Seek the truth...........

Excerpts from an address given by Elder Ballard to more than 1,400 Brigham Young University-Idaho graduates on April 11, 2008 :

Along with the terrible effects of pornography, the Internet and other media are often used to spread falsehoods, Elder Ballard said. "Every month there are 60 billion searches for information on the Internet. Many are seeking information about the Church; and while some are finding the truth, others find anti-Mormon sites that mislead them and defame the Church," Elder Ballard said.

With all the falsehoods and misconceptions about the Church found online, Elder Ballard urged the graduates to use their knowledge and testimony of the gospel to influence seekers of truth. "Today I want to encourage you to reach out to others in the world to help change the perception and even the hearts of millions of our Heavenly Father's children by correcting misunderstandings by sharing with them the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ," he said.

More information can be found here......link

Getting at the Truth about Mormons...

Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1895-1979) said:

There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church, which is, of course, quite a different thing.

This quote from Archbishop Sheen of the Catholic church can also summarize what the majority of non-Mormons believe about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is quite a different thing to believe the myths and untruths that seem to paint many of the anti-Mormon blogs, however, to know truthfully what the Mormons believe in is quite a different thing.

If you truthfully want to know more about the Catholic religion, you would go to someone who strongly believes and pratices that religion. Likewise, if you want to know more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you would go to someone who believes in and practices that religion.

The negative information that is posted on the anti-Mormon web sites and blogs are placed there by those who have a false idea of what the LDS church is really about.

If you are serious about learning the truth, then go to LDS.ORG, or JesusChrist.LDS.ORG

Jesus the Christ...

His earthly life covered a period of thirty-three years; and of these but three were spent by Him as an acknowledged Teacher openly engaged in the activities of public ministry. He was brought to a violent death before he had attained what we now regard as the age of manhood's prime. As an individual He was personally known to but a few; and His fame as a world character became general only after His death. Nevertheless, man never lived of whom more has been said and sung, none to whom is devoted a greater proportion of the world's literature. He is extolled by Christian, Mohammedan, and Jew, by skeptic and infidel, by the world's greatest poets, philosophers, statesmen, scientists, and historians. Even the profane sinner in the foul sacrilege of his oath acclaims the divine supremacy of Him whose name he desecrates.

--- from Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage

The Atonement of Christ...

" The atonement of Christ is so great in its effects and so far-reaching in its consequences that it easily qualifies as the most important occurrence in time or in all eternity. Nothing ever has or ever will surpass it in significance. Nothing is greater in the entire universe or in the history of created things than Christ's atonement. The atonement of Christ is infinite in time, space, and quantity - infinite in scope and eternal duration. All death is answered; every creature under the Savior's dominion is resurrected. All sin is compensated for; every combination of sins is covered. The Atonement goes beyond personal sin to include disappointment, sorrow, and suffering caused by the sins of others. It even extends to the sickness and infirmities we must bear just because we are mortal. It was made by a being who was God before he came to earth, who was the Son of God on earth and who will be God eternally and endlessly."

-- from Gethsemane by Andrew C. Skinner (pages 11 & 12)

The tree is known by its fruits...

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:15–20.)

The Apostle Paul said: “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. … “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” (Rom. 14:10, 12–13.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can be judged by its fruits. The LDS Church only wishes to do good, and to provide for the needy of this world. Millions of dollars and countless hours of volunteer work is spent each year on those who are in need and are not members of the LDS Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints conducts humanitarian activities worldwide. From 1985 to 2007 Humanitarian Services provided more than $1.01 billion in total assistance to needy individuals in 165 countries. (See LDS.ORG)

For millions of people in need around the world, the humanitarian outreach program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers hope and the potential for a life that transcends disease, poverty, and despair. The following is an example of what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has done in the past:

Humanitarian assistance rendered (1985–2006)
Cash donations $201.3 million
Value of material assistance $705.2 million
Countries served 163
Food distributed 54,905 tons
Medical equipment distributed 9,152 tons
Surplus clothing distributed 73,226 tons
Educational supplies distributed 5,857 tons

This is what the LDS Church is known for in other countries throughout the world. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the LDS Church is growing so fast outside the United States - in fact, there are more members outside the United States today than within.

By their fruits ye shall know them. I have never seen an anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-Baptist, or anti-Muslim DVD or pamphlet put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That is not what the LDS Church is about. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is quietly going about doing good.

There is a lesson here to be learn by all of us. Instead of just going about, let's strive to go about doing good.

James, the brother of Jesus...

Since reading the book many years ago entitled Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage, I have been interested in learning about the earthly family of Jesus Christ.

Jesus of Nazareth had four brothers, or more correctly, half-brothers, and at least two half- sisters, so He came from a rather large family. In both Matthew and Mark of the New Testament, the brother named James is written first when listing the four brothers of Christ. By being written first, we can assume then that James was the oldest of the brothers of Jesus. That being said, then James, the brother of Jesus, knew Jesus Christ longest on this earth - other than His mother, Mary. More is known about James than any of the other brothers of Jesus.

What must have it been like to grow up with an older brother that was perfect in all ways? Jesus never sinned, therefor, He never did anything wrong. Children were no different in the days of Christ than they are today. I am almost certain that Jesus was ridiculed and made fun of by the other children - including His own brothers. We can only yearn for a glimpse into the home life of that family, but all we know is that James seems not to have accepted him as the Messiah until after his resurrection, according to the Gospel of John.

After Christ's resurrection, He sought out His brother James, and James repented and became a devout believer in the Messiah and a powerful leader in the early church. In his letter to the Galatian saints, Paul refers to James, the Lord’s brother, as an apostle. Many scholars believe that it was James, the brother of Jesus, who wrote the epistle of James. It is interesting to note that in that epistle, James does not refer to himself as the brother of the Lord but as his servant, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I am certain that Jesus dealt with his siblings in their early childhood years as He always dealt with people - with love and kindness. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that the four brothers of Jesus became believers after His resurrection and followed after Him all the remaining days of their lives.

I believe that there is a lesson here for all of us.

A symbol of Christ...

The LDS critics often mention that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cannot be a Christian religion because they do not recognize the cross as a symbol of one who believes in Jesus. While it is true that Mormons do not wear the cross as jewelry, nor adorn their chapels and temples with the cross, Mormons believe that the cross is a symbol of the dying
Christ, and Mormons would rather remember and celebrate the risen and living Christ. This was the greatest miracle in human history - Christ rising from the dead - and this is what the Mormons wish to remember. Not that they will ever forget the great sacrifice that Christ made for all mankind on the cross at Calvary - this cannot and will not be forgotten.

Thousands and thousands of men have died on a cross, as this was a popular death among the Romans and Assyrians, but only one Man rose from the grave after being nailed to the cross. Most of the other thousands of names have been forgotten that died on the cross, but because He rose from the dead, Christ will always be remembered.

