Latest news with #Latter-daySaints
Scoop
02-08-2025
- General
- Scoop
A Legacy Of Faith In Aotearoa
Today the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Aotearoa celebrated the Groundbreaking for the Wellington New Zealand Temple marking a historic milestone for Latter-day Saints in the region and continuing a legacy of faith that began in New Zealand over 170 years ago. Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, a member of the Pacific Area Presidency of the Church, presided at the groundbreaking. The temple will be constructed on a 3.35-acre site near Okowai Road and Whitford Brown Avenue in the Aotea neighbourhood of Porirua. Once completed, it will be the third temple in New Zealand, joining those in Hamilton and Auckland. The Church's presence in New Zealand dates back to 1853. The first baptisms were performed in Karori Wellington. Since then, the Church has grown to nearly 120,000 members across the country, with deep roots among both Māori and other communities. The Wellington Temple will serve thousands of members in the lower North Island and South Island, including most of the whānau who reside in the Kahungunu rohe from (Hawke's Bay through to Wairarapa), providing a sacred space for worship, reflection, and spiritual renewal. "Ngāti Kahungunu has a rich history in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with many strongholds throughout our rohe in places like Māhia and Nuhaka, Hastings, Bridge Pā, Te Hauke, Dannevirke and Masterton. Many of our parents, grandparents and tipuna sacrificed much to build the Hamilton Temple, Church College and the many chapels around the motu. Having a Temple in Porirua is a huge achievement and will bring the Temple blessings closer to our iwi of the East Coast, Lower North Island and Te Waipounamu' – Bayden Barber, Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated Chairman. A significant portion of the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand are of Māori descent. When the Hamilton New Zealand Temple was built, many whānau members migrated to Hamilton to live in 'Temple View' to be closer to the Temple and for their children to attend the Church College of New Zealand. Ngati Toa Chief Executive, Helmit Modlik, is a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When asked what the impact of having a Temple built in Porirua, he commented as follows: 'It's impossible to overstate the significance to Latter-day Saints in our iwi, and even many not of our faith, how significant it is to have the Temple built here' 'Like all temples, it will bring peace, beauty, and spiritual blessings to our community'. 'The Temple represents a blessing upon the heads of this generation that flows out of the faith and service of our faithful tūpuna to whom we owe so much' 'A blessing of the temple in Porirua is that it will bring our manurere home! Only 30-40% of our iwi live at home, with large numbers in Hamilton and further abroad. No doubt the attraction of a temple on our doorstep will bring many home…a great blessing for our iwi' – Helmut Modlik Temples are central to Latter-day Saint worship, where members participate in sacred ordinances and make covenants with God. For local members, including members who reside as far as the Hawke's Bay region, the Wellington Temple will reduce the environmental footprint that is produced by the need for long-distance travel and offer greater access to spiritual blessings. The temple will also bring economic and social benefits to the area, including local employment and a beautifully maintained site that enhances the neighbourhood. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Church leaders, local dignitaries, and special guests. Local members who could not attend were invited to a special devotional at the Porirua Stake Centre taking place on Sunday 3 August. Church leader Elder Taniela Wakolo will share inspiring messages and will acknowledge Pioneers of the Region. In his closing remarks Elder Wakolo gave special mention of the early saints of the Aotearoa and visited Te Ore Ore marae in Kahungunu ki Wairarapa to acknowledge the place where many prophesies of the church in Aotearoa occurred. 'With the temple being built here our whanau will have easy access to the House of the Lord that will bring all the blessings that temple attendance always brings greater peace, faith, kindness, and other fruits of the spirit in the lives of attendees and their whānau' – says Modlik. The gathering today was very inspiring. Young Kahungunu ki Wairarapa tamaiti, Hemi Fermanis, was among the few Primary (young) Children who were able to turn the soil alongside church and community leaders. It was a fantastic day. Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated acknowledges all faiths and church ministers, other iwi, government dignitaries and other special guests who attended today's proceedings but especially the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officials for a special day. Helmut Karewa Modlik Helmut KarewaModlik (Ngāti Toa Rangatira; Tainui waka) is a well-respected Māori leader, economist, and Christian servant whose work spans iwi development, governance, and faith-based community action. In 2019 he became Tumu Whakarae (Chief Executive) of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Toa Rangatira, where he has pioneered projects grounded in tino rangatiratanga and mātauranga Māori. Helmut is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is currently serving in his Ward as the Sunday School President. Bayden Barber Bayden Barber (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tahu) is a respected tribal leader and governance expert hailing from Waimārama in Hawke's Bay. In 2022 he was elected Chair of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, one of Aotearoa's largest iwi organizations, representing over 100 hapū & 90 marae. Bayden Barber is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bayden and his devoted wife, Myra Barber, serve in their Ward as Gospel Doctrine teachers.
