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Peggy Dlugos | 'Bringing Together Disparate Pieces'
Published by Adam Williams on February 4, 2018 February 4, 2018
Peggy Dlugos takes me to a back corner of her home, to a just-right cozy and tidy work space. A pair of full-sized windows on both walls let in light, awareness of nature, and views of Garden of the Gods.
"This is where I am most of the time, during the winter," she says. "But summer time, I'm out there. I consider all of that out there to be my studio.
"When I'm taking a walk, when I'm dyeing out on the deck or working in the garden, that's all studio time to me. This (room) is kind of like the master planning (space). But everything happens out there."
Peggy, 61, is a fiber artist. She dyes and prints on fabric and paper, using plants she grows or those she collects from windfall. But, going beyond her art work, Peggy shares a deeply human and evolving story with Humanitou. One of joy and survival, resilience and beautiful emergence as an artist with pure purpose.
Humanitou: You grew up in New Orleans, but have lived in Manitou Springs for 26 years now. Marriage, family, everything has happened here. Actually, with a few years in Colorado Springs first, you've lived more than half your life here.
Peggy: Exactly. I really feel that it's been just in the last, maybe, seven years, eight years, that I have really felt like I have rooted myself into the area, and New Orleans is no longer home. This is my home.
Humanitou: How did that come together?
Peggy: This is the story. Because of a lot of things that happened … My childhood was very, very difficult. It was a lot of abuse. At that time, it was just taken as this is it. As a child, you don't know that, "No, this isn't right." And it was at the hands of the Catholic church. My family was very, very Catholic. Still is.
So, moving away from all that, and I think at the time, it was, subconsciously, removing myself from that very structured, authoritarian, perfectionistic life and being able to free myself to be able to figure out life on my own.
And the way that I did that was through my work with the plants, learning about the history of the area, what is here plant-wise, spending days in the library with every botanical book there was to learn about the plants, and what I could use in what I wanted to do.
In a lot of ways, it's kind of saved my life, because of the fact that a lot of the abuse memories just went somewhere. But in 2014 I started having flashbacks and having memories of things coming back to me that it was like, "Oh my, God. This happened to me."
I had gone home to New Orleans for my mother's 90th birthday. I ended up being in that environment and having flashback after flashback, and just being in that environment and the family dynamics, I was just beside myself.
Humanitou: Was there a particular catalyst with starting your natural science research those several years ago, or that was just how it played out?
Peggy: Yeah. The kids were pretty much gone. I've always had some kind of creative outlet, but I was pretty much sick of them. I've sewn my whole life, clothing, embroidery, quilting. All of that has a real perfectionistic aspect to it. I was sick of it.
I think I was sick of people telling me how I should live my life, what to eat, what to wear. It was a whole, all-encompassing thing. With the kids gone, I had that quiet to just listen to myself. I hadn't been able to even hear myself think, and now I could.
In that quiet, one day I was paging through this fiber-art journal and I came across an ad for this book that was written by an Australian artist. I got the book from the library and I read it cover to cover. It was like, "This is it."
Humanitou: That fascinates me, the idea of feeling a "this is it" moment. How did you know that?
Peggy: It was something about the way she wrote the book. It's not like a step-by-step book. She's very experimental, exploratory. She travels all over the world. She's one of these free-spirit kinds of people. I think I needed somebody to encourage me to do that, to not be so hung up on the details, but just experiment.
Her natural environment is totally different than ours. So, it's not like I could recreate what she had done with plants that she had in her area. Then that spurred the learning about what do we have, what's actually here and how did it get here?
Humanitou: This book was a linchpin in you giving yourself permission to follow your heart, to break away from the constraints you'd been taught.
Peggy: Yes. Definitely. It gave me the freedom just to do it my way.
Because of this process, there is an element of you never know what you're going to get. You can't control a lot of it, because when you're printing, it's the time of year, it can be the side of the tree that the leaf came off, whether it was the sunny side or the shady side, the soil it's grown in, is it a drought year?
There are so many variables that you have to give up control and let the plant give you what it has to offer.
There are a lot people who work in this medium who try and force the issue. They're throwing chemicals into it and trying to get a rubber-stamp kind of print. I don't want that. I just want … "Tell me what you have to say" … whether it's a flower, a leaf. And if it's not that rubber-stamp print, then that's OK. It doesn't have to be.
Humanitou: Is fiber art your primary focus now?
Peggy: Yes. I quit working after Andrea, my daughter, was born. For a variety of reasons, it was better for me to be at home. And I was fine with that. I loved being a mother; I still love being a mother. I'm a caretaker. It's just who I am.
And I always had some creative outlet, whether it was sewing or just working in the garden, which I do more of now than I ever had. My husband, Tom, did most of it during those days. But I always had an attraction to the idea of a garden.
This is what makes me happiest. It's what keeps me focused. And, again, it is what has helped to heal me from the realization of that birth family that I thought I had never really existed to begin with.
Humanitou: Because, it sounds like, this work is part expression, part catharsis, is this something you keep just for you or do you exhibit and sell your work?
Peggy: Primarily, it's for me. I've experimented with the gallery scene, but it doesn't make me happy. It becomes, then, about money. Like Rockey says how money just gets in the way of things? Well, I agree with that. It doesn't make me happy.
What comes my way is fine, but I don't actively pursue it. I teach with Textiles West and I've sold some things through them. And that's fine with me, to be able to have just enough to be able to continue to do what I want to do.
Humanitou: Going back to the sewing and quilting you used to do, did you view it as a creative outlet at the time and it took time to realize it was reinforcing things — demands for perfection — that were hurting you or how did you view it then?
Peggy: As a child, I think it was just something to do. Something about it must have resonated with me, because I was the only one of my sisters that really kept up with it.
Humanitou: Was it something you had learned from your mother, your grandmother, or … ?
Peggy: From my mother and my grandmother. Looking back, there was so much perfectionism built into that, having my mother looking over my shoulder, saying, "That's not right. You've got to pull that out and do it again. You're not on the line."
They were these pre-printed patterns you stitch with embroidery thread, so it was like if you color outside the line that's no good. So, it's like even though that was part of it, I must have enjoyed it enough to be able to deal with that. Was I aware of that? No, not as a little kid.
Humanitou: It takes us time to start to gain our own eyes, doesn't it? To get out of our childhood and be able to see or experience the world outside that container we were in for so long?
Peggy: Yeah. Definitely. Then I think it just became like when I learned to sew clothes. That was out of necessity. But I enjoyed it, too. Did my mother use those words, "You're so creative, you're artistic"? No way.
It was not seen as that. It was just how I spent my time. I spent a lot of time alone as a kid, and it's a solitary thing.
(Realizing this) was much later on. There was no five-year plan or no "This is what I am going to do when I grow up." I can only look at this from this point looking back and seeing how things progressed, and the detours that I took, going off-road. (laughs)
Humanitou: What would you say through this life experience you have learned about humanness, being human and how it ties to your creative expression now?
Peggy: I think … life is difficult. And we humans can make it a lot more difficult for each other. And we also can make it great, you want to be here because of the people around you. I think we all need something to get us through, because nobody goes through life unscathed.
Everybody is going to experience something at some point in their lives. You find out who your friends are, who your family is through those times, because of how people either surround you or walk away from you when those difficult times come about.
But no matter who you have in your life, I think it's really important that you have something for yourself, so that you're not totally dependent on, or reacting to, how people in our lives deal with what's going on with us, so we have something to fall back on to help get us through regardless of what's going on out around us.
Humanitou: The word "resilience" comes to mind for me in the story that I'm hearing. Does that hit any particular note in your heart?
Peggy: You know … yes, it does. But I guess it's also like, I don't want it to sound like I have it all figured out, because I don't. Do I feel resilient? No. I feel like I'm doing my best to get by.
Humanitou: You said you don't have all the answers. I would say, for any person, to acknowledge that is, in fact, evidence of wisdom gained. Let's talk a little now about the process you use in your work. You create natural dyes using plants and local spring waters. What about that process brings light to you, brings out the joy you have in your work?
Peggy: It's the actual process of being outside, taking a walk or being in the garden, and finding this leaf or this flower or this piece of bark, and being able to roll it up and process it and see what happens. It's the unveiling.
Seeing what actually happens, those are always a pure moment of joy, whether it's a dud or it's like you never could have imagined this in a million years, this leaf, this flower or all of these leaves and flowers mixed together could have produced this.
Humanitou: You said you primarily do this work for yourself, rather than with end goals of exhibition or whatnot in mind.
Peggy: People always ask, "What are you going to do with it?" And I hate that question. Why do I have to do anything with it? Can't the process be the thing, that be the product, that be the art … the actual being with it all? Why isn't that enough? Why do we always have to do something so that we can make some money off of it?
And, you know, I really admire people who do make a living off their art. I think I'm just at a point in my life where I need so much to be in the process. That's what I need the most, because that was not allowed.
Humanitou: You've got a work-in-progress hanging on the wall. Can you tell me about it?
Peggy: It's got something to do with mending the world. That's all I can tell you about it right now.
Humanitou: I'm curious about where you're going to go with that.
Peggy: (laughs) I'll tell you when I know. Right now, what I have in my mind, through all this process I've had to make choices over what I'm keeping in my life, what I'm purging, how I'm bringing together disparate pieces that don't seem to go together but have to go together. We'll see. (laughs) I'm just letting it happen.
This Humanitou conversation is cross-posted at PeakRadar.com. | PeakRadar.com is the Pikes Peak region's cultural calendar and digital cultural center, connecting residents and tourists with our vibrant arts community. Your source for what's happening is PeakRadar.com!
Categories:	CreativityHumannessQ&A Archive
Tags: ArtartistconversationsCreativityHumannesstextiles
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This is one of the dreaded letters that's hard to find a date for. I couldn't think of a lot of options for this one… here are my top two (pathetic effort, yes!), let me know if you imaginative people can come up with more!
Quoits is that old fashioned picnic game with a wooden stick and woven rings that you try to throw onto the stick from a distance. Beg, borrow or find a set and take a picnic along with you one sunny day. Bet what you will (chores/foot rubs/sexual favours) on the quoits game outcomes to make the most of this date.
Find a little Taqueria and pop in for a late afternoon snack of Quesadillas and maybe even a margarita, providing you catch them on their happy hour!