Because our Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of his death as the symbol of our faith. As President Gordon B. Hinckley once said, " And so our lives must become a meaningful expression, the symbol of our declaration of our testimony of the Living Christ, the Eternal Son of the Living God."

President Gordon B. Hinckley expressed it best here on why the LDS members do not have the cross on or in their buildings of worship.

The Joseph Smith Papers Project...

The Joseph Smith Papers Project is huge.....and I for one can't wait until it is completed. This project will include everything ever written by him, dictated by him, or received by him.

The last paragraph in the Mormon Times article states : "The terrible things said about Joseph Smith come largely from ignorance about the past," Jensen said. "(The project) is just a connection to the past that helps you visualize and understand the early Saints."

It is estimated that the first volume compiled from these many papers will be available at the end of the year.

That should be some interesting reading..........

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

I just started reading a book that I have had for some time entitled Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Lyman Bushman. Bushman's most notable published work, From Puritan to Yankee: Character and Social Order in Connecticut, 1690-1765 won the prestigious Bancroft Prize in 1968, an award considered to be one of the greatest honors for a work on American history.

So I found it interesting while reading the Mormon Times here that Bushman just gave a speech on Wednesday at Weber State University.

In his speech, he stated, "the LDS church is in good company, with Judaism, Islam and Christianity all making extraordinary claims" and that the LDS Church simply needed time to become more familiar to the world in general."What is needed for Mormonism to become respectable is for it simply to age", Bushman stated.

I pondered that last statement and wonder how factual it is. There are so many individuals and organizations that still look at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as fanatical, extremist, and belonging to a cult. I wonder if those that think that way will ever believe anything differently. But perhaps their children will.

This is a very good article, and I encourage you to look it over here.

This is the last paragraph from the Mormon Times article on Bushman's speech: "Piece by piece," Bushman observed, "the elements of the arguments against Mormonism can be dealt with."

Well said.

National Council of Churches USA…

The National Council of Churches USA has recently made a list of the Top 25 Churches in America that is quite interesting and informative. But what I also find interesting is what church organizations make up the members of the National Council of Churches USA.

Interestingly, four of the top five churches in their Top 25 Churches in America survey do not belong to the NCC…..I wonder, (but won’t take the time to find out) , how many of the top 25 churches in America don’t belong to the NCC when four of the top five don’t.

I also noticed a few churches that belong to the NCC that I have never heard of, and have linked to the churches sites to learn more about them. If you wish to learn more also about the churches listed as belonging to the NCC, you can do so here.

To learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ, visit JesusChrist.lds.org

Changes in the Book of Mormon...

The anti-Mormons love to bring up the issue of the changes that have been made to The Book of Mormon since 1830. They especially like to do this while quoting Joseph Smith as saying the Book of Mormon is more correct than even the Bible.

When Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the, " most correct of any book on earth", his view had little relation to the grammar, spelling, or punctuation used in the Book of Mormon. Because of the truth that the Book of Mormon brings to the world, the correctness of the book lies in its message. That is why Joseph Smith concluded be saying a person can "get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book".

But what about all the changes in the Book of Mormon? Some anti-Mormon blogs are talking about more than 400 changes since 1830 in the Book of Mormon. Well, they are correct. There are many thousands of little changes in the Book of Mormon. Listed below are some of those changes made in the Book of Mormon since 1830.

- Words deleted: that (188 times), the (48 times), it came to pass ( 46 times), a and an ( 40 times), had (29 times).

-Words added : of (12 times), and, is, and the ( 7 times)

-Grammatical changes: which to who ( 891 times), was to were, (162 times)

-Typographical errors: aaswer, amog, bacause, daghter, theit, uttered, among many.

That is just a short list of these type of changes, which also include many spelling changes that were made.

As late as 1828, there were as many as four dictionaries that were available. Examples from these four dictionaries show the variations in spellings commonly accepted at the time Joseph Smith was dictating the Book of Mormon to his scribes:

Sheridan: published 1784 creatshur scriptshur claushure

Walker: published 1794 cretshure scriptshur clauzhure

Perry: published 1805 creature scripture clauzhure

Jameson: published 1827 creture scriptyur clauzhur

These same type of changes were also made in the Bible. Simply compare a 1611 King James Version of the Bible with a Kings James Version of today, and you will also see thousands of changes. This does not distract from the meaning and message of the Bible....it simply makes it easier to read today.

Visit my blog here to learn more about the changes that the Bible has also seen in the last few hundred years.

Most importantly, neither the Bible nor the Book of Mormon have to be infallible to get its message across.


To learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ, visit JesusChrist.lds.org

New web site about Jesus Christ...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a new web site where everyone can witness for themselves what the LDS Church believes in concerning our Savior, Jesus Christ. He plays an essential role in all of our lives, and this is a wonderful site to share with all the world regarding our love for Him.

The Prophet Joseph Smith was often asked, “What are the fundamental principles of your religion?”

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”


To learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ, visit JesusChrist.lds.org

Americans switching faiths / dropping out

(AP) -- The U.S. religious marketplace is extremely volatile, with nearly half of American adults leaving the faith tradition of their upbringing to either switch allegiances or abandon religious affiliation altogether, a new survey finds.

The survey found the Roman Catholic Church has lost more members than any faith tradition.

The study released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is unusual for it sheer scope, relying on interviews with more than 35,000 adults to document a diverse and dynamic U.S. religious population.

While much of the study confirms earlier findings -- mainline Protestant churches are in decline, non-denominational churches are gaining and the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing -- it also provides a deeper look behind those trends, and of smaller religious groups.

"The American religious economy is like a marketplace -- very dynamic, very competitive," said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. "Everyone is losing, everyone is gaining. There are net winners and losers, but no one can stand still. Those groups that are losing significant numbers have to recoup them to stay vibrant."

The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey estimates the United States is 78 percent Christian and about to lose its status as a majority Protestant nation, at 51 percent and slipping.

The rest of this interesting article can be viewed here: Survey

Mormon YouTube videos...

There are about 35 YouTube videos about the Book of Mormon placed there by Fairlds.org

If you are interested in the truth about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, this is an excellent place to start with 35 short videos on various topics. No matter what you have read or heard elsewhere from various anti-Mormon propaganda, here you will see and hear the truth of what Mormons believe in.


Book of Mormon videos

What Is This Thing That Men Call Death?

The following is taken from one of my favorite blogs, Temple Study

You can listen to the new song by going to the Temple Study blog or on this blog....enjoy.

“What Is This Thing That Men Call Death?” - New Recording by Janice Kapp Perry

Most people in the Church by now are probably familiar with the hymn that Janice Kapp Perry wrote a couple of months ago to accompany a poem written by President Hinckley. President Hinckley published his poem in the May 1988 Ensign article entitled, “The Empty Tomb Bore Testimony,” but he notes that he penned the words many years previous to that at a friend’s funeral.

