggernacle you can start here.

So I was reading in the Bloggernacle and found a quote that I thought was great. It is from a devotional given at BYU May 2005 entitled, The “Welding Link” of Culture by VAN C. GESSEL. I was reading a post on By Common Consent about what constitutes something good or bad as far as art and literature go. I received my undergraduate degree in Spanish and in many classes I read short stories and novels that I would not read to my seven year old, but that did not make them bad. I agree with the author that it depends on the situation. If it is something that is in the world that can be seen in many forms and locations or is it a lie?

Anyway, I wanted to share this quote about why it is important to learn about things that might not be in total harmony with the teachings or standards of the church.

"Eight years ago, just after I was appointed dean of the College of Humanities, Elder Henry B. Eyring, then commissioner of the Church Educational System, challenged me to spend some time pondering the answer to a simple question. He asked, “Why do we teach a book like The Great Gatsby at BYU?”…And why is Fitzgerald’s novel about adultery, obsession, alcoholism, and murder taught at a place like BYU? Well, in part, because all those who are crowned with glory and immortality and eternal lives will have, in their own kingdoms, an array of offspring who are, in their own ways, disobedient, annoying, and horrifying. We will have to learn how to deal with an abundance of our own Jay Gatsbys and Sweeney Todds and Pol Pots and Marquises de Sade and Brian David Mitchells. Just as it is presently the work and the glory of our Father in Heaven to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life—in spite of all He knows about us, which is everything—we hope it will someday be our work and our glory to help provide those same blessings for countless souls who are very much unlike ourselves, and many of them will be supremely unlovable. In my experience, the best way to come to know such people—and not merely to know them, but to know them well enough to be able to love them beneath all the layers of their sins and imperfections—is through the instrument of good books. After all, the Lord has repeatedly instructed us to seek wisdom “out of the best books” (D&C 88:118; 109:7, 14)."

We are instructed to "seek wisdom" and there are many places that wisdom can come from. If we limit ourselves then we are not seeing the world for what it is; a glorious place prepared for us by our Heavenly Father.

What is a blog and why do I blog? Part I of II

Part I
What is a blog?
There is a great article about what a blog is that I want to share. I normally don't do this but I am going to post the entire blog post from LDS Media Talk that explains blogs. There is a video at the end that tells even more.
Enjoy...Next I will post part II where I will discuss why I blog.

What is a Blog?

by Larry Richman, Posted July 9th, 2008

What is a blog?
Blog is short for “web log.” A blog is a Web site, maintained by an individual or organization, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other media such as graphics and video. You can start a blog about anything that interests you. For example, LDSMediaTalk is a blog by several authors who talk about the wise use of technology and media for LDS parents and youth. LDS CIO is a blog written by a technology geek to other technology geeks. Other blogs are simply a collection of thoughts and ideas, such as Richman Ramblings. You can create a blog that is open to anyone to read, or you can restrict who can read your blog.

Why should you start a blog?
To share your ideas and wisdom, to have an archive of interesting things you’ve discovered, or to share your beliefs with the world or with a targeted corner of the world. You don’t have to be an expert on a topic to blog. Blogging is a great way to share your own personal testimony and to teach people about the Church by telling them what it’s like on the inside. It’s also a lot of fun. When speaking to students at BYU-Hawaii, Elder Ballard said, “Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true.”

Is blogging difficult?
It can be as easy or hard as you want to make it. Setting up a blog is very easy. Writing regular blog posts is the tough part. You’re most likely to enjoy blogging if you enjoy writing on the topic of your blog. It you really want a high-quality blog, you need to be committed to post often to keep people reading. If you decide to begin a blog about the gospel, schedule regular times each week. Every Sunday evening you could write about what you learned in Church that day and every Wednesday evening you could write about one thing you are thankful for, related to a specific gospel principle.

