Deseret News | Jennings defends Mormon faith via N.Y. newspaper

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Jennings defends Mormon faith via N.Y. newspaper

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To Dear Punchline | 4:09 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

Pull of the riegns there 'Dear Punchline.' I just got through reading 199 posts which we somewhat entertaining and this is the conclusion? We will never get anywhere from this hostile point of view. If this is what we want to represent to the outside world are membership will diminish.

Myser | 6:48 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

I am a ggg granddaughter of Brigham Young and I know he was the 1 prophet of the church.

"God" never sanctioned | 7:11 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

It! (Plural Marriage) It was a lifestyle sometimes practiced in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible was it "commanded". It always caused problems. We need to learn from both the scriptures and from modern day times that this is not a good lifestyle...never has been.

Comments continue below

A thought.... | 7:17 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

Nobody will ever all agree. If some of you people believe that because someone said they saw things (maybe even had witnesses to some of it) that's fine for you to think. But many of us will never believe it....we have seen how easy it is to "forge" things and we think that this is the case here. How easy would it be to make "false plates"? Not hard now (probably not even then.)
In other words be very convinced that many people in the world will not agree with you and be respectful of all. (And we will you). Thanks.

Anonymous | 7:29 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

Nice going here folks. We have a serious journey ahead of us and look what a circus this wonderderful LDS member has created. Good intentions but the message is hi-jacked by the anti's and turned around. Reading through the posts I feel ashamed of what this has become and what a beautiful message this could have been.

to myser.......LOL! | 7:40 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

Gee! Where is the humility here? You gotta be kidding me! None-the-less- I worship GOD! Not my ancestor or ancestors just because they had a name! Give me a break!!.... Next thing you will have candles all around his picture on a alter.

The Osmonds, Anyone? | 7:47 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

When Donny and Marie speak up the world will listen. Ken Jennings made a noble effort but his ten minutes of fame are done end gone. When the true face of our religion speaks up we will have progress. They both did a great job on Oprah and I think there is more good to come fron the Osmond family.

Chloe | 8:03 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

How many descendants do think Brigham Young has now.... IN THE THOUSANDS NO LESS...No romantic involvement?...ya hummmmmmm?

The Lord said; | 8:29 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

(Matthew 5:44)

(New Testament | Matthew 5:10 - 12)

To Amused | 8:34 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

Amused: "About two years ago I asked my 18 y.o.s Sunday School class in a quiz what current LDS politician had the most powerful position and what party he belonged to."

Interesting. And whose curriculum were you using? I've been the Sunday School President for the past few years and have no recollection of anything like that in the approved curriculum.

Anonymous | 8:55 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

I am hurt by some comments and uplifted by others. We are just trying to share our faith and get along the best we can. If we offend then I am sorry but please don't take such a wicked defensive stance towards our faith. Our faith is about Jesus Christ, nothing more and nothing less. We have conviction in the covenants we have made with god and feel it is our obligation to at least let you know the truth is out there. During this holiday season please let us all get along. Merry Smithmas and good thithings to all.

God said? | 9:03 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

Well, The Lord may have said all those things, but there is NO proof that the Bible is correct. I say, Just tell the truth and be a nice guy down here on earth, and do the best you can, and don't worship all the so called, silly, man made idles. I see a lot of malarkey being written on here. Totally ridiculous!

Just a thought | 9:38 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

I don't know what is more frustrating... those who are not LDS who critisize through repeated posts to help those of us who are "decieved" or those who are LDS who make fools of themselves by trying to debate topics that will never be accepted by the former. Sometimes I fear the worst enemy of the LDS church is the stubborn member who is sure that relentless arguing will somehow bring about "a mighty change of heart" to those being argued with.
I'm quite sure the Savior is not impressed with these lengthy bashes between those purporting to be his representatives - on either side of the argument. Seems like I remember His request being "love one another." Sounds good to me - how about you?

castorc | 4:11 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

come on, how many of you ardent mormon republicans honestly believed that your buddies in the southern baptist convention actually respected you? the rick santorums and pat roberts of the republican party always despised mormons, and always will. get over it.

