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Items by Chino Blanco

Main Street Plaza

Pat Bagley cracks me up.

Posted: December 17th, 2011, 6:28am EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

And Jon Huntsman wins Top Tweet of 2011:

“To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.”

That’s all.
Views: 240
So a Mormon missionary walks into a gay bar…

Posted: December 2nd, 2011, 2:27am EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

Steven met a Mormon missionary in a gay bar twenty years ago, joined his church, has lived with him ever since.

But apparently, nobody in this story is actually gay.

Check out FAIR Blog for the inside scoop.

From the link:

Steven Wilson is a member of the Church living in the San Francisco Bay area. Twenty years ago, he was introduced to the Church by a recently returned missionary he met in a gay bar. The two eventually moved in together and during the next seven years, Steven developed addictions, contracted AIDS and became severely depressed. As Steven’s condition worsened and he began to feel that he was going to die, he turned to an in-depth investigation of the Church.

This is his story about how he joined the Church, and eventually became an ordinance worker at the Oakland Temple. He is now happy and no longer experiences temptations with same gender attraction. He was baptized by the same returned missionary that first introduced him to the Church and with whom he has lived for the past 20 years. During the past 13 years of active Church membership, the two men have maintained a close bond of love, friendship and brotherhood within the gospel. He attributes his success in overcoming same gender attraction and his addictions to the Church’s 12 Step Addiction Recovery Program and to the atonement of Jesus Christ. He shares his thoughts on gay marriage, President Packer’s October, 2010 Conference talk, and his strong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Views: 1010
“I’m a Mormon” campaign prompts copycat ads

Posted: November 23rd, 2011, 6:58pm EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

As the ongoing campaign expands to Brisbane and beyond, it’s also earning flattery along the way as mimics come out to play.

I’m a Muppet.org

I’m a bear, I love to tell jokes, and… I’m a muppet.

BEAT DRUM! CHASE GIRL… AM MUPPET!

Meeeh mee mee me mee. Me meee mee me! Me me Memmeeee.

I’m a marmot.org

And let’s also not forget–let’s not forget, Dude–that keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know, within the city– that isn’t legal either.

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. Some light holiday reading:

It’s a known fact in advertising circles that only idiots click on ads.

Think mockery doesn’t work? Think again.

P.P.S. And some silly holiday YouTube fun:

I’m a large ground squirrel, a veteran screen (over)actor, and yes, I’m a Marmot.

Hey, I’m a Muppet.

P.P.P.S. Seriously, though, the Mormons aren’t doing religion any favors with this prêt-à-parodier ad campaign.
Views: 602
Well known Ex-Mormon, Emily Pearson, misrepresented on ABC’s Channel 4 News

Posted: November 20th, 2011, 11:16pm EST by Chino Blanco

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Salt Lake City, Utah – November 19, 2011. Emily Pearson, author of the newly released book Dancing With Crazy shown in false light on the Friday night ABC Channel 4 News.

An outspoken Ex-Mormon, and daughter of famed LDS writer Carol Lynn Pearson, was shown on an ABC Channel 4 News segment promoting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The video footage shown was, in actuality, taken from a popular video she made for the “I Am an Ex-Mormon” video series, but was edited to make it appear that she was endorsing and promoting the LDS Church as a part of their Pro-Mormon video series.

“Portraying me publicly as a happy Mormon that is proud to endorse the LDS church undermines who I am personally and professionally and damages the credibility of both me and the book I have written chronicling my journey both in and out of the Mormon Church.” Pearson said Saturday. “To take my image and words and use them to promote the very institution that caused me so much pain is ridiculous and inexcusable.”

Much attention is being given to the “I Am a Mormon” video series and its attempt to normalize Mormons and portray them in a more positive light. But, there are a huge number of individuals that feel otherwise, have left the Mormon Church and are speaking out about it in their own “I Am an Ex-Mormon” videos. Equal time needs to be given to those who know, through experience, that being Mormon isn’t all that it is advertised to be in this current Church Media Ad Campaign.

www.dancingwithcrazy.com
Views: 1231
New Podcast Series: Mormon Expression Voices

Posted: November 11th, 2011, 7:11am EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

Personal conversations about all things Mormon.

This short promo audio clip explains the concept.

And John and Zilpha demonstrate how it’s done in Episode One.

I like this. As much as I enjoy the thematic approach of the regular ME podcast (and MS and MM), I’ve been hoping that a Mormon-themed podcast might come along that allowed guests to simply bring themselves without the pressure of showing up with credentials and homework in hand.

This could be fun. Here’s how to sign up.
Views: 240
Huntsman: Romney is scared Mittless

Posted: November 9th, 2011, 7:54pm EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

Looks like Jon has decided to go Mormon mano-a-mano with Mitt in his latest ad:

– www.scaredmittless2012.com –
– PAID FOR BY JON HUNTSMAN FOR PRESIDENT –
Views: 265
Alan Osmond, Macho Man

Posted: November 1st, 2011, 1:13am EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

From the YouTube description:

Eldest Osmond brother Alan says in a new interview that the Osmond Brothers’ dancing was too effeminate, so they brought in Chuck Norris, who basically taught them how to add karate-style moves to make it more manly. Says Osmond: “Chuck, we need to toughen up our dance. Can you help us? And he said ‘well let’s learn some karate and you can apply the moves’ cause there’s stomps, and HOOO, YEAH. You know, it was very boyish, and that’s what we wanted.”

Obviously, the next step is going to involve perusing some Osmonds clips and judging how consistently the brothers performed to Alan’s standard (be sure to catch their “Stayin’ Alive” cover in the comments section below).

Related:

Warren Throckmorton: Alan Osmond channels NARTH

Queerty: WATCH: The Osmonds Hired Chuck Norris To “De-Feminize” Their Dancing

Back2Stonewall: Alan Osmond Of The Osmond Family Pens Anti-Gay Article Defending Gay Reparative Therapy and the Mormon Church

HuffPost: Alan Osmond Pens Anti-Gay Article In Defense Of Reparative Therapy On Family Website

Advocate: Osmond Brother Defends Antigay Reparative Therapy

And just for fun… Here’s a compilation of Alan’s wit and wisdom.

