KSTU Channel 13 reports that thousands of people showed up in response to gay activist Eric Ethington's appeal to protest LDS Apostle Boyd K. Packer's speech during the recently-concluded 180th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The protest was also meant to call attention to a purported upsurge in gay suicides, which Ethington and other Utah gay activists believe are on the rise.
Crowd estimates vary. Although Ethington himself claims 4,500 showed up, an AP story published by KSL Channel 5 said that police counted only 1,000. The Deseret News is splitting the difference, saying 2,000 - 3,000. A newer KSL story is now available HERE; KSTU news video embedded below:
Ethington organized the event via Facebook, asking protestors to wear black and stand silently on the sidewalk outside the LDS Church Office Building in downtown Salt Lake City. They lay head-to-toe on the sidewalks circling the six-block area surrounding the building and Temple Square. To kick off the event, Ethington told the crowd, "We want to tell men like Boyd K. Packer that we are tired of watching our children die. There are consequences to your words. You cannot change us, we cannot change ourselves and the more you try, the more dead bodies you leave behind. Stop." Ethington then added, "Our message is very simple. It's hate speech equal LGBT suicides, you can not tell kids for their entire lives there is something wrong with them, you need to change what's impossible to change and expect them to come out to the other side health." And while Ethington acknowledged Packer's right to express his opinion, he also said the church's gay youth need to hear a message of hope as well. Of course, Ethington, like so many other gay activists, never define what they mean by "message of hope".
Ethington has now posted his own thoughts on his PrideInUtah blog, which includes several photos. As for his claim that Elder Packer's address was "hate speech", a claim which is utterly ludicrous, you can now read the full text of the speech HERE and decide for yourself. LDS apostles do not engage in "hate speech", not because they're infallible, but because it's not in their nature. Furthermore, the term "hate speech" is an Orwellian, neo-Marxist invention designed to chill free speech.
In addition, Eric Ethington has not given adequate credit to the Church for the progressive steps it's already taken to reach out to gays. He has forgotten that during a November 2009 public hearing on Salt Lake's two gay nondiscrimination ordinances, LDS Church spokesman Michael Otterson offered public testimony in support of the ordinances, preventing a protracted political "food fight" and assuring passage.
Update: The Nine Moons blog has just reported that the written transcript of Boyd K. Packer's speech differs slightly from the spoken version. The word "tendencies" was replaced by the word "temptations", and the sentence "Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone?” was deleted from the transcript. I was under the impression that a written transcript was supposed to be a precise rendition of the spoken version.
For its part, the LDS Church reiterated that its doctrine on marriage and family is based on respect and love. "Of course, the Church recognizes the right of groups to voice their opinion in the public square. However, those familiar with the Church's doctrine on the importance of marriage and family know it is based on principles of respect and love for all of God's children. We have continually emphasized that there is no room in this discussion for hatred or mistreatment of anyone."
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Gay Activist Eric Ethington To Lead Protest Against LDS Apostle Boyd K. Packer's Speech At The LDS Office Building; LDS Spokesman Scott Trotter Defends Speech
Salt Lake Tribune blogger Rosemary Winters reports that a prominent Salt Lake gay activist, Eric Ethington, has organized a protest against LDS Apostle Boyd Packer’s "Cleansing The Inner Temple" Conference speech, to take place on Thursday October 7th, 2010. Participants are asked to meet at Salt Lake City’s City Creek Park, 102 N. State St., at 7 p.m. and wear black. The group plans to march to the LDS Church Office Building nearby. Civil disobedience is possible since they are contemplating lying on the ground.
This is just one part of the backlash that has erupted in the wake of President Packer's speech. Nationally, the deceptively-named Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which is actually concerned only with gay rights, has weighed in, issuing a statement characterizing Packer's remarks as "inaccurate and dangerous", and demanding that he "correct" them. HRC presumes to think they're closer to the Lord than one of His apostles. Human Rights Campaign is also infamous for grading different corporations on their gay-friendliness and computes a Corporate Equality Index in which the maximum grade is 100. You can download the full 100-page 2011 report HERE. Their judgment criteria consists of a complex and Byzantine system of "soft" and "hard" benefits and policies for gays. To avoid unnecessarily empowering HRC and giving them undeserved credibility, the idea here is to attempt to avoid patronizing corporate entities with high scores, if it is possible to do so.
Thanks to the Provo Daily Herald, we have the complete version of President Packer's talk, in two videos, so you can decide for yourself if his counsel was "hate" or truth. The Tribune's story about the speech has attracted 3,216 comments, with no end in sight. A complete written transcript is not yet available from the LDS website, but an excerpt of what is considered the most inflammatory part is posted on MainStreetPlaza.
