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Mormon, Catholic doctrines can collide (No coffee, tea in polling place?)
East Valley Tribune ^ | March 1, 2008 | Lawn Griffiths

Posted on 03/03/2008 11:08:00 AM PST by greyfoxx39

Religious and cultural traditions collide in odd ways.

• Is it right to tell election poll workers, assigned to Mormon church meeting houses, to not bring coffee, sodas or anything else caffeinated to refresh themselves during their long day tending to voters?

-SNIP-

First, let’s look at the polling place duties and sipping Maxwell House in the meeting house.

Longtime Tempe poll worker Mary Ann Hemmingson has signed up to work the polls for the March 11 election. She’ll spend her 14- or 15-hour day in a church, but no longer one that belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I never sign up to work at a Mormon church because the board workers there are not allowed to have any caffeine on the premises,” she said. “That means no coffee in the morning and no Diet Coke in the afternoon. ... You don’t want to see what I look like without my daily dose of caffeine. It’s not a pretty picture.”

“The Word of Wisdom” portion of the Doctrine and Covenants, put forth in 1833 by church founder and prophet Joseph Smith, says that “hot drinks are not for the body or belly.” Add to that what H. Burke Peterson, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, said in 1975: “We know that cola drinks contain the drug caffeine. We know caffeine is not wholesome nor prudent for the use of our bodies. It is only sound judgment to conclude that cola drinks and any others that contain caffeine or other harmful ingredients should not be used.”

Advising followers to restrict what they take into their bodies is one thing, but applying that mandate to those people who perform a public job inside their buildings in a one-day stint seems to be taking things too Far.

(Excerpt) Read more at eastvalleytribune.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: catholic; elections; lds; mormon; mormonism
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To: truth_seeker
May I suggest the Mormons will not kill you, over smuggling a diet coke into the polls?

My point is, WHY would you have to "smuggle" it? In 49 states, it's not a "controlled substance".

81 posted on 03/03/2008 1:16:27 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: greyfoxx39
I think you are allowed to comment in THIS forum ;)

For now!

(Until some bozo shows up and starts laughing like the Joker!)


82 posted on 03/03/2008 1:17:39 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

You are a jerk!


83 posted on 03/03/2008 1:18:09 PM PST by restornu ( Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand. ~ Alma)
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To: greyfoxx39

If a congregation is kind enough to permit the use of their space for polling, folks should respect rules like this that are minor annoyances, at most.


84 posted on 03/03/2008 1:19:10 PM PST by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: Elsie
You forgot the

Photobucket

We need it NOW, fer sure!

85 posted on 03/03/2008 1:21:01 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: restornu
You are a jerk!

Thank you for showing kindness to me.

86 posted on 03/03/2008 1:21:37 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: sitetest

NO, the polls should be moved to a neutral place.


87 posted on 03/03/2008 1:21:44 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: greyfoxx39
Horse hockey. I was a poll watcher in a public works hall in 2004. The workers, all elderly Democrat party hacks, took breaks whenever they wanted even though the lines were long and continuous from 10 a.m. to closing.

Like good union people, getting their customers served took a back seat to serving themselves. I could have worked faster than any three of them put together and I actually did whenever my wife took a break.

88 posted on 03/03/2008 1:26:09 PM PST by Vigilanteman ((Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud))
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To: greyfoxx39
Dear greyfoxx39,

“NO, the polls should be moved to a neutral place.”

That’s fine, too. But if the local board of elections has what they believe is a compelling reason to use an LDS building as a polling place, then they should makes sure that LDS rules like this are respected.


sitetest

89 posted on 03/03/2008 1:27:05 PM PST by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: Elsie
Gee, I just saw this notice RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE REPLY BOX!

Please: NO profanity, NO personal attacks, NO racism or violence in posts.

That must be some of the new-fangled stuff that John has added to the site since yesterday.....it SURELY was never there before, was it? /s

90 posted on 03/03/2008 1:27:40 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: Vigilanteman
Gee, you are able to observe every poll worker at every polling place in every state...how diligent of you.

Of course, MY eyewitness account would be discredited by you, as per the formula, wouldn't it?

91 posted on 03/03/2008 1:30:56 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: greyfoxx39

what REPLY box?