JR | 7:05 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Upon moving to Utah and being LDS I was struck by the intolerance of the LDS people towards inactives and non members. I witnessed young children being punished for their parents actions. I know of many LDS folk that when they were younsters and their parents got divorced that they were cast out from their friends. Mormons are just as intolerant as anyone else. Please MITT is not a saint. Read the history but make sure it is not the slanted LDS history, oh yes remember the History professors at BYU that lost their jobs because they wouldn't write slanted history. Mormons are not saints or innocent of a lot of their own misery.

Entertained in Utah | 9:11 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Thanks, I've learned a lot from you...much unintended by the writers.

A couple of bits on polygamy:
1. Polygamy was not a dream come true for the men & first wives. Only men were called who had the resources to support additional wives. (Several family journals are primary source evidence of this.
2. What were the alternatives at the time? The majority of converts then were women (many discarded by families for conversion) with no way of supporting themselves in the 19th Century world. No women's employment available in the agricultural West, no organized welfare from persecuted-and-not-very-affluent early LDS Church or government. Support for women was generally expected to be from husband or family. Now these women had neither. What else would YOU do you think the Church could/should have done for these faithful women lost in social and economic limbo? Leaders called the men most able to provide to give these women protection. Very difficult for everyone. As a woman today, I wouldn't be happy were I asked to join in a polygamous relationship because it's a different world. There are (thank heavens!) many other options available. Were I a single Mormon woman then, I'd be nothing but grateful.

Anonymous | 9:53 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Maybe if your are a ugly over-sized woman than polygamy may be the only answer. However, times have changed, and now woman of the day want more than one man..lol!

Be Honest About Polygamy | 10:02 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Some posts have suggested that polygamy was instituted as a sort of social welfare program for single or widowed Sisters. I'm sure it served that need in some situations. But that was not it's purpose.

Regardless of how you feel about polygamy, we should at least describe it correctly. It was not instituted as a kind of welfare program nor to populate the Church. It was a restoration of what Joseph Smith and prophets after him clearly described as part and parcel of the restored gospel. It was not some social or economic experiment. It was as much a part of the gospel principles or practices as was the restoration of the temple ceremonies. One only needs to read conference talks by Brigham Young and his contemporaries to clearly understand this.

The PR machine of today dishonors the incredible faith of those members who humbly practiced polygamy. Remember several years ago when the Sunday School manual focusing on Brigham Young ONLY mentioned wife #1? Sad and cowardly! And by publically emphasizing that it was long ago and we excommunicate members now who would practice it - we make it appear as some evil, ancient practice. Honor and respect or PR?

Re: JR | 10:03 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

JR, you have obviously let a few people color your entire vision of LDS people. While there are some who have a done as you state I am sure they are the exception and not the rule.

In our neighborhood in Sandy there have been a number of friends of other faiths who have moved in who have children in the same age group as mine. Our neighborhood does a play group and invites all to attend whether or not they are LDS. At least 3 have told my wife that they were "worried" about the "mormons" and felling pressured, ridiculed or whatever fear they had. Each one has said they have had a good experience not been pressured or had any intolerance directed toward them.

You accuse LDS people of being intolerant yet you seem to be guilty of the same sin of which you accuse LDS people.

WestBerkeleyFlats | 10:13 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Re: "2. What were the alternatives at the time? The majority of converts then were women (many discarded by families for conversion) with no way of supporting themselves in the 19th Century world."

As has been pointed out many times including by the LDS church, there were more men than women in Utah territory in the 19th century, as was the case in other western areas. This is an example of what Jennings described as folk doctrine.

Anonymous | 10:50 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

WestBertleley!

I descend down from 10 polygamist woman and not one of them was discarded by families! You don't know what you are talking about! Get a history lesson!

