Elder Enzo Writes!

Got a GREAT missionary letter from Elder Enzo yesterday! He's sharing his testimony and meeting amazing (his words) people! God bless you, Elder!

Was that an Answer to My Prayer?

Engagement News

Congratulations to CJ Llera and Morgan Gillespie who became engaged yesterday! So happy you found each other!

Ha?

Who Wrote the Book of Mormon?

Book of Mormon/Wordprint Studies

Question: What are wordprints? What do they have to do with the Book of Mormon?

Answer: As John Hilton put the matter, if wordprinting is a valid technique, then this analysis suggests that it is "statistically indefensible" to claim that Joseph, Oliver, or Solomon Spaulding wrote the 30,000 words in the Book of Mormon attributed to Nephi and Alma.^[1] The Book of Mormon also contains work written by more than one author. Critics who wish to reject Joseph's account of the Book of Mormon's production must therefore identify multiple authors for the text, and then explain how Joseph acquired it and managed to pass it off as his own.

Neal A Maxwell Institute

            Wayne A Larsen and Alvin C Rencher, “Who Wrote the Book of Mormon? An Analysis of Wordprint, Book of Mormon Authorship, (1982): “Our approach is sometimes referred to as the science of stylometry, which can be defined loosely as statistical analysis of style. It is also called computational stylistics. We do not use the word style in the literary sense of subjective impressions characterizing an author's mode of expression. We must deal with countable items which are amenable to statistical analysis. We look then for what is frequent but largely unnoticed, the quick little choices that confront an author in nearly every sentence. Such choices become habits, so the small details flow virtually without conscious effort.”

Detailed Questions and Answers

What is a wordprint?

            Wordprinting, or "stylometry" as it is more commonly known, is the science of measuring literary style. The main assumption underlying stylometry is that an author has aspects of literary style that may be unconsciously used, and can be used to identify their work. Stylometrists analyze literature using statistics, math formulas and artificial intelligence to determine the "style" of an author's writing.

            Because authors may write on a variety of topics, the vocabulary they use may vary considerably. Researchers often attempt to use "non-contextual words" in their analyses to avoid this problem: patterns in the use of these words (e.g. such as: and, if, the, etc.) will be less influenced by a change in subject matter.

            Debate about the value of wordprints persists, though it has been used in some academic settings to identify previously-unknown authors. Readers are cautioned that the results of wordprint analysis of the Book of Mormon are only as reliable as they would be for other written works, and that "the jury is still out" as to whether wordprints can actually do what their advocates hope. The statistical analyses are not generally disputed; the points of contention revolve around the assumptions which undergird the statistics.^[2]

Initial efforts

            The initial Book of Mormon wordprint studies were carried out by Larsen, Rencher, and Layton.^[3] They compared twenty-four Book of Mormon authors (each having at least 1,000 words) to each other, and concluded on the basis of three separate statistical tests that these authors were distinct from each other and Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, Jr., and Solomon Spaulding.

            These efforts were critiqued in Ernest H. Taves, Trouble Enough: Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1984), 225–60. John Hilton characterized Taves' review as "fundamentally flawed," and noted that his effort "therefore did nothing to add to or detract from their work." ^[4]

            An LDS author considered some of Larsen, Rencher, and Layton's work in D. James Croft, "Book of Mormon 'Wordprints' Reexamined," Sunstone no. (Issue #6) (March-April 1981), 15–21. off-site Croft pointed out some flaws in their assumptions, and was cautious about whether wordprint evidence should be accepted or rejected as it then stood.

John Hilton and the Berkeley Group

Methods

            A more sophisticated approach was taken by John Hilton and non-LDS colleagues at Berkeley.^[5] The "Berkeley Group's" method relied on non-contextual word patterns, rather than just individual words. This more conservative method was designed from the ground up, and required works of at least 5,000 words.

            The Berkeley Group first used a variety of control tests with non-disputed authors (e.g. works by Mark Twain, and translated works from German) in an effort to:

·         demonstrate the persistence of wordprints despite an author's effort to write as a different 'character'

·         demonstrate that wordprints were not obliterated by translation (e.g. two different authors rendered by the same translator would still have different wordprints).

            The Berkeley Group's methods have since passed peer review, and were used to identify previously unknown writings written by Thomas Hobbes.^[6]

            The Berkeley Group compared Book of Mormon texts written by Nephi and Alma with themselves, with each other, and with work by Joseph, Oliver, and Solomon Spaulding. Each comparison is assessed based upon the number of "rejections" provided by the model. The greater the number of rejections, the greater the chance that the two texts were not written by the same author. Tests with non-disputed texts showed that two texts by the same author never scored more than 6 rejections; thus, one cannot be certain if scores between 1–6 were written by the same or different authors. Scores of 0 rejections makes it statistically likely the two texts were written by the same author.

