Conan O'Brien and Max Wienberg's slanderous song about Mormons

I saw this a couple months ago, but I couldn't control my rage until now. What are Conan and Max thinking? Writing a song about Mormons that propagates stereotypes (namely the blatant ignorance by Americans with regard to Mormon beliefs) and mocks the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (with a toe-tapping robe-wearing Mormon Tapper-nacle Choir who sang not with their voices, but with their tippity-tapping tap shoes)?

I admit it, I am joking about my rage and my delay in writing was more a function of time than anger. I found the whole presentation quite hilarious. You see Orrin Hatch has written songs for many groups and people, including Senator Ted Kennedy and now included his latest tribute to the Jewish people. I did find it funny that Conan picked the portion of the video where Orrin looked the most out of his element. Orrin wrote the lyrics to the song and lyrics were written by Madeline Stone. The piece was supported by Tablet Magazine a Jewish publication.

To conclude I quote from the article written about the stories:

And so it was a very American day in a recording studio on West 54th Street in Manhattan when we gathered to hear Rasheeda sing. In one small room were Bliss; Madeline Stone, a Jewish songwriter who writes contemporary Christian music in Nashville; a crew of downtown Jews from Tablet Magazine; Hatch's chief of staff, Jace Johnson, who didn't seem to know exactly what he was doing there, but was very nice about the whole episode; and Hatch himself, who sang background vocals and even showed us the mezuzah he wears under his shirt. Hatch, like many Mormons, is something of a philo-Semite, and though he is under no illusions about Jewish political leanings in America--he told me that though he likes Barbra Streisand very much, he's fairly sure she doesn't like him--he possesses a heartfelt desire to reach out to Jews.

Hatch said he hoped his song would be understood not only as a gift to the Jewish people but that it would help bring secular Jews to a better understanding of their own holiday. "I know a lot of Jewish people that don't know what Hanukkah means," he said. Jewish people, he said, should "take a look at it and realize the miracle that's being commemorated here. It's more than a miracle; it's the solidification of the Jewish people."

He's right. Without Judah Maccabee's militant intervention in 167 BCE, the Syrian program of forced Hellenization might have brought about a premature end to the Jewish story. But, for such a pivotal figure, Judah Maccabee is one of the more misunderstood leaders in Jewish history. He was not, for one thing, a paragon of tolerance. One of contradictions of Hanukkah--an unexplored contradiction in our culture's anodyne understanding of the holiday--is that the Maccabee brothers were fighting not for the principle of religious freedom but only for their own particular religion's freedom. Their understanding of liberty did not extend even--or especially--to the Hellenized Jews of Israel's coastal plains. The Maccabees were rough Jews from the hill country of Judea. They would be amused, if they were capable of amusement, to learn that their revolt would one day be remembered as a struggle for a universal civil right.

But Hanukkah doesn't belong simply to Judah Maccabee. Each generation finds new meanings in this holiday. The Zionist revolution, for instance, led to a revolution in the way the story of the Maccabees--previously a source of ambivalence in the Diaspora--was interpreted. And of course, the Hanukkah story doesn't belong merely to Jews. Judah Maccabee is a hero to many Christians: If there had been no Judah, Judaism might have disappeared; no Judah and no Judaism would have meant no Jesus.

And no Judah would have meant no Mormon senator in a studio with an Arab singer and a bunch of New York Jewish background vocalists recording a Hanukkah song of his own making. To my mind, at least, this counts as a minor American miracle.

Here is the entire episode:

Here is the complete article behind the song by Orrin Hatch:

Eight Days of Hanukkah from Tablet Magazine on Vimeo.

Paraphrasing Luke 14:28-29 Live Within Your Means

So the New York Times writes an article that gets on the case of the Mormon Church for having enough money to complete its building projects even with the economic downturn.