If you’ve received an email about the hymn you might already know the story behind it. If not, head over to Meridian Magazine which has an article posted detailing the creation of this hymn, including links to the sheet music. The circumstances surrounding the production of the hymn are certainly a “tender mercy” of the Lord, as Janice Kapp Perry describes it. She received official approval of the arranged hymn in the mail from President Hinckley the day after his death.

I think this hymn epitomizes the LDS belief and feelings surrounding mortal death. To members of the LDS Church death is nothing to fear, but a passing into and a beginning of a different stage of our existence. It is progression. Death is not the end, but a beginning of greater things! These doctrines and principles could not be taught more clearly and purely than in the Lord’s temples which dot the earth today. President Hinckley was pivotal in nearly tripling the number of these sacred edifices around the world.

This hymn was sung by the Tabernacle Choir at President Hinckley’s funeral (video link). Since then, Janice Kapp Perry has just recently produced vocal and instrumental recordings of the song with Prime Recordings, Inc.¹. These recordings are very well done. She has made them freely available for all, so I have posted the vocal here for your listening:

What Is This Thing That Men Call Death?

Words by Gordon B. Hinckley, Music by Janice Kapp Perry

What is this thing that men call death,
This quiet passing in the night?
’Tis not the end, but genesis
Of better worlds and greater light.

O God, touch Thou my aching heart,
And calm my troubled, haunting fears.
Let hope and faith, transcendent, pure,
Give strength and peace beyond my tears.

There is no death, but only change
With recompense for victory won;
The gift of Him who loved all men,
The Son of God, the Holy One.

Mormon education...

NEW YORK CITY 19 February 2008 At a summit this Friday, America’s Promise Alliance will contend that high school drop-out rates are increasing. The group, founded by former Secretary of State Colin Powell, has gathered data that was announced today at a press conference and will be more deeply discussed on Friday, according to the New York Sun.

Despite this and other reports describing the challenges faced by many teenagers, there are examples of exceptional teenage commitment and accomplishments across the world. One illustration is how seriously many high school-age Latter-day Saints approach education. Many Mormon youth are not only staying in school; they are also taking extra classes.

The entire article can be read here: Mormon education

Another anti-Mormon myth...

The following was taken from here:

Question: Isn't it true that "Mormon" in Chinese means "Gates of Hell?"

---

This gross misrepresentation can be heard in The God Makers movie and from anti-Mormons parroting the falsehood which it foisted upon them. Robert W. Blair, professor of linguistics at Brigham Young University, is one of several scholars who have answered that charge. He explained that in the Chinese language foreign words are converted into characters which, when read aloud, more or less approximate the sound of the foreign word. In the case of "Mormon," it is represented by two characters that closely approximate the English pronunciation of "Mormon."

The second symbol used for "Mormon" would mean "gate," "door," or "way" in the pure Chinese. Professor Blair said the same symbol would be used to represent the second syllable of the names Simon, Truman, Naumann, Gohrmun, or Siemen. The first syllable of "Mormon" could have been written with one or two syllables, depending on the emphasis desired for the "R" sound. The two-syllable choice would have placed more of an accent on the R: "Mo(are)Men." Instead, the Church selected a symbol that reflects an "r-less accent" or "Mo-Men" sound.

In selecting a Chinese character to represent the first syllable of Mo-Men, almost any one of about 30 Chinese characters that are read as "Mo" could have been chosen. Let us quote from Professor Blair's research:

The symbol that was actually selected is the character specifically used to represent a like sounding syllable in foreign words. When not used to render a meaningless syllable of a foreign word, this character suggests "smoothing something with the hand." (If one were to take this literal rendering seriously, one could explain Mo-Men as meaning "hand-smoothed Gateway," or "way smoothed by hands." Further, interpolation might suggest that it was the bleeding hands of Jesus Christ that smoothed the way to salvation!)

What the crafty enemies of the Restored Church have done is to pervert the facts in such a way that only those knowing Chinese can see their fraud. From the thirty characters which have the reading Mo, they substituted one which means "devil" (and which is not the character used by the Church) and then propagated the lie that in Chinese the word "Mormon" means "Devil's gate," or "Gateway to Hell."

Never Give Up...........

"Part of our mortal training is to walk by faith, repent of our sins, and call upon the Lord in daily prayer. We rejoice in the moments when promptings by the Holy Ghost are kindly given, and we are urged along the proper path of life. But each of us faces many difficult times here in mortality. All sorts of voices are screaming at us from the stadiums of public opinion. Our course will never be the popular way of the world. There are obstacles strewn in our path upon which we may sprain an ankle or stub a toe. But we must keep going. We move on in the strength of the Lord, each accountable for our own performance at the end of our mortal race. We must be able to declare with Paul:

"'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

"'Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (2 Tim. 4:7-8).'" - Gary J. Coleman, "Jesus Christ Is at the Center of the Restoration of the Gospel," Ensign (CR), November 1992, p.43

It is OK to diss Mormons.........

This wonderful article was taken from here: Seeing Red AZ

In todays society, it is not politically correct to defame, malign, discredit, denigrate, or hate any group....whether they be Jews, Muslims, Gays, Lesbians, Blacks, or the Australian Aborigines.......except Mormons. It is OK in our society to call Mormons liars, to discredit their leaders, to hold anti-Mormon rallies at General Conference in Salt Lake City and at Temple dedications.

Ask yourself why...........

But even Jesus Christ Himself was spit upon, called names, ridiculed, and finally crucified by others who thought that they knew better than He. We see the same type of people around us today that existed in the days of Christ. That much has not changed.

Now to the article...........

----------------

How Republicans ended up with Shamnesty McCain

More on religion in politics from The American Spectator.

Mike Huckabee stoked the fires of paranoia in a New York Times Magazine story when he asked, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?” One-time presidential candidate the Reverend Al Sharpton spoke for many true believers when he said, “As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyway.”

Bill Keller, host of the Florida-based Live Prayer TV warned his reported 2.4 million e-mail subscribers that a vote for Romney would mean a vote for — you guess it — Beelzebub. “The presidency is the most powerful position in the world,” Keller told American Spectator contributor Carrie Sheffield. “If Romney was elected president, it would give mainstream credibility and acceptance to the Mormon cult and lead millions of people into that cult.”

Slate magazine contributor Christopher Hitchens demanded that Romney answer for the racist past of his faith. “His church was officially racist until 1965, believing that black people were an inferior species,” Hitchens fumed, while Slate editor Jacob Weisberg said that the religion’s founder Joseph Smith was an obvious con man, and that “Romney has every right to believe in con men, but I want to know if he does, and if so, I don’t want him running the country.”

Republicans now have two liberal Baptists to choose from, neither one with a small government bone in his body. Is it possible that evangelical Republicans were so anti-Mormon that they cut a deal with the devil?