Where do I begin?
You can sign up for a free blog at LDS.net or on blogging sites like WordPress.com and Blogger.com. If you’re interested in starting a blog using your own domain name (your own Web address), you can get one at those sites, or contact the More Good Foundation for help.

Below is a short video in plain English about blogs:

Susie Martineau 1984-2008

PRICE - Susie Martineau, age 23, our loving daughter, sister and friend, formerly of Price, passed away June 29, 2008 in Ogden.

She was born Dec. 9, 1984 in Miles City, Mont., the youngest of six children born to Stanley Dean and Vicky Crummett Martineau. Susie grew up in Grand Junction, Colo., and later moved to Price, where she graduated from Carbon High School in 2003. She played several different instruments in the high school band and also enjoyed playing the piano.

Following high school, she attended CEU, receiving an associate of arts degree.

She was attending Utah State University at the time of her passing.

She loved reading, animals (especially cats) and spending time with her friends and family.

She was a member of the LDS Church, where she received the YW In Excellence Medallion.

She will always be remembered as a loving and giving person.

She will be missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her parents; her five siblings, Stanley James (Dresden) Martineau of Roy; Karl Theodore (Kristin) Martineau of Provo; Tamra (Ryan) Wilson of Huntington; Dean Crummett Martineau of Bozeman, Mont.; and Holly Ann (Eric) Tucker of Price; and nine nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be July 3, at 1 p.m. at the Elmo LDS Chapel, 170 East Main. Viewing will be at 11:30 a.m. prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the Elmo City Cemetery. Services are in the care of Fausett Mortuary.

Source- http://www.sunad.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=13464

Susie was my cousin. She and her mom (my aunt Vicki) came to visit our family shortly after my mom passed away. It was a fun dinner, we actually had Mexican and ordered take out rice for the occasion. That night I remember that it was the first time that I noticed how much Vicki looked like my mom. My brother Clark was close with Susie as they were close in age. While growing up he was able to spend a couple weeks each summer in Utah visiting aunts, uncles, and cousins. Susie had a great spirit about her and she will be missed.

It is the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and that a loving Heavenly Father has prepared a way that we can be together eternally. Right now there is a loving reunion in the hereafter with Susie, her Grandma Crummett, Aunt Lynn, Cousin Catherine and countless other friends and relatives awaiting her arrival. Our prayers are with Stan and Vicki, Stan, Dean, Karl, and Holly at this time.
The Petersons Love you.

What should you do?

I have spoke on this before, but I think that it should be restated. I feel that to follow the counsel of Elder Ballard creating blogs that are only accessible by registered members of the blog are counter productive. One example; I have a friend (ok, the daughter of an instructor from college) anyway we were acquaintances when I was in school. She has a blog where she shares information about her family. Recently her family went through a tragedy. I am not going to go into details, but throughout the process there were many comments of encouragement, sharing of feelings and bearing of testimonies. This was done by people she knew and had seen the tragedy first hand and by those who had stumbled upon her blog and were intrigued by the situation and the process of grieving that the family went through.

What a great way to share the plan of salvation. Let others see how as members of the Church we deal with grief and what we know happens when we die. I was moved by the compassion and love that was shown in this situation. Had this been a private blog, the spirit could not have touched the lives of so many.

I know that there are people that use the internet for evil. They take any opportunity to distort and misuse what they find. But, "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.

Historical Day...19 June 1978

From Newsroom.LDS.org
It will be 30 years this June, 2008, since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began ordaining its members of African descent to the priesthood.

It was a pivotal moment in Church history, with implications not only for members in the United States but for the Church worldwide.
The enthusiasm with which the change in practice was greeted by Church members everywhere was widely noted at the time. Ken Woodward, religion writer for Newsweek, wrote in the magazine’s 19 June 1978 edition:

“The revelation caught noontime pedestrians in Salt Lake City by surprise. One man who had turned his portable radio to a church-owned station, called excitedly to knots of workers from the church headquarters: ‘They’ve just announced blacks can get the priesthood!’ James Dawson, one of two black members of the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir, told fellow Saints: ‘My faith is strengthened, I am very happy.’”

