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PASTORAL LETTER FROM PRESIDING BISHOP MARK HANSON August 22, 2009 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ: Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. -- Colossians 3:14-15 I write to you from the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis with official information about the actions of this assembly related to human sexuality. I am grateful for the manner in which this church has engaged in this conversation. The way this assembly has...

Pr. Cory Johnson, N Great Lakes moved amendment B-MP-7. This would add the following wording in the second resolved: RESOLVED, that this church, because of its commitment to respect the bound consciences of all, declare its intent to incorporate structured flexibility in decision-making into its policies and procedures so that synods, bishops, congregations, candidacy committees, and others involved in the candidacy process and in the process of extending calls will be free to act according to their convictions regarding the approving or disapproving in candidacy and the extending or not extending of a call to rostered service of a person...

Much of the damage may be gone but there's a lot of blame left behind after a tornado touchdown in downtown Minneapolis. The storm struck the cross at Central Lutheran Church. Crews spent Thursday removing it from the steeple. Some bloggers say what happened to the church is a reaction from God to what's going on across the street. John Piper the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, wrote in a blog: "the tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin." Nearly 2,000 Lutherans from...

The Assembly began with breakfast and “table talk,” small group discussion around tables, and then they convened in plenary As the public session began, two speakers expressed great concern that following the adoption of the social statement yesterday, there was loud applause and cheers. It was noted that our rules declare this kind of response to be out of order, and the PB did nothing to call the assembly to order. The cheers were hurtful to those whose “bound conscience” were sorely wounded. The PB agreed, and apologized for his mistake. Kirsten --- (didn’t get her name or synod) urged...

My shaking of the heavens and the earth is in conjunction ( balance ) with my children's hearts in the heavenlies and those yet earth bound for truly a day in my courts is where I would have all my creation come and abide with me for my word is not ( non ) sense for as My Word I am seeking those that would worship me in spirit and in truth . So come " Abide " for truly I AM here waiting for you and this place IS " The mind of Christ " Your Zion on earth...

Ordinary measures will not do any more , For I have swung wide the door , Warfare that is behind shall stay there , I am raising you to new levels of warfare , An understanding beyond my heavenly hosts , What I am about to release to you not even my arch angel Michael can boast , But a depth , a knowing farther than you now see \o/ , You shall go behind enemy lines and their encampments you shall see , Their plots and schemes , their strategy from a god's eye view , And even their...

Atheists claim that they are happy, healthy, moral, etc. The assert that atheism is more moral than theism and that is leads to health, wealth, morality etc. Yet, consistently, finding via studies and surveys of various sorts cut through the propaganda and demonstrate that atheists are consistently the least charitable, less sociable, more depressed, more immoral than their counterparts. Even when it comes to societal and political issues and perhaps related to those more activists atheists who define atheism as anti-theism; things do not generally fare very well for atheists. These links have compiled various studies and other recourses on...

I am tearing down old strongholds in my children's lives for this is a "storm of Grace" I am bringing across the waters (~ " the voices of my children " ) that have cried out to me and in this containment of these strongholds shall come such a release of my spirit that it shall calm all the storms of my children's lives in Tranquility ~ " The very fruit of Peace " ~ that is ~ " ME " ~ I call ~~~ ZION ~~~ , for as I become your covering in this new way you shall...

My children am I truly your desire ? Then lift your brothers and sisters unto " Me " . Show them how to hear " My Voice " that I may be their Mentor and Shepherd for The Spirit of The Lord abounds in wisdom and the riches of "The Kingdom" , so suffer not the children to "Come Unto Me " For " I AM The Kingdom " and there is no other , show them how to " Call Me Friend " ! John 14:6 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) 6 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the...

There is but one path ~ Jesus There is but one comforter~ The Spirit that goes out from the Father There is but one Father And there is only one will There is no other path but persecution For truly only he matters and is our way And it is on this path we must stay Total inihilation of the flesh This is our test Until we come to find He is our rock and without him we are blind So come to the Rock and do not alter Him into the Rock of Gibralter Fo all those that wrestle...

Barely two weeks after General Convention, the Diocese of Minnesota has nominated Bonnie Perry, a partnered lesbian, for bishop. Integrity is "delighted" at the news, saying that "the actions of our General Convention will put a sad chapter of discrimination against the LGBT baptized behind us."