Big tip o’ the hat to Dave Evans for breaking this story.

And the latest ~~two~~ ~~three~~ ~~four~~ five links:

QSaltLake: The scary truth about Alan Osmond’s family-friendly website

Truth Wins Out: Unknown Osmond Wouldn’t Be Tough Butch Dancer He Is Today Without Chuck Norris

Perez Hilton: Alan Osmond Thinks Homosexuality Can Be “Cured”!

Salt Lake Tribune: Online, it’s Alan Osmond vs. the LGBT community

LGBT Weekly: Alan Osmond: “Homosexuality is not innate”
Views: 920
The Moth Presents Elna Baker

Posted: October 26th, 2011, 11:56pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

Yes Means Yes?

Catch The Moth and Elna at Town Hall, NYC on November 2nd.
Views: 240
Heaven Ain’t Close in a Place Like This: Mormon.org and Maxwell Institute

Posted: October 18th, 2011, 1:04am EDT by Chino Blanco

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“Hi, I’m Brandon. I’m a Mormon.”

So begins Mr. Brightside’s somewhat perfunctory Mormon.org profile:

Brandon Flowers is the frontman of the rock band The Killers. In 2010, he also released a solo album entitled Flamingo.

In late 2001, Brandon Flowers responded to an ad that Dave Keuning had placed in a local paper and they formed The Killers.

Since then, Brandon has performed with Bruce Springsteen, U2, Coldplay, Pet Shop Boys, Lady Gaga, Fran Healy (of Travis), Andy Summers (of The Police), New Order, Bright Eyes, and others. Sir Elton John has listed Flowers as one of his top-five heroes.

Brandon’s solo album, Flamingo, charted in the UK on September 12, 2010 at Number 1.

This was Brandon’s fourth consecutive album to reach #1 on the UK charts, including work by The Killers.

Brandon is currently working with The Killers on their new album to be released in early 2012.

…that prompted this tweet from Daniel Embree:

Could Brandon Flowers be our next #gay friendly advocate to the #Mormons? http://mormon.org/brandon @HRC @ChinoBlanco

Whatever the future might hold, for sure, Brandon has already famously got himself one Big Gay Following (easily the biggest of any Mormon profiled at mormon.org).

But it remains to be seen if Brandon will be commenting on his spiffy new page at mormon.org/brandon. I suspect all he agreed to do was a quick video and somebody else posted his profile for him. In fact, just for fun, take a minute to compare his mormon.org profile excerpted above with his Wikipedia page excerpted below:

Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.

Brandon Flowers responded to an ad that Dave Keuning had placed in the paper in late 2001 whereupon they became The Killers.

Flowers, himself, has performed with Coldplay, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Pet Shop Boys, Lady Gaga, Fran Healy (of Travis), Andy Summers (of The Police), New Order, Bright Eyes, etc. Sir Elton John has listed Flowers as one of his top-five heroes…

Flamingo charted in the UK on September 12, 2010 at Number 1. It is Flowers’ fourth consecutive album to reach #1 on the UK charts, including work by The Killers.

Sound familiar? It should.

Whoever created Brandon’s mormon.org profile did it by lifting the copy verbatim from his Wikipedia page.

Oops.

Meanwhile, the Maxwell Institute has just published a hit piece taking Laura Compton to task for how she runs her pro-equality Mormons for Marriage website.

Here’s an early response from Brad Carmack.

And here’s my quick ~~response~~ question: I wonder what the Maxwell Institute will have to say about l’affaire Flowers? I’m picturing an entire issue devoted to uncovering how mormon.org became infected by the modern plague of copy pasta plagiarism.

Further reading: David Haglund at Slate:

In 2004, Spin identified Flowers as an ex-Mormon, and he has been candid in the past about his drinking and smoking, activities forbidden for devout members of the Mormon church.

But as the existence of this video suggests, Flowers doesn’t see himself as an ex-Mormon, at least not anymore. (If he did, he could have participated in a different video campaign.)

Haglund also mentions and links to a mormon.org profile “by someone who is black, bisexual, and Mormon.” Not for the first time, that profile has now been taken down.
Views: 978
LDS Apostle David A. Bednar talks about his ministry

Posted: October 7th, 2011, 7:30am EDT by Chino Blanco

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Except for the wrap-ups I was able to enjoy during my daily commute courtesy of Mormon Expression [1][2][3], I pretty much completely missed the recent General Conference.

Maybe I’ll get around to watching the actual proceedings. Until then, since this clip is new to me, I’m gonna give myself points for watching it all the way through:

Hakuna Matata. And props to Wheat & Tares for piquing my interest in all things Bednar.
Views: 234
“I consider it progress that they are thinking more like a company and less like the Soviet Union.”

Posted: October 5th, 2011, 7:05pm EDT by Chino Blanco

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That’s John Dehlin in today’s Salt Lake Tribune.

Excerpts from “Church asks Mormons: Which websites, writers do you read?“:

The LDS Church is surveying its members about their readership of key websites and Mormon writers, a move that reflects the faith’s growing interest in managing its public image as two Mormon candidates make headlines pursuing the White House. [...]

The survey … seeks members’ reasons for using various media outlets and asks if they find seven specific journalists and bloggers “trustworthy, consistent with church positions and teachings, enjoyable, candid and honest [or] thoughtful.”

The list of writers includes conservative radio host Glenn Beck; popular LDS bloggers Joanna Brooks, of religiondispatches.org, and Jana Riess, of Beliefnet; Newsweek and Daily Beast reporter and blogger McKay Coppins; “Mormon Stories” podcast host John Dehlin; Salt Lake Tribune lead religion writer Peggy Fletcher Stack; and LDS Church public affairs managing director Michael Otterson, who also blogs for The Washington Post. [...]