Elsewhere, excited white and black Church members called each other, honked car horns in the street and gathered in groups to discuss the announcement that came so suddenly following a profoundly significant spiritual experience for then-Church President Spencer W. Kimball and his fellow apostles in the Church.

Newsweek’s Woodward went on to predict that the next steps were likely to be the creation of black congregations under the direction of black elders.

Woodward’s prediction is telling. Even in 1978, a decade after the civil rights movement changed the face of America, worshipers in many churches across the land remained, in effect, segregated. Most blacks still worshipped with blacks, and most whites with whites. Few ordained black ministers preached to white congregations and discrimination in other forms still existed years later.

In fact, nothing like that happened in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There was never any policy of segregated congregations. Where Mormons of various racial or ethnic backgrounds have lived as neighbors, they have always worshiped together throughout Church history. Blacks had long before 1978 been baptized as members, preached from the pulpit and offered prayers in largely white congregations — none of which required the member to hold priesthood office.

After announcing the change in June 1978, the Church immediately began ordaining active black male members to priesthood office wherever they attended throughout the world. The first temple in Africa was built in South Africa in 1981 and two more — in Ghana and Nigeria — were dedicated more recently.

The increase in ethnic diversity and international Church growth has been widely commented upon over the years since then. The Washington Post referred in a November 2007 headline to “the new face of global Mormonism.” The New York Times noted in a 2005 article that a new Church building in the city was “one of the most racially integrated congregations in Harlem, with about equal numbers of white and black worshippers.”

Amid the generally favorable media reports, there have been a few exceptions, especially in the heated atmosphere of an election campaign.

Ahmad Corbitt, an African-American who is president of a stake (equivalent to a diocese) in New Jersey, said that occasional charges of racism leveled at the Church should be “seen for what they are.”

“I think everyone understands that people say things for political reasons that just don’t square with the facts,” Corbitt said.

Corbitt leads one of the more diverse stakes in the Church. While membership is largely white, his twelve congregations each embrace people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Three of his congregations are Spanish speaking, and Corbitt’s own three-member presidency consists of a white counselor and a Tongan counselor.

“Anyone who says the Church is racist isn’t speaking from experience and has no idea of the racial harmony we enjoy as a Church family,” Corbitt said. “Perhaps some members of color have had a negative experience here or there in our 13-million-member church. But in numerous meetings with members and leaders of the Church at every level over the years I have never experienced anything remotely resembling racism.”

Tony Parker, another African-American stake president, oversees nine congregations in the Atlanta area, including one headed by a black bishop. Parker has been a member of the Mormon faith for 25 years.

“I’m a better person now than I was back then,” Parker says. “I feel better about myself. They have been years of personal growth and enrichment.”

Parker says he has a simple answer to critics outside of the Church. “Anyone who thinks the Church is racist just needs to come and see. They can sit in our church on the sidelines and watch, or talk to members.”

Asked if he had ever encountered a prejudicial comment from a fellow Latter-day Saint, Parker said: “My experience has been almost universally positive. Sure, there have been occasional bumps in the road, but nothing to damage my personal convictions.”

