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“War and Peace in Our Time: Mormon Perspectives” Claremont Graduate University March 18-19, 2011 Under the sponsorship of The LDS Council on Mormon Studies and the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame The program will address the critical issues of war and peace from a variety of Mormon perspectives. Elder Lance Wickman, former member of the First Quorum of Seventy and a Vietnam veteran, will deliver the keynote address on Friday evening, March 18. Complimentary dinners and lunches will be provided for those who register by March 11. Register by emailing information...

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's approval ratings have sunk to the lowest level of his presidency, so low that he'd lose the White House to Republican Mitt Romney if the election were held today, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.

Obama Spiritual Advisor Wallis' Bizarre Beck Obsession goes to New Zealand: Says Glenn is Afraid of Christians http://www.theblaze.com/stories/obama-spiritual-advisor-wallis-bizarre-beck-obsession-goes-to-new-zealand-says-glenn-is-afraid-of-christians/

Is the Mormon God the Christian God? The most important question to be asked when evaluating Robinson’s arguments for recognizing Mormonism as Christian is, “Is the God of Mormonism the God of Christianity?” If the Mormon God is not the Christian God then there can be no thought of understanding Mormonism as Christian. Robinson readily admits that much of what Mormonism teaches about God cannot be found in the Bible. He insists, however, that this does not mean that the Mormon God is not the biblical God, only that LDS modern revelation has explicated some areas concerning God on which...

Robinson contends that LDS Christology is both biblical and Christian, if one does not assume that the extrapolations of the Councils are equivalent to the testimony of Scripture.45 He writes that Latter-day Saints “accept the formula of ‘one God in three persons.’ However, we believe that the oneness of these three is not an ontological oneness of being (this is a creedal rather than a biblical affirmation), but a oneness of mind, purpose, power and intent.”46 Concerning the doctrine of the Trinity, he writes: If by “the doctrine of the Trinity” one means that the New Testament teaching that there...

Jensen and Blackmore, the daughters of Harold Blackmore and two of his wives, sisters Florence and Gwen, grew up in Lister, B.C. That's where Harold established a polygamist sect, Canadian Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known today as the community of Bountiful, B.C. They were asked to speak to a gathering of social workers and other child advocates at a conference sponsored by the Canadian Society for the Investigation of Child Abuse. As they talk about their experiences, they provide a rare glimpse into the world of polygamy, and the effects it has on the...

Sixth in a series Few church members have really encountered serious anti-Mormon arguments. Most have heard a few LDS-critical comments in the media or from acquaintances. Those who have attended General Conference, a temple open house, or an LDS historical pageant have probably seen the protesters and may have accepted, out of curiosity, some of their anti-Mormon literature. After browsing the literature it is typically thrown away and the member's testimony remains unscathed. Other members may stumble upon anti-Mormon literature on the Internet. In the privacy of one's own home, sitting alone at the computer, they may not be as...

Fifth in a series In 1841, while the Saints lived in Illinois, a political party was formed with the intent of out-voting the Mormons, who tended to vote in bloc. They called themselves the "Anti-Mormon Party." That same year the Anti-Mormon Almanac was printed, marking the first known published adjective use of "anti-Mormon." It was written with the intent of "exposing" Mormonism. Although historical evidence suggests it was the critics who initially applied the term "anti-Mormon" to themselves, some of today's critics are vehemently opposed to the label -- claiming the term is pejorative. While not all critics are anti-Mormons,...

Sure, you could get your friends those page-a-day Dilbert desk calendars. Or you could get them one of the new faith-based calendars, bringing daily meditation to a place you've never been before. Have you always thought Mormon men weren't worth ogling? Think again! The Mormons Exposed calendar exposes you to some of these Latter Day hotties. All in the name of Joseph Smith, as said six-packers are purportedly Mormon missionaries. Digging past the cheesecake, you can read bios of the missionaries, each of whom has chosen a charity to benefit from their proceeds of the calendar. Matthew, for instance, "is...

Four years ago the cultish film “Napoleon Dynamite” invaded our vernacular with affected utterances of geek anti-wisdom punctuated with words like “gosh” and “talons.” But beyond the ability to further dumb down our dialogue, the film also announced the arrival of Mormons in the entertainment industry. Or so the media told us. You see, because the geek chic “Napoleon” was made by and starred practicing members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we were supposed to anticipate a swell of Mormon artists in the mainstream arts world. After all, back then various studies concluded it was the...