92 posted on 03/03/2008 1:33:11 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: HungarianGypsy
No caffeine? I know plenty of LDS people who drink cola drinks.

I know one too. His name is Jack.
93 posted on 03/03/2008 1:38:40 PM PST by rickomatic
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To: Elsie

Our Catholic buds took off with all the wine and crackers, muttering something about Europe’s rest... Yukon rice... something like that.

Oh, well. Who’s for beer and pretzels?


94 posted on 03/03/2008 1:41:10 PM PST by Enosh (†)
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To: greyfoxx39
there should be no polling in places where religion of any kind sets the rules for those not of that religion. Specifically because THERE IS NO ALTERNATE CHOICE FOR VOTERS IN THAT PRECINCT!

So the Government should just appropriate the buildings and maybe we can have them back when the election is over, LOL! I thought this was a forum for conservatives!

And I wouldn't be comfortable if ONLY poll workers of a specific religion would choose to work under these circumstances...never know when a candidate of said specific religion would need some extra "help".

Take a Smoke brake and walk across the street, then get a nip from the flask / Thermos in your car, then come back to work.

As for the "Helping hand" thing, I am glad you brought this up. Please show one, just one instance of "Mormon Election Fraud", Were waiting... (Crickets)

Move the polls OUT of religion-controlled venues.

The problem is the LDS church is the only one willing to lend enough places, or they'd be in schools like mine is.
95 posted on 03/03/2008 1:41:30 PM PST by DelphiUser ("You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think")
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To: Elsie
Oh, you know...when you click on "post reply" you see a page with a box for you to type things into....that's what I would call a reply box.

When I posted that, it said "Please: NO profanity, NO personal attacks, NO racism or violence in posts."

AND NOW, IN POSTING TO YOUR REPLY TO ME....IT ISN'T THERE UNDER THIS REPLY BOX!

BUT...when I click on "post reply" to all the other posts next to YOUR reply to me, IT IS THERE!

We have gremlins!

96 posted on 03/03/2008 1:42:04 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: DelphiUser
So the Government should just appropriate the buildings and maybe we can have them back when the election is over, LOL! I thought this was a forum for conservatives!

WHO suggested anything like that?

As for the "Helping hand" thing, I am glad you brought this up. Please show one, just one instance of "Mormon Election Fraud", Were waiting... (Crickets)

My, WHO said "Mormon Election Fraud"? LOL....projecting, are you? I said And I wouldn't be comfortable if ONLY poll workers of a specific religion would choose to work under these circumstances...never know when a candidate of said specific religion would need some extra "help".

The problem is the LDS church is the only one willing to lend enough places, or they'd be in schools like mine is.

I'm all for the polling places to be in schools...there certainly wouldn't be any religious control there! And quite possibly there are other churches that lend their facilities.

97 posted on 03/03/2008 1:51:06 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: Enosh
Our Catholic buds took off with all the wine and crackers, muttering something about Europe’s rest... Yukon rice... something like that.

It took a while to decipher that, but I am ROTFL....FUNNY!

98 posted on 03/03/2008 1:52:59 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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To: greyfoxx39
You possibly had diligent workers at your polling place. I'm not disputing your account if, indeed, it is an actual account which you witnessed. I wasn't there.

All I can say is that if a polling place is set up at church, mosque or whatever and the conditions for use of that property are agreed in advance, then such conditions should be followed no matter how silly they may seem.

The property owner is providing a public service by offering their building as a polling place. Those contracting for the polling place have the right to negotiate conditions for use of said property during said polling process. If they agree to said conditions, they should either honor them or find another place.

There is a far, far bigger problem in this area and Philadelphia with poll workers who won't even let poll watchers into the building to observe the process and report on suspicious and clearly fradulent activity such as ineligible and multiple voters, votes already on the machines and other crap far more serious than asking workers to duck outside in sunny Arizona for a swig of coffee.

99 posted on 03/03/2008 1:54:10 PM PST by Vigilanteman ((Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud))
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To: sitetest

The local board of elections should find a school instead of a church.


100 posted on 03/03/2008 1:55:02 PM PST by greyfoxx39 (TEFLON......IT'S NOT JUST FOR COOKWARE ANYMORE.)
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