            However, seven or more rejections indicates that the texts were written by a different author with a high degree of probability:^[7]

# of Rejections       Certainty of being different authors

       7                                       99.5%

       8                                       99.9%

       9                                       99.99%

     10                                       99.997%

Results

            The results are striking:^[8]

            Recall that any test over 6 indicates different authorship; 1–6 or less is indeterminate; 0 is same author. Each x represents one test.

            Go to this link for charts and endnotes. http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon_wordprint_studies   

Old Testament Trivia Quiz: Heroines

How much do you know about faithful women of Old Testament? Dust off your Bible and test your knowledge by taking this quick trivia quiz.

Questions

 

1. Who ensured Moses’s safety after he’d been put in the river?
a. Moses’s sister, Miriam
b. Daughter of Pharaoh
c. One of Pharaoh’s handmaids
d. Moses’s mother, Jochebed

2. What was Esther’s Hebrew name?
a. Vashti
b. Hadassah
c. Mikhal
d. Hagar

3. What gift did Hannah give her son, Samuel, every year when she saw him at the temple?
a. A blanket
b. A bullock
c. A dove
d. A coat

4. Which woman slew wicked general Sisera, thereby delivering Israel from Canaanite bondage?
a. Jael
b. Dinah
c. Rahab
d. She is not named

5. Who was only known female judge in Israel?
a. Miriam
b. Jezebel
c. Deborah
d. She is not named

6. How did Rahab save her family from destruction at Jericho?
a. She heeded words of scriptures and knew to flee city beforehand
b. She prayed to Lord to be spared and was granted her petition
c. She hid Joshua’s spies from king of Jericho and secured from them a promise of safety
d. She took her family to Israelite temple which was spared from destruction

7. How old was Sarai, Abraham’s wife, when she bore Isaac?
a. 74
b. 86
c. 91
d. 103

8. What did Rebekah do that showed Abraham’s servant she was to be Isaac’s wife?
a. She was only woman at desert well when Abraham’s servant came
b. She offered to draw water for Abraham’s servant’s camels.
c. She took off her sandals before approaching the well
d. She spoke a heartfelt prayer before drawing water

9. Whom does Solomon’s “song of songs” praise?
a. One of Solomon’s wives
b. All covenant women
c. Daughters of Jerusalem
d. A Shulamite woman

10. Who said: “whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God”?
a. Ruth
b. Esther
c. Leah
d. Rachel

Answers

1.A: Before Pharaoh’s daughter drew Moses from river, Miriam looked after his ark of bulrushes, “to wit what would be done to him” (Exodus 2:4). Miriam also ensured that Moses’s mother, Jochebed, would be his wet nurse. 

2.B: To better assimilate into Persian culture, Jewish orphan Hadassah changed her name to Esther when she left her caretaker and uncle, Mordecai, to be presented to king. Later, at some risk, she reveals her true identity as a Jew to save her people from wicked Haman.

3.D: Samuel was Hannah’s only child; after giving him up to temple in exchange for blessing of motherhood, Hannah could visit him only once a year, and each time brought him “a little coat” (1 Samuel 2:19).

4.A: Because Jael slayed Canaanite general Sisera with a tent spike while he slept in her home, Israelite army was able to prevail against evil king Jabin. As Israelites celebrated their victory, Jael is praised as being “blessed above women” (Judges 5:24).

5.C: Apart from her position as a judge in Israel, Deborah is also named righteous prophetess in scriptures (Judges 4:4). Under her guidance, and with help of Jael (see question 4), Israel is victorious against Canaanite armies of Sisera.

6.C: When two spies from Joshua came to Rahab, she recognized that they were sent of the Lord. After hiding them from searchers, she was told to hang scarlet thread in her window so that she and all her house would be spared. 

7.C: Isaac’s miraculous conception, when Sarai was 91 and Abraham 100, fulfilled Lord’s promise to her: “she shall be mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her” (Genesis 17:16).

8.B: As Abraham’s servant approached desert well, he prayed for specific sign: whoever was to marry Isaac should offer to draw water for his camels. This faithful Rebekah did, and after meeting with her family, servant took Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife (Genesis 24). 

9.D: While woman praised in Solomon’s song is never named, in one verse we learn of her origin: she is Shulamite, or one hailing from Shulem (Song of Solomon 6:13). Another famous Shulamite (or Shunammite) in Old Testament in faithful woman who housed Elisha and was promised son for her righteousness (2 Kings 4).

