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Being Valentine's Day, it might have been hoped that an impromptu letter would be filled with admiring comments and sweet remarks. Unfortunately for one young woman she was passed a note by a fellow student.. offering some stern words about her sense of style. Brittany Molina, 21, who studies accountancy at Brigham Young University, Utah, was walking through campus when a young man approached her with a sheet of paper - and then dashed away. On Valentine's Day, Miss Molina posted on Twitter: 'So this boy came up to me... I thought he was giving me a love note. Turns...

Has Sarah Palin just announced her candidacy for president? On Wednesday night she told Fox Business host Eric Bolling that she still has the fire in her belly and is still game to run for office. More telling, however, is what she said about the current GOP nomination battle and the possibility of a brokered convention. Palin’s comments leading into the South Carolina primary, encouraging people to vote for Newt Gingrich because the party is strengthened by a long primary battle, were bewildering at the time. “I want to see this thing continue, because iron sharpens iron, steel sharpens steel....

Mocking Mormonism is one of the last frontiers of verbal lawlessness to be untouched by the vigilante powers of political correctness. What other group is ridiculed equally by Christians and secularists—and not just any kind of Christian or secularist but the most fervent and hard core? Fervent Christians see in Mormonism a mirror distorting their own faith, reflecting an image strangely recognizable yet recognizably strange. Hard-core secularists think Mormonism is the best example of the strangeness and danger inherent in all religious belief. Deriding Mormonism pulls off the neat trick of making the devout and the godless feel as if...

The Mormon Church owns one of the most active and unregulated gun sale portals on the web, according to a national investigation released by the New York City Mayor's office. The website in question is KSL.com, the online hub for Utah's NBC affiliate and sister radio station, which are both owned and operated by the for-profit arm of the Mormon Church. In addition to local news, KSL.com produces a popular classifieds section that reaches millions of users well beyond Utah.The LDS connection drew little notice when Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a leading financier of the gun control movement, published the report...

When Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney released his federal tax returns for the past two years, he disclosed that he and his wife, Ann, gave about 10 percent of their income to their church, a well-known religious practice called tithing. In that way, the Romneys are typical Mormons, members of a church that is exceptionally serious about the Old Testament mandate to give away one-tenth of one's income. But compared to other religious Americans, the Romneys and other Mormons are fairly atypical when it comes to passing the plate. Across the rest of the religious landscape, tithing is often preached...

Very, very good e-mail lists — and an internal debate over whether to use them. “I'm getting really tired of the ads for Romney campaign trips coming from this list serve,” writes one young Mormon. LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- At Mitt Romney’s first rally here earlier this week, there were plenty of hints that the enthusiastic crowd of 1,000 was stacked with Mormons. Kids walked around in BYU sweatshirts, moms chatted about LDS youth groups, and at least one supporter was overheard talking about making phone calls for the candidate as part of "family home evening" -- a weekly family...

Park Romney says some pretty wild things. Mormonism, he writes on the Web site parkromney.com, “is an insidious contemporary fraud.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “an American cult,” he professes. Mitt Romney, he claims, would be conflicted in office because “obedience to the leadership of the Mormon Church is part of the covenant of the temple ordinances to which Mitt Romney is absolutely a party.” Were you to come across a man articulating such views on a street corner, you probably would give him a wide berth and look over your shoulder to make sure he...

As Mitt Romney solidifies his frontrunner status with a double-digit win this week in the Florida Republican primary, Mormons are embracing a unique moment in their political history that has been dubbed the “Mormon moment” — but not without concerns about what the increasing prominence could mean for their community. In extensive interviews with 10 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who live and work in the D.C.-area, POLITICO discovered a close-knit community that is enjoying, granted with some reservations, the national spotlight that Romney’s second White House bid is helping to shine on Mormons across...

The ascendancy of Mormonism as a world religion once seemed inevitable. The year was 1984, and sociologist named Rodney Stark made a startling projection: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would grow to 267 million members by 2080. ..................................................... But new data suggests that Mormonism may no longer be (as it is often described) among the fastest growing faiths in the United States. Instead, American Mormons appear to be settling into the twenty-first century as a maturing minority having an increasingly hard time holding onto younger members.

Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith — once viewed as a potentially dangerous drag on his 2012 campaign — may quickly become an invaluable asset that helps him lock up the Republican presidential nomination. Now that he has survived, if only barely, the evangelical-dominated contests in Iowa and South Carolina, Romney is poised to benefit as the geography of the GOP race moves west to states such as Nevada, Arizona and Colorado.

