Free Republic

On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an order preventing the government from enforcing the Obamacare contraceptive mandate on the Little Sisters of the Poor. Sotomayor’s decision to delay the contraceptive portion of the law was joined by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which also issued an emergency stay for Catholic-affiliated groups challenging the contraceptive provision, including the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and Catholic University.Separately, Lawyer Noel J. Francisco had said in appeals to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Elena Kagan that the mandate would “expose numerous Catholic organizations to draconian fines...

TWO Mormons on the Gold Coast for a church camp stand accused of a shocking attack that left a passing stranger in a coma.Amanaki Kaufusi, 21, and Onesi Taufui, 18, yesterday faced Southport Magistrates Court charged with grievous bodily harm over a violent attack on a tourist in Surfers Paradise. Hundreds of Mormons have gathered on the Gold Coast for a Latter-day Saints conference at Tallebudgera. But as their friends listened to the teachings of church leaders, Kaufusi and Taufui, both from western Sydney, headed to the bright lights of Sin City for a night on the town. The court...

The Mormon Church has officially renounced the belief that dark skin is a sign of disfavor, or curse. On the official website for The Mormon Church, www.lds.org, a statement has been posted titled "Race and the Priesthood," where blame for the belief that dark skinned people were inferior to whites is placed on the establishment of the church coming in 1830, a time of great racism in the United States. The Church points out how previous leaders, most notably President Brigham Young, restricted Blacks from priesthood in the Church, receiving the temple endowment, or allowing them to be married in...

The Ravenous Wolves of FreeRepublicHow do we deal with the insults and pain of those whom Christ called "ravenous wolves"? Many aren't aware of it but the phrase "A wolf in sheep’s clothing" has biblical origins. Mat 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. The word translated "false prophet" here is not referring to a Godly person who has a prophecy that fails. Instead it's referring to a person who pretends to be a Christian but in reality is not. They are compared to "ravenous wolves" among the flock....

How can I know when I have the Spirit of the Lord with me? I’m a college student having a lot of new experiences, and sometimes I can’t tell if I’m just feeling “good” or if my feelings are genuinely righteous. Don Norton, English Department, Brigham Young University I’ve heard this question from dozens of young adults who are making all sorts of discoveries about themselves. Indeed it is a very important question. Since in this life “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Ne. 2:11; italics added), it must needs be that we...

The night before the 2008 Nevada Republican convention, the Ron Paul delegates all met at a Reno high school. Although I’d called myself a libertarian for almost my entire adult life, it was my first exposure to the wider movement.

POCATELLO — A Cedar City, Utah, man convicted of felony injury to a child stemming from inappropriate contact with a 16-year-old child in 2012, was placed on probation Monday and sentenced to spend the next 10 days in Bannock County Jail. Derrick Starley was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chubbuck when the incident occurred. He was originally charged with sexual battery of child 16 or 17 years old... Starley pleaded guilty to the reduced charge in early November as part of a plea agreement through which prosecutors agreed that they would not...

"Monday, December 30, 1844.—The following is extracted from the Times and Seasons, Vol. 6, p. 794:— ...December 26...1844... A hymn composed by Elder John Taylor for the dedication of the Seventies' Hall and dedicated to President Brigham Young... The Seer'The Seer;—the Seer;—Joseph the Seer— I'll sing of the Prophet ever dear, His equal now cannot be found,— By searching the wide world around. With Gods he soared in the realms of day; And men he taught the heavenly way. 'Mid the foaming billows of angry strife— He stood at the helm of the ship of life. The earthly Seer; the...

...For eight years, I had been a professor at Brigham Young University... I looked down on Christians...They had part of the gospel, but I had the fullness of it. I kept the laws and ordinances of Mormonism. Three weeks before the end of his two-year mission, Micah called to tell us he was being sent home early—a horrific disgrace in Mormon culture. He had been reading the New Testament. There he encountered a different Jesus than the one I was taught about in Mormonism—a God of grace, not of works, so that no one can boast... To a roomful of...

...But if this people should be brought into bondage, as the Israelites were in ancient days, Zion must be led forth out of bondage, as Israel was at the first. In order to do this God has prophesied that he will raise up a man like unto Moses, who shall lead his people therefrom. Whether that man is now in existence, or whether it is someone yet to be born; or whether it is our present leader who has led us forth into these valleys of the mountains, whether God will grant unto us the great blessing to have his...

