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Meridian Team
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Editor-in-Chief
Maurine Jensen Proctor
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Kathryn H. Kidd
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Sharon Edlefsen
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Columnists
Carolyn Allen
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C.S. Bezas
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Sean E. Brotherson
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James R. Birrell
Juli Hiatt Caldwell
Susan Corpany
Robb Cundick
Richard Cracroft
Rodger Dean Duncan
Linda Eyre
Richard Eyre
Steve Farrell
Marilyn Faulkner
Stan M. Gardner, M.D
H. Wallace Goddard
Claudia Goodman
Natalie Hale
Richard P. Halverson
Taylor Halverson
William Hamblin
Jennie Hansen
Joni Hilton
Richard Holzapfel
Daryl Hoole
Darla Isackson
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Clark and Kathryn Kidd
Dr. William Lauro
Tiffany Lewis
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Kieth Merrill
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Terrance D. Olson
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Steven Kapp Perry
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Peggy Proctor
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Judith Rasband
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Kimberli Pelo Robison
Ron Simpson
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Becky Cardon Smith
Doug Talley
John A. Tvedtnes
Dian Thomas
G.G. Vandagriff
Jonathan Walker
Terry Warner
Alan Williams
Camille Williams
Stephen Wunderli
Al and Nancy Young
Michael Young
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Lost Scripture
What are the “lost scripture” and what is their importance to LDS?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
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Lesson 33
“A Sure Foundation”
Helaman 1-5
By Breck England
Lesson 32
“They Did Obey . . . Every Word of Command with Exactness”
Alma 53-63
By Bruce Satterfield |
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Beautifully Modest

Beautifully Modest combines the latest in fashion, elegance, and style in every dress we design. Click Here to see more. |

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“Family” Really Can be Cool!
Here's a crazy, fun Family Home Evening idea that might help bring a spirit of togetherness to your family.
By C.S. Bezas
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New Proposed Location for Solomon's Temple

Newly discovered evidence indicates possible original location of Solomon's temple.
By John P. Pratt, V. Garth Norman, Lance Harding,
and Jason Jones |

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"With Mine Own Hand, the Musical Account of Nephi"
Portland LDS performers bring first "outside production" to BYU Education Week; "With Mine Own Hand, the Musical Account of Nephi."
By Steven Kapp Perry |

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Famous Mormons

In this charming video clip, the author talks about all the kinds of people who are Latter-day Saints.
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Rescuing Wayward Children from Extreme Distances
Why would God inspire Mormon to write about the rebellion and conversion stories of Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah? Why would he inspire the compilers of the Bible to include the conversion story of the young, vile and sinful Paul? Is there not a last-days' message that we parents can glean from these accounts?
By Larry Barkdull
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Unselfish Usefulness: The Power of Women in the Kingdom
It has been said that the “secret weapon” of Mormonism is the individual testimony of its members. But it can equally be said, I think, that the underlying strength, an “invisible” cadre in each ward and stake throughout the church, is its awesome women.
By Davis Bitton
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Sun Hasn't Set on the Twilight Discussion
Readers continue to explore their reactions to the Twilight saga. |

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The Temple and the Mysteries of Godliness

Come with me to a place called Kirtland, Ohio, and recall that the people asked, essentially, “Why, O why, when we hardly have enough for hominy and milk, do we have to build a temple? What is a temple? And why at such great cost?” Truman Madsen explores the answer to that question.
By Truman G. Madsen |

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Lesson 32
“They Did Obey . . . Every Word of Command with Exactness”
Alma 53-63
By Bruce Satterfield
Lesson 31
"Firm in the Faith of Christ"
Hidden Lessons in the Book of Mormon War Chapters
By John Bytheway
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Grace Under Pressure