In the Nevada caucus, Mitt Romney has a crucial advantage: his Mormon faith. Just 7.5 percent of Silver State residents are Mormon, but when it comes to Saturday’s caucuses, Mormons will likely constitute a significant chunk of voters. In 2008, about a quarter of Republican caucus voters were Mormon. “Not only will they vote for Romney,” says Nevada GOP strategist Robert Uithoven of the state’s Mormons, “but they always turn out. No matter what election, no matter who’s on the ballot, they are as reliable voters as you can find in Nevada.” “Typically political strategists in this state try to...

The list of contributors for Romney's PAC, RESTORE OUR FUTURE, INC., is shown in the referenced link. The total, as of this posting, is $17,947,952.77.

Mitt Romney's tax returns reveal that the Republican presidential candidate does something fewer Americans do these days: He tithes. Romney's 2009 and 2010 tax returns, released Tuesday, show that he and his wife, Ann, gave 10 percent of their income, about $4.1 million, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The couple reported income of about $43 million for the two years. LDS church members must tithe to participate in temple rituals. Nearly 80 percent of Mormons tithe, a poll released this month by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows. While tithing among Mormons is...

Rev. O’Neal Dozier, the conservative pastor of Pompano Beach’s Worldwide Christian Center, told the Palm Beach Post Sunday that Mitt Romney cannot win the presidency because Americans won’t vote for a Mormon president. Following his third place finish in South Carolina, Rick Santorum made his first Florida campaign stop at Dozier’s church, where he gave a faith-based sermon. Dozier has been an outspoken critic of homosexuality and radical Islam. In November, former presidential candidate Herman Cain decided minutes before a speech not to have Dozier deliver his invocation, as was originally planned. “You can look at the June Gallup poll...

GILBERT, S.C. — Lois Buffington shook her head when she talked about the evangelical Christians she knows who won't vote for Mitt Romney in Saturday's presidential primary here because he's a Mormon. "That angers me, and I am a Southern Baptist from day one and will always be," said Buffington, a retired business owner from nearby Lexington who stood outside in the rain Friday to hear Romney speak on the final full day of campaigning before Saturday's primary vote. "Mr. Romney is a Mormon because that's his belief and his choice. That's what America was built on, freedom of choice,"...

Nearly half of Mormons say church members face significant discrimination in the United States, and a third believe voters are not ready to elect Mitt Romney, or any other member of their church, president. ......................................................... The Pew study found that almost half of Mormons in the U.S. consider themselves more discriminated against than African Americans.

Every Mormon I know has been watching Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign with close interest because of the kinship we feel with him. And, for his part, Romney has used Mormon social and business networks to enlist bundlers, donors, and volunteers. Those networks may play a role in key campaign states like Nevada. But it would be a mistake to believe that all Mormons plan to vote for Romney this fall. Some Mormon conservatives feel strongly about Ron Paul’s economic message, and a substantial minority of us-about 15 to 20 percent--are Democrats and will vote for Barack Obama this November. However...

On MSNBC just now, South Carolina Democratic chair Dick Harpootlian painted Republican voters there as potentially refusing to vote for a Mormon, while trying to make it so. From memory: It does not bother me that he may believe the Garden of Eden is in Missouri, but it may bother them. This is an ugly card and I hope...

No one has any idea how common this attitude toward Mormons is on the right or how it will play out in the primary process and, if it works out that way, the general election. It will be partly offset by the enthusiasm of Mormons who make up a sizable voting bloc in some western states. But it will hurt Romney's chances in several southern primary states and could affect a close general election contest. Most mainstream protestant religions recognize the LDS as a Christian sect. That doesn't seem to matter to Keller who is wont to see Satan in...

Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary looms large on the political horizon. In the midst of lively public debates over taxes, jobs, the national debt and similarly important questions related to the future vitality of our nation, a different kind of question continues to privately occupy the minds of some prospective voters: Can I vote for a Mormon? ... If an unbeliever such as Jefferson or non-churchman like Lincoln can serve brilliantly as president, then America should stand — in an intolerant world characterized all too frequently by religious persecution — as a stirring example of welcoming hospitality for highly qualified men...

