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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Honors Elder L. Tom Perry

Did you know Elder Perry was a member of the Marines? "Tom joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1944 and at the end of World War II was among the American forces that landed on Saipan," the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs shared.

Study: Liberal anti-Mormonism on the rise

Americans' aversion to voting for Mormons has spiked since Mitt Romney's first presidential bid in 2007 — and that the people most wary of Mormon candidates are not Evangelicals, but rather political liberals and non-religious voters, according to new research from a leading scholar of anti-Mormon attitudes. The overall increase in anti-Mormon attitudes among liberals may be an unanticipated consequence of the "the continuing candidacy of Mitt Romney and Mormon activism against same-sex marriage," the study suggests. And its findings may be alarming to the Romney campaign because among the study's other findings is that voters' perceptions of Mormonism are closely tied to whether they'll vote for him.

Why 2012 was 'more than a Mormon moment'

By almost all accounts, 2012 was an extraordinary year for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in terms of media scrutiny and public awareness. For a variety of reasons — most notably the American presidential campaign of lifelong Mormon Mitt Romney — the LDS Church was featured this year in numerous television specials, magazines, newspaper articles and radio programs around the world. Google reports that there have been more Internet searches including the word “Mormon” during 2012 than in any of the previous eight years.

Is Stephenie Meyer's 'The Host' rooted in Mormon beliefs?

Underneath The Host's schmaltzy romance and blinding shine of silver sports cars lies a challenging theme of identity and existence, both Earthly and beyond. The concepts are deepened with a little background information: the movie is based on a book of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, best known for penning the Twilight series. Meyer is also one of the most successful authors to come out of the Mormon faith. Viewed through a lens of the uniquely American religion, The Host ends up more of a refraction of those beliefs than anything found in her vampiric romance saga.

Will Mitt Romney's 'Mormon moment' help his campaign?

Perhaps Robert Jeffress did Mitt Romney a favor.When the Dallas pastor called Mr. Romney’s faith – Mormonism – a “cult” at a recent convention of Christian conservatives, he brought into the open a simmering issue: whether a leading Republican presidential candidate should be judged over religious beliefs some Americans see as outside the mainstream.

WSJ: Romney Isn't Planning Another Mormon Speech

Mitt Romney told an Iowa audience on Thursday that he has no plans to deliver another speech about his Mormon faith after a Dallas pastor raised the issue earlier this month. “I think the great majority of American people want to select the person who’s the most capable of getting our country going again, with strong values and a strong economy and a strong military,” the Republican presidential candidate said at a campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Thursday afternoon. “Among the things that are unique and exceptional about our country is the fact that, in America, we recognize and appreciate differences in faith.”

From the Church

Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Tom Brokaw to remember 9/11 in special performance

Celebrated news anchor Tom Brokaw joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square for a special Music and the Spoken Word which commemorates the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. The special, entitled “9/11: Rising Above,” will air on radio, television, cable networks and Internet channels around the country.Choir music director Mack Wilberg said the program will focus on how Americans have risen above the grief and loss of that September day. “The message of this show is that—as individuals and as a nation—we can find healing and strength in adversity and literally rise above all the negatives.”

ASL seminary classes blossom at site of original seminary class

One hundred years ago, in a building adjacent to Granite High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Thomas J. Yates served as the teacher of the first seminary class in the Church, a revolutionary undertaking for the time. Today, a century later, much has changed—Granite High School has closed, for instance. But seminary classes are still held at the site where seminary was first offered in 1912—and they are as innovative as their early predecessors. Here Nathan Van De Graaff serves as the coordinator for American Sign Language (ASL) seminary. In this role, he teaches standard seminary curriculum in ASL to classes of up to nine students each—students who are participating from their homes across the United States.

The Atlantic: Cheating Death and Being Okay with God

This Spring we learned of 32-year-old Russian multimillionaire Dmitry Itskov's determined 2045 Initiative, which involves "mass production of lifelike, low-cost avatars that can be uploaded with the contents of a human brain, complete with all the particulars of consciousness and personality." The mid-century goal, in which Itskov seems confident, is meant as a step toward immortality. David Segal in The New York Times put to paper the reaction of many: "Are you insane?"

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Convert Wins Texas 'Mother of the Year' Award

Last summer, Bethany Paterno, a member of the Oak Ridge Ward, Spring Texas Stake, was reading an article in the Church News to her husband, Marcus, about some of the Latter-day Saint women who were being recognized by American Mothers, Inc. as the Mother of the Year for their states. “I told [my husband], ‘Wow, what an amazing honor. That is really cool,’” Sister Paterno recalled. A year later, she cried and jumped up and down when she learned she had been chosen as the 2015 Texas Young Mother of the Year.