“It shows me that they care about their consumers, and that they are willing to change,’’ said Dehlin, whose weekly podcasts address sensitive LDS topics. “I consider it progress that they are thinking more like a company and less like the Soviet Union.”

Image randomizer results for this post:

"On my honor, Mormon Stories podcasts are trustworthy, consistent with church positions and teachings, enjoyable, candid, honest and thoughtful."

Red Square

Red Dawn II: Captain Moroni vs. the Ruskies.

Company Men

Trapped in a Mormon Gulag

Views: 585
Mitt Romney is scheduled to share a stage with this anti-Mormon asshat

Posted: September 30th, 2011, 1:27pm EDT by Chino Blanco

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Bryan Fischer in all his revisionist Christianist glory:

Linkage:

Fischer: First Amendment Does Not Apply To Mormons

When Romney and Fischer share a stage

Romney to Share Stage with Far-Right, Anti-Muslim Activist

Awkward: Mitt Romney Set To Share Stage With Anti-Mormon Shock Jock

The stupid, it burns.
Views: 495
Evergreen International 2011 Conference Twofer

Posted: September 29th, 2011, 3:04am EDT by Chino Blanco

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Seth Bracken posted a pair of reports to QSaltLake.com that I’m gonna simply link and excerpt here.

Evergreen Conference Attracts Hundreds

Jared, 17, sat through the sessions of the conference flanked by his parents on either side, in hopes to overcome his ‘temptations,’ serve a mission, marry a woman and enjoy a typical Mormon’s life, just like his two older brothers.

“I have two years to conquer this,” Jared said. “By the time I turn 19, I am going to have this whole same-sex attraction mess taken care of so I can go on a mission and serve the Lord. I know he’ll bless me if I promise to do his will.”

Jared’s parents said they encourage him to pray and read his religious texts daily and if he does so, God will answer prayers.

“We heard it in general conference last year. Packer told us that a loving heavenly father wouldn’t make me this way. I just have to overcome all my sexual feelings and learn true control,” Jared said.

[...]

As Jared listened to the speakers, he grew visibly excited and scribbled notes throughout the day.

“I can do it. Just listening to these inspired men who receive inspiration from God lets me know that I can be normal and fit in with my older brothers and their families,” Jared said. “I want that more than anything else in the world.”

Evergreen Hook-ups and Hang-ups

Walking into the Evergreen International Conference at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, I felt butterflies in my stomach and took in my surroundings. It was my first time attending an event where the goal was to encourage participants to stop being gay and turn straight.

I was nervous, and all the preconceptions about the pious and faithful gathering were smashed just moments after walking through the door.

[...]

As married men propositioned me for sex, and very confused teens sat with their parents in what had to be an extremely awkward day, it seemed that the crowd was challenging the speakers’ assertion through their very existence. No one there chose to be gay. The diversity of age, body type and personality also combated the idea that sexuality is not an inborn characteristic. People from all walks of life were gathered and I became friends with construction workers, business executives and bankers.

It quickly became clear that the Evergreen method did not work. But equally as clear was that the method and rhetoric being spouted was damaging. Rather than expressing their sexuality in healthy ways, these men were relegated to attending the conference just to find a partner for sex and some sort of connection.

The only local TV news coverage I found was this unremarkable report:

Has Evergreen’s hermetically-sealed alternate universe become almost irrelevant? I mean, for example, by way of comparison, isn’t assembling several hundred Mormons in Utah small potatoes when Affirmation can gather similar numbers for an event in Kirtland, Ohio?
Views: 384
Is it just me or do a lot of Mormon kids wish they belonged to a big box church?

Posted: September 26th, 2011, 4:57am EDT by Chino Blanco

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Because, when I see talent like this, I gotta wonder:

Not to mention:

Al Sharpton has suggested that these (big box) churches focus on personal morality issues while ignoring social justice.

Maybe, but the kids seem to like it.

And you can’t stop it:

It’s already begun:

Can you feel it?
Views: 522
So you’re a… umm… ok

Posted: September 22nd, 2011, 10:45pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

One viewer’s reaction to an “I’m a Mormon”/Mormon.org video*:

Folks be gettin’ annoyed by LDS-sponsored YouTube ads.

Mormon YouTube ads engage with social media to advertise their religion, an online version of the door-to-door campaigns conducted by the Jehovah’s witnesses. The only difference is that you can no longer shut the door if you don’t want to talk.

Yahoo! Answers:

Q: Why are there so many Mormon videos infesting Youtube?

A: The Mormon church is desperate for new members and to repair their horrible public image.

It’s annoying and I wish they would stop. They don’t realize these ads make them even look more weird.

Prediction: They’re not gonna stop. And then they’re gonna wonder why they get singled out for parody on Broadway and elsewhere.

*By the way, this viewer’s name is Lyle aka Guitarmasterx7 and here are the stats for his YouTube channel:

Subscribers: 105,146
Total Upload Views: 15,984,067

And now, all 105K+ of Lyle’s subs just got this message from their guitar hero (verbatim from the info under his vid):

“I don’t really understand this ad campaign nor do I know why it’s promoted on my videos.”

By way of comparison, the Mormon.org channel on YouTube will someday have more than 8K subscribers. But not today.

LDS FTW.

P.S. Did anyone else see this free ad that HuffPo ran for the Mormons? I don’t get it. Seriously. Here’s how that ad post ends:

Want to know more? Want the happiness I feel? Find out for yourself [insert link to mormon.org here].

N-u-t-s (not Katie’s religious sentiments, but the fact that HuffPo is now an open platform for publishing testimonies).
Views: 757
Is Sharon Slater asking Mormons to use LDS ward lists to promote her anti-LGBT agenda?

Posted: September 20th, 2011, 5:05am EDT by Chino Blanco

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Look what landed in my inbox today: Urgent Alert: Help Stop Maricopa Community College Misguided Transgender Policy

If you belong to a church, community or political group that has an email list you can also help by obtaining permission to have this alert sent to these lists.^[1]

This past May, Kerry Eleveld brought us all up-to-speed on Sharon’s shenanigans at the UN. Now, the fight has apparently moved into Sharon’s backyard, as the MCCC community college system (the nation’s largest) considers adding “gender identity” and “gender expression” to its nondiscrimination policy.

