Newsweek puts focus on LDS church founder

"Smith founded cities, built temples and ran for president. But his most meaningful contribution was as 'prophet, revelator and seer,' as he called himself — and as the architect of a church that tends to nurture the bonds between its members in a spirit of charity. Smith's vision — optimistic, vigorous, a source of continuing personal growth for all who accept its blessings — in many ways echoes the American Dream. Millions around the world now see in their own lives what a young man found for himself in that New York grove."

The article can also be read on the magazine's Web site, www.newsweek.com.

"It tells the story, essentially, from the Mormon point of view. But it doesn't have the underlying sense of skepticism about religions generally," Shipps said. "In a way it's refreshing to not always have that level of skepticism. But on the other hand, it will bother a lot of people who have some serious concerns about whether everything Joseph said was true."

Soukup has read on a handful of blogs, various viewpoints about her article, but said she reported objectively, separating the journalist from the LDS faithful. Numerous editors reviewed the article before it went to press. At 10 a.m. MDT Wednesday, she will hear more opinions through a live chat on the LDS Church in America on www.newsweek.com.

LDS Church spokesman Mark Tuttle released a statement Monday about the Newsweek story:

"The depiction of the First Vision on the cover of one of the world's best-known news magazines is a noteworthy acknowledgement of Joseph Smith as the Prophet of the Restoration at the approach of his 200th birthday. We appreciate Newsweek's effort to bring this remarkable story and its implications to the attention of their readers.

"It was said of Joseph Smith that his name would be known for good and evil throughout the world. While people will debate and quibble over some of the details and interpretations in the magazine, the Newsweek articles are another indication of the increasing recognition of the unparalleled contributions of this extraordinary man to our understanding of God's plan for his children."

The church received unprecedented national press during the 1997 sesquicentennial of the pioneer trek to Utah and surrounding the 2002 Winter Olympics.

In September 2001, Newsweek's cover, headlined "Mormons," examined the state's dominant religion prior to the 2002 Winter Games. At the time, LDS Church spokesman Michael Otterson sent a letter to Newsweek editors, criticizing the tone of the piece and pointing out a misidentified photograph. The article implied that the church's emphasis on Jesus Christ meant that the church was de-emphasizing Smith in order to appeal to the mainstream.

Salt Lake Organizing Committee members also were concerned over the article's tone, fearing it would perpetuate the notion of what was dubbed the "Mormon Olympics."

Soukup called researching, reporting and writing her article a "fascinating journey for myself." A turning point came in her reporting, she said, when she put judgment aside, tackled the hard stuff and presented both sides of Smith's life and the religion he founded.

"If the church is true, you shouldn't be afraid of looking into its history, and that was something I learned for myself," she said. "In the end, it definitely made me a stronger Latter-day Saint."

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