LDS News Watch

Here’s an article from the Washington Post on the LDS Church in Nigeria. The article was accompanied by this short video:

Nationally syndicated radio host and best-selling author Michael Medved wrote up an opinion piece yesterday on USAToday’s website titled “Hollywood’s terrorists: Mormon, not Muslim”. Medved took to task those involved with the upcoming film September Dawn, a portrayal (albeit jaded and misrepresented one) of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Claiming they don’t have an axe to grind, the film’s producers show quite the opposite. Medved explains:

These explorations reach no definitive conclusions on Brigham Young’s complicity in the massacre, but the movie leaves no doubt at all — using fierce quotations by Young, but using those words wildly out of context. The film, for instance, downplays events preceding the Mountain Meadows rampage, including brutal persecution of Mormon settlements in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, that led to the trek to Utah. Just before the incident the film portrays, the federal government sent troops West with orders to remove Brigham Young as governor of the territory, and the movie never acknowledges Young’s ultimate agreement to step down peacefully, avoiding the feared bloodbath between U.S. soldiers and Mormon militia.

To try to claim contemporary relevance for September Dawn, its director, Christopher Cain, and its veteran star, Jon Voight, both tell interviewers that the project recounts a pertinent story of “religious fanaticism” — emphasizing the eerie coincidence of the massacre’s date (Sept. 11) and showing martyred “prophet” Joseph Smith (portrayed as an arrogant, preening dandy shortly before his death at age 39 at the hands of a lynch mob), declaring himself a “New Mohammet” and threatening holy war against his enemies.

The film’s deliberately drawn analogy between Mountain Meadows and 9/11 raises the most puzzling question about this peculiar project: Why frame an indictment of violent religiosity by focusing on long-ago Mormon leaders rather than contemporary Muslims who perpetrate unspeakable brutalities every day?

The author of the article then goes on to opine as to why the film’s producers chose to highlight a portion of history from Mormon culture instead of another religion or segment of society:

In part, preference for Mormons over Muslims as targets of cinematic scorn stems from reasonable concerns for personal safety. Islamic communities have proved more than a mite touchy over media depictions of their faith: Consider the deadly worldwide riots over a dozen Danish cartoons, or the taking of more than 100 American hostages and bans in Muslim countries inspired by the respectful 1977 film Mohammad, Messenger of God (directed by a Syrian and financed in part by the Libyan government).

Mormons won’t respond with any comparable rage, no matter how badly September Dawn tarnishes the memory of their faith’s founders. In fact, the LDS Church has adopted an official policy of “no comment” regarding the film, and there have been no examples of young Mormons strapping dynamite to their bodies and blowing themselves up to protest perceived insults to their religion.
…
The measured response to public smears of Mormonism in effect rebuts the September Dawn suggestion that the church represents a relevant example of violent religious fanaticism. Despite the turbulence of their founding generation, Mormons have been conspicuously peaceful, patriotic, hard-working and neighborly for at least the past 117 years (since the church repudiated and banned polygamy).

Medved is to be applauded for his logic-based, prejudice-free article in portraying how biased and deceitful Hollywood can be. After all, their pursuit of the almighty dollar often leads them to inflate controversy, embellish history, choose one side of an argument, and lay it down as historical fact. The author’s conclusion is worthy of note:

This sort of prejudice seems not only unjust but also downright un-American — violating the cherished pluralistic traditions by which we judge religious communities not based on theological quirks or long-ago disputes, but on the decency of their present adherents. By that standard, the Mormons’ restrained response to even the most mean-spirited challenges to their beliefs says more about the present nature of their faith than anything in September Dawn.

Those wishing to do so may contact USA Today or Michael Medved directly.

The Age, a newspaper based in Victoria, Australia, failed to do its homework in a recent article about the HBO series Big Love. The article’s author, Peter Mattessi, describes the polygamist family depicted in the series as devout Mormons, despite the disclaimers that appeared before many episodes that the Mormon Church banned polygamy in 1890. The article’s description is false, as the characters in the show are specifically not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The article’s title, “Latter-day saints go marching in,” is equally erroneous.Mattessi clearly doesn’t know any such Latter-day Saints, as he reveals the “secret” he learned from the series: “Mormons can be good people too.” That may be true, but the characters in the show still aren’t Mormons. The article in The Age merely perpetuates tired stereotypes and promulgates misinformation.

The fault does not lie entirely with Mattessi or The Age. HBO has intentionally tried to portray the characters on Big Love as members of the Mormon Church because it makes the show more controversial and draws a bigger audience. The show recently stopped carrying the disclaimer that appeared before the episodes, despite requests from the LDS Church. The makers of the series have intentionally engaged in misinformation in order to sell their program. The article in The Age is a prime example of careless journalism and how fiction gets passed off as fact.