Mitt Romney has realized that he can't avoid the issue of his Mormon religion, so he might as well embrace it. The Republican frontrunner's new South Carolina mail campaign emphasizes Romney's deep religious beliefs and 42-year marriage, in an effort to win over 60 percent of the state's Republicans that are evangelical or "born again" Christians. The ad, however, doesn't dive head first into touting Romney's Mormonism, but instead refers heavily to his "faith" and how it will influence him as president, also assuring South Carolina voters that the White House contender is "pro-life, pro-marriage, and pro-family."

SNIP Less than 60 years after forming "student" wards at BYU, the church decided to eliminate student congregations in June, now forming "young single adult" wards and stakes throughout Utah for single members ages 18-30...

Shame. Shame stinging my face and burning across my ribs. That’s what I felt when I first clicked into marginal Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger’s website Top 10 Craziest Mormon Beliefs. And that’s just what Fred Karger wanted. Karger first took aim at Mormons during and after California’s bitter Proposition 8 campaign. He used the internet to document the extent of LDS involvement in the Yes on 8 campaign, as well as to warn against potential Mormon involvement in other state LGBT equality battles. But his new site has nothing to do with redressing the damage from Proposition 8. It’s...

Title and link only per copyright complaint. Gingrich aide is out after blasting Mormonism

Uploader comments: As an ex-20 year returned missionary Mormon i can confirm this is EXACTLY what goes on in the temples. Unless they have changed the ceremony yet again to cover up the free masonry that is sold as "sacred' to the "worthy" members foolish enough to believe it. As i once was!

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<p>Oath Keepers has learned that federal agents recently visited a Later Day Saints (Mormon) Church food storage cannery in Tennessee, demanding customer lists, wanting to know the identity of Americans who are purchasing food storage from the Mormons.</p> <p>“A fellow veteran contacted me concerning a new and disturbing development. He had been utilizing a Mormon cannery near his home to purchase bulk food supplies. The man that manages the facility related to him that federal agents had visited the facility and demanded a list of individuals that had been purchasing bulk food. The manager informed the agents that the facility kept no such records and that all transactions were conducted on a cash-and-carry basis. The agents pressed for any record of personal checks, credit card transactions, etc., but the manager could provide no such record. The agents appeared to become very agitated and after several minutes of questioning finally left with no information. I contacted the manager and personally confirmed this information.</p>

‘TIS THE SEASON for Smithmas (Originally posted in December 2008) Here we are with another Thanksgiving and Christmas season upon us! I love this time of year for the changing colors of the trees, the air smells like the season’s cold is getting ready to lay itself down upon us, and of course for the food. Yum! Alas, I would be remiss if I were to go about my day in this glorious time without giving my favorite reason…Jesus! While December 25th may not be the actual date of Jesus’ birth, it serves as a great reminder for us as...

There certainly appears to be a blood-feud between Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney. Huntsman continues his attacks focused almost exclusively on Romney with this new ad that takes from Romney’s recent interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier in which Romney claimed Baier’s list of past “flip-flops” was “just not accurate.” The web ad then goes on to show clips of Romney from the past on that list of issues juxtaposed with his current views. This ad makes you think Huntsman’s Campaign is far more about keeping Mitt Romney from being President than it is about Jon Huntsman wanting to be...

Remember the Lectures on Faith sections in the Mormon scripture, “Doctrine and Covenants?” No? But they were there for 86 years? I’m reading an 1918 “Doctrine and Covenants” and sure enough, there’s Lectures on Faith.” What about “Section 101″ in early D&C editions, the “Article on Marriage” that says men and women should only have one spouse? No, haven’t heard of that one either? It was eventually deleted by church leaders and replaced by Section 132, which details celestial marriage and having multiple wives. Decanonization of scripture is not talked about much in the LDS church, and it’s certainly far...

VATICAN, November 28, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the highest ranking cardinals in the Vatican has said that the United States is “well on the way” to the persecution of Christians. Cardinal Raymond Burke Cardinal Raymond Burke, former Archbishop of St. Louis and now the head of the Vatican’s highest court, told Catholic News Agency that he could envision a time when the Catholic Church in the U.S., “even by announcing her own teaching,” is accused of “engaging in illegal activity, for instance, in its teaching on human sexuality.” Asked if the cardinal could even see American Catholics being arrested...

Similarities between Joseph Smith and Muhammad: The followers of Muhammad and Joseph Smith both killed innocent "infidel" on the same date of 9/11. On September 11, 1857, Mormon militia massacred about 140 men, women and children under the authority of Brigham Young. However 17 very young children were spared and adopted into Mormon families. They were in fact sold to the highest Mormon family bidder and resold and traded many times afterwords. This event is called "The Mountain Meadows" massacre. Mormon leaders engaged in a deliberate rewriting of history to deny they were behind the murders. On September 11, 2001...