I first became aware of Sharon Slater and her Family Watch International during the Question One contest in Maine. An entity calling itself “Family Watch Maine” made an appearance on a website titled “Marriage Facts Maine Coalition” and since the name sounded strangely familiar, I asked the folks at Sharon’s FWI office if they were involved. Yes, they were, according to Lynn Allred, their Communications Director. Sadly, all communication ended when I asked Lynn if she could direct me to anyone who was, you know, actually residing in Maine while representing their Gilbert, AZ-based organization.

We’ve been here before with the Illinois Civil Unions bill. If Sharon pursues this and manages to enlist local Mormons in Arizona to broadcast her appeal to ward email lists, I’d like to offer her my assurance that we’ll also see a repeat of this headline in the days ahead: Update On That Mormon Email: LDS Backs Away

And the opening graf will read something like this:

The leader of a right-wing organization, who made a name for herself by pushing abstinence-only based programs in Africa and has ties to the virulently antigay Ugandan pastor, Martin Ssempa, is stepping up efforts to block nondiscrimination policies on Arizona’s community college campuses.

Does the country really need reminding that most of these actors are Arizona Mormons and that Sharon Slater is one of several reasons why?

^[1] This “Urgent Alert” arrived by way of an über-Mormon Arizona source that justifies my reading of the generic “church, community or political group” language as a wink-and-nod reference to LDS ward email directories.

x-posted at Daily Kos

Update: The LDS gal who sent me Sharon’s alert has now responded to the feedback she’s gotten from Mormons wondering why she’s so opposed to this expansion of MCCC’s nondiscrimination policy (especially considering the official LDS support for nondiscrimination ordinances in Utah).

Also, as noted in my comment below, here’s where to go if you’d like info on how to contact the MCCC board and/or attend the meeting: [www.facebook.com]

Final update: V for victory: The Maricopa County Community College Governing Board has voted to include Gender Identity in the nondiscrimination policy.
Views: 426
Troy Williams @ Sunstone 2011: Thoughts on the Sacred and Profane

Posted: September 15th, 2011, 8:01pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

Troy tried to buck me up after my latest mini-meltdown over l’affaire Lyman and it reminded me that I need to remember to catch Tabloid (91% “Fresh”!) at my earliest convenience. Here’s Troy riffin’ at Sunstone (go show their Youtube channel some love) on his role in the Errol Morris documentary and his thoughts on the Broadway Book of Mormon:

Enjoy.
Views: 260
Michael De Groote explains MDL (Mormon Defense League) | Daniel Peterson Open Thread

Posted: August 18th, 2011, 6:35pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

Fight Club was the beginning, now it’s moved out of the basement, it’s called Project Mayhem. — T. Durden

There is a concern that public affairs, or the urge to be attractive, goes too far toward assimilation. You strain out anything that would be unusual. And for many Mormons it’s the distinctive, far-out beliefs that are the most exciting part of their religion. — R. Bushman
+
I’m not so much interested in compiling a list of these underground “doctrines,” but I’m very interested in hearing why you think they persist, why people insist on perpetuating them, and, more than anything, your suggestions for stamping them out, or at least firmly branding them as dead historical artifacts. — A. Parshall
=

You know, any time somebody starts talking about “brackets” your first instinct needs to be to read between the bs and figure out what kind of racket they’re running. — G. Beck

Hardy’s bracketing of the historical question is neither caprice nor cowardice, as it often is in defensive treatments of the Book of Mormon. — R. Welch
+
I caution against putting a copy under the tree for every LDS relative on your Christmas list as the book’s candid discussion of certain textual problems with the Book of Mormon is a bit much for the uninitiated. — D. Banack
=

I can’t tell if Bushman is Brad Pitt and Parshall is Edward Norton, or the other way around, but Welch is clearly Tyler Durden as she urges courage on “The Narrator” in this outré scenario of mine in which I’m casting the contemporary Mormon commentariat as the split-personality protagonist(s) of Fight Club.

And since I’m already riffing on movies, I might as well mention that this latest from the Mormon blogs…

Sometimes I wish I was more ignorant and less conscious of the problems and questions related to the church so that I could function as a normal uncomplicated member. — Jake

…triggers a Tarantino flashback:

I don’t wanna be here. I wanna go home. I wish somebody would just come and get me ’cause I don’t like this. This is not what I thought it would be. And I wish somebody would just take me away. Just take me away. Come and get me. ‘Cause I don’t like this anymore. I can’t take this. I’m sorry but I just can’t. So, if somebody would just come to my rescue, everything would be alright. — Elliot

And for fans of The Office:

They used props and they used visual aids and they just made us look like dopes. — Michael

So, with no further ado, M. De Groote’s segment starts around 1:22 in this Deseret News “Daily Briefing”:

Hey MDG, here’s a better visual analogy for ya’ (not that I didn’t enjoy the hand puppet, that was awesome).

Does MDL really want to step into this hot mess of Mormonism’s own making?

P.S. Apparently, the folks who got a preview of this post on my Facebook page think it needs more analysis, less free association and none of the apoplexy. They’re probably right, but mostly I just wanted an excuse to post that Deseret News clip together with the animated GIF of Ed Norton punching himself in the face. But hey, admittedly, I’ve got nothing that tops De Groote’s props and I’d simply object that FAIR/MDL are the real prehistoric pugilistic puppets, not “the media” and certainly not me (or any exmos I know).

P.P.S. Internet-savvy BCC blogger Kyle M weighs in:

I’ll join with the WaPo reporter in criticizing some of the church’s more brute-force online tactics …

Our marketing tactics need to reflect the core principles of our “brand,” especially because online, the marketing tactics largely ARE the brand. If we engage in shady astroturfing, link networks, comment wars, and an overall strategy of shouting down or burying every dissenting voice, that’s what we’ll be known for online. If we feel the need to lash out and defend ourselves against every silly criticism, we will be associated with defensiveness.