10.A: Despite being Moabitess and stranger in Bethlehem, Ruth remained loyal to her marriage vows and mother-in-law, Naomi. She spoke this phrase, evidencing her virtue and devotion, when she was offered opportunity to leave Naomi and return to her mother and native people (Ruth 1:16). 

--by Kelsey Berteaux LDSLiving.com

2014 Sunday School Course: Old Testament

1. Seeing Eve’s new potential for giving life, Adam names her Eve. In Hebrew, Eve means “to live.”

2. From Abraham 3 and facsimile 3 we learn that while Abram was in Egypt he taught the Egyptians astronomy and the gospel.

3. In Genesis 48:20, Jacob prophesies that all Israel will say blessings, asking to make people like Ephraim and Manasseh. Because of this verse, Jewish fathers still pronounce a blessing upon their sons ever Sabbath saying “may God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.”

4. The name manna comes from the Hebrew mah hu, which literally means “what is it?”

5. Many have correctly identified that the Ten Commandments can be divided in a way similar to the two great commandments. The first several are about our relationship with God and loving Him. Beginning with the command to honor our parents, the focus shifts to our relationship with our neighbor, or loving our fellow man.

6. The account of Moses’s face shining has led to an interesting artistic practice. Because the Hebrew word for shining is close to the word for horns, there has historically been both confusion and intentional playing on words when painters and sculptors have made images of Moses. Thus Moses is often depicted with horns—sometimes out of confusion but sometimes in a playful way as a kind of symbolic code for informing viewers that the person depicted is Moses.

7. Naomi’s closest relative who refuses to redeem them is looked upon with such ill favor that the authors will not even mention his name. Instead, they have Boaz use the ancient Hebrew equivalent of “what’s his name” when he says “such a one” (Ruth 4:1).

8. The baptismal fonts in our temples today, placed on the backs of twelve oxen, are modeled on the one that Solomon built when he made his temple.

9. Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not mention the name of God. This is probably intentional as it helps convey one of the main themes of Esther. It is just one device the author uses in order to highlight that while we may not always see the hand of God, nor understand His plans or timing, He is present and directing affairs to work of the good of His people.

10. The almond tree is the first to flower in Israel, so it becomes a symbol of doing things quickly. This is why the Lord uses it as a symbol of how quickly He will make His prophecies come to pass.

Congrats!

Jenny is engaged! We're so HAPPY for both of you!

Elder Enzo & Santa in Dallas!

NJ YSA alumnus Jeff & Malorie sealed in SG Temple!

Mike is engaged! Wishing you 2 happiness forever!

This Christmas: Let HOW You Celebrate Reflect WHAT You Celebrate

Trivia Quiz: Angels in the Standard Works

Questions:

1. How many angels did Daniel say he saw at the judgment seat?
a.    Just two: Michael and Gabriel
b.    12 legions
c.    10,000 angels
d.    100,000,000 angels

 

2. John the Revelator saw seven angels who would do what?
a.   Bring last plagues of wrath of God to the earth
b.   Act as “destroying angels” in the second coming
c.    Fill the four corners of the earth with light and truth
d.   Trumpet the arrival of Jehovah to the earth

 

3. How many times has the word angel been said in general conference since 1851?
a.   1187
b.   5362
c.    7304
d.   11980

           

4. Which of the following is not an angel named in the Bible:
a.      Michael
b.      Gabriel
c.      Abaddon
d.      Raphael
e.      Lucifer

 

5. Which book of scripture contains most occurrences of the word angel?
a.       The Old Testament
b.      The New Testament
c.       The Book of Mormon
d.      Doctrine & Covenants
e.      The Pearl of Great Price

 

6. How many LDS temples do not have an angel Moroni statue?
a.      Three
b.      Five
c.      Eight
d.      All temples have angel Moroni statues

 

7.  What percentage of Americans believes in angels?
a.      12%
b.      33%
c.      52%
d.      77%

 

Answers:

1.       D: 100,000,000 angels. Both Daniel (Daniel 7:10) and John the Revelator (Revelation 5:11) state they saw ten thousand times ten thousand angels, a reference to a countless number.

2.       A: Bring last plagues of wrath of God to the earth. The seven angels mentioned in Revelation 15 are likely a symbolic representation of the end of days more than seven physical beings.

 

3.       C: 7304 times. In the most recent conference (October 2013), the term angel was mentioned by 8 different speakers a total of 10 times.

