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Pat Waldron asserts that Mormons are Christians and offers these reasons: First, Mormons call themselves "The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints." Second, Mormon temples contain pictures of Jesus. Third, the Mormon choir will "bring tears to your eyes, if you are a Christian." And, fourth, Mormons are nice people. But these "reasons" are hardly convincing because they deal only with superficial appearances. A more robust analysis reveals that Mormons reject absolutely essential Biblical beliefs that Christians have held for centuries. First, Mormons reject the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Christians believe that there is one God...

From San Francisco, the controversy over the White House decision to require religious-affiliated employers to provide contraception in their employee health care benefits has felt like an argument about the barn door being open years after the horse got out of the barn. In 1996, San Francisco effectively forced Catholic Charities to offer domestic-partner benefits for same-sex couples (without calling them domestic-partner benefits) in order to receive city funds to care for the sick. A 1999 law made California one of 28 states that now require employers to include contraception in health-care plans that cover prescriptions. Yet the Obama administration...

The following is an essay by Robert L. Millet, professor of religion and emeritus dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University.The issue of whether Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are Christian is not a new one, but the current media climate has caused the question to be revisited in both private and public conversations. No matter the circumstances, the underlying question is an important one and a matter whose implications reach well beyond the momentary news cycle.BackgroundsIn the early decades of the 19th century, upstate New York came to be known as the “Burnt Over District” during the second Great Awakening...

"Reizei's [Princeton U.] Blog from America"(My Translation/Summary): "There were three reasons for the stunning Rick Santorum three-state victory which shook the GOP establishment and dented the crown of the presumed frontrunner Mr. Mitt Romney....(snip)........(The) Third explanation is bound up in a very interesting religious development as we speak. At the end of January, the Obama Administration made the following mandate: "Catholic related schools, institutions, and hospitals must be forced to provide birth control (pill), etc. under the health plan of the United States, even to those who are not Catholic believers, otherwise they are in violation."The Obama Administration was...

Last week, the Obama administration finalized a radical new rule that uses the health care law to require all health insurance providers to cover abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization as well as contraception, all free of charge. The administration based the rule’s “religious exemption” on a provision drafted by the ACLU, applying the rule even to religious organizations such as Catholic schools, hospitals, universities, and charities that oppose such things as a matter of religious belief. The weak exemption the administration allowed applies only to religious organizations serving primarily people of the same religion. It is so narrow that Timothy Dolan,...

The U.S. Military Academy pressured a retired U.S. lieutenant general to withdraw from speaking at a West Point prayer breakfast after Muslims and atheists complained, Fox News & Commentary has learned. Retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin was scheduled to deliver a speech at West Point on Feb. 8. But late Monday, the military academy released a statement saying he had decided to withdraw from speaking and would be replaced with another speaker. However, a source close to the controversy told Fox News & Commentary that Boykin was pressured to withdraw. “It was very clear they wanted General Boykin to withdraw,”...

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A figurative beat down turned literal beating has led to the felony arrests of a group of local high school football players. Police arrested four Star International Academy seniors Wednesday on aggravated assault charges stemming from an altercation in the team’s last game of the season. The players -- Mohamed Ahmed, Fanar Al-Alsady, Hadee Attia and Ali Bajjey, all age 17 -- are accused of gang-beating Lutheran Westland’s quarterback as time expired in Lutheran’s 47-6 drubbing of Star on Oct. 21. According to numerous witness statements gathered by police, Lutheran’s quarterback was set to take a knee...

Gannett Newspaper, Link Only: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120121/NEWS04/301200120/Vanderbilt-s-Christian-Legal-Society-says-anti-bias-policy-discriminates?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

LUNDALE - Members of the Lundale Freewill Baptist Church in Logan County are wondering who shot a statue of Jesus in front of their building. They noticed a bullet mark on the forehead of a statue of Jesus. The church is located along Buffalo Creek. The church's pastor Bobby Adkins says he isn't angry, just disappointed that someone would do such a thing. "As far as I know we don't have an enemy in that community or even on Buffalo Creek. If I do I don't know about it," Adkins said. Adkins said he isn't planning to press charges but...