As the backbone of our daycare, our educators are the most important asset at Heavenly Haven Day Care, providing world-class early childhood education that surpasses even the most stringent of parental expectations. Backed by dozens of years of education and experience, our child care teachers are academic professionals who provide the foundation upon which we build all of our programs, activities, and goals.
We invite you to take a minute to review the qualifications of our teachers to help you gain a sense of confidence about choosing A Heavenly Haven Day Care for your infant, toddler, and preschool-aged child.


Vice President of Plantation Rum, Guillaume Lamy, is in Los Angeles for one night and will be joining the Caña Rum Society for an evening tasting through a great selection of Plantation. Punch will be served at 7:30pm and tasting will begin at 8pm. Cuba Rumba will start at 10pm - bring your dancing shoes!
No, I will pay the $15 per person event admittance.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"My most enjoyable memory from the West Mendip Way camp was being allowed to sleep around the campfire in bivvy bags. It was great fun sitting around the campfire in our sleeping bags, watching the sun go down behind the horizon, talking and cracking jokes with some really good friends. I remember that after the sun went down I rolled over and saw the twinkling stars above me. I lay there for a while watching them, thinking they were sending me good luck for the following day.
The challenge, although it was difficult and at times I wanted to stop, we kept going. On the way we stopped at the Queen Victoria pub in Priddy. We slumped down on the benches outside and a very kind hearted lady, who could read our pain and tiredness, gave us some ice cold refreshing squash – that felt amazing!
It was a massive feeling of success as we walked onto the cathedral green in Wells knowing we had completed the challenge!


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Sarepta (às vezes transcrita Tsarephat, na bíblia hebráica צרפת, Tzarfat) é uma antiga cidade costeira, fora dos limites de Israel pertencente à Sidônia, na costa mediterrânea do Líbano. Atualmente o sítio de Sarepta localiza-se no distrito libanês de Sarafande. Era um território Fenício cerca de 18 km ao Sul de Sidom.

Etimologia
O termo Sarepta significa fornalha de fundição, fundir, refinar e cadinho, provavelmente devido à atividade de fundição de metais existente neste local à época do relato bíblico.

Relato bíblico
No relato bíblico, Deus enviou o profeta Elias para a casa de uma viúva desta cidade, onde ele  hospedou-se, descansou,  fez o milagre da botija (multiplicando a farinha e o azeite da viúva) e ressuscitou-lhe o filho, dos mortos.

Cidades fenícias

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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South FloridaCurrently selected
AdditionalPageContent
About: Corporate Support
About: Board of Directors
About: Our Partners
Children's Behavioral Health Collaborative
Behavioral Health Clinic
Behavioral Health Clinic: Client Forms
Behavioral Health Clinic: Testimonials
Behavioral Health Clinic: Our Professional Staff
BOARD SPOTLIGHT: ALEX BOURNIQUE https://www.boystown.org/locations/south-florida/news-and-events/Pages/BOARD-SPOTLIGHT-ALEX-BOURNIQUE.aspx BOARD SPOTLIGHT: ALEX BOURNIQUE

Why did you become involved with Boys Town South Florida?

"I am originally from South Florida, and over the last several years, I was away for my job. Once I moved back in the summer of 2021, I knew I wanted to give some of my time to the community and be a good neighbor. The Boys Town mission was a perfect fit where I feel I can make a difference and I couldn't be more excited."

Alex is originally from Vero Beach, Florida. Mr. Bournique currently works for Siemens Energy (OTCMKTS: SMEGF), serving as the Southeast Region Vice President of Sales. His office is based out of Jupiter, Florida, and his region runs from North Carolina though Florida. Throughout his career, Alex has held multiple roles.

Alex recently relocated to Stuart, Florida with his family and is excited to set roots in South Florida. Alex is a green belt six sigma practitioner.

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Being the Conduent of Good https://www.boystown.org/locations/south-florida/news-and-events/Pages/Being-the-Conduent-of-Good.aspx Being the Conduent of Good

Damaris Smith contacted Nick Janes, her Care Coordination Services Consultant, to share her efforts to secure back-to-school supplies to help Boys Town South Florida families. Damaris had spread the word to her co-workers at Conduent sharing all the great services offered to children and families in the community. Together, Damaris and her co-workers worked around the clock for two months scheduling all types of activities to help raise money and donate to the cause. Damaris and her amazing co-workers did not only make a generous donation of school supplies, but Conduent also presented our Executive Director, Bethany Lacey, with a check in the amount of $2,000. We are truly grateful for all the support.

"My experience has been so positive that I feel selfish by not sharing with everybody." ~ Damaris Smith

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BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINIC: A life changing service https://www.boystown.org/locations/south-florida/news-and-events/Pages/BEHAVIORAL-HEALTH-CLINIC-A-life-changing-service.aspx BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINIC: A life changing service

When Lucas was just five, his Kindergarten teacher approached me after three months of school and suggested my son might benefit from a behavior assessment due to his high energy level and lack of focus in the classroom. After a couple of evaluations with a pediatrician and a child psychologist, there it was, the acronyms that I had often read about -- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). The pediatrician made a few recommendations, but as parents we were lost not knowing where to begin to be able to help our son. We noticed Lucas had some difficulty keeping friends because he often said things that were hurtful, or he was too loud and intense. I felt frustrated. Soon I learned that the ADHD journey is a trial-and-error process because each child responds differently to treatments. For 3 years my husband and I read books about ADHD, talked with other parents facing similar journeys, researched published papers about ADHD treatments and tried a few of them without much success. Meanwhile, Lucas started taking medication, which has helped him focus and to be less active during the school hours. However, the medicine is not the solution, it is only one element of the treatment. Like for anything related to a child, the real work starts at home with the parents/care givers, who cannot do it alone. The biggest life-changing option that has helped our family unit considerably is the Boys Town Behavior Health Clinic. Dr. Ryan Eagan, our child psychologist, has been an amazing resource to learn about parenting skills and how to implement them in an effective way to support our son's development and behavior health, and above all to help our family create healthy routines. While the ADHD diagnosis is related to our youngest son, his behavior affects our whole family dynamics, and we all need to be aware of our actions to keep helping Lucas. I am grateful for Dr. Eagan's assistance in figuring out behavior problems and for his guidance to help us avoid and/or cope with them in the future.

(This story was written by a mom whose son's name has been changed for privacy reasons.)

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Boys Town South Florida Celebrates Growth in Broward County https://www.boystown.org/locations/south-florida/news-and-events/Pages/Boys-Town-South-Florida-Celebrates-Growth-in-Broward-County.aspx Boys Town South Florida Celebrates Growth in Broward County
Boys Town South Florida held a Ribbon Cutting event for the expansion of its Broward County Office, which serves more than 300 children and families every year. The Broward County office of Boys Town South Florida provides preventive programs funded by the Broward County of Florida, Children's Services Council of Broward County, and The Jim Moran Foundation.

"Boys Town South Florida is committed to serving more children and families in Broward County, and this is only possible due to the support from our funders, donors, partners and volunteers. I am grateful for everyone who have joined our efforts to expand our quality services to every child who needs our help regardless of their circumstances", said Executive Director Bethany Lacey.

Broward County Commissioners Rhonda Eaton - Dist. 2 and Lamar Fisher - Dist. 4, Pompano Beach Mayor Rex Hardin along with Boys Town South Florida Board Chair Jaime Holland helped Executive Director Bethany Lacey cut the ribbon to set the beginning of an exciting time for the Boys Town staff who help empower moms and dads to parent their children in a positive way, especially when facing serious behavior challenges. Boys Town family consultants are highly trained to provide parenting classes in person at their office or virtually, as well as to teach parenting skills right in the families' homes, providing emotional support 24/7 and linking parents and children to community resources. In addition, Boys Town staff help children suffering from mental health issues by connecting them with programs and resources that can provide the best care. The impact these services provide are very positive on the whole family, as parents and their children are guided to create a positive family environment together.

Thank you to the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce for the partnership and to our local guests and funders for supporting the mission of Boys Town. For more information about the programs and services offered by Boys Town South Florida in Broward County call 754-222-8451.
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Boys Town South Florida celebrates 30 years of services and 60,000 children's lives positively impacted https://www.boystown.org/locations/south-florida/news-and-events/Pages/BT-S-Florida-celebrates-30-years-of-services-and-60k-childrens-lives-positively-impacted.aspx Boys Town South Florida celebrates 30 years of services and 60,000 children's lives positively impacted
In October, Boys Town South Florida celebrated its 30th anniversary through life-changing preventative services and 60,000 children's lives positively impacted. Current and former staff, board members and supporters gathered at Due South to celebrate three decades of services to help prevent child abuse and neglect and empower parents to build a healthy family environment to raise their youth. "It is very special to be a part of this milestone at Boys Town South Florida, and I feel truly blessed to have committed staff and volunteers to continue Fr. Flanagan's legacy in our community", said Executive Director Bethany Lacey.