Part 1:
Part 2:
The LDS community has become divided by the speech. Carol Lynn Pearson, a Mormon writer in northern California who has worked to make gays feel welcome in the LDS Church, complained that President Packer’s approach seemed so different from the style of Elder Marlin Jensen, LDS Church historian and member of the First Quorum of Seventy, who, while on assignment last month, listened and wept with gay and lesbian members in a special meeting following a stake conference in Oakland, California. In that meeting, Elder Jensen reportedly said "To the [extent that] it’s within my power to apologize, I want to tell you that I am sorry. I am very sorry." He was delivering a personal apology for the effects of the Proposition 8 campaign, and not speaking officially for the Church. But perhaps Pearson and other critics thought the First Presidency would follow up with a similar statement at Conference. Criticism of President Packer reached hysterical proportions on the Feminist Mormon Housewives blog. Another critic is Jana Riess in her aptly-named Flunking Sainthood column.
On the other hand, President Packer had his defenders. LDS spokesman Scott Trotter emphasized Monday that the apostle’s speech was consistent with the church’s longtime position. “The [LDS] Church’s doctrine on the importance of marriage and family and its implications for same-gender marriage are very clear,” Trotter said in a statement, “and are based on principles of truth, respect and love for all of God’s children.” Moreover, he said, “We have continually emphasized that there is no room in this discussion for hatred or mistreatment of anyone.” In a nutshell, the LDS Church's position is that homosexual orientation is O.K., but homosexual practice is actionable.
Others defending President Packer include David Pruden, the president of Evergreen International, a nonprofit group that helps Mormons overcome gay behavior and diminish same-sex attraction. Pruden dismissed the idea that Packer’s comments about gays overcoming their attractions would lead to more suicides, explaining that the LDS Church —- and Packer —- are simply telling members to live the standards of the Church. Another articulate voice supporting Packer was Utah County blogger Connor Boyack, who unequivocally condemned the hysteria against Packer by saying that "If such advocacy groups are concerned about the harm Packer’s remarks will have in the LDS/LGBT relations, they need only look inward, for it is they who have blatantly and unapologetically lied. They have egregiously claimed that Packer will be responsible for the suicides of struggling individuals, and explicitly stated that his teachings were based on fear and hatred, and that he claims, essentially, that 'God hates fags'".
To expect the LDS Church to go against scripture (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, and Romans 1:26-27) and sanction homosexual marriage without a revelation is ludicrous. If the Brethren took such action, they'd be unworthy of their positions. The current policy will remain in effect unless or until they receive a revelation permitting them to change the policy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is run by revelation, not by e-mail campaigns or sit-ins.
This is just one part of the backlash that has erupted in the wake of President Packer's speech. Nationally, the deceptively-named Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which is actually concerned only with gay rights, has weighed in, issuing a statement characterizing Packer's remarks as "inaccurate and dangerous", and demanding that he "correct" them. HRC presumes to think they're closer to the Lord than one of His apostles. Human Rights Campaign is also infamous for grading different corporations on their gay-friendliness and computes a Corporate Equality Index in which the maximum grade is 100. You can download the full 100-page 2011 report HERE. Their judgment criteria consists of a complex and Byzantine system of "soft" and "hard" benefits and policies for gays. To avoid unnecessarily empowering HRC and giving them undeserved credibility, the idea here is to attempt to avoid patronizing corporate entities with high scores, if it is possible to do so.
Thanks to the Provo Daily Herald, we have the complete version of President Packer's talk, in two videos, so you can decide for yourself if his counsel was "hate" or truth. The Tribune's story about the speech has attracted 3,216 comments, with no end in sight. A complete written transcript is not yet available from the LDS website, but an excerpt of what is considered the most inflammatory part is posted on MainStreetPlaza.
Part 1:
Part 2:
The LDS community has become divided by the speech. Carol Lynn Pearson, a Mormon writer in northern California who has worked to make gays feel welcome in the LDS Church, complained that President Packer’s approach seemed so different from the style of Elder Marlin Jensen, LDS Church historian and member of the First Quorum of Seventy, who, while on assignment last month, listened and wept with gay and lesbian members in a special meeting following a stake conference in Oakland, California. In that meeting, Elder Jensen reportedly said "To the [extent that] it’s within my power to apologize, I want to tell you that I am sorry. I am very sorry." He was delivering a personal apology for the effects of the Proposition 8 campaign, and not speaking officially for the Church. But perhaps Pearson and other critics thought the First Presidency would follow up with a similar statement at Conference. Criticism of President Packer reached hysterical proportions on the Feminist Mormon Housewives blog. Another critic is Jana Riess in her aptly-named Flunking Sainthood column.