10. Thoughts on Islam Omar Kader, “Thoughts on Islam,” in Mormons and Muslims: Spiritual Foundations and Modern Manifestations, ed. Spencer J. Palmer (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University 2002), 105–9.Thoughts on Islam Omar KaderOmar Kader received his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University, did graduate work at the Middle East Center of the University of Utah, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Southern California in international relations. At the time of the symposium, he taught at BYU and has taught extensively courses on the U.S. and the Third World, with particular focus...

The White House is pushing back against claims from a new tell-all book that staff kept an extravagant, Hollywood-created Halloween Party under wraps due to fear it would create imaging problems.

After spending at least 15 minutes on contraception and gay marriage, Newt finally had enough and told the media the bigotry question goes both ways and that there’s more “anti-Christian bigotry out there than there is concern on the other side” that the media ignores:

The Washington Post proclaimed in a recent headline another historic “first” for the United States — the first female usher-in-chief at the White House. Stop the presses! The accompanying story reveals that the nominee hails from Jamaica, so it’s probably a two-fer. Oh boy.The Post and other liberal organs are obsessed with firsts. The first female letter carrier to handle the Capitol Hill route will get a mention in the press. The first African-American anything is guaranteed at least a nod. You don’t even have to be first to get “first” treatment. The last two Supreme Court nominees have been...

What most LDS have been taught in church and believe as truthPolygamy was illegalPolygamy contradicts 12th Article of FaithWere there more women than men?LDS scriptures condemn polygamyPolygamy was started by Joseph Smith not Brigham YoungJoseph married other men's wives while they were still married to their husbandsDid Joseph have sex with his wives?Joseph married girls as young as 14 years oldJoseph lied about practicing polygamyThe Church condemned polygamy when Joseph practiced itThe Church continued to practice polygamy after 1890The Reed Smoot HearingsQuotes from the prophetsIs polygamy a doctrine of the LDS Church?How many people in the Church practiced polygamy?Will...

The Pharisees come in for a lot of criticism in the New Testament and, picking up on this, Christians down the generations have come to use the name as a byword for someone who is overzealous and legalistic. This is a correct application and you can see why. “When he [John the Baptist] saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them; 'You brood of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.'” (Mt.3:7-8) Pronouncing seven woes on Pharisees and experts in the law Jesus...

In September, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Gordon B. Hinckley appeared on Larry King Live for a rare television interview. During the friendly exchange of questions and answers, Hinckley was predictably asked about polygamy. Contemporary Utah polygamy has recently been thrust into the international consciousness after a bruised and bloodied 15-year-old girl called police from a gas station in Cache County last May. She claimed she had been beaten by her father, John Daniel Kingston, for running away from a marriage as 15th wife to her 32-year-old uncle, David Kingston. The Mormon leader responded to King by...

Bookmark and Share Text Size A | A | A December 12, 2011 Special Dispatch No.4354 Sheikh Ahmad Abu Quddum of Jordan's Tahrir Party Discusses Jihad Against Germany, Pledges to Impose 'Jizya' Poll Tax on Non-Muslims, and Vows to Annihilate Israel Following are excerpts from an interview with Sheikh Ahmad Abu Quddum of the Tahrir Party in Jordan, which aired on JoSat TV on December 8, 2011. JoSat, a private Jordanian channel, is owned by businessman Riyadh Al-Huroub. His wife, Rula Al-Huroub, is the moderator on this show. Sheikh Ahmad Abu Al-Quddum is a leader of the Tahrir party in...