Boys Town South Florida partnered with Brian Wood, a local artist and mental health counselor with the Armory Art Center. Brian graciously created a beautiful art piece that highlights the organization's thirty years of service and the sixty thousand kids served in the South Florida community. The Boys Town colors are showcased in the background and border of the painting, with rays of light shining in yellow to represent God's love over all people. The six children represent the sixty thousand kids who Boys Town has served, and the adults represent the supportive people in the children's lives. Boys Town's goal has been to welcome kids from every race, color, and creed by showing genuine love for each person without any biases. The art piece represents that by showing a mixture of different colors and a sense of welcoming. The art piece is called 'Happy' to represent the emotion that kids and families experience when healing occurs.

Whether it is 1917 when Father Flanagan founded Boys Town in Nebraska or 2021 at our South Florida area, our believe that EVERY child deserves a chance to be loved remains a core value at Boys Town. Some of the ways that our staff help children and heal families is through preventative programs delivered at home, at school and out in the community to help families build better relationships, access mental and behavior health services, deal with child misbehavior in a positive way, access school-based services and link parents to supportive community resources.

A big thank you to past and current individual donors, foundations, businesses, partnering organizations and corporations for helping Boys Town South Florida further its mission to change the way America cares for children and families.

Current and former board members from left: Derek Harris, Jamie Holland, Eric Bournique, Executive Director Bethany Lacey, Susan Yeager and Dan Overbey.

Boys Town South Florida Leadership staff.

"Happy" – the art piece created by artist Brian Wood (to the right) in celebration of thirty years of Boys Town South Florida services to 60,000 children.

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Boys Town South Florida Employee Leads Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts https://www.boystown.org/locations/south-florida/news-and-events/Pages/BT-South-Florida-Employee-Leads-Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion-Efforts.aspx Boys Town South Florida Employee Leads Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts
In 2001, Khalilah Eubanks got her first job in social services at the Department of Children and Families and was so excited for the opportunity to make a difference! She recruited her mom to work with her so they could "save the world one child at a time."

In 2006, Khalilah came across a job posting with Boys Town South Florida and was hired as a Care Coordination Consultant. Khalilah said, "It's been a match made in heaven ever since."

During her time at Boys Town, Khalilah has grown in her roles and responsibilities, more recently taking on co-chair leadership of the site's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee.

Throughout her career, Khalilah has had a special place in her heart for supporting and empowering the children and families she works with, especially those that are from marginalized communities. She has a strong passion for empowering her colleagues and takes pride in being an encouragement for her coworkers.

When Boys Town placed a renewed focus on DEI efforts, Boys Town South Florida leadership had a vision to implement a DEI committee to help the site process many of the current events and implement practices of DEI at a site level.

The DEI committee works to implement local efforts to create a more inclusive and supportive culture at Boys Town South Florida. They have put together a training series for the site's all-staff meetings that have covered topics such as racism in Palm Beach County, gentrification, micro-aggressions, and implicit bias, and how these topics apply to the workplace. The committee is also reviewing hiring trends and participating in the overall Quality Management Council to make recommendations for the site.

Khalilah joined the committee and brought valuable insights with her knowledge of history and her natural wisdom. She believes that creating a culture where all staff can bring their authentic selves to work will strengthen the ability to work towards Father Flanagan's mission of bringing help, healing, and hope to the community.

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Boys Town South Florida Ohana Salty Classic – KDW Fishing Tournament https://www.boystown.org/locations/south-florida/news-and-events/Pages/Ohana-Salty-Classic.aspx Boys Town South Florida Ohana Salty Classic – KDW Fishing Tournament
 The Ohana Salty Classic KDW Fishing Tournament was a huge success! We are grateful for all the support from our sponsors, partners, volunteers and donors! Event proceeds benefit the children and families of Boys Town South Florida.
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Stay Connected with Boys Town South Florida
1655 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 300
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For information about working at Boys Town South Florida, visit our Careers site.
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES AT www.FloridaConsumerHelp.com OR BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE.


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The OPEN Government Data Act Would, Uh, Open Government Data
Legislative Analysis by Aaron Mackey and Elliot Harmon
The Bill Is a Great Step for Government Transparency
The U.S. government has made huge strides in its open data practices over the last few years. Since it launched in 2009, data.gov has become a crucial source for everything from climate and agricultural data to Department of Education records. For the most part, this new era of data disclosure didn't happen because Congress passed new laws; it happened through presidential orders and procedural improvements in the Executive Branch.
Unfortunately, it might be just as easy for future administrations to roll back the current open data program. That's why EFF supports a bill that would mandate public access to government data and urges Congress to pass it.
Recently introduced in both the House and Senate, the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act (OPEN Data Act, S. 2852, H.R. 5051) would require all federal government agencies to automatically make public any data sets they produce, subject to narrow exceptions for national security or other reasons (more on those reasons in a minute).
It would also require that that data be shared in a machine-readable format—that is, a format that can be processed by a computer without a person having to manually tinker with each entry. In 2013, President Obama issued an executive order that government data be shared in machine-readable formats. The OPEN Government Data Act would lock that requirement into law and provide a stronger legal definition for machine-readable data.
EFF applauds the OPEN Data Act and hopes to see it pass. By turning the good practices that the Executive Branch has gradually adopted into law, the OPEN Data Act can help usher in a new era for U.S. data transparency.
Keeping Public Data in the Public Domain
The OPEN Government Data Act would require that all public data either be shared under an open license or be dedicated to the worldwide public domain.
We're thrilled that the law would explicitly posit that government data is in the public domain globally. As we recently discussed, although works created by the United States government are not copyrightable in the U.S., the government has disputed their public domain status outside of the country. Those areas of uncertainty can become unnecessary obstacles for using public domain works for research, free software projects, or any other application that's not necessarily limited to domestic use. The law asserting the public domain status of government works internationally, then, is a huge step in the right direction, and one that we hope to see in future policies regarding government-created works.
Of course, raw data itself is not copyrightable, but there are still good reasons to explicitly assert its public domain status. The Supreme Court has said that some databases have a limited layer of copyright protection—to the extent that creativity goes into the structure, selection, and organization of the database. Additionally, the European Union and several other countries have some form of a sui generis database right, a copyright-like right that's awarded to people or entities that compile data sets. Dedicating the data covered under the law to the global public domain assuages any confusion about whether it's protected under copyright or any copyright-adjacent rights.
Generally speaking, EFF would prefer for government agencies to dedicate data to the public domain, rather than restricting its use with license conditions. Nonetheless, the OPEN Government Data Act defines "open license" very specifically, requiring a license that doesn't restrict reuse or redistribution in any way (in essence, something very close to a public domain dedication). As defined, the open licensing option doesn't pose significant threats to reuse, though an across-the-board public domain dedication would be easier for users to understand.
Keeping Exceptions for Private Data Narrow
The OPEN Government Data Act would require that every government agency regularly conduct a review of any new data sets that it's developed and determine whether those data sets can be shared publicly. It provides specific reasons why an agency might choose not to share data: for example, confidentiality, security risks, or that it would be too cost-prohibitive to convert the data into a usable format. There's also a catch-all, "any other considerations that the Director determines to be relevant."
There are certainly legitimate reasons why some data should not be made public, but EFF is concerned that the catch-all exception may swallow the rule requiring greater public disclosure. We think it would be better to carve out narrow, explicit categories of records that should not be public rather than giving agencies discretion to withhold records.
Similarly, EFF hopes that Congress would consider adding a provision requiring agencies to annually reassess their previous determinations about restricting access to data to make sure the reasons for withholding the data still exist. Data that might have presented a public security risk a year ago might not today; a past decision to keep certain data private should not prevent its disclosure permanently.
Once again, we're excited about the OPEN Government Data Act hope to see it pass this session. We thank Rep. Derek Kilmer, Sen. Brian Schatz, and all of the bills' cosponsors in both houses for their support on this important initiative to open up government data to the public. That said, it shouldn't be the last open data reform. We're eager to continue to work with lawmakers on optimizing the law for bringing the most data into the public, with exceptions that are narrow and clearly defined.
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DC Circuit Evades Important Questions in Disappointing Ruling on Section 1201 of the DMCA
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Internet Archive Seeks Summary Judgment in Federal Lawsuit Filed By Publishing Companies
SAN FRANCISCO—The Internet Archive has asked a federal judge to rule in its favor and end a radical lawsuit, filed by four major publishing companies, that aims to criminalize library lending.The Internet Archive, headquartered in San Francisco, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit library which preserves and provides access to cultural artifacts...
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Westlaw Must Face Antitrust Claims in a Case That Could Boost Competitive Compatibility
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Victory! Court Rules That DMCA Does Not Override First Amendment's Anonymous Speech Protections
Copyright law cannot be used as a shortcut around the First Amendment's strong protections for anonymous internet users, a federal trial court ruled on Tuesday.The decision by a judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California confirms that copyright holders issuing subpoenas under the...
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Copyright "Small Claims" Quasi-Court Opens. Here's Why Many Defendants Will Opt Out.
A new quasi-court for copyright, with nationwide reach, began accepting cases this week. The "Copyright Claims Board" or "CCB," housed within the Copyright Office in Washington DC, will rule on private copyright infringement lawsuits from around the country and award damages of up to $30,000 per case. Though it's...
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EFF to Court: Fair Use is a Right Congress Cannot Cast Aside
Copyright law and free expression have always been in tension, with the courts protecting speech from overzealous copyright claims using legal doctrines such as fair use. But in 1998, Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and since then courts have interpreted its "anti-circumvention" provision to give rightsholders the unprecedented...
Public.Resource.Org Can Keep Freeing the Law: Court Allows Posting Public Laws And Regulations Online
SAN FRANCISCO—As part of its ongoing work to ensure that people can know and understand the laws they live under, Public.Resource.org, a nonprofit organization, on Thursday vindicated its ability to publicly post important laws online in standard formats, free of copy protections and cumbersome user interfaces.The win for Public...