The editors of The Age may be contacted at feedback@theage.com.au.

Kudos to U.S. News and World Report for acknowledging that the cover of a recent issue may have implied a connection between the LDS Church and polygamist/fundamentalist groups. Apparently the story itself was clear about the distinction, but the cover may have been unintentionally misleading:

While the article makes a distinction between that polygamous sect and mainstream Mormonism’s rejection of polygamy, the reference to Mormons on the cover does not make this distinction. It was not our intention to imply that mainstream Mormonism is a secret society, sect, or cult, and we regret any offense that the reference to Mormons on the cover may have caused.

Very gracious of the editors to acknowledge a minor implication like this. Exemplary work!

Via: Regret The Error

As Mitt Romney continues to campaign for a presidential nomination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is featured in the media with increasing frequency. While not all articles about the Church are accurate or well-researched, it is important to note that the overall quality of many of those articles is improving. One example of good journalism is a recent article in the New York Times that surveyed what members of the church though of the recent attention on the Mormon Church. Entitled “Romney’s Run has Mormons Wary of Scrutiny,” the article interviews several Latter-day Saints, some of whom see the possibility for bigotry and criticism and others who look forward to the opportunity to dispel myths.

While the article itself is neither favorable nor unfavorable towards the Church of Jesus Christ, it generally portrays the Church and its teachings accurately. The article uses the full name of the Church near the beginning, and consulted the Church’s official spokesperson for comments. Official church positions on issues such as abortion and stem-cell research are stated accurately, and the article notes that the Church differs from some other denominations in that it does not “preach politics from the pulpit.” The article also puts the Church’s membership in perspective — with over half of its 13 million members living outside the U.S., the Church avoids involvement with domestic politics.

Laurie Goodstein, the articles’ author, should be commended for writing an interesting and well-researched piece. While the article did not fully comply with the guidelines the Church has established for style and use, it avoided misrepresentations and cited good sources. It is especially gratifying to see a top-rate publication such as the New York Times improve its coverage of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hopefully, other publications will also rise to that standard.

The article is here, and Laurie Goodstein may be reached by email here.

It won’t win any awards for scholarship, length, or style, but an Indianapolis Star article is worth mentioning solely because of how its readers responded to it.

The article opens, “Using the dictionary definition…one can only surmise that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is delusional.” It goes on to belittle Mitt Romney for his religious views, calling his candidacy less legitimate because of his extraordinary beliefs. He must have missed that all religions have a bit of the extraordinary.

The award goes to the readers, whose comments you can read by clicking “Read all … comments” (currently 41). Here are some of the good ones:

You sound like one of the many in 1960 who cried about the horrors that would happen in our country if a Catholic were elected as president. I’m sure you remember that Catholic’s name..John F. Kennedy.

I suppose you would never see a letter in the paper calling those who believe in, oh, let’s say Islam, to be “delusional”. It’s easy to snark when you’re sure the target won’t fight back.

Considering that most of the country believes in virgin birth, resurrection, that the earth was literally created in six days, and that Moses parted the Red Sea and walked through the middle, I don’t think that Romney’s religion is any more out there than any other religion’s beliefs.

While we don’t want to burn bridges to well-intentioned journalists who may report our beliefs incorrectly, there are many opportunities to offer a gentle corrective voice. Newspapers want to please and keep their readers. Our kind corrections will also help other readers distinguish truth from fiction.

This just in, from Mary Richards of KSL:

It’s not a belief that’s endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and yet some people believe that if Mitt Romney is elected president, he’s destined to do a great thing.

There’s growing talk Mitt Romney could be the one to fulfill a so-called prophecy and save the U.S. Constitution. Mormon myth claims Joseph Smith prophesied that in the last days the constitution would hang by a thread and a Mormon on a metaphorical white horse would ride in to save it.

The LDS Church in the past has discounted this “White Horse Prophecy,” saying it is not doctrine. Romney told the Salt Lake Tribune he doesn’t believe it either.

This is a perfect example of non-news being pushed as news. As one friend of mine commented (with sarcasm implied):

I know most people don’t believe this, including the Church and Romney himself, but I’ll go ahead and do the sensationalist thing and start a fire.

That’s exactly what Ms. Richards has done with this “news” tidbit. Have today’s journalistic standards fallen so low that things such as this can actually be passed off as news?

