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Two plays about Mormonism are scheduled to premiere shortly in the northeastern United States. According to advance publicity, one of them "chronicles the days leading up to Christmas, 1825, when Joseph Smith Jr. and his father, on the run from the law as confidence men and scammers, return in disgrace to the family farm in upstate New York to save their house from being repossessed. In the process of escaping the clutches of both their creditors and the investors they'd recently fleeced, they lay the foundations of Mormonism." It purports to be "based on historical accounts of Mormonism's early years."...

LEHI — A polygamous Lehi family featured on the reality show "Sister Wives" has moved to Nevada. Kody Brown, his four wives and 16 children left Utah to pursue new opportunities, said their attorney Jonathan Turley. Meanwhile, the Utah County Attorney's Office has to date not filed criminal charges against the Browns after Lehi police investigated them on suspicion of bigamy. Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. Utah County did consult with the Utah Attorney General's Office, which has said it doesn't have the resources to go after polygamists unless it suspects...

MIDVALE -- A 57-year-old Kearns man who touted himself as a marriage counselor and therapist to Mormon congregations has been charged with forcible sexual abuse. Arturo Tenorio Arturio Tenorio was charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, after two separate women reported "inappropriate touching" to police, said Midvale police detective Jacob Cutright. He said the two women -- who came in individually and did not know each other previously -- shared "very similar" experiences. In each instance, their first few sessions involved both husband and wife, but then Tenorio said he needed...

Capture: A Book of Mormon Card Game is a strategy game of collecting and matching that is appropriate for LDS family time. Instead of slapping an LDS theme on a version of existing games like Go Fish or War, Capture offers unique game play, quick decisions and attractive cartoon artwork. Capture has two decks of cards called play cards and goal cards. The standard-sized playing cards in the play deck depict a person, place or item from Book of Mormon stories along with action cards. The goal deck is comprised of larger cards that depict two different items from the...

Click Here to view e-card."This year we processed enough recyclables to fill the Empire state building more than twelve times"

On Dec. 23, 1805, as much of the world was preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, another baby boy was born. Like Jesus, this 19th century baby came forth in humble circumstances and in an obscure village. Though the world didn't know it at the time, the birth of Joseph Smith Jr. would initiate what is arguably the greatest and most far-reaching chain of events in the history of Christianity since the Savior's mortal ministry itself. That infant would grow up to hold the apostolic office and thus be a special witness of Jesus Christ, the first mortal...

In his published history, Joseph Smith recalled that there was "an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country." He also noted how moved he was one day while reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse. Somewhere in the forest on the Smith farm was a quiet place "where members of the Smith family were wont to hold secret prayer." Accordingly, Joseph was determined to ask of God, and "retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on...

The Mormon Message video contest is a great opportunity for video experts around the globe to share the gospel. But what if you're not an expert? What if you have a story but don't know how to produce it? Well, to be honest, you have some work ahead of you. The good news is we're here to help. If you've read the official Mormon Message video contest rules at lds.org/videocontest, you probably noticed the line, "See current Mormon Messages for ideas." Before you do anything else, sit down and watch several of the beautifully crafted messages already at www.youtube.com/user/MormonMessages. Planning...

SALT LAKE CITY -- A middle school in Tennessee has had enough with the saggy drawers. Teachers there are telling kids with baggy pants to pull them up, or get "Urkeled." Westside Middle School Principal Bobby White tells TV station WMC the idea is to fight pop culture with pop culture. If boys emulate rappers by letting their pants droop, teachers cinch up their pants using zip ties - sometimes to their armpits. "Everybody who possibly needed to be Urkeled, they were Urkeled," White said. "I thought it was a joke, until I got Urkeled," one student said. "They can...

Beginning in the early 1990s, several Latter-day Saints jumped on the Great Lakes Book of Mormon geography bandwagon. Because the Great Lakes and Mesoamerican models are by far the two most popular, I plan to spend the next several issues discussing them. The first Latter-day Saint to publish a Great Lakes model appears to be Delbert Curtis, who in 1988 published the booklet “The Land of the Nephites.” In 1993, he expanded his argument in his book "Christ in North America." Since 1988, other Latter-day Saint authors have also promoted their version of the Great Lakes model. These include Duane...