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text:
Q: Repositioning controls when the orientation changes I know Auto Layout can be used to make the sizes and position consistent when the orientation changes. Is it possible to completely change the layout when the orientation changes?
For example, please look at the below wire-frame of a simple login screen in portrait mode.

Now if I rotate the device, I want to completely re-position the controls.

Can this kind of a thing be done by using Auto Layout? If not, how should I go about this?
Thank you.

A: In your case it can be achieved by two methods, instead of reframing every component you can group the controls like the following..

*

*Parent View -> User Info View -> All User Info controls.. By doing this you will have to just reframe the User Info View not all the controls..
Then only Logo and Company name left to reframe.. Total 3 controls to reframe if you group your controls..

*Create two views one for Portrait and other for Landscape mode, and just add and remove on rotations.. this is the fastest way as you won't have to readjust the frame by tedious code.
Hope above helps.

A: you cant set frames differently : -
-(void)setFramesForPotrait
{

// set frames here

}

-(void)setFramesForLandscaeMode
{

// set frames here

}

-(bool)shouldAutorotate.....
{
return Yes
}

-()willAutoRotate......
{
if(orientation = uiinterfaceOrientationPotrait)
{
[self setFramesForPotrait];
}
else
{
[self setFramesForLandscape];
}

A: I've had the same problem and here's what I've found so far.
The approach I'm using is having two sets (potentially multiple) sets of constraints for different screen sizes or orientations. So I just design for portrait and connect all constraints that are portrait-specific to a IBOutletCollection:

Then switch the VC orientation in InterfaceBuilder to Landscape and add the required constraints for this orientation and connect to the corresponding outlet:

Then in code I'm removing or adding the constraints as required:
- (void)viewWillLayoutSubviews
{
    [super viewWillLayoutSubviews];
    [self updateViewConstraints];
}

- (void)updateViewConstraints
{
    [super updateViewConstraints];
    if (self.view.frame.size.width >= kSize * 2 + kPadding * 3)
    {
        [self.view removeConstraints:self.constraintsForPortrait];
        [self.view addConstraints:self.constraintsForLandscape];
    } else
    {
        [self.view removeConstraints:self.constraintsForLandscape];
        [self.view addConstraints:self.constraintsForPortrait];
    }
}

You can achieve similar results with this code, basing your adding/removing of constraints on orientation instead of frame size:
- (void)willRotateToInterfaceOrientation:(UIInterfaceOrientation)toInterfaceOrientation duration:(NSTimeInterval)duration
{
    [super willRotateToInterfaceOrientation:toInterfaceOrientation duration:duration];
    [self updateViewConstraints];
}

But keeping in mind that Apple is rumored to release devices with different screen aspect ratios and obsoleting the UIInterfaceOrientation and rotation events, it might be worth preparing in advance.
Will see what future brings.
The downside of the approach is that that Xcode will be complaining about the design being ambiguous, which it actually is, since Xcode doesn't know we'll be removing the ambiguity at runtime. To tackle that you could set the priority of the constraints to be optional for all other orientations that you're not designing for at this particular moment (e.g. if you're designing for Portrait then optionalize the constraints for Landscape).

A: When using autolayout you can override updateViewConstraints to modify the layout on orientation change:
- (void)updateViewConstraints{

  [super updateViewConstraints];
  //portrait
  if(UIInterfaceOrientationIsPortrait(self.interfaceOrientation)){

  }
  //landscape
  else{
    //
  }
}

A: It can be done with layout constraints something like I have below. This doesn't quite work, because your sketch doesn't quite work -- your landscape view is too long compared with what you really get in landscape. You would have to shorten the login text fields for everything to fit, but this should give you an idea how it's done. The buttonWidth constraint shows how to have a negative correlation between the width of the view and the width of a button -- that is, the button's width will be less in landscape than in portrait. I have several IBOutlets to constraints that I reference in the code. I can describe them for you if you're interested, but I'll just throw this out there for now:
@implementation ViewController {
    IBOutlet NSLayoutConstraint *buttonWidth;
    IBOutlet NSLayoutConstraint *logoTop;
    IBOutlet NSLayoutConstraint *logoAlignToLabel;
    IBOutlet NSLayoutConstraint *logoSpaceToLabel;
    IBOutlet NSLayoutConstraint *coNameToButtonAlignment;
    IBOutlet UIButton *b;
    IBOutlet UIImageView *logo;
    IBOutlet UILabel *coName;
    NSLayoutConstraint *con2;
    NSArray *cons1;
}

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    [b removeConstraint:buttonWidth];
    buttonWidth = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:b attribute:NSLayoutAttributeWidth relatedBy:0 toItem:self.view attribute:NSLayoutAttributeWidth multiplier:-.2193 constant:350];
    [self.view addConstraint:buttonWidth];
    [self.view layoutSubviews];
}

- (void)updateViewConstraints{
    [super updateViewConstraints];
    if(UIInterfaceOrientationIsPortrait(self.interfaceOrientation)){
        if (con2 != nil) {
            [self.view removeConstraints:cons1];
            [self.view removeConstraint:con2];
            [self.view addConstraints:@[logoAlignToLabel,logoSpaceToLabel,logoTop,coNameToButtonAlignment]];
        }
    }else{
        NSLog(@"Landscape");
        [self.view removeConstraints:@[logoAlignToLabel,logoSpaceToLabel,logoTop,coNameToButtonAlignment]];
        cons1 = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintsWithVisualFormat:@"|-8-[logo]-4-[coName]" options:NSLayoutFormatAlignAllCenterY metrics:0 views:@{@"logo":logo, @"coName":coName}];
        con2 = [NSLayoutConstraint constraintWithItem:logo attribute:NSLayoutAttributeCenterY relatedBy:0 toItem:self.view attribute:NSLayoutAttributeCenterY multiplier:1 constant:0];
        [self.view addConstraints:cons1];
        [self.view addConstraint:con2];
    }
}