A recent article in the Editor & Publisher appears to have made a glaring misrepresentation about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the error was subsequently remedied. The Editor & Publisher is a monthly journal covering the newspaper business. It featured an article dated May 25 that carried the title “Deseret Reporter Subpoenaed in Mormon Church Rape Case.” However, the reporter in question is being subpoenaed to testify in the Warren Jeffs rape case. Mr. Jeffs is being tried as an accomplice in two rape cases resulting from his polygamist teachings and alleged arranging of marriages between adult men and minor girls.As LDS News Watch has previously indicated, Warren Jeffs is a leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), which has no connection to the Mormon Church. Neither Mr. Jeffs nor anyone else involved in the case are members of the Mormon Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not practice polygamy, and condemns child abuse. Thus, to call the Warren Jeffs case the “Mormon Church Rape Case” is patently false.

News aggregator services still carry this title for the article, but the Editor & Publisher appears to have recognized its mistake. The current title on the Editor & Publisher’s website reads: “Deseret Reporter Subpoenaed in Rape Case.” There is now no mention of the the Church of Jesus Christ or Mormons in the article on the Editor & Publisher page. As of this posting, the article’s author has not yet responded to inquiries as to the change in title.

The editors of the publication should be commended for recognizing the mistake and making the necessary changes. Unfortunately, the article has been picked up by many other news services, not all of whom have recognized the corrected language. As always, LDS News Watch urges members of the media to be precise when referring to the Mormon Church and to do their research in all their articles.

A recent article in TIME Magazine by Nancy Gibbs (entitled “The Religion Test” in the print magazine and “Romney’s Mormon Question” on the Web site) examines whether a political candidate’s religious beliefs are appropriate criteria to consider in a political contest. While the article focuses mostly on Mitt Romney’s bid for the presidency, it discusses the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and cites a few authorities that warrant some response.

Ms. Gibbs’ article was generally accurate with respect to the beliefs of the LDS Church. One small comment that was misleading, however, was the claim that members of the Mormon church refer to members of other faiths as “gentiles.” While this term may have been used in decades past, it is certainly not what “non-Mormons are called.” The word “gentile” is a Biblical term referring to groups of people other than the Jews. This definition of the word would place all Christians in the “gentile” category, regardless of their membership in a particular denomination. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Chirst of Latter-day Saints have counseled members of the church to avoid even terms like “nonmember” or “non-Mormon” because they could be seen as demeaning or offensive.

In the article, Ms. Gibbs dredges up Slate editor Jacob Weisberg’s claims that Mormonism is “a modern hoax,” and that he could not vote for anyone who believed it. Under Mr. Weiberg’s criteria, citizens of the United States are free to believe what they want to, as long as they don’t intend to run for public office. This notion is plainly contrary to the constitutional principles upon which the United States was founded. LDS doctrine reaffirms the right of all people to believe as they wish, not just those who share its beliefs. The Eleventh Article of Faith states:

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

Mr. Weisberg’s suspicion of religion does not render personally religious people unqualified for public office, regardless of their beliefs. Indeed, rather than disqualifying a candidate from office, one’s personal convictions could lead to many desireable attributes such as compassion, honesty, and integrity.

The TIME Magazine article can be read here.

First there was the bigoted comment from Al Sharpton.

Now convicted-criminal-turned-minister Bill Keller spews bigotry about Mitt Romney and the LDS Church:

Those who follow the false teachings of this cult, believe in the false jesus of the Mormon cult and reject faith in the one true Jesus of the Bible, will die and spend eternity in hell,” he charges. “Romney getting elected president will ultimately lead millions of souls to the eternal flames of hell!

And:

Romney is an unashamed and proud member of the Mormon cult founded by a murdering polygamist pedophile named Joseph Smith nearly 200 years ago. The teachings of the Mormon cult are doctrinally and theologically in complete opposition to the Absolute Truth of God’s Word. There is no common ground. If Mormonism is true, then the Christian faith is a complete lie. There has never been any question from the moment Smith’s cult began that it was a work of Satan and those who follow their false teachings will die and spend eternity in hell.

Such unbridled extremism will look foolish to all but the most naive or ignorant people. I almost hesitate to give this air time, but I think the larger issue is that the mainstream media tends not to consider bigotry against Mormons as condemnable as bigotry against other minorities.

The Church had no comment. Romney’s campaign commented, “I guess what I can tell you is it shows that bigotry can still rear its ugly head in society.”

(By the way, Bill Keller was convicted of inside trading in 1989 and served two years in prison, then became a minister.)

Of course, this is further fulfillment of Moroni’s prophecy that Joseph Smith’s name would be “had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.” Even while critics defame, millions revere Joseph Smith as a prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Article: ‘Vote for Romney is vote for Satan’