“Because the Internet doesn’t hand out blue ribbons to just anybody.”
Views: 548
Interfaith Alliance criticizes Memphis Fox affiliate

Posted: July 14th, 2011, 12:36am EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

[I liked Dr. Gaddy's statement after the NY marriage equality victory, so when Samantha asked if MSP could post a letter for the Interfaith Alliance, I gladly agreed. -- Chino]

[Update: Joanna Brooks has posted her conversation with Reverend Gaddy over at Religion Dispatches: Interfaith Alliance Criticizes Fox News Anti-Mormonism]

Tuesday, 12 July 2011

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ari Geller or Samantha Friedman, Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications, 202-265-3000, ari@rabinowitz-dorf.com or samantha@rabinowitz-dorf.com

Mr. Ben Ferguson
Mr. Darrell Greene
Mr. John Koski

Dear Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Greene, and Mr. Koski:

I write to you with great concern about a segment that recently aired on one of your news programs regarding the impact of former Governor Mitt Romney and former Ambassador Jon Huntsman’s Mormon faith on their presidential campaigns. As a Baptist minister and as a patriotic American, I have been deeply disturbed by the disproportionate role religion has played during recent election cycles. Indeed, at times, the entanglement between religion and politics has seemed to threaten both the integrity of religion and the vitality of politics.

After seeing your segment, I could not help but be concerned with the extent to which religion is being used as an electoral tool. Of even more concern, however, is that your segment seemed to encourage that dangerous trend. Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are not running as Mormons, they are running as Americans. They have no more responsibility to explain or defend their faith than Michele Bachman or Tim Pawlenty. Whoever is elected president, regardless of that person’s faith, needs to respect the religious freedom of all to practice their faith, despite how “strange” it might appear to outsiders.

Radio host Ben Ferguson’s segment seems simply to make a joke out of a major religion’s doctrine, an attempt to poke fun at one faith group in order to question the validity of a member of that faith group as a candidate for the presidency while masquerading as a news segment.

The point made during your segment that most Americans do not fully understand Mormonism is an important one; but this is neither the responsibility of a presidential candidate, nor of the candidate’s electoral campaign. Though any campaign can be a venue for creating greater understanding of religious beliefs and practices, this is neither the purpose nor the goal of an electoral campaign. I know the Mormon Church, like any other religious group, would be happy to explain their beliefs and traditions. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what they have been doing of late through a broad array of media.

Furthermore, what was billed as a segment aimed at getting the views of “people on the street” about “religion and the White House,” did not in fact convey what “people on the street” think about religion and campaigns. Mr. Ferguson commented after the segment that these questions were asked somewhat jokingly, trying to be “light-hearted” and then understandably noted that everyone with whom you spoke did not really understand the Mormon faith. But to the benefit of absolutely no one, your segment simply perpetuated misperceptions and misunderstandings of the beliefs of the Mormon faith.

Voters have the right to know whether candidates will respect the boundaries between institutions of religion and government, as well as the role a candidate’s faith will play in creating public policy, and how a candidate will balance the principles of their faith with their pledge to defend the Constitution, particularly if the two conflict. But beyond this, a candidate’s religion should never be a determining factor in his or her qualifications for public office. For someone who is unfamiliar with any religious tradition, I imagine some of its beliefs and practices would look “unconventional,” to use your description of some “aspects” of Mormonism. Does this mean you will ask “people on the street” similar questions about the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, the doctrine of sheol among some Jews, the doctrine of “a new birth” among evangelicals, the doctrine of “glossolalia” among Charismatics, or the doctrine of “preaching to people in hell” among some Christians? Every religion, every belief system has aspects that could seem unconventional to non-adherents, and even to some adherents. But what makes the United States the country it is, is the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom that has enabled diverse beliefs to flourish equally side-by-side, with none favored over another, and no religious test required of our elected officials or candidates for office.

Because of the complexities of this issue, Interfaith Alliance has developed a series of resources both for candidates, for houses of worship and for constituents. I suggest you take a look at these guides as they may provide insight on the proper role of religion during an electoral season. These resources are all available at www.interfaithalliance.org/elections

Thank you for your time and consideration of this concern.

Respectfully,

C. Welton Gaddy

P.S. Should you have any interest in a conversation about these issues, I would welcome an opportunity to visit with you. Too much is at stake for errors to dominate the public conversation about this issue. I am eager to see an election cycle free of the manipulation of religion, respectful of people of all religions and no religion, and helpful to advancing the constitutional vision of separation between the institutions of religion and the institutions of government, appreciation for our democracy, and a recovery of political advocacy characterized by civility. I pray that this election cycle will leave the American people better informed and more active as concerned citizens. You will play a significant role in whether or not that is the case.

# # #

The Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, the Interfaith Alliance has 185,000 members across the country from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.
Views: 234
Memphis station posts four Mormon stories

Posted: July 7th, 2011, 10:40pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

1) Local Memphis TV news report mocks Mitt Romney’s Mormon beliefs (and ace reporter* Ben Ferguson reminds viewers why some folks prefer to avoid the Bible Belt). The cringe begins at 03:21:

2) Local musical director (and LDS church member) Steve Danielson offers his opinion of the Tony-winning Broadway musical.

3) 89-year old Church of Christ apostle, William Sheldon, explains the origins of the Mormon religion.

4) Meet a pair of Memphis area Mormon missionaries.

*CORRECTION: From comments at Politico:

Benjamin “Ben” Ferguson (born 1981) is an American radio host, conservative political commentator, and author. Ferguson was homeschooled by his mother through the tenth grade.

He was a local talk-radio host throughout his teens. Ferguson was selected by the Bush White House to join President Bush and Ben Stein for a town hall meeting in an effort to educate the public on the issue of social security reform. Ferguson also spends several weeks a year on the road speaking at youth leadership conferences, high schools and college camp uses nationwide. Ferguson addressed the 2004 Republican National Convention. [emphasis mine]

While Ferguson’s anti-Mormon antics may be annoying, that last sentence is downright frightening.

