From Deseret News archives:
Reconciliation needed after desecration at church
A couple of summers ago while vacationing in northern New Mexico, my family visited my aunt and uncle in Fort Garland, Colo., which is about 16 miles north of San Luis. While traveling through San Luis, I was pleasantly surprised by its historical preservation efforts. Its streetscaping was absolutely quaint.
I observed, too, that the Sangre de Cristo Parish had devoted considerable resources to establish the Shrine of the Mexican Martyrs there. You may have read or seen recent news stories about photographs posted on the Internet depicting three Mormon missionaries vandalizing the Shrine of the Martyrs, with one missionary shown holding the severed head of a statue. Others showed a missionary preaching from the Book of Mormon behind the altar inside the Chapel of All Saints. Another photo shows two missionaries pretending to sacrifice a fellow missionary on the altar at the shrine. The photos, posted on the Photobucket Web site, have since been removed.
I've lived in Salt Lake City for 20 years now. But I was born in the San Luis Valley and spent many summers there as a child. I feel I have a sense of both perspectives. Mostly, I just feel sad about these events, which reportedly occurred in 2006.
Missionaries are representatives of their respective churches. That's a huge responsibility for anyone, let alone 19, 20 and 21-year-old men. As the mother of a teenager, I understand all too well the impulsive nature of young men and young women. In the heat of the moment, there's not a lot of thinking about consequences, whether they're driving cars without seat belts or scrambling up a sheer rock wall without proper climbing equipment, let alone disrespecting a religious site.
Recent comments
It turns out that no charges will be forthcoming after the Catholic...
dean fishman | April 21, 2008 at 5:31 p.m.
have you even bothered to read the colorado statute on this? 18-9-113...
majickman | March 12, 2008 at 11:01 p.m.
Disappointed, I agree that the acts you describe are just as bad, but...
Catholic Guy | March 11, 2008 at 11:35 p.m.
- Today on TV 12:49 a.m.
- Wanted: Bank robber with bad breath 12:40 a.m.
- Philippine police clash with clan 12:28 a.m.
- Officer responding to call killed 12:28 a.m.
- Editorial: Fine-tune state workweek 12:18 a.m.
- Let's keep energy money in the U.S. 12:18 a.m.
- How to pay for the war 12:17 a.m.
- Feast of Guadalupe nourishes soul 12:17 a.m.
- Obama's strategy is a road map 12:17 a.m.
- Letters: 'Political priestcraft' 12:17 a.m.
- BYU and Utah's bowl games
- Y., U. to learn bowl destinations
- BYU professor remembered
- The forgotten ship: USS Utah
- Branch president without a congregation
- Utahns want health care reform bills
- Kurt Bestor: Joy for the world
- BYU basketball: Cougars crush Dons
- Urn of baby rests with sailors
- Jazz upset by Wolves
- Letters: Liberal because LDS
257 - Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
214 - Hate not limited to 1 in-state rivalry
189 - Aggies shoot past Cougars
179 - N.Y. Senate rejects gay marriage
130 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
113 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
110 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
97 - Harpring's NBA career is over
95 - Sloan gets 1-year extension
80
First, a big thank you to all who posted questions here for me to ask...
Sorry earlier I meant to say that tracks seems to travel at 35 miles an hour...
'Peter Frumhoff, the director of science and policy at the Union of...
The Non-BCS crowd ought to create their own title game...their own brand, and...
That's the whole of your defense of GOP resistance to badly-needed ethics...
Your criticism should hardly be focused on Bennett alone. What about all the...
'Wired's Threat Level blog reported on November 20 that Gavin Schmidt, a...
The reality of climate change is supported by multiple lines of evidence and...
I had the priviledge of staying in the LeBaron home on severl occasions as I...
So the unemployment rate has dropped to "just" 10%, huh? I wonder what that...
Ahh for the love of money...what money can buy!!!