This seems like a basic enough question that needs addressing by Mormons. Where does this article go? 1. The Mormon church claims to be a “Christian” church – much like fundamentalist Mormons (fLDS) who claim to be "Mormon." Mainstream Mormons object to that inclusion -- much the same Christians object to counterfeit religions claiming authenticity -- at the expense of Christians, of course! 2. Where might boundaries be established and respected when it comes from moving from one religion to another? Where are Mormonism's misguided boundaries? 3. Does it sound very “civil” for Mormon “prophets” to label all those who...

Is the pulpit brain-washing blacks against supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgendered (LGBT) people? It depends on who you ask. LGBT advocates have different perspectives on why blacks do not align themselves with gay rights causes. To varying degrees, many LGBT rights advocates say that the church is the singlemost influential factor in black opinion on homosexuality. Antonio David Garcia, executive director of Affirmations, a Detroit-area LGBT civil rights group, says what’s worse is that those opinions are often homophobic and go unchallenged. “Everyday we face religious bigotry [from the church],” Garcia says. “They’ve got to start questioning some of...

It’s an Obama world. While we were preoccupied with other disastrous Obama policies, military bureaucrats under Barack Obama passed a new rule that barred loved ones from bringing Bibles to wounded soldiers. The US Military says they are rescinding the order but only after a Republican lawmaker denounced the policy on the House floor. Todd Starnes reported: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said they are rescinding a policy that prohibits family members of wounded military troops from bringing Bibles or any religious reading materials to their loved ones. The decision to rescind the ban on Bibles came exactly one...

As the Christmas shopping season begins full swing, AFA and OneMillionMoms.com has prepared its annual "Naughty or Nice" retailer list. We have taken the top 100 national retailers and reviewed their websites, media advertising and in-store signage in an effort to help you know which companies are Christmas-friendly. Over the past five years, your AFA/OMM has stood firm in the "War on Christmas." Companies who once refused to acknowledge Christmas now have Christmas "shops" inside their stores. Many of them now liberally use "Christmas" in their advertising and in-store signage. Sadly, there are still some companies which refuse to use...

The young man in the video pulls in close to his computer camera with the trappings of a typical college dorm room—a loft bed and the clutter of cast-off clothes—piled behind him. Alex Fiorentini isn’t talking about girls, beer or football. Instead, it’s a coming-out moment of sorts. “Is it acceptable to the majority of the population to be an atheist?” he asks the camera. “Nope. Are all of your friends going to accept you as an atheist? Probably not all of them. And yeah, those things are gonna suck. But the real question is, ‘Is it OK to be...

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees. In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees;...

The Obama administration has stepped into another controversy by announcing its opposition to the inclusion of a plaque depicting Franklin Roosevelt's D-Day prayer at the memorial that celebrates his life and presidency. The proposal to include the prayer is being offered by Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, and has bipartisan support. It is expected to pass committee, then be passed by the House. Its fate in the Senate is unclear. The objection was raised by Robert Abbey, the director of the Bureau of Land Management, who claimed such a plaque would "dilute" the memorial's central message and therefore should not be...

(CNN) -- In the very early hours of this morning, "don't ask, don't tell" ceased to be U.S. policy. As a result, today is the first day I can write about being the partner of a gay military serviceman without fear that he will lose his job. ... The battle has only been half won. Gay servicemen or servicewomen can no longer be discharged simply for being gay, but they are still treated inequitably. Only by using their newly won free speech can they hope to reap the same benefits as their straight colleagues.

By Francis J. Beckwith 1 In a piece recently published in the Catholic and Evangelical portals of the Patheos website, Warren Cole Smith explains why he cannot support Mitt Romney’s candidacy for President of the United States. “A Vote for Romney is a Vote for the LDS Church” reminded me of the sort of anti-Catholic screeds that were widely published during the presidential candidacy of Senator John F. Kennedy. Catholics conversant with the 1960 election will recognize in Mr. Smith’s piece the sort of histrionics that were employed against them and their faith in the not-too-distant past. Consider this excerpt...