4.       D: Raphael. Only four angels are named in the Bible: Michael, Gabriel, Abaddon, and Lucifer.

5.       B: The New Testament. With 175 mentions, the New Testament mentions the word angel the most. The Book of Mormon is second with 135 mentions, the Old Testament is third with 108 mentions, Doctrine & Covenants is fourth with 71 mentions, and the Pearl of Great Price is last with 17 mentions.

6.       C: Eight. Only eight of the Church’s 141 temples do not have an angel Moroni statue. They are the Laie Hawaii, Mesa Arizona, Cardston Alberta, Logan Utah, St. George Utah, Manti Utah, Hamilton New Zealand, and Oakland California temples.

7.       D: 77%. This number is up from 54% who believed in angels in 1978. In fact, 55% of Americans today even believe they have been protected by a guardian angel. 

The Nativity

Happy Reminder of our New Jersey Mission

Yesterday a BLONDE Kinzie re-introduced herself to us at our favorite restaurant, Café Rio! What a happy surprise! Isn't she beautiful?! She's in college pursing her graphic design degree! We'll always be grateful for Kinzie's willingness to play piano at our YSA activities--even when asked at last moment! She's a treasure!

Season of Giving

Annual Gingerbread Festival at Winter Quarters, Nebraska

Giving Thanks - More than a Holiday

Missionary Work - Sharing The Plan of Happiness

“We are simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just ‘one’ between now and Christmas, millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful gift to the Savior.” –M Russell Ballard, “Put Your Trust in the Lord”

Missionary Work: How It’s Done at a Provo Taco Shop  http://www.jamesthemormon.com/

12 Nov 2013

            Today was one of those days where you want to curl up in a ball and die.
            Where you want to rip off all your clothes,  start screaming, all while kicking large objects around the room with my hind legs like an crazed hyena.
            It’s not one particular thing that’s driving me to this madness, but instead a combination of insanities that are causing me to have high blood pressure.
            Also I'm pretty sure I became 50% more bald today, and for about 10 minutes I think I either blacked out or went deaf and blind at the same time. Still not sure.
            On top of the "zoo" of chaos going on at work, I am getting married in 5 weeks and having 2 receptions. I'm taking the GMAT in 3 weeks. And yeah . . . let’s just say I'm going through some intense family drama.
            I've had better days.
            Halfway through my day, I couldn't handle the lunacy anymore, and I decided to take a walk and get a breath of fresh air.

            Midway through my walk down University Avenue . . . I got hungry. I looked to my right and I saw Diego’s a delicious taco joint in Provo, UT.

            As I walked in the first smile I had all day came across my face as I saw the Book of Mormon available for reading sitting on top of Provo's Classifieds aka "Thrifty Nickel".

            As I sat waiting for my order, sinking back in to my stressed state of mind, remembering what awaited me back at work, the most touching conversation began. It went something like this.

Diego - "That’s a beautiful ring, are you engaged?"
Girl ordering - "Yes were getting married in January"
Diego - "Oh wow are you getting married in the temple?"
Girl ordering - "Oh . . . No"
Diego - "Really? Why not?"
Girl ordering - "Oh . . . that's just not our thing right now."
Diego - "I see . . . well I can tell you getting married in the temple has greatly blessed my life. What’s keeping you from getting married in the temple?"
Girl ordering - "It’s just a big lifestyle change"
Diego -"Well do you love him?"
Girl ordering - "Yes. More than anything"
Diego - "Well if you can make some small changes you'll not only be blessed now, but you'll also be able to keep your marriage going forever. Isn't that what you want?"
Girl ordering - "Well ... yes."

            I just sat there in awe of what was happening. I asked myself how long it had been since I had a real missionary experience while Diego here was creating one out of thin air. It was apparent to me that Diego wasn't just in the business of turning a profit, but in the business of doing the Lord's work. What a ROCK STAR! But shouldn't we all be like that? Shouldn't our lives be have an even balance of temporal and spiritual? Isn’t  ". . . the greatest and most important duty  . . to preach the Gospel.”

            I walked into Diego’s with a bad attitude expecting to leave with a bag of tacos. Instead I left with a bag of spiritual inspiration and a new appreciation for the purpose of life.

            What’s in your bag?

 

 

Congratulations, Nami & Jesse

Mr & Mrs Mudrick - Day #1

Plan of Salvation in Chalk

Insightful View of Lord's Church

The Mormonizing of America
by Stephen Mansfield

There are nearly seven million Mormons in America. This is the number the Mormons themselves use. It's not huge. Seven million is barely 2 percent of the country's population. It is the number of people who subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens magazine. London boasts seven million people. So does San Francisco. It's a million more people than live in the state of Washington; a million less than in the state of Virginia. It's so few, it's the same number as were watching the January 24, 2012, Republican debate.
In fact, worldwide, there are only about fourteen million Mormons. That's fourteen million among a global population just reaching seven billion. Fourteen million is the population of Cairo or Mali or Guatemala. It's approximately the number of people who tune in for the latest hit show on network television every week. Fourteen million Americans ate Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant in 2011. That's how few fourteen million is.
Yet in the first decade or so of the new millennium, some members of the American media discovered the Mormons and began covering them as though the Latter-day Saints had just landed from Mars. It was as though Utah was about to invade the rest of the country. It was all because of politics and pop culture, of course. Mitt Romney and John Huntsman were in pursuit of the White House. Glenn Beck was among the nation's most controversial news commentators. Stephenie Meyer had written the astonishingly popular Twilight series about vampires. Matt Stone and Trey Parker had created the edgy South Park cartoon series--which included a much- discussed episode about Mormons--and then went on to create the blatantly blasphemous and Saint-bashing Broadway play The Book of Mormon. It has become one of the most successful productions in American theater history.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen Mormons sat in the US Congress, among them Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader. Mormons led JetBlue, American Express, Marriott, Novell, Deloitte and Touche, Diebold, and Eastman Kodak. Management guru Stephen Covey made millions telling them how to lead even better. There were Mormons commanding battalions of US troops and Mormons running major US universities. There were so many famous Mormons, in fact, that huge websites were launched just to keep up with it all. Notables ranged from movie stars like Katherine Heigl to professional athletes to country music stars like Gary Allan to reality television contestants and even to serial killers like Glenn Helzer, whose attorney argued that the Saints made him the monster he was. The media graciously reminded the public that Mormon criminals were nothing new, though: Butch Cassidy of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid fame was also a Mormon, they reported.
Most media coverage treated this "Mormon Moment" as though it was just that: the surprising and unrelated appearance of dozens of Mormons on the national stage--for a moment. More than a few commentators predicted it would all pass quickly. This new Mormon visibility would lead to new scrutiny, they said, and once the nation got reacquainted with tales of "holy underwear" and multiple wives and Jewish Indians and demonized African Americans and a book printed on gold plates buried in upstate New York, it would all go quiet again and stay that way for a generation. In the meantime, reruns of HBO's Big Love and The Learning Channel's Sister Wives would make sure Mormon themes didn't die out completely.
What most commentators did not understand was that their "Mormon Moment" was more than a moment, more than an accident, and more than a matter of pop culture and fame alone. The reality was--and is--that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has reached critical mass. It is not simply that a startling number of Mormons have found their way onto America's flat-screen TVs and so brought visibility to their religion. It is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints has reached sufficient numbers--and has so permeated every level of American society on the strength of its religious value--that prominent politicians, authors, athletes, actors, newscasters, and even murderers are the natural result, in some cases even the intended result. Visible, influential Mormons aren't outliers or exceptions. They are fruit of the organic growth of their religion.
In 1950, there were just over a million Mormons in the world. Most of these were located in the Intermountain West of the United States, a region of almost lunar landscape between the Rocky Mountains to the East and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada Mountains to the West. The religion was still thought of as odd by most Americans. There had been famous Mormons like the occasional US Senator or war hero, but these were few and far between. There had even been a 1940 Hollywood movie entitled Brigham Young that told the story of the Saints' mid-1800s trek from Illinois to the region of the Great Salt Lake. Its producers worked hard to strain out nearly every possible religious theme, a nod to the increasingly secular American public. Though it starred heavyweights like Vincent Price and Tyrone Power, the movie failed miserably, even in Utah. Especially in Utah.
Then, in 1951, a man named David O. McKay became the "First President" of the Latter-day Saints and inaugurated a new era. He was the Colonel Harlan Sanders of Mormonism. He often wore white suits, had an infectious laugh, and under- stood the need to appeal to the world outside the Church. It was refreshing. Most LDS presidents had either been polygamist oddballs or stodgy old men in the eyes of the American public. McKay was more savvy, more media aware. He became so popular that film legend Cecil B. DeMille asked him to consult on the now classic movie The Ten Commandments.
Empowered by his personal popularity and by his sense that an opportune moment had come, McKay began refashioning the Church's image. He also began sharpening its focus. His famous challenge to his followers was, "Every Member a Missionary!" And the faithful got busy. It only helped that Ezra Taft Benson, a future Church president, was serving as the nation's secretary of agriculture under President Eisehower. This brought respectability. It also helped that George Romney was the revered CEO of American Motors Corporation and that he would go on to be the governor of Michigan, a candidate for president of the United States, and finally a member of Richard Nixon's cabinet. This hinted at increasing power. The 1950s were good for Mormons.
Then came the 1960s. Like most religions, the LDS took a beating from the counterculture movement, but by the 1970s they were again on the rise. There was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a symbol of Americana when Americana was under siege. There was Mormon Donny Osmond's smile and Mormon Marie Osmond's everything and the three-year run of network television's Donny and Marie in the late 1970s that made words like family, clean, talented, patriotic, and even cute outshine some of the less-endearing labels laid upon the Saints through the years. New labels joined new symbols. A massive, otherworldly, 160,000-square-foot Temple just north of Washington, DC, was dedicated in the 1970s, a symbol of LDS power and permanence for the nation to behold. Always there was the "Every Member a Missionary!" vision beating in each Saintly heart.
By 1984, the dynamics of LDS growth were so fine-tuned that influential sociologist Rodney Stark made the mind- blowing prediction that the Latter-day Saints would have no fewer than 64 million members and perhaps as many as 267 million by 2080.3 It must have seemed possible in those days. In the following ten years, LDS membership exploded from 4.4 million to 11 million. This may be why in 1998 the Southern Baptist Convention held its annual meeting in Salt Lake City. The Mormons--a misguided cult in the view of most traditional Christians, most Baptists in particular--had to be stopped.
They weren't. Four years after the Baptists besieged Temple Square, the Winter Olympic Games came to Salt Lake City. This was in 2002 and it is hard to exaggerate what this meant to the Latter-day Saints. A gifted Mormon leader, Mitt Romney, rescued the games after a disastrous bidding scandal. A sparkling Mormon city hosted the games. Happy, handsome all-American Mormons attended each event, waving constantly to the cameras and appearing to be--in the word repeatedly used by the press at the time--"normal."
The LDS Church capitalized on it all. It sent volunteers, missionaries, and publicists scurrying to every venue. It hosted grand events for the world press. It made sure that every visitor received a brochure offering an LDS guided tour of the city. Visitors from around the world read these words: "No other place in America has a story to tell like that of Salt Lake City--a sanctuary founded by religious refugees from within the United States' own borders. And none can tell that story better than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
Largely unchallenged, the Mormon narrative prevailed.
What followed was the decade of the new millennium we have already surveyed. Mormons seemed to be everywhere, seemed to be exceptional in nearly every arena, seemed to have moved beyond acceptance by American culture to domination of American culture. At least this was what some feared at the time.
But Mormons did not dominate the country. Far from it. Remember that they were not even 2 percent of the nation's population as of 2012. True, they were visible and successful, well educated and well spoken, patriotic and ever willing to serve. Yet what they had achieved was not domination. It was not a conspiracy either, as some alleged. It was not anything approaching a takeover or even the hope for a takeover
Few observers seemed to be able to explain how this new level of LDS prominence in American society came about. They reached for the usual answers trotted out to account for such occurrences: birth rates, Ronald Reagan's deification of traditional values, the economic boom of the late twentieth century, a more liberal and broadminded society, even the dumbing down of America through television and failing schools. Each of these explanations was found wanting.

The Mormon Machine

The truth lay within Mormonism itself. What the Saints had achieved in the United States was what Mormonism, unfettered and well led, will nearly always produce. This was the real story behind the much-touted "Mormon Moment." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had risen to unexpected heights in American society because the Mormon religion creates what can benevolently be called a Mormon Machine-- a system of individual empowerment, family investment, local church (ward and stake level) leadership, priesthood government, prophetic enduement, Temple sacraments, and sacrificial financial endowment of the holy Mormon cause.
Plant Mormonism in any country on earth and pretty much the same results will occur. If successful, it will produce deeply moral individuals who serve a religious vision centered upon achievement in this life. They will aggressively pursue the most advanced education possible, understand their lives in terms of overcoming obstacles, and eagerly serve the surrounding society. The family will be of supernatural importance to them, as will planning and investing for future generations. They will be devoted to community, store and save as a hedge against future hardship, and they will esteem work as a religious calling. They will submit to civil government and hope to take positions within it. They will have advantages in this. Their beliefs and their lives in all-encompassing community will condition them to thrive in administrative systems and hierarchies--a critical key to success in the modern world. Ever oriented to a corporate life and destiny, they will prize belonging and unity over individuality and conflict every time.
These hallmark values and behaviors--the habits that distinguish Mormons in the minds of millions of Americans-- grow naturally from Mormon doctrine. They are also the values and behaviors of successful people. Observers who think of the religion as a cult--in the Jim Jones sense that a single, dynamic leader controls a larger body of devotees through fear, lies, and manipulation--usually fail to see this. Mormon doctrine is inviting, the community it produces enveloping and elevating, the lifestyle it encourages empowering in nearly every sense. Success, visibility, prosperity, and influence follow. This is the engine of the Mormon ascent. It is what has attracted so many millions, and it is the mechanism of the Latter-day Saints' impact upon American society and the world.
Mormons make achievement through organizational management a religious virtue. It leads to prosperity, visibility, and power. It should come as no surprise, then, that an American can turn on the evening news after a day of work and find one report about two Mormon presidential candidates, another story about a Mormon finalist on American Idol, an examination of the controversial views of a leading Mormon news commentator, a sports story about what a Mormon lineman does with his "Temple garments" in the NFL, and a celebration of how Mormons respond to crises like Katrina and the BP oil spill, all by a "Where Are They Now?" segment about Gladys Knight, minus the Pips, who has become--of course--a Mormon.
Mormons rise in this life because it is what their religion calls for. Achieving. Progressing. Learning. Forward, upward motion. This is the lifeblood of earthly Mormonism. Management, leadership, and organizing are the essential skills of the faith. It is no wonder that Mormons have grown so rapidly and reached such stellar heights in American culture. And there is much more to come.
THE MORMONIZING OF AMERICA by Stephen Mansfield, © 2012. Published by Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., Brentwood, TN.