We can be true and hopeful when prayers are answered and the crops come in, but what about when we kneel in need and seem to hear only the echo of our own voice?
By Maurine Proctor
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Tracking Down Scripture Statistics
Readers wanted to know where to find studies that show the effect of scripture reading on teenagers. Here are two, plus a request from a Primary teacher on how to get little children to find scriptural references.
By Kathryn H. Kidd
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Blind Spots
Blind spots! It's easy to become so desensitized to our surroundings or get so used to things as they are that we fail to see areas or items in our homes or yards that require attention.
By Daryl Hoole
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Twilight's Eternally Good Messages: A Note to the Critics
In our last batch of letters, many Meridian readers came down hard on the Twilight saga. Here's a response.
By Darla Gaylor |

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Pride and Prejudice —The Musical
An LDS playwright and a composer have done something gutsy: created a musical theater version of the beloved “Pride and Prejudice.” Watch for its premiere this month..
By Steven Kapp Perry |

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As Marriage Declines, Church Attendance Falls
A dramatic decline in marriage, particularly among young adults, has led to a decline in church attendance over the last three decades, according to a study by Robert Wuthnow, a sociology professor at Princeton University.
California Marriage Protection Amendment Would Not Be Retroactive
If voters approve a November ballot measure banning same-sex marriages in California, thousands of gay and lesbian weddings conducted since the state Supreme Court legalized the unions on May 15 will probably remain valid, Attorney General Jerry Brown has said. |

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Dark Knight and Twilight Saga Surge Reader Response
Not everyone agrees about the value of these latest offerings from the entertainment media.
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TALK ABOUT GOLDEN!
Too entrenched in his lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, gangs and even homelessness, Peter Packwood described himself as “living on the dark side.” But Elder Cusick persisted and shared a message that opened a whole new world. Elder Cusick told him about someone who loved him dearly and wanted a better life for him. That someone was Jesus Christ. Peter believed him.
By Heidi S. Swinton
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In Defense of Marriage (Part 5)
Same-sex marriage is a perilous social experiment whose fallout is already evidenced in Scandinavia.
By S. Michael Craven |

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Flee Babylon and Come to Zion
Zion and Babylon are exact opposites. We can trace their origins back to the pre-mortal world. Celestial law and Godlike characteristics defined Zion; Zion's telestial counterparts defined Babylon. Our understanding the basics and beginnings of these two orders will help us recognize them today then flee Babylon and come to Zion.
By Larry Barkdull
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Without Contracted Feelings
"When purveyors of hate seem to fill the news–people who, if they could, would exterminate Christians just because they are Christians, Jews just because they are Jews, Mormons just because they are Mormons, Americans just because they are Americans, and so on–I find it calming to think about some sterling individuals who have crossed my path."
By Davis Bitton
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Being Taught in the Language We Understand

We are all children of our own time and culture. We must be taught in the language we understand. Who would know that better than our Father in Heaven? How much do even we ‘see in a glass darkly' even now? And what subtleties elude us because we do not know the finer elements of what the Spirit is trying to tell us? Maybe many of us need to ‘be still' and listen a good deal more? I certainly do. If I stop the chattering of my own thoughts and wait for a certainty to settle inside me, it is always better.
By Anne Perry
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Lesson 31
"Firm in the Faith of Christ"
Hidden Lessons in the Book of Mormon War Chapters
By John Bytheway
Lesson 30
"The Great Plan of Happiness"
Alma 40-41
By Bruce Satterfield
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President Thomas S. Monson Meets with Panamanian President and First Lady
Following the Sunday dedicatory service of the Panama City Panama Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church President Thomas S. Monson joined with other Church leaders in a Monday meeting with Panamanian President Martín Torrijos and his wife, Vivian Fernández de Torrijos.
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Take Command Of Your Closet!
If your clothes are in a clutter in your closet, here are some ideas to bring order out of chaos.
By Judith Rasband
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Steady & Sure: EFY
yourLDSneighborhood.com presents the 2008 EFY: Steady & Sure Concert with John Bytheway, Dan Beck, and Jessie Clark Funk. Buy your tickets now! Click here for more information! |