What does it say about the principles of the faith-based of this nation when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints holds the unenviable distinction of being the last acceptable group to defame with impunity?

Mormon Secrets...

A well written post excerpted from : Meridian

Secretive Mormonism?
By John A. Tvedtnes

With Mitt Romney’s candidacy for the Presidency, much attention has been given to his affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly (though incorrectly) called “the Mormon Church.” In recent months, commentators and journalists have stressed the “secretive” nature of the religion.

It seems strange to consider as “secretive” a church that has some 60,000 full-time missionaries teaching its doctrines and converting roughly a million new members every three years. The church’s major doctrines are summarized in its thirteen Articles of Faith, and these and other beliefs are explained in its scriptures, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. These beliefs are discussed openly by church leaders in worldwide television and radio broadcasts of the semiannual general conferences held in Salt Lake City in April and October.

Hundreds of books describing Mormon beliefs have been published by the church-owned Deseret Book and other church-affiliated organizations, including a number of books that discuss temple rites in detail. The five-volume Encyclopedia of Mormonism, published by Macmillan in 1992, remains the most comprehensive explanation of the church’s history and teachings. A searchable on-line version has been posted on the internet at http://www.lib.byu.edu/Macmillan.

The church’s own websites (http://www.lds.org and http://www.mormon.org) have much information about the movement, including searchable versions of its monthly publications since 1970. Access to past publications is available on Deseret Book’s GospelLink CD-ROM set. All documents held in church archives have recently been made available on another CD-ROM set, Mormon Studies. Not bad for such a “secretive” organization.

Commentators frequently refer to Mormon temple rites as the heart of secret goings-on. It is true that some elements of the temple are so sacred that we do not discuss them publicly, but most of what goes on in the temples is well-known. One need not look far to learn that the most important such rite is the solemnization of marriage for time and all eternity and that vicarious ordinances (sacraments in Roman Catholic parlance) are performed for deceased ancestors, beginning with proxy baptism.

Even the endowment ceremony, the one most commonly held in Latter-day Saint temples, is mostly public knowledge. Most of the teachings presented during that time derive from the Book of Moses, published in the Pearl of Great Price. During an endowment session, we are reminded of our responsibility to obey the basic laws given mankind by God, such as the law of chastity (including fidelity after marriage), the law of obedience to God’s commandments, the law of sacrifice (which culminated in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross), the law of the gospel (salvation through Christ), and the law of consecration of one’s time, talents, and other divine blessings, to building up the Lord’s work on the earth.

Elements that are not discussed openly include ritual elements of temple prayer and the actual endowment or giving of signs, names, and tokens designed to enable one to pass the angels and ultimately to enter the presence of God. These may seem strange to most modern Christians, but they were common in early Christianity, as I have discussed in some of my published articles on ancient temple rites. [1]

Two millennia ago, various pagan writers criticized Christianity for being secretive. In response to one such critic, named Celsus, a prominent Christian theologian named Origen (AD 185-254), wrote:

In these circumstances, to speak of the Christian doctrine as a secret system, is altogether absurd. But that there should be certain doctrines, not made known to the multitude, which are (revealed) after the exoteric ones have been taught, is not a peculiarity of Christianity alone, but also of philosophic systems, in which certain truths are exoteric and others esoteric (Against Celsus, 1:7).

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (died AD 386), in his Catechetical Lectures, described early Christian rituals performed following baptism that are readily recognizable to Latter-day Saints who attend modern temples.

So how did the idea of “secretive Mormonism” arise? Frankly, it came from some of the many anti-Mormon “ministries,” of which there are roughly 150 in the United States alone. One former Mormon, for example, calling himself a “temple Mormon” (his term), claims that, in the temple, Latter-day Saints worship Satan. The claim is utterly false and laughable to those who know the central role played by Jesus Christ in Mormon theology.

Unfortunately, journalists and non-Mormon commentators seem to rely more on these hostile writers (or others influenced by them) for information than on authoritative sources. It’s like asking a Buddhist monk for information on Southern Baptist beliefs.

Exaggeration? I don’t think so, and I suspect that most of my thirteen million coreligionists would agree with me. Brigham Young once said, “There is no such thing as a mystery but to the ignorant” (Journal of Discourses 2:90).

The Ugly Truth...........

I have personally witnessed anti-Mormons getting away with things in Salt Lake City that they wouldn't dare think of doing to the Jewish or Muslim community. My question is why do we, as Mormons, allow it to happen? Perhaps it is because even our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, allowed the wicked of His day to spit upon Him and to crucify Him. Even so, we allow the wicked of today to do the same to us.

The following is excerpted from here: The Unpleasant Truth

As I’ve written here before, during this Republican presidential campaign something very ugly arose. It manifested itself in various ways. For example:

• Mike Huckabee’s now infamous question about whether Mormons believe Jesus and Satan as brothers. What is Huckabee had said, “Don’t Catholics believe Mary and Jesus are co-redeemers of mankind?” He would not have dared say such a thing - and maybe that’s my point. But if he had, The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, and similar organizations, would have been all over him. There is no “Mormon League.”

• The official web site of a recognized candidate for President of the United States (Huckabee again) included comments like, “let’s dispose of that Mormon trash.” Insert the word “Jewish” or “Catholic” or “”black” in that sentence for “Mormon” and ask yourself if a hue and cry would not have arisen in those cases. But no hue and cry arose, and the candidate left those comments — and links to viciously anti-Mormon web sites - up on his own official site.

• Someone named Joel Belz wrote a long essay in World Magazine, a leading Evangelical publication, stating that Mormons as a group generally lie, and that Romney’s so-called “flip-flops” could be attributed to that Mormon tendency. What if Belz — or anyone, for that matter — had argued that “Jews steal,” and therefore Joseph Lieberman could not be trusted with control of the U.S. Treasury? You’re right, that unimaginable.

The unpleasant and undeniable fact is that in the United States today it is still possible to get away with making statements about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that simply would not be tolerated regarding any other religious group.

Another unpleasant and undeniable fact is that by and large, such statements are not loudly and vigorously denounced, but get at most a sad shake of the head from observers who ought to be outraged.

A Mormon View of Death...

Taken from: LDS.org

SALT LAKE CITY 12 February 2008

“If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14). So inquired the anguished Job. On this one fundamental question hang much of the hopes and fears of mankind. And how one answers it will largely determine not only how one approaches death but also how one lives life.

The passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley has moved Latter-day Saints to reflect more deeply upon the meaning of death and its implications for how we live our lives. Death is not the final stop on life’s path but a mere gateway that leads to an eternal course that we continually shape by our choices. President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles likened the long journey of human life to “a grand three-act play” in which the first act is a previous pre-mortal existence with God, the second act is the trial of this mortal life, and the third act is a glorious future of eternity. Such a broad vision of life endows each moment with eternal significance.