Yesterday, 11 National Post contributors named their preferred Republican nominee in less than 250 words. Being more indecisive and longer-winded, I needed 24 extra hours and 500 more words. I’m looking for two chief things in a candidate for 2012: The temperament, judgment, deftness and largeness of spirit required in the presidential office; and The creativity and intellect to respond to the global economic crisis — a crisis threatening to actually get worse if (or when) the euro implodes. Those conditions obviously and categorically exclude the clownish Herman Cain, the daffy Ron Paul, the dim Rick Perry and the firebrand...

SALT LAKE CITY - Imprisoned polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs has released a series of so-called revelations in which he says a succession of natural disasters will strike the U.S. The 55-year-old Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison this year for sexually assaulting two girls whom he took as wives when they were 12 and 14 years old. He released his apocalyptic predictions to the Utah attorney general's office on Monday. Jeffs' apparent prophecies included tsunamis on the East Coast and in Seattle and earthquakes and volcanoes in Utah and Arizona. He also says that Idaho "shall be as...

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) – First a controversial book, now Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith is a possible Blockbuster. Under the Banner of Heaven is an investigative non-fiction book published in 2003. Now, Warner Bros. wants the movie rights. If Warner Bros. is granted the movie rights, Ron Howard will direct the screen adaptation of Under the Banner of Heaven. When the news came down that this was a possibility Wednesday, it didn’t take long to find an upset Utahn at Temple Square. “I'm disappointed in that. I'd hate to see the...

Last month, evangelical leaders gathered in D.C. for the Values Voter Summit, where disciples of the Pissed-Off Jesus harrumphed and yammered about how much America sucked. That's when the bomb ignited. Dallas megachurch preacher Robert Jeffresswas on hand to introduce Rick Perry. He warned that Mormon "cult" members were not only despoiling Broadway, but were actually running for president. "Non-Christians" like Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman had invaded the Republican primary like a bunch of damn Mexicans — and they didn't even have comparable skill at operating a riding lawn mower. If patriots didn't take heed, Jeffress cautioned, America would soon be possessed by heretics. The nation was...

Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney may face even more opposition regarding his faith if he becomes the GOP nominee, according to polls and several interviews by the Huffington Post. The staunchest opposition against Romney because of his faith came from Rev. Robert Jeffress, who is the spiritual leader for the largest church in Texas. Jeffress, a supporter of GOP contender Rick Perry, called Mormonism a “cult,” and Perry – along with many Christian conservatives – publicly rebuked him. According to new polls and information from Evangelical leaders, Christian views might change if Romney is chosen as Obama’s adversary in 2012. Rev....

The dead -- and funerals for them -- figured heavy into the history of Mormon theology. Did you know that… …two of the most distinctive Mormon doctrines were first revealed at a location where the focus was on the dead? …two teachings that serve as the “heart” of the Mormon version of their “gospel?” …and that these two doctrines are not taught in the Book of Mormon? …despite the reality that another Mormon “scripture” – Doctrines & Covenants – repeatedly claims that “the Book of Mormon…contains…the fulness of the gospel” (20:8-9) – Why would a book touted to proclaim "the...

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A recent Halloween party hosted by a Mormon church ward in Utah angered at least one resident after fliers specified no "cross-gender" costumes. The Salt Lake Tribune reports ( http://bit.ly/tADEfV) that meant no girls dressed as Harry Potter or boys as Lady Liberty at the party in Sandy. Raquel Smith says she was "appalled" when she read the flier taped to her door. She is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The flier urged children to "wear costumes" but noted, "please no masks or cross-gender dressing." Smith calls it...

Let’s hear your ghost stories... 13...One night in the MTC I got up to use the bathroom...right before I got into bed, I felt a very strange feeling...the distinct perception of some kind of evil presence... Past midnight, we all awoke to loud banging on the door. The fire department was herding everyone out of our building. The power had gone out, so the gas-powered generators had kicked in. The room housing the generators was normally well-ventilated, but...the vents were shut, so exhaust fumes were filling our dorm. As the missionaries...sat around the cafeteria at 1am...one...asked, “Did anyone else feel...