From a Middle East correspondent: Beirut Arab news agency al Nashra reported on Saturday November 22, that [White House Muslim envoy] Dalia Mogahed has succeeded in canceling a meeting between the Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon and President Barack Obama. Writing in al Nashra, the reporter said “an unnamed US source told the news agency, that those who sought canceling a visit of (the spiritual head of the Maronite Church) Patriarch Beshara Rahi to the White House are Dalia Mujahid (Mogahed), the highest adviser on Arab and Islamic Affairs in the State Department, who is from Egyptian origins. And that,” according...

Franky Schaeffer is the son of the late, highly influential evangelical thinker Francis Schaeffer, who helped shape the modern conservative evangelical movement. The son boasts he was himself a co-founder of the Religious Right. But he since has denounced Christianity as “stupid,” writes bitter tell-all books about his parents, and ferociously attacks conservative religionists as the virtual root cause of all American evils. A blogger for The Huffington Post, young Schaeffer is now faulting religious conservatives for facilitating Wall Street greed. He’s imploring the Wall Street Occupiers to “protest the root source of America’s tilt to the far unregulated corporate...

I had been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints for just a few days when I encountered my first experience of anti-Mormon prejudice. -SNIP- “But you’re not Christian and you don’t believe in forgiveness.” It was not a question, but a declaration, delivered with a finality reminiscent of a judge’s gavel rendering verdict on a hapless miscreant. -SNIP-Mormons do not pretend that their understanding of Christ is identical to that of Christian orthodoxy. We embrace the New Testament and much of what the modern Christian world teaches about the Savior of the world, but...

In August, fundamentalist preacher Dr. Michael Brown organized a regimen of red shirted Bible-thumpers to infiltrate Charlotte's gay pride event. Hundreds of zealots confronted and harassed festival attendees with their arrogant slogan "God Has A Better Way." The hatred and religious bigotry was appalling, but not surprising. What truly bothers me, however, was the lack of mainstream Christians standing up and speaking out against such fanatical behavior. Virtually every time I write about the Religious Right I'm reminded by the faithful that "not all Christians are like that." Of course, this is true and some of the most dedicated activists...

In the early morning hours, on the eve of a banquet designed to expose the homosexual activist agenda, security cameras on the campus of the Christian Liberty Academy, a school run by the Church of Christian Liberty in Arlington Heights, Ill., captured what may be a prominent example of an anti-Christian "hate crime." An unknown vandal or vandals threw chunks of concrete bricks through the school's entryway with a message protesting the banquet, which was planned by Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, or AFTAH, to honor pro-family activist and author of "The Pink Swastika," Dr. Scott Lively. Upon the concrete...

WASHINGTON — As a Mormon who did his missionary work in France, Mitt Romney knows something of uphill battles. Imagine spreading a faith that renounces smoking, coffee and alcohol in the cafes of Paris. Romney’s current task may seem easy in comparison. But his religious beliefs remain an obstacle. About 20 percent of Republicans and 23 percent of Protestants tell Gallup they would not support a Mormon for president. A portion of conservative Christianity is unhinged in its condemnation, regarding Mormonism as a dangerous, secretive cult. Even without recourse to calumny, it is clear that evangelicals will not be reconciled...

Mark 400th Anniversary of King James Version by Studying Bible “It is not by chance or coincidence that we have the Bible today,” says Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He explains that the Bible exists because of the obedience of righteous individuals who followed promptings to record sacred experiences and teachings, as well as the faith and courage of others who later sacrificed much to “protect and preserve” the Bible. Credit is also due, he says, to men such as John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and Johannes Gutenberg, who translated and published the Bible...

"The Book of Mormon" debuted this year as a Broadway hit that won nine Tonys, and the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination features not one, but two candidates of the Mormon faith. Now the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is launching a major expansion of its "I'm a Mormon" advertising campaign, which, church officials say, seeks to educate the public and dispel myths about one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. Beginning this week, a dozen U.S. cities in seven states will be targeted by the Salt Lake City-based church with ads on television, city...