During President Hinckley’s recent funeral, the choir sang a hymn that he himself composed titled “What Is This Thing That Men Call Death?” There is no doubt how he answered Job’s question. Echoing his typical brightness and optimism, the hymn proclaims that death “’Tis not the end but genesis of better worlds and greater light.”

Accordingly, Mormon funerals are typically marked by an atmosphere of hopefulness and peace. They generally are not burdened by the inconsolable grief and despair so often seen in other funerals. Latter-day Saints who mourn the death of loved ones are lightened by the assurance and understanding that the gospel of Jesus Christ offers. In addition, some might be surprised by the lack of formal ritual in these funerals. The commemoration service is conducted by a lay minister and features heartfelt tributes and comforting music. Moreover, the basic format, tone and length of President Hinckley’s funeral are typical of what might be seen in the funerals of regular Church members.

Regarding the undaunted way in which Latter-day Saints confront death, well-known literary scholar Harold Bloom proclaimed the following: “What is the essence of religion? … Religion rises inevitably from our apprehension of our own death. To give meaning to meaninglessness is the endless quest of all religion. … Of all religions that I know, the one that most vehemently and persuasively defies and denies the reality of death is the original Mormonism of the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Joseph Smith.”

Most important, this affirmation of life in the face of death arises from faith in God’s abundant mercy. Joseph Smith taught that God is “more liberal in His views, and boundless in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive.” It is on such a foundation that the fears of death can be reconciled with the hopes of life

The Prophet Joseph Smith's vision...

"Great was the Prophet Joseph Smith's vision. It encompassed all
the peoples of mankind, wherever they live, and all generations who have
walked the earth and passed on. How can anyone, past or present, speak
against him except out of ignorance? They have not tasted of his words,
they have not pondered about him, nor prayed about him. As one who has done
these things, I add my own words of testimony that he was and is a prophet
of God, raised up as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty to usher in
a new and final gospel dispensation. Of the Prophet Joseph Smith, we could
say:

" 'When a man gives his life for the cause he has
advocated, he meets the highest test of his honesty and sincerity that his
own or any future generation can in fairness ask. When he dies for the
testimony he has borne, all malicious tongues should ever after be silent,
and all voices hushed in reverence before a sacrifice so complete.'
(Ezra Dalby, manuscript, Dec. 12, 1926.)"

Well written, well said, needs to be read......

I borrowed this from the link below.......this was so well written and so well said, that I just had to share it. The highlights are my own.

http://www.uncorrelated.com/2008/02/total_crap.html


For Mormons, Mr. O'Donnell's comments were a rallying cry. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are taught not to argue with outsiders over faith. But as criticism of their church rose to new heights during the campaign, they took on their antagonists like never before, in a wave of activism encouraged by church leadership.

This is complete, total, unmitigated crap. None of it ever happened. 99.9% of LDS church members never heard of Lawrence O'Donnell, don't know what he said and certainly didn't" rally. There have been no, none, zero statements by church leadership to church members about those statements or any others or any mention at all of the political race--as consistent with LDS church policy. There is no wave of activism other than the normal public relations activities and proselyting activities

Mormon leaders and church members say they were initially unprepared for the intensity of attacks, which many say were unprecedented in modern times. The attacks, they say, are a sign that their long struggle for wide acceptance in America is far from over, despite global church expansion and prosperity.

More total crap.

The LDS church has endured consistent, unremitting, prolonged, intense attacks and hatred since the church was organized in the early 19th century. Church members were chased out of Ohio, Missouri and Illinois at gunpoint. The federal government went to war against the church, occupied the Utah territory, imprisoned it leaders and threatened to confiscate its temples (can you imagine the U.S. military confiscating the Dome of the Rock mosque?). Anti-Mormon literature, films, tapes, websites, discussion lists, groups, blogs didn't suddenly spring up since the Romney campaign was announced--the mainstream media simply got around to noticing them.

This idea the the church is struggling for mainstream acceptance is part of the liberal media narrative about the church. The church itself is not looking at all to be part of the mainstream, it wants to be the mainstream. Does this surprise you? Isn't this the goal of any ideology? Don't socialists work to be the mainstream? Don't Evangelicals work to be the mainstream? The LDS church doesn't have 100,000 full time missionaries so that it can adapt to mainstream thought and practices, but rather to proselyte its own principles and culture.

It is precisely because it doesn't want to be part of the mainstream, that it generates such intense opposition from some very insecure Evangelicals. And why shouldn't they be? For a "wacky religion" they sure are kicking butt and taking names aren't they? Wealthy, successful, growing and accepted in the highest ranks of corporate America, politics and academia. I doubt the dynamic was any better represented than with Huckabee, the pinnacle of Evangelical social achievement, and Mitt Romney, one of many highly successful LDS business people and political figures.

Romney was in Huckabee's way. Mormons are in the way of Evangelical Protestantism. Its as simple as that, and its always been like that, and it will always be this way.

On the Internet, the Romney bid prompted an outpouring of broadsides against Mormonism from both the secular and religious worlds. Evangelical Christian speakers who consider it their mission to criticize Mormon beliefs lectured to church congregations across the country. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of the Catholic journal First Things, wrote that a Mormon presidency would threaten Christian faiths. Atheist author Christopher Hitchens called Mormonism "a mad cult" on Slate.com, and Bill Keller, a former convict who runs an online ministry in Florida, told a national radio audience that a vote for Mr. Romney was a vote for Satan.

"It seems like it's been open season on Mormons," says Marvin Perkins, a Los Angeles Mormon Church member who lectures about the history of blacks in the church.

Romney's campaign represented a proportionally greater threat and thus elicited a more panicked response, but the only thing about the song that changed was its volume. The reality is that Romney got 4,000,000 votes and McCain got 4,700,000, which suggests to me that Mormons are not the bogeymen the liberal media would like them to be.

There is no question that he scared a lot of the inbred chicken pluckers in the rural south, but they were just as suspicious of Mitt's yankee roots as they were his Mormonism. Other people's success scares these people, which is why they ran around in sheets and lynched black people after the civil war. Notably, the urban, better educated, upwardly mobile Evangelicals were happy to vote for Mitt--because they weren't threatened by him.

For the sake of fairness, Mormons have their inbred turkey-plucking contingent as well, but the church is working with those people. Pastor Huckabee just exploited their unchristian hatred.

Ultimately, the LDS church takes the attitude that people can say whatever they want as long as they spell the name right.

Larry Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz, local entertainment and automotive magnate, was interviewed by a local television station about his remembrances of the late LDS church president, Gordon Hinckley. Miller went to see Hinckley (before he was church president) for advice about purchasing the Jazz franchise. Apparently Hinckley's only comment was that "it would be good for the church". Some ten years later during the Bulls-Jazz championship, Miller got a call on his private cell phone from the triumvirate Mormons refer to as the First Presidency. The congratulated him on the 100+ million viewers that were watching the game, when Hinckley piped up, recalling their earlier conversation, and said, "see I told you..."