SALT LAKE CITY -- Two Salt Lake City residents committed to telling the public about dangers of global warming are walking 350 miles. Ryan and Jamie Pleune say their "Pilgrimage for Hope" calls attention to the number 350. It represents 350 parts per million -- the level of carbon dioxide beyond which global warming will become intolerable. The Pleunes say our current carbon dioxide level measures in at 392 parts per million, and in an effort to bring it back down to 350, they are taking personal action. "One of the things about climate change is it's just this hopeless...

WEST JORDAN -- More women--and some men, too-- are turning to knitting or crocheting. It's something meaningful they can do for others without spending a lot of money. At Kamille's knit and crochet shop at Gardner Village, owner Kamille Bauer said their classes have never been so popular. "People will say, 'Where did you buy that? You made that? No way, how did you make that?' And it's really a fun confidence builder," she said. Bauer said people are finding out they can save a lot of money by making a cute beanie, headband, socks, blanket or gloves themselves. But...

Home SALT LAKE CITY — A former co-worker testified Tuesday that Brian David Mitchell could convincingly play the role of Satan. Doug Larsen said he worked with the man accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart in the late 1980s at O.C. Tanner and got to know him well because of their many common interests, particularly religion. He referred in his testimony Tuesday to the story of the creation that is depicted in temple ceremonies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and said Mitchell once worked as an actor playing the role of Satan. Larsen said fellow temple workers...

If someone came to you and asked you how to run the LDS Church's public relations outreach, what would you advise those who make such powerful decisions to do? Would you emphasize the good works that Latter-day Saints do while downplaying doctrinal difference to avoid misunderstanding and strife? Or instead of leaving the doctrine to the missionaries, would you go on the offensive, pointing out anomalies in other faiths in a way that showed the strength of your religious position? How would you use the Book of Mormon? Would you call them to repentance, as the Book of Mormon often...

SALT LAKE CITY -- The man accused of setting fire at two LDS chapels made an initial court appearance Monday morning. Patrick Ehat faces two counts aggravated arson and burglary charges. During Monday's court appearance, the court applied to Salt Lake Legal Defenders to represent Ehat. His next hearing is set for Nov. 16. According to documents filed in 3rd District Court, Patrick Ehat, 26, spread some kind of "ignitable liquid accelerant" on the sacrament table, podium, organ and piano in the chapel of an LDS Church building at 3219 S. 300 East, in South Salt Lake, early on Oct....

When the Lord told the Jaredites he would lead them to a new land (Ether 2:7), he also instructed them to build eight barges to traverse the waters to their new destination (v. 16). According to Ether, these barges, which were patterned after Noah's Ark (6:7), were "tight like unto a dish," peaked at both ends and had holes that could be unplugged to allow ventilation (2:17, 20). The story of Noah, or some equivalent figure, is found in a wide array of ancient non-biblical literature and could easily have been known to the ancient Jaredites. Some of these traditions...

So, young single adults ... have you ever been in a ward you didn't like? The chemistry was off? Didn't connect with your quorum? Not enough hotties? Too few mingles? Well, what did you do about it? If your answer is, "I served others, fulfilled my calling, loved the congregation and tried harder," then kudos. Good work. If your answer is, "I up and left," then you're a ward hopper and we need to talk. The costs of jumping ship It may seem like a small thing to go to a fresh ward each Sunday — after all, you're still...

When Lehi exited his tent one morning, he discovered on the ground "a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness" (1 Nephi 16:10). Later in the Book of Mormon, we read that the ball was prepared by the Lord and was called the "Liahona," which is translated as a "compass" (Alma 37:38; see also 2 Nephi 5:12). Critics were quick to ridicule the Liahona, claiming that the magnetic compass was unknown in 600 B.C. There are...

"Millions of ordinances are performed in the temples each year in behalf of our deceased loved ones. May we continue to be faithful in performing such ordinances for those who are unable to do so for themselves. I love the words of President Joseph F. Smith as he spoke of temple service and of the spirit world beyond mortality. Said he, 'Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work...

AZ seeks emergency hearing on twin polygamy towns July 14th, 2010 @ 12:32pm SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Arizona attorney general's office has asked a Utah judge for an emergency hearing on the rising tensions between residents of twin polygamous communities on the Utah-Arizona border. The Thursday request comes in the wake of property-use disputes and allegations that police have failed to enforce the court-ordered authority of an accountant charged with managing the United Effort Plan Trust. The trust holds nearly all the properties in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., the base of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus...