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ABC News focuses cameras on LDS Church

How can you adequately cover ANY topic in 30 seconds?

The caravan is moving; antis get outta the way!

The Nightline interview with Elder M. Russell Ballard and Quentin Cook helps the unenformed to understand the position of the Latter-day Saints on Proposition 8, polygamy, and the reason and use of temples. There is a lot of misunderstanding among people not of the LDS faith about various issues that continues to be perpetuation by some in and out of the media that brings unwarranted ridicule and abuse of the Church and its members by various activists.

Another bad idea. Stay out of the media, it does no good but continues to discredit any progress we have made into the mainstream over the past 30 years.

In the Nightline segment, I particularly liked the part where Elder Ballard claimed he could command the weather, but also his comment (about Prop 8): "When something needs to be done, we know how to do it."

Brethren, stay out of the mainstream. With the black marks on our frontage its
best that we maintain the isolation we once knew "In Deseret's Sweet Peaceful
Land." 2008 was bad enough with PR bloopers...

Keep going Brethren...Samuel was not afraid to get on that wall either, even with arrows flying his way...he got the word out.

All you nay sayers...show some faith! May some of you should go stand on top of a wall too!

The LDS wanted to play in big times politics.

As often quoted "with each actions comes consequences."

Face it, outside of a few states in the West the church is liked or trusted.

I think it's great to be in the media with a positive message. Present the information and let the people decide. I think the media is more sensitive now after the outrage after the slanted "hit piece" on PBS a couple of years ago.

And I've lived outside of Utah for 20 years in three different states. The church is very well respected everywhere I've lived.

However, I agree with earlier posts that if the church is "mysterious," it is only because of all of the misinformation out there. Why people go to non/Anti Mormons for answers about Mormonism is beyond me.

Weren't you on the ABC Blog before your anti-Mormon tirades were removed? I particularly liked that part.

I wouldn't call the PBS documentary from a few years back a "hit piece"--I thought it was reasonably fair. As long as the church is able to get its message out without unfair attacks and distortions, that's pretty much all you can ask for. Including honest critics' views is certainly not out of line. Anything's better than the garbage evangelicals tend to spew about the church.

LDS think their church is perfect, yet they get things wrong sometimes. Therefore, it's not perfect. That's all anyone needs to know

Since when has anyone in the LDS church claimed to be perfect? If they did, they were probably joking. The doctrine, I would have to say, is perfect, but only because the doctrine is taught by Christ Himself, the only perfect person to walk the Earth. I have never understood why the LDS church is attacked so frequently. Do we stand up for what we believe in? Yes. Is that a Constitutional right? Yes. Do I believe that the LDS church is led by a Prophet who receives direct revelation? No, and do you know why? Because I KNOW it is led by a Prophet who receives revelation. I only know it because I learned from the source of all Truth that that is true.

So what?

LDS don't equate inspiration with perfection. That's what other, uninformed, people do.

LDS don't think their church is perfect. Nor do they think it has to be in order to accomplish the work of God and service to others.

Imperfect, but inspired, people run an inperfect, but inspired, organization so that LDS members may help ohter members become disciples of Christ and so that LDS members may serve others in need.

Get informed.

I just viewed the ABC News video on the computer. I feel this was done in a "Fair" way. The photography was good too. The newstory did show brief "footage" of the Polygamous Fundamentalists, but the video did emphasize that they were and are a "breakaway" group of roughly 100 years ago. The Fundamentalist leadership does NOT "report to" or "acknowldge" the mainstream LDS Salt Lake City headquarters or leadership. I think the video got that point across. Analogy: That would be like the
Lutheran Church still reporting to the Roman Catholic headquarters. It's simply Not that way.

For a mainstream media story, I feel they (ABC) did do an objective/"no spin" job. It looks like the two LDS Apostles were a little "nervous" doing the interviews, but that's true of most people being interviewed by the National media. The late President Gordon B. Hinckley got pretty good at dealing with the mainstream media, but then he got a numbers of times to "get good" at it with the likes of CBS' Mike Wallace and CNN's Larry King and others.

God Bless the Apostles and the Presidency of the Church. God Bless America.

So many of the comments are misguided, biased opinions of the church, based on hearsay from uninformed "haters" who seem to take pride in their vises.

My belief is that there is only one person that ever lived that can get me into the promised land(heaven)not josepth smith not billy graham not oral roberts,not brigham young etc,etc,etc but JESUS CRIST only and no one else.if anyone has other beliefs then that is your problem.HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I would have to agree with "Perfect?"'s post at 6:28pm. I don't think I have ever heard any LDS claim to be perfect.

But the gospel in the Book of Mormon does teach that you must become sinless (which would make you perfect) before a person can receive God's grace.
Moroni 10:32, "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and IF ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness...THEN is his grace sufficient for you..."

Have you denied yourself of all ungodliness?

Do you know anybody that has denied themselves of all ungodliness?

I don't think "deny[ing] yourselves of all ungodliness" means you are perfect. I think it means having a change of heart, sincere repentance, a desire to do good rather than a desire to do evil. It doesn't mean we of ourselves are perfect, but rather we are "perfected in [Christ]" as we come unto him.

The gospel in the Bible is much different than that of the Book of Mormon. Could be why ABC is focusing their cameras on the LDS Church?

The Bible says that God's grace is free and doesn't have to be earned or worked for, so you don't have to deny yourself of all ungodliness before you can receive God's free gift of grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

I believe that this is one of the reasons why Christian churches have such problem with the LDS faith is because God's grace is earned in the LDS faith and in the Christian faith God's grace is received through faith and not works.