Hat tip to Mark Gibbons, the project lead, for the following quote:

“For which of you intending to build a tower does not first count the cost
to see if he have money to complete, so he doesn’t look like a fool,” said Mr.
Gibbons, paraphrasing Luke 14:28-29. “We set aside reserves to build this
project, we counted the cost before we started, and we have the resources to
complete.”

The "so he doesn't look like a fool" had me falling out of my chair with laughter.

And who can help but laugh at Jason Mathis' statement:

“We don’t have a Microsoft or Coca-Cola,” said Jason Mathis, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. “In many ways, the L.D.S. church fills that role.”

Yes Mr. Mathis, because the L.D.S. church writes software and bottles beverages.

Linda Baker, the author, did a nice job on the article. It made me laugh in some places and emphasized the wealth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Again, Mr. Gibbons has a great quote.

DOCTOR ENCOURAGES YOUTH TO GAIN SELF-RESPECT

Youth encouraged to gain mastery and self-respect

The Los Angeles Times reports in a story titled Study links TV and depression that every hour of TV watched as a teenager adds about 8% more risk of developing depression as an adult. Dr. Brian Primack recommends positive social, academic, and athletic activities that can give youth a sense of mastery and self-respect. He goes on to suggest that TV teaches kids to be passive, and to judge themselves against fictional characters whose looks and accomplishments seem out of reach.



Now why would I post something like this while I am talking about Mormons? Well, the answer is quite simple really. Mormon youth participate in weekly activities called Mutual. Mutual is what some other religions call the Youth Ministry, World Assembly for Youth or Institute for Youth. The term Mutual comes from the original name of the Youth organization created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The organization was called the Mutual Improvement Association and focused on providing youth the opportunity to develop positive social, academic, and athletic activites. I found this image from a play produced by the Mutual Improvement Association in 1920 quite funny. Great costumes and J.R. Sorenson sure looks the part of an old timer. Notice the M.I.A. Dramatics title as well.

Anyway, I simply found this interesting. I hope TV and video games don't consume so much time that no one has time to reach out and help others. It's pathetic when people sitting right next to each other would rather text each other instead of talk. Interpersonal communication is a fading skill, it's a good thing the LDS Church encourages home teaching, church attendance, mutual and service. Somebody's got to be out and doing.

Tom Hanks, creator of polygamist show Big Love, calls Mormons "un-American" for voting their conscious

So Tom Hanks, creator of the polygamy inspired TV show Big Love, that he claims was not inspired by Mormons, calls members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "un-American". In other words, Tom Hanks who makes fun of a Mormon practice abandoned over 100 years ago, now calls Mormons "un-American".

Specifically, Tom Hanks said:

"The truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen. There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them."

Now the thing I find interesting, ignoring the fact that Tom Hanks fails to lump all those that supported Proposition 8 like Catholics, Evangelicals, Latinos, and African Americans, into his "un-American" label, is that Tom Hanks shows his bias and ignorance on the issue by saying, "Mormons gave a lot of money to the church".

Tom, I don't think Mormons and others gave money to the Mormon church to help pass this issue, didn't they donate their money as citizens of the United States to the political organization of their choice? It's a little crazy to suggest law abiding citizens are "un-American" for following the legal processes due them by the constitution.

Update: Tom Hanks hid behind his publicist who issued a statement on his behalf saying basically, "We use to be able to make fun of Mormons with impunity, but the timing was wrong on this biased statement. I will continue to use Big Love as my forum and I'll wait for another moment to spew my own discriminatory comments." OK, he really didn't say that, but you can read it between the lines. Look at what he said here.

A review of News discussing Mormons December 2008

I found an interesting article on Crosswalk.com written by a Richard Abanes. It appears the December 13, 2008 article is a regurgitation of an article he wrote in the Summer of 2005. It was an interseting article calling for more civil dialogue, no need for shouting matches. He ends the article quoting Daniel C. Peterson, who in 2003 said: “[Some] take this as just, ‘it’s a competition, you can score points.’ You know, you can ‘win on this’—gratify your ego by defeating somebody on that point or something. That’s not what it’s really about. Resist that temptation.” There is only one other thing I would add to his list, an evangelical lowers their credibility when they try to sell their pejorative publications in the middle of their articles/discussions. You can read his full article here.