Harriet Peterson 8/25/25 - 06/08/08 Obituary

Harriet E. Peterson
1925 - 2008
Harriet Elizabeth Peterson, 82, of Nampa, died at home on Sunday, June 8, 2008. Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Friday, June 13, at the Nampa 12th LDS Ward building, 1500 Smith Ave., Nampa. Family will greet relatives and friends at a viewing from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd., Nampa, or in the Relief Society Room at the church one hour prior to the funeral services. Harriet was born on Aug. 25, 1925, in Bismarck, North Dakota, to Willard Ransom Porter and Gretta Helena Lindblad. She lived in Peirre, ND, until the age of 13 when the family of three children moved to Nampa. She attended school in Nampa and graduated in 1942 from Nampa High School. After high school she entered nurse's training in Spokane and finished at Mercy Hospital in Nampa. She married Keith Peterson on Oct. 8, 1946, in Twin Falls. In 1948 their oldest son, O'Dell was born. At first she worked for private practice physicians and then went to work at Caldwell Memorial Hospital for about five years. In 1952 a daughter, Gretta Ellen was born and died the next day. Randy was born on July 4, 1954, and Danny on Nov. 2, 1956. Then she worked at Mercy Hospital and continued working in the Recovery Room for the remainder of the time until retirement at the new hospital. Her husband, Keith died in 1987. After retiring from the hospital, she then worked at Nampa Care Center for two years and then substituted as a school nurse for the Nampa School District for three or four years. She continued during retirement to volunteer at Silvercrest I, where she lived, taking blood pressures. She was an active member of the Nampa LDS 12th Ward where she served in the visiting teaching program. When her boys were younger, she was involved in the Cub Scout program, mainly as a Den Mother. She also worked for some time in the Genealogy Library, learning more about her "Family Tree." She kept in contact with many of her relatives over the past 10 to 15 years. She was actively involved in ceramics through Brenda Freeman along with several close friends. Many of her items were entered in the local Fair for which she would bring home ribbons. Much of her work can be found in the homes of her children and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Willard in 2002, her husband Keith in 1987, a daughter Gretta Ellen in 1952, a son Danny in 1995, and a granddaughter Catherine in 1985. She is survived by two sons, O'Dell and his family, Clark and Carley, Chris and his wife Tammy and their children Gabe, Selah and Reece; Cort and his wife Emily and their children Gavin and Noah, all of Nampa; son, Randy and his sons; Keith and his wife Alex and their children Bradley and Ethan of Caldwell; Jason and his wife Beth and their sons Nikki and Daniel of Eugene, Ore. She is also survived by a sister, Mrs. Lucile Pate of Lewiston. Published in the Idaho Press Tribune from 6/11/2008 - 6/12/2008. Grandma we'll miss you. Here is a great post Tammy wrote about Grandma Peterson

FactCheck Friday....

This weeks installment of FactCheck Friday covers the Top eight Most Notable Primary Misleads. There are claims made by conservative and liberal sources alike. They are all interesting but the most is the #1 about the erroneous and false claims made about Barack Obama. This is particularly interesting because email falsifications travel like wildfire. Thank goodness there are sites like Factcheck.org and Snopes.com to debunk the lies.

Why do people make up such erroneous lies? Because they are afraid of the truth. The early Latter-Day Saints faced this type of opposition when they were forced from their homes in Missouri, Navoo and eventually ended up in Utah. It is ironic to me that members of the church who have such persecution, misleads, and defamation in their past would want to continue this aggression toward others. I have received many emails from members and heard from members the same misleading information that Emi Kolawole talks about in the FactCheck.org "Just the Facts". It is important to take the time to learn the truth and then make an informed decision. not just a rush to judgment based on error.


Enjoy "Just the facts"

Technology and Church

I couldn't not share this as I get grief for having my Treo with me at church. And yes I have texted my counselors while in church.

source: http://www.deseretnews.com/cn/view/1,1721,500006410,00.html

Technology defines Internet generation

Cell phones, social networks connect young single adults

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May 24, 2008

By Sarah Jane Weaver
Church News staff writer

One Sunday, Bishop Robert McKinley of the Vista 6th (YSA) Ward determined he needed the help of a ward clerk. He asked another member of the ward to locate a clerk who was available.