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Commentary from the Church: The Divine Institution of Marriage

In this must-read article, the official voice of the Church explains why it is so important to pass marriage protection amendments and what the implications are for society if we fail. |

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Singing the Song You Were Meant to Sing
Are concerns about your weight dominating your life? Today's article sets the tone for gratefully accepting and respectfully caring for whatever body type our Heavenly Father has blessed us with.
By Carolyn Allen
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Latter-day Laughs
Meridian reader Jody Livingston writes: “ A few nights ago as I drew my family together to say family prayer, it was my 6-year-old daughter's turn to pray. We had to laugh when she included this plea in her prayer: ‘And bless that no harm or axe will fall upon us.'” Join us for a good laugh.
Edited and Compiled by Trish Manwaring,
Assistant Editor, Meridian Magazine
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What Moves Mormons During Emergencies
If there is a disaster around the world—whether it be tsunami, earthquake or flood, a semi-truck or planeload of help from the LDS church will soon be on its way.
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“Love in Any Language”
A Salute to China
Galena Street East, California's young performing ambassadors, recently visited China in anticipation of the Olympics, and found that “people are the same all over the world.”
By Alison Busch
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Latter-day Laughs
Emily Mader of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, writes: “I have been visiting the homes of different daughters while waiting to take possession of our new home. While there, I took advantage of the fruit season to do some preserving for my new storage room. The process fascinated my 13-year-old grandson. As a batch of pears stood on the counter cooling, he was running his finger around the top of the jars and down the sides of the glass admiring the fruit contained within. Thoughtfully he queried his mother: ‘Mom, if grandma dies, who gets her food storage?'” Come laugh with us.
Edited and Compiled by Trish Manwaring,
Assistant Editor, Meridian Magazine |

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Does the Bible Condemn Genealogy?
Critics charge that the Bible condemns genealogy, and therefore the Latter-day Saint practice of compiling family histories is anti-Biblical, often citing 1 Tim 1:4 or Titus 3:9.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
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Meeting Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Here's a fun Family Home Evening that invites your entire family not only to meet our new apostle, but to discuss his youthful experience receiving his own “burning into his heart.”
By C.S. Bezas
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Treasures of the Heart: Roots and Fruits, Seeds and Deeds
Today's weight loss made easy trick is the simplest one of all: Give yourself a hug and credit for every good thing that you do for others. Quite simply, though one good turn turn deserves another, one good thing begets another!
By Carolyn Allen
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Why “Remembering” is Sacred to Me

We have traveled the back roads (even in four-wheel drive sometimes) looking forChurch history, and come away with treasures.
By Scot Facer Proctor
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Dance Through Life
Even when we are caught between a rock and a hard place, we would be better off if we ‘dance'.
Vickey Pahnke Taylor
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Read Aloud Time While the Sun Shines
It's “read aloud” time while the sun is up and the time is ripe to read stories that kids will beg to be read again and again to them.
By Holly E. Newton
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Mormons Believe in Jesus Christ

Take two minutes and be refreshed with this video created by the Church and remember why Jesus Christ is the central focus of our worship. |

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The Dark Knight is a Powerful Morality Tale
The Dark Knight is a dark film, but it is also a fantastically moral film, with positive messages about our nature , argues a Meridian reader who disagreed with our review this week.
By Jonathan Decker
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Stephenie Meyer's Vampire Series Makes Readers' Blood Rush

What's a Mormon mother doing writing vampire stories? Come and get the low-down on the hottest story in publishing and the author touted as the next J.K. Rowling.
By Maurine Proctor |