The California Prop 8 issue continues to be big news, I find it interesting that the LGBT groups in San Francisco are attacking the evangelical groups that are defending the Mormons. (I am actually surprised at the number of LGBT news sites that have plastered their articles with Mormon bashing news.) Overall authors are drudging up the same old statements to make Mormons seem crazy. In fact, one newspaper writer wrote up about some quote by a Mormon that people lived on the Moon. Of course, it was the New York Times that years before a Mormon said it, proclaimed that one day we would meet the people on the moon. So why doesn't the newspaper writer take any heat for being part of a crazy group that believed people lived on the Moon? Anyway, the PoliGazette does an interesting job disecting how newspaper writers propogate misconceptions about Mormons.

This was a kind of funny snippet from a newspaper in Arizona called The Daily Courier: "Dec. 8, 1958 A group of us has been studying various religions. Out here in the West we find Mormonism particularly interesting because of their zeal and growth."

Another humorous commentary about Christian music and Mormonism can be found at Belief.net In fact, I couldn't help but chuckle as I read about the "Jesus fish stamp of approval" when choosing music. Due to a misunderstanding about a joke the author told about "You might be a christian music fan if...", the author has to explain the joke to the reader. It's a fun read click here.

So this band called the "Killers" has an interesting personality in Brandon Flowers. This article comes from the UK and can be found here.

Mormonism in the News Second Fastest Growing Church

Mollie talks about Mormonism 101 - the trend of more and more Universities to offer studies in Mormonism. One of her commentors mentioned this trend may be occuring because more and more Mormons are taking classes at these institutions.

Michael Paulson writes about how Colleges are scrambling to offer curriculum on the Mormon religion. Melissa Proctor will be teaching classes about Mormon history, theology, and culture.

The NCTimes.com reports on a story about women in the Church, it is titled Mormon women look for greater role in the life of the church. It is interesting and I'd like to hear your thoughts. The article says, "The agency which Beck heads, the Relief Society, is one of three Mormon offices open to women. Billed as one of the world's largest women's groups, with 5.5 million members, it provides spiritual instruction to women and aids needy families, among other things." But it concludes with this statement, "'The church does repress women, but it really doesn't repress women as much as bring men forward,' Claudia Bushman said. 'From the time Mormons are children, boys get a lot more encouragement than girls because they are needed for leadership roles. Men need more encouragement, I think.'" What do you think, do men need more encouragement?

CNN reported that Utah is the only state that allows students to take guns on campus. The article is called Utah students hide guns, head to class. This report was delivered with interviews with students from the University of Utah and not students from Brigham Young University.

The Ilford Recorder in England has an awesome article about the family history program of the Mormon Church. The article is titled Latter-day Saints' role in nurturing family ties. The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints, well-known for its genealogical research, is bringing its free Family Search - On the Road exhibition to Ilford from March 6-8. The Church has been in the British Isles for 171 years.

The Economist published an interesting article titled Gnashing their teeth. It claims The latter-day saints are angry with the Republicans, but it should be noted Mormons participate in every political group. As we have already noted here in our blog.

ChristianToday.com from the UK has an article about the fasting growing churches in the US. The article is titled Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons fastest-growing 'churches' in US. They mention these interesting items:

1. "Mormonism was formally listed under “cults and sects” by the Southern Baptist Convention – the largest Protestant denomination in the nation – but was more recently categorised among 'newly developed religions' on the North American Mission Board apologetics page."
2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – also known as the Mormon church – grew 1.56 per cent and is listed by the NCC as the fourth largest 'church'.
3. Largest 25 Churches (ranked by membership)