On the other hand, President Packer had his defenders. LDS spokesman Scott Trotter emphasized Monday that the apostle’s speech was consistent with the church’s longtime position. “The [LDS] Church’s doctrine on the importance of marriage and family and its implications for same-gender marriage are very clear,” Trotter said in a statement, “and are based on principles of truth, respect and love for all of God’s children.” Moreover, he said, “We have continually emphasized that there is no room in this discussion for hatred or mistreatment of anyone.” In a nutshell, the LDS Church's position is that homosexual orientation is O.K., but homosexual practice is actionable.
Others defending President Packer include David Pruden, the president of Evergreen International, a nonprofit group that helps Mormons overcome gay behavior and diminish same-sex attraction. Pruden dismissed the idea that Packer’s comments about gays overcoming their attractions would lead to more suicides, explaining that the LDS Church —- and Packer —- are simply telling members to live the standards of the Church. Another articulate voice supporting Packer was Utah County blogger Connor Boyack, who unequivocally condemned the hysteria against Packer by saying that "If such advocacy groups are concerned about the harm Packer’s remarks will have in the LDS/LGBT relations, they need only look inward, for it is they who have blatantly and unapologetically lied. They have egregiously claimed that Packer will be responsible for the suicides of struggling individuals, and explicitly stated that his teachings were based on fear and hatred, and that he claims, essentially, that 'God hates fags'".
To expect the LDS Church to go against scripture (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, and Romans 1:26-27) and sanction homosexual marriage without a revelation is ludicrous. If the Brethren took such action, they'd be unworthy of their positions. The current policy will remain in effect unless or until they receive a revelation permitting them to change the policy. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is run by revelation, not by e-mail campaigns or sit-ins.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Westboro Baptist Church To Picket October 5th Funeral Of CWO3 Matthew Wagstaff In South Jordan, Utah
Westboro Baptist Church continues their disrespectful and disgusting practice of picketing the funeral services of our troops who give their lives in battle. WBC has issued a press release proclaiming their intent to picket the funeral of CWO3 Matthew Wagstaff, which will be held on Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley in South Jordan, Utah.
On their press release, WBC writes "Military funerals have become pagan orgies of idolatrous blasphemy, where they pray to the dunghill gods of Sodom & play taps to a fallen fool". On the bottom of the flyer, it reads "Thank God for IEDs". They do pledge to keep a "respectful" distance, although the most "respectful" distance they could keep would be to remain in Topeka, Kansas where they come from. I used to be somewhat sympathetic to these fools when they restricted themselves to picketing homosexual venues, but they lost me when they started picketing military funerals. They even picket other churches, and showed up to picket the funeral services of LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley at Temple Square in February 2008.
The death of CWO3 Wagstaff, who hailed from Orem, Utah, was first reported by the Deseret News on September 23rd; other stories were published by the Provo Daily Herald and KSTU Channel 13. Wagstaff was a helicopter pilot whose Blackhawk helicopter went down on Tuesday September 21st in southern Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Eight other service members were killed in the crash near the town of Qatal in Zabul province. Although the Taliban took responsibility for downing the helicopter, no evidence supports that claim to date.
Assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade home-based at Fort Campbell, KY, Wagstaff was a 10-year Army veteran on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He had also done a stint in Iraq. He left behind his wife, Tiffany, who he had just married in January 2010.
According to his obituary, CWO3 Wagstaff's awards and decorations included (more pending): Bronze Star Medal; Air Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Meritorious Unit Commendation; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; and the NATO Medal and Army Aviator Badge. The Bronze Star and the Air Medal specifically require one to put himself deliberately in harm's way to earn them.
Instead of saying "Thank God for IEDs", WBC ought to thank God for people like CWO Matthew Wagstaff are willing to defend their right to picket, and seal their testimonies of freedom with their blood. I would suggest that if they show up for this funeral, people ignore them. WBC are attention whores who thrive on confrontation and conflict.
On their press release, WBC writes "Military funerals have become pagan orgies of idolatrous blasphemy, where they pray to the dunghill gods of Sodom & play taps to a fallen fool". On the bottom of the flyer, it reads "Thank God for IEDs". They do pledge to keep a "respectful" distance, although the most "respectful" distance they could keep would be to remain in Topeka, Kansas where they come from. I used to be somewhat sympathetic to these fools when they restricted themselves to picketing homosexual venues, but they lost me when they started picketing military funerals. They even picket other churches, and showed up to picket the funeral services of LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley at Temple Square in February 2008.
