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DOES ANYONE KNOW THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF MORMON MISSIONARIES? I AM INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT HOW MANY YOUNG PEOPLE SERVE AS MORMON MISSIONARIES WORLDWIDE.

Congressman says LDS Church would be best caretaker Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., is a survivor of the Nazi holocaust against Jews. To honor another religious group that faced adversity, Tuesday he became the first non-LDS member of Congress to formally back selling Martin's Cove in Wyoming to the LDS Church.       That is where a handcart company of Mormon pioneers was stranded in 1856. Many froze or starved before rescuers from Utah finally reached them.       Lantos' support comes just before a field hearing Saturday in Casper, Wyo., on a bill by Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah,...

The "city beautiful" is coming of age — and quickly. The newly reconstructed Nauvoo Temple sits on the same site as the original temple.Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News       With a modern population equivalent to only 10 percent of the 12,000 people who settled this former swamp in the 19th century, Nauvoo will experience a new influx of people come Monday. That's when the first wave of 350,000 visitors is to arrive for the beginning of a six-week open house for the newly reconstructed Nauvoo Temple, whose presence atop a hill west of the town's business district matches...

Local residents and the media get tour before open house After six years of construction, much of it guarded at gunpoint by pioneer craftsmen, the LDS Church's original Nauvoo Temple was dedicated 156 years ago today as most of its constituency had already been forced to migrate West. Members of the media are escorted into the 54,000-square-foot LDS temple in Nauvoo, Ill.Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News       Yet its descendant stands today on the same plot and in much the same form as the original, greeting scores of reporters and cameramen here Wednesday for their first tour of...

Utah Schools Praised for Religious Freedom Tuesday, April 2000 BY HEATHER MAY THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE To Utahns who sometimes feel alienated living in a state dominated by one faith, this might sound strange: The Beehive state is considered a leader in promoting religious liberty in its public classrooms. Instead of shying away from discussing religion and the tensions that sometimes rise between people of different faiths, some Utah educators are teaching their students about various world faiths and how to engage in religious debate civilly and respectfully. Meanwhile, teachers in other states struggle to bring up the topic at...

We certainly are at the potential dawn of a new age! Israel has produced a perfect Red Heifer. With this cow, it will now be possible to enter the temple grounds. By entering the Temple grounds, it will now be possible to begin the rebuilding of the Temple. Or the 3rd Temple as predicted in the Bible. It is also possible to produce endless numbers of Red Heifers now that one perfect cow has been produced. Genetic carbon copies are as easy to produce, now. We know that according to scripture, the AntiChrist will sit down in the Holy of...

Brother George Potter has lived in Arabia for 9 years. During the last 6 years he has explored Lehi’s trail. His discoveries can be viewed at Nephi project The fear of God and a score of other emotions filled my heart as I started climbing the mountain. It was a hot Arabian afternoon in May 1995. Our destination was the alleged cave where Elijah heard the still small voice of God. The question kept crossing my mind, “Are we the first LDS to step onto the real Mount Sinai?” If so, Craig Thorsted, Tom Culler and I were ascending the...

Why Read the Least Understood Book Once every four years we are assigned to study the Old Testament in Sunday School and to some that seems like too often. Though it is a book that is revered by the world, it is the least read and least understood book of scripture among members of the Church. Perhaps this is because we often think of the Book of Mormon as the record of scripture that is our contribution to Christendom, and that the Book of Mormon is what sets us apart. We see the Book of Mormon as written specifically for...

2 apostles assigned to live outside U.S. By Carrie A. MooreDeseret News religion editor       In a move to shepherd the growth and future of the LDS Church in the Philippines and Chile, Elders Dallin H. Oaks and Jeffrey R. Holland — both apostles — have been assigned to those nations, respectively, to serve as area presidents for one year beginning in August. Jeffrey R. Holland       Announcement of new assignments for the two, each a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve and a former president of Brigham Young University, came during a training...

<p>From Britney Spears' sexy gyrations to Marilyn Manson's violent lyrics, American kids contend with a barrage of explicit images every day.</p> <p>But should children be protected from such sensory assaults? And if so, who has that responsibility?</p> <p>Many artists say that burden lies with parents. Others believe entertainment industry executives should more strictly police their products. Most experts say the responsibility must be shared.</p>

Man who threatened apostle running for Congress The Associated Press on Saturday, March 16 The Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY -- A man who threatened an LDS Church official with a fake bomb nine years ago and spent time in a psychiatric hospital declared his candidacy on Friday for the 1st Congressional District. Cody Judy filed as a Democrat for the 1st District seat Jim Hansen is vacating. He is the second Democrat to file for the spot. Seven Republicans also have filed. The filing deadline is Monday. On Feb. 7, 1993, Judy stormed a meeting of 17,000 members of...