Texting from a cell phone is such a popular form of communication for young single adults that many use an abbreviated text language. Photo by Rod Boam

But the ward member didn't move from his seat. The bishop waited and waited. After what seemed like a very long time, he gave the young man a gentle reminder. "Will you find me a ward clerk?"
The young man looked at his bishop. "I sent a text message," he said. "He is on the way."
That is an example of the effectiveness of a techno-savvy generation, said Bishop McKinley, calling technology an opportunity for young single adults to connect and mobilize.
This week, in the last article in a series on young single adults in the Church, the Church News examines the helps and hindrances of technology in the lives of single Latter-day Saints, ages 18 to 30.
Text messaging and social networking have in many ways connected this generation of Latter-day Saints, truly the first Internet generation. But because technology can be used without interpersonal communication, texting and social networking have also made this a "generation of isolation," where young adults meet online instead of in person, said Dan Gray, a licensed clinical social worker and director of the LifeSTAR Network.
Social networking is the mall or local hangout of past generations, said Peter Ferioli, director of Net Nanny Operations for Content Watch Internet Protection. "They meet each other in the virtual world," he said.
Facebook, for example, is a social networking Web site where users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can add friends and send messages, and update a personal profile to notify friends about themselves.
Facebook, said Mr. Ferioli, is the fastest growing social network in the world right now. The technology keeps people connected in such a way that associations can become like extended family. Technology has also created a culture so influential that many users now type an abbreviated Internet language.
The ability of a generation raised with the Internet to use it as a resource is astonishing, said Jack Sunderlage, president of Content Watch Internet Protection, who works with the young single adults in his ward. Research on the Internet cannot be underestimated, he said. Business networking on the Internet is now becoming essential.
"There are 50 billion pages on the surface Internet," he said. "It is a tremendous resource for information. ... The Internet is a great tool, but there is definitely a dark side to it."
The Internet era has radically changed the landscape socially for young adults — who are now the fastest growing consumers of pornography, said Jill C. Manning, a licensed marriage and family therapist who testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee on the harms of pornography and is author of the book, What's the Big Deal about Pornography: A Guide for the Internet Generation.
In 1993 — the year pornography went public on the Internet — there was no longer a barrier between the home/work/school environment and pornography. "There was no longer a barrier between that generation and the sex industry," she said.
More disturbing, she said, is an escalation in the graphic and deviant themes in pornography not seen by past generations. It is "far more degrading and distorting and vile than pornography of past generations," she said.
In an informal Church News survey, the vast majority of 80 respondents said they know someone who regularly views pornography. More disturbing is research that says that young adults in the United States are more tolerant of pornography than ever before. A BYU study, for example, found that college women are more accepting of pornography than their fathers.
"Even in the absence of personal use, it seems young women's attitudes are being influenced by the proliferation of pornography," said the study's lead researcher Jason Carroll, an associate professor at BYU who studies the transition to adulthood. "These women are part of a rising generation that is deeming pornography as more acceptable and more mainstream."
The study, conducted with college students and their parents from six schools across the country (BYU was not included) — found actual use of pornography to be more prevalent among male students, with 48 percent of men reporting viewing pornography at least weekly, compared to 3 percent of women. In addition, the study found that one in five young adult men view pornography every day or nearly every day.

Modern technology adapts easily into the active and mobile lifestyle of young single adults, such as Caresa Alexander, who can communicate with friends worldwide from her wireless computer in the comfort of her living room. Photo by Rod Boam