Get YOUR facts straight.... | 10:50 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Utah could not become a state in the U.S. until this was stopped. Read "In Sacred Lonliness" to see how many felt about it. Read the results of it in the scriptures. And lastly take a look at it today.
Disasterous all!
It's time to admit it: It was and is a mistake. Stop making excuses and move on.
Goodness! Make a happy New Year full of reality.

WestBerkeleyFlats | 11:15 a.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Ummm, I was quoting from a previous poster and noting that this was not a reason for polygamy generally. Thank you for supporting this notion with personal evidence.

RangerGordon | 12:50 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Religious intolerance is tragic. I do know, however, that many anti-Mormons got that way as a response to Mormon intolerance of non-Mormons.

If Mormons don't want people to be intolerant of them, they should start practicing more tolerance toward those groups they themselves marginalize.

Anonymous | 12:58 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

I have been seriously thinking. I think I need at least 6 husbands. What a hoot!

To: Anonymous | 1:18 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Anonymous said: "I have been seriously thinking. I think I need at least 6 husbands. What a hoot!"

Your comment really made me chuckle. However, unless you have incredible stamina, you would be spending most of your time rebuffing advances. Unless, of course, you were talking only in dynastic terms.

Anti-who? | 1:37 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Why is it that some LDS folks are so quick to brand anyone with an opposing opinion as an anti-mormon. Would that then not make these folks anti-anti-mormons. Silly, is it not?

Daniel Andrews | 2:03 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

I'm LDS, married to one great woman, have two beautiful daughters, am a believer, and am a soldier in the Army. I'm really glad I can put my life on the line to afford all of you the opportunity to bicker back and forth. It makes me feel like my sacrifice would be worth it.

Tired of it all! | 2:24 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

Let us remember that all religions are full of people who are not perfect and who do not necessarily live their religion to the letter all the time. Leading a nation is about values and integrity. It is hard to find either of these in politics. We shouldn't blame Mitt Romney for what we think is wrong with the LDS religion. We should applaud him for the kind of person he is...a man of faith.

DoubleJeopardy | 6:54 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

I'm glad Ken Jennings wrote that article. I wish I were more optimistic that people would take it to heart. As Latter-day Saints, we've convinced ourselves that we're a lot better thought of than we really are, at least by people who don't know any Mormons personally. Nope, sorry, there are a lot of well-meaning but seriously uninformed people out there who still respond to the slanders and lies that have been told about this Church and its people since 1830. And you know what? The mass media show no desire to redress the wrongs, but rather they'd like to exploit the conflict and keep it going for the sake of ratings.

DEB | 9:37 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

To Ernest T. Bass: Was you there, Brother? In addition, if choosing the right and standing up for it is a problem for you, so be it. I am not intolerant of people who disagree with my faith, I am simply not going to stand by and fiddle while "Rome burns." I will do what is necessary to keep the country which God blessed us with turned into a sewer of depravity. This not accomplished by turning my back on other people but by reaching out with knowledge and love.

Kate | 10:02 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

It is very inspiring to see Mr. Jennings defending his faith. He has proven his intelligence on television, and now he has shown dedication to his God and his church. A wonderful example for all of us.

Clark Roger | 10:38 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

To "Tired of it all!"

In my opinion, the only people who demand perfection from LDS Church members, are LDS Church critics. Some people might think that's a stretch, but just look on the web. Most, if not all websites, critical of the LDS Church, are filled with story after story of people offended by LDS Church members. If an LDS Church member acts negatively in the least degree, you'll hear about it again and again.

To "Big Deal" | 10:44 p.m. Dec. 26, 2007

I'm glad it wasn't a "big deal" in your family and I'm glad that there are a number of people that did not get hurt by this practice. However, there have been MANY people hurt by "Plural Marriage" (or polygamy). Just like when "bad things happen to good people" this practice hasn't been all bad people. BUT the practice itsef is not good and has brought much heartache in the past and now. We can joke (and there are some funny things about it. For instance, some of the pictures of ladies in the past weren't always attractive. This lets people make the excuse "there must have been a divine reason". BUT take a look at the post that states all the negatives and search your heart and you will see.

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