Guest Post: The Fourth LDS Church Mission: To Practice ‘Pure Religion’

The following guest post comes from Warner Woodworth, author and co-author of a variety of LDS articles and books, including “Working Toward Zion” and “United for Zion,” among others.

I rejoiced in recent days to learn the Church is ready to officially expand its original three-fold mission to a new fourth one. Beginning in October, two months before the first published article in the Salt Lake Tribune appeared, I had started emailing NGO associates around the globe, especially in Africa and Latin America, informing them that this would soon become a reality. What this will mean for Church members, as well as those of other faiths is open to conjecture. In this short essay, I attempt to review the history and context of this new development, and raise a few provocative issues at the end.

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Kim Peek, the inspiration for the movie ‘Rain Man,’ died recently

And he was LDS.  Check out this Wikipedia article on Kim Peek.

Here’s the key paragraph:

In 1984, script writer Barry Morrow met Peek in Arlington, Texas; the result of the meeting was the 1988 movie Rain Man. The character of Raymond Babbitt, although inspired by Peek, was portrayed as having autism. Dustin Hoffman, who played Babbitt, met Peek and other savants to get an understanding of their nature and to play the role with accuracy (see Method acting). The movie caused a number of requests for appearances, which increased Peek’s self-confidence. Barry Morrow gave Kim his Oscar statuette to carry with him and show at these appearances. It has been referred to as the “Most Loved Oscar Statue” since it’s been held by more people than any other Oscar statue. Kim also enjoyed approaching strangers and showing them his talent for calendar calculations by telling them on which day of the week they were born and what news items were on the front page of major newspapers. Peek had also appeared on television. He traveled with his father, who took care of him and performed many motor tasks that Peek found difficult.[4]

Kim Peek, RIP.

Christmas 2009, the best of times, the worst of times

It’s taken me a while, but I am truly feeling the Christmas spirit.  I’m going to spend much of the holiday with my family, and the good news is we all get along great.  We’re not planning huge gift exchanges, just a chance to spend time together.

I’ve become aware lately that Christmas can be an especially stressful time for many people.  I have friends and family members who have communicated to me that this season is the most difficult time of the year for them.

So, in the spirit of being even-handed, I thought I’d list some of the things I like most about Christmas 2009 and then also list some of the concerns that others have passed on to me.  Please feel free to add your own thoughts — both blessings and burdens for this season.

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