The death of CWO3 Wagstaff, who hailed from Orem, Utah, was first reported by the Deseret News on September 23rd; other stories were published by the Provo Daily Herald and KSTU Channel 13. Wagstaff was a helicopter pilot whose Blackhawk helicopter went down on Tuesday September 21st in southern Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Eight other service members were killed in the crash near the town of Qatal in Zabul province. Although the Taliban took responsibility for downing the helicopter, no evidence supports that claim to date.
Assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade home-based at Fort Campbell, KY, Wagstaff was a 10-year Army veteran on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He had also done a stint in Iraq. He left behind his wife, Tiffany, who he had just married in January 2010.
According to his obituary, CWO3 Wagstaff's awards and decorations included (more pending): Bronze Star Medal; Air Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Meritorious Unit Commendation; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; and the NATO Medal and Army Aviator Badge. The Bronze Star and the Air Medal specifically require one to put himself deliberately in harm's way to earn them.
Instead of saying "Thank God for IEDs", WBC ought to thank God for people like CWO Matthew Wagstaff are willing to defend their right to picket, and seal their testimonies of freedom with their blood. I would suggest that if they show up for this funeral, people ignore them. WBC are attention whores who thrive on confrontation and conflict.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Construction To Hamper Parking For LDS 180th Semiannual General Conference In Salt Lake; Public Transportation Recommended For Locals
Construction in downtown Salt Lake City is expected to make it difficult for local people to find parking for the 180th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taking place on Oct. 2-3. Use of public transportation is highly recommended. Not only is the west portion of North Temple closed between 300 West and 600 West, but the Downtown Rising project has narrowed some city streets and Interstate 15 will be restricted to three lanes in each direction late Saturday and all day Sunday. Some suggested detours downtown are listed HERE. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend Conference. KSL news video embedded below:
-- Parking: Areas specified HERE, includes map.
-- Public Transportation: TRAX schedules Saturday and Sunday HERE; Frontrunner trains only run on Saturday.
-- Overflow seating: Available in the nearby Salt Lake Tabernacle, North Visitors' Center and Joseph Smith Memorial Building for all sessions and in the Conference Center Theater for the priesthood and Sunday sessions. The Assembly Hall will serve as overflow with Spanish-language audio for all sessions.
-- Local Broadcast Options: Specified on KSL's Conference Page.
-- Cable and Satellite Broadcasting: Current information available via Bonneville Communications. Click HERE, then select either Cable/Broadcast or Dish/DirectTV/Satellite TV, depending upon which applies. Follow subsequent instructions to find out the information for your area.
-- Church Broadcasting System: Audio and video options for Conference outlined HERE Seven-page broadcast schedule available HERE.
-- LDS Media Talk also contains an organized list of all the ways one can receive General Conference material.
For those with kids and teens, the LDS Church has created General Conference activity packets to make the proceedings even more relevant to them:
-- Eleven-page activity packet for kids and teens HERE.
-- Activity packs for younger children HERE.
-- Junior Primary Activity Packet from a different source available HERE.
-- LDS.about.com lists a host of different games and activities for kids HERE.
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
-- Parking: Areas specified HERE, includes map.
-- Public Transportation: TRAX schedules Saturday and Sunday HERE; Frontrunner trains only run on Saturday.
-- Overflow seating: Available in the nearby Salt Lake Tabernacle, North Visitors' Center and Joseph Smith Memorial Building for all sessions and in the Conference Center Theater for the priesthood and Sunday sessions. The Assembly Hall will serve as overflow with Spanish-language audio for all sessions.
-- Local Broadcast Options: Specified on KSL's Conference Page.
-- Cable and Satellite Broadcasting: Current information available via Bonneville Communications. Click HERE, then select either Cable/Broadcast or Dish/DirectTV/Satellite TV, depending upon which applies. Follow subsequent instructions to find out the information for your area.
-- Church Broadcasting System: Audio and video options for Conference outlined HERE Seven-page broadcast schedule available HERE.
-- LDS Media Talk also contains an organized list of all the ways one can receive General Conference material.
For those with kids and teens, the LDS Church has created General Conference activity packets to make the proceedings even more relevant to them:
-- Eleven-page activity packet for kids and teens HERE.
-- Activity packs for younger children HERE.