Many years ago I stood at the bedside of a young father as he hovered between life and death. His distraught wife and their two children stood nearby. He took my hand in his and, with a pleading look, said, “Bishop, I know I am about to die. Tell me what happens to my spirit when I do.” I offered a silent prayer for heavenly guidance and noticed on his bedside table a copy of the triple combination. I reached for the book and fanned the pages. Suddenly I discovered that I had, with no effort on my part, stopped...

What would happen if a pair of Mormon missionaries showed up on the doorstep of a dedicated Jehovah’s Witness? This humorous but insightful fictional dialogue is what it might sound like. Elder Hawkins grinned as he approached the door. He and Sister Sarah had placed the Book of Mormon in four homes already this morning, and it wasn’t yet noon. He rang the doorbell and stepped back. A tall, balding man wearing a large smile opened the door. Elder Hawkins saw the Watchtower magazine in the man’s hand and his grin vanished.(By David Washburn, This Rock Magazine, 1992)“Come in, come...

It is amazing how easily we as human beings can lose our objectivity. We become lost in our own little world. It is like looking in a mirror which reflects an inaccurate image of reality. What we see in the mirror is not a true reflection of our condition before God. It is almost like someone has cast a spell over us. We need to look in a different mirror in order to break the spell. We need a mirror that will help us to see ourselves correctly and in a new light. This is what can happen for a...

Hearing Mitt Romney’s surrogate Bill Bennett refer to me as a bigot and Jon Huntsman call me a “moron” last week after my controversial comments on Mormonism, amid calls for civility and tolerance in public discourse, reminds me of the exclamation: “We will not tolerate intolerance!” But beyond the personal insults, I am concerned that these men are attempting to prematurely marginalize religion as a relevant topic in elections. Utilizing such incendiary rhetoric against those of us who dare bring up a candidate’s spiritual beliefs cuts off discussion about religion before it begins.

I believe efforts to disqualify Mitt Romney as a presidential contender because of his Mormon faith are outrageous and unfair. Apparently, a lot of people in the liberal media agree with me. Unfortunately, they are hypocrites. The media are ignoring their own established religious test—against candidates whose evangelical or Catholic faith guides their political beliefs. Having momentarily discovered an appreciation for the Constitution, liberal journalists are reminding conservative Christians who question Romney’s faith that our founders prohibited a religious test as a qualification for elected office. “It was only a matter of time before some bigot drew a bead on...

BELMONT, Mass. — In ticking off his credentials on the campaign trail — management consultant, businessman, governor — Mitt Romney omits what may have been his most distinctive post: Mormon lay leader, offering pastoral guidance on all manner of human affairs from marriage to divorce, abortion, adoption, addiction, unemployment and even business disputes. Bryce Clark was a recipient of Mr. Romney’s spiritual advice. Late one summer night in 1993, distraught over his descent into alcoholism and drug use, Mr. Clark, then a 19-year-old college student, decided to confess that he had strayed from his Mormon faith. So he drove through...

I subscribe to a Mormon apologetic Newsletter titled FAIR (Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research). Normally it falls into my junk email account and I don't even open it, but today I had a few minutes and scanned the latest offering and was stunned to see the hypocrisy of the authors. Please note the entire email is posted below. This particular issue has a great deal of whining about those mean Christians who make the spurious claim that Mormons are not Christians, but are a cult. A couple of examples: -"Mormons are a cult" epithets into the national spotlight. In...

The daughter of a Mormon bishop who has abandoned her family's faith claims in a new book the election of Mitt Romney to the presidency would put the U.S. in danger due to what she calls the Republican's "outrageous," "horrific" and "mind-controlling" beliefs. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann "While he attempts to portray Mormonism as just another Christian religion, Mitt Romney counts on his skills to shift our attention away from what he truly believes," says Tricia Erickson, author of "Can Mitt Romney Serve Two Masters? The Mormon Church Versus the Office of the Presidency of...

'Would you trust the judgment of a man if he truly believes he's gonna be a god?' "If the American people knew what he truly believed, they would surely not place him in the highest office in the land."

Does Mitt Romney, an elder and former missionary of the Mormon Church, believe he will one day be a god ... equal to Jesus ... ruling his own planet? Does he agree with Mormon teaching that Jesus and Satan are brothers? That America is the Promised Land where Jesus will return one day to rule from the Garden of Eden, which Mormons believe to be Jackson County, Missouri? And do American voters have the right to know this? When Barack Obama was running for president, he assured us he was a Christian. Pastor Rick Warren brought Candidate Obama to his...