Missionary Tool

“Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest” by Eric Shuster

Editorial Review from Amazon.com

            Unique among books released by Mormon publishing houses, Eric Shuster's "Catholic Roots Mormon Harvest," will appeal to Catholics as much as it will interest members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The book's very design is to highlight the similarities and differences between Mormonism and Catholicism, and consequently much of the book will be review from a reader familiar with either. The decades he spent as a non-Mormon give Shuster a distinctive vernacular, though, that gives even the most well-known doctrines a fresh makeover. Throughout the 261 pages, Shuster makes clear his love for both faiths. As he writes on page 83, "...I wasn't giving up anything in becoming a Latter-day Saint and was in fact gaining so much more in reaping the harvest." --Molly Farmer, Mormon Times

About the Author

            Eric Shuster is the fifth of 6 children born to George and Patricia Shuster. He is graduate of Saint Lawrence Catholic College Preparatory School and earned Bachelor of Science degree from San Jose State University and Masters of Science degree from University of Phoenix. He is a veteran of the information technology industry and the President and CEO of IntelliClear Inc., a Colorado-based market research firm. Eric is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Christian Studies, a non-profit organization dedicated to the study, teaching, and practice of Christianity. Eric was born into the Catholic faith and was an active member for 27 years. During this time, he served in a variety of lay leadership roles relating to music, youth ministry, and young adult ministry. Eric’s wife, Marilyn, is third of 8 children born to Bruce and Bettie Williams. She is graduate of Nathan Hale High School and earned Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Saint Thomas (magna cum laude). Like Eric, she was born into Catholic faith and was active member for 34 years. During this time, she served in a variety of lay leadership roles, including certified Catholic youth minister, and Franciscan nun. In 1989 Marilyn and Eric converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They have been active Latter-day Saints ever since. They have served in many ward and stake leadership roles. The Shuster’s have 3 children and make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Mountains to Climb

Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

Christmas 2012: JOY TO THE WORLD

Congratulations! So Happy for YOU!

We met Benita at Princeton Institute classes.
Near the end of our mission, she was accepted at BYU-I.
Benita met Kase at BYU-I. They married 18 Dec 2012!

Malorie & Jeff attended Wednesday night Princeton Institute
classes while we served there. They will be married 22 Dec 2012!

For God So Loved the World

Mormon Helping Hands--Rockaways, New York

Click on this link for video feed: http://vimeo.com/joshuabrown/hurricanesandy

    Thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continue to volunteer to assist in the recovery efforts within these communities. On Sunday, November 11th, thousands of Mormons cancelled their church services and arrived by air, bus and train from all across the country to help.

