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“The human mind has presumed to determine when “meaningful life” begins. In the course of my studies as a medical doctor, I learned that a new life begins when two special cells unite to become one cell, bringing together 23 chromosomes from the father and 23 from the mother. . . To legislate when a developing life is considered “meaningful” is presumptive and quite arbitrary, in my opinion.”
Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Abortion: An Assault on the Defenseless,” October 2008 Ensign (not yet available online).
Q. At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?
A. Well, I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.
However, Sen. Obama’s attempt to side-step an issue that many Americans take very seriously didn’t work. (Note how he short-circuited the intent of the question by draining it of politics and converting it into a religious and scientific issue?) Obama then cut off any follow-up with the perfunctory recognition that “there is a moral and ethical content to this issue” (thanks!) and went on to expound the typical pro-choice line.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no official position on the moment that human life begins.
Although, I am more comfortable with Sen. McCain’s view that life begins at conception, it’s a matter of fact that our limited knowledge prevents us from saying for sure when life begins in the womb. But that uncertainty should make our approach to abortion all the more definite.
Sen. Obama pretends to defer to God, but as a state and U.S. Senator he has demonstrated that he either has definite views on when life begins or that he simply doesn’t care. He has a record of consistently opposing any restrictions on abortion, including defeating a bill that would have required medical attention for infants born alive during an abortion. Either way, he certainly doesn’t want to talk about it and yet, he has no qualms implementing policies that show a complete disregard for unborn life.
I think he needed to be more specific on that. I happen to disagree with Barack on that. Like I said, he’s a friend.
But to me, I would not want to die and get before God one day and go, ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t take the time to figure out’ because if I was wrong then it had severe implications to my leadership if I had the ability to do something about it.
He should either say, ‘No scientifically, I do not believe it’s a human being until X’ or whatever it is or to say, ‘Yes, I believe it is a human being at X point,’ whether it’s conception or anything else. But to just say ‘I don’t know’ on the most divisive issue in America is not a clear enough answer for me.
Obama wrongly claimed that abortions “have not gone down” under President Bush. In fact, the abortion rate has gone down 9 percent, and the annual total has declined by more than 100,000.
The creator of the Mormons Exposed calendar is the latest aggrieved member facing church discipline to run to the media and announce his victimhood.
Despite his earlier claims that he was trying to promote religious understanding by looking “beyond stereotypes” it sounds by his own admission that he needs to understand his own religion a little better [link to the skanky TMZ].
Hardy tells TMZ he believes he’s being targeted for the 12-monther — but admits he doesn’t attend church meetings or pay his tithing. He also believes his repentance will include closing up shop on the calendar, which he ain’t ready to do.
Perhaps he can milk his fifteenth minute to sell a few more calendars but it’s a shame his grandstanding subjects the Church to even more ridicule and it can’t respond.
How are “law and order” conservatives to make sense of the Church’s recent statements on illegal immigrants? The Church’s call last month for “compassion” has been understood as a call for leniency on illegal immigrants, at least in Utah.
This has confused some members. (Some of our brothers and sisters who are accustomed to being on the other side of the Church on politically social issues are probably entitled to feeling a little schadenfreude right now).
“The church’s view of someone in undocumented status is akin, in a way, to a civil trespass,” said Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy, relating it to coming onto someone’s property uninvited. “There is nothing inherent or wrong about that status.”
Regardless of criminal status, the established presence of some 12 - 20 million people make the issue of simple law enforcement quite complicated. With so many illegal immigrants joining the Church (a stake leader in the DC area estimated that more than 70% of members in our local Spanish-speaking units are undocumented - and that’s not mentioning non-Hispanic immigrants in our English units), what is the Church to do?
“Brethren, there is no meeting in the Church so unimportant that it cannot begin on time, and there is no meeting in the Church so important that it cannot end on time.”
In short, among the Mormons, one is not free to promote disbelief in the church and remain a member of the church. Again, obviously, this has a chilling effect on free speech, but who says speech within religious communities is necessarily or even properly free? Freedom of speech is highly valued in democracies because they depend upon the free flow of information and ideas. But most churches are not democracies. And, no church that depends upon the free flow of right ideas — doctrine and theology — values the free of wrong ideas.
In the early days, the church had to keep moving or die. The Saints kept an eye single to Zion as they trudged across the plains. If they stopped to mourn or weep, the weather and wilderness would do them in. Dozens were buried in shallow graves. . .
The dangers are different now. Mortal lives are no longer so much at risk, but spiritual lives are. And that means less “pushing” and more “lifting.” The word “active” today is not so much about “action” — teaching, attending, contributing. It’s more about being “active” the way electric wires are active. It’s about the spark, the current within. It’s about the inner — not outer — life. It’s about what’s in the heart, not what’s on the list of things to do today. It’s how we should look at all people.
An LDS Church leader on Wednesday urged Utah’s lawmakers to “take a step back” and hold a “spirit of compassion” as they consider a slate of bills aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.
“Immigration questions are questions dealing with God’s children,” said Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I believe a more thoughtful and factual, not to mention humane approach is warranted, and urge those responsible for enactment of Utah’s immigration policy to measure twice before they cut.” . . .
“This is a human issue; it is a moral issue,” Wester said. “We must be involved.” . . .
Jensen said the LDS church has taken no position on any particular measure on the federal or state level.
“The current debate in our state Legislature is evidence of the very strong feelings that surround this issue,” Jensen said. He noted that LDS leaders had recently issued a “very sincere plea” to lawmakers to consider the issue with humanity and compassion. . .
“If there is a church that owes debt to the immigrant and the principal of immigration it is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he said.
“I was assigned to come here by the First Presidency of the church,” he said, referring to the church’s three most senior leaders, including LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson.
When the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints passes away, the following events take place:
1. The First Presidency is automatically dissolved.
2. The two counselors in the First Presidency revert to their places of seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Seniority is determined by the date on which a person was ordained to the Twelve, not by age.
3. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, now numbering 14 and headed by the senior apostle, assumes Church leadership.
4. The senior apostle presides at a meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve to consider two alternative propositions:
i. Should the First Presidency be reorganized at this time?
ii. Should the Church continue to function with the Quorum of the Twelve presiding?
5. After discussion, a formal motion is made and accepted by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
6. If a motion to reorganize the First Presidency is passed, the Quorum of the Twelve unanimously selects the new president of the Church. The new president chooses two counselors from among the Quorum of the Twelve and the three of them become the new First Presidency. Throughout the history of the Church, the longest-serving apostle has always become the president of the Church when the First Presidency has been reorganized.
7. Following the reorganization of the First Presidency, the apostle who has served the second longest is sustained as the president of the Quorum of the Twelve. The only exception is when the second-longest-serving apostle has also been called into the First Presidency as a counselor, in which case the third-longest-serving apostle becomes acting president of the Twelve.
8. The president of the Quorum of the Twelve, along with the rest of the apostles, sets apart the new president of the Church through a formal laying on of hands.