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Lynch: New LIV boss Scott O'Neil sounds a lot like Greg Norman. That's not a compliment
Like most visitors to the Open at Royal Portrush, Scott O'Neil will probably pick up a few choice phrases particular to Northern Ireland. He may already be familiar with some given that his employees as CEO of LIV include several players and caddies from these parts, though it's doubtful they've told him to 'wind your neck in.' Translation: give it a rest, zip it, just hush. Like his predecessor, Greg Norman, O'Neil sounds like a man energetically trying to manufacture for his organization a reality that doesn't exist and suggest a momentum it doesn't enjoy. On a recent podcast hosted by one of his paid supplicants, O'Neil said that LIV will be the dominant global force in golf. 'I think the PGA Tour will always have the stronghold in the US … and I think we'll be the dominant player in the world.' His assertion went both unchallenged and unexplained. If there's a single metric that points toward such a rosy future, evidence of it was neither offered nor requested. About the only yardstick O'Neil did cite was marital harmony. 'We had a lot of wives — I'd say, no fewer than a dozen — come up independently, unsolicited, and say, 'My husband's never been happier. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it.' That's nice.' Pay and perks do make guys happy about having dropped anchor, as it were. O'Neil went on to mention that he's friends with Brian Rolapp, the newly appointed CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises and Jay Monahan's de facto successor. He said Rolapp would likely be unable to accept his invitation to attend a LIV event because it would become too much of a circus — understandable since LIV tournaments are known for a sober focus on competition — but he expected they'd catch up at the Open, which Rolapp isn't actually attending. By the time O'Neil added that he and his opposite number 'go to the same church' (as in Latter-day Saints, not as in the same structure), the sweaty desperation for relevance was all too apparent. Which is wholly on brand for LIV these days. Take the circuit's decision last week to resubmit an application to be recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. When LIV's first bid was rejected in October 2023, the OWGR made clear that field size, the lack of a cut and playing only 54 holes weren't barriers. It was the absence of meritocracy — limited pathways and players being exempt from relegation, no matter how execrable their performances — and the staging of team and individual events simultaneously. 'LIV Golf is committed to working together with the Official World Golf Ranking and its board to ensure the very best players are competing in the game's most prestigious events,' O'Neil said in a statement. 'We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system. We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 major season.' Nothing about specific material changes by LIV to address non-compliance, more a haughty call for the rules to be rewritten and quickly. An absence of particulars is typical of LIV announcements that are intended to simulate success that doesn't exist by any commercial measurement. Like last week's deal with HSBC, a company with significant interests in Saudi Arabia. HSBC will become LIV's official banking partner — just totting up the league's losses should guarantee employment for many — but there was no detail on the deal's duration (other than 'multi-year') or a suggestion that money was changing hands. HSBC will be a 'presenting partner' of a segment in LIV broadcasts which, the press release noted, 'has a potential reach of over 875 million households across more than 120 international markets.' The 'potential' in that claim is working harder than Donald Trump's haircare product. O'Neil declined to be drawn on LIV's player contracts, some of which expire later this year, notably Dustin Johnson's. His obvious lack of motivation notwithstanding, expect Johnson to be re-signed with much fanfare. It will be yet another purely performative exercise, a sleight of hand designed to create a narrative that LIV is doubling down when it's really just trying to buy time in hopes that Rolapp and the PGA Tour's board decide to compromise their product by incorporating LIV's as part of a deal they don't need. Anything to imply a lengthy runway ahead for LIV that isn't supported by economic tailwinds. As the locals might say in Portrush, catch yourself on, Scott.