On rotation the logo and company name label have their constraints removed, and new ones put in place. The new constraint for the button, that I put on in viewDidLoad, takes care of rotation automatically, so I don't have to adjust it at all during the rotation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
L.V. Zhuravlyova
Kharkiv National Medical University, Kharkiv
N.A. Lopina
Home > No 7.79 (2016) >	Zhuravlyova
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22141/2224-0721.7.79.2016.86422
Effect of Combination Therapy with Alpha-Lipoic Acid on the Fractalkine Level in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
L.V. Zhuravlyova, N.A. Lopina
Background. The aim of research — to assess the fractalkine levels in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), depending on the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and the nature of coronary artery lesions before treatment and during the standard and combination therapy with the addition of alpha-lipoic acid. Materials and methods. We have examined 131 patients with CAD (89 men and 42 women), mean age of them was 59.60 ± 9.11 years. The control group consisted of 20 apparently healthy volunteers of the same age and sex. Depending on the presence of type 2 DM, patients with CAD were divided into 2 groups: the first group (n = 70) — patients with concomitant type 2 DM, the second group (n = 61) — patients with CAD and without concomitant type 2 DM. All patients were performed coronary angiography to verify the diagnosis of CAD. All patients, depending on the nature of coronary artery lesions and therapy, were divided into 2 subgroups — subgroup IA (standard therapy) and the subgroup IB (combination therapy). All patients were evaluated fractalkine levels before therapy and after 3 months of treatment. Results. The study found that patients with CAD, both with concomitant type 2 DM or without it, had significantly increased levels of fractalkine compared with the control group (p < 0.05). When comparing treatment regimens, it was found that in the subgroup of standard therapy, fractalkine average level before treatment was 485.07 ± 106.55 pg/ml, and after 3 months of therapy — 444.08 ± 99.86 pg/ml, while there was no significant difference between baseline value and the value reached after 3 months (p = 0.08), although there was a trend to reduce the level of this indicator. Patients from IB subgroup (n = 105), who received combination therapy, had a significant trend to reduce the fractalkine level in 3 months as compared to the initial value before therapy (510.49 ± 103.95 pg/ml vs 575.56 ± 123.86 pg/ml; p = 0.00001). The relative reduction in fractalkine level in the subgroup IA was 8.45 %, in the subgroup IB — 11.3 %. Conclusions. The study results demonstrate the impact of endothelial dysfunction on the development and progression of atherosclerosis, especially in patients with concomitant type 2 DM. Applying alpha-lipoic acid in combination therapy schemes contributes to a significant reduction in fractalkine levels, and, thus, leads to a decrease in endothelial dysfunction and, as a result, to the possible improvement of prognosis in this group of patients.
fractalkine; coronary atherosclerosis; coronary artery disease; type 2 diabetes mellitus; marker of endothelial dysfunction; alpha-lipoic acid
PDF (Русский)
Biduchak АS, Shkrobanets ID, Leonets SI. . Epidemiology features of cardio-vascolar diseases in Ukraine and Chernivtsi district. Bukovynskyi medychnyi visnyk. 2013;3(67):100-103. (Ukrainian)
Моskalenko VF, Gulchiy OP, Golubchikov MV, Liedoshchuk BO, Liekhan VM, Оgnev VA, Litvinova LO, Маksimenko OP, Тоnkovyd OB. Ed. VF. Moskalenko. Biostatistics. – Кyiv: Кnyga plus, 2009. 184 s. (Ukrainian)
Guidelines on diabetes, prediabetes and cardiovascular diseases. EASD/ESC. Rossiyskyi kardiologicheskiy zhurnal. – 2014; 3(107):6-70. (Russian)
Stable ischemic heart disease: clinical guidelines. Kyiv, 2016. 177 s. (Ukrainian)
Compatible clinical protocol of primary and secondary (specialized) medicare: Stable ischemic heart disease. Nakaz MOZ Ukrainy 02.03.2016 № 152. 61 s. (Ukrainian)
Compatible clinical protocol of primary and secondary (specialized) medicare: type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nakaz MOZ Ukrainy №1118 21.12.2012. 115 s. (Ukrainian)
Holme I, Faergeman O, Fayyad R, Wun CC, Kastelein J, Olsson A, Tikkanen M. Prognostic model of residual risk for major cardiovascular events in statin-treated coronary patients: a combined analysis of the IDEAL and TNT trials. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2012;59(13):1495-1495.
Huang Y, Cai X, Chen P, Mai W. et al. Associations of prediabetes with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: A meta-analysis. Annals of Medicine. 2014;46:684–692.
Ikejima H, Imanishi T, Tsujioka H. et al. Upregulation of fractalkine and its receptor, CX3CR1, is associated with coronary plaque rupture in patients with unstable angina pectoris. Circulation Journal. 2010;74:337–345.
Kim KW, Vallon-Eberhard A, Zigmond E, Farache J, Shezen E, Shakhar G, Ludwig A, Lira SA, Jung S. In vivo structure/function and expression analysis of the CX3C chemokine fractalkine. Blood. 2011;118:156–167.
Liu H, Jiang D, Zhang S, Ou B. Aspirin inhibits fractalkine expression in atherosclerotic plaques and reduces atherosclerosis in ApoE gene knockout mice. Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy. 2010;24:17–24.
Maas R, Quitzau K, Schwedhel E. et al. Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) and coronary endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease and mild hypercholesterolemia. Atherosclerosis. 2007;191:211–219.
Maegdefessel L, Schlitt A, Pippig S. et al. Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes or coronary heart disease following rehabilitation express serum fractalkine levels similar to those in healthy control subjects. Vascular Health and Risk Management. 2009;5:849–857.
Matsue Y, Yoshida K, Nagahori W, Ohno M, Suzuki M, Matsumura A, Hashimoto Y, Yoshida M. Peripheral microvascular dysfunction predicts residual risk in coronary artery disease patients on statin therapy. Atherosclerosis. 2014;20(1):186–190.
Poupel L, Boissonnas A, Hermand P, Dorgham K. et al. Pharmacological inhibition of the chemokine receptor, CX3CR1, reduces atherosclerosis in mice. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2013;33:2297–2305.
Sadeghi R, Adnani N, Erfanifar A, Gachkar L, Maghsoomi Z. Premature Coronary Heart Disease and Traditional Risk Factors-Can We Do Better? International Cardiovascular Research Journal. 2013;7(2):46–50.
Shah R, Hinkle CC, Ferguson JF. et al. Fractalkine is a novel human adipochemokine associated with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes. 2011;60:1512–1518.
Standards of medical care in diabetes – 2016. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2016;39(1):1-109.
White GE, Tan TC, John AE, Whatling C, McPheat WL, Greaves DR. Fractalkine has anti-apoptotic and proliferative effects on human vascular smooth muscle cells via epidermal growth factor receptor signaling. Cardiovascular Research. 2010;85:825–835.
Yi X, Xu L, Hiller S. et al. Reduced alpha-lipoic acid synthase gene expression exacerbates atherosclerosis in diabetic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Atherosclerosis. 2012;223:137-143.


Pharmaceutical packaging presents a unique set of challenges. Every pharma company — even individual products — can have different requirements, while dealing with an extensive set of mandatory Food and Drug Administration (FDA) packaging regulations.
To get the job done effectively, on budget and on time, Tri-Cor will work closely with you and your team on each specific product situation and deliver a customized solution that fits your most rigorous requirements.
For example, based on your detailed specifications, we'll engineer box and pail liners that provide your products with maximum protection; create impervious moisture barrier bulk bags for product transportation or storage; or produce polyethylene film and bag products to meet your most meticulous requirements.


Résumé : We consider models involving deep multilayer perceptrons (DMLP) with rectified linear (ReLU) functions for activation units. We study the asymptotic behavior of the difference of cost function (sum of square errors or the opposite of log-likelihood) for the estimated model and the theoretical best model. This behavior gives us information on the overfitting properties of such models. If the model is heavily overparameterized a loss of identifiability can occur and the behavior of the difference of cost functions is not obvious, since, in this case, the true parameter vector cannot be identified uniquely. In this framework, we show that the studied behavior depends not only on the size of the estimated network but also on the complexity of the true, and unknown model. Some simulations confirm our theoretical findings and also rise new questions.