Mormons are storytellers. They love a good tale of faith amid persecution, divine intervention, mysterious assistance, proselytizing prowess and Mormon ingenuity. Such stories told and retold among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reflect the faith's emphasis on missionary work, genealogical research, temple work, admiration for church leaders, conversion and the day-to-day delights and sorrows of membership, says William A. Wilson, a renowned folklorist in the Intermountain West. They also are used as cautionary yarns for those who might stray from church practices. Wilson has been collecting Mormon and other legends since 1962 after he returned...

For a decade now, the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) has been bitterly divided over the issue of ordaining openly gay clergy. The matter reached a new intensity this past week when the church's triennial convention ended the ban on gay candidates serving in ordained ministry. After years of protesting ECUSA's liberal policies and doctrines, seceding conservatives have now organized a rival church -- the Anglican Church in North America, or ACNA -- which claims 100,000 believers, compared with two million in ECUSA. This week's dramatic decision is sure to widen the rift even further, causing what church historians might officially...

Q: Do Mormons believe in the Trinity? A: Yes, Mormons believe in the reality and divinity of the trinity of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost; however, Mormons believe that the trinity is composed of three separate and distinct beings with individual bodies. As seen in Matthew 3:16-17 the Son “was baptized” and “went straightway out of the water…and he saw the Spirit…descending like a dove…And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Thus the three divine beings that constitute the trinity are separate beings, yet one in purpose.

London, England, Jul 17, 2009 / 02:48 am (CNA).- Prominent biblical scholar and Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright has said the Episcopal Church’s recent decision to allow homosexuals to be ordained as bishops will mark a “clear break” with the Anglican Communion and formalizes a “schism.” He also insisted that chastity is not “optional” for Christians. On Tuesday the General Convention of the Episcopal Church (TEC) voted by wide margins to pass a resolution allowing homosexuals to enter “any ordained ministry” in the church. Responding to the news was Anglican Bishop of Durham Nicholas Thomas Wright, a scholar of the New...

Anaheim, Calif. (AP) -- Episcopal bishops authorized the church Wednesday to start drafting an official prayer for same-sex couples, another step toward acceptance of gay relationships that will deepen the rift between the denomination and its fellow Anglicans overseas. The bishops voted 104-30 at the Episcopal General Convention to "collect and develop theological resources and liturgies" for blessing same-gender relationships, which would be considered at the next national meeting in 2012. The resolution notes the growing number of states that allow gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships, and gave bishops in those regions discretion to provide a "generous pastoral...

Episcopalians overwhelmingly favor tossing a previously approved resolution that bans ordaining openly gay bishops. In discussions that began Thursday afternoon and continued Friday morning during The Episcopal Church's triennial General Convention, Episcopalians spoke frankly, testifying passionately either for throwing out the ban or against rescinding it. "Gays and lesbians are asked to make sacrifices the rest of us are not asked to make," said the Rev. J. Frederick Barber of Fort Worth, according to the Episcopal News Service. Debate centered on resolution B033, which was approved by the General Convention in 2006. It calls for restraint in ordaining bishops "whose...

It has been said by a president that america would only be defeated from within but I cant remember his name. The Bible I read says let GOD be true and every man a liar sometimes we as human, homosapien, or what ever you call yourself, because some people say they come from pluto when you ask them about GOD or when you invite them to come to church. Im gonna tell you a little about myself I go to church a lot im not religious im a spiritual man. The bible tells us GOD is a spirit and where...

Chiasmus is "a figure of speech by which the order of the words in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second" (Oxford Companion to English Literature, 1985 ed.). One way of identifying a chiastic quote is to mark the repeated words or phrases with the letters ABBA. To illustrate, one of the most familiar examples of this is the phrase spoken at the foot of the Cross: "He saved others, himself he cannot save." Which becomes: A. He saved B. others, B. himself A. he cannot save. There is an excellent web site dedicated to the...

If Mormons’ “HBO moment” was not bad enough, it seems that Hollywood, Broadway and the publishing world aren't likely to give up on portrayals of Latter-day Saints on screen, on stage and in books any time soon. Such Mormon portrayals, often stereotypical, have been showing up since the 1800s. For example, When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced detective Sherlock Holmes in the story, “A Study in Scarlet.” It was set against the backdrop of anti-Mormon inaccuracies about Latter-day Saints and their beliefs popular in England at the time. On a later visit to Utah he apologized for the inaccuracies. Here...