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Keeping Our Kids Safe While Away at College
Did you ever consider adding “emergency preparedness items” to the list of things to send to college with your student? Did you consider that they need to have a 72-hour kit with them at school? Come and consider the possibilities.
By Carolyn Nicolaysen
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Individuals With Addictions Find Hope and Help
The idea for a Church-sponsored addiction-recovery program was first suggested in the 70s and 80s when substance abuse began to make headlines. Now there are nearly 1,000 groups meeting in the United States and Canada and others in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, England, Germany and Mongolia with about 25% of these focusing solely on pornography addiction. Come and read more.
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Lamanites in the Doctrine and Covenants
In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord refers to American Indians in North America as "Lamanites." Does this cause problems for the Limited Geography Theory (LGT) as critics charge?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
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Why Kids Say, “Grown-ups Don't Make Sense”

When our words and our actions are at odds — when we display a principled life in one circumstance and then flip flop in another — we sell ourselves woefully short and at the same time we do an immeasurable disservice to our children or other youth in our lives who are left to wonder at our lack of integrity.
By Lynn Harbertson
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Learning to Love the Scriptures
If you want to teach young people to love the scriptures in their youth, here are some ideas that may help.
By Kathryn H. Kidd
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Latter-day Laughs
Meridian reader Michelle Price, from England, writes: “My 5-year-old daughter and I were discussing how Jesus had made the world. She thought about it as she looked out at the snow that had fallen overnight, and then asked: ‘If Jesus made the earth, did the prophets make the snow?'” Come laugh with us.
Edited and Compiled by Trish Manwaring,
Assistant Editor, Meridian Magazine
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Take heart. Let the Spirit work in you in ways that you may not be privileged to see or even recognize. More will go on than you think if you are honest in your heart and trying to live as purely as you can.
— Jeffrey R. Holland, “Teaching, Preaching, Healing,” Ensign,
Jan. 2003, p. 33 |

Archive |
First
Line News
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Layton Book Rips National GOP for anti-Mormon Bias
Frustrated by the treatment former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney received from the "religious right" in his run for U.S. president, a Layton historian has written a book documenting the anti-Mormon bias amidst the national GOP party.
Book of Mormon Colorfully Showcased in Local Play
Bringing any literary work to the stage is a long process and the same can be said for a new local production depicting a familiar story from the Book of Mormon. "The Promised Land" has been a work in progress for the past 15 years.
For This Family Man, There's Medicine in Faith
It was an impressive performance for a man who's better known in Hampton Roads as a plastic surgeon, a medical ambassador for Operation Smile and a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rather than a musician.
Nancy Murphy – The Writer in the Family
One of the individuals who contributed to his projects was Nancy Murphy, whom he met at Brigham Young University. They have raised eight children together, experienced Dale's 18-year major league baseball career and served in the presidency of the Massachusetts Boston Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
California Top Court: Doctors Cannot Withhold Care From Gays
California's highest court on Monday barred doctors from invoking their religious beliefs as a reason to deny treatment to gays and lesbians, ruling that state law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination extends to the medical profession.
Suicide Bombers Attack US Base in Afghanstan
Officials say a team of suicide bombers have tried to storm a U.S. military base near the border with Pakistan. Six suicide bombers detonated their vests after being surrounded outside the base.
Musharraf Leaves Doubts
The long-anticipated resignation of President Pervez Musharraf on Monday may not hurt the U.S. war on terror because the Pakistani leader had not done a particularly good job of confronting al Qaeda and the Taliban, U.S. counterterrorism officials and Pakistan analysts said.
More Tourists Evacuated
Authorities on Monday evacuated more tourists and residents from a remote offshoot of the Grand Canyon where weekend flooding caused by heavy rains and a breached dam nearly washed away some rafters in the rugged gorge.
College Presidents Seek Lower Drinking Age
College presidents from about 100 of the nation's best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.
Utah's Birthrate Highest in U.S.
If giving birth were an Olympic event, Utah women would win the all-around team gold medal plus win several specific category contests among Americans.
Obama Risking Pro-life Backlash
Barack Obama's pursuit of evangelical voters has pushed the abortion issue to the fore of the campaign debate and risks mobilizing pro-life voters - who so far have been apathetic about Republican John McCain - to oppose the Democrat
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