SNIP Heber C. Kimball also believed & prophesied that Joseph Smith would return before the second coming of the Lord and associated his return with this period. After prophesying of the destruction which would sweep the western portion of Missouri, he foresaw that The pressure will become so great that the more righteous among them will cry unto the Lord day and night until deliverance comes. Then the Prophet Joseph and others will make their appearance and those who have remained faithful will be selected to return to Jackson County, Missouri and take part in the building of that beautiful...

- "I come again to lead you forth" The last admonition of Joseph the Prophet to the Nauvoo Legion, before leaving for the Carthage Jail...: "...This I will promise you, that when I come again to lead you forth, for I will go to prepare a place for you, so that where I am you shall be with me."SNIP (D&C Sec. 85, Verse 7) "And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth will utter words,...

D&C 18:8. How Is the Name Joseph Significant?“Attention is called to the name, because the Scriptures predict the coming of a great deliverer in the latter days, so named. Nephi says that Joseph, the Patriarch, predicted the coming forth of the House of Israel on the American continents, of a ‘righteous branch’ and a Seer, whose name, he said, ‘shall be called after me’ (Joseph), and after the name of his father (II. Nephi 3:1–15).” (Smith and Sjodahl, Commentary, p. 83.)

December 23 is the birthday of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was born in 1805. In his honor, consider watching the movie Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, now available for the first time on Hulu... The Joseph Smith movie is the first Church film to penetrate an exclusive, major distribution channel like Hulu, where some 4 million subscribers can watch on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, web content, and other new media through media devices (Roku, Apple TV), gaming consoles (Xbox, PlayStation), smartphones and tablets, and other devices that connect to the Internet. SNIP The current version of...

If you have a chance, I recommend each of you carve out the evening of Dec 20, from 7-9pm, to watch CNN. The show is called After Jesus: The First Christians, and it is an excellent and stimulating presentation of the first four centuries of the Christian faith. CNN kindly sent me an advanced copy and I have watched it in its entirety. Dec 21, in the morning, I would like to begin a conversation on this blog with those who watched it the evening before. (It will also be replayed Friday Dec 22 at 10pm and 1am; Saturday Dec...

An activist of FEMEN women's movement staged a protest action during a Christmas mass in the main cathedral of Cologne, Kolner Dom. The topless girl climbed onto the altar of the cathedral in protest against the Vatican propaganda of criminalization of abortions. The woman displayed a slogan "I am God" written on her body. "FEMEN demands Vatican elders and their fanatical followers should stop producing medieval chimera and bring religious dogma in line with the modern world and human rights," a press release from the movement said.

Ulysses S. Grant passed legislation making December 25th a national Holiday in the USA. The day is also celebrated all over the world. Whether you are a Christian or Jew or Arab, like the Three Wise Men, it is common to give gifts on this day, and send cards to your family friends and neighbors. When I was young, there was no controversy, no fear of a religion being shoved down someone's throat. It was plain and simply a day we were off from school, and we all knew why. The day simply commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, a...

Is there anything that goes by the name “Christian” that has not been usurped, abominated, surpassed and eclipsed by that damnable heresy Mormonism! Let us not allow Christmas to draw our attention away from the great event of the ages – the birth of Joseph Smith. Let us not permit the events recounted in the gospels to distract us from the great events of the “Restoration”. God forbid that the annunciation of angels, the trembling wonder of shepherds and the reverence of wise men at the advent of God become flesh should eclipse the news of the “First Vision.” God...

The FIRST DAY of Christmas Past was just too easy! Prophet Joseph Smith, was the ANSWER all did see! SNIP Joseph Smith, Jr. was born on December 23, 1805. His nephew, Joseph F. Smith, said of this fact – “in my judgment the next birthday celebration to that of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should be that of Joseph Smith.” The following is parts of a talk Joseph F. Smith gave at a Memorial honoring the Prophet Joseph Smith’s Birthday held on December 23, 1894. That year marked the 50 year anniversary of his martyrdom. “I should like to...

SNIP This special season has greater importance for the Latter-day Saints than for others because we not only observe the birthday of the Savior but also the birthday of our Prophet, Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith, the great Prophet chosen by our Heavenly Father to usher in the last dispensation, was born on December 23, 1805, just two days before December 25, which the world observes as the birthday of Jesus Christ. December 23 should be a day of great importance in every Latter-day Saint home, a day of remembering and honoring one of the great prophets of God, a day...