  Now They Want To Ban “Bless You” David C. Stolinsky Oct. 3, 2011 High-school teacher lowers student’s grade for saying “Bless you” when a classmate sneezes.− News item Theophobia means “fear of God.” This is not a normal fear, as in the biblical “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” That type of fear is a magnified version of our feeling for our parents: a mixture of love and respect, tinged with a bit of actual fear. Nor is it a fear of divine punishment. On the contrary, this is a pathological, neurotic fear. It is...

I found this article "Our Relationship With the Lord" written by Bruce R. McConkie and found in the BYU Devotional dated March 2, 1982. This portion of the article left me somewhat stunned : "5. Christ worked out his own salvation by worshiping the Father.After the Firstborn of the Father, while yet a spirit being, had gained power and intelligence that made him like unto God; after he had become, under the Father, the Creator of worlds without number; after he had reigned on the throne of eternal power as the Lord Omnipotent-- after all this he yet had to...

The parade of hate crimes continue. This time the perpetrator is Vanderbilt University which has put five Christian student organizations on provisional status for being, well, Christian clubs. Vanderbilt was founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in the 1870s, with a donation from philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt. Thus, as is the case with 106 of the first 108 colleges and the universities in the United States, Vanderbilt was brought into existence by followers of Jesus Christ. Now his followers are being tagged as homophobic bigots and threatened with expulsion from campus because of their sincerely held religious beliefs. Worse, Vanderbilt has...

LENO: You and Perry went over this HPVvaccine topic. Explain this whole deal. BACHMANN: Well, there was a situation where it was an abuse of executive power. And that's something that the governor admitted, that it was an abuse of executive power. It was an action by the governor to write an executive order to order all 12-year-old girls to have an injection before they could go into school. LENO: But it was never implemented; right? He signed it, but it was never implemented. BACHMANN: Right, right, right. LENO: OK. BACHMANN: But it was highly controversial, and the Legislature in...

This from the scribe who's devoted an inordinate amount of time over the last three years to indulging a bizarre conspiratorial obsession with Sarah Palin's uterus. His new admonition: Be careful what you wish for, wingnuts -- an Obama loss in 2012 could trigger a neo Civil War. Scary, right? We'll tackle this conclusion in a moment, but first, Sully sets the table with some (now familiar) anti-religious sociological psychobabble: "...The GOP, deep down, is behaving as a religious movement, not as a political party, and a radical religious movement at that. Lofgren sees the "Prosperity Gospel" as a divine...

For several weeks now, what one critic has called “the anti-God squad” has been at work attacking Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, and other presidential candidates who publically display their Christian values. A torrent of abuse from the New Yorker, New York Times, and Washington Post has caused even the moderate Timescolumnist Ross Douthat (August 28) to lament the double standard being applied to religious Republicans. His fellow journalists, says Douthat, have vastly exaggerated the danger of theocratic government posed by Evangelical Christians. Most American presidents in the past have also been professing Christians and presided over a country that was...

In one of the bloodiest single days in recent city history, 25 people were brutally shot in just over 24 hours this weekend -- including three kids at a house party-turned-shooting gallery in The Bronx. Calling the chilling violence "just unconscionable," Mayor Bloomberg demanded that the feds step up their efforts to get illegal weapons off the streets.

The Only True and Living Church By Elder Dallin H. OaksOf the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles From an address delivered on June 25, 2010, at a seminar for new mission presidents. What does it mean that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church? Our first responsibility and purpose is to testify of Jesus Christ to a world that suffers to know of His divine mission. As my response to that great responsibility, I will speak about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the only true and living Church. In...