Miller went on to explain that what Hinckley saw in the prospect of bringing the Jazz to Utah was a unique opportunity for advertising impressions. Every time someone mentions the basketball team, its referred to as the UTAH Jazz, and people automatically associate Utah with Mormons. The Jazz have produced billions of ad impressions for the church, and Gordon saw, and pronounced it good.

The LDS church is a very sophisticated operation. Nine of the fifteen members of their highest leadership council have advanced degrees, two thirds of those are PhDs. Four are former University presidents. One has an MD and PhD. Brigham Young Universities MBA program and its accounting program are ranked among the very best in the nation. Mormons don't do "Bob Jones U." and they are very, very clear about their goals.

My point is, the LDS church absolutely loved the Romney campaign. They love Harry Reid for the same reason. The more people hear about the LDS church, the more curious they are going to get and ultimately they have enough confidence in their message that they welcome the scrutiny. What the Journal interprets as defensive measures is actually an effort to capitalize on all the attention.

Reverence for the Bible

---

Taken from http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/ :


SALT LAKE CITY 25 January 2008 During the past several years, scholars, religious leaders, journalists and the general public have steadily shown an increased interest in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Much of this attention has been focused on the question of whether it is a Christian faith. Central to this inquiry is the Church’s relationship with the Bible. Many have wondered whether Latter-day Saints believe in the Bible at all. Still others have supposed that the Church uses the Bible only when convenient, while shrugging it off as an inessential part of scriptural canon. With so many conflicting voices participating in this discussion, it may seem difficult to know where the Church stands on this issue.

The truth is that the Church reveres the Bible as a sacred volume of scripture. Latter-day Saints cherish its teachings and engage in a lifelong study of its divine wisdom. Moreover, during worship and instruction services the Bible and its teachings are pondered and discussed. To increase biblical understanding, the Church provides extensive resources and tools: lesson manuals, cross-reference materials, Bible maps, a Bible dictionary, and articles in various magazines. Thus, the Bible is much more than simply a collection of antiquated writings and revelations that have only scant relevance to the modern world. On the contrary, it stands in the center of the Latter-day Saints’ spiritual lives.

In a recent sermon, Church apostle Elder M. Russell Ballard characterized the Bible as the “bedrock of all Christianity” and one of the “pillars” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Furthermore, he described the Bible as a miracle: “It is a miracle that the Bible’s 4,000 years of sacred and secular history were recorded and preserved by the prophets, apostles, and inspired churchmen. … It is a miracle that the Bible literally contains within its pages the converting, healing Spirit of Christ, which has turned men’s hearts for centuries, leading them to pray, to choose right paths, and to search to find their Savior.” It instills real, tangible power in the lives of Latter-day Saints and offers practical solutions and spiritual guidance that inspire them to overcome challenges and trials.

There is a broad range of approaches within the vast mosaic of biblical interpretation. For example, biblical inerrancy maintains that the Bible is without error and contradiction; biblical infallibility holds that the Bible is free from errors regarding faith and practice but not necessarily science or history; biblical literalism requires a literal interpretation of events and teachings in the Bible and generally discounts allegory and metaphor; and the “Bible as literature” educational approach extols the literary qualities of the Bible but disregards its miraculous elements.

The Church does not strictly subscribe to any of these interpretive approaches. Rather, in the words of Joseph Smith, it regards the Bible to be the word of God, “as far as it is translated correctly” (8^th Article of Faith). Accordingly, Church members believe that during the centuries-long process in which fallible human beings compiled, translated and transcribed the Bible, various errors entered the text. However, this does not override the overwhelming predominance of truth within the Bible. As Elder Ballard noted, “Without the Bible, we would not know of His Church then, nor would we have the fullness of His gospel now.” Part of that fullness is the Bible’s seminal instruction that God reveals Himself to those who seek Him. The Bible is a living invitation to know personally the sacred revelatory experience that fills its pages.

The scriptures, or “standard works,” of the Latter-day Saints comprise the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. According to Elder Ballard, these scriptures constitute a “great, indivisible whole” of God’s revealed word that help humankind understand the past, present and future. The great gospel plan contained in these works does not apply to one generation or one people alone but to all of God’s children throughout all time. Thus, in the words of Elder Ballard, “those who think that one part is more important or more true than the other parts are missing some of the beauty and completeness of the canon of ancient scripture.”

During previous periods of time when God organized His church, He added new revelations to pre-existing scripture, forming a connection between believers of the present and believers of the past. For example, the Old Testament book of Isaiah gives shape and meaning to the Gospel of Matthew. The two revelations need not be viewed as rivals competing with each other: the existence of one does not negate the relevance or legitimacy of the other. This ongoing revelation of scripture gives uniformity and continuity to an unfolding gospel narrative and unites people under one standard of doctrine.

Of all the standard works, the Bible remains the best source for an intimate understanding of the character and personality of Jesus Christ during His mortal mission. While the Old Testament offers a prophetic foretelling of that mission, the New Testament provides an unmatched account of the events, experiences, teachings and personal interactions of Christ. The Book of Mormon strengthens and reinforces His teachings through additional witnesses and provides moving accounts of the personal experiences many individuals had with Him. According to Elder Ballard, “The Book of Mormon does not dilute nor diminish nor de-emphasize the Bible. On the contrary, it expands, extends, and exalts it.”

The Name of Joseph Smith Will Continue to Ring with Honor

"A few years ago, I received a letter written by an evangelist who
with diatribe lashed out against the Prophet Joseph Smith, calling him a
wicked imposter, a fraud, a fake, and a deceiver, and declaring that he was
undertaking a campaign to spread his views. Whatever became of his work, I
do not know. It will not have been significant. That kind of work may
topple a few of the weak, but it only strengthens the strong. And long
after that man and others of his kind have gone down to silence, the name
of Joseph Smith will continue to ring with honor and love in the hearts of
an ever-growing band of Latter-day Saints in an
ever-increasing number of nations."

Topic: Joseph Smith

(Gordon B. Hinckley, "Praise to the Man," Ensign, Aug. 1983, 2)

Mormons’ religious views “crazy”.....

This was borrowed from :

http://www.fairblog.org/2008/02/04/asia-times-mormons-religious-views-crazy/

This is from the new FAIR blog that I love - I guess that I am just a closet apologist, but this is typical of the media that the LDS Church has to deal with, yet in spite of these kinds of lies, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to grow stronger. Brigham Young said it best: "Every time they persecute and try to overcome this people, they elevate us, weaken their own hands, and strengthen the hands and arms of this people. And every time they undertake to lessen our number, they increase it."
Discourses of Brigham Young

Now for the lies.............