1. The Catholic Church – 67,515,016
2. Southern Baptist Convention – 16,306,246
3. The United Methodist Church – 7,995,456
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – 5,779,316
5. The Church of God in Christ – 5,499,875
6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. – 5,000,000
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – 4,774,203
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. – 3,500,000
9. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – 3,025,740
10. Assemblies of God – 2,836,174
11. African Methodist Episcopal Church – 2,500,000
12. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America – 2,500,000
13. Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. – 2,500,000
14. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) – 2,417,997
15. Episcopal Church – 2,154,572
16. Churches of Christ – 1,639,495
17. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America – 1,500,000
18. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. – 1,500,000
19. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church – 1,443,405
20. American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. – 1,371,278
21. United Church of Christ – 1,218,541
22. Baptist Bible Fellowship International – 1,200,000
23. Christian Churches and Churches of Christ – 1,071,616
24. The Orthodox Church in America – 1,064,000
25. Jehovah’s Witnesses – 1,069,530

KansasCity.com included a note about a Mormon songwriter in their article titled Leap Year: Someone born on leap day is a 'leapling'.
1932 - Newel Kay Brown, wrote the children's song, "I Hope They Call Me On A Mission," which every child in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called Mormon) has sung since 1970.

Gateline.com mentions Elder Ballard was there to speak at Stake Conference. The article is called Annual conference in Gig Harbor lifts spirits. Although the forecast called for grey skies and intermittent rain, there was a beacon of light and much warmth at the bi-annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Gig Harbor area.

The crucible continues: Mormons and the Main Stream Media

Rachel Zoll writes an interesting piece about Mormons. Although she relates Mitt Romney's run for the presidency a crucible for Mormons, she can rest assured that Mormons are not afraid of the crucible. In fact, they've practically been in the crucible since the Church was founded in 1830. (My comments below are in parenthesis.)

Romney bid was a crucible for Mormons
By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion WriterSat Feb 9, 4:14 PM ET

Mitt Romney isn't the only casualty in his failed presidential bid. The Mormon Church, yearning for broad acceptance, also took a beating.
(I don't agree here. I think the disrespect that has existed in some quarters was brought to light, it’s nothing new. As an example, Zoll ignores the common courtesy requested by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to use its real name in articles in the first instance and avoid using the term "Mormon Church".)

Extremists denounced Romney's campaign as a Mormon plot to take over the country. Some Evangelicals feared that a Mormon in the White House would draw more converts to his faith.
Mormon practices were picked apart, even ones that had been abandoned long ago such as polygamy. Romney tried to focus on politics, but was often asked about sacred Mormon undergarments.
(Check out the Frequently Asked Questions.)

"It is prejudice," said Richard Bushman, an emeritus professor at Columbia University, who is a leading historian and devout Mormon. "Underlying all these questions is that these beliefs are basically crazy so you've got to explain them to us."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints anticipated some of the backlash and tried to get ahead of it. Well before the former Massachusetts governor officially announced his candidacy, Mormon officials started traveling the country, speaking with reporters and editorial writers about the LDS church and its political neutrality.

The goal was to protect the church. But nonpartisanship handicapped the denomination when it needed a vigorous defense.

"I'm not questioning the policy of neutrality. That's not in any doubt," said Michael Otterson, the church's media relations director. "But I think the very reality is that we've had to be very careful about choosing our words and not appearing to either be supporting or not supporting a particular candidate."

Before Romney ran, Mormons thought they were generally accepted in the mainstream, especially after their previous success in the world spotlight: the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics.
Yet, in November, half of respondents to an Associated Press-Yahoo poll said they had some problems supporting a Mormon presidential candidate. Among white evangelicals, more than half expressed reservations about backing a Latter-day Saint.
(Most Mormons I know don't think we are generally accepted in the mainstream. You've got to compare the evangelicals acceptance to Mormons though, check out a little analysis here.)

"I was surprised at the level of intensity and sometimes flat out animosity," said Lowell C. Brown, a Los Angeles attorney who is Mormon. "I had no idea. I'm in my 50s, I've been a Mormon all my life, I've lived in L.A. for 25 years, and it floored me."