FRIENDLY HEADS UP: In future, anyone looking to poke some fun at Mormons might consider popping round here first and asking MSP for tips on the latest fair target. For example, this qualifies (Sister Kristen M. Oaks touting “The Testimony Glove” for Deseret Book):

Use the glove, feel the Spirit™

Blech! You’d think that the wife of Apostle® Dallin H. Oaks would be anxiously engaged in something other than helping DB promote their goofy faith promoting inventions (h/t r/exmormon).

Or, if you’re specifically looking to find a reason to get nervous about electing Mormons to public office, this quote from leading Mormon apologist Dan Peterson’s latest op piece in the Deseret News ought to do the trick:

“You may not like what comes from the authority of the church,” said President Harold B. Lee, serving at the time as a counselor to President Joseph Fielding Smith. “It may conflict with your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. … Your safety and ours depends upon whether or not we follow. … Let’s keep our eye on the president of the church.”

HIT LIST:
Mediaite: Great Moments In Journalism: Local News Segment Mocks Romney’s Mormon Faith
The Commercial Appeal: Fox 13, Ben Ferguson take heat for segment on Romney, Mormons
Commentary: Unbelievable: TV Reporter Mocks Romney’s Mormonism
The American Prospect: The Mormonism Question, Going Nowhere
Deseret News: Fox affiliate ‘making fun of Mormons’
Mediaverse: On The Book of Mormon (Ben Ferguson)
Mother Jones: Mitt Romney’s Evangelical Problem
ABC4: Memphis reporter mocks Mormon beliefs
Politico: Making fun of Mormons in Memphis

BONUS REDDIT HEADLINE CONTEST:
r/politics: Memphis reporter sets out to prove how weird Mitt and Mormons are … Pot. Kettle. Black.
r/reddit: Wake-up, Mormons: Broadway & teh gays are much nicer to you than so-called Christians.
r/religion: Local Memphis TV news “report” plumbs depths of Bible Belt anti-Mormon bigotry
r/exmormon: Local Memphis TV news report mocks Mitt Romney’s Mormon beliefs. *Cringe*
r/lds: Mitt Romney ought to step up and put these hillbillies in their place.
r/offbeat: What’s weirder: Memphis or Mormons? It’s a toss-up, apparently.
r/Christianity: Do Christians think it’s OK to mock Mormon beliefs?
Views: 974
Sorry, Mormons, but this is nuts.

Posted: June 16th, 2011, 10:45pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

The Boston Globe: The Mormon image campaign

And here’s my dozen reasons why:

(Memo to the Mormon leadership: Diverse teams cause people not to revert to stereotyping.)

Plus one for a baker’s dozen.

Local Mormons weigh in: I’m a Mormon and I am here in New York and I really wish the church would pick some other place to advertise.

But it’s not just Mormons. God’s Favorite Musical is driving evangelicals like John Mark Reynolds nuts, too.

All signs point to Mormonism becoming the first American religious movement to go supernova.
Views: 1128
#LDSconf pre-show discussion: Should the LDS church reveal its finances?

Posted: March 31st, 2011, 8:14pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

As Provo, Utah’s Daily Herald noted back in 2007:

It clearly doesn’t want to. In the 2001 case, for example, it avoided disclosure by settling with the plaintiff for $3 million.
…
Some find it strange that rank-and-file Mormons are not privy to the financial workings of the church even though they may donate large sums of money through tithing and other offerings. They are called members, but membership has no privileges. Church members, unlike stockholders in a corporation, have no vote. The reward for their faith is generally intangible.

Many other churches have full disclosure.

And in the Wikipedia entry about LDS finances, it’s noted that:

The LDS church maintains an internal audit department that provides its certification at each annual general conference that LDS church contributions are collected and spent in accordance with LDS church policy.

Which raises a second question:

What is LDS church policy regarding the use of donated funds?

Because stories like the ones below can leave a person wondering.

1) In 2009, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Canada sent $40 million to BYU and spent $17 million on salaries. Link.

2) From 2004-2009, UK Mormons collected $3.6 million in Humanitarian Fund donations and disbursed only $322K. Scroll down to comment #31 at this link.

3) Speaking of the UK church, its general assets are depreciating at the rate of £6,000,000 annually. Really?

4) Does the LDS church really need to be in the business of owning hunting preserves? Link.

5) And another MSP post that has generated all kinds of interest: LDS Inc. owns .7% of Florida

6) By the way, I haven’t yet listened to this 2007 Mormon Matters podcast, but I agree with the panelist who noted in comments that the LDS church has plenty of good reasons to be involved in SLC city planning and commercial development.

7) And a closing thought from a commenter at one of the other Mormon podcast sites:

I’ve heard that the Catholic Church increased its donations substantially when it began publishing full financial disclosures.

Could be. But as the years of undisclosed financial operation pile higher, it only gets harder to contemplate changing the policy. For example, would Mormons be upset to learn just how much the LDS church spends each year to persuade plaintiffs (like the one mentioned at the top of this post) to settle lawsuits and sign non-disclosure agreements?

—

Reminder: With General Conference around the corner, be sure to attach the #LDSconf hashtag to all your tweets. Or #twitterstake for those who’d like to join the Internet’s largest and loudest General Conference pep rally. Bonus points for bearing your tweetimony.
Views: 568
Fred Karger to be First to File for President With the Federal Election Commission

Posted: March 23rd, 2011, 11:27pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2011

Contact: Rina Shah
304-237-6489
Rina@fredkarger.com

WASHINGTON, DC – Longtime GOP operative, Fred Karger will turn in his paperwork Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 11:00 am at the FEC Offices, 999 E Street, NW, Washington, DC.

Karger was the first to announce he was seriously considering running for President on April 10, 2010 at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans and the first to establish a Presidential Exploratory Committee on July 18, 2010. He was the first to run commercials in New Hampshire right after Labor Day last year, the first to run an Iowa commercial right after the November midterm elections and the first to hire a State Director in Iowa on December 1, 2010. So it only stands to reason that Karger would be the first to file for the Republican nomination for President. Oh, yeah, Fred would also be the first openly gay candidate to run for President in history.

