Author: Sharon Lindbloom
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Saints George
Today is a national holiday in England — St. George’s Day. St. George was a soldier of noble birth who served in the Roman army in the early 4th century. When the Roman Emperor Diocletian began his horrific persecutions against the Christians, George responded by giving his worldly goods to the poor and publicly confessing…
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Tell It Like It Is
The student-run daily newspaper for Ohio University, The Post, recently ran an article titled, “Being Mormon in College”. In addition to interviewing a Mormon student for the article, journalist Amanda Wilcosky also spoke to the LDS missionaries on campus: “The missionaries said the founder of the religion and prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation from…
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The Murder of Parley P. Pratt
Over the weekend (April 14) Deseret Morning News reported that a group of interested people will be gathering in Arkansas on April 21st for a conference looking at the life and ministry of LDS Apostle Parley Pratt. I don’t know what the conference will be like, but if the report in Deseret News is any…
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With Love and Charity to All
Following the distribution of the Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith DVD last month, there have been many conversations and opinions published online regarding the Christian outreach effort. One exchange took place on the Salt Lake Tribune’s public forum. A Catholic woman, who believes in “love and charity to all” wrote to express her dismay over the DVD…
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Validating Post-Mormons
The LDS Church has had a rough month. It started with the March 25th outreach effort of Christians across the nation distributing thousands of DVDs on doorsteps which compared Mormonism with the Bible. Soon after that, the Church released a statement of their concern over the content of an upcoming PBS series titled “The Mormons”…
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Mormon Behavior, Mormon Speak
Today’s (9 April) New York Times carries an op-ed piece by Kenneth Woodward about Mitt Romney and Mormonism. A large portion of the article is dedicated to understanding why Americans are uncomfortable with Mr. Romney’s religion. Mr. Woodward writes: Among the reasons Americans distrust the Mormon church is Mormon clannishness. Because every worthy Mormon male…
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Never Having to Say You’re Sorry
The LDS Church has found itself in the middle of a custody battle.Mike Gulbraa served his LDS mission in Japan. Later, while attending BYU, Mike met and married a Japanese woman, Etsuko Tanizaki. They had two sons, Chris and Michael, before their marriage fell apart and the couple divorced. Etsuko remarried soon after. When Etsuko’s…
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The LDS Church is Not Amused
In today’s Deseret News there’s a story about a clash between the LDS Church and a coffee shop located in Taylorsville, Utah. The shop, Just Add Coffee, garnered the attention of the LDS Church when it began using a modified image of the angel Moroni in its advertising. The LDS Church’s intellectual property office sent…
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Worthy Historical Wonders
The Illinois Bureau of Tourism is trying to determine the Seven Wonders of Illinois. The state has been divided into seven areas with distinct attractions listed for each area. Visitors to the web site are invited to vote for their favorites once a day from March 5th through March 31st. Each week the field of…
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Comfortable Vilification of Rebels
An interesting, ongoing discussion is currently underway at the Feminist Mormon Housewives blog site. Begun by blogger fMhLisa exploring rebellion as a virtue (e.g., civil disobedience toward racial discrimination), the ensuing comment discussion has evolved into a consideration of modern revelation and rebellion in the LDS Church, including the treatment of rebels within Mormon culture.…
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Disruption by Revelation
John Singer was a Mormon with seven children. He and his wife, Vickie, lived west of Salt Lake City on their 2.5 acre farm in Marion, Utah. Dissatisfied with the public school system in the 1970s, Mr. Singer confronted school officials after seeing a picture in one of his children’s textbooks. It was a photo…
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Searching for Answers or Seeking Confirmation?
LDS Professor Robert L. Millet was asked to explain the main reason for the remarkable growth of the LDS Church. He replied, “The Church offers answers to some of life’s oldest questions: Where do I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going after death?” (Source) These three questions have traditionally held a…
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Different Worlds
On the newly revamped LDS web site there is a section titled Core Beliefs: Why and How Are Mormons Different? I really appreciate the effort of the LDS Church to acknowledge its doctrinal differences with historic Christianity, though I believe much of the information provided is severely lacking in clarity. I think this is due…
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Avoiding Pitfalls
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.-Romans 16:17-18- Some…
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LDS Church Reports Growth
The National Council of Churches Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2007 edition has just been released, reporting new church membership numbers and growth trends on 224 “national church bodies.” An online press release provides a taste of the information contained in the 439-page Yearbook, including membership and growth statistics for 25 of the largest…
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Negative Views of Mormonism
Last Friday the results of a Gallup Poll about Mormonism was released to the public. The survey included the opinions of 1,018 adults solicited nationwide at the end of February via telephone. The results of the poll show that 46% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the LDS religion while 42% hold a favorable…
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To Be Thought Acceptable
The Daily Toreador out of Lubbock, Texas today posted an article intriguingly titled “A lesson on LSD.” The author immediately comes clean: Oops, sorry for that misprint in the headline. Actually, I’m not sorry. I did it on purpose to get your attention. So now that I have it, what I really wanted to give…
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Mormon Polygamy: Comedy or Tragedy?
All over the news this weekend, all across the globe, was an Associated Press article about the polygamy of Mitt Romney’s ancestors. Journalists Jennifer Dobner and Glen Johnson have written an article that not only details the multiple marriages of Mr. Romney’s great- and great-great grandparents, but also takes a look at the history of…
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Sticks and Stones
In light of the heat Janet Langhart Cohen is taking for the comment she made on Tuesday’s Today Show regarding Mormonism’s racist past, I thought it might be good to review the definitions of a few labels currently being applied to Mrs. Cohen by many of those offended by her remarks. From the American Heritage…
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Cursed, But Not Ignorant
Yesterday, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, along with his wife Janet Langhart Cohen, appeared on the Today Show to talk about their new book, “Love in Black and White.” Being a mixed race couple, the Cohen’s book discusses their racial, religious and political differences. The Cohen’s appearance on the Today Show was to promote…