Free Republic

TheBlaze’s Erica Ritz, Jon Seidl, Mike Opelka and Chris Field contributed to this report. After months of anticipation, Glenn Beck unveiled his highly-anticipated “Man in the Moon” event to a sold-out audience on Saturday night at the USANA Amphitheater in West Valley City, Utah. The initiative, which offered up an epic rendition of America’s story — both past and present — provided thousands in attendance the ability to view the world through a unique lens. Rather than hearing from a human narrator, the historical and contemporary accounts were told by the “Man in the Moon.”

BLUFFDALE — More than 100 people gathered Thursday at Utah Veterans Memorial Park to support the cause of Restore the Fourth, a national group demanding an end to what its members say is unconstitutional government surveillance. Dan Garfield, a Saratoga Springs resident and Restore the Fourth supporter, said he believes the rally for Fourth Amendment rights was fitting for the Fourth of July because veterans have fought and died to maintain American rights. "We feel like the government has overstepped its bounds and gone contrary to what the Fourth Amendment stands for," he said. Garfield said the rally was initially...

Many members of Congress hope that their names will make it into the history books. But freshman Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) has already accomplished that goal, albeit outside the political arena. He has three world speed records and plenty of books to his name. Stewart is an Air Force veteran, and a former Rockwell B-1B Lancer pilot, or “bone driver.” In 1995, Stewart helped plan and execute a mission code-named “Coronet Bat,” which saw a flight of the swing-wing bombers launch from Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, and fly nonstop around the world in 36 hours and 13...

Q. My co-worker, who is a pastor in a local church, gave me a whole bunch of handouts that he received at a training session. (The session was in preparation for a temple open house in our area.) He gave them to me and asked me to respond, but I don’t know where to start. A. (by Allen L. Wyatt) Thank you for sending the materials so I could look at them. They are the normal “shotgun approach” that we see among many anti-Mormons. They take everything they can, load it into a series of documents, and then fling it...

KILLINGTON, Vt. — An insider who helped broker the challenges that arose over construction of the Boston LDS Temple in the mid-1990s told a group of history buffs Friday that the project's highly educated opponents let ignorance about the LDS Church rule over reason. But Grant Bennett believes that ultimately, the high-profile controversy has served the church well, simply because it forced LDS officials in both Massachusetts and Salt Lake City to explain the specifics of their faith in what ultimately became a widespread public education campaign. He detailed those efforts for a standing-room-only crowd during the opening day of...

Elder Matthew Meaker doesn’t have a companion. Instead of serving in a foreign land, he lives with his parents in Providence, and he doesn’t go tracting or teach discussions. Instead, Meaker has spent his two missions stocking shelves at the Bishop’s Storehouse and being a teacher’s aide at the Logan High School seminary. Meaker is a young church-service missionary, or YCSM. Elder M. Russell Ballard has said that “it may not be wise for some of our young men and young women to face the rigors and challenges of a full-time mission.” Because Meaker has Down syndrome, he falls into...

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Organizers of Tuesday's "Celebration of Marriage" at Utah's Capitol Hill got a much larger crowd than they probably expected. The evening was intended to celebrate traditional family. While that did happen, people who attended were surrounded by hundreds gay rights activists. Tuesday's celebration of traditional family marriage had everything: the Osmonds, the Governor, and hundreds of gay rights party crashers. Needless to say it was not what traditional family supporters expected. "Do you think it makes this thing tense?" asked Reporter Brian Carlson. "In some ways yes, in some ways no," said Claus...

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — More than four out of five Boy Scout leaders in the Salt Lake City area say they are opposed to Boy Scouts of America lifting its ban on gays, a new survey shows. Nearly half said they would quit the Boy Scouts if the ban on gays is lifted, according to results of a survey of 4,700 adults involved in the Boy Scouts' Great Salt Lake Council. The respondents included leaders and parents. The council is one of the largest in the country, with 5,500 troops and 73,400 youth members. Nearly all of the troops,...

SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Friday the creation of 58 new missions, including one in Utah. The announcement came after the LDS church saw a drastic increase in members interested in serving missions following LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson's October announcement that the church would lower the age of mission eligibility to 18 for men and 19 for women.

SALT LAKE CITY — Ten years after her kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart is preparing her story of being held captive by a homeless street preacher, her improbable rescue after nine months, and how she advocated for children after the ordeal. St. Martin's Press bought the rights to the memoir from the now 25-year-old senior at Brigham Young University. Smart married a fellow Mormon missionary, Matthew Gilmour, in February. The account is being written by Utah Congressman-elect Chris Stewart, who has authored books with religious and patriotic themes. He was elected in November to serve in the 2nd Congressional District, replacing Jim...

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