Experts predict that as Internet cell phones become more accessible, that more and more people will have access to pornography. Currently, said Brother Sunderlage, there is no Internet filter for a cell phone.
Sister Manning said the dangers of the Internet are far greater than just pornography, noting that sexual predators, bullying and the rumor mill are prevalent on the Internet. And, unlike rumors sent by word of mouth, cyber rumors are much harder to erase.
In addition, because a person can misrepresent themselves online as something they are not, Sister Manning encourages young single adults to meet people in real life and then utilize the good in technology to nurture those friendships.
Of the 80 young single adults who responded to a Church News survey, 53 listed cell phones or texting as their primary form of communication. The rest listed e-mail, instant messaging or social networking. Some reported sending more than 2,000 text messages a month; however, the majority of respondents said they sent fewer than 500 texts per month.
Laura Padilla-Walker, a BYU family life professor, said being connected is what enables this generation to accomplish so much good. "It is a time when you have some great opportunity to do positive things," she said.
David L. Buckner, president of the New York New York Stake, said technology has enabled young single adults to mobilize — as a result of text messages and social networking — better than any other group in the Church. "In terms of building the kingdom there is so much potential."
A 25-year old Church News survey respondent explained, "We're a well-connected generation through social networks (Facebook), e-mail and texting. When we have to contact someone to give information that's pertaining to our calling, it's common for us to say, 'Facebook me or I'll Facebook you the information.' It's standard to get reminders to ward activities via text or stake activities via e-mail. Because of communication technology, it's easy for my LDS friends and me to keep in touch with other LDS members from different parts of the world."

Time to chime in...

The Nampa Public Library has been in the news recently, for nothing new. Just the same people trying to raise a stink about what they think is and is not appropriate. I am not going to re-hash all that has been said (there has been a lot). But I wanted to share the letter from the Library Staff to the board. They have some very valid points. I agree with the staff. We can not let one vocal minority dictate what the rest of us can have access too.

As a Latter-Day Saint, this is the kind of mentality that lead to early church members being driven out of their homes and off their land by hate mongers. Free and open communication for all sometimes means that people can say (write) things that I don't agree with and guess what; I don't have to listen to them (or read what they wrote). But they should not be removed from the library. Here is the letter from the Staff to the Library Board (PDF file- highlighted by BroncoP3t3).

Conference Weekend...

This past weekend was General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a great conference, the new Prophet Thomas S. Monson was sustained as well as a New Apostle named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, D. Todd Christofferson. I had the opportunity to meed Elder Christofferson last spring while visiting Salt Lake City for Conference. Elder Christofferson was one of my fathers instructors when he was in the missionary training center in the late 1960's. So my father set up an appointment and we were able to meet with him and he and my father talked about thier lives and how things had changed with the Chruch in South America. Elder Christofferson served in Argentina and my father served in Chile. and had recently returned there for a visit. It was a great time to spend with the man that was to be a future Apostle of the Lord.

Here is the press conference following his sustaining.

Feelings toward members of LDS faith (Mormons)

I get a daily email from Google News with any story that they find with "Mormon" in it. Well this morning I read a story from the Orange County Register that dealt with the end of the Romney Presidential Campaign and the interesting thing was one of the comments. This comment came from a person that previously lived in Orange County CA and now lives in Idaho. This is what I feel is really happening (sometimes) people think they know things that they do not. Here are the comments. Let me know what YOU think.

Link
derrico wrote: I live in a part of the country that is very mormon. Having grown up in Orange County, with many mormon friends, I never saw them as different than any other group of christians. It is a lot different in Idaho. Many non-mormons are very suspicious of mormons and many supposed "Christians" say and do hateful things behind their backs. In my opinion, they are jealous of the social and economic success that many mormons have achieved here and they tend to blame their own failures on some sort of mormon conspiracy. Particularly the born-again/evangelical types. The truth is they are great neighbors, good friends, and give much more to our society than they take. Those of you that call mormonism a "Cult" are haters, in the first degree! You believe that a burning bush talked to a guy, but no way an angel came to Joseph Smith...GIVE ME A BREAK! Our founding fathers decreed that there be no religious test for our leaders, they were right to do that. A persons religion should not have a bearing on their fitness to be president. 2/11/2008 5:00:41 PM

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Sunday night President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away. There is much coverage in the media regarding this event. On the way to work I heard news reports twice on NPR. I wanted to share two clips about President Hinckley. I will miss his sense of humor and the humility he had as a witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Politial thoughts on Mormonism

As the Presidential Primary season continues on I wanted to share some thoughts on Mormons that were shared by a religious political figure, JFK. He shared this in 1963, President David O. McKay was prophet at the time.