Mormon Coffee

Check out this article that appeared today on the LA Times web site:

Bedrock of a Faith Is Jolted

DNA tests contradict Mormon scripture. The church says the studies are being twisted to attack its beliefs.

By William Lobdell, Times Staff Writer

From the time he was a child in Peru, the Mormon Church instilled in Jose A. Loayza the conviction that he and millions of other Native Americans were descended from a lost tribe of Israel that reached the New World more than 2,000 years ago.

“We were taught all the blessings of that Hebrew lineage belonged to us and that we were special people,” said Loayza, now a Salt Lake City attorney. “It not only made me feel special, but it gave me a sense of transcendental identity, an identity with God.”

A few years ago, Loayza said, his faith was shaken and his identity stripped away by DNA evidence showing that the ancestors of American natives came from Asia, not the Middle East.

“I’ve gone through stages,” he said. “Absolutely denial. Utter amazement and surprise. Anger and bitterness.” (more…)

The article includes interesting information and perspectives on this continuing controversy within Mormonism, presenting critics in a reasonable light while fairly representing the position of the LDS Church:

Critics want the church to admit its mistake and apologize to millions of Native Americans it converted. Church leaders have shown no inclination to do so. Indeed, they have dismissed as heresy any suggestion that Native American genetics undermine the Mormon creed.

Yet at the same time, the church has subtly promoted a fresh interpretation of the Book of Mormon intended to reconcile the DNA findings with the scriptures. This analysis is radically at odds with long-standing Mormon teachings.

Something that makes this article stand out for me is the inclusion of the thoughts and emotions of Mormons who had been converted to the LDS Church by assurances that they were of Lamanite/Hebrew descent. This puts a face on the otherwise academic question and helps us understand the deep wounds false religious teachings can cause:

For others, living with ambiguity has been more difficult. Phil Ormsby, a Polynesian who lives in Brisbane, Australia, grew up believing he was a Hebrew.

“I visualized myself among the fighting Lamanites and lived out the fantasies of the [Book of Mormon] as I read it,” Ormsby said. “It gave me great mana [prestige] to know that these were my true ancestors.”

The DNA studies have altered his feelings completely.

“Some days I am angry, and some days I feel pity,” he said. “I feel pity for my people who have become obsessed with something that is nothing but a hoax.”

Comments (1)

Utah is looking for a new slogan, one officials hope will bring money-spending tourists flocking to the state (see “Looking for a pretty, great tag line”).

“It should describe Utah’s ‘emotional core.’ It will emote ‘Utah.’ It should summarize, symbolize and synergize the entire state, highlighting Utah’s attributes to outsiders far and wide.

“Oh, and it should be pithy. Three to five words would be fine, please.

“Just remember that tens of millions of dollars are riding on it.

“That’s the kind of challenge coming up with a new state tourism brand is, and it’s being handled by tourism officials and advertising experts. Soon to be unveiled, the simple phrase will be the linchpin of a subsequent marketing and advertising campaign designed to prompt outsiders to pack up the family and spend some tourist bucks in the Beehive State.”

The Salt Lake City advertising agency that’s working on this project promises the new slogan

“will reveal ‘the look of Utah,’ ‘the soul of Utah’ and ‘the sound of Utah,’ all composing the ‘emotional core of Utah.’”

To me this seems simple.

• Mormon (the look)
• Tabernacle (the soul)
• Choir (the sound)
• Zoloft (the emotional core)*

The trick is stringing the words together to make them appealing to tourists.

At 62% Mormon, the state has other things to offer; but wouldn’t the “emotional core” reflect the majority?

Having said that, Utah is a beautiful state with much to offer tourists. I am awestruck whenever I fly over the Wasatch Mountain Range. Its beauty is staggering; it virtually cries out the glory of God. The last time I visited Salt Lake City, as I looked out the window of the plane, I was reminded of a passage from the Bible:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man” (Romans 1:18-23)

But I digress.

Utah slogans from the past have included:

• Utah, the Friendly State
• Utah, Land of Color
• Utah, the Unique
• Ski Utah
• A Pretty, Great State
• Utah! Where Ideas Connect

None of these slogans have really accomplished what the state tourism board is hoping for from Utah’s new slogan. An associate professor at BYU suggests looking to slogans of other states for ideas on successful approaches. She mentions “I Love New York” and “Virginia Is For Lovers.”

Maybe they should also look at some of the popular advertising that’s been done in the state (pictured throughout today’s blog). Some of these slogans might work after a little tweaking.

With that in mind, perhaps we can come up with some ideas we can send in to Utah tourism officials. Do you have any suggestions for Utah’s next slogan? Leave ‘em here as comments and we’ll see if anything worthy turns up.

*Utah rates very high in use of anti-depressants

Comments (1)

Today’s local news at KSL.com (KSL Television & Radio, Salt Lake City, Utah) includes this report: Studies: LDS Weigh More Than Members of Other Faiths by Carole Mikita.

A recent study has revealed Latter-day Saint men and women in Utah are 10 and a half pounds heavier and less active than non-Mormon residents of the state. The blame is laid on the LDS culture, which includes high-calorie and high-fat “comfort foods” at most social events.

The report notes that a healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables and whole grains eaten in moderation—basically, following the Mormon “health code” known as the Word of Wisdom.

So does this new study indicate that Mormons in Utah are not observing the Word of Wisdom?

The Word of Wisdom is a very important element of the Mormon faith. It is understood to be a binding command from God. Those who don’t obey the Word of Wisdom are not allowed to enter LDS temples.

The LDS course manual Achieving a Celestial Marriage says on page 31,

When you are interviewed for a temple recommend you will be asked about—
1. Church attendance.
2. Payment of tithes and offerings.
3. Loyalty to Church leaders.
4. Moral cleanliness.
5. Overall faithfulness and worthiness.
6. Obedience to the Word of Wisdom.

Most people recognize the prohibition in the Word of Wisdom against tobacco, alcohol, and coffee/tea (”hot drinks”); this is what is generally thought of in the context of the Word of Wisdom. However, there’s much more to the revelation/commandment (Doctrine and Covenants 89) including the use of strong drinks for washing; the use of tobacco for bruises and sick cattle; the eating of meat and poultry sparingly and only in winter or times of famine.

Do Latter-day Saints observe the whole commandment? Do temple-worthy Mormons?

KSL-TV reports the LDS Church is giving a book to its employees “hoping it will encourage them to pay more attention to their health” (The Culprit & The Cure by BYU professor Steven Aldana).

I just wonder at the idea that a popular book might have a greater impact on Latter-day Saints’ health than something they are taught is a necessary condition for their exaltation.

Saturday’s edition (11 February 2006) of the Casper Wyoming StarTribune.net carried an interesting Associated Press article about Fumarase Deficiency, a rare birth defect. At least it’s rare around the world, with only 50 cases documented world-wide.

Unfortunately, Fumarase Deficiency is becoming common among members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) residing in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona. Six years ago Dr. Theodore Tarby co-authored a medical journal article in which he described eight cases of the condition in the FLDS community. Today that number has grown to 20 known cases.

The AP article, under the headline “Doctor: Birth defects increase in inbred polygamy community” described the problem:

“Intermarriage among close relatives is producing children who have two copies of a recessive gene for a debilitating condition called fumarase deficiency. The enzyme irregularity causes severe mental retardation, epileptic seizures and other effects that often leaves children unable to take care of themselves.”

Ben Bistline, described as a community historian and former FLDS member, was quoted:

“Ninety percent of the [FLDS] community is related to one side or the other. They claim to be the chosen people, the chosen few. And their claim is they marry closely to preserve the royal bloodline, so to speak.”

A related article in the Salt Lake Tribune (“Rare gene disorder common in FLDS”) reported that Dr. Tarby met with 150 members from the FLDS community in November to explain Fumarase Deficiency and how it could be prevented. He apparently came away from the meeting without much hope for change. He said,

“They [FLDS members] consider these children to be their responsibility from God and their duty is to produce as many children as possible. There isn’t any reason in their view to slow down the having of children.”

Another related article, this one from Deseret News, pointed out that the afflicted children have severe mental retardation with IQs around 25. They require constant care, and receive it lovingly from parents and close relatives. However, Dr. Tarby said, medical care for the children is frequently borne by taxpayers.

I was reading Matthew 18, the parable of the unforgiving servant. I was really struck by this:

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.” (Matthew 18:22-27)

I don’t know why I’ve never thought about it before, but today I recognized what Jesus was saying.

A talent was equal to about 20 years’ wages for a laborer. The servant in the parable owed a sum equal to 200,000 years’ worth of labor. Let’s put that into 2006 dollars. If a years’ salary was $30,000, the servant owed his master $6 billion!

Jesus’ point in using such a huge sum in the parable was to show us how utterly impossible it is for us to pay our enormous sin debt. Though the servant implored his master to be patient until the servant could pay up, the master knew better. Where would a servant ever get that kind of money? The master had pity on the servant and graciously cancelled his debt.

This all got me to thinking about Mormonism and the way Latter-day Saints understand their sin and God’s grace. I can’t count the times I’ve read and been told by Mormons, “We don’t believe in salvation by works alone. We believe that good works are necessary, but not enough. We do all we can, but still fall short. That’s when God’s grace kicks in. Jesus makes up the difference.”

LDS Apostle Dallin Oaks said it this way: “When we have done all that we are able, we can rely on God’s promised mercy…He is our Savior, and when we have done all that we can, He will make up the difference…” (October 1993 General Conference, quoted in Church News, 1 April 2000, page 14)

A friend of mine uses a boat analogy when talking with Mormons about salvation. An individual’s good works are the planks of wood that make up the hull of the boat (salvation). Latter-day Saints believe the grace of God given through Christ is the pitch that fills in the cracks between the planks, making the boat safe and seaworthy. But there’s a problem here.

Take a look at how God describes natural man in Romans 1:

“They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” (Romans 1:29-31)

You see, the sin debt for each of us is enormous! Six-billion dollars. Two-hundred-thousand years’ worth of labor.

Some might say, “Well, we have eternity to work it off. We can do it if we just have enough time.” Sorry, folks. The master in Jesus’ parable is already entitled to all the labor his servant can provide. The debt owed is above and beyond normal labor. It is impossible to pay.

And what makes us think that anything we do would be pleasing and acceptable to God anyway? Look again at the qualities He finds in us! How can our sin-tainted good works be used to build a sound boat? In my friend’s analogy the truth is that the planks of the boat are all rotten. There’s nothing there firm enough to be patched by God’s grace. Instead of floating on the water this boat sinks like a stone—and takes anyone relying on it to the bottom of the sea.

No, there’s nothing we can contribute to the building of our boat. Like the servant in Jesus’ parable, our only hope is grace and mercy. God must provide both the planks and the pitch. And He does. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Why does the LDS Church send missionaries across the globe? According to the official LDS web site,

“Currently, some 56,000 Latter-day Saints are participating in proselytizing missions around the world. Approximately 75 percent of the Church’s proselytizing missionaries are young men between the ages of 19 and 26. They are referred to as “Elder” because of their ordination to that priesthood office.”

It should come as no surprise that the purpose of an LDS missionary’s mission is to proselytize. My online dictionary defines “proselytize” as:

convert or attempt to convert someone from one religion, belief or opinion to another

So how come 19-year-old Elder C. J. Wolfgramm, serving an LDS proselytizing mission, was quoted by the University of Oklahoma’s official newspaper saying,

“We’re not here to convert anyone, just to let people know the Heavenly Father loves them.”

The Oklahoma Daily was reporting on an event that took place on Oklahoma University’s campus on Monday evening, 6 February 2006. The article, Mormons extend hands to students, was written by Richard Hall. It describes how “Local missionaries hosted a film and discussion outreach event” which was attended by 50 students. The four LDS missionaries showed two films— “Special Witnesses of Christ” and “The Other Side of Heaven”—and then held a question and answer forum.

But I wonder. If Mr. Wolfgramm was hesitant to disclose the real goal of his proselytizing mission (i.e., to convert people to the LDS Church), then how should the students take any answers the missionaries may have provided during the Q&A session?

Please pass the salt.