text:
Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mormonism 101
< Criticism of Mormonism | Books
FAIR Answers Wiki Table of Contents
Response to "Mormonism 101"
A FAIR Analysis of: Mormonism 101, a work by author: Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
Response to claims made in "Mormonism 101" by Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
Jump to Subtopic:
Introduction to Mormonism 101: Back to School by David Waltz
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 1: God the Father"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 2: Jesus"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 3: The Trinity"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 4: Preexistence and the Second Estate"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 5: The Fall"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 6: Apostasy"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 7: The Bible"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 8: The Book of Mormon"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 9: The Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 10: The Atonement"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 11: Grace and Works"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 12: Heaven and Hell"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 13: Communion and Baptism"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 14: The Word of Wisdom"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 15: The Temple"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 16: Lamanites, Seed of Cain, and Polygamy"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 17: Joseph Smith"
Response to claims made in Mormonism 101, "Chapter 18: The Church and Its Leadership"
Response to Mormonism 101, Quote mining
Summary: I have been an ardent student of Mormonism since 1987. It has been my intent, from the beginning of my studies, to be as objective as humanly possible in my examination. I have seriously studied Mormonism from many different angles. In the process, I have accumulated more than 1,700 books on Mormonism, including more than 150 anti-Mormon books. Add to this my collection of BYU Studies, Dialogue, Sunstone, and the vast majority of FARMS publications, and one could say I have a fairly substantial Mormon collection. I guess word of my studies has "gotten around," and I have been asked to contribute to FAIR's review of McKeever and Johnson's Mormonism 101.
Response to claim: 23 - the God proclaimed by the Mormon Church is not the same God who is worshiped by millions of Christians today
Response to claim: 24 - LDS leaders have stated that "worship of the God of Christianity's creeds will not result in salvation"
Response to claim: 25 - "To be sure, historical Christianity has never advocated the belief in a tangible deity"
Response to claim 25-27 - "the LDS Elohim sexually created spirit children with his heavenly wives"
Response to claim: 28 - The authors ask if it is the Church's position that God did not know whether Adam and Eve would transgress His commandment
Response to claim: 31 - "Mormonism's view of God is both implausible and unbiblical"
Response to claim: 32 - The authors compare their idea of LDS theology with the Evangelical doctrine of God's transcendence
Response to claim: 33-34 - The authors state that Gordon B. Hinckley "made it not clear on whether such a concept was part of Mormon belief"
Response to claim: 35- The authors claim that Mormons believe that "God could stop being God"
Response to claim: The authors claim that "Mormonism has reintroduced polytheism to the modern world"
Response to claim: 36 - The authors claim that the "Mormon God" is limited to creating only out of existing matter
Response to claim: 37 - "God of Mormonism cannot be personally present everywhere because he dwells in a finite body"
Response to claim: 40 - The authors repeat the common claim that, because Latter-day Saints differ in understanding the traits of the Lord Jesus Christ, they worship "a different Jesus"
Response to claim: 41 - "We cannot imagine, for instance, a Baptist telling a Lutheran, 'Our Jesus is basically the one Lutherans worship.' A Presbyterian would not tell a Methodist that he does not believe in the traditional Christ"
Response to claim: 41 - "Proper belief in the person of Jesus Christ has always been considered essential to Christian fellowship"
Response to claim: 42 - "the Mormon Jesus, by becoming a god without having to live a human life on a previous planet, did something that his own 'father' could not accomplish"
Response to claim: 42 - "How could Jesus obtain godhood in the preexistence when the whole purpose of the mortal probation is supposedly to test the individual's worthiness to become a god?"
Response to claim: 43-45 - The authors claim that it is official LDS doctrine that Jesus was born because God had sexual intercourse with Mary
Response to claim: 45 - The assertion that Jesus Christ is God because of His "continued obedience to gospel laws" is in fact, a "diminishing of Jesus"
Response to claim: 46-48 - The authors claim that the LDS believe Jesus Christ and Lucifer are brothers in the sense that both are in evil cahoots with each other
Response to claim: 48 - The authors claim that the "Jesus of Mormonism is but one of many saviors"
Response to claim: 48-49 - The authors take issue with the belief that some Latter-day Saints have that Jesus Christ was married
Response to claim: 51 - Several church councils, in which men fought for their own theories, foisted upon the Church the incomprehensible and unnatural doctrine of "one in three and three in one"
Response to claim: 51-52 - The authors claim that "Mormon leaders" have "mocked and slandered" the concept of the Trinity despite it being "the heart and soul of Christian theology"
Response to claim: 53 - The Bible "declares that there is only one God"
Response to claim: 53 - The commandment "Thou shalt have not other gods before me" it interpreted by the authors to mean that "one is not to even believe that there are other gods"
Response to claim: 53 - The Mormon may insist his worship does not extend beyond the one he calls Elohim, but context demands that this must also involve his faith
Response to claim: 53-54 - The Book of Isaiah offers perhaps more verses in defence of monotheism than any other
Response to claim: 54 - the LDS idea of deification is unbiblical
Response to claim: 54 - the LDS Church rejects the historic church's concept of the Trinity
Response to claim: 54-55 - Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? And he answered, No
Response to claim: 56 - "the Trinity was not an invention of the early church; rather, it was a definitive response designed to explain the biblical position of the church"
Response to claim: 57 - Mormons believe that the Trinity was "an invention of the apostate church," while Christianity believes it is "a doctrine that came from biblical origins"
Response to claim: 67-68 - President Joseph F. Smith considered birth control "one of the greatest crimes of the world today," and David O. McKay considered it "insidious"
Response to claim: 68-69 - Those who believe in the Bible cannot believe in life before life
Response to claim: 72-74 - The authors claim that Mormons believe that the Fall of Adam was a "fall upward"
Response to claim: 74 - "Contrary to the LDS concept of the fall, the Bible shows that this event was the result of disobeying God"
Response to claim: 74 - "If transgression was a positive and it was a blessing to leave Eden, why does Genesis 3:24 say that God had to drive them out?"
Response to claim: 74-75 - Mormons believe that "Satan was telling the truth" when he told Eve that she "shall be as gods"
Response to claim: 76 - According to the authors, Mormons distinguish between "sin" and "transgression" in order to "minimize the severity of Adam's disobedience"
Response to claim: 76-77 -Joseph Smith equated "sin" and "transgression"
Response to claim: 77 - The authors claim that Mormons believe that "Satan told the truth in the Garden of Eden," as opposed to Christianity, which believes that "Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden"
Response to claim: 81 - "While some apostasies were certainly predicted, a complete apostasy where God's authority fully left the earth was never predicted or implied"
Response to claim: 82 - The stock argument used by the authors against the LDS case for a complete apostasy appeals to a single verse in Matthew: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"
Response to claim: 83 - "The 'apostles and prophets' do not necessarily mean offices, as the LDS Church implies"
Response to claim: 84-85 - Since John the Apostle and the three Nephites did not die, then there could not have been a "complete apostasy"
Response to claim: 293 n14 - Jesus did not say that John would not die, or that he would stay on Earth until Jesus returned
Response to claim: 86-87 - The authors proffer a series of arguments against the LDS belief that Apostles are a necessity in the Lord's Church
Response to claim: 87 - "In the strictest sense, apostle means 'one sent forth.' With this being the case, numerous people could have rightly held this designation"
Response to claim: 87 - "it seems strange that God would have allowed the leaders of His church in Palestine to be so ignorant as to stop replacing martyred apostles"
Response to claim: 89 - "The Aaronic priesthood was for the priests of the temple, as defined in the books of Moses known as the Pentateuch"
Response to claim: 89 - The authors claim that there is a "priesthood of all believers"
Response to claim: 97 - Mormons consider the Bible to be "insufficient"
Response to claim: 97 - "the connection between the Bible and Christianity is a reason why the LDS Church began an advertising campaign in the United States in 1997 offering free King James Version Bibles"
Response to claim: 98 - The authors claim that Latter-day Saints don't fully read the Bible because they don't find it "trustworthy"
Response to claim: 97-98 - The LDS Church attempts to lend itself legitimacy in the eyes of the rest of the Christian world by borrowing from the legitimacy of the Bible
Response to claim; 98 - The authors suggest that Mormons have a lack of interest in the Bible because they think that it is not trustworthy
Response to claim: 99 - the authors highlight four principle uses of scripture...Teaching God's truths...Rebuking others...Correcting one another...Training for righteousness
Response to claim: 100 - "The early church gave a stamp of authority to the writings of the apostles"
Response to claim: 100 - The First Presidency said, "The most reliable way to measure the accuracy of any biblical passage is not by comparing different texts, but by comparison with the Book of Mormon and modern-day revelations"
Response to claim: 101 - "It is doubtful that our many modern-day translations were produced by unprincipled people who wanted to keep God's truth hidden"
Response to claim: 101 - The authors try to show that by the term translation in the eighth Article of Faith, we really mean transmission
Response to claim: 102- whatever test for accuracy that could be applied to James 1:5 could also be applied to every other Bible verse as well
Response to claim: 102 - Why doesn't the Mormon prophet fix the alleged errors in the Bible?
Response to claim: 102 - If Mormons have problems with changes made to the Bible, do they also have a problem with the many changes made to the Book of Mormon over the years?
Response to claim: 106 - Paintings of Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon plates by leaning over them in a prayerful position
Response to claim: 107-108 - Joseph Fielding Smith said, "there is no authentic statement in the history of the Church which states that the use of such a stone was made in that translation"
Response to claim: - (footnote) the authors claim that the Bible tells us that the Urim and Thummim was used to "receive revelation" from God not "for translation purposes" in contrast to Mormon claims
Response to claim: 108-109 - all the witnesses were involved at one point or another in divining or the use of rods and/or seerstones
Response to claim: 109 -The credibility of the Three Witnesses
Response to claim: 109 - Smith did in fact have an affair with Fanny Alger
Response to claim: 109 - Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated after accusing Joseph of "adultery, lying, and teaching false doctrines"
Response to claim: 109 - Oliver Cowdery later joined the Methodists
Response to claim: 109 - David Whitmer claimed that none of the three witnesses ever denied the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon
Response to claim: 110 - David Whitmer was excommunicated from the Church
Response to claim: 110 - Joseph drank too much liquor when he was translating the Book of Mormon
Response to claim: 111 - the witnesses testimony of having seen the plates is suspicious
Response to claim: 112 -the LDS Church has no tangible evidence that virtually millions of Jaredites, Nephites, and Lamanites existed during the Book of Mormon era
Response to claim: 112-113 - Joseph Fielding Smith disagreed with the early proposals suggesting that Mesoamerica was the land of Book of Mormon activity
Response to claim: 114 - modern LDS scholars "have since abandoned the idea that the Book of Mormon lands include areas of North America"
Response to claim: 115-116 - Michael Coe states that nothing has ever shown up in any New World excavation which would suggest that the Book of Mormon is a historical document
Response to claim: 115 - The authors reference the supposed Nephite altar north of Gallatin, Missouri
Response to claim: 116 - Coe is not basing his conclusion on the spiritual significance of the Book of Mormon but on the lack of historical significance
Response to claim: 117 - The authors claim that scholars "have been disciplined for exposing information that can be damaging" to the Church's image
Response to claim: 117 - Archaeological support for the Bible
Response to claim: 118 - Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon is "the most correct book on earth"
Response to claim: 119 - "the Book of Mormon should contain everything Latter-day Saints need to guide them into the presence of God," yet it does not include the temple endowment, eternal marriage, tithing, the Word of Wisdom, and baptism for the dead
Response to claim: 121 - The Book of Mormon does not contain the fulness of the Gospel
Response to claim: 125-126 - Doctrine and Covenants 84 "predicts" the establishment of Zion and the construction of a temple in Independence, Missouri
Response to claim: 126 - if God was behind the revelation in D&C 84, then the Mormons could not have been driven out of Missouri by men
Response to claim: 127 - The authors note that Great Britain never had to "call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations"
Response to claim: 127 - The authors claim that the "prophetic failures" regarding the establishment of Zion and the return of Christ are the reason for Sidney Rigdon's loss of faith in Joseph Smith
Response to claim: 127-128 - According to the authors, D&C 87, the "revelation and prophecy on war" has "numerous flaws"
Response to claim: 128 - "many LDS leaders preached sermons during the Civil War anticipating the desolation of the United States. When that did not happen, Smith's prophecy on war was given a broader interpretation"
Response to claim: 128 - "Smith's prophecy on war did not become a part of the D&C until 1876, more than a decade after the Civil war had ended"
Response to claim: 130 - "The fact that Joseph Smith was not an expert in hieroglyphics has led some LDS scholars to speculate that he translated the manuscript by divine inspiration"
Response to claim: 131 - "Joseph Smith's interpretation of the facsimile #2 associated with the Joseph Smith papyri was determined to be incorrect by Egyptologists"
Response to claim: 133 - The authors note that "vast evidence" claims that Joseph Smith didn't know how to translate Egyptian, and that LDS apologists have tried to "raise doubts" about the Joseph Smith papyri
Response to claim: 113 - if Joseph couldn't translate the Egyptian on the papyri, then he couldn't have translated the "Reformed Egyptian" on the gold plates
Response to claim: 134 - the discovery of the papyri "puts serious doubt on Smith's translating ability and his claim to being a prophet"
Response to claim: 139 - Mainstream Christians and Latter-day Christians "both accept the atonement of Christ"
Response to claim: 140 - The authors quote President Ezra Taft Benson to the effect that "it was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world"
Response to claim: 140-148 - One of the major themes of the LDS faith is that the atonement "took place primarily in the Garden"
Response to claim: 141 - The authors quote Bruce R. McConkie: "it was in Gethsemane that 'he suffered the pain of all men...took upon himself the sins of all men..."
Response to claim: 141 - The authors suggest that the apparent overemphasis on the shedding of blood in the Garden rather than on the cross "no doubt is but one of several reasons why crosses cannot be found on LDS buildings"
Response to claim: 142 - Lorenzo Snow: "He undoubtedly had seen persons nailed to the cross, because that method of execution was common at that time, and He understood the torture that such persons experienced for hours. He went by Himself in the garden and prayed to His Father"
Response to claim: 145 - "Hebrews 9:22 states that there is no remission of sins without the shedding (not sweating) of blood"
Response to claim: 147 - The authors quote Elder Marion G. Romney that it was in the Garden of Gethsemane "that he suffered most"
Response to claim: 148 - The authors claim that the LDS version of the atonement frees up everyone from the effects of Adam's transgression
Response to claim: 150 - The authors claim that "Mormon leaders have redefined the word salvation and given it a split definition that is certainly not taught by the Bible"
Response to claim: 151-152 - Bruce R. McConkie said that salvation by grace alone was "the second greatest heresy of Christianity"
Response to claim: 153-154 - Latter-day Saints have unrealistic expectations with regard to achieving exaltation
Response to claim: 155 -"Because of the unreasonable demand put on them," Mormons "may live their daily lives with the guild of never being good enough for celestial exaltation
Response to claim: 155-156 - "Some Latter-day Saints have felt that moral lapses in obedience can be overcome in the next life. Such thinking undermines the LDS concept of a mortal probation"
Response to claim: 156 - The authors dismiss the concept of repentance by claiming that it is inconsistent, "since it is in keeping the law that one is exalted, not admitting you broke it"
Response to claim: 157 - he authors claim that "no Mormon will ever receive" forgiveness, since no "human has the ability to clear the desire or urge to sin out of their life"
Response to claim: 157-158 - The authors claim that LDS leaders give "mixed signals as to whether or not perfection is necessary for exaltation"
