Who owns the name “Mormon”?

religionnews.com ^ | Apr 24, 2014 | Jana Riess

[Gamecock]

A fledgling Mormon dating site reports that IRI, the intellectual property rights arm of the LDS Church, is attempting to shutter the planned launch of Mormon Match because of its use of the word “Mormon” and its appropriation of an image of the Salt Lake Temple.

Here’s what the front page of the site-in-progress looks like now:

For a good discussion of the issues involved, see Holly Welker’s post in Religion Dispatches. (I don’t think RD’s headline is quite accurate, though; as far as I know, the Church has not filed a lawsuit but applied pressure and commenced an “opposition proceeding.” According to Courthousenews.com, the lawsuit in question was filed by one of the dating site’s co-founders in response to that pressure, which would make the Church’s intellectual property division the defendant, not the plaintiff, in the suit.)

At any rate, the question at issue is this: Who, if anyone, owns the rights to the word “Mormon”?

And secondarily, what would be the consequences if a judge determined that only the LDS Church had the right to use the word “Mormon” for commercial purposes?

For an illustrative snapshot, here are some ways the word “Mormon” intersects with my daily life.

• For Primary Sharing Time lessons and ideas, I head over to Mormon Mommy Blogs, which often has great resources.
• I have proudly served on the board of directors for a periodical called Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
• I have appeared as a guest on podcasts called “Mormon Matters,” “Mormon Expression,” “Mormon Stories,” and “Feminist Mormon Housewives.”
• If I want a solid orthodox perspective on a theological or historical issue, I consult FAIRMormon.
• To find out what is going on in the Mormon culture scene, I check out mormonartist.net or the Association of Mormon Letters website.
• And for all-around awesomeness, I love the blog Modern Mormon Men.

And that’s just a sampling. As you can see from this short list, liberals use the word Mormon — liberally. Conservatives use the word Mormon — also liberally.

Not one of the websites or organizations above is officially affiliated with the LDS Church, which also uses the word “Mormon” at will — the Mormon Newsroom, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Mormon Times, etc.

But surely the official LDS Church and its various arms are not the only groups that can lay claim to the moniker. “Mormon” is how we Mormons find each other. It’s probably how you found this blog post.

Many of the independent Mormon websites and periodicals sell products or advertising, making them commercial enterprises. When I go to the Mormon Mommy Blogs site, for example, I wade through ads for scrapbook tools and missionary gifts.

So, yes, someone over there is profiting, at least a little, from the word “Mormon.” But without that word, I might never have discovered the site in the first place. My poor Primary kids would be at the mercy of my own stunted imagination, and then I’d teach horrible lessons, and then I’d have to explain to all the parents why a whole crew of six-year-olds left the Church.

You see where I am going with this argument. Where would the Church draw the line to prohibit individuals and businesses from using the word “Mormon”?

This interference with the Mormon dating site already seems like a heavy-handed and provincial action for a denomination that aspires to be a global religion.

It seems perfectly fair to me for the Church to request, as it has done repeatedly, to be called by the name it chooses for itself: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, thank you very much. There is no such thing as “the Mormon Church,” at least in official usage. Fair enough.

What does not seem fair is to limit the use of the term “Mormon” to only those appropriations the Church formally approves of, which this statement suggests might be the Church’s ultimate goal:

“We believe we are well within our rights to protect both the use of the name of the church and the image of the Salt Lake temple and to make clear that the plaintiff’s business has no connection whatsoever to the church,” attorney Robert Schick told the Houston Chronicle.

By all means, protect the name of the Church. But as the Church has taken great pains to point out again and again, “Mormon” is not the name of the church.

In fact, two websites you would think might raise the hackles of the Church’s legal department — LDSSingles.com and LDSmatch.com — have not been “singled” out even though their names do approximate the official name of the Church.

Such a lack of clarity is enough to drive a Mormon — er, Latter-day Saint — er, Mormon — to drink.

[Graybeard58]

and then Joey Smith said that it means “more good”

Translated from "reformed Egyptian?

[Utah Binger]

The subject is a local rancher. He defends Mormonism but he “rolls his own”.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Face palm!

Every time I joke around with absurdities the Left goes and makes it reality!

Oy!

