Messenger and Advocate

(Photo by Ramin Rahimian, New York Times) This morning’s New York Times has an excellent article on Professor Richard Bushman, respected scholar, and author of the groundbreaking Joseph Smith biography, Rough Stone Rolling. (more…)

The Oregon sexual abuse case against the Church is no longer headed for trial in August, as earlier media reports suggested.  Rather, the case has now been set for a non-binding mediation, typical prior to any trial.  OregonLive.com is reporting the parties will submit the case to a two day non-binding mediation.  If there is no resolution, then a trial date has been set for October 18, 2007.

The Church has apparently filed motions challenging the constitutionality of the plaintiff’s demand that the Church disclose its finances.  I am trying to obtain the moving papers and opposing papers, and will post more, if successful.

I have received another West Africa Ghana Mission update after the jump including email and photos.  For all previous updates on West Africa Ghana Mission, please click here: (more…)

The town of Gilbert Arizona is looking for a few good, but old photos of their historic Mormon Church, which is about to be demolished. The above photo, from the Gilbert Historical Society, shows what the building looked like just after it was remodeled in 1946. (more…)

The Oregon Supreme Court has apparently rejected an appeal of a trial court ruling on a very limited issue that the Church turn over financial information in a case that is scheduled to start in August on sexual molestation claims. Media reports are from OregonLive.com and from the Salt Lake Tribune, and a few other outlets, essentially carrying the same story. (more…)

That is exactly what Scoutmaster Wally Rupp exemplifies. Wally has been a Scoutmaster for 44 years living and teaching young men Scouting’s timeless values of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, clean, brave, and reverent. Scouts and Scouters will recognize these timeless values as the 12 points of the Scout Law. (more…)

Update: 7/8/07 9:50 a.m. The post over at Times and Seasons, upon which my post here is based has now been removed in its entirety. I very much appreciate the fact that Time and Seasons’ bloggers decided that it was appropriate to remove the offending post. I agree with that decision, and applaud them for pulling it.  Some [many have now been re-linked] of the links now in this post will not work and may not make sense. Thank you for doing the right thing Times and Seasons.

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One can only describe Matt Evans’ tirade over at Times and Seasons, that has now descended below the common denominator of decency, little more than a witch trial. Without so much as affording the Marriott family or anyone from the Marriott Corporation an opportunity to respond, or present their side of the story, the Truth Will Prevail Gang, has denigrated into just a gang pile.

The Marriott family has been publicly ridiculed, and Elder Marriott ( a general authority of the Church) has been called a pornographer and pimp, on a blog that only last week was linked by LDS.org.

(Update 7/7/09 7:30 a.m. Matt has re-worded (though not voluntarily) his comment 202 linked immediately above to remove some of the offending language. See Times and Seasons comment 282. Thank you Matt and editors.)

Nate O. Kaimi, Jim F., Russell A. Fox, Julie M. Smith, Adam Greenwood, and the others, where are your voices in all this cacophony? Do your comment policies here and here not apply to the posts themselves by permabloggers? Do you approve of the tone and tenor of this post and many of its comments?

[Update 7/11/07–I have relinked the comments which appear immediately below. When Times and Seasons Administrators pulled the post, all my links became inoperative. I have, through copies of the original post re-created the comments referenced immediately below, by adding them as comments to this post and linking to them. I have accurately attributed authorship to those who made the comment.]

So far one of the few voices of reason by the T&S permabloggers comes from Ardis Parshall in comment 244.

I’m reminded of a classic exchange from Footloose, something like:

English Teacher to the Reverend: You know it doesn’t take long for corruption to take hold.

Reverend to the English Teacher: Oh, and how long is that . . .as long as it takes for compassion to die?

Hopefully cooler heads will prevail, so that truth may once again at least have a place over there.

Update, Julie Smith has responded as well in comment 255. And Wilfried in comment 259.

Margaret Young, former permablogger and BYU Professor has responded in comment 257. Kaimi has responded in comment 261. Adam Greenwood finally responds in comment 279. And, Russell A. Fox, has voiced his concern by thankfully shutting down the comments. (Well, they were shut down until Matt reopened them.)