MetaFilter posts tagged with LDS

Mitt Romney's cousin explains the history of the GOP and Mormonism through twitter (and other interesting things)

scunning — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 17:40:57 -0800

Miles Kimball tells the history behind the Mormon church's close ties to the GOP through his twitter account. Miles Kimball's story is very unique. He is an academic economist at the University of Michigan as well as Mitt Romney's cousin. The lineage is through Kimball's grandmother, Camilla Eyring Kimball, who was George Romney's first cousin (Mitt Romney's father). Miles Kimball comes from a line of Mormon prophets who can be traced back to Joseph Smith, as Kimball is the grandson of Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th President of the Mormon Church, and also the nephew of Joseph Smith. While some may find his scholarship on macroeconomics interesting (google scholar, vita), Top 10 blog posts), I found the story of his own spiritual journey fascinating. Kimball left the Mormon church in 2000 and is now a lay pastor in the Universal Unitarian Church, though he remains a Mormon priest and elder. Here is a link to an old sermon he gave. Tyler Cowen speaks fondly of his old classmate, saying "Miles struck me as a mind in perpetual motion, in the best sense of that phrase". You can read Kimball's blog at Confessions of a Supply Side Liberal as well as follow him on Twitter.

A plain white mare.

Dynex — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:11:30 -0800

A gay-straight marriage story from a member of the LDS church. "About a year after my divorce, I was chatting with my new bishop, who I had known for several years prior to that. He asked me, "So, Ashley, why did you and Matt get divorced?" I replied, "Matt is a homosexual." I just looked him in the eye after I said this and waited a few seconds while he absorbed it. Then he asked, "Well, was there another problem as well? Like drinking? Or gambling?" I looked him in the eye a second time and replied, "Nope. Just that." He was genuinely confused."

This mold that I was not made into

catlet — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:01:47 -0800

Benji Schwimmer, the winner of So You Think You Can Dance's second season, is a West Coast Swing choreographer and dancer, serves as artistic director for LeAnn Rimes and Paula Abdul, and co-choreographed US figure skater Jeremy Abbott's short routine. Raised in an observant Latter-Day Saints household, Benji served a two-year mission in Mexico. On May 30, Benji recorded an interview lasting nearly 5 1/2 hours in which he described his attempts to reconcile his sexual identity with his faith and, for the first time, stated publicly that he is gay. The video has been posted in three parts:

Part One: Childhood and LDS Mission (1hr33m)

Part Two: So You Think You Can Dance (1hr58m)

Part Three: Sexuality & Faith (2hr6m) Audio-only files (iTunes):

Part One

Part Two

Part Three The Schwimmer family is well-known in swing and dance circles. Benji's sister Lacey and cousin Heidi Groskreuz were also SYTYCD competitors. For six seasons, Lacey was one of the professional dancers on the US Dancing With the Stars; in 2011, she partnered Chaz Bono. Benji and Lacey's father Buddy appeared on Dance Fever in the 1970s, and now runs the World Swing Championships each year.

Welcome to Club Unicorn

fancyoats — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 14:09:15 -0800

But the reason I do this is because I love you, whoever you are, and I want to share my situation so that you can know further truth: I am gay. I am Mormon. I am married to a woman. I am happy every single day. My life is filled with joy. I have a wonderful sex life. And I’ve been married for ten years, and plan to be married for decades more to come to the woman of my dreams.

Mormonism, Religion, and the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election

The World Famous — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:24:40 -0800

Religion and Presidential Elections: (video from the C-SPAN Video Library) On March 13, 2012, panelists at Boston College discussed Mormonism and the role of religion in the context of the 2012 Republican primaries and American politics generally. The video is about an hour long. Kristine Haglund comments about the discussion on By Common Consent.

We are the hipsters of the Church of Jesus Christ! (of Latter-Day Saints)

naturalog — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:31:36 -0800

Today's New York Times has an article about young Mormons finding a way to live their values while remaining socially "with it" -- by turning to hipster culture.

Things I Learned While Driving Through Utah

AngerBoy — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:45:59 -0800

Attention well-dressed gentlemen: Looking for affordable business attire, suitable for tropical climates, extended bike rides, and living out of a suitcase? Want to buy a high-quality suit for under $200? Looking for wash-and-wear polyester ties? Dress shirts for twenty bucks? Shop at one of the online boutiques that outfit Mormon missionaries and all this can be yours. (Mormon ladies' wear also available.)

Zenobia's Choice

Apropos of Something — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:01:22 -0800

Baptizing Dead Quakers. One woman's perspective on a family struggle over genealogy, proxy baptism, and discerning the best interests of those long gone.

Why Would Heavenly Father Do That?

escabeche — Sun, 15 May 2011 18:37:42 -0800

Why Would Heavenly Father Do That? After 20 years as a married Mormon living the plan of happiness, a gay man comes out to his family and his church, and blogs about it, with special attention to the question of "Mormon beards": "Why do gay Mormon men keep marrying Mormon women?" Holly Welker, a straight Mormon woman formerly engaged to a gay Mormon man, calls for an end to beards.

"I was 100 percent deceived. One hundred percent."

zarq — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:46:56 -0800

The Truth About Race, Religion, And The Honor Code At BYU. Deadspin has released an exposé on Brigham Young University's Honor Code, which prohibits students from having sex or drinking alcohol. The article accuses the University of selectively punishing minority (and especially African American) athletes who violate the Code. Co-authored by Darron Smith, a former BYU instructor. Responses from former BYU students at Religion Dispatches, the Deseret News and the Provo Daily Herald. (Previously) Radio interview with Darron Smith

"Have friends who are atheists? Agnostics? Into Wicca? Or New Age?"

jardinier — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:47:08 -0800

Dare 2 Share Ministries offers profiles and tips on how to "share your faith" with fourteen different types of friends a teen Christian might have, such as Andy the Atheist, Marty the Mormon, Jenna the Jew, Sid the Satanist, Mo the Muslim and Willow the Wiccan. If none of those strategies work, they also offer articles on how to "use the buzz in current teen culture to initiate God-talk with your friends" by "sharing your faith" through Indiana Jones, Halo 3, Brokeback Mountain, Kung Fu Panda and The X Files.

NOM Exposed

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:08:02 -0800

NOM Exposed collects information about the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), a secretive front group for the Mormon and Catholic churches which funds other front groups across the country, in their fight against recognition of same-sex marriage rights in the United States. NOM Exposed pulls together biographies about the leadership behind the organization, the ties to extremist religious and other groups, the money trail and the shadowy outfits where the cash leads, the organization's ethical, campaign finance, and other legal violations across the country (such as that pointed to here), and various propaganda that NOM uses to spread its message.

Startup Religion

kliuless — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 09:41:11 -0800

The rise of a new generation of Mormons [non-gated] - Many of the most successful US professionals are also members of the world's youngest major religion, which is being embraced by the elite in spite of its reputation. (via mr)

God Created Man in His Own Image.

ericb — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:59:14 -0800

Last year saw the launch of the first 'Men on A Mission' calendar -- featuring 'beefcake' photos of young Mormon men recently returned from their two-year missions. Church elders were not pleased. As a result, calendar creator Chad Hardy was excommunicated from the Church of Latter Day Saints. The church also revoked his "BA degree in Communications Studies at Mormon-owned Brigham Young University." Hardy has just released the 2009 Men on a Mission Calendar. Again, the church ai'nt too happy. [Photos- 1, 2 click-through to Java-based slideshow]. 'Men on A Mission's' take on Prop. 8. Hardy is working on the 2010 calendar. It will feature "sexed-up" Mormon moms.

Mormon Musical.

ericb — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:53:09 -0800

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, "are planning to stage a Broadway musical based on the lives and (many) loves of typical members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints." They - "along with Robert Lopez, the co-writer of 'Avenue Q' - have finally settled on a script and are workshopping their new production aptly titled, 'Mormon Musical.'" They've had fun with Mormons before: South Park episode: All About the Mormons? Full episode [21:37]. Clip [08:40]

Mormon vampires?

Artw — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:05:30 -0800

LDS Sparkledammerung IS HERE! The crypto-mormonism of Stephanie Myers' Twilight series. (Spoilers, image heavy, extreme derisiveness)

The Genealogical Revolution Will Be Digitized

Knappster — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:37:11 -0800

For decades, the LDS church microfilmed old records of genealogical interest and stashed them in the Granite Mountain Record Vault for safekeeping. Copies could be ordered and viewed at local Family History Centers. Now, through massive digitization and volunteer indexing efforts, those records are starting to come online. It was once thought that it would take 120 years to scan the 2 million+ microfilm rolls housed in the vault, but by 2006 it was estimated that "much" of the collection would be digitized in "as little as 10 years" (some technical details here and here (both PDF)). A double-blind volunteer indexing project was launched, with 140,000 people signing up by May 2008. The fruits of their labor may be seen (and searched) on the FamilySearch Record Search pilot site. Partnerships with commercial companies and archives large and small will add to the collection records freshly digitized from the source, some of which may be indexed online but free to view only at Family History Centers and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The resources collected by the Mormons are available to genealogists of all faiths. There is no proselytizing at the Family History Centers, though church members will answer questions about Mormonism if asked. The Mormons' interest in genealogy stems from their belief in baptizing the dead by proxy—a practice disturbing to some people of other faiths. The LDS church has been criticized for baptizing Holocaust victims, and the Vatican recently directed Catholic dioceses not to allow Mormons access to parish registers. Mormons counter that the dead are only offered the option of baptism, and are permitted to decline.

Sexy Mormon Men

ericb — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:56:14 -0800

Sexy Mormon Men -- "For the first time ever, twelve of the hottest and hunkiest former Mormon Missionaries have dared to pose bare-chested in the first-ever Mormons Exposed calendar." They're trying to "help get rid of stereotypes." Previously mentioned

Polygamy in the Heart of Texas

May Kasahara — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 18:18:23 -0800

Who is Warren Jeffs? A look inside the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, who have built what is believed to be the first polygamist temple in Texas. Led by a doomsaying prophet, the members of the FLDS are taught that wives are expected to be completely submissive, and outside cultural influences are forbidden (links via this post on LiveJournal's exmormon community).

Saints and Indians

BrodieShadeTree — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:25:05 -0800

" Fifty years ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or Mormon Church, began a foster care program for American Indian children. Between twenty and fifty thousand children, mostly Navajo, participated in what was called the Indian Student Placement Program....Through Placement, children had the opportunity to grow up in families – white Mormon families – while attending day schools in Utah and across the West. Placement also had a theological motivation. Championed in the ‘50s by an LDS Church leader named Spencer W. Kimball, Placement grew from a sense of commitment to the Indians – then regarded as descendants of the original people of the Book of Mormon. Listen to the amazing story, full of first hand accounts from both sides here

Interactive Church Music Player

oissubke — Sun, 16 May 2004 08:06:26 -0800

Interactive Church Music Player The LDS Church has created a cool new tool for exploring its hymnbooks: a Flash application that not only shows the sheet music, but allows transposition, tempo changes, part selection, and all kinds of other nifty things.

Sorry, Big Brother.

aaronshaf — Wed, 09 Oct 2002 22:41:55 -0800

Sorry, Big Brother. Appeals court says Mormon Church can't restrict speech on sidewalks of Salt Lake City Plaza. "The city cannot create a 'First Amendment-free zone." This comes punctually after allegations that LDS security harrassed evangelical volunteers.

Two men arrested for handing out anti-Mormon literature.

aaronshaf — Tue, 09 Apr 2002 20:32:01 -0800

Two men arrested for handing out anti-Mormon literature. "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' and Salt Lake City's restrictions on behavior they deem "offensive" on the plaza are now the subject of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver." ... "The deed made it clear it [the plaza] was not a First Amendment forum..." Does the ACLU have a good case?

silusGROK — Fri, 14 Sep 2001 10:55:43 -0800

For the Mormons here at MeFi -- and, of course, anyone else -- the Church is broadcasting a Memorial Service nationwide, that is also being streamed (requires Windows Media Player). I'm sure other national religious organizations are doing the same... so if you know of others, post them here.

Theocracy in America?

raysmj — Tue, 17 Apr 2001 13:56:16 -0800

Theocracy in America? Specifically, in Utah, according to the writer of this Washington Monthly piece, who grew up there. Is the article too harsh, though, given the author's apparent lingering bitterness regarding her upbringing?