-- Junior Primary Activity Packet from a different source available HERE.
-- LDS.about.com lists a host of different games and activities for kids HERE.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Emily Jones, Widow Of Nutty Putty Cave Victim John Edward Jones, Rebuilds Her Life In Salem, Virginia
Remember the story of John Edward Jones? He's the one who got stuck in the Nutty Putty Cave in Utah County back on November 25th, 2009, was nearly rescued, but then fell back into the hole and ultimately passed on. He left behind his wife, Emily, who was carrying their unborn son, and a daughter, Elizabeth. The State of Utah elected to leave his remains in place and seal up that part of the cave; a permanent memorial marks the spot. You can read the original post HERE.
On October 1st, 2010, the Roanoke Times has published a story about the family John Jones left behind. Emily, Elizabeth, and the boy she gave birth to on June 15th, John Edward Jones II, are now living with Emily's parents in Salem, Virginia. Despite being unemployed, she's lifted by her Mormon faith, which teaches her that her marriage is forever, and knowing that John is with her and she and the kids will be with him again is a comfort. But she and John had dreamed of having six kids: first a girl, then a boy, two girls, a boy and finally a girl.
The Times article provides a picture of what Emily had to contend with upon her return to Virginia. She had long made lists for everything, complete with little boxes to check off when tasks were done. The couple lived in student housing at the University of Virginia. How long could she stay? John had student loans. How would she repay them? He had left no will, (what 26-year-old does?) so how would she get a title to the car? What about that speeding ticket he hadn't paid? "I had pages and pages of little things ... Everyone needed something from me. Everyone needed paperwork from me that I didn't have," she said. "It was so hard just to get a death certificate."
In February, she and Lizzie moved back into her parents' house in Salem. She worked with a friend to convert some storage space in the basement into a room for Lizzie and the baby, due in June. In May, with most of her checklist complete and no longer in the University, her grief overtook her. And then on June 15th, the baby came. It was a boy, just like in her dream. She named him John.
What now? Graduate school seems a certainty. For what, she's not sure. It was psychology, then social work. Lately, it's photojournalism. She's done side work shooting photo portraits for a while. "I kind of was learning to define myself as a mother and the wife of a med student," she said. "My whole perception of myself is changing."
According to the Nutty Putty Cave website, Dan Petersen(Emily Jones’ brother), Jonathan Miller (Emily’s cousin), and Eric Maughan (Family friend) are cycling across America to raise money and awareness for a special charity that is helping widows. They plan to travel along the eastern coast to Florida and then head west through the southern states and arrive in San Diego, California on December 10th. You can follow their progress HERE.
On October 1st, 2010, the Roanoke Times has published a story about the family John Jones left behind. Emily, Elizabeth, and the boy she gave birth to on June 15th, John Edward Jones II, are now living with Emily's parents in Salem, Virginia. Despite being unemployed, she's lifted by her Mormon faith, which teaches her that her marriage is forever, and knowing that John is with her and she and the kids will be with him again is a comfort. But she and John had dreamed of having six kids: first a girl, then a boy, two girls, a boy and finally a girl.
The Times article provides a picture of what Emily had to contend with upon her return to Virginia. She had long made lists for everything, complete with little boxes to check off when tasks were done. The couple lived in student housing at the University of Virginia. How long could she stay? John had student loans. How would she repay them? He had left no will, (what 26-year-old does?) so how would she get a title to the car? What about that speeding ticket he hadn't paid? "I had pages and pages of little things ... Everyone needed something from me. Everyone needed paperwork from me that I didn't have," she said. "It was so hard just to get a death certificate."
In February, she and Lizzie moved back into her parents' house in Salem. She worked with a friend to convert some storage space in the basement into a room for Lizzie and the baby, due in June. In May, with most of her checklist complete and no longer in the University, her grief overtook her. And then on June 15th, the baby came. It was a boy, just like in her dream. She named him John.
What now? Graduate school seems a certainty. For what, she's not sure. It was psychology, then social work. Lately, it's photojournalism. She's done side work shooting photo portraits for a while. "I kind of was learning to define myself as a mother and the wife of a med student," she said. "My whole perception of myself is changing."
According to the Nutty Putty Cave website, Dan Petersen(Emily Jones’ brother), Jonathan Miller (Emily’s cousin), and Eric Maughan (Family friend) are cycling across America to raise money and awareness for a special charity that is helping widows. They plan to travel along the eastern coast to Florida and then head west through the southern states and arrive in San Diego, California on December 10th. You can follow their progress HERE.
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