Here’s a wonderful example of the sort of unbiased media attention coming our way due to Mitt Romney’s White House bid:

In a front-page article the Asia Times, a fairly significant voice in Far East news, their reporter reviews the history and doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The primary source material appears to be an article on the Catholic.com apologetic web site entitled “The Wacky World of Joseph Smith,” and the infamous South Park episode “All About Mormons.”

Yes, someone has clearly done their homework.

Here are some of the more amusing examples of what the reporter has discovered about us:

Voters may reject a candidate whose religious views are crazy, for example, someone who thinks he talks to God. [MP: Has the reporter ever heard of “prayer”?] Does Romney believe that he himself will become God, as Mormon doctrine teaches?

* * *

Just what is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly called the Mormons? Joseph Smith Jr, the forger, treasure-hunter, magician, polygamist and self-styled priest-king of the American continent, invented an American version of Europe’s ethnically-founded idolatry. Each European tribe that rebelled against Christianity styled itself the Chosen People. Smith concocted a tale in which Americans actually were the Chosen People, and America was the Promised Land of the ancient Hebrews and Jesus Christ. In short, Smith took to the extremes of fantasy and forgery an impulse towards national self-worship that always lurks somewhere in American Christianity.

* * *

Belief in the Book of Mormon is one of the strangest collective delusions in history. The circumstances of its forgery are transparent and exhaustively documented. After supposedly finding golden tablets composed by the aptly-named Angel Moroni, Smith “translated” 16 pages of them using his treasure-hunting stones. A friend showed the manuscript to his suspicious wife, who hid or destroyed it. Smith could not exactly reproduce the “translation” which he had dictated free-style, and stood in danger of exposure were he to produce a different version. Instead he received a new revelation to translate not those golden tablets, but yet another set of tablets that no one else could see. [MP: Note that the reporter hopeless garbles the details of the early translation attempts. One would hope that getting the basic facts right would be the first step to writing a major article.]

Historians have demonstrated that a sizable chunk of the supposed Book of Mormon was copied from a novel by a certain Reverend Solomon Spalding, who concocted the notion of an ancient Hebrew migration to North America as an entertainment. [MP: For crying out loud, even Fawn Brodie and the Tanners reject the Spaulding theory!]

* * *

If the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a tyranny tempered by incompetence, as the old joke goes, the Mormon Church is a megalomania atrophied by age. Although the Latter Day Saints claim 13 million members, less than one-third are active. Unlike American Christian denominations, the Mormons have had small success in Africa and Asia, the centers of Christian evangelization. As punishment for their sins, the Mormons must live in their promised land in the Rockies. [MP: The reporter pulled the “one-third” figure out of nowhere. He ignores the success we’ve seen in Latin and South America, and in Asian countries like Mongolia. And he fails to note that more Mormons live outside the United States than inside it.]

And so forth.

For all the unintended humor that one can find in this article, it unfortunately gives us a glimpse of what the Latter-day Saint movement is up against in Asia and the world at large. Despite what we think of ourselves, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding driven by misinformation from the popular press.

We have a lot of work ahead of us.

Expanding Our Circle of Love...

"We must strive to manifest the love of Christ, who always sought to
please His Father by doing His will. . . . We must make every effort to
follow His supreme example--to demonstrate such love through our
thoughts, our speech, our actions--in all the things we do and
are. We must not allow pride or vanity, selfishness or personal agendas to
displace our reaching out to others in love. Quite simply and profoundly,
we must first allow ourselves to be encircled by God's love. We do this
best by embracing the Savior's eternal Atonement. Then we can expand
that circle to include our family and all others. Such a circle is indeed
heaven."

Topics: Jesus Christ, love, sharing, example

(Bonnie D. Parkin, "Eternally Encircled in His Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 110)

Mormon charity quotes.........

These Charity Quotes are about the Pure Love Of Christ

In the Book of Mormon we learn that "charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever," (Moroni 7:47). This list of 10 Charity Quotes are from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1. Joseph B. Wirthlin: The Great Commandment

"Nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity. You can speak with tongues, have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, and possess all knowledge; even if you have the faith to move mountains, without charity it won't profit you at all....

"Without charity—or the pure love of Christ—whatever else we accomplish matters little. With it, all else becomes vibrant and alive.

"When we inspire and teach others to fill their hearts with love, obedience flows from the inside out in voluntary acts of self-sacrifice and service" (Ensign, Nov 2007, 28–31).

2. Dallin H. Oaks: The Challenge to Become

"We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life. This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason—for the pure love of Christ. The Apostle Paul illustrated this in his famous teaching about the importance of charity (see 1 Cor. 13). The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness he cited is that charity, 'the pure love of Christ' (Moro. 7:47), is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes" (Ensign, Nov 2000, 32–34).

3. Don R. Clarke: Becoming Instruments in the Hands of God

"We must have love for God's children...

"Joseph F. Smith said: 'Charity, or love, is the greatest principle in existence. If we can lend a helping hand to the oppressed, if we can aid those who are despondent and in sorrow, if we can uplift and ameliorate the condition of mankind, it is our mission to do it, it is an essential part of our religion to do it' (in Conference Report, Apr. 1917, 4). When we feel love for God's children, we are given opportunities to help them in their journey back to His presence" (Ensign, Nov 2006, 97–99).

4. Bonnie D. Parkin: Choosing Charity: That Good Part

"The pure love of Christ.... What does this phrase mean? We find part of the answer in Joshua: 'Take diligent heed... to love the Lord your God... and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.' Charity is our love for the Lord, shown through our acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding for one another....

"Charity is also the Lord's love for us, shown through His acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding.

"The 'pure love of Christ' refers not only to our love for the Savior but to His love for each of us....

"Do we judge one another? Do we criticize each other for individual choices, thinking we know better?" (Ensign, Nov 2003, 104).

5. Howard W. Hunter: A More Excellent Way

"We need to be kinder with one another, more gentle and forgiving. We need to be slower to anger and more prompt to help. We need to extend the hand of friendship and resist the hand of retribution. In short, we need to love one another with the pure love of Christ, with genuine charity and compassion and, if necessary, shared suffering, for that is the way God loves us....

"We need to walk more resolutely and more charitably the path that Jesus has shown. We need to 'pause to help and lift another' and surely we will find 'strength beyond [our] own.' If we would do more to learn 'the healer's art,' there would be untold chances to use it, to touch the 'wounded and the weary' and show to all 'a gentle[r] heart'" (Ensign, May 1992, 61).

6. Marvin J. Ashton: The Tongue Can Be a Sharp Sword

"Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself....

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other" (Ensign, May 1992, 18).

7. Robert C. Oaks: The Power of Patience

"The Book of Mormon provides insight into the relationship between patience and charity. Mormon... name[s] the 13 elements of charity, or the pure love of Christ. I find it most interesting that 4 of the 13 elements of this must-have virtue relate to patience (see Moroni 7:44–45).