[elcid1970]

Soemtimes the threat to sue can produce victory, but in this case the BoM has been public domain for way too long.

Anyway, isn’t the onrush of information technology that seems to accelerate each minute, just shooting COJCOLDS doctrines and historiography to shreds!!? Aren’t their artifacts being proven forgeries faster than a snake oil salesman? Doesn’t the complete lack of archeological evidence of the existence of a North American Hebrew kingdom affect anyone’s beliefs? And the subsequent massacre of those blond Hebrews by dark skinned Jewish Indians with Siberian DNA, isn’t that raising a few eyebrows in Intermountain Zion? Sheesh! I mean, Shiz!

[Elsie]

And the subsequent massacre of those blond Hebrews by dark skinned Jewish Indians with Siberian DNA, isn’t that raising a few eyebrows in Intermountain Zion?

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"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind.

The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings.

This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race--that they should be the 'servant of servants', and they will be, until that curse is removed."

Brigham Young-President and second 'Prophet' of the Mormon Church, 1844-1877- Extract from Journal of Discourses.

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Here are two examples from their 'other testament', the Book of Mormon.

2 Nephi 5: 21 'And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people, the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.'

Alma 3: 6 'And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men.'

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August 27, 1954 in an address at Brigham Young University (BYU), Mormon Elder, Mark E Peterson, in speaking to a convention of teachers of religion at the college level, said:

"The discussion on civil rights, especially over the last 20 years, has drawn some very sharp lines. It has blinded the thinking of some of our own people, I believe. They have allowed their political affiliations to color their thinking to some extent.I think I have read enough to give you an idea of what the Negro is after."

"He is not just seeking the opportunity of sitting down in a cafe where white people eat. He isn't just trying to ride on the same streetcar or the same Pullman car with white people. It isn't that he just desires to go to the same theater as the white people. From this, and other interviews I have read, it appears that the Negro seeks absorption with the white race. He will not be satisfied until he achieves it by intermarriage."

"That is his objective and we must face it. We must not allow our feelings to carry us away, nor must we feel so sorry for Negroes that we will open our arms and embrace them with everything we have. Remember the little statement that we used to say about sin, 'First we pity, then endure, then embrace'...."

(Rosa Parks would have probably told Petersen under which wheel of the bus he should go sit.)

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1967, (then) Mormon President Ezra Taft Benson said,

"The Communist program for revolution in America has been in progress for many years and is far advanced. First of all, we must not place the blame upon Negroes. They are merely the unfortunate group that has been selected by professional Communist agitators to be used as the primary source of cannon fodder."

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We are told that on June 8, 1978, it was 'revealed' to the then president, Spencer Kimball, that people of color could now gain entry into the priesthood.

According to the church, Kimball spent many long hours petitioning God, begging him to give worthy black people the priesthood. God finally relented.

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Sometime before the 'revelation' came to chief 'Prophet' Spencer Kimball in June 1978, General Authority, Bruce R McConkie had said:

"The Blacks are denied the Priesthood; under no circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty.

The Negroes are not equal with other races where the receipt of certain blessings are concerned, particularly the priesthood and the temple blessings that flow there from, but this inequality is not of man's origin, it is the Lord's doings."

(Mormon Doctrine, pp. 526-527).

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When Mormon 'Apostle' Mark E Petersen spoke on 'Race Problems- As they affect the Church' at the BYU campus in 1954, the following was also said:

"...if the negro accepts the gospel with real, sincere faith, and is really converted, to give him the blessings of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, he can and will enter the celestial kingdom. He will go there as a servant, but he will get celestial glory."

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When Mormon 'Prophet' and second President of the Church, Brigham Young, spoke in 1863 the following was also said:

"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God is death on the spot. This will always be so."

(Journal of Discourses, Vo. 10, p. 110)

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Yeah; Native Americans are althroughout the Book of MORMON; too.

 

“I saw a striking contrast in the progress of the Indian people today ... they are fast becoming a white and delightsome people.... For years they have been growing delightsome, and they are now becoming white and delightsome, as they were promised.... The children in the home placement program in Utah are often lighter than their brothers and sisters in the hogans on the reservation.