It's apparently not enough for Newsweek to slam 2012 presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann as the "Queen of Rage." Daily Beast/Newsweek's Michelle Goldberg went a few more steps off the deep end yesterday by exploring how the Minnesota Republican, and, for good measure Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) are Christian theocrats-in-waiting: [O]f the three most plausible candidates for the Republican nomination, two are deeply associated with a theocratic strain of Christian fundamentalism known as Dominionism. If you want to understand Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, understanding Dominionism isn’t optional. Put simply, Dominionism means that Christians have a God-given right to...

While local authorities kept mum, a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama confirmed Monday that the first lady is in the Willamette Valley this week to visit her brother, Oregon State University basketball coach Craig Robinson. An airplane carrying Michelle Obama — who is Robinson’s younger sister — touched down Monday morning at the Eugene Airport. Semonti Stephens, the first lady’s deputy communications director, said Obama is being accompanied on the trip by one of her two daughters. Stephens said she could not say which of the girls came to Oregon with her mother, or disclose the length of their planned stay....

The Companionship of the Holy Ghost By Elder Carlos E. Asay Of the First Quorum of the Seventy For many unmarried Latter-day Saints, particularly some of the single sisters, courtship and eternal companionship are unrealized dreams. You long for them, you know eternal companionship is a crucial part of the gospel, and yet you feel frustrated because no worthy partner is available.It is tempting to wish that I could match you with perfect companions in an instant and send you off for the eternities in joyful marriages. But such a solution would be satanic. Satan, you will remember, wanted...

Mormons often say that Christians that write or speak about the Mormon Church and Mormonism as being contrary to the gospel that Christ and His apostles taught are Anti-Mormon.  But the Mormon Church and Mormon Church leaders have a long history of declaring Christianity to be false, fallen and contrary to true doctrine.  By the Mormon standard of Anti-Mormon, is the reverse scenario that Mormons are Anti-Christian?    The Anti-Mormon Label: Mormons and the Mormon Church often and freely throw around the term “Anti-Mormon”.  The Mormon Church often labels anyone who speaks anything about Mormonism or the LDS Church that does not promote...

NEW YORK, July 8, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - American Christians may one day find themselves facing legal penalties simply for believing marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, a fate already suffered by believers in other countries, said the leader of America’s most influential Catholic pulpit this week. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York reflected on his blog Thursday on the recent legalization of gay “marriage” in New York, and what repercussions true marriage supporters can expect in the future. He called it “haunting� that the marriage bill became law on the day Catholics celebrate the feast of...

It's no wonder why anti-Masonic conspiracy theories fail to catch on: There is a long line of heroic, patriotic, Christian Freemasons in our national history. To assert that George Washington, Winston Churchill, Stephen Austin, Buzz Aldrin or Omar Bradley were part of a some Satanic conspiracy is to beggar credibility. At the same time, many evil organizations, from the K.K.K. to Aleister Crowley's pagan cult, borrowed heavily from freemasonry, employing its systems of graduated revelations, initiations, and secret recognitions to infiltrate and pervert other organizations. These organizations can fairly be said to be perversions and usurpers of freemasonry, not freemasonry...

California lawmakers on Tuesday sent the governor a bill that would make the state the first requiring public schools to include the contributions of gays and lesbians in social studies curriculum. The bill, passed on a party-line vote, adds lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as well as people with disabilities to the list of groups that schools must include in the lessons. It also would prohibit material that reflects adversely on gays. Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco says SB48 is crucial because of the bullying that happens to gay students. Republicans called it a well-intentioned but ill-conceived...

After all, the Good Book was once used to justify slavery. I stopped even peeking at "comments" sections a long time ago, like many writers. However, in the wake of a piece I did on the controversy over homophobia among black comedians, rappers and others, I have been pointed to some comments sections by other people writing on the subject, and have made an exception and taken a look. What I have been struck by is how often perfectly sensible commenters approach this rich and delicate subject by simply stating that the Bible forbids homosexuality. It's clear that a lot...