Karger brings with him a wealth of political and campaign experience. He has managed dozens of campaigns, worked on nine Presidential campaigns including senior consultant with President’s Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

After a 30 year career in politics, Karger retired in 2004 and became an LGBTQ activist. During the summer of 2008, he discovered the Mormon Church’s complete control of California’s Proposition 8 and filed a sworn complaint with the California Ethics Commission against the Mormon Church. The Salt Lake City based Church was prosecuted, investigated, found guilty and fined after an 18 month investigation.

Karger also filed the successful complaint against the National Organization for Marriage for alleged money laundering with the state of Maine’s Ethics Commission. That investigation is ongoing after 16 months.

Karger will be issuing a statement and be available after turning in his paperwork at the FEC office.

—

For background, see last month’s Washington Post profile piece:

“Crashing the party: GOP strategist turned gay rights activist ponders a White House run”

Web: [fredkarger.com]

[www.twitter.com]

[www.youtube.com]

[www.facebook.com]

Updated coverage of Fred’s announcement:

CBS News (video): Openly gay Republican Fred Karger announces 2012 presidential run

Salon: Fred Karger, gay Republican, for president

HuffPo: Late Returns: We Have Our First GOP Presidential Candidate

Mother Jones: It’s Official! Gay Republican Running for President

Statement by Fred Karger:

WASHINGTON, DC — Today is a very significant day for my community and me. I have just submitted my papers to the Federal Election Commission, making me the first candidate to file for the 2012 Republican nomination for President.

I am also the first openly gay person, in a major political party, to ever run for President of the United States.

After spending 35 years in politics behind the scenes, I want to be a participant and help shape the debate in the Republican Party and our nation.

While I intend to talk about many important issues, I dedicate today to the 6 teenagers who took their lives this past fall because they were bullied for who they were. They could not go on living for even one more day.

There is no place for hatred and bigotry in this country. We must all learn to respect each other and our differences.

I began this journey 13 months ago when I traveled from my home in California to Washington, DC, New York and then up to New Hampshire. It has been a whirlwind. I have traveled to 19 states, including 12 trips to New Hampshire and 6 to Iowa. I have talked to thousands of people, and I have been encouraged to take this to the next level.

During the months ahead, I will propose some bold new ideas on a wide array of issues, and I want to help bring back optimism like my old boss Ronald Reagan did 30 years ago.

I know that I will not be invited to participate in some of the debates and forums that will be held during the next year. Some will not include me because I am an outsider, others because I am gay. I will fight to get into each and every debate, so that my ideas and my voice may be heard.

I want to send a loud and clear message to anyone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, that you can do anything you want to do in this country. You can even run for President of the United States.
Views: 215
Sabbath Police!! Apparently, Mormons crack themselves up making videos like these.

Posted: March 22nd, 2011, 11:55pm EDT by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

While the rest of us watch in horror.

Or am I the only one frightened to discover that Mormons find this kind of thing amusing?

As far as I can tell, this is another example of the Mormon surveillance culture that empowers anonymous snitches, got Brandon Davies kicked off a BYU team, and Brian Devine fired. But Mormons apparently want the rest of the world to see how much fun their surveillance culture can be, so here it is in all its rib-ticklin’, knee-slappin’, report-your-neighbor glory:

Tip o’ the hat to Brother Shafovaloff (and a wag o’ the finger: reading comments over at Aaron’s place reminds me why I didn’t bother checking out the Christianist clubhouse after quitting Mormonia).
Views: 352
Mormon Social Responsibility: Marshaling the Business Community in Defending Religious Freedoms.

Posted: March 8th, 2011, 11:20am EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

I’m done apologizing for spelling it LD$.
Views: 279
Here’s to hoping we’re likeable enough to earn your Facebook support.

Posted: March 8th, 2011, 5:22am EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

I noticed this recent post over at TPM and it got me to thinking about Facebook and what we do here. Like our friend Micah over at Life After Mormonism, I’ve been playing around with Facebook ads, trying to get a feel for how much bang they deliver for the buck, and I’ve pretty much concluded that smart money would probably forego extended long-term FB advertising in favor of building useful FB fan pages, unless there’s a topical “hook” that an FB ad could exploit to generate a one-time traffic surge (and considering the daily headlines about BYU, Romney, Broadway, etc., there’s ample material for crafting effective, topical, short-run FB ads, but there’s no way to automate that kind of creative activity).

So anyway, I’m admittedly new to this and still don’t know what makes the most sense when it comes to leveraging FB to build community and support the activity that’s dearest to my heart, namely the long-form written expression that remains the forte of the personal blogging scene.

In the meantime, I’d like to ask for your help with an initial Facebook push. All I’m asking is that you “like” the pages below. Once we’ve achieved 25 “likes” we’ll be able to convert the URLs for these fan pages to an easily-remembered format ( e.g., the following URL is now golden thanks to the assistance of FB friends: [www.facebook.com] ).

Main Street Plaza “like” box:

Disaffected Mormon Underground “like” box:

Outer Blogness “like” box:

I’m particularly keen to find out if “Outer Blogness” can live up to its promise over on Facebook. I’ve plugged in all the RSS feeds for the Outer Blogness blogs that Chanson has painstakingly compiled over the years here at MSP, and I’m curious to see if that fan page can now function like a glorified Facebook version of Google Reader (with the added bonus that once you “like” this Facebook iteration of Outer Blogness, the result will be that all that Outer Blogness goodness will be syndicated across Facebook via your News Feed). Right? I only ask because it’s entirely possible that I’ve misunderstood how that all works, but that’s my understanding. But if I’m right, that rocks. No more need to manually post exmo content to my Facebook page, it’ll just magically appear. Or so I’m supposing.