At one meeting a father and mother and their sixteen-year-old daughter were present, the little member girl-sixteen-sitting between the dark father and mother, and it was evident she was several shades lighter than her parents—on the same reservation, in the same hogan, subject to the same sun and wind and weather.... These young members of the Church are changing to whiteness and to delightsomeness.

One white elder jokingly said that he and his companion were donating blood regularly to the hospital in the hope that the process might be accelerated.

 

(Improvement Era, December 1960, pp.922-23). (p. 209)

 

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[elcid1970]

The quote about Mormon Indians getting lighter & more delightsomer - there’s an obsession with skin color at the very heart of LDS doctrine.

The only Jewish Indian that I’m aware of was in Blazing Saddles:

“Cop a walk, it’s all right!”

[Elsie]

Off with his head!

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

There’s Mormon, Moroni, Mosiah, Ether, Nephi, Helaman, Omni, Lehi, Jarom, Alma, and...(first prize!)...SHIZ!!!

Wasn't there like a Bob or a Joe in there too? Maybe Elsie knows.

[Elsie]

Wasn't there like a Bob or a Joe in there too?

Da Shadow do!!

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Well, there is SAM (not Samuel but SAM) found in the introductory stuff HERE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The First Book of Nephi

His Reign and Ministry

 

 

 

An account of Lehi and his wife Sariah, and his four sons, being called, (beginning at the eldest) Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. The Lord warns Lehi to depart out of the land of Jerusalem, because he prophesieth unto the people concerning their iniquity and they seek to destroy his life. He taketh three days’ journey into the wilderness with his family. Nephi taketh his brethren and returneth to the land of Jerusalem after the record of the Jews. The account of their sufferings. They take the daughters of Ishmael to wife. They take their families and depart into the wilderness. Their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness. The course of their travels. They come to the large waters. Nephi’s brethren rebel against him. He confoundeth them, and buildeth a ship. They call the name of the place Bountiful. They cross the large waters into the promised land, and so forth. This is according to the account of Nephi; or in other words, I, Nephi, wrote this record.

 

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Chapter 1

Nephi begins the record of his people—Lehi sees in vision a pillar of fire and reads from a book of prophecy—He praises God, foretells the coming of the Messiah, and prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem—He is persecuted by the Jews. About 600 B.C.

 1 I, Nephi, having been ^aborn of ^bgoodly ^cparents, therefore I was ^dtaught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many ^eafflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a ^frecord of my proceedings in my days.

 2 Yea, I make a record in the ^alanguage of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.

 3 And I know that the record which I make is ^atrue; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.

 4 For it came to pass in the commencement of the ^afirst year of the reign of ^bZedekiah, king of Judah, (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at ^cJerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many ^dprophets, prophesying unto the people that they must ^erepent, or the great city ^fJerusalem must be destroyed.

 5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his ^aheart, in behalf of his people.

 6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a ^apillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did ^bquake and tremble exceedingly.

 7 And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being ^aovercome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.

 8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a ^avision, even that he saw the ^bheavens open, and he thought he ^csaw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.

 9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his ^aluster was above that of the sun at noon-day.

 10 And he also saw ^atwelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.

 11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and ^astood before my father, and gave unto him a ^bbook, and bade him that he should read.

 12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the ^aSpirit of the Lord.

 13 And he read, saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine ^aabominations! Yea, and many things did my father read concerning ^bJerusalem—that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be ^ccarried away captive into Babylon.

 14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy ^apower, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who ^bcome unto thee that they shall perish!

 15 And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him.

 16 And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in ^avisions and in ^bdreams; and he also hath written many things which he ^cprophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account.

 17 But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an ^aabridgment of the record of my ^bfather, upon ^cplates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my ^dfather then will I make an account of mine own life.

 18 Therefore, I would that ye should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the ^adestruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to ^bprophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.

 19 And it came to pass that the ^aJews did ^bmock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their ^cwickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a ^dMessiah, and also the redemption of the world.

 20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had ^acast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also ^bsought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender ^cmercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of ^ddeliverance.

[Elsie]

Maybe Elsie knows.

Da Shadow do!!

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Well, SAM (not Samuel but SAM) is found in the eighth chapter...