Response to claim: 159 - Since it is impossible to be perfect, the authors claim that "it is wrong for the LDS Church to demand complete obedience to all the laws of God in order to receive exaltation"
Response to claim: 159-160 - The authors claim that Russell M. Nelson said that "trying was good enough," while Spencer W. Kimball contradicts this
Response to claim: 171 - The authors state that the LDS believe that "a person is destined for one of six places after death"
Response to claim: 172 - The key to understanding LDS soteriology is to "examine the biblical proof texts the Latter-day Saints use...to support their views"
Response to claim: 172 - "many scholars believe that Paul was referring to heavenly bodies such as the moon, sun, and stars"
Response to claim: 172 - The next "proof text" the authors consider is 2 Corinthians 12:2-4: "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago...such a one caught up to the third heaven..."
Response to claim: 17-174 - The authors state that Outer Darkness is reserved for those who commit murder or apostasize until they are resurrected and judged, and that those who fail to enter the Telestial kingdom after judgment will "return again to outer darkness, this time for eternity"
Response to claim: 174-175 - The authors claim that Mormons' understanding of the Telestial Kingdom "is completely foreign to the Bible"
Response to claim: 175-176 - "For those whose 'righteousness' will enable them to escape both outer darkness and the telestial kingdom, the next level up is a terrestrial kingdom"
Response to claim: 177 - The authors claim that "Mormon males become gods of their newly inherited worlds" in the Celestial Kingdom
Response to claim: 178 - LDS theology teaches that people can become angels. According to the authors, the "Bible, however, does not teach that people become angels. Angels are a distinct creation of God"
Response to claim: 179 - "Mormon males and their goddess wives will have the ability to populate the worlds they will inherit"
Response to claim: 179-180 - "Mormonism's heaven revolves around personal adoration and eternal sexual relations"
Response to claim: 181 - The authors note that any "earth that a faithful Mormon hopes to eventually inherit, is predestined to be infected with sin" and that the "Mormon as 'God' will be in charge of the mess"
Response to claim: 182-183 - "Only a people ignorant of God's righteousness can think that they can establish their own righteousness and thereby meet the standard of God's absolute perfection"
Response to claim: 184 - The authors claim that "those who believe that personal merit will vindicate them will be horribly disappointed"
Response to claim: 191 - Claims made in The Seer by "Apostle Orson Pratt"
Response to claim: 191-192 - Mormons should not use water in place of wine for the Sacrament
Response to claim: 193 - one must be baptized in the LDS Church to attain "true exaltation"
Response to claim: 194 - "true Christian baptism" did not commence until the time of John the Baptist, and that baptism is simply a "ceremonial cleansing"
Response to claim; 197 - The authors proceed to quote Bible verses that they claim are "misused" by Latter-day Saints in order to show that baptism is a requirement
Response to claim: 202 - "Important Mormon leaders" broke the Word of Wisdom themselves
Response to claim: 202 - The authors claim that if the Word of Wisdom "was such an important teaching," why wasn't it made a "command" until 1851 by Brigham Young?
Response to claim: 202 - Latter-day Saints now use water instead of wine for the Sacrament
Response to claim: 203 - While most Mormons say caffeine is their reason not to drink coffee and tea, an article in the Salt Lake Tribune states that 90 percent of adults in North America consume caffeine on a regular basis through other product
Response to claim: 203 - "The admonition to eat little meat is largely ignored, as are some other points of the revelation"
Response to claim: 204 - The authors take Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to task for their apparent non-compliance with the precepts of the Word of Wisdom
Response to claim: 205-206 - The authors claim that Brigham Young reported in 1873 that a store in Utah "was doing a great business in tea, coffee and tobacco"
Response to claim: 206 - Despite Joseph's claims that the Word of Wisdom was a revelation, there were in that time, temperance societies that also advocated the abolition of alcohol
Response to claim: 208 - "When they are first built, Mormon temples are opened to the general public in an "open house" format for a short time. After this, the temple is then dedicated by LDS general authorities and reopened only to worthy members"
Response to claim: 208 - President Joseph Fielding Smith said that the temple has been called the faithful Mormon's "home"
Response to claim: 209 - "Historically, Mormon leaders have taught that the husband has the ability to call his wife from the grave by her new name on resurrection day"
Response to claim: 210 - The authors write: "By wearing the garments at all times, it is taught that the individual Mormon, depending on his or her faithfulness, is protected both physically and spiritually"
Response to claim: 210 - Spencer W. Kimball said that garments may provide physical protection
Response to claim: 212 - "Mormons who remain true to the faith and wear the garments believe they will be protected"
Response to claim: 212 - "We find no biblical support for the notion that the priestly garments offered any special protection as described by various LDS authorities"
Response to claim: 213 - "Despite the fact that Joseph Smith himself said that God 'set the ordinances to be the same forever and ever,' the LDS Church has continuously changed the ceremony over the years"
Response to claim: 214 - Mormons erroneously use 1 Corinthians 15:29 in support of the doctrine of baptism for the dead
Response to claim: 218-219 - "But what happens if a person does not get married, for whatever reason, and dies single? Apparently this person is not destined to become a god"
Response to claim: 220-221 - "As was the custom in those days, the next oldest unmarried brother took the woman for his wife"
Response to claim: 221 - "While these explanations may sound good to a Mormon audience that cherishes the institution of marriage, the ability to read between the lines of Jesus' teaching does not make a doctrine true"
Response to claim: 222 - "Rather than supporting the view of eternal marriage, Jesus explained that the institution of marriage was for this life only and not the life to come"
Response to claim: 223 - The authors try to redefine 'sacred' to mean 'secret'
Response to claim: 223 - If what goes on inside the temple is supposed to be kept from public knowledge, this would certainly fit the definition of secret
Response to claim: 223 - The authors claim that the temple ordinances are rooted in freemasonry and the occult
Response to claim: 225 - "It seems curious that Mormons would desire to have contact with the dead when the Old Testament clearly warns against necromancy
Response to claim: 233 - Joseph Fielding Smith said, "I would not want you to believe that we bear any animosity toward the Negro. 'Darkies' are wonderful people, and they have their place in our church"
Response to claim: 234 - The authors claim that the "dark-skinned" Lamanites wiped out the "white-skinned" Nephites at the battle of Hill Cumorah
Response to claim: 234 - In 1981 the Church changed "a white and a delightsome people" to "a pure and a delightsome people"
Response to claim: 234 - "the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them"
Response to claim: 235 - The author claims that Joseph Smith said that intermarriage with the Lamanites would produce a "white and delightsome posterity"
Response to claim: 235 - Brigham Young: "the aborigines of this country are dark, loathsome, ignorant, and sunken into the depths of degradation"
Response to claim: 236-237 - The authors claim that Brigham Young taught that unrighteousness would "result in a black skin"
Response to claim: 237 - The authors claim that LDS believe that one's behavior in the preexistence determines race
Response to claim: 237 - The authors provide a list of racist statements made by past Church leaders
Response to claim: 238 - Joseph Smith: "Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species"
Response to claim: 241 - Brigham Young: "If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot"
Response to claim: 241-242 - Brigham Young said that blacks would not obtain the priesthood until the resurrection. This was reiterated by later LDS leaders
Response to claim: 244 - The Book of Mormon condemns polygamy
Response to claim: 245-246 - The authors claim that Mormon leaders "taught that the practice of polygamy was necessary for man to receive exaltation"
Response to claim: 246 - The Doctrine and Covenants denied polygamy
Response to claim: 248 - Polygamy continued to be practiced in Utah after the Manifesto
Response to claim: 249 - "Those who practice polygamy today are probably much more consistent with the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that condemns them"
Response to claim: 251 - "We have noticed a more subdued reference to Mormonism's founder by tour guides and various displays. In the public area, emphasis on Smith seems to be diminishing"
Response to claim: 252 - The authors claim that they "almost feel sympathetic toward the Mormon apologist who has to defend Smith's bad social behavior"
Response to claim: 253 - "Should people accept Smith as a prophet of God when his behavior was sometimes less than what we would expect from political leaders?"
Response to claim: 253 - The authors quote Richard Van Wagoner to describe Joseph's "lust for manly achievement" and his alleged "inclination toward extra-marital romantic liaisons"
Response to claim: 253-255 - The authors use the terms "secret marriages" "secret plural wives" "secretly married" "amorous advances" "errant yearnings" "extra-marital romantic liaisons" "still teenagers" "affairs" "sexual relations" to describe Joseph's marital arrangements
Response to claim: 253 - The authors state that "fully one-third of Joseph's plural wives, eleven of them, were polyandrous"
Response to claim: 254 "Some might argue that these relationships were strictly platonic. Compton disagrees"
Response to claim: 254 - "The daughter of Heber C. Kimball stated how Smith promised that if she would "take this step," it would insure the eternal salvation and exaltation of her father's household and kindred"
Response to claim: 255 - "Would Mormons living in today's society follow as their prophet a man who was known to be a money digger and advocate of folk magic?"
Response to claim: 255 - "The fact that Smith owned a Jupiter talisman shows that his fascination with the occult was not just a childish fad"
Response to claim: 256 - "Despite what may have been written about him, it is evident that Smith had an ego and expected to be followed without question"
Response to claim: 257 - The authors claim that Joseph Smith was boastful
Response to claim: 258 - The authors use a quote from Brigham Young and from Joseph Field Smith to "prove" that Joseph is the gateway to the Celestial Kingdom
Response to claim: 258-259 - The authors claim that Latter-day Saints believe that Joseph will save them
Response to claim: 261 - "It should come as no surprise that among the many excuses Mormons have raised for the failure of Smith's Missouri predictions, few admit it was due to his lack of prophetical insight"
Response to claim: 262 - "Smith attempted to flee into Iowa and ultimately to the Rockies. While waiting for horses, his wife Emma sent him a message stating that the Latter-day Saints were accusing Smith of cowardice and urged him to return. Smith did so"
Response to claim: 262 - "After dinner, Smith and several church officials ordered some wine to be brought to the jail"
Response to claim: 262 - The authors claim that Joseph's use of a gun disqualifies him as a martyr
Response to claim: 263 - The authors repeat a popular rumor that Joseph killed two of his attackers with his gun
Response to claim: 263 - The authors attempt a comparison between the death of Joseph Smith and the death of Jesus Christ
Response to claim: 264-268 - The authors conclude that trusting in these men, their teachings and their counsel, is a foolish and destructive path
Response to claim: 266 - The authors attempt to paint a picture of restriction for members of the Church
Response to claim: 266 - Ezra Taft Benson said, "No teacher has the right to interpret doctrine for the members of the Church"
Response to claim: 266 - "Do most Mormons accept this role of such authority, even to trust these men to lead them to eternal life? Apparently so. What if they are wrong?"
Response to claim: 266 - "for Mormons, rejecting the prophet and other church leaders is akin to rejecting God Himself"
Response to claim: 267 - While the Mormon leaders may say that they and their organization are above reproach, such a position of ultimate authoritarianism is not a New Testament trait
Response to claim: 267-268 - If the leaders of the early church had claimed ultimate authority, then we could rightly conclude that Paul would never have become an apostle
Response to claim: 268 - "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel ... let him be accursed"
Response to claim: 268 - the New Testament apostles did not have any special authority to declare doctrine and teach the gospel
Response to claim: 270 - Brigham Young taught that Adam was God, but this has been relegated to "theory"
Response to claim: 270-271 - Brigham Young stating that God is "progressing eternally," while Bruce R. McConkie states that God's knowledge and power is full and complete
Response to claim: 273-275 - Pascal's wager: is what you are being asked to give up more than what you might receive in exchange?
Summary: The authors mine their sources by extracting quotes from their context in order to make the statement imply something other that what it was originally intended to mean.
When students enroll in a class called "101" they expect a comprehensive and sympathetic introduction to the subject at hand. For example, if you signed up for a university course called Astronomy 101, you'd expect an introduction to the principles of astronomy, including how the study of astronomy has improved our lives. You'd be shocked if your professor taught that astronomy was wrong, and that, say, astrology was a better way to understand the physical universe. It is a sign of the fundamental flaws in Mormonism 101 that it does exactly that-presents itself as a religious primer when it is polemics; a more honest title would have been Anti-Mormonism 101.
—Marc Schindler
∗ ∗ ∗
Mormonism 101 contributes absolutely nothing new to the body of anti-Mormonism-there is nothing in the book that hasn't been written about elsewhere. It is simply another example of modern-day professional anti-Mormonism—attacking the Restored Gospel for money.[1] The authors insist on basing their arguments on their own preconceived assumptions, rather than trying to show how the Restored Gospel (which they refer to as "Mormonism") supposedly has inconsistencies or failures based on its assumptions. One may well ask, since the book's authors are not LDS, why they should be expected to accept our assumptions?
Marc Schindler notes,
The reason is that even if you don't accept an opponent's assumptions, you have to at least understand them and deal with them or you'll discredit yourself with neutral inquirers, and possibly even with your target audience, which in the case of Mormonism 101 is "Biblicists" who try to "witness" to Latter-day Saints. This is because, as will be shown time and again in this review, what McKeever and Johnson are actually criticizing are caricatures of the teachings of the Restored Gospel-teachings that they interpret on the basis of their own assumptions, rather than on ours. When the truth is examined, rather than caricatures or straw man arguments,[2] works like Mormonism 101 lose their credibility. A polemical book that tries to ridicule the Restored Gospel-which is what Mormonism 101 is at heart-cannot afford to provide balanced arguments or it risks confusing the rather narrow world view of its intended audience of anti-Mormon "witnessers."[3]
Mormonism 101's failings can be summarized in terms of two very common errors, and the reader is encouraged to be on the lookout for them in each of the individual chapter reviews: The first error is what I call "preaching to the choir." Metaphorically speaking, if you think that a mirror is a window, your view of the "world" will be what you yourself already perceive, and you will be unable to see other points of view. Your logic will be circular, your thinking will merely confirm your preconceived notions, and your arguments will make sense only to those who already share your preconceived ideas. An example of this first type of error is if a person speaks only English, and reads the word gift, and then assumes that the English word is the only possible meaning; they could be making a grave error. For example, in German the word actually means poison! Of course this is a trivial example, but this type of error is made in Mormonism 101 time and time again with respect to both simple and obvious concepts, as well as regards more complex and subtle philosophical arguments-as readers will see.
The second common error I call "co-opting of Christianity;" the incorrect assumption that one particular viewpoint can be applied to a wider audience, thereby deliberately excluding others on that near-sighted basis. An example of the second type of error is assuming that a very narrow and specific movement within Christendom, such as Biblicism (which I'll define shortly), constitutes "orthodox Christianity," thereby excluding 99% of all other Christians-not just Latter-day Saints, but also Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, mainstream Protestants and so on. This is the error one encounters most often in Mormonism 101-the assumption that the authors alone know what constitutes "real" Christianity.
↑ Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, Mormonism 101. Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2000). ( Index of claims ) Bill McKeever is a professional anti-Mormon, being the founder of Mormonism Research Ministry in El Cajon, CA; Eric Johnson is an employee of the Mormonism Research Ministry.
↑ A straw man argument is when a person misrepresents another person's views, and argues against the misrepresentation instead of against the genuine view. It's called "straw man" because it's easier to do battle with a "scarecrow" of one's own devising than with a real, life enemy.
↑ For an example of why this assertion makes sense, see the second quotation-from the book's editorial description on Amazon.com-under the section entitled Weak Scholarship.
Retrieved from "https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/index.php?title=Criticism_of_Mormonism/Books/Mormonism_101&oldid=188253"