Axios
03-07-2025
- General
- Axios
When Thomas Jefferson and enslaved Sally Hemings were "sealed" in a Mormon marriage ceremony
Almost 35 years ago, Sally Hemings and her enslaver Thomas Jefferson were reportedly sealed in posthumous marriage in a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is Old News, Fourth of July edition. Why it mattered: Hemings' relationship with Jefferson — the father of at least six of her children — has long been a point of historical debate. The term "power imbalance" understates the problems around consent between an enslaved person and their owner. Hemings was legally Jefferson's property and would have had no recognized right to refuse his sexual advances — even if she was his " paramour." Hemings was 16 when she first became pregnant; Jefferson was 46. What happened: In 2012, Slate reported that the church confirmed Hemings and Jefferson were posthumously "sealed" — a Mormon marriage rite that allows couples to stay connected eternally, per the faith's teachings. The ceremony occurred in 1991 in the Mesa, Arizona, temple, Slate reported. How it works: Church procedures allow Latter-day Saints to perform baptisms, sealings and other ordinances or ceremonies by proxy for people who did not participate when they were alive. Typically, these rites are performed by church members on behalf of their own ancestors, to allow families to reunite after death under the church's teachings. The intrigue:"In the spirit world, deceased persons can choose to accept or reject ordinances that have been performed for them," the church writes. That means, per church teachings, Hemings would at least be able to opt out of the connection to Jefferson in the afterlife. Context: Slate's report emerged shortly after the church threatened to suspend members' access to its massive genealogical databases if they performed proxy ordinances for Holocaust victims. A month earlier, a member had baptized Anne Frank at a temple in the Dominican Republic. For years, Holocaust survivors and descendants of victims decried the practice, while Latter-day Saint leaders tried to modify its record-creation protocols to prevent members from taking non-Mormon names into their own hands. The latest: The church did not respond to Axios' query as to whether the posthumous sealing of Hemings and Jefferson was still documented or considered valid. Previously in Old News
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
An AP reporter explored religion in Utah. She was surprised by what she found
This article was first published in the State of Faith newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Monday night. One of the reasons I loved starting my religion reporting career in Utah is that Utah is full of faith-related surprises. Yes, it's fair to associate the state with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but you can't stop there. Its religious character is complex, and includes vibrant non-Christian faith communities, as well as plenty of religious 'nones.' Deepa Bharath, a reporter with The Associated Press' Global Religion Team, recently put a spotlight on Utah's religious diversity with two stories about interfaith engagement. One was about Latter-day Saints who access physical and spiritual health benefits by practicing yoga and the other was about the Hindu temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, that's breaking down barriers between different faith groups. 'The temple (Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple) is surrounded by Latter-day Saints, and a lot of people going to practice yoga there are LDS,' said Bharath, who is based in Los Angeles. After seeing her stories, I called Bharath to learn more about what she uncovered during her reporting trip and how to lean in to your faith-related curiosity. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Kelsey Dallas: How did you end up on a reporting trip in Utah? Deepa Bharath: Jessie (Wardarski — a visual journalist on AP's Global Religion Team) and I realized we would both be in Salt Lake at the same time for an awards ceremony. We decided we had to do some stories, so I started looking into ideas. I found so many, but Latter-day Saints doing yoga kind of popped out because of my own background. I think I was uniquely positioned to write this story because of my knowledge of yoga and its origins. I started with the LDS people and they led me to the Hindu temple in Spanish Fork. It was really interesting. I didn't quite expect to find that amount of diversity. KD: So your research and trip changed some of your preconceived notions about religion in Utah? DB: Yes, I was surprised. I was surprised that there was this temple in an area that is overwhelmingly LDS and even more surprised at how accepting the community was. The LDS yoga practitioners I met with have deep knowledge of