"First, 'charity suffereth long.' That is what patience is all about. Charity 'is not easily provoked' is another aspect of this quality, as is charity 'beareth all things.' And finally, charity 'endureth all things' is certainly an expression of patience (Moroni 7:45). From these defining elements it is evident that without patience gracing our soul, we would be seriously lacking with respect to a Christlike character" (Ensign, Nov 2006, 15–17).

8. M. Russell Ballard: The Joy of Hope Fulfilled

"The Apostle Paul taught that three divine principles form a foundation upon which we can build the structure of our lives....

"The principles of faith and hope working together must be accompanied by charity, which is the greatest of all.... It is the perfect manifestation of our faith and hope.

"Working together, these three eternal principles will help give us the broad eternal perspective we need to face life's toughest challenges, including the prophesied ordeals of the last days. Real faith fosters hope for the future; it allows us to look beyond ourselves and our present cares. Fortified by hope, we are moved to demonstrate the pure love of Christ through daily acts of obedience and Christian service" (Ensign, Nov 1992, 31).

9. Robert D. Hales: Gifts of the Spirit

"There is one gift I would like to focus on—the gift of charity. Use charity, 'the pure love of Christ' (Moro. 7:47), and give service for the right reasons. Charity is the ability to make life more meaningful for others....

"There are times when we need to be lifted. There are times when we need to be strengthened. Be that kind of friend and that kind of person who lifts and strengthens others. Never make someone have to choose between your ways and the Lord's ways. And always make sure that you're making it easier to live God's commandments for those who are by your side and who are your friends. Then you will understand whether you have charity" (Ensign, Feb 2002, 12).

10. Gene R. Cook: Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love

"Ponder with me a moment the following majestic gifts: the glories of all creation, the earth, the heavens; your feelings of love and joy; His responses of mercy, forgiveness, and innumerable answers to prayer; the gift of loved ones; and finally the greatest gift of all—the Father's gift of His atoning Son, the perfect one in charity, even the God of love....

"Righteous feelings generated by a man seem to precede the increase of those feelings from the Spirit. Unless you are feeling love, you cannot convey true love to others. The Lord has told us to love one another as He loves us, so remember: to be loved, truly love" (Ensign, May 2002, 82).

Tributes to a great leader and a good man...........

SALT LAKE CITY 31 January 2008 Media organizations from China to Britain and Australia to Turkey have covered the news of the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley, leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The following are excerpts from some of the media reports that have been published or broadcast this week, along with links to the full stories.

New York Times (New York, USA)
“With his buoyant personality and affinity for public relations, Mr. Hinckley made Mormonism more familiar to the public and more accepted in the Christian fold. He gave news conferences and was the first church president to sit for interviews on ‘60 Minutes’ and ‘Larry King Live.’ When the Winter Olympics went to Salt Lake City in 2002, the church’s home base, he guided the church outreach campaign.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/us/28hinckley.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Los Angeles Times (California, USA)
“Though he became the Mormons' 15th president and prophet at age 84, Hinckley's energy, style and longevity, which drew comparisons to Pope John Paul II, allowed him to engage millions throughout the world and provided the church a media-friendly face.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-hinckley28jan28,0,1888134.story

Houston Chronicle (Texas, USA)
“As a leader of the fastest-growing faith founded in the United States, Hinckley guided the church as it more than doubled its number of temples and expanded membership well beyond the boundaries of its center in Salt Lake City.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/5490149.html

The Estado of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
“During his 13 years as the head of the Mormon Church, he made countless trips to meet with members of the Mormon Church which now has 13 million members in 171 countries.”

http://www.estadao.com.br/vidae/not_vid116153,0.htm

Chicago Tribune (Illinois, USA)
“The church presidency is a lifetime position. Before Hinckley, the oldest church president was David O. McKay who was 96 when he died in 1970.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-080228-hinckley,1,2722823.story

National Public Radio (Washington, D.C., USA)
“Most Americans know it as ‘The Mormon Church.’ Hinckley launched an effort to stamp out that phrase. He asked news media to use the formal name, ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.’ And, in case anyone missed the point, he changed the official Mormon logo so that the name ‘Jesus Christ’ appeared in oversized letters.”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7017514

USA Today (Virginia, USA)
“As a top church leader for nearly 50 years, Hinckley met with many U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries.”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-01-27-obit-hinckley_N.htm

Reuters (Great Britain)
“In the year 2000, in spite of his advanced age, Mr. Hinckley completed an 11-day tour of the Pacific Rim where he traveled more than 35,400km and spoke to more than 26,000 people.”

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1423a42c-cd60-11dc-a3da-000077b07658.html

China View (China)
“His grandfather knew church founder Joseph Smith and followed Brigham Young west to the Great Salt Lake Basin.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/28/content_7511648.htm

Baltimore Sun (Maryland, USA)
“In a statement, President Bush praised Hinckley as a ‘deeply patriotic man. While serving for over seven decades in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon demonstrated the heart of a servant and the wisdom of a leader. He was a tireless worker and a talented communicator who was respected in his community and beloved by his congregation.’”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-hinckley0128,0,2527193.story

Herald Sun (Australia)
“He was the first church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid, and to Africa, where he met thousands of Mormons in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.”

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23123145-663,00.html

Argus Observer (Ontario, Canada)
“In 2004 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civil award, by President George W. Bush. He also received the Silver Buffalo Award of the Boy Scouts of America and has been honored by the National Conference (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews) for his contributions to tolerance and understanding in the world.”

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23123145-663,00.html

BBC (Great Britain)
“The post is held for life, and Hinckley lived to become the oldest ever president, seeing church membership expand to 13 million people.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7212488.stm

Diario Buenos Aires(Argentina)
“President Gordon B. Hinckley was known as a tireless leader, even at the age of 97, who always dedicated his life to a full-day’s work at the office and traveled the world extensively.”

http://www.diariobuenosaires.com.ar/nota2.asp?IDNoticia=22585

Turkish Press (Turkey)
“As a member of the First Presidency, the highest governing body of the church, he has had a major role in administering both the ecclesiastical and temporal affairs of the Church, whose members are spread over some 171 nations and territories.”

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=212693

Austria National Radio (Austria)
http://mbl.is/mm/frettir/erlent/2008/01/28/forseti_mormonasafnadarins_latinn/

The passing of President Hinckley was discussed extensively on the “blogosphere.” The day following his death, a new blog post was published about him every couple of minutes. According to Blogpulse, a service that tracks trends in blogs, President Gordon B. Hinckley was the third most mentioned person in the blogosphere on Monday, 28 January.

Radio coverage of the funeral on Saturday, 2 February, starting at 11 a.m. MST, will be available on WFED 1050 AM in Washington, D.C., on KTTH 770 AM in Seattle and on KTAR 92.3 FM in Phoenix.