Whether I’m right or not, please spare a moment to “like” all the above. But I hope I’m right. Because you Outer Bloggers deserve to be read. At the end of the day, as far as I can tell, it’s all about hearts, minds and eyeballs. Sorry if this is all a bit tedious, but today I happen to be mostly thinking about how to best capture that last pair of organs.
Views: 337
BYU Honor Code open thread

Posted: March 3rd, 2011, 10:22am EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

No links. Just a rant. And then the floor is yours, commenters.

Anything goes, but reminiscence and nostalgia related to good times at BYU are highly encouraged.

But before that party gets started, let me just say …

My sense is that Brandon Davies has been offered up as a sacrificial lamb on the altar of LDS PR. Yes, that’s my read of BYU’s decision to sign off on the latest public parading of a student athlete’s failure to keep to the Honor Code.

Why now? Because it’s been a rough few months for TSCC, namely …

The Book of Mormon dancing and singing on Broadway. Family guy dinging Marriott on the small box. Pro-equality Mormon videos going viral. Warren Jeffs and his prophetic pedofilling. Hot sauce mom and her Dr. Philling. DADT repealing. White House DOMA rejecting. Mormon neo-Nazis running the Arizona senate. LDS father of The 5 Browns busted for daughter abusing. Dallin Oaks failing. Romney flailing. Huntsman hinting. Missions closing. Growth prospects fading. Informal cultural pressures mounting. Gay agenda winning. Young people yawning. Secular ranks swelling. Mormon ads tanking. BYU students opining and objecting.

When an institution sees its legitimacy slipping, what does it do?

It offers up one of its own.

Because it stands for something, dammit. And that’s why ESPN has been tasked with explaining what that might be, exactly.

For the Bloggernacle version of this open thread, see:

Nine Moons: BYU’s Honor Code Strikes Again
Views: 1466
Ben McAdams is my kind of Mormon

Posted: February 26th, 2011, 11:07pm EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

And Eric Ethington is my kind of activist.

From PRIDE in Utah:

Utah Non-Discrimination Ordinances Denied Even A Committee Hearing

Senate Bill 148, which would provide housing and workplace protections against discrimination for sexual orientation or gender identity has been denied a committee hearing. The bill sits in the Rules Committee, and chairwoman Sen Margaret Dayton (R) says it’s unnecessary to hear the bill.

Senator Ben McAdams introduced the legislation several weeks ago, but since then Republicans and Conservatives have lined up against it, despite the clear desire of both their constituents and their religion.

Two different state-wide surveys have shown that 70% of the residents in Utah are in favor of allowing people to work in their jobs and live in their homes without fear of being fired or evicted for reasons that have no bearing on job or rent performance. Even the Mormon Church has come forward and said that these protections are fair and should be passed state-wide.

And yet Republicans in Utah still refuse to even listen to the bill, much less vote for it … Equality Utah points out that there are still 13 days left in the session for something to happen. But at this point there is not much hope of the bill advancing.

Let’s show Eric some love. He’s earned it.

If only it were that easy to help Ben McAdams with the hard work he’s doing.

x-posted at DK4

Update: On Monday, Ben will make a motion on the Senate Floor to let SB 148 out of Rules. If you live in Utah, please consider calling your state senator and asking him/her to support the Fair Workplace and Housing bill. Otherwise, email addresses can be found here: [le.utah.gov]
Views: 1973
Just for kicks, how long will this clip stay up before it gets pulled?

Posted: February 25th, 2011, 10:33am EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

Ever wonder why it’s OK for Mormons like the Marriotts to profit from porn?

Now you know.

As someone elsewhere noted: “I think this new PSA from the Mormons is much more helpful than some of their older, more boring stuff.”
Views: 14866
Announcing the inaugural recipient of the Deseret Dingleberry award: Mark Paredes

Posted: February 24th, 2011, 5:16am EST by Chino Blanco

Tags: [edit]

A month or so ago, there was a discussion over at r/exmormon about establishing a set of awards that would be something like a Mormon Razzies.

I was tasked to make it happen, but never did. After reading so many winning Brodie Award entries and getting to know our X-Mormon of the Year a little better, I was feeling downright upbeat and in no mood to kick off a contest to identify and pillory our silliest detractors.

But now that I’ve noticed this gem, I think I’ve found the missing motivation to launch our latest award program:

“Regular readers will note that comments from anti-Mormon bigots have been deleted from this site. I figure that if they have something to say to Jews, they can get their own blog.” — Mark Paredes

Apparently, according to Mark, leaving comments like the one below makes me an “anti-Mormon bigot”:

The Mormon replacement rate is negative in the US. According to the Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey the replacement rate of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has dropped to 80%. That means that for every five members who leave Mormonism behind four new converts join the Church.

Notice the bigotry? Neither did I. The only thing objectionable about that comment is that it was copied-and-pasted without attribution from Hellmut’s 2008 post.

But Mark deleted it anyway.

So, here’s what I figure, Mark: I don’t comment on your blog because I have something to say to Jews, I comment because I have something to say to you. Deleting comments simply because they bring contrary opinion or unsettling facts is plain rude, and equating reasonable disagreement with anti-Mormon bigotry is a frankly pathetic tactic.

Perhaps not surprising behavior from a Mormon who so humbly presumes to lecture liberal Jews on how to remain relevant, but insulting enough that I’m happy to return the favor by recognizing him as the world’s first Deseret Dingleberry winner. Mazel Tov, Mark!

P.S. Going forward, I hope this prize could be ~~wielded~~ awarded for “the most outrageous, offensive, malevolent, crazy, or excessive statement or claim.” Kind of like (OK, exactly like) The LaBarbera Award. Actually, come to think of it, I’m surprised Mark didn’t win a LaBarbera for his work on Prop 8, which he has described as “the biggest battle in my lifetime.” Heh. The Mormons may have won that battle, but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that they’ve lost the war. No wonder Mark’s so grumpy.

Maybe he’ll cheer up when he finds out what he’s won.

—

tl;dr: Mormon blogger pens advice column for Jews, cites bogus statistics, deletes corrections, wins a prize, Mazel Tov!
Views: 949