the concepts behind yoga and link it to their religion. And Phil McLemore, who was one of my main interviews, has icons in his house of different Hindu deities. I didn't expect to see that. And there were other types of interfaith engagement going on. Kids in the area visit the temple to volunteer and, in the process of serving, learn about this other culture. KD: How does the Hindu temple in Utah compare to other temples in the U.S.? DB: It's pretty unusual because Hindu temples are usually located where there is a large Hindu community or Indian community. You see them in Los Angeles, New Jersey and several cities in Texas. And this temple also stands out because it's a Hare Krishna Temple. Each temple under the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) is unique because it's run by a different person. KD: What advice do you have for non-journalists who'd like to learn more about the religious communities in their neighborhood or in the places they visit? DB: What I do is, if I see something interesting, a sign or building that's interesting, I just walk in — without trespassing. I just follow my natural curiosity. I've always been drawn to anything that looks cultural or religious. I walk in and ask questions. Ask questions about what catches your eye in your neighborhood. That's a great way to get to know your neighbors. It's a great way to expand your mind and heart. The 5 biggest Supreme Court decisions to watch for this month A Christian baker was sued for not serving a lesbian couple. The Supreme Court may hear her case Why the Justice Department just sued a small Idaho town Can Pope Leo remain a U.S. citizen? Will he? The Supreme Court just rejected a religion case. At least 2 of the justices aren't happy about it I've been reading through lawsuits somewhat regularly for the past decade, but Thursday was the first time I noticed the phrase 'Prayer for relief.' After doing some digging, I learned that this is a common phrase in civil procedures. It refers to the part of a legal complaint where the people filing the lawsuit list the 'damages or remedies' they're seeking, per Cornell's Legal Information Institute. 'Prayer for relief is also called demand for relief,' Cornell's article explained. In the Justice Department's religious freedom lawsuit against Troy, Idaho — a case I covered last week — the prayer for relief section includes requests for a ruling saying that Troy leaders violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, as well as that the church seeking to meet in the town's downtown district should have its request granted. The Trump administration is coming to the defense of schools being pressured to stop using Native American mascots, according to The New York Times. I really loved The New York Times' coverage of the wedding of one of the internet's favorite couples. My friend, Holly Meyer, dove into the world of Sacred Harp singing in her latest story for The Associated Press. Sacred Harp groups bring together people from a variety of religious backgrounds, including people of no faith and people from non-Christian traditions. 'There's no other experience to me that feels as elevating,' one singer told Holly, 'like you're just escaping the world for a little while.' Last week, I stumbled on coverage of a fascinating situation at Harvard: A professor known for her research on honesty and ethical behavior has lost her job — for being dishonest. Also last week, Chris Del Conte, Texas' athletic director, shared a relatable explanation for not wanting Texas football to play a Sunday night game: He said, 'I just said no to Sunday. I gotta go to church.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Are Latter-day Saints shifting left? Here's what the data shows
An analysis of the 2024 presidential election found that politically moderate and younger Latter-day Saints have 'warmed up' to President Donald Trump after swinging away from the Republican candidate in 2016 and 2020. The Republican rebound among young and moderate voters goes against some predictions of a permanent Latter-day Saint shift toward the Democratic Party during the Trump era, according to a comparison of election data published Monday by political scientist Ryan Burge. 'There's nothing here that says that the LDS vote is trending to the left,' Burge told the Deseret News. 'You can't look at the data and make that claim.' Trump's initial lackluster showing among Latter-day Saints in 2016 has largely been reversed, Burge shows, with moderate voters moving 15 percentage points toward Trump since 2020, and younger voters jumping 25 points back his direction. Much has been made of Latter-day Saints' lukewarm reception of Trump in 2016. That year, Trump received just 52% of the Latter-day Saint vote — down 30 percentage points from Mitt Romney in 2012, and 20 points from John McCain in 2008. The drop was mostly caused by Trump's bid pushing 26% of Latter-day Saint voters toward third-party candidate Evan McMullin, Burge said, while 22% voted for Hillary Clinton. But with no viable third-party alternative in 2020 and 2024, Trump's vote share among Latter-day Saints surged, resulting in identical results both times: with 66% of Latter-day Saints voting for Trump, and 30% for his opponent. 'I think most of the hesitancy people had about Trump went away,' Burge said. Burge's calculations are based on the latest data from the Cooperative Election Study, an election-year poll that surveyed 144,500 people from 2022 to 2024, including 1,600 self-identified Latter-day Saints. Taking a deeper look at the Latter-day Saint data reveals multiple transformations occurring simultaneously within one of the most religiously and civically active demographics in the United States. While Latter-day Saint voters continue to lean heavily Republican, Trump's rise to the top of conservative politics has contributed to real changes in Latter-day Saint political identification. Republican Party affiliation among Latter-day Saints fell from around 75% before Trump, to 64% in 2016, 62% in 2020 and 58% in 2024. Democratic affiliation, on the other hand, increased by 9 points, to 25%, and the percentage of independents doubled to 17%, during the same time period. Meanwhile, the share of Latter-day Saints who identify as 'conservative' fell from 61% to 50%, leading to an increase in self-described 'moderates' from 30% to 38%. But, as can be seen in the overall Latter-day Saint vote, these shifts have not translated to the ballot box. Trump's performance among Latter-day Saints has actually improved, paradoxically, as some voters attempt to distance themselves from certain conservative labels, Burge said. In 2016, 64% of Latter-day Saint voters identified as Republicans, and 61% as conservative, but Trump received around 50% of their vote. In 2024, GOP affiliation had fallen to 58%, and conservative identity to 50%, but Trump netted 66% of the Latter-day Saint vote. These crosscurrents could represent a desire among a substantial portion of Latter-day Saints to remain independent from 'the whole MAGA movement,' Burge said, even if they can't stomach the Democratic alternative and still vote for Trump. 'A lot of people want to say they're ideologically moderate but if you actually look at the way those groups vote, it's almost always leaning to what the larger group does,' Burge said. 'A vote's a binary choice, you don't get to stand in the middle on that.' Opposing pressures among the Latter-day Saint electorate have created a genuine 'swing voting bloc' among moderates, according to Burge. In 2020, moderate Latter-day Saints favored Joe Biden over Trump by 27 points, with nearly 60% voting Democrat. In 2024, however, moderate Latter-day Saints were split down the middle between Trump and Kamala Harris. Many of these swing voters appear to be those who came of age amid Trump's dominance in American politics. Less than one-third, 31%, of Latter-day Saint voters age 18-35 cast their ballot for Trump in 2020. But in 2024, Trump received support from 56% of young Latter-day Saints. The flip among young and moderate Latter-day Saint voters likely has something to do with tribal identities, and voters wanting to fit in with their community, Burge said, pointing out that 75% of Latter-day Saints over 50 voted for Trump in 2024. What's more, the relatively small gap in partisan affiliation among the youngest Latter-day Saint voters — with about 50% identifying as Republican and 35% as Democrat — is likely to grow over time because voters tend to become more conservative as they age, Burge said. But the increase in support for Trump among young Latter-day Saints might also reflect a process of self-selection, according to Burge. Politics has a greater impact on religious loyalties than many people would like to admit, Burge said, and some young people who leave the Republican Party because of Trump may also leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for linking or overlapping reasons. 'People are drawn to or from religious groups based on their political persuasion,' Burge said. 'What you're really seeing with the 18-35-year-old group of young LDS is the true believers because they're still identifying as LDS.' The church has issued statements declaring itself strictly 'neutral in matters of party politics.' The general handbook says, 'The Church does not endorse any political party or candidate. Nor does it advise members how to vote.' The church encourages its members to 'engage in the political process in an informed and civil manner, respecting the fact that members of the church come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and may have differences of opinion in partisan political matters.'