 

 

 

 

The First Book of Nephi

Chapter 8

Lehi sees a vision of the tree of life—He partakes of its fruit and desires his family to do likewise—He sees a rod of iron, a strait and narrow path, and the mists of darkness that enshroud men—Sariah, Nephi, and Sam partake of the fruit, but Laman and Lemuel refuse. About 600–592 B.C.

 1 And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of ^aseeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind.

 2 And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have ^adreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have ^bseen a ^cvision.

 3 And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of ^aNephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.

 4 But behold, ^aLaman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.

 5 And it came to pass that I saw a ^aman, and he was dressed in a white ^brobe; and he came and stood before me.

 6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.

 7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.

 8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have ^amercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.

 9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious ^afield.

 10 And it came to pass that I beheld a ^atree, whose ^bfruit was desirable to make one ^chappy.

 11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the ^afruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the ^bwhiteness that I had ever seen.

 12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great ^ajoy; wherefore, I began to be ^bdesirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was ^cdesirable above all other fruit.

 13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a ^ariver of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.

 14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and ^aNephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.

 15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.

 16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.

 17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.

 18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would ^anot come unto me and partake of the fruit.

 19 And I beheld a ^arod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

 20 And I also beheld a ^astrait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a ^bworld.

 21 And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were ^apressing forward, that they might obtain the ^bpath which led unto the tree by which I stood.

 22 And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.

 23 And it came to pass that there arose a ^amist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were ^blost.

 24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, ^aclinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the ^bfruit of the tree.

 25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ^aashamed.

 26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the ^aother side of the river of water, a great and ^bspacious building; and it stood as it were in the ^cair, high above the earth.

 27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the ^aattitude of ^bmocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

 28 And after they had ^atasted of the fruit they were ^bashamed, because of those that were ^cscoffing at them; and they ^dfell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

 29 And now I, Nephi, do not speak ^aall the words of my father.

 30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the ^arod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.

 31 And he also saw other ^amultitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.

 32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the ^adepths of the ^bfountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.

 33 And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of ^ascorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.

 34 These are the words of my father: For as many as ^aheeded them, had fallen away.

 35 And ^aLaman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, said my father.

 36 And it came to pass after my father had spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many, he said unto us, because of these things which he saw in a vision, he exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel; yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord.

 37 And he did ^aexhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.

 38 And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them.

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The Official Scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Rights and use information. Privacy policy.

[Elsie]

Wasn't there like a Bob or a Joe in there too?

Those are mighty plain names.

Perhaps you'd like a sampling of Modern Mormon Male names??

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http://wesclark.com/ubn/males.html

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Tee hee! And Sam! How random! Guess he tuckered out for his writing that day or thought “Sam” really was a biblical name.

[Colofornian]

Three years ago, I posted this testimonial link from an ex-Mormon named Tracy (Crookston) Tennant on FR:
Ex-Mormon Testimonies: Personal stories told by real people on why they left the Mormon church

Last week, she signed up on FR as JavaGirlTT and made this comment on the above link:

I’m not part of the Free Republic Forum, but have seen links to my testimony here when doing a Google search on my name. I signed up just to see what was being said about me :-)

For anyone interested in reading more about my journey out of Mormonism, my story is now a published book; “Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me.”

Synopsis: “Tracy Tennant’s compelling and inspirational account of raising and homeschooling ten children as a devout Mormon mother. Her story provides insight into Mormon lifestyle, practices, and beliefs. Her life as a Latter-day Saint was rich with humor and drama, as well as the mundane aspects of trying to live worthily as a temple-attending woman preparing her family for life in the future Celestial Kingdom. After discovering solid historical evidence against Joseph Smith and the teachings of the Mormon Church, Tracy faced heartbreaking rejection from many of her former Mormon friends and loved ones. While her account details her journey out of Mormonism into Biblical-based faith, she acknowledges and credits the Mormon people who made a positive impact on her life. Mormonism, The Matrix & Me is a book that is an intense walk through Tracy’s life as she enters and exits a world known as Mormonism, while eloquently comparing her story to the blockbuster movie, ‘The Matrix.’ Her story will cause many to open their eyes to the world around them.”

To Colofornian, whoever you are; thank you for your kind words and encouragement!