    Please share this video with any friends and family that might be able to help the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. Not only at the Rockaways, but Staten Island, Long Island, and New Jersey. The church is coordinating the efforts, but anyone (both Mormon and non Mormon) is welcome to come and help.
    For more information about this and other ongoing efforts please visit:
facebook.com/groups/mormonhelpinghandsnyc/
lds.org/topics/humanitarian-service/helping-hands
mormon.org

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 11/14/12: Mormon Helping Hands Mobilizes for Storm-Ravaged Rockaways and Broad Channel-1,000s of Mormon Volunteers Pump Water Out of Basements and Gut Drywall Before Mold Grows

   Mormons, better known in New York City for clean-cut young missionaries in pressed white shirts, are now doing God’s work by getting their hands dirty.
   Members of Mormon Helping Hands have won rave reviews from Rockaway and Broad Channel residents whose homes were battered by floodwaters.
   About 6,000 volunteers from all over the Northeast have helped pump water out of deluged basements and gut homes. The group is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
   “We take the sheetrock out ... because the basements are now going to get mold,” said Kevin Calderwood, who is coordinating the group’s work in Queens. “In a weekend, we can do hundreds and hundreds of work orders.”
   About 200 Mormon missionaries stationed in Queens take work orders from beleaguered homeowners during the week, he said. On weekends, the volunteers come down to do the work.
Educator Randy Nelson, 57, of Belle Harbor, whose basement and first floor were wiped out by the flooding, said the group tore all the sheetrock out of her basement and garage.
   “They came in with droves and droves of people,” she said of the team that finished in two afternoons what would have taken her weeks to do on her own. “They were really incredible.”
Retired Con Edison worker Jim O’Connor, 58, of Belle Harbor, called Mormon Helping Hands “extraordinary.”
   “It boggles my mind that there are still good people left like that in the world,” he said of the volunteers who showed up unexpectedly offering to help.
   Other groups, such as Team Rubicon, a disaster response organization of military veterans and medical professionals, are doing similar work on the peninsula.
   “We’re emptying out basements of water. ... We’re tearing down sheetrock,” said Stephanie Rudat, a Rubicon advisory board member. “We are helping get people back into their homes.”
   Hundreds of Rubicon volunteers from across the U.S. do labor-intensive work in the Rockaways in the day and sleep on cots in a Brooklyn warehouse.
   Community Board 14 District Manager Jonathan Gaska said volunteers have been vital to the recovery of the Rockaways.
   “They’re out here 10, 12 hours a day and they’re here for all the right reasons,” he said. “The volunteers got food and supplies out to the people quicker than the government did.”

MORMON NEWSROOM 11/14/12: Mormon Volunteers Give More than 80,000 Hours Service to Hurricane Sandy Victims

Salt Lake City —

   Volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are continuing efforts to help East Coast residents recover from Hurricane Sandy. Local leaders cancelled or abbreviated worship services to give members more time to serve.
   More than 7,700 Church members and missionaries have devoted over 80,000 hours since Hurricane Sandy hit to help residents along the storm’s path. The Church has provided 300,000 pounds of relief supplies including: food, water, blankets, hygiene kits, generators, pumps, tarps, cleaning supplies and fuel.
   Local Church leaders from all across the East Coast are helping to organize the Church’s relief projects. The efforts are centrally coordinated through a Church building in New Jersey, and donations and supplies are gathered there to be shipped out to the areas most affected by the storm.
   This past weekend, one group of Church volunteers from the New York area focused its efforts on first responders’ damaged homes in the Rockaways, an area on the southwest side of Long Island. The volunteers have spent much of the past week cleaning out basements in the area: clearing flood-damaged furniture, ripping out ruined sheetrock and removing dirt, sand, mold and trash.
   In first responder John Carbone’s home, volunteers helped strip damaged sheetrock from most of the basement. Carbone said he appreciated the group’s willingness to help anyone in need. “Everybody’s being helped by you people,” he said. “It’s not just, ‘Hey, you’re a Catholic, so I’m going to help you; you’re Pentecostal, I’m going to help you.’ No, you’re a human being. You’re going to help them all.”
   Church members also helped residents in Staten Island. Resident Patricia Varvaro said the volunteers helped her with cleanup, but also helped to lift her spirits. She said they helped her believe that “there’s humanity left in this world; there’s still good people. It’s giving you a feeling of hope in a moment of despair.”
   The yellow-vested volunteers in Long Island have gone house-to-house helping residents needing assistance removing trees or pumping water from basements.
   About 200 missionaries from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut joined 200 other Church members from Connecticut to work in storm-damaged towns along the Connecticut coast on Sunday, including Fairfield, Milford, Bridgeport, Madison and Killingworth.
   The Church has also helped to transport supplies to affected areas. Church members in Oakton, Virginia, helped fill six semi-trucks full of coats, blankets and clothing. They were delivered to the Rockaway and Lynbrook areas of Queens last week.
   Church leaders continue to partner and coordinate relief efforts with local authorities, the American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and other relief organizations. Church members will continue major cleanup efforts for the next several weeks. “The devastation left by the storm is heart-wrenching. So many people have lost so much, and we will do everything we can to provide their families with relief and help rebuild our communities,” said Jeffery E. Olson, a Church leader organizing the local disaster response.