Many Christians said they were raising legitimate theological concerns, not Mormon-bashing.
The news service of the Southern Baptist Convention, which considers the LDS church a cult, ran a six-part series through December explaining why they don't consider Mormonism to be Christian. They also profiled a distant Romney relative who is Protestant and manages a Southern Baptist-affiliated bookstore in Salt Lake.
(I read an article on their site that said they needed to inoculate their members against Mormon missionaries. Are they angry because the Mormon definition of Christian includes them, but their definition of Christian excludes Mormons? Shouldn't the anger come from those excluded? Kind of interesting.)

In just one example of the practices that set Mormons apart, LDS church founder Joseph Smith revised — and in his view corrected — parts of the Bible.
(This is the kind of thing Mormons are refering to. Throw this statement in the middle of an article without any context and have it be a statement that requires an explanation. Mormons use the King James Version of the Bible. Joseph Smith did go through a little bit of the Bible and wrote down his notes - I suspect like most believers in the Bible. Anyway, we all know this statement will make others mad.)

Brown said it was "nonsense" to consider questions about Romney's faith simply a dialogue about religion. Mormons were especially outraged when GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist pastor, asked whether Mormons consider Jesus and the devil brothers. Latter-day Saints say Huckabee's question is usually raised by those who wish to smear the Mormon faith rather than clarify doctrine.

"If you're making a decision about whether or not to vote for someone because of their religion, you're flirting with bigotry," said Brown. He monitored the commentary on his blog Article VI, named for the constitutional provision barring any religious test for public office.

Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, a prominent evangelical school in Pasadena, Calif., said some Christian conservatives consider Mormonism not just a questionable faith, but also a rival political force. He lived in Michigan in the 1960s, when Romney's father, George, was governor there. At that time, evangelicals weren't deeply involved in politics. Many supported George Romney.
(This is what kills me, Mormons are not a voting block like evangelicals. Mormons actively participate in all political parties so although they have a strong voice in Utah, they are even more diluted every where else. Evangelicals have nothing to worry about from Mormons in politics, I do think they should welcome those that choose to be Republicans instead of saying, "Our party is too good for you.")

"What's going on when his son runs and all of a sudden there's this overt hostility that came out, which did not come out toward his father," said Mouw, who is part of a group of evangelical and Mormon scholars who meet to discuss their theological disagreements. "I'm kind of ashamed of the way that a lot of traditional Christians have handled this."

Yet, Mormons say some good has come from the attacks. Romney's candidacy pulled the church even further into the public square.

Mormon leaders posted videos on YouTube explaining their faith. A church elder, recently speaking to Mormon college students, urged young people to post about the Latter-day Saints on blogs — a major move for a denomination with a history of quietly answering its outside critics. After Romney's Dec. 6 speech in Texas defending his faith, a Mormon leader went on al-Jazeera television, the Quatar-based network, to discuss the church.

"Gov. Romney has, perhaps without intending to do so, rendered the church a service," said Robert Millet, a scholar of the church and professor at the LDS-owned Brigham Young University. "It's served as a kind of wakeup call for Saints themselves to the fact that we're not as well understood as we think we are. How can it be the case that Gov. Romney and his feelings about Christ and his feelings about religion have been so little understood?"
(I agree with Millet, it was a wake up call to me, I always thought I followed the evangelical thought on politics, but now that I see they don't want me in their party - maybe I'll be looking for something new.)

Now that Romney has Retired, Let's Talk Mormonism

Martin E. Marty: Mormons and Idiosyncracy

Source: Sightings, the newsletter of the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School. (2-11-08)[Martin E. Marty's biography, current projects, upcoming events, publications, and contact information can be found at www.illuminos.com.]