To paraphrase the famous saying, hell hath no fury like a TV animator scorned. Specifically Trey Parker, who can't seem to get over his first girlfriend. Parker and Matt Stone have gone out of their way to lampoon the LDS Church in every artistic medium they've explored, from their student film in college to their huge success with the animated sitcom "South Park" to the just-announced "Mormon Musical" set for Broadway next year — all of which apparently stems from Parker having dated a Mormon girl in his youth. Whenever interviewers ask why Parker and Stone repeatedly skewer The Church...

In 1844, there were approximately 26,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet, when W.W. Phelps penned a song of tribute to his beloved, fallen prophet, he promised that "millions shall know Brother Joseph again." Those words were truly prophetic, says Mack Wilberg, conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which will be releasing a special Joseph Smith tribute album, "Praise to the Man," on Tuesday, the 203rd anniversary of the prophet's birth. Now known not only to the millions of members of the LDS Church, but also by countless more around the world, Joseph Smith has...

Parts of my article found at: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/840079/posts (disproof-inserts added by Bro. Frank Fantasia) "And so it was said that his name would be known for both good and evil." --D&C I am going to be rather bold here. I am both a proud and active member of the LDS Church and of the Fraternity of Freemasory. I have also had the privalege to study under a 9th generation Witch who is also a friend of mine. Becoming an author, I am also a University Student in Theology, History, Literature, Creative Writing, Fantasy, Philosophy and Poetry. I have been a practitioner...

SINCE its beginning in 1830, the Mormon Church has denied any continuous historical connection with Christianity. Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith, claimed that in 1820 God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in the woods near his home in Palmyra, New York. Jesus said that for the preceding 1700 years (give or take a century--Mormons can't say exactly) the world had been living in the darkness of a total apostasy from the gospel. This was the answer to a question young Smith had been pondering. "My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of...

SAN ANGELO, Texas – The first of more than 400 children taken from a polygamist compound boarded buses Tuesday bound for 16 emergency shelters, children's homes and foster care agencies throughout the state, including two in North Texas. As the buses rolled out, the children eagerly waved and smiled at television cameras. Lawyers inside the San Angelo Coliseum who were meeting with their adult or child clients said authorities allowed no one in or out while the children, 114 of them by day's end, were loaded onto the buses.

Texas child welfare officials say more than half the teen girls swept into state custody from a polygamist sect's ranch have been pregnant. Child Protective Services spokesman Darrell Azar says 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 were living on the ranch in Eldorado. Of that group, 31 already have children or are pregnant.

After decades of ignoring the polygamous sects of the American Southwest, state and federal officials are now cracking down on the child abuse and other illegal activity within them. Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), has been convicted of being an accomplice to rape and sentenced to two five years-to-life terms. Mohave County, Arizona, charged eight others for sexual conduct with minors in 2005. In March, 2006, the federal government fined one contractor over $10,000 in child labor law violations for using FLDS boys. Washington County, Utah, prosecutor Brock Belnap is investigating deaths of children in the...

This is the fifteenth episode of The Ancient Paths television program, hosted by Pastor Jason Wallace. In lieu of the new LDS movie on the life of Emma Smith (the first wife of Joseph Smith) Pastor Wallace welcomes back Sandra Tanner to discuss the historical details of the life of Emma Smith. The program airs on Wednesday nights at 8:00pm on KTMW-TV20, a station that is available in Utah and parts of surrounding states. The program is hosted by Christ Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City. This episode aired on 03/26/08.Scroll Down to Episode #15

Author Ed Decker, a former Mormon who has been one of the religion's staunchest critics for decades, says a vast majority of people who convert to Mormonism leave the religion within a year because they realize it's not Christian. Decker's latest book is called My Kingdom Come: A Mormon Quest for Godhood. He says the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends out about 60,000 volunteer missionaries around the world -- but most of the 300,000 annual converts, he notes, do not stick around. "Eighty percent [of converts] actually leave the Mormon church within the first year," states Decker....

Mitt Romney isn't the only casualty in his failed presidential bid. The Mormon church, yearning for broad acceptance, also took a beating. Extremists denounced Romney's campaign as a Mormon plot to take over the country. Some Evangelicals feared that a Mormon in the White House would draw more converts to his faith. Mormon practices were picked apart, even ones that had been abandoned long ago such as polygamy. Romney tried to focus on politics, but was often asked about sacred Mormon undergarments. "It is prejudice," said Richard Bushman, an emeritus professor at Columbia University, who is a leading historian and...