LDS - The Salt Lake Tribune

Frances Monson, wife of Mormon church leader, dies

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:18:16 MDT

Frances Monson, wife of Mormon church leader, dies

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 17, 2013 05:18PM MDT

It was love at first sight — or at least first meeting — for the tall, loquacious Thomas S. Monson and the slender beauty, Frances Beverly Johnson. Soon, he was smitten, Monson later recalled, “I knew I’d found the right one.” Now, after nearly 65 years of marriage, Monson, the LDS Church’s 16th president, has lost the woman who walked in dignity beside him, providing quiet strength, support and encouragement as he performed his church duties. Frances Monson, who had been hospitalized for sev...

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Peg McEntee: Grass-roots Mormons preach Earth-friendly gospel

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:46:54 MDT

Peg McEntee: Grass-roots Mormons preach Earth-friendly gospel

by Peg Mcentee tribune Columnist

Published May 17, 2013 12:46PM MDT

Just a few months ago, the Legislature repeated its demand that the federal government surrender 30 million acres of public lands to Utah so the state can make more money on them. That’s just the sort of thinking that the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance (MESA) deplores, and why it wants its followers — more than 1,300 in more than 15 countries — to remember LDS teachings to revere the Earth, its sanctity, its people and the need to preserve it for generations to come. And, given that ...

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A Mormon mystery returns: Who is Heavenly Mother?

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:40:21 MDT

A Mormon mystery returns: Who is Heavenly Mother?

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 16, 2013 09:40AM MDT

On Sunday, Mormon speakers may share stories of supermoms who run marathons, home-school their 10 children, help out at the homeless shelter and sing Bach cantatas — all while leading daily prayers, scripture study and blogging about it. Few members, however, will hear about the greatest mom of all: Heavenly Mother. Though she has been acknowledged by Mormon prophets and celebrated in LDS hymns, Mother in Heaven is absent from missionary materials, religious manuals, youth programs, and, for the...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

As gay vote looms, church-based Scouting draws interest

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:40:21 MDT

As gay vote looms, church-based Scouting draws interest

by Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

Published May 16, 2013 09:40AM MDT

They have pledges. They have merit badges. And they may go camping. But they’re not Boy Scouts. Across the country, there are decades-old religious alternatives with names like Pathfinders (Seventh-day Adventist), Royal Ambassadors (Southern Baptist) and Royal Rangers (Assemblies of God). And as the Boy Scouts of America considers whether to change its membership policy to admit gay members (but continue its ban on gay leaders), some of these groups are fielding inquiries from people concerned a...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ogden’s Mormon temple gets its angel back

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:45:45 MDT

Ogden’s Mormon temple gets its angel back

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 13, 2013 04:45PM MDT

An angel returned to Ogden — and he’s staying put. Crews on Tuesday hoisted the 14-foot, 800-pound angel into place atop downtown Ogden’s Mormon temple, which is undergoing a face-lift. The fiberglass Angel Moroni — covered in gold leaf and blowing a trumpet — was removed when the temple renovation began in April 2011, according to a news release from the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The statue then was reconditioned and returned to its former home. On Monday...

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New leaders for Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:43:04 MDT

New leaders for Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 10, 2013 11:43AM MDT

The Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable, which traces its roots to Utah’s preparations for and staging of the 2002 Winter Olympics, has new leadership. The Rev. Elias Koucos is now the executive board’s chairman. Koucos, rector at Holladay’s Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, is a Salt Lake City native and an original member of the Salt Lake Winter Olympics Interfaith Roundtable, created in 1999 to oversee interfaith events during the Games. “I am truly humbled and honored to be serving in this ca...

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Mormon church unveils two options for a bigger MTC in Provo

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:54:57 MDT

Mormon church unveils two options for a bigger MTC in Provo

by Donald W. Meyers The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 3, 2013 09:54AM MDT

Lorie Johnson says the LDS Church’s latest plans to expand its Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo are a welcome change from past efforts. Johnson, a resident of the nearby Pleasant View neighborhood, and Mark Cannon, the neighborhood vice chairman, said LDS representatives have met with residents to discuss options that would allow the MTC to handle a ballooning number of Mormon missionaries without intruding on the neighborhood. Those options call for extending the MTC campus south towa...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utahns join in National Day of Prayer

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:54:57 MDT

Utahns join in National Day of Prayer

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 3, 2013 09:54AM MDT

With closed eyes, outstretched arms, lifted heads and hopeful hearts, Utah believers united with Americans across the country Thursday morning for the 62nd National Day of Prayer. The Rev. Michael J. Imperiale, senior pastor of Salt Lake City’s First Presbyterian Church, delivered a special message at Calvary Chapel of Salt Lake. The gathering included a breakfast and live-streaming of the national ceremony from Washington, D.C. In a proclamation marking this year’s event, President Barack Obam...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pentagon spreads the word: no crackdown against evangelizing

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:54:57 MDT

Pentagon spreads the word: no crackdown against evangelizing

by David Gibson Religion News Service

Published May 3, 2013 09:54AM MDT

Christian conservatives have grown increasingly alarmed in recent weeks about reports and rumors that the Pentagon is considering new policies aimed at discriminating against Christians and disciplining or even court-martialing those who share their faith. But the Department of Defense sought to debunk that speculation this week, saying that while aggressive proselytizing is barred, evangelization is still permitted and the rights of all believers — and nonbelievers — will be protected. “The U.S...

Mormon church endorses Scout plan: let gay boys join, keep out gay leaders

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:27:41 MDT

Mormon church endorses Scout plan: let gay boys join, keep out gay leaders

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Apr 29, 2013 03:27PM MDT

The compromise proposal from the Boy Scouts of America to allow gay youths to join local troops — while continuing to exclude gay leaders — has picked up a powerful backer: the LDS Church. The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the nation’s largest Scouting sponsor, announced late Thursday that it is “satisfied” with the BSA’s plan. “While the church has not launched any campaign either to effect or prevent a policy change,” said a statement on the church’s newsroom website...

Split emerges among Mormon scholars

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:21:32 MDT

Split emerges among Mormon scholars

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Apr 25, 2013 08:21PM MDT

As the field of Mormon studies has expanded and moved into the academic mainstream, LDS scholars are divided about which path to take into the future: Explore a broader, more complex swath of history and belief, or remain focused on defending the faith’s unique scripture? Write as neutral analysts or as well-versed believers? A year after the two sides publicly parted company over the direction of the Mormon Studies Review, each group has launched its own writings, with separate boards of editor...

Provo Tabernacle stands tall, on stilts, as crews turn it into Mormon temple

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:02:41 MDT

Provo Tabernacle stands tall, on stilts, as crews turn it into Mormon temple

by Donald W. Meyers The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Apr 19, 2013 07:02PM MDT

Provo • Forty feet below the walls of the Provo Tabernacle, workers are preparing the foundation for the Provo City Center Temple. Representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave journalists a close-up look Thursday at efforts to restore the tabernacle more than two years after a fire gutted the 129-year-old landmark. “For me, it is a beautiful symbol of rebirth,” said Andy Kirby, the church’s project manager for the Provo City Center Temple. Since the groundbreaking for...