Now that Governor Romney is off the campaign trail—we don't do any Sightings of candidates on the trail—we can, without commenting on him or the part his church and faith played in his demise, do a retrospective on the Mormon-hate that blighted air waves, the internet, and some printed quotations while he was spotlit. The locus classicus of the hate, one that has plenty of company, is the on-air MSNBC spewing by Lawrence O'Donnell, Jr., "pundit and actor," on the McLaughlin Group TV show. I quote: "Romney comes from a religion founded by a criminal who was anti-American, pro-slavery, and a rapist. And he comes from that lineage and says, 'I respect this religion fully.' . . . He's got to answer." The other religion that gets treated that way with impunity is Islam. O'Donnell was not treated with total impunity; he was knuckle-rapped with a feather-duster suspension. That could change by the time you read this, but for now the remark was not treated with the seriousness that an anti-black or anti-Semitic comment by the merest sportswriter would elicit.

One needs hold no brief for (or against) the Latter-day-Saints or the Muslims and their founders to find occasion to ask what went wrong, what goes wrong, when in a United States where so many good things are happening on the inter-religious, racial, ethnic, and gender front, this underground of "anti"s so frequently emerges. I've had numerous Latter-Day-Saint Ph.D. students, know some leaders, have spoken at some of their scholarly gatherings, have learned and taught much about their history, and can't find anyone who can find something that would rule out a Mormon as Mormon from being Chief Executive. (Curiously, the issue did not even come up, so far as I can remember, when Mitt Romney's father ran for President in a generation that putatively was more prejudiced than our enlightened generation is.)

Let the O'Donnells rant on as they present their bill of particulars: The Mormons have secrets. So do the Masons, who met lethal prejudice one hundred and fifty years ago, but get a free ride now along with your friendly neighborhood fraternities and sororities. Mormons are too clubby and do favors for each other. So are the Notre Dame (or any other strong college of your choice) grads. Or they are too successful. That's not a blight elsewhere in capitalist America. Finally: their founding story is really weird. Let's stop right there: I like to quote George Santayana, who wrote that "every living and healthy religion has a marked idiosyncrasy. Its power consists in its special and surprising message. . ." One notices: Every religion looks "idiosyncratic" and its stories are "surprising" to all others. We Christians and Jews are empowered, motivated, and—hey! I'm a Christian!—are "saved" by those stories and messages. We spend decades and energies helping fellow-citizens and ourselves live creatively with people who, again in Santayana's terms, propound "another world to live in."

Taking testimony about the evils of Mormonism by ex-Mormons is likely to be as objective as it is if it comes against Catholicism by ex-Catholics. Were it our calling, we could find profound fault with many policies and actions of some Latter-Day-Saints or members and leaders of other faiths. My own company, that of historians, is in the business of telling stories about others' stories. No one is to be uncritical, where there is often much to criticize. But criticism is one thing; hate-speech and untruths are another.

Brigham Young Interviewed by New York Tribune

I found a reference to this article about Horace Greeley who interviewed Brigham Young for the New York Tribune, I wonder if the New York Tribune is related to the New York Times? Greeley's article was published in Harper's Weekly September 1859.

During 1859, the the US government was trying to decide what borders the Territory of Utah whould ecompass. The map shows the territory that Brigham Young and the Mormons continued to petition as the State of Deseret. In Greeley's article, he wrote the following.

"Let the Mormons have the territory to themselves - it is worth very little to others, but reduce its area by cutting off Carson Valley on the one side, an dmaking a Rocky Mountain territory on the other side, and then let them go on their way rejoicing. I believe this is not onlly by far the cheapest but the safest and best mode of deeling with the difficuluties already developed and daily developing here."

It's kind of refreshing to see that Mormon's were hospitable to many that crossed their paths, even when the people didn't agree with them.

Here is the full article:

SALT LAKE CITY 14 February 2008 In his homes in New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, Joseph Smith often entertained visitors, those he invited and others passing through town. In fact, he built a hotel in Nauvoo, Illinois, to accommodate the frequent guests who called upon him and other leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


The geographic locations differed for Smith’s successor, Brigham Young, but the extension of hospitality continued as the members of the Church settled in the West. In fact, one early guest, Horace M. Greeley, editor of the influential New York Tribune, called on President Young in 1859. Greeley, traveling through the western regions of the country on a crusade to encourage settlement of the vast spaces, stopped in the recently established Salt Lake City. Greeley recorded his impressions in a September 1859 issue of Harper’s Weekly magazine.