Temple reveals secrets of the one God Archaeologists believe they have uncovered origins of monotheism in northern Jordan Stephanie Saldana Daily Star Staff AMMAN: In a remote corner of Jordan, archaeologists have uncovered a room that may transform the way we think about God. Its massive stones still clinging to the damp hills of the Jordan River Valley, the Migdol Temple at first appears to be little more than an ancient network of fortified walls. Yet when Jordanian and Australian archaeologists working at the site of ancient Pella began piecing it together in 1997, it didn’t take them long to ...

The 2002 Winter Olympic Games may not have been the "Molympics," as many had feared, but the state's other religions received barely a mention by the 10,000 visiting journalists and only in passing. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on the other hand, got a boatload of free publicity. In the days leading up to the Feb. 8 Opening Ceremony, LDS media officials received more than 2,000 phone calls as reporters from all over the world scrambled to produce at least one "Mormon" story. In the days that followed, the LDS Church was mentioned in about 100 stories ...

A CONFESSION etched on a newly discovered lead sheet has shaken the Mormon Church by linking its revered leader, Brigham Young, with one of the worst massacres in American history. The note claims that the founder of Salt Lake City ordered the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre, when a wagon train of 120 settlers, mostly women and children, were killed after they had thrown down their weapons on a promise of safe passage. The Church of the Latter-Day Saints, as Mormons are properly known, first tried to blame Indians for the slaughter but after huge pressure from the federal government, John ...

Who has moved more hearts, shown more endurance, spent more time on the platform and inspired more tears during these Winter Olympics than . . . . . . the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? Dear Choir; What a fabulous honor it was to sing with you at the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. If I could've given you all a hug, believe me I would have. God bless you all. Love, Sting. Feb. 13, Florence, Italy That's the way it's been for two weeks &#151; one heartfelt review after another. Who knew? You figure the choir should've gone out of style ...

An annual survey of church demographics released this week shows The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now the fifth-largest denomination in the United States. But a top LDS leader doesn't expect a growth spurt because of attention to the faith during the Olympics. "I don't think we'll see a great surge in convert baptism but a great surge of better understanding and appreciation for what the Mormon Church really is," said Elder M. Russell Ballard of the church's Council of the Twelve Apostles. The National Council of Churches' 2002 "Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches," believed by ...

Toby Lester, the author of "Oh, Gods!" in the February Atlantic, talks about the Darwinian way in which religions evolve and mutate.hen Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses upon the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, in 1517, he could hardly have imagined that he would succeed in spawning a new, Protestant branch of the Christian Church. He would also no doubt be surprised if he could see the direction Protestantism has taken in the past 500 years. What would Luther think if he were somehow to visit the state of Utah, essentially a homeland for the Mormon church—a ...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. Mormon leader Brigham Young prophesied that someday "kings and emperors and the noble and wise" would visit his church's homeland, return to their nations and spread word of the faith. When Salt Lake City was awarded the Olympics, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Gordon B. Hinckley said it was the fulfillment of that prophesy. But now it seems the church known for proselyting has decided the best way to improve its image worldwide is by refraining from preaching to the tourists. It's a decision that Mormons in Las ...

Rocky Anderson, mayor of the city that will host the Winter Olympics next month, includes in his official press package an article he wrote about his happy hours pub-crawling with members of "the astoundingly beautiful Utah Bikini Team." Why was the mayor playing foosball at brew gardens with the current Mrs. Utah and her gal pals? It seems Anderson faces an unusual public relations challenge: how to convince the world that his city is not a Dullsville populated by teetotaling missionaries in skinny ties and sensible shoes. When Anderson met recently with a group of international journalists, they kept ...

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When the Salt Lake Winter Olympics unfold next month, the world will see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir starring at the Opening Ceremony, the Mormon Temple soaring above the nightly medals presentation, and a Mormon bishop, the Games' affable organizer, welcoming athletes and guests from all over the globe. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The XIX Winter Olympics will be a showcase for Salt Lake City and the institution that dominates the city -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormons are formally known. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But the Games also pose a dilemma for a religion with 60,000 missionaries. How to capitalize ...