SAN ANSELMO, CA — Elizabeth Liebert will become the first Roman Catholic sister named as dean of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminary this summer when she takes over the position at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). With more than two decades of teaching experience at the 138-year-old seminary, Liebert will replace the Rev. Jana Childers, who will step down June 30 after nearly eight years as dean. “We are particularly pleased to be attaining a historic ecumenical milestone,” SFTS President Phil Butin said. “Dr. Liebert's deanship is a sterling example of SFTS's thoroughgoing commitment to ecumenical theological education.” “This seems...

Mormons don't get depressed. Or so we like to think. Of course, not every member got the memo. FYI: We Latter-day Saints get depression and anxiety like any other mortals. To think and act otherwise would be the same as to pretend we are above the laws of nature. To say that membership in the church is a ticket to a world free of depression and anxiety is like saying that all babies born in the covenant don't get colic. It is equally untrue that no kid in Primary acts out, no young men and women in Mutual have acne,...

In a groundbreaking case, a Paris court will decide for the first time whether to dissolve the Church of Scientology in France, which is facing charges of organized fraud. The demand was made by French prosecutors on Monday (June 15) as they wrapped up their case against the church's Paris headquarters and bookshop. If found guilty, the institutions may also face a nearly $6 million fine. Six members of the church are also on trial, and may also face heavy fines along with prison sentences if convicted. The plaintiffs, two former Scientologists, claim the church conned them into spending tens...

As the print edition of this issue of the Church News appears, it is 165 years to the day since the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage, Ill., on June 27, 1844. Today, perhaps more precisely than at any time in history, the prophecy of the visiting angel Moroni is being fulfilled that Joseph's name "should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people" (Joseph Smith — History 1:33). With the advent of the Information Age and the pervasiveness of...

MRMOVES - I was reading one of the questions in the faq where one person asks.... JOHN - "Asks whether President Hinckley contradicts Joseph Smith's concept about God once being a man" At one point you answer... President Hinckley could not say that we believe God was once a man like us, because it has never been identified as official Church doctrine... I was reading the book, " Preparing for a celestial marriage" where it bluntly talks about that God was once a man and that he was once like us, and I know that is a approved Church Manual....

There are several updates to the continuing Episcopal/Anglican saga in our area. ... Also last week, the nine other self-incorporated parishes with ties to the Anglican diocese headquartered in Fresno received letters from Lamb "to arrange the transition of all properties and assets back to the Episcopal Church." Two of those parishes are St. Francis in Turlock and St. James (the historic Red Church) in Sonora. Because of their independent status, those parishes were not named in the lawsuit the Episcopal Church filed against Anglican Bishop John-David Schofield and the rest of the parishes after they voted in December 2007...

Official Mormon Statements about the Bible: The Mormon church teaches that the Bible has been corrupted and does not contain the fullness of the gospel. This is reflected in one of their Articles of Faith which states: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly" (Pearl of Great Price). Joseph Smith stated: "it was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.10); "I believe the Bible as it read when...

Latter-day Saints love the Bible and believe it as scripture. Indeed, Joseph Smith went so far as to say that we are the only people who truly believe it as it is written. Modern, sectarian Christians hang Bible verses like ornaments on an artificial tree constructed of man-made creeds, ignoring the passages which conflict with or contradict their doctrines. In the process, they have allowed a number of myths about the Bible to be promulgated because it serves their own ends. The following eight myths are summarized from "Here We Stand" by Joseph Fielding McConkie (1995, Deseret Book) McConkie is...

... In this one chapter, we learn a lot. Moses speaks with God “face to face” in terms that indicate strongly that God indeed has a face. We learn of God’s Only Begotten Son. As the Father speaks with Moses and teaches him of Jesus Christ, we are reminded in clear scriptural terms that the Father and the Son are separate divine beings. We also learn something of ourselves, that we—left to our own resources—are “nothing,” yet we are sons and daughters of God created in the image of his Only Begotten, endowed with enormous potential. We learn about God’s...

" The Fruit of Provision " That bears ~ Eternal Sustainment ~ ( Father~Son~Spirit ) Tender to touch because he loves us so much, ( The Father ) It's revealing to see, For it consists of eternity, There is no depth or mind, For you are already mine, ( Jesus ) Your existance is within, I've captured your heart and released you from sin, So freedom is your eyes, (Holy Spirit- 7 eyes ) And my throne your disguise, For untouchable you have become, For you exist now in my kingdom, Do not be eager to leave, Just trust and...

Doors are now open for those that will, Not just any door but the ones that fulfill, Every jot and tittle of my word, And fresh prophecies of things never before heard, The rebellious and proud though shall not see, Anything from this tapestry, But as Korah shall be swallowed up, For my wrath shall be their only cup, So tune your hearing upon my will and testimony, Allow all of your flesh to die and you to will see, The grandure of this tapestry, For in my glory you shall share, If in this manner you meet me there,...

c. 2009 Salt Lake Tribune PROVO, Utah -- Tyson Boardman sits before the computer screen at the LDS Missionary Training Center, discussing Mormonism with Jason and Travis in two Internet conversations at the same time. Why do people say Mormons aren't Christian? What does it mean to be baptized for the dead? How do Mormons view Jesus? Why do you have a prophet? Answering these and many other Mormon-related queries is Boardman's full-time assignment as a two-year missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he loves it. "I've had questions from Canada, England and every part...

SOUTH JORDAN -- There were some 6,000 to 8,000 lightning strikes in the Salt Lake Valley Saturday, and it appears one of them struck the new Oquirrh Mountain temple. Witnesses say the lightning blackened the arm, trumpet and face of the Moroni statue that sits on top of the temple's steeple. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not confirmed the lightning strike.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A small international conference is taking place in Salt Lake City. For 22 years, scholars who are fascinated with new religions have gathered to study them. They have met in the U.S. only five times, twice in Salt Lake. Even though The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isn't new, it generates a lot of interest. The Center for Study on New Religions (CESNUR) was created in 1988 to look at faiths in southern Europe, mostly Christian, outside Catholicism. The small group represents many countries. The members rejected terms like "cult" or "sect." The center's...

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The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías, is celebrating the tenth anniversary of his weekly televised litany with a special edition, lasting four whole days. Yesterday, President Chávez greeted his god: "A big applause for Fidel, our father who art in Havana!" Dear Virgin of Tepeyac: pray for Latin America!

Prosecutors will not file charges against the couple who took their 19-year-old daughter to Texas after she converted to the LDS Church. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office announced the decision Wednesday afternoon. Alicia Cook, a spokeswoman for the office, said in an e-mail the decision was "based on information available at this time." Last month, Daniel and Gloria Alonso flew from Texas to Utah after learning their daughter, Danielle, converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In a Nebraska search warrant made public last week, investigators describe Daniel Alonso grabbing his daughter, pulling her outside...

Boston Vigil for Dr. Tiller Join the Boston community in sharing our grief and celebrating the life of Dr. George Tiller, a true hero for women across the country. Monday, June 1st 6pm St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral 138 Tremont St., Boston Across from the Park St. T stop Please help us spread the word via email, Facebook, Twitter, and texts. Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=88629078374&ref=nf Twitter hashtag: #BostonVigil and #Tiller (this one is attracting some unpleasant tweets, however) Dr. Tiller was shot and killed Sunday morning while serving as an usher at his church in Witchita, Kansas. Since the 1970s, Dr. Tiller...

On January 29, 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith formally decided to run for the office of president of the United States. What did he hope to accomplish?It began in 1839. The Prophet Joseph Smith, finally free after more than four months of imprisonment in Liberty, Missouri, had settled in Illinois, and the Saints had begun building what would become the city of Nauvoo. With the Missouri persecutions fresh in their minds, the Saints sought redress for the grievances they had suffered, but they were not successful.1Frustrated, Joseph determined to seek help from the federal government. After all, weren’t all Americans...

SALT LAKE CITY -- Christian Scientists in Utah welcomed their leaders to the state for the first time this weekend. The group of faithful members invited their leaders, members of a board of directors from Boston who oversee day-to-day operations of a worldwide faith as well as its long-term direction. "We're hopeful that this meeting and the dialogue that we'll have here will strengthen that sense of appreciation for what Christian Science has to offer the community," said Tom Black, a member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Board of Directors. The year 1909 marked the formation of a...

05.22.2009 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: The SubGenius Foundation, Inc. 1-216-320-9528 Fax: (216) 320-9528 stang@subgenius.com CLEVELAND, Ohio, May 22, 2009: The Church of the SubGenius has announced that the end of the world will take place in just over one month, on Sunday, July 5, 2009. In preparation for the fulfillment of this doomsday prophecy, the Church has issued a call to all of its members, to participate in a festival with rock concerts and blasphemous rituals taking place in upstate New York, during the final weekend before the arrival of the apocalypse. The Church of the SubGenius is a...

The minister of my wife's church is an atheist -- for all I can discern from the men's spirituality group that I attend. He is/was a communist (worked in south America with a Marxist teacher), is a Buddhist and also hates the rich. We are reading "The Bible" by Karen Armstrong and the minister keeps reiterating that Biblical interpretation is just all opinion -- like Karen's position --- that it is just poetry or myth. I asked if some of the members believe in heaven and they said no. I asked the minister the same question and he said "what...

By 7 p.m. on Monday, most people are winding down from a long day. But for the Twelve Tribes community of Ithaca, it’s time to celebrate. About 20 community members gather in a circle, hand in hand, while others fire up a CD player and offer homemade cookies and tea to those sitting in handcrafted chairs and sofas. Tonight is “M-Night,” a weekly event that takes place at their home on Third Street in Ithaca and whose name stands for Mondays, merrymaking, mirth and music. At this celebration, music and Israeli-style dancing are always on the agenda. To an observer,...

For those opposed to the Papacy, any enemy of Rome might become a friend. Take, for example, the Druids of ancient Britain, some of ancient Rome's most vividly imagined foes, savant savages, human sacrificers, wild men surrounded by naked women who lived and worked beneath bloodstained trees. Whether any Roman writer had ever actually seen a Druid, let alone visited their hideous groves, is a matter of much doubt. But when seventeenth century opponents of an English Catholic kingdom wanted to link themselves to the most flamboyant freedom fighters in their past, the English Druids, as fearsomely described by...

Those who fulfil Allah’s pact, and break not the covenant; And those who join what Allah has commanded to be joined, and fear their Lord, and dread the evil reckoning; Here is the bulletin insert [46kb PDF] on the Second Sunday After Epiphany, January 20, 2008, for St. Paul's Marquette, at which Kevin Thew Forrester presided, and substituted a passage from the Quran (13:20-23) for the New Testament reading. The Quran reading is at the top of page 3. Reader: A reading from the Quran In the name of God most merciful most compassionate. Is he, then, who knows that...

At the Worlds of Joseph Smith Conference held in Washington, D.C. in May 2005, BYU professor John Welch spoke about circumstantial pieces of evidence that he believes substantiates Joseph Smith’s claim as a prophet. Among the list of "evidence" Welch supplied was an inscription on a stone from the country of Yemen, which is located on the Saudi Arabian peninsula. Welch is not the first Mormon apologist to use this stone to legitimize the authenticity of both Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The question is, does this stone really have any great significance? Mormon Church-owned Ensign magazine covered...

United Church of Christ committee recommends condom distribution at churches Washington D.C., Mar 26, 2009 / 09:06 pm (CNA).- The HIV and AIDS Network of the United Church of Christ (UCC) is advocating that condoms should be distributed at places of worship and faith-based educational settings. The network called for condom distribution in its March 19 statement issued at a presentation to the UCC Wider Church Ministries Board, the Institute on Religion and Democracy reports. UCC executive Michael Shuenemeyer argued: “The practice of safer sex is a matter of life and death. People of faith make condoms available because we...

Today, many people generally view Mormons as a people with strong family values and clean living, according to one pastor at McLean Bible Church. Some also believe they are just one of many Christian denominations. But that view is the result of a multibillion dollar campaign over the last couple of decades by Mormons who have attempted to present themselves in such a way, according to Todd Phillips, teaching pastor at Frontline, the young adult ministry of McLean in Virginia. Many Americans, including Christians, see Mormons as "just another branch of Christianity who talk about Jesus all the time and...

I try to give religious fundamentalists the benefit of the doubt, innocent until proven guilty, and the like. I have members of my family who hold those beliefs, and they are good people in their personal relationships. But by the Gods I get tired of the crimes and wickedness of their leaders, and their more robotic followers. Nor am I only referring to the 'Christian' Right. McClatchy News Services performed admirably in reporting the truth under the Bush II regime, even while most of the corporate media might as well have been government controlled. Now they have done so again,...

The battle over the Constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance has taken a new turn recently, when the activist group Focus on the Masonic Family (FMF) brought a civil action lawsuit against the federal government for not including "under Cthulhu" in the elementary school pseudo-prayer. "American history is steeped in the tradition of the Masonic Order," said the leader of FMF, Grand Master Albert Baker. "Many of the world's greatest thinkers -- including many of our Founding Fathers -- were proud members of the Masonic Order." Indeed, such historic figures as Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, John Paul Jones, Paul Revere,...