“We were cordially welcomed at the door by the President, who led us into the second-story parlor in the largest of his houses,” Greeley explained. The editor then interviewed Young and other Church leaders about the “doctrines and policy of the Mormon Church.”
Other notable people visited Salt Lake City during the early years of the Church.


The rousing marches of composer John Philip Sousa likely inspired toe tapping in an 1896 concert at the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Renowned speaker and author Helen Keller and aviator Charles Lindbergh also appeared in the landmark building based in the heart of the city.
Greeley’s recorded visit and those of many other guests reflect the warmth and welcoming attitude displayed by Church leaders and members alike. Visits to Church sites, such as the Temple Square complex, rank high on the itineraries of tourists and travelers to Salt Lake City.


At no time in their histories did Utah and, by association, the Church garner more worldwide attention than during the 2002 Winter Olympics, when thousands of athletes, media and spectators descended on the city. Historian Jan Shipps of Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis recently told National Public Radio that the Olympics showcased Mormons as “gracious host[s] … friendly and welcoming.”


Millions of visitors, famous or not so famous, annually tread the manicured grounds of Temple Square, the site of not only the architecturally significant Tabernacle but also the granite-walled temple that has become a symbol synonymous with the Church itself.


Folks arrive at Temple Square and the surrounding sites of the Church headquarters — the Conference Center, Family History Library, Museum of Church History and Art, Joseph Smith Memorial Building or even the Church Office Building — as visitors on family or personal vacation treks, as business people on a break from conventions or other meetings, as leisurely wanderers or as notable or invited guests.


Upon arriving at Temple Square, guests are greeted by young women from all parts of the world serving as full-time missionaries for the Church. These young missionaries are supported by a group of nearly 1,300 part-time volunteers — couples or individuals who, with the young missionaries, give brief tours and explain Church history and beliefs to interested visitors. Volunteers invested nearly 240,000 hours in their 2007 hosting assignments on Temple Square.


In 2007 an estimated five million people stopped to explore Temple Square, one of the most frequently visited tourist destinations in the state. Records indicate visitors represented every state in the United States as well as 83 different countries of the world.


A Baptist couple from Cyprus described their visit as a “spectacular stop on their world tour,” while Georgian Orthodox guests from the Republic of Georgia observed, “Your church is not just a building but a way of life and an example to others.”


Among other guests were a group of Asian ministers of many faiths from California, all wearing bright red shirts bearing the message “marriage — one man and one woman.” The group, traveling to a national meeting in Washington, D.C., stopped in Salt Lake City because they “knew many people here feel the same way we do.”


Previous exposure to Church teachings and practices often influences government, business and religious leaders of many countries to carefully examine such teachings in a Salt Lake City stopover.


On a recent visit from New Jersey, a group of Hindu swamis inquired about Church methods of teaching young people. These religious leaders of another faith expressed concerns about the youngsters of their own belief system and invited help from Church leaders. The swamis discussed the various types of teaching materials employed by the Church in classroom and missionary training and also investigated printing and distribution operations in the everyday business management of the Church.


Such visits sometimes occur after community leaders in other countries or states encounter the local Mormons as neighborhood volunteers, participating in vital area service or humanitarian projects.


The First Ladies of Peru and Paraguay, for example, visited Salt Lake City to tour humanitarian and welfare facilities of the Church. Both represented their respective countries as ambassadors of appreciation for the supplies and services distributed in their homelands.


Whether guests arrive on Temple Square with titles and pedigrees or not, the enthusiastic and dedicated guides who serve as full- and part-time missionaries show the traditional hospitality that has existed in the Church since the days of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.