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text:
Recruitment drive to ensure offenders pay back for their crimes
Extra 500 staff to oversee 3 million more hours of Community Payback each year.
• new partnerships will make offenders' work more visible and beneficial to law-abiding public
• Deputy Prime Minister visited Birmingham to see improvements ahead of Commonwealth Games
More than 500 extra Community Payback staff are now being recruited to get offenders serving an extra 3 million hours of payback to their communities every year.
The £93 million move will see more focus on outdoor projects, such as picking litter from roadsides and scrubbing graffiti from subways, that help improve the environment and allow the public to see justice being done.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, visited Birmingham yesterday (13 January 2022) to see offenders improving a popular tow path which will be used by thousands of visitors to this summer's Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The work is the result of a new, national partnership between the Probation Service and Canal & River Trust which sees offenders clearing litter, tidying tow paths and cutting back nettles across some of England and Wales' 2,000 miles of waterways and canals.
On this one stretch of canal alone, offenders completed more than 15,000 hours of unpaid work along the pathway during 2021. The agreement is the first of a number of new national partnerships set to be agreed between the Probation Service and major organisations this year.
Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab MP, said:
"This extra investment will make sure even more offenders undertake tough, visible work to repay the damage they have caused to society.
"Our new recruits will become part of the unsung army of local champions who are helping tackle anti-social behaviour and making our streets safer by supervising offenders' engaging in Community Payback schemes."
Applications are now open for over 500 new vacancies in Community Payback roles. The work plays a crucial role in delivering this punishment, improving local communities and steering offenders away from crime.
The Deputy Prime Minister met with the Canal & River Trust's Chief Executive Richard Parry to see offenders working on a stretch of tow path along a popular route to Alexander Stadium.
Richard Parry said:
"We're very pleased to be a key partner in the Government's drive to deliver community improvements by offenders.
"Working alongside Trust colleagues, offenders are learning new skills and improving their prospect of employment, whilst helping to care for our canals and make them attractive places for local people to enjoy."
Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service
The Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP